Siren and
Ellis hurried back to Reason-Unbound’s lab as quickly as Gulliver’s unconscious
form would allow them, whilst Broken-Hope lagged behind. Ellis caught a glimpse of him over his
shoulder (actually having to focus directly on him to avoid the confusing
collage of images and impressions that usually assaulted him when he caught the
Fallen out of the corner of his eye) and was concerned to see that the ethereal
being was actually limping.
At this pace they made it back
down to the level of the catacombs in about the same time as they had
ascended. After that they had to rely
on Broken-Hope to lead them and that took longer, as it was clear the Fallen
was tiring rapidly.
"Are you going to be
alright?" Ellis asked him after he had stumbled and had to prop himself up
against a nearby wall.
"I'll be fine," the
androgynous figure had responded, "I just need a chance to recharge."
Ellis had nodded, unsure if he
really understood at all for the Fallen seemed so alien to him (and yet so
strangely familiar in many ways) that anything they did seemed near
incomprehensible. A few minutes later,
however, they arrived back at the enormous, cavern-like chamber of
Reason-Unbound's lab and the delighted expression on the face of Greta,
standing in the doorway, was enough to cheer them all a little.
"You made it!" she
cried out, rushing over to hug Siren, although only managing an awkward approximation
as long as the erstwhile pirate was carrying Gulliver. "We were so worried." It was obviously true. Even Luke looked somewhat relieved when they
passed through the door into the chamber proper.
The Former Baron stood in the
background, over by the machine which had made it all possible, or rather, what
remained of the machine. It looked like
its modified use had been more than it could take. The boiler had apparently exploded, showering the chamber in
parts and now the old Philosopher was picking through the smoking wreckage with
a mournful expression. "Too young
to die," Ellis heard him muttering, and figured it was better he left the
old man alone until he was done.
“We had
to take cover once the machine was running,” Greta explained as they laid
Gulliver down on the ground away from the worst of the shrapnel. “Franck was agitating the whole time about
the mechanism but I was genuinely afraid for my life.” Siren patted her
reassuringly on the shoulder, then slumped down beside Gulliver.
"I feel like I should be
done," she said, sighing, "like that was it and this should all be
over now," she wiped some sweat away from her forehead, "but it
isn't, is it?"
"Isn't it?" Ellis
asked.
"No! I still don't have my ship and we haven't
dealt with the fiends responsible for the deaths of so many today."
"We killed the Lich,"
Ellis suggested.
"But the Lich was
essentially a hired goon. A very
powerful, very influential goon, but a goon nonetheless. It's Harker we need to thank for all this,
Harker and whoever he's been working with."
"But, if I understand what
Broken-Hope was telling us before correctly, we're pretty much stuck here. All our boats will have been vapourised, as
will have been the Dusk Raider."
"I know!" She let herself fall backwards onto the
polished granite floor. "This has
been a hopeless disaster." She
flung an arm up over he face and Ellis was concerned when, a moment later, he
heard her sobbing gently. "So many
have died," she whispered.
Ellis tried to think about all
the people they had started out with, what they looked like, what he knew about
them and realised that he couldn't remember.
With the exception of the close company he was with now, he had not
really gotten to know any of them.
But then, there was Toby. Toby had become his friend over the past
couple of weeks. They had shared tales
of their past experiences and bonded in their similarities. He had gotten to know that young man better
in those two weeks than many of the friends he had picked up in school. But Toby was not with them in
Reason-Unbound's lab, which meant that Toby had been on the surface somewhere
when the accelerator fired. The fact
that he had not been with Gulliver suggests he was already dead, which was
perhaps a mercy, but it made little difference. Ellis had lost a friend either way.
"I'm sorry," he said,
helplessly, as a tear began to trickle down his face, "I really am."
Siren uncovered her reddening
eyes and glanced up at him as he knelt down towards her. Without thinking he wrapped her up in his
arms and they sat like that, holding each other, for what seemed a very long
time, unaware of any of the others in the chamber at that moment.
Eventually there was a groan
from where Gulliver had been lying unconscious and Siren and Ellis released
each other to turn and look in his direction.
The dazed pirate was slowly sitting up, trying to get a bearing on where
he was and what was happening. It was
the Former Baron who broke the sombre silence to greet him.
