Chapter 15: Kidnap « Phantasia

Chapter 15: Kidnap

Rembrandt Payne wiped his glasses clean, his mouth fixed in a frown. He could feel some of his staff glaring at him, blaming him for not acting sooner and letting things reach this level, but he stood his ground. He glanced over to Yuki Shimomura. An outsider would wonder why, for someone whose daughter had just been kidnapped by religious zealots, she could be so collected, but Payne understood. Yuki was an empath and councillor just as much as she was a musician and audiomancer – emotions were her weapons and her armour, and understanding and controlling them was her job. If she broke down, she would bring everyone down with her.

“I don’t like it,” said Sabeen Haan as he paced back and forth, weathered trench coat swishing round with every about-face. “There’s got to be something else we can do,” His brother, Azarat, stood against the wall, his hand resting on the hilt of a sword.

“The cell is our safest choice at present,” he said, his deep voice and calm as always, “If we act irrationally, we risk endangering even more lives.”

“Well I don’t like it either!” said Natalie Chiltern, the mousey young woman in charge of Nature Studies and revitalisation projects, “We can’t stand around and do nothing, Payne! Those girls will be alone, at the mercy of Godhand! At least let me send a familiar to reassure them?”

Payne nudged his glasses up and sighed. “Godhand have protective measures around their manor, but if it will make you feel better, it’s your risk to take. Just make sure they can’t trace it back to you, or to us,”

“I still think we should blow that place sky high,” said Lucia James, still dressed in her lab coat, a maniacal look in her eyes as she played around with a pistol, “Let’s seem them trace that!“

Mythology teacher Valentine Baudin cheered his agreement as he swigged back on his omnipresent flask of liqueur, but the rest of the staff gave the Science teacher stern glares.

“In all seriousness,” began Payne, “All we can do for the time being is wait and see what happens. I want you all on stand-by in case the situation develops.”

Amber Thorburn, usually one of the quietest members of staff, coughed to draw everyone’s attention to the spread of tarot cards she’d been analysing during the ruckus.

“I’d been expecting something like this,” she said, “The pebble that starts the avalanche. All the little things that have been happening have been building up to this moment.”

“And what about your psychic clairvoyance?” asked Payne, “Have you analysed the dreams yet?”

“As best I can,” she said with a long sigh, “Phantasia is quite the girl. It’s as if everything around her is distorted, completely unpredictable. And that girl is certainly at the centre of a lot of things right now,”

Valentine jumped off of the worktop he’d be lazing around on. “She took out those vampiric shadows, and now Godhand arrests her: it’s obviously all connected,” he said, “Maybe this will bring things to a close,”

Payne wanted to believe that, and he could tell his staff wanted to believe that, but other things were bothering him. Things he couldn’t discuss in public.

“Valentine, you know as well as I do what Godhand is truly capable of,” he said, “You ought to know, then, that there’s something amiss with what we’re dealing with,”

Valentine stared at his distorted reflection in his hip flask. “The Godhand I knew would’ve swamped this place years ago. There’s no way they’d let a group like us have influence over anyone, let alone a bunch of kids.”

“Exactly,” said Payne, “Like it or not – and I know I don’t – but we actually owe Bishop Wotan a thing or two, at least,”

Brian Smith choked on his coffee. “Payne, don’t tell me you’re going to trust that bastard?” he spat, “I don’t care how far you two go back, he’s still dangerous!”

Payne chuckled to himself as the memories played out in his mind. “I don’t trust him. I never have. But there’s more going on here than mere Godhand rehabilitation.”

“You think it’s something to do with Phantasia?” asked Amber, glancing back at her cards.

“Surely Godhand doesn’t know who she really is?” asked Natalie.

“I have a feeling Wotan knows exactly what he’s dealing with,” said Payne, “And that’s why I’m so interested in what he’s really planning…”

The younger members of staff were eyeing him with suspicion, and he couldn’t blame them. If he told them the story of ‘Siegfried’ and ‘Wotan’ – other than it taking all afternoon – they’d probably question his motives in this situation. Amber, the Haans, Yuki, old man Khandro, Brian Smith – they all knew the story. Maybe that’s why they were all so concerned with his choices. Personal feelings and vendettas getting in the way of the mission, and all that.

Just give me this last chance, he thought. Just let me get rid of this haunting past once and for all.

~ Godhand makes its move, is it time for a counter-attack? ~
~ Next: Rebellion! ~

Chapter 15
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