artisanal manufacturing hub and went about replicating another mask, this time with a cheap glass sapphire in it that wouldn’t fool anybody for long. The printer took hours, but Kayla spent the time wandering through the various shoppettes that the others had set up to sell their crafts. It was always a good idea to meet people; maybe they could help her in the future.
Eventually, the second replica was complete and she took it home. Her plan was to give her employer the fake and receive the money, but once she got away then she would leave details on where to pick up the real mask. If they threatened to kill her on the spot, then she could confess to hiding the real mask and exchange it in return for her safe passage. Kayla hated not knowing who she was working for.
The meeting was set up for the early afternoon, so Kayla decided it was best to go to sleep so that she would have a clear head the next day.
The next day dawned bright and clear, but Kayla didn’t see it as she slept. It was late in the morning when Kayla shrugged awake. Checking her data slate, she saw that there were no new messages. Slowly, she got dressed and left her apartment with the fake mask. The meeting place was a small coffee shop near the river; it seemed safe enough to Kayla; public, but with a reasonable amount of privacy.
On the way to the café, Kayla made sure to watch all around her. She didn’t want a repeat of the last time where she had been drugged. Her employer must be happy with her though, because there was no hint that she was being followed, even though she was early. Kayla sat down in a booth facing the door, ordered a coffee, and waited. Her wait was nearly an hour long, when her employer walked up from behind her, this time, with no bright lights or hoods.
Kayla gasped as she realized who it was, Seth.
“Stay down and don’t look so surprised.”
Kayla was truly flabbergasted, her tongue was tied.
“You? Why would you want the mask?”
“It’s not for me, at least, not yet. I wanted the mask for my father. The way the Order of Time chooses the Head Reveler is stupid, my father deserved the honor last year and they cheated him. That was when I decided that we should change the way the system worked. The Head Reveler wears the real mask, so if they don’t have the mask then they can’t choose. I have the mask, so I can choose.”
“That is why some of the portraits don’t have the mask. Another Order stole the mask?”
“Yes, Kayla. That gave me the idea. With the mask, I will choose my father. Then after a few years, I will be the Head Reveler. I will usher the United Orders to total power over this world.”
“What power does the mask have? Why can’t the strongest Order simply declare superiority in your mission for supremacy?”
“Hidden in the mask is a data chip. That chip contains a list of information that would be the bane of existence for many people in power. That is why the mask is so coveted. Our internal politics keep the mask from being stolen though, so I had to hire an outsider to do it. Now give me the mask and I will let you walk away.”
“Here it is. I won’t say anything to anybody.”
“I know, your cover was good. Sarah Covington lives on the other side of the planet and doesn’t know that you’re marauding around under her identity. You can live, but you must move away from here. You are too close to headquarters and might be seen randomly by a real member.”
“Alright, I will pack up and be gone. Were you going to pay me?”
“Ha, I don’t have too, but since you’re moving soon, I guess I will.” Seth clicked a few buttons on his wrist-mounted data slate and looked back up at Kayla.
“I don’t want to see you again.”
“You won’t; I’m gone as soon as I leave here.” The color had gone from her face as soon as she had seen Seth and it still hadn’t returned.
“Good” was the last thing that Seth said as he got up a walked away. Kayla stayed still for a moment longer and then bolted out the door for her apartment. She had to get the real mask away from Seth, and into the hands of somebody powerful enough to do something about the Orders trying to corrupt the city.
Kayla was still shaking when she got into her room and dead-bolted the door. She had never been this scared in her life. Seth had seemed like a charming man until today, but he had been using her this whole time. It took her a moment to remember that she had used him too, but she had never intended to threaten him like Seth had
Being back in familiar surroundings made Kayla calm down a little. For the first time since she saw Seth, she was able to think again. She couldn’t turn the mask over to the police; the chief was a member of the Order of Time. Thinking further, Kayla remembered that Seth mentioned that some Orders didn’t want control; they wanted to stay pure to their founding ideals. Kayla did a quick search of the different Orders, specifically looking for the smaller ones that had older floats.
Eventually, she found one, the Order of Ancients; that seemed to fit her description. With nothing else to lose, she sent them a message telling them that she had the Reveler’s Mask and wanted to get rid of it. Knowing that Seth would find out sooner rather than later that the mask he had was a fake, Kayla started packing what few belongings that she had and cared for into a bag. Within minutes, her entire apartment was devoid of anything of meaningful value. Checking her data slate, she saw that she had a response from the Order of Ancients telling her to come to their headquarters.
Kayla rushed to the ground floor of her apartment and out the doors, hailing a taxi as she went. Once she was in, she gave the driver the address and soon was off. The Order of Ancients headquarters was much smaller and dingier than that of the Order of Time. Waiting on the front steps was a wizened old man with white hair. Kayla got out of the taxi and approached the man.
“Are you Miss. Covington?”
Hesitantly, Kayla affirmed the old man’s question.
“And you have the mask?”
“Yes”
“Well, let us get inside then, before anybody sees you here.”
The two of them went into the building.
“I had a job to infiltrate the Order of Time and steal the mask, but I didn’t know the value of the mask or who my employer was. Turns out it was Seth Evans. Once he told me what the mask could do and how he would use it, I couldn’t let him have it.”
“Yes, the mask is too powerful for anybody to control. The idea that our Orders could control a city or a planet is ludicrous. Therefore, with your blessing, I plan on destroying the mask, lifting the people that are being blackmailed by it out of the shadows.”
“That sounds good to me.”
The two arrived in a tool room, where the old man reached out for the mask. Kayla gave it to him without a second thought. Quietly, and in the semi-darkness, the old man removed the sapphire from the mask and set it aside. Underneath the mask was a tiny false panel that the man slid off using a pair of tweezers. Then, using the tweezers, the old man pulled out a data chip and held it up for Kayla to see. When Kayla saw it, she nodded to the old man who gave her a smile. Placing the chip on the workbench, the man grabbed a hammer and smashed it to bits.
“It is done. That felt really good. One of the reasons that the Order of the Ancients is dying is because there was information on that chip that was being held over us, but no more. Now, people all across this city will be allowed to live their lives knowing that whatever they, or one of their forefathers, have done can’t be held against them anymore. Miss Covington, you have done us all a great service. I will spread the news through all of the orders and out Mr. Seth Evans. Retribution will be swift; he will be eternally exiled from Pheros.”
“Good, because he threatened to have me killed if he saw me again. He told me that I had to move away so that no member of the Order of Time might randomly spot me about the city.”
“I would stay low until the news is out, but he will not harm you.”
“Thank you, what is you name anyways?”
“
I am Richard Evans, Seth is my grandson.”
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my short story, I do hope that you have enjoyed it. I intend to write more about Kayla Covington and her exploits on the world of Pheros, so keep an eye out for her. I have a Facebook page for all the books and short stories in the Other Worlds universe, so just search for it and “Like” it to keep a tab on my newest stuff.
Thank you,
Ronald Brandenburg
About the Author
Ronald Brandenburg III was born in the United States in Alabama and grew up on the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Growing up on a small farm meant having few neighbors and thus delved into the worlds of fantasy and science fiction. Major influences include Harold Coyle, J. R. R. Tolkien, Edgar Rice Burroughs, J. K. Rowling and many others.
Ronald studied mechanical engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville where he graduated with honors. Since finishing school, he is a Systems Engineer for a Fortune 500 company. Alongside table top strategy games and computer games, writing is a favorite hobby.
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