The Ward | Part 3

Hey, everyone. This is Robin. This is Luke. And this is Christoph. And we are here today to introduce part three of our special edition story, The War. This is the third and final part of the origin story of Lissette and how she came to meet Harlequin. This is a nice, exciting one. It builds to a really good climax. But it starts out with a big time jump, which was an interesting challenge when we were making this. In case you need a reminder, this is a story that we originally produced 12 or 13 years ago that we were re-releasing. And prior to this, all the audio dramas and stories we had told had just been kind of linear, taking place within a set time frame. And this was the first time that we needed to jump ahead in time in the story by like— Several years. What is it? Like six, seven years or something. Yeah, you'll hear it. We're forgetting already how much time it is. But it was an interesting challenge to solve of how do you jump forward in time in an audio drama? Yeah. And I think what we sort of landed on is, and you'll hear this in the episode, it's kind of, it's almost like an 80s like training montage. Like we have this like. That's a good analogy. We had this like really sort of like uplifting groove song that kind of plays throughout the entire scene. And then we just kind of weaved in little snippets of dialogue here and there. Little vignettes almost. Yeah, little mini scenes that each one has like a little sting of effects and a little bit of dialogue from our actors. And it actually works really well. Listening back, I was like, man, this is like really convincing. And it made me like excited to hear the rest of the episode. Like, oh, yeah, I wonder what's going to happen once we land in the new, you know, in the new time era. And I also think that it was good practice for us in terms of like weaving in little snippets of dialogue behind narration, which is like a technique that we sort of got better and better at later on in terms of making all of our scenes, not just time skip stuff, but everything feel a little bit more alive with more just sort of like talking in the background. I mean, it's definitely more work to do because we're essentially writing two sets of dialogue for the scene, right? There's the narration and we have to write all this stuff going on underneath it. So it's like you're writing double the script, but the payoff, I think, was worth it. Yeah. And I actually, that's a good point. I remember in the scripts for season three of Leviathan Chronicles, you definitely, Christoph, started doing this more where you would write a chunk of narration and then you would like have a separate chunk of dialogue that would be like ducked above and it would just be like even longer than the narration, all stuff that we wanted the actors to record. Yeah, definitely. Once we got a taste of like doing this little montage technique in this episode, we kind of went wild with it in our future seasons. One thing that I love about this episode is that we use a lot of our old Leviathan stock players to fill out some of the bit parts. You've heard me talk about this in some of our other special edition stories, but we've got two fantastic actors in this one playing Cockney Thugs, namely David Alt, who you've heard in a lot of, not just Leviathan Chronicles, but he's in a lot of other great audio dramas in general. And then we've also got another one of the stars with us right here, Luke Allen, really giving it his all, playing a Cockney thug in this episode. Yeah, yeah. Some of my best work, some of my finest voice acting. one of the one of the easter eggs that we try and do is in every series whether it's rapscallion or in venios there is one cameo voice from usually robin luke and myself and uh and you got more than a cameo on this one this was i wouldn't call this a full-on i get my butt kicked getting back to what you're saying but like after the montage scene like it there was a lot of action in this episode that was kind of kind of fun to see and i always love seeing lisette um the idea of this you know this young girl like kicking so much ass through Paris. Um, that just is such a fun, you know, fun concept to play with. Uh, so when we made this episode, uh, this was originally our lead in to season two of the Leviathan Chronicles, uh, which started with Leviathan Chronicles, I think our 26 episode chapter 26 back in 2013 or something. And this originally was released just before we released that and was, really meant as almost a prologue to that. So you'll hear the last scene almost ties directly in to chapter 26 of Leviathan Chronicles. If you maybe want to give this a listen to, and then put on that chapter, chapter 26 of Leviathan Chronicles, you'll see they dovetail very nicely. And you'll see there's a very nice surprise with a familiar