Below is a short story I’ve recently written. The idea for this one is to become better at exposition, it’s set in a world I’ve RPed in before but I don’t want to explain any of that here and hopefully you can pick things up from the story about the wider world.
Or maybe not, in which case I’ll have failed.
If you want to leave feedback please do.
Aurora.
Rebecca adjusted the strap around her neck that supported the cigarette tray around her neck and took a deep breath. She’d been working at the Officer’s Rest for over a month and she’d almost got used to the clientele which was supposed to represent the finest the Confederate Army had to offer. She wondered if this were true how The Confederation hadn’t crumbled years ago.
She stepped out from back stage and into the floor of the Officer’s Rest. The bar was a cabaret place which meant she was dressed accordingly in stockings and a corset. It was a ridiculous get up but in a way it was her armour. The Confederates would never consider that someone like Rebecca could be anything more than a pair of legs and a forced smile. The downside of course was she couldn’t carry a firearm, a small stiletto blade was her only weapon.
On stage a woman was doing an elaborate fan dance for the baying crowd of Confederate Officers who were in various stages of drunkenness. Rebecca had seen similar places on The Flats but there it was an equal clientele, here it was just a boy’s club. In a way that described the whole Confederation, one big Boys club where you gotta play along or you’ll find yourself high and dry.
She made her way through the club serving a few of the already drunken officers and had been working for about an hour when she finally saw him. Despite his attempts at stealth he stood out like a sore thumb. Most people in the club were either dressed like Rebecca or in a Confederate uniform. This man was dressed in a tweed suit with a pair of thick glasses perched on the end of his nose. In front of him sat a cup tea that looked cold and untouched. Rebecca rolled her eyes and slowly approached the man.
“Cigarette sir?” She said in the seductive tone she had been instructed to use while talking to patrons of the bar.
“N-N-No.” The man stammered, unable to lift his eyes from the table and look at Rebecca.
“Are you sure Sir? We have a rarity from the Flats. Freebird Cigarettes.”
The mention of the Flats and Freebird made the man look up and at the woman standing before him. Rebecca found it refreshing that his eyes went immediately to her face and stayed there. Most of the men she served just leered.
“Freebird?”
“Yes sir.”
The man nervously exhaled and prepared to stand up.
“Not yet sir. You just stay here and someone will be across to get you. Just try to act natural, you’re drawing attention. Watch the show, buy a drink with booze in it and stay calm.”
“But when will...”
“Stay Calm sir.”
Rebecca smiled and returned to her rounds. The second man wandered into the Officers Rest about twenty minutes later. He was dressed in an officer’s uniform and if Rebecca didn’t know him he would have fit in perfectly. He pulled off his great coat and folded in the crook of his arm before swaggering up to the bar with the confidence common in young officers.
Rebecca followed after him and listened to him order his drink at the bar.
“What you after Sir?” Rhett the Barkeep asked.
“Something brown.” The officer said.
Rhett the bartender nodded and hobbled towards the bar. He was a young man that Rebecca had gotten to know well during her time working at the Officer’s Rest. A childhood disease had wasted away the muscle in his right leg meaning he couldn’t serve in the Confederate Army. A badge of shame to the people of the Confederacy. Still he kept a cheerful attitude and enjoyed working in the Officer’s rest. Rebecca thought it was a way for the cripple to live vicariously through the drunks he served. He poured a glass of Tanu Whiskey and slid it across the table to the Officer who handed over a fistful of beads.
The Officer then turned and found himself face to face with Rebecca. A smile played across his face and he took a sip of the drink.
“Sir, I’m not sure you should be drinking on duty.” Rebecca said.
“Just keeping up appearances, Rebecca.” He said with a smirk.
Rebecca immediately became flustered.
“Sir, can I interest you in a Freebird cigarette?” The earlier tones had been dropped from her voice and she delivered her words in a deadpan.
“You know had they told me about the getup you’d be wearing I would have come a lot sooner.” Anger flashed in her eyes and the officer’s smile grew wider. “Why yes thank you. I’d love a Freebrid Cigarette. I understand they are only available on the Flats.” He said with boredom dripping from his words.
“Only if you don’t know where to look.” Rebecca said completing their little dance of code phrases.
“Right where is he?” The officer asked.
“Keep your voice down.” Rebecca scolded.
“Relax. They are far more likely to notice a pair whispering than a pair speaking normally.”
Rebecca nodded and then gestured towards the man sitting in the booth.
“Alright. There’s been a change of plan. You’re coming out too.”
