Clockwork Immortal

by Sam Ryan

“Naturally.” Sophia smiled, resting her head back.

  The two sat in silence for a time, Jezebel taking sips from her drink at regular intervals. It was not as if they had run out of things to say, instead they were just simply enjoying each other’s company. It was Jezebel who finally broke the silence.

  “So those two traveling with you?”

  “What about then?” Sophia asked. Her voice a little more defensive than she would have intended.

  “That’s what I would like to ask you,” Jezebel stated. “This seems to be pretty dangerous stuff for you to be dragging them along.”

  “They can handle themselves,” Sophia assured.

  “I am not saying they can’t,” Jezebel agreed, tapping her finger against the rim of her glass. “I am just wondering why bother in the first place.”

  “I really didn’t have much of a choice,” Sophia said. “They strong armed me into going in the first place and I couldn’t just leave them stranded in Noxiss.”

  “Yeah, you really could have.” Jezebel turned her head to the side, glaring at Sophia out of the corner of her eye. “If you’d given them a little bit of money, I am positive they could’ve made their way back on their own.”

  Sophia sighed, remembering the eerily similar conversation she had with Tara just last night. “Madilyn is far too persistent and prideful to just pack up and go home after coming so far. And she has sworn on her honor as a knight, or some such, that she would help me. So she probably would’ve just followed after me anyway, only then I couldn’t have watched out for her.”

  Jezebel smiled, leaning forward in here seat, her elbows resting on her knees as she stared at Sophia with an amused smile.

  “What?” Sophia asked, drawing back. She was slightly worried about the smug look on Jezebel’s face.

  “Nothing.” Jezebel shook her head. “I was just remembering when I met up with you in Rouen seventy years ago.”

  Sophia wondered what that had to do with anything. The purpose of that visit had been so Sophia could enchant some things for Jezebel. Sure, Jezebel and Two Fingers were making googly eyes at each other the whole time, even though they both denied it. But what did any of that have to do with now?

  “So what are we going to do about Tara?” Sophia asked, trying to change the subject off of whatever Jezebel was on about.

  “Don’t know.” Jezebel shrugged, leaning back in her chair, crossing her legs again. “Normally I would say not to worry about it. That she could take care of herself. But given that they might actually have a way to kill us…” Her words trailed off as she looked into the distance, slowly shaking her head. “I got my boys out trying to see if they can find where she’s being held. So we’ll see if they find anything. Until then.” She uncrossed her legs and stood up. “Stay here for a while and rest up. You look exhausted. And skinny. Have you been eating properly?”

  “And here you thought you’d make a terrible mum.” Sophia grinned, standing up from the shelf she had been leaning against.

  Jezebel moved forward, wrapping her arms around Sophia, embracing her in a tight hug. “I’m so happy to see you again,” she whispered.

  “You too,” Sophia replied, resting her cheek on the top of Jezebel’s shoulder and returned the hug.

  ***

  Madilyn turned off the water from the shower faucet and leaned forward, placing her weight on the hand pressed against the wall in front of her. She was surprised to see running water on an airship. Even if the showers and privies were all communal and there did not seem to be any segregation of genders. She did not mind such things and it was late enough into the night that the showers were empty so she basically had them all to herself anyway. They were also stalled off so it was not as if they offered no privacy.

  Showers were not the only strange thing that Madilyn noticed about the airship. All the lights were like what she had seen in New Dentin. White, with no flame to them. But unlike in New Dentin, where the light seemed to emanate from a metal coil, these emanated from a polished gem. Exactly how Sophia had described Magelight.

  She stood there for several minutes, letting the water drip off her nose and chin as she reflected on the day’s events. When she had woken up that morning she seemed to have had such a handle on things. Everything made sense and she could not have asked for it to be going better.

  Stella’s death was tied into the Legendary Relics, giving Madilyn more than enough reason to press Sophia into investigating them. They were well on their way to figuring out where they were located, and she was sure she could have convinced Sophia that taking it out of the hands of Trevelia was the best course of action.

