by Augusta Li
Querry spotted a three-legged stool in the corner and sat down. He dropped his elbows to his knees and kneaded his temples. His injured body still hurt, and he was tired. Reg came over and rubbed his back, saying, “What will we do now, Querry?”
“I don’t know. Lizard, do you remember Frolic?”
The boy snorted. “Hard to forget, that one.”
“He’s missing. I think he might be in danger. Would you know anything about that?”
“Like I told ye, mate,” Lizard said, “Ain’t none of my business. Even if it was, I ain’t heard nothing about him on the street. Dink would know better. You, now, that’s different. Everybody been talking about Querrilous Knotte.”
“But nothing about Frolic?” Reg urged. When Lizard shook his head, he said to Querry, “What next?”
“We have to get to Dink,” Querry said. “They’re likely holding him at Thimbleroy Manor or at the clock tower itself. He’s sure to be well guarded, but I owe it to him to get him free. Trouble is, without him here it won’t be easy to replace the weapons and gear I’m going to need. Sure, I can scrounge something up on my own, but I don’t like the idea of facing the kind of fight we’re likely to get into with second-rate equipment.”
“That reminds me,” Lizard said. “Package come for you the other day. Poor bloke what delivered it didn’t seem like he knew his own name. He handed it off to me, looked all over like he didn’t know how he got here, then just wandered off whistling to himself. I’ll go and fetch it.” With a musical jingle, he parted the chain drape and returned carrying a package almost as long as he was tall, wrapped in iridescent paper resembling wet leaves. Curly rushes fastened with intricate, decorative knots held the parcel shut.
“Querry,” Reg said cautiously as the thief took the bundle from Lizard.
When he’d set the package down on the counter and opened it, Querry found, neatly folded inside, his snug black pants, striped cravat, shirt, and leather waistcoat. Beneath them he discovered his boots, pistols, and holsters, and even the ornate sword he’d obtained on his first outing with Frolic. It all smelled like a summer meadow sprinkled with clover. Staring down, Querry tried desperately to recall how he’d lost his things. The visions his mind conjured had nothing to do with the situation: dancing, swirling at impossible speed. A few bars of music played inside his head, and he began to tap his foot, but he couldn’t recall anything specific. Querry swore under his breath, tired of trying to make sense of a world seen through a keyhole, with everything significant happening just outside the tunnel of his vision.
“Well,” he said, shaking off the eerie feeling, “I suppose that’s one problem solved.”
“But we’ve got a bigger one,” Reg said. “Namely, reaching the top of the clock tower.”
“Climb the scaffolding,” Querry suggested.
“Won’t do,” Reg said. “Even if it was physically possible, and it might be for you, were you in top shape. But in your current condition I’m not so sure. Neither am I sure I could make it at all. If we could, we’d be out in the open for much too long. Any number of people could spot us and pick us off with a rifle.”
“You’d have made a good thief, Reg.”
“And once we get there, we have to get Dink back down. I seriously doubt he could make the climb at his age.”
“Might be I can help you out there too,” Lizard said. “Since it’s for Old Dink and all. Follow me.”
He led them out of the shop and deep into the yard, past the heaps of sheet metal, engine parts, wheels, canisters, and pieces of machinery and clockwork in various stages of completion. The three of them came to a clearing, and Querry couldn’t believe what he saw.
There, encircled by heaps of scrap, sat a car about the size of the average horse-drawn carriage. But the vehicle, which was made of brass panels along the lower half and sheets of clear glass on top, all held together with silver solder, had no wheels. Instead, a huge sack of pieced-together leather scraps hung over the opposite side. Half a dozen smaller balloons were tethered to the first with braided wire, and an expansive pair of bat-like wings, cut from aluminum and polished to a high shine, stretched beneath them. Copper tubing formed the spines on the wings and also extended from them to the base of the car. Querry could see, near the top, smaller tubes set within larger ones, as well as the gears that would allow them to extend or retract, moving the wings. A small propeller sat at the far tip of each wing, and a larger on at the back of the main compartment. Inside, brass levers and a wheel, just like that of a ship, gleamed in the gaslight.
