Arcene: The Blue Castle

by Al K. Line

  Leel carried on snoring.

  "I said it's time to get up, and out," shouted Drem from above, a silhouette against the sun high in the sky.

  Arcene realized she must have dozed off, and that it was only a few hours since she'd occupied the mind of the pig and eaten the sandwich. The food had been nowhere near enough — performing such acts through knowledge of The Noise burned calories at an incredible rate. She felt light-headed and incredibly thirsty.

  She couldn't think straight. What was happening? Was she being let out already? What was Drem going to do? Well, he could try to do something, she still had her sword and—

  "Tie the sword to the rope," ordered Drem, as he lowered a thin cord.

  Damn. Well, may as well see what happens.

  Arcene was confident in her abilities, not just fighting with her sword, but her more esoteric skills — if it came to it then she knew she could deal with Drem, deal with him so he'd never touch another person as long as he lived, which wouldn't be long.

  "Wake up Leel you daft lump. Some guard dog you are. I could be getting murdered and you'd just carry on snoring. Leel!" Arcene nudged her in the ribs and Leel opened an eye. "Get up you lazy dog." Leel stirred, then stretched out, her huge frame extending like she would just keep on getting longer and longer. She craned her head forward, lifted her snout in the air and yawned, letting out a loud burp as she did so. Arcene got a face-full of half digested egg sandwich before Leel looked up and barked at Drem.

  "Bit late now, don't you think? We need to have words Leel, you're so lazy."

  Woof.

  "The sword?" said Drem, looking bemused and rather exasperated by Arcene and Leel.

  "Oh yeah, right. Not going to kill me or anything, are you? I wouldn't want that." Arcene felt surprisingly chipper, the nap had done her good, and as the sleepiness faded she felt her confidence grow. What was she worried about? She'd dealt with worse, and that was before she was Awoken and had access to that strange place that wasn't a place known as The Noise.

  "What? No, now hurry up," said Drem.

  Arcene picked up her sword and tied it to the rope. Drem hauled it up, then dropped down a rope ladder. "Climb up," he said.

  "How many dogs do you know that can climb ladders?" Arcene pointed at Leel just in case Drem had somehow overlooked the huge beast sniffing around the straw, stinking of eggs.

  "She can stay there for now," said Drem. "Now come on, I won't hurt you. Promise."

  "Where I go Leel goes. I'm not going anywhere unless we both get out at the same time."

  "You'll do as you are damn well told, or you can both rot and... Argh, ugh." Drem let go of the rope and the sword clattered to the ground.

  Hello Drem, it's Arcene in case you didn't know. You will get us both out of here right this minute or I will turn your brain to mush and you will fall into this prison and Leel will slowly eat your face off. Do you understand?

  Arcene withdrew from occupying Drem's mind as viciously as she had entered it. She made sure it was unpleasant and painful, but not so bad that she caused any permanent damage to the horrible man. She didn't want to do it, but he left her no choice, and it seemed silly not to give him a glimpse of what he had got himself involved in while he was close enough for her to access his body and mind.

  "Ugh. What? How? You're powerful. Argh, my head really hurts." Drem cradled his head in his hands; Arcene knew it would feel like somebody sticking a sharp knife through his ear drums before poking around inside his head — that was the whole point.

  "You want me to do it again? You want me to do it to Beamer and leave him broken and like he's got The Lethargy?"

  "No, no. Look, I was letting you go. I'll find a way to get Leel out, just wait there." Drem disappeared.

  "Like there's anywhere we can go," said Arcene to Leel. She picked up her sword and secured it to her back before adjusting the leather strap so it felt nice and snug.

  Woof, woof. Leel's loud bark echoed around the cell.

  Arcene sat back down and closed her eyes. She was hungry, sleepy too.

  At least I know I can do it now. Wasn't sure I could get into a person's mind like that, but if I can see him, be close enough, then it seems like I can.

