Mr. Dove and the Pipes of Creation - The Final Chapters

[davedove]

Scene 100

As we scrambled aboard, we were rocked by the detonation of a shell nearby.

“Cast off!” Robert ordered, as we all looked around for the new threat.

Coming across the lake were several small ships, each of them firing their guns. Fortunately, they did not block our route to the island.

“Full speed!” Robert ordered. “We have to outrun them!”

“How can we help?” I asked.

“Keep your head down, my friend! You must be ready to disembark the moment we reach the island. Those are Inquisition ships. They will not stop until they catch you.”

James and I hunkered down and watched the action around us. The shells from the Inquisition ships hit all around our own, large plumes of water erupting from the explosions.

Looking the other way, the island fortress loomed before us. We rapidly approached, but how would we slow down long enough to disembark.

Robert came back to us and handed each of us a lifesaving buoy. “Here, I am afraid we will not be able to stop. We will get as close as we can. You will have to swim to reach the island.”

“Swim?” James asked in disbelief.

“Yes, swim! If we stop, the Inquisition will target us easily. This way you still have a chance.”

“What about you?” I asked Robert.

He looked around at his crew. “We will try to draw them away from you. Hopefully, that will give you extra time.”

I looked at him, another person willing to risk everything to get me to my objective. “Good luck, my friend.”

He smiled sadly. “And to you. The Lady Chrystel is faster than their ships, but we do not have guns like they do.”

I understood what he was implying. It was only a matter of time until one of the shells found their mark.

He looked past me. “Be ready! We are nearing the island.”

James and I grabbed out floats and waited at the edge of the deck. Our ship headed directly towards the island and then suddenly turned aside.

“Now!” Robert ordered.

We both jumped into the cold water. As I surfaced, I looked back. The Lady Chrystel sped away from us and I noticed that the Inquisition ships had turned to follow.

James had surfaced beside me and we both floated in the choppy water.

“Come on,” I said, as I started swimming to the shore.

[davedove]

Scene 101

We had to keep low as we pulled ourselves onto the rocky beach, as there were guards everywhere. Fortunately, the overcast skies and heavy mists hid our presence.

“What now?” James asked.

“We need to get into the fortress,” I replied. “Look around for a door or gate or anything like that.”

We quickly moved to a position shielded by several large boulders, that gave us some concealment as we searched the hillside for a way inside.

“Over there!” James said, as he pointed to the hillside.

There a set of steel doors was set into the rock, so we moved that way as stealthily as we could. Unfortunately, luck was not with us. We must have triggered an alarm, because sirens began sounding.

“Hurry!” I told James. “We need to get inside now!”

We frantically searched all around the doors but couldn’t find any way to open them.

“David, they’ve spotted us!” James said.

I looked where he pointed and saw a group of guards moving our way. “Crap! How do we get into this place?”

And then something in my pocket began to vibrate.

[davedove]

Scene 102

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the buzzing device, the phone that I had picked up in the ultra-religious, cybernetic world. Who could be calling on it? Better yet, how was it still working after our swim through the waters of the lake.

I pushed the talk button on the screen. “Hello?”

“By the grace of God, it worked!” came the relieved voice.

“Sister Cynthia?”

“Yes, David, I’m here with Father Darius.”

“Hello, brother!” I heard another voice call out over the phone, a voice just like my own.

“There isn’t much time!” Cynthia continued. “The Inquisition has tracked down our building and they are just outside trying to get in. We’re trying to help you, but we can’t locate you.
This phone was our only hope. Where are you?”

“We’re on the island with the Emperor’s fortress, trying to get in, but we can’t! And we don’t have much time. Guards have spotted us!”

“Are there any doors around?”

“We’re standing right in front of one, but there’s no way to open it!”

“Look around! Are there any signs? Any markings?”

“Look for markings!” I ordered James.

We both looked frantically, knowing the guards were getting closer with each second.

“There, above the door!” James called out, pointing.

I read the numbers and carefully spoke into the phone, “Zero, five, delta, delta!”

“Got it!” I heard Cynthia say and the heard her repeat the numbers to the person with her.

I heard a loud thump as the gears activated and the doors began to open. A small gap appeared as they separated.

The guards must have seen it too, as they began to fire their weapons at us.

“Inside!” I ordered as the gap was wide enough for a human and James slipped inside.

“Cynthia, close the door!” I yelled into phone as I followed.

Gunfire continued to pepper the doors as they closed behind us.

“Cynthia, we’re inside!” I reported.

But instead of a reply, all I heard from the phone was the crash of a door being broken and the yells of many people.

“Cynthia!” I yelled, but the phone had gone silent.

[davedove]

Scene 103

In contrast to the shining metal doors we had entered, the interior was much more primitive. We found ourselves in a roughly hewn tunnel, with torches spaced along the wall to provide a dim illumination.

“Let’s go!” I said to James and we made our way slowly down the tunnel, until it branched.

I looked down each of the two branches, trying to decide which path we should take.

