The end of morning came in the heart of the city of Levaan, resting within Oenkev on Elderday, the first day of the week, where a sanctuary church worship service was being held, in a brick building somewhere in east downtown Levaan. The head pastor was beginning to finish his sermon; at least, young Bastillina was hoping he was. She sat in a little thirteen-year-old’s casual dress, staring off through the windows to her left, windows which were plain, having nothing worthwhile to see about them, which only bored her more. She could only think about what was outside the windows, which was fresh sunlight and freedom. At least, insofar as her uncle would allow.
Thinking of her uncle made her turn to her right, where he sat. The man’s name was Leno, wearing a light-gray, old suit jacket, patched at the elbows and a stained tie to go with his curly, light-brown “hair top” as her friend Arold joked whenever Leno wasn’t listening.
“Remember, brethren!” Pastor Hennary said, his voice echoing across the room from the pulpit, “God is with you! Everywhere you go, never forget that he is here with you, and with me! No matter what trials you face, he is there! But let us also not forget that the scriptures say that God is watchful over our lives.” Hennary lowered his open arms and bent down somewhat, scanning the room with a finger to continue his preaching, “And he says in his word not to stray! Stray not from the path, little ones! And if we have sinned, what shall we do?” He held his arms out again, welcoming the answer.
“Ask him for forgiveness of our sins, and remain close to his sanctuary!” the congregation said. Leno said it as well, and Bastillina, but she only did it so he wouldn’t get mad at her.
“Go in the peace of God!” Hennary followed with a big smile, “You are dismissed!”
Words Bastillina couldn’t wait to hear, and the next thing she knew she was led out by Leno, who always did well to avoid the ensuing flood of happy and colorful conversations that followed the words of Hennary. Bastillina never engaged with many of them herself. There was always something strange about the bliss and carefree rays of joy streaming out of them all. Not a single person seemed incapable of showing their bright smiles. There was a joke among her older friends–friends that would never come to this place–that the people were all laughing and giddy because the service had finally ended. The true “hallelujah!” began then, they mocked.
Once outside, Leno whipped out a cigarette. “How you doin’, kid?” he asked Bastillina as he lit it.
“Ready to go home.” she said.
Leno blew out smoke before he continued, “Good carol, girl. I’m trynna help you get God in your life. Figured that would make you happier.” Bastillina was silent, looking away to other people from the church talking outside. She didn’t want to admit that this was doing nothing for her. “What’s a matter?” Leno probed further, “You don’t believe, or something? I thought your parents raised you better.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t believe.” Bastillina answered, afraid to turn her pale blue eyes at him, “I just… I’m not a fan of this place. Pastor Hennary is just boring, Leno.” she complained.
Leno put a finger at her, “Hey… He’s a man of God, he is. He does a lot for this place, and these people, him and his organization.”
Bastillina turned her eyes up and looked beyond the smaller buildings off to the south, and saw the large bell tower of the cathedral that was several blocks away. She always wanted to go up that tower and see what she could see from it. “What about that place?” Bastillina asked, pointing to the bell tower.
Leno looked up at it, using his hand as a sun visor, and paused for a moment. “Are you thick in the head, girl?” he said, looking at her again, “Not a chance! The Carathien Church? Don’t you know that it’s the church of evil? All kinds of wicked teachings come from that place.”
Bastillina went silent at Leno’s scorn. But it was only briefly. The question burned within her, “How? I mean, I’ve been by it a few times. It looks nice.”
“Of course it does! That’s how they get you in there. They always make these enticing places and dress it up real nice, and they even claim to be loyal to God’s scriptures… But kid, the reality is they twist and distort it–all the others do. Hennary teaches us right from the text, just as it plainly appears. You don’t need no big church, or creepy priest guy and all their fancy, mystical, lucepherian-worship nonsense. I mean, don’t the scriptures say that God wants us to worship in spirit? I know Hennary quoted from it a few weeks ago, and as he said, that means God don’t care about all those extra laws and fancy rules the Carathiens put in our way. Hennary keeps it simple and straight.”
Bastillina kept quiet. She wanted to disagree with Leno, but didn’t know how. Nothing he said changed the urge within to just see what was inside. What was hiding behind those old-world doors, and the stain-glass window that arched over them? Every time she walked by the cathedral, it was as though something inside called to her, offering a hand to come in, to safety, like the warm welcome of a loving mother.
The doors were more open than Hennary’s church doors. Unlike the magic, transcendent nature of the cathedral, which stood out in the brick and concrete city of Levaan, Hennary’s church, which she was constantly dragged to, didn’t feel like what a church should feel like at all to her. The outside was mostly ordinary; the only thing that seemed somewhat religious was the entrance, with old-world-styled pillars forming the main door frames and a grand door entrance that arched over the middle twelve feet high.
“Come on.” Leno said, stepping down to the sidewalk with his cigarette, “We’ve gotta go. Just because it’s Elderday don’t mean we ain’t got business to do. I need you on Clerry’s and Nelsman in an hour.”
Bastillina contemplated the words for a moment. “What for?” she asked.
“What do you think? I need you to watch the area.”
“I know that, but… what am I looking for?”
“Anything about the Feldor’s movement. I’ve got word they’ve been active around here and I don’t wanna take any chances. Plus, I can’t be seen out in the streets right now, what with the program and all. Be there in an hour. Stahns will be working today.” Leno handed Bastillina a paper bill, “He can get you some food, and he’ll let you use the phone if you see anything–and whatever you do, none of that mastery mess, yea? You know what happened last time. Until we teach you how to get that stuff in proper order, I don’t wanna see you even lightin’ a spark, or a cigarette for anyone, especially yourself–you got it?”
Bastillina took the bill. “I got it.”
It was back to the street life for her. At least it was better than listening to Pastor Hennary. It was better than even being in school. But better than both was that at least from one spot on Clerry’s, she could still see that cathedral’s bell tower, and could hear it ring when the clock struck twelve, and it was what she looked at as she sat near the entrance to a pizza place on Clerry’s Street.
