by Lexi Ostrow
“I will request to travel from the king.”
“No.” Arthur’s face was set in a firm line. “Our president does not know our alliance attempts. Therefore, your king must not.”
A war waged inside his mind. You must go if he speaks truthfully the end may be in sight. Treason is unacceptable, and Raven will never agree. Over and over, the arguments turned in his mind, and yet, he knew the only acceptable solution was to not turn his back on his country.
“The answer is no. You tell this group of yours that the Electric Guild would be happy to work together if it does not mean conspiracy, which is how this undertaking sounds.”
“Lord Abbott, I can assure you — ”
“I have said my peace.”
“Do I have your silence then, if not your help?”
“You will have to find out.”
He surveyed the soldier's hand as Arthur’s hand danced over the gun on his belt.
“Do not take an action you will regret. You are on a train with people loyal to me.”
“I am loyal to Lady Raven.”
“Yes, well, see to it. I assure you, she will know about you.”
Arthur’s gaze burned into him before the younger man rose and walked to his post in the back of the car. Benjamin had not observed how long he had been lost in his head, and the train rolled to a stop.
“The bulbs will still burn until the last of you is off. I would appreciate cover so I might exit as well.” Holden called through the car.
“Guards, you will exit first, then myself and then Captain Holden. Once he is off, you may enter the sanitation chamber.” Giving orders was far too foreign to him, but he felt pleasantly alright with the situation.
Standing, he looked back at Arthur once again, uncertain of nothing save for telling Raven she had a possible traitor in her guard. A tremor of fear raced through him as he thought about climbing off the train. They could not pull into the safety of the station due to having all the windows down.
Peering out the door, he saw nothing save for the building that surrounded the train station. Hastily, he raced down and toward the building, tapping his hands on his trouser leg as the door slide open.
The familiar sixty seconds passed dreadfully slowly due to the lack of electric display counting down the seconds. As the door slid to the side, Benjamin was once again filled with joy as Raven stood there, waiting to meet with him. Even though she had on the clothes of a male mechanic, he had never seen a more beautiful sight.
As her eyes landed on his, the concern transformed into joy. “It worked?”
“It worked!” He lifted her, twirling her in the air and beaming like a young lad who’d gotten a sweet for being well behaved. “It worked, Raven. I saw them burn.” Holding her just slightly above the ground with her arms wrapped around his neck brought a primal need to kiss her, but he had to respect her space or lose her once more.
Tears sprung to her eyes, and she wiped at them, sniffling as she did. “We’re starting this, Benjamin. Our guilds, thanks to your mages, have created something that may change the world forever.” Her joy was infectious, but at the mention of mages, some of his faded.
“Raven, we must talk.” Setting her down, he led her by the hand to the back of the building.
“Benjamin, what is wrong?” her brow was scrunched together, and she looked into his eyes as if she were examining him.
“Are you aware an American soldier is posing as a guard in your guild?”
She blew out of breath. “Oh, yes. Father was very forthcoming, the entire guard knows. Arthur’s secret is not one that is well kept, though he does not know. How did you find out? His accent is rather convincing.”
“He told me . . . about an organization in the Americas that wishes to meet with us if we keep it a secret from King Clearance. That they have mages there as well.”
“And you told me?”
“We started on a horrible lie, Raven. I am not going to do that again. You need to know if someone dangerous lurks in your halls.”
She placed her on his face, just for a moment. “Thank you. Do you believe him?”
“I want too, but there is no way I would like to be remembered for treason. I think this is something for the king.”
She nodded. “Yes, if you believe there is reason for us to go, we should go with his approval.” She glanced back at the group of men and women, all celebrating their victory. “For now, let us celebrate. We will report to the king tomorrow at first light, and then we will have earned a rest.”
Smiling in agreement, he gave her a quick kiss, daring her to pull away, but she did not. “Very well then, let us go enjoy the moment.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Are you ready?” He looked to Raven, who stood beside him. It felt proper, having her beside him and not his sister at this moment.
Her smile was broad, and he enjoyed seeing it without the hampering of the mask and goggles as they had come through proper entrances to meet the king.
“Absolutely.” She nodded to the guard whose name he had learned was Maurice. “Please tell the king Lady Raven Nightingale and Lord Benjamin Abbott have arrived.”
He smiled at her, “I have been ordered to allow you entry upon your arrival. His Majesty will see none but you this day.” With that, he pushed on the large door and gestured for them to step inside.
From the doorway, he saw the royal couple, standing and not sitting. Unexpectedly, they approached, meeting them halfway. Instinctively, he lowered himself to a bow.
“Do you bring good news?”
“We do, Your Royal Highnesses,” Raven said, a smile lingering on her lips. “Our trial was successful in the demise of not one, but five of the sick. We will need to manufacture a new switch mechanism to utilize the bulbs on at all times, but if we affix this to all trains running in the eve, we will soon find ourselves in a much safer city.”
