by P M Cole
Lucas moved towards me, but Colin beat him to it. A number of movable chairs had now appeared around the fixed glass ones. He led me to one. “Did you sleep alright?” he said.
I nodded. “What’s the discussion about?” I asked, then looked at Lucas, while sitting down. He exchanged a glance with Charlotte who was also seated, then both their eyes rested on a newspaper on the round table. Dax was also in the room.
“She should be told,” said Charlotte.
Lucas frowned and nodded, then pushed the newspaper over to me. My mouth fell open on seeing the front page.
‘Prime minster killed during Banquet! Young girl sought in connection with murder!’
I slouched, the weight of the newsprint pushing me into my chair. I thought about going back to bed, at least that nightmare wasn’t real…
“I had wondered if that might be the outcome of what happened in the attic room of the manor,” I said, trying to stop my voice from faltering.
Lucas put his hand on my shoulder. “The truth will out… one day. Right now, we need to find a way to keep you out of Hades' and the authorities' hands.’
“No one knows you’re here,” said Charlotte. “The palace has wards in place which hides its contents from magic users and casuals alike. And the park is closed due to the conditions.”
“It seems pretty busy out there, how many are we looking after?”
“A few hundred. They are not all on this floor, others are below us in the other sections of the building.”
The elderly children came to mind. “What about those we rescued?”
“They are comfortable, although unfortunately as with my own situation, I’m unable to change their physical state.”
Heather's smiling face came to me. “Heather’s broken. I saw that for myself.”
“The elderly children have given us a lot of useful information,” said Lucas.
I went to ask about what, when a knock came at the double doors. One opened and a face appeared in the gap with a large smile across it. I got to my feet and threw my arms around Olivia. Bernard was behind her.
“Ah, there’s my girl!” she said, hugging me in return. “Feeling better after a rest?”
I pulled back. “I think so.” I moved to Bernard and embraced him as well.
“Oh…” he said.
We all moved back inside, and the door was closed.
“Edgar Price is the new interim PM,” said Bernard, taking a seat.
“Never heard of him,” said Charlotte.
“No. Not many have. He has had a speedy rise through the ranks. But what’s worse is who he has appointed as his new Secretary of State for War…”
I already knew the answer, as it looked, did most in the room.
“Cannington,” said Lucas.
“I’m afraid so.”
Lucas sat on the edge of the table. “This has to have been his plan all along. Price must just be a puppet.”
I let out a breath. “So now he controls the government.” It came out as a statement, but I hoped those around me took it as a question and disputed it. Unfortunately, everyone fell quiet, contemplating what it might mean.
I had only told them snippets of what had happened during my time under the grounds in Hades' palace before exhaustion took me. Now was the time to tell the rest. After a lot of gasps and rueful looks I was done.
“I’m surprised Athena would think the council could help,” said Dax. “From what I have been told, Chronus was being hunted by them.”
“Athena must think some good would come from going to them,” said Lucas.
“Even if we wanted too, how would we find them?” said Charlotte. She scoffed. “It is not like there is a map or anything!”
Map…
Auto’s chirps ran through my mind. I had completely forgotten the scroll I had found in the attic of the shop. “I… think I might have a way to find them.”
They looked at me in shock.
“I was trying to be funny, dear.”
“I know. But I found a scroll hidden in the topmost room of the shop. To me it looked blank, but Auto kept repeating the word ‘Map’.”
“This scroll is still at the shop?” said Lucas.
“It should be, yes.”
Colin got to his feet. “Me and Estelle will get it.”
Charlotte looked at Lucas. “Go with him.”
Lucas nodded. I was glad to not hear any protest from Colin.
“I will go too,” I said.
“No!” came from more than one person.
“With all of London looking for you? Not a good idea,” said Charlotte.
“I want… need to help. To set all of this right, somehow.”
“And you can, but there are posters all over London, and people are looking for you, even more than before.”
“I can take the tunnels.”
Charlotte shook her head. “It’s too dangerous.”
I sighed. “It’s under a loose floorboard in the attic room. Come up from the basement,” I said to Lucas and Colin. I looked at the latter as they moved to the open door to leave. “Be safe.”
He nodded and they left.
“Umm… where is Daniel?” I asked to those remaining.
“On one of the lower floors, tending to the sickly,” said Charlotte.
“Well, if I can’t leave, I might as well put my gifts to some use. I think I can improve upon the dirigible you have on the roof, also I want to build another suit.”
Charlotte smiled then looked at Dax.
“You can do all of that, but first I have something for you, follow me,” he said. We left and moved through the busy crystal-walled rooms, then stopped in a space full of chestnut-coloured chests. He pulled one out, smaller than the rest and opened the top. Inside was a rectangular object covered in cloth. He removed it. It was not much larger than his hand. “He appears to have stopped operating, but I thought you might want this little fellow back.”
“Auto?” I said in hope.
