Even to the commoner’s imagination, it was a
well-known fact that giants, as their name might suggest, consume giant
portions. But as Heather stood next to a crystal jar, rising up sheer like a
clocktower, it began to dawn on her that most people, herself included, had
small imaginations…
Through her mottled reflection she could see
some kind of grain, the colour of burnt cream and resembling barley, except
that a single kernel was about the size of her head. Seeing her likeness
staring back with dark eyes, drowning in an ocean of food, brought back a flood
of memories from earlier in the night. She shuddered and moved away.
The next object wasn’t much better. A huge clay
mug that stirred something in her memory. When she was young, her father once
took her to the steel mills where he worked. This was long before the pox took
him, half the city, and leaving her mother ruined. The mills manufactured
battleship parts, destined for export to Pereh and its ceaseless war effort.
Heather remembered seeing a massive crucible, glowing with molten iron, and
found it wonderfully amusing to imagine some massive being — a giant even — using
that crucible as a cup.
She didn’t find the thought so amusing now.
Worse even to think that if fate had played its hand differently tonight then
this mug would’ve likely been the one she needed to drug.
They had been waiting on the sturdy kitchen
table for thirty minutes now and Heather was beginning to feel her impatience
eat away at her. A simple knot around a beam had made an easy way down to the
table, but the table itself had very few mooring points so Mable and Ren spent
some time trying to decide the most optimal way forward — or down in this case
— and decided on a candelabra of wrought iron. That entire endeavour took
around ten minutes… The real time sink was Adelaide, who had become enamoured
with some giant, esoteric book covered in script Heather couldn’t make heads or
tails of. Heather couldn’t help but feel a small shred of pity for Ged, who had
been following Adelaide around like a schoolboy trying to appease a recently
upset teacher. With Mabel preoccupied, the man had decided he would do some
heavy lifting for the mage. The first few minutes of him fumbling over himself
as he tried to push the cover open had been amusing, then it turned pitiful and
pathetic. At least Mabel had given him a hand near the end and pretended that
it had been a joint-effort.
Mabel joined her and they watched as Ged
diligently raised and turned the much lighter pages for Adelaide.
“Well flabber my ghasts. Thought we’d have
better luck milking a bull over getting him to act polite towards her.”
“Is this really a time for jokes?” Heather
replied, annoyed at herself for letting her impatience get the better of
her.
“Don’t light a lamp during the day, do you? If
soldierin’s taught me anything it’s that when things get grim, well… that’s the
best time to crack a smile.”
“Hm… fair enough.” Heather hadn't done much in
the way of smiling, not for a long while now. Though after tonight she might
have reason to start again.
“Get on with it already, I don’t want to be
here all week. You too, Gedeon,” Ren shouted, clearly not amused by her
brother’s fawning.
“S-sorry, alm-most d-done.” Adelaide scribbled
in her small notebook, quill furiously wagging in her hand as she tried to cram
in as much as she could.
Heather wondered how the sorceress was even
able to read script roughly half her own size, let alone note any of it down
with such alacrity. Heather wasn’t keeping track but at a glance she could tell
Adelaide was already standing on twenty or so pages, not even a tenth of the
book, but all things considered…
“Come on Ada, you can take all the time you
need on our way out of this place.” Mabel said cheerfully, but with a tone that
clearly implied that it really was
time to go.
“Right!” Adelaide adjusted her glasses,
absently rubbing at her cheek as she gave her notes one final look over, then
hopped down with Ged scurrying after.
While they waited, Heather caught a glimpse of
Ren’s fingers subtly dancing in midair. Mabel noticed too and, with a sharp eye
for distraction, startled the redhead from her quiet musing.
“What’s that you’re doing?”
Ren dropped her hands and stiffened, her
relaxed expression quickly retreating behind her usual aloof demeanor. Then,
surprisingly, she seemed to soften.
“Piano,” she finally admitted. Ren gracefully
splayed her fingers as if caressing them across ivory keys. “I had always
wanted to learn — ever since I was a little girl — but our father would never
allow it. Insisted I focus on academia. A year or so ago, I had the opportunity
to acquire one, so I took it. Oh, don’t look so surprised. We have our own
avocations, just like anyone else. Gedeon over there is fond of horses, though
he tends to be rather bashful about it and would deny it if asked.”
