Thaddeus smirked. “I’m not that daft. I need to know you aren’t lying before I let you anywhere near my prized engineer.”
Maeko’s gut twisted. Truth be told, she hadn’t expected him to go for it, but she had dared to hope. It would be a lot easier to get Garrett out of here if she knew exactly where he was in the facility. Wells had given her a good visual of the layout and where he thought Garrett was being kept, but if he was wrong, she could waste all of her time searching for Garrett and trying to dodge security. Now she would have to hope for the best. At least they hadn’t taken the Allkey.
“I’ve a question for you,” Joel piped up. His smug tone didn’t bode well. “Have they finished their battleship yet?”
Maeko hoped she didn’t go as pale as she suddenly felt, though she had a relatively white complexion to begin with, so maybe they wouldn’t notice. How did they know about the battleship?
“I didn’t know they were building one,” she answered, hoping her pause wasn’t long enough to garner suspicion.
Thaddeus waved a dismissive hand at his companion.
“It doesn’t matter now. We’ve got the weapons to take it down.” He focused on her then, and it was all she could do to keep a straight face. “Tell me exactly where the rendezvous is. I’ll have some of my men investigate while you wait here in a cell. If you’re telling the truth, when they get back I’ll take you to talk to Garrett, then you will be dumped outside the walls and I’ll have you shot if you try to get back in. If you’re lying, we’ll skip directly to the shooting part.”
“Not the best deal,” she grumbled.
“It’s the best I’m going to offer. You already turned down my good offer. Be happy I’m willing to give you this much.”
After a few minutes of deliberation, she gave him the location of an old warehouse she and Chaff and some of his other pickpockets had often used as a meet up point when they had to scatter from the Lits. “They should be there no later than half three in the morning.”
“Well enough. You better not be lying and you’d best behave yourself while you’re my guest.” He nodded to Bennett. “Lock her up.”
“What about the cat?” Joel asked, giving Macak the most unfriendly of smiles.
Thaddeus scowled at Bennett. “Let her keep it. It won’t hurt anything.”
Joel’s face fell.
Maeko was too anxious to gloat. She only had so much time and so much information to go on. And if they already knew about the battleship, if they already had weapons to fight it, did the Pirates stand any chance at all? They needed to know, but she had no way to get back to them until Chaff and Ash arrived to pick her up. By then it would be too late to stop the assault.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The young man they had left guarding the cells looked at least as young as Ash. He held the gun they had given him like it was some sort of trophy of adulthood, brandishing it about alarmingly as he strolled around the cell block with an unconvincing swagger. The boy was scared half out of his wits. She could see it in his twitchy movements, the way his jaw worked when he wasn’t speaking, and rapid blinking of his eyes. It made her even more uncomfortable with him waving his weapon around. Macak sat on the hard cot bathing one foreleg. Far less concerned about their increasing odds of being accidently shot than she felt he should be.
“What’s your name?” She inquired, wincing when he startled and almost dropped the gun.
“I ain’t supposed to talk to prisoners.”
She gave him an easy smile. A hard feat given the weight of time bearing down on her and the intense desire to duck just in case he fired unintentionally. “You just did, didn’t you? And nothing awful happened.”
“Course not, but that’s because no one saw.”
She suppressed a smug grin. “Are you sure no one saw?”
“Yeah. I’m the only one working this block till noon tomorrow. Only security in this building at all right now. Ain’t no prisoners here but you and you ain’t all that worrisome.”
That was beautiful to hear. At least she had a chance of getting out of this building relatively unharmed if she could simply get rid of him.
“That’s an awful long shift. Don’t they ever let you rest?”
“That’s a neat cat,” he said, ignoring her question and pointing at Macak with the dangerous end of the gun.
She must have tensed visibly because he blushed and lowered the gun.
“Sorry. He is pretty neat though.”
“Yes. He is.” She thought she might have to ask again, but after he had stared in fascination at the cat for a few minutes he turned back to her.
“I’m Travis. I was a prisoner, but they gave me a good deal for out time and three meals a day if I work security. The shifts is long, but it ain’t so bad.” He blew a lock of blond hair out of his face and offered a smile that made him look younger still.
He turned then as though he meant to make another walk around the block.
“You can pet him if you want.”
Travis brightened and walked over to the edge of her cell. “Just so you know, I ain’t got the key. They don’t trust me that much.”
That didn’t surprise her. He was a prisoner after all. The bars were much too close for her to squeeze through so the Allkey would have to do the trick.
She picked up Macak, ignoring his protest at having his bath interrupted, and took him over to set him down beside the bars. Travis met her there, keeping his gun half trained on her with one hand as he squatted down to pet the cat. She squatted down as well, waiting until his hand was stroking Macak’s soft fur and his face brightened. Then she darted her hands through, grabbing his gun hand and pulling it far enough in to crack his wrist bone hard against the bar. His grip faltered and she snatched the gun, turning it on him as he yanked his injured hand to his chest.
“Blood and ashes! I think you broke it!”
“I’m sure I didn’t,” she countered, already working her hand into her top to get at the well-hidden Allkey.
