Silence

by Tyler Vance

  “I went back to the station and filed a report. My success interested my superiors, so much so that the Supreme Centaurai authorized a sting expedition inside of Legacy himself, to root the other gangs out of Interium.” Sheikoh shivered at the mention of the Supreme Centaurai.”

  “I worked with Legacy’s original leader, Shadow. We followed computer trails, using the Century equipment I had brought along with me. We became the unofficial spies on all of Interium’s communications.”

  “We eventually ferreted out every member of every gang. Some of us died in the process, of course. Shadow and I recruited replacement gang members from the relative safety we had behind the computer screens. The Centaurai had expressly forbidden it, but eventually Shadow and I stumbled on a phone call between him and his pet Celestial, Randel Sanatous, that made manipulating the Supreme Centaurai… quite easy. The Centaurai sent a team of assassins that killed Shadow, but with the help of my first four ganglords, I survived the assault. I promised Vest that if he ever set foot in the West Side I would kill the man myself and then tell everyone his secrets. He made up some excuse to put a wall around the entire West Side to quarantine the area. My very own kingdom.

  “Under the guise of Ghost, I became so much more than a mere captain of the Century. I spent my time on the NNN networks with my spy programs, feeling like a god. Legacy became the ruling force of the West Side. We set out protecting the common folk, funded by protection fees and drugs. You’re too young to have seen the old West Side, Silence, but ask anyone who isn’t. Legacy has done a lot of good. You’ve just seen the members of Legacy that have been trying to kill you, but the only reason for it was justice. It has been our duty to protect the West Side.”

  To his surprise, Sheikoh realized that as far as he could recall, what Ghost was saying was true. Sure many of the Legacy grunts threw their weight around, bullying and demanding privileges, but all of the friends that had been killed by them had been thieves and cons like him. He was so used to thinking of Legacy as bad guys that he’d never stopped to wonder how normal people regarded them. Sure, they were scared, but he’d seen a few people acting friendly with the gangsters. He’d always thought that they just acted that way so they wouldn’t get beat up, but maybe it was something else. Sheikoh couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen a gang-up beatdown the way Redline used to on a biweekly basis.

  Ghost met Sheikoh’s completive gaze through the jumble of numbers and letters that cluttered his monocle screen for a moment. Then Dream nodded decisively.

  “I want this city in our hands by midnight,” the Celestial said. “Me and Ghost will meet with Silence and Indigo, respectively, to discuss individual assignments.”

  Sheikoh nodded along with the others. As he did so, he noticed that Dream’s eyes flickered in time with the blue fires mounted on the walls. The Celestial stared at each of them in turn. Lastly, his eyes touched upon Sheikoh’s and they stayed for a few suspended seconds. The Celestial’s midnight eyes held his filled with both promise and the barest hint of threat.

  He looked closer into Dream’s ocean-blue eyes. They seemed to be two tunnels, spanning the depths of both wisdom and madness and reaching for some inhuman shore of the unimagining, unassuming, undeniably dead. He shivered as destiny and fear rippled through that moment, making it theirs.

  “Tonight,” Dream pronounced dramatically. “Interium is ours.”

  Chapter 10

  Offhand

  They had a short conversation on tactics and strategies. Then Indigo and Ghost pushed back their chairs to leave. The door clicked shut behind them, overly loud in the dancing, blue room, and Sheikoh and Dream were left alone. He sat across from the imposing Celestial, and nerves prickled across his skin. The shadows of Dream’s spiky ponytail swam across the Celestial's grizzled face ominously.

  “Relax, Silence. Or may I call you Sheikoh? Just between the two of us?” Dream asked him.

  If Dream’d really wanted Sheikoh to relax, his question hadn’t furthered the cause. Controversially, he’d managed to make Sheikoh’s body tense up. He didn’t like his clients to know his name. He didn’t like that Ghost knew it, especially after everything he’d just heard.

  A line crinkled between Dream’s eyebrows. Sheikoh made his face go blank.

  “I’d prefer Silence,” he said, trying for offhand.

  Dream’s face smoothed itself out.

  “Of course, Silence,” Dream murmured softly. “So, to business…”

  Sheikoh narrowed his eyes.