  Arcene was pleased, it was something she had often wondered about but never wanted to try before. She was maturing with her Awoken powers, no doubt about it, but they would forever be limited in scope. She could live with that, and anyone that tried to mess with her had better watch out now, she was a girl you didn't cross, sword or no sword. But it was always better to be the kick-ass girl with the sword.

  Arcene reached up and tapped the tassel fondly, the red twines of rope that hung from the pommel as familiar as her own hair. It comforted her.

  Arcene lay on her side, adjusted her sword, frowned at the straw sticking into her ribs then closed her eyes.

  She was asleep in seconds.

  You Crazy

  "She's sleeping! She's in a pit, miles away from home, I've been gone just a few minutes, and she's fast asleep." Drem peered into the cell below, watching as Arcene and Leel slept like they didn't have a care in the world. Their snores reached him like their dreams could infiltrate his mind just as Arcene had.

  Drem had seen many things over the years, encountered many strange people, seen acts that made him sick to his stomach and chosen a path through life he knew was rather dark and different, but this? Arcene was the strangest person he had ever met. Certainly the scariest.

  She'd appeared in his head like a puncture wound, just there, talking to him through The Noise even though he himself had never caught a glimpse of that strange netherworld. He knew about it, everyone did, just like he knew that when you died you entered The Void, the non-place, where everything came from and everything returned. The only truth in the end.

  Still, being on the receiving end of it was a real shock.

  She was just there, in his head, occupying his mind, seeing his private thoughts and knowing his emotions. She hadn't been there long but he knew that she could have wrestled control of his mind and body, done what she had threatened: make him fade away, be nothing, control his body like a puppet and make it do as she wished.

  It was terrifying.

  Yet it gave him a newfound respect for her, maybe for all women. Drem was self-aware enough to know he believed females to be inferior, but that this attitude was down to his parents: his father dominated every aspect of his life and his mother's, and his experiences with women were limited. His wife had been a quiet, meek woman, and that was what he assumed all women were like. Certainly the girls he'd got to help him and Drem were mild-mannered, quiet and scared. Apart from one, and he had assumed her crazy.

  But Arcene? She was a different thing entirely. Drem didn't know what to make of her, how to act.

  Now she was fast asleep.

  He watched her, seemingly oblivious to her plight. She was muttering in her sleep now, arms and legs twitching like the dog curled up beside her, the large head resting on her side. They were almost like the same being: breathing in tune, their twitching identical. Maybe they were having the same dream?

  Her pigtails were rather messy, but her hair was incredible — so light, silver like a polished mirror reflecting emptiness. She seemed old, yet young, her frame that of a young girl, and her outfit was even odder, a mix between someone no stranger to battle, and one reveling in her own obscure sense of fashion. And what was with those socks? Black, and over-the-knee, but with bunnies on. Dirty too. Well, that was his fault, wasn't it? He was the one that had locked her up.

  Drem came out of his reverie. "Eh?"

  "I said, are you going to get us out of here or not?" Arcene and Leel were awake. Drem had stopped paying attention to them and was perplexed to find himself sat on the edge of the open cell, feet dangling.

  He looked at Arcene. She smiled innocently, shrugging her shoulders as if to say, "Who, me?"

  "Did you just..?"

  "Well?"

 
; "Yes, fine. Hang on." Drem stood and called to Beamer, who came scurrying over with an armful of planks. "Thanks Beamer."

  Beamer looked down into the cell. "Hey Arcene. We're going to get you out. Father is sorry, so am I."

  "Hmm."

  Drem lowered a metal ladder and said, "It extends. Make it as long as you need so the angle isn't too steep. Wait a minute, stand back." He slid several planks down the rungs of the ladder. "Rest them on the ladder and Leel can get up. Okay?"

  Arcene nodded, then caught the planks as they reached her. She piled them to the side then extended the ladder, put the planks on, and stared up at Drem. "No funny business," she warned.

  "Promise," said Drem.

  "Leel, up you go. Good girl."

  Leel stared suspiciously at the makeshift escape route but put her paws on the planks, then whimpered.

