The Emperor

by N. M. Brown

  “Everyone must grow up some day Tigress.” McQueen interjected in a soft voice. “It will happen to anyone above and it will happen to everyone down here too. You can’t stay here forever. Haven’t you noticed there’s no one here over the age of sixteen?” He implored. He needed to get through to her. He had too, but alas, that wouldn’t be the case.

  “That is becuase we are ageless, like our King. You don't listen like the stupid Elder you are.” Tigress snapped. “I won’t have you telling my people; my brothers and sisters your lies. I was going to let our King have fun with you; slowly starving you, slowly making you bleed, but you’re just going to make more trouble.”

  "What are you-" But MCQueen couldn't finish.

  Short, sharp and curt, Tigress whistled through her teeth and this time four teenage boys trooped inside, armed with wicked looking knives and scars to match. Nodding at them, Tigress held her head high as McQueen was hauled to his feet and knives at his throats.

  “You will cower in the dark and be guarded until our King is ready for you.” She proclaimed. “And when he is, you’ll have wished you’d kept your big mouth shut.”

  XXIX

  Keeping her head low, Echo felt the prick of a knife point in her back again as she was propelled forward down the tunnels: second exit off the main hall, one left turn, two rights…

  She’d been slowly making her way back to their hovel knowing the clock was ticking and McQueen would be counting every second. She had at least found an exit… or so she hoped. After finding the secret cot so close to the surface, Echo knew there had to be an exit close by. Worst case scenario, she would knock a hole in a wall to reach freedom if she had to. She didn’t want to spend another minute down here.

  The murmur Maid would be a problem though. Tiny, small and blind they might be, but they could be as vicious as any other child down here and Echo had seen them wield a cleaver or two in her time.

  She’d just been about back when she’d been ambushed. Two tunnels flanked into a single corridor and from each a teenager had appeared. Wild eyed, Echo had witnessed the end of a hunt before and wasn’t about to be chopped liver. Her feet begged her to run and sprint for an escape, but death wasn’t the exit she was looking for.

  Instead, killing her pride as she went, Echo surrendered quickly and quietly, which hurt her more than any stab to the back. She expected to be killed at once, but it seemed the powers of the Under-ert had a different idea and she was led away, her guards guiding with no words, just their knives.

  Counting off another left turn, Echo spared a quick glance at the boys strolling behind her. Both were tall but thin, like they'd hit a growth spurt with nothing to grow with. Malnourished and feral, they were lean and weak. Echo had no doubt she could overpower them, but a feral dog still knew how to bite.

  "How long have you lived here?" She asked, looking to the boy on her left. Dark hair and pale skin - skin that hadn't seen the day light for years - he wore more than most kids. A cut off top, a plaid shirt and a leather jacket, his clothes proved his dominance.

  "Shut it." The boy growled, earning her a quick jab to the ribs.

  “Fine, fine, fine.” Echo hissed, skirting away and hurrying out of reach.

  Soon enough through, she was looking to the other boy, who was of similar height and age, also in the same state. Malnourished, dirty and though he had darker skin, he still looked like he hadn't seen much sunlight. He did, however, have a nasty scar from his collar bone to his right nipple which made her wonder how he’d survived. She could tell no medical attention had been given from the rough, puckered edges and the discoloured skin. Fortunately, down in the Under-ert that spoke more volumes than any amount of extra clothing, so Echo kept her distance.

  "What about you? Been here long?" She tilted her head in a curious gaze, but again she received no answer. Instead she was passed a wither glare before they ceremoniously threw her into the small, hovel of a room she knew every inch of.

  It was in complete darkness now, all their candles burnt out and Echo huffed in annoyance. They clearly didn’t plan for them to stay long so she was sure they’d know their fate soon enough. Besides, it would just be ironic if she were to starve to death in this hole when she’d just come from the bloody Murmur Maid’s kitchen. Sitting back to await her fate, Echo was surprised to see one of her guards still stood in the doorway, watching her

  “What?” She felt her hackles rise in defensive as the boy didn’t move, or blink, just continued to watch her through a blank gaze. He was the one with the scar, and as Echo looked him over, she saw more dotted along his legs and lower abdomen. “What do you want?” She asked again, throwing a vicious snarl into the mix so even if he didn’t understand her, he would get her meaning.

  Yet he didn’t flinch. Instead he opened his mouth to speak, his voice like a ghost from the past, returning to hit Echo right in the solar plex.

  “Nothing Miss. Echo.”

  And just like that ghost, the boy left and Echo was left alone in the cold dark hole. Replaying the voice over and over in her head, she didn’t believe her ears as she tried again and again to comprehend what had just happened.

  “Flick…?” She whispered, and felt her stomach drop out of existence.

  ◆◆◆

  Adin and Echo had done well hoarding their Dixie supplies during the months that had passed in the Under-ert. Shade was still in control; his six-year-old body lording over his Kingdom.