Heather felt a deep cold run through her. They
had a family piano growing up — Essie had been besotted with it. She had even
managed to make a small name for herself locally before their mother sold it.
Heather still remembered the sight of her sister withering at the news… She
clenched her jaw, but neither woman had noticed.
“Well, it’s great to know you do more than just
scowl all the time,” Mabel quipped. Then, raising her hands in quick apology,
she added with an earnest smile, “just a joke. Sorry, sorry.”
Ren’s usual haughty composure returned, but her
voice was different, almost convivial. “In any case, that’s quite enough. Those
two are nearly here. We should start the descent.”
Mabel was already climbing over the edge of the
table by the time Adelaide and Ged rejoined the group. The rope could take
three at a time, but to be on the safe side they decided two at a time would be
for the best, with Mabel going down alone since her arms weighed as much as a
person on their own.
Heather stared off across the table. For
someone who lived all her life in the city, she found the vast, unhindered
flatness before her to be as unsettling as the grain jar.
Ren climbed over the edge.
Out the corner of her eye, Heather saw
movement. Instinctively, she reached for her knife, but when she turned, she
saw nothing. At least, not at first. Only a few paces away she saw a half-dozen
gnats aimlessly chasing and dodging one another, their chaotic flight unimpeded
by the presence of giants.
I hate
this place, she thought,
turning back to see Ged clamber over the edge.
“H-… mm… Heather?” The sorceress squeaked.
“Uh… yeah?”
“Wh-why do you… why did you become a thief?”
Heather raised an eyebrow. The last thing she
expected was small talk or personal questions. She had it in mind to tell the
woman to keep her nose out of other people’s business… but she felt like she
owed the mousy girl at least some courtesy. After all, she did technically save
her life.
“Hmm… well… I was working at the Lombard house
on Main at the time. Oh right, you’re not local. It’s something between a pawn
shop and a bank, I guess. Anyway, I was only an apprentice at the time and I
was training to be a jeweller. Always had a knack for delicate work, and gems
and metals have been a passion of mine since I was little.”
Adelaide listened attentively, her deep brown
eyes twinkling with genuine interest behind those thick-rimmed glasses. Heather
felt herself blush, realising she was beginning to share far more than she
initially intended. She cleared her throat and continued, “ah, and uhm… then my
da’ died. Money got rough. My mum was still sick so she couldn’t work and Essie
was still too young to earn much. Some rich folk left safes with us. Some as
collateral, some as storage boxes for their valuables. Lots of people died in
the pox outbreak, even some wealthy.” Heather shrugged. “Had me thinking some
of the untouched boxes might stay untouched forever, so no one was gonna miss
whatever’s inside. Took a few weeks to figure it all out, but once you have the
trick of it, it's easy. I only meant to do it a few times, but house expenses
got tighter still. I’d come home from work and find out mum had sold off this
or that just so she could… so we could foot the bills.” Heather’s hand trailed
to her pocket. Feeling the shape of the bottle beneath her fingers, her back
stiffened. “So that’s when I decided to take bigger risks and steal from the
bastards who make their money off everyone else’s sweat. So there, are you
happy?”
“Heather I… you’re s-so…”
“I’m so what? Hypocritical?”
“No, brave.”
Heather choked on her words. She felt heat
rising in her cheeks and found herself at a complete loss of what to say. Her
insides twisted into knots not only at the embarrassment, but also the
guilt.
Adelaide smiled at her, dipped her head —
perhaps as an apology for making her uncomfortable — then gestured to the rope.
“S-sorry. I sup-ppose it’s m-my turn,” and with that, she began her journey
over the edge, leaving Heather alone.
