Fractured

by T. C. Edge

  "Silence," his Father eventually says.

  Kovas's shrieking voice is cut short immediately. He is nothing, now, but a shivering wreck, twisted and broken on the floor.

  "Stand, my Son," his Father goes on. "Stand, and look at me."

  Kovas shivers his way up to his feet, a shell of a man. He manages to pull his head up.

  "You will not fail us again," his Father says, the words suddenly deep, penetrative, cutting right into his very soul.

  Kovas, holding his shivering head up, nods meekly.

  His Father, still staring down at him, stands there for a moment before stepping back. He rejoins Mother's side, and together, they step backwards.

  Their eyes, once more, sway over the assembly. My heart jumps, my adrenaline spiking, as their eyes come towards me. And looking upon me, they smile, and a tremendous joy spreads from my core, waves of light casting away all darkness inside me.

  "Welcome, Brie," they say together, their voices wrapping up into one. "Welcome to our family."

  And with that, they turn, and begin walking away.

  Leaving me to watch on...

  Missing them already.

  30

  Kira

  I stand at the bars at the end of the sewage tunnel, gripping the cold, stinking metal to stay upright. Behind my closed eyes, I listen to Zander's voice, calling out to me as he relays what Brie is seeing.

  His descriptions grow vivid, detailed. The more he speaks, and the more I focus, the more I can see it too.

  It's blurred and not completely clear, but I can sense where Brie is now. I can sense what she sees. The Chosen and Heralds around her. The grand plateau, blurred buildings in the background. The two figures, glowing softly. I can see them.

  I can see the Prime.

  Everything else is indistinct, the connection too weak for me to access it fully. Only a few words are shared, a strange, silent energy permeating the air. Something...they do something to Herald Kovas. His shrieks of terror are clear enough, his quivering form down on his knees and hands gripped tight to his temples.

  I feel a great sense of disquiet as I observe what I can, still listening as Zander's voice speaks in my head, drawing me in, holding the connection together to allow me to see through Brie's mind. A few more words are shared. I sense the Prime turning their attention on Brie. They say her name. They...smile.

  And suddenly, something erupts within her. My vision is filled with white, a great light flashing. I sense her joy, more profound than anything else she's ever felt. It spreads across the neural bridge, and, somehow...I feel it too.

  My heart warms, brightening. I feel my lips curving into a wild, untameable smile. It is a shadow of Brie's joy, nothing but an afterglow, but it remains powerful, deep, a feeling to rival the greatest moments of my life...

  I open my eyes, drawing out of the vision, out of Brie's mind. I feel Ares looming above me, his hand on my arm to steady me. Several heavy pants leave my lungs as I blink, taking in my surroundings again; the rushing water, the stink of human excrement, the dark, dank tunnel and grand, city walls beyond the bars ahead.

  "What happened, Kira?" Ares asks harshly, holding me firm. "You were slipping. Grinning wildly. What did Zander say?"

  I shake my head and take another breath. I feel an urge to slip back into the vision, feel that joy again.

  Shutting my eyes, I dive back into my mind, searching for Zander's voice once more. But the vision has been severed now, the interior of my head blackness and nothing more. I call out to Zander but hear nothing in return. I am me, and nothing else.

  My arm is shaken, and I open my eyes back again.

  "Kira, speak to me," Ares says. "What the hell is going on?"

  I look up to him in that dark tunnel, my eyes wide. "I...I felt it, Ares," I say. "I could feel her joy."

  "Joy? What are you talking about? Brie's joy?"

  I nod, my breathing shallow. "It was...so strong," I whisper. "I...I could feel it too."

  "The Prime," Ares says. "This is their doing?"

  I nod. "Just a smile," I breathe. "That's all it took. A smile for her, only for her, and..." I shake my head. "She won't be able to fight them, Ares. She will do anything they want."

  "You can't know that, Kira," the mighty Neoroman returns. "With her brother's help, she may find a way."

  Zander, I think, briefly shutting my eyes again. Zander, did you feel it too?

