by T. C. Edge
He nods again, and the guards drag me away, into the isolation of a cold, dark cell.
199
BRIE
"Isn't it good news?" Minerva asks, as she leads me up the stairs, Marcus following behind. "Won't it be lovely to have Kira by your side again?"
I nod, a fog lifting in my mind. "Kira," I whisper, knowing her. "The redhead?"
"Yes, the redhead," whispers Minerva. "Marcus tells me she's here now. We can be sisters, all of us. Won't that be fun?"
My smile is weak, little energy in the expression. Faint memories of Kira come, but they're blurred and faded, lacking detail. "I...I knew her in New Haven?" I say. I look at Minerva. "She...she lives in Neorome now."
We reach the landing, the wood creaking beneath our feet. Wet footsteps mark our path, our bodies soaked from the deluge as we rushed across the plateau. "She used to, yes," Minerva says. "Just like Marcus did. They both live here now."
I turn to Marcus. His face comes to life as our eyes link. "Could there be a better place in the world to live, my love?" he says. He takes my hand, and takes a kiss. "Now you must sleep. The Overseer says you need to rest."
I look into his fond brown eyes. There's a ring of hazel around them, such an interesting colour...
"Come, Brie, let's get you tucked in." Minerva takes my arm, drawing me along to my room. We step through the door, hinges croaking, and into the quiet space. The raindrops patter on the window, soothing. I feel my cloak drawn from my shoulders, leaving me in my underwear. A chill runs through me, and I make for my bed, shivering. I slip into the mess of blankets, tucking them tight to my limbs.
"Sleep well, sister." The voice comes suddenly from the doorway. I turn to find both Minerva and Marcus there, smiling at me. "You won't be interrupted again tonight, don't worry."
They draw back, the door closing, and I settle comfortably into the bed. The darkness consumes me, the tap, tap, tapping on the windows a gentle comfort to the air. I let my mind evacuate all thoughts, leading them to the blind spaces I cannot access...
Kira.
Thoughts of Kira come, but do not last. They are too vague to think about right now, too indistinct to try to recover. I have a history with her, I know, but it doesn't seem relevant now.
What matters is the future, I tell myself, my voice taking on an Overseer-like rhythm. Nothing else is of importance now.
I shuffle comfortably, a smile on my face, and let the soft bedding sink into the gaps around me. It's late, I think, my night interrupted. I have a vague recollection of terrible dreams. Of a battle in my mind. Of a figure at the door. Of darkness, so much darkness, with only a thin shard of light to oppose it.
It's nothing, Brie, nothing. Just the harmless ramblings of your subconscious mind.
And yet, as I lie there, it seems to rise again. That feeling of conflict inside me, behind that closed door through which I cannot see. It has at times raged loud and violent, and at others grown quiet and still. Now, I sense slow breathing. I sense a beast on the floor, exhausted, dying.
And a man standing over it, triumphant.
Brie...
I blink, and take a breath, a frown dipping over my eyes. They move to the window, to the tapping of the rain. That didn't sound like tapping, but...my name. Are you calling me out, master of the storm? I grin, looking to the window. You want to soak me through once more?
I shake it off and relax, shuffling again, drawing a long breath. My mind begins to settle, rising thoughts stamped out like children crushing bugs. I let my head empty again, all my troubles fade away. There is bliss in ignorance. Memory can be such a burden...
Brie...
My eyes snap open once more, my heart performing a flip. I snatch my eyes left and right.
What was that? I think. A voice? A whisper in the room?
I sit up and look to the door, expecting to see it open, see Marcus or Minerva standing right there. It remains shut, blocking off the light beyond. My eyes turns left, then right again. I turn to inspect the corners, the shadows of furniture, the window right ahead.
Nothing. I'm alone.
I settle back down again, letting another slow breath escape me. My mind must be playing tricks on me. Yes, that's it.
I shuffle as I did before, seeking that same position of comfort. I slip into it easily enough, but it's not the same. It's not as good. I sigh my disappointment, and let my blood flow with relaxation. My body settles, my smile resumes. I begin to drift off once more.
