Clockwork Immortal

by Sam Ryan

  “You could always swear your fealty to Allora,” Sophia suggested. “I am sure she would be proud to have it.”

  Madilyn paused for a moment, holding her deep blue coat in her hands as she thought about what Sophia had just said. “I don’t think I can do that,” she whispered, staring off at nothing. “I respect Allora, and I have a lot of admiration for her. Had things been different, I would have proudly served her. But even after all that has happened, I still think of myself as a Knight of Lear.”

  “So then, what are you planning on doing?” Sophia asked, stepping forward and taking the coat from Madilyn and holding it up for her to slip it on. “Wander the world, saving princess or whatever else knights do?”

  Madilyn gave a half smile at the idea as she stuck her arms through the sleeves then turned around, to face Sophia. The idea did have its appeal. But Madilyn felt she needed more. She could not do something simply for the sake of doing things. She needed a reason, a purpose.

  “I can think of all that once we’ve rescued Tara and found the person who murdered Stella,” Madilyn said, looking down at Sophia’s hands fastening the straps of Madilyn’s coat across her chest. Normally that would be the job of her squire. Madilyn tensed up at the sudden thought of her little brother.

  “You still want to help with all that?” Sophia asked, looking up at Madilyn and raising an eyebrow.

  “I swore to you that I would.” Madilyn nodded. “My honor as a knight is at stake.”

  “Really?” Sophia looked skeptical as she pulled away from Madilyn, her dressing of her done. “’Cause a few weeks ago, you were ready to leave and let me do it all on my own.”

  Madilyn clinched her fist. While she could hardly say that she was alone between Jezebel and her crew, but Sophia was right. Madilyn forsaken her vow. She had felt so powerless after still learning about Immortals and who Sophia really was, that Madilyn had seen Madilyn at her lowest and had been the one to pull her back up. Madilyn owed Sophia far more than her life for what she had done. She had not only rescued Madilyn from prison but she had rescued her from herself.

  “Then let me rededicate myself,” Madilyn said. She reached out and grabbed Sophia’s hand, gently holding her fingers as she took a step back and lowered herself to one knee.

  Planting her fist into the ground next to her, she gently raised Sophia’s hand up and pressed it to her forehead. Sophia had a confused look on her face, but she did not protest, nor did she try to pull her hand away.

  “On my honor as a knight, I, Sir Madilyn Whittlemore, swear to you that I will help you in your quest to find your sister’s killer. And I swear that I shall make up for my failure in protecting Tara by helping you in your rescue of her. Until my task is complete, my life is yours, my sword is yours, and my honor is yours.”

  “Alright stop,” Sophia said. Gripping Madilyn’s hand tighter, she used it to pull her back up to her feet.

  Madilyn did not resist as she rose and raised her head so she was looking at Sophia once more. Sophia looked completely embarrassed. Both her cheeks and ears were burning red. She refused to look at Madilyn and was instead looking down and to the side.

  “You going to let go of my hand?” Madilyn asked.

  “What?” Sophia looked down and realized that she was still holding it. “Oh. Sorry.” She released her grip and let her hand fall to her side.

  Madilyn could not help but smile. Her oath had been said in earnest but she was still glad to be able to see Sophia actually flustered. She found it reassuring to know that Immortals could be embarrassed by things too. It made them seem more human.

  “Come on, Knighty,” Sophia said, wrapping her arm around Madilyn’s elbow. “Wouldn’t be very chivalrous for you to keep the Queen waiting.”

  “You are right about that,” Madilyn said as she began escorting Sophia.

  It was not until they had already left the room that she realized that she had not minded when Sophia had called her Knighty. She wondered why that was. Maybe it had to do with the spirit in which it was said. When Sophia had said it there was no mockery or malice in her tone. There was only warmth, and even a hint of affection. Perhaps that made all the difference.

