Clockwork Alchemist (The Thief's Apprentice Book 1)

by Sara C. Roethle

  Ephraim stared down at her in surprise, his black fedora shielding his eyes from the sun. “He’s got you answering doors now, has he?” he asked.

  She blinked up at him nervously. “Actually, he told me not to answer the door.”

  He raised a pale eyebrow at her. “Then why did you?”

  “I just thought-” she stifled her words, realizing that she’d opened the door because she hadn’t really thought. Or she had, but she’d simply come to the wrong conclusion.

  His amused smile did nothing to soothe her embarrassment. “I take it Arhyen is not in?” he inquired, his eyes flicking to her torn sleeve, then back to her face.

  She shook her head, tossing her long hair around her shoulders and nervously covering her sleeve with her hand. “He should be back soon.”

  Ephraim leaned forward, making Liliana suddenly nervous. “A word of advice,” he whispered. “Next time you don’t answer the door. You should also not tell any visitors where Master Croft is, nor when he shall return.”

  “Sound advice,” a voice said from outside.

  Arhyen appeared in the doorway behind Ephraim, holding shopping bags in each hand and wearing a tired expression on his face.

  Ephraim laughed as he turned to Arhyen. “I imagine you know why I’m here?”

  Arhyen nodded, then stepped around Ephraim and through the doorway as Liliana moved aside. “Do come in,” he said somewhat snidely.

  Ephraim followed Arhyen inside, stepping over the wire, just as Arhyen had, without missing a beat. Liliana suspected Ephraim of venturing into Arhyen’s apartment many times before. Her suspicions were somewhat confirmed when he immediately made himself comfortable on the sofa, while Arhyen dropped his shopping bags on the floor near the stove, then moved to shut and lock the door.

  Arhyen’s eyes met Liliana’s as she stood near the kitchen area, unsure of what to do.

  He smiled at her, though she thought it seemed rather bedraggled. “Would you mind making some tea?” he asked hopefully.

  She nodded quickly, gladly accepting the task, then turned her attention to the small gas stove while Arhyen went to sit with Ephraim. There was already a kettle out on the burner, which she retrieved and filled with water from the nearby sink. After she set the water to boil, she peeked through the few cabinets for tea and cups, listening intently to the men’s conversation.

  At first, they seemed to just be catching up, talking about the weather and other boring things. Then Ephraim announced that it was time to pay up.

  Liliana fumbled the tea cup in her hand, nearly dropping it to the floor, though neither of the men seemed to notice. She took a shaky breath and set the cup on the counter, forcing herself to keep her eyes forward, though she had the urge to peek at Arhyen’s expression.

  Arhyen laughed, and Liliana fumbled a second cup as she removed it from the cabinet. “You’re in luck,” he replied. “As of early this morning, the rumors I have to deliver became much more interesting. You’ll get your payment and then some.”

  Liliana continued to listen as she finished preparing the tea. It was a soothing task for her, something she’d done for her father a thousand times over, but Arhyen’s words weren’t soothing in the least. She listened as he told Ephraim all about their masked attacker, though he didn’t include the part about being distracted by the three thugs, and her father’s journal. The only other things he left out were the formulae within the journal, and the fact that she was an automaton.

  “I didn’t think Fairfax Breckenridge had any family, let alone a daughter,” she heard Ephraim say in disbelief.

  “Well he does, or he did,” Arhyen replied, “though I’d appreciate if you kept that information to yourself. I don’t want anyone bothering the poor girl.”

  “Of course,” Ephraim assured.

  Liliana frowned at being called a poor girl, but plastered a smile on her face as she carried the kettle and two cups, all placed on a small tray, to the table in front of the couch.

  Arhyen glanced down at the tray, then turned his attention to her. “Oh, I’m sorry, did I not have enough clean cups?” He began to stand. “Let me wash one.”

  She became flustered as she realized her mistake. She’d assumed that she wasn’t allowed to have tea. Her father always drank his tea alone, or with visitors, but she was never invited.