*****
Crossing the floor was the easiest part of
their journey yet. The vastness of the sweeping outstretch of floor still made
Heather feel dizzy, but the idle chatter amongst her comrades distracted her
enough to let the brunt of her overwhelming emotions fade away to the back of
her mind. Despite the joviality and newfound confidence, they still gave the
bath a wide berth. Anna lay serenely where she had been since the moment they
arrived: the back of her head slumped against the ridge of the lake, neck sloping
down into the steaming water, breasts cropping out like sea stacks leisurely
rising and falling as she breathed. The fifth vial pressed uncomfortably
against Heather’s leg whenever Mabel or Ged roared with laughter or shouted
something obscene, but still Anna slept.
As they drew near to the vault the roof
overhead gave way to a dark and cloudy sky, the humid air replaced with the
frigid cold of winter night. The vault itself was easily, and unsurprisingly,
the largest Heather had ever seen. The cast iron casing stood imposing, the
size of a house, cracks spreading out like webs across the stone floor from the
vault’s weight. Despite its imposing look, Heather couldn’t help but feel a
small thrill of excitement.
Heather and Mabel left the other three behind.
Ged was animatedly telling Adelaide a story about when he and his sister gave
some beggar a potion that made the poor man sprout hair from every inch of his
body. When she glanced back, Heather thought she could see the fraction of a
smile spread across Ren’s face.
“You got what you need?” Mabel asked, preparing
the last of her rope.
“I think I may have forgotten something. Let’s
head back and reschedule.”
Mabel gave her a deadpan stare then a moment
later burst out laughing. She clapped a heavy hand on Heather’s shoulder,
shaking her head, but still giggling. Even Heather couldn’t help but crack a
grin.
Mabel coiled the rope round and round into easy
concentric rings, ready to throw. She let the grapple swing back and forth,
testing the weight. Satisfied, she spun the grapple in a circle, then a wider
one, and finally let it fly. It neatly sailed through the air, arched over one
of the spokes, then fell, wrapping itself around the handle once, twice, a
third time. Mabel pulled and the grapple snapped into place, holding the rope
with one of its hooks, making a satisfying clink
as its metal made contact with the brass.
Heather removed the stethoscope from her pack
and left the rest on the floor. Her muscles still ached from her earlier
venture. The last thing she needed now was a sack full of tools swinging around
her middle while she tried to balance. Mabel held the rope steady, giving
Heather a silent nod as she approached.
“Don’t take too long!” Ged called out.
“Patience is a remarkable virtue; you should
try it sometime.” Heather closed her eyes, breathed a long sigh, and then began
her climb.
*****
Heather stood perched atop the massive axis of
the vault handle, her arms stretching above her head as she turned the dial
carefully and listened intently. The air here was as frigid as the hills
outside, the metal of the vault somehow radiating cold like a block of
ice.
Click,
click, click, click.
Her legs and abdomen trembled, strenuous
minutes of climbing and now balancing taking their toll. Her shoulders were
stiff, a dull throb igniting with spasms of fire whenever she changed the
dial’s rotation from clockwise to counter-clockwise.
Click,
click, click, click.
It didn’t matter though — the pain, the cold,
even the presence of giants — it all receded to the back of her mind, her only
concern was the fine clicks heard through her stethoscope. She was focused on
her work like an artist putting her brush to a canvas, like a farmer putting
the plough to her field. With precision, patience, and perseverance.
Click,
click, click, clack.
The internal locking mechanisms released and
Heather let out a deep sigh, setting her stethoscope around her neck. She let
her arms drop, her shoulders producing a satisfying string of popping sounds as
she rolled the stiff muscles. Just a
little bit longer, she thought, feeling the weight of exhaustion grip
her.
Heather clambered down carefully — it would be
a shame if weary arms ended her journey now when she’d come so far — and gave
Mabel the signal to begin with her true task: opening the vault. Ged, Ren, and
Adelaide quietly approached, eager anticipation on every face.
Mabel gripped the rope with both hands,
repositioned her feet, squared her shoulders, then heaved. At first, nothing
seemed to happen. Aside from a slight tremor in her leg and a vein standing out
on her neck it looked like Mabel was simply standing there. The rope began to
shake and a low buzz began to fill the room. The vault’s handle moved an inch.