  “You think you’re playing some kind of game here, Dream?” he asked sharply.

  Dream’s face filled with surprise.

  “Whatever you’re going for, it looks like you’re leading Ghost on, mate, and trust me. That’s one dude that it probably is not one to double-cross,” Sheikoh cautioned the Celestial, searching his eyes for clues.

  Dream’s face fizzed with shock. Then he let out a gasp of laughter. Sheikoh watched nonplussed, while the Celestial snorted into his hand. He really wished he was as funny as this dude thought.

  After a few long seconds, the laughter subsided.

  “Silence,” Dream giggled, wearing a heady smile.

  Sheikoh met his glance without expression. The Celestial took a deep breath.

  “If I wanted to be the Supreme Centaurai of any of the eight regions, I could simply buy the position,” Dream smiled, wiggling his gem encrusted fingers for proof. “Ghost is doing me a favor, and, in return, I am doing one for him.”

  Dream cleared his throat.

  “Firstly, I wanted to apologize for forcing you and Indigo inside earlier. Suffice to say, I sympathize with the pain at having your will wrenched from you. There aren’t words to describe it, but it was the easiest way to demonstrate the truth,” Dream murmured. Sheikoh met the Celestial’s sincere eyes.

  “Yeah, I get that. In fact, hire me to break a dude’s nose and I’ll leave you here with proof I have no problem handling,” Sheikoh shot back with a smile of mock innocence.

  “Oh, I believe you,” Dream confessed. His tone sounded patronizing.

  “Here, how about we just get on with whatever it is you want from me,” Sheikoh told the Celestial impatiently.

  “Have you ever heard of something called the Mark of Imperial Restraint?” Dream asked him.

  “I don’t know, but I could probably get my hands on one,” Sheikoh hinted.

  Dream laughed lightly.

  “If I never see another one of those in my life then I will die happily,” Dream murmured, the words at odds with his pleasant smile.

  “The Mark of Imperial Restraint is the Intrasentient Empire’s means of enslaving the Celestial,” Dream went on to explain. “It burrows into the chest, ripping its way through our skin until its feelers snake into the essence of our very soul. It forces imperial loyalty into the Celestial, and makes lying or any resistance to the orders of the Intrasentient Emperor or any of the eight Centaurai impossible.

  “They limit our birthright. A marked Celestial is forced to spell in the interminable language of the third dimension, and risk destroying oneself over a mispronounced syllable. It stops peaceful resolutions to conflicts, limiting us from overriding ill wills.”

  “The only reason that the emperor doesn’t mark everyone in Octasia is because any non-Celestial that a mark is put on dies instantly. Even an immature Celestial, one too young to access the energies of the Celestial Plane can’t handle the corrosive presence of it,” Dream told Sheikoh.

  Sheikoh nodded mechanically, wondering where this was heading.

  “The Celestial are born different. At first, the only quality that sets us apart from the other children is our eyes. In times of extreme emotion they would…” Dream’s eyes suddenly overflowed with a burning blue light that engulfed even the whites of his eyes. Sheikoh flinched back at the sudden display. The instant of power died down to the natural deep blue of the Celestial’s eyes that were sparkling with amusement.

  “Somet
ime within our adolescence, we start catching glimpses of the Celestial Plane. The swirling dancing lights of magic are the most beautiful thing you could ever imagine,” Dream went on slowly, deep in his memories.

  “And that’s when the empire marks us,” Dream spat in a voice of sudden vehemence. “They enslave us to that mark. Only our beloved Intrasentient Emperor may release one of the slaves with appointments to the Celestial Council. By then the old Celestial are so used to serving the Emperor that they’re like Purmynxs, fighting for the scraps that fall off the man’s table. They mark the next generation and stifle and gag them, all in the name of their own greed for power.”

  Sounds like Dream was rather sensitive about those marks of his. Sheikoh made a mental note of it before he spoke.

  “Like that one time, remember? You controlled me and Indigo? Good times, huh? That make you one of those Council Celestial?” Sheikoh retorted, winnowing a glitter of guilt and something else from the man’s blue eyes. “So why didn’t you change things from the top?”

  The question earned a long pause from the Celestial.

