by John Goode
“It goes badly,” he said neutrally. “It will go even worse for you, though.”
Demain arched one eyebrow in response.
“Surely you know that the Dark won’t stop with our world; it is only the first step. How long do you think it will be before they come knocking on your door? No offense, Your Highness, but if you think a group of people complaining about a croquet game is bad, try explaining a war to them.”
Neither one of them said anything for what felt like forever, and I really thought she was going to scream “off with their heads” or something at any second.
Instead she started laughing.
“My gods, you argue like your mother,” she said at last and rose to her feet. “She had that same fairy arrogance that makes your people think everything in the Nine Realms must be your way.”
“My mother claimed the right of ascension,” Hawk fired back. “Everything in the Nine Realms is our way by the right of rule.”
“Your mother stole the ascension,” Demain said, coming around her desk. “She took the advice of a dark and twisted individual who told her how to do it.”
Now I was holding Hawk back in our minds as his hands balled up into fists. “How would you know that?”
The queen leaned in until she was right in Hawk’s face. “Because it was my sister who told her how to do it.”
IF THERE had been any question if Molly knew the interior of the workshop, it was answered by the way she navigated the hallways without a moment of hesitation.
They passed whole rooms that were filled with dusty clockwork beings in cases eternally waiting for customers who would never arrive. As they moved deeper into the complex, the constructions grew larger and more intricately built, until they arrived in a room that had war machines. Caerus counted seven massive automatons built in the shape of various animals, two vehicles, and in one case, a human warrior. Each creation was at least eight feet tall and looked as formidable as any army Ferra had imagined.
“What are these?” Caerus asked, floating up to examine the closest machine.
“Siege engines,” Molly explained as she walked over to the far wall. “It wasn’t widely advertised, but in the day, sales of these units kept Tinker and Jones afloat at first. No one wanted to pay the price an actual clockwork being cost, so they began making these.”
“Do they still work?” Ferra asked.
Molly placed her hand flat against the wall. “Doubtful. These were just for display in the first place. Even if they are still functioning, they wouldn’t be fully operational.”
Caerus paused. “Then why are we here?”
The wall slid open, revealing a set of dials and knobs with labels above each set. “Because if the workshop can be brought back online, the templates for them are still in the system.” She began to turn a small hand crank in the corner, and lights slowly began to glow all over the wall.
“You mean we can make them?” Ferra asked, looking up at the huge mechanical cat looking down at her from inside its case. “Don’t we need workers for that?”
Molly answered as she kept turning. “No, the workshop was fully automated. Most of the time, Tinker and Jones were the only humans on the premises.”
“What are these capable of?” the sapphire asked, floating away from a large wagon-looking device with treads for wheels.
Once the lights were fully lit, Molly walked over and began adjusting the controls. “Each one has multiple templates. The customer was able to customize each one for either assault, defense, crowd control, or general combat. They are very good at what they do.”
“And that is?” Ferra asked.
The companion didn’t even pause as she answered with one word.
“Killing.”
Neither Ferra or Caerus said anything after that.
“The system itself is working, but I can’t tell if the workshop is from here.” She turned away from the wall. “We are going to have to keep going.”
“To?” Ferra asked.
“Deeper into the workshop,” Molly explained. “I need to see the fabrication engines.”
“Where are they?” Caerus asked.
Which was the exact moment the war machines came to life and shattered their cases as they fixed their sensors on and rolled and thudded toward the group.
THE ELVES ran as fast as they could.
If anyone had been close enough to witness their exodus from the elven lands, they would not have heard the rusting of grass or snapping of twigs as they fled. It was a silent retreat that was as impressive as the pursuit after them. Though neither party made a sound, each one knew exactly where the other one was.
And Ater and Kor both knew the guards were gaining on them.
“We have to stand and fight,” Ater said, realizing that stealth was of no use against his own kind.
“They are simply servants of Koran doing their duty. I will not raise arms against them” was all Kor said in response.
“For the love of…,” the dark elf cursed. “I am not saying turn and kill them. I am saying we cannot outrun them.”
“On foot? No,” Kor said, turning left out of the heavy woods into a clearing. “But we have other ways of traveling.”
Ater came to a stop, summoning his blades, thinking this was where they were going to make their stand.
Kor slipped his bow off his shoulder, and an arrow appeared. “Hold on to me,” he said as he began to chant.
Ater looked at him and then back to the guards that were closing on them. “What? Why?”
Kor stopped his spell and reached over, pulling Ater toward him. The move caught the dark elf off guard, and for a moment he found his face buried against the other elf’s chest. Even though he could hear the guards call out for them to stop, even though he knew Nystel would kill him on sight next time they met… even with all this, only one thought filtered through Ater’s mind.
How much Kor smelled like his brother.
He began to pull away from the sensation as Kor let the arrow fly across the clearing, seemingly to nowhere. It left the bow moving over three hundred feet per second, and by the time Ater could react, it had traveled over five hundred yards away from them. There was a flash of light, and the two men vanished.
