Emilie & the Hollow World

by Martha Wells

  “Yes, of course.” Dr. Marlende neatly cut off the potential diatribe. “But if his aetheric engine has not been sabotaged, then he has no reason to linger here or contact us.”

  During the eclipse, as they fled the battle between the Queen's forces and the Nomads, there had been a long three-cornered wireless conversation between their airship, the Sovereign, and Lord Ivers' craft. He had claimed that at some point before he had left the Sealands' capital, one of the Queen's courtiers who had been aboard his airship had sabotaged his aetheric engine, leaving him stranded in the Hollow World.

  “You were right, Rani,” Emilie had said quietly. “The Queen didn't intend to let him go. She knew he wouldn't be able to get back, and he'd have to come to her for help, and she'd make him use the airship against the Nomads.”

  “Yes, but her plan would not have worked,” Rani said, lifting her brows. “The airships need fuel for the engine in the back that works the propellers. Dr. Marlende explained this, and all the limitations of this craft, when we first began to explore together.”

  Emilie snorted. “I bet Lord Ivers didn't explain his limitations to the Queen.”

  “But he must have explained the aetheric engine, or the merpeople wouldn't have known how to sabotage it,” Daniel said. He was taking a break from transcribing the wireless, and Seth and Mikel were manning it and the code book. Leaning against the wall near Emilie, he hadn't referred to their little altercation earlier, but he did seem to be making an effort not to act awkwardly around her. It was taking an effort on her part not to act awkwardly around him; she felt she had overstepped herself quite a bit.

  Rani said, dryly, “That was stupid of Ivers.”

  “Yes, and naive, on his part,” Dr. Marlende had agreed, standing at the airship's wheel. “He thought them too primitive to do anything with the information.” He added, with grim satisfaction, “He's paying for his poor judgment now.”

  Lord Ivers had promised to release Miss Marlende in exchange for their help with his engine, though Emilie wasn't counting any chickens until that actually happened. She thought Lord Ivers would try until the last moment to double-cross them. But they had eventually arranged to meet here on this island, and now all they had to do was wait.

  As they stood on the beach, Dr. Barshion came up to Dr. Marlende. He shook hands, saying, “It's an honor to see you again, sir. And we can certainly use your help with the Sovereign's aetheric engine.” He admitted, “The ship's engineers and I weren't quite up to the mark, I'm afraid.”

  Emilie was glad to hear him say it aloud. She didn't think it would help if Dr. Barshion got stubborn about accepting Dr. Marlende's aid the way he had when Mr. Abendle had wanted to ask Miss Marlende's opinion. But maybe it was easier for him, since Dr. Marlende was both a man and an acknowledged expert. Dr. Marlende only said, kindly, “As long as you've brought the supplies I had to send Kenar and my poor friend Jerom for. I was completely wrong about the resonance needed for the quickaether sustainers, and it contaminated the replacements I had brought along before we realized what the problem was.”

  Emilie missed the rest, as Kenar arrived and caught her in a hug that lifted her off her feet. His voice rough with emotion, he said, “Thank you for rescuing Rani, Emilie.”

  “I wish we'd been able to rescue Miss Marlende, but we were too late,” Emilie said, breathless as he set her back down. “And they shot at us, a lot.” She looked up at him and asked hesitantly, “Did they tell you about Beinar?”

  “Yes, they told me.” He squeezed her shoulders and she could see the sadness in his eyes. “He was a very good friend.”

  They waited through the morning. Dr. Marlende and Daniel went aboard the Sovereign to get the materials needed to fix the airship's aetheric engine, and to consult with Dr. Barshion and Mr. Abendle. The Cirathi spent the time checking over their ship, making minor repairs, and getting it ready for their long voyage home. “I think we have worn out our welcome in these waters,” Rani said. They were in the galley cabin, and Emilie was helping her sort out which foodstuffs had gone bad and which could be saved. “We'll go back and report to our guild, and tell everyone else to think twice before they come here.”

  “I'm never going to see you or Kenar again,” Emilie said, only realizing after the words were out how forlorn she sounded. She poked dispiritedly at a bag of meal that had something growing in it. “I mean, even if there are other expeditions, they probably won't let me come. I'm only here accidentally, after all.”

