Clockwork Twist : Waking (15 page)

“Where's Jonas been?” Twist asked as he stared at the terrible hand of cards he was holding in the gaslight. “I haven't seen him in a while.”

“He's been in his cabin all day,” Arabel said, rearranging her own cards.

“I raise you two,” Zayle said.  He tossed a pair of dry beans into the pile on the floor between them all. “You in, Cap?” he asked, looking to Capt. Davis who sat to his left.

“No, I fold,” Capt. Davis said, putting his cards down and looking to Twist.

“Jonas usually seeks me out by now,” Twist said as he tossed two more of his beans into the pile. “Is something wrong with him?”

“I call,” Arabel said, tossing in her own bet. “Zayle, what have you got?”

“Pair of fours,” he said with a shrug, turning his cards for the others to see.

“You bet on a pair of fours?” Capt. Davis scoffed. “That was a silly bet.”

“I'm a silly person,” Zayle said as if Capt. Davis should have known.

“I've got three tens,” Arabel said brightly. “Twist?”

“What's wrong with Jonas?” Twist asked, tossing his useless collection of random cards into the pile of beans.

“Nothing.  He's fine,” Arabel said, collecting her prize while Zayle reshuffled the cards.

“Then what's wrong, in general?” he asked. “Something's going on here.”

“Maybe he just wants a little space,” Zayle offered, not looking at Twist.

“What's wrong with your nephew?” Twist asked Capt. Davis.

“Where would you like me to start?” he asked back with a chuckle.

Twist leaned his head back against the wall. “This is why I don't like people.”

“He's just worried about you,” Arabel said, taking her turn to deal. “He's staying away because he doesn't want to stress your Sight.”

“He said he felt something strange when you passed out in the palace,” Capt. Davis offered as he re-ordered his cards. “He thinks he might have caused part of the problem.”

“But if he hadn't been there, I wouldn't have gotten out of the vision,” Twist said. “I followed him out.”

“See?” Arabel said. “Everything's fine.”

“And I'm the one with a skewed vision of reality?” Twist asked sharply.  Arabel shot him a quiet, but warning look.

“Just leave him,” Zayle said, pointing to the new hand of cards that lay untouched at Twist's feet. “Jonas will be fine.  He always is.”

“I'm going to talk to him,” Twist said, halfway to getting up.

“No, sit down,” Arabel said, reaching out to block him. Twist stopped short before her hand, still on one knee.

“Don't worry about him, Twist,” Capt. Davis said. “Worry about yourself.”

“I'm no better off if he thinks he did something to hurt me,” Twist said. “If none of you are going to talk with him, then I will.”

“He doesn't want to talk with any of us,” Arabel said, her face bitter. “He's alone because he wants to be.”

“We've lived with him before, you know,” Zayle said. “This is the only way to deal with him when he gets in a mood.”

Twist shook his head. “That man is starved for compassion.  I don't have to touch him to know that.  He doesn't want to look weak, and so he lashes out.  It's what wounded characters always do in novels.  But that doesn't mean that this is what he wants.”

“This isn't a novel.  It's real life, Twist,” Arabel said, more sharply than Twist had expected. “What makes you think you know my brother better than I do?”

“Because I used to do the same things,” Twist said. “I finally just gave up on people entirely.  Neither of us can get close to anyone.” The moment the words left his mouth, Twist felt the echo of their meaning with a solid concussion.

The others all paused to look at him, while shifting thoughts played behind their eyes.

“If you'll excuse me,” Twist said when the others made no obvious response.  He got to his feet, with no resistance this time, and left the room.

It was easy to find Jonas as Twist walked down the halls, following the buzzing sensation at the back of his neck.  More than before, he found the feeling strangely comforting.  He stopped outside one of the cabin doors and reached up to knock, but the door opened before he could.  Jonas stood inside, his eyes covered with his black lenses and his hand still on the door.

“You shouldn't be here,” he said coldly.

“I'm fine, damn whatever you say.”

“Stay away from me,” Jonas said, pushing the door closed again.  Twist glared at the door.

