It was early morning when the train reached the next station. Luna had only slept for fifteen minutes before Elizabeth woke her up and said the train had stopped. When Elizabeth woke up the night before after the explosion, she pressed her with so many questions about what happened. Yet somehow, the child still managed to sleep soundly afterwards. Luna, on the other hand, had no such luck with her barely getting an inch of sleep until the early morning.

When they got off, the people who expected to board the train, along with the conductors in the station, were surprised and confused that only one carriage and the steam engine had made it. Several train personnel and enforcers met with her as both of them disembarked.

"What happened, ma'am? Where is the rest of the train?"

Luna reached into her bag and got a metal card container.

"My name is Captain Amelia Thorn. I am an undercover agent of the sentinels, and the train was attacked last night by some separatists pretending to be members of our ranks." She reached into her bag and pulled out a ring with the tricross seal of the sentinels along with identification papers.

"The separatists pretending to be sentinels are still holding hostages somewhere along the tracks, and I need to report this to my superiors. Contact the other local law enforcement in the area and tell them that there are people stranded in the middle of the tracks. Send a message to stop all the trains to prevent a collision. Also set up a checkpoint to prevent the separatists from escaping to the main road, and why are none of you writing this or moving right now?!"

The enforcers and conductors suddenly scrambled and ran to the station while some told the crowd what happened. Luna then approached one of the conductors and handed them a card with a stamped wax seal of the sentinels and said to charge the damage to them. She then told the enforcers other fake information, which they wrote down and left.

They stayed in the conductor’s office for a while so that Luna could take medication and dress her wounds, especially her hand. The conductors then gave her an awkward salute, and after she excused herself, they both left the platform, filled with angry travelers.

"Did you just lie?" Elizabeth said to her. "You’re not in the sentinels."

"Hmmmm, a little white lie. It won't hurt anyone."

"Mama said lying is bad." The child said innocently.

"She has a point. I’ll take that as advice then. From here on out, no more lying."

As they exited the station, there was a carriage and vehicle rental shop with a restaurant at the front. The shop had a giant sign that said, "Krazy Kapitan Vhlads Automobile Rentals."

"Want to get breakfast?"

=0o0=

At the café, Elizabeth enjoyed some pancakes with bacon and eggs, while Luna only had two cups of coffee. She watched the child eat and noticed some syrup had gotten on her clothes. She took a look at her own clothes as well; her long coat had its entire right sleeve ripped, along with her dress shirt underneath, revealing her arm filled with ugly scars. Her trousers, coat, and boots were covered with dried mud.

She looked at the glass window of the restaurant, and her faint reflection showed her hair was a mess and covered with mud and dirt. Elizabeth was much cleaner compared to herself, but the child’s hair and clothes were also covered in filth.

No wonder they sat us outside. They probably thought we were vagrants.

"I’m finished." Elizabeth had cleaned her plate and showed it to Luna. She smiled; the child had completely recovered, which cheered her a bit. As she poured Elizabeth a glass of cold milk, a glorkan worker delivered some doughnuts and fruit with chocolate dipping sauce. Luna then pushed it towards Elizabeth, who took it happily.

Alright, here goes nothing.

"Elizabeth Do you mind if I ask you a few questions? But you have to answer them with the truth, alright? Remember, lying is bad."

Elizabeth nodded.

"Alright. Can you tell me what happened when you were riding in the trucks? What happened to you and Ketil?" There was no point in going around it; the sooner Luna knew the answer, the better. Elizabeth looked hesitant and scared; so she stood up from her seat and approached her.

Luna knelt in front of her. "I’m sorry I asked. But I need to know what happened. You are safe now. They cannot hurt you anymore. But I need you to tell me what happened so I can help you. "

It took a while, but Elizabeth finally looked her in the eyes. After a long pause, she spoke.

"We were riding in the trucks. I was riding in the front, and I was looking out the window the entire time. Then we had to stop because there were trees and a truck in front of us and people were asking us to go down. The driver then turned and drove into the forest.

Captain Ketil told the driver to leave the road and keep driving, but there were people in the forest. They fired at us, and the driver fell off the truck. Then Captain Ketil drew out his gun and then he went to the wheel and drove us forward. He asked me to put my head down and yelled at everyone at the back of the truck as well.

