Industry & Intrigue

by Ryan McCall

  Reese shook himself out of his thoughts. “I’m sorry, what?” He had missed what the professor had been saying.

  “I was wondering if anyone could tell me how the first Drake of Wei conducted his rule?” the professor repeated.

  They were currently learning about the ancient empires of Weicarus. The ancient nation of Wei had been the first empire in continent of Xenish, united by the drakon warrior, Ihin Shu, six thousand years ago. He had made himself king or drake as the drakons entitle their monarch and to this day, though the rulers of Weicarus had changed many times, the title remained drake.

  Despite his distractions, Reese had been reading his text books extensively so he knew the answer. “Drake Shu, was obsessed with the legend of Avathrax the Dragon Tyrant King. He believed that Avathrax was still alive, having achieved his quest for immortality. He built the city and palace of Valhai in dedication to the Tyrant King and spent his rule seeking him all over the world, without success.”

  Every child had heard the legend of Avathrax-the multi-headed Tyrant King of the dragons. He ruled the Pardrax Empire of Dragons for thousands of years before vanity undid him. He wanted to become an immortal being, never able to die. In his quest he killed thousands of dragons until a violent civil war and revolution destroyed the empire and the Tyrant was killed.

  No one believed it was more than a story of course. The Pardrax Empire had certainly existed, archeological evidence had proven that, it had endured for a million years. But the tale of Avathrax was only a fanciful legend. All that was left of the last dragon empire were the bones of its dead and the cities buried under sand and rock.

  “Yes, exactly,” replied Professor Smith. “Shu sent expeditions across the lands and waters seeking the resting place of Avathrax. But he was chasing a myth. If a historical Avathrax did exist, he would have died millions of years ago, along with all the other dragons. Biological divergence has shown that smaller life forms are more adaptable, which is why bipedal drakons exist now and dragons do not.” Professor Smith went back to the board and put up more notes. Everyone in the class jotted in their books.

  All this talk of dragons reminded Reese about his zoology field trip. Professor Xerin had arranged for the zoology class to visit the Crean Valley and stay there for overnight. They were due to leave tomorrow.

  Reese was looking forward to it, but his thoughts never strayed far from his sister. He wished she would get in touch with him. He had no idea where she was; if she was even still in the city and it was maddening.

  His history class finished, Reese made his way back to his apartment to drop off his morning books and get what he needed for his afternoon classes. He opened his door and put his books on the shelf. He was suddenly grabbed and pulled him into a hug. As he was released, Reese saw that it was Lucina.

  “Lucina, you’re here.” He was filled with conflicting emotions.

  “Yes,” she replied.

  “Where the fuck have you been? I’ve been going crazy,” he said, letting loose on her. “My sister comes back after eighteen years and assassinates someone important enough to jumpstart a war, then just disappears? Michael and I were questioned by Imperial Intelligence. Now suddenly you show up again!”

  “Reese, keep your voice down. No one can know I’m here,” she said. “I know you’re upset and I will explain everything, but can you please remain calm while I do?”

  Reese’s face was hot with anger, but he nodded and let her continue.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  She sat down in the chair next to his bed and he noticed her relax. “You have to understand. After Tercium I was captured by a group of very unpleasant men. They sold me like property and I ended up in Longhaven. I won’t go into details, trust me, you don’t want to hear them. I was forced to endure degrading and horrible things there,” she explained. “The first time I killed was to protect myself. After that it became easier. Eventually I was invited to join the Arm of Assassins.”

  Reese’s eyes went wide. He had heard of the infamous and secretive organization based in Longhaven. Most of it was hearsay and rumor, nothing substantial.

  No wonder the agents were frightened he thought. They wouldn’t be able to deliver an assassin of the Arm to the emperor as a prisoner.

  “I know,” she said. “It sounds crazy but believe me its real. I’ve been with them for most of my life. Reached the level of master, though none of that means anything anymore,” and she laughed softly.

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “After I left the university I met my handler. He could tell I was hiding something, so I killed him.”

  Reese found it hard to believe that this woman that could be so casual about killing, was the same sweet older sister who had played with him as a child.

  She saw the puzzled look on his face and explained. “I was hiding my encounter with you and your friend. He would have ordered me to go back and kill the both of you. The Arm never leaves witnesses. That’s why I haven’t been able to come to you until now. I had to be certain the Arm wasn’t following me or watching the university.”

  “So it’s safe now?”

  She laughed at that. “Safe? By now the Arm knows I killed Ral tor’Kraos. They’ll be sending someone after me. I’ll never be safe, they do not forgive treason.”

  “So what do we do now?”

  She stood up and walked over to look at all the books on his shelf. “You followed in father’s footsteps,” she said, taking in his history and zoology books. She turned back to him. “We don’t do anything brother. I would love nothing more than for us to be back in each other’s lives, but that isn’t possible. If I stay here, you would be in danger.”

  “Come on, you can’t be serious. We’re the only family each other has, we can’t let go of that,” he argued. Now that she was back, he didn’t want to lose her again.

  “I don’t want to, believe me. But I could never forgive myself if I remained and something happened to you.”

