“Watch yourself,
witch.” Ged spat as he moved away from her. “I don’t want your magicks on me
any more than necessary.”
“I- I’m s-sorry.”
Adelaide whimpered, the preternatural glow from the light orb she had conjured
making her seem paler and, as a result, even more frightened than usual.
Heather wondered if
she should say something, but Mabel shoved past and planted herself before the
arrogant alchemist.
“Don’t you dare talk
to her like that! We’d be flounderin’ in the dark without her help right now,”
She growled, bronze arms gleaming menacingly in the ghost-light.
“We might need her
help for now, but where I’m from a carpet like her gets walked on and then
tossed. She don’t like it, she can tell me herself.”
Mabel’s jaw clenched
and eyes flared. It looked like she was about to say something but glinting
steel came between them.
Ren, with her usual
cool demeanour, twitched her blade twice. A gesture that told the larger woman
she should step back.
“My brother may be a
fool, but he is still my brother. We need not like our little company; we only
have to endure until this is all over. If you lay a finger on him, your little
girlfriend over there might have to engineer you some new metal legs.” No emotion
in Ren’s voice. No anger or arrogance. To her she was stating a simple fact.
Mabel grinned without
humour. “So the fox has fangs. I’d very much like to see you try.”
The tension in the
air was palpable as the two women leered at one another. Ren let the tip of her
blade drop and Heather let out a breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding.
Heather spoke in a
measured, careful tone, making sure not to undo the tenuous peace: “Ren’s
right. We just have to work together until this is all over, then we can go our
separate ways. The twins can take the rear and the three of us can lead. We got
bigger things to worry about.”
Mabel gave a curt nod
and stalked off. Adelaide, with the group’s singular light source, nervously
following after.
*****
The service tunnels
were narrow, cold, and unpleasantly damp. The air was thick with the scent of
lichen and dust, clinging to the back of Heather’s throat. Gossamer clung to
the walls in delicate strands, shifting slightly in the draft as they passed. The
glowing orb bobbed in the air like a balloon, casting an eerie light that made
the ash-black limestone walls resemble a sinister passage to another world.
Heather was almost excited to get out of the claustrophobic space but reminded
herself that the next part would be far more unpleasant.
She heard the echoing
clatter of their footsteps change before the light did. A muted orange glow
began to seep into their surroundings and soon the group crept out of the
cramped passage into the castle proper. If Heather felt uncomfortable climbing
the ladder earlier, what she saw now made her heart drop.
Wooden crossbeams
stretched out before them, a deadly seven story drop waiting below. A small
handful of the beams had a balustrade at least – likely from when workers tore
the floors out to create a more comfortable ceiling for the new residents – but
the vast majority were narrow and unguarded and so very, very high.
Heather inched
herself to the very edge of the platform, taking in the vast room. To her
surprise, despite the immense difference in size, the castle wasn’t too
different from an open plan luxury apartment. On the far left, where she might
have expected a portcullis, stood a tremendous door of heavy oak. Nearby, a
solitary uniform in the blue, white, and red of Alryon hung limply on an
otherwise empty coat rack, paired with a set of large, muddied boots beneath
it. A massive chandelier hung from the crossbeams at the chamber’s center, its
blooming amber light casting a warm glow over a comfortable living area and
kitchen. A singular wall divided the room, concealing whatever lay beyond, but
Heather remembered the blueprints clearly marking that area as sleeping
quarters.
Finally, she looked
over to the far right. Heather felt herself tremble and took a step back. An
immense body of water, the size of a lake, with a lone figure taking up a
considerable portion of it.
“Is that…?” Ren
asked, breathlessly.
“Yeah…” was all
Heather could muster.
It was one thing to
imagine a giant, it was another thing entirely to actually see one.
Anna lounged in the
placid pool, eyes closed, wafts of steam dancing along the water’s surface and
coiling over her brown skin. A hand lazily pushed dark strands from her face
before arching high above as she stretched and yawned. Her arm finally slid back
into the water, the small impact causing waves the size of trees to ripple out
and crash against a naturally carved stone edge.
“You’re sure those tranqs of yours work?” Mabel
whispered.
“You better ardently
hope so,” Ren hissed in response. “Put your mind to your own task. My skills in
alchemy are unparalleled. If something goes wrong in this operation it
certainly won’t be because of my work.”
She threw her ermine scarf over her shoulder for added emphasis, then stalked
off, away from the platform’s edge.
Mabel spat over the
side, “squeezing blood from a stone might be easier than workin’ with those
two.”