  At this point Echo had discovered the truth of Dixie; that it came from an outside source, so she and Adin had used that to their advantage. Their plan had been simple, get another child shipped off to this source and then follow the masked man. However, more weeks had passed and for every fight that ensued, the child was killed. Echo knew the masked man wanted living kids, so she grew frustrated with every death. She needed an offering and she needed it soon.

  Using her own small supply of Dixie she’d stockpiled, Echo had taken to getting her own information, allies and followers to do her dirty work for her. She could have six little rats working for her at the same time, ferreting back and forth all for that drop of blue sweet. This particularly fast rat had been given then name of Flick by Echo and, on no special day had come running into her dug-out grinning from ear to ear.

  "Miss Echo." He scampered in out of breath, his eyes already wide in anticipation of his reward. "Miss Echo, I found som’in! I found som’in!" He smiled, showing his rotting teeth.

  At the small age of eight Echo had never asked how Flick spoke better English than anyone else because she wasn't interested. He was her rat in the darkness and that was it. Upon reflection, Echo wondered if Fick had been taken at an older age than most.

  "You have? Well done." Echo had smiled bidding him forward. Archer had taught her the first important rule of leadership: praise and commend them. People worked so much harder when they were told they were doing well; much like a dog. "What is it?”

  "I did it, Miss. Echo. I made that boy fight during food. I stole his gifts from the King, and he blamed everyone else. He was beaten and King sent ‘im away.” Flick nodded excitedly.

  Good, Echo thought, that part of the plan had worked. Peace was needed among the rabble for Shade to rule. Stealing Dixie was a big no-no. Causing a fight and implementing a theft had been easy, Echo could do that in her sleep, but the next steps had been crucial. “And when the boy was taken away, alive?” She prompted. “Where did they take him?”

  “Just where you said, Miss. I followed them Maids, just like you said. I followed them down that tunnel, followed them all ‘da way." Flick smiled again. He was bouncing on his toes which was only possible because of how small he was. Another thing Echo missed; head room.

  “And the King, he was there?”

  At the mention of their fearful King, Flick stilled. “Da’ king Miss… no, no the King wan’t there.” A slight tremor slipped across his skin and worry pooled in his eyes. “Is dat bad Miss?”

  Echo did answer right
away – a good businessman was never quick to show their cards – but she didn’t need the time to ponder. If Shade didn’t go, perhaps the Masked Man wasn’t expected. Or perhaps the King trusted the Murmur Maids enough to deal with the Elder on their own… Echo snorted at that. There was no way Shade would leave such precious cargo like Dixie in the hands of anyone else. No, this was very strange indeed.

  “No, Flick. It’s not bad. Not bad at all.” She encouraged, pressing for more information. Important fact number two; followers did well to remember their incentive at every given point. “For a gift, you have to tell me where the masked Elder went? Did you see the Elder?” Echo ran a slender, mucky finger over the small tattered jewellery box to her left.

  Flick's eyes trailed Echo’s movement and he nodded quickly, knowing the contents was what he wanted. "I-…” He hesitated, his eyes glued on her box. “Yes Miss. Just like you don’ said, he was there. You said anyfink susspi’ so I follow, watch, I wait, and I listen."

  "And?" Echo was starting to mirror his excitement. Finally, they could be leaving this place.

  "Sorry Miss." Flick answered with and exaggerating grin, like the cat got the cream.

  "What?" Echo was at once on edge.

  Like a puppet on a string, Flick's hand shot out, palm up and waiting. "You said; don't do nofin’ for nonfin'."

  And Echo almost laughed. If the poor boy wasn't hooked on Dixie, a few missed meals away from starvation, and as jittery as a fried moth; she might have done him a favour and given his greedy ass to Archer. The King of Greed himself might have taken a liking to this boy.

  Opening her jewellery box with light fingers, Echo looked at the boy with hooded eyes. "You know I also like to make bargains Flick? How would you like to double up?"

  Whether Flick knew math’s or not didn’t matter, he'd come to learn 'double' meant two, and two was more than one. "What ya thinking Miss?"

  Plucking one waxed paper covered sweet from her stash, Echo beheld it between two fingers. "I will give you this now, for what you've found." Flick nodded eagerly and frankly, Echo could have said anything, and he'd have agreed. Alas, the fickle mind plagued by addiction was so easy to bend. "And, I’ll give you another, when you’ve shown me to ‘it.’ Agreed?" Echo moved the single sweet closer to the boy and watched as he shot out like a Kingfisher to retrieve it.

  It was unwrapped and digested before Echo could even watch the wax-paper flutter to the ground. Watching for his next gift as Echo pulled a second sweet from her stash and into one of her many pockets, Flick scrambled to his feet. "Follow me Miss."

  In hindsight, Echo might have slowed down, thought about the possibilities. But she was done with dirt and lack of sunlight. She wanted out and she was excited.

