Chapter 27 – Family Affairs.

A muffled explosion resounded through the building, pale blue smoke billowing out of one of the lower level windows. Rachael stood there looking shocked while Alison just stood calmly, arms crossed, shaking her head.

“What is she doing this time?” Alison muttered.

They were part way down the hill, the sun now low in the sky. All of the buildings looked identical to Rachael, three story apartment buildings, rows of doors with associated windows facing the road as they walked past, stairs on the left hand side of them all that went up to the walkways for the higher levels. While a number of the buildings that they had passed were empty and falling apart, this one was unique in that it stood in ‘decent’ condition, surrounded by the ruins of the neighbouring buildings. Decent in that a number of the windows and doors liked like they had suffered a similar fate at some point to what had just occurred.

The door next to the smoke plume opened up, more smoke billowing out as a figure walked out of it and out of the smoke, a gas mask on her face. She took the mask off, and took a deep breath, before noticing the pair standing on the road.

“Alison!” she yelled, a huge smile on her sooty face. “You’re back early though,” she added.

“...Saylin...” Alison growled.

Saylin appeared to ignore her comment, instead gesturing to the pair. “What’ca still standing out there for? Come inside.”

Alison sighed, and shook her head.

“But hasn’t she just...?” Rachael asked.

“Come, let’s go in,” Alison replied. “We own the whole building. It’s just her labs in the lower floors,” she then added as way of explanation.

Saylin dashed up the stairs and into a door on the second level, Alison and Rachael following. Walking inside the apartment and into the living room, what greeted Rachael wasn’t too different from what she was used to. A dining table with chairs sat off to one side, a pair of sofas sat against the other wall. One dark leather, one a dark blue fabric. Unlit lanterns hung in various places around the room, a box fireplace sat against one wall, its chimney snaking it’s way up and along the wall, and black curtains hung by the windows. Sure all the technological gadgets were missing, definitely no dominating TV or stereo (she was certainly missing being able to listen to music already), but the rest was very similar. Saylin threw the cloth that she had been using to clean her face onto the table and then collapsed onto the fabric couch, grinning at Alison and Rachael.

“You finally bought someone home! I didn’t realise you swung that way,” she teased.

“I don’t,” Alison glared back.

“Oh, come on. I don’t believe that for a minute. She’s gorgeous!” Saylin said, giving Rachael a good look over.

“Humph. We just picked her up along the way.”

Saylin laughed. “That sounds worse you know.”

“Umm... I’m here you know,” Rachael finally interjected.

Alison cleared her throat, staring daggers at Saylin before taking a deep breath. “She never changes. Rachael, this is Saylin. Saylin, Rachael. Saylin is my half sister and also a member of Clocky’s team. She says she has an aversion to trains, hence why she is still here, but she will be returning with us.” Alison gave Saylin a wicked grin.

Saylin mocked terror with wide eyes. “It’s not an aversion, it’s a crippling fear I tell you. Don’t wanna.”

Looking, Rachael could see a little resemblance, but it was hard to believe that they were sisters, even half sisters. For a start, while Alison was tall, muscular and toned, Saylin was petite, and shorter than Rachael. She was entirely in black; her long black hair styled into a pair of voluminous pigtails, black eyeliner and lipstick, black nails, black jewellery. She had a sleeveless black dress on that had a leather corset, belts round the neck, shoulder and waist, a fine mesh fabric above the chest, and puffy lace layers for the skirt that went down over the knees. She wore thick black tights and a pair of black boots. Goth would be an appropriate description. She was attractive in her own way though, like her sister, and they seemed to be around the same age as well.

“You are coming. We’ll be getting off just past the Narrows in the Eastern Teeth anyways, and walking from there.”

“Is Rachael coming too?” Saylin asked

“Yes.”

Saylin made a dramatic gesture with her hands before lying back on the sofa. “I guess I have no choice. If I don’t survive you’ll have to bury me back here though.”

“Mason is dead. We buried him out there,” Alison stated bluntly.

“Oh.” Saylin’s playful demeanour disappeared, and she sat up straight. “What happened? He may be a bit sullen, but he never deserved to die. Oh, and please, sit.” Rachael complied, and sat on the other sofa, while Alison remained standing.

“We don’t actually know.” Alison then proceeded to retell the events of Sean joining the train, the crash and subsequent battle. She glossed over many of the details, but the gist of it was there.

“And how does Rachael here fit into it all then?” Saylin asked once Alison had finished.

“Exactly as I said. We just picked her up along the way. The buggy broke down and then we were ambushed by a pack of Longhairs, and she happened to be passing by and aided us. She is however a close friend of Crys, who also only joined us in the last few days.”

“Crys happened to just be passing by as well?”

“Actually, yes. Clocky has taken a liking to them though, and he is a solid judge of character.”

