The City

by John Stevenson

captain; so I waited that we may ride together?” It was Colen.

  Nicholas slowed his horse to a trot until the man had come alongside. Then he reached over to the other horse: quickly taking the bridle from Colen's hand and wrapping it around the horn on his own saddle.

  Colen had still not realized his mistake, and continued more with his useful attributes. It was only after some time when he received no reply that he became suspicious and Nicholas drew back the hood. “It is me Colen,” Nicholas said with less hate than he had anticipated.

  The man’s first reaction was an attempt to jump from the horse, but Nicholas reached out and stopped him by grasping his sleeve. “Stay where you are, unless you want to die here and now.”

  Colen slumped back into the saddle.

  “As you suggest, from here on we ride together.” In the pale glow of moonlight Nicholas glimpsed his face. It bore the look of a trapped animal as he sought an excuse, or way of escape.

  “Don’t waste your breath with apologies or excuses,” snapped Nicholas. “Time has passed for those.” His words became hard. “I left Harriet dead because of your mischief, and for that I will not forgive. Nor will I attempt to understand what reason you did as you have done.”

  Colen sounded shocked. “She’s dead?”

  The word stuck in Nicholas’s throat. “Yes.”

  “Nicholas I am sorry, I did not mean for her to be hurt, truly.”

  “Then tell me what did you expect to happen, once you gave her to them?”

  Colen did not reply, but held his head down. “They offered me more money than I had dreamed...”

  “I have no interest in your dreams when mine are shattered.”

  “But Nicholas we cannot win.” His voice was full of fear. “They have a machine that is invincible. The rebellion is finished before it has chance to begin.” He looked up. “If you could see the things that it can do, then you would see why I did what I have done.”

  It seemed his suspicions were correct. “This machine: it can fly?”

  “Yes, you know of it?” Colen was surprised at the casual way in which Nicholas referred to what he considered to be a wonder.

  “Is it nearby?”

  “Just a little way more across the fields.”

  “Then lead the way, and if you do as I say, I shall not revenge myself with your pitiless life.”

  “You will let me go?”

  Nicholas has given it no thought, but strangely he felt no hatred for the man, just pity. “Take me to this thing and I will let you leave; but do not try to trick me or ever cross my path again. If you do I will end your life in a…” Nicholas suddenly realized it was the second time he had promised such retribution; yet never before had he entertained such thoughts. Was this something of Reigel’s doing; or was this part of his own character that had lain deep and unrevealed.

  Colen had not noticed the reticence in his voice. “Come then Nicholas. We go to the Drakken.”

  “Remember I am Mathew San Mons; Captain of the guard; the moment you forget that, will be the last one of your life.”

  “Of course Captain.” Colen said smarmily.

  They were in fact quite close to where the Drakken was waiting, and within minutes they were coming out of the cover of the trees into a clearing.

  Nicholas wasn’t sure what he had expected; and the Drakken was nothing like anything he could have expected. Firstly he was taken aback by the sheer size of the machine. It was hard to know exactly how big it was in the darkness, but it was massive. It appeared to be oval in shape, much higher than the houses he had encountered in Riverslee, and it was at least the width sufficient to occupy the entire paddock. It hovered silently just clear of the ground, with no visible means of support, other than a pale blue glow. Its surface was smooth and except for a single row of windows: high up and lit from the inside with a dull red light, there was little to spoil the symmetrical shape, other than on the side that they approached, was an open ramp.

  They passed under the greatest diameter, and Nicholas had to force himself not to stop and stare up in amazement. Ignoring the unbelievable, he had to act as the Captain would have done, and stride purposefully towards whatever the opening contained.

  Colen led the way, dismounting and walking his horse up the ramp, its iron shoes making a loud ringing noise as they came into contact with the shiny metal.

  As they entered it became obvious that at some time this been some form of storage area, although its purpose now was to act as a stable, with temporary timber stalls constructed for ten horses. Of these four had animals already in them.

