The Clockwork Heart

by T Ariyanna

  Kaitlyn held her ground. “I understand all I need to. But by all means, if I’m wrong, then prove it. Go tell Theresa right now, before I do. Let’s see how well she takes it.”

  “I don’t need to prove anything to you,” he scoffed.

  Kaitlyn lost her resolve. As quickly as she could, she hooked one foot behind Jayr’s ankle and grabbed the collar of his shirt. She pulled his leg out from under him and tackled him to the ground. “I don’t give a damn what your selfish reasons are, whether it’s jealousy or prejudice. If you get in the way of what we’re trying to do, or go against Cy again, I’ll take you down one way or another. You’re nothing more than a bully, and I’ve spent my whole life dealing with them. You don’t scare me.”

  Kaitlyn shoved him as she stood. Without looking back, she returned to the house. She shook her head to calm herself down.

  The house was already in another uproar when Kaitlyn returned. Gil was holding Cy back as he screamed at Theresa. “What are you saying? Of course we have to go, this is our best chance!”

  Theresa stood tall, a small white owl perched on her shoulder. A torn letter was clenched in her fist. “My orders are final,” Theresa said simply.

  “This isn’t a trap, Theresa. You know the information comes from an ally,” Holten pressed.

  “You never said anything about having informants inside Talgrin. I can’t risk it, not when we’re this close.”

  “Close? What the hell do you mean? You just said that your research was useless, that nothing we have can bring him back! Crestyss has what we need, and you’re trying to stop me!”

  “Cy, just calm down,” Gil hushed nervously. Cy tried to shake him off, and his talons cut through Gil’s arms. Blood dripped on the floor, and Cy stilled.

  “What’s going on?” Kaitlyn asked. She stepped into the room and all eyes shifted to her.

  “We got a note saying Crestyss has a way to bring Arion back, but Theresa won’t let me go,” Cy growled.

  “I don’t blame her. I won’t let you go either,” Kaitlyn said strictly.

  “Kaitlyn—”

  “Not alone, at least,” she finished. “We’re all going with you. Right, Jayr?” Kaitlyn turned her head to catch Jayr’s gaze as he tried to sneak around her. He glared at her, and she flashed a threatening smile.

  Jayr groaned. “Of course. That’s what we were gathered for in the first place, right?”

  “I forbid it!” Theresa’s usually cool voice was a knife that cut the air. Her cheeks were bright red. The owl had moved from her shoulder onto Holten’s.

  “We have time, Theresa.” Jemmina spoke for the first time. Her words held a strange weight that smothered Theresa, and the Mage finally stood down.

  Theresa held her arm for the owl, and he obediently jumped onto it. She leaned against the wall, her shoulders slumping.

  Holten turned to Cy, who had finally calmed down. Adoette had suddenly appeared and wrapped dark green seaweed around Gil’s injury. Kaitlyn took Cy’s side opposite Gil. Jayr stepped closer reluctantly, though his attention was fixed solely on Theresa.

  “Let’s not waste any time then,” Holten said. He led the group out of the house swiftly.

  “Watch them,” Jemmina called after them.

  Holten quickly ducked into a nearby rotten building, pulling the others in one by one. An inch of water covered the floor and the swollen wood was groaning under the weight. A corner of the floor was broken, showing a bubbling pool of water. “Heavy rain flooded the water system that runs beneath Centric. These tunnels can lead us straight into Talgrin. Gil, Kaitlyn, Adoette, and I can breathe underwater. Cy will be fine if I put a barrier around his body, and the dragons and Noma can stay in his chest. That just leaves you, Jayr.”

  “I’ll make my way to Talgrin on land. You’ll need someone on the outside when this is all through. Getting out is never as easy as getting in,” Jayr answered with a huff.

  “We’re counting on you, then,” Holten said just before Jayr left the building. He paused a moment, then disappeared without a word.

  Cy tried to go after him, but Holten grabbed his shoulder. Noma and Vyekrin were standing in his hand. “Can we entrust them to you?”

