The Frozen Wasteland

by Candy Crum

  Jackson and Caydon.

  Neither one of them were in their cells, and she couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to them.

  "Be a good girl," the black-haired guard said, giving her ass a slap. "Get in there and don't say a word."

  They shoved her into the cell and she whirled, white-hot rage on her face at having been treated in such a fashion.

  The black-haired guard laughed, his head falling back slightly as he did. When he looked at her again, his dark brown eyes glared at her. His smile never left his face. "Aw, don't be angry. I know you're sad that we can’t have alone time together now. Maybe I'll come back later." He slammed the door, the magitech lock clicking into place.

  Amelia gave a dark smile of her own. "Be careful now. If you do come back, you'll be the only one choking on your dick."

  The man stared at her, his smile fading as he swallowed hard. Amelia hoped the look on her face told him all he needed to know—that she would make every effort to ensure that happened if he approached her again.

  Without saying another word, the black-haired guard stomped away, the others following closely behind. She heard the door at the top of the stairs slam, and she listened for the exterior doors as well. It would be hard to hear from where she was, but she wanted to make sure they had truly left the building.

  She heard a faint noise upstairs and used her mind to search for anyone in the area. The only people in the building at that moment were her and Elon, exactly as she'd hoped.

  "Hey, roomy," Amelia said, moving to stand by the cell door.

  There was a click followed by a loud creak before she heard footsteps approaching. Within a short few moments, Elon was standing in front of her cell with his arms crossed and a slight smile on his face. After a prolonged silence, he sighed and rolled his eyes, shaking his head slightly.

  "Turn around," he said in an exasperated tone, though his expression told her he found this amusing.

  She turned and backed against the bars, doing her best to shove her hands through.

  “Did you see two young guys brought down here? Jackson and Caydon were their names. They were arrested and should be down here,” Amelia asked.

  She heard him step away for a moment before coming back.

  “Yeah. They were here. Emphasis on were.”

  “What the hell happened to them? Were they set free?” Amelia asked.

  “A woman came in here. They called her Scarlett. I’d never seen her before, but they knew her. She never opened the cells, but I heard screaming just before they hit the ground. I laid in my cell and acted like I didn’t give two shits. I didn’t really, but I wanted to make sure she knew it,” he replied. “Anyway, the guards that just brought you in came earlier to carry their bodies out.”

  In no time at all, there was the familiar click of a magitech lock, and he pulled the cuffs free.

  Rotating her hands to loosen her wrists, she said, "Scarlett is a mystic. She probably overwhelmed them. They were little bastards, but it’s just one more thing to show how planned all this was. Damn it. Oh, and thanks. For setting me loose, I mean."

  Elon sighed again. "Don't mention it. What did you do?"

  She held her hands out to her sides, palms up, to show him that they were covered in blood.

  "I was set up," she told him. "They finally made their play. One minute I was sitting in my living room talking to the guard who watched out for me, and the next I was on top of him with a knife in my hand. His throat was slit, and I was drenched in his blood."

  Elon nodded. "Talia now has everything that she needs. You’re out of the way. Arryn's out of the way. The people love her. This is definitely a big problem."

  Amelia nodded. "I'm hoping you have some good news for me."

  He nodded before going to work on the magitech lock on the cell door. Within seconds, she heard a click again just before he opened it. "Come with me. I have so many fun things to show you."

  Amelia followed him to his cell, and he reached under his mattress to pull out the parchment she had given him. On the sheets were elaborate designs she couldn't understand in the least.

  He handed them to her and smiled. "Now, before you ask, I'll just go ahead and explain. This one on top—this round device—it’s an explosive charge. You were worried about the remnant coming back into the valley? This is your answer."

  She looked from the designs to him. "That certainly sounds interesting. What do they do?"

