by Sam Ryan
“Go ahead team four,” Stella said, speaking into the device in her hand.
“We have captured a Knight of Lear sneaking around outside the factory.”
Sophia’s chest tightened at the words. She strained herself trying to listen as best as she could through the thick glass.
They had somehow caught Madilyn. What was she even doing there? She had been told to stay on the vessel with Clementine and Max. Not that Sophia really needed to ask that question. She should have known that Madilyn would come looking for them after they had been gone long enough. In many ways, she was surprised that it had taken her this long to make her move.
Stella had on a devilish grin as she looked up at Sophia. “Anyone else with her?” Stella asked, speaking into her device, never breaking eye contact with Sophia as she spoke.
“Negative,” came the reply. “We still have patrols out looking, just in case.”
“Looks like Knighty couldn’t stand by and wait on the vessel after all. I knew there was no way she would. I’m more amused that any of you ever thought she would.” Still smiling, Stella held the small device close to her lips. “She’s too much of a threat to try and keep prisoner. The chance of her escaping is too high. Kill her. Immediately.”
“No!” Sophia shrieked, nearly throwing out her voice. Her heart was racing inside her chest as the words poured out of her. “Come on Stella, don’t be like this. Just bring her below to this stupid lab under a lab and you can hold her with the rest of us. You don’t have to go that far. Please.”
Stella paused, the device hovering in front of her lips. After a few seconds of reflections she moved the device closer to her lips. “Confirm my orders,” she said.
“No!” Sophia screamed, pounding on the glass with her fist, trying in vain to break free.
“Order confirmed.”
Sophia was hitting the glass so hard she could feel the bones in her hand break but the glass was otherwise unaffected by her efforts.
There was a loud crack that burst from the small box. Even with the distortion and the muffling of the glass, the sound was still unmistakable. It was the sound of a single gunshot.
All Sophia could do was stand there, her mouth gaping open as the blood rushed out of her face. “How could you?” she gasped.
“She was going to die anyway,” Stella said with a shrug, tossing the device back on top of the box. “At least this way she did not have to live in dread or with false hope that she would still be able to save the day. What I did was a favor really.”
Sophia growled as she readied herself to bang against the glass, her hand already healing. She had to do something, anything. She had to get out of this prison and wrap her fingers around Stella’s throat. She was glad that Stella could not die. That meant Sophia could make her suffering last forever.
“Clam down,” Allora ordered. “I know what you must be going through but if we are to have any chance, then we can’t lose ourselves now. This sort of reaction is likely what Stella wants. She is trying to manipulate you so you can’t think clearly.”
“And you would know all about being manipulated by Stella, wouldn’t you,” Sophia snapped. The words were harsh and unfair but in that moment Sophia did not care. Madilyn was dead. And soon they would all join her. Along with the thousands of people in New Dentin and the thousands, possibly even millions, of people who were in range of the blast.
Allora said nothing to Sophia’s quip. She could not deny the truth of Sophia’s words and that frustrated Allora more than anything. She had been played. And not only for the past few days or even years but centuries.
Everything that Allora had done, of what she had thought was of her own free will, had in truth been the influences of Stella, guiding her along a set path. Every step that she had taken had been one preplanned by her.
The Goddess of Calamity. So named because her manipulation of people had failed empires and kingdoms. And now they had all been caught in her web. Even when they thought they had turned the tables on her in truth they had all been playing to her tune.
Yet despite knowing all of that, Allora still did not seem the least bit worried or even scared. Sophia would have guessed that it was her trying to put on a brave face but she knew better. This was not the bold front Allora, this was the Allora who had already won and was simply waiting for the game to reach its inevitable conclusion.
“Please,” Sophia whispered under her breath. “Please tell me that this was all a part of your plan. Because the only reason I did not protest this abysmal ‘attack head on’ strategy of yours was because I assumed you had figured out that I was being watched.”
Allora turned her head and smiled at Sophia. Stella perked up from her work station and turned to face the two.
“What?” Stella asked, standing up and walking words them towards them. “What did you just say?”
“You almost had us, Stella,” Allora said, her smug smile growing. “When you attacked the Iron Rose you truly outplayed us. But you accidently gave yourself away.”
“How so?” Stella asked, taking another step closer. Her tone curious but becoming more and more worried.
“Back aboard the Iron Rose you said that Madilyn had a crises of faith,” Sophia said, starting to feel the confidence that Allora was showing. This was all going according to plan. They had been able to figure it all out and everything was going to be alright. Sophia had no clue how but she was positive that it would.
“After the crash Sir Madilyn told me what you had said,” Allora said. “Now, I could have believe that you found out about her getting arrested and later being broken out. I would assume that you had contacts in Lear. But what I could not believe was that those contacts somehow knew that the reason Madilyn returned was because she was having doubts about herself?”
Stella took a breath as she began to realize her slip up. Her eyes starting to grow wide.
“Now of course I couldn’t say anything.” Sophia continued quirking a smile. “After all, I figured that it was through me that you were somehow spying on us. I don’t even want to know what you did to me when we slept together back in Noxiss. But I am assuming that was when you cast your spell or whatever. Knowing that you would be caught by the Lightning Brigaded the next day, you needed to keep tabs on what we were doing.”
