Hellsbaene

by Aeryn Leigh

  "Somewhere, someone is going to cry about what we're going to do." He stared at the wrench in his hand.

  "No doubt." Laurie knelt on the metal wing, and placed his hand on the warm, sheet-steel skin. “I'm sorry girl, forgive me. But you will live again. I promise.”

  Chapter Sixty

  Marine Escort

  Giorvano knocked on Marietta's cabin door. "I'm sorry to disturb you General. You need to see this," he said, and waited. In a few moments, he heard her boots across the floor, and then she stood before him, adjusting her coat.

  "What is it Giorvano?" she said. "It's still a full quarter to the next bell."

  "I think it's best you saw for yourself," he said.

  "When did you get so cryptic," said Marietta. "After you."

  They walked through the Officer's Mess and up the narrow, moonlit stairs. She followed him across the deck, to where the night-watch sailors stood huddled against the railing in a long line, shoulder to shoulder, talking in low, measured tones. The moon shone behind, the night before full moon, casting long shadows in the scene around them. Daybreak would be soon.

  "Make way," said Giorvano, and the men parted. "There."

  Two-hundred yards away, matching speed and their heading, a glistening black shape broke the ocean's surface, as long as the Furia, no longer, the two large, triangular fins cresting in the white foam taller than any one of them, before diving down again. Its tail fin cut the water like a sharp knife through silk. Several heartbeats later, it reappeared.

  Marietta lifted her telescope and sighted it. Barnacles and myriad other parasitic lifeforms encrusted the giant's body. It looked old, ancient, and powerful without measure. At the tip of the creature’s blunt snout, bony plates interlocked, flexing with the creature's movement. She saw the eye socket, and the eye, bigger than a plate, looked right at her. She lowered her telescope.

  Papa, please forgive me for ever doubting you.

  "I thought my father exaggerated," she said, "when he told me of monsters in the deep."

  "Do we attack?" said Giorvano.

  "And risk the ship if we do not kill it with the first blow? Do you see the battering ram upon its head?"

  "So, your orders, General?" he said.

  "Maintain our course, Lieutenant. At current rate, we'll be home day after next."

  "Yes General," said Giorvano.

  She turned to the sailors. "What are you all doing? Get back to it." The men dispersed. "And Giorvano," said Marietta, "wake everyone."

  Giorvano shouted instructions, and in the time it took to assemble the crew and their guests, and stopping the mad rush by all to look at the giant creature, the first sun rose over the horizon, lightening the skies in an orange red glow. Marietta stood on the quarterdeck.

  "Let me make it perfectly clear," she said, projecting her voice loud and strong, "we are in no danger, unless one of you does something stupid." She looked at the dozens and dozens of faces filled with fear. "We will make landfall soon. Until then, carry on your duties as normal."

  The creature's tail fin slapped the water, making all of them, even Marietta, jump. The crew and guests of the Furia could only stare as the black, long shape slipped under the waves, and did not return. Marietta spent the rest of the day trying to forget the nagging thought that as the monster dived, it winked at her.

  Just my imagination, she thought, it's just my imagination.

  Chapter Sixty-One

  New Friends

  And then came time for Damage Inc.

  "Now this is a real bomber," said Lucius to the king, on the third day, standing in the rudder's huge shadow. Laurie didn't take the bait.

  Shit, he thought, the man’s still depressed about breaking his plane apart. Laurie hardly spoke, except for monosyllabic slabs. "The most heavily-armed bomber in the European Theatre,” said Lucius.

  "Are we going to talk or start working?" said Mick. "We can compare dick sizes later."

  Lucius laughed. "Fair enough," he said. "I'd still win." Mick and Thorfinn climbed into the fuselage.

  "Is that why it's called Damage Inc.?" said King Hffylson. He motioned for his men to begin setting up in the morning light, and Laurie helped direct the first crane into position.

  "Yes and no," said Lucius. "We called her that first and decided to make the plane fit afterwards," he said. "Our purpose wasn't exactly standard either."

  "Blumen fight in your old world, yes?"