  “Things within the Celestial Enclave are rarely as they seem,” Dream said in a slow and deliberate voice. Sheikoh waited for more, but Dream wasn’t forthcoming.

  “Is there any way I can keep myself safe from mind control magic?" Sheikoh asked. His voice was carefully neutral.

  The Celestial's eyes glittered

  "That comes in tandem with your job," Dream told him.

  "So all I have to do is steal this codex?" Sheikoh asked uncertainly.

  The Celestial cleared his throat uncomfortably.

  "Ah... No, actually. That is a just a part," Dream said slowly.

  Okay...

  "Though I wouldn't classify it as such, in regards to installing Ghost as Arch Centaurai, obtaining the codex is a secondary objective."

  “The reason I asked for you specifically is because you're our best chance of eliminating Randel Sanatous, the Arch Centaurai’s pet Celestial."

  "Prince of hell!" Sheikoh exclaimed bitterly. "Why is that lately everyone wants to kill someone?”

  Dream watched him appraisingly.

  “40 million glow..?” Dream reminded him gently.

  Sheikoh bit his lip and considered.

  "Sanatous is stationed here. And, with your unique... augmentation, you're the best candidate to- what did you say earlier? Hit him?” Dream said matter-of-factly.

  Sheikoh's eyes widened at 'augmentation.'

  "How did you find out about that?" He demanded.

  "I have my sources," Dream answered with a mysterious smile. Sheikoh narrowed his eyes fiercely.

  “How am I supposed to kill your Celestial if he can control my mind?” Sheikoh shot at him.

  “He’s marked, so he can’t” Dream retorted. “Still, I’m not going to send you up against him alone. I want to offer you something to make up for controlling you, no strings attached. It’s one of a kind in the entire world, and you’ll most likely find it useful on your mission.”

  Dream gestured at the floor just beside the door. Sheikoh followed the Celestial’s motion to the silversteel box that reflected the dreamy blue light like a pool. He shot a suspicious glance at the man; he knew how easy it was to booby trap something like that. Then he shook himself. If the Celestial wanted to kill him, the dude would turn him inside out with a snap of his fingers or something.

  He walked over to the box and flipped its lid open. Inside was a small, bottle-cap-sized medallion strung through a chain of beaten silver. The metal at the end seemed silver as well, though with dark indents of age outlining the strange inscription. The archaic text wound around in a crude, angular pentacle. He picked up the tiny thing, and then turned to look at Dream, wearing an incredulous expression.

  The Celestial’s sharp, blue gaze held the amulet with both a reverence and a hunger. Sheikoh glanced back down at the amulet. It reminded him of the sapphire against the Celestial’s bare chest.

  “In all of the world, that right there is a thoroughly unique amulet,” Dream confessed, eyes gleaming with unsettling reverence.

  “It was the only reason I was able to escape the watchful eyes of the council members. To put it on is to render one untouchable and invisible to the Celestial plane. No Celestial energy can ever touch the wearer of the Transcendental Amulet. You’ll need it to survive Randel Sanatous. Even though he’s marked, Sanatous is intelligent as well as overly fond of dangerous experiments.”

  Sheikoh stared at the amulet uncertainly. What if it turned him into Dream’s mind slave or something? For all he knew, it could steal his soul.

  A second later, he reminded himself that Dream didn’t need an amulet to make him a mind slave; the Celestial had had no problem controlling him. If the amulet was anything other than what Dream said, the Celestial could have just forced the thing on him.

  Still, he looked at the pendant strangely for a few moments. Then with the slightest trepidation, he threw it over his neck. His mind cast throughout his body for some new sensation, without success. He looked back up at the Celestial suspiciously.

  Dream rolled his eyes and raised a hand. The Celestial’s eyes flared with a sharp, blue glow, and his hand crackled with sudden power.

  Tendrils of aqua-tinted explosion raced towards Sheikoh. His feet were rooted to the floor in a second of shock. His wide eyes took the massive blue-white fire, opening its maw to consume the boy. The moment froze, as if the Celestial had also cast a spell to slow time. He threw himself to the side as hard as he could, but he could tell it wasn’t fast enough. He wasn’t going to make it.