“You’re here a little early.” a voice said, drawing her eyes from the thoughts produced by looking at the tower.
Bastillina smiled; it was Arold. “Did my uncle tell you I was coming?” she asked him.
“Nope. Anniston told me.”
Bastillina looked back at the tower, which was only a block away, behind a pair of buildings standing only three stories high. She didn’t want to admit that she came early, just to hear the tower bell at mid-day. “I didn’t have anything else going on.” she answered, “Might as well do something.” She looked towards him, “Why are you out here?”
Arold shrugged, with his lit cigarette in his mouth as he put his pack away. “It’s Elderday.” he said, “Pretty much nothing goin’ on right now… Even this bloody town takes its weekly ‘holy day’ off.”
Bastillina cracked a small smile as her eyes strayed down to the street, seeing a few cars drive by. “Besides,” Arold said, “I always like hanging out with you, Bella. You’re smarter than all the other punk teenagers ‘round here.” He took another puff of his cigarette as Bastillina smiled and continued, “But me? I love Elderday; gives me a chance to sleep in for once… Everyone in this town takes the day off. But they’re just taking the day off, even if they go to church.”
Bastillina couldn’t argue with that. She never understood what church was meant for. She didn’t feel good going; felt worse when she was there and didn’t leave with anything important to know. It was just a whole hour and sometimes an extra thirty minutes of wasted time. Every once in a while, Hennary would go on about the end of the world, which scared her, but it still seemed like a myth, and like everything else he said, far, far away from her. She looked back at the bell tower again, and almost as fast as she did, she began to dwell upon the thoughts of what lay inside, and what could be seen from it.
“What if we went to that church?” she asked, directing Arold’s eyes to it.
Arold looked at it for a moment, momentarily confused at what she meant. “You mean the cathedral with the bell tower you always talk about climbing?” he asked.
“Maybe.” she answered, blushing somewhat.
Arold smiled, “You always talk about it and never actually do it. Come on, girl, what’s keeping you? I bet you can see parts of the city you never seen before, or even the countryside.”
Bastillina’s mind raced for a rebuttal to his tease, but she couldn’t think of anything. “I don’t know.” she said, “Guess I just have too much to do.”
“Hmph!” Arold laughed suddenly, “Bullocks! You’re head’s so-far into that stuff and what’s out there, you just can’t admit it. I see you all the time, Bella; while the boys and girls are always talkin’ ’bout what they saw around this corner or that corner, you’re off in your own little world, wonderin’ what was around that mountain over there… Wonderin’ if ‘Master Bastillina’ will ever be a reality.”
Bastillina didn’t respond, and only stared at the bell tower. Part of her didn’t like his words, but another couldn’t be angry; Arold was always good at being a charismatic nag. He always smiled, even with how serious he was about pushing her. He stood off the short wall he was leaning on. “Come on.” he said, “Let’s go do something a little more interesting.”
“What?” Bastillina said, “I can’t leave. Leno will have my head if he finds out I left my post.”
“You won’t be gone long.” he said, walking down the sidewalk, “I just need a little help with somethin’.” Bastillina felt a tug from Arold, as though he was pulling her by the hand, but she stood. Arold turned around once, “Come on!” he insisted, with a hand to signal her towards him. Bastillina shook her head, wanting to smile, but sighing it off instead, and went after him.
“Where ‘re we going?” she asked, walking next to him.
“Starin’ at that bell tower and watching you stress yourself over climbing it brought somethin’ to mind. There’s this bloke a couple blocks down in the Stens. I made a deal with him; I’ll get him some vel if he gets me a certain, and very special ‘beverage’ from the southeast, where he’s from… Ever heard of brenser?”
Bastillina pondered a moment. “Isn’t that, like… beer?”
“Whiskey, kid, whiskey! A lovely one, too. Rare, and made only in the south, in Auserkesh. So anyway, I got him his vel, and he ain’t keeping his end of the bargain.”
Bastillina pondered more, looking away. She tried to think of a good way this could go, and nothing good was coming to mind. “So,” she said, somewhat hesitant to ask, “what ‘re you gonna do?”
Arold smirked, sensing the concern in Bastillina’s voice. “Relax, Bella,” he said, “we ain’t gonna shoot anyone. You really think I’d put a thirteen-year-old kid in that kind of situation?”
Bastillina’s eyes narrowed at him, “I’m not a kid.” she rebuked.
Arold tried not to smile. “Alright, alright.” he said, “Would it be better if I said I wouldn’t dare put a kind, young lady like yourself in that kind of situation?”
Bastillina showed no sign of relenting her stare. “I can handle myself, Arold.” she said.
“I’m sure you can.” he replied, “Still, I ain’t into shooting people or roughin’ ‘em up. I got a different idea.”
Another ten minutes of walking, taking a few turns and crossing two blocks, they came to the place known as the Stens, a part of downtown Levaan near the factories. The Stens were made mostly of low-level apartment complexes, housing most of the factory workers.
“I hate this place.” Bastillina said.
“Not a fan of the working class?” Arold said with a smirk.
Bastillina looked around, seeing bigger trucks carrying various sorts of cargo, or wooden crates, or barrels, and then men with carts carrying the same things around the industrialized area they were in. “Reminds me too much of my dad.” she said.
Arold’s smile disappeared, and he paused to think. “Sorry to hear about your pops, Bella.” he said, “He was a good man.”
Bastillina paused, wondering if she really believed what Arold said or not. “Guess it was good I didn’t know him very well. He wasn’t around much.”
“I know. He was a hard worker, Bella. Did everything he could to make sure you got through this hell-hole called life okay.”
“Well… here I am. With a bloke for an uncle who makes me watch out for thugs from other bloke thugs.”
Arold’s smile returned. “Oey, now.” he said, “I hope you’re not about to throw little-old me under the bus for being one of them blokes.”
Bastillina looked at him for a moment, and managed a smile. “Not you, Arold.” she said, “You’re different from the others.” Arold chuckled, while Bastillina looked around again. “This whole place is just wrong, though. Look at all of these men… They don’t get a break.”
