"Holy shat!" Hirad said. "Kimlor! Ardus! You still alive?"
Grunts and subdued replies answered.
"What about you, Kingsley? If you're still with us, you ready to tell me your real name yet?"
Evan barely heard him over the ringing in his ears. He tried to pick himself up, but the weight on him was too much. "Go to hell, dwarf."
Hirad's responding laugh turned into a fit of coughing.
Stone tumbled as the dwarves freed themselves of the worst of the debris. Their efforts prompted Evan to try again. This time, after levering a large wedge of rock from him, he managed it.
"I feel like every bone in my body is broken," Evan said, reaching out to the wall for support. "Anyone have a light?" Evan didn't wait for a response as he fumbled at his belt, found a torch there, and lit it with a gas hand-lighter. Once the flame took hold, he held the torch high to assess their situation. It wasn't good.
The ceiling and walls had become a patchwork of broken stone and exposed earth. The direction closest to him was choked with rubble and sealed off. He stumbled down the passage the opposite way to see about the other end. Kimlor came with him. It was clear up to about fifty paces, until they came upon a very large, very heavy metal water-lock. Like a great door, the lock regulated water flow from the river into the sewer. An elaborate mechanism raised and lowered the door, the controls to perform such an operation at the surface above them. Presently, the lock was lifted only enough to allow a steady stream to flow in.
"Don't think we'll be getting out this way," Kimlor said, knocking on the lock for emphasis.
Evan agreed. They were lucky the blast hadn't damaged it. Still, if it had, they'd some hope of swimming free. As things stood now, with water flowing into the passage, the water level on their side of the collapse was only going to rise. In fact, as they made their way back to Hirad and Ardus, Evan thought he already noticed it rising. He said as much to the others.
"No choice then," Ardus said. "We'll have to dig our way out. The sooner we start, the better."
Evan looked at the amount of rock blocking the way. With no picks or shovels, it was going to take a long time.
"Fortunately for you, Kingsley," Hirad said, "you're trapped with three dwarves. Digging is what we do."
"I thought drinking was what you did," Evan said, a sour expression on his face.
"That too! But, now, we dig. Stand clear, Kingsley! Kimlor, start working on bracing the sides. We don't want any cave-ins. Me and Ardus will start at the center and we'll see what progress we can make. Kingsley, you stand guard."
Evan furrowed his brow. "Stand guard over what?"
Hirad laughed. "I'm kidding. Lighten up, patroller. What I need you to do is make sure this rubble we're moving gets made into a nice dam behind us. That should hold the water back for a little while at least."
Evan nodded. He'd no problem seeing to such work.
"If you need strength, men," Hirad said, "just think of what we're going to do with that little squeak of a rat when we catch up to him."
That got the dwarves moving double-time, and Evan to thinking they might just get out of this alive.
The three shed much of their armor before falling into an easy rhythm with one another. Evan did his part, making sure each load went to the best spot on their growing dam. He moved and shifted debris as needed, but soon found such efforts unnecessary as its height grew. Still, the water level rose at a precarious pace. Before it became too late, Evan went to the source, carrying rocks and handfuls of sand and dirt to the lock, where he worked on sealing the open slit there. His efforts paid dividends, as the flow decreased and soon appeared to stop altogether. Then he focused himself on bailing out their digging area. He had to use Kimlor's helmet, which the dwarf was none too pleased about, but at least their work area soon became dry, something no one complained about at all. A small mountain of debris and many hours later, they had their first breakthrough. Only a small hole, but they felt the slightest wisp of air coming through. The coolness bolstered their hopes enough for the dwarves to indulge in the briefest of respites. They sat and said nothing. The quiet allowed them to hear the shuffle of feet passing by at the other side of the debris.
No one said a word as they all looked at one another for confirmation. They'd all heard it. Boots, many boots, and claws as well, scraping stone. Hirad went to the hole and looked out. He swore.
"Torches, and lots of 'em," he said in a whisper. "Douse that light!"
