CHAPTER ELEVEN: THE NEXT ACT

Lying in the darkness of his room, Reed's eyes drifted along the walls until they came to rest on one feature—the mosaic Princess Valance made for him. While everything else was shrouded in the nighttime, that piece of art stood out like it refused to be silenced. He had to admit it wasn't a very accurate depiction of a print gun, but he liked it nonetheless because of the sentiment behind it.

He got out of bed and crept over to the door. Imperial guards patrolled the corridors of the castle throughout the night, but they were low in number and only passed by his room once every ten minutes or so. That gave him more than enough time to sneak across the hall to the princess's room.

Pulling the door open produced sharp creaks that echoed throughout the hall. They sounded painfully loud to Reed, since he was responsible for them, but in reality they were no louder than a rat scampering across the floor. Nobody noticed.

He took a step into the hall and looked around. There was no sign of the guards, so he continued forward and approached Princess Valance's door. Despite his mannerly upbringing, Reed didn't knock. It would be too noisy and could attract guards. Instead he opened it up without a care and walked inside, then closed it behind him.

"Melinda?" he whispered in the dark room.

"Who's there?—Reed?"

"Yeah, it's me."

The princess could be heard moving around in her bed, and then the lights came on in the room. She had flicked a switch that toggled them.

"No," said Reed. "Turn them off. The guards will see the light."

Princess Valance nodded and hit the switch, throwing them back into darkness. The only light they had now came from the open balcony, where the full moon glowed white.

"What do you need?" she asked. "You could get in trouble for being in here."

Reed didn't speak. He crawled into her bed, which was big enough for four people, and lay next to her. He breathed shallowly, letting her movements be the only thing he felt.

"Well? Say something."

"Melinda," he began, "you are beautiful."

"I—I am?"

"Yes. I don't know how you feel about yourself after being stuck in this castle all your life, but you're amazing."

The princess would never tell anyone, but she always had poor self-esteem. After being abused by her father for so long, and being denied the chance to socialize with anyone her age, she was left with plenty of time to dwell. And all that dwelling culminated in her developing a very bad self-image—she thought her appearance and personality might be why her father kept her locked up all the time.

Now that Reed was telling her it wasn't all her fault, she found herself holding back tears. He was such a great friend. He always made her feel better.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She realized she hadn't been speaking at all, just sitting in the bed in silence.

"I'm fine." She threw her arms around him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

And then she took a risk by kissing him. She didn't know how he would respond to the kiss, but it would have been painful not to do it.

He responded positively. He kissed her back, which surprised her in the best way possible. Lukewarm shivers ran up and down the princess's spine, and her skin became very hot. She found herself desiring another kiss, so she planted one more on his lips—then he kissed her back again. They didn't stop kissing after that.

All the affection filled the princess with a foreign emotion. She had never felt it before. It could best be described as the excited attraction of one's first romantic encounter. She liked it a lot. Holding Reed close to her body and exchanging kisses, feeling his face against hers, was something new and fun.

She reached down and undid the buttons on his shirt. He had a modest build—years of living in the lower class of Canopy Capital didn't leave a person well-fed and shapely. Reed was lean, but that didn't matter at all. Princess Valance liked him for who he was. She sat up and slid her sleepwear off over her head, leaving her torso bare. Then she threw herself down atop Reed and locked lips with him again. Their nude chests in close embrace was like a furnace beneath the blankets.

• • •

King Valance was in the royal bedroom. Things were going well for him. The Chrome Empire had struck a rich vein of metals in the south, the Free City of Relifour was eager to trade with him, and his daughter was up the hall making love for the first time. He knew that because her room was bugged with microphones, which fed into a receiver in his possession.

She was a tender lover. Her moans and whimpers exuded delicacy just like her mother. The king forced himself not to turn the receiver off for the entirety of the lovemaking—he wanted to hear it all. It would only strengthen his motivation.

• • •

The princess awoke with an aching in between her legs. It hurt, but it wasn't a totally bad kind of hurt. It reminded her of the previous night's events—she had lost her virginity to Reed. She was happy about that. Reed had retreated to his room afterwards to get some sleep, and she did the same.