voice that you'll get to here in the final scene of this episode to bring you right into season two of Leviathan Chronicles. Next week, we're going to have a new special edition story to present to you. And I will wait till next week to tell you more about that. But for now, thanks so much for listening, guys, and take care. Enjoy. The Ward. A Leviathan Chronicles story. Part 3 In the days that followed, Harlequin established Lisette as part of his household. It was never discussed, but the offer for him to give her money and let her go on her own merry way never arose, and after two weeks, Harlequin realized he'd taken her on as his ward. His intelligence network found Madame Guinevere's people sniffing around in York and Paris, effectively putting them off the scent of the young girl, as she now resided in London under her newly assumed identity. When the priceless relics from the stolen van arrived in London, Harlequin kept the historic whip and the ancient pot of his own blood, and stored the rest in a nameless security vault over a hundred miles from his manor off Hyde Park. As the next several years passed, Harlequin found himself growing quite fond of Lisette. She mirrored his own streak of resiliency, ingenuity, and cleverness. He arranged for tutors, martial arts instructors, music teachers, and some people skilled in ways that most children do not take lessons in, such as safe cracking and the schematics of electronic security systems. He worked to remake Lisette in his own image. Harlequin had never considered children. He had been raised in the church, and after becoming immortal, entered a period of life when he thought only of himself. But after Lisette inserted herself into his life, he found himself instinctively becoming protective of her despite his efforts to the contrary. Soon he realized that he was reluctantly falling into a role resembling that of a father. After six years, Lisette was 17 and had been subject to rigorous and thorough training. She had grown to become a master thief, skilled hacker and a deadly martial artist that exceeded Harlequin's initial expectations. She had the usual team problems appropriate with her age, although she never showed any interest in boys, or girls for that matter. Harlequin hated Madame Guinevere for crushing this girl's sexual awakening. Harlequin did have to deal with the occasional rebellion, which he found taxing on even his patients, but he assumed it the result of typical teenage hormonal shifting. He frustratingly found her stowing away on some of his solo missions and had to hastily incorporate her into his meticulously laid plans. However, Lisette possessed an uncanny knack for making herself useful despite her occasional exuberance. Much to Harlequin's surprise, the two of them made a strong team. And even though he told her nothing of Leviathan, for the first time in centuries, Harlequin felt an actual trust and kinship with another human being. The thought terrified him. Harlequin soon reached the point in his life where he could no longer imagine being without Lisette. Even knowing that she had to leave his opulent nest in the next few years for university, despite her admonishments that she would never attend, he sat with her in the kitchen of his manor, matcha green tea brewing beside them, while the two of them stared deep into a game of chess. If you move there, I get your knight. Checkmate in three. I know, Harlequin. It's not like you taught me yesterday. I'm only warning you. I haven't seen you play this carelessly in a while. I'm just trying a different tactic. Clearly your tactic is the lose in three moves system. They'll soon name it after you, Lissette. Shh. You're breaking my concentration. I don't think I've ever heard your doorbell ringing, ever. No one ever visits you here. Very few people, but it has been known to happen. Stay in the kitchen while I... What is it? Alec Quinn, are you all right? What's wrong? Just a headache. It's nothing. But I want you to stay here. Is it dangerous? I can help. While you seem to enjoy utterly ignoring my commands to remain home and safe, I will flat out beg you, this is not dangerous, not the way you think it will be. Just stay here If you hear a scuffle or any gunshots then by all means swoop in and save me But for now stay in the bloody kitchen Alright Harlequin was more nervous than he wished to admit The only people who sparingly visited him were other immortals Even his mail went to a private mailbox in Covent Gardens, and all service people rang the bell at his caretaker's apartment. The familiar cranial pressure of attunement clearly told Harlequin that another Leviathan citizen was close at hand. He hadn't spoken to any immortal in over a decade, and wasn't eager to deal with anyone now. Harlequin. Quentin Brady, how lovely. How long has it been? A