The Nullification Engine (The Alchemancer: Book Two)

by Scott Marlowe

  "Yield, Mr. Mortimar!"

  Lundy flashed him his wicked grin and lunged forward.

  Jacob kept his wits, letting Lundy extend himself. He raised his sword, braining him with a single blow of the cutlass's hilt. Lundy went down without a sound.

  With no time to waste, Jacob sprang forward to assess Tippin's situation. A man flying off the side of the transport, whom he recognized as Tobias, told him all he needed to know as he leapt down to the driver's seat to settle in next to the sergeant.

  "Any idea how to stop this thing?" Jacob asked, yelling over the clatter of the machine.

  Tippin fumbled at a series of levers and pedals, none of which seemed to do anything. Then he took hold of one particular handle, eased the lever back, and the machine started to slow until, finally, it came to a complete, albeit lurching, stop. They both let out sighs of relief. Jacob stood and was about to leap from the carriage when he stopped to look around. Tippin expressed his thoughts precisely.

  "What the hell is this place?" the sergeant asked. "Looks like Hell incarnate."

  They'd come to a stop in the middle of a borough which must have seen a recent fire, for all around was blackened ruin and ash. Not a single building stood. They'd driven right up onto what must have once been the inside of someone's house or shop. Though he felt no heat, Jacob saw smoke wafting up from sections of the block.

  Shaking his head, Jacob sprang from the driver's seat to the side of the carriage. Swinging wide the door and poking his head inside, Jacob saw Bella slumped in one of the seats. One look at the unnatural pallor of her skin and the bravado he felt at saving the damsel in distress melted away in an instant. Jacob checked her pulse. Alive, though she didn't look it. Jacob spoke her name and, when that didn't work, gave her a light tap on the cheek. She moaned, but nothing more. She'd no visible bruising on her head, and so Jacob wasn't sure what ailed her. Jacob stuck his head out the open doorway to call for Tippin. The sergeant's name was on the tip of his tongue when a strong and very large hand took hold of him and hurled him from the carriage. Jacob landed face first. He'd barely rolled over and spit the dust from his mouth when Nod reached for him again, ready to throw him around some more.

  "No, wait!"

  Nod grabbed the front of Jacob's frock while his other hand, already balled into a fist, pulled back to knock the teeth from his mouth.

  "Bella! The lady needs assistance!"

  That cut through the man's rage, and he dropped Jacob and went to check on his charge. When he turned, Jacob saw the splotch of blood on the back of the giant's head and so knew how Lundy had gotten the best of him. Nod took her out of the carriage and laid her down. He fumbled at her belt, his hands too large for the small pouch he tried to open. Jacob knelt beside him and offered his assistance. Nod did not look happy to accept it, but he did. Inside the pouch, Jacob found an assortment of small leaves. Nod gestured to the woman's mouth, so Jacob placed one of the leaves on her tongue. Its effect was immediate as Bella began to stir.

  Nod and Jacob stood. Despite what Jacob had just done, Nod directed a very unappreciative look his way.

  "Maybe you can explain to him how we just saved the lady," Tippin said as he came to stand next to the commander. "Though he doesn't appear to have any desire to listen."

  Before Jacob had a chance, half a dozen men broke through a crowd that had formed a distance away and ran onto the scene. Jacob thought he recognized at least one of them from their initial meeting with Thorvid Kelm. From the expressions on their faces, they'd no desire to listen to Jacob's explanation, either.

  Two more men came forward. Between them they'd Dougal, who they unceremoniously threw to the ground at Jacob and Tippin's feet. Meanwhile, a few of the others got a still-unconscious Lundy down off the roof, while the remainder took control of the carriage. Nod picked up Bella and ducked inside, slamming the door behind him. The moment Lundy was dropped next to his co-conspirator, the carriage, still functioning despite its mistreatment, lurched into motion. It made a wide turn through the burned-out area before disappearing down an adjoining street. The remaining bruisers surrounded Jacob and Tippin. One of them smacked Lundy's club into an open palm.

  "Now, wait a minute. We came to Lady Bella's rescue and had nothing to do with—"

  "Save it for the boss," said the one with the club, still smacking it into his palm.