Evan threw the torch into the water. It went out with a sizzle.
"Skeva!" Hirad said.
"How many?" Evan asked, eager to have a look himself.
"A whole lot. Maybe all of 'em, for all I know."
Hirad stepped away, allowing Evan his turn. The dwarf was right. Armored and carrying weapons, they walked double-file. As Evan continued his inspection, a goggle-wearing skeva broke from the others to take a few steps down the caved-in passage. It raised its finger, pointing directly at Evan. The patroller jumped back, thinking he'd been seen. Cautiously, he looked out the peephole to see the rat wasn't pointing specifically at him, but in their general direction. Another skeva, this one much taller and larger than the other and dressed all in black, had joined the smaller one. The two chittered something at one another, and then both of them turned and re-joined the march. Evan did not miss the twin swords crisscrossed on the back of the larger one. He watched the passing of more troops before settling back to let the others look if they so desired.
"They're marching to war," Evan said, keeping his voice low. "But against whom?"
"The people of Brighton, it would seem," Hirad said.
"And the explosives?" Evan asked. "Why would they want to destroy the sewers? Isn't this where they live?"
Ardus, who had taken the next turn at the peephole, stepped back now. "The last of them just passed. Sorry, Kimlor, nothing left to see." Kimlor didn't seem to mind. To Hirad and Evan, Ardus said, "Those explosives are going to do a lot more than just wreak havoc with the sewers. They'll bury half the city too."
"Which is exactly why we need to finish digging our way out of here," Evan said. "We need to warn the people of Brighton."
"It might not matter, Kingsley," Hirad said. "The rats are already on the move. It may be too late."
Evan had already considered that. It didn't mean he wasn't going to try.
"Ardus, you said something about a remote detonator, didn't you? What does that mean?"
"Means someone's got a device which can set all the bombs off from a safe distance."
"A device? How small?"
Ardus made a fist to denote his estimate.
"So small enough to carry. I think I've got a pretty good idea which skeva has the remote detonator. If we catch up to him, we might be able to keep the explosives from going boom."
"At least until the backup trigger does the job," Ardus said. "We've been digging for four, maybe five hours now, so figure five to six more before the backup kicks in."
"Then we haven't much time. Back to digging! Assuming we save the day and live to tell about it, the ale's on me!"
"Now you're talking, Kingsley!" Kimlor said as he jumped back into the work.
"Assuming we do save the day," Hirad said, "you'll have to tell us who you really are over those ales, Kingsley. Unless you want to spoil the suspense and just tell us now."
Evan sighed, shook his head, and then started to assist with widening their peephole into something large enough for them to fit through. Because of the confinements of the space, the work was limited to a single person at a time. They worked in solo shifts, digging at maximum effort before rotating out to rest. It was a battle against debris, which continuously slid in to ruin the work they'd already accomplished, and so Evan figured another three hours had passed before they'd widened the hole sufficiently for them to squeeze their way through. Once they had, they handed armor, weapons, and other equipment through until all four stood at the other side.
"Rat
s are all gone and we've no idea where we are or which direction to head in," Ardus said. "Lots of street drains." He pointed up to one nearly above their heads. "But too small for us to climb through. We could wander around for hours down here and never find a way out."
Evan walked down the passage a ways and dropped into a crouch. "We might not know which direction the rats headed in, but that doesn't mean we can't follow them. There are so many footmarks this won't even be a challenge."
The dwarves took one look at the stampede of sludgy prints and saw what he meant.
"Chances are they split up at some point," Hirad said as they got underway.
Sure enough, at almost every new split, they saw the telltale signs of skeva breaking off from the main body. They stayed with the greatest concentration, especially after Evan explained about the large one with the swords, whom he felt was their leader and likely therefore in possession of the remote detonator. They all agreed it made sense. Tracks from the main body led them back into the larger main tunnels. But not for long, as the tracks went off into another side passage. Thinking he'd some idea where they were now, Evan consulted his map.