  “I-I,” she stammered, not sure how to explain herself. If he went to the cupboard he’d see that there were two more clean teacups, and she’d look a fool for not bringing a third.

  Seeming to suddenly comprehend her situation, he waved her off. “I forgot, I’m trying to cut back,” he lied. “Thank you for the reminder.”

  Ephraim raised an eyebrow at the exchange, but didn’t comment. Instead, he poured tea into the two cups, and offered one to Liliana.

  She took it appreciatively, then took Arhyen’s seat on the couch as he stood and offered it to her. She gazed down into her cup, taking a deep breath to regain her composure. It was quite flustering to be treated like a human being.

  “What do you intend to do while you’re in London?” Ephraim asked.

  It took Liliana a moment to realize he was speaking to her. She jumped, almost spilling her tea, then smiled apologetically. “Well,” she began, “Arhyen is going to teach me to-”

  “Cook!” Arhyen cut her off.

  She glared at him for interrupting, but his worried gaze prompted her to keep quiet. Perhaps her mission to find her purpose was supposed to remain a secret.

  Ephraim snickered, then glanced up at Arhyen. “You cook?”

  Arhyen bristled and stood a little straighter. “Quite well, actually.”

  Ephraim didn’t seem to believe him, but he let it go. He placed his full tea cup on the table, then cleared his throat. “I really should be going, but since you’ve given me a great deal of information, I’ll offer you something in return.” He stood. “You are not the first victims of our mysterious masked man,” he explained, “nor do I believe you’ll be the last. He has robbed several wealthy estates that we know of, taking only one item at a time. In each case, those who witnessed the thefts claimed he simply disappeared, like a ghost.”

  “What has he stolen?” Arhyen asked curiously.

  Ephraim shrugged. “Odds and ends, really. So far he’s taken several old alchemical tomes, an antique dagger, and an urn.”

  “Was the urn-” Arhyen began.

  “Filled with ashes, yes,” Ephraim replied.

  Arhyen nodded, seemingly deep in thought.

  Liliana didn’t think she fully understood the significance of the conversation, so she remained silent.

  “Well, I’m off,” Ephraim announced. He bowed slightly in front of her, then walked around the sofa toward the door before turning back to Arhyen. “Inform me if you come across anything pertinent?”

  Arhyen nodded absentmindedly, then Ephraim let himself out of the apartment, minding the wire by the doorway.

  Liliana turned to stare at Arhyen, hoping for an explanation.

  He stood there thinking awhile longer, then nodded to himself. He glanced at her. “I apologize, but I should probably get some rest before tonight. We may be out quite late, and I must admit, I’ve reached the end of my reserves.”

  She nodded, feeling disappointed. If she was to discover her purpose, she needed all the information she could get, but she would not push him when he’d already done so much for her.

  He gestured to his forgotten shopping bags, still resting near the stove. “There are your books, and a few other things I thought you might need. If any of it is not what you require, or not to your liking, feel free to speak up.”

  She glanced at the bags and felt suddenly less disappointed. He’d said books and other things. What might they contain? Suddenly she couldn’t wait for him to go to sleep.

  Arhyen turned away from her and stumbled over to the bed against the far wall. He tossed himself onto the mattress, face down and fully clothed, then seemed to fall asleep within
seconds.

  Liliana waited and sipped her rapidly cooling tea for several more minutes to ensure that Arhyen was asleep, then stood and hurried over to the bags. She knelt on the wooden floor and set down her teacup, then pulled the nearest bag toward her. This one was all books, ranging from the fundamentals of alchemy all the way to advanced formulae. Her father had possessed many of the advanced books, though all would be useful when it came time to remember the specific symbols and formulae she needed. She really should have started on it right then, but she couldn’t resist the temptation to see what was in the other bag.

