Chapter Eleven

Do Us Part

Agloff escorted himself from the bunker, his mind buried in thought, as if detached from his body, climbing the stairs as it did. Should he resent Marty for bringing him here in the first place, into Fall’s subterranean eyrie, or thank him? Should he be grateful Fall wasn’t planning on delivering Agloff to Jask, gift-wrapped?

No. The reality was surely worse: non-existence as a trophy to Fall’s pyrrhic victory, while he weathers Winter’s storm.

Governor Fall was perhaps the most peculiar man Agloff had ever met. Marty had said these bunkers were already occupied before Fall got here. How could a man arrive in a foreign land and lay claim to it? Agloff recalled he had read about ancient explorers turned conquerors, who landed on alien shores and convinced their hosts to turn over their gold. It was the engine of an empire. And Fall reeked of a man who dreamed of an Imperial Underground to preside over all the Colony, and everything in it. Once Jask had fallen.

Agloff even wondered if he was actually beginning to miss Backwater. Between the Underground’s stranglehold on him, and Ariea, it was the first time he might not have been thankful for his deliverance from Drake. As for his mission, Agloff felt no closer to that end than he did in Backwater. He thought Marty might have offered more than oblique clues. Tomas Wise, he knew to be his mother’s colleague. She mentioned him in her note. Could he also have been part of this organisation; ‘the Sign’? And who was Abbadiah Thawn? His mum offered no hints. In one way, Agloff’s frustration strengthened his resolve. In another, it defeated him.

Agloff arrived back at his bedchamber and stole a glance across the landing at Ariea. Her silence was like a wall between them. Through the open doorway, she stood, her back to him, at the mirror above her washbasin. She had taken to sleeping in another room.

Agloff was entranced by her familiar bob of auburn hair, reddened by the shaft of light from above. She was ignorant of his fascination. Then, her eyes cast to the side and Agloff pretended to busy himself in the folds of his duvet.

Surely the longer he waited, the worse it was going to be.

For today, Agloff accepted defeat. He sank into his mattress. Aches crept through his joints. He had not slept for the best part of two days since he was at the Felled Giant, and within a minute, he shed his clothes to the floor, and fell into the clutch of his bedding.

*

Agloff jerked awake. His eyes strained for the clock which told him it had been at least twelve hours. Lily Osara hung over his bed, eyes squinting. Agloff threw a hand to wave her away and grunted. It was then he saw Governor Fall, bathed in a golden robe, standing in his doorway, hands clasped and regal-looking.

‘A good night’s sleep,’ he said. Something in his voice told Agloff it wasn’t a question, and Fall knew precisely how long he had been asleep. ‘I wanted to ensure you have everything you need here! Commander Naples holds you in the highest regard.’

Agloff nodded sheepishly. ‘Oh?’

‘I wanted to provide this, as a token of my gratitude for your being here. You will be the sharpest dressed at Blue’s wedding.’ Fall glided to Agloff’s bedside, and gestured a slick, black tuxedo draped from Agloff’s wardrobe ‘You will be the talk of the ladies.’ Agloff glanced past Fall to Ariea’s room. It did not go unnoticed. ‘Ah. Well, I am sure she will be intimately impressed. Best not wander ‘till then, eh. The Underground’s a dangerous place. I’m sure Naples would have told you that.’

Every word was deliberate. Agloff nodded, not meeting Fall’s stare, suddenly anxious the Governor had caught wind of his afterhours journeys down to Maintenance. Or, God forbid, of Marty’s plot. Fall’s lips twisted and he glided back whence he came, taking one look back at Agloff.

‘See you very soon. And please do enjoy yourself.’

He smiled, and then he was gone. And Agloff suddenly felt cold. There was something unsettling about his tranquil look. Like it was a constant performance and Agloff need only scratch the surface to see his true form beneath. Satisfying though it might have been to disobey, Agloff heeded Fall’s warning.

Life was now a waiting game, until Marty’s plan unfolded, and Oxford’s wedding was a welcome distraction. Like before, Agloff resolved to not cause trouble waiting for it. From the bleep at the start of morning shift, to its end, Agloff consigned himself to his room, only greeted by Osara for his three daily meals. And there was only so much patience one deck of cards could take, as Agloff had even taken to playing blackjack against himself. Somehow, the dealer still always managed to win.