  Cy nodded and opened the plate over his chest. Noma sat crossed-legged on top of his heart while Vyekrin climbed into the metal frame that was his ribcage. Holten’s blue magic covered Cy as soon as his chest was sealed shut.

  Gil tapped on Kaitlyn’s shoulder. “You have to get ready, too.”

  Kaitlyn nodded and shut her eyes to focus. She remembered the scalding waters of Lorile and the blue scales that had protected her. She flexed her fingers as thin webbing grew between them. Stretching her neck, she could feel multiple slits open on the sides, and she took a slow breath through her gills.

  Though the change was complete, she couldn’t help but feel nervous. What if I lose control while we’re under, and drown. What if I forgot something important and don’t even last a minute in the water. What if…

  Gil’s hand in her own stopped her panic. “You can do this. It’s who you are, right?” He gave her a warm smile, and the fear drained out of her.

  “Right.”

  Adoette was the first in the water, waiting eagerly for the rest to join. Holten popped something into his mouth, grabbed Cy’s arm, and dropped in next. Gil and Kaitlyn hopped in together, but Gil separated to lead the others.

  Thick vines grabbed at them as they swam, wrapping around their limbs. Kaitlyn let out a yelp as her hair was yanked free of its restraint. Holten was being held against the wall while Gil was moving frantically, to evade the vines. The violent roots were even trying to pry Cy open, but he tore them to shreds with his talons.

  Adoette spun through the water gracefully. She caressed the plants as she passed them, and they slowly curled in on themselves. She swam ahead of the others, shielding them from the threat.

  The water became shallow and the floor sloped upward. Before the group could break the surface, hands reached into the water and snatched them out. Holten’s magic broke and he gasped for air. Cy was ripped from his grip and thrown into the hall. His shoulder collided with the stone, breaking his chest open. Noma and Vyekrin tumbled out and scrambled on the ground so they wouldn’t get squashed under the feet of the guards that had caught them.

  Kaitlyn squirmed free of the guard that held her, thankful that Droll skin was slick. She spun quickly and grabbed the guard’s head. Sweeping his feet from under him, she dragged them both to the ground and slammed his head into the ground with enough force to dent his helmet.

  Holten had already regained his bearings and frozen the legs of four guards that had tried to subdue him. Cyllorian had two guards pinned under his weight while they failed to pierce his metal with daggers. Gil looked as though he were dancing with the guards, avoiding their advances and using their own momentum to throw them into the water. Adoette was controlling the vines from the water like whips, entangling the incapacitated soldiers.

  Footsteps and yells sounded from behind them. Reinforcements were coming.

  “Go ahead, I’ll hold them off!” Holten yelled above the noise. Kaitlyn wanted to argue, but Cy grabbed her wrist and pulled her along. She looked over her shoulder to check on Holten, and was surprised to find the entire floor frozen with a thick sheet of ice. The guards slid along the ground, piling into each other and falling into the water.

  Cy led them along a trough of shallow water until they found the center room with five different hallways to choose from. They stopped in the middle, breathing heavily. Noma flitted to the entrance of each hall, but gave no sign of finding which to take. When she approached the last, she let out a shrill scream and fell a foot in the air. She recovered quickly and retreated to Adoette.

  “You got here a lot faster than I expected,” a whining voice sounded from the darkness. A pale green creature with a lizard’s tail emerged from the tunnel, a sickening smile splitting its face in half. “That informant sure was easy to crac
k once I got my hands on him.”

  Gil stepped up beside Kaitlyn, his frame rigid. “Another demon,” he breathed.

  Kaitlyn’s view of the creature was blocked and Cy stood protectively in front of her. “We don’t have time for a cheesy ‘end of the line’ speech here. Don’t make us waste our time with you,” Cy snapped.

  Kaitlyn peered around Cy to catch a glimpse of the thing in their way. She immediately wished she hadn’t. It looked like a giant lizard, with sickly green sick and a long, thin tail. It was equipped with sharp nails and teeth. Something about it was familiar, and Kaitlyn suppressed a shudder. Her instincts were screaming at her that this thing was a demon.

