The taste of bile still in his throat, Seb reluctantly turned away from the hate mob and followed Sparks toward the dark palace.
Chapter 45
As they got closer to the palace, Seb looked over at the hateful mob again. Most of them continued to peer over the side, obviously taking in every inch of the skinny girl’s broken form. A strong enough gust of wind could send them all over after her. If only! He turned back around and shook his head. “I know we needed to walk away, but I don’t like it. I don’t like it one bit. She only took a loaf of bread.”
“A loaf of bread her master had thrown in the bin,” Sparks added.
“Right?”
“But we need to get SA and Gurt back. Were it just a case of rescuing a plummy toff from captivity, then I may have chosen the girl over our mission. But we need to make sure we get to our teammates as quickly as possible. Who knows what’s happening to them. We kick off out here”—she pointed at the palace—“and it’ll be a damn sight harder to get in there.”
Tension balled in Seb’s stomach from what he’d just witnessed, but he continued forward with Sparks and didn’t look around again. The Countess would pay for running a city like Caloon.
The closer they got to the palace, the deeper the shadow it cast. So dark Seb almost expected to feel it cling to his skin like oil.
A few steps closer and two huge gates appeared from the shadows. Made from black wrought iron, they stood about ten feet tall. Instead of spikes along the top, they had what looked like forks. Each large prong had a barb on it like a fishhook. Once impaled on one, it would take a lot to get off it again.
Seb looked for a way in and seemed to notice it at the same time as Sparks said it.
“They’re electric gates.” Sparks scratched her face as she looked from one electric box to the other. They’d been affixed to the bottom of both posts.
“You think you can …?” But before Seb could finish, Sparks scuttled up to the gate and popped the front off one of the boxes.
Although Seb struggled to see into the foggy blackness beyond, it seemed unoccupied. He heard no movement, and the shadows—although dark—remained still. The hairs on the back of his neck rose as he waited for Sparks to do her thing and he continued to look for guards in front of them.
A sharp buzz and a flash of light punched from Sparks’ corner of the gate. It temporarily blinded Seb. “Not very subtle,” he said while rubbing his eyes.
“What do you want from me? We need to get in and I only have this watch.”
A couple of loud tocks of a small engine willing itself into motion, and a whir called out as the gate slid open.
It creaked and groaned and Seb checked over both of his shoulders to see if anyone approached from behind. The lynch mob remained at the edge of the elevated section of the city, but apart from that, it seemed clear.
Once the gate had opened by a few feet, Sparks stood up and waved Seb over. “Come on,” she hissed, “let’s get inside. I reckon we have about fifteen minutes before the power comes back on.”
Although not quite frozen to the spot, reluctance pulled Seb back for a second before he finally shrugged and followed his friend through the gap in the gate.
Chapter 46
Unable to see anything, Seb held Sparks’ hand and kept up with her as best as he could. Somehow, the wide-eyed Thrystian seemed to be able to navigate the dark much more easily than him. She’d guided them into the palace and through some of the corridors, but he had no idea where they currently were. Without power, the inside of the palace had turned into a pitch-black void that seemed to leech the light from his eyes.
The ground, although uneven, didn’t have any surprises to trip them up. At least, not yet anyway. The damp smell of the palace filled Seb’s nostrils, forcing him to screw his nose up against the funk. He slowed down more with each step. When he’d pulled back to a walk, Sparks tugged his hand and hissed at him, “What are you doing? We don’t have much time before the power comes back on.”
“Sparks, without the power, we have nothing. We need to wait for it to come back on before one of us hurts ourselves. I’m totally blind and I can’t imagine your sight’s much better. We can’t move in this darkness.”
Sparks stopped completely and sighed. “You’re right.” The shuffle of her feet called out and she pulled Seb with her until they came to a wall. “We’ll wait for the lights to come back on.”
Puffed out from the run and short of breath because of his rapid pulse, Seb leaned into the cold, damp wall and waited.
A male voice burst from a speaker Seb didn’t realise existed until it went off right next to him. He jumped to the side and his heart beat in his neck. He tried to blink the darkness away and stared in the direction of the sound. What at first appeared to be an echo turned out to be many speakers spreading away from them in both directions. The voice repeated the same order. “Mother requests your presence in the main hangar. You have three minutes.”
A blink of light burst from above them, and Seb—still panicked from the loudspeaker—ducked as if the ceiling would fall on him. A flash more prolonged than the initial spark stabbed through the darkness, and then a light came on, illuminating the space where they stood.
Dazzled by the glare, Seb rubbed his eyes and looked around. The bright strip lighting in the ceiling lit up the place. The walls, which Seb expected to be damp black rock, were in fact gold. The cavernous space shone from the glare above.
When Seb finally worked out where they were, he turned to the stunned Sparks. “We’re in the hangar.”
Sparks nodded. “It certainly looks that way.”
“The main hangar?”
“I would guess so.”
“The one that Mother wants to meet them in?”
As Seb spoke, Sparks looked around as if searching for somewhere to hide. Instead of responding to him, she wrapped her long fingers in a constrictor’s grip around his biceps. It stung as she dragged him into a small recessed area.