Gears in Mabel’s arms whirred, then whined as the prosthetics’ engines kicked
into high gear. The handle twitched again, giving a sonorous groan, then it abruptly
gave in, turning like a water wheel during a flood. The spokes spun, the door
jarring open.
Adelaide jumped with excitement as she cheered;
Ged waved his cane in the air triumphantly; even Ren gave polite applause,
tapping her fingers against her palms as daintily as a lady watching a mildly
entertaining play. With a deceptively gentle tug Mabel pulled on the rope and
the vault yawned wide.
The cheers died immediately, everyone
completely overwhelmed with awe at the sight before them. Heather took a
careful step forward, as if scared it was all an illusion that would crumble
away at even the suggestion of touch. The others followed her in.
The eclectic ensemble of treasure seemed
endless. Diamonds the size of fists and sculptures carved in jade. Gold crowns,
pearl necklaces, marble statues. Coins of orichalcum from the ancient
civilization of Talaxes to the most fashionable vermeil jewellery sold in
Alryon — the wealth before her was incalculable, incomprehensible.
A wave of emotions swept through Heather. This
money could change everything for them, create a bright and hopeful future for
Esther and her, but first she would settle their mother’s debts.
Ged excitedly threw coins into the air like autumn leaves, while Ren adjusted a
pair of newly donned ruby earrings that matched perfectly with her fiery hair.
She turned to her brother and in a voice filled with a surprising amount of
emotion said: “Gedeon… if we were able to transmute every ounce of lead in the
city I don’t think we’d be able to match the value before us. Do you know what
this means?”
His smile beamed. “We can buy, what? Twenty
hectares for new poppy production. New refineries too. Not to mention paying
off the ministers. And even then, we’d still be swimmin’ in gold.”
“R-ren, did you b-bring it?” Adelaide politely
interrupted, “I’d like to… to begin if th-that’s okay?”
Ged’s smile somehow grew even larger. “Of
course she brought it! It wasn’t easy, you know. I helped with the extraction and the vacuum sealed casing. She did
most of the work, but still…”
From her pack Ren produced a brick-sized metal box. She quickly undid the clasp
to reveal an ampoule filled with a mercury-gold liquid, secured with leather
straps.
“We call it caesium. Wasn’t easy to refine this
much but you insisted. It’s highly volatile so under no circumstance are you to
break this, you understand?” Ren said, handing over the vial.
“Don’t worry, I w-won’t need to.” Adelaide
carefully took hold of the ampoule.
Heather didn’t like being left in the dark,
especially not when she was the one who orchestrated the plan in the first
place. “Uhm, Adelaide… what is that?”
“Hm? Oh… well you see… uhm… how to explain?
M-magic requires mana, a s-substance that’s all around us. Different spells
require uhm… different amounts and vary-varying types of mana. Are you… with me
so far?”
Heather gave a slow nod; not entirely sure she
was following but didn’t want to look the fool.
“M-m-moving such a large volume of goods
requires considerably m-more energy, m-more than I can harness fr-from within
myself or my s-surroundings. S-so sometimes sorcerers use c-certain objects in
our casting t-to provide that… uhm… energy. We… for a lack of a better t-term, burn the item and uhm… transform it into
m-mana.” Adelaide was warming to her subject now, back straightening, her
expression turning bright and animated. “That’s also l-largely why I can’t use
the transportation spell on all of you. Manipulation of the physical world
usually only requires burning
physical matter, manipulation of living flesh and the s-soul requires burning…
uhm… well… it’s more complicated. Darker rituals… not all of them… but m-most.”
Ren startled Heather as she muttered, “as above
so below.”
Adelaide’s face perked up, “you kn-know, s-some
historians believe th-that alchemy and sorcery w-were once the s-same practice.
In the d-days of the Talaxes. And it w-was because of humanity’s fear of magic
that th-the practices w-were split.”
Ren raised a hand to cut her off, “we are
nothing alike. I can appreciate the overlap our professions share but what you
do is… unnatural, and I care nothing for it. Let this be the first and last burn I ever take part in.”