century? May I come in? It looks like you already have, and not nearly long enough. What is it you want, Quentin? I thought you might like some news, old friend. I have a letter of some importance. So you've taken a new job as a mail carrier? Has the government made cuts again? When it's from Evangeline, it's important enough for an immortal carrier. And I'm certainly not above doing a favor for her. Of course you're not. Anything to get on her good side. Hand it over. She always takes interest in you, you know. She looks out for you, and you don't even appreciate it. Did you know she heard that the church had found a sample of your blood and was going to send it in for testing? She kept them from finding out about you. Correction, she kept them from finding out about immortals. The blood, although mine, would have no connection to me. It was self-interest that drove her. But good to know who was behind the heist. You mean you didn't know? Of course I knew, you idiot. You just confirmed the details for me. Number 10, so very subtle, Quentin. The tenth lover she took after me? Well, she's probably on two or three hundred by now. How dare you try? Now hush. You gave me a letter. I would like to read it. My dear Harlequin, I hope this letter finds you well. I have been following your progress on the surface, missing you as always. I have heard recently of your association with a young human woman. I am delighted that you have found someone to spend your life with, and would love to meet her. In an effort to heal the rift between us, I would like to invite you both to the Vython City. After meeting her, I'm sure I'd love her as you do, and could very likely be persuaded to gift her with the starstone power that has given both you and I such full, long lives. You know your happiness is forever my desire. I look forward to seeing you soon. It's been too long, my friend. Evangeline. Who is the manipulator, aren't you, Evangeline? How the hell did she find out about Lisette? How does Evangeline know anything? She has people topside, you know. Spies. She's known for some time how you've taken on a girl, and I wasn't even the one who told her. Although I must admit, I didn't know your taste extended to younger types. Harlequin drew on centuries of hiding his emotions to keep from striking Quentin for the implication of pedophilia. He heard a sound and knew that Lisette was in the kitchen, with her ear to the door, taking in every sound that she could, just as he had taught her. Damn me for creating a thief. You and Evangeline are mistaken, Quentin. I did employ a girl in a job I needed help in some years ago, but she's no longer here. I haven't seen her in years. Oh please, Harlequin, give me more credit than that. It's not like you hide her from society. A girl has been spotted leaving this house, sometimes with you, sometimes alone, for the past several years. And you both were spotted in Tokyo last year when the treasure for the Koi Domu was raised from the seafloor. You apparently also sent her to Rome by herself back in February. And that was about the same time as a priceless Picasso was stolen from the Vatican vaults, no less. Besides tasting the innocent, you trained her to be a very capable little thief. Where else could she gain such a skill for the devious? And, Quentin? No, and. Nothing else to say. I'm merely here with a note from Evangeline to invite you both back to Leviathan City. Harlequin read through the letter again, stifling his shock at being found out, then his amusement at Evangeline's less than subtle jealousy. At the same time, he couldn't help but feel the familiar ache that came whenever he heard from her. He closed his eyes and briefly allowed himself to remember the way her hair smelled and the tenderness her fingertips could impart. However, Harlequin quickly grew alarmed when he opened his eyes to see Quentin, whose own eyes were focused just past Harlequin. A leering smile grew across his wide red face. Bonjour, mademoiselle. I have no need to return to Evangeline at this time. I'll get you a letter to give her. Please remain here one moment while I get my stationery. With a view such as this, I have no reason to stray. Just promise me your girl will remain here to keep me company. You should not be here. I do not trust him. I can take care of myself. I wanted to see who it was. Harlequin did not want to give Quentin the satisfaction of seeing him engage in a verbal fight with his ward. He swiftly left them alone in the hallway and hurried up to his office for a small card with the insignia of a winged serpent. He wrote a polite, terse reply and sealed it with his private seal. When he returned to the hallway, Lisette's face was red and Quentin looked quite pleased with himself. Is everything all right? Quite a girl you have here. Smart, too. Send this to Evangeline