  Sophia felt like she was about to die from embarrassment. What had all of that been about? To see Madilyn kneeling before her like she were making an oath to a princess was simply too much for her to take. There had even been times in the past where knights in actual shining armor had made such oaths to her and she had actually been a princess of some kind, yet she had never gotten so flustered by the event. And many of those knights had been also confessing their undying love for her at the time.

  But there was just something with how Madilyn had said it. Her words were far more than just words. Perhaps for the first time, Sophia felt that such an oath actually meant something. It was not merely something said because they thought it needed to be said, or because it was expected of them. Madilyn had meant every word of that promise.

  When they reached the door to Allora’s study, Madilyn gave it a knock then waited for permission to enter. Once she had it, she politely opened the door and held it open for Sophia to enter, gesturing with her hand and bowing her head slightly.

  Sophia smiled at her, shaking her head as she walked inside.

  “Are we the last ones?” Sophia asked, looking around the room at everyone else already gathered.

  Allora was standing behind her desk wearing a different, but equally impressive, blue and silver outfit. Elena and Jezebel were standing on opposite sides of the room from each other with Yates, Clementine and Max stuck being a barrier of bodies between the two.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Allora assured, then getting down to the matter at hand. “This morning I received an interesting letter that I thought all of you would like to see.” She picked up a large thick piece of paper that had been previously folded several times. “It would seem that the Kingdom of Lear and the Republic of Trevelia’s leadership is entering into secret talks to help soothe the rising hostility between the two nations.”

  Madilyn tensed up when she heard the name of her kingdom being mentioned. Sophia wanted to do something to reassure her that it was alright but could not think of anything to say that would not come across as hollow so she remained silent.

  “Not very secret if they are telling you about it.” Jezebel snorted, crossing her arms.

  “They have asked me to act as a neutral mediator,” Allora stated.

  “Do Kings normally ask you to do such things?” Sophia asked, feeling a bit skeptical about this whole thing.

  “They do.” Allora nodded. “I have often offered my assistance to nations trying to come to terms. I have even hosted several peace talks here in the Palace over the centuries. Many people wish for peace, they simply need someone detached from the situation to help cool tempers. Men also have a tendency to pick their words more carefully when they are in the presence of lady.”

  Sophia laughed a little as she imagined kings cowering under the disapproving, mother-like glare of Allora.

  “This seems a little too quick and convenient,” Madilyn said, voicing Sophia’s own suspicions. “You get this invitation a day after we arrive here.”

  “I have actually been working for this with both nations for some time now,” Allora said. “But given all that has happened in the past month, I too suspected this might be a trap. However.” She held out the letter to Madilyn. “Check the date on when it was pinned.”

  Madilyn took the letter and turned it around in her hand as she read the date at the top. “Three weeks ago.” Madilyn looked up from the letter and gave Allora a look of surprise. Madilyn rubbed her thumb against the wax seal at the bottom of the letter testing to make sure it was genuine.

  “This letter was sent before you were even arrested in Rouen,” Allora said.

  “Sounds wonderful,” Jezebel said, not sounding all that impressed. “Peace for all, and the world is a happier place. What does this have to do with us?
You woke me up for this, remember?”

  “Several things,” Allora said, looking over at Jezebel, giving her a sympathetic, yet non-apologetic, nod. “First, as the meeting is being held in secret, it will take place in a neutral location not inside any of our lands or lands that any of us have any strong ties to.”

  Sophia’s eyes narrowed as she listened. There was only one place that came to mind that would work in such a case.

  “You mean New Albion,” Sophia said, crossing her arms.

  “That’s right.” Allora nodded. Jezebel let out a laugh, the whole idea amusing her to no end. “As a city state with no ties or allegiances to any kingdom, there is little worry about the rulers of the city interfering for one side or the other.”

  “It’s also probably the most corrupt city in the world,” Sophia pointed out. “Not to mention the most dangerous.”