  They were forced in a direction opposite the carriage. Fortunately for Lundy, he woke enough to pick himself up off the ground and stumble along with them. Jacob wasn't sure Thorvid's men would have left him behind still breathing. Not that it mattered. Jacob didn't think any of them were getting out of this alive.

  20. Rats

  "BY THE OLD GODS," KIMLOR Rusk said, holding his nose, "this place smells worse than Kelgin's sweaty armpits."

  Ardus Arkor jumped down from the ladder right after Kimlor and immediately pinched his nose as well. "Aye to that. Much worse, I'd say."

  Evan, who'd come down first, held his torch aloft as he peered down one of the sewer's corridors. "I've no idea who Kelgin is, but I'd rather not know how either of you know what his armpits smell like."

  "Who Kelgin 'was,'" Kimlor said. "Greedy bastard's dead. Dining with the gods and fending off women in the heavens above, as they say."

  Hirad Bolheim came down last, landing with a splash in the shallow water. "I once saw a troll so ugly, it made ol' Kelgin look as pretty as a princess. That old bugger may be dining with the gods, but he ain't fending off any ladies, that's for sure."

  All three of the dwarves broke into a round of chuckling.

  Evan turned and shushed them. "Our intention is to move about as silently as possible. Perhaps I was not clear on that point the previous seven times I told you?"

  "Bah!" Hirad said, waving his hammer before him. "We're down here to bash in some skeva heads, not tiptoe about like mice."

  Evan unfurled a scroll on which he'd detailed the major sewer corridors taken from the larger plans. He spoke as he studied the map. "And what if the skeva hear you coming—which shouldn't be too difficult with all of the armor the three of you are wearing—and decide to scurry away instead of waiting to have their heads bashed in? Then this whole venture will have been for nothing. Remember: no skeva, no payment."

  "Wha—? What do you mean no skeva, no payment?" Ardus asked.

  Putting his map back into its protective case, Evan shrugged. "Must have forgotten to mention that part of the deal. I think, gentlemen, we want to head this way." He pointed down one of the tunnels. There were several leading away from their current location. "It should take us deeper into the system. Remain wary. We've no idea how many skeva are down here." As he walked away, Evan heard the dwarves continuing to grumble.

  "No payment?" Kimlor said. "I'll give him no payment, right up his arse!"

  Hirad chuckled. "The patroller has a cruel sense of humor. He's having sport with you. Now, come! Let’s see where he leads. The sooner we're done with this business, the sooner we can get back to our mugs with the patroller's coin jingling in our pockets."

  Evan had it in his mind to walk the length of the sewer from one end to the other to first get a feel for the layout. Based on inquiries he'd made with the city's Office of Water, Canals, and Sewage, the sewers were flooded every two weeks, with the last such event occurring right before the Chaos had struck. In the days after the Chaos, inspectors had been sent down to look for cracks and such. Evan had learned that one of the inspectors had gone missing. The man was not the reliable sort, though, so no one thought to report his disappearance. Evan had said nothing, though he'd a pretty good idea what had happened to him.

  Now, a shallow stream of water flowed down one side of the passage, leaving dry the other, elevated side. The whole place was stone and mortar with a cool dampness to the air, which Evan had planned for by changing back into his usual patroller leather, tunic, and boots. He'd his bow slung over one shoulder, his full quiver over the other, and a short blade and dagger at his belt. T
he dwarves wore a mismatch of armor, including chain shirts, breastplates, bracers, guards, and helmets. Each wielded a hammer or axe. All of them carried extra torches.

  "Place is quiet," Hirad said, his voice low this time.

  From behind him, Ardus said, "Quiet...like a crypt."

  They were right. The soft jingle of dwarven mail, the scuffing of boots on stone, and the soft flow of water were the only sounds heard as they made their way through the main sewer passage. Passing beneath street gratings, they heard the clip-clop of horse's hooves or the rumble of wagon wheels, but the noises remained distant enough they seemed to come from another world. Here was nothing but darkness, long, damp corridors, and the dance of shadows cast upon walls by the flicker of their torchlight. They passed by other tunnels, some larger than others, but each reaching deeper into the nooks and crannies of the city's underbelly until they reached a point where the main passage split into a series of smaller tunnels. One of the tunnels, which was narrower than the rest but still passable, went straight through one of the three rivers coursing through the city, for they heard the rush of water and felt a slight tremble across its surface.