Heather suppressed a
smirk and followed after the part-mechanical woman to rejoin the rest of the
group. As they approached, they could hear Ged’s strained whisper.
“What do you mean
she’s sleeping in the bath?!”
“C-can’t we j-just
drug her f-food anyway and… and wait?” Adelaide said, doing her best to
contribute to the conversation, finger anxiously rubbing her cheek.
“Are you insane? I’m
not spending a single second more than I have to in this damned place. I say we
just sneak by her while she’s asleep.” He said proudly, as if he had just
resolved the issue.
You’re the insane one if you think that’ll work, Heather thought. “And what happens if she wakes up? Hm?”
He sputtered, “The
plan is for her to fall asleep. The bitch is asleep.”
Mabel forced herself
into the conversation, “And we need to keep her that way. That’s why the plan
is for you to give Heather the tranq, as agreed, so she can spike the giant’s
food. That way we can rob her without worrying about her… interrupting.”
“They’re right,
brother. Though I may have a solution.” A cool smile spread across Ren’s face.
“Since our dear strategist was so eager to be the one to drug the beast in the
first place, why don’t we dangle her down and let her?”
Heather felt ice
crawling through her veins. She was about to protest, but affirmative
mutterings from the rest of the group brushed her aside.
“So we drug her
directly and we’re set? Won’t even need to wait around in the kitchen.
Excellent.” He said with a grin directed at Heather.
“I gotta admit, it’s
not a terrible idea. Saves some time at least. Still risky, but in a different
way. It’s a compromise.” Mabel slowly nodded in assent, but pointedly not
looking at Heather.
“I can’t believe
you’re all seriously consid-” Heather tried again, but was cut off by Ren.
“I’m sure you’ll do
an excellent job. After all, you’re the most agile here. A lifetime of
skillfully stealing into places. This ought to be trivial for the likes of
you.”
Heather stared at
them in disbelief. She heard Adelaide clear her throat and turned to the
smaller woman. Umber eyes, flecked with green and steeped in guilt, glanced
back shamefully. The mousy woman spoke: “I-I’m sorry Heather… I… I don’t see
another way. This… it really does s-seem like the best course. I’m… I’m
s-sorry.”
*****
They made their way
across the rigid manifold web of wooden beams. The Perehians navigated the
rafters with the ease of cats striding along a fence. Meanwhile, the twins
moved with considerably less grace. Maybe
still cat-like, but if the cat had its tail cut off, Heather thought.
Heather found that as
long as she looked straight ahead and pretended that she was walking across an
ordinary bridge she was fine. It was in the moments where the others needed her
knowledge of the floorplan where the trouble lay. Any time she had to glance
down it struck her how miniscule she really was. Chairs larger than houses, a
kitchen table that could span over a palace, jars that held enough food to feed
a family for a year, if not more. And of course there was the issue of Anna,
still soaking in the bath.
She felt a wave of
nausea pass through her. Even if the deviation in the plan was still in her
favour, it put her far closer to danger, far
closer to Anna, than she’d have liked.
Finally, they reached
their next waypoint: a crossbeam section forming a square directly above Anna’s
head. Below, her hair spread out like inky tendrils of night in the surrounding
water.
“Hold onto this for
me, will you? And be careful, you’ve seen the kind of things I keep in there,”
Heather said, handing her equipment pack over to Adelaide, who responded with a
quick nod, clutching the bag tightly to her chest, terrified of accidentally
dropping it. Her expressive eyes darted around, her thick glasses flashing in
the orb’s spectral glow as she looked for a suitable place to wait.
Ren approached, a
belt of some kind clinking in her hand. “You will require this.”
It was a holster belt
of full grain leather. Soft to the touch and with a delicate buckle of gold —
the thing likely cost more than the average factory worker’s yearly wages.
Small leather loops studded the belt holding vials of sapphire-blue liquid.
“Listen carefully. A
single full dosage of these would, under normal circumstances, be adequate to
render someone unconscious for a few hours. Since the beast is of a, shall we
say, larger variety, we have to
account for her increased constitution. It is crucial that you not let a single
drop go to waste.”
“Yeah, alright I get
it, use all five. I know what I’m doing.”
Ren made a “hmph”
sound, but thankfully didn’t argue.
Wordlessly, Mabel had
been busy unwinding coils of rope, carefully measuring it, cutting it, knotting
it. By the time she was finished she had three long lengths with an adjustable
hitch at their ends. A noose, even before
I’ve committed my crimes? Heather grimly mused.