with my regards. I trust that is all. Goodbye, Quentin. Oh, Harlequin, I was just getting to know Lisette. She even said she wanted to come visit me at my manor in Richmond. Out! Also help me, God, I'll... Always a pleasure, Harlequin. Always a pleasure. Fucking Pratt, are you alright? Did he say something to you? What did he say about not having seen you for a century? Do you honestly think he was sane? He was probably inebriated with cheap liquor and primitive pills, Lisette. Don't take into account anything he said. And yet, he brought up some things I have wondered about. You have not changed in six years, you have no friends, but people who do know you seem to have known you from a long time ago. But you don't look older than 35. Just what did he tell you? Why should I say? So you can deny it? Not as such. Did he tell you I'm immortal? That I lived for over five centuries? That I'm a monster without a soul? Is that what he told you? Yes. Yes, he did. But I didn't expect you to confirm it. I was going to tell you at some point. I was. I figured you would need to know eventually, or you'd notice in 15 or so years that we looked to be the same age. But how? How can you be centuries old? Remember when we met, and I told you that someone once took something from me without asking? Where? Many centuries ago, a woman named Evangeline took away my mortality without asking me. I was dying, and she thought she was doing me a favor. How she managed it, well, it's a much longer story. She and I do not talk very much these days. I blamed her for the loss of my mortal soul. But now, she has informed me she knows about you. This is all too much. Quentin also said... The Set, you must never speak to another immortal. Do you understand? And under no circumstances are you permitted to go to his house. What? You may think they have your best interests at heart, but they are manipulative, soulless bastards that will stop at nothing to get what they want. Immortals are evil. Do you understand? They are nothing more than liars and thieves. Like you? Damn it, no. I mean... Neset, you must listen to me. Despite my irresistible charm and good looks, I am not a popular man among immortals. I have preferred to spend my centuries living my own way, not beholden to anyone. But now, now that I have you, you are something they can use against me. You are my weakness and they can take you away from me. I can take care of myself, but... You said that, but you went from being in the kitchen safe to standing out here and getting an invitation to his home. Were you planning on going? Palaquin, if you would just listen, I need to go. There is no reason on this earth you should go to his house. He works for Evangeline, who would like nothing more than to take you away from me, get information about me or use me, and I wouldn't put her or any other immortal above hurting you to get at me. Do you understand? But... Communicating with another immortal is akin to betraying me. I don't ever want to see you talking or standing in the same room as one. Do you understand? No, please. Now, I don't want to hear another bloody word about immortals. You don't understand. Lisette, wait. God damn it, Lisette, get back here. But it was too late. Words had been spoken but not heard. Lisette sprinted up the stairs to be in her room, slamming and locking her door shut, leaving Harlequin in a fury, feeling the odd mixture of fear and anger that all parents of wayward teens could relate to. Lisette cried desperately into her pillow, feeling more alone than ever. What she had been unable to communicate to Harlequin was that a bit of her own past had returned to haunt her. When she was with Madame Guinevere, she had friends, other orphans who were sex slaves. One girl, Stephanie, had been closest to her, like a sister. She was the one Lizette had missed and worried about the most. What Harlequin had not let her express was that the psychophantic Quentin, and a desire to follow every footstep Harlequin took, had gone to Madame Guineville-Alibert as well and purchased young Stephanie outright to serve him in his house. When she had been 11, Lizette would not have had the capability to investigate or rescue Stephanie. But now she had a motorcycle, advanced tools and skills to easily enter any residence, as well as the skills to keep herself alive. Quentin Brady had invited her to visit Stephanie, and not so subtly suggested he might borrow her from Harlequin for a fee so that he may taste both girls at once. She paced back and forth in her room to prepare for the extraction of her best friend, damning Harlequin under her breath. The world of Sonic the Hedgehog has been thrust into a not-so-dark, not-so-stormy, hard-boiled detective story that probably nobody saw coming. Follow Sonic and the intrepid Chaotic's detective agency as they take on their biggest case yet. This high-flying, action-packed adventure will take them across the world, fighting for every clue they can find. It's one heck of a tale, which is good, because this story might be the only thing that can save their lives Well if that all I can just dispose of you Wait what All will be revealed in Sonic the Hedgehog presents The Chaotix Case Files. Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts. The Chaotix are on the case. Ah, the Regency era. You might know it as the time when Bridgerton takes place, or it's the time when Jane Austen wrote her books. The Regency era was also an explosive time of social change, sex scandals, and maybe the worst king in British history. Vulgar History's new season is all about the Regency era, the balls, the gowns, and all the scandal. Listen to Vulgar History Regency era wherever you get podcasts. Hi, this is Rob Benedict. And I am Richard Speight. We were both on a little show you might know called Supernatural. It had a pretty good run. 15 seasons, 327 episodes. And though we have seen, of course, every episode many times, we figured, hey, now that we're wrapped, let's watch it all again. And we can't do that alone. So we're inviting the cast and crew that made the show along for the ride. We've got writers, producers, composers, directors, and we'll of course have some actors on as well, including some certain guys that played some certain pretty iconic brothers. It was kind of a little bit of a left field choice in the best way possible. The note from Kripke was, he's great, we love him, but we're looking for like a really intelligent Duchovny type. With 15 seasons to explore, it's going to be the road trip of several lifetimes. So please join us and subscribe to Supernatural then and now. The Kawasaki Concourse 14 ABS motorcycle had been Lizette's 17th birthday present. She had been trained in both defensive and offensive driving on the Nürburgring racetrack in Germany the previous summer, and received the custom-made Kawasaki as a reward. Despite his desire to keep her safe, Harlequin had been loath to deny her the bike that could accelerate to 180 mph in under 7 seconds. She obeyed the traffic laws meticulously, as Harlequin had made it no secret that actually utilizing the special modifications of the bike would mean its confiscation. confiscation. Still, she found herself inching higher and higher past the speed limit as she raced towards Quinton's house. She peeked at the GPS on her watch and found that she had five minutes to go. A voice crackled in the speaker embedded into the liner of her helmet. Hello, Lisette. What do you want, Alec Quinn? I'm not coming back. I received your note, and I just want to understand this. Understand what? I was very clear. You believe that I went to your twisted orphanage to rescue you, and then soon after the astronomical coincidence of Quentin, another immortal went to the same orphanage and did the same thing to your best friend. I knew things about her that no one knew. She's not there, Lisette. He's lying to you. I have to find out. If there's any chance I can set Stephanie free, then I have to find out. And when I told you that the immortals had centuries of experience manipulating mortals, that made no impact on you? I've arrived. I will be home shortly, Haldgren. Please forgive me. Lisette, whether she's there or not, you may come home for your belongings and then you'll be gone. I can't have someone I can't trust not to fall prey to the first immortal that they meet. I taught you to be stronger and smarter than that. You're kicking me out? You either trust me or a stranger you met only momentarily. If you are this easily manipulated, then I want no pardon. Alicruent! Good luck, and watch your back. Mild, you think you're a perfect Alicruent. No one is allowed to have any feelings except you. You have a pass except you. She looked around carefully and parked her bike on Napier Road, pointing away from the Richmond house towards the high street. She placed her helmet on the handlebars of the bike and took out her short Escrima sticks from the hidden compartment along the fairing. One of the martial arts Lisette learned at 14 was a Filipino art that used short sticks like swords. Of all of her skills, it was the one she was most comfortable with, not to mention it used the easiest weapons to carry. She strapped them to her back and headed for Quentin's house at a light jog. Stay calm. Keep your center of gravity low. Remember every detail of your surroundings. There were searchlights around the perimeter, dancing on the topiary, and Lisette could hear drunken laughter from inside the house. She jogged close to the bushes, trying to keep out of the way of the lights, but to get closer to here. Meanwhile, Quentin Brady was enjoying his coup while talking to