The Electric Messiah

hief scientist of the RedHill Electri

ut of the way fast enough. One of them, her arm bumped by the assistant scientist, dropped a handful of ceramic spacers and cursed violently as several of them shattered on the

, it generally didn't bode well. This time, though, the chief scientist see

straggly grey hair out of her eyes. "Take the contact of the

cloth covered wires linking a number of copper and ceramic components, some of which were smoking gently. She ran her eyes across it, trying to see where she'd made the alteration, but everything looked ju

as it released nitric and nitrous oxide fumes into the air. Bellhine coughed as her lungs gave their usual protest t

er of copper coils from which the smell of ozone and tree sap exuded. Wires were draped across it, the cloth covering worn away in places to reveal the rubber that protected the bare copper inside, and small lead pipes carried coo

vessels, one within another, each containing a different powerful acid. Hester clicked her tongue thoughtfully as she examined it, then went to one of the storage jars that stood against the wall. Bellhine winced nervously as her master removed the stopper and top

you do that!" protested Bellhine as her m

d a large electric arc burst into life behind a glass window at the heart of the apparatus, sandwiched between th

the seconda

k of electricity jumped across to sting her finger. At the heart of the ce

ed. Then inspiration hit me! It just came to me, just like that! I was right all along, the tuned circui

"You hear that, Bellhine? That's one hundred oscillations a second! The current feeding that arc is reversing itself one hundred times a second!

hock of amusement that her master was trying to play the national anthem on her equipment. "Perhaps we should do that for the King's next declaration day celebration! Should make quite an impression, don't you think? Ha! Take that,

een with envy wh

rator, producing thousands of watts, alternating with a frequency of fifty or a hundred times a second. with copper wires to carry the po

s one of the greatest sc

dane considerations, of course. Call the othe

might have thought that they were being frivolous as they called out requests for their favourite tunes. The Master Scientist was happy to oblige, though, until the Tyne Cell finally began to run out of power and the electric arc

the institute's bookkeeper. "Where is he?" wondered Bellhine, loo

ng his makeup," replied Sy

ad driven him there would return. He had been in his study, doing the accounts, when the pain had come suddenly, all the more terrible for being so unexpected. If he hadn't been warned that such a thing might happen,

head and his teeth clenched in agonising pain. He had to travel more than a mile before the pain gradually grew less, and he was finally able to stagger to a halt by the oak tree, which he had collapsed against as if it were his lifelong comrade in arms on a battlefield. The pain was still the

aster! Can

angling tentacles trailing behind it as it vented flotation gases from its siphon in order to speed across the countryside towards t

it went completely, as abruptly as if someone had thrown a switch. He gasped in relief and raised his arm to wipe the sweat from his brow, only stopping himself when he realised that it would wipe away t

act his master, and this time there was a reply. *I felt it too,* the

replied, the memory of the pain

it was us. Start a fire. Tonight, while they are all asleep. Make

way back towards the institute. He had to be back i

☆

ponded to that. The first impulse of most people was to protect an innocent victim, and it was so deeply ingrained in the human psyche that it still operated even when they knew that the person before them was guilty as hell. Darniss knew how to manipulate the people around her. She was very good at it. She would present herself as the person who had been wronged by hi

e their terrible methods on her, and the result was that she was still fully human, still in possession of all her cunning and intelligence. They kept coming back, though. Making her repeat it all over and o

and so she felt no guilt or shame about telling the Questioners everything. Her true masters would understand, she

the footsteps echoing from the damp stone walls. One set of footsteps was lighter than the others. A woma

ontempt. As if she would lower herself like that for that little twit of a girl. In her mind, she dressed herself in her most magnificent gown, crimson trimmed with gold and with all her best pearls about her body. She imagined

oo well established, not least because she had confessed to the King himself in a moment of fury. If she tried to deny it now, she would lose all the

feet and ran forward, holding the bars so tightly that her hands were white with the effort. "Princess!" She cried. "Princess Ardria! I

at you did?" She asked. She stood with her back close to the empty cells behind her, as if afraid to come too close to the ca

nt your marriage to Prince George. You might want to thank me for that, by the way. I know him, and he is thoroughly vile." She watched the Pri

ting harm, you wouldn't hav

but the fact remains that I am the rightful owner of this palace. I am the direct de

y the Pardews render you

right to rule as he saw fit! Your grandfather stole this land, stole this palace! All I want i

d threw them down! My great grandfather was the champion of the people, he fought for their r

he days before the uprising he oppressed them more cruelly than any Pardew ever did. He used his position as Sheriff to

tect her, aware that a trained killer could kill with a jab to the throat with outthrust fi

arrow's army together, and they were very similar in temperament and ambition. I'm well aware that my grandfather's methods may have seemed

. "You speak of

s. I'm not a traitor, I was an underco

s as you describe him. I don't believe it, but I wasn't there. People change, though. The histo

written by y

h a kind person. Loving, compassionate. Was that bitter, treacherous streak there all along and I just didn't see it? Was I that blind? I thought maybe you'd been coe

to rule a kingdom. A ruler must be paranoid and cynical, must always suspect everyone aro

, I'm less inno

was destined to control the fates of many, and when the armies of Carrow are victorious our positions on either side of these bars will be reversed. Will you cope with thi

of the guards, "We are doin

. "The real you is slipping out," she warned. "You speak of his

roudly. "Five generations.

Who occupied this p

er face carefully express

ly built this place, back when Marboll was a tiny, independent k

point. "Land and property belongs

ink you only have to fill the streets with soldiers and the people will fall into line! Pay their taxes, even though they're left starving. Do nothing but wring their hands when neighbours and loved ones are thrown into the dungeons for daring to protest! We in Helberion have taught

lands. Lands that always deliver a good crop

they loved King Bengoll's rule nonetheless. The armies of Carrow are fighting for money. It's just a job to them, an escape from a life on the farm, but the armies of Helberion are fighting to defend a country that they love! T

cence must soon be destroyed by cruel, callous reality. The armies of Carrow outnumber yours three to one.

in your voice, Darniss? Are you t

ifestyle while you can. Enjoy your fine dresses and your luxurious bedchamber. Fix it all in your memory so that when you are

for a moment, and suddenly the Princess saw nothing but a small, frightened woman dressed only in a prison smock. Her pale skin grimy and pocked with flea bites, her hair lank and greasy. Darniss regained control of herself, s

couldn't help but feel as if she'd lost the confrontation, as if the former matron had scored more points than she had. She'd hoped that meeting and speaking to her former friend would give her a sense of closure, but the sense of shock and betrayal was just as strong as ever. I shouldn't have co