“Gotta pay the bills, I guess.”
“And what about you? You never have to do this.”
“When I work for Georgy up in East Projects, I don’t gotta do this stuff.”
“My dad worked for years in these factories and it never did anything for him.”
“Not sure what you expect to be done, Bella. What could people like us do? The Industrial Era’s been a big benefit to Enussia. But it’s also got its faults.”
Bastillina paused, waiting for Arold to finish. When no answer came, she looked up at him. “What faults?” she said, “You mean all these thugs and slave labor?”
Arold smiled, “I’m not sure you can call it slave labor. Let’s be honest, these boys get paid to work, slaves don’t… But I’m talking about the rise of corporate Enussia. You know what a corporation is, don’t you?”
Bastillina looked away, running ideas through her mind. Nothing came up, and she shook her head.
“A group of individuals who control a system or business endeavor, sometimes multiple ones, all through capitalistic means… Gone are the days where power resided in kings and the Church, and nobles. Now we’ve got well-dressed businessmen gaining the spotlight. And unfortunately, business is what keeps the world goin’. That’s what your dad did, it’s what your uncle does, and it’s what we’re gonna do.”
Bastillina didn’t know what else to say. She didn’t believe him. She couldn’t believe him. There had to be something better than this. There had to be more than just trying to survive, scraping through life in the pits of the Industrial Era, while the ‘corporate bosses’, whoever they were, lived comfortably in big homes, enjoying the best the world had to offer. But what could people like her do?
They stopped at an intersection, surrounded by buildings lined up to one another, made mostly of brick, some rising up to four stories, others to eight. None of them matched one another, as if they were all built individually, with no interest in the other, despite being so close and sometimes even conjoined. It was a sight Bastillina found so distracting, and congested.
“Here we are.” Arold said, “You ready to do this?” he asked.
“Do what?” Bastillina said, “I still don’t know what’s going on, other than that some guy here owes you a bottle of whiskey. And if my uncle finds out I was here at all, he’s gonna kill me.”
“It’ll be real quick.” Arold said, handing Bastillina something heavy, with metal and wood making its structure. She looked at it, pausing to be sure she knew what she was looking at as she took it in her hand.
“A camera?” she asked, looking at him.
“Yea. You know, these cool things that let you take ‘still photos’ as they’re called. This is a smaller version.”
“What do you want me to do with this?”
“Like I said, I ain’t no gang-banger and I prefer to bend arms in a more subtle way. Plus, Georgy don’t know about this and if he did, I might be in a little trouble, hmph. The guy who owes me owns that restaurant right across the street, Benny’s Diner. I’ll walk up, be normal and nip, while you sneak ’round back, get inside and take a picture of the bresner.”
Bastillina paused again, looking away to think about the idea. Taking pictures of the whiskey? “You want me to take a picture of it?” she asked, with one brow slightly raised, “Why? Why not just grab it and go?”
Arold smiled, “As easy as that is, it’ll provoke an incident I don’t need. Edner may’ve swindled me, but he hasn’t earned that much punishment. If I just have it taken from him by force, he’ll come after me, and I ain’t never gettin’ bresner again. But, if I threaten to show everyone what he’s hidin’, including Georgy, well then I think he’ll have a change of heart, he will.”
“I thought Georgy wasn’t supposed to know about this.”
“Edner don’t need to know that.”
Bastillina pondered again, looking towards the diner. Now the whole thing was coming together. “Alright,” she said, “so how do I get in?”
“The back alley. Nice and cluttered back there, perfect for you to do your thing. Get behind it, get to the third floor, where his office is, and start looking around. It’s probably in a wine case or something.”
Bastillina kept her eyes on the diner, watching people come in and out. There was little doubt this guy, whoever he was, had some kind of connection to the mobs. If Leno found out what she was doing, she would definitely be punished. But she liked Arold; he was a good friend, even if he liked alcohol a little too much.
“Arold!” a voice shouted from across the street. Both Bastillina and Arold turned to it, seeing a chubby man in a grayish button-down, short-sleeve shirt and dark-brown pants calling to them from the diner, waving at Arold with a smile.
“Bugga.” Arold said quietly, staring at the man.
“Who’s that?” Bastillina asked.
“That’s Edner.” Arold raised his head, with a hand on his mouth for amplification, “Aye, mate!” he called back, “Good to see ya!”
“Come on over!” Edner said, “I’ve got some wonderful omelets you need to try!” He paused as he looked at Bastillina for a moment, “Who’s the young ladyl?”
“Her?” Arold said, pointing at Bastillina, “A friend. She’s from Darvell, just up north.”
“You got friends up there? Why didn’t you tell me? I could use some connections to the Jexini markets, you know. Tell her to come on over, and have some of my omelets–on the house!”
“He seems friendly.” Bastillina said quietly, smiling slightly.
“Of course he does.” Arold replied, “He’s a nice guy. That’s why I don’t wanna provoke him. We ain’t enemies, but he’s got a real nag for not keepin’ his end of deals.” He raised his voice again, “Sounds delicious! I’ll be right over! My friend can’t stay, unfortunately.”
“You sure?” Edner said, “They’re one of a kind! I just got some new spices yesterday, and they make these omelets simply the best!”
“She really needs to go. Maybe next time.” Edner gave another wave, and walked back inside. Arold watched him until he was gone and then turned to Bastillina, “Alright. Well, he saw us, but that’s okay. That means when you’re done, you’ll just have to get straight back to Clerry’s. I’ll keep him downstairs… Go.”
Bastillina hesitated, but started walking, going across the street due north, seeing the back alley to the diner. Arold went with a crowd of people crossing the street west, and then north to the diner. Bastillina stopped, and waited at the building opposite the street to the diner, using the crowds to keep hidden. Arold went inside, meeting Edner, shaking his hand and sharing a quick laugh. Edner’s entire attention was now given to Arold. Bastillina stepped to the sidewalk, looked both ways, and hurried across the street, slipping into the back alley just behind the diner.