  “Fine, then. I’ll end you quickly,” the thing hissed. It moved faster than Kaitlyn had thought possible and aimed straight for Cyllorian. It pulled a glowing dagger from its sleeve at the last second, and slashed it across Cy’s face.

  Cy stumbled backward with a yell. He pushed Kaitlyn as far from the other demon as possible. She caught herself on the ground, and saw the deep cut that ran through Cy’s left eye.

  The other demon was standing over him. “I wonder how much you’ll scream.” It raised the dagger over its head and paused. Its eyes flicked to Kaitlyn, and winked at her. A chill ran down her spine.

  Adoette jumped on the demon’s back. Vyekrin sank his teeth into the demon’s ankle and it lost its balance. It fell on its stomach as Adoette wrapped her arms around its neck. Her rough skin bit into the demon’s neck, and it cackled.

  “You aren’t part of the plan,” it growled. It thrashed its legs wildly until Vyekrin was thrown against the wall. Noma flew to the lizard’s aide. The demon grabbed Adoette by her hair and pulled her off its back.

  Adoette yelped. She rolled in its grip and grabbed its arm. Her hair moved on its own, wrapping around the demon.

  “You little! Let—”

  “Let go, Adoette!” Gil yelled as he grabbed the demon around the chest. Adoette released the demon and Gil dragged it away.

  “Hurry and go find what you need, we can take care of him.” Gil reached the edge of the platform and fell back into the water, pulling the cursing demon with him. Vyekrin had awoken easily and jumped into the water after them. Adoette used the vines to make a cage on the water’s surface.

  Cy pulled Kaitlyn to her feet. The wound in his face didn’t seem to be healing on its own. They ducked into the hall that the demon had been guarding.

  It was then Kaitlyn realized that she didn’t even know what they were looking for or where to find it. All she could do was follow Cy with blind faith.

  Void

  What are those voices? They said they were done for the day. Have I slept that long already? Void rolled on the floor, shutting his eyes tightly. If they think I'm asleep, they might leave me alone. They’ll think I’ve remembered something.

  Void curled into himself, hoping he would go unnoticed. The voices grew closer and clearer, coupled by hurried footsteps. Cautiously, he opened his eye and peered into the darkness of his cell. The bars that faced the hallway were nothing but dark blurs against the open air. A faint ghost of light could be seen from the end of the hallway, but never reached him. He listened with a vague interest that surprised him, waiting for his sight to adjust to the dark.

  His cell was no different than the day before with its slanted floor and white stained walls. The hall on the other side was much the same, though it was cleaner. Uneven stones made the walls and floor, and he could see a torch just across that he had never seen used.

  “I can't believe we haven't found a damn thing! It's not even confusing down here. There's just nothing!” the first voice said. It was a lot like Grite's voice, but didn't have the hissing tone to it. It was more intelligent, but there was that underlying hint of malice that gave away it was a demon's voice.

  “If we stopped to check more places, maybe we would find it! I keep telling you there has to be some sort of secret in here,” a female voice sounded. Where the demon's voice had been steady and clear, this one was strained. The voices bounced off the walls, and they only drew closer to Void.

  I don't know those voices. They aren't Crestyss or Grite, obviously, but that doesn't mean they're any better. They won't even see me in here, I'm sure. They're looking for something specific. It can't be me.

  Void wriggled away from the direction of the voices, pressing himself up against the wall. He still had yet to adjust to the lack of light. As the people grew nearer, he could distinguish the two. The girl was soft on her feet, only making noise because of hard sole shoes. The demon, on the other hand, barreled through the stone halls loudly. With every step, there was the clang of metal that rumbled the ground. It even sounded as though the demon was crashing into the walls.

  “If we just keep running like this we're going to get lost. We have to figure out a plan from here, because going in blind isn't doing any good,” the girl called, slowing down.

  The demon halted as well, stopping just before the bars of Void's cell. A green light inched around the corner, stretching towards the boy curled against the wall.

  They have a light! They can see me! His thoughts worked into a panic, but the body he was trapped in had no reaction. Just go away! Leave me alone.

  “What else are we supposed to do? We don't have much time left down here and we've been pretty much everywhere!” the demon shouted, his voice reverberating along the corridors. Void cringed at the volume of it, but quickly regretted his action.