  "Ah," said Lucius, "kind of." He matched the king's gaze. "We fight if given a chance."

  "You'll get plenty of chance here," said the king. "Of that be sure."

  "Christ mate, how much weaponry did you have?" Mick popped his head out of the access hatch. "You've gotta be taking the piss. This thing's built like a brick shit-house."

  "Enough to cover stoppages, we just throw the jammed gun over and mount a new one," said Lucius. He smiled.

  "They have six spare .50Cal's and ammo to start a small fucking war," said Mick. "Gotta be seven thousand rounds at least."

  "So, a small bomb-load then," said Laurie, not breaking his gaze from the wooden hoist, his eyes a thousand-mile stare.

  "Yeah," said Lucius, "it's a trade-off. We were selling war bonds, not flying daily over Germany."

  "Not until the last few months anyhow," said Thorfinn. "Daniel told me."

  "He did huh? What happens when you don't fit in," Lucius said. He stared at the ground, grinding his teeth.

  "Well you fit in now mate" said Mick, "and don't forget it." He clapped Lucius on the back. "C'mon, let's see if we can't do this salvage better than the poor Lanc. The Old Man's going to have nightmares for years."

  Throughout the day, they didn't see it again. Only when the suns kissed the horizon, did the mammoth creature return, shadowing them off the port bow. A great cry came from the lookout and once more sailors rushed to the railings to look upon it.

  "Is it friendly?" said Amelia, standing on her tiptoes to see over the side.

  "I hope so," said Griffin, next to her. "Hate to mess with it."

  "Even with Betty?"

  Griffin sighed and looked at her. "I'd think we'd both lose. Besides where's there's one, there's another."

  "It's a Mummy monster. Look!" She pointed, as a much smaller creature joined its flank. "That's so cute."

  "Told you."

  "Will my Mummy be there when we land?"

  "I can find that out when we do," said Marietta, now standing behind them. "On that you have my word."

  Chapter Sixty-Two

  Sacrifice

  "We shall depart at first light," said the king, on the final night of salvaging. The long ship barges sat in the river, loaded with aircraft parts, sheet metal, the pair of nose art murals, weapons, fuel and every kind of metal tube, rod, bolt, and spar that they could strip off. And the thousand-pound HE bomb.

  "We don't leave tonight?" said Laurie. "Everything is ready to go."

  "No, Laurie John, first light." The king turned and walked to his guards, leaving Laurie and the others inside their tent, sitting around the small fire.

  "That fucking monster hunt," said Lucius, "all because he wants a trophy."

  "It's who he is," said Laurie. "He believes in it."

  "Boys will be boys I reckon," said Mick, "until they do something fucking dumb." He cranked the handle, and the meat rotated on the spit, sending more smoke out of the open hole in the roof.

  "We had guns set up, some of the best gunners in the business, and still couldn't save him," said Lucius, thinking of Steven and the screams he made being carried up into the black. "Vikings." He stuck the stick into the embers hard, sparks flying up.

  "I've got to see this," said Laurie. "Anyone coming? Mick? No? Ok.” With that, he walked out of the tent by himself, and made for the Vikings.

  Outside, at the edge of the great grass plain and the camp, the Vikings stood in a half-circle facing the plain, each man carrying a torch. King Hffylson picked up his shield, an ornate round design encir
cled with gold and copper drawings, and walked out, and began beating upon his shield with the hilt of his long sword, in rhythmic time.

  The sound reverberated off the hills on the other side of the river, and travailed into the night air. Some clouds hid the stars, but for the most part, the king and his Vikings saw clearly. Snorri and Magnus, at the far end of the half-circle, watched as their king marched forward, striking his shield.

  "His father did this, and so did his father, and so on," said Snorri, under his breath. "They never find the bodies."

  "Will Beowulf do the same?" said Magnus, looking ahead.

  "Beowulf does as Beowulf does," said Snorri. "I've known him since we were children and even I cannot guess."

  The clanging stopped, as did the king's steps. But now, the king started singing a children's rhyme:

  Odin, Odin, the web is now woven,

  And weapons are blackened and tall.

