Then it hit her.
Alessandria pulled out a small one-shot pistol her father had given her.
She ran.
Aiming up the Queen’s carriage.
The Queen was almost at the bridge.
Alessandria aimed and fired.
A Guard was knocked off his horse.
The Guards turned around on their horses.
Nemesio grabbed Alessandria and rode to the Guards.
The Guards must have seen Nemesio’s armour and decided not to shoot.
The Queen kept riding towards the bridge.
When she was within shouting distance, Alessandria screamed: “Stop the carriage! There’s a bomb,”
Immediately, all the Guards whipped out their small horns and gave them a long deep blow.
A deafening howl echoed around the land.
Alessandria’s eyes lit up as the carriage stopped ten metres from the stone bridge.
She jumped off the horse and ran to the carriage.
Opening it, she found it empty. Her heart sank and a wave of confusion washed over her.
A horse slowly walked over to her. Looking up, Alessandria saw a woman in the thick white armour plating of a Guard.
“Looking for me?” the Queen said as she stepped off the horse.
“You always were clever,”
“Not clever enough this time. A bomb still would have killed me,”
“Agreed but...”
An explosion drowned out Alessandria’s words.
Immense chunks of flaming stone rained down upon them.
Horses screamed as they were smashed to pieces.
The Guards shrieked as they were burnt alive.
Alessandria jumped on the Queen.
Another bomb.
The Carriage exploded.
A veil of smoke filled Alessandria’s vision.
She moved away clearing it.
More guards screamed as their throats were split.
Five black cloaked men advanced from the river.
The air stunk of gunpowder and burnt flesh.
More Guards were slaughtered in seconds.
Alessandria stood in front of the Queen as three men stood there.
They charged.
Alessandria whipped out her sword but it was too late.
The men knocked her aside.
Alessandria whacked her head on the stone chunks of the bridge.
The searing heat adding to her pain.
A cut and burn ran along her forehead.
She tried to stand up. She couldn’t.
She looked at the Queen.
The Queen whipped out two long shining swords. She swung them.
The men tried to block.
The Queen’s swords went straight through the assassins’ swords.
The broken shards of metal glowed white before they turned to dust.
Her swords glowed red in return.
They took a step back.
A scream followed by the sound of Hellen’s stick comforted Alessandria.
Another scream followed by the sound of a skull-cracking made Alessandria smile.
She stood up.
Marched over to the three men and slash at the chest of one of them.
His blood sprayed over Alessandria’s armour. Warming it slightly.
Another man went for the Queen.
Hellen appeared from behind.
Bringing her stick down on the man’s head.
The last man started laughing.
“Ares did not tell us you were powerful. He lied. The idiot. It matters not,” he turned to Alessandria. “Your freak of a brother will die next,”
Alessandria was about to grab him when the man darted for the Queen with the rest of his sword. Forcing the Queen to kill him.
A great fear built up in Alessandria as the thought of Daniel’s dead body entered her mind. She couldn’t lose him not after growing close to him again.
CHAPTER 18
As I stepped into the engineering chamber, I had to spin my dulled blade quicker and quicker to remain calm as I heard the deafening banging of hammering, the roaring of fires and shouting of men. This was a nightmare. I hated loud noises. I hated them but I reminded myself that I was here for my Queen and seeing Harrison working wouldn't be all bad.
Forcing myself forward, I walked past tens of red and black carriages with men pounding hammers against them. Presumably, hammering in New wheels or whatever these people do.
I know Harrison talks about his work when we get home but I sometimes zone out pretending to be interested with the timely nod or sound of agreement. Mother once said with those abilities I was cut out for marriage. I'll think about that in the far future.
Continuing to pass the rows upon rows of carriages and men walking in and out of the rows carrying heavy leather bags filled with tools. I flinched and gasped at the sound of every hammer. It was ridiculous!
The smell of oil and burning coal filled my senses. It was awful. How could people work like this every day?
Taking a deep breath, I focused on the feeling of the cold metal of my dulled blade and the look at the rough stone beneath my leather booted feet and I started walking again.
Luckily, I knew where Harrison's great station was, in the middle of the chamber. Meaning I had to pass tens of hammering men and women and tens upon tens of damaged carriages.
As I kept walking, I realised why I hadn't come to see Harrison on his lunch break or even met him here after his shift. I despised this place. The noise, the noise, the noise it was too much.
My dulled blade span as fast as it could. With each hammering of the metal and carriages, I could feel my body getting more and more shaky and hunched. I wanted to go.
A grand hiss of steam on the far side of the chamber made me jump.
Memories of the torture sessions filled my mind.
Images of the red hot pokers appeared.
More hammering continued.
More noise.
More shouting.
My senses couldn't take it.
I fell to the floor, crawled up in a ball and cried loudly.
