Goliath
Page 26
She hovered at the edge of the circle of rapt listeners until she caught Bovril’s eye. The beastie murmured something into Alek’s ear, and soon the boy was easing himself away from Mr. Tesla, who hardly noticed.
A moment later they were alone together in a corner.
“Deryn Sharp,” Bovril said softly.
“Aye, beastie.” She looked into Alek’s eyes as she stroked the loris’s head. “Thank you.”
Alek wore the same soft smile he always did when he was rather proud of something. “I promised to protect your secret, didn’t I?”
“Aye, by lying. Not by telling the barking truth!’
“Well, I couldn’t let you be disgraced. You’re the best soldier I know.”
Deryn turned away. There was so much she wanted to tell Alek, but it was all too complicated and unsoldierly to say here.
She began with, “Volger must be a bit angry with you.”
“He’s been oddly calm about it.” Alek’s gaze drifted over Deryn’s shoulder, but she didn’t turn to look. “In fact, he’s at work charming the French ambassador as we speak. We’ll need their recognition if I’m ever to take the throne.”
“Hang the barking throne. I’m just glad you’re not dead!”
Alek’s eyes came back to her. “As am I.”
“Sorry to be snappy,” she mumbled. “I couldn’t sleep last night.”
“It was almost like your father’s accident, wasn’t it?” He displayed his hands. “But I emerged without a scratch. Maybe the curse is broken. Providence.”
“Aye, there’s no denying you’ve got a ruinous case of good luck.” She looked away. “But now that I’m Midshipman Dylan Sharp again, Ive to leave with the Leviathan. Our twenty-four hours is up tonight.”
“Ah, I’d forgotten that this is still a neutral port.” Alek’s stare faltered, as if he’d only just realized that by protecting her secret he’d sent her away. “Not much chance of them kicking you off now, is there?”
“No.” She looked around at all the people in their fancy clothes. No one was watching her and Alek, but it still seemed wrong to say good-bye in a crowd.
“You could still . . .” He cleared his throat. “What if you stayed anyway?”
“What? You mean jump ship?”
“Why not? Sooner or later they’re going to find out what you are, Deryn. And now that your secret’s safe, you can join us without a scandal.”
“Desertion is worse than a scandal, Alek. I can’t abandon my shipmates.”
“But if they knew what you were, they’d abandon you.”
She stared at him for a long moment, then shrugged. He was right enough, but that wasn’t what mattered. “My country’s at war, and I’m no deserter.”
“You can help your country by ending the war. Stay with me, Deryn.”
She shook her head, unable to speak. She wanted to stay, of course, but not for any noble reasons. However awful this war might be, she wasn’t guided by anything so grand as making peace. Being steered by providence was for barking princes, not common soldiers.
And what Deryn wanted was out of reach, whether she stayed here or went ten thousand miles away.
Alek couldn’t read her thoughts, of course. He straightened and said in a small voice, “Sorry. That was foolish of me. We both have our duty. In fact, Mr. Tesla is talking to some very rich men over there. We’ll need their money to make improvements to Goliath.”
“You should go back and impress them with your Latin, then.”
“The faster this war is over, the quicker we can . . .” His voice faded.
“See each other again, aye.”
Alek clicked his heels. “Good-bye, Deryn Sharp.”
“Good-bye, Aleksandar of Hohenberg.” She felt a hard spot growing in her throat. This was really happening. They’d be apart for years now, and all she could think to say was, “You’re not going to get soppy and kiss my hand, are you?”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Alek’s bow turned into a slow step backward, as if he were trying to leave but couldn’t. Then his gaze went past her, and he smiled with relief. “In any case, there’s someone else who wants a moment with you.”
Deryn closed her eyes. “Please don’t tell me it’s that bum-rag Malone.”
“Not at all,” Alek said. “It’s the ambassador of the Ottoman Republic and his beautiful young assistant.” “The who and his what?” Deryn said as she turned around.
Standing before her were Lilit and the Kizlar Agha.