Now that morning had come, she got out of bed and tidied her hair up so it was presentable. Then she walked into the hallway and went downstairs to get breakfast. Reed's door was closed, so he must have still been sleeping. The table in the meeting hall was filled with food just like every other morning, though the princess was surprised to see her father sitting there. Usually he woke up much later than her, or ate in his bedroom.

"Please, take a seat." He gestured to a chair across from him. She made her way over and sat down. "Eat, my love."

Princess Valance plucked a few pieces of fruit from a nearby bowl and placed them on her plate. She cut into them with silverware like she was taught, and brought each bite to her mouth with a fork. The fruit was moist like Reed's lips.

"I have a question for you. It might sound strange."

The princess ate her fruit without looking at him.

"Do you love Reed?" he asked.

Then she stopped eating.

"It's okay if you do, dear," he said. "I won't be angry. I'm not like I used to be."

The princess put her fork down and swallowed her food. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because I care about you. And if you love that boy, then I want to know."

"Why? It's not like he's dangerous."

"Darling, it's not like that. I don't think he would hurt you. I want to know because you are important to me—and if you love him, then I had better learn to love him too."

The princess wasn't sure if her father was being sincere. For all she knew, he might want to kill Reed. He'd done things just as bad before.

The king saw how hesitant she was. "I understand. You're afraid to tell me. That's okay." He stood up. "Come with me. I want show you something."

He led her out of the meeting hall to the front gates of the castle. Outside sat a stagecoach, drawn by a pair of golden horses.

"I had hoped you'd tell me before you saw this. But I suppose this is the best way to prove to you that I'm being genuine."

She looked up at him. "I don't get it. What's the carriage for?"

"I have a day trip ready for you and Reed, assuming you're in love. A bit of an excursion for you two."

"An excursion? Where to?"

"Up into the mountains." He pointed north. A mountain range abruptly put an end to Chrome Capital there, forming the northern border of the Chrome Empire. On the other side of the mountains was the Primordial Jungle, where the most savage animals in all of Blockland resided. "While no citizens dare to venture into the mountains, I've had some land developed up there. One might call it a secluded getaway."

"A getaway."

"That's right. It's very quiet, and it's very beautiful. If you love Reed, it would be a fine place to go for a few days. There are art supplies up there—you two like to make art, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Then you and him should pay a visit."

"You're serious, aren't you?"

"Of course."

That was the first time Princess Valance believed her father wasn't heartless. She thought he really was trying to turn over a new leaf. She liked the new him.

"I do love Reed," she said.

"Good. I'm happy for you." He smiled. "Now go wake him up and tell him about this."

The princess nodded and returned to the castle, then disappeared down a corridor. King Valance walked in after that and made his way to Wolfe's quarters. He knocked on the door.

"Enter," Wolfe said from within.

The king opened up the door and stepped inside. Wolfe's room was small, and decorated extensively with hunting trophies. A pelt rug sat on the floor. The bed was covered with hide blankets. Photographs of Wolfe sitting next to dead animals covered the walls.

"She's gone to get Reed," said King Valance. "Gather up fifteen guards for the escort."

"As you wish." Wolfe got up from his table and lumbered across the room. He and the king walked out, closing the door behind them, and prepared for the journey into the mountains.

• • •

"Reed," the princess said as she opened his door. "You're not going to believe this."

He rolled over in his bed and looked at her. "What?"

"My father has a trip for us. He built a getaway up in the mountains and wants us to go."

"What are you talking about?" He sat up. "A trip?"

"That's right. The carriage is waiting outside."

"Why does he have a trip for us?"

"Because he knows we're in love."

Reed's eyes widened. "Did you tell him?"

"Yeah, but only after he told me about the trip. I think he really wants to do good."

"Well then," Reed got out of bed. "Let's go."

• • •

King Valance and Wolfe stood side by side in front of the castle. Behind them was the stagecoach they'd take into the mountains, surrounded by fifteen imperial guards for protection. They had spears slung across their backs, but held laser rifles in their hands—just one example of Blockland's technology mixing together.

Princess Valance and Reed appeared in the castle entrance. They trotted down the front steps and stopped in front of the king. He offered them a harmless smile.

"You two have quite a surprise waiting. Follow me." He turned around and started for the stagecoach, with Wolfe following behind. Reed and the princess exchanged excited glances.