  Pushing the books aside, she curiously pulled it toward her. The first thing she pulled out was a fresh, leather-bound journal. She leafed through its blank pages, then set it aside. Next came a box that was lighter than she expected. She opened it to find soft, forest green fabric. She stood as she pulled the garment out of the box to reveal a new dress. The style was similar to the one she wore, with a fitted bodice, long sleeves, and skirts that flared away from the body for ease of movement, though the fabric was thicker, and more finely made. Still standing, she held the dress against herself, quite pleased. Draping the dress over her arm, she knelt near the bag once more, and found new underpinnings and stockings. Feeling embarrassed and not knowing why, she gathered all of the garments into her arms.

  She glanced at Arhyen, lying face down on his pillow, clearly still asleep, then hurried to the bathroom to change. She’d explored the small space earlier, and had deemed it the only appropriate place to change. Once inside, she shut the door and undid the numerous buttons going down her back, having to bend her arms awkwardly at times to reach them all. She removed her old underpinnings and donned the new ones, pleased to see that everything fit properly. She thought of Arhyen picking the items out, and felt suddenly dizzy and short of breath.

  She shook her head and took a moment to calm herself, then slid into the dress. It fit perfectly, but she found that undoing the buttons on her old dress had been far more simple than buttoning the ones that went all the way up the back of her new dress. Growing increasingly flustered, she buttoned as many as she could, then looked at herself in the small, oval mirror mounted on the wall above the small sink.

  The dress suited her coloring, she supposed. It made her skin look pale, while her hair seemed a more vibrant shade of red. Her large blue eyes shone in contrast. She took a moment to comb her fingers through her hair, but she’d lost all of the pins that had previously held it, so there was little else she could do to make herself presentable.

  Feeling giddy in her new attire, and still slightly embarrassed about the underpinnings, she gathered her old clothing and exited the bathroom. She glanced at Arhyen, who was still asleep, his face buried in his pillow. Stepping lightly, she walked past the sofa and put her old clothes in the bag that had contained her new ones, then gathered up several of the books he’d purchased. She carried the books to the table in front of the sofa and spread them out across its surface before sitting. She glanced at Arhyen again, then retrieved the nearest book and started reading.

  A few times as she read, he mumbled unintelligible things in his sleep, making her smile. She found herself quite determined to live up to her end of their bargain, no matter what it might take.

  Arhyen slowly rolled over, stretching his arms above his head as he woke. The last rays of sunlight peeked weakly through the window. Why was he in bed at this hour?

  He sat up bolt straight as things finally caught up to him. He turned to look at the sofa, then exhaled a sigh of relief to see Liliana sitting there happily in her new dress, sipping tea and perusing the books he’d gotten her. Her hair looked a little neater, and she seemed almost like a real human as her gaze turned to him.

  “How long was I asleep?” he asked groggily.

  “Several hours,” she answered, then frowned as she lowered her tea to her lap. “Is that bad? Was I supposed to wake you? Father would sometimes sleep during the day, but it was rarely more than an hour.”

  Arhyen shook his head and lowered his feet to the wooden floor, then frowned as he realized he still wore his shoes. He hadn’t perceived just how exhausted he’d been until his head had hit the pillow.

  Liliana scrambled to stand up, pushing the books aside and hastily setting her teacup on the table. “T-thank you for the dress,” she stammered.

  Why was she so nervous? He thought back to the automaton at Blackwood’s estate with her blank stare. Automatons weren’t supposed to get nervous. He stood and took a few steps toward her, then looked her up and down. Her hair, which hung nearly to her waist, seemed brighter against the deep green fabric. “Well the aim was to blend in,” he explained, “though I don’t know that this dress will accomplish that task for you.”

  She blinked up at him. “W-what?”

  He shook his head, not about to explain to her what he meant. “You look lovely,” he corrected.

  She looked down at her feet, seemingly embarrassed. What had he gotten himself into?

  “Um,” she began, then cut herself off, twisting her lips as if debating her next words.

  “Yes?” he pressed.

  Instead of speaking, she quickly turned around, putting her back to him, revealing that the portion of her dress between her shoulder blades had not been buttoned.

  “Ah,” he observed, realizing her quandary. He gently began to fasten the rest of the buttons, taking care to touch her as little as possible, since she seemed so apprehensive about it.