Brie. Hear my voice.
My eyes snap open, my body snaps up.
"Who was that?" I say, my voice nervously filling the room. "Who's there?"
I tremble as I sit straight against the headboard, eyes going left again, snatching to the right. My chest heaves with a heavy breath. I blink against the darkness, a darkness that shouldn't trouble my eyes. But within the room, I must have missed something. My eyes that don't miss have let me down.
I'm here, Brie, comes the voice again. It startles me, clearer than before.
"Where?" I ask. "Who?"
Do you not remember? Are you really so far gone?
I battle to recall, the tone so familiar. Hazel eyes light bright in my mind, a strong, youthful figure thrusting from the shadows of my memory. The figure, I think, the figure battling within. The one fighting the monster that dwells in the depths...
"Zander," I whisper.
Yes, Brie, yes, that's it! You are not so lost as you think...
"Zander," I say again, louder now, speaking into the empty room. I blink hard and dig for more, and memories stride forward. Memories of my brother, my twin, guiding me, helping me. They come clear as day, surging from the darkness. How could I have forgotten? How long will it take me to forget once more?
I have little time, his voice comes, sweeping away my fears. That tone, that voice, so warm and dear. I feel tears brewing in my eyes, my hands raising into the space before me, as though reaching to hug what isn't there.
Zander, I whisper into my mind, shutting my eyes. I search for him, and find him stepping from the shroud, his form soft around the edges, but him. It's him. Zander, I repeat, the tears beginning to fall. Where have you been?
I've been here all along, Brie, he tells me. They have kept me locked away, but I will never give up, I'll never stop fighting, Brie. He takes another stride forward, and his face clears further. I have broken free, but it may not last long. You need to listen to me, Brie. Everything you've been told is a lie...
I stare at him, as further recollections come, bursting in my mind like sunlight on a brand new day. He knows it. He can see it.
Yes, he nods, staring at me. You're remembering. You're remembering it all...
A thousand memories flood, as a great wave crushing all before it. Of my life back in New Haven, my friends, my family. Of my journey to the north, of Nestor, of the war. Of my capture, my journey here, my meetings with the Prime. They all come, flashing through my mind, causing me to sit up further as I gasp, panting desperately, my heart thrashing like its about to explode.
Brie, calm down! Calm down, Brie! Listen to my voice and calm...
My brother's words reach out to me, pulling me back. I take several heavy breaths and try to relax, my eyes turning around the room, fearful of what lies beyond.
Just keep breathing, Brie. Nice and slow. Stay quiet now, you cannot let them hear...
I nod, my chin shaking up and down. What shall I do, Zander? Tell me what to do!
Just relax, OK. The Prime are weak, dying. I've been able to overcome their controls in you, but it may not last. As soon as the Overseer gets hold of you, he'll have you back under his spell. And Minerva, even Marcus, they're being used to do the same.
Marcus, I say, looking at the door. He's here, right now.
He's lost, like you've been. His mind isn't strong enough to battle back.
I have to help him. My mind suddenly flourishes with a brand new memory. Kira! Kira and the others! They're up here right now!<
br />
Yes, they're here, Zander says. But stay calm, Brie, don't lose control.
"I need to do something," I say out loud, as I shift from the bed, my feet hitting the wooden floor. I see my cloak hanging over a chair, water dripping to a small puddle on the boards. I move for a dresser, but Zander's voice stops me.
Stop moving, Brie! he says fiercely. Get back in bed, now. Be silent, and be still.
I stop in place, listening for movement in the house. A moment passes, and nothing. I slowly step to the bed, wincing at each slight creak, and gently sit back down. And just as I do, as I'm moving under the covers, the door opens suddenly, and a figure appears beyond.
"Brie? Is everything all right, sister?"
I look into Minerva's face, standing on the threshold. My Hawks eyes work through the dim light, see her blue eyes shining, so ethereal and bright. I nod, and smile back, my heart thrashing like a fish in a net. "I'm fine, Minerva. Just fine."
