by T. C. Edge
I brush such thoughts away, not letting my mind drift to such fanciful imaginings.
Focusing, I follow behind as Kira and Perses lead, Perses knowing the way, Kira using the sight to check for threats. It's fascinating watching them work, all three of them, and Kira most of all. It makes perfect sense to me how she was such a proficient spy and assassin, her unique set of powers giving her a preternatural sense of what might be coming around any given corner.
Reaching the ground floor, I see a passage heading to the left. We move down it, further doors giving access into public baths and saunas, other smaller rooms set aside for private treatments. One such space looks cavernous and grand, great pools and pillars inside, mosaics on the walls. I get only a glimpse of it, as we briefly stop to look in, though don't step inside or alter our course.
"A good depiction," Ares says. "Very similar to the baths in Neorome."
"And aren't your baths in Neorome just depictions too?" Perses asks. "Is Neorome not a modern reconstruction of how the city existed, thousands of years ago?"
"True, but built on the same foundations, on the same site. We have reconstructed our great heritage, honouring our long lost ancestors. I think there is some distinction."
Perses nods, taking the point. Olympus has no true heritage to call upon, the city nothing but a collection of old cultures, a blend of history and myth without an identity of its own. I haven't really thought of it like that before. I was so blinded by the wonders, the grandeur when I first came here, I didn't stop to consider how discordant it can appear, each part of the city clashing with the next, the place little more than a theme park, garish and false.
As we reach the surface, and creep out into the night, I let that thought settle in me. I turn my eyes up to the streets, different from any I've seen here before. A contrived representation of classical culture, but without the depth of detail developed over hundreds, thousands of years. For the first time, I look past the sheen, the shiny exterior, and see the falsity of it all beneath the surface.
Lies, I think. A city of lies and exaggerations, making the people, the rulers, out to be more than they really are.
I look at Perses, thought here to be a god. Then my eyes turn to Ares, named after a god of war, yet just a famed warrior where he hails from; a living legend, yes, but mortal, not divine. The two men are so similar, yet how they're thought of is so different.
And the difference is quite clear - this city is built on deceit. Neorome is not.
The air is thick with rain as we step into the open streets, the storm not yet relenting, unleashing its deluge with great alacrity. The thunder bellows, calling loudly, peppered among the constant thudding at the walls, where the bombardment continues about a mile away.
"We keep to the shadows," Perses warns with a whisper. "I will lead. Kira, use the sight to check ahead."
It's as we were, then, as we continue onwards, the world no longer silent to my ears, but rushing and wild, a cacophonous din. It will limit the others' ability to perceive noise, I know, and the rain will further limit their sight. Yet the same will be true of the enemy. A smile takes my face. They will not see us coming...
Each step grows more tense now, the streets looming high, balconies hanging overhead. The wall isn't far, a hundred metres to our right as we go. Kira checks the buildings, regularly assessing. There is no one, she tells us. At least, not here. It seems that all citizens have been evacuated away from the walls, drawn back to protect them from the bombing. It gives me some hope that the civilians are being protected, that they'll have been gathered somewhere safe, kept back from the fighting.
Casualties, then, could be kept to a minimum. When we open the gate, and the coalition forces flood in, we can feel confident mostly soldiers will fall.
I put such forward thinking away, tucking it to the recesses of my mind, as we creep silently along. Ares sticks to the rear, Perses at the front, the former not wearing his typical Imperial Guard armour, dazzling and resplendent as it is, but draped in black like the rest of us, better suited to the shadows and night.
To that end, I see that the Red Warrior armour I've seen Kira wear has now been modified to better adapt to the conditions. It can now be adjusted, turning black where required, and brightening to a brilliant red when she's fighting in the open. It is much, I suppose, like mine, glowing bright when I unleash the flame, but otherwise working well to keep me hidden from sight.
We work through the streets, left and right, the rain falling harder than ever. Each step gets us closer to the gate, closer to the completion of our mission. My mind wanders, drifting to Lilly...
Soon as we've got the gates open, I'm going for her, straight for Lady Felina's apartment near the hill. I'll fly if I have to, and get them both out. I cannot join the fight until I know that she's safe...
