The Tale of Amaretto

Twenty-Seventh Grain

Inside the Cloister of Science...

As Amaretto rushed after her aunt who had run into the Cloister, she felt a sudden shiver as she crossed the threshold. It wasn't a coldness, but Darkness that she felt, and it made her skin crawl. The inside had been done in a Jacobean style Victorian period slump with a large aerie feel to the vaulted ceilings in the area. From the ceilings hung large chandeliers made of metal and gears that ticked and spun and whirled and clicked. Amaretto was more than sure that these gears were machine parts. As to what machine it belonged to she was not sure, as the gas lighting that came from the chandeliers was so low she could barely see in front of her.

Amaretto paused to adjust to the new lighting in the area. It was only a moment but she heard her aunt hiss something in the darkness. She turned to see her aunt making a gesture with her hand, motioning her over to hide behind one of the pillars. Amaretto picked up her skirts; just enough so her jeans would not be showing but to make sure that they would not get in the way, and hurried over to where her aunt was hiding.

Katherine made a worried face. "It seems that we were expected," Katherine began. "Not to worry though, we still have Johanna to follow and Alice is more than ready with her pistol. The only real problem is avoiding guards. We can either go in guns blazing, or sneak our way through. I prefer sneaking, and Alice prefers to blaze though. Either way, we have to make our way up to the second floor of the Cloister to make it to the back stairs where Mother Chime supposedly has her suites."

Alice bustled over from behind the pillar she was hiding behind and then smiled at Amaretto, both of her pistols in her hands. "Mother Chime most likely has the queen with her. So we have to be careful that we don't fall afoul of scientists or palace guards."

Amaretto looked a little lost. "Be careful of scientists? What would be the problem with scientists?" Amaretto pictured a short man in a white lab coat with thinning hair and really beady eyes. She couldn't imagine what that helpless image of a man could do. She suddenly imagined him fleeing from a rather animated version of Alice and Johanna and stifled a giggle that was about to escape.

Alice snorted and then said, "For argument's sake, let us say that the scientists are more modified than the regular palace guards." She seemed a little excited at the fact. Amaretto felt a little worried.

"That would make no sense," Amaretto said furrowing her brow.

"Alice smiled rather wickedly and then said, "The last scientist I saw had modified his hand to apply a saw in place there. It was a little creepy."

Amaretto tried to smile back, but found herself a little horrified.

Katherine narrowed her eyes. "How do you know that the Queen is with Mother Chime?"

Alice shrugged her shoulders. "She's been sequestered for a while, so it provides logic that she is actually being hidden at the moment. Johanna and I have stipulated that doe a while she had indeed been hidden here in the cloisters."

Amaretto had to admit that the logic was sound, if a little off. She was not going to argue with it though. "I guess we are rescuing the Queen as well... this is becoming ludicrous," she mumbled.

Katherine patted her god-daughter on the shoulder and then spoke in a low tone. "Are you ready Amaretto? I'm going to need you on the front line, think you can do it?"

Amaretto shook her head and then looked at her aunt. Her heart was pounding a million miles a moment and there seemed to be no stopping the dread that she felt encroaching on her.

Katherine smiled and then said, "do it and when we get back, I'll buy you a pair of Seven Jeans."

Amaretto's eyes widened. "Are you trying to bribe me with the most expensive jeans in the world?"