by CM Raymond
Hannah paused. “What the bloody hell?” she asked, looking up from the letter. “What ancient technology?”
Karl was steaming, but Julianne only nodded gently. “I gave it to them.”
“What?” Karl shouted.
“It’s the thing I brought back from the Frozen North. I didn’t know what it was at the time, or what it was for. But once I saw the drawing that Gregory had, it all made sense. The mission, it’s timing, the urgency, all of it. I brought that thing to Arcadia.”
“What the hell was it?” the rearick asked, his eyes growing sterner.
Julianne was unfazed by Karl’s language or aggression. She had spent most of her life as a neighbor to the rearick and had grown accustomed to their volatility.
“We don’t have a name for it. Must be from before the Age of Madness. But it is a device that makes the ship fly like a bird. And it’s powered by the charged amphoralds. Brilliant really. If it works. What else does he say?” Julianne asked, nodding to the paper.
There are only two ways to destroy the machine. It could be dismantled physically, but that would take a tremendous amount of magic and time, and there’s no way you could do that and hold off an army of Guards. Even if we could get into the factory, it would be next to impossible to destroy it on their turf. You could also destroy its magical core, but that would cause an explosion big enough to level the city. It’s too risky.
There’s only one person who might know how to safely dismantle the machine’s core, and that’s the person who built it—my father. I’m afraid that the only way he’ll listen to me is if he sees the diabolical effects of his actions first hand.
I am going to show him. I’m sorry for doing this without talking to any of you first, but I knew you’d only try to stop me. You all have given me so much, and there has, until now, been little I can do to give back. I can’t fight like Karl or cast like Julianne. I don’t have your power or Parker’s cunning.
What I do have is access. It is time for me to use that access for the good of Arcadia and, frankly, maybe even for all of Irth. I can’t say what is going to come of this and even if I will be able to talk my father into making the right decision. If I can’t, things might not end well.
The rebellion has changed my life and helped me to understand why I’m even here. I will never forget that—and will always be grateful to you, Hannah. If things don’t go well, I will see you in the beyond.
Best,
Gregory
PS
With this note, you’ll find a little gift I made for Parker. Tell him it is powerful, and versatile like he is. Might give him an edge, even against Karl.
Hannah’s throat tightened as she placed the letter on the table. It wasn’t clear precisely what Gregory’s plan was, but regardless, she didn’t like it. Adrien held Elon in his grips, and if the man were anything like his wife, he’d be allured by the promise of power and prestige. Son or no son, Hannah couldn’t imagine her friend swaying a noble in the ranks of the Chancellor.
Trying to hide her fear, she turned to Parker. “You gonna wrap your hands around that shaft or what?”
Parker looked at her sideward. “Funny.” He reached down and took hold of the metal spear on the table. As he raised it in front of himself, it glowed blue and hummed with the power of magitech. A grinned spread on his face. “I like this.”
“Scheisse,” Karl said. “Damn kid’s smarter than I gave him credit for. He asked me to bring him back some amphoralds from the Heights. Thought it was just a souvenir or something, but look at that damned thing.”
“Almost wish you had a magitech hammer, Karl?” Hannah nodded toward his weapon lashed at his hip.
Karl snorted. “No self-respectin’ rearick is going to use a tool like that. Our magic is forged through sweat and hard work.” He patted the hammer. “She’s all I need, lass! But judging from the number of crystals the boy asked for, I bet that stick packs quite a punch. The way Parker fights, he’s going to need it.”
Parker spun the spear in his hands, inspecting its detail. “Funny, rearick. I think I remember knocking your pint-sized ass to the dirt out in the open country not so long ago.”
“That,” Karl grunted, “was a training exercise. Designed to—”
“Guys!” Hannah shouted. “Can we remember that Gregory is missing, probably in danger?”
“I’m sorry, I’m a little lost here,” Hadley said. “So… what’s your little noble going to do?”
“I imagine he’s trying to stop the Chief Engineer as we speak,” Hannah said, still staring at the letter. “That’s what it sounds like, but he still believes his father can be saved.”
“And what are we going to do about it?” Julianne asked.
She looked up at Hadley and then at the rest of the room. “The only thing we can do…” Hannah said. “Save his ass or die trying.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Hannah could hear the dishes clatter in the kitchen—a sign that the planning was about to commence. Everyone was gathered around the dining room table, except for Gregory who had taken things into his own hand.
Although he tried to hold back his emotions publicly, Hannah could tell that Ezekiel was not pleased with her friend's decision—but mostly the old man was worried. Ezekiel had come to respect Gregory’s intelligence and empathy, but he wondered if the kid had gotten in over his head.
There was, of course, a chance that Gregory could get close to his father. The slimmest chance still that he might be able to talk them into a different course of action. But that was unlikely. For someone to work so closely with Adrien for so long meant that they were under his spell. Not that Adrien had any use for mystical magic, but his rhetoric and charm were nearly as effective.