  “There you go,” he stated once he was done, then moved past her toward the kitchen, effectively ending the awkward moment. As he started to slice some bread, he looked over his shoulder at her. She had turned around, her eyes fixed upon him. “Would you like a sandwich?” he asked.

  At the question, he could almost swear he saw her mouth watering.

  She nodded excitedly, then asked, “Is it normal to eat so many sandwiches?”

  He shrugged, then turned back to his work. “It is for me.”

  Really, it was only his second sandwich of the day, and he’d only made one for the day before, which he’d thrown out since it had turned to mush in his satchel. It was his normal meal though. He’d lied when he told Ephraim that he could cook. He’d even burn plain rice if he tried to boil it.

  He retrieved ham and some lettuce from the ice box, then finished assembling the other ingredients. Once they were complete, he set the sandwiches on plates to carry over to the sofa. Liliana took the plate he offered as she resumed her seat amongst her scattered books, then stared down at her meal like it was a work of art. He sat across from her, waiting patiently for her to take a bite.

  “Go ahead,” he urged, doing his best not to laugh at her.

  Finally, she picked up the sandwich and took a bite, then her eyes lit up. She chewed quickly and swallowed. Within less than a minute, the sandwich was no more.

  Arhyen shook his head and chuckled as he ate his own sandwich, thinking it was exceedingly cruel of her father to create a being with the propensity for taste, only to deny her something so simple as a sandwich, or a piece of chocolate cake.

  She watched him as he continued to eat. Eventually he gave up and offered her the leftover half. She took it with a grin. He found that he quite liked seeing her smile, automaton or no.

  Chapter 6

  As night fell, they prepared to leave Arhyen’s small apartment. Liliana had never been more nervous in her life. Not only was she embarking on a new start, she would perhaps be uncovering more information about what she was. Why had the masked man stolen her father’s journal, and why had someone hired Arhyen to steal it in the first place? She supposed she could just ask Arhyen about the latter, but she could admit, if only to herself, that she was frightened of the possible answer.

  She had studied the books Arhyen provided for hours while he slept, and had begun to scribble notes in the fresh journal. She had actually remembered more than she thought she would. A few more hour’s work, and perhaps she could
get everything down correctly. Yet, she was hesitant to finish. She’d perused the formulae many times, knowing they were the ones that gave her a soul, as her father claimed, but the process didn’t entirely make sense to her. For one thing, the page did not contain just one formula. There were four. Had four different components been required to give her a soul, or had she simply been given something else?

  “Are you ready?” Arhyen asked from across the room.

  She startled, unsure of how long she’d been standing near the sofa, entirely lost in thought. Her eyes met Arhyen’s, then she looked him up and down. He’d changed into black wool trousers and a gray silk waistcoat over a high-collared, pinstriped shirt. Atop his messy brown hair rested a black bowler cap.

  He pulled a pocket watch out of his waistcoat to check the time. “We should really get going,” he prompted.

  Liliana nodded quickly and strode forward to meet him near the door, but Arhyen hesitated before reaching for the knob. He held a finger up, gesturing for her to wait, then hurried back across the room, pausing by a pile of coats draped over a rickety chair near the bed. He pawed through the pile, coming away with a simple black coat. He returned to her and wrapped it around her shoulders.

  “Sorry,” he muttered, looking her up and down. “I should have thought to purchase you a proper coat.”

  She touched the new fabric at her shoulders. “I do not feel the cold as much as . . . others,” she said awkwardly, not wanting to fully explain herself. She could tell when it was cold, but it wasn’t terribly uncomfortable for her, nor would it cause her to fall ill.

  He patted her shoulder absentmindedly and reached for the door. “Yes, but it will seem odd for a lady to be out on a chilly night without a coat.”

  Her mouth formed an oh of comprehension. They were trying to blend in.

  Arhyen opened the door and she followed him outside. While he turned various keys in various locks, Liliana took in their surroundings, what she could see of them, anyway. There was only a sliver of moon in the sky, and no street lamps in that area of town, leaving them in near darkness.