“Which way?” James asked.

“I don’t know. They both look about the same to me. Either one could be the right path, or the wrong one, for that matter.”

“What about this way?” James pointed down the corridor to the right.

I shrugged my shoulders. “It’s a choice. Let’s go.”

We slowly made our way to the right, listening carefully for any activity, all the while hoping to find some clue on where to go.

I could see that the passage opened into a room ahead. “We need to be careful,” I warned James. “There could be guards in there.”

James nodded and followed closely behind me.

I crept closer and peered into the room. About twenty guards were seated around tables, discussing something.

I eased back and whispered to James, “About twenty guards, we’re going to have to backtrack.”

James shook his head. “Guards!” he yelled out. “He’s over here!”

“What are you doing?” I asked in disbelief. I could hear the guards moving into action.

“Turning you in!” he said with a sneer. “They didn’t think I could get you here alone, but I did it.”

The guards quickly surrounded us.

I was still trying to wrap my head around the situation. “James, what are you talking about? Why are you doing this?”

James chuckled. “Why? Because you were sent to stop us!”

“But you were one of us!”

He laughed again. “Oh, you bought my act completely. I was put into position for that. I even let them beat me, stick me in that prison, so it looked convincing. I wasn’t sure it would work, but somehow your companions fell to the wayside, one by one, until it was only you. The Chancellor will have to eat his words for doubting my plan.”

Whatever James’s plan was, I had fallen right into it. I looked around at the guards. “What now?”

“Now, we take you to see the Emperor. He’s waiting for you.”

“Take him to the throne room!” he ordered the guards.

“Yes, Minister!” the leader responded.

“Minister?” I asked.

“Yes, Mr. Dove,” James answered. “I am the Minister of Propaganda for the Emperor of the North and you are now our prisoner.”

[Jock Scot]

Aha! I wondered when the double dealing and skullduggery was going to start!

[davedove]

Wa, ha, ha!!!!!

Aha! I wondered when the double dealing and skullduggery was going to start!

[Pleater]

Take your time - I have not got over the shock of Chancellor Pleater yet.
I suppose that is the same as Grand Vizir but without the turban with the point on top.

Anne the Pleater

[davedove]

Scene 107

The confusion on Daffyd’s face was obvious. “But he was just helping me to make things better.”

That was too much for me. “Better? People are being killed out there!”

“Killed? How can that be? I was trying to eliminate pain, get rid of suffering.”

“You haven’t seen it! I have! So many have gone to their death because of what you’ve done. So many whose only crime was to help me stop this destruction.”

“But, but, I was only trying to fix it, so that no one would ever have to feel the pain I do! No one will ever have to face the loss!”

That made me pause a bit. “What do you mean?”

“You just don’t know what I have suffered. Have you ever had everything you cared about, everything you loved ripped from your life? No one should have to suffer through what I have, and no one ever will again.”

“But people are suffering, Daffyd. Men, women, children…”

“Children?” he asked with an anguished expression.

“Yes, children! Thousands or more, who will never reach adulthood, never have the chance to live their lives, because of what you’re doing?”

Daffyd looked to the Chancellor. “Chancellor?”

The Chancellor only sneered in derision. “Oh, be quiet, you fool! Of course, children are dying.”

“But you said that wouldn’t happen. I trusted your advice.”

“He lied to you,” I told him. “He used you. He needed someone to put his plan into action and you fit the bill.”

The Chancellor laughed. “And it was so easy. You were so quick to accept everything I told you.”

“But why?” Daffyd asked.

“Because he needed a pawn,” I said. “Because he couldn’t do it himself. Isn’t that right, Chancellor?”

The Chancellor gave me an appraising look. “Why don’t you explain it to us, Mr. Dove?”

“I’ve been thinking about that and I believe I know the answer. It’s the same reason your counterparts recruited me and why they went looking for the others who helped me. You had to find someone to do your dirty work, because you can’t do it yourself. You have to work through others, don’t you?”

The Chancellor smiled. “I definitely see now why my siblings came to you. You are correct. We are not allowed. No, we are not physically capable of directly operating to change things. All we can do is guide others and get them to take the necessary actions to safeguard the different realms of existence. That is indeed why I gave young Daffyd here the push to seek out and use the Pipes.”

“But, why? Why are you doing all this?”

The Chancellor threw up his hands. “You have no idea what my life is like, constantly watching, never able to directly affect what is plainly wrong, even when it’s right in front of me. I have to somehow convince others to do it for me. Do you have any idea how frustrating it is to have to work through fools like this one?” He gestured to Daffyd.

Daffyd gasped at the insult. “Chancellor?”

“Oh, shut up, you naïve fool! I’m done with you! You moved my plan forward, but now I have just the tool I need, someone versed in manipulating reality.”

A chill ran through me as the Chancellor looked at me. “I have you, Mister Dove.”

[davedove]

Just a quick bump to keep the thread active. I really need to get back to work on this.

[Jock Scot]

Yes please.