by P M Cole
A chirp came from the sky, which broke me from the daze I was in, watching the shadowy figures get closer and closer.
‘D…a…n…g…e…r…!’ Auto fluttered, hovering in front of me. ‘H…a…d…’
Before Auto could finish, I turned and rushed through the room, and then into the elevator. The tens of seconds it took to reach the basement felt like an age. As soon as I slid the door back, I ran through the network of tunnels, until my lungs cried out for a rest. Finally, I came to the large monitoring station. Charlotte was seated at the long table, looking over plans of the Factory.
“What is it?” she said, noticing my obvious concern.
“They’re coming!” I shouted. “Hades! He’s almost at the front!”
Her face was one of confusion. “The lookouts, should have…” Not bothering to finish her thought, she jumped out of her seat and ran forward to a bank of different contraptions. These were not viewing shafts but rubbery tubes. She unhooked one.
“Alert! Everyone to their stations! The enemy is here!” she shouted into the mouthpiece.
Now I felt it. A rumbling noise that joined with the ground trembling. The citizens of the Factory were mobilising.
CHAPTER TWENTY
A large muscular creature, mostly man with a face which could only be described as troll like, turned a wheel on the wall of the monitoring station. As he did a large rectangular piece of glass rotated around an equally substantial wooden drum. The troll man stopped his effort once the glass was facing us.
Charlotte looked at the workers against the walls of the viewing shafts. “Show me the street out front.”
After a quick flurry of hands pulling levers, an image of the road I had walked up a number of times appeared on the glass, much to my astonishment. Small, huddled-together houses, with white roofs and dagger-like icicles hanging from their windows, were on each side of a blue-white icy strip. This was no static image as I could see snowflakes falling, and at the end of the road, figures moving in the shadows.
“There’s also movement from the other end,” said a woman, looking into a viewing shaft.
“Show us.”
The image changed. A small column of carriages was approaching the outside gate of the Factory from the opposite end of the street.
Charlotte looked around at the busy room. “Where is Hugo…” she said more to herself than anyone else.
Mr Fishbone appeared, rushing into the room. “Mr Kaylock says there is a problem with the wards. That they won’t activate.”
Charlotte looked back at the moving image on the glass. “No…”
The carriages approached the main gates which suddenly flew open allowing the horses and carriages behind to drive straight through, across the large forecourt until finally stopping near the small entrance.
She looked back at Mr Fishbone. “Find Hugo! And tell Dax to meet me at the main entrance!”
The rat man nodded and quickly left. She then looked at me, although I was distracted by the column of creatures also moving through the gates. Each one looked as if it had been wrenched from the pages of a medieval fairytale, complete with armour and weapons to match.
“Cog!” she shouted pulling my attention from the peculiar scene. “There are tunnels underneath us, which lead outside of—”
“What? No, I’m not leaving! We have to fight!”
She held my arm. “The wards were our best chance of getting through this. I don’t know why they are not working, but it’s too late now.”
“But the people in the Factory? They will fight with us.”
“And with the wards maybe we could have beaten Hades and his army back, but as it stands… He’s here for you Cog. We can’t let that happen.”
“Ma’am, he’s coming through the entrance tunnel,” said one of the viewing shaft operators.
“Cog, I have to go. Go back down into the basement and look for the walls marked with the red streak, that should take you the correct way.”
“But…”
She ran from the room. The large glass screen switched to show the main entrance. The small door opened, and out walked Hades, replete in his usual long black winter coat, derby hat, and walking stick. Behind him emerged Daniel, Heather and finally… my mother.
I stood frozen. Charlotte’s words hung in my head, imploring me to leave but instead I was rooted to the spot.
A horde of residents stood around the four newcomers, some sporting weapons. Charlotte and Dax walked through the crowd, finally coming to a halt just yards in front of Hades. The moving picture was without sound, and I needed to hear what was being said.
I ran from the room, taking the same route to the large shop and home that I had stood upon a few hours before. I ran up the back stairs, into the top room, then ascended again, climbing onto the roof, and crept forward, keeping low.
A fluttering above me, made me jump. It was Auto. He landed nearby. I put my finger to my lips for him to keep quiet, then peered over the edge of the wooden wall, down to where Charlotte and the others were standing, a mere ten or so yards away.
“You’re not welcome here,” said Charlotte.
Hades smiled. “You would turn away a customer?”
“We’re closed.”
Hades waved his stick at those looking on. “But everyone is here!” He smiled again. “Doesn’t matter. I’m just here to collect what’s mine, and I’ll be on my way. And you can go back to peddling your back-street magic.”
“You want your kids? Byron and Grace?”
“And Cog.”
“She’s not yours to take.”
“Yes, that does appear to be the general consensus. Which is unfortunate, because it leads me to do things such as this…” He waved his hand behind him, beckoning someone forward. “Casuals are so fragile. They are like dolls. You rip the outside, and the insides just come tumbling out…”
A fierce-looking man appeared, dragging someone behind him. Then another doing the same. At first, I couldn’t see who the unfortunates were, as they were covered in grime and blood, their limbs twisted, unable to support them, but then flashes of clothing brought recognition to me, along with nausea.
