The Nullification Engine (The Alchemancer: Book Two)

by Scott Marlowe

  "So now you're an engineer?"

  "No, this comes from Ms. Stratum."

  "What the hell does she know? She's second-rate, at best."

  "She knows her business well enough. Besides that, we have at least two more days of steady labor just to get the hull's exterior in one piece again."

  Blyden stood taller and leaned in so he almost touched Jacob. "Now you listen and you listen good, man. You've got until morning to get the ship ready for flight or we're both dead men. Do what you have to. If the men need to triple time it and work all night, then so be it. If you need to lash them until their backs flow, then do it."

  "No."

  Blyden's eyes went wide. "What the hell did you just say?"

  "You heard me, sir." Something snapped inside Jacob, and he let his words flow. "You got us into this gods-damn mess. You get us out of it. The airmen of the Griffin are not conscripts. They all signed on of their own free will. Not one of them will feel the cat-o'-nine as long as I'm first mate of this boat."

  Blyden's face went red in progressively darker shades. "Is that so? Consider yourself lucky I still have a need for a first mate, Mr. Madison, or I'd leave you here to scurry and run from Thorvid by your lonesome. We'll see who faces the lash and who doesn't once we're underway." Blyden started to stomp off when, right before the doorway, he halted and turned about. "We sail for Rockhaven on the morrow. Once we arrive, you'll gather your things and get the hell off my ship. I'd kick you off this very second, but you've a job to do. Make sure you do it."

  "I'll do my duty as I always have," Jacob said. "But I don't believe you have the money to pay my termination fee...sir."

  Blyden's fingers curled into fists, but he said nothing more as he stormed off, leaving Jacob alone in the savant's cabin.

  Jacob waited until the sound of his heavy footfalls receded into silence before letting out a deep breath. He stayed there, cooling off. Rational thought returned, but slowly. Termination fee or not, if the captain cancelled his contract, it'd ruin his career. He'd never log another hour as a first mate again. That thought boiled his anger to new levels. He knew no good would come from the men seeing him this way, though, so he took enough breaths to calm himself before he exited the savant's cabin. He made sure to lock the door, and then started to head topside. Along the way, he ran into the last person he wanted to see right now.

  Lundy affected his usual mocking salute before sidling past Jacob. Jacob watched him walking away and almost considered not saying anything to him. But, right now, he just wasn't in that good of a mood.

  "Mr. Mortimar!"

  Lundy stopped and turned slowly. "Sir?"

  Always the man wore a smug grin of defiance. Jacob had a sudden urge to knock it from his face with his fist.

  "Where are you off to, Sergeant?" Jacob asked as he closed the distance between them.

  Still grinning, Lundy said, "Captain wants to see me."

  "What about?"

  "Don't know."

  "Don't know, sir."

  Lundy's grin grew wider. "Something I can do for you, sir?"

  "I'd like to know why your airmen are half a day behind schedule."

  "The lads are working as fast as their skinny little arses can, sir."

  "I doubt that. Every other crew is on schedule except yours. You fail to motivate the men, Mr. Mortimar, by setting a poor example."

  "A poor example, sir?"

  "You heard me. You may know your business, Mr. Mortimar, but you take forever to get to it. Your lackadaisical approach to the work at hand is endemic amongst your subordinates. If this were a navy vessel, I'd have you knocked down to seaman third-class before you could spit."

  "But this ain't no navy vessel, is it?" Lundy rolled his tongue over his lips. "Now, captain's waiting, so until next time, sir."

  The moment Lundy started to turn away, Jacob snapped. He grabbed hold of Lundy's shoulder and spun him around so he looked directly into the other man's beady eyes.

  "You haven't been dismissed, bosun's mate," Jacob said.

  Lundy licked his lips again. A grin split his features. "Showing a little spirit, are we? Come a long way from your serving days. What were you expelled for again, Commander? Something to do with you being a spineless jellyfish, wasn't it? Couple of the boys heard a story went something like—"

  "Never mind about that. You're not exactly the shining example yourself. You've still not answered for your mistreatment of Miss Bella, something I'll make certain you do."

  Lundy's face lit up. "Ah, so that's what this is all about. Got a thing for the little tramp, eh?"

