Chapter 23 – #1 Mom

Linton woke up to a completely different place. Or rather, as he discovered upon further scrutiny, the same dock as before, but completely remodeled. Destroyed nearly from top to bottom, rubble and debris everywhere, with a silver ship parked smack in the middle of the dock, sitting askew.

Linton tried to move, but found his body numb from the neck down.

Doc was leaned over him, breathing heavily while he worked his magic on Linton’s shrinking wounds. Not even Doc’s magic, however, could do anything about the startling amount of blood that had already left his body, staining his clothes and pooling all around him.

“Good work on those hardlight thingies, Linton,” Doc said. “Probably saved you from bleeding out.”

“Bleeding out doesn’t sound so bad right now,” Linton grunted. “How come I can’t feel my body?”

“Oh, I gave you something to dull your senses while I’m working on you. Otherwise, you’d be in, ahem, a lot of fricking pain right now, pardon my profanity. I managed to drain the blood from your lungs, so now I’m just closing you up.”

“The constructs…” Linton said. “What happened?”

“Some sort of strike team,” Doc said. “Led by your old friend, Storm.” He caught Linton’s surprise. “Oh yeah, he’s alive. Got away, too, when we fought off his buddies. I can’t take any credit for that. I was mostly hiding in a corner.”

Doc went on, but Linton was unable to focus on his words. His skin was cold and sweaty. He breathed quickly, like a fish on land, and he fought to stay lucid.

The bluebird walks on the yellow brick fence.

One, two, three, four, five.

“What about…?” he croaked, struggling to make coherent words.

“What about me?” a familiar voice asked.

Quintilla Wenezian squatted in front of him, lowering her face into his line of vision.

Linton gritted his teeth. “You were late.”

Quintilla shrugged. “Yeah, well, I wasn’t aware I’d be showing up to this kind of party. Your instructions were vague.”

“How’s life?”

“Meh. Same old, same old. Murder, bribery, treasure. Good stuff. There’s always a place for you at my side, should you reconsider your…” She glanced down at his blood-soaked body. “Current course of action.”

“If I were relying on your charity, I’d be a dead man,” Linton hissed. He put too much intensity in his voice, making him woozy. He took a few seconds to catch his breath and collect himself.

“She, um… did actually save our lives just now,” Doc remarked. “If not for her, we’d be dead.”

Linton didn’t bother responding to that.

“Hey,” Quintilla said, her tone a smidge softer than usual. She rubbed the bridge of her nose with thumb and forefinger. “I know I could have done better. I haven’t been there for you like I should. I’m trying to mend things by coming here.”

“Take my family,” Linton said firmly. “Go to Tumba. Keep them safe. After that, whatever happens, happens.”

Quintilla nodded. She went over to her ship without another word.

“I’m detecting a strained relationship,” Doc said.

“You think?” Linton grunted.

One by one, so as to not crowd him, his family took their leave. Liza kissed his forehead and told him he was strong. Mavin said that she’d leave Tumba and drag him out of the Beyond if he decided to die. Sed simply told him that he was a fool, but in a softer tone than his usual tirades.

Tesman was not allowed to come near, arms tied behind his back.

“I… I don’t know what came over me,” he said. “I’m so sorry, son.”

“It was Couldess, not you,” Linton said. “I should have guessed he’d try something like this. He implanted a subconscious trigger in your mind with an order to kill me. I’m willing to bet you didn’t even know it was there.”

“He had a tracer element on him, too,” Quintilla remarked, picking her teeth with a fingernail. “That’s how they knew where to send their teleporting boys. I removed that for you, needless to say. Congratulations, though, Tessie, on being Linton’s second psychopathic killer parent. Glad to see you’re doing well.”

Liza glowered back at Quintilla.

Linton’s eyelids flickered. Despite his best efforts, despite his mental training, his consciousness was being wrested away.

“Goodbye, son,” Tesman said, tears wetting his eyes. “I… I never meant to do this.”

Linton didn’t get to say anything in return. He couldn’t get anything past his lips other than an incoherent whisper. The last thing he saw was the ship taking off and zipping out of the destroyed dock, his family aboard.

***

Aeva, Cat, and Doc stood around Linton’s bed. Cat nursed a cigarette, while Doc kept his hands on his hips. Aeva covered her nose with her shirt to block out some of the smell.

“How’s he doing, Doc?” Cat asked. “Any improvement, or…?”

“Fever went up during the night. His body was put under tremendous stress,” Doc explained. “You must understand, even with blood transfusions and healing magic, there’s only so much I can do. He was skirting the line between life and death for a while there.”

Doc had done miraculous work on the rest of them, but Linton’s injuries had been the most grievous. Though his wounds were healed, a nasty infection had taken hold of his body that not even vivimancy could curb. For days, Linton had been in that bed, occasionally conscious, if not lucid. Mostly, he tossed and turned in unsettled sleep.