“I… I understand…” Adelaide’s shoulders
slumped, her expression turning dejected. “I need all of you to g-get out now,
please.” She looked over to Mabel who had been quietly posing as one of the
statues for the entirety of the conversation. She gave her a small smile and
said, “y-you too, Mabes.”
Mabel lowered her arms. She was smiling, but it
didn’t reach her eyes. She placed a hand on Adelaide’s shoulder, gave it a
tender squeeze. “Be careful, alright? We don’t want a repeat of… ah… sorry.
Sorry… it just slipped out. I know you can do this. Chin up, yeah? Doesn’t
matter what Ren thinks. You’re the best damned engineer bar-none, and I know
some day you’re gonna be the greatest sorceress too. Don’t lose sight of
that.”
Adelaide relaxed a little and responded with a
short nod. She gave the metal hand resting on her shoulder a grateful pat, then
nodded her head to the door.
The four huddled together, all of them were
peering into the vault curiously, though some with more obvious excitement than
others. Mabel and Ged were both standing on their toes, stretching themselves
to their limit, meanwhile Ren was pretending to look anywhere but the vault,
her expression one of complete boredom. Heather had to stifle a laugh.
“We’re all out Ada!” Mabel called out.
No response. Heather could just barely see over
the edge of the vault’s floor. Between hills of riches she thought she could
make out the young sorceress kneeling. The seconds dragged on. Nothing
happened. Everyone began to shift uncomfortably, the same thought likely
crossing their minds: what if it didn’t work?
Heather’s vision warped, a sudden black void
eclipsing all. Dread rushed through her. Did she suddenly go blind? Then all
was as it was before except… the vault now only held one kneeling figure and
nothing else.
Immediately Ged and Mabel charged in, whooping
and cheering as they raced to congratulate Adelaide on her success. Heather and
Ren followed after, and if Ren’s face was anything to go by, she was feeling as
disturbed by the experience as Heather. Inside, Adelaide’s nervous tick was
once again on full display as she bashfully pawed at the white mark on her
face, the now blackened and half-molten glass cylinder smouldering on the
floor.
“Let’s save the celebration until after we’ve left this dreadful place, or
have you all forgotten that we’re still on the clock?” Ren said sternly,
curtailing the three celebrating their act of depredation.
“Hate to admit it, but she’s right. We still
have a lot of climbing ahead of us. Mabel, Adelaide… why don’t you two take the
lead? I’m sure Ada would appreciate the extra time with that tome atop the
table.” Heather smiled warmly, but anxiety and guilt was already gnawing away
at her. I can at least give them a
chance.
*****
The walk back was entirely uneventful. They all tried to stay quiet, largely
due to Anna’s lingering imposing presence, but muted cheers and giggles and
whispers of delight still occasionally broke the silence. When they had passed
the steaming lake and were close enough to the kitchen table to see the shadowy
outline of the rope, Heather halted.
“You two go on ahead. There was something I
wanted to ask the twins. Go on, we won’t be long.” Heather politely shooed
Adelaide and Mabel away, ignoring their confused glances.
Ren and Ged shared a look before turning their
expectant gazes to Heather. When they tried to ask why she had stopped them,
Heather raised a hand, silently signaling them to wait. They stood there for
minutes, unmoving, while she remained still as stone, occasionally glancing
over her shoulder to check on the progress of her Perehian companions. It was
only when she saw Adelaide start her arduous climb to the table that Heather
spoke.
“Well then, we’ve come far, haven’t we?”
Heather was smiling, but she doubted it was very convincing. It didn’t matter
now.
“This is about when you were hanging above
Anna, isn’t it? We told you; it was a simple misunderstanding. Really, could’ve
happened to anyone.” Ged laughed nervously.
“No, it’s not that. What happened there… It's water off a duck’s back. I have
something of yours, I thought it best if I returned it, discreetly.” Heather
was surprised at how calm her voice sounded in her ears. Her heart was
hammering in her chest, her legs felt like jelly. She reached into her jerkin
pocket, felt the embossed lettering on the bottle, then pulled it out. In a
saccharine voice she said, “catch!” and softly tossed it to Ged. Heather
continued, “Fermier Apothecary. Says so on the back. It’s yours, isn’t
it?”