  But in a single moment everything changed.

  No matter how she looked at it, there was no denying what she had witnessed. She had seen both Sophia and Jezebel take a fatal wound to the chest and then walk it off as if nothing had happened. She replayed it over and over again in her mind, trying to find the trick. Maybe the pistol did not have any bullets. But at that close of range it still would not have mattered. The force from the gunpowder would have killed them and there was no way to fake a black powder explosion or the blood that had burst out of Sophia’s chest as the bullet tore through her.

  A chill ran through her body reminding Madilyn that she was still wet and in the shower. Madilyn grabbed the towel hanging off the side of the stall and started patting herself down. She grabbed the satchel hanging on the wall in front of her that held her change of clothes and absently started getting dressed. Her long hair wrapped up in the towel so her clothes did not get wet.

  Finished with dressing herself, Madilyn pushed the shower curtain aside and walked barefoot out of the stall.

  “Do you normally take your clothes into the shower with you?” Sophia asked. She was standing outside the stalls next to the door, patiently waiting for Madilyn. She was wearing a new shirt without the hole or bloodstain and had removed her corset but was otherwise still dressed as she had been.

  “Force of habit,” Madilyn said, returning the bar of soap back into the basket. “It only takes your clothes being stolen once, forcing you to walk back to your room naked, for you to pick it up.”

  “Sorry,” Sophia said, her voice full of pity.

  “It’s not your fault,” Madilyn stated.

  “No, but I sympathize,” she said. She crossed her arms and stared at Madilyn.

  Madilyn stared back, both of them waiting for the other to do something.

  “There nothing you want to say or ask me?” Sophia asked finally.

  “I’ve pretty much put it all together,” Madilyn assured. “At least the broad strokes.”

  “And you’re not mad that I lied to you?” Sophia inquired, her look seeming doubtful as she stared at her out of the corner of her eye.

  “You never actually lied to me,” Madilyn admitted. “You may have lied through omission, but it’s not like I would have- No, I didn’t believe the truth when I heard it.” Madilyn let out a sigh. “I can’t even blame Tara for passing it off like a joke. She may have known that we wouldn’t believe her but when she told me that you two were Immortals, she was dead serious in the way she said it. At the time I thought myself a fool for taking her so seriously. Turns out I was a fool for not.”

  “It’s a hard thing to believe,” Sophia said. “Some people never do, even after little displays like the one Jezebel gave.”

  “That was certainly one way of going about it.” Madilyn nodded.

  “Not how I would’ve done it,” Sophia said. “But effective none the less.”

  “So then, what are you exactly?” Madilyn asked.

  “What do you mean?” Sophia blinked, looking up at Madilyn.

  “I hear all sorts of tales about undead whose second life lasts for eternity,” Madilyn stated. “Tales about curses and the like.”

  “Nothing like that,” Sophia assured, shaking her head. “As far as any of us can tell, we are human. Only we do not age and, until recently, we thought we couldn’t
die. We have feelings and likes, just as anyone else. I don’t ever remember being a child and growing up. But at this point, I am not sure if that is because I never was a child or if it was simply so long ago that I just don’t remember anymore. There are times that I feel as though I know something that happened over a thousand years ago, but I don’t know if it’s because I lived it, or because I learned about it and the knowledge just gets muddled with my memories.”

  “Doesn’t that frighten you?” Madilyn asked. “Not knowing who you are or what purpose your life holds.”

  “That frightens everyone,” Sophia pointed out. “Regardless of them being immortal or not. I’ve just had a lot longer to repress such questions.” She smiled at Madilyn, trying to lighten the mood. “I try to make my own purpose in life. Mind you, when you make your own purpose it’s also subject to change on a whim. That’s why there is comfort in thoughts like fate and destiny. A higher purpose and all of that.”

  “Do you not believe in those things?” Madilyn asked.