*

Agloff was ready for the wedding an hour in advance of his well-read invitation. He thought it might dampen his nerves. He was curiously anxious about mingling with strangers, and Ariea more so. Curiouser, he was about to go the wedding of man he had known less than a week, and yet it felt an eon. Like Oxford might have been one of his closest friends. He spent that hour batting the creases out of his suit and taking trips to the mirror to remind himself what he looked like. Agloff would never have called himself handsome, but the guy looking back at him was from another world. He wriggled in his jacket, unfastened a button, but it brought no comfort. He missed his hoodies, he thought, incredulous how anyone could have dressed this way on a daily basis. For formalwear, it was understated. He flattened the tie about fifty times down his chest, and puffed his cheeks, deciding it would be better to be one of the first to arrive.

With deep breaths, he headed to suffer the inanities of decorum. He fixed his eyes to the floor. No distractions, he told himself. Agloff scurried through the palace to lift, but for a familiar voice.

‘Not that way,’ said the ruffled tones of Marty Naples. Agloff stared at the scuff of his brogues. ‘You’re early.’

Agloff looked up. Like him, Marty was suited in a tuxedo. It flattered his burgeoning gut, and his beard was trimmed from when Agloff saw him last.

‘So are you.’

‘Force of habit, Ag. Come with me.’ Agloff did not argue, and Marty led him in silence to the opposite end of the palace, back past the banquet hall, to a cul-de-sac down one of the corridors jutting away from it. Marty paused thoughtfully before the far wall, before lending a palm to a panel on his left. Immediately, it beeped, and the metal tiling began to fold backwards into itself. Beyond, a narrow arch fed into a lift shaft. Marty gestured Agloff through. Again, Agloff said nothing.

‘Sitting at Fall’s Privy Council has its privileges,’ said Marty. ‘The Governor’s private lift. Fall keeps a tight circle, as well you can imagine. Excited?’ he added after a beat.

‘Oh—’ Agloff’s thoughts muddled. ‘I think so. I’ve never really done this kind of thing before,’ he admitted. He would apologise to Marty for his rudeness, but his head was a whirling mess, of Ariea and Fall and Eron, to the point he wondered if he gave more than two-word replies it may explode.

‘Oh, you’ll be fine.’

‘How far we going?’ Agloff quipped. The lift cage rattled its way up the shaft, but a smoother ride than the others it was nonetheless.

Marty smiled. ‘The very top.’

‘About before…’ Agloff began, as if to make an excuse for his muted demeanour. ‘Below. Can I ask something?’

‘I’m not sure what you’re talking about, Agloff.’

Agloff knew with that he would be wise not to ask again. The cage rattled, and the wall folded back into itself, giving way to an ornate passage. Fairy lights were interspersed with neat, triangular bunting, zigzagging across an angled ceiling. Marty led Agloff down the corridor to a desk where a concierge was sat awaiting guests with a forced smile. Marty passed over his invitation and Agloff did the same. Immediately, the boy slackened.

‘Bit early, aren’t ya,’ he grunted. Marty waved his judgement away. They passed the archway into the hall. The walls bloomed into a great dome some fifty feet high, flickering with a thousand points of light and for a moment Agloff wondered if it was made of glass, a window to the surface. But the image looked too perfect. There was no dust on the upper side blown over by the wind, obscuring the stars. He assumed it was mere projection, the screens Oxford had told he, Memphis and Merry about.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Even so, it was refreshing to not look up and see a plastered ceiling or the cloth that drooped above his four-poster bed.

The hall was occupied by tens of tables, each marked by a small placard and lain for six, smothered in white tablecloth. More fairy lights spread and drooped in spokes from a glittering chandelier, bathing the hall in glow. A few early arrivals were scattered about, chatting against the mellow thrum of speakers suspended over them.

‘Find your seat.’ Marty’s eyes caught the free bar and he left Agloff with a mischievous grin.

‘What about you?’

‘I want vodka. God knows I need it. I am planning to get very, very drunk. It’s rare I get a damn good excuse.’ Marty raised an imaginary glass to Agloff, and trundled to the barman, chuckling as he did.

Agloff shuffled between the sea of tables, inspecting each for his name. He found himself placed between Merry and Memphis, who, to his surprise, were already there. Each looked at unease in their gown and tuxedo, as they greeted Agloff with timid smiles. Wordlessly, he sat between them, shoulders taut and anxious, waiting for the chamber to fill in dribs and drabs. A pamphlet on the table in front of them chronicled Oxford and Alice from infancy to the present day in monochrome photographs. The words inside read:

The Union of

Alice Middleton & Oxford Samson Blue,

9th September Year 18 - Onwards

May ours be a journey that never ends. Now and forever.