  "We need to get away from the main tunnel," Evan said, figuring it their best chance of running across any skeva. Consulting his map once more, he directed the dwarves back the way they'd come for a short distance before taking them down one of the many side passages. The way was narrow right from the start, until their mostly dry walkway disappeared completely beneath the slow, steady flow of water. Given what passed through here, none of them had expected to remain in possession of their boots after this venture ended, anyway. The same for their breeches, which would not survive the wet and stench of the place. The dwarves had not been concerned at all about sacrificing some clothing, especially since, as Hirad had proclaimed, they intended to add it to their list of expenses.

  Halfway down this new passage, Kimlor halted them with a raised fist and a hiss at Evan, who occupied the lead. Evan looked back, wondering what the dwarf had observed. He thought it odd that Kimlor looked neither forward nor back, but straight up.

  "What in Uhl is that?" Kimlor asked no one in particular.

  They all followed the line of his gaze. Evan backtracked, and, since he was the tallest, held his torch high. Something protruded from the ceiling.

  "Looks like part of the ceiling, but it ain't, is it?" Ardus asked.

  Hirad grunted. "It's too high even for blondie. Here, Kimlor, stand on Ardus's shoulders." Like acrobats, but with none of the athleticism, the two managed to form a totem pole of dwarven stockiness just tall enough for Kimlor to get a better look. Evan held his torch high to provide light.

  "Well?" Evan asked, impatient at the delay and not understanding the dwarves' interest. "Did some bricks come loose?"

  "That's what I thought," Kimlor said, "back when I saw the first one. Ardus, I think we better switch places. You need to see this."

  Despite Evan's growing irritation, they swapped places so Ardus could perform his own inspection.

  Once in position, Ardus whistled. "Damnedest thing I've ever seen."

  "Keep that whistlin' down, Ardus," Kimlor said. "You'll blow us all to hell."

  "Hirad," Evan said, "have you any idea what these two are talking about?"

  "I'm starting to, but I'll leave it to Ardus to explain. What do you see, Ardus?"

  Scratching at his beard, Ardus swayed a bit on top of Kimlor's shoulders before he said, "Alchemical explosives, that's what I see. Damn sophisticated ones too. Fastened to the stone with adhesive and covered with plaster and paint to make it less noticeable. Argolene-mitramine material coated with some form of futylene is my guess, along with an alchemical detonator triggered by...well, lookee here, a dual-trigger mechanism. There's a reception node so someone can remote-detonate, but also a disintegrating trigger as a backup. One way or another, this baby's going to blow. Hard to tell how long before the backup kicks in, though. Maybe ten or twelve hours. You can let me down now, Kimlor. Nothing more to see up here."

  Not certain he'd heard the dwarf correctly, Evan asked, "Are you saying there are explosives up there? On the ceiling?"

  Ardus bobbed his head. "Yep. Not just there, but I saw the same bulge elsewhere along the main corridor."

  "But...why would anyone line the sewers with explosives?"

  Ardus shrugged. "Beats the shat out of me."

  Hirad offered a more constructive answer. "Only one reason someone puts explosives in this particular spot. Look at its position." He pointed at the plaster-hidden explosive, then lowered his arm one way and then the other, pointing at the arms of an arch. "This provides support for the corridor, but also for whatever is above it. The device is right at the coign, where it will do the most damage. Someone really wants to create a bit of destruction topside."

  Evan still didn't believe it. He considered having a look at the explosive himself. But he'd no expertise in such things, so he wasn't sure if balancing on the shoulders of a dwarf was worth the effort. "How many of these did you see?" he asked Kimlor.

  "Just the one. But I wasn't really looking for them at first."

  "I think we need to know how many there are, at least along the main line."

  They backtracked to where they'd come off the main corridor, then split up, with Ardus and Evan going one way, and Hirad and Kimlor the other.

