CHAPTER 12 – THE BETRAYAL

Second Age, Echo Realm

Like a map of neurons firing, the empress peered into the fiefdom, hearing its cry. She flung herself into the Sublime Landscape where probability flowed as a subtle river into the unknown. Ordinary colors adapted into something more abstract in the peripheries of the sky-islands over which Echo glided, studying the terrain until she saw in the distance a plateau upon which two glass cubes hovered side by side. Visualizing cracks on the surface of the cubes, she shot forward, trans-manifesting as fast as she could. Standing on the plateau between the inmates, Zemmy channeled static infused lightning against the glass. Shattering, the shards fell to the ground. Revived, the inmates breathed heavily, inhaling the scent of the sublime landscape. "Valiant hero, don't tarry. We should go now while we still have the chance" Crytania said to Zemmy. "Please, just return without me, I can't leave now" Zemmy explained. "Are you sure? you must have unfinished business here, but that is no reason to put yourself in harm's way" Crytania asked, studying her resolve. "Yes, I do. trust me" the framer pleaded, looking back over her shoulder. The Scilyst looked over to Jack Bronze as he regained his strength, "very well". The two barreled away to the shifting horizon of surplus dyes and geometries. Two feet alighted on the plateau behind her, making a light tap. Zemmy turned around to see who it was. "Didn't think I would ever really need to use this" Echo said, bringing forth the axe of the bedlan. Lifting it high over her head, she let it descend, and the head of the framer rolled onto the surface, her body falling limp without its master. Echo herself turned around as the sound of a deathly cry channeled through the firmament. "No!" gasped Uffhill, climbing onto the plateau, making his way towards the lonely head. Within the clocks of her eyes, the hands where moving swiftly, and only ten seconds remained. A second before the finality, Uffhill arrived and kneeled down, taking it into his hands, and the hand of the clock within the eye ceased. "Here you will be safe" he said, placing the beheaded into the Mirror Eye for safe keeping. Seeing the truth of their indiscretion, Echo began to walk away to return, then halted, looking back toward the grieving widow, and pointed to the body "clean this up". The sounds of his sobbing filled her ears as she made her way to the edge of the plateau. This time she stopped once more, "and I'm sure she will return to you", knowing that one day the girl would be reborn from the mirror eye as he had, and left back to the base-reality.