“What!” Rebecca cried a little too loudly before getting her voice under control.
“It’s getting too hot in Mundus for Nightrunners. Two got clipped last week. They say it’s a special Cabal unit are involved. Davenport is leading them.”
“Great.” Rebecca said with a frown, Davenport was a man to be feared in the Peaks.
“Look finish your shift and meet me at the staging area.”
Rebecca nodded.
“Good, now I’ll go calm down our defecting friend.”
The officer tipped his hat and walked over to the sitting man. He sat down beside him and removed his hat.
“Professor Kinder. Pleased to meet you. I’m John Fawkes and I understand you’re a fan of Freebird cigarettes?” The officer said as he sat down.
“Yes. They’re my favourite.” The man in tweed said nervously.
“I was just about to step outside for a cigarette would you care to join me? It is awfully loud in here.” Fawkes said with a confident grin.
Kinder nodded and grabbed his coat as Fawkes stood and pulled his own on. The two men made their way to the exit and stepped out into the snow covered streets of Mundus.
#
Rebecca shivered in the cold night, it was much colder here than on the Flats. She went directly to the staging area after her shift ended. The change of plan had her frightened but it made sense, she had heard of the other Nightrunners that had been executed and if Davenport was in the Mundus it would be wise to escape. He was captain in the Cabal, a elite group in the Confederate Army and rumour had it Davenport was their most efficient Nightrunner catcher. In a way the potential for discovery is what excited her and it was why she had joined the United Flats Army to begin with.
During the Battle of New Mesa ten years ago she had been a child but she remembered seeing the Confederate Army flee at the sight of the combined strength of the City States on the Flats. The Confederate army had retreated all the way North to the mountains that acted as a buffer between the arid Flats where she was born and snow covered Peaks the Confederates called Home.
As soon as she was old enough she joined the United Flats Army as unlike the Confederates the UFA accepted soldiers of all races and Genders. She fought with Tanu and Ochil alike. It meant the UFA outnumbered the Confederate Army almost two to one. There was no doubt however that the Confederates were better trained and equipped than the UFA even if they only allowed Human and Tanu Males in their ranks. Rebecca had distinguished herself during the Battle of the Zong which was a failed Confederate attack. Her position had been overrun and her Captain killed. Rebecca had been able to lead a small group of survivors back towards UFA lines while collecting intelligence and sabotaging Confederate infrastructure along the way.
The survivors became a popular part of the UFA mythology, a development supported by The Council Chair Jenner Reese. Chair Reese was originally from the Peaks but had fled to the Flats in the hopes of a freer life away from the rampant sexism of the Peaks. She had led a mysterious group called the Black Hornets although a persistent rumour held that she had actually led a group of assassins.
Reese had been instrumental in the creation of the City State Council which brought together all of the Cities on the Flats. Although her position held no actual power Jenner Reese was widely considered to be the face of the City State Council and something of a king maker. This was why Rebecca had been so surprised to be summoned to Chair Reese’s residence in New Mesa two years ago.
She met Reese in a large drawing room and was surprised at the woman’s appearance up close. She was famed for her porcelain white skin and flame red hair. Rebecca had seen Jenner a few times before at various rallies but in close quarters she could see the worry lines etched into the woman’s brow. It wasn’t surprising, ten years of war and wrangling politicians would do that to a body.
“Private Reynard. I must say the tale of your trek back to us is very inspiring and I understand the Intelligence people had something of field day going over the information you gathered on your odyssey.”
“Just happy to do my Job, Ma’am.” Rebecca had responded but the blushing of her cheeks betrayed her pride.
“No need to be modest. The Air Ship Corps reported the intelligence you provided was vital to retaking the ground we lost. We have been able to push them back to the Lancaster Line.
Rebecca nodded but couldn’t help but wonder how many had died fighting over that small ten mile stretch of land as it so frequently changed hands. As if reading her thoughts Jenner kept speaking.
“Of course it’s ultimately fruitless and I have no doubt somewhere in Mundus two people similar to us are having a very similar discussion. This is the nature of an attrition war, many die for small gains. Wars are ultimately won because of a few well placed blades, bullets and bombs.”
“Yes, Ma’am.” Rebecca said unsure of where the conversation was going.
“Before I became Chair of the City State Council I helped run the ‘Feds off the Flats. Before that I lead a group of Assassins and before that I was a Bar tender. The point of my story is we must take opportunity where it raises its head. Right now an opportunity is raising its head for you.”
“Anything to help the UFA, Ma’am.”