“Either they will perish from the light, or they will flee it.” They had not decided who would share what news, but he felt it essential she lead the conversation, believing it would be better received than from a liar’s lips.
He had never seen the king smile, but the older man’s full lips twisted upwards almost instantly. The queen had tears in her eyes, but her practiced perfection kept them from falling. “I do not know who to thank, but I am thankful.” He let out a booming laugh and kissed his wife’s cheek. “For the first time in over ten years, I feel peace may come.”
“Sire, we must install these on all locomotives or run the risk the vampires will learn a schedule and find corners to flee the light.” Raven still wore the smile, but her tone was less pleasant.
“Whatever is needed, it will be done. I will take back my city, my country, and keep my people safe.”
“My dear, do not forget our plans.” Queen Renee gave him a slight nudge with her elbow.
“Yes, quite right. We have no wish to hold this device from the world. A representative from each guild will travel to the major cities and install these devices. A courier will be sent ahead to inform of your deeds, and once you have elected individuals, they will travel the world. We might not be able to save the countryside just yet, but this will be a remarkable start.”
Benjamin and Raven shared a look. He had expected such a command but was surprised the king was allowing them to select who went to each location. Which means you have loyalty to test.
“Your Highness, we have an urgent matter to discuss, one that might be more important than our success.”
“Continue, Abbott, and the past is gone. You have my ear whenever you request it.”
“A man from America approached and informed me an audience was requested of Lady Nightingale and myself. He spoke of an organization that works with mages there – more mages. He said they had knowledge we would want, and they believed we had skills they needed.”
“Very well, you may install the devices on American soil. Perhaps having the inventors there will quell the distrust that st
ill brews between our nations.”
“That distrust is why I came to you. I was instructed to keep the request silent.”
“I see.” The smile faded from his lips as he eyes narrowed. “Very well, then. I am still issuing you go. Learn what they have, see how we can utilize it. If a country will save the world, I’d prefer it to be us.”
“Do you think that wise?” Raven seemed shocked.
“Very. If the Americans think they can overthrow or pull the wool over my eyes, let them think they have. I have no ill will toward the people, and they need their heat bulbs. You will simply work both sides while there.”
“Sire, we have no communication devices that can work over such distances save for the telegraph.” Something Benjamin knew was less than secure.
“We will see to it a private line is installed. Forgive me for not knowing, is it the Electric Guild?”
“Aye.”
“There will be a celebration in your honor, and then you may leave for the Americas. King and Country, thank you.”
“As does your Queen,” Renee added with a firm smile. “I pray all is mended?”
Benjamin was confident she meant of him and Raven. So he did the only thing a man with strong desires could do.
Taking Raven’s hands in his, he turned to face her, gazing into her green eyes as if it were the first time. They were indeed magnificent, flecks of gray mingled with a more profound green than he had ever seen before hers. “Lady Raven Nightingale of the Steam Guild, I implore you this day. Allow me to court you in proper fashion. Our union will be an unrivaled political force, and I believe if you accept, you will see love will blossom where a partnership has already formed.”
Though he had not been prepared to request courtship, her silence set his nerves on edge. Her eyes had not left his, and there was nothing in her visage that relayed her feelings on the matter.
“Raven?”
She began to laugh. What started a low, small chuckle quickly grew into a boisterous belly laugh that drew her eyes closed and her hands from his gentle hold. He shifted his weight, uncomfortable in the response. They had made amends, he had presumed asking to court her was not out of the question, it was not as if he had proposed they wed.
“Lady Nightingale, are you well?” The queen sounded concerned as she rose and placed a hand on Raven’s shoulder.
It took a moment longer before Raven’s laughter ceased, and she replaced her hands in his. Shaking her head, she fixed him with a stare. “Benjamin Abbott, you are a unique man. A conundrum, really. I am uncertain how we will progress, but if you can promise me no more lies, I gladly accept your proposal of courtship, as there is no family to do so for me.”
“On my honor, Raven. Never again.” He was not certain if kissing her in the throne room was proper, so he withheld.
“If you would so have it, it would be my pleasure to give my blessing.”
Benjamin nearly sputtered at the king’s comment. Raven did.
“That is incredibly kind.”
“While my son is off in France, it would be my pleasure to act as surrogate father to a woman who has held a hand in saving the world.” He looked at Benjamin. “I assume this will be a proper courtship?”
He flushed for the first time in his existence. “As proper as our times can dictate.”
“Very well, then. I have not done this sort of decree before, so forgive me if I am uncertain on how to proceed, but I wish you all the best. Prepare to leave for The Americas. We have a world to save after all.”
As the king smiled, Benjamin intertwined his fingers with Raven’s, so he was more than merely holding onto her hands now. He’d never dreamed he’d find a reason to court someone other than his family’s orders. Now he had a world to save, an invention to do it with and a woman to not peeve off.
You live in a destroyed world with monsters, how difficult could this be?