  On the designs, the device was shown put together as well as broken apart into its component pieces. He began pointing to the different elements. "These will be very difficult to make, but my mentor should be able to do so easily. Inside, just like any other magical device, is a magitech core. Also, inside is a pressure switch and a timer. At first, I thought an initial charge would do the job, but then I remembered that remnant come in hordes, not a single line."

  He pointed to what looked like a button on the top. "When the remnant come through, they will step on it, hitting the pressure switch and triggering the first explosion. It will pulse several times thereafter, setting off a predefined number of charges. Magitech can only be shot off so many times before it needs to cool down, or it will explode.

  “Designing them this way ensures they can be reused without ruining them. If the timers continue to function properly and don't allow too many shots to go off, they should last for quite a while before needing to be replaced. As long as any magitech rifle, I calculate."

  Amelia was more than impressed. It was far more than she had expected. "This is incredible, though of course I shouldn't have expected any less. You really are a genius."

  Elon smiled and winked. "Don't get too sappy on me yet. I actually learned this technique from Gregory. He discovered that crushing an amphorald created an explosion by releasing all the energy inside. While we aren't crushing the amphorald in these, I still took from that idea. Also, I have more."

  Amelia excitedly watched as he shuffled through the sheets and handed her the next design. She saw that this one was a secondary device for an arrow. It would be a few inches long and cylindrical, attaching to the shaft of the arrow just below the arrowhead. There was a flat plate on the bottom that looked as though it shoved something inside the cylinder, which held a small amphorald.

  "These can be clipped onto any arrow and it only take a second to do so. When the arrow is shot and hits its target, it puts pressure right here," he said, pointing to a tiny plate just behind where the arrowhead would be.

  "This will crush the amphorald inside the tubing and create an explosion. This is where I really employed what I learned from Gregory. These devices should only be used in areas where enemies are thick. If they were to be used too close to allies, our people would be killed. In a horde of remnant or an army of any kind, these will come in very handy for her. And the tubing the amphoralds sit in will keep them secure, so they won't explode.”

  Amelia was about to speak, but he pointed to one last thing. “I also drew an attachment for her quiver. That way she can put these in there and attach them when needed. She’ll have to practice a bit, though because these will alter her arrows’ balance. She won’t be able to use them at a great distance at first until she gets some experience with them, but I have faith in her."

  Amelia couldn't believe her eyes. The first device alone was enough to make her feel safer when she thought about emplacing them to keep the remnant back. On top of that, she could give Cella the same design. She would be able to bring peace back to them and make them feel safer in their own homes once their deal had been completed.

  "You have no idea what you've done here. You haven't just created a safety net for our city, you've done so for Cella as well. This is good. Better than good. Now, I just need to figure out how to get them made."

  "I don't know if you've thought about this or not, but you need to leave. You can't stay here anymore. Your time is up."

  Amelia shook her head. "I can't leave the people. They're in dange
r. Not only that, but I just brought in all of Cella. Well, minus the Arcadian refugees who left after Adrien's death. I can't leave them here under Talia's control."

  Elon sighed, looking at the floor for a moment as he thought. He turned his attention back to Amelia. "There has to be somewhere safe you can go, and a place for the people of Cella as well—even if they just go back to their city."

  Amelia stood there, shaking her head as she ran several scenarios through her mind. "Flee the city? Again? You do remember that we had to do this before, right?"

  He nodded, his eyes narrowing as a look of concern crossed his face. "Yes. And you must do it again. You're going to need an army, Amelia. Talia already has hers. She has the entire Arcadian Guard."

  Amelia's eyes widened. "She doesn't have all of it. The Cella governor knows what's going on. He knows Talia has been controlling the remnant and attacking the cities. He promised me that his Guard was mine to command, as long as it was for a noble cause."

  "Well, I think this is pretty damned noble, don't you?" Elon asked.

  Amelia began absentmindedly tapping her hand on her leg as she stood there for several moments, considering her options. Finally, she said, "Do you think your old mentor would be awake this time of night?"