“If I'd wanted to stay perfectly safe and unharmed, I never would have left home!” Twist yelled, as loudly as his small voice would allow.

“Go away!” came Jonas's voice through the closed door.

Twist leaned his back against the opposite wall and slid down to sit on the floor.  He waited silently for long minutes, his eyes closed as the buzz wandered around the base of his skull like a trapped alley cat.  Eventually, Jonas's door opened slightly.

“What is wrong with you?” Jonas asked through the crack.

“Stop it,” Twist said flatly.

“I'm not the one stalking you!” Jonas snapped.

“Stop blaming yourself for everything.  It's not your fault.”

“Get the hell out of my head,” Jonas said, dark and deadly, as he opened the door a little wider to lean out menacingly.

“You first,” Twist said with a smile, rubbing at his neck.

“What do I have to do to get you to leave me alone?” Jonas asked, sounding fatigued.

Twist got back to his feet and stared directly into the black goggles. “Mean it.”

Jonas didn't move, staring back sightlessly for a long moment. “Remind me not to play poker with you,” he muttered.

“Actually, we're in the middle of a game right now,” Twist said, nodding to his cabin. “Care to stop torturing yourself and join us?”

“Look,” Jonas said, pointing a finger at Twist's nose, “I got close to you, the buzz got worse, something gave, and then you hit the ground and didn't wake up for a day.  We have no idea what's happening, or what it's doing to either of us, and you're already pushing your Sight too hard as it is!”

“Fine,” Twist said, holding his arms out. “Have a look then.  I'll close my eyes.  You tell me if being in your prescience is killing me.”

“Don't be an idiot,” Jonas said, shaking his head.

“Stop being so scared of yourself,” Twist snapped.

“Keep that up and I'll touch you, all right,” Jonas said, brandishing a fist.

“Look at me,” Twist said, closing his eyes.

It took another moment before Jonas gave an exasperated sigh.  An instant later, Twist felt a noticeable increase in the electric tension at the back of his neck.  He had to focus hard to keep his eyes closed and to keep his hands at his sides.  Every fiber in his being screamed for him to reach out, to look into Jonas's opened eyes.  The knowledge that Jonas must have been feeling the same thing did little to calm him.

“You're not fine,” Jonas said finally, as the buzz in Twist's neck died down slightly and the compulsions fell quiet. “You're mentally and physically exhausted.”

“Is that all?” Twist asked, chancing a glance up.  Jonas's goggles were back over his eyes, and he was leaning against the door frame like he needed it.

“That, and someday,” he said, smiling lightly, “you're going to go somewhere tropical and you will simply love lychee.”

“What?”

“It's a kind of fruit,” Jonas said. “Little white things in a hard red shell.  I like them too.”

“What?” Twist asked again.

“You think I only see people's future when I look in their eyes?” Jonas asked back. “I can see random bits from the future whenever I look at anyone.  I can only see your death if I look in your eyes.”

Twist stared at him until the enormity of the implications fully sank in. “Oh my God.”

“Ah, so I still have some secrets from you, then?” Jonas asked back with a grin.

“Well, did you see any point in the future when this buzz is going to kill either of us?” Twist asked, trying to shake off the cold dread.

“No.”

“And is it obviously harming me now?”

“No,” Jonas said, shifting slightly.

“Then are you going to continue blaming yourself for whatever madness happened to me in the palace?”

Jonas looked up at him through the black lenses. “I would if you'd let me, you pushy little twit.”  Twist shook his head.

“Too damned bad,” Twist said with a note of satisfaction.  He took a heavy breath, feeling the strain of standing begin to weigh on him. “I'm going to sit down again.”  He took two steps away, felt the buzz ease again, and looked back. “Are you coming?”

Jonas made a show of being inconvenienced, but he followed after Twist with the tension of a hidden smile at the edges of his cool expression.  When the two of them returned to Twist's cabin together, the others looked up at them in stunned silence.

“Told you,” Twist muttered to Arabel, taking up his place against the wall again.

