by CM Raymond
Hannah nodded. “You’re right about that. Saw a little glimpse of the future with those jagoffs in line. What do you have in mind?”
Karl snorted. “Simple. They’re supposed to be a damned army, right? Time we start treating ‘em like one. Set ‘em to training. Set their eyes on kicking ass and getting home, and they’ll forget their empty bellies. Make discipline their food, and victory their only hope.”
Eleanor looked up from her plate, which was nearly empty. “I didn’t know you were a poet, Karl, and a bad one at that. You can’t build an army without food. Our people from the Boulevard know hunger, but it can only go so far. With winter still upon us, there’s precious little to forage in the woods. These people had little to begin with, and what they managed to carry with them has already been burned through. If everyone keeps eating like you,” she said, eyeing Hannah’s almost empty plate, “we won’t last the week.”
A loud thump grabbed their attention. Hannah turned to find Parker with a slanted grin on his face, standing over an enormous boar with its throat sliced open. “Ask, and you shall receive, Mother.”
Hannah’s eyes smiled at her best friend. “Not bad for a petty thief from the Boulevard. How’d you manage that?”
Grabbing a mysterious piece of meat from Hannah’s plate, Parker popped it in his mouth. “You see, Hannah, when a man has his back against the wall, and the people he loves are in need, the primitive hunter in him emerges, and he does whatever he has to do for the sake of those he loves. We need food; I brought back food."
Hannah looked from the boar to Parker and back. She rolled her eyes. "So, in other words, you took some experienced hunters into the woods?"
Parker flushed. "If you want to put it that way… Yeah."
Hannah and her friends laughed. "Well, you just do whatever you have to do to keep food on the table. And we will call you man all you like."
Eleanor gave her son a kiss, then looked disgustingly at the boar. “I don’t care what you call yourself, sweetie, just get this filthy thing off the table. Maybe you could find some experienced butchers to help you clean your kill.”
Parker picked the boar back up and followed his mom out of the dining room. Hannah shook her head, then glanced over the room. Eleanor was right; this lot was no army. But they were the only army Hannah had.
“I think you’re right, Karl. I’ll try and figure out our food situation, but do you think you could teach this group to fight?”
Karl nodded grimly. “Aye, I’m done underestimating you Arcadians. You’re all thieves and drunks and gluttons, but I’ll turn your people into killers quick enough.”
Hannah smiled. Ready or not, she knew they’d all be doing a fair amount of killing before long. Either that or they’d be dying.
****
At the top of the stairwell, Hannah came across a door dividing her from the outside world. She pushed through, and the winter wind pressed against her face.
It was always nice to get outside of the tower because the air inside—with all of the Arcadians—got stale quickly. She paced across the roof, which was at one time a room itself, and found Ezekiel, Hadley, and Julianne cross-legged with their eyes closed. Despite all that was going on, Ezekiel still wanted her to train daily.
One of her assignments was to work on her mental magic. Although she had kept up the disguise of a noblewoman for days on end, she had few abilities beyond that. She slid in next to her teacher, crossed her legs underneath herself, and closed her eyes.
Without looking at her, Ezekiel said, "Nice of you to finally join us."
Hannah shrugged—unfazed by his implied criticism. "Sorry. I was taking care of…"
Ezekiel turned his head and opened his eyes. They were bright red as the power welled within him during his meditation. "I understand. Everything has changed, and people here will be looking to you for more than you're used to. To most of them, you are the redeemer. The liberator they have been waiting for."
Ezekiel closed his eyes again, and it was clear that he expected her to do the same. She relented, closed her eyes, and tried to clear her mind. But all she could think of was the other teenager on the roof with them. An image of Hadley, tall and strong, came into her mind.
Nice to see you, too, he said in her mind.
She could feel her face turn warm as the mystic read her thoughts. Trying to find something clever to respond with, Hannah came up empty. You mind? I'm trying to focus here.
She tried to ignore his stares.