As they stood in the space, Seb pressed his back against the cold, hard wall. Condensation clung to the gold and soaked through his ridiculous outfit, but they seemed to be out of the way enough to remain hidden.
Over the next few minutes, Seb and Sparks stayed in their small alcove and watched the place fill up with foot soldiers. A vast and cavernous room, the ceiling ran so high he expected to see clouds at the top of it.
A testament to the Crimson Countess’ authority, the place had filled up within the three minutes she’d allowed her army to get there. Maybe all of them had turned up, maybe not, but Seb guessed at least two hundred of the red-robed creatures stood gathered in the hangar.
They all stared in the same direction and lined up with the smallest at the front and the largest at the back. At the very back stood two huge brutes. They looked to be at least thirty feet tall each and half as wide again. Their faces as hidden as the other soldiers, the wide creatures grunted and shifted as if the need for violence coursed through them. One blow from either of them would shatter a human skull. Even with his powers, Seb needed to avoid them.
A tall pillar of gold stood at the front of the room and seemed to be the focus of the foot soldiers’ attention. Easily fifty feet from the ground, it looked out over the extravagant hangar. For all the poverty down in the slums, they had enough wealth lining the walls up here to ensure no creature on Solsans ever went hungry again.
When Seb saw the large, robed figure of what looked like the Crimson Countess, he watched the entire room—even the beasts at the back—fall to their knees.
Silence swept across the place, and Seb’s heart beat so hard he worried they’d hear it.
The Countess drew a deep breath and spoke to the crowd, her voice echoing through the extensive amphitheatre. “My children, you responded to my call.”
“Yes, Mother,” the entire room replied.
The loud response caught Seb off guard. He jumped and nearly yelled in surprise.
“You respec
t my power.”
“Yes, Mother.”
“You know how I love you all.”
“Yes, Mother.” Their collective response grew louder as if the mention of love invigorated them.
“You are mine; you serve me and I serve you. Together we run Solsans. We can be harsh, but fair. We bow down to the highest power.”
“Yes, Mother.”
The Crimson Countess spread her arms wide and shouted, “Foot soldiers, are you with me?”
The response this time seemed to shake the walls as every soldier roared, “Yes, Mother.”
The chaos died down to near silence before the Countess spoke again. “Now, maybe I’m being paranoid, but the power never fails in this place.”
Anxiety lurched through Seb’s stomach. He chewed on his lip when he looked back out across the large gold cave. There didn’t seem to be anywhere to run to should they discover them. They didn’t exactly blend in either, in their ridiculous flight suits.
“Because of that,” the Countess said, “I want this place searched from top to bottom for intruders.” She slammed a clenched fist against her large open palm and called out again, “If there’s anyone in here, we’ll damn well find them.”
The foot soldiers all jumped to their feet. As one, they clenched their fists and pressed them together. They bowed to their leader. When they straightened back up, they yelled, “Yes, Mother!”
Seb looked at Sparks and he saw true fear in her wide purple eyes. What had they got themselves into?
Chapter 47
Seb looked for somewhere to go. Anywhere that got them out of the small recess next to the army paying homage to Mother would have been good. But the second they stepped from the alcove, one of the foot soldiers would surely see them.
Before Seb could think on it any further, he jumped at the sharp sting in his ribs. When he looked down, he saw Sparks with her pointy little elbow dug into his side. Were it not for the hangar full of soldiers then he might have yelled out; fortunately he had the presence of mind to keep his mouth shut. While rubbing the pain of her jab, he scowled at her as if to say, What?
Sparks pointed with one of her long fingers.
Following her intention, Seb shook his head and spoke in a whisper. “No way.”
The chant of “Mother! Mother! Mother!” came from the hangar. Seb shook his head at Sparks again just to be sure she’d understood his intention.
To continue their silent conversation, Sparks shoved her hands inside one of the many pouches in her adapted suit and removed the memory stick Moses had given them.
“Where did you hide that?”
Before Sparks could respond, Seb raised a halting hand at her. “Actually, don’t answer me.”
Seb saw the bank of computers almost as soon as the lights had come on in the place. But to get to them, they’d have to expose themselves. It would be madness to even try. There had to be other computers somewhere. They could use them.
Crouching down so he could be at Sparks’ level, Seb said, “Have you seen how many soldiers there are out there? No way can we get across to that machine unnoticed.”
“But have you seen what’s hanging up next to it?” Sparks asked.
Another look at the bank of computers and Seb saw it for the first time. “A robe.”
“A selection of robes.”
“But it doesn’t look like they have any small enough for you.”
Where most crowds would have waned, the group of fanatics out in the hangar continued to punch their fists together and chant for their mother.
Without another word, Sparks sprinted from Seb’s side and ran for the robes. He reached out to grab her, but she’d gotten away too quickly. As the calls in the hangar rang out, he watched his little friend move like the wind. It would test the zealousness of the Countess’ army. If they remained fixed on their leader, they wouldn’t notice Sparks. They certainly sang a convincing tune.