You are not half as cold as you would like us all to believe, Aeva thought, regarding Linton’s face closely. You risked your life—your plan—for them.

“Codes, this is such a mess,” Cat said. She tapped ash into an empty glass and blew out a shaky plume of smoke. “Who will lead the Bluebirds while he’s out of commission? If we let the MOW recover, all our progress will be undone. We won’t be able to repeat that.”

“There will have to be a vote, of course,” Doc said. “However, for what it’s worth, I think it should be you. You were closest to him, after all.”

“Me?” Cat spluttered. “I’m the worst option to lead! I don’t have his… Linton-ness.”

“We shall see, when the time comes to cast our votes,” Aeva said. “And perhaps he will awaken before that ever becomes an issue.”

Doc bid them leave so that he could work in peace, and they both obliged. As they went down the stairs, Aeva caught Cat frowning deeply, gaze distant.

“There is something on your mind,” Aeva said.

“Of course there fucking is,” Cat snapped. “My brother nearly died, and our little rebellion? In shambles.”

“More than that.”

“More—How could there be anything bigger than that?”

“We are not friends,” Aeva admitted, “but we are more than strangers, too. You can talk to me.”

They entered the common room, where Frost tinkered with a small device behind one of the tables. Cat gave him a stony glance. He froze in his seat, smiling nervously at them.

There was a long silence while Cat poured herself a pint behind the bar. She gulped down half of it, then offered one to Aeva. She passed.

“I wasn’t strong enough,” Cat said suddenly. “It’s been me and him for as long as I can remember. Whenever he’d get himself into trouble, I’d get him out of it. But I was too weak this time. My best would have left us just as dead.”

Aeva let her statement sit for a moment.

“We were fractured, caught unawares. Next time, we shall stand united and ready. Linton shall reawaken. I shall yet recover the Crown of the Moon-King and master the power it holds.”

Cat downed the rest of her beer and wiped the foam off her upper lip. “Let’s hope you’re right. Personally, I’m not so sure.”

***

A few hours later, well into the night, there was a knock on the door. Hunter came down the stairs, sword drawn. Aeva got up off her chair. Cat readied a spell and slowly advanced on the door.

“Be ready to unload once I open, case it’s the MOW,” Cat whispered.

She sidled up to the door, curled her hand around the handle, and jerked it open in one motion.

A human female stood there, her face hidden beneath a heavy raincoat.

Cat hauled her inside with a hiss and kicked the door shut. “Your Highness. Didn’t think you’d ever show yourself here. Big risk.”

The woman pulled off her hood, revealing a golden mane. Tessla Couldess.

“A necessary one,” Tess said. She looked around the bar as she took off the coat. “I love what Doc’s done with the place.”

“Don’t say that so he can hear, or it’ll go to his head,” Cat advised.

Hunter reluctantly stowed away his weapon. “Why are you here? We risk discovery by your very presence.”

“I heard about the ambush,” Tess said. “I wanted to make sure you’re all still standing.”

“We’re not, thanks for asking,” Cat said. She took Tess’s coat when she offered it and threw it on the floor. “Linton won’t wake up. Been out for days.”

“Linton’s injured?” Tess asked, frowning as she looked at each of the gathered Bluebirds in turn for answers. “What about Doc? Surely he can fix it.”

“This can’t be mended so easily,” Hunter said. “Spare us your false concern. You might have been a party to all this. It’s good that you came here, after all, so that we can know the truth of it. One way or another.”

His hand rested on the pommel of his blade.

Tess’s eyes widened a little. She took a step back and bumped into Cat, who didn’t move a hair, her expression hard.

“I promise, I had nothing to do with this,” Tess pleaded. “I understand your suspicions, really, I do. I’d probably think the same if the roles were reversed. But I guarantee you, I hold no love for my father. I believe in Linton’s plan. I’ll prove it.” She looked around the room, searching for sympathy. “I-I have information. That’s the other reason I came here.”

“What kind of information?” Hunter asked.

“I know where Drakemyth is holed up,” she said quickly. “He’s hidden in a secret facility in the mountains of Semic. He’s testing on that magic crown. From what I’ve been able to gather, he’s getting close to harnessing its power.”

“Impossible,” Aeva spluttered. “Only the worthy may wield it. This… Drakemyth certainly is not.”

Tess shrugged. “I’m just telling you what I’ve heard.”

“Sounds like another setup to me,” Cat said. “What do you think, Hunter? Sound a bit too convenient to you?”

Aeva had heard enough.

“Tessla has been nothing but helpful,” she said. “She is a Bluebird, like all of us. Linton trusts her. His judgment is sound. I will place my trust in her as well.”

She put herself between Tess and Hunter.

“Sorry to say, tyke, but you haven’t been with us for very long,” Hunter said, taking a single step towards her. “Your word isn’t all that, either.”

Aeva bared her teeth. “Then test me. Let us see whose fists ring true.”

There were heavy footsteps down the staircase. Doc pushed past Hunter, face lighting up as soon as he saw Tess.