  And in faraway lands, all lands will be heard,

  The hero's reddened fall.

  In the silence, nothing stirred or moved. The torches crackled as they burned, the only sign of Life moved on. The moments passed by, long moments swollen with promise, and then Snorri heard soft footfalls behind him. Laurie crept forward, and joined Snorri and Magnus. Snorri raised a finger to his lips.

  The king stood, sword and shield raised. He looked up into the celestial bowl. Smiled.

  The black-brown shape pulverised the king into the ground with such sudden violence, Laurie gasped as the sounds of bones snapping and crushing reached them as metal armour folded, tremors running through their feet.

  "You…" said Laurie.

  He tried to break past Magnus and Snorri but they held him back.

  Talons the size of forearms curled around the king's broken body, and the great beast outstretched its wings, as wide as a Spitfire, and with a giant roar that rattled their skulls, lifted itself into the air, great flaps of air in the oxygen-rich air, taking the king's sacrifice.

  Laurie broke free from the Viking's grasp and ran forward, to where the king had stood. The king's sword, and shield, laid in the flattened grass. Laurie bent down, and picked up a jet-black feather, a foot long. The Vikings now stood in a circle around the place their king had fallen, and Snorri retrieved the shield and sword.

  "These are for you, berserker, as commanded by the king," said Snorri. "Take them."

  Laurie hesitated, then took the shield and sword.

  "It is done," said Snorri. "Now we feast."

  Chapter Sixty-Three

  Emperor

  The Emperor of the Inquisition, surveyed the reports lying neatly upon the ornate white marble desk that occupied his vision, and sighed. Arthritic hands reached down, and pulled open the top drawer, and saw how translucent the skin truly was with the movement. Liver spots showed upon the white, paper-thin flesh.

  High above the city, in the gleaming white spire, dozens of stories above the city streets, the Emperor lifted out a silver box. He took the chain from around his neck, and inserted the little key. In the clean, sterile room, free from odour, now another smell filled in the gap, as he cracked the lid just a fraction open.

  Like rain after a hot, summer spell. The hairs rose on the back of his boned fingers. The man longed to see it again, to lift the lid just a little higher, but he stopped, and closed it.

  No.

  It had to be opened elsewhere, more secure.

  Where that pawn Grieg could not find it. Grieg. Hadn't lasted a day in his city without standing out like an errant heathen. His own death squad found him killing an old woman slowly, for no apparent reason at all. His Inquisitors had a little fun, before realising what he was. Homicidal and fervent. And not from this world.

  So, the Emperor set him free, happily murdering and torturing fodder that the Emperor also sacrificed daily on the dozen chess boards he gamed simultaneously, but ivory, not flesh. He'd lose occasionally too on the boards. The threat of death for letting their Emperor win — on purpose, had put a certain strategical spirit back into the game, especially after his father's fawning game-player sycophants, who always made sure to lose.

  It's how he'd killed him so easily. Betrayed by an over-inflated sense of intellectual and cunning grandeur, letting their Empire grow stagnant.

  Grieg would be useful for leading the initial assault on Fairholm. And cleaning out the diseased wood, and pruning back dead weight within his Empire, with which the newcomer was doing a marvellous job of, being the ruthless, cold-blooded killer he was. The man had some wonderful ideas for upgrading weaponry and military war machines, you had to admit. It was a sign from Providence. Time for another quiet chat with the man.

  Nevertheless, it was time to relocate prized assets to the stronghold lair, including the scientists. And also the silver box, now centuries old, and its contents, which he could not put an age upon.

  The Supreme Ruler of a million subjects tinkled a small gold bell, and gave orders to his Royal Inquisitor Guards.

  Chapter Sixty-Four

  Reunions

  Furia docked at the piers of Fairholm, the last, great Republic city still standing. A man waited with a small contingent of soldiers at the end of the pier, and the moment the gangplank dropped, he walked up it.

  "General," the man said, saluting at the top of the plank.

  "Merrion," said Marietta, "I have some people you need to meet." From behind her, the newcomers waved, as the general started introducing them. Merrion stared at the little girl, holding onto a cat next to a great wolf-dog. It couldn't be, he thought.