The air became moist, and the street felt slick. The stench of garbage corroded her nostrils, but Bastillina wasn’t unaccustomed to it. She spent her whole life walking by and often through the armpits of the industrial world. She had seen so many billboards and lavish signs talking about the wonder and greatness of living in “the big city”, a name coined to romanticize the industrial cities that had risen in the last decade and a half. What was so lavish about it? Everywhere she went, there were poor people, poor workers, who struggled to survive. Sure, the large buildings, which were giants of the Industrial Era, looked splendid and glorious, but what did it take to make them? Such grand achievements, enjoyed only by a select few.
She stopped in front of a group of trash containers, a couple stuffed with black trash bags, and surrounded by groups of flies. She looked up, seeing a large air conditioning generator attached to the wall between the first floor and the second floor. She hopped on the trash containers, put a foot in the brick frame of the window just above them, and used it to push as she pulled herself up on the air conditioning generator.
Luckily, she was fairly small, and didn’t pose any significant threat to knocking the generator down. And even more fortunate, the window she used was boarded up; no one inside was going to see her. She stood up slowly, looking up to the metal catwalk above her, and reached out, grabbing the edges of the metal catwalk floor, and pulled herself up, grabbing hold of the railing; up and over, until she was safely on the catwalk. She was on the second floor now, and just needed to get to the third.
Steps led her up to the third floor, which she went up quickly, catching her breath from the brief workout of hoisting herself up. She was on the third floor and at a metal door, which flung inward as soon as she reached for the knob, nearly pulling her inside as it did. She nearly gasped as her eyes went wide, and she pulled her weight backwards, almost slamming her back to the brick wall outside the door. Her heart raced, and she held her breath as her eyes fixed on the sound coming from within. A hand reached out, as well as a face, tossing a bag of trash out the door towards a group of trash bins. Once they tossed it, the person went back inside, not even seeing Bastillina.
Even with the door slammed shut, and a mechanism was heard clicking from within, Bastillina stood frozen, breathing heavy but quietly. She slowly unglued herself from the wall, and looked into the door frame, which seemed more sunken into the wall than she originally thought, and she faintly heard voices behind it, muffled, and music playing.
She reached out to grab the knob, hoping it wouldn’t fling open again, without warning. Slowly, she turned it, or at least she tried. It wouldn’t budge–locked! Should’ve expected it. She turned around, looking every which way for a new route, until her eyes fixed on a window next to the end of the catwalk. It was attached to the same building, and the window was half open. That was her way in, but the catwalk didn’t extend to it. She would have to leap.
Bastillina went quietly to the end of the catwalk, peering down three stories high to stiff, immovable, gray concrete below. One bad move, and the least she’ll have are a pair of broken legs. She set her eyes on the window, and slowly stepped onto the railing, using the brick wall as balance. The window was only a few feet away, and would need only a quick hop. She crouched on her left foot, closest to the wall, and reached out with her right, pushing off her left and landing quietly on the lower brick frame of the window, quickly grabbing hold of the side-frame with her left hand to pull herself in, and be kept from falling out. Her heart raced again as she leaped, but once she was well-planted in the window, a sigh of relief came over her.
She gently crouched inside, looking around to a room filled with boxes and crates, dusty and still. This wasn’t Edner’s office, but it had to be close. The door to the room was open, and the hallway was illuminated with lights; the music and voices were coming from there as well. With cushioned steps, Bastillina crept to the door, and peered slowly out the crack, looking down the narrow hallway. Voices were still heard, but she couldn’t figure out where they were coming from. Should she open the door? And move? If so, where to? She couldn’t just roam around in the hallway; she needed to find a door and go inside. As she pondered her next move, someone walked out from one of the doors, and Bastillina gave out a short gasp as she recoiled back into the cover of the door, but just managed to keep her right eye peeking out to see where they went, which was from one door to the next.
As she scanned the hall, she saw a sign above one. “Benny’s Office” it read. That had to be the place. Or at least somewhere to start, and it was only one door away on the right. She prepared herself to make a quick but quiet dash, and prayed she wouldn’t run right out into someone else coming into the hall. There would be no warning if they did. She held her breath, and counted: One… two… three… and she was off, taking wide steps to reach the room. Locked! And she shook the knob in excitement, too.
“Hello?” a voice said.
Bastillina let out another gasp as her eyes darted down the hall, her ears zeroing on the sound of footsteps coming from one door down on the left, and a shadow emerging from within the frame. A man came out, looking down the hall, and at Benny’s office door. There was no one there, but he knew he heard something. The knob was rattled, shaken profusely. “Oey… Hello?” he said again, walking towards the door. He looked back once, “Danik?” he asked, “You still up here?” No answer. He turned forward again, looking at the knob that he just heard. He gripped it, and gave it a quick turn. It was locked like before. He paused, looking around, down each hallway.
Only one thing left to check. He took a set of keys from his belt, and shuffling through them, he found one, unlocked and opened the door.
“Marlen!” a voice called out to him, startling him slightly. He turned mid-way from inside the door, “What the hell ‘re you doin’?”
The man stuttered, “I was just…”
“Come on,” the man said before Marlen could finish, “That Arold kid’s back.”
“You mean that guy from Georgy’s crew?”
“Yea. Boss wants us to keep an eye on him so he don’t do anythin’ fishy. Come on!”
“Let me lock up here first.”
“Don’t worry about it. The bugger’s downstairs, not up here to steal the bresner, and the boss wants us down there right now. Come on!”
Marlen hesitated again, but went with the other man. Bastillina was back in the room she came from, listening quietly. She peered out again, and all she heard was fading footsteps and music playing from some record player somewhere. She turned to the now opened office door. If there was a God, he was favoring Bastillina today, for whatever reason. She smiled as she stepped out from safety again, still softly moving to the door until she was inside. The room maintained a more victorian look than any of the other rooms, with paintings and of course bookshelves. Bastillina sighed at the sight, but not because there were books. She loved them, but she hated to see them collect so much dust as these were.
