Clockwork Twist : Waking (27 page)

The metal man's narrow eyes widened again slowly as he listened.  He paused silently for a long moment before his chest rose and fell smoothly, as if taking a deep, resigned breath.  Then, he took a step closer to Twist and gestured with one hand.

“Come with me,” he said. “And turn that light out.  It's far too bright.”

Once Twist had replaced the cap on his walking stick and turned out its light completely, he saw the otherworldly white glow that seemed to live at the heart of every crystal in the cavern.  However beautiful and strange, it was highly disorienting and he had to reach out to practically feel his way along as the metal man led him deeper and deeper into the crystal cavern.  After what seemed like a very long walk on his now aching limbs, the crystals around him gave way to a wide, open space unlike anything Twist could have ever imagined.

Tall crystals—now of pale blues, greens, and gold—stood like the towers of a great city in the seemingly endless cavern around them, each one hallowed out into levels and rooms.  More crystals stretched between them in ornately carved, glowing bridges of glass.  Everywhere he looked, Twist saw clockwork people strolling through the crystals, talking together, running, laughing, playing, and living in a true city all their own.  Each one was perfectly unique in design and complexity, though he saw many that reminded him of either Myra or his guide.  Utterly bewildered by what he saw in the haunting natural glow of the crystals, Twist could only stop and stare at the impossibility that ran rampant around him.

“Wait here,” the metal man said to Twist, watching him carefully. “I'll be right back.”

When Twist made no reply, the man reached out a metal hand to lay on his arm.  Twist's Sight flashed him a torrent of memories, far more numerous than anything he'd ever experienced.  Because of the number, all he could grasp were flashes of a life lived in this crystal city, without so much as the sight of a single flesh and blood human being.  Twist jerked away from the touch automatically, breaking the connection.

“I mean it,” the metal man said. “Don't wander off.”

“All right,” Twist managed to respond.

Apparently satisfied now, the metal man turned and walked away into the crystal spires.  Twist found it increasingly difficult to remain on his feet as he stood, watching clockwork forms tend to their own business in their inexplicable world.  He leaned heavily on his walking stick and hung his head, trying very hard not to think about how much he hurt.

“You're not made of metal,” said a very young, but still metallic sounding voice.

Twist opened his eyes to see a small, clockwork boy staring at him from a few feet away.  He looked to be no bigger than a five year old child, and his voice sounded about there as well.  He stared up at Twist from a chubby copper face, through diamond clear eyes.

“I'm not,” Twist conceded.

“But everyone here's made of metal,” the boy pointed out.

“I'm sorry,” Twist offered.

“But everyone who's not made of metal gets killed by the bat people,” the boy said, tilting his metal head to one side absently. “How come they didn't kill you?”

“I can see the future,” Twist said, allowing himself the luxury to say it in a slightly spooky voice. “I hit them before they can hit me.”

“Oh, that's very clever,” the boy said, his bright, clear eyes appearing somehow very excited now, to match his voice. “How do you see the future?” he asked almost in a whisper.

“I'm magical,” Twist answered flatly.

“I wanna be magical!” The boy said, hopping lightly on his metal feet. “Can you teach me?  Oh please, say you will!”

Twist could no longer keep the smile off his face, watching this.  Luckily, he was saved from having to crush any tiny hopes.

“Run along, Willy,” said another metallic voice.  The boy turned to see what Twist recognized as clearly the most refined of all the clockwork people approach them.

“But—!” the boy began, pointing to Twist.

“What have I told you, Willy?” the new clockwork person said, raising a finger. “Never tempt a magical person, least of all a wizard.  It's very bad for the health.”

Little Willy gave a very large and aggravate sigh, pouting at Twist before finally turning to hurry away to a group of three other small clockwork children who had apparently been watching all the while.  They scattered into the city at a dismissive wave from the new clockwork person.

Seeing her now from closer up, Twist was amazed by the craftsmanship in her golden face.  The jewels of her eyes were a clear, brilliant purple, and the shape of her features reminded Twist instantly of Aazzi.  Her form was wrapped modestly in fine, purple colored cotton that swirled into gray at her sandaled feet.  Even so, Twist could only guess that her body had been built by an artist.  It was nearly as lovely as Myra's, and obviously as flexible and intricate within as well.

“My name is Elizabeth,” she said, bowing to him slightly. “I'm the governess of this city.”  She then held out a perfect, golden hand to him.

“Twist,” he offered, taking her cool, metal hand ever so lightly.

As he had before, he found the still, constant, quiet warmth resting quietly at the base of his neck, even now that Jonas was so far away.  It took all of his focus not to let the vision of her innumerable, vivid memories run away with him.  He managed to wrap even that faint shield of warmth around his mind to retain his composure as he bent to lay a respectful kiss on the back of her golden hand.

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Governess,” he offered, almost embarrassed by the inadequacy of his words.

“Please, call me Liz,” she said, smiling gently as the metal sheets of her face moved silently to allow for the expression.  Twist couldn't help but smile back into her amethyst eyes.

“I'm sorry, I can't,” he said, bringing a light flash of confusion to her features. “A nickname is wholly inadequate.  You deserve a much more unique and beautiful name.”

Her smile deepened considerably. “Well, aren't you charming?” she toned smoothly, only now pulling her hand away from his. “Come with me,” she said, gesturing towards one of the larger streets through the crystal city. “I hear that we have much to talk about.”

