The Lantern's Ember

by Colleen Houck

  “We’ll be careful,” Ember said.

  “Now would you like the rest of the tour?”

  “Indeed,” Finney said.

  He showed them the area where he’d worked on Frank. Though Finney headed right to the half-built automatons and began a lively conversation with the doctor, Ember winced at seeing rats floating in pink brine, twitching human hands connected to wires, and a table full of polished surgical tools.

  Dr. Farragut approached Ember as she studied various objects on a table, stopping at a tall, conical hat. “It makes sense for you to be interested in that,” he said.

  “What? The hat? I’m not so much interested as I am curious. Just how would you use such a thing when doctoring?”

  “Don’t you recognize it?” When Ember shook her head, he said, “My, you are a novice. It’s a witch hat. The point at the top channels a witch’s power. It draws her energy upward and out like a siphon. It’s a bit archaic nowadays. We’ve replaced it with clockwork technology that works much better, but I spent many years examining it, trying to learn how the witches used it in crafting spells and summoning their power. Here, give it a try.”

  Ember put the hat on, then said, “Now what?”

  The doctor pursed his lips, “Hmm, why not try a basic teleportation.”

  “I’m afraid I don’t know how.”

  “Don’t know how? Dear me. Then I shall guide you. First, choose something in the room you’d like to move. Size doesn’t matter, though I’d caution you in moving a living object, as they are quite tricky to manage without injuring them.”

  After choosing something that looked like it was either a dried mushroom or a piece of the underwater reef, the doctor said, “Now think about the object. Wrap your witch power around it.”

  “Like a bubble?”

  “Why, yes. If that works. Wrap your power around it and then give it a nudge. Make it as light as air in your mind.”

  The item shifted, wiggling back and forth. Ember imagined she was holding it in an invisible hand, and it rose in the air. The tickle in her stomach felt more like a tugging sensation, almost like there was a fishing line attached to the object.

  “Good! Now push it to where you want it to go.”

  Ember held it with her mind and then tugged on the line connecting her to the object, and a moment later, had set it down on top of a book.

  “Excellent!” the doctor said. “You’re a natural.”

  Walking up to the object, Ember peered down at it, amazed that she’d been able to move it with her mind. “What is it?” she asked.

  “Oh, that? A dried brain.”

  Ember swallowed. “Oh.” Taking off the hat, she handed it back to the doctor.

  “I have no further need of it. It’s yours, if you would like to keep it,” he said.

  “Really?” Ember asked. “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely. Consider it a lagniappe. Test it out for yourself. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what you can do.”

  Ember took the hat and was tracing her fingertip along the brim when the doctor proclaimed, “Ah, it must be time for lunch.”

  She turned too quickly, not looking where she stepped, and tripped over a thick cable connected to the doctor’s instrument board. A pair of hands caught her, but when she righted herself, she saw no one. Ember swallowed. She was being held by the invisible man.

  “I didn’t mean to frighten you,” Yegor said. “I was…er…securing the grounds, and someone ran off with my stack of clothing. I wasn’t planning to alert you to my presence until I was properly attired, but then the doctor always knows when I am near. Should I have let you fall? You might have been less disturbed.”

  “Yes. I mean, no,” Ember said, staring at his clockwork eyes, the only part of him that was visible. “I appreciate your timely assistance.”

  The frowning doctor said, “She’d be much less disturbed if you let her go and put something on.” He grabbed a white coat hanging from a hook and tossed it in Ember’s general direction. An invisible hand grabbed it out of the air, and the floating coat quickly took the shape of a man.

  Finney was circling the space occupied by Yegor, his mouth open and his eyes wide. “The wonders of your world never cease, do they, Doctor?”

  “If they did, that would be my cue to move,” the doctor replied dryly. “Well then. Shall we, my dear?” he asked, holding out his arm to Ember. “Yegor, arrange a workstation so that the two young people may return at their leisure to brew their spells.”