  "And this," said Marietta, "is —"

  "Amelia," said Merrion. "You have your mother's eyes." The child bounded over to him.

  "Mummy is here?" said Amelia. "Where is she?"

  "Safe," said Merrion, looking at Marietta. "We have a lot to discuss. But how?"

  "We all do," said Griffin, cutting off Marietta's reply. "C'mon Amelia, let's get off this boat." He picked up Amelia's canvas bag and herded the child down the walkway, Skippy at their heels.

  "Well then," said General Versetti, "after you." The rest of the passengers disembarked the Furia. Merrion and Marietta watched them climb onto the waiting horse carriages, Andrew lifting up the pregnant dog to Griffin inside.

  "The woman. She is here?" said Marietta, turning to Merrion.

  "She is, General," said Merrion. "Although I had to practically lock her up so she wouldn't go off searching for her child. Not that she'd get far — she might — but she's quite resourceful." He rubbed a scab from where a buckshot pellet struck his lower jaw.

  "And what happened to you? How did you find her?" said Marietta, her voice low.

  "I'm the only one left. We were betrayed. I barely escaped, then well — well, the next day, on the way back, I ran into Ella. Or better put, she ran into me."

  "Your mission. Did you find it?" said Marietta, her voice now a whisper.

  "Yes, General." He looked past her, back out to the ocean behind. "We did."

  Ella paced up and down the timber hall, her footfalls echoing in the empty building. She stopped again at the gun case, reached out a hand to touch it, then withdrew her arm, and continued walking back and forth. The guest quarters of the large wooden building were pleasant enough, she thought, if she stopped thinking of herself as a prisoner.

  One week of being confined to quarters. Her footsteps once more took her to the side table where Helena rested. Look on the bright side, you still have everything you came here with. Food. Clean clothes. A crude bathtub. He locked you in here with Helena. Except for Amelia, said the other voice in her head. Not helping, she countered. I could get past the guards, the outer patrols, find a horse, and then...

  And then what? Begin a solo quest to find your needle of a child in the world's haystack? She fingered the amulet around her neck. And for the second time that day, Ella opened the gun case, took a deep breath of walnut, gun oil and burnished steel, and cleaned the rifle standing up, reflecting on her life.r />
  "This is it," said Merrion, from the horse next to them. "Your quarters until things are sorted out." He dismounted from the horse and tied it to the fence post, next to the small guard house in front of the wooden mansion. Amelia jumped out of the carriage and ran straight for the main door.

  "Might I suggest," said Merrion, "that Amelia go in first? Give them enough space. Then introductions will be in order."

  "Was gonna suggest that," Griffin said, as Andrew nodded, easing Skippy down on to the dirt road. They watched as Amelia hammered a tune on the wooden door, the guards each side trying not to look. Merrion gave them the signal, and the guards opened the door.

  The rhythmic pounding on the front door made Ella bolt upright from her impromptu nap in the living room, where she'd fallen asleep in the chair. She blinked in the fog of slumber, trying to clear it. Adrenaline swept it away as the thumping began again. Amelia's staccato. She ran out the doorway and down the long hallway, and the doors opened. Against the sunlight, the silhouette of Amelia stood, mother and daughter finally, joyfully re-united.

  "I missed you," said Ella, sitting on the floorboards, her back against the hallway wall, a short time later. "But where did you go? I looked and looked for you."

  "I landed next to a river, in a pretty glade. It was scary at first but I got used to it," said Amelia in English, sitting on Ella's lap, stroking Message Bear's rough woollen cap.

  "A river? You're speaking English?" said Ella, switching from German.

  "Ja. A river, and then Lucius and Griffin came, and thought I was a baddie because I jumped out screaming and their gun chopped down a tree on the other side of the river but that's okay Mummy because it was an accident, and then they took me back to the bomber. You should see it! It is huge and silver and red and they call it Damage Inc. and Mummy, Mummy, you should see Skippy she's right outside and so pregnant but Zia didn't like her at first and —" said Amelia in one long breath.