Hades soldiers threw Lucas and Colin to the ground. On hitting the hard surface only Lucas managed to look back up, but then quickly looked back down when Hades looked in his direction.
“They fought well, especially the casual. But then because of that I had to teach him a lesson and destroy his little underground village.”
Tears welled up in my eyes, my anguish only being surpassed by my anger.
He briefly clenched his fist in front of his face. “And the Cyclops! What a joy it was to see one of the denizens from the old kingdom fighting... and such a shame he had to be put down. His type is so rare these days.”
Numbness flooded through me and every scrap of metal inside the building below me started to shudder.
“So, you want a trade? Them for the two I have in my cells?” said Charlotte, her voice remaining resolute.
“Ha, no! I don’t trade witch. I brought these two here to show what happens when you try to stand in my way. And—” He looked up at the other floors and buildings around him. “And to show you young lady, what happens when you stick your nose where it is not wanted!”
Charlotte’s voice repeated in my mind again. ‘We can’t let that happen.’
I knew the wise thing to do was to run. But my legs refused to do so. Instead I stood up on the balcony.
“If you want me. Why don’t you come and get me?” I shouted into the hall.
Hades looked at me and frowned, but I was sure I saw a sparkle in his eye.
“Corine!” shouted my mother up to me, but I refused to be distracted.
A green cloud of energy coiled around Charlotte’s hands while Dax roared. But it was no human sound that came from his vocal chords, but the sound of a beast. He pulled his shirt asunder as his form grew, and fur sprung from his arms and legs, then face as his features exten
ded and transformed. Finally a bear at least seven feet tall, growled at those in front of him.
Ignoring the fury, Hades eyes remained fixed on me. “Remember. No more resets this time!” He reached up for his hat.
The bear lunged forward as a bolt of green energy exploded from Charlotte’s hand, but their target was no longer there. Warriors streamed out of the entrance while those inside charged towards them, coming together in a clash of metal and magic.
With a wave of my hand, the metal pipes around me broke loose and I sent them as arrows, sailing through the air knocking to the floor a group of sword-wielding creatures.
To my horror, my mother, now bathed in a white light, was felling the defenders, with orbs of magic fizzing from her hands.
Forget her.
Lucas and Colin were strewn across the floor, but it seemed the former was trying to drag the other to safety. A large fighter with an axe saw their desperate attempt to flee and charged towards them.
“Distract him!” I shouted at Auto who took to the air and swooped down, clawing at the man’s eyes.
I jumped from the roof, firing my crossbow bolts in the same direction while metal plates from around me flew through the air creating a staircase for me to descend to the floor on. The fighter swiped the bolts away and continued coming while I ran to Lucas, helping him to his feet. A whisper of blue flame began to form in Lucas’s hand as he saw what was about to befall us, but with a moment’s thought I took control of the man’s axe, and drove it downwards into his chest, bringing him to the floor. We both grabbed hold of Colin, dragging him into the back room of the nearby stall while the chaos continued around us.
“Stay here!” I said to Lucas.
He grabbed my wrist. “There are more…” he said breathlessly. “Other entrance…” At first, I wasn’t sure what he meant, then I remembered the other, larger way into the Factory at the rear of the building.
“No…”
“You have to escape, Cog,” he said, his words emerging between wheezes.
The ground thundered and shook.
“I… I can’t leave you all.” I turned and ran back outside. For a moment, a flicker of hope flowed through me as there seemed to be a lot fewer attackers, but then I saw the reason for the floor shaking. More warriors, but larger, much larger were emerging from the alleys and avenues around me. Beasts of the size of Arges joining Hades cause, flooding into battle, and taking down any that stood in their way. Then I heard a scream. A hundred yards away, Charlotte knelt. The girl, Heather had her hand on her face. I couldn’t see exactly what was happening, but I could tell Charlotte was in trouble.
“Help Charlotte!” I cried out to Auto, who chirped in reply and dived towards the young girl. I watched as the bird got within a few feet of his target, then an arrow sailed through the air smashing into it and sending it spiralling to the ground.
“No!”
I sprinted forward. As fighters approached me, I twisted their arms and weapons against them, or others that tried to get near me. More cries came from Charlotte. I desperately tried to get to her, but there were too many bodies. I was not going to make it. People were dying. It was over.
I skidded to a halt and shouted. “OK! I give in.”
The floor rocked as if the building has been struck by an earthquake, and an unholy roar boomed out. Everyone had stopped fighting as they were now all looking at a gargantuan creature that stood twenty feet high. Even Hades warriors were awestruck and started to back away, then I realised they were stepping back, clearing a path from me to the creature and Hades standing in front of it.
“Come to me!” said Hades. I was frozen in fear, but I knew I had no choice. I forced one foot in front of the other, towards the three-headed dog which stood as high as the buildings around it.