  “But, Doctor,” Yegor said from behind them. “We don’t want them poking around in certain places. You know it could be dangerous to allow—”

  Enraged, the doctor spun. “I’ll thank you to leave such matters to me, Yegor. Do as I say or you won’t like the consequences, I assure you.”

  Silence fell then, impalpable and intense. Finally, Yegor replied quietly, “Yes, master.”

  When they started up the steps, the doctor said, “I do apologize for my coarse behavior. I keep a cabinet stocked with cognac specifically because of him. I swore off imbibing spirits long ago, but I am comforted just by knowing it’s there, should I have no other recourse. If there is one man in the world who could drive the very devil to drink, it is Yegor.”

  He escorted them to the dining room and then begged his leave, saying they should begin without him. “I have something to attend to, but I promise to be along momentarily.”

  Ember gave him a graceful curtsy and entered the room with Finney. She found all the other members of their party already seated in a stiflingly hot room. A crackling fire burned, and she noticed the doors were shut on both ends, making the room even hotter. Everyone appeared uncomfortable with the temperature except Jack.

  As Ember took her seat between Jack and Dev, she noticed that Graydon and Delia were holding hands. She’d never seen Delia so at ease. Even though the hair near her temple was damp with perspiration, the vampiress looked almost…happy.

  As for Graydon, he sat stiffly, his fingers constantly twitching and rubbing Delia’s knuckles. Ember was about to ask him if everything was well with him, when the doctor entered, followed by two manservants carrying a large object wrapped in paper. After a signal was given, they grasped the edges and peeled back the paper to reveal a lovely painting of the Phantom Airbus sailing into the clouds.

  “How lovely!” Delia exclaimed as she rose to inspect it.

  “Do you like it?” the doctor asked. “I’m so glad. I had it commissioned just for you the last time the ship was docked. Well, you and Captain Graydon, that is. It ties in to a new experiment I’m conducting.”

  “That’s so very generous,” Delia said.

  “Yes,” Graydon added, his lips cracking into the barest of smiles. “It is.”

  “It looks so stately,” Delia said sadly. “I’m afraid I’ll miss her terribly.”

  “Then you must accept this painting as a gift when you depart,” the doctor said. “Whenever the two of you look upon it, it will remind you of your affection for each other and what the two of you were able to accomplish together. My greatest wish is that it will serve as an inspiration for you both.”

  After it was set on the sideboard so all could see it, the doctor nodded and their lunch trays were brought in. Finney and the doctor carried most of the conversation, continuing where they’d left off in the laboratory. They dined on cider-scalloped potatoes, spicy bat wings, squash leaf–wrapped eel, and witch’s purse canapés.

  When tea was brought out, it was accompanied by a puffy white confection the doctor said were “marshmallows” and something he called graveyard cakes. He said they were made with the skins and juice of fruits called oranges and a dark powder called cocoa, the basic ingredient in chocolate. Ember was immediately interested.

  Finney was just glad there wasn’t any pumpkin to be found. He loved sweets above all, and he didn’t want to have to skip
out on anything Jack’s pumpkin frowned upon. As for Ember, she ate six of the marshmallows and four of the little cakes, including Jack’s, making the doctor promise to give her a bag of cocoa and a recipe.

  “Oh my,” she said, sitting back in her chair and slightly loosening the stays of her corset by running her fingertip just down the top center. “I do so love chocolate. It’s one of my absolute favorite things about the Otherworld.” Ember blew out a breath. “This entire world is a bit of butter on bacon, isn’t it?”

  The doctor smiled almost sadly. “Indeed it is.”

  When they were satiated and the tea settings had been removed, another man entered, carrying a covered tray. He pulled off the lid and they saw a plate filled with papers. There was a tiny gear affixed to the side of the paper. When Ember removed a paper, the gears unlocked at her touch and the paper separated enough for her to slide in her finger. “A ball?” she asked.

