Tale of 2 Cities: - Ep 31: A Demonic Bargain
You didn't think Lilian was dead, did you?
Kinley is buried under the rubble caused by Jem and Jere’s demolition attempt at Gowan’s Tower and the time machine. She is being aided by Lord Bion, who wants revenge on Lord Aridius for infidelity with his wife. Lord Aridius has control of Aeon’s army and wants control of the machine to conquer the entire region - starting with Alinakard, Jem’s home city on the other side of the river.
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Jem started to poke around the room as Lord Bion continued his assault on Aridius. It was mainly swearing, interspersed with blows from Bion’s metal-headed walking stick. The older man was sweating while Aridius retreated to the cubby hole under the desk.
Jere had been watching the scene calmly, with the occasional wince. He now turned and raised his eyebrows at Jem’s activity.
“What are you doing?”
“Looking for bodies. We must get anyone living out of here before we dismantle the machine.”
Jere pointed at the lords. “What about these two? We need the young ‘un alive to tell us what they’ve done. I don’t recognise the writing on those stones around the machine.”
Jem shrugged. “Bion’s going for the arms and legs, not the head. I’ve seen worse in my father’s dungeon.” She uncovered a scholar's body in the corner, suspiciously still by Aeon’s standards. “D’you think this one’s alive?”
Jere gave up on reason and went over to the two combatants. “My Lord!” he shouted, grabbing Bion’s stick. “There will be time after this for your revenge. We need to continue our work.”
Bion paused, one hand on the table and huffed. “Then get on with it. I will continue with his punishment.”
“We could do with his brains intact,” Jem cautioned from the other side of the room. She carefully pulled the debris off another torso. This one groaned and shifted slightly.
Above them, the rubble shifted on the remains of the ceiling. A few more wood splinters fell, followed by a rope. Jere immediately pulled a gun from his pocket; Jem, a knife from her belt.
Lilian slithered awkwardly down the rope, her hair a tumbled mess and her skirt crushed up to the knees.
“Jem?” she asked, astonished.
Jem turned half-heartedly, her eyes lowered. “Er, yes. I made a deal” - she indicated Bion with a wave of her hand - “With him, and…”
Lilian grabbed her in a tight hug.
Jere frowned, his gun still trained on the courtesan. That attention was quickly transferred to the second person climbing into the room: a middle-aged man with a stubble beard and a shy smile.
“Who’re you?” he asked roughly.
Lilian released her hold on Jem and turned to face him.
“You can put down your weapons, Sergeant. This is Philsopher Gowan, scholar, inventor and demon. I’ve struck a deal with him, which means everyone here - even you - is safe from being eaten.”
Bion straightened up. “The Lilian? The Pearl of Alinakard?”
Lilian gave him a half-smile at him. “I see you got my note. I’m glad you helped Jem.”
With a groan, Aridius pulled himself from his hiding place. “You betrayed me,” he said accusingly to Lilian. “How did you find out about Lady Cecelia?”
“You don’t get to say her name!” Bion hissed at him.
Lilian tilted her head to one side with a pitying smile. “It wasn’t difficult, Aridius. You dressed me in her clothes, and the servants mentioned her name. I realised her rank at the coffee house when she stared at me with utter hatred. I’ve only ever seen that from rival mistresses. The wives usually pretend I don’t exist. So, before I went to the Fight Court yesterday, I sent a message to Lord Bion.”
Aridius shook his head, carefully cradling his crushed hand. With blood running from one nostril, he was a pitiful sight. “You used me. I gave you everything you wanted. Freedom, respect, prospects…”
“We used each other,” Lilian said, cutting him off. “Don’t play the wounded hero, Aridius. It does not suit you any more than it suits me. You wanted an excuse for war and a warm bedmate. I wanted Jem, but then, you refused to help her. I couldn’t stand by and watch her die for your ambitions.”
Aridius scowled at her.
“Am I supposed to watch you die for mine?” Jem asked bitterly from the corner. Lilian looked over at her lover and sighed. Jem pressed on. “I dragged into this nightmare city, Lil. What did you promise the demon to get us out of it?”
Gowan spoke up then, startling everyone.
“She’s going to help me die,” he said. His voice was smooth and rich, with an orator’s roll. “Something I have wanted to do for many, many years.”
Jere circled Gowan until he was beside the gap in the wall, his gun trained on the demon at all times. “Why should we believe you?” he asked, half-intrigued despite the danger. “Demons are known for their lack of self-control.”
“True,” Gowan said. “But when under a binding agreement, we set aside our hunger to complete it.”
“Wait,” Aridius said, raising his uninjured hand. “Are you the Gowan? The one who built this tower?
Gowan gracefully inclined his head, “Yes.”
“How did you become a demon? I thought you were born human. No one ever found your body.”
Gowan raised his hands in a full-bodied shrug. “Stupidity. After my wife died, I summoned a demon one night and challenged him to help me build an infinity machine. To my surprise, he was agreeable. Eager, even. It turns out that demons are not immortal. They don't age, but their natural life span is a single day, and they can only extend it by consuming another’s energy. What we call bloodlust, they call survival.” He grimaced. “I thought I could control the outcome. In reality, I was arrogant and drunk. I could see my life slipping way before I did anything of merit. When the demon proposed a simple split of the rewards, I agreed.”
“Not your soul?” Jem asked suspiciously.
Gowan half-laughed. “No. That would have been better. Oblivion is preferable to what happened down here. The very second the infinity loop opened, I merged with the demon, body and soul.” He looked down, running one hand over his torso before gripping his shirt’s fabric in a violent twist. “I cannot tell you now which parts are me and which are him. Only that we eat, regret, ache and crave to eat again. He knows my guilt; I know his desperation. We’re trapped.”
There was a pause as everyone absorbed this. Jere looked scornful; Aridius and Bion had mingled looks of shock and dismay on their faces. Lilian bit her lip to herself from smiling. It’s not easy to meet your city’s founding father and realise he’s a damned idiot.
Then, Jem spoke again.
“What’s the catch this time, Lil?” She gestured at Gowan. “He dies, the machine dies…it all sounds too good to be true. Someone’s going to pay for it.”
Lilian permitted herself to smile. “I’ve already paid the price,” she said. “I faced the Fight Court - twice! - to get that puzzle cube. That’s the machine’s failsafe. We slot it in, the gears lock, and the loop fades away. When that happens, death resumes, and Gowan will separate from the demon as his contract has ended.”
“Are you referring to the puzzle cube in Kinley’s possession?” Aridius enquired with heavy resignation.
“Yes, why?” Lilian asked. Then she followed his line of sight to debris around the crushed desk. “Tell me it’s not -”
“ - been crushed,” Aridius finished.
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