The Gadgeteer Box Set

by Gin Hollan

  “Probably not, but you should know what the rest of Blastborn is gossiping about, and why you get so much leeway these days.”

  Arabeth bit her lip.

  “I’m just going to say it, because there’s no way to soften this truth. You know Matthew’s body was found at the bottom of a salt processing mill. What the press didn’t report was that he was in women’s attire at the time, with full makeup and heels. I found a black book with him that listed men who prefer that type of … affair.”

  “I knew he married me for title and money, but… that’s asking me to believe… that’s why he avoided anything that might lead to is consummating our marriage,” she said, her breathe coming out in a whisper. “It was him, not me?” she blurted, then laughed.

  “You should have told me months ago! Years, even. This is such a relief. There were clues around the house, but I never imagined this!”

  Sam rolled his eyes. “Fine, I should have told you. How could I know you’d react like this?”

  “I missed you, you know. It hurt when he made me cut ties,” she said. “I cried for days, but he would not relent. I even snuck out to see how you were doing.” She'd seen him a couple times, drunk or asleep in strange places.”

  “Dark times,” he agreed.

  “I assure you, I won't let anyone come between us again.”

  A silence fell between them and Arabeth wished she could tell what Sam was thinking. She meant what she said. Glancing up at him, she saw him staring and got the feeling she was being assessed.

  “Andun wants me to find out who Sebastian’s contacts are so he can out maneuver him.. We don't know how wide his influence is, and he's been working on it for years. I know that's a cover story, but no one is telling me what's really happening.”

  “And his being here is a part of that master plan?” It made sense to her, in a round-about way. She might be trying too hard, making up excuses, though.

  “You keep acting like yourself – we do resent him, after all. I will work out the rest,” Sam said, walking out from among the crystals to the back step.

  “I can do that,” she said, following.

  His fingers signaled quietly, using the sign language they'd made up in their teens. 'My next words are a lie.'

  'Okay,' she signalled back, wondering why this part had to be overheard, if someone was eavesdropping. Was she supposed to lie back?

  “There’s no easy way to say this, but since you brought up marriage and children… forgive me, but I don't think we should get married. We want different things from life,” he said.

  “You’re withdrawing your proposal?”

  “I apologize, but it is for the best. At least we didn’t make an announcement. Your reputation will be intact.” His face turned red and he sighed. He reached out to take one of her hands but she whipped it back, away from him. “I'm sorry, Arabeth. I’ll send a letter later, to make it official.”

  Her breathing went shallow and she braced her jaw. It wasn't hard to play along with this ruse. Betrayal was a silent, constant fear for her – he knew that. He wouldn’t play around with her emotions. He was lying about something, but what? About breaking up, or about that being a ruse?

  ‘You’re over-thinking again,’ she chided herself.

  “No, you're right. It's for the best,” she said out loud. He was doing this for a reason, but couldn't say. She wasn't going to guess why, but she would play along. “I should have known something was up when you didn’t ask me to stay in Vensay with you.”

  She felt him watching her and refused to give away what she was thinking. Looking up, she smiled. “Would you like to go in for an ice tea?”

  Confusion flashed across his face then vanished.

  “You're taking this better than I thought you would.”

  “I've told you on several occasions, I'm not getting married again. I’m not concerned about my marriageable reputation. There are a lot of people who seem happily married, but do I strike you as that type? I can’t stand the thought of family right now,” she said, thinking about her parent’s most recent visit. “Don't misunderstand - I know a proposal is a gentleman's greatest compliment, but there is more to life than a shared bed. You're my best friend. Let’s stay the way we are.”

  She felt like she was babbling. This felt real, even if he said it wasn’t. Sam was not fickle, but perhaps he’d met someone who did more than check off boxes for him. “Do you mind telling me why you've changed your mind?” she asked.

  “It’s that… I agree with you – I think we're better as friends,” he looked away.