I guess you were down with your boyfriend, Hadley thought. I thought your time as a noblewoman would have given you more refined tastes.
Hannah couldn't help but smile. Things were too crazy for her to consider a relationship with anyone. But it seemed that Hadley had enough time on his hands to imagine all sorts of things. Is that jealousy I’m reading in your mind? I thought you two hit it off in Arcadia.
Pulling open an eye, she glanced over at Hadley. He grinned at her and shrugged.
We do make good partners. But I don't think I’m his type, he replied and turned back into silence.
She settled into her practice of morning meditation. Minutes turned into an hour before she knew it. The sound of flapping wings drew her from her focus. Looking up, she watched Sal circle overhead, flying with broad strokes of his long, broad wings.
It was hard to believe that a little under a year ago, he was a common newt scurrying around the streets of Arcadia.
“I’ve seen into the minds of women and men, but I’ve never seen anything like that,” Julianne said, staring at the dragon. “Sal defies even my imagination.”
Hannah watched as he swooped downward, out of sight. He emerged again a second later with a raccoon’s tail sticking out of his mouth.
Apparently, he had been getting better at his hunting after all.
As he swallowed his prey, Hannah could see that he was overjoyed at his success. He danced around in a circle like a kid who had just received a present.
Hannah laughed, “Yeah, some noble creature he is. I’m sure those ass maggots over in the city are just quaking in their boots at the thought of Sal, the mighty raccoon killer.”
Julianne shook her head. “He’s the product of powerful magic. They, and you, would be foolish to underestimate Sal’s strength. And what the hell is an ass maggot? That doesn’t make any sense.”
Hannah only shrugged as Sal flew off again. “It doesn’t need to make sense. It only needs to show my disdain.”
“That it does,” Ezekiel said. “That it does. And soon enough, you can show them your disdain in person.”
Hannah smiled. “I think I’ll take some time to meditate on that.”
CHAPTER TWO
While all of the rooms above ground level were filled with the Arcadians who had escaped Adrien’s tyranny, the tower had floors below ground level, too.
Most were useless, having succumbed to years of leaking water and collapsing walls. But Gregory was undeterred. He claimed a room in the back corner of the tower’s basement for the sake of a new workshop.
Having spent the first week cleaning out the space, he was now ready to get to work.
A bench he’d made out of an old door and gray blocks was lined with the few tools he’d been able to scavenge throughout the basement. Most were old and rusted, but they would have to do until he could figure out a way to get his own from inside the walls, if they were still there, that is.
Gregory turned over a large wooden box, and a dozen magitech cuffs tumbled out onto his bench. When Karl had freed them from their captivity, he had no way to remove the shackles. Instead, the rearick disabled the force shield, which would shock a shackled prisoner if he tried to escape.
Escape from the factory and their battle in the Boulevard would have been easier without their hands bound by the metal restraints. But the positive side of the whole thing was that once everyone retreated to the tower, Gregory could use his tool to liberate the men—leaving him with a large supply of raw
material to work with.
Three of the sets he had already dismantled. The young engineer lost himself in exploring the devices, trying to find a way to use them for the rebellion’s advantage. They needed all the help they could get.
“Looking good,” a voice said from behind him.
Gregory dropped the cuffs and spun. Ever since his father betrayed him and he was strapped to the core of the weapon, he was a bit jumpy. “Shit. Parker, I didn’t hear you come down.”
Parker grinned. “Of course, not. I’m the master of all things stealth.” He pointed to the desk. “Whatcha working on?”
Raising a few bits of the magitech cuffs, he said, “Trying to figure out how exactly these things work. I think we could use them to fight… I’m just not sure how, yet.”
Parker rubbed his wrists, which were still marked by his own pair of the magical bracelets. “Damn things pack a punch.” He raised the magitech spear that Gregory had made for him. “Speaking of all things magitech, this thing seems to be getting a little glitchy. Could you take a look at it?”