Still, she had to look at some, and see what they were about. School may have been boring, but seeing books was not. There were books everywhere. She didn’t know where to begin looking, and there was simply no time to look at them all, but she picked up one containing maps of Eldreon. She skimmed through it, seeing the drawn maps, particularly around Levaan. There were mountains in the south, and west, and plains all around, with forests too.
Gazing upon the illustrations stirred in her mind what they would actually look like, and she brushed a finger across the dry ink, trying to attain more than simply an imprinted image on paper. She had never seen any before, and all she had to resemble them, was paintings, like the ones on the walls in this very room. Mountains, rivers, castles, dragons and oceans–a world outside this one, where congested, dead towers of concrete couldn’t obstruct one’s view of their majesty. Her eyes were drawn to more illustrated landscapes. There was a temple just north of Levaan? She had to go and see it! But how? She had no way of escaping from this place, and Leno? He wasn’t going to let her go either.
Thus, the very thing that gave her joy in this clogged-up place, full of cruel people, gave her dread all the more, reminding her that she was just another street kid, an orphan, no parents, and even if her parents were around, they were trapped by the chains of the Industrial Era. She didn’t care what Arold said earlier, to her, it was slave labor. People forced to work long hours, and still only make just enough to put food on the plate, was slave labor; it didn’t matter what little technicalities Arold conjured up.
Her face sank, as did the book held in her hand. She closed it, and put it back, somewhat remorsefully. It was like setting her dreams on the shelves again, to sit, and collect dust, to come by and dream about every once in a while, and then just put them back, and go back to reality.
Speaking of reality, Bastillina turned to her right, and saw a wine case. Reality indeed came back to her quickly, and she hastened towards it, looking through the glass. There were many normal, as well as strangely designed bottles of alcohol inside. Her eyes skimmed up and down, and she tried not to skim too quickly, fearing she would miss it. Finally, her eyes found it, “Bresner”.
A smile grew on her face. She wouldn’t touch this stuff, but she wanted to help a friend. Bastillina raised the camera, confused for a moment. She had never used one before, but she knew what the lens was, where to point it, and that it was supposed to be adjusted for best quality; she had seen them used many times before. Then there was a little black button towards the top right.
She pulled the camera up, and adjusted the lens. She didn’t know which direction to turn it, and just fiddled with it until it began to focus, feeling the knob click, click, click, click, as she turned it, and the more crisp the picture looked, the slower the turning, click… click… click…… click. There it was–snap! She got it, but she snapped one more just in case. Now it was time to leave. Caution was all but forgotten now as Bastillina ran out of the door.
“Oey!” a voice snapped, like a gunshot, sending a shock through the girl as her head jerked to the right, whipped by her brown ponytail. It was the man from before who darted after her the moment he spoke. Bastillina dashed off to the door she came from, and shutting it, she drew energy from her hand, and sent a small spark of flame into it, melting the door. The man gripped the knob, and it was like it bit him back. He ripped his hand from it, and his face soured. “Agh!” he shouted as he flicked his hand up and down over and over before looking at it. Burned! He gripped the wrist with his left hand, and looking at the knob, which was melting from the other side, glued shut.
“Oey! Dan!” he shouted, running back down the hall, “Some kid’s up here! There’s a kid up here! Get outside–now!”
Bastillina barely heard the shouts from outside as she hastened down from where she came. She leaped to the catwalk without caution or thought. Her left foot made first contact, and slipped as her hands reached to grip the railing. Her chest slammed against the vertical railings, but her hands clung tightly to it, preventing her from falling. “Agh!” she grunted as a shock rattled her body. That was going to hurt later. As she tried to pull herself up, the door to the outside flew open, and the same man from before came out, his eyes darting at her.
“Stop!” he demanded, and ran towards her. Bastillina’s eyes widened. There was no choice now–she let go and plummeted three stories, crashing into a group of trash cans that fortunately softened her blow as she tumbled off and tumbled into the pavement.
“Agh! Gah!” she let out, grinding her teeth and squinting her eyes. Pain that would have to be cried over later. Bastillina looked up, seeing the man up top calling out her location again, and running back inside. Then a whistle from down the alley. Bastillina looked, and saw Arold standing from where she entered the alley.
“Run!” he shouted quietly, “Meet you back on Clerry’s!” He looked over to his left once, hearing men shouting and ran off in the opposite direction, leaving Bastillina alone. She stood up, and looked back just in time to see the two men, as well as Edner run around the corner, spotting her.
“There she is!” one shouted.
Bastillina bolted, ignoring any and all pain, running off further down the alley. They were faster than her, but she knew that. All she needed to do was zig and zag through the alleys, and find an opening small enough for her, not for them. As she moved through the alley, leaping over any trash-like obstacles, one of the three men barreled through them, catching her by the second. Almost there.
“I’ve got you, you little rat!” he cursed, and he reached out to grab her ponytail, and as quickly as he caught up to her, she disappeared and the next thing he knew, he was face-first into a chain-linked fence; Bastillina had ducked and slid under a hole in it.
She stood up, looking at him from the other side. “What’s the matter, pudge-face?” she taunted, “Didn’t see the fence?” In a final taunt, she stuck her tongue out in defiance as she backed away and to freedom.
“Dammit!” the man cursed as he slammed his hand into the fence. He turned around to the others, “Go around!” he ordered, “Go! Go!”
But by the time they got there, Bastillina was gone. She ran another two blocks, free from their clawing hands, and with the goods as well. She checked the camera, looking for any damage. None that she could see, despite it accompanying her smashing into metal railing, and then falling three stories into the ground. She turned it around, and with wide eyes, and her tongue sticking out, she snapped a shot of herself to make sure it was still working, and because she was proud of herself. Everything sounded like it was working fine. Now it was time to get back to Clerry’s. All in all, it was a good little exercise.