  Elon laughed. "You know my son Gregory. You know me. Have you ever caught me asleep down here?" Amelia shook her head. "That's because it's very rare. Gregory is the same way. When you have a brain that invents or creates things, your mind never sleeps. My mentor will definitely be awake."

  Amelia nodded. "Good, then here's what we're going to do. I'm going to go upstairs and get Ash. I'll write a letter and have Ash take it to Maddie to let her know what's happening. I will instruct her to tell the governor of Cella, and have him send his Guard toward the Dark Forest. Once I send the letter, we’ll sneak through the city to your mentor's house and drop these off. Give him a quick rundown of what's happening, and have him start building right away. From there, we'll steal a couple of horses and ride for the Dark Forest. I have friends there. They may not choose to get involved in the war, but they will shelter us until we can get ourselves together."

  "And what about the citizens?"

  Amelia sighed, shaking her head. "They’re lost to me right now. I wouldn’t be able to convince them to come with me, and if I tried, I would waste so much time that I would put everyone in greater danger. Mostly because I'd be dead. We’ll take the Cella guard. Talia wants to rule, so if everyone plays along, they will stay safe. For now, this is the plan we have to stick to. Are you with me?"

  Elon nodded. "When do we get started?"

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Amelia and Elon carefully and quietly snuck upstairs and headed into her office. She wrote the letter as quickly as possible, detailing what had happened with her as well as what would soon happen in the city.

  She attached it to Ash’s leg, telling him to fly as quickly as possible to Maddie. She cautioned him to fly away if anyone else was around, hoping he understood her. No one but Maddie was to get that letter.

  Once the raven had flown out of her office window, she and Elon headed toward the receiving area of the Capitol building to make their escape. As they did, they heard a familiar voice arguing and protesting as it got closer and closer to the front doors. They quickly ran to hide in a corner behind Marie's desk, Amelia watching in anger as two guards brought Marie in.

  "Oh, no. That's not fucking happening," Amelia whispered.

  Elon put a hand on her back, stilling her. "That's the same jerk guard that brought you down. He will notice we aren't there and immediately send for the others. The hunt will begin right now, and we won't make it out of here."

  Amelia watched Marie fighting back, questioning them as to why she was even being arrested, then looked at Elon. "What do you propose we do?"

  One of Elon's brows rose. "You can't tell me you don't want to make good on that promise you made after what he said to you." Amelia glanced at the black-haired guard before turning back to him. He continued. "How do you know he wasn't going to visit you right now? Or do the same to her?"

  Amelia realized he was right. It was entirely possible the guard was coming back to make good on his promise, and it was her duty to make sure he didn't take it out on Marie in her absence.

  Twisting her hand, Amelia created a small fireball in her palm. As the guards shoved Marie forward hard enough to throw her through the door leading downstairs, Amelia took her shot. The fireball flew across the room, hitting one of the guards in the shoulder and causing him to stumble back a bit.

  Amelia stood and waved a hand over the desk she hid behind, lifting a couple pens and a small knife Marie used to cut parchment into the air. Before the guards could lift their magitech rifles, she whipped her hand forward and the objects sailed across the room.

  The pens stabbed into the chest of one of the guards, and in a stroke of good fortune, the knife struck the black-haired guard in the throat.

  Amelia walked across the room, her eyes never leaving his. By the time she reached him, he had fallen to his knees and was grabbing at the knife. "Oh, no, sweetheart.” Her voice was as cold as ice. “I wouldn’t do that. The faster you pull it out, the faster you die."

  The knife wasn't very long, only a few short inches, but it was plenty long enough to pierce his trachea. She heard him struggling to breathe, and she leaned over and placed her face only inches from his.

  "I just wanted you to take a moment to appreciate this, because I am. I promised you earlier after your gracious offer that it wouldn’t be me choking on anything, but you. I said I’d shove your dick down your own throat after what you said to me," she then smiled and wrapped her hand around his on the hilt before whispering, "but this is just as good."

