The Stained Tower

After the meeting with the noble’s military, I depart for a tavern called ‘Greensward Tavern,’ where the Free People’s Beast Directory Project, BDP, has set up their operation. The reason is that I want to sample the Wretched Rats as it is about time that I begin acquiring new adaptations, so the Wretched Rat is something I want to eat some pieces of to increase my choices. 

Moreover, I believe I need to warn them of the quest I gave to the people earlier in the day because word of it has spread quite fast. Terra assured me they would not mind the quest, but I still feel that I should visit them myself.

As for how the meeting itself went, I would say it went as well as it could have, I suppose. The noble’s military was far from friendly, yet they also did not accuse me of anything too terrible, even though I believe they wanted to. That was partly because the meeting included several politicians, the Consortium, and Terra. Hence, between everyone wanting to get a word in, the noble’s military seemed unable to question me like they wished to. In the end, what few questions I was goaded into answering were rather superficial.

Pushing the thoughts of the meeting away, I arrive at the BDP’s tavern and glance back to ensure the clickers have kept pace with me. All five of them and the scout have followed, but Gary is not watching me any longer. He said someone else would take over while he goes home to sleep, and the other person is not ‘authorized’ to speak to me.

The scout notices me, looks at me and makes a high beep.

I nod and then return my attention to the Tavern. The Tavern is a rather stylish and luxurious brick lodge or building similar to the Boathouse café except even fancier. When I told Terra I was coming here, she laughed and then said that this tavern was: “Once one of the poshest restaurants in the city and constantly full of celebrities, politicians, and mobsters. Then it became a hot dog stand before becoming a restaurant again, and now the BDP is going to be dissecting giant insects on their antique mahogany tables.” 

This is one of the places I never had the opportunity to visit when I was in hiding, so I am curious to see it. Yet, it seems I shan’t be able to today either because the interior is dark, and I am relatively confident that there is not anyone here at the moment. ‘Aye, naught I can do here today. I suppose the sun is already setting, so it is a touch late for them to be here.’

Removing a pen and sticky paper, I write, “Apologies for the unannounced quest, and I hope it’s not too inconvenient. If there’s an issue with the quest, find me, and I shall correct it. Will visit again soon. I thank thee - Fairy.” To finish my note, I draw a rough sketch of a hand performing the thumbs-up gesture. I would draw the fairy fist, but it’s too difficult to sketch the thumb beneath the index finger.

I stick the note to their door and then depart for my Domain. ‘I think I shall stop by the Tower to grab the node sparks for later and then go to the library in the cave. After that meeting, I realized I know nothing of the history of this land besides the fact that there was a revolution. Therefore, a bit of study of history and the reason for that before meeting the government officials tomorrow shan’t hurt.’

Walking toward my Tower, I hear a whisper and then notice a shadow between some trees. I stop. My fingers begin to rub together as I glance around, finding that there are plenty of other people around, and as usual, they are watching me. These are just commoners, not a threat, but this whisper is familiar. The last time I heard it was when I was standing in the Tower and... the Bishop and his spirits were near.

A moment I have been dreading is about to occur, yet I am somewhat prepared for this. Terra, Earl, and I discussed this a few days ago after his initial display, and we do not anticipate a violent confrontation. If that was all he planned, then he would not have gone through the trouble of making a display in the first place. The hardest part shall be swallowing any fear and keeping my own thoughts at a minimum so I can avoid any critical information from being leaked.

I look back at the scout to inform it to be on guard, yet when I do so, what I find is the veiled face of a gray woman. The woman vanishes just a second too slow to avoid me noticing her.

‘I can see and hear what I could not last time. He is not as alien as he once was. I...  I have some understanding of his abilities.’

In my peripheral, I notice someone standing in front of me. I turn my gaze ahead, finding the veiled woman is now in front of me. Her movements are odd, like someone is flipping between pages of a book every time she moves. She tilts her head, vanishes, and reappears in front of me. Before I can react, she reaches through my arc suit and toward my belly, where my kiln floats in my haze.

