Children of the Prime Box Set

by T. C. Edge

  "Then we should count ourselves fortunate," Ares rumbles. "The storm will help conceal us. We have caught another break tonight."

  We press on, moving quickly. Few words are spoken as we go, though I stay beside Amber, still feeling a need to watch over her in situations like this. She has a power beyond almost all others, but it isn't useful all the time. We are Hawks, she is not. Our speed is several levels above her own.

  They are both critical gifts when engaging in missions like this. She wouldn't make a good spy or assassin, but that is not where her talents lie. Not even Ares or Perses could obliterate armies like she can. And fire, as a tool, can be useful in various ways. We've known that since the time of the caveman, and it still holds true today.

  A couple of hours pass before we're circling around and heading into the hills in the west. They are craggy peaks, a number of miles from the city, barren and lifeless as a rock in space. As we climb, it's possible to see the remains of the blockade camp to the west, and the many small shelters and checkpoints set up along the lines. All have now been cleared out, our full force gathered in the south, readying to make its move when the signal is given.

  The terrain isn't easy out here, the coming of the storm now making visibility more difficult. With the rains beginning to pour, I guide Amber along carefully, showing her which paths to take. Perses assumes the lead, and Ares sticks to the rear, two mighty bookends as we venture along in single file, making for the high ground.

  Eventually, after a couple of near falls and trips, we come upon a path of sorts. Despite the falling rain, Perses is able to spot the faintest residue of recent tracks. He drops to his knees, rain splashing on his broad, black-armoured back, and inspects the ground, sniffing deep. He nods and stands once more.

  "They passed this way," he says. "We are near."

  The attention turns to me now, as I reach for a craggy, jutting rock, and place my hand to the wet stone. I shut my eyes and activate the sight, blooming within my head as quickly as it ever has. It is the rain that does it, dancing loudly across the land. Each connection creatures a vibration, and those vibrations add up to form a picture in my mind, a sort of echolocation that bats and dolphins use. I search, and there beneath us, about ten metres deep, I sense a tunnel.

  My face forges a smile. "It's right below us," I say. I turn in the direction of the city. "It heads down the slope at a gradient. It's hard to be exact, but if it stays on that same course, it'll probably take us somewhere into the southern districts."

  "Perfect," says Amber. "That's where we need to get to, right?"

  "Let's not assume anything," Perses cautions. "The path may alter its course. We will know more when we find the entrance and journey down it."

  I take my turn to lead, using the sight occasionally to check we're on the right path. It doesn't take long before I discover the grate, rainwater clanging against it and dripping down onto steps below, echoing in the darkness. We stop above it, standing in the deluge, sharing a look as if to say, 'are we really doing this'.

  And then, leading us on, Perses bends down, grips the metal and pulls the grate open.

  It groans on rusted hinges, complaining above the storm. A crack of thunder bellows nearby, rumbling through the heavens. "I shall go first," Perses says. "Remember, we take it slow, and turn back if we must." He takes a pause and nods. "Follow me."

  Down we go, stepping one by one into the darkness. Feet clang on metal steps as we enter into the still air. Ares comes last, shutting the grate behind him. We turn, as one, and stare down into the gloom.

  "Can I light myself up a bit?" Amber whispers, her voice carrying down the tunnel, echoing from wall to wall. "I can hardly see anything."

  "There isn't anything to see," Perses tells her. He's right, there isn't. Just a long, stone corridor, leading down the slope. "Keep your fires muted for now, Amber. The darkness is our ally."

  We progress onwards, moving slowly and carefully as we go. I hold to the side of the corridor, against the wall, allowing me to press my hand to the stone and activate the sight when needed. I do so incrementally, searching for movement or traps. It is silent down there, and still, meaning the image in my mind is limited. Yet anything - a buzz of a camera, the ticking of a charge, the light breathing of someone lying in wait - would be perceived by my senses.