  "Don't be such a baby. Go on, up you go." Arcene pushed at her behind and Leel scrabbled for purchase, claws clacking on the wood, then gained a little traction and ran up as fast as she could. She jumped off at the top, looked back down at Arcene and Woof, she was free.

  Arcene wasted no time and clambered up the slope.

  "You did a very bad thing Drem Scarpino, an atrocious thing. I see you, I see who you are, you better stay away from me. Don't want me to tell Beamer about that time in the house with the red curtains, and what you did to that defenseless old lady just because you 'needed' what little she still had left? Do you?"

  How does she know? What else does she know? Drem was in a panic and knew it showed. This girl was too much.

  "Your face is as white as my hair. And look at my socks! I need to get clean. Come on Leel, it's time to go." Arcene turned and walked away without looking at Beamer or saying another word to Drem.

  "No, wait. Please, we need your help. Please."

  Arcene sighed and turned. "You need my help? After what you did?"

  "It's for Beamer," said Drem, knowing he was whining. Pathetic, this was just a girl.

  I'm not just a girl Drem, and so what if I was?

  Drem sank to the ground, clutching his head.

  Arcene whistled tunelessly and walked away. Leel bounded after her.

  City Blues

  "Stupid city, stupid Beamer, stupid world." Arcene continued to moan about everything and everyone as she wandered down a narrow alley between red-brick buildings that still proclaimed a "closing-down sale" from three centuries ago.

  Hmm, wonder what they were selling?

  Arcene forgot about her captivity for a moment and stopped. Leel walked straight into the back of her, buckling her legs, almost knocking her over.

  "Leel, will you stop doing that! That's the third time in half an hour now." Leel sat and moaned an apology; Arcene couldn't stay cross at her when she looked so sad. It was probably because she wanted to stay close after their capture — Leel hated it when Arcene didn't pay her enough attention, and when she was hungry too. And that was another thing about the stupid city, how were you supposed to find food? It wasn't like in the country where at least you had a chance of coming across wild fruits, nuts and berries, or meat.

  Ugh, focus Arcene, you'll be away from all this soon. I'm not crying, he isn't worth it. Kids!

  "Come on Leel, let's go see what they were selling." Arcene pushed at a brown wooden door hanging off its hinges and entered a gloomy interior.

  It was a complete shambles, random, bizarre looking items covering the floor, hanging high on hooks, small rails and shelving units cluttered with the strangest of things.

  "It's like plastic hell," said Arcene to Leel, who nosed through the mess looking for something interesting.

  Squeak, squawk. Squeak.

  "Leel, no! Drop it."

  Leel dropped the blue knobbly plastic ball, which rolled away under a shelving unit. She chased after it, happy with the game of seeing how annoying a noise you could make. Arcene had seen them before, there was something in them that squeaked — she couldn't for the life of her imagine what on earth they were for apart from to annoy people with dogs.

  Everything inside the big space was made of plastic, a material Arcene had learned through books was made from petroleum, which made no sense and still wasn't something she was sure she believed. It was weird stuff, seemingly endless in terms of use, although she was yet to find anything made with it that looked nice or seemed worth making.

  She kicked through the junk, her boot knocking against a pile of round flat things, bright and hard, Frisbee written on the top. What could that be? And did she care? No. Well, maybe. Arcene picked one up, turned it over in her hands, then threw it away with a spin.

  Leel bounded after it and leapt into the air, catching it easily between her teeth, almost choking and swallowing it whole.

  "I don't think they made them in your size Leel. Come on, let's see what else there is."

  Arcene was attracted to a pile in a corner, leaning dangerously, ready to topple, probably as it had been for generations. What were they? The items were about as long as her, maybe more, covered in ridges running their length, with a kind of nozzle on them. Arcene grabbed one off the floor, avoiding the pile, and noticed a faded card underneath. On it there was a picture of a tanned woman lying on one, wearing nothing but a skimpy bikini and a stupid smile, in the middle of a swimming pool. Why would you want to do that? What was the point? Just lie there and float?

  Arcene thought about it for a moment, deciding that actually it would be rather cool, but worried that her sword would puncture it and then she'd get tangled and sink.