“An airship,” Querry breathed with longing.
“But will she fly?” Reg asked, eyeing the vehicle dubiously.
Lizard shrugged. “Old Dink said she was finished. Pretty proud of her, too, he was.”
“But he never took her up,” Reg said, his head and shoulders drooping.
“She’ll fly,” Querry said, taking a step closer, eager to get his hands on the beautiful marvel.
“Even if she will,” Reg continued, “You’ve no idea how to operate her.”
“How hard can it be? Reg, this is just the thing! We’ll sail right over to the clock tower, rescue Dink, and be on our way. Then he’ll tell us where to find Frolic.”
“Oh, Querry,” Reg began, but Querry cut him short.
“Lizard, could we go inside?”
“I don’t see the harm.” The boy opened a glass door, and Querry followed him into the airship’s interior, trailed reluctantly by Reg. Like all of Dink’s best work, the airship’s hull, dash, instruments, and leather-cushioned benches had been adorned with swirling decoration cut from a contrasting metal and further enhanced with elaborate etching. It was truly a marvelous sight. Querry ran his bare hands reverently over the control panel. Lizard came to stand beside him.
“Beautiful, ain’t she?”
“Amazing,” Querry agreed.
“I helped Old Dink build her,” the boy said proudly. He pointed to a button. “This here fires up the gas burner.” He pointed to a metal disk in the center of the glass ceiling. “And this lever controls the flow. More juice and you go higher. ’Course, you can drop the anchor round the other side here, and she’ll hover in place just like a humming bird. You steer with that wheel, plainly. These two levers here control the angle of the wings. Pull up, and she’ll dive. Flap ’em down hard, and she’ll gain a little more altitude. Straighten ’em out to the sides to glide. Er, at least Old Dink says that’s what’ll happen.”
“This is a bad idea,” Reg said.
“No,” Querry said, his voice soft with awe. “It’s brilliant.”
“Take her,” Lizard said. “If it’ll help Old Dink. But take care of her. We been working on ’er the better part of three years.”
“Thank you,” Querry said. “We won’t let you down.”
Reg groaned. “Is this really the best course of action, Querry? We could be killed in that thing. Both the government and several private companies have been trying to perfect air travel for many years. Surely you’ve seen the results in the news? Fiery explosions as often as not. Not a single prototype has been successful. I don’t want to burn up or fall out of the sky.”
Turning to face him, Querry took Reg’s shoulders in his hands and looked deep into his eyes. “I wouldn’t ask you to do this if I thought there’d be any danger. Do you really think I’d risk losing you now? You don’t know Dink’s work like I do, Reg. You haven’t seen what he can do. This is going to work. I know it.”
Convinced, but clearly not excited by the prospect, Reg nodded twice and patted Querry’s knuckles.
“One more thing,” Querry said to himself, as a solid plan took shape in his mind. “Lizard, I need a grapple and something to project it. I need one that can hold to stone.”
“Right!” the boy said, saluting as he disappeared into the yard. Querry took the time to change back into his own clothing. It felt good to position his goggles above his forehead and strap his guns and sword around hi
s hips. As he tugged his gloves into place and buckled them at the elbow, he caught Reg’s reflection smiling from behind him.
“Yes?” Querry said, eyes narrowing.
“I was just thinking,” Reg said, stepping forward and running his hands down the sides of Querry’s leather-clad waist, “how much that gear becomes you.”
Querry turned and took Reg’s face in his hands, though he couldn’t feel his skin through his armored gloves. He leaned in, about to kiss him, but was interrupted by Lizard’s return. The two men stepped quickly apart as the boy opened the airship door. He handed Querry a device resembling a two-foot crossbow with a spool of heavy rope attached to the underside. A thick bolt topped with a serrated, three-pronged claw waited to be fired.
“We call her The Gripper,” Lizard explained. “She’ll hold to anything.”
“Thank you,” Querry said, stashing the device beneath one of the airship’s benches.
“Just help Dink,” the boy said, insecurity and concern cracking his tough exterior and showing him for the child that he was.
“I promise.”