Dax smiled and pulled the cloth from the mechanical bird, handing him to me.
One of his legs was bent at a wrong angle, and there was a large dent in the back of his head. I looked into his glass eyes, but nothing living looked back at me.
Dax pulled open the lid of another larger chest, then another and another. Each was full of springs, bolts, cogs, and pieces of metal of all sizes and shapes. I recognised the pieces from the automaton makers stall in the Factory.
“There’s a lady who owns a stall. She brought all this stuff with her from the Factory. Said you might need it.”
A tear came to my eye and I smiled at Dax then back down to my metal friend.
“Can you fix him?” Dax said.
I wanted to say yes. But the more I looked the mechanical bird over, the more I realised Auto needed more than just a replacement parts. My heart felt heavy, but then I had an idea. “Maybe. I want to try something. I don’t know if it’s going to work…” I placed my other hand on top of the bird's breastplate, and calmed my thoughts, thinking of the joy the little automaton had brought to me. As I did, a tingling rose from within, and suddenly a purple light emanated from between my palms. It briefly grew in intensity. Sparks flew from the back of Auto’s body, stinging my hand, and making me almost drop him. I quickly placed him on one of the flat-topped chests.
His one working wing flapped, while he hopped a little on one foot. His head spun, one way then the next, until finally he stopped all motion and looked up at me.
“C…o…g…B…a…c…k…?”
CHAPTER TWO
I snapped Auto’s tiny rear door closed, then looked up from the makeshift work desk I had created in the room I slept in earlier.
“Done,” I said.
Auto chirped and hopped forward, flapping both wings, then promptly took to the air, narrowly missing the bookcase nearby.
“I know. Not much space to fly. But you can go outside if you want, just don’t go too far…”
; He landed back on the desk.
’S…a…d…?’
“Sad,” I repeated.
“H…o…w…F…i…x…?”
I sighed. “Oh… undo a Titan’s spell, to send a god back to the underworld, while avoiding being thrown into cell on the Defiance in Woolwich, or worse still shipped off to Australia.”
Auto looked back at me in silence.
I laughed and patted him on his head. “I missed you little friend.”
‘I…W…a…s…D…e…a…d…!’
I laughed harder, then promptly stopped when a knock came at the door.
“Ahem, yes?”
“I was told to tell you they’re back, miss,” said a young voice.
“Thank you.”
Soon I was back in the meeting room.
“How is the shop?” I said to Colin.
“It’s all good. No damage I could see.”
We turned and joined the others looking down at the blank piece of old paper.
‘M…a…p,’ chirped Auto.
“Shh,” I replied.
Charlotte waved her hands around over the parchment, murmuring words and phrases which sounded familiar, but which I couldn’t quite understand. Her eyes grew wide, and she slapped her palm down in the centre of the scroll. We all waited for something to happen, to appear, but nothing did.
Charlotte frowned. “Hmm… that should have—” She looked at me. “Of course. This map was meant for your eyes only. Give me your hand.”
I moved closer and gave it to her. She stretched my arm so my finger was over the map, then pricked it with something I couldn’t see.
I frowned at her, but then realised everyone else was already looking at the parchment and the drop of blood which was already tracing lines and channels across it.
“Whoa, it is a map,” said Colin, looking at Auto then back to the scroll.
We all leaned in closer. The lines strengthened in colour; the process seemingly complete.
“It’s the United Kingdom,” said Bernard.
A large ‘X’ with some other letters sat in the northern part of the map.
Lucas put his finger on the shape. “And that is very close to… Edinburgh.”
“Then that must be where the council is located…” said Charlotte.
Lucas looked at Dax. “Did you have any idea the council was located there?”
“There have been rumours amongst the covens for years that there is a nexus of power located somewhere in Scotland, but none were ever able to locate it.”
“If the map says that’s where it is, then that is where we need to go,” said Lucas.
Charlotte stood then sat back in her glass chair. “Far be it for me to disagree with a goddess, but this may well be a distraction. We have Hades' blood. We need to concentrate on the other items we need to complete to break Chronus’s spell. I don’t see how going to Edinburgh, with a chance of the council being there, is going to help.”
“Maybe she knew that. Maybe that’s why we need to go to the council, to ask for their help in breaking Chronus’s magic?” said Lucas.
Charlotte frowned, her eyes betraying her mind, thinking of what should be done.
“What are the other items?” I asked.
“Well, in theory they can be any thing and any number,” said Lucas. “It’s just a question of magical energy. We need lots of it. More than all of us combined. So, we supplement what we need with magical objects.”
“We have some idea of what could do it,” said Dax. “But with the amount of control Hades now has over the capital, it will not be an easy task to obtain them.”
I perked up. A mission. Just what I needed. “What are they, I will get them.” Colin then Lucas both went to talk, but I raised my hand. “I am not staying trapped in this palace! There is so much I can do to help! Let me!”
They all looked at each other, with most eyes falling upon Charlotte.