Before her fingertips can enter my haze, I take a jump back and move my hand to the hilt of my sword. The woman again tilts her head and fades away.

A blue wall appears for only a second before disappearing. 

Behind me, I hear the sound of footsteps in the snow and something tapping against the sidewalk buried beneath it. The footsteps and tapping stop and a man says, “It’s the Fairy with some of those floating Consortium ball things around her.”

“Ah, the spirits have been kind to us today; though, I wish to apologize for their natural curiosity.” Hearing a deep, elegant voice behind me, I freeze on the spot. “I do hope Miss Fairy understands why spirits would be curious to look at and talk to something similar to themselves. They are sensitive to those sorts of things; just know that they mean nothing by it… More importantly, I have been eager to meet you.”

Noticing someone is speaking to me, some passersby stop to listen in on our conversation. This is normal because everyone is always trying to learn more every time someone speaks to me, and in this case, I greatly appreciate it.

Without turning around to look at the person behind me, I take out my whiteboard. Keeping a tight grip on the whiteboard and marker, I write, “Apologies, I do not mean to be rude, but I do not have time to speak.” At the same time, in my head, I push myself to talk, {Bishop... I know thou can hear me. I am not willing to speak to thee, and I do not appreciate thy spirit whispering into my ear. Prithee, depart in the direction opposite me and be on thy way.}

Once more, a blue wall only appears for a second.

I spin around, finding him, the Bishop, and two of his spirit scribes to both his left and right. The Bishop wears a black frock and blue stole, but the twine that binds his eyelids together is not visible. Instead, he wears a blindfold that is stitched in golden silk with a black doll stitched to the left side of the blindfold. Though the blindfold is eccentric, it, along with his natural handsomeness, makes him deceivingly approachable. In his hand, he grips the same cane with a golden eye topper as he did the time I saw him last—it is a horrifying weapon beyond my current understanding.

His spirit scribes, I recognize both of them. One of them is Colin, a novice spirit scribe. I have not seen him since he was with Emily at the zoo. Colin seemed as normal and rational as someone in the Hex Church could be. The other is one I am more familiar with, Ava, the deaf woman who wanted to learn sign language together. Ava also participated in the heist and was working for Terra in secret until recently when Terra cut off contact with her and Emily because the Bishop returned to the city. When I look toward her, she looks away.

Gazing right at the Bishop, I straighten my back and display my sign to the two spirit scribes. While Colin is trying to read my words, I hide that my thumb is restlessly scratching at the board’s back. My eyes glance at the clickers floating near me, ensuring they are watching what’s happening. 

“Alright, well, I think I understand,” Colin says with a nod before reading the Bishop what my whiteboard says.

The Bishop smiles like a man who has just happened upon a long-lost relative. “I’m so sorry. I don’t mean to keep you for very long.” Before I can turn around to leave or write anything more, he continues, “The Hex Church and I are supporters of what you’re trying to do here. That’s why my congregation, the third single largest group in the area, and I have been working very hard to help the Tower to the absolute best of our abilities.”

My whiteboard squeaks as I wipe it clean and glance around to see the people around are staring at me to see how I respond. {This fiendish man has a serpent’s tongue.}

The Bishop pats Colin on the shoulder, causing Colin’s eyes to widen and glance to the side. ”Colin is one of my faithful. He has put his own safety in jeopardy to drive a freezer truck all the way from our slaughterhouse in Virginia to bring the good people of New York City hot, home-cooked meals. That’s why I have been eager to ask what we at the Hex Church could do better to bring ourselves into the Tower’s good graces.”

Tilting my head, I feign confusion and write on my whiteboard, “Ah, my apologies, thy efforts are greatly appreciated, truly. Yet, I regret to inform thee that thy organization is not eligible for tokens at this time. The Hex Church operates outside the camps, and the tokens only go to those that have a social presence within camps.”

The Bishop waits patiently for Colin to read my message to him. “I wasn’t aware that there was a distance requirement, but I’m afraid I still don’t see the issue,” he says, tapping his cane against the ground while he ponders my words.