  Without thought to the consequences, Jacob pulled back his fist and delivered a jarring crack across the man's jaw. The blow sent him staggering back, but he didn't fall. Hunched over with one palm covering his face, Lundy chuckled. He straightened and, still holding his cheek, sauntered back to face Jacob.

  "Want to know what got me kicked out of the service, sir? I killed an officer 'cause I didn't like the way he looked at me." Lundy's tongue rolled over his lip, now split and bloody. "There'll be a reckoning over this, Commander. Until then."

  Lundy walked away, chuckling. This time, Jacob let him go. Jacob stayed in the hallway, waiting for his nerves to calm for the second time that morning, until an airman coming down the hall prompted him back into movement. He returned the man's salute before finishing his trek abovedeck, where he found the freshness of the morning's cool air welcoming. He watched the repair crews sawing and fitting the lumber for the hull for a time, dealt with a handful of questions posed by hurried midshipmen, and was just putting thoughts of Lundy from his mind when the bosun's mate popped up from belowdeck. Two airmen from his work crew emerged right behind him. All three of them had heavy clubs strapped to their belts. They left the Griffin, heading toward the city.

  "What in Uhl is that all about?" Tippin said as he drew near to Jacob.

  Jacob wondered the exact same thing. He turned to answer when he saw the quartermaster coming up from below. Jacob yelled at her to come over.

  "You issued Lundy, Dougal, and Tobias weapons," Jacob said to her. "On whose authority?"

  Alice Briggs listened to only two voices when it came to providing weapons to the Griffin's crew, and so Jacob already knew the answer. Still, he wanted it confirmed.

  "Cap'n's orders, sir."

  Jacob dismissed her. Once the quartermaster was out of earshot, Jacob explained about the missing journal to Tippin.

  "Captain Kreg will bear the brunt of whatever's coming if we don't produce that journal," Jacob said. "But I doubt any of us are safe. Thorvid might try to confiscate the airship as compensation when we can't pay him back his coin."

  Tippin worked at curling the tip of his mustache. "Might try it anyway. He'll probably succeed too. I've heard a tale or two about this dwarf. None of them pleasant."

  Jacob looked in the direction of the city. "I wonder what the captain's up to."

  "Think he sent Lundy to take out Thorvid?"

  Both knew it unlikely. Lundy and two bullyboys didn't have much chance against the crime lord and all of his henchmen.

  "If it were me..." Tippin said.

  "Go on."

  "I'd want leverage. I'd go for something of value to the person. Something, or someone."

  Jacob considered the possibilities. It didn't take long.

  "Bella."

  The Griffin laid claim to plenty of scoundrels, but most were decent enough fellows when you got down to it. None of them would harm a woman. Hell, some of the Griffin's crew were women. Lundy, on the other hand, and the two men with him, didn't have a reputation for such reservations. Lundy hadn't been expelled from Seacea's Navy because he'd killed an officer. He'd been stripped of his rank and dismissed because he'd cut up a woman who turned out to be the mistress of someone important. Jacob had no such specifics about Dougal or Tobias, though he didn't figure them much better since they'd gone with the bosun's mate. If the three of them got a hold of Bella, things would n
ot go well for her.

  Jacob put his hand on his cutlass, which he'd strapped to his belt by habit this morning. "Go arm yourself, Tippin. Follow at your best speed. If you don't catch up to me by the city gates... Well, I'm on my own then."

  "No time for that, sir," Tippin said, following the commander to the gangplank. "No need to worry about me, either. These fists of mine have always served me well in a scrape." Tippin shot clenched fists out in front of him in mock display. "I imagine they'll do fine for this little hurrah."

  Jacob had to hide his smile. "Just keep it low-key, Sergeant. The less the airmen know right now, the better."

