Beneath the Glass Dome

Chapter 8

When Adviser Stanton rose to power, it was quite an unassuming day in the lives of the denizens of the castle. In the midst of the plague striking through, destroying homes and lives in one fell blow,no one paid much attention to the political going ons. King Retrik, the man who loved his people more than anything else, set out on a dangerous quest which certainly meant his death.

A crowd gathered in the opened courtyard, the flowers having long died from neglect as people were confined to their homes to care for the sick. The cobbled pathways showed in a stark contrast with the brown grass and dead weeds jutting in every direction. A fountain bubbled away yet nothing more than slime infested water spewed from the neglected fonts.

"I will not rest until I have found the cure. I know we have been cursed for our wrongdoings. We have seen the folly in our ways of being too bold, too brash, too conceited with only wanting to care for the things we have as opposed to those of the people around. We've paid our dues. As I speak, dozens of people lie dying in the alleyways, stricken with this disease which shows no mercy." His voice trembled as he spoke.

His gaze settled into the crowd, locking onto one young girl who stood within it. She wore a red gingham dress yet the coloration seemed to be faded from years of use. She pressed her hand to her mouth to keep from coughing yet the small specks of red shown between her fingers.

He nodded. He had to do this. He had to leave everything he cherished to save his people. It's what his father would've done.It's what anyone in his position would.

Scarcely had the dust settled from his horse as he rode from the castle, did Stanton rise to the podium. Her hair coiffed back into a tight bun, accentuating the harsh features of her face. She did her best to produce a smile but it appeared more twisted than anything seen before. Yet in these times, it was not uncommon for the appearance of happiness to be seen.

"People of Glass Star," she stated as she stood painfully still on the podium where King Retrik stood but minutes before. "We must face the dreadful fact – our king has abandoned us."

A harsh row of whispers sounded through the crowd, turning into a low roar, before she raised her hand for silence.

"I know you are scared but we cannot let this detract from our plight. We must work together if we dare to rise above the pain which has been inflicted upon us. Never should we falter in our goals. We must rely on one another."

A man dressed in pale brown clothing, barely more than enough material to cover his body with his shirt and pants seeming two sizes too small, spoke up with, "Easy for you to say. You stay up therein the clean castle and never bother with us down here. We're the ones dying and you're the ones pretending to care." His anger was met with several muffled agreements from those within the audience.

She nodded. "I understand your pain. This is why I have brought in a specialist. I have sent for him even though King Retrik did not want him to be here."

"But if the king -," the man started yet was cut off once more by Stanton.

"You cannot believe what the king said. He only cared about himself. He didn't believe this thing could be stopped which is why he fled. He fled like a coward! He cares only about himself. Don't be fooled into thinking anything he does is for the better of his people."

As she spoke, two pairs of metallic men walked into the podium behind her, standing at perfect attention with a crisp click of their feet coming together in attention. As they remained in perfect condition, their gaze locked forward with steam being emitted from their ears and golden eyes staring back at everyone, a man walked across the back of the podium.

He looked rather out of place, smaller than most of the others who lived within the castle walls. He wore spectacles on his face, horn rimmed ones made from brushed steel. His outfit seemed outlandish, ruffles at the sleeves and along the front as he carried in his hands a small, delicately carved box. His walk seemed to take forever to cross the podium.

Stanton reached out and took the box in her hands, palms pressed flat against it as she took it from him, her green polished nails seen clearly against the drabness of the remainder of her surroundings. Slowly she turned towards the crowd and smiled. "This holds the key to our future, to the life giving essence we need to end this terrible plague which crumbles our lives."

Her voice dropped to a near whisper, unable to be heard aside from those standing only inches from her mouth. As she spoke though, the box began trembling, moving about in her hands as though it was desperate to free itself from its confines of her hands. The top slid from one side to the other, a pale green light emitted from it, as she took her right hand and picked out the small vial within.

She held it triumphantly in the air for all to see. "With this –this – we will save everyone." She passed it to her knights standing behind her.

The knights saluted briskly and walked off the side of the podium. They made their way towards the crowd which shuddered from its approach. They raised their hands and a blast of gas emitted from the palm. The gas spread throughout the crowds, passing over and between people, making contact with their skin and every available portion of their body.

The people took steps back, shuttering their eyes to keep from anything reaching them. Some coughed out of habit and others attempted to flee in any direction possible. The chaos which ensued seemed to quickly die off though as people stopped to examine themselves.

The coughing died down. Quietness struck throughout the area as people realized their bodies were returning to normal. Or at leas the normal that the were accustomed to.

"How...how is this possible?" One of the women asked, raising her hands as if expecting to see her body having changed instantly.

Adviser Stanton smiled. "This is the future. This is what happens when people believe in themselves. We don't need the King.He's abandoned us."

"We still need leaders," someone in the audience quipped up.

A man holding onto a woman stated, "Adviser Stanton can guide us. She cared enough to find a way to save us."

"Oh, please," Stanton said with a quiver of a smile in the corner of her mouth, one of the few she never had to force.

The crowd chanted, "Stanton. Stanton, Stanton."

"Well," she said as she turned towards them. "If you insist."