And appeared next to the arrow.
Without missing a beat, Kor reached down, grabbed the arrow, and fired it again, not giving Ater a moment to move. Again the arrow took off across the horizon….
And they vanished again.
Within a minute, they were miles away from the clearing and had left no trace of their direction. Kor stumbled a bit; the magical energies of casting the same spell so quickly took their toll. Ater, on the other hand, pushed away from the elf and began to vomit violently. It was as if there was a pump deep inside of his stomach that had been reversed and was throwing every particle of food he had consumed in his entire life all over the field.
Kor chuckled as he sat down and pulled his flask off his belt. “Sorry about that—multiple ports can be traumatizing.”
Between heaves, Ater spat, “You could have warned me.”
The elf thought about the question for a few seconds before answering. “Yeah, I guess I could have.” Which was followed by a deep boisterous laugh that sounded strange to Ater’s ears. He realized it was the first time he’d heard an elf really laugh, not giggle or even chuckle, but actually just let loose with uncontrolled laughter caused by an emotion.
He wondered why that was.
“Where are we?” Ater asked once his stomach stopped trying to come out through his mouth.
“No idea,” Kor answered, offering the flask to Ater.
The dark elf took it and rinsed his mouth. “You don’t know where we are?”
Kor shook his head. “No, after the first shot, I began firing at different angles to throw them off.”
Ater stared at the elf like he was insane. “You don’t seem to care you don’t know where we are.”
“No, I don’t. I’m too
happy knowing they have no idea where we are either.” He took the flask back. “I am going to consider that a win.”
Ater shook his head and slowly got to his feet. “I have no idea what you consider a tactical retreat, but running blindly into the woods isn’t it.”
“Right, I forgot. You’re a trained killer who always has an exit strategy. I’m sorry if my way of saving our lives doesn’t live up to your exacting expectations.”
Ater glared at him. “We could have stayed and dealt with them. Nystel would have been forced to send another squad out to check on them, and we would have had even more time. Now those men are just going to turn around and head back to Evermore, and our head start dwindles.”
Kor stood up and got in the dark elf’s face. “I am not going to attack my own people.”
“You better start. I hate to be the one to tell you, but so far you’ve committed at least three acts of high treason against Koran.”
The color seemed to drain out of Kor’s face as the words hit home.
Ater pressed his point home. “I told you to kill me and get it done with, but if this is the way you want to handle it, you need to start listening to me.” He looked around and saw no familiar landmarks at all. “We need to keep moving, but more importantly, we need something to move toward.” He looked at Kor. “What’s the plan?”
Kor sat back down on the ground, dazed. “I have no idea.”
Ater forced back a sigh. “Well, get an idea, because if you want to get to Puck, it’s going to take more than just the two of us.”
“We’re going to need an army,” Kor said.
Ater rolled his eyes. “I am pretty sure this is where the story started.”
“YOU LIE!” Hawk raged at her.
She laughed at his accusation. “Right, because far be it from you to actually consider the possibility that perfect little Titania had sinned. It is much easier to just assume the evil queen is insane and doesn’t know what she is talking about.”
I could feel Hawk’s impulse to lash out at anything thundering in his head. “You attacked us.”
“And why do you think that was?” Demain asked him. “Let me guess, jealousy at how much power she was going to have and how I needed to claim it for my own?” She paused, and though Hawk didn’t say anything, I could tell it was exactly what he thought. “I attacked because I knew what she was trying to do, and I knew what her actions would cost the Nine Realms.”
“Cost?” Hawk asked scornfully.
Before she could answer, the door flew open and the chicken came running in like….
Okay, well, insert another term besides “a chicken with her head cut off” here, because I got nothing.
“Fluctuation!” she screamed, racing toward the queen.
Demain’s whole face changed from determined anger to outright fear as she looked out the open door. I looked behind me and felt my own fear triple in an instant. The room behind us was engulfed in what looked like a haze of power coming toward us. That wasn’t as unsettling as what I could see behind it. The room was different. Completely different. Where before it was a stately mansion with stained wood walls and marble tile, where the wave had passed over, it was now made of carved crystal. Everything—the walls, floor, furniture—it was like a whole other place was being rewritten over it.
And it was heading toward us.
Ruber flew out of my pocket and called out, “Shield.”
Hawk saw the approaching wave and shouted, “Will that protect us?”
Before Ruber could answer, I said, “It has to.”
The wave hit the room and everything went white. I could feel the energy permeate every cell in my body, taking me apart particle by particle, one atom at a time. I could feel it start to move things around, and I panicked.
There was a burst of energy and then nothing.
As the world came back into focus, I was only partially surprised to see the room was nothing like I remembered it. Half of it was made of crystal, like the room behind us. The seats that had been embroidered cushions were now one huge carved structure that looked like it belonged in Ruber’s world. But from where we stood forward, the room was the same as before. Beneath me, I could see where the wood literally turned to crystal around us.