  “Only beneath the surface,” Allora reminded with a wag of her finger. “They work very hard in maintaining their utopia persona. It would not look good for that image if three of the most powerful rulers in the world were attacked while holding peace meetings there.”

  “What was the second thing?” Jezebel asked with a heavy blink, ready to move things along. She looked like she wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed.

  “According to this,” Allora said, looking over at the letter in Madilyn’s hands. “The Prime Representative of the Republic of Trevelia and His Majesty, the King of Lear, will both be meeting in person. If there is anyone who would know something about Stella’s death and Tara’s fate it would be the Prime Representative. Or at the very least, he could point us in the right direction to someone who does.”

  Jezebel straightened up at that, and Sophia saw that Elena perked up a little as well. Until now she had seemed bored listening to everything but was paying close attention now that the discussion involved rescuing Tara and getting revenge for Stella.

  “Alright.” Jezebel let her arms drop to her side as she took a step closer to Allora’s desk now fully invested. “So what are you thinking? Been awhile since I kidnapped a king. Or whatever Trevelia has.”

  “No.” Allora flatly rejected the idea. “But,” she added, squaring her shoulders even more than they already were. If that was even possible. “As to my first point, this is a secret meeting. Meaning I am to arrive in secret as well. No large fleets of airships, no show of muscle. That means I cannot fly aboard the Annabelle or any Imperial vessel, if I truly wish my departure to remain unnoticed.”

  “But no one would think anything of it if a notorious pirate ships headed to a place like New Albion.” Jezebel nodded, drumming her fingers against the hilt of her cutlass.

  “More than that,” Allora said, looking at each of them. “If this is a trap, which it still very well might be, I will need an escort. And forgive me if I am being to bold, but I can think of no better people to protect me than the people in this room.”

  “When is this meeting supposed to take place?” Sophia asked.

  “It says in the letter.” Allora gestured with her chin to Madilyn.

  Madilyn lifted the letter still in her hands and began reading it silently to herself summarizing as she read. “It says they would like to meet in two weeks’ time. They say to go to an opera house for a certain performance. There will be tickets held for us there. They say that someone will meet us there and give us the rest of the details on where and when the meeting will take place.”

  “Rather roundabout way of doing things,” Jezebel pointed out, placing a hand on her hip as she shifted her weight.

  “Likely because they themselves do not know the finer details yet,” Allora said. “By waiting until the last minute to decide, it prevents leaks from occurring. It also makes it harder for the other to set a trap.”

  “Or evade one,” Elena stated, her voice low and cold.

  “Which is why I will be relying on all of you.” Allora looked around the room. “All of you.” Her eyes shifted to Madilyn, Max and the other non-Immortals. “It is possible that whoever killed Stella will come after us. But that also means we do not need to find a way to draw them out. If they do attack, they will likely be focused solely on us Immortals and not the rest of you. And that too we can use to our advantage.”

  “Great,” Jezebel said, dropping her arms to her side. “Commander Yates,” Jezebel turned to face the old man. “You get the privilege of telling the crew that their shore leave is now over.”

  Yates nodded his head, not looking very thrilled by the idea.

  “There is no rush,” Allora said, holding up her hand cutting them both off. “If I am not mistaken, the Iron Rose should be able to make the voyage from here to New Albion in less than a week. Correct?”

  Jezebel slowly nodded as she did the math in her head. “Correct,” she said with a final nod.

  “Then I see no reason for us to go immediately,” Allora stated. “I know the crew and you have all had it rough these past few weeks, so I think it best to let them rest a while longer. We can depart in a few days and still have plenty of time to spare. This will give us time to refit the Iron Rose as well. I am sure you need it, given your recent encounters.”