  When not stopping to use the sight, I take advantage of my sense of smell. It is more acute than the others, and perhaps significantly so. While Ares and Perses watch and listen for danger, then, I try to draw much of my power and focus to my nose, sniffing the air as we go for anything out of the ordinary.

  Though most people wouldn't know it, almost everything gives off a scent that the likes of me can perceive. There is a whole world out there, that few can truly tap into. I could close my eyes, block my ears, and still know a great deal about the world around me by the use of my Sniffer powers alone.

  And in that mode, on we go, every sensory base covered, probing for every detectable threat. We go without any urgency, but move with a calm purpose. Only Amber, staying at the back, finds herself useless right now, merely walking behind us as quietly as she can, and probably growing rather frustrated with the lack of pace and excitement.

  A mile passes like that, perhaps two. We come to the intersection Zander told me about, the tunnel forking into two separate routes, one heading right, one to the left. We stop there a moment. "Left, Zander told me," I say. Still, we don't immediately go down it. Eyes are drawn right, the route that would take us to the Prime.

  "We cannot access it," Perses says. "That is what Zander told you, is it not?"

  I nod.

  "He was certain?" asks Ares.

  "Certain," I say.

  "Then let us not stop to even consider it," Perses says. "It may be too dangerous anyway, to venture to the heart of their den." His eyes sweep across. "We continue left. We continue with the plan. Let's go."

  We carry onwards into the never-ending gloom, as the miles stretch out before us, the tension growing all the while. No threats reveal themselves, no dangers in the long dark. Before too long, the sight is revealing the shape of walls above. Great and thick and looming tall. I fix my hand to the stone and feel the vibrations rumbling through the earth, giving me a clear image of everything around us.

  "The bombing," I whisper. "It's helping me see." I draw back, and turn to them, my voice shivering with anticipation. "We're coming into the south of the city, on the western side. The bombing sounds close. We can't be too far away."

  My words breed excitement, though they all show it differently. Amber beams, struggling to contain her flame. Ares and Perses merely cock a brow and nod. It's about all they'll show on their surface, though they cannot conceal their heart-rates from me...

  "Can you see where the tunnel comes up?" Perses asks.

  I shake my head. "The wall is right above us. We've just passed the moat. I can see about fifty metres ahead, though the image in my mind fades any further away than that."

  "And is there activity up there?" asks Ares. "People? Soldiers?"

  "I can't sense much," I say. I press my palm to the stone again, to take another look. "The buildings immediately beyond the wall seem to be abandoned. Not much activity, no."

  "Do you know where we might be, Perses?" Ares asks. "If Kira were to provide a more detailed description?"

  "Certainly," Perses confirms. "Let us move a little further down the tunnel, and find out."

  We do so, passing the walls above and heading another fifty or so metres beyond. I stop again and perform a check, trying to identify features above that Perses might recognise.

  "The architecture is familiar to me," I say, frowning. "It seems...classical. Almost like what we have in Neorome."

  "Ah, yes," Perses says, "That makes perfect sense. The city, as you know, is separated into distinct sectors. It was built to honour ancient cultures, keep their memory alive. One such district pays homage to the ancient cultures of Greece and Rome, a merging
of the two. Even the city itself took its name from the Greek's mythical Mount Olympus."

  "A fine history lesson," Ares says, his tone sharp but playful, in his own way. "So, where exactly are we?"

  "West south west," Perses says. "I can't be more specific than that without knowing of a particular building or landmark. Either way, it matters not. What we need to know is where the tunnel comes up, and whether we can exit safely."

  "I have a thought on that point," I say, turning my eyes to Amber, who stands small and, it's odd to say for such a girl, insignificant right now. That will change, of course, if my plan is agreed to.

  "Yes?" says Perses, interested. "What is it?"

  I turn down the tunnel, still snaking off into the darkness, and lift a finger to point. "Any exit," I say, "is gonna come with risk. It might come up into a guarded area, or be watched or, or...something. Going that way might not be the best idea. Especially if there's another option."

  I look to Amber again. Her response is to turn sheepish.

