Tinker's War (The Tinkerer's Daughter Book 2)

by Sedgwick, Jamie

  Robie nodded in agreement. “They won’t kill him for a while then,” he said. “They’ll have to get a mine running in the mountains. They’ll need him for that, and they might want to see what else he can teach them.”

  “Then we have time to save him,” Jenna said. “Maybe we can even rally an army.”

  I took a deep breath. “I’m not waiting that long,” I said.

  “What about him?” Robie said, nodding at the mayor. “Should we kill him?”

  I looked into the mayor’s terrified eyes and felt pity and disgust mingling in my gut. The miserable greedy wretch had nearly destroyed us. There was no telling how long he’d been betraying our trust, or how many lives his intrigues might have cost. Still, I couldn’t bear the thought of killing the helpless, defenseless fool.

  “Let him run,” I said. I pointed toward the back of the mansion. “The door is that way. You’ll have to get through the orchard and climb the wall at the back of the estate. Then you’ll have to cross the river. The mob will be right behind you.”

  I nodded at Wil. Reluctantly, he pulled his blade away from the mayor’s neck and stood back. The mayor rose out of the chair, rubbing the cut on his throat. He eyed us suspiciously. “Are you serious?” he said. “You’re letting me go?”

  “I’m serious,” I said. “You just have to outrun the crowd outside. They know what you did and if they catch you, they’ll put your head on a pike.”

  He stumbled backwards, towards the back of the kitchen. Then he turned and ran. Wil turned to glare at me. “You should have let me kill him,” he said.

  I watched the mayor lurch down the hall and heard the back door slam in the distance. “He’s dying,” I said. “His heart’s bad. I’ll be surprised if he makes it to the wall. If he does, he’ll never get across the river.”

  “Good riddance,” Robie said. “A quick natural death is more than he deserves.”

  Chapter 24

  Standing on the front porch a few minutes later, I looked out over Anora and for the first time in weeks, felt hope rising inside of me. I saw skirmishes here and there, but I knew it wouldn’t be long until the Vangars were vanquished from the city.

  “What now?” the sheriff said next to me, voicing my own thoughts. “We have the city now, but what are we going to do with it? These people can’t fight the Vangars without support, and we surely can’t lead them up to your camp in the mountains.”

  “He’s right,” Robie said. “These people are sitting ducks when the Vangars return. They have to be ready to fight, or the city must be emptied.”

  I considered that, and a feeling of apprehension washed over me. The people out there on the streets were not a fighting force. They had overwhelmed a few Vangars, but they couldn’t fight a real army. And the sheriff was right about taking them back to camp. It just wasn’t practical. We couldn’t move that many people, nor care for them, especially considering the fact that half of them were elderly.

  “It’s not our decision to make,” I said at last. “The queen must decide.”

  The sheriff stroked his long whiskers thoughtfully. “Half of these people don’t even know she’s still alive,” he said. “That might put some fire in their bellies, seeing their queen alive.”

  “It might,” I agreed. But would it be enough?

  A deputy came running up to us and saluted the sheriff. “Sir, the Vangars abandoned three dragon ships at the north landing strip. They left some of them gyro contraptions, too!”

  I arched an eyebrow. Why would the Vangars leave airships behind? “Are they guarded?” I said.

  “Just a handful of Vangar mechanics. They didn’t stand much of a chance. We did manage to keep two alive, in case you wanted to question them.”

  It was a quick hike around the mansion and down the hill to the landing field. A few citizens were there. They had tied up the captured Vangar mechanics and were taunting them, throwing dirt in their faces and spitting on them. “That’ll be enough of that!” the sheriff called out in an authoritative tone. The citizens backed meekly away, but continued to hurl insults at the Vangar captives.