My marker squeaks shrilly as I press it harder against the whiteboard than I intended. I stop for a second, relax my grip, and then expand on my previous statement. “It is the Mistress’s wish for this to be a community, and an essential aspect of being a part of a community is living in it. Even if it’s across the street, the Hex Church is still isolating themselves.”

“A community? Well, that is admirable, but this is an emergency, and we need our church’s facilities to produce the food we give out. We wish to help, and we believe in the Tower’s mission, yet I just can’t shake the feeling that we are being unfairly treated.”

I shake my head, messily erase my whiteboard, and then write, “It came to the Mistress’s attention that the Hex Church is very rarely seen with anyone outside their own congregation. Even the common people that stay in thy yonder Church are separated from the congregation. The Mistress believes this is a clear refusal of the Hex Church to interact with anyone else, which is counter to the cooperative community that she wishes to build here.”

The Bishop raises his cane, the cattail wiggles inside my arc suit, prepared to strike at a moment's notice. He tucks his cane beneath his arm and rubs his chin. “Is that so? Our congregation often volunteers, and our church is very generous with our charitable donations, so I’m not sure where such rumors could have come from.” He shakes his head with a sigh and then continues, “But I can personally assure your Mistress that our members do interact with the community quite often.”

I look at Colin, whose eyes glance off into space.

Shaking my head, I clean my board and then write, “I am sorry, but I cannot overrule the Mistress. Now, as I stated earlier, I must be on my way.” Once Colin has read my parting words to the Bishop, I tuck my whiteboard beneath my arm and hastily walk toward my Tower’s Domain, where I am better protected. {I shan’t bother thee if thee doth not bother me.}

“No, no, there’s no need to be sorry. Ava, Colin, and several others will all be participating in the Fairy’s quest, and I have full confidence in their ability.”

My fingers rub together as I stare at the snow, reluctant to look up. {I suppose we shall see. Just do not forget that the quest requires people outside thy own Church, and not someone thou paid.}

When I enter my Domain, I stop and lean against one of the nodes. I glance back to ensure I have not been followed and then let my head lean against the tree and stare at the glass branches above me. ‘I believe Fortitude has been helping me hide and control some of my fear. Also, how can someone’s words feel as if they crawl beneath the skin? I do not even have skin.’ 

I stand there for a while longer, separate from the clickers, and then enter my Tower. As I remove my arc suit, I shake my head. ‘Tomorrow night, when I am in the Tower, I think I shall work on distributing my skill points between experimenting… Tonight, however, I want to read.’

---

Early the following morning, everyone with a token has been gathered in Hotel Casale for the expedition into Fairy’s Pantry. That includes Byron and some assistants who are in a back room, cleaning and preparing the insects for transport.

I am also here because if I step into the hallway outside this room, I shall be subject to more stares and questions than all of my life in London combined. I am thankful to Terra, who is out in the halls as the Speaker of Speakers, dealing with the government officials. People have learned to not ask her questions because she just tells them, ‘I speak for the Mistress and the Fairy, so why would I know anything they haven’t asked me to announce?’

Of course, this made it worse for me, but Terra has enough to do. She believes I do not know she is doing more than she is comfortable telling me. ‘...I wish Terra would just tell me what it is she’s hiding. It must have something to do with both Summer and Hoarse. I have also not seen Jessica or Leo since the Wretched Rat incident. Why are they not around? I understand why Ava and Emily are not here, but Summer, Hoarse, Jessica, and Leo seem like they would be useful and around still.’

My gaze drifts to an ‘American flag’ that hangs on the wall, and I am reminded of my experience reading history books last night. Needless to say, it did not go well. I was missing context for many things and wanted to read something that started from the point I left Roanoke. Except that the history books in the cave’s library were primarily American history books that started from 1750 AD onward. Then the world history books I could find seemed to focus on the Roman Empire before jumping centuries ahead. It only spent a few pages on each century before again arriving in 1750 AD. 

I think I could have found one to fill in the gaps, but in the end, I instead started to read a novel that had what people think a modern fairy is like. The novel was about a boy named Peter and his fairy, or ‘pixie.’ It seemed like Peter and his compatriot fairy would trick children into living with them alone in a dangerous wilderness that lacked all basic amenities.