  “Fair enough.” Jezebel nodded. “In that case, I think I will go out and have some fun myself.” She locked her fingers together and pushed them out from her chest, cracking her knuckles. “Been awhile since I had some actual time to relax. Unless there was anything else?” She turned and looked back at Allora who shook her head. “Then see you all later then,” Jezebel turned, walking towards the door of the study, giving them all a wave over her shoulder. She stopped as she opened the door, glancing back over her shoulder at them. “Clem, you might want to think about training with Elena there while we wait. You once asked why your father was so good at fencing. She is the reason.”

  “Alright,” Clementine frowned, not sure what had brought that on. Sophia was not sure either, but Jezebel did not seem to care one way or another and having spoken her peace, walked out of the room.

  ***

  Sophia took a long breath, readying herself as she entered the palace library. The library was an impressive one with thousands of books spanning over a thousand years. There was shelf after shelf of books, most of them chained down to prevent theft or someone accidently walking out with one. The main source of light being from the large glass dome ceiling high overhead. The room lacking lamps for obvious reasons of fire, and had not yet been fitted with electrical light.

  Allora had done her best to have at least one copy of every book that she could get her hands on. And given the size of the library, she might very well have succeeded. But books were not what had brought Sophia here.

  Near one of the back walls there were several work stations where people could have private areas to do research. Sophia scanned each of them looking for the one that was the most isolated, and tucked away in a back corner with no surrounding windows.

  Sophia slowly moved around the work station, her hand planted on the top as she pivoted around the other side.

  “There you are,” Sophia said, seeing Allora sitting under the desk. Her feet awkwardly sticking out from underneath as her blue dress was scrunched up by her knees, showing off her white lacy leggings.

  “How did you know where to find me?” Allora asked with a sniffle, using the back of her gloved finger to wipe away a tear building in the corner of her eye.

  “You always run to a library when you are anxious or depressed,” Sophia said. With a groan of an old man, she sat down on the floor and pushed herself back so she was sitting shoulder to shoulder with Allora, taking care not to bang her head against the desk. “And given that we leave for New Albion tomorrow, I figured you might be both. Probably letting the weight of the world fall on your shoulders while you wallow in self-doubt about how you have failed everyone.”

  “And here I thought no one knew about my private thinking, crying spot.” Allora looked at Sophia with a smile, though her eyes were still
sad, not to mention a little red.

  “I’m sure Elena does,” Sophia said with a casual shrug. “She just knows better than me when you wish to be left alone.” Sophia gave a playful nudge with her shoulder into Allora’s side.

  “She is smart like that.” Allora nodded, giving another sniffle.

  “I know we all handle things differently.” Sophia let out a long sigh. “And we definitely all grieve differently, but there is nothing wrong with letting the rest of us see you being sad.”

  “Sure there is,” Allora said, resting her head on the back of the desk they were under. “It’s hard to think that someone’s orders are sound and rational when you just saw them bawling their eyes out minutes before.”

  “You often give out orders minutes after bawling your eyes out?” Sophia asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “More times than you may think,” she said simply.

  Sophia opened her mouth to say something, then closed it, then opened it again. “I’m sorry for not keeping in better touch.”

  “What?” Allora said, blinking away the rest of her tears.

  “Elena told me how much my solitude saddened you,” Sophia said with a heavy sigh.

  “It’s fine,” Allora assured. “It’s like you said. Time has a way of getting away from us.”

  “It wasn’t that,” Sophia said, shaking her head. “I was scared.” She hugged her knees to her chest, resting her chin in the groove between them. “I was trying to get away from all the fighting, the war, and the problems that come with being an Immortal. So I thought that if I cut myself off from you, then maybe I could eek out some kind of normality in my life. But I’ll never have a normal life. No matter how hard I try, the illusion shatters when the people close to me begin growing old while I remain ever fixed in place.”

  “It’s hard.” Allora nodded. “On the one hand, we hate to be alone and draw people close to us to help alleviate that feeling. On the other hand, we want to push people away to prevent them from hurting us when they inevitably leave us. And they all leave us, even the ones that say they never will. That is simply the nature of them being mortal and us not.”