  “We haven't been here. Look,” the girl said slowly. The curiosity in her voice set another bout of panic through his mind, and he was finally able to make his body move. He twitched in the darkness, jerking his head around to get a glance, but he could see nothing.

  The demon came into view, bringing with him the strange green light. It outlined his whole body, showing what could only be plates of armor. Nearly lost within the green were two gleaming purple eyes, staring straight at Void.

  “It's a prisoner. This is a dungeon, what did you expect?” the demon asked, and Void relaxed at the uncaring tone.

  Go away, now! Void wanted to yell, but he couldn't move. He didn't care that they had seen him, or what they thought of him.

  But then…why did he feel so strange every time they spoke? He could only explain it as dread, though he couldn't recall ever feeling it before. Fear had been the only thing that had properly been extracted during the torture, and that had passed as the pain became more regular. He had already forgotten the sting of the whip as it peeled flesh from his spine, how Grite cracked his ribs only a few hours ago when Crestyss had been called away suddenly.

  “Should we help him?” the girl asked. She waited a long time for an answer from the demon, and Void waited impatiently. He held his breath, wanting nothing more than to get away from the people just outside his cell. The bars had always kept him in, but now he was grateful that they kept the intruders out.

  “We don't have the time,” the demon said finally, a hint of pity in his voice. “We've got our own list of people to save. How about we get what we came for, work things out, beat Crestyss' ass, then we can rescue him. Deal?”

  The demon started to leave, his armor clanking with each heavy step he took. But the girl didn't follow. She grabbed onto the door and shook it violently, then there was a terrible scraping. Void jumped up and stared at her, his eyes going wide. The light from the demon glinted off the black, curved talons on the girl's hands.

  “We don't have time! Do you want to get him back, or would you rather have whatever's in there?” he said sharply. He grabbed the girl's arm and she glared at him. The glow from the demon's body caught her face, and the bright blue eyes from Void's dream came to light.

  “Leave me alone!” Void yelled, backing away from the girl.

  She whirled to him, just now realizing that he was awake. She reached her hand through the bars towards him, and he shook his head. Fear had overtaken him again, though there was no threat of pain to entice it.
<
br />   “Look, he doesn't want help, Kaitlyn. We need to go!” The demon eyed Void suspiciously. He reached for the girl again, but she ducked out of his grip.

  “You're awake! Are you okay? What's your name? Why are you in here?” She launched question after question at him. Void slapped his hands over his ears, trying to shut out the words that haunted his sleep.

  “You have to leave now! There's no reason to save me!” Void pleaded with her. His back had hit the wall, and he slid down it. An immense pain split the inside of his head, and he frantically ran his hands through his hair, terrified of what damage would be done.

  Grite’s threat rang in his ears: If those imaginary friends in your head ever decide to try to save you, I’ll slaughter them in front of you.

  Though he hadn’t cared when he had first heard them, the words now made him feel sick to his stomach. He couldn’t explain why, but he knew that he couldn’t let Grite near them.

  “Shh, shh. It's okay, we can get you out. Come on, Cy, help me!” She yanked on the door again and then lashed at it with her claws, ignoring Void's cries.

  “It's not worth it! I'm nothing! Just leave!” Void urged, on his knees. Tears stung his eyes, though he couldn't place the cause. Why did he care now, of all times? What had him so scared that he couldn't even think?

  “Listen to the…thing…in the cell. We have a mission here. We can't afford to blow it! This is our last chance, and you know it.”

  “Then help me get him out of here quickly so we can continue.” The girl's voice was strong and determined.

  The demon sighed, then pressed his hand to the lock. Void watched mortified as it was blown to pieces by a blinding green light, and the door swung open.

  The girl ran to Void's side, and he flinched away from her outstretched hand. “Whatever you're here for, I'm not worth it. I have nothing, I am nothing. Just get out of here, don't care about me!” Void yelled.

  The demon was standing in front of him in an instant, and Void froze. This close, he could see that the demon wasn't wearing armor. He was made of it. There was nothing but pure magic underneath the metal.