“And knowing that you could see, and likely hear, everything that Sophia could.” Allora smiled, her expression becoming more smug. “We watched what we said and did very carefully around Sophia. Everything Sophia saw and heard and by proxy everything you saw and heard, was determined by us.”
“And I did my part,” Sophia said. “I made sure to stay out of peoples’ way. I kept myself occupied by locking myself in my room with Madilyn as often as I could. Well.” Sophia shrugged her shoulders. “Not that I really needed a reason to do that part.”
“But it doesn’t matter,” Stella stated, regaining her composer with a long calming breath. “You may have known I was watching, but you still got caught.” She reached out with her hand, grabbing ahold of a lever against the wall. “You are all locked in there and I can make sure that there is nothing that you can do.”
“Not all of us,” Allora reminded, not even flinching from Stella’s implied threat. “There is still one of us left remember?”
“Even if Jezebel came straight here after dropping off Representative Blake, she would still be several days out, given the slow pace of the Tortoise. There is no way that she would make it in time stop me. Even if she did, my men are ready and can handle one Immortal.”
“You ever seen a magician work?” Allora asked. “Not a magic user but a trickster. You see, unlike you with your illusion magic, they rely on sleight of hand and distraction. While they have you looking at one hand they are doing something with the other.”
Stella frowned shaking her head. “You figured out that I was spying on you. Congratulations. But that doesn’t make a difference if you are stuck in there. Without the Iron Rose or a fleet at her
back, there is nothing she can do.”
“Ah but there is the trick,” Allora said. “You see, we made a show to Sophia that the crew of the Iron Rose was being evacuated to New Albion by loading them up on the Rabbit and Tortoise and when she wasn’t looking they would return and offload the crew back aboard along with supplies so they could stay behind and repair the damage from the crash.”
“So what?” Stella said, stepping back slightly, her eyes darting from side to side as she tried to formulate the possibilities. “Without a Legendary Relic the Iron Rose can’t fly. It’s nothing but a pile of scrap metal.”
“And that is where Commander Yates comes in,” Allora said. “Instead of taking his Majesty back to Lear, he took the very fast Rabbit to Itona instead. And using the letter from me, he was able to acquire the Legendary Relic that I had stored beneath the palace. It was dormant, but Professor Jarred knows how to active it. And he knows how to be less explosive than when you did it. And as Jezebel never took Representative Blake back to Trevelia, instead leaving him with his Majesty in Itona, she instead rondevued with the Iron Rose as it made its way here. She should be arriving,” Allora did the math in her head. “Tonight. On a new moon.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Stella said, shaking her head. “Moon or no, it’s still a clear night out and New Dentin’s defenses are more than a match for the Iron Rose. They will be shot out of the sky miles before it reaches the city.”
“Did you know that the Iron Rose is air tight?” Allora asked. “It allows it to fly above the cloud line where the air is thin.”
“And?” Stella shrugged, wondering what that had to do with anything. “It’s still a clear night. There is no hiding a vessel that large in the night sky.”
“Except,” Sophia grinned, having figured out what they were planning. “Air tight, also means water tight.”
“And New Dentin is a coastal town.” Allora nodded. “And with no moon out, it will be impossible to spot the Iron Rose beneath the water’s surface. Especially if you’re not looking for it.”
All the color drained from Stella’s face as her eyes went wide with fear. She had been outplayed and she now knew it.
Stella clinched her fist and set her jaw as she turned and began storming across the room towards the box still sitting on the table. About halfway there the ground shook from a far off shockwave. It was barely noticeable but it was enough for Stella to know that it had begun.
“Commander Stella,” a voice yelled out from the box on the table.
Stella rushed over to the table grabbing the device on top of the box and holding it up to her mouth. “Go ahead.”
“A large Iron Clad Airship has just appeared in the harbor. It came from under the water. We had no way of spotting it. As soon as it surfaced, it began firing at our defenses. It was too close to the city for us to properly return fire. Now it is gaining altitude and making its way over the city, shooting down any airship that gets to close along with our battery emplacements.”
Stella cursed as she slammed her fist on the table.
“The only trouble was, we couldn’t be sure where your lab actually was,” Allora explained in a calm and cool voice. “We had figured that you had a second lab but had no way of knowing where it might be. I feared that it might be outside the city altogether. So we needed a way to signal Jezebel where exactly you were. Knowing that you would be setting a trap for us, we walked straight into it. Once we were caught, we knew you would take us at least somewhere close to your lab. But in order to signal the Iron Rose where it might be, we needed Tara to use her fire magic as a kind of flare.”
“Well then, there I have you,” Stella growled, glaring over at Allora. “Tara is right here.” Still clutching the device in her hand, she pointed at Tara in her glass tube. “And she is not signaling anyone anytime soon.”
“Do you now?” Allora smiled.
Stella froze, her eyes darting from Allora to Tara.
“Commander Stella, what are your orders?” the box asked. “Wait. There is something happening above the factory.”