The king seated himself on the front of the stagecoach and took the reins. Wolfe opened up a side door and helped Reed and the princess climb inside, then closed it up. The interior of the box was very plain compared to the gilded, ornate outside. The stagecoach lurched as Wolfe climbed onto the front, sitting down next to King Valance.

"You two comfy back there?" Wolfe called to them.

"Yes sir," said Reed.

King Valance whipped the reins and the horses began to pull them down the road. The guards standing around the carriage began to walk alongside it, and the princess realized they must be there for security. The mountains weren't the most dangerous place in Blockland, but they were inhabited by wolves and snow golems, so it only made sense to bring along protection.

"I wonder what my father has up in the mountains," said Princess Valance.

"It must be something amazing. Did he describe it at all?"

"He said it's a very peaceful getaway. It has art supplies too."

"If it's half as nice as the castle, we'll be in paradise."

They watched out the windows for a while. The city fell away beneath them as they took a road leading up to higher altitudes. Chrome Capital was an enormous city, the biggest and most populous in the known world. It was possible there were larger ones out there—but explorers had yet to find them. Everyone assumed the oceans surrounding Blockland's known regions were endless, since no exploration party that sailed into them ever reported discovering another landmass. A lot of parties never returned, in fact, which suggested they sailed until they ran out of food and died. Because of that, not many people ventured far into the oceans.

Reed drew the curtains inside the cab and looked at the princess.

"What is it?"

"Do you think your father heard us last night?" he whispered.

"We were quiet. If he heard us, he hasn't made any mention of it."

He nodded. "Good."

"Are you worried?"

"A little. I probably just need to relax." He reached into a pocket and retrieved some fryole petals.

"You brought fyroles with you?"

"Of course." He popped them into his mouth. "I have more. Do you want some?"

"Oh, why not." She accepted some petals and ate them.

They spent the next hour in a daze. Reed, still sleepy from when he was woken up, dozed off on his bench. The princess stayed awake, but she was so inattentive that she might as well have been asleep too. She mostly stared at the ceiling and the drapes inside the box, utterly dumbfounded by their existence.

When she came down from her high, it was obvious the stagecoach had progressed further into the mountains. She threw the curtains open in one of the windows and peered out. Unlike the castle, which had plenty of beautiful flora, there was no vegetation in sight. The land was white and covered in snow.

The princess also noticed the guards had taken up a tighter formation around the stagecoach. When they set off, the guards were loosely organized around it. But now they kept a strict order along its sides and rear. Princess Valance tried to lean out one of the windows to get a better look at the land, but the guards wouldn't allow it.

"No, Princess," one of them said. "Can't have your head out the window. Too dangerous."

"What's dangerous about it?"

"It's a safety hazard, my lady. Just following orders."

She retreated into the box and felt uneasy. She knew it was snowy up in the mountains, but didn't know it would be this barren. It was also a little scary not being able to see the surrounding land. She felt captive.

Not long later, Reed woke up. He also tried sticking his head out the window, but was given the same treatment by the guards. They wouldn't let either one of them look around outside—their view was restricted to whatever came parallel to the windows.

After another hour of travel, a smell drifted through the stale mountain air and hit them. It was the smell of smoke. The stagecoach stopped shortly after that.

"We're here!" King Valance shouted from outside. The imperial guards rushed to the stagecoach doors and opened them up, then helped Reed and Princess Valance to the ground. Their feet sank into the snow.

"King Valance," said Wolfe. "Who are those people?" He pointed at a snowy ridge overlooking the stagecoach. A cluster of pale figures stood atop it.

The king sneered. "Snowmen. They're harmless—they've got no arms. The most threatening objects in their arsenal are skis. The heat wards them off, anyway."

"Uh," said Reed. He was on the other side of the stagecoach, where Princess Valance assumed the building was. "That doesn't look like a getaway." The princess looked up into the sky. Thick plumes of smoke rose into it.

"That's because it isn't," said King Valance. "Welcome to the Smeltery." The princess walked around the stagecoach and got her first view of the building.

The Smeltery was not the secluded retreat the princess expected. It was an industrial complex built into the side of the mountain, with imposing smokestacks and darkened windows. The snow surrounding the building was coated in black ash.