“Ah, Tess, my dear!” he exclaimed and gathered her in a big, fatherly hug. “It’s been too long.”

“It has,” Tess said, letting her head rest on his shoulder.

They disengaged, and she looked into his eyes. “I love the bar! You’ve really fixed up the place, haven’t you?”

Doc’s face went beet red. He twirled one of his mustaches. “Oh, you’re too kind, too kind indeed. It’s nothing, really. All in the polish, you see. Polish up the wood, polish up the bottles, it all looks like new.”

Cat cleared her throat. “We were just discussing whether lovely Tess here is a spy working for the enemy.”

“Nonsense, nonsense,” Doc said with a dismissive gesture. “You’ve all let paranoia go quite to your heads. Tess is one of the kindest young ladies I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. I daresay she’d have gotten along a storm with Amyra. Besides, she was cleared of all suspicion when she first joined.”

“What if Linton was wrong?” Cat asked.

Doc cocked an eyebrow. “Have you ever known him to be wrong on matters like these?”

Cat didn’t answer.

Doc nodded with satisfaction. “Settled, then. I won’t have any of you suspecting our Tess of this or the other.”

“Fine,” Cat grumbled. “She’s trustworthy.”

“It was fortuitous timing that you came,” Aeva said. “We were planning to hold a vote to determine who will lead the Bluebirds while Linton convalesces.”

***

The hardlight scryer screen on Septum’s desk showed the profile of Drakemyth’s face as the old scientist slaved away over some project.

“Progress?” Septum asked.

Drakemyth’s metallic eye swiveled briefly to meet Septum’s gaze, before returning to regard his work. “Adequate. You’ll have your Ironhearts.”

That was one of the bigger reasons why he liked Drakemyth. The man knew how to multitask.

“How many?”

Drakemyth sighed and pushed out his cheek with his tongue. “I can have twenty-five operational if you give me another day.”

“Excellent.”

Drakemyth toiled in silence for a while.

“Couldess, tell me this,” he said. “What, exactly, did your taskforce come up against? These losses, given the battle strength of the constructs, should have taken a great deal of firepower.”

“The Bluebirds continue to impress,” Septum answered coldly. “However, the Ironhearts performed admirably. Storm claims that they would have been victorious, if not for the appearance of one Quintilla Wenezian. Traces of black anima on the scene corroborate this.”

Drakemyth looked up, and his hands ceased their frenetic movement. “Quintilla Wenezian? That monster?”

“The very same.”

“The woman’s a legend. Why would she get involved?”

“At this point, I have no idea. She’s clearly struck some kind of deal with the Bluebirds. Why, I can only guess at.”

Drakemyth chuckled darkly and continued working. “Your enemies are piling up. Be careful, Couldess.”

“Current intelligence suggests that Wenezian left as quickly as she came, charting a course back to Tumba. She shouldn’t be a problem—but just in case, I had some surplus guns moved to the shoreline, should the pirates be so bold as to launch an assault on the city itself.”

Drakemyth grunted his approval.

“How come you didn’t send me your little pet project?” the scientist asked. “Judging by the state of the rest of them, he could probably have used some care.”

“He received some basic repairs in-house,” Septum said. “Nothing as elegant as your work, but he refused to be taken out of service for long. He was always a go-getter, but after his return…” He paused, suppressing a shiver. “He’s different now. Impossible to leash, but strong, and with a grudge against the Bluebirds that will certainly prove advantageous.”

“Despite all that, you’re still losing,” Drakemyth muttered.

Septum held back an outburst. “Not so, Drakemyth. The Bluebirds may have escaped, and we may have lost the Granhorns in the chaos, but there have been no reported sightings of the terrorists for days. They got away, but we hurt them badly. Next time, my Ironhearts will finish the job.”

“If you say so.”

“Just get them ready,” Septum growled, patience thinning.

“Of course. I’m never tardy.”

“Any progress on the Crown?”

Drakemyth whistled between his teeth. “Some. Its power is remarkable—divine energy is difficult to measure, but I suspect this artifact could provide enough power to supply an entire city, maybe more. I’ve already lost several assistants to its curious security mechanisms. However, I have discovered that using certain dampening enchantments as a buffer can mitigate the blowback. Installing a thin starsteel mesh between the Crown and the wearer has proven to compound this effect.”

“Spare me the details,” Septum said. “Will you be able to weaponize it?”

“Given a little more time. Anything is possible, with the right tools.”

“Good. That’s all, then.”

“Take care, Couldess,” Drakemyth said. He paused. “You look tired. Don’t push yourself overmuch. I know how you work.”

Septum ended the transmission. He sighed and poured himself a drink of whiskey, then leaned back in his chair as he drank.

I can’t afford to lose this, he thought. For the first time since coming into power, that seemed like a real possibility. He refused to entertain the notion, but it was there nonetheless, niggling at the back of his mind.

I have to win.

For Tess. For Lee’s memory.