  I hear a distant echo, somewhere at the back of my mind. I focus hard and, slowly, his voice grows in clarity once more.

  I...felt it, Kira, Zander calls out. But only through Brie. It...it will not affect me. I will do what I can to counter its effects...

  But how? I return, calling out to him in my mind. She cannot hear you. She cannot sense you...

  Not now, Zander says. But she will. When her powers are returned, she will...

  She may be too far gone by then. I...I've never felt anything like it.

  Don't think like that, Kira, Zander calls out. Let me worry about Brie. Return to the others. Plan your war. I will see what I can do from here.

  I gulp a breath and nod. I'll come back, I say. As soon as I can, I'll come back.

  It works, Zander returns, his voice rushing quickly, though just about starting to fade. We know it works now. We can speak, no matter what Brie is going through. But they cannot know of this, Kira. If they find out, they will sever the link...

  And the Overseer? I call out. Doesn't he know of you? Nestor did. Surely the Overseer does too...

  It isn't about me, Zander says, his voice continuing to weaken. My presence is known, perhaps, but the neural bridge to your mind is not. I will conceal it from the Overseer, and anyone else who might try to find it. There are...others here. Other Heralds of Awakening. I will work to keep our link secret.

  I sense him fading again, his voice, his presence, disappearing into the darkness of my mind.

  I'll come back soon, I call into the gloomy void. I'll return, Zander, with an army at my back!

  I'll be waiting, his voice echoes. I will not let Brie fall...

  And with that, his voice fades again completely, and I open my eyes back up.

  I find Ares still looking at me, patiently awaiting my return.

  I look up at him, firming my jaw. "We need to go," I say. "There's no more I can do here."

  "And Zander?" Ares asks. "What did he say?"

  I turn my eyes down the tunnel, eager to get back out into the fresh air. "I'll tell you on the way."

  We move off, rushing back down through the gloom, accompanied by the trickling of putrid water and the squeaking of rats. I update Ares as we go, explaining the strange vision; how I could perceive what Brie could, seeing the world, perhaps, just as Zander does. He seems enthused by the news, by the prospects it might bring. To have a window into the heart of Olympus could well be significant.

  We reach the ladder within a few minutes, the moonlight glowing down through the hole above. As with the sun, it shines bright, the skies here as clear at night as they are during the day. Climbing back out into the open air above, I find the heavens dotted with a million stars, twinkling magically above us. I draw a breath and look towards the shadow of the city in the distance, the top of the walls dotted with firelight, the watchtowers glowing from within.

  Ares follows me out, hauling himself through the small gap and returning the manhole cover to its place. He kicks some dirt over it, making it look like it was never moved. My eyes glide away across the plains as he works, seeking into the mists that hang back from the city. I see a muted shade of orange in the distance, a dull glow deep within the murk.

  "Isn't that where the jeep is parked?" I ask, staring off away from the city.

  Ares turns to look. His eyes fall into a frown. "Yes," he says, "it is."

  We take flight at that, hurrying immediately onwards, rushing through the shroud and into the thickening mists. All begins to close in around us, the shadows of statues looming as we rush, craggy
formations of rock appearing as if out of nowhere. The earth, uneven and treacherous underfoot here, forces us to watch our step, slowing our pace as we hurry towards the orange glow.

  Slowly, it begins to grow clearer. I see the blurred, flickering tendrils of flame reaching to the skies, feasting upon the metal frame of a car.

  Our car...

  I press onwards more quickly, rushing towards the flaming jeep. Ares's hand reaches out and grabs me, halting me in our tracks. He hauls me to the ground, turning his eyes off into the mists. There, I see shadows moving, a troop of soldiers heading for the city. And littering the earth ahead, I see others. Bodies, lying dead in the dirt.

  I stare after them as they begin to fade into the darkness, trying to count their number. I quickly press my hand to the rock floor and activate the sight. The world comes into view in my mind's eye, the movement of the enemy soldiers marking their position and number. I immediately know that there are sixteen of them, heading towards a carriage parked nearby.

  "They must have stumbled upon the jeep," I whisper harshly. "Killian and Jared were there..."