Upon reaching the robes, Sparks jumped and kicked off a wall. Seb saw her foot slip, but she still managed enough propulsion to grab the robe, yank it from the peg, and land silently with it in her grip.
Sparks sprinted back across the gap with the robe trailing behind her, and still the chants from the army continued on.
Skidding to a stop next to Seb, Sparks held the robe up at him. “Here you go.”
Unsure whether to laugh or shout at her, Seb only realised just how badly he shook when he reached out to take the garment.
“I’ll stand on your feet when you walk,” Sparks said.
“Sweet, like a little child?”
Sparks scowled at him and showed him her watch. “Remember how painful this electricity bolt is … especially when it hits the most sensitive parts of the body.” A vicious smile spread across her face as she looked at Seb’s crotch.
“Just get on my feet,” Seb said and wrapped her up in the robe.
The cloak clearly hadn’t been washed since the last soldier wore it because Seb could smell the reek of sweat and something else. It reminded him of a dirty dog, and it took a few seconds of concentration to make sure he didn’t vomit.
The chants from the soldiers went on for another five minutes at least. The Crimson Countess stood on her platform and continued to watch her adoring legion below before she finally said, “Okay, my children, you know what to do. Search every inch of this place.”
Ever alert, Seb had been waiting for this moment and he carefully watched as the army dispersed. When he guessed it to be at its most chaotic, he stepped out into the crowd of soldiers and joined the hustle and bustle.
Seb’s thudding pulse accompanied his every step. Sparks weighed heavier on his feet than he expected. Tempted to look around, he resisted the urge and walked over to the computer with purpose.
No one bothered him, so when he got to it, he popped his robe open at the front and showed Sparks the machine. He only saw her long fingers as they stretched out with the small memory stick in a pinch. Once she’d plugged it into the slot, her hands moved like lightning over the keys.
Heavy thuds approached and Seb cuffed Sparks around the side of the head. She tapped the keyboard several more times before she pulled back into his robe and he did the buttons up.
The large soldier peered over Seb’s shoulder at the computer’s screen. His voice sounded like a rockslide. “What are you doing, brother?”
“Um …” Seb shook when he turned around and stared up into the dark hood of his interrogator. “I’m … um.” He looked back at the screen to see a schematic of the palace. “I’m just checking to see all the cells are locked. I’m worried the power cut may have shorted some of the gates and freed them. Maybe that was why someone cut the power in the first place.”
Heavy breaths rocked the large Crimson soldier and he kept his attention on Seb. Fire flushed Seb’s cheeks as he stared into his interrogator’s dark hood. If he couldn’t see the foot soldier’s face, then the foot soldier wouldn’t be able to see his either.
The foot soldier finally said, “Fine. You do that and follow up anything suspicious, okay?”
Seb nodded.
After the soldier had walked away, Seb reached down and undid his robe again. “Right, Sparks, hurry it up, yeah?”
It only took Sparks a few more minutes before she unplugged the memory stick, withdrew her hands, and tapped Seb’s knee. He just barely heard her soft voice say, “All done.”
Seb did his robe up, looked around to be sure he hadn’t attracted any unwanted attention, and walked away from the computer and the hangar.
Chapter 48
Sparks might have been small, but after a few minutes of carrying her, Seb felt like she weighed a ton. A grimace locked his face tight and he pushed through the pain of her on his feet. The bones along the top of them felt like they could snap at any moment. One foot in front of the other, he walked down the dingy tunnels, directed by his small friend.
In a dark and dank corridor, the cave walls as black as the floor and strip lig
hting running overhead, Seb heard footsteps coming his way.
When Sparks said, “Keep going,” Seb cuffed her around the side of the head.
The little troll stamped down on his foot just as a group of Crimson soldiers came into view. A clenched jaw helped Seb keep his reaction in and he pulled his robe closed to hide Sparks.
The band of four soldiers walked past, all four of their faces hidden in shadow, and all four of them staring straight ahead. If they looked at Seb, they didn’t make it obvious.
Once they’d gone from view, Seb cuffed Sparks around the side of the head again. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy antagonising her.
Sparks poked her head from Seb’s robe and looked up at him. “Will you stop doing that?”
“How else am I to alert you to the soldiers?”
“A little nudge’ll do it.”
“You’ve never been hit before, have you, Sparks?”
“I’m too smart to get hit.”
Seb cuffed her around the head again and couldn’t help but laugh.
When she flashed her electrocuting watch at him, Seb raised his hands. “Okay, okay. Sorry. I’m in so much pain with you on my feet that I have to let it out somehow.”
“It’s not like I can walk though, is it? Unless you have a small robe I don’t know about?”
“I know. So where are we going?” Seb said.
“Keep heading straight down this corridor. We’re nearly there.”
Seb didn’t respond as he continued to walk. Instead, he looked at the cavernous tunnel, centuries old and spoiled by the strip lighting. White cables ran throughout the entire place. Although, better to have the aesthetics spoiled than not be able to see where they were going.
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