“Glad to hear it. Now we can drop all this Ma’am nonsense. Do you know about the Nightrunners?”
“Only rumours.”
“And what are the rumours?”
“Well I heard they are group of Assassins who kill top level Confederates.”
“That’s not a million Miles away for the truth. The Nightrunners are primarily used for extraction. I am originally from the Peaks as are many people who now fight for the UFA. We fled for different reasons but it’s all related to intolerance. The Confederate states do not like deviation from the norm, no matter how horrific the norm is. Unfortunately for them it makes them stagnant as independent thought isn’t fostered. Those freethinkers who should be their greatest asset are often shunned. Those that are creatively minded are put to work on weapons.”
She said the last part bitterly, but Rebecca knew better than to pry.
Jenner sat behind her desk and produced a bottle shine and two glasses. Rebecca gladly accepted a glass of the alcohol while Jenner continued speaking.
“Before the war it was simple to get out of the Peaks now it is much harder. So the Nightrunners go behind Confederate Lines and help get out those who wish to flee and help our cause... in addition to other activities. I won’t lie to you we’ve taken their weapon crafters and asked them to craft weapons for us.” Jenner shrugged. “It’s a necessity I’m afraid. Now I’m not speaking to you about this for a bit of a giggle. Would you be interested in becoming a Nightrunner?”
Rebecca was stunned.
“At the moment you have two options become a Nightrunner or become a symbol. The papers are already calling your exploits ‘The Tale of the Lost Troopers’. Its great... in a way, the UFA needs a shared history to bind them together. The Confederates can call upon decades of war while the UFA is barely ten years old. They need shared history to become a single entity. You could become a symbol for that.”
Jenner took a sip of her shine. “Or you become a Nightrunner. Your name would never become associated with the Lost Troopers and you would spend the war fighting in the shadows. Both are vital to the war effort. Your decision.”
It took Rebecca less than ten seconds to join up.
She was trained by a man called James Squire who taught her how hide, how to fight and how to survive. After a year she had taken all the information she could and was sent into the Peaks. Her first few jobs were as part of a team but the Professor Kinder exfiltration was her first solo mission. She had identified the target and had been communicating with him via letters. The first time she had actually met the man was the night at the Officer’s Rest. Of course she knew Fawkes as an experienced Nightrunner with a long career getting people out of the Peaks. Rumour had it he’d also taken part in many of the ‘other activities’ Jenner had alluded to. In a way he was closest thing the Nightrunners had to a living legend. Life expectancy was short for the Runners which made Fawkes an aberration. She felt a lot better working with him now she knew Davenport was on the scene.
She made her way through the dark Mundus streets. It was snowing again and she had to pull her coat tightly closed as she was still wearing her work clothes. The streets were empty as the women would be at home with the children while the men would be out drinking. Above her the green Aurora shimmered in the night air and Rebecca took a moment to admire its beauty. It was fitting the only attractive thing about the city was naturally occurring.
#
She arrived at the Grand hotel and made her way directly to the Dunseith room on the third floor. Each room was named after previous Grand Generals of the Confederate Army. She rapped the door three times and after a moment it was opened by Fawkes.
She stepped into the room and was about to remove her cloak when she remembered what she was wearing under it. Fawkes was still wearing the grey Confederate uniform although he had removed his great coat. Kinder had removed his jacket and was sitting beside the fire with a few notebooks in front of him.
“When do we leave?” Rebecca asked as she sat down on the edge of the bed.
“Soon, we were waiting for you.” Fawkes said simply, he seemed more professional than before and Rebecca wondered if the person she had met in the Officer’s Rest had been an act. “Professor Kinder followed you instructions and has been altering his research over the past few months so it will be useless to the ‘Feds. Unfortunately he decided to keep a few of his notebooks. We’re destroying them now.”
Rebecca nodded. Doctor Kinder was an expert on the ancient technology used by the old ones. Apparently he had discovered a new power source the far exceeded the capabilities of steam. The discovery had the potential to end the war and revolutionise the entire continent of Cambria from the Peaks, through the Flats to the Red Coast in the south. He’d been able to send a message to the Nightrunners which resulted in Rebecca being deployed to Mundus, the Capital City of the Confederacy. It had been a long and dangerous road that had led them to this moment. With the possibility of discovery at any moment they had to be sure Kinder’s discoveries didn’t end up in Confederate hands.
“But I need some of this information. I can’t be expected to remember it all, surely!” Kinder said incredulously. “I haven’t had enough time to properly go over these notebooks, you said I’d have hours.”