The boy nodded once, exited the ship and soon disappeared among the heaps of scrap. Querry went to stand at the helm, his finger trembling excitedly above the ignition button. When he pressed it, he heard a few clicks, then the gas lighting with a whoosh. A blue flame burned steadily above the glass ceiling. Slowly the balloons inflated with a steady hiss. When they stood full, Querry could practically feel the ship itching to take flight, tugging insistently toward the sky, like an excitable puppy on leash.
“Time to take her up,” he said, his heart skipping. He grasped the cold, oily bronze of the lever, and pulled it a few inches toward the floor. The fire brightened, and a series of gears moved against each other rhythmically. The propellers began to spin, and the ship ascended, jerkily at first, rising a dozen feet, dropping two, and rising again. Querry gave her a little more gas, and soon he and Reg rose smoothly toward the sky. Gripping the other lever, Querry brought the wings down and they shot toward heaven with the speed of a bullet. Querry laughed out loud, and Reg staggered to a bench, holding its back with one hand and his forehead with the other.
The little glass airship entered the layer of cloud and smog hanging above the city. For a moment everything went white. Then they broke through, and Querry brought the wings horizontal, allowing them to glide smoothly.
“Oh, Reggie, look!” he said, stepping away from the controls. As far as his eyes could see, the snow clouds stretched beneath them, obscuring everything below. To Querry it looked like a tranquil ocean rippling with subtle waves of glowing lavender, turquoise, rose, and lemon-yellow. Here and there the mist rose up in wavering curlicues or translucent sheets that dispersed in their wake. Directly in front of them, the moon cut an ivory crescent in the rich cobalt of the sky, and the stars shone even brighter and purer than they had in the country. To Querry, it seemed the perfect picture of the paradise promised to the faithful in the cathedrals.
Reg regained his balance and came to stand beside Querry, saying, “It’s like a whole other world up here. It’s beautiful.”
Querry stepped behind Reg, wrapped his arms around Reg’s waist, and leaned the apple of his cheek against Reg’s soft hair. For many minutes they stood in silence, the beauty and magnitude of the celestial view stealing their words. The airship continued to glide smoothly along, and Querry took the helm and guided her toward the only object piercing the clouds: the clock tower.
Chapter Twelve
WHEN they drew near, Querry could see artificial light burning just below them. Gradually he took the airship down, past the sharp peak of the massive roof that sheltered the mechanical creatures. Its copper shingles had long ago gone green. Clearly the work was being done on the fabled floor that housed the clockwork mermaids and dragons. As they passed only a few feet from it, obscured by the mist, Querry heard the ping of hammers against metal. Lights flickered and equipment hummed. Slowly he dropped lower, steering the ship toward a wide ledge just above the huge clock face.
“I’m going to drop anchor here,” he told Reg, pointing. “And grapple up to the next level. I’ll try to get to Dink without being spotted, and hopefully sneak him away without anyone being the wiser.”
Reg’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he looked up at the distant lights. “Grapple,” he said hoarsely, “all the way up there?”
“Don’t worry, love,” Querry said, giving Reg’s wrist a squeeze. “I do this sort of thing all the time.”
“Dink doesn’t,” Reg reminded him. “How on earth will he get down?”
“That’s where I’ll need you. Reg, do you think you could bring her up?”
“I don’t know—”
“It’ll be simple. Leave the anchor down, and just pull up on this lever here. Pull nice and slow, though. She’s touchy.”
“Querry, how will I know when? You’ll give me some sort of signal?”
Querry shook his head. “Can’t risk drawing the attention. Wait a half an hour, then bring her up. I’ll be ready.”
“Querry, I don’t know. We’re so high up—”
Giving Reg a hard peck, Querry stroked his cheek and said, “This is just an average bit of work for me.”