  The explosive wave passed straight through his waist like a gentle breeze. A quarter second later, his desperate leap slammed him into the bookcase on the left wall and furious a scream of wind ripped the front wall of the blue-lit house outwards.

  A wave of splinters rolled over the dirty street Sheikoh had come from. Books fell around him like raindrops. As he pushed himself to his feet, the Celestial’s eyes fired with blue again. Sheikoh tensed, but his worries were groundless. He watched wide-eyed as the pieces of the demolished wall flew together and patched itself up in a seamless, warping movement. His head throbbed.

  “I told you what the amulet did,” Dream stated lightly, pointing his finger at pieces of the wall to perform a few minute, finishing touches.

  Sheikoh looked down at the legs that he knew hid his prosthetics. There wasn’t a single burn mark on the synthetic skin showing through his torn, black pants. He reached up to finger the amulet in awe.

  “Why don’t you wear the amulet then?” Sheikoh demanded in a shock-scarred voice.

  Dream laughed a short laugh. The sound echoed off the newly repaired walls of the blue, hazy room. Sheikoh noticed that the blue flamed candles had flickered on time with the Celestial’s laughter. Suddenly the blue atmosphere felt more icy than dreamy.

  “When I wear that amulet, I can’t cast spells,” Dream explained with a quick smile.

  Sheikoh nodded. It made sense. He turned and his fingers found the octagon shape of the Deputy Century badge in his pocket. He resolved to throw it away the first chance he got

  “So if I take out this Sanatous guy then that’s it? You’ll make me rich and powerful, with a mansion on the East Side and everything?” Sheikoh asked.

  With this amulet it seemed almost too good to be true.

  “I promise, but…” the Celestial told him gravely, and Sheikoh’s eyebrows shot up at the ‘but’.

  Of course. There was always a 'but'.

  ”…I would be most curious to know whether you’d be interested in working with me further afterwards?” Dream finished, eyeing him searchingly.

  Sheikoh’s face broke into a surprised smile. He couldn’t see what need he’d have for any more work after having attained his and Dorothi’s own mansion, but at the moment he felt rather close to the Celestial who was offering him a way out of the desperate hand to mouth life he’d lived for what had felt like
forever.

  “It’s a deal, Old Man” promised Sheikoh. Dream proffered a hand and Sheikoh shook it. ‘Whew, firm grip! What a man!’ Sheikoh laughed to himself happily. Dream met his gaze with a satisfied nod of his head as the two broke apart. Sheikoh turned to leave, but the Celestial had one more offer.

  “But don’t forget the Transcendent Codex. It’s a black, leather-bound book with the amulet’s indentation in its center,” Dream reminded him. “Bring it to me and I’ll add another zero to your reward.”

  Sheikoh squinted against the glare of the late afternoon sunrise. It was peculiar to leave Dream’s dramatic, little charade to a world of daylight. Those flickering blue torches, the rune-burned table, the ambient shroud of magic and mystery… To him, it was the kind of atmosphere that belonged exclusively to the night. Celestial weren’t supposed to move within the rhythms of ordinary.

  They certainly weren’t supposed to spend their afternoons with criminals.

  Sheikoh stalked along the right sidewalk, beside the clamor of merchants heaving their wagons through the city. His fingers crept up to the amulet Dream had given him yet again. Questions weaved themselves into his thoughts.

  Was he following the right course, or screwing things up?

  What if the Centaurai found Dorothi?

  Sheikoh’s chest clenched at the thought, and his breath felt like frost. His mind stuttered over the implications. Running through the consequences, over and over and over and over, until the words had stopped feeling real. He searched for a simple answer, but there didn’t seem to be one.

  Just behind him, a group boasting blue-silver bandanas of Legacy swaggered through the area reserved for wagons and Swifthooves. Sheikoh’s face broke into a tight grin. He glanced over their matching leather, pinpricked with studs and weapon handles. According to Ghost, these guys were just the west side’s Century division. Sheikoh shook his head dismissively.

  Then he noticed something.

  Wherever Redline had gone, people seemed to melt away. Shutters closed, curtains were drawn, and streets emptied. Their joking and laughing had always been accompanied by echo. Everyone else kept quiet, in perpetual fear of drawing Redline’s attentions.