Two of the lassos
found their way around Heather’s chest, just below her breasts. Ged and Ren
took hold of one rope each and moved away in opposite directions. The third
noose came around her waist, the fibrous texture constricting uncomfortably
against her hips.
Mabel stepped in
close, carefully inspecting the three lifelines. Heather had never picked up on
the soft clicking and whirring of the woman’s mechanical arms. She never
realised just how tall she was. How tight the shirt clung to her. Heather’s
face coloured – she really was standing
so very close.
“I’m sorry about all
this. We all are… Well, most of us. I know Ada at least feels beside herself,
I’ve only ever seen her this torn with remorse once before. As for my part… if
there was another way, I’d have gone for it. Regardless, thank you for doing
this.”
Mabel’s words ripped
Heather back to reality like a kick to the head. She chided herself for
daydreaming when she was about to put her life on the line — quite literally.
Mabel coughed
uncomfortably, then looked Heather over one last time before she continued,
“Well then. No time like the here and now, ay?”
Mabel stepped forward
and without preamble clamped two heavy, bronze hands on Heather’s arms and gave
a reassuring smile. Heather thought about saying something in response, but she
was yanked up into the air. The sudden display of strength, the unexpectedness
of it, and maybe the closeness, caused Heather to yelp.
Mabel readjusted her
grip then hoisted Heather up by the rope from her waist, much like a fisher
displaying their catch.
Heather's arms
flailed and careened; it was all she could do to keep her balance. The lines
around her chest tightened, eventually balancing her sway in the air. She shot
a glance to either side and saw Ren on the far beam ahead to the left, and Ged
opposite on the right.
She jerked when she
felt herself move, hovering closer to the edge of the beam. Heather wanted to
argue, to ask them to reconsider, to go back to the drawing board. Then the
floor vanished and her voice fell away from her.
She floated, as if
suspended in a dream — or it would have been a dream, if not for the lethal
drop below and the massive woman asleep in the steaming lake. Panic gripped
her, her breath turning ragged as dizziness swept over her. Instinctively, her
hand shot to her coat pocket, fingers brushing the familiar shape of something
hard and squat, its embossed lettering pressing against her palm.
A calmness washed
over her. Her breathing eased. By the time the ropes began to descend, her
resolve was an icy anger.
Heather had to squint
as she dropped out from the safety of the rafters’ shadows. For a moment, she
was like a spider trapezing down its web, a very exposed spider, drifting down
on a vast ocean of nothing. The ropes around her chest and waist tightened and
tugged, pulling her in various directions until her three marionettists were
satisfied that a plunge straight down would bring her to the intended
destination: Anna’s slightly parted lips.
Heather forced
herself to look anywhere but down. The walls were bare, ash-grey, punctuated
only by the occasional lancet window. When she focused, she could make out the
jagged scratches and crags in the stone where floorboards were once held in
place. The air grew warm and heavy, but still she refused to look. Instead, her
gaze fixed on the large kitchen table, nearly barren except for a colossal
book, a few filled jars, and a mug that could have served as a water tower. She
dourly realized that the mug was probably the one she would have poisoned, if
not for that inconvenient little mutiny.
The humidity became
smothering, and she felt her skin beading with sweat and dew. One of the key
motivations for building the fortress, aside from guarding the nearby border,
was for the travertine deposits in the surrounding area and the geothermal lake.
The lake specifically was the main reason why this fortress in particular was
agreed upon by its larger-than-life residents. It worked out for both parties:
the giants had a functioning bath and the government wouldn’t have to spend an
inordinate sum on wood, coal, or water to run it. When the fortress was
converted, it was a simple matter of removing one wall and fencing in the lake
with another; the rooftop, and its rafters, only extending partially over the
warm water to let the steam out.
A rhythmic breeze
sent her swaying, a terrible dread growing within as she realised the air was
coming from below. Hesitantly, she risked a glance down and felt her hairs
stand on end.
Two full lips, like
dark wine, lay slightly parted below her. Another gust of breath sent her hair
aflutter, her lifelines swaying. Heather clasped the corded rope, feeling its
biting texture digging into her palms. The pain barely even registered, all her
focus was centred on those two lips and the shadowy entrance between them. Her
usual tenacity had completely withered in the face of this sleeping behemoth.
Heather wanted to
simply slither back up the rope and go home. But she knew the others weren’t
likely to leave with their goal so close, especially not when simple gravity
would allow them to still drug Anna. She knew she had a choice: she could
either do it her way or hope the ones who put her in this mess wouldn’t finish
the task on their terms. The decision almost made itself.