  We rush off again, heading for the flaming jeep, the bodies lying around it. There are a dozen at least, Olympian foot soldiers cut down by blades. I scan quickly, as Ares does the same, rushing from body to body, moving one way as he goes the other. And arriving back around the side of the burning jeep, I find Ares crouched down to the earth, whispering quickly to a fallen friend.

  Killian lies there, his eyes staring lifelessly up. Gently, Ares draws his fingers over them, closing his lids, shutting him into the darkness forever. He bows his head in a moment of silence, before standing again to his feet.

  "Did you find Jared?" he asks.

  "No, I..." Something triggers in my head, drawing my eyes towards the jeep once more. I sniff the air and smell something new; the scent of burning flesh. And peering through the flames, I see him. Jared's body, inside the jeep, his flesh being quickly eaten by the blaze.

  Ares sees it too. He shakes his head solemnly, his vow to free Jared broken.

  Off in the distance now, I can hear the wheels of a carriage beginning to turn. I stare out as the enemy soldiers begin speeding off towards the city, sure to report what they have found.

  "Do we follow?" I ask, scowling, my body priming itself for the chase. "They need to pay for what they've done."

  Ares looks into the distance, shaking his head. "They are just defending their homeland," he says softly. "That is no crime, Kira."

  I turn to him, my eyebrows pinching. "But...Killian?" I say, looking down at the dead Neoroman. "And Jared. They killed one of their own."

  "By accident," Ares says, standing to his feet. "He was in the jeep, Kira. The enemy soldiers can't have known."

  "And Killian?"

  "He must have been protecting him," Ares says. "He has died an honourable death."

  "Dying for an Olympian?" I say. "Is that honourable."

  Ares's glare stiffens, eyes narrowing. "He defended a man we swore to set loose. That is honour, Kira."

  I nod, contrite. I show an apology in my eyes. "So you mean not to chase them?" I ask softly, turning again to look into the fog, the sounds of the carriage moving quickly away.

  Gently, he shakes his head. "You are too valuable," he says. "We cannot risk you in an unnecessary fight."

  "It isn't unnecessary, Ares," I return. "They may have been defending their homeland, but they killed one of our own. For that, we seek vengeance."

  Ares looks at me, his eyes settling for a long, drawn out moment. His rugged, scarred facade conflicts so starkly with the great wisdom in his eyes. "Your loyalty to those you care for, and fight alongside, is admirable, Kira," he says sagely, "but you must learn to pick your fights. War is like a game of chess. You do not send your queen to be surrounded by pawns." He looks to the distance again, the city walls a faint shadow in the mists, topped with a film of glowing orange light. "We will seek our vengeance on those who truly deserve it. This city is full of pawns. We must be smart if we're to kill the king."

  I nod, understanding, and look away from the city, into the deep mists that cover the Sacred Plains. It's a long, long way back to where we'd left the others, and without the jeep, getting there will take time.

  "I suppose it's best we don't draw attention to ourselves," I say, thinking ahead. "If we attack those soldiers, they'll send others after us. We can't afford that right now. I doubt even you could fight off their entire army."

  Ares lowers his anvil of a chin. "Now you're thinking as a leader," he says. "Anonymity is our ally. We are over two hundred miles from the others. We must avoid conflict wherever we can."

  I continue to look into the mist, out into the vast, endless lands beyond. "That might not be easy," I say, knowing how many enemy soldiers crawl these lands.

  "We're in the heart of the enemy territory, Kira," Ares says. "Did you expect it to be simple?"

  "Nothing ever is," I say, shaking my head.

  "No," whispers Ares, looking down at Killian once final time, "it isn't."

  I give him a final moment with his fallen warrior, a Champion of the Imperial Games, and stalwart of the Imperial Guard. I know we cannot bury him here. I know we cannot take him with us. Instead, Ares bends down, and hauls him onto his shoulder. And stepping towards the flaming jeep, he places him gently into the fire.

  "Farewell, old friend," he says. "For Neorome you lived, and for Neorome...you died."