Master of Ceremonies:

Anton Ramirez

After reading it a third time, Agloff’s eyes began to scan the chamber for Ariea, like some irrepressible compulsion. She had to be here, he told himself. The minutes waned, and then he caught a glimpse. Her face peeked through a crack in the crowd, clad in a silvery dress. He looked as long as he dared, scared for her eyes to meet his. Her contempt made her figure all the more captivating, in a strange sort of way.

He knew what he had to do. But he found himself incapable of doing anything more than keeping a distant watch.

Agloff’s gaze shifted down the table from Lady to Merry to Memphis and back again, as each waited for the others to provide some comfort in this alien place. The chatter in the hall swelled to a peak, bodies pressed against each other, apparently refusing to sit as they mulled on gossip and wine. Then, the mumble of an announcer trilled over the speakers and the chatter ceded to a mess of footsteps, scurrying to their tables. Everyone watched in baited silence. Then, Marty Naples stood from the head table, a glass raised and beckoned to a minister at the front of the hall.

Agloff strained from his distant view to catch a glimpse. Oxford stood, his mane of hair slicked back into a lazy ponytail, and his beard braided. Then, a woman did the same. She was veiled in a navy dress, with jet-black hair. She was beautiful, saucer-eyed with a smirk painted over her lips.

Agloff had imagined streamers, and boisterous music and dancing. But the old minister instead droned on about the meaning of life and love. The words seemed to pass through Oxford and Alice, who viewed each other through an unbroken stare. Agloff was envious. How happy they must have been in that moment, how utterly fulfilled. He had read about love and imagined this was life at its purest. For them, the entire universe was beyond all awareness. Their ecstasy was his envy. The simplicity of it all.

They gripped hands under an arch of evergreen leaves, waiting for the minister’s word. They then leaned into each other, meeting halfway with a kiss and the room erupted into a bout of applause. Merry stood from the table, Lady aloft in her arms who clapped for the both of them.

For a while, men and women stood, to trade their words and anecdotes to the crowd about the couple between them, before Oxford dispersed them all to the buffet table. Agloff skulked at its rear, continuing to cast a watchful eye in Ariea’s direction. His gaze flickered between her and a tray of freshly baked sausage rolls. He couldn’t but wince each time a hand scooped one to its plate. Another hand then reached at his shoulder and Agloff jolted, snapped from his trance. Oxford stood behind him, a flower stapled to his lapel, and a smile split his face from ear to ear.

‘Agloff!’ he said, reaching for a sturdy handshake. ‘May I complement you on that suit. Looking very fine.’

Agloff shrugged awkwardly. ‘Thanks. Fall leant it me. Don’t think I look too bad, do I.’ Oxford only grinned, bounding from foot to foot. ‘Well, what about you? You seem… on edge.’

‘Ah, man! I’m so pumped. Excited to have a drink. Alcohol makes everything better. Don’t quote me on that actually. Hey, I’ll introduce you to the wife, so she doesn’t have to introduce me to all her obscure work friends.’ Oxford placed an arm across Agloff’s shoulders and guided him up the buffet queue. ‘Groom perks, innit. Plus, I didn’t wanna miss out on the sausage rolls.’ Agloff laughed, his only reply to scoop two on to his plate and Oxford reciprocated with a grin.

‘I’m happy for you,’ Agloff said, sincerely. ‘But I didn’t know the Underground did fun.’ He then took a sip of some random drink, and his lips tightened in disgust.

‘Man, you don’t even know. Had to save up so many tokens to use this place. So, by all means, drink as much as you want. Would make my self-restraint feel more worth it if there wasn’t a shit ton left over.’ Oxford downed his drink in one. ‘I need that for when I talk to Alice’s dad.’

Oxford shifted behind Agloff, prodding him with a finger through the crowd towards a young woman Agloff presumed to be Alice Blue. A circle of adoring guests ensconced her, parting as they saw Oxford. She wore a rippling navy dress that flowed beyond her feet, spilling on to the floor around her. Flowers were cradled in her arm, gifts from each of her guests that dwarfed her petite hands.

‘Oxford!’ she barked, dropping a bouquet from her stack and a guest hastened to scoop it up after her. She hurried awkwardly to a table, setting the flowers down and turned to embrace her husband. ‘I’ve missed you,’ she said.

‘It’s been five minutes!’ Oxford exclaims.

‘What I said stands for itself,’ Alice answered, matter-of-factly.

Oxford’s cheeks ripened, and his eyes searched the floor in embarrassment. He pecked her on the cheek before turning to hold an arm out towards Agloff. ‘This is Agloff I was telling you about.’

Alice stepped towards him, smiled. ‘Ah, so you’re the reason my husband was away for almost two weeks.’

Agloff’s mouth fell open, spluttered incoherent sounds, unsure if she was being serious.

