Chapter 9: Gears (1)


    Xerxes put hismp down momentarily to draw his longsword, which he rested on his shoulder before picking up themp again. Are you going to send the Abhorrent in first? Or keep them behind us to watch our back?


    Theyll scout, Gandash answered. Id rather <em>they </em>be the ones that set off any traps or run into any enemies.


    That means one of us should be responsible for keeping an eye on our nk, Xerxes said to Bel. Me, or you?


    Me, Bel replied, drawing an arrow and fitting it loosely to her bow, then keeping it in ce with one hand while she resituated hermp in her other hand. Bel was great at hand-to-hand fighting, but like many Btu healers, she had been trained to avoid melee shes whenever possible.


    Ill take point behind the demons, Xerxes said. Gandy, youre our brains and our summoner. You need to stay safe in the middle.


    Gandash grinned slightly. Alright. Lets go.


    Xerxes followed the two Abhorrent as they crawled into the tunnel. The way their pallid bodies glistened in themplight made his skin crawl, and he kept his nose bunched tight in an attempt to fend off their malodorous aroma. It didnt do much good.


    The ground was packed dirt, and from the look of it, had seen recent traffic. There was no gathering of dust that one would expect in an abandoned tunnel. The walls, made primarily of dirt and rock, had asional sconces for torches, with one or two containing actual used torches. The Abhorrents long, spindly legs made faint thumping sounds as they walked along.


    After going in about thirty feet, the tunnel bent to the right. The Abhorrent made the turn, and then Xerxes stuck his head around.


    Theres a room here, he said, proceeding.


    Gandash followed. Bel, why dont you stay at the turn while we check out the room. Keep your eyes on the tunnel entrance.


    Okay.


    Xerxes lifted hismp to distribute its light more widely. In his immediate vicinity, he saw sturdy wooden workbenches as well as a bookshelf, a rug, and a desk with a chair in front of it. There were candles everywhere, unlit.


    I only have a few more seconds with the Abhorrent, Gandash said.


    Xerxes walked forward more quickly, hoping to illuminate the extent of the room before the demonic conjurations vanished. Keeping his eyes averted as he skirted one of the monsters, he extended his arm until the light touched something at the far end of the room. Something made of wood. A framework of some sort.


    I think this is as far as the room goes, he said. It isnt very big.


    Light slowly slid over the wooden structure as he neared it, but before he could make out much in the way of details, he heard a sound from behind him that resembled a piece of paper being crumpled into a ball, mixed with something like the pping of a dying fish.


    He looked over his shoulder to see the Abhorrent being sucked away into vortexes of pure darkness. Within seconds, they were gone, taking their stench with them. Despite knowing that they would be powerful allies if any sort of fighting broke out, Xerxes felt better having them gone.


    Thats not very long, hemented.


    Yeah, Gandash replied. I can only summon them for a couple minutes with Spawn Duo. Following Xerxes into therge room, he swept his ownmp around as he examined the ce. Having moved in a slightly opposite direction as Xerxes, hismplight showed more work benches, including one that seemed designed to store tools.


    What is this ce? Xerxes said, continuing to move so that hismp illuminated therge structure at the end of the room. The thing was clearly massive, reaching all the way to the ceiling, at least six or seven cubits overhead.


    Obviously a workshop, Gandash said, stepping toward the bookshelf.


    Xerxes spotted a gear, and his nostrils red slightly. Gears were the most obvious sign of illegal machinery, but they werent necessarily an absolute guarantee that something nefarious was going on. For instance, timepieces, the creation of which was highly regted, werent illegal as long as they didnt have more than three gears. And other crucial bits of machinery that were necessary for a well-functioning society, such as grain mills or water pumps, often made use of rudimentary, interconnecting parts. It was only when the machinery became tooplex that it became dangerous.


    As hismp revealed more of the wooden structure, Xerxes hand tightened on the handle, and his eyes widened.


    There were definitely more than three gears here. A lot more.


    In addition, there were pumps, pulleys, tubes, and other mechanical parts, all intertwined inside of what looked to be a frame nearly twice as wide as it was high. In the middle of it all was thergest of the gears, which had to be at least three cubits from end to end.


    Gandash, are you seeing this? Xerxes said.


    Looking back, he saw that his friend had been examining the contents of the bookshelf, and was only now turning in his direction.


    Oh, Gandash said. Oh wow.


    He put down whatever document or book he had in his hand and turned to face the huge machine.


    Xerxes looked back at the tangle of equipment. He noticed a table inset into the huge machine, atop whichy a contraption of suction cups as well as a harness of sorts. What the hell is this thing?


    Something illegal, that much is clear, Gandash said, stepping across the workshop to put his hand on the side of the frame.


    We probably shouldnt sit around studying it, Xerxes said. He faced his friend. This is the kind of thing that will get continents razed to the ground by the Nergal. Even entires. I say we report this to Captain Ishki immediately. Even if we have to wake her up.


    Agreed. Gandash started walking back toward the rooms entrance. Xerxes followed, keeping a tight grip on his sword.


    As they got close to Bel, she said, Whats in there?


    Some kind of technological thing, Xerxes said. Lots of gears and stuff.


    Youre kidding me.


    Gandash shook his head. No. No joke. We need to get back into the castle and tell the captain right away.


    Turning the corner, they hurried down the tunnel and toward the mouth of the tunnel. The entire way, Xerxes expected to hear something from behind him. Some creak or noise to indicate that they hadnt been alone in the room after all. Or perhaps something from ahead. A cough or augh that would prove theyd been watched.


    They heard nothing. They emerged from the tunnel and walked past the boulder. There, they stopped for a short moment to look back.


    Guys, Bel said, its actually happening. What we talked about before.


    Gandash slipped his hands into his pockets, a cocky grin covering his face. I knew I should have negotiated ahead of time in case this happened. Now were going to have to submit applications and all that.


    Its just paperwork, Xerxes said, also grinning. How much you wanna bet that this time next year, were in a college in a higher starisle?


    Not likely, a voice said.


    All three young mages spun and looked toward the source of the sound, a location on the wall that surrounded the small courtyard. A figure stood there, face obscured by the shadows cast by the moon. However, his voice was distinct, and there was no questioning who he was.