The manor was quiet.
Far too quiet for any of the children's liking.
The door swiftly shut behind them, the last few hums from the city completely silenced. It was replaced by a rhythmic ticking noise from machinery embedded into the walls.
Elias looked straight forward, and there he was.
Sebastian James Blackwell.
He stood atop the stairs at the far end of the hall, they couldn't tell if it was perfect timing or if he had stood there waiting for them on the stairs for a multitude of hours, and if Elias wasn't so scared he might have let out a chuckle.
Sebastian stood tall at six foot three, long brown hair hung loosely over his shoulders, slightly tied back to keep from interfering with his work. Dark circles rested beneath his sharp, intelligent, and observant eyes, and his skin was a pale white like a sheet of paper. He wore typical clothes for an inventor: a fitted shirt beneath a leather vest with golden swirls engraved all over, a sort of toolbelt for trinkets and random mechanisms. A long brown faded trench coat draped over it all, covered with oil stains and burn marks on the bottom. Sebastian called the coat Dorothy.
From Varya's perspective, it seemed like Sebastian was staring directly into her soul.
The children all shared the same feeling about the look Sebastian was giving them. It felt less like they were being looked at and more like he was examining or studying them, preparing for every excuse they might offer. The low ticking in the walls grew louder in the silence, as if the manor itself were whispering, perhaps it was laughing at the children. For only it could've known what Sebastian had in store for them.
"You're late."
Sebastian took a deep breath, and exhaled through his nose.
He began to slowly descend down the stairs, sliding his hand down the rail as he took each step. His gaze drifted first to the streaks of mud the children had smeared on the manor's marble floor, it was dark and unmistakable compared to the shiny polished stone. Then his eyes shifted to Elias, the boy's breathing was uneven, his chest rose and fell as he struggled to catch his breath. Finally his attention settled on Goldilocks, Liora stood frozen and unmoving, shoulders locked in place, lips sealed and refusing to let even the smallest breath of air escape. She hoped if she stayed frozen her stillness would let her go unnoticed.
Elias swallowed hard as Sebastian continued to descend down the staircase, each step echoing louder through the halls. The way Sebastian moved was very unique, every motion he made was so deliberate and smooth.
Some said Sebastian never wasted any movement.
As they watched him in the moment, the children sure believed it.
Everyone in not just Ironveil, but the world, knew Sebastian. Inventors around the world had reverence for him, government officials either thought of him with caution or with curiosity. There were entire countries running on systems he had designed, only elites and world leaders truly knew how much this world depended on him. Sebastian reached the final step. He stood before them now, he was close enough to where Elias could see every wrinkle of the bags under his eyes, and close enough to where Liora could see the occasional twitches in his fingers.
"Explain."
Varya stepped forward before the other two could get a word out, her posture was perfectly straight despite the exhaustion clinging on to her. "We were delayed at The Axis," she tried her hardest to keep her voice steady. Sebastian raised his finger to her lips before she could speak again. His eyes squinted, he blinked some to adjust to the light. "Incorrect." The word floated in the air for a few seconds before he spoke again. "You were not delayed," he continued, pacing back and forth, the children focused on the sound of his brown loafers against the marble floor.
"You were inefficient."
"You three left the Axis at three forty-two. You then boarded the trolley at three forty-seven. Finally you arrived at the gate at three fifty-eight." The children's eyes widened. "How-" Sebastian stopped Elias before he could get even a second word out. "Your route is predictable. Your habits more so." He paused. "You lost fourteen minutes."
Varya clenched her jaw. "We won't make that mistake again." Sebastian studied her for a long moment, then exhaled, not annoyed, not angry, but instead something else. "Tch." He turned away, walking toward the wall to the far right where mechanical panels lined the space between the windows. With a flick of his wrist, one clicked open, revealing softly glowing conduits, thin channels of light running through the wall. Along them, small circular mechanisms shifted, their centers narrowing and widening as the light stuttered unevenly.
They looked...
almost like eyes.
Sebastian's gaze flicked across them for only a moment. "For once," he muttered, almost to himself, "your inefficiency is not the primary issue." The children exchanged glances. That was new. Sebastian reached into Dorothy and pulled out a folded document, an older one, sealed with an unfamiliar crest.
"The mayor's letter," he said without turning. "Give it to me."
Varya stepped forward immediately, placing it into his hand. He took it without looking. Didn't open it. Didn't acknowledge it. Instead, he held both letters side by side, then crushed them. The sound echoed through the hall. Elias blinked. "Wait- aren't you going to read-" "No." His voice was sharper now.
"They are already outdated."
The air shifted. Liora frowned slightly. "How could they possibly be outdated?" Sebastian turned back to them. "The city is changing faster than its officials can comprehend. Far faster than they can record." His gaze flicked toward the distant skyline, toward the towers no one approached. "Which means we no longer have the luxury of standing by. We must now act first." The ticking resumed, louder now. Sebastian stepped closer. "Varya. You will prepare the lower workshop." Her eyes widened slightly. "The restricted one?" "Yes. Elias, You will not touch anything." A hint of confusion appeared upon his face, followed by silent frustration. "And Liora. As of now, you do exactly as I say. When I say it. Not a second later." She nodded. "Good." Sebastian swung his entire body, already moving. "In less than an hour, we are going to break a rule Ironveil citizens have abided by for generations." The children didn't move. Didn't speak. Didn't even breathe. And somewhere beyond the manor walls, a low, distant hum began to rise, whether it was from machinery, or something far more sinister, only time could tell.