“What is it?” Stella demanded, her voice almost shrieking.
“It looks like fire is being shot into the sky from the roof. Like some kind of fireworks display.”
Stella threw down the device and stormed over to the glass tube. “How?” she demanded to know, bending down so she could look up at Tara’s face still obscured by the hood. “I know it was her. I saw her face when she was placed inside.”
“But have you checked since you brought us in here?” Allora asked. Her voice beaming with confidence. “You are not the only one who can change a person’s appearance with magic. And like you, it is easier so long as the magic is cast on the person you are trying to fool and not on the person themselves. We had Sir Madilyn and Tara change clothing after we left the vessel. You had no reason to ever give her a second look.”
“Then the woman my men shot…” Stella gasped, backing away from the tube.
“It was actually Tara dressed as Madilyn.” Allora nodded. She turned her head and looked at Sophia. “But you already knew that. That was why you yelled out our location.”
“I suspected.” Sophia nodded. “I thought that if it was me, what I would try to do, given the circumstances. I suspected you planned on switching the two when I saw Tara wearing that ridiculous hood. It worked to hide her hair, something that is almost impossible to change with illusions. That was also why I threw myself in front of her when we were ambushed.”
The ground shook again, only this time the explosion was much closer.
“Then I will just kill her now,” Stella declared, darting for the panel on the far wall once more, reaching out for the lever.
“To what end?” Allora asked. Her question giving Stella pause as her hand stopped partway. “So you kill one person. Will that change anything? You’ve lost, Stella. You are smart enough to know that.”
There were several more explosion. The Iron Rose must be above them now, firing on the factory. If Sophia had to guess, Jezebel would likely descend with a large team of her men and begin clearing out the soldiers. Tara would likely meet up with them and guide them to the lower levels. They would likely be here in a few minutes. Sophia just had to keep Stella from pulling that lever until then.
“You can still fight us.” Allora nodded. “You might even get away. In fact, I am willing to bet that you will. I am sure you have a few more tricks up your sleeve. Knowing you, you likely have giant machine dolls or something that you can use your magic to animate and control. I am sure they will buy you the time that you need to escape. But to what end? Your work here is finished. You will have to start over from scratch. No. You will have to start even further back because you will not have the nations under your control any longer, nor will you be able to work in the secrecy that you were able to before. You will have to wait centuries before you can be in a suitable position again. And during all that time, we will be chasing you. Hounding you. Forever and ever. And eventually, at some point, we will beat you. It is inevitable. Given enough time and enough effort, eventually we will win. Is that really how you want this to play out?” Allora was practically pleading with Stella now. Begging for her to give up.
Stella’s hand was still hovering above the lever and every second that it stayed there Sophia’s heart raced faster and faster with fear and dread that she might just pull it. She was not worried what might happen to her. She could survive a little pain until Tara and Jezebel showed up. But Madilyn could not. It had been hard enough to imagine that Madilyn might be dead before when it was simply a gunshot sound over a box and she had even suspected the ruse. But to watch Madilyn die in agony as acid ate away at her would be too much. She wanted to reach out a hand and grab Madilyn next to her, but all her hand could touch was the cold pain of glass.
“What good will fighting us do in the end?” Allora pressed trying to hide the anxiety in her voice as her eyes occasionally darted over at Madilyn. She too was merely st
alling for time. “You know that I’m right. You who sees every angle. You who thinks a hundred moves ahead.”
“Please,” Sophia begged, on the verge of tears. “You can still run if that is what you want. But don’t take her away from me. Not now. Not after all this.”
Stella looked down at her feet as she pondered the request for a moment. She was still in mid thought when a loud zapping sound cracked from outside the room. A bolt of lightning arced across the room and struck Stella in the chest, flinging her backwards and safely away from the panel.
Sophia was not sure what exactly had happened but was still relieved all the same.
Stella let out a groan as she rolled over on the floor onto her stomach, trying to pick herself back up. Thin strands of smoke rising from her body.
“Don’t do it,” Tara warned, stepping into the room. She was wearing Madilyn’s knight uniform and armor, though there was a hole in the chest of the blue coat and her front was drenched in blood. She was holding in her hands one of the shock rifles that the soldiers had been carrying. Tara angled her body to the side and leveled the rifle with one hand down at Stella who was still trying to get back up after being zapped.
“Oh thank goodness,” Allora sighed. “I really didn’t know how much longer we could stall her.”
“I always do come in at the nick of time.” Tara looked over at Sophia and winked, giving her a thumbs up. Still looking at Sophia with her thumb up, Tara pulled the trigger again, sending another bolt of lightning into Stella.
Stella cried out in pain as she convulsed on the ground.
“I told you stay down,” Tara said, turning her body so she was fully facing Stella, gripping the rifle with both hands. Then Tara pulled the trigger again sending another bolt of lightning at Stella.
“What was that for?” Stella shouted after her body stopped seizing.
“You ordered your men to shoot me,” Tara said, pulling the trigger again. “And that was for impersonating me.” She fired again, sending out another bolt. “And that is because I am angry at you.”
“That’s enough Tara,” Allora chided.
