The Clan of Outcasts [Season 3]

Part 28: "To The Rescue"

The Harbor (West)

Markus paced the streets of the Harbor like a restless animal. Traders and merchants and sailors clogged the streets as usual, completely unaware of the coup that had just occurred all the way to the north. At least Lizeth possessed the foresight to conceal Hadrian's offspring safely in the Science Tower. He had used his network between dragon and Wyrmling to allow Hadrian to warn her child that he needed to stay put and stay still and quiet. Out of every other area in the White Castle, the Science Tower held the most technological security measures--since Lizeth was apparently advanced enough to understand how it all worked, more than anyone else who used Denahlia's devices--so he had no doubt that she had a contingency that would allow them all to stay hidden and inaccessible to the Crow Queen's forces.

He made it all the way down to the docks before he finally acknowledged where he was. Hayden, for all his shortcomings, really did a great job restoring the place to working order, after the way those pirates had trashed it. You could hardly believe that such an event had taken place, that would actually call the King and Prince themselves out of the castle to push them back.

His communications implant warbled, indicating a strange signal coming in--broadcasting from Gybralltyr itself. He was tempted to shunt it aside, dismiss it as a foreign connection from an incoming ship, perhaps.

But then there was the signature: three pulses, then two, then four. Denahlia's signature, which she would send him when she wanted him to know she was alright, but unable to talk. Markus felt the hairs on his arms stand up straight as he realized what this meant. He connected with Hadrian, and bid her to track the source of this signal, in the midst of the Abnormal energy. It worked, and when Markus activated the holographic projector in his wrist, he could clearly see the image of a tall cliff, and towering over that, a massive humanoid figure that broadcasted the signal he received. Denahlia had given him a way to find her.

"All right!" Markus cheered under his breath. "I'm coming, cousin!"

He set a target on the location, and turned back to the office, to pack up a few things before heading off to find this place.

Markus secured the office defense systems, and hoisted the bag full of equipment and weaponry onto his back. He headed northward, following the tracker on the road that would take him eastward and out of The Realm. He had only just left most of the people behind, when his proximity alarm stopped him in his tracks. He searched the area carefully. Usually, the alarm only activated when it sensed potential danger that his eyes didn't detect immediately. What threats could be out here?

The radar pinged, and Markus focused on the source of the deflection.

"All right, I can see you," he said, raising his mechanical hand and aiming right at the fallen tree beside the road. The embedded gun locked into place, but he didn't arm it just yet. "Show yourself!"

The dappled light flickered and shifted, and suddenly the region just above the tree sprouted a thin, feminine face in thin air. Her eyes widened when she saw the gun barrel taking the place of his finger, and more of her body came into view. She raised her hands, letting the scenery drape about her from the waist like a curtain. "Don't shoot!" she yelped.

Markus angled his hand to retract the gun. "Who are you?" he asked, eying the array of vials she wore strapped across her chest.

The girl finished removing the camouflaged cloak, folding it away to disclose herself. "My name is Nyella," she said. "I'm apprenticed to Lizeth. She was sending me down to contact Warden Velora, to tell her the recent developments and secure her assistance in rebuffing Queen Mallory's invasion." She tilted her head to gaze thoughtfully at his face. "You must be Markus, the one who gave us that small dragon with the message," she said. "I recognize your voice from the recording. But how did you see me in this invisibility cloak?" She gestured to the space beside her, where the fabric of reality seemed oddly bent and folded--possibly the result of letting the cloak rest in a heap over itself.