"Stop."
The word cuts the air, a hiss from Perses's lips. My body turns rigid, my eyes turning up. Through the suffocating darkness, I see Kira and Perses ahead, dropping quickly to their knees. Behind, Ares does the same.
A tension grabs at the air, squeezing tight and violent. My lungs suddenly fill, but it doesn't feel enough. I haul another gulp in and try to blow out as quietly as I can. Ahead, the mouth of the dark alley opens into a small square, the buildings around us dark, no light glowing nearby.
The moment refuses to budge, lasting an age, the tension unrelenting. I blink through the dark at Perses, rain bouncing upon his mighty frame, his figure forged to a statue, much like the many upon the plains.
I want to whisper, to ask what's happening, but don't want to make a sound. There is nothing I can do but stay still, stay silent, stay crouched here in the rising puddles, feet planted between the smooth cobbles of the street.
The only movement I see is subtle; Kira's hand pressing gently to the stone. What is she seeing? I wonder. Has she detected a threat?
Suddenly, her head lifts, her body stiffening in the gloom.
Her words come as a tight whisper. "She's here..."
She's up, on her feet, flashing her eyes backwards down the alley. I see Perses and Ares launch themselves tall, a frantic energy filling the rainy air.
"Go," Kira spits, her eyes dashing forward. "Go, now!"
Perses rushes towards me, the rain fleeing in his wake, and grabs me around the waist. I feel myself hauled off the ground as they bolt away, rushing straight into the square at a pace I could never manage. The rain sprays into my face, my hair like billowing ribbons behind me. I can barely see what's happening as the world blurs, the buildings blending into the dark night as they move too quickly for my eyes to perceive.
The sensation doesn't last long, the nearest streets rushing up fast as we pace through the storm, gallop across the square. Suddenly, I feel Perses halt, his body stiffening as if wading through mud. My vision clears as I look ahead, blinking the rain from my eyes. The others, they're doing the same, bodies battling against some invisible force.
And then I feel it too. The strange cloud in my head. Perses stops, lowering me to the floor. I slip from his arms and turn about, shadows appearing from the streets around us. They close in like spectres, guns aloft, pointing our way. I try to raise the flame, to set my body ablaze, but...nothing happens.
I feel suddenly dulled, my powers muted. The fog flushes through me, through my mind, through my flesh. My fingers clench, fists closing. The warmth in my blood seems stolen away.
Perses steps to me, protective, as the Olympian soldiers gather around us. There are dozens of them, coming from all angles, closing in, surrounding us. Kira's face is ashen, her colour gone. Ares looks about with a grimace of rage, yet his powerful aura...it is gone.
"It's her," Kira says. "It can only be her..."
I twist my eyes about, as if hoping for a way out. Perses's hand drops to my shoulder. "Do nothing, Amber," he says. "They will shoot you if you try."
The storm clatters and rumbles, as if bellowing in triumph above us. The soldiers gather, holdin
g back ten metres, forming a circle through which none of us can break through. They stand, faces hidden in the gloom of the deluge, and slowly, at one side, begin to part before us.
From the shadows, a tall figure comes walking, his thin frame draped in colourful robes. To his side, I see Brie, her body cloaked in grey, eyes shining hazel. The Overseer's hand gently grips at the back of her neck, guiding her forwards, using her powers.
Above them, a canopy floats, held aloft by a telekinetic. It halts the rain, keeping them dry, the Overseer's other flank taken by a man I know to be Marcus. He, too, is wreathed in black, his face stony, expression cold. He looks upon Ares and Kira without feeling. He is a slave, like Brie, to the Overseer's will.
"Well, what a lovely surprise." The Overseer's voice is warm and full, clear above the falling rain. He looks at us and smiles, hand clinging all the while to the back of Brie's neck. "It's so nice to see you again, Perses, Amber." He looks to Ares and Kira. "Welcome, both of you, to our humble city."
I see them both shift, as though trying to step forward, but their bodies seem locked in place.