  “Yes,” the doctor said. “A costume ball, to be precise. I want you all to make the most of the time you have left here on my lovely island. I’m simply replete with joy at your arrival, and I feel the only way to properly express my excitement is in the company of those who might share in it.”

  Dev checked his pocket watch and smoothed back his hair. “And who will be in attendance?” he asked.

  “Oh, I think we’ll have quite a group. I have so many guests practically dying to meet you. We wouldn’t want to spoil it, now, would we? Of course, every accommodation will be made. You’ll all have nothing to do except dress for the occasion. Costumes will be sent to your rooms.” He leaned closer to Ember, waggling his eyebrows. “There will be an entire dessert table of those chocolate sweets you enjoy. I think you’ll find all the treats made from cocoa to be much to your liking.”

  Threading his fingers on his stout belly, he said, “Now that the pleasantness has been revealed, I’m afraid I have a bit of bad news as well.”

  “Oh?” Dev asked, leaning forward.

  “Yes. Unfortunately, it seems not all of you are remaining true to your promise to not try to escape.” Everyone at the table stiffened. Pushing back his chair, the doctor stood and walked behind Ember to where the painting sat on display.

  The doctor’s eyes sparkled a touch too brightly, and his too-tight face seemed unnatural, as if he could lift his hand and peel away the skin to reveal the true man wearing a doctor’s face.

  “It is lovely.” The doctor sighed, indicating the painting. “I knew I would need it someday,” he continued. “Unfortunately, that day is today.”

  The group looked at one another uncertainly.

  “Ah, as you are aware, I have many animals of the feline persuasion in my home. They may not look as if they are paying attention, but I assure you, they are. I have equipped all my cats with a tiny device that captures the images they see, and routes it back to a gemstone that displays them for me.

  “In addition, I’ve come to rely on clockwork spy-ders. Much like real arachnids, they fashion a tiny web for themselves in the corners of the desired rooms and perch there, never eating, only watching. They collect these images and embed them into tiny balls of witchlight I call eggs. Every few seconds, the eggs are sent via a thread of their metallic webbing to a different facet of the gemstone.”

  Jack sank lower in his chair, while Dev sat ramrod straight, and Delia and Graydon looked at each other with hopeless eyes.

  “As such,” the doctor went on, “I have determined that a punishment is in order.”

  Slipping a small wand from the side of the frame, the doctor touched the glowing tip of the wand to the painting and then turned and pointed it straight at Delia. Energy shot out toward her, wrapping her in a net of light. Delia evaporated in a puff of smoke. Ember screamed, and both Graydon and Deverell sprang to their feet.

  Holding up the wand threateningly, he said, “Now, now, allow me to explain. Your good captain Delia is unharmed.”

  “Unharmed!” Graydon growled. “You killed her!”

  “I have not,” the doctor insisted, his bearing imperious. “If you’ll grant me but a moment, I’ll prove it to you. Look closely at the picture. Tell me, young Ember, what do you see?”

  Ember got up and examined the painting, careful to stay far away from the wand. The Phantom Airbus looked exactly the same as it did before, with one tiny exception. Now a diminutive woman stood at the helm. “Is…is that…?”

  “It is,” the doctor said proudly. “Captain Delia is steering her vessel in the clouds.”

  “Let me see that,” Graydon said, and pushed through the others. His eyes softened when he saw her. “Del? Can you hear me? I’m going to get you out.”

  “She cannot hear you,” the doctor said. “She’s trapped in a sort of mirror prison. It’s like an alternate reality, a bubble that sits on the edge of time, waiting to burst. All it will take to free her is to reverse the polarity of my wand.” He tucked the wand into his jacket pocket.

  “Is she in pain?” Dev asked.

  “No. At least, I don’t believe so.”

  “You don’t believe so?” the vampire hissed.

  “Admittedly, this experiment is in its last rounds of testing. I thought it best to try it out on a person who was, for the most part, indestructible, before I attempt to use it on someone more delicate,” the doctor said.