  Jacob left Mr. Gyles in charge, telling him they were off to check on the progress of the tinkerers. As soon as they were out of sight, they ran for the city gates, but they saw no sign of Lundy or the other two. Jacob cursed. If they'd already slipped into the maze of city streets, he knew they'd never find them. Jacob remembered Bella mentioning she meant to spend her morning at the market, though, and so he stopped a local to ask for directions. There were two main markets. One close by in the Slums, and another at the other side of the city. They decided to search the closer one first. As soon as they set eyes on the place, they knew they'd no hope of spotting Bella or Lundy, for morning was prime shopping time, and so the market was clogged with people. They waded in anyway, shoving their way from one end of the square to the other. They kept their eyes open for a section which might cater to the antiquing crowd, but the stalls seemed a hodgepodge, with no order to their arrangement. Inquiring with some of the local sellers yielded no results, either, for none of them had heard of Sarah or Bella. At the end of their third pass, Jacob declared defeat. Tippin, however, wasn't ready to surrender yet.

  "Wait here," the sergeant said, as he went to speak to a beggar woman sitting on the steps of an apartment Jacob doubted she lived in. Tippin went to one knee. Words were exchanged, and a coin found its way into the woman's hand. Their discussion concluded, Tippin left her with another coin and returned to Jacob.

  "She isn't here," the sergeant said.

  "The beggar woman told you that? How does she know?"

  "Because Sarah Nince, who runs the antique shop, only comes to this particular market every Seventh Day. The other times she sets up a booth, she does it at the market near the city's northern gate."

  It was enough for Jacob, though one problem remained.

  "The market is all the way on the other side of the city. If Lundy figured this out too, then he's too far ahead. We'll never get there in time."

  "I've an idea. Follow me." Tippin led them away from the bazaar. "I've a couple of Norwynne friends not too far from here. We'll have to hurry, though."

  Jacob held tight to the hilt of his sword as they sprang into a run.

  "One question, though, sir," Tippin said. "How's your horsemanship?"

  * * *

  Jacob's horsemanship was terrible. He'd sat a horse once when a child and that, now that he thought about it, had been more a pony, old and content to walk in circles while his owner charged each child's parent a dram for the pleasure. Fortunately, Tippin knew the way of things, and Jacob's steed, a destrier he'd been told, was content to gallop alongside the other. Jacob considered that a good thing, as it took all of his concentration and effort just to stay in his saddle.

  They were across Friar's Bridge and through Old Gate in no time. The going went slower to South Bridge, as they found the road busy with other horses, carriages, and people going about their business of the day. Still, they made better time than if they'd been on foot. More bridges, never in short supply in Brighton, and soon Hickory Heights greeted them. Or rather, flew by, as the less trafficked neighborhood streets allowed them to pick up their pace. Across Hickory Bridge they encountered the fringes of the morning market. They turned north, following the Highbrook River until a quick jaunt down an adjoining street brought them right to Market Square. The scene here was different, but only because this market was at least twice as large and twice as busy. Their horses displayed little interest in wading into the crowd, which was agreeable to their riders, who dismounted and found a boy willing to watch them for a small fee. Tippin paid him a quarter of the money now with a promise to hand over the rest once they returned. It took some asking about, but they finally found someone who knew the antique booth and its location. They went to it, finding it manned by Sarah alone. Not wanting to alarm the woman, Jacob kept his tone congenial as he inquired after Lady Kelm, who Sarah told him had gone for a stroll about the market.

  "Now what do you suppose we do?" Tippin asked Jacob as they walked away from the antique stall. They both scanned the teeming crowd. "We'll never find her in all of this. Of course, Lundy probably won't either."

  "I think he already has," Jacob said, pointing.

  Bella's strange mechanical carriage galloped down a street at the bazaar's other side. Its driver was not Nod.

  Without waiting to see if the sergeant followed, Jacob dove into the crowd. But every attempt to get through was met with failure. Meanwhile, the machine clambered further and further away. Abandoning the direct approach, Jacob forced his way to a stand where a man sold honey. The seller opened his mouth to deliver his pitch, but closed it just as quickly as Jacob leapt over the counter, knocking honey jars every which way. The man released a torrent of curses at Jacob's back as the commander ran out the rear of the stall. Free from the worst of the marketplace bustle, he found the carriage already gone from sight. But he knew which direction it headed, and so took off running. Then he saw it, just turning down a side street. Jacob plunged into a nearby alley which ran parallel, but then twisted and turned so that, as he emerged back onto the street, he found the mechanical carriage bearing down right on top of him. With no time to move from its path, only a hard tug at the back of his collar saved him. Jacob landed flat on his back, cracking his head in the process. Noise from the carriage clanking by overhead drowned out the beginnings of his curse.