"They're heading for the palace," he said, running his finger along their suspected route. "Surely they do not intend to attack the earl directly." Evan thought some more. "We need to get there, if not before the skeva, then at least at the same time."
"We'll have an easier time of it at street level," Hirad said, indicating a nearby ladder ending above their heads at a manhole.
Evan shook his head. "We can't risk losing the skevas' trail. We've no idea where they intend to come up once they're beneath the palace. We'll have to keep on from down here."
There were a few grumbles, but no one contested it.
As they got underway again, Evan said, "Keep your weapons ready, gentlemen. One way or another, I think we're all going to have plenty of opportunities to bash some skeva heads very soon."
All three of the dwarves laughed.
"Now you're talking, Kingsley!" Hirad said. "Now you're talking!"
21. Captain of the Airship
JACOB AND THE OTHERS WERE led to a dismal warehouse in a dismal part of town. The streets were deserted, and so no one saw Thorvid's bruisers shove them inside. The interior was dark and littered with crates, some stacked high, but many with lids knocked off or tossed over on their sides. Though it bordered one of the city's rivers or canals, the place hadn't been used for commerce in some time. At the back of the warehouse, a pair of wide doors was opened to reveal a loading dock overlooking a waterway. Even though he’d not been in Brighton for long, Jacob had heard the stories of men washing up on the riverbanks outside the city walls. No one knew from which river or canal these corpses originated, though Jacob thought he might have just solved the mystery in at least some of those cases. The dock was quiet and empty, and late afternoon had brought with it more of the gray clouds which seemed a perpetual state in this part of the fiefdom. Neighboring warehouse docks were empty. Buildings at the other side of the waterway, which Jacob figured a good fifty feet away, displayed no signs of life.
They were shoved outside. Jacob first, followed by Tippin, Lundy, and then Dougal. Lundy's remaining co-conspirator, Tobias, had not been captured. Likely when he'd been knocked from the carriage and seen what was coming, he'd run. Assuming Jacob got out of this himself, he'd deal with Tobias back onboard ship. No one was escaping punishment for this, least of all the captain himself. Jacob had little doubt Lundy had been the one to think up the plan. But the captain had been the one to give the go-ahead. Jacob understood the necessity of following orders without question, but this was different. This was an act against a civilian and a woman, and done purely for personal gain. As leverage, really, to save the captain's own arse. Blyden deserved punishment. But not even he deserved to have his throat cut and his body dumped in the river. None of them did.
The thugs had them lined up in a row, all facing the water. Now, they pushed each of them to their knees as Thorvid Kelm came out onto the dock and made a cursory pass in front of them. The dwarf's attire, a dark formal suit with necktie, gold buttons, cuff links, and polished shoes, looked entirely out of place given their current venue and the occasion. Unless, Jacob thought, he believed in dressing up for executions. Thorvid looked them each in the eye, which was possible because he actually stood taller than them now. Jacob met his gaze, but didn't hold it. Tippin maintained a straightway stare which did not waver. A military man to the last. Only Lundy looked back at the dwarf with defiance. Dougal, the last, was too busy fidgeting, his eyes not looking at any one place for long. With his pass completed, Thorvid stopped and spoke.
"My men have informed me of what you tried to do."
"Sir," Jacob said, "may I be allowed to explain? I'm sure once I've—"
"I am not interested in your explanations."
"Then may I ask a question?"
Thorvid came to stand directly in front of Jacob. "You are the first mate, correct?"
Jacob nodded.
"As long as you do not intend to waste my time by asking for leniency, you may ask."
"How does the lady fare? She did not seem herself when last I saw her, though I don't doubt the chase left her somewhat amiss."
Thorvid leaned back on his heels. "She is well, considering."
"I am glad to hear that. I do have to apologize if not to her, then to you, sir, that myself and Sergeant Tippin did not reach her in time to prevent the whole mess from occurring."
Thorvid narrowed his gaze. "Your words sound to me like the beginnings of an explanation, which I just told you I am not interested in hearing."