We drove and drove, then suddenly the truck stopped. Captain Ketil tried to start the truck, but it wouldn’t start. He asked everyone to get down so we could run into the forest, but the moment we got down, there was a truck already behind us. They started shooting…" Elizabeth started to shake and sniffle. Luna held her hand softly.

"I heard screaming at the back of the truck, and my friend Coren yelled for help, and then they shot Cap…Captain Ketil and then they took me... and then-"

"It’s alright. You do not need to continue. I know what happened next."

"Did you see Coren?" Elizabeth asked. "My friend was riding with us at the back of the truck."

"I’m sorry. I didn't." As Luna comforted the child, she already pieced it together. The enforcers planned to betray Ketil and the civilians' right at the start. But all the men in the operation were cross-checked by Solomon and the others.

If they could plan this from right under them, who else was involved in this?

Now even her syndicate connections or even Solomon can’t be trusted.

"Elizabeth. This is the last question. Do you know why they took you alone? Did they say anything? "

The child just shook her head.

"They said a reward. That’s all I hear them say." Luna let Elizabeth compose herself before she replied.

Elizabeth, this is what we will do. First, do you trust me?" The child nodded.

"Good. Listen, for now we cannot trust anyone alright? Well not yet. And I absolutely mean no one, not even the enforcers. I know your mother may have said something about not trusting strangers like me, but right now we have to break that rule alright?" Elizabeth nodded again.

"Just this once. We cannot tell anyone where we are heading or where we are because they might come after us. For now, what we will do is go to Llomeryn. It is close by and my home is there, as well as some friends and family who can help us. From there, we will ride an airship back to Braenarim and then bring you home, alright? I will personally escort you until you get home safely. I promise."

Elizabeth nodded as she continued to sniffle. It took a while, but once she had finished, Luna paid for their meal and they headed to the vehicle rental shop next door.

=0o0=

It was noon when Baldric’s land train arrived at a large estate near the outer ring of Llomeryn. The large estate was perched on top of a hill and was heavily fenced with high brick walls covered with thick unkempt ivy. The estate was in a state of neglect, with its wide lawns covered with tall grass and thick trees. There was a huge pond with a fountain that had turned into a swamp for small animals, and yet the fountain still worked.

It seemed only the large mansion on top of the hill was being maintained. The mansion was towering and intimidating, which is why it can be seen from far away as it is the only massive structure without any buildings beside it in the lower ring.

The land train, on the other hand, proceeded to the bottom of the hill, where there is a large cave that has been converted into a garage, allowing them to park inside. Inside the garage were numerous other automobiles and train carriages, along with a large elevator that led to the mansion above.

As both Baldric and Annie got down, they were greeted by service automatons who immediately worked and cleaned the land raider. The automatons unlatched his shop from the engine and serviced it as well.

"Alright Annie, I’m going to get home by tomorrow night, so you take care of things over here. Are you sure you will be fine on your own?" Baldric said as he approached an automobile. It was a long, bronze sporty vehicle that had six wheels and an exposed steam engine on the front, with its exhaust pipe leading to the back of the automobile.

{I’ll be fine. You worry too much.} Annie gestured at him.

He gave her a tight hug and then climbed aboard. He waved her goodbye as his automobile drove out of the garage. The moment he left, Annie closed the gate of the cave and left the automatons to finish their work in the dark. Then she entered the elevator.

The inside of the mansion was more impressive than the outside. The mansion was enormous, with numerous wings, parlors, and grand halls. The elevator arrived at the main hall, where there was a grand staircase leading to the two floors above. The inside of the mansion resembled a jungle with its large sprawl of plants and grass covering the floors and walls. An enormous tree was in the main hall, but its branches seemed to reach up to the higher floors and reach all over the mansion.

Thick ferns covered the walls, and small trees reached the ceilings. Soft, luscious grass acted as the carpet, but despite the thick foliage, it was somehow beautiful. The massive windows let the sunlight inside, which made the leaves shine. The grass on the floor was well kept, and the walls and plants had flowers and fruits that gave the house color. The main hall had a vast pond that even had small fish, and the sunlight’s reflection made the hall shine. There were even birds in the branches of the massive tree.

