Alcingeria Chapter Fifty Three: Repercussions

The task force discovers the shocking identity of the mafia boss. They also find out that they are planning to use their new innovation; the machine guns, to kill Queen Yuka!

            Chapter Fifty Three Repercussions:

Monday July 5^th 1690

Gerald, Edward, Edwin, Darwin, Robert, Don, Macalister, Stella and I all acted as guards for the remainder of yesterday. The other guards haven’t been suspicious of us, which is perfect. We don’t want to attract any unwanted attention. We slept in the guards’ quarters, which was located near the prison corridor. We were woken up by the head guard.

            “Alright men, to your duties! Escort the prisoners to breakfast!” He barked.

            “Yes sir!” We all shouted in unison.

We all piled out of the room, headed for the prison corridor. When we got there, I insisted on escorting Antoinette, Tabatha and Walden out of their cell. When they saw me they all cracked small, unnoticeable grins.

            “We’re working on a way to bust everyone out. Just hold out for a little while longer.” I whispered.

They nodded but said nothing. I escorted the three of them to the mess hall. I escorted them through the mess line and back to a table. I noticed that the other guards sat at tables with the other prisoners, so I did the same. To avoid suspicion, the others sat at separate tables.

            “Redmond, the food here has a curse on it. It keeps our magical power at the bare minimum. The only way we can use magic is if the witch who casted the spell wants us to.” Tabatha whispered.

I nodded in understanding. I felt dismayed, but didn’t dare show it for fear of blowing my cover. They ate the food, regardless of the curse on it. I guess it was eat or starve, right? Feeling hungry and thirsty, I helped myself to some of Walden’s food. It had a strange taste to it.

            “Hey! Watch it buddy! Get your own!” He snapped.

I chuckled.

            “I’ve missed you, Walden.” I said.

            “Yeah, yeah. Me too pal.” He said.

As everyone was eating, the man who ordered everyone to be captured at Estaire’s birthday ball, Artemis Blaine, walked to the stage.

            “Everyone, listen up!” He shouted.

Everyone quieted down, waiting to hear what he had to say.

            “Eighteen of our guards have been captured! Because of this, our secret entrance was discovered and we have no doubt been infiltrated! The guilty party most likely stands among us in this very room!” Artemis shouted.

There was an excited jumble of voices, but Artemis raised his finger to his lips for silence.

            “Here is a message to the guilty party; if you do not give yourselves up, I will burn one witch or warlock at the stake until you are found!” Artemis shouted.

A few screams of panic and a few please for mercy could be heard. Artemis smirked. I hated this guy.

            “In fact, why don’t we start right now?” He asked, still smirking.

He looked around the room, pointing at random people with his finger. Eventually he stopped and pointed at a young warlock.

            “You. You will be the first to die.” He said.

The warlock’s eyes grew wide.

            “No! Please! I’ve done nothing wrong! I don’t deserve this!” He screamed.

Artemis chuckled, pacing towards the warlock.

            “Your death will send a message to the guilty party. It is necessary.” Artemis said.

            “No! Please!” The warlock pleaded.

            “Guards, seize him! Set up a pyre in the mine and burn this warlock at the stake! And while you’re at it, make everyone watch.” Artemis said devilishly.

            “Yes sir.” The guards said as they seized the warlock.

            “Please! Don’t do this! Anything but this! Please don’t kill me!” The warlock begged.

My heart sank at this sad display. I wanted to help him, but I couldn’t risk blowing my cover, too many lives were at stake. I looked to Gerald with urgency. He just looked at me sadly and shook his head. I nodded in understanding. I saw Stella on the borderline of tears. We all watched as the warlock as taken away, towards the mine.

            “You heard Artemis! You all get to watch!” The head guard shouted.

That was our cue. Guards all over the room began escorting prisoners to the mine. I did the same with Tabatha, Walden and Antoinette.

            “I’m sorry.” I whispered.

            “There isn’t anything you can do, it isn’t you fault.” Antoinette comforted.

