Veronica and Laverick accompanied Lord Quinn as he marched ahead of a small army of red cloaked men through the In Between. As he examined the map Laverick had discovered during his infiltration of the Spades’ base, Lord Quinn seldom spoke during the journey.
The chart proved to be far more valuable than any of them had initially suspected, containing the location of the current Spade base, as well as past bases and markings to indicate future bases in the event of another relocation. It also mapped the coordinates of every known gateway constructed by Spades and Quinn’s men alike, along with their corresponding destination in Aria.
As they approached the large colorless rock wall which concealed the Spade headquarters, Lord Quinn ordered his men to halt. After taking a moment to examine the steep mountainside, he turned to them. “The Spade base lies directly before us.” He took a purple crystal out of his pocket. “The moment the gate opens, our raid begins. I would like to make it indisputably clear that you are not to kill any female members you encounter until I have located my adopted daughter. As for the rest, you may do as you wish. The fragment we have sought for so long, so desperately, is at last within our grasp. Along with it comes a golden age of prosperity and luxury beyond your wildest dreams.” Hearing those words, Laverick smiled widely.
“Not an army,” Lord Quinn continued, “but the future nobility of Aria stands before me. In front of you, a king who will ensure your days of toil and struggle will forever come to an end. All that remains between us and this breathtaking prospect is the successful execution of the pending incursion.” He turned to Laverick and handed him the crystal. “For your outstanding effort, I award you the honor of inaugurating these forthcoming events.”
Laverick took the crystal. “Gee, thanks!!” An enormous grin was glued to his face as he gazed at the jewel.
Several seconds passed before he received a harsh nudge from Veronica. “Open the gate!” she sharply whispered.
“Oh yeah, whoops!” Laverick stammered, hastily dashing toward the wall-like mountainside. A few seconds passed as he attempted to relocate the small groove he’d used to access the base during his solo infiltration. When at last he did, he shoved the crystal into it. Immediately, the jewel glowed brightly as the cliff face thunderously formed an entrance to the Spade headquarters.
As the gate opened, Lord Quinn stepped aside and proclaimed, “The time has come! Retrieve the fragment!” Without hesitation, the army of red-cloaked men charged into the base.
“Go geddit!” Laverick cheered while the men rushed past him.
Once the final man had entered the base, Lord Quinn calmly proceeded inside, followed by Veronica. Pocketing the crystal, Laverick followed suit, the door loudly resuming its wall-like appearance just after he’d made his way into the headquarters’ main passage.
* * * *
Lord Quinn looked down at the empty chest which once held the disk fragment. “This is where you found it, correct?”
Laverick nodded. “Yep. It was locked up tight in that box.”
“They must have anticipated our arrival and relocated it,” Veronica suggested.
“The base’s general vacancy indicates that possibility,” Lord Quinn replied. “Still, even if we consider that the Spades have in fact relocated, I’m curious to know why certain members have remained behind.” He turned away from the chest. “No matter, as long as we possess the map, their days remain numbered.”
Just then, two of the red-cloaked men appeared in the doorway carrying a woman with blond hair and brown eyes by her arms. “Let go of me, you bastards!” she demanded, trying with all of her might to escape the men’s grasp.
Lord Quinn’s brow crinkled. “Who do we have here?”
Seeing his face, the woman became petrified. “She’s the only female we found,” the man on her left reported. “We encountered a total of four Spades during the raid, three of which were killed on the spot. While we’re still in the process of searching the premises, it seems that the majority of the occupants have abandoned the base.”
Lord Quinn gave a nod. Gradually, he took a few steps toward the terrified woman. “Well, you’re certainly not the person I was looking for. Regardless, I feel that you may house valuable information that will benefit my efforts exceptionally. May I have your name?”
The quivering woman remained silent.
“If you treasure your life even in the slightest,” Lord Quinn warned calmly, “I would suggest that you answer my question.”
The woman’s lips trembled as she softly responded, “Amy. My name is Amy.”
Lord Quinn smiled. “Good. That wasn’t difficult at all, now was it, Amy?” His eyes moved to a small bead of sweat trickling down her face. He returned his focus to her panic-stricken eyes. “Well, Amy, it appears that I’ve indeed found the Spade headquarters, and yet there is an overwhelmingly obvious lack of Spades within it. Do you care to enlighten me?”
There was no reply.
Lord Quinn grew frustrated. “I’m not in the mood for games, Amy. If you do not willingly surrender the intelligence I seek, you can rest assured that I possess other methods with which to extract it.”
Amy hesitated. “I–”
Lord Quinn raised his eyebrows.
“I don’t understand,” she said.
“You don’t understand?” Lord Quinn repeated. “Am I not speaking clearly enough for you, Amy? Where are the Spades? What have they done with the fragment?”
Amy’s eyes widened, though she didn’t say a word.
“I see,” said Lord Quinn. “Apparently, you’re under the impression that my threats are mere tactics of interrogation and not to be taken seriously. If you honestly think that your resistance will hinder my progress, then I urge you, for your own sake, to reassess your beliefs.” He lifted his index and middle fingers of his right hand into the air. “Perhaps I should reinforce the reality of your current predicament. Umbra fulgur sphaera.” In a flash, a small, heavily concentrated ball of dark-purple lightning formed just beyond the tip of Lord Quinn’s fingers. “I will allow you one final chance to comply before taking matters into my own hands. Now tell me, Amy, where have the Spades gone and what have they done with the disk fragment?”
She shook her head. “I don’t understand!!” she stammered, frightened. “We thought you had it!”
Instantly, the small sphere Lord Quinn had conjured vanished. “Interesting.” he remarked, lowering his fingers. “And how exactly did you reach this conclusion?”
Caught in a whirlwind of terror and bewilderment, Amy didn’t answer.
She let out a shriek as Lord Quinn suddenly delivered a harsh slap across her face. “Uncooperative bitch!” He quickly turned to Veronica. “Read her. I want to know everything.”