“OLD ALLIES.”
Lilit was the daughter of Zaven, the revolutionary who had befriended Alek and Deryn in Istanbul. The Kizlar Agha, on the other hand, had been the sultan
’s personal counselor. Zaven had been killed fighting for the revolution, and the sultan’s government overthrown.
So, what were these two enemies doing here in New York . . . together?
“Mr. Sharp!” Lilit threw her arms around Deryn, hugging her tight.
For a moment Deryn feared the girl would kiss her, as she had the last time they’d laid eyes on each other. But when Lilit pulled away, she only flashed a knowing smile.
“Ah, the airsick airman,” the Kizlar Agha said, stepping forward to shake Deryn’s hand. He was dressed in formal evening clothes, a far cry from his Ottoman uniform. But the mechanical recording owl still sat on his shoulder, its clockwork spinning. “Pleasure to see you again.”
“Aye, and you, too! Both of you.” Deryn shook her head. “A bit unexpected, though.”
“Unexpected for all of us, I think,” Lilit said, watching Alek making his way back to Tesla’s group. Deryn forced herself not to do the same.
Maybe the war really would end soon, and they could see each other again. But for the moment, thinking about Alek would only make her life more complicated, painful, and likely to fall apart.
“I thought you’d be busy ruling the Ottoman Republic,” Deryn said to Lilit.
“So did I.” The girl swore in unladylike fashion. “But the Committee says I’m more suited to rebelling than to governing. So they’ve sent me as far away as possible.”
“Hardly a punishment, though,” the Kizlar Agha said with a smile. “At least I hope not, as I am here too.”
“Did Alek say you were the ambassador, sir?” Deryn asked.
The man straightened. “Ambassador of the Ottoman Republic to the United States of America. A rather long title to reward a tiny favor.”
“Not so tiny, sir,” Deryn said, bowing. On the night of the Ottoman Revolution, the Kizlar Agha had spirited away the sultan in his airyacht—kidnapping his own sovereign. Thanks to that, the rebellion had ended in a single night. “I reckon you saved a few thousand lives.”
“I simply did my job and protected the sultan. He lives happily in Persia now.”
Lilit snorted. “He plots happily against the republic, you mean. His spies are everywhere!”
“He’s not the only one,” Deryn said. “As we found out last night.”
“Indeed.” The Kizlar Agha reached up to switch off the mechanical recording owl; the tiny wheels whirring within halted. His voice became a murmur. “As you may remember, Mr. Sharp, the kaiser was a close friend of my former sultan. I still have many contacts among the Germans.”
Lilit stepped closer. “Recently we learned certain secrets from them. Secrets that the government of the republic can’t pass on to the British. Not officially.”
“But unofficially?” Deryn asked.
“As long as no one ever finds out where they came from . . .” The Kizlar Agha looked about the room. “Perhaps you two should take a walk and catch up on old times. Relive the splendor of the revolution!”
“An excellent idea.” Lilit took Deryn by the shoulder.
“I shouldn’t leave without telling Dr. Barlow.”
“It’s not a good idea to make a fuss,” Lilit said softly. “We’ll be back within the hour. And I promise, what I have to tell you is worth a bit of bad manners.”
As they walked along the asphalt streets of Manhattan, Deryn began to feel her knee. It hadn’t hurt all day, but the autumn chill and Lilit’s quick pace had started it buzzing again. When Deryn shifted more weight onto her cane, Lilit raised an eyebrow.
“That isn’t just for show?”
“I had a dodgy landing on glider wings. We probably shouldn’t walk so fast.”
“Of course.” Lilit slowed a squick. “But can you still fight?”
Deryn snorted. “You haven’t changed much, have you?”
“The world hasn’t changed.” Lilit shifted her daringly cut dress to reveal a tiny Mauser pistol gartered to her leg. “I wish you weren’t in that Air Service uniform. It’s a bit conspicuous.”