“I said you’d have as long as it took for Rebecca to get back. She’s back so those are going in the fire.”
Fawkes stood swept the notebooks off the table and into the fire. Fawkes watched them burn and every so often used a poker to ensure they were completely consumed.
“Good. Now we get him out of here.” Fawkes said. “Rebecca there’s gear in the bag by the bed.”
Rebecca nodded and opened the bag she found some cold weather gear and a scoped clockwork rifle. She grabbed the clothes and let herself into the bathroom to change.
When she emerged and found Fawkes and Kinder deep in discussion.
“So you see the Ancients, or old ones or whatever you want to call them clearly used this Æther as a power source. It’s what allowed them to build the devices and structures we still see to this day. Whatever wiped out the ancients wasn’t able to wipe their mark from Cambria. I believe that is the power of Æther.”
“So you’re saying this Athether...”
“Æther.” Kinder corrected.
“Whatever. This... stuff has the potential to power a civilisation like the one that came before us?”
“Indubitably. Consider the impact the ancients still have on society today. Every single major breakthrough we have had in the field of science has in some way been down to them. Even that revolver on your hip.”
“Then why hasn’t anyone discovered this wondrous alchemy before now?”
“Well the language of the ancients is notoriously hard to understand. It’s more of a picture language than anything else which means the literal meaning of a sentence can be quite subjective. At least to our eyes. Popular thinking has always held that Æther was some kind of God the ancients worshipped I believe this was not the case. Æther was simply to them what steam is to us. It makes sense they would worship such a substance.”
“So what, do we mine it?”
“Ha if you could answer that all the beads in The Peaks would be yours. That’s what my research is devoted to. I believe Æther is actually a compound of various other elements. Of course finding that mixture is the tricky part.”
Fawkes nodded and turned to see Rebecca standing by the door.
“Much better.” He said with a genuine smile as he looked at her wearing the cold weather gear. “Shall we?” He said as he rose and collected the rest of his gear.
#
They left the Grand Hotel and stepped out into the snow covered streets of Mundus. The lamp’s dotted around the city dimly lit their way while the Aurora above cast an eerie green light on the city streets.
They had all been briefed on their cover story. Fawkes was an Officer, Rebecca was his slave and Kinder was himself. Fawkes was bringing Kinder to present information of a meeting of Confederate officers and he had the paper work to prove it if they were challenged.
They approached the main gate and as expected were stopped by a guardsman.
“Halt there!” He called abruptly and Fawkes was surprised by how the man spoke to an officer.
The Guardsman stepped out of the gloom of the portcullis that led out of the city and it became immediately apparent that this wasn’t a normal Guardsman. He only wore the hat of a guard but the rest of his uniform was custom tailored for combat and carried no insignias.
He was Cabal.
“Evening officer. You won’t mind answering a few questions?” The Cabal man said.
“Of course not.” Fawkes said simply as he produced his paper work.
The man took it and glanced them over.
Rebecca glanced worriedly between the Cabal Trooper and Fawkes.
Fawkes looked impatiently at the man.
“I didn’t know Cabal Troopers were pulling guard duty now?”
The Trooper smirked. “Seems the Guardsmen in Mundus have been letting a few defectors walk through the front gates. We’re here to clamp down on it. Takes a trained eye to catch a good liar.”
Fawkes nodded hoping to end the exchange but the trooper was looking at the insignia on his shoulder.
“You’re with the Third?”
“Yes, Third Infantry.” Fawkes replied.
Rebecca could sense the situation going bad, inside her pocket she found her stiletto blade and curled her fingers around it.
“My Brother is in the Third and they’re not garrisoned in Mundus, They’re travelling to the front.”
“They are. I’m on secondment to transport Doctor Kinder here to a meeting.”
“Really? Cabal handles all transports of Scienticians now.”
“First I’ve heard.” Fawkes said with a shrug.
The trooper looked at Fawkes with a long stare before shaking his head. He moved his hand to a long green stick flare on his belt and unclasped it. He held Fawkes and Kinder in his gaze but never gave Rebecca a second glance so he never saw the danger until she was plunging her Stiletto blade deep into his throat. Fawkes burst forward and wrestled the Flare from the man’s grasp preventing him from sending a warning.
The man fell backwards against the portcullis and gagged as his mouth filled with blood.
“Watch him.” Fawkes whispered as he opened the gate.
Rebecca watched as blood that looked black in the darkness flowed out of the man onto the snow. Seconds later Fawkes gently tapped her on the shoulder.