“How convenient...” Saylin gave Rachael another long stare, though probably for other reasons, before shrugging. “While he did hire us both, I do agree that his instincts are good.”

She then gave Alison an appraising look. “You’re not telling me everything are you?”

“Just what you need to know. You’ll have to learn the rest yourself. After all you do seem so very interested in her...”

“Pfft. She’s probably already taken.”

“I am still here,” Rachael reminded them again. They were definitely close sisters, with the way that they interacted with each other. “And yes, I am taken.” At least as far as she was concerned she was.

“Sigh, always the way.” Saylin mocked another distraught collapse, her playful demeanour back. “So, what’s the plan then?”

“You’ve an hour to get yourself packed. Then we’re off to try and have a talk to Bowser.”

“Really?” Saylin sat back up right, a smile on her face. “This is going to be fun. Be ready in ten.”

True to her word she was. Disappearing into one of the adjoining rooms, she appeared a short while later fully kitted out. Along with a backpack, she had also strapped on a short sword behind her back, attached a small pair of small satchels to her waist belt and a bandoleer across her front that was filled with tubes of what Rachael assumed were liquids. A larger satchel she threw to Alison, saying something about backups.

Then they were off again. Back up the hill and across to the coach service, Alison hailing the first one they reached, telling the driver that their destination was Old City. He gave them an odd look, but took her coin anyways. All of the coaches seemed to look the same, but at least they were comfortable enough. Rachael ended up sitting next to Alison with Saylin sitting opposite. The light quickly faded, darkness trying to take its hold on the city, the moon and stars providing some light, along with the street lights that flickered on. Looking around as they travelled, it appeared to be just the main streets that had lights, the rest blanketed in the night. Alison had folded her arms and closed her eyes once they started their journey, her breathing slow and regular.

“Is she actually asleep?” Rachael eventually asked Saylin.

“It’s a talent of hers. Power napping. I guess we’re going to have a long night. It does mean that she feels safe around you.”

“Not that you’d be able to protect her? She’s only known me for part of a day...”

Saylin gestured to herself. “I am not the battle hardened warrior that my sister is. No, she trusts you for whatever reason.”

The coach followed the same roads back that they had used to get to Watergate, though everything looked different now. Lights glowed out of the upper level windows of some of the buildings, while the lower levels and shops were mostly closed and dark. There were fewer people on the outer streets as well, barely a soul to be seen as they headed back to the CDB. The main street was a different story though once they had reached it, everything there still alive albeit on a slightly reduced scale. Wagons were still transporting their loads, shops and stall open. There were fewer people walking the street, but those there were hurrying along, wrapped in coats and hats on their heads. A few expensive looking coaches went past them, as well as quite a few more cars. The wealthy and influential playing at their nightly games. The coach continued down the main street for a while till it reached an intersection, turning to follow a narrow but still well lit road. There wasn’t much to see beyond the road itself, everything behind it hiding in darkness.

A series of taps sounded on the roof of the coach as it pulled to a halt. “We don’t do the historic zone at night. Bowser’s orders. You’ll need to walk the last part.”

Alison’s eyes opened, a frown on her face. “That’s a new one,” she grumbled, opening the coach door and making her way out, Rachael and Saylin following.

“Wait here for us to finish,” she then stated, flipping another coin to the driver.

“Right’eo.”

Even in the darkness Rachael could clearly make out Old City, standing out high and bright in a testament to Bower’s power and influence. To say it was well lit was an understatement. Ignoring the multitude of lights that were on in the tall buildings themselves that she could see from here, floodlights also illuminated the buildings, and many of them had lights running up their sides that pulsed on and off. The wall surrounding it had towers with searchlights that scoured both inside and outside the wall, along with the regular floodlights that had been positioned on it. It would be very hard to get close to the wall without being seen, which was likely the point.

The historic zone on the other hand was mostly in darkness, excluding the three guard towers that were positioned along the road leading up to the gate, their search lights scanning up and down the road. A veiled invitation.

“Let’s get this over with,” Alison stated, taking the lead as the headed down the road.

‘There’s a massive amount of energy running under this area,’ Kitsune stated as they walked. ‘Magical and other as well.’

Rachael nodded absently. She could feel it too. Somehow the mana of the leyline had been dragged closer to the surface here, and ran in a grid pattern all over it, both along the road and off to the sides. She wasn’t sure if that was even normally possible, but it had been managed here. She could see the power lines that ran along the road, to power the guard towers, but she assumed there were probably other lines running under the ground as well, which was what Kitsune could additionally sense. Some of the rest of the city used electricity as well, and while she had seen some power lines running across concrete and wooden poles as they had done in the past, it didn’t connect to all of the places where she had seen electricity used. Before the war the city would have had most of its lines underground, and surely the people over the last thousand years had found ways to utilize them. As to where the power was being generated, given its position on top of the rivers, she was betting on hydro.