She continues to look at me a moment. And in that moment, I wonder - can I take her for myself?
I am more powerful than she is, I think. I could take her here and now...
No, calls Zander. No, not yet. There is something much more important you need to see to, Brie.
"Well," Minerva says, drawing my eyes. "If you're sure." She smiles. "Goodnight."
The door croaks shut. I hear her footsteps lightly tap away. As she does, Zander's voice comes.
They don't know I've broken free, but it won't take them long to find out, he says. You know what the Overseer wants from you, Brie? You remember that now?
I nod. I think I always remembered that, I say, thinking of the thousands at my feet, the legions I've awakened. My mind conjures a clear image now, of the Prime, ancient in their chairs, their final days upon them. I'm to take over. I'm to become the Prime...
Mention of them brings a stir. The joy that once accompanied their name is almost entirely gone now, beaten back by Zander, subdued if only for now. Yet still, something flutters, something deep. The monster behind the door is getting back to its feet.
Do not think of them, Brie, Zander warns. You cannot fall again. The world depends on it...
The world, I think to myself. But am I not to save the world? Am I not to awaken all those trapped souls, set them free? Is that not a good calling?
Brie, this is your one chance, calls Zander. Focus your thoughts. Hear my voice.
I blink, drawing back from the temptations, the lure of being a goddess, having the world bowing and kneeling at my feet...
The Overseer wants me to take over, I whisper into my mind. He wants me to become the Prime. With Marcus by my side...
Brie, don't give in to it! If you fall now I'll be gone forever. Think of your friends, of your family. Think of Adryan, outside the walls...
My mind clears, the growing mists blown away. An image of Adryan blooms, silver eyes, dark hair, a man with whom I've been through so much. My husband, whom I love. Adryan, I say. Adryan is...here?
He's here, Brie, Zander calls. He's here for you.
How...how do you know this?
I sensed it in Kira's mind, he calls out. The neural link between you and her is failing, but it hasn't fallen yet. That's how she got here. I told her of the tunnel, but everything has gone wrong. It's down to you, now, to save them....
The tunnel, I think, my mind turning back once more. The tunnel leading from the Temple of the Prime. I went out there with Marcus and those soldiers. I went to Hunter's Station to awaken those people. To...to put orders in their heads.
Terrible orders.
I feel my chest tighten as I think of it, think of all the awful things I've done. All those Fringers must have died. How many Neoromans fell, how many City Guards? How many have fallen because of me?
I feel the room closing in, the darkness all consuming. The storm seems to lash harder at the windows, a great crack of thunder rumbling above. It's as if it's there, just for me, bellowing down its anger and rebuke, calling me out on all that I've done.
It wasn't you, Brie. Zander's voice combats the roar, soothing, placating my thrashing heart. None of it was you. The Overseer has been using you all along. He wants your power and nothing more. You are a tool, Brie, a vessel to him only. If you don't fight now, you will be lost forever. This is your chance, your only chance to make amends...
Make amends, I think, for the terrible things I've done.
I shake my head, and think of the figure watching on, the shadow with the white smile. The Overseer has been grooming me all along, tempting me into accepting my role, manipulating my memories, shutting away some while letting others flourish and fly free. He used my weakness, my desire to strengthen my powers, and unleashed them upon the world. And now...now he intends to make me a goddess, to supplant the Prime once they're gone, to use me to control the continent, the world...
My lips pull up into a grimace, my fingers coiling and bunching to fists. He has taken me, and taken Marcus, and now he intends to take Kira and the others too. If he does, the world will fall. No one will be able to stand against him.
I fix my mind and shut my eyes, looking at Zander as he clears before me. The faded edges of his form grow solid, the grey-washed world brightening. And in that guise, his lips work up, curving into a smile I miss so much. His eyes light, hazel like my own. I see him as clearly as I ever have before.
He steps towards me, nodding. "Good," he says, as we gather in that strange space in my mind, the world of white and grey, dull shapes appearing around us. I look and see New Haven, a shadow in the blur. The woods, the mountains, the fields and ruins. It's all there, just as I remember it. "You are ready now," Zander says. "You are ready to take them for your own."
