by Adam Cairney
Chapter 14.
Molly sat at the table in what was left of her kitchen. She had managed to throw a quick bite to eat together for the two of them. Nothing amazing, some beans and pulses, a little salad and some dressing. The scholars who had been there before had turned cupboards, shelves, and all manner of storage inside out, destroying most things, scattering the rest across the house. Why they had seen fit to empty almost all of her food containers onto the floor she had no idea. She supposed they must have been looking for all of her equipment. Luckily she was smarter than they were, especially in their current state. She took another bite of her food. Happy to just be sitting, having a brief respite. She was just beginning to wonder where Elijah was when her question was answered as she heard him coming back up the stairs.
He ducked his head and came out from inside the fireplace. At first she wondered what he had actually taken from down below, if anything, but then she noticed that he was wearing one of her bandoleers. She gave him a puzzled look, and was just about to open her mouth to ask why, when he turned around. Every pouch was filled with the largest vials she had, and inside each vial…was that ether? What on earth was he thinking?
“I know exactly what you’re going to say, I do. It’s incredibly dangerous if it gets spilled, I get that, but look, I used your gear, your vials. It’s all coated with the anti-conductor, so it should be safe. As safe as it can be anyway.”
“You’re crazy. I know I carry some dangerous stuff around, but my bandoleers aren’t filled with ether, damn it! Think about where we’re going and what we’re doing, Elijah. If some of that stuff spills on you, that’s it, you’re finished. Horribly disfigured or maimed, and that’s if you’re lucky. And why would you even want to bring it with you?”
Elijah smiled and nodded downwards, indicating the overcoat he was wearing. Molly hadn’t noticed before, but his hands were thrust deep inside the coat, so she hadn’t seen them yet.
“I don’t know how, or why, but when I was downstairs I went over to examine the ether. It does something Molly, something amazing. I can’t explain why, I have no idea but…well look” and with that he took his hands out from under the coat, and quickly rolled the sleeves up. The various jars of ether strapped to his back and front were having the same effect as they had been before, and his hands and forearms were glowing the same luminous whites and yellows and oranges as before, like his hands were on fire. Molly’s mouth dropped open in amazement, and Elijah rushed over excitedly to show her.
They discussed what could possibly be happening over their meagre meals. They discussed a couple of different theories, both thrilled at this new discovery. Molly touched Elijah’s hands and arms, baffled that despite their appearance they were still cool to the touch. Elijah demonstrated how much the ether had enhanced his conducting, and stopped very quickly, scared of burning the kitchen down. Molly very quickly conceded that this might actually be a smart plan, and the matter was settled. “If only I’d started stockpiling ether for some of our earlier jobs…” Molly had said playfully.
It was time to go. They were both ready, and knew where they were going. As they walked to the front door Molly took one last look around the house. She put one hand on the doorframe as they walked out. As they turned and began to walk along the street they suddenly felt a shuddering sensation beneath their feet. It quickly subsided, and Elijah and Molly looked at other, silently asking what had just happened. Molly was just opening her mouth to speak when the tremors came back, much stronger than before, catching them completely off guard. It knocked Elijah to the ground and Molly only managed to stay upright by using her quarterstaff to support her. Without warning the street they were on started to split open.
Molly screamed and jumped backwards away from the rapidly opening crevasse appearing before their eyes. Elijah followed suit, jumping away from the chasm. A cart further down the street was swallowed up whole, and chunks of houses were breaking off, being rocked to their very foundations. Roof tiles, guttering…all sorts of debris rained down as the earthquake tore through the city. And then, as suddenly as it started, it was over. The two of them listened, and Molly was sure she could a deep rumbling sound from below the earth, almost as if the earthquake had finished what it was doing above ground and had decided to travel lower to cause havoc there as well.
Elijah stood up shakily. He felt the bandoleer slung around him to make sure none of the vials were cracked or broken, and asked Molly to check him over as well. Everything was fine, no breakages. They were just a little shaken up.
“What the hell was that?” Elijah asked, still a little stunned by what had just happened. Before the events of the last few days there had never been an earthquake recorded in Spectrum, ever. It was unheard of, and now they were getting incredibly intense, just as Molly had discovered they would. They needed to get to the Great Library, and fast. They started to walk down the street again, now sticking decidedly to one side due to the enormous hole in the middle of it. Occasionally Elijah would wander a little closer to the edge and peer down. He swore he could see the faint, dark blue glow of ether far below the earth, but perhaps it was just his imagination.