As I approached Hades, I looked down at Charlotte on the ground and felt sick, for this was not the woman I had just seen, but a withered, frail impression of her. She looked up at me. “I’m sorry… I tried…”
“Yes, it was a gallant effort!” said Hades.
“What… what have you done to her?” I said.
“Me? I didn’t do anything. Heather just took back what she gave her all those years ago.”
I looked up at the beast looming over us. One of the canine heads was growling at me.
Hades looked up at the creature. “Cerberus! That’s no way to treat the new addition to our family! Be nice now.” He stepped forward, over some of the fallen until he was just a foot from me. “I’m glad we can finally get to know each other.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
I felt nothing in the carriage on our way to Grayton manor. Most of my suit was torn from me, so there were no more weapons remaining, and my hands were placed in wooden manacles. Even so, I was warned not to use my powers as they had left behind some people to take control of the Factory, now Charlotte was too infirm to continue in the job.
As we passed through the main gates and up the long track through the grounds, frozen white statues looked back at me in the darkness. We pulled up in front of the stark Georgian building. All its windows were dark, but I didn’t care. Each time Charlotte’s, Lucas’s, or Colin’s face crept into my mind, I quickly extinguished the thought, not allowing the flame to burn any brighter. For doing so would cripple me with pain. I needed to at least function on a basic level to get through this.
Byron who had spent the entire journey grinning at me, pushed the door open then leaned back. “After you.”
I duly obliged and stepped down onto the snow. The others were also emerging from their transport, including my mother who was… embracing Hades! I quickly turned away, for any more of the sight would have broken me.
They all started to walk up the wide stone staircase, but I remained rooted to the spot.
Hades looked back. “Come girl, we will show you your new home.”
I forced my legs to operate as normal and followed Grace, Hades, and everyone else, a deviant family up the steps. The entrance was already open, a man standing near the door. We walked inside, but Hades and the rest kept on going, moving past the double stairs, and through the centre of the huge house.
“Where are we going?” I said.
“Like I said, your new home!” Hades shouted back, leading the group.
Heather giggled by my side. Her innocent laugh at odds with her true nature.
The interior of the house was shadow ridden, and what light there was from the occasional gas lamp only highlighted what state of disrepair it was in. I couldn’t believe they actually lived there.
Soon we were at the back of the building, the rearmost doors to the grounds already having been opened by another servant.
Hades kept on going. And we followed. Across the snow-covered terrace and down another set of steps. The same ones Bernard and I had descended on that fateful night. I now knew where we were heading, but I had no idea why he was leading us to the group of stone columns in the centre of the gardens.
We arrived at the place where Bernard, Colin, and the others had died. I felt dizzy.
Byron smiled, and pulled me inside the circular area the pillars were on.
At the centre, Hades placed his hand on one of the stones and looked at me. “Now do not be alarmed.”
I wasn’t, all emotion having been put in a forgotten place deep inside me. I was curious though.
The ground started to shake and then we, the pillars and everything else descended as if we were on a large round elevator.
Byron leaned into me. I tried to lean away, but I noticed my back was almost touching the dirt and clay passing by, moving upwards.
“You can take the god out of the underworld, but you can’t take the underworld out of the god,” said Byron.
I wasn’t sure what he meant, but as we moved deep into the bowls of the earth, I started to get an inclination.
The earth elevator slowed, and a cave so large you could have fit a five-storey building within it, came into view. Green a
nd blue stalactites and their upward growing cousins fought for space amongst natural springs, and platforms of stone and iron, each adorned with machinery and what appeared to be furniture. I felt as if I was looking upon the interior of a hotel constructed for the devil.
The elevator beneath me shuddered to a halt.
Hades swept his walking stick across the vista. “Behold your new home!”
I tried to step back and again I hit up against a damp wall of earth at the back of the elevator. A hand touched mine, making me jump slightly. I looked at my mother standing close by. I frowned and moved away.
“So… what do you think?” said Daniel.
“It’s—” In the time it took for a word to emerge from my mouth, a plan of how to end all this madness had formulated in my mind. “— spectacular.”
*****
My room in Hades' underground palace was austere but large. A painting of my mother rested on a wall hewn from the stone while my bed, a simple affair, was opposite. There were no clocks, and no metal of any kind. Just flat windowless walls, a large rug to soften the floor and a wooden latrine in one corner.
During the first night Dr Hopkins, the disturbingly tall man, who always looked as if he had just risen from his grave, looked over my person. This time, unlike the first, he was cold and even more detached during the examination.
“Her person was not harmed.” Was all he said to Hades and my mother standing nearby, before all of them left the room, locking the wooden door.
Over the next few days, an old woman with dark patches beneath her eyes brought me food and water. Three times daily I was given the kind of meals I had only seen in expensive London restaurants. Game sat alongside creamed potatoes, and a variety of other vegetables, all covered in a gravy. It was a shame none of it had any taste to me, as my senses had been replaced with just a need to exist. But I cleared each plate presented. I had to keep my strength up, I was going to need it.