It was a complete lie. Sure, Querry was accustomed to moving along rooftops, swinging from balcony to balcony and climbing up walls, but he’d never been so far from the ground that he couldn’t see it. Up here, with a sharp wind whistling eerily and assailing him with cold, he could hardly convince himself that earth waited somewhere below the mist at all. A fall from this height didn’t mean risking a broken collarbone or ankle; it would reduce him to a smear. Stamping down his fear, thinking of his old friend Dink and his dear Frolic, Querry pulled his goggles down in an attempt to keep his eyeballs from freezing. He switched to the telescopic lens and looked up. Directly above stood a massive archway supported by columns. A low stone wall stretched between them. Feeling like he’d be blown off his feet by the powerful gale any time, Querry braced the barrel of The Gripper against his shoulder and touched the trigger.
He hadn’t been expecting the kick. The bolt shot up, driving the thief six feet back, almost over the edge. Querry teetered on the balls of his feet for a few seconds that felt like a nightmarish lifetime, then flung himself forward on his hands and knees. He crawled as quickly as possible to the stone wall and huddled against it, his whole body convulsing with fear. Trying to breathe in a slow, even way, Querry hoped Reg hadn’t seen him almost fall.
I won’t abandon you the way your parents did, he pledged. Then, conviction renewed, he stood, found the end of the rope, and gave it a tug.
The ten minutes it took to reach the next level were the longest and most terrifying of Querry’s life. Even years later, he would wake now and then in a cold sweat, sure he’d been plummeting through a dark void. The wind battered his body so mercilessly that he swung back and forth like a pendulum. It threatened to tear the rope from his freezing hands. Finally, though, he reached the ledge and rolled his body over it. He spared a few minutes to will himself to stop trembling. Then, well hidden in a shaft of shadow cast by the great column, he looked around.
Not even the most poetic descriptions Querry had read prepared him for the reality of bestiary atop the tower. Off to his left stood one of the angels Reg had mentioned: a ten-foot creature in a scarlet robe, holding an elaborate two-handed sword. It displayed some of Frolic’s sort of beauty in its smooth face, but the face was clearly metal and shone subtly in the low light. The copper hair, while detailed, had been cast all in one piece, and the seams at the joints showed clearly. At its feet waited a red-scaled dragon and a phoenix, or at least Querry assumed. Scanning around, Querry saw a similar display at each corner. The angels and their mythical companions seemed to represent the directions and the elemental attributes associated with each. The fiery deity, Querry decided, likely stood at the south corner of the tower. To the east was a blue-robed angel, surrounded by a sapphire w
yrm and gryphon. An angel in ochre vestments, between a unicorn and stag, and one in emerald with a mermaid and fantastic sea serpent, stood at the north and west, respectively. Between them, vines made of metal tubing, complete with individual leaves and a dozen kinds of flowers, formed arches beyond the stone arches of the structure. These also meandered toward the center, where they tangled together in a way too orderly and regular for nature, around a raised dais. Atop it sat a coffin-like object. The only thing Querry could compare it to were the ancient cases found in the desert recently by adventurers, which housed the remains of long-dead emperors and queens. It looked to be gold-plated and encrusted with clear jewels. Querry couldn’t begin to guess its purpose, but for some unknown reason he didn’t care for it.
All around, in little pools of light from hanging lanterns, craftsmen worked hunched over. Their hammers pinged musically as they adjusted intricate gears, some through huge lenses that clearly magnified the miniscule mechanisms. Armed guards stood at their backs. On silent feet and keeping to the shadows, Querry crept around until he located Dink, lying on his side and working with a wrench on the leg of the great stag. His overseer waited about six feet away, and didn’t strike the thief as particularly attentive. Even so, he’d certainly notice if his charge disappeared completely. Querry considered. The best chance would probably be to wait until Reg had the airship ready, about another ten minutes in his estimation. Then he’d get Dink’s attention, and do his best to make it to the ledge before the guard caught on. He realized they might well have to run for it. He’d get Dink in front of him and just hope his armored vest would slow, if not stop, a bullet.
Querry waited behind the robes of the angel until he heard the whir and patter of the airship ascending. Then, on his hands and knees, he crawled as close to Dink as he dared.
“Dink!” Querry hissed.
The old man sat and pretended to retrieve something from his tool box. He scanned the shadows and located Querry. A look of terror crossed Dink’s face, followed by a look of confusion. He mouthed the words, “What are you doing here?”