Several small bug-shaped bots crawled and flew everywhere as they maintained the plants and even collected fruits. When Annie arrived, she was greeted by an automaton that wore a butler’s uniform.

"Good afternoon, miss Annie. I have lunch prepared for you if you are hungry." It said in a metallic voice. Annie just shook her head when a loud vibration shook throughout the mansion. "Ferris has been in the workshop since the morning, Miss Annie. Shall I tell him to stop?"

Again, Annie just shook her head and climbed up the stairs.

"Would you like some snacks delivered to your room, Miss Annie?"

She turned around and gave him two thumbs up, then continued upstairs as more vibrations shook the mansion.

=0o0=

Outside the estate, a vehicle stopped and Luna and Elizabeth got out. Luna got her bags from the back and paid the bot driver. Elizabeth stared at the massive mansion on the top of the hill.

"So this is my house." Luna said as she slung her bags on her shoulders.

"It’s so big!" Elizabeth said as they entered through the gates. It was a long walk up the hill, but halfway through, they were greeted by small bug automatons that offered to take Luna’s bags. As they climbed up, Elizabeth looked around and saw that from up the hill she could see the market, the tightly packed buildings close to the estate, and the rings of the city in the distance.

Luna called her as she was already at the front door. Once she caught up with her, Luna unlocked the door and they both went inside.

Elizabeth could not help but wonder at the jungle inside of the mansion. The inside smelled like freshly cut grass and fragrant flowers. While the cold, cool mist that came from the bots that watered the plants felt ticklish on Elizabeth’s skin. Baxter arrived and greeted them.

"Good afternoon, miss Luna. You are three days, fifteen hours, and thirty two minutes late as per your declared arrival. I have prepared lunch. Would you like me to escort you to... Unauthorized entry detected!" Its eyes suddenly turned red when it saw Elizabeth, and so did the other bots around them. Even the plants and vines seemed to start to move, as the child hid behind Luna.

"Wait! Wait! " Luna got between Elizabeth and the butler automaton. "Luna gives full access to... say your name quick." She whispered the last part so only the child could hear it.

"Uhhmm... Elizabeth. "

The automaton stared at Elizabeth while its eyes switched from red to yellow.

"Authentication required."

From its chest, a thin glass card popped out. Luna spat on the card and urged Elizabeth to copy her. Once Elizabeth finished, Luna pushed the card back into the bot, and after a moment, its eyes turned green.

"Authentication accepted. Specimen sample accepted. Giving full access to UhmmElizabeth. Welcome UhmmElizabeth." The plants around the house, along with the bots, began to calm down and return to their tasks. "I have prepared lunch, miss UhmmElizabeth would you like me to escort you to the dining room?"

"You hungry?" Luna asked as she began to take off her coat and gave it to the butler automaton. Elizabeth just shook her head, still wary of the machine.

"We’re fine, Baxter. Is anyone here? "

The mansion shook violently, which caused Elizabeth to hug Luna tightly.

"Miss Annie has just arrived before you, Miss Luna, and Mister Ferris is at the armory." Baxter said as she began to escort both of them towards the grand staircase.

"Baxter, can you prepare a bath for Elizabeth?"

"Invalid command. No owner named Elizabeth exists."

I hate these stupid basic automatons.

"Right... Baxter, can you prepare a bath for UhmmElizabeth and tell Annie to go meet me in the armory."

"Understood Miss Luna, I shall prepare a bath right away. May I also suggest one for you as well?"

"Fine. And make sure to bring my luggage to my room." The automaton butler then climbed the stairs.

"Alright, sorry about earlier, I forgot about the security. So this is my house." Luna said as she showed Elizabeth the giant mansion. "We can rest here for a bit while I try to find a way to travel to Braenarim. In the meantime, while waiting for a bath, what do you want to do? Do you want to take a nap? Or eat?" At the same time, another loud vibration shook the mansion.

"What’s that?" Elizabeth asked as the vibration stopped.

"Good question. You want to go with me for a bit?" Elizabeth held on to her, so Luna took that as yes. They both headed for the elevator in the middle of the hall and headed down.