As much as I wanted to believe her, I didn’t. That warlock’s blood would be on our hands. We reached the entrance to the mine in the far right corner of the mess hall. We all piled through and saw the guards pill some scrap wood around a support post for the mine. They grabbed some rope from a nearby mine car and a torch off the wall. The warlock struggled against the guards, but he was punched in the gut. He let out a cry of pain and he submitted to the guards. He began to cry. The guards tied him securely to the post. They eyed the warlock for a few more seconds.

            “Guards?” Artemis asked.

They turned to him.

            “Make sure you replace that post when you’re done.” He said coldly.

            “Yes sir.” They replied.

The guards then dropped the torch onto the wood. The warlock’s tear glistening eyes grew wide with fear as he saw the fire raging towards him. He screamed out and cried some more. The rest of us either screamed or gasped. The warlock screamed for longer than I thought possible. He was finished begging for mercy, he was just screaming in agony now. The scene went on for around ten or twenty minutes. Half way through the warlock stopped screaming. I knew that he was almost dead at this point. After a while the pyre burned itself out, leaving only a pile of ashes. A pile of ashes that was once a human being.

            “Let that be a message to the guilty party! This will happen every day until you are caught or give yourselves up!” Artemis shouted to the crowd.

            ‘What not, Artemis?” Asked a guard.

            “Put them in the workshop, have them manufacture more fully automatic firearms.” Artemis ordered.

            “About that, ‘fully automatic firearm’ is a little wordy. Can’t we call it something shorter?” The guard asked.

Artemis nodded, thinking.

            “Well, since it’s automatic and it’s a gun, shouldn’t we call it a machine gun?” Artemis asked.

            “Machine gun, eh? That has a nice ring to it.” The guard said.

The prisoners were all escorted to the hot, muggy workshop. I was asked to chain Tabatha and Antoinette to one of the metal workbenches and reluctantly did so. I was asked to chain Walden up to the furnace, which I also did reluctantly. When the destruction magic users were all chained up, they started sending jets of flame into the furnace. I saw a few manipulation magic users levitating large ore cares and dumping the contents into the furnace using magic. With the numbers and magic that the mafia had, they would be able to make machine guns at an alarming speed, and they’d be able to make a lot of them. What did they need these powerful new weapons for? I knew it was nothing good, but exactly what was their goal? How far were they willing to go to achieve it? As I watched the magic users work, my curiosity grew. Gradually, more and more of the magic users began to look worn down, then tired, then totally exhausted. The task force and I were assigned to stand guard there in the increasingly hot workshop. We didn’t complain, either. I walked around the room, examining the magic users. Already I saw that some of the smaller witches and warlocks who were chained to the tables had passed out from either dehydration or exhaustion. Some of the fairies had collapsed as well. As the hours ticked by, more and more magic users began passing out until there were so few that it would be pointless to work them any longer.

            “Alright, that’s enough! Get them all out into the mess hall for another meal!” One of the guards shouted.

We all did as instructed. Antoinette had passed out and didn’t wake up when I unshackled her. I carried her out into the mess hall and let the others take Tabatha and Walden. I layed Antoinette on the table. Tabatha was carried out by Don, she was just barely hanging on to consciousness. Walden looked beaten down, be he was still able to fly. We all sat down at the table.

            “Someone get some water for them.” Gerald ordered.

            “I will.” Darwin volunteered as he ran off to get some.

            “Antoinette, are you alright?” I asked.

She moaned, attempting to sit up, but failed and crashed back down to the table.

            “Antoinette? Can you hear me?” I asked nervously.

Darwin returned with a bucket of water and some wooden cups. He passed one to Tabatha and one to Walden.

            “Why do you even bother helping these witches?” Edwin asked, disgust was in his voice.

I then noticed that he had done nothing to help Tabatha, Walden or Antoinette.

            “Because they’re our friends!” Stella said in a harsh whisper.

            “Witches know nothing but deceit. Do you really think they care about you?” Edwin asked coldly.

Stella nodded quickly, glaring at Edwin.

            “As a matter of fact I do.” Stella said with absolute finality.

I got a cup of water and held Antoinette’s head up, easing the cup to her lips and slowly tilting it upwards. I only poured a little into her mouth before stopping. I pulled the cup away. She swallowed and I gave her some more. She swallowed that. I was about to pull it away when her hand shot up, grabbed the cup and poured the remaining water down her throat.

            “More…” She croaked as she layed back down.