  “Too late for that,” he muttered.

  But she heard him and her head turned and looked at him “What do you mean?”

  “It’s not your secret assassin group but someone’s already after me. Well after father’s books anyway.”

  Lucina looked back at the shelf. “You still have father’s books?” Her voice was tinted with fear.

  “Yes. I was ambushed on the train awhile back. When I returned here they had broken in here and taken two of his books.”

  Reese walked over to the cupboard and retrieved their father’s personal notebook. “But they didn’t get this.” He showed her the old, leather-bound journal.

  She gazed at it. “Reese, this…this is why he was killed.”

  “What, what are you talking about?” Now he was confused, he remembered his parents dying during the Siege of Tercium. Another set of statistics in the list of dead.

  “I don’t know why, but I remember if as if it was yesterday. He was working for someone, trying to uncover secrets of the colossi. Whatever it was, he found it and it was important enough to have him killed. If the same people have found you…”

  “Then why didn’t they kill me already? If they thought I had this they would have come back, but there’s been nothing.”

  Lucina nodded in agreement. “You’re right, if the same people knew you had that, they would have already taken action. A rival student could have taken your other books?”

  “That’s what I figured when they didn’t bother me again.”

  She handed the book back to him. “You should still keep this hidden. It’s a family heirloom after all.”

  He put the journal back into its hiding place. “What are you going to do now?”

  “Leave, somewhere far away from here. I’ll try to see if I can find a place that the Arm’s fingers cannot reach. It should be easier with all this talk of war. They’ll be too distracted with new contracts to look for me. The Arm knows how to profit from a war.”

  “Or cause
one,” the anger had crept back into Reese’s voice.

  Lucina sighed. “Yes, there’s a good chance I started a war. But I was merely the weapon, not the will behind it. And don’t bother asking, I haven’t a clue who it was. Someone rich, powerful and hungry for war. At this point it doesn’t matter if it was Alkos or Galria who ordered it. The one death was merely a catalyst for all the other issues to be brought to the forefront.”

  “And how do you feel, knowing you helped start it?” he asked. He wanted to know how his sister had become like this.

  “That doesn’t matter anymore, what’s done is done. What I have to focus on is surviving.” She hugged him again and kissed him on the cheek. “Goodbye Rius. If we stay in contact, you won’t be safe. Keep that in mind, in case the thought of tracking me down ever occurs to you.”

  And with that she was gone. Away from his apartment as quickly as she had left the scene at the science building. Reese didn’t know what to think. His sister, a member of the Arm of Assassins. It was too crazy to even think about seriously.

  He grabbed his afternoon books and left the apartment. Despite what she said, he was still convinced there was a way for them be family to each other. How could he stop her from leaving? He didn’t even know where to start looking for her.

  He headed towards Cassandra’s apartment. He wanted to see how she was doing. He had not had much time to see her with everything that had happened and wanted to make sure she wasn’t still drowning her sorrows.

  He knocked on her door, but there was no answer.

  Maybe she’s having lunch he thought. I’ll see her at the train station tomorrow anyway. Professor Xerin’s zoology class was due to take the train at seven o’clock the next morning. It was a five hour journey to the town of Crean and then another two hour carriage ride to the actual excavation site.

  I should take father’s journal he thought. His father had visited Crean and his notes could help him find something related to the colossi. His father had visited the site during the early excavations, not long after its discovery. At that time not much had been uncovered, so it was unlikely that his father had discovered anything significant. Still, it couldn’t hurt. He might even be able to figure out the reason behind father’s death, if Lucina was correct. If he could do that, it might bring him some measure of peace. He would be sure to pack the book when he returned to his apartment tonight.

  Chapter 39

  Tessa and her lover relaxed in each other’s arms. Post-coital sweat beaded on her skin and dripped onto the white sheets. She was never more relaxed than at times like this. The aftermath of sex and comforting feeling of her lover left her feeling like she was floating on air. All her problems shrunk down to nothingness, but it never lasted.

  The possibility of war and the issues with her siblings came back to haunt her mind. Her lover, Thomas Hamilton, noticed the change in her face. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  Tessa had first met him years ago, as a university student. He was a lecturer’s assistant for one of her classes and she instantly developed a crush on him like many of the girls. She never did anything about it and let it go by the time she graduated. She met him years later at one of her father’s corporate dinners. She told him of her ambition to work in the government, while he told her about his company, Alkos Artifacts.

  It was a company he started after his time at university, a business trading in rare, magical devices. Initially he had only one small building and a few employees. After several lucrative ventures, he bought an office in Fort Naikos, an investment that paid off hugely.

  Kangur was where the ancient Cartral Empire had once stood and only fractions of it had been uncovered. Thomas had explorers and diggers scouring the steppes for ruins. He had made several well-known finds, the most famous of which was the Cartral Automaton.

  It was biped-shaped form made out of metal and bolts. It didn’t function of course and was covered in rust, but nonetheless it garnered huge attention. Before its discovery, historians assumed Cartral was a bronze-level society. The discovery had spun off a new theory among certain historians, that Cartral may have been far more advanced than first assumed.