  Sophia bobbed her head to the side as she tried to think of an answer. “It’s easy to see accidents as predestined, or to see coincidence as fate. And I truly do not believe in coincidence or accidents. But on the other hand, the longer I live, the more everything does seem to be random. That the rippling effects of time were nothing more than the natural effects of the passage of time. For good or for ill. In the end, I just try to do my best and let the world work itself out.”

  “I suppose this also explains why you have such intimate understanding of history,” Madilyn stated. “You lived it after all. Why wouldn’t you? I can only imagine the wonders that you must have seen.”

  “And horrors,” Sophia added. “I have seen wars, plagues, slavery, and oppression. I have watched kingdoms and nations rise and fall. Those things can often overshadow the good this world has to offer, and if you’re not careful those horrors can drive you mad if you don’t have something to balance out the darkness.”

  “Hence the need for sunsets,” Madilyn said, feeling that she was starting to truly understand the woman.

  “Hence the need for sunsets.” Sophia nodded.

  “So, is this the reason you ambushed me in the shower?” Madilyn asked, pulling the towel out of her hair and letting it fall down her back. It was dry enough now that the towel was only an annoyance.

  “No,” Sophia said, standing up from the wall she was leaning against. “I came to swap out your clothes but I couldn’t because of the aforementioned habit of yours.”

  Sophia walked over to the clothes’ cubby along the wall and grabbed one of the baskets. She pulled out a set of dark blue trousers and shirt with gold trimming and brass buttons. Madilyn recognized it instantly as a Lear military officer’s uniform.

  “Since we no longer need to hide our identity, I thought you might be more comfortable wearing this,” Sophia stated, holding out the clothes to Madilyn. “I know how you knights are about proper dress attire.”

  “Where did you get this?” Madilyn asked in wonder, taking the shirt and holding it up to her chest, checking the fit.

  “Jezebel has a whole trunk full of uniforms,” Sophia said. “I’m sure it’s only for private purposes.” She shrugged and gave a knowing smile.

  “I’m sure.” Madilyn nodded, throwing the heavy shirt on. She was surprised at how well it fit. The sleeves ended right where they were supposed to.

  “Jezebel had it tailored to fit someone more of your psychic,” Sophia explained. “She’s actually quite the seamstress.”

  “Then I will have to be sure and thank her next time I see her,” Madilyn said, taking the trousers and holding them by the waistband so they unfolded. She flung them over her arm and looked up at Sophia. “Do you mind?” she asked.

  “Sorry.” Sophia slowly spun around so her back was to Madilyn.

  Madilyn undid the lacing on the trousers she was wearing and slipped them off, changing into her new ones. It did feel good to be wearing a uniform again. There was comfort in wearing something familiar. After all that had happened, she had forgotten what familiar even felt like.

  “So,” Sophia said. Her back still turned to Madilyn. “There is something I need to ask you.”

  “Alright,” Madilyn said, pulling the suspenders over her shoulders. “You can look now.”

  “Thank you,” Sophia said, turning around. “Now that you know… who I am.” She paused, trying to think of the right way to phrase her thoughts. “Is there any reason for you to stay here?”

  “You asking me to leave?” Madilyn asked, throwing on her over shirt again, this time buttoning it up.

  “I am telling you that leaving is an option,” Sophia stated.

  It really was not. Madilyn’s mission was still not finished. She had to find and retrieve the Legendary Relic and bring it back to Lear. Or at the very least, she had to destroy it. Even as a power supply, it was still dangerous. And given the tenuous relationship between the two nations, it would only serve to hurt Lear to allow Trevelia to keep using it.

  “I’ve promised to help you find the person responsible for killing Stella,” Madilyn reminded.

  “If you are worried about the Relic, don’t be,” Sophia stated, moving past Madilyn with no real destination in mind. The heals of her boots thudding against the smooth deck of the shower room floor. “With Stella dead I would not trust anyone in Trevelia with such a device. At some point I will take it or destroy it.”

  Madilyn pursed her lips together, looking down at her feet. “How long have you known?” Madilyn knew when she was caught. There was no point in denying it now.