  “Ah, Emilie,” Rani said, putting down a jar and turning to regard her. “We will never forget you. Will you forget us?”

  “No, never,” Emilie said, her voice thick.

  “Then that will have to be enough,” Rani said, and hugged her again.

  Someone called out from the deck, and they ran out to see the distant shape of an airship approaching from antidarkward. “He did come,” Emilie said, feeling a certain tightness in her chest ease. They would get Miss Marlende back. “He didn't lie about that, at least.”

  Rani nodded thoughtfully. “Now we just need to figure out what he is lying about.”

  Lord Ivers brought his airship in toward the far end of the island, lowered it until it was about twenty feet above the ground, then dropped a chain ladder.

  Emilie waited on the beach with Lord Engal, Dr. Marlende, Rani, Kenar, and Dr. Barshion, along with Oswin and Daniel and half a dozen armed sailors. Most of the Cirathi were aboard the Lathi, and there were armed sailors on the deck of the Sovereign, just in case Lord Ivers made some sort of attempt on either ship.

  Now that both craft were here for comparison, Emilie could see Lord Ivers' airship was a little larger than Dr. Marlende's, and its two-story cabin was certainly more impressive. But the wind off the sea was strong, and the airship was having to fight it, its propellers spinning rapidly as the pilot made hurried adjustments. “They aren't going to anchor,” Oswin pointed out.

  “No, but I wouldn't either, in his position,” Dr. Marlende said. “One of the hazards of a course of betrayal and aggression is that one can never trust others. You know they have more than enough cause to betray you in turn.”

  Rani folded her arms, frustrated. “Which was the point I was trying to make when I suggested we simply set upon him and extract your daughter.”

  “If we could have figured out an effective way to do it,” Lord Engal muttered, “I would have embraced your suggestion whole-heartedly.”

  The airship steadied finally and a lone figure began to climb down the chain ladder. From his height and his clothes, Emilie could tell it was Lord Ivers himself. “He's coming alone?” she said, surprised.

  Lord Engal snorted derisively. “Of course. The man's ego wouldn't permit anything else.”

  Lord Ivers reached the ground and made the long walk down the beach toward them. This was the first time Emilie had seen him face to face. He was lean, with light Northern Menaen blond hair and striking blue eyes. He was about Lord Engal's age, but he had sharper features, and was more handsome. Much more the conventional image of a noble lord philosopher. Especially compared to Lord Engal, who was big and hearty and looked like he could do a good day's manual labor without suffering unduly. Emilie expected that Lord Ivers' gentlemanly appearance probably had a lot of people fooled.

  He stopped a few paces away, nodded to Dr. Marlende, and said, “Dr. Marlende, I presume.”

  Lord Engal said dryly, “I did that already.”

  Lord Ivers eyed him, his lip curled in mild derision. “I'm sure you enjoyed it. You've always been greatly pleased by your small accomplishments.”

  Lord Engal sputtered, “It's your petty competitiveness that turned this from a philosophical experiment into a race-”

  “Oh, you calling anyone 'petty' has to be the ultimate-”

  There was some restless movement among the others. Kenar gritted his teeth, Rani rubbed the bridge of her nose in tight-lipped annoyance, and Dr. Barshion sighed wearily. Emilie was pretty certain it was Daniel
who had snorted incredulously. Dr. Marlende cut it off before it went on any longer, saying sharply, “Gentlemen! If this is a race, I've won it.” He turned to Lord Ivers. “Now release my daughter, sir, or I'll shoot you.” He rested his hand on the pistol tucked into his belt.

  Now that's more like it, Emilie thought. Everyone seemed a little taken aback, except Rani, Kenar, and Daniel, who obviously knew Dr. Marlende better than the others. Lord Ivers looked affronted, and Lord Engal startled. Lord Ivers said, “You would shoot a man in cold blood-”

  Dr. Marlende was unimpressed. “My blood is hardly cold. Release my daughter. Now.”

  Lord Ivers watched him a moment, then evidently decided to get down to business. He said, “I will be happy to release Miss Marlende in exchange for your assistance with repairs to my aetheric engine.”

  Dr. Marlende countered, “Release my daughter now, and I'll forgo my desire to shoot you.” He added, reluctantly, “And I'll consider not stranding you and your crew of miscreants here.”