He wondered how much damage had been done to the city after that tremor. All the houses and buildings they walked past were now covered in a spider web of cracks, with window coverings hanging off hinges, doors splintered and hanging at odd angles, and windows shattered. Carts had been overturned, and were either laying on their sides, or had been swallowed up by the ground. One or two were balanced crazily, teetering on the edge of the abyss. Many of the crystals trapping the people all over the city were now lying down or tilting at crazy angles.
Elijah didn’t have to wait long to get an idea of how much damage had been done. The street they were on soon joined onto another one, they were only a couple of streets away from the library now. This one was smaller, little more than an alleyway running perpendicular to the street they had just been on, but the damage was just as bad. The enormous rip in the earth continued, heedless of the row of houses ahead of it. It had pulled them, ripped them in half, continuing onwards through the city. The buildings were the same here as well, nothing was in a particularly good condition. The two of them jumped over the hole in the ground where the gap was smallest, and continued going the way they needed to, talking as they went.
“This has to be his doing, there’s no other explanation for it. It’s too coincidental for something like this to happen at a time like this.” Molly said. She talked in hushed tones. The city itself was still incredibly quiet, and the atmosphere felt heavy, almost as if it was stifling her when she talked. It was almost as if they had to whisper now. The many people staring blankly out at them from their ether prisons didn’t help either.
“Agreed. I don’t know how, or why still, but it is. The sooner we get to the Great Library the better. I know pretty much exactly where we need to go so I’ll head straight to it. The sooner we know who, or rather what we’re fighting the better.”
“Mm yeah. I don’t even know if we can go up against whatever Azrael is at the moment. You saw him, saw what he stood up to. Those explosives are no joke. He’s not human, we know that much.” She paused for a second, and almost shivered. “I hate this place now. It’s so quiet. There should be people everywhere, going to the market, working, going to school…but there’s nothing. It’s eerie.”
Elijah nodded his agreement. Despite the fact that he did agree with what Molly thought he still couldn’t help but notice how pretty the city still was. Spectrum seemed determined to live up to its name, and as the sun shone down, it highlighted another feature of the city. Unlike the rainbow puddles of a few days before, the heat haze the sun was causing shimmered in a rainbow of different colours. It was incredible because no matter where in the distance you looked, if you focused just a little bit, there was a haze of a different colour. Reds, purples, yellows, a wonderful deep azure over here, a vivid pink over there. Elijah loved it. He loved this cit
y. He would save it. They continued talking as they walked, Elijah trying to lighten the mood a little.
“Do you remember that time we were in those mines in Tyreem? Oh my god…” He looked over at Molly, saw the look that had come across her face and nearly burst out laughing.
“It wasn’t funny Elijah! How would you like it if a pack of howling Snarves chased you? You’re welcome by the way, for getting to use me as bait.” She pouted and crossed her arms, but Elijah knew she wasn’t serious.
“It was hilarious! I could hear them howling from the other end of the mine. They weren’t the only ones howling either. And come on…how else would I have recovered our valued customer’s property without you?” He gave her a big grin here, and she finally cracked a smile too.
“You drive me crazy sometimes, you know that, right? I mean it though, it’s like…you know how sensitive you are about your hairless legs now? I flinch whenever I hear anything howl now, so thanks for that!” They both laughed, Elijah giving a sarcastic thanks to her for managing to find a way to bring his poor legs into the conversation. He admitted he deserved it though. They continued talking as they walked, until they were very near to the end of the street they were on. Just round the corner and they would be at Pyre Square, and the Great Library. Elijah slowed them down just before they rounded the corner, and told Molly to wait while he checked to see if there was anyone around. Just because they hadn’t seen anyone the entire day, did not give them an excuse to be careless, after all.