It didn’t take them too long to reach the wall of Old City, the spotlights of the guard towers hovering over them as they passed, and now focused on them as they stood before the gatehouse door.

A slit in the door slid open with a bang.

“State your business,” the man on the other side stated, all that was visible of him being his eyes. He sounded rather grumpy.

“We need to talk with Channeller Bowser,” Alison stated.

“Audience hours are over,” the man replied, making to close the slit.

“It’s with respect to his son. From Clocky Erswyrescale’s team.”

The closing halted, before opening again.

“Fine. I’ll put in a request. Wait out there.” The slot then closed again. Clocky’s family name really did carry some weight.

They had to stand around in the cold for a while longer, the harsh spotlights remaining focused on them and moths paying them a visit, before the door clicked open, a heavy set man wearing leather armour and a sword strapped to his back ushering them in. He still looked grumpy.

“The Channeller has made an exception to see you. It better be worth his time.”

The room was sparsely furnished, a single chair and table present, a metal bell installed on the wall. Rachael wasn’t surprised that he was grumpy, his post looked monotonous and mind numbing. He should have brought a book or something. The room had two doors, the guard opening the one opposite his table. He motioned them in, closing the door behind them.

The large room was illuminated by a harsh white artificial light, empty apart from a large television screen that had been attached to the opposite wall, along with a couple of globes that sat on either side of it. Rachael was quite surprised. Of all the things that she hadn’t expected to see, that was one of them. No wonder channellers were special. The TV came to life, white static occupying the screen before the image flickered on, and she found herself staring at the face of a man on the screen. He had seen better years, his features soft and chubby, his short brown hair streaked with grey. Rachael could make out a red collar, but that was the extent of what they could see.

“This better be important,” the man said through the screen. “I’ve already had a report from Audrey.”

“Then I’ll get straight to the point,” Alison stated, her arms crossed as Bowser appeared to look the team over. “Your son was transporting something volatile and dangerous, and that was the reason for the attacks and crash.”

“That can’t be right. He was just taking a routine shipment.”

“Not routine on our watch. And an inky blackness that spreads and taints is certainly not normal. It mutated the Wildling, and the volume he was carrying has spread everywhere.”

Bowser frowned, his gaze intense, he paused, seemingly lost in thought.

“Are you sure that it didn’t come from the rest of the cargo that you were carrying? Sean is not stupid; he’s a good kid.”

“We’re certain. Most of them were destroyed prior to the crash, coating his carriage. Only one survived, which we have secured. There was an interesting insignia on the cannisters.”

A flicker of emotion crossed the channellers face before it returned to his default serious expression.

“And of my son?”

“He escaped from the train before its crash. Clocky is currently tracking him down.”

Bowser raised a ring covered hand to his face, appearing to think for a minute.

“Thank you for your report. I will send some of my men to aid you when you return with Audrey’s recovery team. I’ll have them rendezvous with you day after next. That is all.”

The TV then went blank, the door opening behind them.

“We leave now,” Alison declared quietly, almost dragging the others along with her. The guard opened the outside door for them, and they stepped back out into the night, the spotlight from the wall focusing in on them again. Something about that conversation wasn’t right. Rachael was sure there had been much that hadn’t been said that she hadn’t picked up on, but she didn’t have all the information either to know exactly what. Alison was also on edge, and she didn’t pause, walking briskly down the road. Rachael and Saylin matched pace.

“He’s involved,” she muttered to them once they were out of the spotlight.

“You’re sure?” Saylin asked.

“$%#^&@ positive,” Alison growled.

“Such colourful language,” Saylin chuckled, doing a twirl.

“Why did I even bother getting you,” Alison muttered, picking up the pace.

“You think he’ll actually try to have us killed then?”

“Wouldn’t you? I think we know a little too much.”

“You have a point.”

Just like earlier the spotlights from the towers followed them as they walked along the road, bathing them in their intense glare. Last time it hadn’t bothered her, but now Rachael felt uneasy. They were sitting targets if those within tried something. She was just praying that they didn’t have any advanced weaponry.

Though if they did, that would just make it more of a challenge. A test of skills and reflexes.

your magic is both your weapon

and your armour.

Rachael had been trying her best to ignore the existence of Warrior, even though she knew that it was there. The consequences and repercussions of it was so far reaching that it had given her a headache, something that she wanted to deal with at another time. She would have to, she wouldn’t be able to avoid doing so, just not till she was in a better space. She was also sure that it was responsible for the not so subtle changes.