  Emilie was watching Lord Ivers very carefully, and she thought she saw relief and satisfaction flicker across his face, though it was too brief to be certain it wasn't her imagination. He said, stiffly, “My engine wouldn't have failed if it hadn't been sabotaged, unlike yours and Engal's. I suggest you will benefit more from my assistance.”

  Lord Engal laughed. “'Your engine?' I don't know who you stole it from but-”

  Dr. Marlende interrupted again. “You've heard my offer. Release my daughter now, sir.”

  Lord Ivers' jaw tightened. “You agree to repair my engine?”

  Dr. Marlende didn't budge. “As I said, I'll undertake not to strand you here. Now give me your decision. I'm just as happy to shoot you and continue this negotiation with your second-in-command.”

  Lord Ivers said, grimly, “I see I have no choice. I'll release Miss Marlende.” He turned, and lifted his arm to wave, once, at his airship.

  Emilie tensed, aware that everyone else had too. The sailors moved restlessly, shifting their grips on their weapons.

  But after a moment a single figure in a battered tweed jacket and skirt stepped out of the door and onto the platform, and started to climb down the ladder. Emilie's heart leapt. It was Miss Marlende.

  Emilie held her breath as Miss Marlende quickly walked all the long way down the beach, but it wasn't a trick or a trap. As she reached them, Kenar muttered something in Cirathi, sounding profoundly relieved. Lord Engal still watched Lord Ivers with skeptical suspicion. Dr. Marlende just stepped forward, and said in a thick voice, “Are you quite well, my dear? I've engaged not to shoot him, but I'm happy to retract the promise if you've been harmed.”

  Lord Ivers looked affronted. “I beg your pardon. I've treated the girl in a perfectly civilized-”

  “I'm fine, father. He's an arrogant and greedy cad, but he didn't hurt me,” Miss Marlende assured him. She looked tired and a little mussed, but didn't seem injured at all. She reached Dr. Marlende and hugged him tightly. “And I'm so happy to see you.”

  Emilie managed to wait her turn behind Dr. Marlende and Kenar, but finally she could throw herself into Miss Marlende's arms. “I'm sorry we couldn't get you out too,” Emilie said in a rush, aware she was babbling but unable to stop. “By the time Rani and I got back, the airship had taken off-”

  “Emilie, it's all right,” Miss Marlende assured her, hugging her back. “If I'd been quicker off the mark, I could have jumped into the water after Rani, but I missed my chance. There was nothing you could do.”

  “This is a very touching reunion, but I believe we have other more pressing concerns-” Lord Ivers began.

  “Oh, shut up,” Lord Engal told him, earning Emilie's approval for all time. “I want your airship anchored and your men to come out and turn over their weapons, and if they hold so much as a pocketknife back, I'll shoot you myself.”

  Radiating contempt, Lord Ivers agreed to everything Lord Engal asked.

  Somehow, that didn't make Emilie feel the least bit reassured.

  “I still feel it was too easy,” Rani said, frustrated. “Ivers practically handed himself to us.”

  “Yes,” Miss Marlende agreed. “He had to know my father wouldn't feel obligated to fulfill his end of the bargain, not after Ivers behaved like a criminal.” They were aboard the Sovereign, in the lounge with the big windows, where Emilie and the others had spent the voyage down through the aether current. Kenar and Daniel were here too; Dr. Marlende and most of the others were working on the Sovereign's aetheric engine, and Lord Engal and his sailors were busy guarding Lord Ivers' men and searching his airship. Miss Marlende added, “Lord Engal intends to press a charge against him for my kidnapping. And once the magistrates begin to investigate that, I'm more than certain we can turn up some evidence that he ordered the sabotages we suffered while planning the expedition, as well as the attack on the Sovereign in Meneport.”

  Emilie was glad to hear that Lord Ivers would pay for what he had done, though she thought the punishment would probably be inadequate. She said, “He planned to strand us here – can’t we do the same to him?”

  Miss Marlende shook her head. “Abandoning Lord Ivers might be the most appealing solution, but we just can't do it. If left in the Hollow World, he would probably become a pirate or worse, and with his knowledge of aetheric and conventional engines, there's no telling what trouble he would make.”