“Clear.” He whispered before grabbing Kinder who was gasping at the sudden brutality. He pushed the man through the gate and into a stable. They took three horses and Fawkes released the rest. They then set off as quickly as their animals would carry them while shots rang out behind them.
#
Captain Lucien Davenport didn’t need to be called to the site of the shooting he was on his way as soon as he heard the shots. He was the Cabal Captain deployed to root out the Nightrunners and prevent any more defections and it sounded like one had just happened. He arrived at the Portcullis to find a few soldiers standing over the body of a dead Trooper who was bleeding from the neck. One of the soldiers was about to approach the body when Davenport called out.
“Halt!” The man froze and quickly scurried back to his friends.
“Have any of you touched anything?” Davenport asked.
“No sir!” They replied in unison.
“Good.” Davenport said before pointing to two of the men. “You go to the Guard House and inform the Tanu Trooper there to get here immediately along with two of my men and you go get me three horses and Tanu Strider.”
The two men took off immediately knowing better than to question a Cabal Captain’s authority.
Davenport knelt beside the trooper and inspected the body. There was a deep wound in his throat that wasn’t very broad and he had been stripped of his flare. Davenport could smell cordite in the air and checked the Trooper’s revolver. Every round had been fired. A few feet away Davenport saw six bullet holes in the cobbled streets.
“Clever boy.” Davenport muttered.
Davenport stood when he heard heavy footfalls behind him. He turned and found the two runners he had dispatched had returned with two other Troopers and a Tanu.
The Tanu was called Trooper Brogan and was very noticeable about Mundus. He was seven foot tall with grey skin purple eyes and a blue beard. Unlike everyone else he wasn’t wearing a heavy coat and instead was wearing a pair of boots, a dirty pair of trousers and an undershirt. The Tanu race were native to the Peaks and had a remarkable resistance to extreme temperatures. They were the only group that had successfully resisted the confederacy until the Flats had done the same. Unlike the Flats the Tanu had agreed to become partners with the confederate and enjoyed a privileged place in society. Not quite human but respected.
Davenport didn’t care about the past or race all he cared about was that Brogan was the best at his job, and that job was tracking.
“Captain.” Brogan said in a deep baritone.
“Brogan, Looks like they fled of horseback what way did they travel?” Brogan nodded and walked under the portcullis and out to the stables.
He looked at the many hoof marks that had been left when Fawkes released the horses and thought for a long moment.
Davenport explained the situation to his troopers.
“These assassins have killed our Trooper Conroy and have no doubt absconded with something or someone. This is why we were brought here. To prevent this kind of thing happening. Trooper Conroy displayed quick thinking and initiative by discharging his weapon to alert us to his murder before he died. His action will not have been in vain.”
He then turned to the regular soldiers who had arrived at the scene.
“You regulars are to report to your garrisons and lock this city down. Trooper Conroy is to be given a proper burial. I will lead my team in the recovery operation.”
Brogan returned and Davenport turned to face him.
“South West through the valley.”
“You’re sure?”
“Their horses sunk deeper in snow.”
“Good work.” Davenport said.
As if on cue their steeds arrived.
Horses for the men and the Strider for Brogan. The strider was a Heavy Horse with white colouring and a thick mane. They had been bred by the Tanu to carry their heavy frames and survive in the cold winter.
The Cabal Troopers saddled up and took off in pursuit of the Nightrunners.
#
They had been riding hard for about two hours but they knew they would be being followed, the Trooper had alerted the entire city by firing his weapon and Fawkes had silently chastised himself for not removing the weapon from the man as he had done with the flare.
They were travelling South West as that was the location where the extraction airship would meet them. It was just a case of getting there on time and in one piece.
The drove their steeds on until they reached a rocky out crop.
“Alright that’s enough.” Fawkes said finally as he slowed his horse. “We need to dismount here.”
“Dismount?” Kinder asked. “But they’ll catch us.”
“If we stay on the horses we’ll arrive at the pick up too soon and they’ll get us anyway. We need to distract them. Send them on a goose chase.” Fawkes answered as he swung off his horse and onto the slippery but snow free rocks. He pulled his equipment off the horse and Rebecca did the same followed by a reluctant Kinder.
Fawkes then slapped his horse and sent it running, Rebecca did the same with her own and Kinder’s.
“Right keep moving.” Fakes said as he set off across the rocky out crop.
#
An hour and a half later Brogan slowed his horse and dismounted. He was at the same rocky outcrop where the Nightrunners had dismounted. It was snowing but he was still able to notice the signs the land was giving him.