Epilogue
One month later
Pleasure danced through her body as she rolled off Benjamin and back onto the bed. Her breath came in short pants as she lay there with her eyes closed, and her hand still entwined with his. Each and every experience with him outdid the previous, and she knew she had made the correct decision in trusting her heart.
It had taken Benjamin a fortnight of proper courtship alongside the hours they spent together prepping their guild members for their journeys, for her walls to retreat fully. He was every bit as enjoyable as she’d initially thought him to be when she was under the impression he was his cousin. The lie still stung when she thought on it, but it was slowly becoming more about her pride in not seeing what was before her eyes than his actual deception.
“That was rather incredible.” Benjamin chuckled as he spoke.
“I will not disagree with a man when he is right.”
“You say that as if you have instances when you disagree.”
Grinning, she cracked open her eyes and propped herself up on one arm, allowing her head to rest on her hand.
“That is precisely what I am saying, Benjamin Abbott.”
“Have I ever told you how much I enjoy you calling me by my name?” He smiled at her, teasing at a subject she still wasn’t entirely over.
Forcing away the swell of anger that the conversation typically brought, she focused on the way they fit together, as Raven and Benjamin. “Well, I am quite fond of knowing the truth of it.”
Benjamin sat up, the crisp white sheet falling and exposing his well-muscled chest. “Are you ready?”
“For our mission?”
He nodded. “I never dreamed of being a royal spy, really, all I ever thought my life had for me was my work at the guild and my family there.”
“I believe that is what occurs when you help invent a device that not only drives off but destroys the creatures we call vampires.”
“I am still not fully certain I will not awaken from a dream to find none of it was real, that you are still a stranger, and the threat has not been quelled.”
She hated the sadness in his unique hazel eyes almost as much as the frown that sat upon his lips. He was a ray of light in the darkness, at least for her, and his sorrow was unfortunate.
Rolling against him, she draped his arm over her bare shoulders as she spoke, relaxing against his warmth. “I can assure you, the device you designed was created with mage magic, and I am very much here. The sick are thinning in numbers, and people have small ways to embrace the beauty of the night once more in London, Glasgow, and Dublin. Let that be enough for the moment.”
His lips we warm as he kissed the nape of her neck. “You are very wise for someone so much younger than I.”
Scoffing, she twisted to face him, still remaining under his arm as she did so. “It is not even a full four years, Benjamin Abbott. A far cry less than when arranged marriages were the way of life.”
The small smile returned to his face, and she felt better knowing she had helped place it there.
“I am fortunate for one thing in our disaster of a world, that marriage became about attraction as well as money.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “It is encouraging to know we have brought change.”
She thought about the past lunar cycle and all that had been done. A celebration had indeed been thrown for them and their guilds. Members from both those young enough to not remember the squabble interacted as if there were no bad blood between them. Some were still hesitant, but knowing the secret of the betrayal helped her to understand their weariness.
The changes stretched far beyond their guilds, as the sick were finally succumbing to their disease due to the heat bulbs. It was a horrible thought, to wish death upon a group of people, but they had long ago lost their humanity. Their world was kill or be killed, with sparks of hope and love when one was lucky enough to find it.
“And on the morrow, we will begin to incite more.” There was little time before the sun raised and they could set sail. Sea bearing travel was incredibly strenuous. The doors could not be made ai
rtight due to the moisture in the air, which meant masks were a continuous necessity. There were still procedures in place to alleviate the use of masks during meal times, such as glass rooms that were very fragile, but for any that found themselves a victim of seasickness, it was a terrible journey as they had to risk retching in their masks or race to the glass chamber.
“You never answered if you were ready.”
Was she ready?
“I do not believe I’ve ever been less ready for anything in my life. But, I have been made Guild Master overnight, been attacked and survived near death over my blood, and lived through countless other events. I shall be ready when the time comes, and we step foot onto the vessel in the morning.”
“You are a wonder, Raven Nightingale. I am pleased your council bid you journey to me before King Clearance demanded a union.”
“And why is that?”
“Our paths may have crossed purely out of bitterness, and I believe some of your willingness to forgive me was because of those few days we spent in one another’s company.”
“Yes, I suppose you are correct. Had I merely been forced to work alongside you, it is unlikely I would have done the task myself.” She smiled, even though she was not completely over his initial betrayal, she knew that the past could be mended and that Benjamin Abbott was a man worth mending it for.
“On to America then?” he asked, his words carrying the sound of amusement.
“On to America.”
“This is your daughter’s fault,” Silas spat, slamming the paper down on the table before Victoria. “She is the reason.”
The headline was simple. “Vampires Dying Nightly.” The artwork attached was of Lady Raven Nightingale and Lord Benjamin Abbott, the responsible parties.
“I have heard. Many nights have passed since this began, and I do not live in a far off land, Silas.” Victoria would have bitten his head off if she could.
“What do you do to rectify it?” His nails dug into the table as his anger rose. “Show yourself to her. Let her see her mother is one of the beings she seeks to kill.”