Edwin scoffed as if in disgust. It sounded more like he was annoyed. Regardless of him, I gave Antoinette more water, she drank it down quickly. She put the cup down and sat up.

            “Thanks Redmond.” She said gratefully.

            “Don’t mention it.” I replied.

She took a seat at the table. Sometime around when we got them out of the workshop, Edward and Darwin had gotten up and got trays of food for everyone. They carried two trays each and went back to get two more, then two more. We all shared the food. The vegetables and meat I ate had the same strange taste that I noticed before. Just then, Artemis Blaine walked to the stage at the center of the room. Everyone quieted down.

            “I have come here to discuss a few things with you all.” He began.

The room was silent, awaiting his speech.

            “The matter regarding the warlock we executed earlier was totally necessary. We have been infiltrating and can’t risk being exposed, not after all we have done! I suppose you all are wondering why we have you working so diligently in that workshop manufacturing what we now call machine guns.” Artemis continued.

The whole room broke into unintelligible chatter.

            “I would tell you, but I figure you all should hear it from someone even more significant than me. Ladies and gentlemen! I present to you… The big boss himself!” Artemis shouted with great enthusiasm.

Just then a man draped in a pitch black cloak walked towards Artemis from the right side of the room. The cloak concealed his body type and his face. He kept his head down.

            “Thank you, Artemis.” He said in a strangely familiar voice.

Don leaned over and whispered in my ear.

            “Does this guy’s voice sound familiar to you at all, or is it just me?” He asked.

I nodded quickly.

            “It does sound familiar.” I agreed.

I then heard Robert gasp.

            “No… It can’t be…” He muttered.

The man then threw off his cloak, letting it fall to the floor. The man who now stood before us was definitely familiar, and now I knew who it was.

            “It… It can’t be!” Robert exclaimed in a whisper.

            “It is!” Macalister hissed.

The man paced the length of the stage at the center of the room slowly, letting the dramatic tension build.

            “Salutations. My name… Is Ignacio.” The man said.

My mid was in shock, I couldn’t process what I was seeing! I thought he was dead, yet here he stood before me. Ignacio, the vampire who had deceived and blackmailed us, Ignacio, the vampire who almost turned Don and Robert into vampires, Ignacio, the vampire who was assigned to turn us in to King Lucias, Ignacio, the vampire who stole our fifty thousand dollars, was standing right before our eyes. His blood colored eyes flashed across every face in the room. He didn’t appear to notice Don, Robert, Macalister or myself.

            “His eyes!” Someone exclaimed.

            “Indeed. My eyes are red. I am a vampire, as many of you, but apparently not all of you, have figured out. I am the head of the vampire mafia.” Ignacio said.

The room was filled with frightened chatter for a few seconds, then everyone quieted down.

            “My associate, Artemis Blaine, has told you about how you will be part of something great. I will tell you what that something is. The evil Queen Yuka has brought nothing but pain and misery to your lives, correct?” He asked, his voice gaining tension and enthusiasm with each passing second.

A shout of approval rang through the crowd.

            “With these machine guns, we will be able to strike down the evil tyrant! With these machine guns, we will be able to bring down the queen!” Ignacio shouted, really letting he crowd have it.

Everyone cheered and began shouting.

            “Down with the queen! Down with the queen!” Was the chant that echoed off of the stone walls.

I was absolutely stunned at this point. There was no doubt going to be a battle. Queen Yuka was evil, and because of her many evil deeds many people wanted to kill her. The vampire mafia probably a large portion of those people. They now had the most powerful, most advanced weapons Alcingeria has ever seen and they were going to use them against the queen. I wasn’t a killer. My humanity was still very much intact. Because of this, I felt bad for Queen Yuka. Her and anyone in that castle would be slaughtered, and soon. One question hung in my brain, high above all the others; what side would I take? Both these forces were evil. They had both killed numerous people, they had both done unspeakable things. In a war that pitted evil against evil, was there a true good? Which side would I take? Should I go back with the others and warn the queen to at least give her a fighting chance, or did we turn a blind eye and let the queen and all her forces be annihilated by another evil force? Neither option was good. After the queen was defeated, what would the vampire mafia do then?

Author's Note

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