  He bows his head a final time, as I stand to the side watching on. And turning towards the endless plains, we begin our long journey into the cold, misty night.

  31

  Brie

  I watch as the Prime fade off towards the other side of the plateau, disappearing through the entrance to their magnificent, sprawling temple.

  Around me, I sense the Chosen and Heralds stepping in to greet their returned brothers and sister. I finally draw my eyes away, watching them reunite. To one side, Kovas has taken a seat, lost to his own world. His skin is pale, his eyes staring. I can see his lips fluttering, whispering quietly. Yet there's no one nearby to hear.

  "That scream," I find my own voice whispering as I look at him. "I...I've never heard anything like it."

  To my side, the Overseer nods. "No one wants to displease their parents," he says. "Herald Kovas will do anything, now, to set things right."

  I think again of the joy that spread through me, powerful and profound. It has faded now to a muted glow, simmering within. The sensation was indescribable, and yet I know, full well, that it isn't real. But even so, I want to feel it again. Contrived or not, I yearn for more.

  But...joy isn't all they inspire, is it? I think to myself. They can inspire dread, and terror, and profound misery too...

  I turn my eyes, once more, around the plateau. The grand buildings to the sides, all with staggering views down to the city beyond, appear as mansions and castles to my eyes, sprawling accommodations for the city's most esteemed men and women. I find myself desiring to stay. To be near that wondrous glow that brings such joy.

  Fight it, Brie, I tell myself, wishing I could hear Zander's voice. You know it's not real. Don't let yourself be drawn in by it.

  "They said that I'd be a guest here?" I hear Cromwell say, breaking me from my thoughts. "Will I be staying here, at the top of the hill?"

  The Overseer nods and smiles. "Of course, Artemis," he says. "You are the rightful ruler of a great city state. We are honoured to have you with us."

  Something stirs inside me. I feel that relaxation and bliss within me drift a little further away. "He isn't the rightful ruler," I say, turning to the Overseer. An image of my grandmother blooms in my mind. An image of New Haven.

  "He was deposed by rebels, and not proper political process," the Overseer counters. "Your grandmother assumed the mantle illegally."

  "Don't speak like you know about our political structure, Overseer," I say. "A bit rich coming from you. Was the Prime elected..."

 
; I trail off, my mention of the Prime causing a renewed swelling of happiness inside me. My words slip off, suddenly irrelevant. I stand and smile, growing relaxed once more.

  "You do not elect gods," the Overseer says softly. "But, perhaps divine influence can help you get what you want, Artemis," he says, turning to Cromwell. "We will help you set things right in your city. Once we have dealt with this invasion, we will resume our own of New Haven." He smiles again and shakes his head. "It shall become Haven again, just as it was," he goes on. "And you, Artemis, shall be reinstated as its ruler. How does that sound to you?"

  Cromwell purses his lips and nods. "I would be grateful for the help," he says, eyes shining with a dulled desire. "But there are so few Savants left..."

  "We can help you there, don't worry," the Overseer says. "There is much dormant Savant blood and divinity lying locked away out there. We shall see it freed, in time." He looks to me, his green, gold-tinged eyes lighting into a grin. "Brie will help see to that."

  The joy, once more, departs. I feel a throb of something else, something dark, take its place. A dread begins to rise, battling against the imposed light of the Prime. "I'll...never help you," I growl.

  "Oh, I find that awfully hard to believe," the Overseer returns lightly. "Never is such a silly word, so often used out of place. A lot can go on, you see, between now, and never. Unless you have the foresight to see all the days to your death, then how can you make such a wild assertion?"

  He grins to himself, pulling his shoulders back, his multi-coloured robes dazzling under the firelight from the braziers lit around the courtyard. His eyes flick away, towards the gathered Chosen and Heralds.

  "I'd like you to meet someone, Brie," he goes on. "Someone you'll be spending a great deal of time with." He lifts a hand and I see a woman turn towards us. A woman, handsome but for her odd appearance; her head clean shaven, her forehead cut with the symbols of the Prime, simple robes concealing her athletic frame beneath.