  As we approached, I gazed up at the dragon ships and again felt that overwhelming sense of vertigo. I couldn’t understand how a society so advanced that it could build ships like that would use their power for such wicked ends. I wondered if it had ever occurred to the Vangars to come to us in peace… or how we might have reacted if they had. Would King Ryshan have treated with them and shared our technology and our resources? Or would he have shown them the same apathy and disdain he’d always shown the Tal’mar?

  One thing was certain: the Vangars hadn’t given King Ryshan the chance to turn them away. They’d slaughtered him and hundreds of other people just to make sure they got what they came for.

  As I examined the ships, it became clear to me why the Vangars had left them behind. All three were in need of repairs. Only one of the three had been reattached to a balloon; the others were still resting on wheels. One of those clearly had a broken axle. The Vangar mechanics had leveled it using scaffoldings and braces.

  “What do you think?” Robie said.

  “They must have had engine trouble with that one,” I said, pointing to the one with the balloon “It looks like they had it ready to go otherwise. I’m guessing all three had mechanical failures, or they would have taken them.”

  “They didn’t look so big, up in the sky,” the sheriff said, staring up in awe. “I had no idea.”

  “Sheriff, while I’m gone, gather up all the mechanics and engineers you can find. We need to know everything about this technology, especially about the Vangars’ weapons.”

  “Of course,” he said absently.

  “What about the gyros?” Robie said.

  I glanced at them, wondering if they had mechanical issues as well. “Let’s look them over,” I said. “If we can get one of them running, then we can get news to Analyn much faster.”

  “Ah, and that’s why you’re in such a hurry?” he said in a curious tone. “To update Analyn on the situation?”

  “Well, it is important. She’ll have to decide what to do with the city before the Vangars return.” I glanced at him and saw the smirk he was wearing. I sighed. “Okay, you’re right. I’m planning to go after Tinker. You knew I would.”

  “Of course. Just making sure you know that we know.” I glanced at him and then noticed the rest of the team standing around behind him, staring at me.

  “You’re all determined to go with me then?” I said.

  Their eyes lit up and grins broke out across their faces. I sighed again. I had been hoping to sneak off without them. It would have been much easier to get close to the Vangars in the mountains if I was alone. Going in with an entire team was going to require a good deal of strategy and planning.

  “All right,” I said at last. “Get to work on these gyros. We have to go back to camp first so I want to be in the air within the hour.”

  “Yessir!” Robie said, grinning. Suddenly he looked just like the young boy who had begged to be one of my pilots and who had always insisted on calling me “sir.” His ability to completely change from a grown man to a child in an instant astounded me.

  As it turned out, only one of the gyros had major problems. Three more had minor issues and two were in perfect running condition. Apparently, the Vangars had left those behind for the warriors who stayed in the city. The four of us repositioned the seats slightly in order to make room for a second passenger behind the pilot. Robie and I were the only ones who actually knew how to fly, so he took Jenna as a passenger and I took Wil. That arrangement left the weight distribution fairly even.

  “Be careful,” I warned Robie before we took off. “You won’t gain altitude very quickly with a passenger. And watch out for wind currents over the mountains. These gyros don’t handle turbulence well.”

  “Great,” he muttered. “Any more good news?”

  “Well, there is one more thing. We left the camp by wagon, and th
e refugees aren’t expecting us to come back flying. They might try to shoot us down.”

  The three of them exchanged nervous glances. I grinned. “You’re the ones who insisted on coming with me.”

  It was two o’clock in the morning when we reached the camp. The refugees didn’t know what to make of us at first, but thankfully they did not try to shoot us out of the air. Instead, they rushed over brandishing swords and firearms as we landed. Their jaws dropped when they realized who we were. I quickly explained all that had happened, and then explained it again when Analyn reached the landing area. When I finished, she was speechless. She stared at me for a while, the gears in her head turning so rapidly I thought smoke might come out of her ears.

  At last, she said, “How did this happen? I sent you to meet Tinker and you decided to drive out the Vangars and take back the city instead?”