  “From the very beginning,” Sophia said. “I knew there was no way that you would send people here just to confirm its existence.” She looked over at Madilyn as if asking her if Madilyn really thought her that stupid. “I also knew that they would have to send some sort of expert to retrieve it, as well as tell them how to activate it. Once we brought the Relic back to Lear, they would have locked me away in some room until I figured out its secrets.”

  Madilyn stood there wide eyed. She had not thought of that. She had been so focused on bringing the Relic back she had not once considered what came after. The worst part was knowing that Sophia was right. Lord Malorin would want to use the Relic himself, and he would use Sophia in order to make that happen.

  “Also,” Sophia added with a half-smile. “You have a tale for when you are lying.”

  “I do?” She blinked.

  “You put your hands on your hips like you are trying to be some kind of stoic knight or something.” Sophia placed her hands on her hips and pursed out her lips, puffing her chest out.

  “I do not,” Madilyn declared, placing her hands on her hips. Madilyn looked down and saw what she had done and dropped her hands. Sophia only smiled in a warm ‘I told you so’ sort of way.

  “Just so you know.” Sophia crossed her arms and gave Madilyn a sincere smile. “I never intended to let you bring the Relic back to Lear.”

  Normally Madilyn would not care what someone else had intended or not intended for her to do. But she understood now that in the case of people like Sophia, Tara, and even Jezebel, there was little she could do to stop them.

  It was a feeling that Madilyn was not used to having. In the presence of people like Sophia, Madilyn was completely powerless. She hated that feeling. She hated it more than she had hated anything else in her life.

  “I can’t return to Lear without that Relic,” Madilyn stated, unable to look her in the eyes.

  “Sure you can,” Sophia stated. “You just tell them that you destroyed the Relic and I died in the process. Between you and Max they would have no reason to doubt you.”

  Sophia was right. Madilyn hated to admit it, but she was. There was no reason for Madilyn to remain here. If she stayed she would likely only get in their way. Feeling like she would be a detriment was even worse than being useless.

  Their conversation was interrupted by a long, high pitched, wail that
rang out from a brass speaking tube in the upper corner of the shower room.

  “What’s that?” Madilyn asked, covering one ear with her hand to try and block out the noise.

  “That’s the scrabble alarm,” Sophia stated. “Come on. Let’s go to the bridge and see what’s going on.”

  Sophia rushed to the door, throwing it open, she darted out into the narrow corridor. Madilyn was close behind, still barefoot as she ran across the metal deck. There were several other people rushing about, hugging the side of the wall as they passed by each other.

  “What’s going on?” Sophia asked, entering a large room, surrounded by glass windows.

  They stood on the second floor of the room that had a balcony over-looking dozens of other crew members working at various stations. There was a place in the middle of the balcony that bulged out where Jezebel stood, overlooking everything that went on below her. Her arms crossed as she peered silently into the darkness of the world around them.

  “We’ve picked up the sounds of two Trevelian Warships bearing down on us,” Jezebel stated, turning her shoulders slightly to look at Sophia and Madilyn.

  “You’ve picked up the sound?” Madilyn frowned.

  “Yes.” Jezebel nodded like it was obvious. “Airships are noisy. Making them easy to hear if you are listening. They have likely been tailing us since Boulder and waited for the cover of darkness to attack.”

  “All hands have reported in,” Yates stated, moving behind Jezebel, one hand tucked behind his back the other holding a silver pocket watch.

  “Time?” Jezebel asked.

  “Six minutes, twenty seven seconds,” he said, handing her the pocket watch. “Nearly thirty seconds slower than normal.”

  “It’s late.” She sighed, handing the watch back. “I’ll give it to them.”

  Six minutes to get to their stations. That seemed fast considering the size of the Iron Rose and these were not even trained soldiers. They could not be held to the same military precision. And yet Yates had said they were slower than normal.

  “Jezebel only accepts the best,” Sophia said, leaning over to whisper to Madilyn, likely having seen her confused look. “She says she is too old to deal with anything less. She pushes her crew hard, but she knows when and how hard to crack the whip.”