River glanced back at the spectators who were leaving the courtroom. Burk was nowhere to be seen. She barely managed to contain the urge to go after him.
“I’m sorry,” the mayor said, patting Socrates on the shoulder. “I don’t know what possessed Vallan to make such an unfair ruling.”
“He has the weight of many responsibilities,” Socrates said. “I don’t agree with him, but I think I understand.”
“What about you?” said the mayor, turning his attention to the toymaker. “Surely you will do the honorable thing and give Socrates his freedom, and return his property?”
The toymaker considered that. “I… I suppose I will. But I must ask: Socrates, do you mind if I disassemble you first?”
“What?” River shouted. “You must be joking!”
“I’m afraid I can’t agree to that,” said Socrates. “It is one thing to risk my life to save those of my crew, but simply to satisfy your curiosity? No, I won’t allow it.”
“You don’t really have a choice,” the toymaker said. “Technically, you are my property.”
River grabbed Isaak by the collar and pulled his face close. “Are you insane, old man? You don’t have the slightest idea how Socrates was built, but you think you can take him apart?”
At that moment, they heard bells chiming in the street outside.
“All right, everyone calm down,” said the mayor. “The festival is beginning. Let’s calm down and discuss this like civilized people. Toymaker, may I have a word with you, in private?”
River released the toymaker with an angry shake of her head, and muttered something about taking him apart. Isaak followed the mayor to the corner of the room. They exchanged a few private words, which apparently pacified the elderly gentleman. He thanked the mayor and then nodded at Socrates and River on his way out of the courtroom.
“There,” said the mayor. “That’s settled. He won’t be bothering us for a few hours at least. Let’s try to enjoy what’s left of the day, shall we? After all, things may not have entirely gone your way, but I do believe there is reason to celebrate. River, you have your freedom once again and Socrates, I believe hope remains for a satisfactory resolution to your cause. Allow me to ease your concerns for a few hours. You have seen New Boston at its very worst. Come with me, and I will show you the true beauty of this city.”
Socrates shrugged, and River reluctantly agreed. Micah followed after them quietly. As they left the building, River found one of the constables waiting for her on the front steps. He had her revolver, and a few other personal belongings that had been confiscated when she was arrested. River gladly accepted them back.
“I have to ask you to keep that unloaded while you’re in the city,” the mayor said, nodding at her revolver. “I’m afraid it’s the law.”
River considered explaining to him that if her sidearm had been unloaded on the night she’d arrived, she would have been raped and possibly even murdered. She decided against it. There was no point in arguing with the mayor. She wouldn’t change his mind, and she didn’t plan on sticking around that long anyway. River had decided that she didn’t care for New Boston -or its so-called justice- and she just wanted to get as far away as possible. She dutifully retracted the revolver’s cylinder and tucked it into her belt.
The sky was dark as they left the courthouse, and it had begun to lightly snow. Across the street, thousands of tiny multi-colored lanterns decorated the trees, and bonfires burned all around the lake. Merchants had filled their booths with toys and games, jewelry, roasted meat, freshly baked bread, and a thousand other things. Citizens dressed in warm winter clothes had gathered to enjoy the light displays, to marvel at the new steam-powered inventions, and of course to bring their children ice-skating.
Horse-drawn sleighs circled the lake, offering rides to festivalgoers for a small price. Nearby, an inventor exhibited his new steam-powered horseless carriage, the first model ever with “Rack and pinion steering!”
River grinned, thinking of the incredible technologies she had seen in Sanctuary. The people of New Boston had no idea what sort of things they would discover in the next generation. River knew it would be a waste of time to tell them though, because they wouldn’t believe her. They had proven that much by the way they had judged Socrates.
“This city is a far cry from Blackstone Castle,” Socrates said, admiring the light displays as they gazed across the street.
“Or the Forgotten City,” said Micah. “This is beautiful!”
“Our solstice festival is a time-honored tradition,” said the mayor. “When the nights are long and the weather is cold, the best way to raise spirits is to give the people something to celebrate.” He glanced at River and saw that she was shivering. “First things first. Let’s get you something warmer to wear.”
He led the group down the street to a clothing store. They paused out front, admiring the fine garments displayed in the front window. As the mayor reached for the door, Socrates cleared his throat.