“They stopped here and dismounted. Then sent their horses deeper into the valley.”
“Where did they go?” Davenport asked as he got off his own horse.
“Across these rocks. No foot prints and you can’t take a horse across it.”
Davenport frowned. He could either follow the Nightrunners or go around the outcrop. If he followed the Nightrunners he’d have to abandon his horse but if he went around the out crop and deeper into the valley he might lose time or even worse the trail.
“You three continue into the valley and loop around the outcrop. Brogan and I will follow them across the rocks.”
The troopers nodded and set off immediately. Brogan and Davenport tied up their horses and began across the exposed rock.
#
“Bloody Tribals.” Fawkes muttered as he looked down the ridge at a gang of Tribals sitting in wait at a natural bottleneck. “They must be waiting to hit a trade caravan.”
Rebecca swore under her breath. The Tribals were common all over Cambria and didn’t respect the borders between the three regions of the Peaks, The Flats and Red Coast. They called themselves different names and often fought amongst themselves but the truth was wherever you went they were the same, insane with a grasp on reality irrevocably twisted by drugs. They would be pitiable if it wasn’t for the extreme violence shown towards outsiders.
“Then why wait out here and not a better travelled route?” Kinder asked.
“The main trail is too heavily guarded and these back woods trails are only used by those dealing in contraband. Means the raid won’t even get reported, ‘Feds probably like it. Criminals killing Criminals.” Fawkes said.
Kinder shook his head. The world outside his academic sphere was something of a mystery.
“So can we sneak by?” Rebecca asked.
“Maybe if it was just you and me and we need to get Kinder through too, we need to ensure success.”
“So what’s the plan? Go back.”
“We can’t go back, there’s no time. I’ll distract them and you two pass through.”
“Distract them? How?”
“Just go down and speak to them.”
“You’re dressed as a Confederate Officer they’ll tear you apart!”
“I’ll be fine. They’re probably drugged out of their minds and I’m not actually a Confederate Officer. I’m a Nightrunner, this is what we do.”
“It’s suicide.” Rebecca said flatly.
Fawkes looked at her with weak smile. “No it’s not. It’ll be a great story when I’m telling it back in New Mesa.”
Rebecca opened her mouth to argue.
“Stop.” Fawkes said simply. “This is the only way. We all try to sneak past and run the unacceptable risk of getting caught or we turn back and into the arms of the ‘Feds, trust me you don’t want that. This is the best way. I can keep them busy for long enough to get you past.”
“Alright then.” Rebecca said simply.
“We’re likely to get... separated so you won’t be totally out of the woods.” He looked around the dark forest they were in and added “Literally. If you get cornered you know what to do. He can’t go back to Mundus and neither can you.”
Rebecca nodded while Kinder’s mouth hung open with shock.
Rebecca took the rifle off her back and watched as Fawkes made his way down the ridge and towards the Trail.
He walked down the middle of the trail with his hands in his pockets and Rebecca couldn’t think of another word to describe him but sauntering. He looked like a man out for a quiet stroll.
He’d been walking for a few minutes when he abruptly stopped. He was about a hundred and fifty metres from the gang of poorly concealed Tribals.
“Hello there!” Fawkes called out.
Rebecca looked at the Tribals through the scope of her rifle and could see all their eyes were on Fawkes.
“Come on it’s time to go.”
“We can’t just leave him.” Kinder whispered.
“He knows what he’s doing, this Æther of yours could win the war for the Flats. That means you get through at any cost.”
Kinder looked at the snow covered ground. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I didn’t want to hurt anyone.”
“Yeah well I wanted an airship made of Beads. Things don’t always pan out the way you want them to do they?”
She grabbed Kinder by the arm and forced him to press on. As they crept forward they could hear Fawkes’ voice echo through the night.
“Looks like you gentlemen are setting up an ambush. I was hoping it would be possible to get safe passage?”
“Not in that uniform!” Was the shouted response from the Tribals.
“I have beads and can pay!” Fawkes called back.
There was silence for a beat and Rebecca thought she had been caught. She looked back and saw Kinder was carefully picking his way through the rocks and leaves completely oblivious to what was happening around him.
“What you got?” A tribal finally responded.
Rebecca gestured for Kinder to follow her more quickly they had passed by the main group of Tribals and just needed to get clear of their sight.
“What do you want?” Fawkes asked
“Everything you got.”
“Hardly seems fair.” Fawkes replied.