“You're a magical being, Twist,” Zayle said, still wide eyed as Jonas sat beside Twist.

“Who won the last round?” Twist asked as Capt. Davis began to deal the cards out once again.  Jonas grabbed a handful of dried beans from the sack to the side of the circle.

“I did,” Arabel said brightly.

“I know she's cheating, I just don't know how,” Capt. Davis said.

“That's hardly fair,” Arabel said with a pout. “Maybe I'm just a lucky person.”

“We'll see about that,” Jonas said, pulling his goggles up to sit on his brow as he looked over his cards.  Glancing from the side, Twist saw the faintest glimmer of blue light dance in the color of his eyes.

“Am I the only one not cheating?” Twist asked.

“You're not cheating?” Zayle asked, aghast. “How do you expect to win?'

“Sorry, I forgot where I was,” Twist muttered, shaking his head. “I'm playing poker with nice pirates.  I don't know what I was thinking.”

“We're not bloody pirates!” Capt. Davis said.

“Not today, especially,” Arabel added.

Jonas laughed quietly to himself.

“Yes, yes,” Twist said with a dismissive wave. “So who's going to start the bet?”

When Twist made it through the day without more than mild fatigue to complain about, Dr. Rodés had no choice but to let him return to work again the next day.  As soon as the sun was peeking out over the surrounding hills, and Arabel had gotten him to eat something, Twist walked back into the cool echoes and dust of the palace hall.  The moment he stepped over the threshold, the air tightened sharply around him.  This time, he knew exactly who it was.

“Damn, she's wide awake today,” Jonas muttered, standing beside him as Aazzi spoke softly to herself in her own language.  His eyes were glowing softly as he looked over the space.

“Princess,” Twist said to the throbbing, full air, “I came back, just as I promised.  Please, leave me to work.  I'll be finished much faster if you do.”

The tension in the air wavered for a moment, but then it lessened, drawing back into the depths of shadow that lingered even in the sunlight.  Jonas frowned, watching it.

“That's downright spooky,” he muttered.

“I told you,” Twist said, walking forward. “She's quite reasonable.”

“She's still watching us,” Aazzi said, following close.

“Naturally,” Twist said as kindly as his impatience would allow.  He stopped at the end of the stair, and looked over the work that was still left to do.  She looked much better already: her hands, arms, face, and neck all repaired and shining while her long wire hair lay untangled under her head, polished back to its natural dark maroon color.  Twist sat beside her and began working on her legs.  The moment he touched the metal, his Sight leaped up to fill his mind just as readily and clearly as it ever had.  Twist let out a silent sigh of relief and resumed his work.

Hours passed namelessly to Twist.  Jonas and Aazzi spoke occasionally, but they both stayed at his side throughout.  The soft, warm, electric hum of Jonas's presence served as a touchstone for Twist.  Whenever his Sight began to wander off into the ghost's memories, he followed Jonas back to himself and to his work.

Before long, Arabel arrived to insist that Twist take a break for lunch.  When Jonas and Aazzi joined her cause, Twist had no choice but to acquiesce.  While he was out of the palace hall, Dr. Rodés gave him a quick looking over as well, much to Twist's annoyance.  Once the others were convinced that he was rested, well fed, and not overstressed, Twist returned to work while Aazzi and Jonas resumed their posts.

When the light started to fail outside the glow of Twist's candlelight, a soft rain began to fall as well.  The thin air chilled with the moisture, dragging in wafts now and then while the remaining sunlight fought its way through the clouds.  When Twist looked up to stretch his stiff neck, for an instant he thought he was back in London.  He jerked, looking around, but the confusion passed just as quickly.

“What?  Are you all right?” Jonas asked instantly.

“No, no, it's nothing,” Twist said, shaking his head. “It's just … the rain.  It sounds like London.  I thought...”  He smiled meekly and looked away. “Never mind.”

“Are you going to take a break any time soon?” Jonas asked, pulling up his goggles to rub at his eyes. “It's been hours.  We talked about this,” he added, glancing towards Twist under the edge of his goggles.