  My smile faded at the mention of Tinker’s name. “It happened rather quickly,” I said. I described the mayor’s betrayal and Analyn’s face went dark. “They took Tinker,” I said. “The Vangars are going to start mining in the mountains, and they took him to help them.”

  “But how did they know?” Analyn said. “I thought they were mining on the plains!”

  “The mayor told them everything. They know about Blackrock steel, and they know all about Tinker.”

  Analyn was understandably furious, and she was rather unhappy that I had let the mayor go. “I doubt he made it far,” I said. “I don’t think he has long to live, anyway.”

  “Still, I would’ve liked to look in his eyes when he met the hangman’s noose,” she said.

  “I left the sheriff in charge of the city,” I said. “They’re reverse engineering the Vangars’ weapons as fast as they can. By tomorrow we should have a much better understanding of Vangar technology.”

  “And then what?” Analyn said. “Will we use their own weapons against them?”

  “If we do, we’ll have to make more,” I said. “Three airships won’t turn them away when they come back. We’ll need weapons on the ground, weapons that can knock those balloons out of the sky. We can’t defeat the Vangars unless we take away their air superiority.”

  “Is that possible?” she said.

  “I don’t know. The first thing you have to decide is if you even want to fight for the city. We don’t have many options, but the ultimate decision must be yours. You are the queen.”

  “So I am,” she said regretfully. “Though I never wanted it. I must consider this over a cup of tea. Join me, if you will.”

  I obediently followed Analyn to the mess tent and we settled down at a table together. Analyn had many questions, of course. She wanted to know how many people remained in the city and how many were able to fight. She wanted to know what resources the Vangars had left behind. After carefully measuring her options, she arrived at the same unfortunate conclusion that I had.

  “I must return,” she said at last. “This is our last hope to make a stand against the Vangars. Our people have risen up and found strength they did not know they had. I owe it to them to go back and try… and yet I can’t help but fear we will almost certainly fail.”

  “Is that your decision then?” I said. “If it is, I should go back to the city at once and let them know.”

  She stared at me, the steam rising from the teapot on the table between us. “Breeze, I don’t know if this is a new beginning for us or if it’s just the end, at last.” She reached across the table to take my hands. I stared into her face. I could see the exhaustion in her eyes, and the reluctance she felt facing this improbable situation. I knew exactly how she felt.

  “We must fight,” I agreed, “but if we do so, we’ll need every possible advantage. We don’t have much time. There is one more thing…”

  She looked at me sideways. “What are you thinking?”

  “I’m going after Tinker,” I said.

  “Do you think that’s the wisest course of action? He will be well guarded. You’ll be risking your life, and one of my most valuable assets. We need you now more than ever, Breeze.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be careful,” I said. “I’m not a fool.”

  “I know that. But I also know how powerful the Vangars are. Also consider this: should you succeed, you will have the Vangars’ full attention. Tinker is valuable to them right now, and by losing him, they will also lose a great deal of time in reaching their ultimate goal.”

  “Wasn’t that the plan anyway?” I said. “Originally, we were going to do whatever it took to slow them down, to wear down their defenses and build up our own.”

  “Are you trying to tell me this is a good thing?” she said with a sly grin. “You sound more like a politician every day.”

  “Don’t say that,” I laughed.

  “And what of your team? Will they be joining you on this mad escapade?”

  “I hardly think I could get away without them,” I said.

  Analyn gently squeezed my hands. “The refugees need rest tonight. We will break camp tomorrow and head for Anora. Be careful, Breeze. Come back to us safely.”

  As eager as we all were to be off, it wasn’t safe to fly into unknown territory at night. I told my team to get what rest they could. Robie built a fire at the edge of camp and convinced me to spend the night with him there. The weather was cool but the sky was clear, and I was glad to be outdoors. We had a late meal of fresh bread and stew and then curled up on the ground, wrapped in wool blankets.

  “You seem worried,” he said, watching me.