No way they could’ve followed her this far; Bastillina felt she could finally relax, catch her breath and walk the rest of the way. As the adrenaline wore off, and her breathing relaxed, so did her own thoughts, and her eyes were again raised to the tall buildings. Endless buildings, like giant walls closing her into a small world. It was a giant city, and a small world. Even this little moment of excitement couldn’t get rid of this spectre following her, taunting her that she was nobody, would be nobody, and one day, on one of these exciting jobs, would just end up a dead body in the streets.
She turned the corner on Clerry’s, and a few steps down, she saw Arold, right where they both left on the corner, smoking a cigarette and waiting. For a moment, the spectre gave way, and she smiled as she drew near to him. He spotted her a few feet away, and smiled with his cigarette in his mouth.
“That was some trip, huh?” he said, holding his hands out, “You got the pictures, right?”
Bastillina handed him the camera, with a big grin on her face. “Got two for you,” she said, “and one from me, just for you.”
Arold took the camera, with a smirk on his face, looking at her. He examined it for a moment. “Well, damn.” he said, “I really owe you, Bella. Even with how dangerous that was, you got it done. I knew I could count on you.”
“You’re real calm and happy.” Bastillina said, still smiling, “Especially for someone who left me alone out there. What would you do if I didn’t even come back?”
“Pfft!” Arold dismissed in jest, “Come on! I know you, Bella. There’s a reason ole Leno keeps you around. No one navigates these streets like you do… I knew those blokes didn’t stand a chance.”
Bastillina’s smile faded at the mention of Leno. The small moment of joy, seeing Arold again, was already fading away once more. “I wish you wouldn’t mention him.” she said.
“Who? Leno?”
Bastillina didn’t answer, and her eyes drifted away, towards the cathedral again. There it was, still sitting where she last saw it only some twenty or thirty minutes ago.
“What’s a matter, kid?” Arold said, “I can’t even make your day better?”
“It’s not that.” Bastillina said, shrugging, “I just… Have you ever felt like no matter what you did, you were still…” she looked up at him, “Drowning?”
Arold’s smile fell somewhat, and he looked away, pondering the question as he smoked his cigarette. “Can’t say,” he said.
“You never wondered what else was out there? Besides this?”
“I’m sure there’s some interestin’ stuff… But what’s there for me? You know me, this is what I do. This is my home.”
Bastillina didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t understand how he could so easily say that. But her thoughts and reply were drowned out by the echoing clang of the bell tower striking noon, drawing both their eyes to it again, and directing her thoughts to the curiosity of what it was that made Leno so resentful of the Carathien Church, and any other religious movement, the likes of which she knew little about.
“There’s the bell.” Arold said, “And the church is right over there. The only one stopping you is yourself.”
“And Leno.” Bastillina answered, “If he ever found out I did that, he’d kill me. Especially since I have to be here right now, being a look out.”
“Sure. And do you plan on doing this for the rest of your life? Doing the dirty work of uncle gang-banger?”
Bastillina shrugged, “What else am I supposed to do? He’s the only family I have left, and as messed up as we are, one thing I know for sure, is I can’t just leave my family. And that includes you.”
“We all know just as well as anyone else how willing you are to stick your neck out for people, Bella. That’s another reason why I like you more than the other kids. Seen you beat the snot out of the school kids for pickin’ on your friends. But it’s one thing to stick your neck out, it’s another to just jump in front of a razor that’ll cut your head clean off, and I’m tellin’ ya, girl, that’s where you’re headed.”
For once, Arold’s pep talk was too much. “I don’t get why I’m hearing this from you, of all people. You work for Georgy, remember?”
Arold dropped his now-tiny cigarette to smush it. “Maybe so,” he said, “but it’s a shame that you even know who he is.”
“What ‘re you getting at, Arold? I just broke into some goon’s diner, helped you get his goods–which he ain’t even supposed to have anyway, so you could keep buying it from him. Now you’re saying I shouldn’t be part of any of it?”
“Not at all. But I figured since you’re here, you might as well.”
That didn’t make any sense to Bastillina. Arold was a good friend, but he still was a street thug, and he was capable of violence. He just wouldn’t show it around her. Even so, he wasn’t beyond using her for his own gain, and it showed with the bresner job. What if she didn’t actually come back? What would he do, then?
Before they could talk further, they heard cheering across the street, and clapping. Their eyes were drawn to the sight, where a crowd of well-dressed youth came from the cathedral, heading across the street to the pizza place. Bastillina recognized several of the kids in the group, both boys and girls, with their hair well done, all bright as the sun, wearing their Elderday special for church, and the occasion she knew too well.
“Take a look at Roland there.” Arold said, pointing at one of the boys in the group, waiting at the crosswalk on the other side, “I know you know him. No way you go to the same school and not know that guy, or Saris, the girl in the blue dress. Saris is goin’ to university to become a lawyer, while Roland is enrolled to begin his training under the Magisterial Order; a master of masters. The best the world has to offer of the masters of magic there.”
“So what?” Bastillina said, sneering at them.
“So? You don’t think you could ever reach that? In little more than two months, they’re out of here, travelling the world, and what’s Bastillina going to be doing in the next few years?”
Bastillina continued to stare with spiteful eyes at them. She hated whenever her full name was mentioned. It only reminded her of how ‘non-Oenkev’ it was, if there were any normal names for Oenians. Like the people in church, seeing these kids smile so bright did not give her any desire to smile. It had the opposite effect, in fact. She knew she should be happy with their bright futures, but she wasn’t. Seeing people find fame and glory only made her more miserable inside. Why? What did they do that she didn’t, that they should have such bright futures and not her?
“I don’t care.” she said.
Her comment only made Arold chuckle more. “Well,” he said, “the days are moving, Bella.” He watched the kids begin crossing the street while she was carried away in a stream of thoughts.
She didn’t know what to say. All she could do was look at them, whom she always loathed to see. She could only hope they wouldn’t see her, as talking to any of them only reminded her of how well off they were, and how it contrasted with herself. They each had their parents still, and like Arold said, probably had no knowledge or work in the criminal underworld. Why should they be free of such pain and not her? Such a question, and its various forms, never ceased to haunt her. Thoughts like this reminded her about Hennary’s teaching that jealousy is against the scriptures, and God despises jealousy. But why was it so wrong to be angry, or frustrated that rich kids, born into wealth, are thus better off than those like her? What did she ever do to deserve God’s treatment of her like this?