The moment their eyes left her to inspect the
bottle, Heather’s hand darted into her pack. She snatched the firecrackers and
flint and lit the fuse. She had time to see Ren’s face hardening and Ged’s
nervous smile dissipating into abject horror as realisation dawned on them. She
threw the lit firecracker just as the twins looked up, then she ran.
A deafening, crackling bang.
Heather was sprinting as fast as she could, her
ears still stinging from the explosion. She risked a glance back to see Ged
holding his face in anguish, Ren screaming curses at Heather as she held onto
her brother, unsure whether to help him, drag him, or leave him. Heather looked
further back, her heart stirring. A dark arm, long and elegant, rose from the
water like a serpent. The golden bangles on Anna’s wrist clinked as she stretched out and yawned.
Heather had to hurry; she wasn’t far now. Her
legs were burning, her lungs were burning, the familiar taste of iron filling
her mouth. She could see Mabel nearing the top, but rather than focusing on her
climb she was instead staring at her.
“Ged we have to go, come on!” Ren screamed from
somewhere behind.
Heather leapt onto the rope, immediately
placing one hand over the other as she climbed. She looked down and back to see
Ren desperately pulling on a disoriented Ged. From further beyond the water of
the lake swelled then geysered upward as Anna rose from her bath. Waterfalls
cascaded from her body, waves crashing and spilling onto the stone floor.
Ren tried to guide Ged one last time before she
seemed to realise that she simply didn’t have enough time. The redheaded woman
bolted, though not toward the table, but for the wall instead.
Anna stood at full height, rivulets still
streaming down and around her breasts, jewels of moisture glinting across her
copper skin. Her hips swayed with each step as she walked out of the lake, her
eyes glinting as she took in the scene. She bit her lip, finger curling a wet
strand of dark hair.
Heather was on the verge of tears. Pain
throbbed through her exhausted arms. She was halfway to the top now.
She could still make it.
Another quick glance down. Ren was nowhere in
sight, but Ged stood where they had left him. The man seemed to have recovered
enough from the explosive to register Anna’s approach, and even from here
Heather could see him quivering.
Anna’s eyes came to rest on him and she smiled.
There was a heavy silence in the air. Neither one moved. Then Gedeon ran, his
expensive suede coat flapping as his arms windmilled for balance. Anna’s grin
widened as she took a step.
Boom
Boom
Boom
In three quick strides she was above him. Anna twisted her hips, swung her leg
back, and kicked. The giants’ bare foot slammed into Gedeon with the force of a
train, his sprawling body sent flying. He collided with the edge of a lancet
window with a loud, wet crack,
then ricocheted into the murk. And like that, he was gone.
Heather thought she’d be glad to finally see
Gedeon face justice, but the sickening execution, not to mention her own peril,
made her guts twist. Hopefully Mabel and Adelaide had made it to the rafters.
“If you little ones wanted to play-Aaaahmmmm…” Anna began before holding a hand over her mouth
as she yawned. “...Then you could’ve at least waited for me to have
breakfast first.” Her eyes scanned the room.
It was clear Anna knew there were several of
them, but if Heather had to guess, the amount of drugs in her system was making
it hard for the huge woman to concentrate. Maybe luck was for once on her side
and Heather could climb the last length of rope unnoticed. She could stay
hidden on the table until it was safe. She glanced up to see Mabel staring back
at her, peering over the edge of the table. At first Heather felt relief, but
it melted away into dismay when she recognised the look of anger, sadness, and
betrayal on the woman’s face.
Too scared to make a sound Heather shook her
head desperately, pleadingly as she watched the glint of a knife bite into the
rope. Her voice quivered as she forced a whisper, “pl-please Mabel. No. No.
Don’t. Mabel please. I’m sorry. You don’t understand.”
A faint ripping sound came from the last
threads of rope. She felt her insides heave, her heart sank, she fell. Air
wooshed past her, clothes rippling, hands clawing at nothing. She let out a
blood curdling scream, the ground approaching fast. Heather thudded into the
floor, driving her breath out, and the world went black.