Evangeline, eager to get back into her good graces. She should be on her way here tomorrow. I told her that I've got her friend here. A blast from the past, so to speak. Will Harlequin come after her? That I'm not so sure about. He was rather agitated when I visited them, but then again, he's Harlequin. I understand. The damnable man prides himself on being unpredictable. But you have confidence this girl will arrive? Assuredly. The information you found out about her past was key. It's not a stretch. She's seventeen. Believe it or not, I can actually remember those days. Do ya? I don't. Too much lager, I'd wage her. You've done good work, Quentin. I want you to deliver Harlequin and the girl to Leviathan City personally. I have some other questions for you when you get here. By all means. Quentin hung up the phone, laughing to himself. He had heard about Harlequin's young ward, but most of what he had heard was that Harlequin had used every resource to keep the girl's existence a secret from Leviathan. He loved that he could push Harlequin's buttons for once, bringing him so easily to anger and looked forward to the confused, angry girl visiting him. But the confused, angry girl was far more angry than confused. She heard Quinton's conversation using the electroacoustic listening device built into the powder compact in her pocket. Lisette realized she had committed a grave mistake and betrayed the man that had rescued and cared for her for the last seven years. There was not much she could do now to alleviate the situation. If Quinton knew she was coming, then there would be guards. But then, just as she saw Quinton through the bars of the fence, her eyes fell on a slender, lingerie-clad form next to him. She was 18, a little older than Lisette. Her black wavy hair cut short now, but there was no mistaking the brown eyes. They stared vacantly, a thin line of drool trailing from the corner of her mouth. Lisette had almost believed Quentin had fooled her, but there, inside of this villain's house, was her oldest friend Stephanie, drugged and used and vacant. She looked to be a shell of her former self, and Lisette felt the rage build in her chest. Without warning, she suddenly felt a heavy hand fall on her shoulder and whirl her around. Hello, my dear. We've been expecting you. You do know it's polite to ring the front door instead of sneaking around the grounds, don't you? Lizette tried to remember what Harlequin had told her about the first stages of a real fight. Unlike martial arts practice, human emotions were a weapon if wielded properly. They could be so effective one may be able to avoid the fighting altogether. The proper use of intimidation, ignorance, apologies, or, she hated to admit it, tears, could be beneficial. The guard's hand bit into her shoulder, blocking the way to her sticks. She let the rage she felt relax into shock, and then she started to cry. I'm sorry. I just came here to see Frank, but I wasn't sure it was safe. I'm sorry. Please don't call Mr. Aliquin. Who's out there? What's all this about? Lisette? So delighted to see you. Thank you for taking me up on my invitation. I told Stephanie about your possible visit. She's very eager to see you. Won't you come inside and join us? His eyes glittered in the strong lamps of the garden, and Lisette wondered how this leering idiot could have ever fooled her. She stumbled back a step, testing the guard's grip on her arm. It slipped a little, which was all she needed. I think I'll stay out here, thank you. Oh, how delightful. Harlequin had you trained in martial arts. Isn't that cheeky? Well, the boys needed a good workout. Don't hurt her too badly, Monty. Evangeline does want her alive. With pleasure. Wait, I've seen that stance before. Maybe we should... So you've had some training. Reggie, what did you say you'd seen before? It's a Filipino art, but I've only seen masters do that. She's not old enough to be a master. She saw something cool in a movie and has pretended to use it. Then stop talking and get her. The guard grunted in search for breath, but his left hand closed around his stick and pulled it out of her grip. Lisette deliberately dropped her guard on her right side. When the strike came in clumsy, Lizette blocked it easily and maintained stick-to-stick contact. Snake took Eskrimer around his to slide down and rest next to his thumb. With a flick of her wrist, the thumb twisted and snapped. Christ, can't you do any better? Yeah, I think my Glock might be the right tool for the job. Freeze, you bitch, so we don't shoot you in that pretty face of yours. The guard trained his handgun on Lizette and she paused. Running away would give him longer to aim, but she would be able to disappear into the dark in about four seconds. She chose instead to run at him, whirling her sticks in front of her, trying to throw off