“I told you, I ain’t got the keys.” He had backed up a few steps, his lips pursed in a dramatic pout.
“Travis,” she started, keeping her tone gentle, “I just need to get out of here.”
His pouty look turned into one of puzzlement and something that might have been a hint of alarm as she dug around under the blouse with her one hand. When she finally pulled out the kerchief and unwrapped the Allkey awkwardly with one hand, he was approaching the bars again, forgetting the weapon trained on his head.
“What’s that?”
“Back up,” she warned and he gave the gun a wary glance as he moved back again. She reached through to feel around the lock until she found the keyhole and slipped the tiny rod into it, then flicked the mechanism. A soft whirring sound made her want to watch what was happening, but she didn’t dare get distracted. A few seconds later, the lock clicked, freeing the door.
Travis watched her step out of the prison cell with something akin to awe. “Where can I get one of those?”
She stepped away from the cell and gestured with the gun for him to go inside.
His face fell. “Oh no! I’ll get in so much trouble if they find me locked in there and you gone.”
“Tell you what. You get in there. I’ll go find what I need to find, then I’ll come back and give you the Allkey before I go.” She felt bad lying. Still, sometimes you just needed to do whatever it took to move things along.
He looked suspicious. “Why would you do that?”
“Because you seem like a nice chap. Besides, you don’t have a lot of choice. I’m just trying to sweeten a bum deal.”
His weary nod told her he realized she was right. He walked into the cell and stood back while she closed it. Then she used the Allkey again, delighted to discover that it would indeed work to lock the cell the same way it had unlocked it. She smiled at Travis and lowered the gun. “Hang in there, mate. It could all work out in your favor.” If we don’t all die in some terrible ex
plosion.
“Sure it could,” he replied dubiously. “Will you bring back my gun?”
Maeko hesitated, staring down at the hateful thing in her hand. If only he knew how much she would prefer to let him have it back right now. She could leave it here. There was no law saying she had to hold on to it now that she had it in hand. Then again, she was going wandering in the stronghold of a man who wouldn’t blink an eye if she ended up dead for her efforts. Even those here who didn’t know her history could bring her a great deal of grief. Armed, she at least had more than her wits and the hope that they might have a soft spot for cats to bargain with.
When she looked up, she saw Travis watching her. There was something in his eyes at that moment that told her he wasn’t as daft as he seemed. He nodded, his expression serious.
“Do what you want with it.” He averted his gaze then. “Just be careful.”
In that moment, she wanted to let him go and take him out with her. He would only increase the chances of getting caught though.
“I’ll come back if I can.” It surprised her some to realize that she meant it.
He glanced at her, a little of her surprise reflected in his eyes. “I actually believe you mean that. Go on. You’re wasting time.”
You have no idea.
Without another word, she discarded her cumbersome skirt to move about in the much more functional trousers and struck out, doing her best to remember where she would find the door that would put her closest to the building she was looking for from the map Wells had modified. He’d done a fine job. She’d have to tell him so if she ever saw him again.
Macak moved slightly ahead, pausing at every door and crossing. She let him take point, knowing his senses were tuned more finely than her own. For all that she was a rat, he was a cat and, as much as she hated to agree with Bennett, there were few who could claim to be better hunters than a cat. When she had found him, he’d been with the grisly remains of his most recent rodent kill, after all. His metal leg was almost silent with little pads built into the paw much like the real ones. The whir and click of the gears was whisper soft.
When they got to the exit, she plucked Macak up and tucked him in the satchel. Maeko felt a twist of guilt at his single meow of protest.
“Sorry, mate. You’re an invaluable ally, but I’m not risking you on a venture with these odds. When Chaff and Ash get here, they’ll find you and take you out of this place.” At least that was what she hoped they would do. If she wasn’t there when they got to the rendezvous spot, but the cat was, they would hopefully understand that things were riskier than she liked and return to the airship where they could wait safely to see if she returned with Garrett. That sort of sensible behavior was probably too much to hope for from those two, but it was worth a try.
She turned out the electric lights nearest the door, took a deep breath, and cracked the door open. Her eyes lit upon the glint of a light reflecting off something metal on someone’s boots and she almost pulled the door shut again. Some part of her brain registered that the boots were moving away and she paused. The figure, mostly hidden in darkness, was heading away from this building. If she struck out now, it should be a while before he came back around.
Holding her breath, she pushed the door further open, wincing when it squeaked once. The guard was too far away to hear it, though it sounded like a scream in her ears. Her pulse was racing. She peered about for any sign of other patrols, then she stepped out and inched the door carefully shut, her nerves twitching with the need to move on. Sticking to the shadows as much as possible, she darted around the side of the building. When she got to the next building, she started toward the wall, toward where the boys were supposed to meet her, then stopped and ducked back next to the shadows of the building.
There was a guard up on top of the wall. He’d paused there for some reason and she held her breath again. Had he seen her? The last thing she needed was someone on the wall to see her and raise the alarm. She stood still as a statue and waited. A spattering sound reached her ears and she grimaced. After a few minutes, he did up his trousers and turned her way. His eyes skimmed the darkness, seeing nothing in those deep shadows more because he didn’t expect to see anything then because she was that well hidden. He moved on along the wall.