  "...and you could have at least cushioned my head, dammit."

  Tippin lay flat on his back next to him. "Next time I'll try to do better, sir. But right now, if you're done complaining, I think we've still some work to do."

  "Right." Jacob stood, a bit woozy, but steady enough to launch into a run after the carriage. "Tobias saw me. Bastard didn't even bother trying to slow down."

  They sprinted, closing the distance quickly now. Then they were right at the back of the mechanized carriage. Jacob sprang for it, gaining purchase enough to pull himself up. He extended a hand to Tippin just as Lundy poked his head out from one of the carriage's side windows.

  "What the hell...?" Lundy saw Jacob holding onto the back, and Tippin just climbing onboard, and smiled. The carriage door swung open and out he came. "Looks like we're having that reckoning a little sooner than I thought, Commander."

  From the other side emerged Dougal. Together, they both started climbing to the top of the transport. Lundy shouted upfront to Tobias. "Don't stop for nothin'."

  Jacob gained the carriage's roof at the same time as Lundy and Dougal. Tippin was right behind, but not yet on the roof. Lundy and Dougal had their heavy clubs. Jacob had his cutlass, which he slid free now. No words were spoken. No excuses of being on the captain's business were made. They all knew the way of things, and that this contest would end only when one side was beaten or dead.

  Lundy swung first. Unbalanced, with the carriage jostling them about, Jacob knocked away his clumsy blow with ease. Dougal's attack met a similar fate as the carriage misstepped. The resulting lurch almost knocked all three of them from the roof. Jacob heard Tippin cry out. He didn't dare risk a glance back, though from the steady stream of cursing he knew the sergeant was still there.

  Jacob took the offensive, swinging for Lundy but really aiming for Dougal. The ruse worked. Lundy backed a step away while Dougal, who wasn't expecting the edge of the sword just then, felt its sting on his arm. He cried out as his club fell from his grasp. It landed on the roof
and started to roll away. Lunging for it, Dougal nearly went over the side. He grabbed hold of the weapon, but was out of the fight for the moment. Jacob squared off against Lundy. The bosun's mate didn't waste time with another wild swing. Instead he closed, grabbing hold of Jacob's sword arm while raising his club high above his head. Jacob received the first blow on his shoulder. He gritted his teeth and tried to free himself from Lundy's grasp, but Lundy was the stronger.

  "Start squealing for mercy now, Commander, and I'll let you jump off with a bit of your dignity intact."

  Jacob said nothing as he pulled himself free and, with the same motion, cracked the man across the jaw with the hilt of his sword. Lundy staggered back, but he kept his feet even as the carriage shuddered. No lurch this time, but a horrendous groan which came from somewhere beneath them as the mechanical contraption's motion, never smooth, turned into a buckling gyration. They heard a clanging noise, and then a sharp crack as some inner working of the machine finally gave way. The contraption didn't stop, but kept on at the same inexorable speed.

  Dougal finally regained his feet. Tippin, who had just reached the roof, met him. As promised, the sergeant went at his adversary with his fists, jabbing him in the face once, then twice. The third sent him falling back so that, this time, he fell right off the carriage.

  "Get to the driver," Jacob yelled at Tippin.

  The carriage's speed increased as its movement grew more erratic, and they heard more pieces of machinery clanking and clanging beneath them. Jacob spared a glance ahead, seeing people running away in all directions, just before he feinted at Lundy, driving him back enough for Tippin to spring past. The moment after the sergeant dropped from view, sounds of a struggle ensued. Meanwhile, Jacob renewed his contest against Lundy with new vigor, forcing the other man onto the defensive. Lundy's heavy club, which was something like a short blade in length, clacked each time it impacted with Jacob's sword. By the third such impact, Jacob had the other’s rhythm down. While he’d considerable brute strength, Mr. Mortimar possessed little skill. Jacob feinted high. When Lundy raised his weapon in kind, Jacob brought his heavy blade down on the airman's thigh. Lundy cried out, but he gave no ground. Just the opposite; he swung for Jacob's head. Jacob ducked, slashing again as he did so. He sliced into the other thigh this time, so that blood soon trickled down both of the man's legs.