I closed my eyes. Feeling the tears streaming down my face. As much as I loved my autism for the benefits it has, I hated the sensitivity to noise. Why couldn’t the engineers stop? Please.
I just wanted them to stop.
As I continued to shake and cry my eyes out, I heard a set of footsteps come up to me and shout: "Boss, your man's here! "
Why did he have to shout?
The set of footsteps quickly left, and another wandered up to me. I heard the figure knelt down next to me.
“Daniel?” I heard Harrison’s voice asked.
Raising my head, tears continued to stream down my face, and I fell in Harrison’s arms. He gently rubbed my back.
“What’s wrong?”
“The noise,” I forced out through crying teeth.
Covering my ears with his rough yet loving hands, he screamed: “Everyone take twenty. That’s an order,”
No one complained and quickly everyone left.
“Daniel, you’re safe,” he said as my crying started to stop. “Why are you even down here? You never visit me at work,”
Of course, it dawned on me then that Harrison was at work and the warm skin that warmed my sobering face was his chest.
Forcing myself to come together, I looked at his soft blue eyes and answered his question.
“Ares, he is a traitor and he found these on his desk,” I replied as I took out the parchment depicting the carriages out from my leather trench coat.
Harrison opened it and unwrapped his arm around me to read it.
“We believe the circles are weak points that the assassins are trying to target,”
Harrison kept trying.
“Are we correct?”
Harrison folded up the parchment and gave it back to me. I put it back in my pocket. Then he smiled.
“Daniel, they’re just circles. They’re me
aningless,”
I stood up and faced him.
Standing up he said, “Daniel, were you always going to come here to check these with me?”
I’m not sure if I understood the question but I nodded.
“If I was Ares, I would make sure I left some plans that would make someone come to the engineering department,”
“Your point?”
Instead of talking, Harrison grabbed my arm and we started to walk away. He walked up along two rows of red and black carriages.
“I think it’s a trap. I didn’t think too much but the door was unlocked when I came in. I always lock it before I leave at night,”
As soon as the words left his beautiful mouth, ten black cloaked men and women stepped out from behind the carriages. They got out their swords.
No crossbows.
I placed my arm protectively in front of Harrison.
“Your Queen is dead. Your Kingdom will fall. Ares will rise to power,” one of the cloaked men said.
“I may not know who you are, but I know your friends have died by my hands. And the same will happen to you!” I said.
I charged.
Whipping out my blade.
I swung my sword.
The enemy dived out the way.
They jumped at me.
I dodged their sword swings.
Their swords hacked into the wooden carriages.
Harrison grabbed a metal crowbar.
He threw it.
Cracking the skull of one man.
Blood sprayed into the air. Raining down upon us.
He gasped.
An assassin charged at Harrison.
I tackled him.
Smashing my fist into his head.
The sound of rushing air made me jump to one side.
A sword fell. Killing the assassin I punched.
The sword falling assassin I slashed his throat.
I grabbed Harrison.
Pulling him further into the engineering chamber.
The assassins raced after us. Swords swinging.
CHAPTER 19
Walking down the awful boring stone corridor towards the engineering chamber, Alessandria's heart thumped inside her chest. She couldn't believe the enemy were trying something against her brother.
The sound of Hellen's stick tapping against the stone floor echoed around the corridor as they walked. Nemesio had tried to comfort her on the way to the castle but she wasn't having any of it. Her brother was in danger.
She could almost smell the fearful sweat on her as she walked towards the chamber.
Alessandria felt the cold sweat drip down her back.
Seeing the door at the end of the stone corridor, a strange sense of rage built within Alessandria. She wanted to bust in there and kill all these assassins. No one attacks her family and gets to live.
However, the Procurator part of her wanted Alessandria to subdue them and arrest them. That was the proper and right way. Yet she didn't care this was her brother!
Hellen dashed past her and tried to open the door. She couldn't.
Alessandria slowed to a gentle stroll at the thought of not being able to get to Daniel. He probably had enough trouble in the engineering room.
She passed an engineer in a large crowd who mentioned Harrison had ordered them to take a break after finding Daniel. Well, the engineer called Daniel a worse name than freak. So she broke the man's nose.
This only made her want to pound down that door. Her brother needed her.
The Queen walked past her and placed her hand on top of Alessandria's and gave her hand a caring rub. Giving Alessandria the distinct flowery smell of the Queen's perfume.
Looking back at the door, Alessandria rushed over as she saw Nemesio back away and Hellen used her big stick as a crowbar and forced the door open.
With a loud bang, they were in.
They all stormed in.
Charging in, Alessandria saw the rows upon rows of red and black carriages.
The air smelt of fear and vapourised blood.
A scream caught her attention.
It was Harrison.
Alessandria started to run down the rows of carriages to find her brother.
The others follow.
Alessandria hated the rows of carriages.
An assassin tackled Alessandria as she ran.
Her head hit the wheel of a carriage.