As if in a dream, Twist walked beside the golden clockwork woman, through crystal streets filled with staring, jewel eyes.  Each clockwork face that they passed seemed to focus on Twist, muttering quietly to one another just out of earshot.  As they entered one of the largest carved out crystal rooms—decorated with long, hanging swaths of colorful cloth, shining crystal, and precious metal ornaments—he found little relief from the staring eyes, as the walls of this clear crystal palace were as thin as sheets of glass.  Elizabeth asked him to sit on a low, purple velvet padded seat near the center of the room, while she sat across a small crystal table from him on another simple seat.  Twist couldn't fathom why she didn't have a throne.

The moment his body came to rest, he realized just how far he had fallen down the dark shaft.  Though he didn't think he'd broken anything, his whole body now ached.  He let out a breath, fighting to keep his attention on other things.

“Are you all right?” Elizabeth asked him, looking concerned.

“Yes, I just...” Twist paused, smiling to her weekly. “I sort of fell down a hole out in the caves.  I'm a bit sore now.”  Her amethyst eyes flashed with alarm. “Please, don't worry about me,” Twist said quickly. “I'm getting used to this kind of thing.”

“Well...” she toned, not looking totally convinced, “if you're sure that you're all right,” she said slowly.  Twist nodded instantly. “Well, my friend tells me that you're here for a purpose,” she said. “He tells me that you found princess Myra.”

Surprise flashed across Twist's face. “You know her name?”

“She is the stuff of our legends as well,” Elizabeth said, smiling to him. “Some say that she was the very first of us to be born into metal.  But she has been lost for generations.”

“Well, someone's finally found her.  She's been lying broken for a very long time.  I've repaired the clockwork, and the other crystals are all undamaged, but the central one was cracked when I found it.”  It felt odd to say these things to her, and Twist wondered if she would understand or even be offended by his knowledge.  Elizabeth, however, only listened and nodded thoughtfully.

“How did you know to come here for a replacement?” she asked him.

“Someone told me that her crystal came from these caves,” Twist explained. “I had no idea that any … any of your people, were here.”

“That's good,” she said absently, nodding to her own thoughts. “Where did you find her?” she asked, watching him carefully now. “What was her condition?”

“She was in Nepal, in a crumbling old palace on the edge of a mountain peak,” Twist said. “Her body had fallen at some point, leaving her soul trapped in the palace.  I had to take every single piece of her apart just to repair all the damage.”

“That must have taken you a while.”

“Almost a week, I think,” Twist said, nodding.

“Only a week?” she asked, smiling again. “Did you sleep?”

“Not much, if I'm honest,” Twist said, smiling back lightly.

“And why would you go to all that trouble to fix her?” Elizabeth asked lightly, though the look in her crystal eyes was anything but light.  Twist suddenly realized that these questions were not posed out of mild curiosity; she was testing him somehow.

“She was trapped, alone and forgotten in that crumbling old palace,” he said, careful to keep his words as honest and clear as he could. “And her puppet is so lovely … almost as wonderful as she is, herself.  It was a horror to see her broken like that.  I couldn't have done anything else.  I simply had to help her.”

Elizabeth's eyes warmed as she listened to him. “Good answer,” she said softly. “And if I help you to finish the repairs, what would you do with her then?”

“Whatever she wished,” Twist said, his surprise at the question evident on his face. “It's not my decision to make.”

“Isn't it?” she asked, her tone light.  Twist searched her shining eyes, but any tension that might be in them was well concealed.

“No, it isn't,” Twist said, letting his honesty speak for itself. “It's her life, and so it has to be her choice.”

“I see,” Elizabeth said, her expression warming. “Where is the broken crystal?”

“Ah,” Twist toned, reaching for the chain that hung under his collar.  He drew it out and over his head, before carefully taking hold of the tiny crystal pendant.  Then, he pulled sharply at the chain, breaking it off.  Instantly, the chain and pendant both dissolved into golden dust that swirled in on itself on his palm.  Myra's broken crystal appeared out of the shimmering dust, back in its true form. “Here it is,” Twist said, looking back to Elizabeth.

She stared at it in wonder, her eyes wide. “How ever did you do that?” she asked.

“Oh.  I know a djinn.”

“You do lead an interesting life, don't you Twist?” she asked, now looking at him with a glimmer of wonder in her purple eyes. “May I see it?” she asked, holding out a golden hand.

The moment that Twist handed her the crystal, the constant, peaceful presence of Myra's sleeping spirit vanished from his mind.  He instantly regretted letting it slip from his fingers into any others hands.

“She's still inside?” Elizabeth asked, peering into the crystal.

“I asked her to return to it,” Twist said. “There were others, at the time, who I thought might cause her harm.  I asked her to return to the crystal so that I could keep her safe.”

“There is no fear in her spirit,” Elizabeth said, softly stroking the surface of the crystal with one golden finger. “She is perfectly at peace.  No matter what you told her, you could only have left her in such a peaceful state if she actually trusted you.”  She looked up to him then. “From what you've told me, I can see that you honestly have no idea where you are.  That's a very good thing,” she added when Twist frowned. “But if I give you what you want, I want something from you in return.”

“Anything I have to give,” Twist said instantly as real hope burned to life in his heart.

She smiled again. “You got her to trust you, so I believe that I can too.  But trust is only strong when it is even.  You must trust me now.”

“All right,” Twist said, silently wondering what she could mean.

“I want a promise from you,” she said, staring into him so pointedly that he thought she might be able to see through him. “I want you to give me your word, right now, that you will do exactly what I ask of you when I bring you back the replacement for this crystal.”

“But, you won't tell me what you want of me, now?” Twist asked.