The Kingdom of Noitcif

Chapter Twenty-Five - A Helpful A.I.

  No sooner had Espen exited the lounge when he heard his uncle give an angry shout from behind him. He could only give a fleeting thought of concern regarding the jewel in his uncle's possession, for his mind was now much too immersed in escaping. Running as fast as his feet could carry him down the starlit passageway, he could hear Engres' footsteps clattering down the hallway after him. As Espen neared the staircase, he nearly tripped over a small, familiar, diamond-encrusted quill pen, but he didn't have time to think about it too hard, for as he glanced back at the emperor, he saw some of the lights on his belt glowing in the gloom before they suddenly disappeared. A lump formed in his throat as he realized he must have again turned invisible.

  Sprinting out of the corridor, Espen found himself once again standing on the staircase, although this time, the stairs were slowly moving downwards - the individual stair pieces floating upwards from the opposite wall, while the bottom pieces were drifting off to the pulleys behind it. Down it was then, so he descended the winding stairwell in a quick jog, passing doors and windows as he went.

  "Emperor, where are you?" Shirly called from the speakers at the top of the castle. "You still have to apologize for being so mean to me earlier today."

  There was no response from Engres, so Espen quickly interjected, "Shirly, he was mean to my father, Hyperion, too. In fact, he had him killed."

  There was silence for a moment before Shirly spoke again. "Emperor, it shows in the history file that Lysander concocted the plan of poisoning King Hyperion without you realizing he intended to kill him. Would you like to overwrite the file with what this boy has said?"

  Still no response from Engres, as he didn't want to give away his position.

  "Emperor, who is this young boy?"

  "Espen, Shirley – son of Hyperion. And now he wants to kill me, too!" the young king cried.

  Another moment of silence, after which Shirly spoke in a quiet tone only in the area Espen was passing through, "Follow the lights, Espen."

  Suddenly, a path of small, blue lights appeared on the stair and turned off into a nearby room.

  The young king followed and no sooner had he touched them before he heard a loud crash behind him, followed by Engres giving a surprised cry. Espen took that as his cue to pick up the pace.

  Shirly seemed to be moving her voice along in the direction Espen was traveling, continuing to outline his way with a path of blue lights. She always stayed just in front of him as the lights led the way through passageways, rooms, and past huge pieces of machinery. But to the young king's horror, as he rounded a corner, he found himself face to face with Zelia - Engres' maid - who was staring at him with her jaw set and gaze stern.

  "So..." she murmured, hoisting the broom she had been sweeping with over her shoulder, "... you managed to escape."

  "Shirly!" Espen cried, taking a few hesitant steps backwards.

  Zelia's eyes grew wide. "Shirly? You aren't authorized to-"

  The maid's words were cut off as the portion of the floor she was standing upon dropped away. There was a short burst of screaming as she fell down into the blackness before the floor that had been broken was repaired in a matter of seconds.

  "Don't worry about her," Shirly reassured, "it was a controlled fall into the basement, which is only about ten feet down. Keep moving, Espen!"

  The King of Noitcif did indeed continue moving, and fast. He had a feeling that Engres wasn't pursuing him anymore - as he hadn't heard any sounds for awhile - but he knew that his uncle wouldn't let him go without a fight. And as he found out, he was right.

  Shirly stayed with him for the extent of his journey through the castle, although as they neared the end of the winding maze of hallways and staircases, Espen knew her help couldn't last. He was fairly certain she was only accessible inside the castle. Soon, he would be alone in the labyrinth of skyscrapers and electrical charges to find his own way back through the city to the portal to Noitcif.

  When he was almost to the main door and losing his stamina, Espen was halted yet again by a team of guards, who suddenly ran out from an adjacent room and blocked his path.

  "Shirly!" he cried, just as one of the guards sprang forward and seized his wrists.

  As his arms were twisted behind his back, all the teenager heard was, "Espen, look over..." And then Shirly's voice faded away, followed by static.

  The guards looked around in dismay, unaccustomed to their technology failing, but one guard continued, unaffected, to bind Espen's wrists behind him and hold onto his shoulder; a guard wearing a mask that resembled a black wolf.

  The young king was startled by his appearance, but even more surprised when the static ceased and a voice spoke again. Unfortunately, it was not Shirly's.

  "Very nice, Shirly, trying to help the little king," Engres spoke suavely, and then changed his tone. "But also very obnoxious. I'm going to disable you until my nephew is securely contained."

  The guards broke out into a chorus of laughter.

  The man with the wolf mask grinned slightly. "It is amusing you would have the artilect – who can be so easily dismantled – help you in your quest."

  "Who else did I have to assist me?" Espen replied darkly, wincing as the handcuffs pinched his wrists.

  "It would have been much easier if you had just enjoyed your uncle's hospitality for a few days," the man with the wolf mask sighed, "but then again, you were never one to sit still and wait for things to fall into place, Espen."

  The teenager's eyebrows furrowed. The masked man's voice sounded strangely familiar, and he had also called him by his nickname – something not even Tarqun did. Suddenly, Espen stared up at the man with a mixture of horror and sadness.

  "Lysander?"