‘You don’t have to look so terrified.’ Alice laughed. ‘Oxford tells me you’re one of Fall’s new best friends.’

‘I suppose so,’ Agloff grunted, nervous, doing his best to ignore the circle of gawking eyes. ‘I mean, I hadn’t really thought about it,’ he lied.

‘Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel awkward. Hope you’re enjoying yourself. It was lovely to meet you.’

‘You too,’ Agloff said with a smile. ‘Congratulations.’

Alice nodded gratefully. Her dress swayed as she turned to collect her flowers and speak to someone else as Oxford followed.

‘Having fun?’ Merry appeared then at Agloff’s side, prodded him in the rib.

‘I’m… not sure,’ he answered.

‘It is mental. I’ve eaten so much I can’t even. Dresses are also really weird.’ She batted down her rose gown with a fisted hand, like she still wasn’t comfortable. ‘But it might be because I’m bloated to be honest.’ Her body tipped from side to side like a tree in the breeze.

‘You look nice,’ Agloff said, staring absent-mindedly into the crowd.

‘It’d mean more if you were actually looking at me, but I’ll take it.’ She laughed, over and over, like laughing itself was funny. ‘I might have had… three margheritas. They’re getting to me. Can you tell? They aren’t alcoholic, are they?’

‘Dude,’ Agloff said, chuckling. ‘You literally lived in a pub. Yes, cocktails have alcohol in!’

Her face soured. Her shoulders sank ‘Oh. I’ll be honest I thought they were for children because they were fruity.’

‘Wine is fruity.’

‘Yeah, but that’s grown-up fruity.’ Without thought, Merry swigged the cocktail clasped in her hand. ‘You and Ariea: what’s up with that?’ she said as she swallowed.

‘Nothing. Just… nothing’

‘’Cos I’ll tell you what. You haven’t stopped looking at her all night. And I’m one hundred percent sure she’s made a point of not looking at you once. Funny, isn’t it.’

Agloff whispered, chewing on Merry’s thought. ‘Funny.’

‘You know what I say. It’s a party. Parties are great. She’ll be in a good mood. Go talk to the girl, or just pretend nothing happened, or pretend you don’t know her. That’s funnier. Then she’d have to talk to you.’

Agloff tilted his head, considering her. ‘Drunk… suits you.’

‘Not really, I mean I’m really tired and I wanna cry, but I am having a good time.’

Agloff half-laughed and mulled on Merry’s words. He sighed, jettisoning himself from the buffet table and swayed aimlessly into the mosh pit of guests. He let their rhythms carry him, and his body felt lax and unsprang for the first time in forever. Ariea bounced across from him, arms flung aloft. Do what Merry said, Agloff thought. He could concede there was no person whose company he craved more. Deep breaths, he thought, aligning himself with where Ariea was dancing. In a minute they might have been dancing together. He was too anxious to even plan what to say. He stared at his feet, sparing himself any excuse to stop, and began to walk.

‘Don’t be an idiot. Just say sorry,’ he muttered.

He was but halfway when the crowd around him seemed to coalesce. And his path was obstructed. He saw a faint gold glow bounce of the tips of his well-shined shoes. He looked up; a star on the dome was shimmering, towing a streak in its wake. Necks craned upwards and the music cut into silence. The streaking star grew and grew, permeating the sky around it with colour. The inky black lightened into blue and the falling star was like a sun in the sky.

The star’s spokes pushed outwards, flickering, pulsating, sparking debris like orange rain that splintered towards them. The star blossomed as it fell. Its light swallowed the sky and for a moment the hall was bathed in brilliant flashes of gold. It blinked on the dome, then darkness as it tumbled past their horizon.

A distant thud, like soft thunder, hollered through the walls above them and everyone seemed to step back. A second later, a plume of yellow smoke rose over them into the darkness from the far side of the dome.

Everyone looked to Alice and Oxford for an explanation, but they shook their heads in bemusement. They held on to each other a little tighter, as did everyone. The hall was captive by the false sky above them.

Nothing was said, not for what felt like centuries.

Then, a second thud, far louder and far closer snapped through them, and all breath was snatched from the hall. That was no meteor, thought Agloff. The thud boomed into distant footsteps, a lockstep marching above. Closer, and closer. As one, the eyes of the room aimed towards the source of the bang but there was nothing but silence.

The lights that ran the hall in spokes flickered till their filaments burst. The panels of stars above hummed and vanished, revealing only darkness and its veil extended over them. The fear and confusion of their faces was shrouded in shadow as each man and woman looked to the one beside them, asking what on earth was going to happen next.