Byron’s rag squeaks against the enclosure’s window. He looks back, inspecting his group of assistants, and then says, “The bugs will get anxious if they can’t see out the front very well, so you need to keep it clean.”

The assistants are all people from the BDP. They are not specialized in insects like Byron, but they are the most qualified people. All of them have been made aware that if they go with Byron on this expedition, they shan’t be allowed to leave the Tower’s interior until we have completed what we set out to do. To be frank, they do not even know what we have set out to do, but they have been made aware that it might be dangerous, and they all agreed to come anyway. In exchange, we shall be awakening one of them every three days, and they will receive special treatment during their recovery period.

Anyway, Terra and Lorcan brought in some camping equipment the other day when they first visited, and we left it in Fairy’s Pantry to serve as the beginnings of the camp for the researchers. There they shall work in an area not too far from the Gate of the Rich and Destitute, in case of an emergency. I honestly have no idea what sorts of creatures we will create with our experiment, so being prepared for anything is essential.

I glance around the room at all the enclosures and equipment Byron is going to bring. ‘I do not recognize most of these things… Shriek is meant to be coming with us. I shall get him to tell me.’ Looking around, I find Shriek. ‘Aye, he did not oversleep today.’ I walk over, tap him on the shoulder, and then point at the items with my head tilted.

“Ah, what are they?” Raising his finger, he points at each item. “Generator, heat lamp, sugar cubs, some sand for the doodlebugs….” Shriek keeps naming things, but I cannot help but look toward the doodlebugs in a nearby enclosure. 

‘What a silly name!’

“...and then instant coffee,” Shriek says before staring at me to see if I understood.

I nod and make a thumbs-up. 

One of the BDP assistants, a young woman with blonde hair and amber eyes, approaches me. The young woman holds up a yellow piece of paper and then says, “Fairy, Director Waltzmen, and I found your note this morning.” Stopping a few feet away from me, she drops her arm and continues, “Director Waltzmen said the quest was no problem. Though he was surprised by all the people with giant bugs waiting on us this morning, someone explained to him what was going on to us, and then we found your notes.”

“Aye, apologies for the inconvenience. I had planned on gathering some myself, but it has become difficult to stay anywhere for too long.”

“That makes sense. It seems like everyone wants to talk to you and ask you questions.” They seem to remember something and say, “Oh, and I wanted to thank you for this opportunity. I’m nervous, but also really excited to be a part of something that feels really important.”

“Do not be nervous. It might be a tad dubious at times, but do not worry, the Mistress has no intentions of forcing thee to pay taxes without representation.”

She tilts her head and giggles. “Is the Tower’s Mistress planning to make people pay taxes with representation or something?”

I shake my head, hoping to avoid provoking any sour feelings. “Nay, please remain calm. The Mistress shan’t be taxing any Americans, so do not feel alarmed or unrepresented.” She giggles again. My eyes run up and down the young woman; she looks a tad familiar. “Have we met before?” I ask.

“I…” With a chuckle, she shakes her head and pushes her blonde hair from her eyes. “Nope. I think I’d remember meeting a fairy... but my name is Mollie, and it’s really nice to meet you!”

‘Perhaps she just looks like someone from my past.’

“Can someone help me carry this?” Shriek asks, staring at a bruise on his arm. “Hit my arm, training with my buddies in the RWR Alliance.”

Mollie looks at me and hesitates but then sighs. “Anyhow, if I understand correctly, we’ll be spending some time together, so we can talk more later, but I guess I should probably be doing my job right now.”

I nod and wave farewell.

While Mollie walks away, the door to the backroom opens, allowing me to hear the many voices outside. I look toward the doorway, where I find Terra in her Speaker of Speakers attire, waving toward me. {Stop hiding. I’ll keep the politicians and military busy, but you still need to come out.}

The door swings open further, and I find myself at the very end of a long and luxurious hallway crowded with people. There are just over a hundred people, and nay, they are not here to watch; they are all going into the Tower. ‘This is the first time I have ever been in charge of invitations, and I think I might have invited too many people. If Sir Mouser could see me now...’