The engineer grabbed the spear and turned it over, inspecting its length. He was proud of the weapon, it being the first serious piece of mech he had made—even more pleased that it was a gift to Parker. “What’s wrong with it?” he asked without looking up from the staff.
“Not sure, but I was out practicing, and then it kind of just stopped having much power.”
Gregory finally looked up. “So, let me get this straight. You’re telling me you don’t have much power in your staff?” He grinned like a thirteen-year-old.
“Ass. You’ve been hanging out with Hannah way too much. Wish you would have made me a knife or a hammer—”
Gregory laughed. “If you think you wouldn’t have gotten the jokes with you playing with your hammer, you don’t know Hannah as well as I thought you did.”
Grabbing the end, he gritted his teeth and turned, opening the spear’s magitech core. He nodded at a light at the end of the workbench. “Bring that over.”
Parker complied and watched as Gregory’s fingers worked on the intricate insides of the device. The young man was always down on himself and his role on the team, but watching him work showed Parker just how good he was with tech—and how important he would be to their movement. They just had to make sure they used him well.
He looked up and handed the staff back to Parker. “Good as new. You won’t be shooting blanks anymore.”
Parker laughed. “Yeah. Way too much time with Hannah.” Nodding to the doorway to the staircase, he said, “Speaking of which, you better not wait too long down here. We’ve got a meeting.”
Gregory looked around. “Ah, crap. Is it that time already? I need to build some way to keep track of time down here. Without windows…”
“Hell, if it can be done, I imagine you can do it. Now, let’s go. Best not to keep our lady waiting.”
****
While nearly all of the rooms above the basement floor had been converted into living quarters for the new community, Ezekiel had reserved one room—one in the southwest corner of the top floor—for them.
Karl found a way to plug up the holes in the windows and walls, and Amelia used her magic to hang a ball of warm light in the center of the room near the ceiling. Her eyes were coal black as she used her magic, but she was skilled enough to cast the spell and pay attention at the same time. Despite the cool winds blowing outside, she kept their gathering space nice and toasty.
Hannah smiled as she saw Parker and Gregory enter together laughing. They were the last to arrive and fell quiet as the rest of the group turned to stare at them. Gregory’s face turned pink, and he quickly found his seat.
All of the original members of the rebellion were there, plus one extra. Marcus, the Capitol Guard who had saved Julianne, was seated at the table as well. Although some gave him sideward glances, Ezekiel and Julianne trusted him, and that was enough for Hannah.
She figured they weren’t in any position to turn down help.
She looked around at her friends. Their faces were gaunt from the small rations and late nights, but it was clear that a fire burned in all of them. The flames that destroyed the Boulevard now burned in their bellies, fueling them on toward taking the city back. They just had no idea how to begin.
“I’ll start,” Eleanor finally said. “We have enough food in the tower for another two days, maybe three. No one considered this when we fled. Parker brought me a boar, but when you have a hundred mouths, even a fat pig isn’t going to provide enough bacon.”
The group stared at her without response. They all knew it was bad. Maddie chimed in, “It’s not just the food. All of our provisions are dwindling. Half of the refugees ran hardly dressed for winter in the Boulevard, let alone surviving out in the wilderness. The cold has been forcing people to stay inside… and they’re getting restless.”
Karl snorted. “Aye, let me put some damn weapons in their hands. It’ll keep ‘em warm and make ‘em shut the hell up! Last thing we need is a bunch of whiny brats squatting indoors—like that shithead that stepped up to Hannah this morning. My ma used to say, ‘Idle hands makes one an asshat.’ Gotta get ‘em working and moving. Teach ‘em to fight, for mercy’s sake.”
Maddie flushed as she talked back to the rearick. “No disrespect, Karl, but they’re not warriors. They’re not even all healthy adults. We have children, the wounded, and the elderly among us. We have to care for them as well.” She paused and looked around the table.