“Ah, Gulliver, my lad. So good to see you again!”
“What ‘appened?” Gulliver asked, rubbing his head and feeling
the bumps forming where it had first impacted the deck and second, felt Siren’s
fist. “Why do I feel so…” he trailed
off, as if unsure of exactly what it was he was feeling.
“The Lich made you his thrall,
my boy,” the Former Baron replied, before adding graciously, “but don’t be
ashamed. It could have happened to any
of us.”
“The Lich?” Gulliver asked, confused, then, as realisation
dawned he let out an anguished groan which terminated with a half-wheezed word,
“…Toby…”
“Toby is…” Ellis began, but faltered before he could
say that painful word.
“Toby didn’t make it,” Siren
finished for him and he gave her a grateful, sorrowful glance.
“Oh.” Gulliver said, then he closed his eyes and sat like that in
silence for a minute. No one felt the
need to interrupt until he had opened them again. “‘As the Lich been destroyed, then?”
“Yes,” Siren replied, “along
with our means of getting out of the Shoals.”
“The Shoals themselves will be
more dangerous to passing ships than ever now, too,” Von Spektr added with a
sigh, “the sandbanks will still be there, for after all these catacombs remain
in their midst, but the surface waters have probable covered much of them, with
only fragments of the ancient stone ships left to warn sailors. I suppose someone will have to do something
about the lighthouses again…”
“Then ‘ow are we getting’ out
of ‘ere?” Gulliver moaned.
“We’re stuck,” Luke replied as
succinct as ever.
“Actually,” came the
whisper-like voice of Broken-Hope, who staggered forwards as he spoke, “there
might be a way.”
All eyes turned upon him as he
made his way over to Ellis. He looked
even worse than he had a few minutes ago, as if his act of defending against
the Lich were still ongoing.
“Can I…” he began and Ellis
stood then, grabbing the Fallen’s suddenly slender frame as if to support him,
a chill and a shiver running through his whole body as he touched the ethereal
being’s cold, pale flesh. “Can I have
your medallion, Ellis?” Broken-Hope asked.
“Of course,” Ellis replied,
pulling the strange golden disc out from beneath his shirt and over his
head. The moment it left contact with
his skin he felt a slight drain, as if it had been passing on some of its
energy the whole time. He found the
feeling of being without it slightly disconcerting and paused before handing it
over to the Fallen, who, it was clear for all to see, needed it far more than
he ever could.
“Thank you,” Broken-Hope
replied as he took the medallion and, rather than placing it over his neck,
merely clasped the disc to his chest.
For a moment, nothing seemed to happen, and then suddenly there was a
blinding light which started at the disc but which rapidly consumed the entire
figure of the Fallen, forcing everyone else in the chamber to look away. The glow continued fitfully for a full
minute before dying away and when Ellis turned back to look Broken-Hope was standing
whole and strong once more, holding the medallion out towards him. “That is a very precious artefact you have
there, Ellis and I dare not use any more of its power. Take good care of it.”
“So what is this way to help
us?” Siren asked.
Broken-Hope
turned to face her and gave her a soft smile, warmer than any he had presented
her with before. “I can take you away
from here myself,” he glanced around the chamber, taking in each face, “all of
you. All you need to do is pick a
destination and I will transport you there.”
“Then
take us to the Ebon Crest!” Siren replied with no hesitation. “That’s where Harker will be and he is the
one who must be made to pay for all of this.”
Ellis
nodded in agreement and he could see Greta and Luke were doing the same. The Former Baron merely looked thoughtful.
“Very
well,” Broken-Hope replied, “I shall do as you ask.”
A spark
of hope lit up Siren’s tired eyes. “Can
you take us to below decks, where we might have a chance to disrupt the ship
and take down the crew one by one?”
“As
easily as any other part of the vessel.”
“Then we
have no time to waste, please, Broken-Hope, take us there at once!”
The
Fallen nodded, then gestured for everyone to draw closer to him. They each took a few, cautious steps until
they were within a space described by the outstretched arms of the white-robed
youth. He opened his mouth as if to say
something, or as if her were about to sing the opening note of some choral
piece and then Ellis blinked and suddenly he was somewhere else entirely.
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