My eyes drift behind Terra, where I notice several people with a mix of curious, wary, serious, and angry expressions. Those are the people Terra is going to distract for me. According to Terra, the politicians are not much of an issue, but the black man in a “U.S. Army” uniform could be. That man is George Riddick, and he will be responsible for deciding how much military oversight and attention the Tower shall receive from the government. He has short black hair, brown eyes, and an expression that is a mixture of seriousness and wariness.

George watches me with sharp eyes as I take some steps forward, but before I can even pass through the doorway, there’s a shrill squeak from the far end of the hall.

“Attention.” A man steps to the front of the crowd with a megaphone in his hand. “Can I have your attention, please? We can’t get started until I have everyone’s attention.”

The person who just stepped to the front is Dennis Huxley. Dennis is one of the greater tokens recipients, and he’s also a wilderness survival instructor. Terra and I asked him to be the one to make the announcements into the megaphone. With me being mute and Terra wearing her Speaker of Speakers helmet and entertaining the government officials, we needed to get someone to do the talking in this way. Since Dennis has both an affable personality and experience taking groups on these sorts of wilderness excursions, he seemed to be a good choice for this.

Terra gestures toward the front. {Go ahead. They’re waiting for you to lead the way.} 

Noticing me in the back, Dennis waves and then continues speaking, “Okay, after Fairy makes her way up here, I want everyone to remain quiet. We are going to unveil the interior of the ballroom for the first time since the incident three weeks ago, and I hear it’s supposed to blow us away.” 

The people separate and squash themselves closer together to the left and right of the hall, allowing me room to move to the front. I tuck my whiteboard beneath my arm, wave, and then step to the front while staring at the marble floors. As I walk, I hear several people whisper their thanks to me. I respond with tiny nods as I do not even understand what I am being thanked for, and I am not sure they will be thanking me for this in the future. ‘The people of this time are all so detached from death and suffering. Reality and understanding will find them vulnerable and unguarded.’

Arriving at the front, I raise my head and look toward the masses of people. The men nod, and the women give me a tiny wave. ‘Moreover, this is a lot of attention, and it makes me feel like a mouser that everyone is treating like a horse.’

“Did I understand the last thing you said, right?” someone from the Glass Quandary asks Dennis. “What we saw happen in the ballroom last month wasn’t even all of it? There was still more!” 

Everyone looks at one another with smiles on their face. The incident, of course, is when I dropped the spark, making the glass butterflies and transforming the ballroom’s stage. Terra owns this property, so she barred it off to everyone not long after that, so no one has seen what the gate looks like completed.

“Yep, I’ve been told there’s still more to it, and….” Dennis points toward Owl, who is standing there with his camera. “The reason I want you to remain quiet is that thousands of people outside are waiting to see what it looks like, so don’t ruin it for them, please. Also, we aren’t going to have time to sit around and gawk for more than a few minutes. I’ve been told we’re going straight in.”

Everyone looks at one another with raised eyebrows. “Straight in?” several people whisper to one another.

“Uhm, Fairy…” the young woman by the name of Ayameko Kazto says, raising her hand. “Isn’t this just a, y’know, a stopping-off point to the Tower? Like, the Tower is a half-mile north of here, so how are we supposed to go straight in?”

Dennis shakes his head. “Nope! I’ve been told that what we witnessed that day, was in fact…” Unable to suppress it. He smiles and lets out a small laugh. “...A portal. It was a freakin’ portal!”

The crowd responds to the reveal with a mixture of dropped jaws, tilted heads, and big grins.

A man from the RWR Alliance shouts, “No fucking way; you’re joking!” Adjusting his green tunic, he points at the ballroom doors. “You’re saying an actual portal is in that room!?”

Dennis points at the RWR Alliance person. “Apparently, yes way, it’s an actual portal; this is not a joke!”

With questions filling people’s heads, they mimic Ayameko and throw their hands up.

Glancing at me, Dennis gestures at the crowd. 

I shake my head. ‘Nay. I shan’t be answering any further questions.’