  It was a poor way to estimate the odds, but Nicholas assumed that, that indicated there were four guards on board. He knew the sailing boats needed a skipper, mate and at least one other crew. Would such a craft need more or less and would the guards act in both capacities. The reality was he had no concept of what he was up against. “How many men will there be in this thing?”

  “Guard?”

  “And others.”

  Colen looked at the horses. “Four.”

  Nicholas had sensed a falter in his answer. Either the man was lying, or was guessing. He was wary of the man’s recent treachery, especially as Colen had become more confident now they had entered the craft. For something so amazing he seemed less awed than he should have been. Nicholas’s suspicion was borne out by the way that Colen went about placing his horse in its stall: instructing Nicholas, with a way about him of a big brother showing his worldly knowledge to a young sibling.

  Nicholas had not remembered hearing it outside, but inside he could hear the same noise as that night at the waterfall: a great deal quieter, but the same. All he saw about him seemed like magic, but he was practical enough to realize this was man made and not supernatural.

  Colen had walked to a portion of the wall painted with diagonal yellow stripes. At his command, “Open,” the wall disappeared. A doorway was suddenly there. Even after it had shut behind them Nicholas was still not sure whether the door had gone up, down, sideways or, just plain melted away.

  They were in a circular room about three meters high; a number of other yellow striped markings were around the walls here, similar to one they had just walked through. Each bore a diagram, he guessed with the probable use or contents of what was beyond. Nicholas believed he could understand some and felt he could make a good assumption at the others: auxiliary power and weapons, amongst the first.

  Colen was walking to another of the marked areas, designated ‘bridge’.

  “Where are the guards?” Nicholas demanded.

  “They are above us; they rest in the knowledge that no one would have the courage to enter here without invitation.”

  A doorway opened onto what appeared to be some very small room. If this was a bridge it made no sense to what he knew as one.

  Nicholas grabbed his arm, unconsciously pulling him away from the opening that he seemed anxious to get through. “What’s behind these other doors?”

  “Nicholas. They will know the captain and I… another, have come aboard. If we seem to be delaying they will grow suspicious?”

  “I will not walk into another trap without seeing what advantage I can take.” Nicholas indicated a door. “There are weapons through here?”

  Colen shrugged and strode over to the marked wall, spoke the same command, and again it opened.

  For a moment Nicholas was disappointed. The room contained no recognizable weapons of any type. On what he assumed to be the outside wall were the now familiar yellow stripes. As for furniture, there were only three seats, and about twenty pictures and tables of script, such as he had seen in his delirium after the mob had him. “What are these things?”

  “They call them V.S.S.”

  “That means nothing to me?”

  “Vid… O... status; or something like that, I don’t know for certain.”

  “What function do they serve?”

  “Terrible things.” He had sat in one of the cha
irs. “Men watch and control by picture and word the weapons I warned you of. This is the nemesis of the rebellion. See…” He spoke as if giving an order. “Perimeter scan.” One of the screens changed to show an area of trees Nicholas knew would be shrouded in darkness, but here the picture was of the view in daylight. A voice seemingly from out of the air startled him. “Orientation?”

  “Ramp.”

  The screen changed again, showing the area they had walked across when approaching. Colen turned to the wall and spoke. “Window.” Now the entire wall including partly below Nicholas’s feet were, was replaced by an image of the dark forest. Nicholas instantaneously sensed he was about to fall and moved quickly deeper into the room.

  Colen laughed tauntingly. “Fear not, the wall remains, but unseen, though I do admit it can be extremely unnerving when the craft is in flight.” A smirk spread over his face. “I can even make a door if you wish.” He said, emphasizing the ‘I’.

  Nicholas was becoming extremely anxious. It was a mistake to have come inside, and now it appeared there were others here he could not see. “Who were you talking to?”

  “The machine itself: speak and it will do whatever commanded if asked a task or given question; but a machine it remains.” He grinned. “You have seen nothing Nicholas. This is but a toy, even I am allowed to observe its operation; at least in part.”

  ‘A toy?’ Brooded Nicholas silently as a fleeting image of a figure suspended in the darkness came to his mind. “Such a toy no person should play with.”

  Colen