Grain...

The scenery outside of the carriage passed by at a rapid pace as the four women hurtled in the general direction of what Alice called “Her Majesty’s Secret Conclave”. Amaretto turned back to Alice and then said, “Precisely what is that supposed to mean?”

Alice looked over at Amaretto sourly and said, “It means that we are going to where even the queen fears to tread.”

Katherine snorted, “The Queen fears to tread there only because she is in bed and is being accosted by heavens knows what illness.”

Alice giggled. “It has to be worse than the common cold, but this isn’t the queen who had the problem with the horses?”

Katherine threw a dirty look at Amaretto. Amaretto continued to giggle. Alice shook her head and said, “I don’t know what you are talking about, but she took ill the last time she was out. They called the local priesthood, but they were able to do nothing. Mother Chime and her lackeys have been taking care of her ever since. All we hear about now are progress reports on the queen’s health and the occasional wave from Buckton Palace’s balconies. She rarely if ever comes out into public and now the only time we hear from her is when she is issuing edicts and proclamations, and even those come from Mother Chime’s sainted lips.” Alice had a bitter expression on her face and Amaretto was sure that if Alice had the chance, she would strangle the woman.

“So then what exactly is Mother Chime?” Amaretto looked at Alice who refused to answer and the carriage continued to hustle on down the street, turning at a round-about. As they came out of the round-about, Johanna stared at the passing scenery and then tapped the top of the cab with a loud thump.

“Head towards Ol’ Henry. We have to go the Cloisters.” As usual, there was no inflection in the woman’s voice.

The cabbie heard differently though and called back through the top. “Are you sure? You’re not thinking of the Westminster Cloister are ya?” The man’s accent was lost a little to the wind that was blowing through the window, and it made it hard for Amaretto to hear what was going on. Johanna was about to respond when Katherine thumped the top of the cabbie and said, “No, we want the Cloister of Sciences. Hurry up now, and be quick!”

The driver replied with a muffled yelp and a cracking of his whip to urge his horses on faster. The carriage, which had been swaying before, now began to pitch even while it rolled along the cobblestone streets of the old Londinium of the Empire of New Machina.

Katherine smiled at Johanna and then said, “Sometimes you just have to spur them onwards to greater and more inspiring heights. Other times, you just need to be firm as to where you are going.”

Johanna stared at Katherine for a moment and then nodded her head in the affirmative as if she had grasped the situation. Amaretto just looked at the two of them as if they were both a little crazy. Amaretto then frowned and looked out the window. She waited for a moment and then began speaking in her mind again, searching for Tempus.

“Tempus,” she thought. When nothing responded, she hissed it into every corner of her mind. “Tempus!”

There was a grumbling in response and she heard the man say rather irritable into her head, “Yea, what is it?”

“That was a little out of character,” Amaretto said in response.

“Well I was trying to figure out a way to help you. However, I am glad to say that I might have figured out how I might be able to help you.”

“Do tell,” Amaretto thought acidly. “Does your plan by any chance involve winged Monkeys?”

Amaretto could tell that Tempus caught onto the reference, but he refused to acknowledge it. “I believe that if I am given enough time, I can tap into the power source of the IronMen and use them to our advantage.”

This made Amaretto sit up. Katherine, who had ceased to pay attention while Johanna and Alice plotted and planned about what to do, turned her attention to her niece. It was about at this time that Amaretto was sure that they were going to get themselves into trouble that they would not be able to get out of. She smiled at her aunt as if nothing was wrong, but Katherine stared at her suspiciously.

Alice finally huffed, obviously tired of arguing with a woman who could eternally keep her cool. “I want to know what it is that we are going to do when we get there. There is no way that we will be getting past the IronMen. How can one be stealthy in petticoats?”

Johanna nodded her head in agreement. “We would have to somehow get into the Cloister and hope that we aren’t killed.”
Amaretto perked up at this. “Why exactly do you call it a Cloister? Isn’t that where you keep nuns?”

Katherine nodded her head and then said, “It is the correct term for the word, but this word is also one of those places that had been converted. The Cloister of Science is what the building next to the Parliamentary building is called. It is where the realm houses all the scientists that work on what Mother Chime wants them to work on.”

Amaretto raised her eyebrows at what her aunt said and then pursed her lips. “How do you know all of that Aunt Katherine?” She tried to make her voice saccharine sweet. Katherine simply smiled at her.

“When one travels, it pays to know much about your surroundings and to know where you are as well.”

Amaretto narrowed her eyes, but Tempus spoke in her head. “It’s all right, I told her a little bit about the area and where you all are, but she has actually been to this dimension once before on her travels.” Amaretto continued to smile at her aunt and Katherine looked smugly out of the window.

She went back to the conversation in her head. “Tempus, in what we are wearing, we obviously can’t try to steal anything. On top of that, as soon as we enter, because Alice and Johanna are criminals of the state, everyone will be arrested on the spot. What exactly is your plan? It’s time you tell me and stop beating around the bush!”

“Funny you should say that,” Tempus replied dryly. “I know exactly what it is that we are going to do and on top of that, I am going to make sure that you tell everyone as well.”

Amaretto sighed and then thought, “Finally. Lay it on me.”

“I’m going to use the ring as an electromagnetic pulse to try to disrupt the area and,” Amaretto cut Tempus off at this.

“Tempus, they all run on steam. Let me spell that for you, S-T-E-A-M. How is an EMP going to affect them?”

Tempus sighed and then said, “Remember how I said that the Stone of Communication is actually a hiding place for the first coordinate? Well, it is giving off an electromagnetic signal which the being in question is using here in the city. Once I disrupt that, I am more than sure that it will be easier to get to the source, which I have a strong suspicion is this Mother Chime that everyone seems to be talking about.”

“How do you know about Mother Chime? It seems like she has been here for such a short time to have ingratiated herself so well into society…” Amaretto was a little worried and it played in her voice as well.

Tempus said immediately, “Well, you can ask your aunt actually about all the other things, but do tell her what it is that I am going to do. However, since the plan is also going to involve Alice and Johanna, I need to you to be a little savvy on the technological speak that you use in front of them.”

Amaretto understood. “Got it. So I just have to pretend that I am using magic then.”

Tempus snickered in the back of her head. “Actually, yes.”