his aim. Lisette turned to face Quentin, but he already had his own gun trained on her. She raised her sticks again, but he fired and she felt her thump on the right shoulder. That wasn't a bullet. No, it was a tranquilizer. It worked on Stephanie when she tried to escape the other night. Lisette wore a thick leather jacket that Harlequin insisted on every time she rode the bike. She looked down and saw the dart sticking from it. There was a slight sting, but the dart did not penetrate as deep as Quentin presumed. Lizette realized she had a brief window of time. I... I can't stand up. Lizette fell to her knees and tilted her head to seemingly calibrate her vision with the world spinning around her There there my dear The moment Quinton walked towards Lizette she knew he had fallen for her performance He stood over her pausing for a moment to relish the collection of a trophy that had formerly been Harlequins. But the moment was long enough for Lizette to pull back one of her Eskimo sticks and unleash it with her full force on the side of Quinton's kneecap, shattering it completely. I'm going to get to my bike before I pass out. I'm so dizzy. This is better. My bike. Go, go, go. This train keeps moving. It's getting blurry. The road doubled and then tripled in Lisette's vision. Faster. I can't keep the bikes tonight. She tried to slow down and pull over, but she'd lost too much control of her bike and was driving too fast. The bike tipped over and she skid along the pavement, smashing into a telephone box. The only positive thing her mind could grasp was that she was too drunk to feel any pain. Lisette felt her consciousness finally slip away from her. Soon after, a sleek black Mercedes 500SL pulled up next to the curb where Lisette had crashed. Harlequin exited the vehicle, sadly shaking his head. He quickly looked around to see if any pedestrians or Quinton Brady hovered nearby, but he could see that the small street was empty at this late hour. Harlequin urgently checked Lisette's body for injury. and soon satisfied himself that her wounds were superficial, and she would return to health after a night or two in the hospital. He removed his cell phone and summoned an ambulance for Lisette. As he closed his handset, he sadly looked down upon her, frowning. You won't ever understand that this is the best for both of us. They can't know who you are or what you are to me. My ward. My lost daughter. He took a sealed envelope out of the car and slipped it into the inside pocket of her jacket. It contained a substantial cashier's check and a passport with a driver's license with yet another new identity. The envelope also contained a letter from him. He waited with her until the ambulance's lights appeared over the ridge of the hill, and then got into his car and drove away. Santorini, Greece, ten years later. Harlequin dug his toes into the volcanic black sand of Purissa Beach. He sat at a small outdoor cafe on the beach, sipping on an espresso compana, and reading the International Herald Tribune. Despite his leisurely appearance, Harlequin was trying to hide his apprehension. He was waiting for someone, but not sure if she would come. But he soon stifled a smile at the voice that appeared over his shoulder. I should have known that you would keep tabs on me. Certainly you expected nothing else. I never expected you to kick me out. It was the safest thing to do for both of us. Evangeline knew who you were. She was looking to hurt me by hurting you. Quentin was a complete fool, and you needed a lesson on manipulation. I know all your reasons. I still have your letter. I read it when I'm feeling nostalgic. Stops those morose feelings right in their tracks. You have done well for yourself. I've done some positive things. I assume you know what they are, so I have no need of bragging. I didn't think it was a good idea to attack Quentin so quickly after the incident at his manor, but you seemed to get away with quite a bit. His security systems were crap, and the idiot kept all of his physical assets on sight, so it was just a matter of cracking his safes. Besides, I still had to get Stephanie out. I had a job I needed to do, with or without your help. I've never seen an immortal cry like that. Did he come to you? He tried. I was on a holiday at the time. Pity. I hear he went back to Leviathan City. Penniless. I wish I could have seen it. I got it recorded. I'll send you a copy. And I hear Madame Guinevere's establishment is no more. Yes. I found homes for almost all the girls. And Madame La Liberté is... I heard about that too, poor dear. As for the girls, two I took in myself. I'm trying to teach them as you taught me. Ah, this is why you agreed to meet me. You are understanding what it's like to be a parent. Well, the kind of parents we are, at least. I will admit a new understanding of