  "What?" she says, shrugging as we all stare at her. "What can I do down here?"

  "Melt the walls," I say quickly, raising a single brow, and the same side of my mouth.

  "Melt the walls," she repeats, a little more deadpan. "That's your plan?"

  "OK, just hear me out," I say. I look to the others, who haven't yet interrupted. It suggests that they're partially interested at least.

  I have their ear.

  I flick my eyes up. "The buildings are above us," I say, "but some of them have underground floors." I step over to the wall, place my hand there once more. I shut my eyes, explaining what I see. "There's a subterranean room a little ahead, over on the left. It's right at our level, through the rock." I open my eyes again and look at Amber. "About four metres of it. Four metres of solid rock. That's nothing to you, right?"

  She slowly lifts her head, cottoning on. "You want me to melt ourselves a new door?"

  I nod. "Exactly."

  "If we could sneak in via another way," Ares hums, intrigued, "then we'd circumvent all possible trouble ahead."

  I smile, my plan taking shape.

  "What's the route, Perses, from here to the southern gate?" Ares goes on. "Do you know it?"

  "I know all routes in this city," Perses says.

  "Except this one," Amber jokes, looking at her mighty mentor. "This tunnel, I mean." She smiles with an adorable awkwardness.

  Perses's wide, masculine face breaks into a smile. "No, I didn't know this tunnel," he says. "But above the surface, it's another matter. I can lead us to the gate. It will be quiet above at this time of night, and there are paths that will not be being watched."

  "How far?" asks Ares. "How long?"

  "A mile, perhaps, from where we are right now."

  The group falls silent, each of us thinking of possible issues in the plan. It's a simple one, really, the same one as before, only reaching the surface via a different route. Beyond that, nothing has changed. We still have to get to the gate. We still have to open it. We still have to lower the bridge for the army to cross.

  The latter will prove most difficult, I suspect. If any alarm is given, the secret will be out. We will be quickly inundated, forced to hold off the coming hordes. It is one of the reasons why I believed Amber to be a useful asset. No one - not Ares, not Perses - can hold back a charge like she can.

  "OK, now I get it..." I turn to the girl in question, bunching her lips and nodding. "So this is why you wanted me along."

  "Well..."

  "You had this idea the whole time, didn't you?" she asks me. "I'm here as a glorified builder."

  I laugh at her false indignation. She's not any good at faking umbrage. "To be fair, you're not going to be building anything. More tearing things down, really..."

  "Then a construction worker," she says. "An...an anti-Forger."

  "Oh, anti-Forger. I like that," I say.

  "OK, you two, that'll do now," says Perses. "You understand we're in mortal peril here?"

  "All the more reason to lighten the tension," I say, pushing Amber on the arm. "Now come on, anti-Forger, you ready to contribute?"

  Her chest puffs with a huffing laugh. "Oh, go on then," she says.

  197

  AMBER

  "OK, I think this will do," says Kira, feeling along the wall for the easiest entry point. "There's a small room on the other side. The building above looks like a public bath by the layout, I think." She looks to Perses. "You have those here?"

  "Public baths?" He nods. "Yes, in this district, there are a couple."

  "The lower floors seem to be storage," Kira goes on, relaying what she's seeing. "There's no one around. No movement or all."

  "There wouldn't be, not at this time of night." Perses turns to look at me. "So, Amber, over to you."

  I step forward, staring at the thick stone wall. "Couldn't you two just knock it in?" I ask, glancing to Perses and Ares, each with boulders for shoulders, and necks thick as thighs.

  "It's very dense stone, Amber," Perses rumbles, his very voice seeming like it would do the job of knocking the wall in, should he blow hard enough. "You may be overestimating what we can do."

  "There are some metal supports as well," Kira adds. "They're running through the wall. You're going to have to get extremely hot to melt them. Think you can do it?"

  "I'll give it a go," I say confidently. "Never done this before but..." I shrug. "We'll see."