Worst case scenario, Gregory blows the whole thing open. She trusted her friend with her life, but not with their plan. If Gregory clued Elon, Adrien, and the rest of them into the plan of the rebellion, all was lost.
All the members of the group looked to Ezekiel, waiting for the man to talk about the plan that would lead to the resolution of the conflict in Arcadia—one way or another. Pensively, he sipped on a teacup. Hannah wasn’t sure if he was waiting for the right moment, or just collecting his thoughts. Either way, she was ready to strangle him if he didn’t start talking soon.
Finally, he placed his cup on the long dining room table and cleared his throat. “Seems we have more in play than we previously thought. Now, I know we are all thinking the same thing. Gregory shouldn’t have gone off on his own on this one. Nevertheless, I understand the boy’s ambitions. He did it for us.”
“Damn straight he shouldn’t have. Runt’s going to get himself killed!” Karl said with a growl. He, too, had grown fond of the young noble.
“Being a runt never stopped you,” Hannah shot back with a smile. She loved the rearick, but that didn’t save him from her loyalty to another member, especially Gregory. “We’ve all risked our lives for Arcadia. Gregory is no different—there are other ways to fight than fighting,” she said.
Karl narrowed his eyes at Hannah and then fell silent. His admiration for her ran deeper than nearly anyone else he knew—and no one else in all of Irth would get away with calling him what she could.
Ezekiel cleared his throat again. “What is done is done. I am hesitant to say this, but the boy might have a point. If he plays this right, he could end the threat of the airship without immediate bloodshed, and that is something worth considering—perhaps we didn’t give his heart as much credit as we’ve given his mind. But there is still the question of Adrien. Maybe we can help Gregory through indirect means. If our plan goes the way it should, it might give us an opening on the airship. Amelia?”
The Dean sat up in her chair. “We have gained access to Adrien. He has invited me to the tower for dinner tonight. Although he doesn’t know it, I will be bringing a date along—Lord Girard and Adrien need to spend some time together. It’s not ideal, but it might be the only chance we have. Gregory has
upped our timeline.”
Hannah’s heart stopped, and she almost screamed into the center of the table. She could see where this was going. While the rest of them were sitting here on their asses, Ezekiel would take a shot at Adrien. Amelia would back him up if necessary.
The power of magic and rage boiled beneath her skin. It wasn’t how this was supposed to happen. Hannah had pictured it for months. The last moments when she stared into the eyes of the man who had killed her family and ruined her life. Adrien was supposed to die by her hand, not Ezekiel’s.
Looking up, she caught her mentor’s eye. He knew exactly what she was thinking. “I know this isn’t the way some of you hoped things would end, but we cannot trade victory for personal vengeance—especially now that Gregory’s life is on the line. Tonight might be my only chance at Adrien, and I’m going to send him straight to hell where he belongs.”
Hannah gripped the sides of her seat, realizing that there was enough power building in her to take down the Noble Quarter and all them with it. She focused on an imaginary spot on the table and breathed evenly. She trusted Ezekiel with so much, and now was not a time for losing that trust. But part of her, in the back of her mind, wanted to leave the room, sprint out of the mansion and attack the man she despised so deeply. Patience is a virtue, but revenge is much sweeter.
She glanced back at Ezekiel who shook his head so slightly that it was barely identifiable, but she knew he was bidding her not to intercede.
Screw it, she thought.
“I’m going with you,” Hannah cried. “I deserve this—and you could use my help.”
“The people of Arcadia deserve for this to work,” Ezekiel said with ice in his eyes. “And I do need your help—if something goes wrong tonight, the rest of you are all we have, all Arcadia has. Would you destroy the future of a city only to have it be your hand that exacts vengeance?”
The room grew silent. Everyone at the table chewed on the tension between teacher and student.
Electricity danced across Hannah’s skin as it had so many times before. She forced herself to control the power that churned within her. She bit the side of her mouth, trying to restrict every desire to rebel against the rebellion. Then she thought of Gregory and the massive sacrifice her friend was making. Her mouth opened to speak but nothing came. Finally, she nodded in compliance. Her pride was broken, but that didn’t matter. Arcadia was all that mattered now.
“Good,” Ezekiel said. He was pleased that his student was learning not only power, but control. “There is plenty for you to do, Hannah. We need to save Gregory, whatever the cost. And Adrien isn’t the only threat. If all goes well, word of his death will spread quickly, and with it, chaos. I don’t know what shape I will be in afterward, but we need you here in case a need or opportunity arises. Parker has sown the seeds of an opposition. Hopefully, the death of the Chancellor will cause the people to second guess who they have been following all of these years. The people—even the Disciples—will be thrown into a sea of confusion.”
Karl laughed. “Aye, we cut off the head of the dragon—” he turned to Sal laying in the corner “—no offense, pal, and the rest of the monster crumbles.”