She heard the twang of a crossbow, instantly lunging forward, and pulling forth her magic to herself as a bolt embedded itself in the ground behind her, another one tearing through Alison’s armour as she twisted herself, barely managing to avoid it. Saylin’s hands seemed to sparkle briefly as she pulled a vial out of her bandoleer, throwing it at the guard tower. Pale blue smoke exploded out from the point of impact, billowing around the tower and obscuring them from it.

“We run,” declared Alison, breaking into a sprint.

They raced away from the middle guard tower, the spotlights randomly canvassing the ground.

“Off road?” queried Saylin.

“Too slow.”

A pulse ran through the leyline around them as the neared the last guard tower, the lights on them again. Someone was pulling on its mana.

“Something’s coming!” she shouted as Saylin pulled out another vial, halting to throw it at the tower.

More bolts thudded into the ground around them as smoke again billowed out around the tower, Saylin throwing herself off to the side just as one whizzed past where she had been standing.

“I’m supposed to just be support,” she grumbled, picking herself back up.

Rachael could feel the adrenaline rising within her as she felt another pull on the leyline around them, more intense this time, and incredibly wasteful.

it comes

Rachael slid to the side as a large suit of armour smashed into the ground where she had been standing, her fist swinging round in a counter at the same time. She grimaced in pain as her fist impacted, flesh against steel. The force of her magic pushed the armour back a little, but she was certain that she had also broken some of her bones as well. Cursing she leapt back, pouring healing magic into her hand.

your magic is both your weapon

and your armour.

“Yeah, yeah, you said that already.” It didn’t have to rub it in.

The armour drew a sword a sword and charged at her, Rachael dodging out of the way. It looked reminiscent to a typical medieval suit of plate armour, but much more sleek and closer fitting, and it was moving far too fast and lightly for it to be just that. It slashed at her and she dodged easily to the side, side stepping the follow up swing. She wasn’t going to spend all night just avoiding it’s attacks though.

She pulled more magic to her hands, visualising armoured bracers and gloves. Her hands glowed, the magic coalescing around them roughly in the shape of what she had in her mind. It flowed and settled easily, more so than she would have expected, but it was incomplete. It would have to do for the moment however.

Rachael stood up straight, smiling at the armour as it hesitated, unsettled by her sudden confidence.

“You die little girl,” a male voice said as it then resumed its attack. So there was someone in it after all. She wasn’t little either, standing at the same height.

The man swung the sword, Rachael using her bracer to parry the attack, a spark of energy pushing the sword completely of its trajectory, throwing him off balance as she followed up with a fist to the chest, intense heat gathering around it. The plates bent in as the man was pushed back, Rachael following up with a kick to it’s legs, remembering to coat her leg in magical armour before it impacted, the man tumbling backwards. The man recovered into a roll, leaping back up and charging at Rachael again. She stood stationary, parrying the swing again, the sword bouncing off her bracer as she countered with a searing punch to the helmet. There was a sickening crunch, the man stopping as blood seeped out from under the helmet and he fell backwards noisily to the ground. Alison appeared from behind it, sword plunging through a gap between the helmet and chest armour, blood pooling out around it.

Rachael let her magic fade. That had been disappointing. Whoever had been in the armour hadn’t been a real warrior. His movements had been sloppy and predictable, amateurish, relying on his armour and strength to win rather than actual skill. He hadn’t been the one using the mana either. There was another around somewhere.

Alison pulled her sword free, the smoke around the tower already starting to thin.

“Come on, let’s go,” she stated, resuming her run as Saylin threw another vial at the tower, more smoke billowing out.

Rachael nodded, running after them. The pull on the leylines had gone, but before she had landed the final blow. It didn’t take them long to reach the end of the road. The coach of course was gone.

“I am not running all the way back,” Saylin groaned.

“He’ll be waiting a few blocks down if he’s sensible,” Alison replied, starting to walk down the road.

‘There she is,’ Kitsune alerted Rachael. Looking back, the smoke had cleared from the towers, a pair of men dragging the armoured man off the road and into the building. Standing in front of them, watching the group with an amused smile, was a young woman, dressed in a blue silk dress.

“Was that actually an attempt on our lives, or just a warning, and a show of his power?” Rachael wondered out loud, as she followed the other two. The girl was familiar, the one from the car.

“If it was anything other than an ill placed warning then he is seriously underestimating us. Irrespective, he’s going to pay.” Alison was not happy.

‘I think she’s including you in the us,’ Kitsune added with amusement. ‘But it was an attempt on all our lives either way.’

Sure enough, the coach was waiting two blocks down, just out of sight.

mogust

And introducing Saylin! She is certainly a different style of character to write, and you will be seeing quite a bit more of her.

The plot thickens. It cannot bode well, having someone as powerful as a ruling Channeller being involved in whatever he is involved in. But is that all there is to it?

We shall see ^^

Not that Rachael won't just approach it head on anyway.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to comment. The next chapter (28-Layers) will be up later in the week.