Coming From the Shadows Series
Coming From the Shadows: Lydia
The behemoth sliced through the Aegean dawn; a steel leviathan announcing its arrival – the imposing Dreadnought, a modern marvel of design and engineering, cast a long ominous shadow as it approached the Greek coastline; it’s guns, silent for now, spoke volumes about the power it represented – usually, the power of modern Imperial nations, but this Dreadnought – it represented the power of something far more sinister.
Far from the grandeur of the approaching warship, in the dilapidated heart of a forgotten corner of Greece; William Smythe moved with a grace that belied his imposing frame.
The air hung thick with the scent of damp stone and decay; the only light filtering through the shattered windows, painting grotesque shadows on the crumbling walls of the abandoned warehouse.
He tasted the metallic tang of blood in the air; Alkis’ fear pungent enough to almost be a physical entity.
He found him, cowering in a far corner – he was clutching a rusty sabre like a lifeline.
Alkis, the misguided individual who presumed he could outmanoeuvre William; the traitor who thought his insignificant rebellion could alter the course of fate.
“William” Alkis croaked, his voice strained and trembling “I…, I did it for the good of the Imperium; you were going to betray them, I had to stop you”
William remained silent; his eyes cold and calculating, dissecting Alkis’ pathetic display – Loyalty, a currency easily counterfeited, easily spent; Alkis had mistaken his carefully crafted façade for weakness, a fatal error.
With a desperate cry; Alkis lunged, the sabre, poorly maintained and wielded with even poorer skill arced towards William; the movement was clumsy; telegraphed, William, a machine honed by years of brutal training reacted with a terrifying speed – sidestepping the blow, the blade whistling harmlessly past.
The distance was closed; William’s hand was a blur as he seized Alkis’ wrist – a sickening crack echoed in the warehouse as bone gave way; Alkis screamed, dropping the sabre.
William caught it mid-air; the cold steel a familiar weight in his hand.
He span, using Alkis’ momentum against him; the traitor stumbled, falling to his knee’s – William pressed the tip of the sabre against his throat, Alkis’ eyes widened, reflecting a flicker of light like a miniature inferno of terror.
“The good of the Imperium?” William finally spoke, his voice low, a chilling murmur “You actually believe that the Imperium cares about you Alkis; you are a pawn, a disposable tool” his eyes were fixed onto Alkis “Just as I am”
He lowered the sabre but the threat remained palpable; he knew Alkis’ mind was racing, frantically trying to grasp the situation – any hope of survival, any chance of escaping the consequences of his betrayal.
“But, unlike you Alkis” William continued, circling him like a predator “I have learned to play the game; to use their power, their ambition and ignorance; against them”
Gesturing behind; in the direction of a distant horizon – the rising sun and its orange glow had begun to fill the Greek sky “I have been busy” William said, a slow smile crept across his lips; a horrifyingly genuine expression of amusement – Alkis stared wide eyed at him
“I have been building something new; unlike Cathryn and her little band of misfits who’s only goal is to disrupt; I have built up power, and I am close to unleashing that power upon the Imperium, and they will crumble”
Alkis maintained his shocked expression; he had believed he had been close to stopping William, the declaration that William is close to his end plan – he wasn’t sure how to respond, he remained silent.
“You Alkis, are simply a footnote; a regrettable inconvenience” William stated, the sabre clattering the ground as William drops it purposely; Alkis knew he wouldn’t stand a chance, William knew he wouldn’t make a second attempt – he would lose painfully “Consider your betrayal a lesson Alkis; a lesson in the dangers of underestimating your opponent”
William turned, leaving Alkis were he was as he disappeared into the shadows – Alkis was left alone in the dilapidated warehouse.
In the distance the plumes of smoke lifted into the orange haze of the sunlit sky, it signalled the arrival of the Dreadnought’s arrival to Greek shores; a statement of power that William intended to unleash against the Imperium.
Written By: Westley H.
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