“What am I?” a voice called out. “What did I… wings again?” I looked over, and standing next to the queen was a rather large goose wearing a light blue apron. It took a second to realize it used to be the chicken. “What? Am I cursed to be a bird my whole life?”
Demain looked shocked, but she was handling it better than her aide was. “It’s all right, Ocell. I’m sure you’ll flip better next time.” She gave the new-made goose a hug, but her eyes were staring right at me. “Are you all right?”
I looked over at Hawk, who nodded back at me.
“What was that?” Hawk asked her as we got to our feet and looked around.
“That is my world dying,” she said, standing up slowly. “That is what your mother did to mine and the other realms. Still think I am jealous of her power?”
Wisely, Hawk didn’t say a word.
Chapter 6
“The flow of magic must move uninterrupted from the lowest
realms to the highest. If something or someone
were to disrupt that flow, the
consequences could be apocalyptic.”
Woogigan Loran Brilliantra
Archmage of Aponiviso
THERE WAS a click from behind one of the walls, and a voice began to speak as the war machines came to life.
“Hello, and welcome to Tinker and Jones, the Nine Realms’ foremost inventors. You have shown an interest in our war machines. Allow us to show you their capabilities.”
Ferra looked over as the massive mechanical lion snapped its jaws and glared at her. “What is going on?” she asked, forming an ice spear.
“Allow us to present to you the all-new Felineomatic 6000, with increased hydraulic technology. It is the last word in pursuit tactics.”
“I don’t understand,” Molly said as the exit door slid shut. “It’s not supposed to do this.”
The lion let out a deafening roar that sounded like it was a recorded sound amplified several thousand times. Ferra winced and moved into position to defend herself. “Also new this season is the Goliathtron Model N. Armed with mythrel-bonded armor, it is designed not only for giant defense but magical counterattacks as well.” The giant knight made a series of whirring sounds as sheets of gleaming metal slid over its limbs and chest.
“Order now, and we will throw in a complimentary Stabtech blade maker. Stabtech, when you just need something sharp.” From the knight’s palm, a stream of metal came pouring out. As it fell to the ground, it solidified and formed into a perfect great sword.
“My ice must have melted,” Caerus called out as she noticed the knight tracking her movements. “Is the workshop waterproof?”
Molly yelled over the salesroom voice, “The shop is, not the mechanisms inside.”
“And lastly, for all your invading needs, we present to you the Tank and Spank Siegealator. Made from five tons of unstoppable dwarven steel, the T&S offers the realm’s most devastating siege weapon known to man. Capable of reaching speeds of over sixty miles an hour, the Tank and Spank is your only choice when invading a castle.”
“I think we’re in trouble,” Molly said, backing away from the tank.
“Now with Hellfire missiles,” the voice added energetically, and two launchers folded out from the roof.
“How do we shut them off?” Ferra asked as the lion began to pace around her.
Molly slowly backed away from the tank, the missiles moving with her. “I’m not sure. The system is malfunctioning, so I have no idea if it will accept a shutdown.”
Caerus maneuvered away from the knight as the machine began to move its sword back and forth, readying itself for combat. “Well, figure it out! We’ll hold them off.”
Ferra glanced up at her. “We will?”
It was impossible to tell if the sapphire looked back, but she asked the barbarian, “Do you have any knowledge on how to shut down these beasts?” Ferra shook her head. “Then we fight,” Caerus said.
That was logic enough for Ferra. “For Logos,” she called out as she threw her spear at the lion’s head.
“YOU HONESTLY didn’t have a plan?” Ater asked Kor.
The elf got up and started to pace. “What time did I have? All I knew was if I killed you, Pullus’s murderer would still be out there unpunished. Casting the spell seemed to be the right decision.”
Ater made no attempt to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. “Right, now we have half of the elven army after us, and the high priestess of Koran in the lead ready to execute us.” He sighed and shook his head. “Surviving would be next to impossible with a plan.” He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, thinking. First thing, they needed to find out where they were, and fast. He wasn’t going to think about “second thing” until he knew the first.
However, the light elf had been doing his own thinking.
“We just need to find somewhere to regroup,” Kor blurted suddenly. “A place they can’t find us.”
Ater’s sarcasm bumped up a notch when he asked, “Oh, and you know such a place?”
“No. You do,” Kor said, staring intently at the dark elf.
Ater opened his mouth to ask him what he meant when he got it.
“No. Not a chance in detritus,” he said, referring to the elven word for hell.
“It’s perfect,” Kor chided him. “The elves have no idea where it is, and Nystel has no power there. What could be wrong with it?”
“First, we don’t know whether Nystel has power there or not. Second, the fact they will kill you on sight,” Ater countered. “And they’ll kill me for bringing you there.”
“We’re dead if we stay here!” Kor argued.
