Veridian Shores

Chapter 36 - When Worlds Collide

Brooke could feel Capper's Aspect reverberating up and down the train, and it put a chill of fear and relief into her all at the same time. She'd never seen him like this, so full of wrath he looked like he wanted to rip the whole world apart. On the one hand it was terrifying, but on the other, if they were plunging into a battle against an unknown enemy on their home turf, it may be the edge they would need to survive.

Her eyes flickered furtively to the Baelock guards sitting a little further down the carriage, all black leather and armour, making little effort to conceal the arsenal they'd brought with them. She recognised a couple of the faces and knew they were members of Arcil's personal guard, some of the most vicious fighters that Baelock had to offer.

Unease filled her at their presence. They could never have refused the offer he'd made, but she trusted Arcil as much as she'd trusted Gliss. She knew there was a better than even chance that if they did succeed in getting the Keystone back, Arcil would just kill them all out of spite. Once home he could make up any story he wanted about what had transpired in the north.

There was nothing she could do about it now, though. She coiled her fingers together on her lap and returned her attention to the map that was spread across the thin metal train table between herself and Capper. Finbarr sat beside her, the most senior of the guards present. A marked change had come over him following Beel's death, and she wasn't sure she liked it. He'd always come across as a bit of a bumbler, dutiful and heavy-handed, but lacking depth. Now she could feel the tension that turned his normally placid Aspect into a fizzing, volatile thing. Clearly Beel's death had hit the big guard hard.

In the seat next to Capper, however, Arcil himself was seated, refusing to leave the planning to his Glaive counterparts. His eyes were bright with energy as he scanned the map, and Brooke could almost hear the gears turning in his head.

"This map's not bad," he conceded grudgingly after a moment, leaning back in his seat and cupping his chin thoughtfully in one hand. "It's a little out of date but I should be able to fill in the blanks. Where did you say you think Gliss is hiding out?"

"This quarry." Capper tapped the offending portion of map with his index finger. "It was abandoned at the time the map was drawn up, but Brooke saw it in Gliss's mind."

"Drank her blood?" Arcil pulled a face. "Didn't think you were the type."

"I do what I have to," she hissed back. "So save the jibes and explain how you think you can help."

"Touchy today, eh?"

"Only around you."

"Can we focus?" Capper muttered wearily. "We're going to get there in less than two hours and I'd like to have some kind of plan before we step off this train."

"Alright, alright," Arcil chuckled, smiling thinly. "As far as our information goes, that particular area is still unclaimed, but there are three other clans pushing in on the boundaries." He indicated the nearby clan territories marked on Capper's map. "They've pushed in right onto the boundaries of this quarry, but according to the last reports I've seen, they've not actually seized it."

"Why not?"

"I'm not sure. From what our scouting parties have told us they've been skirting the edges but never actually cross the boundary. It's strange because there doesn't appear to be anything physical stopping them."

"Then I think we should start there," Capper said. "It looks like there is something in that quarry the other clans of Iron Hollow are afraid of. Gliss knows a lot about the Ancient Vampyr. She can read their language fluently and her clan – whoever they are – have an obsession with ancient history. They might have a weapon already that's keeping the other clans at bay."