With a shrug and a stiff smile, Dennis says, “No, no, questions aren’t allowed. If I’m allowed to tell you anything more, I will so don’t worry.” 

Numerous people sigh and drop their arms. 

“Alright, so a few quick things before we go. Everyone should pick a buddy and stay with them. No one is allowed to separate without permission. Everyone should have water with them but keep in mind there are no bathrooms, scheduled breaks, and we won’t be eating lunch or anything there. This is a nice and short expedition to just give us all a taste and idea of what we can expect in the future, not a leisure day or anything like that.” Standing on his tip-toes, Dennis points toward the back room that still has its door open. “Finally, all the guests that came with a token holder, in exchange for the privilege of being here, you’re responsible for carrying whatever Byron in the back needs.” 

Stuffing his rag in his pocket, Byron stands and greets everyone with a wave. “Hello, I’m Byron, formerly of Byron’s Big Bug Emporium, and thanks in advance for your help.”

“No problem Byron,” Dennis says with a laugh before pointing toward the ballroom. “But on that note, is everyone ready to see something incredible!?”

Some nod, others lean to the side to try to get a better view, and then a few reply, “Let’s go!”

The doors to the ballroom crack open, making everyone go quiet. When the door opens, I step in to get a closer look as I am eager to see if it rivals the Gate of the Rich and Destitute. My eyes first run across the ballroom’s beautiful dance floor before they move to the stage where the Tower’s second gate has been built.

Upon the stage, the flowers and butterflies remain forever frozen in time, but around it, statues have grown, all of which are constructed of glass. The colorful statues depict people with indistinct faces in various poses and the stage is full of them. There are statues of people sitting at a table hitting their mugs together, a little boy staring at one of the butterflies, a couple holding hands walking through the flowers, and several others that are all in the middle of similar situations. 

Yet, behind it all, there are two distinct statues at both ends of the stage. These statues are dressed as jesters complete with eccentric clothing and exaggerated expressions. The jester on the left has a big smile while the jester on the right frowns. Each of them grasps a chain that runs upward and hooks to the stage’s red curtains. Both jesters stare out over the crowd as if waiting for the signal to begin drawing the chains back and ushering in the beginning of a performance.

My hands squeeze together in front of my chest. ‘I love it! It’s like they are about to begin a play. Aye, Earl, I believe thou created an amazing thing yet again!’

I take my whiteboard, write some words upon it, and then tap Dennis on the shoulder. He seems a tad annoyed that someone would bother him while he takes in the sight of the stage, but when he notices it’s me, he apologizes and looks at my board.

“This gate was named in honor of the common people that shall cross it and accept the challenges beyond the gate,” the whiteboard says.

He smiles and raises the megaphone. “Everyone, take a good hard look because it’s quite incredible, and according to the Fairy, it’s been named in honor of all of us. I was told the name earlier, so I’m pleased to announce that from henceforth, this will be known as ‘The People’s Gate.’”

‘A tad dramatic, but I like a few dabs of dramatics, so aye, it’s dedicated to the people, I suppose.’ With a nod, I build upon Dennis’s declaration by commanding the gate, ‘Prithee, open.’

With that thought, the lights go out, and the statues light up, casting bright rays of numerous colors about the ballroom’s interior. There is a clinking sound as the chains begin to be drawn through the hands of the jesters that stand unmoving. With consistent and gradual movements, the curtains glide open, allowing a soft purple light to illuminate the wide eyes of everyone in the room.

The gigantic trees, the abundant flowers, and the overflowing branches of fruit trees leave everyone unable to speak. While they gawk in a stupor, I move first and step toward the stage to encourage everyone to follow. When some people see me walk onto the stage, their minds wake up, including Dennis’s own.

Dennis raises the megaphone. “W-welcome to the first floor of the Tower,” he announces. Pausing, he coughs to adjust his voice and then continues,  “Welcome to Fairy’s Pantry.”

Hours pass as we allow the very first challengers in the Tower’s history to explore a small corner of Fairy’s Pantry. When the expedition is reaching its end, I find several people approaching me.