Rebecca heard movement below them at the bottleneck as the Tribals broke from their cover and rushed Fawkes. Gunfire erupted that she knew belonged to Fawkes’ revolver but it was cut short and she heard a cheer go up from the crowd of Tribals.
“Move!” She whispered loudly to Kinder as she grabbed the man and pulled him along with her.
The cheering below grew louder and Rebecca knew she couldn’t leave Fawkes. They reached the crest of the hill and Rebecca grabbed Kinder by the shoulder, stopping him. She dropped to one knee and produced her rifle. With the scope she inspected the scene below.
The Nightrunner was trying to crawl away from the group of Tribals but any time he moved another foot stamped him down. The gang was whooping and howling like a pack of wolves, their hands pulling away his equipment. They were baying for the blood of the outsider. Fawkes grimly looked towards direction Rebecca had fled but he couldn’t see her.
Rebecca knew what he wanted as she slowly slipped her finger inside the trigger guard.
A second later Fawkes was dead with small red hole in the front of his head. The Tribals dropped him immediately and let him fall to the ground. Blood erupted out of Fawkes’ nose and mouth and stained the White snow. The Tribals started to retreat back into the forest it was apparent someone had the drop on them. Soon Fawkes body was alone on the frozen ground.
Rebecca didn’t go back for him. He was dead now and there was nothing incriminating on his body even if the Confederates found him in the vast wilderness.
#
Davenport and Brogan stopped walking abruptly when they heard the shots echoing across the mountainside. Neither man dropped to the ground as they knew the shots were far away but Davenport had no idea what direction they were coming from, he turned to Brogan the Tracker simply pointed towards a dark looking hill.
“Let’s see then.”
#
The Tribals had taken cover from the sniper fire that had ended Fawkes misery but no more rounds came. Graves, the leader, poked his head above the old rotten tree trunk he was hiding behind and glanced up at the ridge where he thought the shot had come from.
“Seems clear.” He muttered.
“Want for me to check the body?” A small voice to Graves’ left said. It belonged to Silver, a youngster in the tribe who wanted to prove his worth. It was understandable and Graves figured it made sense to send to a weaker member of the pack out.
“Go.”
Silver scurried out to Fawkes’ body and quickly patted the man down. He found a revolver and a knife. He pocketed the knife but kept the revolver in his hand. Graves would want it. He checked the pockets of the great coat and found a green stick flare. The same flare Fawkes had taken from the Cabal Guard that had challenged them on their way out of Mundus.
Silver didn’t know what it was as he played with the thin tube so he was shocked when something bright and green shot out of the end and embedded in a snow bank. The flare threw out a flickering green light that briefly illuminated another figure before fizzling out.
It was a huge man with grey skin.
Silver fell backwards with fright and struggled and get away. As he fled he passed Graves who was stepping forward to confront the intruder.
“What do you want Tanu?”
Brogan looked dismissively at Graves who was dressed in the standard attire of a Tribal leader. Rags peppered with trophies from his various conquests.
“You kill him?” Brogan asked pointing at Fawkes who was still dressed in the officer’s uniform.
“Yeah. So you’re a lap dog then Tanu?”
Brogan’s face remained impassive. “Was he the only one?”
“What?”
“You didn’t kill him. He was shot in the head. Tribals don’t have that kind of aim.” He said in his deep baritone.
“Whadda you care who killed him? You’re next!” Graves yelled as he raised his rusty battered revolver and aimed it at Brogan.
In an instant the gun clattered to the floor along with Graves’ arm which was still clutching the old revolver. He gasped as he looked at the stump where his arm used to be and collapsed to the ground.
Davenport stepped in front of Graves and twirled his sword gracefully.
“Your men are dead and you won’t last long with that arm.” He wasn’t lying, Davenport had taken out all of Graves men silently with just his sword. This was why he was in the Cabal. Brogan could track and Davenport could kill.
“What direction did the shot come from?” Davenport continued.
“Wha... Wha... My arm!” Graves screamed before Davenport permanently silenced the man with a quick slash. Graves fell forward dead.
“Useless.” Davenport muttered before cleaning his sword on the dead Tribals clothes. He then walked over and inspected Fawkes’ body.
“Mister Fawkes. Would have liked to interrogate him.” Davenport said simply. He knew Fawkes because Davenport had been tasked with removing the Nightrunners from Mundus. With a career as long as Fawkes in was understandable he’d built up a bit of a reputation.