He peeked around the edge of the last house on the row, and had a quick look to see what the situation was. The square was resplendent as always. Tiled with all different coloured bricks in a repeating pattern, and a gigantic fountain in the middle of it. Elijah had always found the fountain to be a little odd, but he understood the symbolism behind it. It was a large, circular affair with a large stone man holding a torch in the middle. Fountains showered water in various different directions, creating a pretty pattern. There were normally all manner of coins in the bottom of the pool as well, from all different people looking for blessings or good luck, or just to remember. Once a year the fountain was shut off and a pyre was built on it. There was a huge gathering and celebration as the pyre was lit in remembrance of a great fire that had ravaged part of the city year before. Many had died to put it out, and now their lives were celebrated, rather than mourned. Elijah thought this was a good way to honour them.
Of course, much like the rest of the city, the place was now completely silent. It had the same, odd feeling as the rest of the city. In fact, he had never seen it this quiet. He had half expected someone, or something to be here though, and it was unnerving that there was absolutely no one around, either friend or foe. The square was extremely large, with lots of streets leading off of it, but as far as he could tell from looking around there was nothing. Straining his ears to hear at the same time he was looking around he couldn’t hear anything either, just the distant cawing of a few birds, the water pouring into the fountain, and his own heart, hammering loudly in his chest.
He turned back to Molly. “I think we’re good. Let’s get over there as fast as possible. Ready to run?” Molly nodded that she was. She knew as well as Elijah it was best not to hang around. It made her anxious. They were pretty much directly opposite the library, so it was a straight shot across and round the fountain to the entrance. They took off, running through the square as quickly and quietly as possible. The setting sun cast long shadows across the square, making it feel like every edge could conceal some unknown danger. They ran as fast as possible though, skirting the edge of the fountain. Elijah glanced down as they ran past. If he believed in luck, if he had a coin, he thought he would have thrown it in.
They were past the fountain, the Great Library looming large ahead of them. It, like the rest of the city, looked like it had been abandoned in the middle of the day, and it had really. The main doors were still wide open, with the occasional crystalized person dotted around. Again, Elijah had an uneasy feeling as they approached. The mammoth pillars to either side of the main doors could hide anything. Why hadn’t he thought about that before they took off? Should they have been more cautious? They were so close now, just a few more feet…and then something happened that neither of them quite understood. As they ran closer the doors began to close, seemingly of their own volition. They sped up, trying to get inside before they were shut out by whatever mysterious force this was, but as soon as they did the doors closed all the faster. They reached the bottom of the library steps just as the doors slammed shut, and skidded to a halt.
Completely mystified, they looked at each other to see if either of them knew what had just happened. It didn’t take long to find out though. A low, mocking laugh began to echo around the square, getting progressively louder. Molly already had her quarterstaff out, and Elijah readied himself to conduct, feeling the ether around him, ready to use it. Suddenly, in front of them, a hooded figure appeared from behind one of the columns. He hadn’t been there a moment ago, they both could have sworn it. It was as if he had just materialized out of thin air. As he walked slowly towards them his cloak swirled around him, and Elijah suddenly found it very difficult to focus on him. It was the cloak! That was why they hadn’t seen anything. It was taking on the appearance of whatever was behind and around it, hiding him incredibly well.
“I knew you would come here. You are pathetically predictable, both of you.” It was Azrael’s voice, coming from the figure in front of them, who was not Azrael. It was a disturbing thing to see and hear. The voice continued. “I’m afraid I can’t let you go any further. It’s been a fun little game of cat and mouse, I won’t lie. This is where it ends though. Don’t you love the cloaks? Another relic from down in your “Cloud’s” vaults. Goodbye.” The man in front of them looked up with a wicked grin on his face, and as he did he drew a couple of long, evil looked scimitars from the folds of his cloak. They weren’t covered in poison this time. It wasn’t about turning the two of them into whatever everyone else had become anymore. It was about killing them. Worse still, the blades seemed to be imbued with the same properties as the clothes he wore, making them incredibly difficult to keep track of. The man lifted his head up, and once more in Azrael’s voice, screeched “Show yourselves!”
Elijah and Molly went back to back, looking around them in horror. From every single alleyway, street entrance and pillar shadowy figures emerged, each wearing the same vision distorting clothing as their apparent leader. It hurt Molly’s eyes already to look at them, it was like spotting something out of the corner of your eye, only to look at it and there be nothing there at all. They were in serious trouble. The figures started to advance, each one drawing an identical pair of blades as the first had. Even with the ether strapped to his back and Molly’s supply of vials, there were too many to take on.