All eyes were on her, which made her even less comfortable, but she pushed on. “Listen, those people down there... A lot of them are like me. Whether from the Boulevard or the Quarter, they’ve joined you because of Adrien and his cruelty. They realized the Capitol’s cruelty would only get worse.”
“And?” the rearick asked impatiently.
“They had their reasons to come here,” she answered. “But the Arcadians will need a reason to stay. They have to know that we see them as something more than just hands to bear arms.”
Hannah sat forward, drawing the attention of her team. “Maddie’s right. Food, clothing, shelter. This needs to be the priority. At this rate, Adrien is winning just by doing nothing. But it doesn’t mean that we can’t do more than just that. Karl’s right that those who are willing and able to fight need to be trained. But we can’t rely on their strength alone. We should go to nearby farms and villages. Word of Adrien’s douchery has certainly spread beyond Arcadia’s walls and—”
“Doesn’t mean they would support us,” Amelia interrupted. “People on the outskirts of town rely on Arcadia. Even with the high tariffs they pay, they couldn’t survive without trading with the city. Why the hell would they side with us?”
“I’m not sure. But it’s worth asking.”
Gregory cleared his throat. “I agree about the food and shelter—really, I do. But none of that will mean anything when Adrien advances on this place with his airship.” He paused and cocked his head. “I mean, I hardly believe he hasn’t come yet. If it were me… well, this tower would be a charred ruin, just like the Boulevard. Whatever is delaying him, it won’t for long. We need to prepare.”
Ezekiel leaned forward; his eyes sparkled as he listened to the engineer. “What were you thinking, Gregory?”
“We’ll never outnumber them,” he said, pushing a hand through his kinky hair. “Julianne already told us about how quickly the Guard was growing. With the airship and the rest of the magitech they have at their disposal, there’s no way we’re going to out-weapon them. But…”
“Yes?” Ezekiel said, pushing him on.
“But, we can outsmart them. The Capitol Guard—most of them are used to the close quarters of the Arcadian streets, or at best, hunting down small groups of the remnant in the lowlands” He nodded out the window. “We have this place—the woods, the hills, the damned tower itself. Use the terrain to our advantage—force them to fight on our terms, and we might just take one leg out from under their stool
.”
Karl smiled. “Scheisse! I like the way the kid thinks. Now, we’re talking.”
Hannah shook her head. “Terrain won’t mean shit once they launch their airship again. Got anything in that superbrain of yours to help with that?”
Gregory blushed, but pressed on. “Maybe. I’ve been tinkering with an idea for a weapon of our own. It’s going to take some time, but I think it might just level the playing field a little bit.”
“Stay on it,” Ezekiel said. “I trust no one more to figure out a way to fight Adrien’s metal beast than you. On terrain, I have a few of my own ideas on how to turn the place to our advantage.”
The faces looked at the wizard questioningly, but they had all learned that he would give details when the time was right, and there was no use trying to press him until that moment.
“I hear what Gregory is saying,” Marcus stepped in. “It’s true that magitech rifles work best with open sight lines, something that the thick parts of the forest would hinder a little. But I’ve also been in the Guard since I was nothing more than a boy. While I am clueless about that airship, I do know about the Guard. Smarts or no smarts. Training or no training. Weapons win wars.”
Karl looked at the Guard and narrowed his eyes. “Fine assessment, but all we’ve got is a forest full of sticks that ain’t much fatter than our men. I agree with ya—our lack of arms will certainly be our downfall.”
Marcus glanced at Julianne, and she gave him a slight nod. “Right. Well, let’s change that. I know where all the Capitol’s magitech is stored and how to access it. Also know the schedule of the patrols, as long as they haven’t changed much. With an able group of volunteers, I can lead a group in to raid their armory. Get a bunch of magitech, and we might have enough to turn the tide.”
Everyone in the group watched Marcus, weighing his words. They were silent. Challenging his involvement would be as if they were challenging the master mystic herself.