“Sniper. A skilled one.” Davenport said as he took in the rest of the scene. From his analysis Fawkes had killed three and wounded a further four before he’d been killed. While the sniper shot had killed him the Nightrunner had been hit multiple times in the chest and legs. He recreated the scene in his mind’s eye and finally pointed to the direction Rebecca had fired the shot.
“That way.”
Brogan nodded and the pair took off in pursuit.
#
“You’re slowing us down Professor, you must hurry up.”
“It’s my blasted ankle.”
Rebecca was supporting the Doctor as they made their way through the wood. They still had far to travel if they were to make it to the pickup point and Rebecca was starting to think that wasn’t going to be very likely. She was considering killing Kinder and going alone. He would benefit the Flats greatly but he could do the same for the Confederates she would need to decide at which point potential risk outweighed potential benefit.
Rebecca stopped abruptly and crouched forcing Kinder to do the same. She raised her rifle and listened for a long moment.
“What?” Kinder hissed.
Rebecca didn’t say anything.
“What?” He repeated.
“Horses.” Rebecca said simply as she pushed kinder back into some bushes and quickly followed.
Two men on horseback emerged and were making a beeline straight for them. They were Davenport’s men that he’d sent around the mountain.
“Shit, Cabal.” Rebecca raised her weapon and took careful aim. Her first shot struck one of the men in the chest but by the time she was ready to fire again the other was nowhere to be seen.
She waited a long moment before deciding she would have to move.
“Stay here I need to kill this man so we can move on.”
Kinder nodded but looked terrified.
Rebecca slowly got out of her hiding place and crept around the bushes. She moved slowly and with grace avoiding anything that might give her position away. She knew this feeling odds were if she were to die now she wouldn’t even be aware of it. It would a quick end brutally delivered. She would be happy with this. The horses had scattered but she found the corpse of the man she had killed. After falling from his steed he’d crawled for a few feet before expiring.
“Don’t move.” A voice said behind her as she felt the barrel of a gun press against her neck. Rebecca dropped her weapon and raised her hands.
“Turn around.” Rebecca turned and found herself looking at a cabal officer with an amused look on his face.
“A woman! The Flats must be in trouble if they send women to fight their battles.” He said shaking his head. This was all the opening Rebecca needed. She kicked out wildly a caught the man in the crouch, his revolver discharged and she felt something akin to a red hot poker go through her left shoulder. In her right hand she already had her stiletto out in a hammer grip she crashed her fist down into to man’s face causing a deep gash in his face. Then she flipped the knife and drove it into his throat delivering the killing blow.
“The Peaks must be in trouble if they send an idiot to fight their battles.” She muttered as she inspected her wound. The wound had shattered her shoulder and she was in a lot of pain but there was no time to wait, the gun fire would have drawn whoever else was in the area.
She left her rifle and picked up the Confederate’s revolver before staggering back to where she’d left Kinder.
Of course he was gone.
She followed his deep footprints noting how his sprained leg was leaving a deeper trail.
She eventually found him in panting heap beside frozen lake.
“Why did you run?” Rebecca asked him by way of hello.
“I was scared I heard gunfi... You’re hurt.”
“You ran the wrong way idiot! We’re moving that way.” Rebecca cried. Her admonishment was cut short when she heard a twig snap behind her. She grabbed Kinder and pulled him to his feet. She then pulled out the revolver and put it to Kinder’s head. Using the man as a shield she called out to her unseen nemesis.
“I’ll kill him!”
She heard a muffled sigh and eventually a tall thin man with blonde hair wearing a cabal uniform stepped forward with his own revolver raised.
“You have given us quite the run about. Now it’s time to end this foolishness. Give me Kinder.” Davenport said with a smirk. “You will be treated fairly if you comply.”
Rebecca snorted. “What does that mean? Skip the torture and go straight to the public execution?”
“You can’t win. We can patch up that wound, I respect a worthy enemy.” Davenport said with what Rebecca assumed was an attempt at empathy.
Rebecca looked at Kinder who was shaking in her weak grasp. It was clear nobody was getting out.
“Fine!” She said as she pushed Kinder forward and then emptied her revolver into Kinder’s back.
Davenport fired his own revolver and each round found Rebecca as her’s did Kinder. She fell backwards landed with a thud where Kinder had been cowering moments earlier. She raised her head and watched as Davenport and Brogan tried to save Kinder.
She couldn’t help but smile when they eventually gave up.
Davenport stood and walked over to Rebecca whose blood was forming a red carpet in the snow beneath her. She didn’t look at Davenport as he produced his revolver, reloaded and took aim at her head.
Instead the last thing she saw was the beautiful green aurora in the sky.