The men were still advancing, taking slow, confident steps forward in perfect unison, creating a complete circle around the two of them between the fountain and the steps. They stopped a short distance away from Elijah and Molly, and waited. The silence seemed to stretch on forever, as if both sides were waiting to see what the other would do. A strong breeze blew through the square, whipping some of the men’s cloaks up, causing the painful illusion to happen all around them.
“I’ve got an idea. You packed all different vials, right? Well, did you pack any of the ice vials? I know you make them occasionally.”
“Of course. I’ve got a couple, why?”
“I need you to get one out and throw it at the ground at our feet when I say. I’m going to give us some cover.”
Molly understood straight away what he was going to do. “Got it. Don’t forget to jump or you’re getting frozen to the floor. I’m ready when you are.”
The men had started advancing again, clearly they had waited long enough, and they knew what the conclusion of this fight was already. The circle was getting smaller rapidly.
“Alright Molly, wait for it…NOW!”
As soon as he shouted this Molly whipped the correct vial out of its bandoleer and threw it at the ground, hard. They both jumped as she did, and as the vial shattered, a sheet of ice flew out from under them, spreading across the ground in a flash. Several of the men closest to them were immediately frozen, stuck to the ground, and a few others took a cautious step back. Without wasting a moment Elijah channelled as quickly as possible. Concentrating intensely he crouched down and shot a jet of flame out at the ground below him, now frozen solid. Molly stepped back as the entire sheet of ice turned to vapour almost instantly, cloaking them in an almost impenetrable white cloud. Molly and Elijah had fought in these conditions before, however, and this environment was no stranger to them. It was an even fight now.
The men didn’t hesitate even now however. Driven by their desire to please their unseen master they charged in, screaming. It was exactly what the two of them needed. With their sight obscured the noise was the best thing they had to go on. They wanted their opponents to make noise. Molly lashed out first, the very tip of her quarterstaff connecting with the man who was charging at her. It hit him square in the gut. She felt the impact, and then the special ether formula on the end worked its’ magic and she heard him go flying. She turned to face the next couple, swinging the staff low to try and take out their feet. It worked for the first, but the second blocked with his blade, the impact sending a shockwave up her arm. She stepped back quickly, the man’s other blade whistling through the air where her neck had been a second before.
Elijah was also fighting hard. He felt as if he were dancing. Three men were slicing and hacking at him. He was on the defensive and he knew it. He couldn’t find a break in the attacks to channel effectively. Not without getting killed at least. He dodged and ducked left, down, away from his attackers over and over, but it was pointless. He was going to tire, and he knew it
“Molly! Clear vial, now!” He yelled across the noise of the fighting. He dodged another sword as it came arcing towards him, but wasn’t quite quick enough. It caught the very top of his arm, slicing through his shirt and ripping into his skin. He winced, and dodged further back, shooting a quick jet of flame out of his other hand. It kept the approaching attackers at bay. Only for a moment, but it was enough. Molly had heard his yell for help and responded. Elijah just barely managed to see it coming before it hit him square in the face. In one smooth motion he span around, caught the bottle, and threw it to the ground in front of the three men. The bottle smashed open, showering the three of them in the clear fluid contained within. They stood there for a moment, a look of surprise on their faces, and then the grimaces returned, and they kept advancing.
Elijah smirked and lowered his guard. They were ready to lunge at him when the fluid did what it needed to, solidifying and freezing the men in place, holding them fast, just as it had with Percy. Without a moments’ hesitation Elijah let loose, shooting a massive blast of flame towards them. They didn’t even have time to scream before there was nothing but ash left. Elijah allowed himself a quick sigh of relief, and then realised the terrible mistake he had made.
He looked around. The flames had taken out the three men chasing him, but had also destroyed much of the cover he and Molly had been using so effectively. It was now more like a thin fog than thick clouds. There was a lull in the fighting as both sides realised what had happened. Molly glanced over, and Elijah met her gaze. He just had time to mouth a quick apology over to her as she shook her head at him when the enemy launched at them again. Four men down, six to go. Three of the attackers went for each of them, and they were immediately on the defensive, both of them this time. The men swung and lunged at the two of them, starting to get desperate having seen their associates go down.