"No need for that," the Overseer says. He beams, shivering with joy. "What a gathering," purrs his voice. "It's like a hundred birthdays, all rolled in one."
I look at Brie, her eyes staring and low. Is there something left in her. Anything at all?
"Brie..." The voice is Kira's. "Brie, fight it. You're stronger than him. Fight it, Brie..."
The Overseer dips his head, and Marcus dashes forward and strikes her, his fist flashing across her face. Ares's mighty body seems to enlarge, dark eyes firing. For just a second, I see him burst loose again, reaching for Marcus, grabbing his throat. He lifts him high up into the air, the young Neoroman's face quickly reddening, squirming in his grip.
"Oh, stop," hums the Overseer. He turns his green-gold eyes on Ares, a light seeming to flash inside them. Immediately, Ares's arm drops, his powers subdued as Marcus wriggles free and steps back.
"Do not touch her again, Marcus," Ares growls, staring at the man he used to command. "I know this isn't you, but if you do, I'll...
"Idle threats, Ares," interrupts the Overseer, "and nothing more. Marcus has merely been shown the right path. Fear not, your minds will be in alignment soon."
He whips his colourful cloak, turning towards the north. In the distance, the bombardment continues, closer now, pummelling the walls near the southern gate. I feel a desperation fill me, and try to overcome the strange controls in my head.
A tiny flicker of fire sparks on my palm, no more. It's all that I can muster.
"Bind them," the Overseer says, as the soldiers rush forwards to shackle our wrists. He turns to look right at me. "Let's get you all tucked in, right where you belong."
198
KIRA
My body is thrust into a carriage, wrists bound behind my back. A series of soldiers step aboard after me, surrounding me, enclosing me. I turn my eyes out onto the street, blinking through the gloom. I can faintly see the others being bundled aboard carriages of their own, all of us separated. I can see Ares struggling, but there seems nothing he can do. Our powers - all of our powers - have somehow been dulled.
The carriage begins to rattle, a call shouting amid the storm for us to go. I lean forwards again, try to look out. I see Brie there, in the shadow of the Overseer, stepping upon an opulent carriage of luxuriously grand proportions.
"Brie!" I try to call out. "Brie!"
My mouth is shut quickly, my body dragged back. The soldiers to my flanks close in, their dripping black armour pressing me into a vice. I can't shift, can't move. I look into the cold faces of the soldiers before me, looking so like those I fought in the camp.
A hateful thought growls in my mind as I think of the dead body of Commander Hendricks. I craft my green eyes to steel and stare at them. "I'm going to kill you all," I say.
None of them react.
The carriage begins rattling through the darkness and the rain, passing cobbled streets, rising up the slope. I can make out lights in some of the buildings, and instinctively place my hand to the bench, squeezing it beneath my leg. I try to activate the sight, but nothing happens. I am blind and deaf, my senses locked away. And soon my mind will follow.
My heart thrashes at the thought. I take a breath and try to stay calm. Only in such a state might I figure a way out. Panicking right now will get me nowhere.
I shut my eyes, a thought coming. Zander, I bellow into my mind, knowing Brie is so near. Zander, are you there?
I get no answer this time, but what would he even say if I did? He'd been so reluctant to tell me of the tunnel, knowing the risks, the danger it posed. He was right all along - we should never have come. And now...now the Overseer has us all.
I feel my hair grabbed, my head jerked back. "Eyes open," growls the guard beside me.
My scalp stings from the sudden pull, my right cheek the same from Marcus's blow. The pain disrupts my thoughts, my mind wandering off once more as the carriage paces upwards, rushing through the pouring rain.
I sit, tight between the soldiers, shackled as the city centre looms. The streets grow wider, smoother, the buildings left and right standing tall. I can see little from my vantage, but I get the impression of colossal scale. I stare out from the side of my vision, watching the streets as they suddenly come to an end, and we enter into a sprawling square, spreading to the left and right.
The carriages move across it, then slow and stop in a line. The soldiers immediately hustle out, dragging me back into the pouring rain. I see the others being hauled out too, Perses in the lead, and already being taken to the foot of a mighty staircase, disappearing into the mists above.