  The air in Graydon’s lungs seized and sat inside him like molten lead. It slowly filled all the open spaces until he was choking with fear. “Let her out. Now!” he insisted, a snarl escaping through his bared teeth, which were lengthening into fangs. Fur sprouted on his hands and his nails became sharp claws.

  “Now, now, Captain Graydon. You know I can’t do that. You also know who’s to blame for her being trapped. It was you making plans with Frank to sneak everyone out on the submersible. I also see everything Frank sees.”

  Graydon stepped back, the shock obvious on his face as his body slowly shifted back to his human form. “You made Frank an unwitting spy?” he asked.

  With a sour look, the doctor replied, “It was part of the contract—which you signed, by the way. There’s no cause for malice simply because you couldn’t bother yourself to read the fine print.”

  “But he was dying!”

  “A contract is a contract. It is not wise, captain, to snub the man your loved ones depend upon for survival.”

  “Dr. Farragut,” Dev said, “I do believe you could convince a condemned man to place the noose around his own neck and then express his undying gratitude to you for providing the rope and step stool.”

  “Why, thank you, my good vampire.”

  “It wasn’t a compliment,” Dev said with repulsion.

  Ember put her hand on Captain Graydon’s arm. He comported himself before responding to Farragut. “We’ll stay. I promise. Just…just bring her back,” he pleaded, his voice cracking and rough.

  “Well, unfortunately, your promises don’t mean as much to me now as they once did. But of course, once I have your full cooperation, I’ll let her go. I’ll even give you my personal skyship as compensation for your troubles. She’s a beauty. Even better than your Phantom Airbus, I’d warrant.”

  “I don’t understand, Doctor,” Ember said. “What do you want from him? From us?” she added, indicating the group. “Why do you keep us here?”

  “All will be revealed in good time, my dear. Now then, I have some business to attend to. The lab is yours so that you and Finney might brew more of your spells. I must confess, I’m extremely curious to see this weapon you’ve made and how you transform spells to ammunition. I’m not over fond of weapons personally, but I certainly admire innovation.”

  “We’d be happy to show them to you at your convenience, Doctor,” Finney said affably. Clearly, Finney was the most accomplished actor in the room.

  “Wonderful. Just make sure to leave yourselves enough time to dress for the party. Since there will be plenty of food the
re, I believe we’ll forgo the formal dinner hour. Carry on as you will. I expect to see all of you at the ball, with the exception of Captain Delia, of course.”

  With that, he and his servants exited the room, leaving all of them sitting in stunned silence, apart from the werewolf, who stood at the painting murmuring softly, his strong shoulders hunched in defeat.

  Ember turned to Jack and opened her mouth to ask a question, when Jack surprised her by pressing his finger to her lips. “There’s a spy-der in the corner,” he said, his voice as smooth as butterscotch. “You and Finney go ahead and brew your potions. We can talk more later.”

  “But, Jack—” Ember began.

  “Nothing’s changed,” he said. “Just…just be careful.”

  “You too,” she said.

  Finney stood. “I’ll meet you there, Ember. I need to gather a few things from the bag in my room. You’ll bring the weapons?”

  “I will.”

  “Then I will escort you, if you don’t mind,” Dev said gallantly. “It can’t hurt to be cautious.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Jack said, surprising the vampire. He then whispered to his pumpkin, who trailed after Finney as Jack abruptly left.

  As Ember and Dev headed back to her rooms, she looked back at Graydon. Dev patted her arm. “He’s better left alone.”

  In her rooms, Ember said, “I’m so sorry about your sister, Dev. You must be terribly worried.”

  “I am. But I’m confident we’ll find a way to get her out of the picture. We must.” He gave her a grateful smile and then changed the subject. “You certainly have made yourself comfortable with Stingy Jack.”

  “Why do you call him that?” Ember asked. “He doesn’t appear to me to be even remotely stingy.”

  “Jack has somewhat of a reputation in the Otherworld for being…unbending.”