  Amelia jerked her hand back, pulling his hands with it. His eyes widened as he began choking even worse on his blood. Within seconds, his body crumpled to the floor, as his life ended.

  Amelia looked to her left and saw Marie sitting on the floor with wide eyes. "You okay?"

  There was a pause before Marie nodded her head. "I was just scared. Luckily, they didn't do anything to me."

  Amelia pointed to the man she’d just killed. "Yeah, well, that probably wouldn't have been the case for very long. That one right there was a little handsy."

  Elon walked over and extended his hand, and Marie hesitantly took it. He was surprisingly gentle as he helped her from the floor, placing his hand on the small of her back and helping her walk.

  "Officer Dickhead over there probably let slip what he had planned. They won't come looking for him for at least half an hour, I would say. At the very least, they would have assumed he'd run into issues with one or more of us. So, we have some time, but not much. We need to get across the city to Elon's mentor."

  Marie gave Elon a quick, reassuring smile as she took a step forward. "Tunnels were built under the city to control flooding. They run directly under the Capitol. If we can get to one of the access points, we should be able to move anywhere we like within the city."

  Amelia sighed, a slight grimace on her face. "I really hadn't thought about that, but I suppose it's our only option. I'm surprised you know about them. I didn't even know about them until I took over as Chancellor and saw the city records. Of course, I'm sure Adrien played a part in that."

  Elon nodded. "Would you want to let people know there was a way to sneak in and out of the city and bring it crumbling down if you were an evil, narcissistic, asshole dictator at serious risk of a mutiny?"

  Amelia thought for a moment before finally nodding. "Good point. I can see why he kept it quiet, though it doesn't make me any less annoyed. Probably could've saved a lot of lives. Anyway, did I mention that I hate rats and snakes? Because I imagine there are a lot of both down there."

  Marie and Elon led the way, since both had studied the blueprints of the city at one point or another—no doubt for different reasons. Arcadia sat in one of the deepest areas of the Valley, putting it at
risk of flooding when heavy rains fell.

  The tunnels had been small when the city was first built, just as the city itself had been small, but as it grew Adrien had them expanded. He took no chances that his great city would be destroyed by something as simple as a flood.

  Elon's Master, Waylon, had designed them with a secondary plan in mind—safety. If ever the city was attacked, the citizens could access the tunnels at multiple points to escape, and many could be saved. He'd kept that to himself, though he'd told only one other person: Elon.

  One by one, they quietly made their way down the front steps of the Capitol building. They were ready for a fight, but hoped one wouldn't come. Amelia's earlier assumptions had been that no guards were in the immediate area, though she had no doubt they would soon be on their way.

  They ran around the back of the Capitol building and found what looked to be doors leading into a cellar. Pulling tools out of his pocket, Elon quickly picked the lock and opened the doors to find steps down into the darkness.

  "All other entry points were barred by Adrien's Hunters, though I think there might be at least one more open because a rebel… Uh… I mean, one of your friends was able to sneak into the city. Adrien planned to only keep this entry and the one behind the Academy open in case the city was ever attacked and he needed to go below," Elon said.

  "That's disgusting," Amelia exclaimed with obvious disdain in her voice and expression.

  A guilty look crossed Elon's face. "That was partially my fault. Back when Arryn's parents were alive, he'd worried that a successful coup might be staged. I opened my big fat mouth and told him the purpose of the tunnels, a secret my mentor had told me that I was supposed to keep to myself in case the citizens ever needed to escape."

  Marie's brows furrowed. "You really have a lot to make up for, don't you?"

  Elon pulled the doors the rest of the way open and shook his head. "You have no idea."

  Without another word, Elon jumped inside, quickly making his way down the stairs until he was standing ankle-deep in water. Amelia was the last one down, and she made sure to close the doors behind her.