Behind him, Ares follows, no longer struggling, his head hanging low. It looks like he's been knocked unconscious, his legs dragging as the soldiers haul his massive frame up the steps. My face flushes red with anger to see him in such a state.
Give him back his powers, I think, and see what he can do...
I'm pulled onwards, two soldiers at my flanks, guiding me to the steps. Behind me, I hear a voice, calling over the storm.
"Why, Alfred, why are you doing this! You were always so nice to me, so genuine and real.What is all this..."
"Oh, my dear Amber, this is the only way. I remain the kindly man I was, you'll see."
I glance back, and see Amber thrashing against her guards. The Overseer walks near her, Brie still pacing by his side, eyes blank, chin low, staring at nothing.
"The Prime have a hold on you!" Amber calls, her voice cracking and desperate, torn apart by fear. "They have a hold on all of you! You...you don't have to serve them, you don't..."
A strike of lightning flashes in the heavens, thunder trailing swiftly. The noise overcomes Amber's voice, concealing it to my ears as my body is tugged along, head forced forward.
"Oh, child, I never truly served," I hear the Overseer hum, his voice devilish, dark thunder of its own. "There really is so little you understand..."
We reach the steps, guarded by two gigantic Brutes. They stand titanic, great spears in their hands, pointed skyward as they let us pass. I'm hauled violently along, feet leaving the ground as I'm lifted to the first step. I struggle and hiss, "I can walk for myself!", doing just enough to dislodge the arm of the guard to my left. He looks at me, eyes dull, and merely retakes his grip, pulling me along.
I slowly my breathing, calm my ire. Ragged emotions breed ragged thoughts. It isn't fertile ground to seek a solution, find a way to escape.
Escape. The voice in my mind is rebuking, almost mocking. There is no escape, Kira...
The city grows distant below, the top of the stairs beginning to clear through the mists and rain. I catch glimpses of buildings spread across the summit, shadows in the darkness, bordering a great plateau. The top comes into view, figures spreading away into the night.
I see Perses and Ares, marked by their size, taken off to a building ahead, slung low and solid. My guards follow on, drawing
me in the same direction. I twist my neck again as Amber reaches the top, still flinging words at the Overseer I cannot hear, her voice not quelled by violent reaction, but given space to breathe, an ear to listen.
"Oh, Amber," I hear the Overseer say, stepping over and placing a hand to her cheek. "I hate what you've had to go through. But it'll all be fine now, OK? Everything's going to be all right."
She seems to calm, the soldiers moving her on. I notice the Overseer turn to Brie, long finger reaching her chin, tiling her eyes up to his.
"You look weary, child," his voice comes faintly. "Return to your bed now, and seek rest. I will take over from here."
He looks to Marcus and nods. I see the young Neoroman take Brie by the hand and begin leading her across the plateau, away to the left. The soldiers continue to drag me on, but I refuse to turn my eyes from the Overseer. I stare at him, and his eyes find me. He raises a hand and the soldiers top.
The air seems to calm, the rains suddenly growing light. He glides towards me, so graceful for one so old, the canopy still held above his head, not a drop of rain wetting his robes.
"I have wished to meet you for a while, Lady Kira," he says, eyeing me up like a prize. "To think of it; I have both of Herald Nestor's killers here upon the hill." He beams at the thought. "I knew Brie would come, of course, but you are quite a bonus."
I look into his eyes, green like mine, tinted gold. "Who are you?" I ask him. "Who are you really?"
He raises a single eyebrow. "I am the Overseer," he says. "I am the one who oversees...everything."
His eyes glance to the guards, who begin drawing me away. The storm picks up again as the rains assault me, crashing onto my head and shoulders, laughing in my ears. And all the while, the Overseer just strolls along, protected from the deluge, whistling a handsome tune without a care in the world.
"I'll see you soon, my Lady," he says, as we reach a stone building, its walls thick and old. "Let me just see to Perses and Amber first. Their minds are pre-conditioned. It shouldn't take long." He looks me dead in the eye. "Then, I'll get to you."