  “And we can't help what the heart wants. I know.” She turned and stared. “Whomever has captured your heart had better understand I'll kill her if she comes between us, right?”

  Sam barked a laugh. “It's not like that.”

  “Not yet, but keep in mind - you deserve better than the wife I'd be.” She said, startled by the truth of the words.

  “Arabeth, this is hard as it is.” He shuffled a foot. “Don’t make me feel worse.” 'That should be enough to keep you safe,’ he signed.

  “Relax. She may someday bear your children, but we will always be friends. It does raise a problem for me though,” she stopped, his hand signal finally sinking in.

  “The problem of suitors looking to replace me and your parents pushing you into their lap,” he said.

  “Yes, that,” she sighed. “As to my parents, they know we've been keeping steady company, but have gained an interest in my assistant, Nate, while you've been away. He's a good assistant, but not my type, even if I was interested.”

  Sam laughed. “They have?”

  “I’m starting to think its programming. Their daughters must be successfully married off or face the scorn of society. You wouldn't know of someone I can conveniently get married to but who wouldn’t interfere with my projects, would you?”

  An odd silence fell between them. The words felt too real, she realized. Arabeth went to the ice box and poured them each a glass of iced tea.

  “Enough of this topic. Why does Sebastian need me to open the lyar? Didn't he travel via portal to get here in the first place?”

  Sam paused. “Sorry about that. But yes, he needs someone to open the portal for him at the lyar.”

  He had the grace to blush when he looked at her. 'Don't start a real fight now,' he signed.

  “I need this as a favour, Abby. He has to go back.”

  Arabeth frowned and waited for an explanation. With none forthcoming, she shook her head. “Fine. I’ll do it. I’d better never see him again, though.”

  She was confused about whether or not they had actually just broken up, but she’d let him decide that in time. Sebastian really did need to go. “Maybe he can take Graham with him,” she muttered.

  As they entered the lyar clearing, Arabeth slowed her pace. It should be simple to open a portal. She’d done it for objects. Sebastian was willing to accept the risk.

  A sudden vibration rattled at her eardrums, making her dizzy. She reached out and grabbed the nearest support. Sam and Sebastian looked at her clutching a tree, as though her life depended on it.

  “What's wrong,” Sam asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

  She didn't answer right away. “You don't feel that? The ground is shaking, just a little,” she whispered.

  “There is nothing here to cause it,” Sam frowned. “The train is too far away.”

  “You … don't feel this?” she asked, looking up at him.

  He shook his head and looked at Sebastian who shrugged.

  “Did you forget to eat this morning?” Sam asked, a touch of concern creeping into his voice.

  A moment later a vibration started in her ears that forced her to let go of the tree to cover them. It faded a moment later and she lowered her arms.

  The lyar was the most likely source. With a weak smile, she turned towards it. A subtle yellow glow like that of the crystal that allowed eavesdropping radiated from the centre.

&n
bsp; As she watched, the vibrations under her feet rose up through to her ears, matched the pulsing of the yellow. They didn't normally pulse. She held her hand out, seeing if she could disrupt the field. Nothing changed.

  “The lyar is being used, somehow. I can’t access it.”

  She glanced back at the other two. They looked puzzled but were only looking at her. At least Sebastian had stopped pacing.

  Concentrating on the lyar, she watched as an unfocused image formed in the middle. She leaned closer. There was a person in the centre, moving their arms in much the same way Tamden had taught her - using magic, she realized! That must be Howard. He and Tamden would be the only ones who would care enough to steal her book.

  Arabeth looked back at the two men, wondering if she should tell them.

  “Tell me what you see here,” She said, looking at Sam.

  “It's just a clearing with a lyar pedestal. There's nothing else,” he said.

  Sebastian turned and glared at Arabeth, standing uncomfortably close for her. “No more excuses. Open it.” His being a foot and a half taller forced her to look up, but she refused to let him intimidate her.