Either she had impeccable timing, or there were a fair number of guards wandering about. If it were the latter, Chaff and Ash might have a hard time getting the airship close enough without being spotted, but that was something they would have to deal with. She had no way to get warning to them of the guards or of the anti-airship guns Thaddeus claimed to have.
When she got around to the side of the building, she crept quick up the ladder there and deposited the satchel near the ladder tucked close to the wall. She regarded it then, hesitating.
What if something happened to her? What if Chaff and Ash didn’t make it down? Would Macak be trapped here until he starved?
Maeko’s heart ached at the thought of him suffering and she picked the satchel back up, taking it down the ladder again. She put it on the ground by the ladder and loosened the fasteners a touch. Enough that, if he struggled hard, he could break free. At least here he wouldn’t get hurt trying to get off the roof.
It was time to move on, but she hesitated again. She wanted nothing more in that moment than to pull Macak out of the satchel and clutch him to her. If she didn’t go quick, she might lose her resolve.
“I love you, my furry friend,” she choked out around the sudden painful tightness in her throat.
Clenching her teeth against the pull of tears, she turned and hurried around the side of the building to the next building down.
A dark door waited.
A door behind which she might find nothing good.
Maeko took hold of the handle. There was no way to know if anyone waited behind it. The metal doors and brick walls were too thick to let her listen through them. Instead, she pulled it open, one hand gripping the gun, and stepped inside.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Maeko hesitated, listening by the door after she eased it shut behind her. This was the last of the four smaller side buildings, closest to the two largest buildings. According to the map, this was where Thaddeus and other Literati officials had their offices. It was also where they had the prison cells for their more valuable guests like Garrett. There were also some sleeping quarters for prison officials and guards when they stayed at the prison for extended periods as well as a few rooms used for rest breaks and meetings.
The odds of there being at least one guard roaming the halls of this building were good. There was also significant risk of running into off duty officers here. Per Wells, the blueprints that weren’t currently being developed were probably somewhere in Thaddeus’s office. The rest might be in the research or production areas of the big buildings. If she didn’t find them before she found Garrett, he might have a better idea. If the blueprints were in the big buildings, she wasn’t going to go after them, especially if she managed to get Garrett out first.
Where she entered should be close to the Lits sleeping quarters. It was late enough that there was a chance anyone who happened to be in there might be asleep.
She heard footsteps and tucked herself into the nearest doorway. The door was open, the room dark. Numerous beds and a few tables and chairs occupied the space. Moving the rest of the way in, she pressed herself against the wall alongside the door and nearly jumped out of her skin when someone snored loudly beside her. She pressed a hand over her mouth to quiet her startled breathing and slid down the wall into a crouch, listening over the breathing of the guard next to her to try and pinpoint the guard in the halls.
The sleeping guard was snoring loud enough that she couldn’t hear the footsteps. Or perhaps the patrolling officer had moved out of earshot, but she couldn’t be sure. She gave the sleeper a cross look. Maybe, if she could get him to roll onto his side…
Maeko set the gun on a cabinet and crept over, pausing when his hand
twitched. To avoid being seen, she lay on the floor and slid under the bed, then brought up one hand and poked him in the side with a finger. There was a sudden snort and the whole bed jerked.
“Wha’s who?” He muttered, still mostly asleep. The bed shook again as he shifted over on his side, snorted once, and muttered, “Bloody rats.”
Indeed. This time she slapped her hand over her mouth to stop a laugh. Not now, she warned herself. There was a time for all things. Why was it that humor always found her at the most inappropriate times?
When his breathing evened out again, without the snoring this time, she slid out from under the bed and crept over by the door, collecting the hated gun along the way. She counted to sixty in her head twice, listening for sounds of movement out in the halls. She didn’t hear the guard. He was still out there somewhere, but she couldn’t stay in here and wait. She only had so much time to get this done.
Taking a deep breath, she moved out into the hall. There was no one in sight, so she continued to the first crossing. Once there, she listened for another sixty count, then leaned out enough to glance both directions. Right was clear. To the left, she spotted a figure walking away and ducked back fast, her heart racing.
How many times could she get lucky like that?
Jammy dodger, Chaff’s voice said in her head.
She smirked and peeked out again, spotting the figure’s boot heel as he vanished around the far corner.
No time to waste.
She darted out and hurried to the left, stopping at the first door on the left of that hall, the one that should lead into Thaddeus’s office here. Pressing her ear to the edge to listen, she counted to sixty again before she turned the handle and pushed it open. The room was dark. A nicely furnished office with several file cabinets and a large desk along with a fancy, well-stocked cellarette against one wall. It was an office she could see Thaddeus using.
Quick as a cat, she skimmed through the desk and the cabinets, finding what she wanted in the second cabinet. She pulled out the blueprints, suddenly wishing she had Macak’s satchel to put them in. With a little extra searching, she found a briefcase tucked curiously in behind the cellarette and popped it open. It had some paperwork in there that she ignored, piling the blueprints in and crushing it closed.
The Girl and the Clockwork Crossfire Page 17