  I was staring into the flames, hypnotized by the heat and the dancing colors. “I am,” I said distantly.

  “Because of Tinker?”

  “No. Not entirely, anyway. I know we can save him. We have to. But what can we do about the Vangars?”

  “It sounded to me like you had a good plan. Just like Tinker said before, we’ll slow them down by sabotaging their operations. They may have moved, but that doesn’t change anything does it? Now that we have Anora back, we’re in an even better position to fight them.”

  “Do you think so?” I said skeptically.

  “Why not?”

  I sighed. “Most of the people in Anora are either too young or too old to fight, and hundreds of them are Tal’mar. We may convince them to stay for a while, but eventually they will leave. Their loyalty is to their queen first, and to their own people.”

  Robie took a deep breath, his massive chest expanding like a balloon. “I don’t understand people,” he said. “Humans and Tal’mar are so much alike they can’t even see it. All they see are their differences. The color of their skin. Their ears. They fight over the stupidest things.”

  “Not everyone is like that,” I said, drawing my gaze from the flames to smile at him. He inched closer, pressing up against me.

  “I never cared about those things,” he said.

  “Even my Tal’mar ears?” I said teasingly.

  He reached out, stroking my face. “I love everything about you.” He bent forward, kissing me, and I succumbed.

  I felt a strange completeness as he touched me, as if part of me had always been missing but I didn’t know it until now. I felt the warmth of his body radiating against me and when our lips met, I melted into him. An indescribable tingling feeling washed over me, rolling up and down my body in waves. For a moment, the entire world vanished.

  Robie pulled away to look into my eyes, and I smiled.

  “Are you laughing at me?” he said.

  “No. I was thinking about how fortunate I am. I wonder why I struggled against this for so long. What was I afraid of?”

  “I don’t care,” he said. “All of that is the past, and I only care about right now.”

  He kissed me again and I fell into him, relishing the tender touch of his body and the warm fire beside us, savoring the cool night air that washed over my skin and the stars shining down from above. It was a beautiful night. No, it was more than beautiful. It was perfect.

  Chapter 25
r />   I woke at dawn to the sound of thunder rumbling in the distance, or so I thought. After a few moments, it became apparent that the thunder was unusually repetitive. I heard ten explosions and a brief silence, quickly followed by ten more. And then ten more. This went on for nearly half an hour. It woke the whole camp. By the time the sounds faded away, my team had already eaten breakfast and we were ready to leave. Analyn wore a worried expression as she came to see us off.

  “The Vangars are mining already,” she said. “How do they move so fast? It’s like they never sleep.”

  “They won’t be as fast in the mountains,” I said hopefully. “They can’t possibly have forges built already.”

  “Unless they brought some on their ships,” Robie said.

  I grimaced, realizing he was probably right. Even the much smaller Tal’mar ships were capable of carrying a smithy. It wouldn’t have surprised me at all to learn that the Vangar ships could carry several, or even a much larger foundry for smelting the ore. I suddenly wished I’d taken more time to inspect the dragon ships while we were back in Anora. It might have served us well, knowing exactly how the ships were equipped. I was half-temped to fly back and examine them more closely, but the logical part of my mind knew we didn’t have time.

  “Even if they have foundries and forges, they won’t know how to temper the steel correctly until Tinker shows them,” I said. “We have to get him out of there before that happens.”

  My voice didn’t sound as hopeful as my words, and my companions wore dark expressions. “Let’s do it then,” Robie said, climbing onto his gyro.

  “Follow my lead,” I said. “We’ll get a look at their operation from the air and then find a safe place to land.”

  He gave me the thumbs up. Wil and Jenna climbed into their places behind us and within moments, we were airborne. As I had instructed, Robie fell in behind me. We climbed as high as the gyros were able, but with our extra passengers, we couldn’t reach their maximum altitude. That meant we’d be even more visible to the Vangars. I was worried that they might recognize us if we got too close.