—----------

  10minutes later

  —----------------

  We were just arriving at the colossal mobile gear as Agent Seer turned around and as he was flying backwards he commanded, “the focus will stay out here.”

  Did it anger me so that he called her that demeaning classification with such ease. “I can't show my mother that things are going well in the marriage she arranged?” I half mocked half questioned the so far irredeemable man.

  “It is for her safety that she doesn't go in with you.” He stated “Her Imperial Majesty is tired from her duties and would likely slip into her power, harming the focus.” He emphasized mother's official title, likely offended him that I continued to refuse to call her such. I knew I was playing a dangerous game. I knew just how bad things could go, but their treatment of not only my former family, but Cerys and I especially was appalling.

  “What do you think, Cerys, could you take an unexpected emission of power from my mother?” I made emphasis on both Cerys and mother as I spoke said words.

  Cerys shivered and shook her head.

  This answer told me all I needed to know about how my mother treated her.

  So far, my mother remained a confusing enigma who seemed to contradict herself in certain instances. I still couldn't figure out why, but if I continued to live and kept my perception sharp, I may yet get answers.

  “Understood, Cerys, would you please stay here on my floating platform?” I asked her, continuing to treat her as the human she is and not some tool. Both, spitefully, to knock that seer off balance in order for him to make a mistake and divulge something useful and to treat her with the respect she deserves.

  “Yes, I would like that, Erec.” She stated with a gentle voice. “Thank you” those last two words raised the hairs on the back of my head. An instinctual reaction of a fear I overlooked.

  “Promise me she will come to no harm in any way, by any one.” I asserted.

  Agent Seer stopped suddenly. He stared at the clavicle of the mobile cog, then turned back and stared at me for double those few seconds. He then shuddered and placed his hand where his heart would be. “I, Agent Seer, promise to make doubly sure that no harm will come to the focus in any way shape or form while you are convening with Her Imperial Majesty.”

  That promise held plenty of loopholes. “Whatever you saw happen, I promise it will come true if you continue to demean Cerys in any way moving forward” my left hand remained on my heart. This is a promise I will look to keep, I told myself.

  He stayed very still for thirty straight seconds. Staring at who knows what. So far, only he knew. “We must keep moving” he stated in a slightly terrified tone.

  All this material in between his facial features and I meant nothing in that moment, what I saw was a man who had just experienced a horrible end and survived it.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “Cerys doesn't have a steel body, I do, there is no forging to be done on her, do you understand, agent?” My anger roiled as I spat out his position with a rage.

  “Yes, weapon, it will be so.” He acquiesced.

  “See that it is.” I responded.

  “You really are much like your father, weapon,” he mumbled.

  “Is that so?” I questioned.

  He flinched, like a kid getting caught trying to sneak extra food from the larder.

  “Nevermind that, Her Imperial Majesty is awaiting.” He stated as he sped up.

  —---------

  A minute later.

  _—---------------

  “I will see you later, Cerys.” I bid my farewell while I took a piece of metal with me from the hourglass. It floated into my left hand as a balance.

  “Until then, Erec.” She returned my goodbye with a gentle smile that didn't quite reach full width.

  “If anyone makes a threat to your life that you cannot defend, do not hesitate to make your way to mother and I, if it is within my power, I will protect you, or die trying.” My right hand making its way over my heart as I finished my promise.

  I then took sixty pieces of sand and just enough transparent metal out of the chair to make a miniature hourglass, one that would have to be flipped every minute.

  I turned in the air, accompanied by the agent and my new smaller hourglass. I then followed agent Seer to the top of the great helm. A hatch, already open, beckoned me in. I looked at the back of the agent's cloaked head, he immediately said, “you are to go in alone, Her Imperial Majesty's orders.”

  Without further ado, I made my way into the roughly meter wide opening in the great helm.

  I then followed the tunnel downwards, rotating slowly cog-wise as I took in the five by five meter entrance shaft. It was beautiful. Platinum cogs arranged in staggered paths along the walls flowed with magical energy of myriad colors.

  I stayed doing this for thirty minutes. Too bad I could not have taken more metal with me, it would have made the trip faster. It could have compromised the structural integrity of the chair holding Cerys too much. I wanted to hold her there, I didn't want her to have to float there for however long this took. I had no idea her true capabilities for extended flight and wanted her to be comfortable.

  Finally, I spotted the end of the entrance shaft.

  Strange, there's no main cog ending here, and the cogs along the wall keep going. That's what went through my mind until I rotated just enough to see a door. It was a fine looking door that held the colors of house Hekali and house Dohiedron.

  I pushed them open. It opened with a whoosh of air that blew into my face. There, a lady in the same black cloak, hood and net mask stood up and folded her hands in front of her in a formal way. “Her Imperial Majesty will see you, weapon, now.” She then turned on her heel and walked over to a cog style sealed door. She rotated it, then pulled with ease as the door opened outwardly to the right on grooves embedded into the flooring. What I saw next almost made me panic.

  The mother I knew, no longer healthy. Her eyes were dull of magical energy, dark anemic circles around them. She stayed still, but I could tell she may have been in discomfort the way her pale, clammy forehead and slightly less luminescent white eyebrows seemed to fight contouring into a grimace. “Weapon, you have finally arrived, I have words that you must hear”

  “Mother, what happened to you?” I had an inkling, but I had to be sure.

  “Not now, weapon, you must listen.” She commanded, her voice uncharacteristically kind for the sentence that came out of her greyed lips.

  As I stayed silent she made a shaky nod as she said “I cannot say much, all that I will say is that you must find your own power, and that you have to choose.” She erupted into a coughing fit for a few seconds. I made to step forwards, but she held out an unpowerful right hand and settled her coughing.

  “Saying anything more than those two points may lead you down a path this world will not survive.” She let her hand half lower half fall to her side.

  “Go to the imperial academy, study until you are ready and find your own power.” As she finished her command, she looked to my left and said, “make the necessary arrangements, agent.” Said agent snapped a quick salute, turned on her heel and left out the way I came, also silent as Agent Seer.

  “May we talk now, mother?” She shook her head, her bottom lip quivering suddenly. “No, weapon, you must make haste to the imperial capital and start your studies with haste.” An anger that didn't quite reach fruition made itself known in my throat as I stated, “be well, mother.” I then turned around and made my way to the entrance. As I exited to the entrance shaft, I heard the giant cog door start scraping closed, then slammed shut.

  The agent was nowhere to be seen or sensed, which didn't mean she couldn't be standing right next to me, but I felt alone in this enormous shaft.

  Rust dammit, she must have overused her magical power. Just what could she have fought that would have brought her to such a point? Her armor seemed undamaged, so it must not have been too deadly. She must have been using her powers for an extended period of time in great quantities. I knew just how bad it could feel to have time delayed backlash play out through my body. The only difference was that she didn't have a steel body. Even though I don't know much about any power past the fifteenth cog, I would assume that, with an educated guess, it could be much like a far more potent seventh cog.

  I shook my head and reminded myself that I wasn't alone, Cerys was waiting for me, I also didn't want to chance anything any further with how Agent Seer reacted to my demands.

  I spread the metal piece into an almost gauntlet shape and used it to push me upwards at a faster pace, my boots doing much the same.