Arold could sense the conversation slipping away, carrying Bastillina away like a raging river, to finally be tossed over the falls of oblivion and despair. He sighed and stood up, “Just remember, Bella.” he said, “The clock’s ticking. That bell tower reminds you at noon every single day.” He bid her farewell for the day with a kind smile, and strode off.
Bastillina was left alone then, and her eyes once more were drawn to the belltower across the street, where Roldan and the others came from. To her relief, they were too busy laughing and enjoying each other’s positive vibes that they never once paid her any attention, sitting alone on the corner on the side of the pizza place. But looking at the tower, with Arold’s words radiating in her mind, it only made the tower seem even taller than before. Her only comforting thought was thinking about what was outside Levaan, but it was always crushed by the fact that she had no way of finding out.
For the next hour or so, Bastillina was alone on the street, watching people walk by who paid her no real attention. Boredom took her for most of the time, which she attempted to quell by trying to see the sun move steadily from one position to the next. As always, she never could really see it; the next thing she knew, she was distracted by something, and then another, and then the bell tower, and the next thing she knew, the sun had changed the light of the whole city. But it was only just past noon at this point. She saw nothing worth noting the whole time. As always, Leno’s suspicions were just his paranoia running wild. She felt her stomach growl, and the temptation to go off and get something to eat. The pizza place was just to her left, and she figured she could still see well through the windows.
“Bella!” said Breyton, the man working at the counter as she came in, “I was wonderin’ when you would show up!”
Bastillina smiled at him as she approached the counter. “Hello, Breyton!” she greeted back, “And yes, I’m starving!”
“Well, you’ve come to the right place! Will it be the regular?”
“Of course!” she replied.
“Comin’ right up!” the loud Breyton said as he went to the back.
Bastillina’s excitement subsided, and she turned around, looking at the people in the restaurant. Like any Elderday afternoon, it was filled with church-going people having lunch together. She was in a place filled with nice-looking people, but yet felt completely alone. She looked to the window booths, most having been taken, save for one right near the door. That was the best seat she could ask for, and she went and sat down, scanning the area. She had a good look at the intersection and the whole block she was supposed to watch. It was an easy job, and she wondered why she didn’t think of this before.
She found herself daydreaming as she waited for her food, staring out the large window she had. Cars drove by in all directions, and people passed to and fro endlessly, with an occasional airship flying overhead. And of course, there was the cathedral bell tower, standing above the buildings across the street, with its beautiful, ancient-world architectural design, dark colors and statue representing the Council of the Gods, and a central figure of a triangle pointing upward, representing the absolute might of Artheros, the God of gods.
“Everyone!” a voice called out in the restaurant, drawing even Bastillina’s daydreaming eyes to it. It was a man standing on a chair with an announcement, “I would like to call your attention to a remarkable young man in our midst today. His name is Roldan Bendenro, and ladies and gentlemen, he is about to enter the Magisterial Order to become one of their most honored knights in glory!” Applause and whistling with cheers erupted in the restaurant. Bastillina sat silent, watching Roldan take the compliments not even with a hint of blush in his face. He was always known as a popular kid. None of this was intimidating to him at all.
For some reason, watching this scene unfold brought Bastillina back to Arold’s words from earlier. She always felt disdain for moments like these, watching other kids get so much glory and success while she was stuck with this curse she was in. There was nowhere for her to go. Why would the gods, if they are so great, help Roldan, but leave orphaned kids like her behind? She knew she was gifted, she was a master like Roldan, but she was scorned for hers. So much that she often wished it was gone. Her eyes drifted back to looking at the bell tower, and the words of Arold once more. Why did Roldan get to be the successful kid? Why not herself? One thing was for sure, this place disgusted Bastillina. She knew Leno wouldn’t like any of this, but she couldn’t take it anymore.
She stood out of her seat and walked out, ignoring a waiter bringing her her food, and he stopped at the end of the sidewalk. For a moment, she was reminded that she was supposed to be watching this block, not allowed to leave. But did Leno have to know? He didn’t need to know she helped Arold bust into a diner and gain the means to blackmail the owner. He didn’t need to know about this, either.
She started across, past the first three buildings until she stood in front of the cathedral. It was beautiful, with a magnificent, arched, two-door entrance, flanked by two narrow, tall and arched, stain-glass windows. The entrance was a call to enter into the gates of heaven. The bell tower was centered above the door, at least a hundred feet in the air. Bastillina examined the area, and looked to see how many people were still walking around it. It seems the church was fully out by now. One last look at her surroundings, and she went to the side walls that closed the church’s outdoor property off to the public. There was a gate entrance into the back, but it was locked. Not a problem; she had been over that wall several times.
She went farther down the back alley, until she found a tin trash can, filled with garbage, and dragged it to the stone wall of the cathedral parameter wall. Stepping on top, she peered over the wall, and saw to her right, farther into the property, a beautiful garden shaded by luscious trees, and a fountain in the midst of it that had a statue of the Blessed Mother Fedora, a special saint in the Carathien Church. Leno, along with Pastor Hennary, always talked about how disgusting it was that the Carathiens ‘worshiped’ her. Bastillina didn’t understand any of it herself, but she also knew that the elvish scriptures spoke well of Fedora.
That wasn’t important now; she looked left, along the side wall of the cathedral, and saw no one in either direction. She pulled herself up and over the wall, landing on a cold, stone bench, looking around once more to make sure she did not disturb anyone she may have not seen. She began to walk along the cathedral walls, planning her route up. Unlike the bland buildings all around her, with mostly solid, brick walls, this cathedral had so many architectural decorations built within it, giving her an easy way to climb up.