The princess knew something bad was going to happen and wanted to run away before she got caught up in it. She backed up but bumped into a guard, and after turning around, saw they had formed a wall behind her and Reed.

"Come along, you two," said the king. He walked toward the entrance. "I want to show you my art."

The guards seized Reed and Princess Valance by their arms and forced them to walk. Wolfe followed close behind, ready to catch them if they squirmed free.

They passed through the front doors and were hit with a wave of heat. The interior of the Smeltery was like something out of a nightmare. Grated catwalks crisscrossed between massive vats filled with molten plastic. Slaves, bound in chains with armed guards overlooking them, tended to each vat and carried supplies throughout the facility.

"You must be wondering what this place is," said King Valance. "This facility is responsible for a lot of industry in the Chrome Empire. Bricks, weapons, tools—it's all made here. There are other manufacturers of course, and they use more ethical methods, but none of them beat the level of production here."

King Valance led them over to a platform in front of a vat. While fencing enclosed every catwalk for safety, the platform he stood on had none. Anyone could walk off of it and fall directly into the lava.

"What—"

"Silence, darling," the king interrupted his daughter. "You will get an explanation in time. But for now, do me a favor—shut your mouth." He clapped his hands. "Wolfe! Show them how it's done."

Wolfe walked past them and approached a door. He opened it and disappeared into the room beyond, then came out moments later. He held a pair of zombies in each hand, gripping them from behind by the collar. They snarled and tried to get free, but their hands were bound to their sides and they couldn't reach him with their mouths. It was the first time Princess Valance ever saw a zombie, and they terrified her. They looked like people but acted like animals.

Wolfe stepped over to the edge of the platform and stood with the zombies in-hand while King Valance spoke.

"The Smeltery was originally built to keep zombie corpses from building up. Their bodies are toxic—we can't just kill them and leave them lying around. Crops would be ruined, famine would set in, and eventually all of Blockland would be devoured." The king turned to Wolfe. "Go ahead."

Wolfe tossed the zombies off the platform. They landed in the vat, floating near the surface for a few moments because of how viscous the lava was. The guards dragged Reed and the princess over to the edge to watch the zombies melt away.

"Watch this next part carefully."

Wolfe walked over to a control panel on the adjacent catwalk. He pressed a button, causing a hole to open up at the bottom of the vat. Molten plastic poured out, settling in a mold beneath it.

"The cooling process takes a few minutes," said the king. "But once it's finished, and the plastic has cooled in its mold, we get something like this."

Wolfe handed a laser rifle to the king.

"Who was this made from, Wolfe?"

"Sad sap on the frontier named Provo. Couldn't pay his taxes."

"Ah yes, that's right." King Valance stepped closer to his daughter. He got down and looked her in the eyes. "The Smeltery doesn't just melt down zombies. It's also where we send criminals." Fast as lightning, he jerked the rifle in Reed's direction and fired twice.

"No!" the princess cried. She looked over and saw the guards had released Reed, but he wasn't dead. He lay on the ground in agony. Both of his feet had been shot.

King Valance made his way over to Reed, standing over him in triumph, and looked over at Princess Valance. "For years I've punished you. I've locked you in your room, starved you, beaten you, done everything I can to break you." He shook his head. "But no. Nothing ever works. No matter how I disciplined you, I could always count on you disobeying me the very next day.

"But recently, you've gotten worse. As if I never showed you discipline in your entire life. Sneaking out of the castle, making a mess of your mother's old art room, eating those damned flowers—you have gotten out of hand. And no conventional punishment has ever been enough to quell you.

"Maybe this time you'll learn your lesson. Maybe this time you'll think before you act. Darling, I love you, but I have to do this. Just keep in mind that what is about to happen could have been prevented."

The king tossed the rifle over his shoulder and reached down. He grabbed Reed by the collar and lifted him up, then turned around to face the vat.

"Your pillows," King Valance whispered. "They were molded from your father."

The horror of that sentence struck Reed like a bomb, and then King Valance threw the shell-shocked young man into the lava. Princess Valance screamed and shook to get free, but the guards held her tight. They brought her to the edge of the platform so she could watch Reed die.