“I'm almost done with this whole limb,” Twist said. “Just let me finish it.”

“Aazzi?” Jonas said with a sigh. “You going to back me up?”

“Give him ten more minutes,” Aazzi said. “Then we'll drag him out.”

“Sounds good to me,” Jonas said, smiling at Twist through his goggles.

“That's not funny, you know,” Twist muttered.

“Is too,” Jonas assured him with a nod.

Twist gave his sightless gaze a nasty look and then went back to his work.  He finished with the last leg of the puppet as quickly as he could and then moved on to the last part of her, the core of her metal body.  He reached out to gently stroke below the dip in her slender throat, and let his Sight run through her.  He took in a sharp breath and pulled his hand away quickly, a decidedly concerned expression on his face.

“What?” Jonas asked. “What's wrong?”

“Her heart,” Twist said, ever so softly.

“What?” Aazzi asked, moving closer.

Twist reached out to the puppet's shoulder.  His fingers instantly found the latch and he pulled off the front casing, revealing the infinitely complex clockwork beneath.  In the center of innumerable fine, thin copper gears and tiny levers, where a human heart should have been, was a single, large, crimson crystal in the shape of perfect sphere.  There was an ugly crack running through it at an angle, almost shearing it in half. “It's broken,” Twist said, looking up to the others.

“Can you fix it?” Aazzi asked after a moment.

“That crystal is the source of every movement in the rest of the body,” Twist said. “Every other part leads back to it.  If it can't resonate at the exact, perfect vibrations, then the body won't respond.  She would be paralyzed.”

“But, you can fix it, right?” Jonas asked slowly.

Twist looked up at his covered eyes. “I can't mend a broken crystal.  It's impossible.”

“No, no, that can't be,” Jonas said, shaking his head. “I saw the two of you together—talking, laughing—like nothing was wrong.  You will complete her, eventually.”

“Is your Sight never wrong about the future?” Twist asked.

“Never,” Jonas said, his tone darkening.

A high, slight cry seemed to echo off the palace walls in the depths of the slowly encroaching shadows.  Aazzi turned instantly, following the sounds with her silver eyes, and muttered to herself quickly.

“Has she been listening?” Aazzi asked them.

“I'll find a new crystal,” Twist said to the darkness, as loudly as he could. “Jonas is right, I'm sure,” he added with a gesture to him.

“Is it just me, or is it getting colder?” Jonas asked quietly, watching the shadows with softly glowing eyes.

“Princess, please,” Twist said, getting to his feet to address the entire hall. “Trust me.  I will bring you back into this world.  I swear it.”

A sharp blast of wind rushed in from a broken window and snuffed out the candle flame.  The cold grew deep enough to turn Twist's breath into silvery clouds, and the shadows seemed to reach out from the walls towards him.  Jonas and Aazzi both got quickly to their feet, standing close to Twist, with their backs to him.  The darkness before Jonas grew so black that it almost appeared to take a solid form in the matter of an instant.

“Holy...” Jonas breathed, staring into the shadow, now with much more brightly glowing eyes and a decidedly alarmed expression. “She's taking shape!”

Aazzi moved to stand beside him, between Twist and the blackness, speaking quickly and clearly with her hands held out before her.  Twist peered between them as the blackness seemed to pause in its approach, as if it had run into some kind of wall.  His body began to tremble in the sudden cold, his heart racing in his chest.

“I can see her,” Jonas said. “She's yelling, trying to say something, but I can't hear it.”  He paused, frowning. “Ah hell...”

Jonas braced as if expecting an attack, and Aazzi's voice rose in volume.  In a flashing instant, the blackness flooded forward, washing over them like a wave and then crashing down onto Twist.  To him, the others disappeared like smoke before the wind, and the princess appeared in their place, standing before him as real and solid as she had before.  The darkness around her lifted as well, bathing them both in a haunting white light.

“Princess,” Twist said, his voice all but lost to his shock.