With one hand still
grasping the rope, Heather reached at her belt for the first vial. She cursed
the jittery ropes as she fidgeted around; the steam tickling her nose and
making her eyes water. Even worse, her damp clothes clung to her like weights,
making her movements feel sluggish and clumsy. When she finally held the vial
before her, she realised her hands were violently shaking.
She sucked in a
lungful of air, quickly peered up to make sure Anna’s eyes were indeed closed,
then took aim.
It wasn’t a pretty
toss. Her trembling hands almost missed the mark entirely, sending the azure
ampoule twirling in the air. First hitting the area between Anna’s nostrils,
bouncing off the skin, and rolling down the philtrum. Luckily, the small
container held enough momentum to ramp over the upper lip then vanish into the
darkness of Anna’s mouth.
Heather waited,
breath held.
Any moment now Anna
was going to open her eyes, spot Heather dangling in the air, and chomp her
down easier than a shark snatching a hooked fish.
Another rush of wind
blew past her, then quiet. No leering eyes. No monstrous fingers. No jaws of
death. Though that was just the first
vial, she reminded herself.
She snatched the
second vial and sent it flying down, this time hearing the clink of glass as it
struck a tooth somewhere in the gloom.
The third somehow
found itself lodged at the very edge where the two lips met. Fortunately, a
massive intake of breath pulled the vial from its perch down to its intended
destination.
I wish this was easier, just my luck to get the shakes at a time
like this.
Heather fumbled at
her side for the fourth when she heard something. A soft hissing sound
accompanied by a melodic hum. It grew louder, then with a sudden wet pop,
Anna’s lips began to stretch open.
Heather’s eyes grew
wide with horror as gleaming, pearly teeth, large enough to grind her to paste,
spread before her. Air moved around her as she felt a vacuum dragging her
forward, towards Anna’s widening jaws. The ropes contracted around her
painfully as her companions above played an invisible game of tug-of-war with a
giant’s sleepy yawn.
Heather fought back
tears and a surge of panic. Silently, she prayed to every deity she knew the
name of, all while staring at a uvula swaying above a gaping throat framed by
flexing tonsils. Wet squelches rang out as muscles tensed and relaxed. Anna’s tongue
almost seemed to curl up, as if beckoning the terrified woman to give in.
The vial was slick
with sweat in her hand and she inwardly cursed herself for wishing for an
easier target. She whipped the fourth into the widened mouth, watched it land
between a molar and the tongue.
The suction from
below slackened, waned, then came to a billowing end as Anna let out a
satisfied sigh. Lips sealing tight, her neck briefly tensed as she swallowed
the contents in her mouth.
Heather let out a
sigh of her own, her entire body going slack from the wave of tension draining
out of her.
She dipped her hand
to her side for the final vial. Surreptitiously, she pretended to adjust the
hem of her pants, slipping the drug into a hidden fold.
A thief can never have too many pockets.
Heather swooped out
her arm, making a tossing motion towards Anna’s lips, then tugged on the ropes
to inform the others her task was done.
She was hauled up
uncomfortably by her rear, the ropes around her chest still slack. She pulled
on the ropes again, wondering if the twins hadn’t noticed her signal, but the
lifeline Mabel had control over yanked her up again.
Heather doubled over,
wincing as the noose cinched into her hips. The heavy humid air, along with the
blood rushing to her head, made her eyes bulge and her mind turn dizzy. Another
heave made her gasp in pain, then begin to cough as she felt her organs twist
up from the pressure and the need for air.
What are they doing?!?
Another haul, but
Heather’s weight was too far forward. The noose around her waist began to slip,
only halted by her rear, the other ropes now dangling in two large loops.
She was close enough
now that she could hear Mabel’s furious voice through the muffling steam, “this
isn’t a joke, it’s a life we’re talking about.”
“Rich, coming from a
soldier. We don’t need her. We have
her equipment and my sister and I have dabbled in lockpicking before. How hard
can this really be? Just drop her and then we only need to split the treasure
five ways, four if we nix the handler,” Ged said, his voice oozing with greed.
“Besides,” Ren
continued, “I don’t trust her, and I’m convinced she’s hiding something.”
“As if most of us
aren’t hiding something?!” Mabel countered.
“Pl-please, j-just
l-let her b-”
“It’s easy, Mabel,
you just… let go.”
Slip.
Heather felt like she
was about to vomit. The muscles in her core burned from the strain of trying to
keep her balance. She couldn’t even beg with all the blood thundering in her
head. To have come so close…
Another breath from
Anna sent the dangling woman swaying, tousled hair whipping in her face, the
rope slipping ever so slightly further.