In the molten plastic below, Reed thrashed to stay afloat while his face caught fire and dripped off his body. His tortured cries echoed throughout the Smeltery, but the dozens of slaves who heard it did nothing to stop the atrocity. It only took a few seconds for Reed's legs to burn away, putting an end to his attempts to swim through the lava. He sunk faster after that. Hot plastic poured into his mouth as he dipped beneath the surface.

"Wolfe—start molding!" King Valance ordered. Wolfe pressed the control panel again, and the vat opened up at its bottom. Molten plastic filled the rifle mold once again.

Princess Valance passed out from both the heat and the shock of what just happened. Her father slapped her awake a few minutes later with a laser rifle in his hands.

"This is what Reed amounted to," he said, and held the rifle out for her to examine it. "Oh, but look here—an imperfection."

Reed hadn't fully melted before the vat was opened up. As a result, one of his hands was preserved and jutted out from stock of the rifle. His fingers begged someone to save him.

"Even in death he is a disappointment. A failure." King Valance smirked and handed the rifle to Wolfe. "Have it mounted in the meeting hall. High up."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

King Valance grabbed his daughter by the cheeks and made her look him in the eyes. "If you don't want this to happen again then you had better fucking behave."

• • •

The meeting hall used to be the place Princess Valance went to for comfort. She got her fill there, eating and eating until she could eat no more, and that made her feel better about herself. But now, being in the hall filled her with nausea—the rifle forged from Reed's melted remains was mounted at the head of the hall for all to see. It was dozens of feet in the air, too high for her to destroy it.

Even if she could reach it, she wouldn't bother. If the mere sight of the rifle made the princess want to vomit, touching it must be a million times worse. It would stay there for a while. At least Princess Valance knew to never trust her father again. He was without an ounce of morality—melting people into weapons in a facility staffed by slaves. It was horrible. Only a monster was capable of conceiving such an idea.

The princess would spend the next couple days in her room. A lot of that time would be spent sulking in depression and suicidal thoughts, but some of it would be productive. She turned on the television and switched it to a news station. The newscaster was discussing a recent battle just outside Chrome Capital.

"Twenty have been confirmed dead while thirty-one are wounded," said the onscreen newscaster. "Of the dead, eighteen were rebels and two were imperial soldiers. We can count this as a major victory on the part of the Chrome Empire, because as it turns out, the rebels were guarding an underground armory. The armory wasn't just stocked with weapons, but information too, pointing at the locations of a half dozen other rebel bases, which we can expect the Empire to eliminate in the upcoming weeks." The story was true, but it was only allowed to air as a form of propaganda.

Princess Valance knew there were people who opposed the monarchal rule of the Chrome Empire, but she had never had the opportunity to learn anything about them—before this, the power of the rebellion was a mystery to her. But now she saw the dissenters her father so often spoke poorly of were organized. They had weapons and gathered in numbers.

And from that moment forth, Princess Valance knew she would someday help the rebellion overthrow the tyrannical rule of her father.

• • •

There was a knock at King Valance's door.

"Come on in," he said. A royal servant opened it up.

"You sound very cheery today, Your Majesty."

"That's because I am. Do you have news for me?"

"There's a caller for you on line one. Says his name is Narkis."

"Thank you." The king waved the servant away, then stepped over to his desk. A phone sat atop it. He picked it up and pressed a button connecting him to line one.

"Narkis," said King Valance. "You called?"

"That's right. We have a problem."

"I'm well aware. I got news that your buyers in Undeshire were killed a week ago and you hadn't been heard from. What the hell happened out there?"

"We were hit."

"Hit? By who?" King Valance sighed. "Narkis, don't beat around the bush. The Empire needs those zombies for our weapon production."

"I know. Trust me, I didn't want my crew dead. I've been working on tracking down the fucks who did this to us."

"And how has that been going?"

"Great. I already know their names. We're dealing with an Argus Pearl and a Lou."

"Argus Pearl. He has a surname."

"That's right."

"Well, I'll look through the Empire's genealogical archives for you. I'll tell you everything I know about this Argus Pearl character. Perhaps we'll find his place of residence."

"No need, Your Majesty."

"And why is that?"

Narkis laughed. "Because he's eating across the street."