Clockwork Kiss

The Clockwork Escape

“Run, Anya!” Torian roared, his voice fierce.

I didn’t need to be told. The amber light was headed for me far too fast. I dropped the sword and lunged forward, taking Torian’s chair down with me. The net zoomed past where I had just been standing.

“Behind the pendulum,” Torian gasped, trying to push himself up from the now broken chair.

I used what strength I had to shove him, and he rolled. I snatched the sword back up, and we fell behind the massive swinging pendulum. I ripped the hood off, allowing myself to fully see unobstructed once again. The sheer noise of the TOCK-TOCK-TOCK and the violent arc of the pendulum gave us a brief cover.

Valerius roared, his fury growing by the second. “Idiots! The key! Get them!”

The two guards charged the pendulum, though it was obvious they were still trying to shake off the side effects of the ritual flare. Torian, still hobbled by the residual magic of the snare, struggled to his feet. He met my gaze, his eyes burning with a desperate intensity that made me warm from the inside out. I didn’t have time to think about that though.

“The clocksmith’s passage!” he commanded. “The maintenance door! Go!”

We scrambled, headed back for the iron reinforced door that led to the bell chamber. One of Valerius’s guards was closing the distance. Torian thrust his hand out, and a small, blinding flash of blue elemental magic hit the guard square in the chest, sending him back against the bells. My concern for Torian spiked though, seeing how the small blast took so much of his energy and strength.

“The Tenporal Key is too valuable!” Valerius bellowed, his voice echoing of the bronze machinery. “I will cut you open myself, and claim my destiny, witch!”

I shuddered at his words, but Torian’s hand on my back, pushing me through the door grounded me.

We didn’t take the treacherous stairs. Instead, Torian grabbed a thick, copper-colored chain hanging beside the door. It was a maintenance chain for the clock weights. “Hold tight,” he told me, pulling me against him. “It’s faster than the stairs.”

I didn’t hesitate, throwing an arm around his neck. My fingers clutched what was left of his tunic. My other hand was still wrapped around the hilt of his sword, grasping it until my knuckles turned white and holding it against my chest. His burned, powerful arm clamped tighter around me.

He kicked off the wall, and we plummeted. We slid down the chain with a terrifying speed. We dropped through the Bell Chamber, and past the maintenance platform, sliding through the entire length of the hidden corridor until we hit the soft, dusty landing of the Aegis Wing staircase with a jarring thump.

“The foyer,” Torian choked out, taking my hand and pulling me toward the main staircase. “We need people! Valerius won’t risk a public scandal before the alignment.”

We burst into the grand, circular foyer. The twin staircases stretched before us. Torian, bruised and staggering, pulled me down the nearest one. The earliest moments of dawn were painting the high, crystal windows in hues of pale gold and rose. Under any other circumstances, I would have found them beautiful.

We raced down the long flight of stairs and into the long glittering hall that led to and ballroom. The music was slowing, the gala was coming to an end. The hall was mostly empty. A few guests murmured farewells nearby. Torian pushed the ballroom doors open. The vast room was sparsely populated now. The few remaining attendees, elegant and unhurried, gathered in small groups, were heading towards the exit, unaware of the life or death chase taking place.

We raced past them. Staff were extinguishing candles and clearing tables.

The cold, mirrored space was starting to feel desolate. “We must make it to the service tunnels,” Torian began, his voice rasping.

A wave of intense, shimmering heat slammed into the doors behind us, throwing them wide open. A crystal candelabra shattered, an airy tinkling sound echoing around the room as the pieces fell. The few people that were left in the ballroom stopped, frozen, their gasps echoing around the cavernous room.

Valerius stood in the doorway, his silver hair disheveled, eyes glowing fiercely red. He was alone, but his rage radiated like fire. “You cannot hide from your destiny, Temporal Key!” His voice seemed amplified in the ballroom. “The clock is striking! The ritual will be completed here!”

Torian turned to face him, placing his battered body in front of mine. He took his sword, and the blue light flared brilliantly, protecting me.

“Run, Anya! I will buy you time!”