“Very well.”
*****
The large dirigible swayed against its ropes. A blast of steam shot out of the back of the compartment, and I could hear gears and turbines spinning. Auto circled high above, moving in and out of the clouds then swooped down, landing on my shoulder. I placed him inside my winter coat.
“Remember, the prehistoric exhibition is currently being renovated, so many of the cabinets will be covered, and may be not where they should be,” said Bernard holding his coat tight around his neck. “The early civilisations are mainly in the west wing. That is clearly marked on the second floor!”
Myself, Lucas, and Colin nodded. Lucas patted Bernard on the shoulder. “If I don’t get lost, we should be back by morning.”
Bernard smiled but I could tell it was an effort.
As the others made their way to the craft's entrance ramp, I stayed back. “Do you know if Daniel has returned?”
He frowned. “Not to my knowledge.”
I suddenly remembered Bernard had not made his way to the Crystal Palace alone. “How is Mrs Hayward?”
He looked down. “Our current situation is difficult for her; she had no idea of the magical world, and to be away from our home is taxing on her. But we must do what we must.”
I nodded.
“Be careful.”
“I will.” I turned and caught up with the other two who were already seated inside, Lucas being in the pilot's seat.
“Charlotte gave me a quick lesson on how to operate this craft earlier. I should be OK,” he said, then tapped his finger on the wooden steering wheel.
“Would have been nice to have had this when we went to the shop! Took us hours walking the tracks to get there!” said Colin.
“In this weather it’s not easy getting the steam engine in the back running.” He looked over his shoulder to Colin. “It was fun being on the frozen river though.”
Colin smiled.
Lucas nodded to the men outside, and the ropes were unhooked. The dirigible lunged to the right, moving several feet across the roof and causing those there to duck. We grabbed hold of our seats to balance ourselves as Lucas steered left then right to steady us, then pulled on one of the many levers. The steam-driven pistons in the back increased in volume and we moved off into the night.
I looked down at the large building which was the railway station, and the tracks which moved off towards the south.
“None of the trains are running,” said Lucas, “but there still might be some staff around. Hopefully, none of them are looking skywards.”
As the light from homes, hundreds of feet below us slid past, I looked at Colin. He appeared to have forgiven me for my behaviour in pushing him away, but I felt a newfound reluctance from him to get close to me. Due to the current circumstances at least, that was one thing I did not need to concern myself with anymore. He knew how important our tasks were, anything else between us would have to wait.
“I haven’t had a chance to ask you. What happened when Lucas and Arges arrived at your village?”
The light from the oil lamps in the cabin allowed me to see sadness in his eyes.
“It was my fault what happened. Lucas and Arges got to us before Hades found us. We had time to leave, and Olivia got some of the young ’uns out. She wasn’t listening to me anymore. Said I was being selfish. Good thing she did, or more would be dead. The rest of us stayed behind, thinking we could defend what we had,” he sighed. “The big one-eyed fella fought to keep them out. I fought with him, and Lucas, all together. We all did our best, but it wasn’t good enough. Reckon about twenty are still down there, buried under the bricks and stuff. Gonna give them all a proper burial once all this is over.”
I wanted to hug him, tell him we will get through this, but I wasn’t sure of that myself.
Just need to get through tonight, then worry about everything else tomorrow.
“What was it like with the crazy family?” said Lucas.
I chortled, then set about telling them about the past week or so.
“She looked like tr
ouble when I saw her,” said Colin, referring to Heather.
“For most of us, our powers, gifts, whatever you wish to call them have not damaged us… in our minds. They have done the opposite they have allowed us to experience wondrous things. But for Heather, and maybe this is Hades' influence as well, she just sees the world as pain and death.”
“She don’t look it, but she’s a monster,” said Colin.
“I’m afraid so.”
“What about the tall fella, the one you came back with, Daniel?”
“I think we can trust him.”
“Hmm… I’ll see about that.”
“Be useful for us if we can,” said Lucas.
I looked out the window at south London, and the glows from the street lamps tracing out the roads. There appeared to be no carriages or people walking along the frozen paths. A city held hostage by the elements. Soon we passed over the four-storey-high cylinders of a gas works, and higher still, huge chimneys of numerous factories which packed the streets. It made me think of the Shadow Factory.
“Is the Factory still functioning? Are the stalls still open?” I said to Lucas.
“Some are. Those that were happy to see new management. Most though upped and made their way to the Palace. Don’t worry we’ll get that place back. Another six minutes and we should be above the museum. Get ready.”
The lights of Bloomsbury came into our view as we passed amongst some low-level cloud, and then the impressive building itself appeared, its Greek revival columns and arches lit by a number of nearby street lamps.
“Can’t see much going on down there,” said Colin.
The dirigible descended towards the west wing roof, which was lacking in any detail due to the snow covering it. Most of the museum was in darkness, apart from the large round building in the forecourt at its centre, whose walls were lit with lamps.