Julianne spoke up. “It won’t crumble that easily. The Capitol Guard is strong and growing every day. And we still have Adrien’s weapon to worry about. The hope, though, is that the crisis will create time for the team to storm the factory.”
Nodding, Ezekiel said, “Julianne, you should head back to the barracks to keep an eye on things. The rest of you, wait here until I kill Adrien. Then you can get into the factory. Destroy the machine. Snag Gregory. Get the hell out.”
Karl laughed. “Scheisse, wizard. What could possibly go wrong?”
The members of the rebellion joined him in uncomfortable laughter. They knew that in a day’s time, the rebellion would be over and that they would either be victorious or dead.
****
Most in the noble class grew accustomed to the constant sound of magitech. Over the past decade, since the proliferation of the technology throughout the Quarter, something in one’s proximity was always buzzing with the hum of the magical tools. It droned on, unnoticed by everyone.
Nearly everyone.
Doyle always noticed it, especially when he was in the Chancellor’s tower office. His eyes kept cutting over to the sconces on the wall behind Adrien; they glowed blue with power and resonated with a consistent tone.
“You listening?” Adrien asked.
“Huh? Oh, yes. You were talking about the Guards, sir.”
Adrien nodded. “Need to keep your head in the game, Doyle. If things aren’t orchestrated perfectly tonight, it could all fall apart.”
“Of course, sir.”
“Good. I need you to pull the Guards from their patrols tonight. Pull them from everywhere.”
Doyle furrowed his brow. The Hunters kept the fear of punishment in the hearts and minds of the common folk, and the rest of the Guard had been a key part of their strategy to hold the people in their place. It was the fear of the patrol that kept people in their houses at night and in the squalor by day. He started to wonder if Adrien had lost it.
“We can’t pull the—”
Adrien held up a hand. His face grew hard. Doyle realized he had just pushed back on the Chancellor—a forbidden act.
“Don’t question me, you worthless slug,” Adrien spat. “We can. And we will. There is something far more important that we need the men to do. Let the streets mind themselves tonight, for in the morning it won’t matter any longer.”
“What is it that they will do?” Doyle knew he shouldn’t ask, but the words just came.
“Tonight, we end our traitor problem.”
****
The sound of Gregory’s footsteps echoed through the empty corridor as he followed Professor Nikola down the factory hall. He knew full well the fate he had accepted, but his heart pounding behind his ribcage screamed at him that it was all a mistake. Glancing over his shoulder, he spotted the Guard two paces back with a magitech staff, smaller and less powerful than the one he had made Parker. He thought about his fellow students that had walked the path before him. The poor bastards had thought they were accepted into a secret society of master magicians in the making, and he couldn’t help but wonder if they had figured out the ruse by this point in the journey.
Nikola pulled open a door and nodded at Gregory to enter in front of him. When he stepped through the doorway, his heart sank. Lining the sides of the hall were rows of cells, each secured with a set of bars. The place hummed with the power of magitech.
Taking a stick the length of his forearm from his belt, Nikola tapped the cell closest to them. The blue hue around the bars vanished, and the Professor swung the gate open.
“Cool,” Gregory said, trying to play the part. “Magitech gate and a magitech key. Hope I get a chance to learn that one.”
A smile crossed Nikola’s face and then disappeared. “You are your father’s son, aren’t you, Gregory? There will be time enough for you to explore the tech we have developed in the factory, but for now, in you go.” He pointed toward the cell.
“Me?” Gregory played dumb. “In there? Where’s the rest of the group?”
Nikola laughed. “You’ll be joining them soon enough. But for now, make yourself comfortable. As comfortable as you can. Someone will be with you very soon.”
Gregory looked at the cell, and back at Nikola. He shrugged and entered. “Okay. But this is a little weird.” The kid laughed. “I get it… Some sort of initiation, right?”
Nikola grinned back. “Something like that.”
Gregory dropped onto the single cot in the cell and stretched his feet out on the dirty concrete floor. “I get it now. All right, Nikola. See you later.”
The Professor slammed the gate shut and powered it back up with his magitech key. Turning to leave, he looked over his shoulder. “Don’t be so sure about that, Gregory. Tell your father I said hello.”
&nb
sp; Although he knew what he had signed up for, the dread of the situation sunk in when Nikola and the Guard were gone. Moving toward the magitech protected gate, he craned his neck to see down the hall. Only a few cells away, a blue light glowed brightly. It became brighter, and as it did, screams arose. A chill ran across Gregory’s neck. He was starting to wonder if he had made a terrible mistake.
****
He sat on the edge of the cot, trying to talk himself into some sort of calm repose. Hannah, Ezekiel, and the rest would not forget about him, but Gregory knew that there was nothing more important to his friends than ending Adrien’s unjust reign in Arcadia. They would sacrifice Gregory to complete their mission; they would sacrifice anything.