“There are others now,” she said to him, taking his hand in hers.  Once again, Twist twitched when her cold skin touched his, but no vision came. “They say they will take you away.  Can't you see them?”

“Who?” Twist asked, alarmed to find fear on her gentle, childlike face.

“They arrived last night, on the other ship,” the princess said. “They say very bad things.  They just said they will kill the others if they stand in their way.  I tried to tell you, but you couldn't hear me, could you?”

“Where is the other ship?” Twist asked, his mind struggling to catch up.

“Here,” the princess said, placing a hand on his back to lead him away, to one of the windows.  As they approached, Twist saw that the glass was now repaired, and gleaming like new. “It's drifting beyond that mountain top,” the princess said, pointing through the window to a green and gray bluff not half a mile away. “They jump to my palace like birds, on mechanical wings,” she said, staring out as she took an absent grip of Twist's arm. “They hide and watch you,” she added, looking to him intently.

“There, there,” Twist said softly, disturbed by her fear.  He could remember seeing people reaching out to hold a frightened child, and tried it himself, hesitantly putting one arm around her slender shoulders.  She responded instantly, wrapping both arms around his waist and fitting her head into the crook of his neck. “Don't be frightened,” he said gently, fighting to keep focus as he held her cold body in his arms.

“I don't like them,” she muttered bitterly. “They say such bad things about you.”

“...
Twist!
” a distant, echoing voice called from very far away.

“No!” the princess yelled, holding him even tighter. “I won't let you go.  I want you to stay here with me!  I'm frightened.”

“There, there,” Twist said again, rubbing her back softly. “They are only worried about me.  They think I'm in danger because they can't wake me up.”

“Don't wake up,” she said, pulling back just enough to look up to him with her shimmering, dark eyes. “Stay with me.”

Twist knew that his heart was barely beating, that he was likely on the verge of death as she overstressed his Sight.  He knew he needed to wake up to tell the others that they might all be in danger from the newcomers.  He knew that there were many reasons to break out of this dream.  But as he looked into her eyes and held her in his arms, very little of him cared.

“
Twist, please!
” called another voice, still far away in the distance of light.

“My dear, I want nothing more than to stay with you,” he said finally, surprised by how easily the words left his lips.  She smiled slightly. “But I have to go.  Just for a moment,” he said, this time fighting for each word.  Her smile faded away. “I have to tell my friends what you told me.  They don't have any idea about the other ship.  If we're attacked, we'll be defenseless.  They could take your puppet away and trap you here forever.”

“I don't want to be alone anymore,” she said, pain coloring her face and dampening her eyes. “I've been all alone for so long!”

“I don't want you to ever be alone again,” Twist said quickly. “Please, let me make sure of it.  Let me protect you.”

She pulled him tighter again, pressing her cheek to his shoulder as she looked away. “I like you,” she said, ever so softly. “You're not like anyone else.  You're so sweet to me.  I watch you work so gently on my puppet.  I like to watch you.”

“You know I don't want to cause you any pain,” he said, stroking the long tail of black hair that hung down her back. “You can trust me, princess.”

“Myra,” she said.

“I'm sorry?”

“My name,” she said, looking at him again. “Servants call me 'princess.'  I want you to call me by my name.”

“Myra,” Twist echoed, tasting the name with a smile.  He couldn't stop himself from reaching up to stroke the side of her lovely little face, but she only moved into his touch with a smile of her own. “Let me go, please.  I need to make sure that you will be safe.  I would never forgive myself if I let something happen to you.”

She looked down slightly and took a heavy breath, letting it out to run over the skin at his throat. “All right,” she muttered.

“Thank you, my dear,” Twist said gently as she pulled away from him.

“I'm trusting you,” she said sternly to him.

“You can trust me to the end of the world,” Twist said.

Myra smiled and took a step away.  The white light burned in from the distance and enveloped her completely until Twist was alone in a pure white space.  He reached out with his senses and found Jonas's electric resonance wafting indistinctly in the air.  He caught it and pulled, dragging himself closer and closer.