The Vault

The Vault was a cavern carved into the living rock of the mountain, a mile beneath the surface. It hummed with a low, sickening vibration that made Leo’s teeth ache.

In the center stood the machine. It looked like a cross between a torture rack and a clockwork heart, made of brass and pulsating crystal.

The Elders strapped Leo to the chair. Heavy iron cuffs clamped around his wrists and ankles. He didn't fight. He was too numb. The betrayal hurt more than the metal.

Marcus stood at the controls. "The Solstice zenith approaches. Prepare the conduit."

Isolde stood in the shadows near the entrance. She was wearing her ceremonial robes, heavy velvet that looked like a shroud. She wouldn't look at Leo.

"Isolde," Leo said. His voice echoed in the cavern. "Do you remember the skateboard?"

Isolde flinched.

"You smiled," Leo said. "You were real for ten seconds. Don't go back to being a statue. Please."

Marcus pulled a lever. "Initiating transfer."

A spike descended from the machine, aimed at Leo’s chest. The crystal began to glow a violent, sickly green. Leo felt a tug in his chest, like his soul was being hooked by a fishing line.

Pain. Pure, white-hot agony tore through him. He screamed.

Isolde’s head snapped up. She looked at Leo writhing in the chair. She looked at the Elders watching with greedy anticipation.

She looked at the gold lining the walls. The wealth. The safety.

She realized it wasn't safety. It was a prison. And she was the warden.

Isolde reached into her robes. She didn't pull out a decree. She pulled out a handgun—a sleek, modern automatic that looked jarring against the ancient setting.

"Stop!" she ordered.

Marcus turned, annoyed. "Regent, stand down. The process cannot be—"

*BANG.*

Isolde fired. Not at Marcus.

She fired at the crystal heart of the machine.

The bullet shattered the casing. The crystal fractured.

The hum turned into a shriek. Energy, compressed for a century, exploded outward.

"No!" Marcus screamed. "You fool! You've destroyed us all!"

The cavern shook. Stalactites crashed down from the ceiling. The floor buckled.

Isolde didn't run for the exit. She ran toward the machine.

She fired at the clamps holding Leo. *Bang. Bang.* The iron shattered.

Leo fell forward, gasping. Isolde caught him.

"Run!" she screamed, dragging him up.

"The roof!" Leo yelled.

A massive slab of granite peeled away from the ceiling directly above them. There was no time to reach the door.

Leo grabbed Isolde. He tackled her, throwing them both into the alcove beneath the control console just as the mountain came down on top of them.

Darkness swallowed them whole.

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