  Thomas had sold it for an impressive sum to an eccentric collector from Daltilloch. Tessa had forgotten the man’s name, but he had subscribed to a radical notion that technology moved in cycles of advancement and decline rather than continual growth. The automaton was his first piece of evidence of an ancient civilization with advanced technology and he had been eager to get his hands on it. Tessa thought the man and the tech-cycle theorists were mad, it was nothing more than an intricate statue.

  At the dinner, after several glasses of wine, Tessa had eventually confessed about the crush she had on him. They ended up in bed and spent the entire night together. They had been a couple since then, Thomas wanted to get married, but she hadn’t wanted to commit, her government career was more important to her.

  “I’m concerned about my brother,” she admitted. “He’s involved with Alyssa Huntington.”

  Thomas laughed.

  “Shut up,” she said. “It’s not funny. Once that hag gets her claws into him, he’ll spill every little secret about his armaments division.”

  “Do you think Alyssa Huntington needs to resort to tactics like that in order to get ideas?” asked Thomas. “The woman is a mechanical prodigy, she doesn’t need to steal anything. Trust me, she’s only interested in one thing from your brother and it isn’t his corporate secrets. She’s infamous for her tastes in younger men. But it never lasts long, she can’t afford to carry on an affair and maintain the dignity of her marriage. She’ll have her fun with him, then move on to the next conquest.”

  Tessa looked at him suspiciously. “You sound awfully informed about the way Alyssa Huntington carries on an affair. Personal experience is it?”

  Thomas chuckled again. “Would you be jealous if it was?” he asked. His blue eyes were carefully watching to see how she reacted.

  She refused to rise to it. She scoffed, “Of her? Hardly. She may know what she’s doing when it comes to inventing, but I don’t think she compares to this does she?” Tessa sat up, putting her naked body on display for him.

  He caressed her gently with his hands. “I wouldn’t know. It was one of my cousins who had the pleasure of being the object of her affection for a night. He happily boasted all the juicy details to me.”

  She placed her hands on his chest, her fingers running through his coarse hair. “You may be right. But I still don’t like it. Do you have anyone inside Huntington Mechanics?”

  “They occasionally buy objects from me, so I have a few employees that see the inside of the enormous building in the Ruby Hill district.”

  “Could you tell them to keep an eye out for my brother?” she asked.

  “That depends,” he replied. “What’s in it for me?” He pulled himself up and kissed her hard. As they broke off, his hand moved down her body and between her legs. She tried to answer between gasps.

  “Uh…I think I have…oh…something you’ll like…ahhhh.” Her voice grew higher as he kept up his movements and she stopped speaking altogether.

  When they were done, Tessa panted with exhaustion and delight and her head slapped back onto the soft pillow.

  “Other than your brother what else is going with your family? How’s your sister, now that she’s in charge of Typhon?” he asked. Thomas had been away on business and hadn’t been able to attend the funeral.

  “She couldn’t be better,” said Tessa, with a hint of bitterness. “It’s what she’s always wanted. I’m sure she’ll do our father proud, she was always his little business disciple.”

  “So why do you sound upset?” he asked and stoked her face. “You were never interested in the company.”

  “It doesn’t mean I want to see my unscrupulous sister running it. She’s far more ruthless than father ever was. Did you hear about the massacre of the socialists?”

  Thomas drew back. “You can�
�t honestly believe your own sister had hand in something as brutal as that?”

  She shook her head “You don’t know her like I do. She hates it when anyone goes against her authority. She once had an entire family of workers fired and thrown out of the factory because one cousins was spreading rumors about her.”

  “That’s nothing worse than what other big company bosses have done to their employees. Look at the conditions of the workers in Green River Engines or Culsyth Firearms, far worse than Typhon. The LRC has a much larger presence amongst their employees than your family’s company. And it’s still a long way from outright slaughter.”

  Strands of hair had fallen over her face. She brushed it out of the way. “You could be right” she admitted. “Typhon isn’t my real concern for now anyway. Not when we’re on the brink of war. I’ve carefully built up the imperial treasury in my time as minister. I’d hate to see all that effort be thrown away for bloodshed.”

  Emperor Lawrence’s father had been excessive to say the least. He had spent crowns like they were water. He had poured money into the colony of Hidan and the expansion of the navy, putting the imperial government on the brink of debt. Only the income from the flare-rock mines and rail taxes had staved it off.

  During her time in charge of the treasury, Tessa had been slowly recovering the imperial finances and the war looked set to ruin all of her beautiful work.

  “War will come or it won’t,” replied Thomas. “There’s nothing we can do about that. You only have to make sure the empire can pay for it. Work on all of the councilors to vote in favor of the war credits and allowing the emperor his discretionary spending. Emperor Lawrence is not the same man as his father. He has far better advisors. Better looking ones too.” He leaned over and gently kissed her.

  She smiled at him. “You always know how to make me feel better. What about you, how’s business?”

  “Flat out. I have folk bringing junk in every day, insisting that they’ve found a powerful, magical weapon. The smell of war has brought out the hustlers and the crazies. A woman tried to sell a plain-old defense talisman claiming it was an Artropian artifact.”