She leaped into the frame of a stained glass window, which went up and arched gloriously at least twenty feet high. The walls were of large brick, but there was a set of lined bricks going horizontal that pushed out from the rest slightly, every four sets up. She used those to climb, heaving and straining upward. Though it was a workout, like she did earlier, the climb was far easier than scaling other buildings. She found rest on a small arch that extended outward from the cathedral’s main structure, and took a moment to catch her breath, looking around. She was at least fifty feet up by now, over the trees in the garden.
She wasn’t there yet, and kept climbing, now feeling a breeze from where she was, reaching the arched roof made of dark blue, stone-like plates. Carefully, she walked along the sloped roof towards the bell tower, until she leaned against it for support. Here she was, at the bell tower. It was larger, and taller than she thought. And the designs etched into the tower walls were something she didn’t know how to describe. She only saw these beautiful designs from afar, and now they were before her to be seen and admired. She brushed a hand across some of them, which were etched horses, horse-riders, dragons, men of myth and legend she did not know, but wanted to know. It was a world she never knew, and needed to know.
The moment of awe had to be put aside, as she began to plot her final ascension. She had it in mind, and began her climb once more, pulling herself up, carefully but anxiously, up another thirty or so feet. Bastillina had to stop and take in the terrifying, yet incredible sight. She could see the entire eastern side of downtown Levaan.
She could see the tops of most of the buildings; only a handful now outgrew the tower. After another two minutes of climbing, the tired Bastillina reached the top, pulling herself inside the bell tower and standing on a wooden platform that had a large hole in the center of it, likely meant to raise and lower the bell tower, as well as ring it; there was a thick rope attached to the bell’s base. It was even larger up close than she ever imagined.
“Woo-hoo!” she cried out, with a glowing smile on her face, hearing her echo ricochet off the buildings. Here she was, high above the entire east-end of Levaan’s downtown. She couldn’t control her breathing, not from the climb, but from something else, something in the wind, something as excited as she was, as though it had been waiting for her all this time, and now here, smothered her in joy. She did it! After all this time, she climbed the tower, and it was even more than she imagined. Arold had to be down there somewhere. If he could only look up and see her now.
Bastillina turned around, and got a closer look at the bell, which had a rich, iron texture of more designs, things one could hardly see from below. She reached her hand out, and gently brushed against the cold iron, feeling the designs, which contained a myriad of human figures, all dressed as though from the ancient world, in robes, not in modern clothes. She recognized none of them, nor the language written above the figures that wrapped around the top of the bell, but it gripped her thoughts, nonetheless. There was something about it that drew her in, made her want to look more carefully, even though she didn’t know what it was. Who were they? What did they mean? What language was this?
As she gazed at the bell, her eyes caught something in the distant north. It was not more buildings, which she was always used to seeing. It was as though the ground was raised up high, and far enough away to be somewhat hazed in a blue tint. Could it be mountains? It was the mountains! She inhaled, and her smile was rejuvenated. “I never knew they were so close!” she said to herself.
She leaned upon the stone railing within the bell tower, basking in the sight., her mind racing about them, and what it would be like to climb their snowy peaks. They were there, and even at this distance, were so much more real than the paintings she always saw. These were like the mythical titans she remembered reading about, and hearing about from the few times Hennary’s preaching was interesting. They reminded her of how God was described as being greater than the mountains, creating them with just his hand. Such a God! The thought began to stir in her mind then.
“Now I need to see them.” she thought to herself, “Not from this distance, but to be there, in their midst… What wonders could be lying beyond them?”
“Hey!” a voice echoed through the air, startling Bastillina’s moment of wonder. She almost fell over the railing, with her heart beginning to pound as her eyes scrambled to find a body to the voice, somewhere down below. “You!” the voice cried out again. After that one, she was able to pinpoint it to a priest, or someone dressed in black clothing that must have worked in the cathedral, on the front grounds crying out to her. “Get down from there–now!”
Bastillina pulled herself back into the tower to hide. But it was pointless by now–she had been seen. She panicked and looked left and right, before standing back up to look towards the garden for a way out. “Police!” the man below was heard crying out, “There’s a kid up in the tower!”
Bastillina gasped at the sound, and her search for a way out grew even more desperate now. Another voice was heard calling out to her moments later, commanding her to come down. She had full intention of doing it, but not into their custody; Leno would kill her if that happened. She began to make her way back down, trying to come down the way she came, but hid behind the bell tower so they couldn’t see her. “I don’t see her!” a voice was heard calling out.
“Go around the back!” another said.
Bastillina rushed down as her breathing became harder and harder to control. In her haste, she made a terrible mistake, but one she only realized in the middle of doing it; she leapt off the bell tower wall from too high, striking the sloped roof and began to slide down, with her speed increasing by the second. She held her breath, but forced herself out of paralysis, and gasped as she flew over the side of the roof, still thirty feet up.
As soon as her feet left the edge, time slowed; her heart rate felt like it slowed; a familiar experience of control and power she had felt before once, every time she got into a fight on the streets, or was afraid. What seemed like only a split second reaction, to her was at least five seconds to see the edge of the roof and latch onto it with just her right hand. Bastillina hung and dangled from the edge of the roof as roof plates slid off over her head, sending small grains of dirt or debris into her face, eyes and mouth.
“There she is!” an officer said. Like white blood cells, they converged on her, before she even got to the ground.
She took a deep breath, and let go of the roof, falling for another second and a half before splashing into the bushes, pricked and sliced by the small but stiff branches within them. It was like trying to escape a giant spider web as she panicked to get out of the bushes before they found her. Finally, she broke free and came to her feet, running to the wall as the police came in. She jumped on top of the stone bench, and used it as a springboard to launch her over the wall. She reached out, grabbed the edge, but felt a hand snap around her ankle, pulling her down.
“Let me go!” she cried out, “I didn’t do nothin’! Agh! Stop! Please!”
The more she resisted, the tighter the officer’s gripped her, though they didn’t make an arrest. She was likely too young to be arrested. Instead, they grabbed her by the arms, and forced her outside. While they weren’t going to arrest her, Bastillina knew they were going to keep her in custody until her parents came to find her. That meant Leno was about to find out what she just did.
Masters of Eldreon 