  Daniel added, “Dr. Marlende is afraid the Queen's people would find him, and Ivers would help them invent new devices to use against the Nomads, and anyone else within range.”

  Kenar said, “Are we certain the airship was really sabotaged? That it wasn't a trick to allow him to contact us?”

  Emilie had been wondering that herself.

  But Miss Marlende said, “No, I'm certain the sabotage was real.” She leaned forward on the couch. “I heard the crew talking about it. Two small but key components, including the quickaether stabilizer for the motile, were removed. Both were easily disconnected elements. I suspect the merpeople requested a tour of the airship, then removed them while Ivers and his crew were distracted or absent. They might not have known what the components did, but it wouldn't take an aetheric sorcerer or an engineer to spot them as important. I expect they thought the airship wouldn't be able to take off; when it did, they thought their plan had failed, and they pinned their hopes for overwhelming the Nomads on the Sovereign.” She added, “Lord Ivers' sorcerer is competent to maintain the spells, but that's all. He had no hope of effecting the repairs himself.”

  Emilie asked, “But what are we going to do with his airship? If we leave it here, the Queen might find it.”

  Kenar jerked his chin toward the door, indicating the activity on the beach. “Engal plans to destroy it. I think it's the best course.” He smiled a little. “He's looking forward to telling Lord Ivers about it.”

  Rani snorted. “I'm sure he will like to make Ivers watch.”

  It was a shame; the airship was beautiful, in its way, but they couldn't leave it here. Emilie said, “Will they set it on fire?”

  Daniel nodded. “With the fuel oil from the conventional engine, after they remove the quickaether and the other valuable components.”

  “It will take some time.” Watching the Cirathi worriedly, Miss Marlende said, “I think you should go ahead and leave, if the Lathi is ready to sail. You've already done so much for my father, and after what happened to your friend Beinar... I don't want you to sacrifice anything else for us.”

  Kenar lifted his brows, and exchanged a look with Rani. Rani let out her breath, and said, “We did much for your father because we owe him much, and I don't think he would leave us, if our situations were reversed. But I feel there is little we can do for you, except help you stare suspiciously at Lord Ivers.” Rani shrugged. “We will stay as long as we can, and follow you to make sure your ships enter the aether current as planned.”

  Smiling, Kenar nudged her with his shoulder. “Good. I know the others will agree.”


  Miss Marlende nodded, and Emilie could tell she was relieved. “Thank you.”

  The conference broke up at that point, as there was nothing much they could do, and Rani and Kenar needed to get back to the Lathi to continue the preparations for their voyage home. As the others left, Daniel caught up with Emilie in the corridor, and said awkwardly, “I wanted to apologize for my behavior, on the airship, after Beinar...fell. It was, uh...”

  Emilie thought that “natural” was perhaps the word he was looking for. He had known Beinar personally, when she hadn't, and she felt she had been high-handed, at the least. She said, quickly, “No, it's all right. I'm sorry I was so sharp with you. I was just afraid something would happen and we wouldn't escape after all. And it was a shock.”

  Daniel nodded, and they continued down the corridor. After a moment, he said, “You get angry when you're shocked?”

  Emilie threw a suspicious look at him. Possibly he was teasing her. “Apparently so.” Partly to poke back at him, and partly from real curiosity, she added, “Why aren't you helping Dr. Marlende and Dr. Barshion with the engines?”

  “I'm not that kind of sorcerer.” Daniel shoved his hands in his pockets, though he didn't sound too disgruntled. “I just don't have the aptitude for aether mechanics. I'm learning naturalistic magic.”

  Emilie frowned. “From Dr. Marlende? I thought he was an expert in aether mechanics.”

  Daniel smiled faintly. “He's an expert in both.”

  Emilie had no trouble believing that. Dr. Marlende wasn't the kind of philosopher who wrote learned articles on other people's discoveries; he was the kind who made the discoveries. “What about Dr. Barshion?”

  “I don't know.” Daniel sounded thoughtful. “I've seen his name in the Philosophical Society's journals, occasionally, but I don't know anything about him-”

  Seth came out of the cross corridor at the end of the passage, spotted them, and waved. He said, “Come up to the wheelhouse, the doctor thinks he has it figured out!”