  The others step back to give me room to work, as I move to the wall, and set my palms to the stone. I draw the fires to my arms, my Fire-Blood armour beginning to glow bright red. Slowly, the stone wall begins to glow too, brightest where my hands touch, fading further from the source. I sense the others moving even further back, the air steaming, hissing at my ears.

  It takes a couple of minutes or so before the stone grows malleable, my hands beginning to press through its surface like hot clay to be formed to pots. I build a shield to try to contain the heat, focusing on a small doorway only through the wall. Within that doorway, the rock starts to bubble and collapse, a great pile of glowing orange sludge, popping and fizzing as it caves in.

  The metal struts Kira mentioned soon appear, holding their form a little longer, running horizontal through the walls. I increase my temperature further, pushing to my upper limits as the struts begin to morph and bend and eventually melt like all the rest.

  I press through, reaching and stepping in, crafting a tunnel through the molten stone. It takes a little while before I feel my hands burst through the other side, and I push into an empty, stale-aired storeroom. I turn back, looking at the odd, misshapen tunnel I've fashioned, the sides and ceiling dripping with lava, the floor a bubbling pit.

  Beyond, the others wait, looking at the tunnel trepidatiously. "Um, how exactly are we supposed to walk through that?" I hear Kira ask from the other side, shielding her face from the heat, steam billowing all around her.

  She has a point. Each of them would be melted alive if they tried to step through the tunnel as it is. And Perses and Ares, in particular, are going to have to clamber through carefully, given their size, and the narrow shape of the passage.

  "Are we meant to just wait for it to cool?" Kira goes on. "That'll take ages."

  I know exactly what I'm going to do, though don't tell her immediately. I'd rather torture her a bit first. "So, I'm guessing you didn't think of this when you came up with your plan?" I ask, my tone one of false rebuke.

  "I...I guess not," she says, forced to doubt herself, if only for a moment.

  I can see Perses smiling. He knows.

  "Come along now, Amber," he says. "Cool it down and we'll come on through."

  "Fine," I say, drawing my fires back in. My armour cools from red to black, as I turn to the other set of powers that I've hardly learned to use.

  Frost-Blood.

  Slowly, the black of my armour turns blue, and the air cools and mists around me. I see Kira and Ares looking on in silent surprise as I step ba
ck into the tunnel, and begin pressing on the molten walls; the floor, the ceiling, quickly cooling to solid stone once more. It hisses violently, giving off great puffs of steam. And when the steam clears, the tunnel has hardened, a four metres passage through the wall, ready for the others to climb through.

  Kira comes first, a little unsure as she approaches the smooth, undulating rock. She looks around, quite amazed, as she clambers through the narrow space, leaving Ares and Perses to squeeze through behind her.

  "You're full of tricks, Amber," she says to me, as my armour returns to black once more. "Can all Fire-Bloods do that?"

  I shrug. "Not sure. I think it's something only the best of us can do. Elian's much better at it than me."

  The others join, Perses offering me a prideful smile, Ares patting me on the back in gratitude, his mighty paw almost knocking me off my feet.

  "Well, perhaps I should have brought Elian along instead," Kira grins. She steps towards me, jest in her eyes. "Just kidding, Amber. Great work."

  She has an impact on me like Perses does. I take her praise and hold it tight. It means a great deal to me.

  We continue on, Kira using the sight again to check the coast is clear. She confirms it with a nod, and we step to the door. It's locked; not a problem for Perses. He presses onto it, fingers digging into the wood, and merely tears the entire thing of its hinges, placing it to one side.

  He glances around the corridor beyond, stone stairs leading to the floor above.

  "Do you know this building well, Perses?" Ares asks.

  "I don't commonly attend the public baths here, no. I don't have such time for leisure."

  We move up the steps quietly and in single file, the air clearing as we approach the surface. I find myself eager to look upon the public baths, get a hint of what Neoroman life might be like. It fascinates me, their city, their culture. I look at Kira and dearly hope she was serious, when inviting me and Elian to attend her wedding.