  "How did you know so much about the device?" Evan asked Ardus once they'd traversed the corridor for a distance. "You rattled off a few words I'd have a hard time repeating even if someone spelled them out for me."

  "Used to work with a demolitions crew out of Brokken-Tor when I was younger. Get underneath the Ugulls, and there's plenty of tunnels and such which need blastin'. Damn Mount Kroom goblins always trying to find some easier way out of the mountains and down into the Vernesse Steppes."

  Evan knew Mount Kroom. Simarron patrollers kept a vigilant eye on the goblins there at all times. Greth, too, which had stirred up trouble just recently even.

  Ardus went on. "Also did some merc work during the Vrannan-Kallendor border skirmishes of '07, '11, '12, and '14. There's always work for a dwarf who knows explosives, especially amongst you humans. A lot of what I know comes from experience. The best way to learn, don't you think?"

  "Unless one is learning about explosives. Hard to learn from one’s mistakes if you aren't around anymore."

  As they went, they counted, and then recounted on the return trip, the devices hidden above. Back at the rendezvous point, they found Hirad and Kimlor already waiting. Hirad gave his report first.

  "We counted four. Too high up to examine, but we figure they're at least as powerful as the one we took a closer look at."

  "We saw five," Evan said. "Each positioned directly at a structural support point, according to Ardus."

  "Aye, that," Ardus said.

  "I think," Evan said, "we've a change in our priorities. We've no idea who planted these devices, nor do I think we're going to find out by wandering around down here. First and foremost, we need to let the authorities know about the explosives. I've no idea if they've anyone to dismantle them, but maybe Ardus can help. Our contract still stands, so you'll get your payment just as long as..."

  Evan's voice faded into silence. He'd heard something.

  Whistling.

  The dwarves heard it also as Kimlor put a finger to his lips.

  Light from their torches became a liability then, for just as they saw a single skeva stepping out from a side corridor, the skeva also saw them. The moment it did, it froze. The skeva was about as tall as the dwarves' four feet, with none of their stockiness. It had on a shirt and trousers, with nothing on its feet, and wore goggles over its eyes. It held something in both of its hands. It was another bomb. Evan threw his torch aside and took his bow from his shoulder. He just had an arrow nocked when the skeva bolted down the passage from which it had just come.

  "After it!" Hirad yelled.

  All three dwarves took off running.
Evan was right behind them.

  Evan kept his arrow nocked, ready for the instant in which he saw the skeva again. Except he did not see it. Not right away, and not after they'd run and run, passing several side passages along the way. But since the dwarves kept on straight ahead, Evan figured they must have some sense for where the skeva had gone. Hirad's question proved that assumption wrong.

  "Where'd it go?"

  Ardus thought he knew. "This way!"

  He pointed with his axe and dashed off into another passage. Hirad and Kimlor followed without question. Evan as well, but more because he'd no longer a light of his own and didn't fancy getting left behind in the dark. They ran headlong down the passage and into another and another until Evan guessed they were completely off his makeshift map. With the skeva nowhere to be seen, Evan was ready to give up when he saw it skittering away ahead of them.

  "There it is!" he shouted. "No! Wait! It dropped the device! Back! Get back!"

  The dwarves skidded to a halt and, along with Evan, all four spun around and ran from the pending explosion.

  "How soon?" Evan yelled.

  "Soon enough! Down this way!"

  They ducked into one of the many side passages just as the bomb went off. The explosion blasted them from their feet and, as the concussive wave extinguished torches, cast the tunnel into instant darkness. All around them, stone from the walls and ceiling crumbled and broke, raining chunks of rock down on them. Evan covered his head and tucked his legs in to protect against the worst of it. He hoped the dwarves, even with their helmets and armor, did the same.

  It was over as quickly as it had started. The rumbling subsided, while the sound of rock falling and hitting the floor lessened until only a pitter-patter of smaller pieces remained. Evan blinked his eyes open. He saw nothing in the dark, though he did feel the weight of stone draped across his body and the dust, thick around them, drifting into his lungs with every breath. Through the ringing in his ears, he heard the dwarves stirring around him.