your position, but I'm still angry with you. Very angry. I would be too. It still doesn't mean I was wrong or that I would do anything differently. But you did not contact me to tell me how much I've grown, have you? You are not much for niceties. Or apologies. You know me better than you think, my dear. It's true, I have been keeping tabs on you, admiring your thefts. Not to mention your skills. You never mentioned that you had become such an accomplished pilot. I got bored with the motorcycles. I need a favor, Lisette. What makes you think I would do anything for you? I could say I saved you from sexual slavery. I could say that I made you what you are. I could say that even after I kicked you out, I gave you enough money to keep you safe and restart your life. But you're not saying any of those things. No, of course not. I'm going to say that I know you're the most accomplished private pilot of your age group. I know you're the best hacker and thief I've ever met besides myself. I know most of your skills have surpassed mine, and you're only 27 while I am, well, centuries old. And I know that you love a challenge more than anything. I'm listening. There is an aeroplane, Lisette, so advanced that you will never have heard of it. So fast that the sound barrier is but a suggestion. It can fly through the air and through the water with equal ability. It can camouflage itself from prying eyes in an instant. And there's only one like it on the entire planet. And? And I want you to help me steal it. You have been listening to The Ward, a Leviathan Chronicles story. This episode was made possible by the generous support of our listeners To listen ad-free and get exclusive bonus content and behind-the-scenes footage, become a subscriber at patreon.com slash leviathanchronicles. The Ward was written by Mer Lafferty and Christoph Leputka. Directed by Nobi Nakanishi. Produced by Robin Shaw. Executive produced by Amish Johnny. Original music by Luke Allen. Sound design and editing by Luke Allen and Robin Shaw. starring Michelle Ann Dunphy as Lizette, William T.N. Hall as Harlequin, Karen Heyman as Helene, Laura Post as Madame Guinevere Lalibert, and Samantha Parker as the narrator. For a full cast list and to learn more about our other audio productions, go to leviathanaudioproductions.com or follow us on social media. Thank you for supporting Leviathan Audio, and thank you for listening. Leviathan Audio Production The war is over and both sides lost. Kingdoms were reduced to cinders and armies scattered like bones in the dust. Now the survivors claw to what's left of a broken world, praying the darkness chooses someone else tonight. But in the shadow dark, the darkness always wins. This is old school adventuring at its most cruel. Your torch ticks down in real time. And when that flame dies, something else rises to finish the job. This is a brutal rules light nightmare with a story that emerges organically based on the decisions that the characters make. This is what it felt like to play RPGs in the 80s. And man, it is so good to be back. Join the Glass Cannon podcast as we plunge into the shadow dark every Thursday night at 8 p.m. Eastern on YouTube.com slash the glass cannon with the podcast version dropping the next day. See what everybody's talking about and join us in the dark. Oh, please. Not that music. That music gives me nightmares from my childhood. Could we get something a little bit lighter, some lighter music here? Are you a fan of true crime TV shows? And what about Unsolved Mysteries, the show that jumpstarted all of our love of true crime? I'm Ellen Marsh. And I'm Joey Taranto. And we host I Think Not, a true crime comedy podcast covering some of the wildest stories from your favorite true crime campy TV shows all the way to Unsolved Mysteries. Baby, you will laugh. You will cry. You'll think about true crime in a whole new way. And you'll also ask yourself, who gave these people mics? New episodes of I Think Not are released every Wednesday with bonus episodes out every Thursday on Patreon. And every Monday, you can listen to our True Crime Rundown, where we go over the top true crime headlines of the week. So come and join us wherever you listen to your podcasts. Hi, we're Meg Bashminer. And Joseph Fink. Of Welcome to Night Vale. And on our new show, The Best Worst, we explore the golden age of television. To do that, we're watching the IMDb viewer rated best and worst episodes of classic TV shows. The episode of Star Trek, where Beverly Crusher has sex with a ghost. The episode of The X-Files, where Scully gets attacked by a vicious house cat. And also the really good episodes too. What can we learn from the best and worst of great television? Like for example, is it really a bad episode or do people just hate women? The Best Worst, available wherever you get your podcasts.