  “Stop,” Sam snapped. “I said we don't need her. We’ll go to the train.”

  “So, you did break off the engagement now that she's become useless to you? Good, maybe we can make some real progress now. That alone made the trip worth it.”

  Arabeth had the sudden urge to slap restraints on him and lock him in a cave, or torture for him until he told her what he was plotting.

  “We'd better get back to the city. The only train leaves at dusk, and we’re going to need time to convince them to take passengers,” Sam said. He turned to go but looked back and they locked eyes for a moment. His expression softened and he mouthed, “Sorry.”

  Nodding, Arabeth smiled and shrugged. He had his job, his mission. She had hers. That was the way it of it. She was happy to send Sebastian around the long way. He should have to work for his goals, not just manipulate and plot, after all.

  Sebastian stared at Arabeth, fuming a minute then followed Sam. “Right. Let's go. You may want to find more compliant associates in the future, because this one is a headache.”

  Compliant? He meant obsequious, she scoffed.

  // Chapter 10 //

  ONCE THEY ROUNDED out of sight, Arabeth turned to face the lyar again. The barrier shouldn't be that hard to remove, but more to the point, what had she really seen in the yellow fog? She put her hands up against the barrier, leaning forward to peer inside.

  A man stood on a wide, grassy plain, reading a book then setting it down. He started moving his arms through the air, in the manner Tamden taught her. Trees cracked and withered, but a large, pointed hill rose up in front of him.

  Lowering his arms, he turned to face the lyar.

  “I know you're watching, Arabeth Barnes.” the man's rough, distant voice spoke. She recognized it instantly. Howard. “There will be no peace while that mountain range stands. You just saw me raise a hill. You know I can do the opposite. I challenge you to stop me.”

  He turned and waved his arms again. The hill shuddered and sank down to lay evenly with the plains around it, leaving a dry, burnt, and lifeless.

  “Why are you doing this?” Arabeth blurted, startled by the war-like statement.

  “Partly because I can, but really, there is no good reason your progenitors lived and my family didn’t,” he spat.

  Suddenly, the yellow film-thin layer of energy spread out. Now nearly twenty feet away from the centre, she was almost outside the clearing.

  An unseen person gasped and Arabeth watched through the fog as a shape turned and moved toward the center. They pulled up a crystal and Howard disappeared.

  Had the people from the first lyar been watching via a second one? Was that even possible? And why bother?

  “Who are you?” A woman's voice in a thick, foreign accent asked. “Why was the Magician talking to you?”

  Arabeth didn't answer, ducking out of sight instead. The woman's accent was not of Vensay.

  “You're hearing things, again, Tabatha.” A man's voice said, teasing. He also spoke the common language with a strong accent. “You have to stop these 36 hour projects. You get a little delirious and a lot paranoid.”

  “No, I'm sure of it. A woman asked the Magician a question, but it came from behind me,” she said, sounding abashed. “He was talking to her, intentionally. Is it possible to link lyars like that? Are there three open and linked?”

  A silence fell and Arabeth snuck a look into the lyar again. If she could get a good look, she might be able to tell something useful about the people on the other side.

  If nothing else, she should remember these faces, these voices. If she could find out if they were allies or enemies to Blastborn, and what their plans were, she’d know how to proceed.

  “Well, that's fine. She can listen all she wants, Tabatha. We have nothing to hide. This actually saves us a step.” The man moved around as though wanting to find her. “If you're still listening, we need to meet. We can help.”

  “Help with what?” Arabeth said too softly. She cleared her throat. “Help with what?”

  “I'm going to assume a few things,” the man said. “First, you are a Crystal Sage, and since there's only two alive and the Magician is claiming to be one, you're the other one, and from Blastborn no less. Second, this is crystal communication, not another method, like actual magic. Am I correct so far?”

  It didn't feel like she was giving anything away to agree to that. “Yes, that's true.”