"Yes, sir. But I must ask that you allow Sergeant Tippin to leave this business unscathed. I will take responsibility for the other two, but Tippin played no role in the attempted abduction of your daughter, other than to help save her."
Thorvid's brow twitched. "More explanation and now you also ask for leniency." The crime boss looked at one of his men. "Rolf, didn't I just say not to waste my time asking for leniency?"
"You did, boss," Rolf said, stepping forward with a balled-up fist as if he meant to strike Jacob.
Thorvid held up his hand. "No, it's all right." The dwarf walked to the dock's edge where he looked out over the water. "There are few things in this world I consider truly precious. None more so than my daughter." He turned back to his captives. "What's your name again? I believe Bella introduced us back at the antique shop."
"Yes, sir, she did. It's Jacob, sir. Commander Jacob Madison of the airship Griffin."
"A private vessel, correct?"
"That's right." Jacob wasn't sure of the question's relevancy.
Thorvid scrutinized the commander for a moment before he sighed. "Let's hear your explanation, Commander. But quickly. I'm already running late for tonight's coronation ball."
Jacob laid it out for him, leaving nothing out. He told him about the missing journal, and how he suspected something was amiss when he saw Lundy leaving the ship with the other two after just coming from the captain's cabin. Thorvid displayed no reaction at all when he described his and Tippin's harrowing search for Lady Bella, nor their daring rescue of her. Jacob concluded with his intention to make good on their business arrangement as originally agreed upon. He also promised on his life no further mischief from the crew.
"Your life, Commander," Thorvid said, "isn't worth much right now, so my apologies if I do not lend much credence to your promises."
"Be that as it may," Jacob said, "every word I have spoken to you is the truth."
Thorvid did not seem convinced. His gaze drifted to Lundy. "And you? What say you? Is any of this true?"
Lundy sneered. "Sure, except he left out the part about him being in on the whole thing. You saw the way he was lookin' at the lady at the shop. Damn bugger wanted her all to himself. Started tossing us off the carriage so we wouldn't get in the way."
"He lies!" Jacob started to rise when a hand on his shoulder forced hi
m back down.
"Quiet down, Commander. Rolf, your knife." Thorvid waited while the man handed over a bone-handled, six-inch blade. The dwarf started cleaning his nails with the blade's tip. "Do any of you know what crimes a man must commit against me to find himself on this dock?" He looked to each of them. "No? Far less than what you've done." He walked in front of them. "It's a damn messy business killing a man. I used to take care of such things myself. It was the only way to get any respect." He came round Jacob and stopped directly behind him. "Now, most of the time, I let my men do it for me. I haven't lost the stomach for it. But when a man orders another man to kill for him, it speaks of a different power."
Jacob turned his head, trying to gauge the dwarf's movement. He heard only the tip of the knife scraping against his nails. He almost breathed a sigh of relief when the dwarf moved on, except that he stopped next at Tippin.
"But you can't just seize that kind of power from the start. People have to know you're willing to get your hands dirty when the situation calls for it. They have to know you aren't going to send some lackey out to do your dirty work every time. Sometimes, people need a reminder."
Thorvid took a few more steps. He stopped behind Lundy.
"But that's when someone attacks my business. That, I understand. I may not like it. I may not approve of it. But I understand it. But when someone commits a crime against me personally, against my daughter, I'd be less of a father if I didn't take out the trash myself."
Jacob caught the sudden movement out of the corner of his eye. A quick step to Dougal, a knife slash across the man's throat, and the airman pitched forward with blood streaming from his neck. Jacob's reaction was immediate. He didn't bother standing, but scrambled on his knees to his fallen shipmate. He tore his jacket off, bunched it up, and pressed it against the man's throat. It made a poor compress. It was over in moments for Dougal. A choking gargle turned to a gag, and then nothing as he went lifeless.
The Nullification Engine (The Alchemancer: Book Two) Page 31