Deryn looked about. The streets were full of bustling people, steam trams, and pushcarts. She’d heard snatches of several languages as they’d walked, and had even seen a few shop signs in German.
She shrugged. “I’m an airman. This is my uniform.”
“I preferred you in Turkish clothes,” Lilit said. “Perhaps we shouldget off the street and into someplace dark. Fancy a moving-picture show?”
“Aye, I would,” Deryn said. She’d been curious about the whole business after Alek had become so enthralled. “Is there a cinema about?”
Lilit smiled. “In New York City? Yes, a few.”
They took the next right turn, and a block away Deryn found herself looking up at a huge sign. It was covered in small electric lights that flicked on and off in sequence, as if wee beasties were skittering across it. In the center, giant letters spelled out EMBASSY CINEMA—NEWSREELS ALL DAY.
As they approached the ticket booth, Deryn’s hands went to her pockets, but of course she hadn’t a single coin.
“Sorry, Lilit, but I’ve got no American money.”
“Well, you did risk your life fighting for the revolution,” the girl said, producing a folded bill from a hidden pocket. “I suppose the Ottoman Republic can buy you a movie ticket.”
The cinema was in most ways like an ordinary theater, with a few hundred seats spread out before a wide proscenium arch. But instead of a stage, a silvery white rectangle faced the audience. It was still late afternoon, and only a handful of people were present. As Deryn and Lilit made their way to seats near the back, the gaslights began to dim.
“Why exactly are we sneaking about?” Deryn asked once they were settled. “Are you afraid of making the Germans angry?”
“The Ottoman people have enjoyed the kaiser’s generosity for a long time. We still need his engineers to make our machines work.”
“Aye, of course.” Every bit of Istanbul that Deryn had seen was wrapped in steam pipes and other mechanical contraptions.
“The Germans are desperate for more allies.” Lilit leaned closer. “Austria-Hungary is falling to pieces. A few weeks ago they repulsed a Russian attack, but the fighting bears only scattered into the woods. And the creatures still have to eat.”
Deryn swallowed, remembering the starving bears in Siberia. In a populated countryside the beasties would be much worse. It would be like living in some horrid old fairy tale, with every forest full of monsters.
Lilit gave a shrug. “So we pretend to consider joining the Clankers. A profitable ruse, so far.”
A sudden clattering came from behind them, and Deryn glanced back. Behind the audience a large machine with a single eye was sputtering and spinning. Light erupted from it to spill across the screen.
At first it was shadowy and blurred, just as Alek had said. But in a few moments Deryn’s eyes adjusted, and a smoky auditorium appeared before her, two ghostly pale boxers in the ring cheered on by a silent crowd.
Lilit was settled back into her seat, her eyes wide and glittering. “It’s not just Austria’s weakness that has the Germans worried. They’re convinced that Goliath will work.”
“Aye. You should have seen what it did in Siberia. Not a tree left standing for miles.”
“I’ve seen it. Everyone has.” Lilit gestured at the screen. “Mr. Tesla was filming in Siberia, you know. The first of his newsreels appeared two weeks ago. We may see one today.”
“Aye, he almost crashed our ship!” Deryn cried. “Bringing aboard all his cameras and scientific equipment.”
But perhaps it made sense now. As Alek kept saying, the whole point of a weapon like Goliath was to scare everyone so much that you never had to use it.
Lilit was watching the boxing now, her shoulders twitching a bit, as if she were throwing the punches herself. But she went on talking.
“Last week the ambassador asked his German friends, ‘How can we side with you now? We don’t want Istanbul going up in a ball of flame.’ They told him not to worry. They have plans for Mr. Tesla.”
“Aye, that rocket attack.”
“That was just a warning.” Lilit swept her gaze across the audience. Two school-age girls sat a few rows away, but there was no one else within earshot. “And if Tesla doesn’t heed it, they intend to destroy Goliath once and for all. With an invasion if necessary.”
“An invasion! Right here? Won’t that drag the Americans into the war?”