Elijah was tiring now, still unable to conduct safely without getting an arm, or worse cut off. The killers could sense the flagging energy from between the two of them. They were lunging in, and then dodging back out, and had formed a circle around the two of them again. They were circling around them at the same time, almost like sharks smelling blood in the water, just waiting for the two of them to weaken a little more. One of the men jumped forwards, slicing forwards at Elijah. He wasn’t quick enough, and the man cut his arm. The same arm as before, which was already throbbing in pain. Elijah yelled out and desperately conducted, forcing the man to back off but missing him entirely with the burst of flame. They needed to do something now, or it was going to be too late.
Molly knew it as well. She desperately thought of what to do, all the while watching the hooded figures carefully, parrying every sword that came her way. Suddenly though, she knew what to do.
“Elijah! Do you remember that time in Greyslick Port, when we ended up fighting the beggar king?”
“Of course I do!” Elijah yelled back as he barely dodged another swipe, “Why?”
“Do you remember how it ended? What we did? We need to do that. Now! I can take it!”
Elijah didn’t even argue, there was no time. Straight away he and Molly turned to face each other, completely exposing their backs to the circle of killers. Molly changed the way she held the quarterstaff, concealing the ends covered in ether and gripping the very end of it, holding the rest out between her and Elijah. Elijah went to task straight away, conducting with all his willpower and using both hands to blast the staff Molly was holding with an incredibly intense fire. The staff started to glow white hot, the heat already beginning to travel up the pole to where Molly was holding it. She gritted her teeth. She had to hold on. The men, who had hesitated, expecting some kind of trap, now saw their opportunity and simultaneously charged in, swords held high.
Seconds before they reached them Elijah called out to Molly. “Now! Do it!” Molly was wincing, her hands in complete agony, but she got the message. Elijah dropped like a stone, so he was completely flat on the floor, and at the same time Molly span swinging the quarterstaff with all her might, screaming as she did so. The men realised too late what they had run into, and had too much momentum to turn away. A couple of them managed to lower their swords to try and block the inevitable, but it was no use. The now molten quarterstaff cut through the scimitars like butter, and the men even easier. She span in a complete circle, and not a single man escaped. They stood there, momentarily stunned, as if they couldn’t quite believe what had happened, and then, slowly, each man separated at the waist, completely cut in half by the attack.
Molly dropped the staff straight away and ran to the nearby fountain, plunging her badly burned palms in. Elijah got to his feet and hurried over, tearing strips of his sleeve off as he went to staunch the flow of blood from his cuts. He winced as he tightened the strips, but it was pain he could cope with. He knelt down next to Molly. She still had her hands under the water, and was resting her forehead on the stone surrounding the water. Elijah looked down. Even with her hands under the water he could see that they were quite badly blistered. He put an arm around her shoulder. She didn’t move, but instead gave a half muffled response.
“I really, really hate you at the moment.” She murmured. Elijah smiled.
“Yeah, that’s fair enough. You did tell me to do it though, so I mean…”
“Oh shut up! It’s the last time I suggest a last ditch strategy to get us of a life or death situation.” She lifted her head off the stones and gave him a weak smile. “That was a lot more intense than I remembered it being back in Greyslick. You remember what happened the last time we tried that? We had to yank the pole back out of the body. Wasn’t quite hot enough to burn all the way through. That Ether you’re carrying around has really done wonders for you. I’m not entirely sure I approve…” She said the last part with a wry grin. Molly took her hands out of the fountain and stood up, examining them. They throbbed and ached more than she could believe, but at least they were alive.
She asked Elijah to wrap them in a couple of strips of cloth, the same as he had done for himself, gritting her teeth while he did so. The sun had almost complet
ely set now, and the coolness of the dusk was refreshing. They looked over at the Great Library. It was time to go and discover everything they could about the thing they were going to face. Molly just prayed that the answers they needed were inside. They set off once more towards the entrance, Molly grabbing her quarterstaff along the way. They reached the Library doors to find that they opened again easily enough, and stepped inside into the gloom, pulling the doors to behind them as a glittering pair of eyes watched them intently from the distance.