  Slipping past cave-ins and burnt out candles, Echo recognised the direction they were going, the muddy foot wells by leaky pipes and puddle of piss coming to light in her memory.

  Frustrated, she allowed herself to curse for a moment, wondering how in Hell she hadn’t found this on her own. But she knew it might have taken her months to retrace her steps while her six little followers could do it in a week. Turn after turn, Echo eventually came to a stop beside Flick in the middle of a tunnel with only the candle she held as a light.

  “Well?” Echo asked, puffing an excited breath. “Now where Flick?” But as she looked down at the kid, he was shaking all over.

  “I-…” He stammered and Echo frowned.

  “What?” Her voice snapped but Echo quickly reined herself in. She couldn’t lose her cool or she’d lose her dupe. “If you don’t show me where we’re going Flick, I won’t give you a gift.” And to emphasis, she waved the blue wax covered sweet in front of his face.

  “They went through there.” Flick pointed towards the darkness and she squinted after his finger. “I don’t want to go.” Flick whispered, already taking steps backwards.

  With a sigh, Echo ignored the boy and moved closer, seeing nothing “What’s in there?” She asked, but Flick wasn’t listening. “What’s in there, Flick?” She asked again.

  But the kid shrugged, not raising his voice above a whisper. “I dunno. It’s dark and smells bad… I followed the Maids to here…”

  Spinning to face the boy, even at the age of eight, Echo knew she could look fierce and it must have shown because Flick suddenly gulped at the sight of her. “The Maids?” The words hissed out of her mouth. “You followed the Maids? I asked you to follow the Elder. Where did he go?”

  But Flick was already stepping away, his eyes wide with fear. “I’m sorry Miss. There weren’t no Elder. It was just dem’ Maids.” He snivelled, looking back to the darkness. “I wanted my gift and you said double!”

  Echo could have cracked her teeth with how hard she clenched them. Fucking junkies. “And the boy?” She dared asked. If he was running around next mealtime with a skip in his step, Echo might just knock him out herself to feel better.

  “He was dead, Miss.” Watching Flick, Echo saw the fear that took over him, his voice growing quiet like the memories terrified him. "He'd fought 'gainst da' Maids and they-... they..."

  Echo turned back to the tunnel and huffed out her annoyance. Another dead kid! God damn it! She just needed one alive!

  When she had first seen the Elder with Shade, she hadn’t stuck around to see what might happen to the boy and genuinely thought he’d be back at some point. Thinking about, he hadn’t ever turned up in the end…

  Echo decided to move with purpose - at least see what she could gain here despite her plan falling apart - until small, grubby fingers stopped her. Nibble and quick, Flick swiped the Dixie from Echo’s hand and scarpered before she could ask anything else from him. “Cheeky ass.” She whispered but turned back to her goal.

  The dying smoke of the fires created a haze that Echo stepped through a archway with trepidation. The room was still warm, and she was about halfway in when what she thought was a rock, turned over and grunted.

  Frozen in her steps, Echo saw more mounds and lumps, each one an eyeless vicious Maid fast asleep on the warmed sand. At once, they all seemed to shift, as if disturbed by her presence and Echo didn’t dare breath. She was in the Kitchen, home of the Murmur Maids. Faintly she could smell the rich sent of meat over the underlying smell of burnt grease and fat. Yet as Echo froze in the stillness of the room, she felt the sudden gust of a cold chill brushed over her.

  In the smouldering embers, she squinted until she could make out some of the shapes: a rickety table, the cooking pot and the vintage pram she’d seen before. Stepping slowly across the floor, she passed the sleeping lumps on her tip-toes, until she came to the vast expanse of emptiness in front of her. It stretched outwards into nothing but the smell hit her first; a heavy, festering scent.

  "What the Hell?" Echo breathed into the chill the cooking fires couldn't fight off. She'd been so consumed by the hole and what lay beyond it, she didn't hear the sands behidn her shift, or the hiss of air through rotting teeth.

  She'd stepped back, uncertain if she wanted to know what lay before her, when she'd crashed into a body behidn her. She didn't spin fast enough, however and a knife sliced through her skin, spraying blood across the floor.

  With a hiss, Echo stumbled back some more and panic flared in her stomach as every sleeping lump stired awake.

  "Innn-vaaid." The Maid cried, sounding the alarm and waking her sisters.

  Echo hadn't waited. Knocking the blind girl aside, she proceeded to flip the nearest table, causing a racket to disorientate, before belting for the room.

  She'd never run so fast in her life, holding her breath the entire way, and when she finally stumbled into Adin, she still didn’t think she’d taken a breath. She crashed in their dugout and with one look at her, he hadn't said a word. As everyone drowning in Dixie, they had left. The world of the Under-ert had came into screaming clarity that day and the true power of Shade, King of the Lost was shown.

  ◆◆◆

  "Echo? Echo are you still there?
" McQueen whispered as she came too. Lost in her memories, Echo had forgotten were she sat and the dark hole she’d been thrown in.