“An enemy across the ocean is better than their cities being leveled.” Lilit’s voice sank to a whisper. “A Wasserwanderer is on its way. That’s all we know.”
“A water-walker?” Deryn said.
“The ambassador thinks it’s some sort of U-boat, but amphibious.”
Deryn frowned. She’d never heard the word “amphibious” applied to a machine before, but it had a certain logic. Goliath was on an island near New York City—within a short stroll of the sea, Mr. Tesla always said.
Tesla might think to guard himself against saboteurs, but an armored walker popping out of the water?
“It will attack without warning one night,” Lilit said. “Then slip away into the ocean again, leaving only wreckage and a mystery. The Americans might never realize what happened.”
“Have you warned Tesla?”
Lilit shook her head. “He’d only blab to the press about it. He can’t afford a private army, after all. And telling the Americans is pointless. They won’t send a battleship to protect one man’s property against a rumor. Especially when that man wants to wage war like some sort of demigod!”
Deryn nodded. Some of the newspapers were already questioning whether Tesla should be allowed to wield such power. After all, if Goliath worked the way he claimed, he could become ruler of the world with the flick of a switch.
“So you want us to help?”
“You’ll be helping yourself.” Lilit turned from the screen. The boxing show had sputtered to a halt, and while the projector was being reloaded, the two nearby girls began to chatter about boys. “The Leviathan is powerful enough to stop a walker, and stealthy enough to lay in wait while Tesla completes his tests. And may I remind you, Mr. Sharp, that his success is entirely in British interests.”
“Aye, true.”
“Can you deliver this message without revealing who gave it to you?”
Deryn nodded. Only the lady boffin had to know. Now that Tesla was off the ship, she would have free rein to order people about again.
“I knew I could count on you.” Lilit smiled. “You’re still in love with Alek, aren’t you?”
Deryn opened her mouth, but behind her the projector began sputtering again, filling the cinema with flickering light. She cleared her throat, her mouth too dry to speak.
“He seems to have grown up a bit,” Lilit said. “Now that he’s got a purpose in life.”
Deryn found her voice. “Aye. He’s convinced himself that he’s destined to end the war. It’s all part of a plan.”
“Ah. So he’s forgotten the most important rule of warfare.”
“Which is . . .”
“That nothing ever goes to plan. But he finally knows your secret, right?”
Deryn took a sharp breath. She’d forgotten how annoyingly perspicacious Lilit could be. “Aye. It’s made things a bit tricky between us.”
“It shouldn’t. Now you can tell him what you want.”
“Aye, but to do that I’d have to know what I want,” Deryn said.
Part of her wished more than anything to remain here in America with Alek, but that meant throwing away her career. She could take up the lady boffin’s offer of working for the London Zoological Society, or even stay in the Air Service, but there would always be the danger of being found out and losing everything.
It was all a great barking mess.
She turned from Lilit’s gaze and stared up as the next newsreel began. . . .
And there it was before her, the Leviathan soaring over a hilly expanse of desert, the image muddy and colorless on the screen, but vibrant in her memory. The point of view banked into a turn, and Deryn realized that there’d been cameras aboard General Villa’s manta ships.
Then she was seeing the Leviathan from above, the camera peeking over a steep cliff as the airship descended into Pancho Villa’s canyon. Crewmen and beasties scurried across the topside like bugs, the steel talons of the ship’s ring of strafing hawks glittering in the sun.
Suddenly a winged figure rose into view, an airman staring wide-eyed into the camera. Deryn blinked, not quite believing—it was her own face up there on the screen.
The image was replaced by a sign . . . THE BRAVE AIRMAN TESTS HIS WINGS!
“Tests his wings?” she said aloud. As if she’d been larking about instead of preventing disaster! Giggles came from the pair of girls nearby as the sign disappeared. They were pointing up at her on the screen.
“They seem to think you make a dashing boy,” Lilit said. “Quite right too. When do you leave?”
“Our twenty-four hours will be up tonight.”
“Too bad. And Alek’s staying, isn’t he?”