  A twig snapped a short distance away from the direction on the path behind her and she turned to look. It would be best if she could get on the inside of the barrier. She had to calm down. The knots in her stomach threatened to influence her in other ways, and there was no bathroom out here.

  “Who are you?” she asked.

  “We're staff at a research school - the University of Sandorn. I and my companion Tabatha are professors,” the man said.

  “If this is lyar communication, can you travel here? We'd love to meet you.” Tabatha said.

  “No, the approach is blocked.” Arabeth put her hand out to show a barrier stopped her. “Did you put this barrier up, was it someone else?”

  “It wasn’t us,” he said.

  “What is your science?” Tabatha asked.

  “Tabatha,” the man's voice scolded. “She's a crystal sage, and a new one at that. Extrapolate from there.”

  “Blastborn is famous for their inventors. Coupled with crystal exposure, her work must be amazing,” Tabatha countered. “But she was doing something with her life before that happened.”

  “I am a gadgeteer, but I haven't found any useful formula in that regard,” Arabeth interrupted.

  There was a pause.

  “See, I was right.” Tabatha sounded younger than she looked, Arabeth thought as she smiled.

  “What are you researching?” Arabeth asked.

  “Nothing you'd find interesting, I'm sure. I think we may be of use to you, though. A crystal sage that is also a gadgeteer … that is a powerful combination.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “Well, it goes back to the Old Science. Oh right, Blastborn only knows the old science. You must have books. Read up on saxum-based constructs.”

  An odd mechanical sound started up, but it was out of view.

  “What's that?” Arabeth asked.

  Tabatha shook her head. “Hey, that shouldn’t be active. I have to go.” She waved as she walked out of view. Suddenly there was a scream and Tabatha went running past, the other direction, out of Arabeth's view again. An automaton hurried after her.

  “Martin, make it stop!” she screamed.

  “I can't. Something's wrong,” he hollered, hammering his index finger down on a handheld device as he turned to follow their direction. “A sage must be running it.”

  Arabeth strained to see what was going on, but without direct interaction with
the lyar, she couldn't change her view to see what was happening.

  Rapidly growing heat from Arabeth's pocket caught her attention. Reaching in, her fingers made contact with a couple crystals but one of the blue crystals suddenly burnt through the outside of her pocket and fell out before she caught it. Staring down, she watched as it rolled and shook against the barrier.

  The sound of more screaming and the environment being ripped, thrown, or broken forced Arabeth to cover her ears as she staggered back. Metallic crunching and grinding filled Arabeth's mind with worries that the worst possible outcome was exactly what was happening.

  Staring at the blue crystal, she stepped back a pace. Why was the crystal doing that? Other crystals fell out through the hole in her jacket and lay stone still. The sound changed and a whine that brought Arabeth's hair on edge grew louder.

  Staring into the thin yellow fog, she watched as the automaton turned towards her and walked forward, uncertain what was really happening.

  This automaton was not as large as the ones she'd seen before, or as unrefined. This one was only seven feet tall. Still blocky in its construction, it had more of the refinement she'd seen in the mechanical steed that Grace, Sebastian's assistant, rode.

  Arabeth found herself stepping backwards away from the entrance, away from the menace that approached. She couldn't tell where Tabatha or Martin had gone, but she hoped it was to safety.

  As the machine raised an arm toward her, she saw a few drops of blood drip off its hand. It hit the barrier and stumbled back a step. Blood? Had it killed Tabatha, Martin, or both?

  It tried again to reach her, but failed. She made a mental note to thank whomever put up this barrier.

  She glanced at the blue crystal. It currently stood straight up on end, unmoving, but she didn’t see when it started doing that. Was it acting as a beacon or blocker, or behaving this way for an unrelated reason?

  The automaton made a short series of noises that sounded oddly like frustrated grunts as it turned and went back through the lyar. How had it traversed locations without the green and orange crystal that allowed transit? She was sure she'd only seen the yellow, obscuring crystal.