  Wiping at her eyes, Arcene dropped the card, poked at the clear plastic, then dropped that too.

  "Those people were crazy," she said to nobody in particular, then turned to Leel who was across the room, the Frisbee now broken, pieces littering the ground at her feet. "Leel, let's go. I've had enough of the city. Enough for a lifetime."

  With a final shake of the Frisbee Leel followed Arcene back out into the shade of the alley. They walked to the end and stopped to stare at a very bizarre sight.

  "What's that!?"

  Grr.

  The shock of emerging from a narrow, cool alley, into a large open space made the sight even more spectacular, and downright bizarre. Hot too. Really, really hot. Heat bounced up from the paving, precisely cut stone streaked with pale pinks and oranges, the striations zig-zagging across the plaza like somebody had gone crazy with paint. It was beautiful because it was pristine.

  Cities were never like this, they were overgrown, dirty, covered in weeds and accumulated trash both man-made and natural, rotting, sprouting, piling up in corners. You were never more than a few meters from a tree; this was different.

  It was empty.

  Almost.

  Circling the whole area, enclosing it with a border of red brick, were buildings like those in the alley. It made it feel like an arena of sorts.

  "Come on Leel, let's go see."

  Leel, never one to miss out on something new, ran fast into the emptiness, heading straight for a fountain, a beautiful carving that stood twenty feet tall. Water sparkled like innocent minds in the sunshine as it cascaded down the shining sculpture: a fish balanced on its tail. Water spouted from its mouth and arced into the blue sky before it splashed down the curved sides.

  Arcene ran over to join Leel, who stared into the clear water in a circle at the base of the fountain. Peering into the water Arcene noted things shining so put a hand in, feeling refreshed by the coolness. She scooped the objects up and pulled a soaked hand out.

  Coins, old money used to buy things, like they'd put in the vending machine. She'd had their purpose explained to her many times, how things used to be, how whole societies, the whole world actually, ran by using one type of currency or another: metal coins or pieces of paper, progressing to the use of virtual numbers that traveled around they world, effecting how much things cost. People worked every day so they had more virtual numbers stored in a super-computer on the other side of the planet.
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  It never had, and never would make sense. Why would you swap bits of paper for a boar? She'd rather have the boar any day. Letje had explained it to her, saying that if she did that then she could swap the coins or paper, or her imaginary numbers, for other things she might need, but Arcene had been resolute: there wasn't much that could tempt her to swap a boar for anything, let alone paper. Letje had laughed, explaining that if she invested the paper then it could end up being worth two boar, so wouldn't she want to do that? No, as that would mean she would have had to wait, and what would she have eaten in the meantime? She could be dead, or ravenous at least, by the time the paper was worth two boar, so she'd stick to keeping her own boar and eat it there and then, thank you very much.

  Letje had said that was a short-term outlook and Arcene had replied by saying that at least she wouldn't be famished, then stormed off to the kitchen as she'd made herself hungry with all the talk of food.

  Arcene dropped the coins back into the water. Ripples spread, crashing into each other like the timelines lapping all around her, around everything.

  "Do you like it? The Plaza?" asked Drem.

  Arcene turned and pulled her sword out before she'd even finished facing him. Leel jumped back, reflexes lightning fast when it came to Arcene and her pointy stick. She growled at Drem, deep and menacing — she hadn't forgotten the cell.

  "Whoa, careful. Look, I don't mean you any harm," said Drem, arms out, palms held up. "I was wondering where you'd got to."

  "Harm? You, harm me? I think you have that wrong mister. Go away!" Arcene turned back to the fountain, watched as ripples faded.

  Why couldn't he leave her alone? She'd come dangerously close to cutting off his head, and would have if it wasn't for Beamer and that she didn't see the point, not really. When she'd jumped into his head she'd seen the kind of man he was, who he had been, and she read his mind as easily as she could now read words on paper — after Beamer had explained what had happened at the castle then it had made him realize how wrong it was to hold girls captive — it wasn't something he was likely to do again.