Hellen whacked the assassin’s head with her stick.
Alessandria jumped up. She continued running.
Another assassin jumped down from the top of a carriage.
The Queen surged forward.
Slicing through the assassin’s thick armour with her glowing swords.
Another scream.
A loud bang echoed all around Alessandria.
They needed to hurry.
They kept running down a long row of red and black carriages.
A small boom made a carriage fall in front of Alessandria.
It busted into flames.
The Queen roared in frustration.
Alessandria squeezed through a gap to another row of carriages.
The others followed.
A sword flashed before her eyes.
It came towards her.
Alessandria reflexed up her forearm.
The sword smashed into her leather armour.
Tearing it.
Alessandria jumped out of the gap. Punching the Assassin in the face.
Giving her precious seconds to snap the neck of the assassin.
She pressed on.
She needed to find Daniel.
She charged down the row of carriages.
More carriages exploded behind her.
She wanted to check on her friends, but she needed to find Daniel.
The sound of Hellen’s stick whacking flesh alerted her to more assassins.
A drop of sweat ran down her spine.
She kept running.
She came to the end of the row.
Coming out at a massive stone circle. Surrounded by damaged carriages.
She saw Daniel fighting with an assassin.
There were ten of them surrounding Daniel and Harrison.
Rage built inside her.
Alessandria screamed in rage.
Three assassins came to her.
She charged.
Swinging her sword wildly.
One assassin tried to block it.
The sheer force of Alessandria’s swing broke his hand.
She grabbed his throat. Her nails ripping into his flesh.
The other two assassins swung at her.
Alessandria released the assassin and dived out the way.
The assassin gasped in pain.
Nemesio ran behind Alessandria. Firing his pistol. Killing the two assassins.
Alessandria smashed her foot into the face of the gasping assassin.
Bones shattered.
His corpse thumped onto the stone floor.
Alessandria looked at Daniel and Harrison.
Four corpses laid dead at their feet.
There was one more assassin. She swung at Harrison.
Alessandria and Nemesio charged.
Daniel surged forward. Sinking his long nails into her flesh.
Her blood squirted out.
Harrison thrusted a sword into her chest. Killing her.
It was over.
Catching her breath, Alessandria ran over to Daniel and hugged him. He tensed but she didn’t care. He was safe and alive. Then she hugged Harrison and took a few steps back.
Looking behind her, Alessandria beamed as she saw the Queen, Hellen and Nemesio walk towards her smiling. They must have enjoyed the killing and Alessandria couldn’t blame them. They had made Ares fail.
Whilst, Alessandria still might have been confused to why Ares had ordered the last of his assassins to target Daniel and Harrison. She was glad he failed.
As she looked at her brother, she knew she cared about him and she
knew she was never ever going to let anything bad happen to him. A part of her wanted to talk to Harrison to make sure he never hurt her brother but this wasn’t the time not the place.
“Ya missed some great killing. That Queen and I, we slain some baddies,”
Both Daniel and Harrison looked confused at each other.
“What’s wrong?” Alessandria asked.
“There were only ten assassins. We killed some and fled to here. Who were you fighting?”
Alessandria looked widen eyed at Nemesio and Hellen.
“Daniel, we were fighting assassins,”
The Queen grabbed Hellen and pulled her into the large stone circle where Daniel and Harrison stood. Alessandria and Nemesio joined her with their swords out.
“This is a trap,” she stated.
More carriages exploded.
Flaming shards of wood rained down.
The doors of the remaining carriages opened. Out walked tens upon tens of assassins.
They whipped out their curved swords. Dripping with bright green poison.
Slowly walking towards Alessandria and her friends.
CHAPTER 20
Turning my dulled blade in my hand, I knew this was ridiculous!
As Alessandria, Nemesio, Hellen and the Queen joined me and Harrison in forming a defensive line in the middle of the massive grey stone circle we stood on. I realised I really didn't care for this.
I wasn't stressed or anything as I breathed in the smoke from the burning carriages around the edges of the chamber. I was just annoyed by this all as the tens of assassins in black cloaks slowly walked towards us.
Whilst I had to admit they were clever in their design and plan. They knew they had us trapped and now we had to make a final stand, so they continued to slowly walk towards us with their swords sharp. I knew I wasn't meant to die today.
Partly because I believed too much in Alessandria, she would have her support and I would be made Lord Fireheart and so would Harrison in a way. And after my beautiful, wonderful sister came to save me. I was not going to let her down.
For the first time in weeks, since I found Harrison again, a wave of emotion waved over me. Having emotion always felt strange but I was determined to live.
Narrowing my eyes, I focused. I needed to find a way out of here.
Looking around, all I saw the burning remains of red and black carriages lining the edges of the chamber and the outside of this ring. The massive bright yellow flames danced in the fire. Devouring the wood and paint. Sending thin columns of smoke into the air.
Heart of Lies Page 7