“B-bring h-her u-”
Adelaide tried to plead, but Ren spoke right over her.
“We all derive from
the Prima Materia, we all return to it one day…”
“There won’t even be
any evidence, you know. No one else will have to find out,” Ged continued.
“Don’t d-do th-”
“Those shoulders of
yours must hurt so much. You know, we have medicine
that can ease the pain, even ease the guilt if need be. Drop her and we can
negotiate a discount.”
Slip.
Heather blinked tears
from her eyes and managed to twist her head enough to catch a glimpse of Ged
holding his rope over the edge before he spoke, “It looks like she’s slipping
anyway. Why make it hard? If I drop this, do you think it’ll tip her balance just
eno-”
A shrill, fuming
voice cut him off, and it took Heather a moment to realise the person shouting
was Adelaide.
“You- you… you
gormless reprobate. You pompous, petulant, asshole. If you so much as dip that
rope lower, I will leave both of you silver-spooned brats to fend for
yourselves. Damn the plan, damn the gold, and damn you. You bring her up
immediately or we'll both find out what my ‘magicks’ can really do.”
A stunned silence. In
her periphery, she could see the haughty expression on Ged’s face wilt into
dread.
“A… r-right. We… We
were only joking. I… Let’s get her up…” Ged shuffled uncomfortably, then began
to roll up his rope. A moment later Ren’s rope began to tighten as well.
Soon all three were
reeling her in. Heather let out a relieved sigh, glad to feel the pinch as the
cord tightened under her breasts, for the second time relishing the feeling of
tense muscles relaxing as the immense sight of Anna grew further and further
away, back into the murk.
Mabel bundled Heather
over the side. Even mostly obscured by shadow, Mabel had an awkward expression
across her face, and Heather couldn’t help but wonder if the tough woman had
actually considered dropping her at the last.
“You did it! Things
got a little… close down there, ey? Could you… uh… hear anything?”
Her legs felt like
ingots of lead, her hands still shook, she’d probably have nightmares of the
last few minutes for years to come; but she was alive and that meant the plan
could proceed. Heather would do what needed to be done.
“I couldn’t hear
anything,” she lied, rubbing at her chafed hips. “I guess I heard some voices,
but I couldn’t make out the words with the distance and the sound of my heart
thumping in my ears. What took you so long, anyways? Was starting to get
nervous…”
Heather knew she
shouldn’t have said it but she couldn’t stop herself. She studied Mabel’s face,
waiting for her answer, watching for any sign of change. Adelaide scuttled
forward; the satchel still clutched to her chest. She had the same timid
bearing, the same nervous expression, but when she spoke Heather could detect
the slightest hint of pride.
“It… it w-was a
coordination issue… Th-the t-twins hadn’t realised you had given the… the
signal. M-mabel and I helped them c-catch on though.”
The twins rejoined
the group, Ged sheepishly trying to avoid looking at anyone, Ren a mask of cool
impassivity as usual. Bitter hatred twisted Heather’s insides as she watched
them, but she reminded herself it’s only a few more hours that she’d have to endure.
Instead of stewing in
her animosity, Heather refocused on the next leg of their journey: the vault.
Reaching the treasury from above was impossible with the open roof ventilation,
so they’d have to backtrack. The plan was to climb down the beams to the kitchen
table, descend again to the floor,
and finally cross the room to the safe — a far less perilous endeavor now that
Anna was well and truly passed out.
Even from this far,
Heather could make out the colossal steel safe. Brass spokes serving as handles
gleamed brightly below a black combination dial, its edges glinting with
sterling silver. It was larger than her usual quarry, much, much larger, but
Heather was one of the best at her craft – that wasn’t pride, it was a simple
fact.
“Seems your plan has
gone accordingly, thief. I must commend you; I had thought you’d find a way to
fumble it somehow and one of us would have had to administer the narcotic.” Ren
didn’t even look at Heather as she spoke, she was too busy looking her sanguine
coat over for creases or dust.
“Plan’s not quite
finished yet. The best part is still to come.” Heather replied, beginning to
make her way to the rafters above the kitchen.
The rest of the group
followed after her, moving clumsily together like a group of conspirators — at
least that’s what Heather saw them as.
Adelaide tripped, and
Ged caught her gently by the arm. He seemed surprised, but his expression
changed to barely concealed embarrassment and something more. Tenderness,
perhaps? He helped her up, cleared his throat while looking away, and softly
murmured, “watch yourself, witch.”