I frown at him, not understanding. "What do you mean, brother?" I ask. "I...don't understand."
He smiles at me and reaches out, taking my hand in his. His touch is so real, firm but tender. "Awaken them all," he says. "Awaken all that you can."
I frown, gasping softly as I look at him. "It was you," I say, remembering. "You called out to me. You told me to awaken those people..."
I think again of my first experience awakening the Worthies in that small stone chamber, guided by Minerva's hand. I had heard Zander calling out faintly for me to do it, to awaken them, to awaken all that I could. I didn't quite understand it then, didn't know why he'd wish for such a thing, but it helped drive me nonetheless.
And now I look at him, a question in my eyes. "Why?" I ask. "Why did you want that?"
"Do you not see, Brie?" he asks. "Do you not know the answer?"
I stand there before him, almost afraid to see the truth.
"They are yours," he whispers. "All those with hazel in their eyes. All those you awakened. I put something in their minds, Brie, as you worked to awaken them. Secret programming that neither Minerva nor the Overseer could see. I set it deep, sister, too deep for anyone to know. But not you. Only you can access it."
The rings of hazel, I think. The rings bordering their eyes...
"Look into your mind, Brie," Zander goes on. His face glows, eyes intense. "Search and you will find them. Hundreds of them. Thousands. Every one of them is yours."
I shut my eyes, there in that strange, spectral place, and step into the cerebral realm. I sense Minerva and Marcus nearby, the Chosen and Heralds upon the hill. I sense Kira, and Ares, and Amber and Perses. I spread myself further, see the minds lighting in the darkness like twinkling stars. There are thousands of them, tens of thousands, spread all over the city. And among them, some begin to glow, brighter than the others...different.
Mine.
You see, I hear Zander say, his voice echoing now in the dark spaces around me. You see, Brie. They are yours...
Hundreds begin to appear. Thousands. Many are down near the walls, now turned to soldiers to defend the city. They spread upon the battlements, down around the gates. Some move in patrols, marching through the storm. Others sleep in their barracks, dispersed around the milit
ary bases.
The soldiers too, those you have strengthened, Zander calls. They are yours as well, Brie. You can control them all.
I focus on those now, Olympian soldiers whose full power I unleashed. There are hundreds, glowing bright amid the sea of silver lights. I search their minds, and the minds of the thousands I've awakened, and begin gathering them all into one.
Don't you see, Brie, Zander says. You are like a hive mind now. You can make them do whatever you want.
I look through their eyes. In their beds. At the walls. Marching in the storm amid the darkened streets.
Make them rise up, Brie, make them fight. Make them open the gates...
I flash into the mind of a soldier upon the wall. I search through his eyes, looking out upon the plains. Amid the mists and rain, thousands begin to gather in the distance. Havenites, Neoromans, brave Fringers alike...
They have gathered, Zander says. Gathered to storm the city. Kira and the others have failed. Only you can let them in now...
A sense of profound power fills me, like nothing I've ever felt before. The thousands of minds collect, their gifts mine to command. I think again of Hunter's Station, of the thousand people I awakened there. Of the orders I'd placed in a thousand minds, orders they saw through...to their deaths.
A fear flutters in me, a great, vicarious pain. What if they die, I call to Zander. How many of them will fall if I order them to fight?
You don't have a choice, Brie, Zander calls, his voice tinged now with desperation. It echoes loudly, demanding I act. I find myself almost shuddering at its weight and purpose, filling the dark spaces around me. Open the gates, Brie, and the coalition solders will do the rest. None of them have to fall, not if you don't wish it.
The gates, I nod. The gates...
I imagine them, and the main square with its colourful tiles, paths leading away to strange and unique districts. I can see the portcullis, the tunnel beyond, the main gate leading toward the bridge, hauled vertical and hanging above the plunging moat. I search through the minds of those nearby, the soldiers I've strengthened, the new troops I've awakened. I scan and find dozens of them, a hundred or more within the immediate vicinity, with many hundreds more spread out nearby.