“Mr. Mayor, your kindness is greatly appreciated, but I’m afraid my companions and I have no money. What little we had was lost when the train was stolen.”
“I understand entirely,” said the mayor. “Consider this a gift from the city, a reparation if you will; a small token of apology for all that you have suffered since your arrival.”
“Why would you do that?” said River.
The mayor looked at the three of them for a moment, as if considering how much he should tell them. He fished around in his pocket and pulled out an envelope.
“The letter that my cousin wrote -the one I showed to the magistrate in court today- that was not the only letter I received.” He opened it, revealing that there were in fact two letters inside. “Dael sent the first letter as an official statement of character, for legal purposes. The second letter was personal, for me. In it, my cousin spoke very highly of you. Especially you, Socrates. He told me about the incredible knowledge you have, and how willingly and openly you shared that knowledge. Thanks to your advice, he says their well pumps are operating more efficiently then ever, and they are experimenting with a new hull design that should dramatically improve the performance of their ships. Dael thought equally highly of the rest of your crew.”
“That was very noble of him,” said Socrates. “We owe him a debt of gratitude.”
“And I owe all of you an apology. I’m afraid that life in my city can be… complicated. It is difficult, trying to balance the needs of a large and diverse population. I’m afraid that the corruption you witnessed in Southside is but a drop in the bucket. Sometimes it seems that our entire city has been corrupted.”
“You’re talking about the constable?” said River. “The one who testified against me?”
The mayor shifted uncomfortably. “If what you say happened was true, I sincerely feel for you. Sadly, there is little I can do to discipline the man. You are the only witness to his crime, and without further evidence, I’m afraid the matter is beyond the reach of our laws.”
“Then nothing will happen to him?”
“I’m sorry,” said the mayor. “There is nothing I can do. Won’t you at least accept this gift from me?”
He pulled the door open, and ushered them inside. A tall, elegantly dressed woman met them as they entered. She wore a long dress with sequins across the breast and a belt of silver chain around her waist. She had thick brown curls that fell down around her shoulders and sparkling green eyes. The woman smiled broadly at the mayor, and then gasped as Socrates came in behind the others.
“Hello, Marget!” said the mayor, pulling the door shut behind them. “I hope business is treating you well.”
“Mayor Cronwyn!” she said, pulling herself together. “So good to see you.”
He accepted her hand, and kissed it. “Marget, these are friends of mine. They will be needing some weather-appropriate attire. See to their needs. Send the bill to the courthouse, would you?”
“Of course!” Marget’s eyes
lit up. “Come with me, ladies and…” she eyed Socrates, and then looked Micah up and down. “…Gentlemen. Who is first?”
The mayor settled into a chair by the front window. He produced a flask from inside his coat pocket and a cigar from another. There he remained, silently enjoying his midday smoke as he watched the others browse the shop, and relishing the poke in the eye that this shopping trip would be to Magistrate Larkin when he received the bill.
Micah was the only one of the three dressed warmly, but when he came across a pair of deerskin gloves that actually fit, he couldn’t pass them up. Micah found it extremely difficult to find well-fitting garments outside his home village. Gloves were something that he had been dreaming of since his journey on the Iron Horse began.
Marget was somewhat flummoxed by Socrates, not knowing whether he was a machine, an animal, or some other bizarre creature. She did her best to maintain a helpful smile as he tried on clothes, but the woman was clearly uncomfortable.
“Ah, yes,” Socrates said as he slipped into a nice button-front vest and a long-tailed coat. “These fit perfectly.” Both were very similar to the ones he usually wore, but had disappeared when Burk absconded with him.
“Wonderful,” said Marget. She glanced down at his furry legs and bare feet. “Will they keep you… warm enough?”
“Quite,” Socrates said. “I don’t have a nervous system in the same way that humans do. When my internal sensors register extreme temperatures, they activate a system warning. My internal mechanisms can succumb to low temperatures and other hostile environments, so I do what I can to protect them. And of course, to remain fashionable. After all, how can humans think of me as an equal if I don’t dress the part?”
As if to demonstrate his point, he pulled a top hat off the shelf, tried it on, and then selected a new cane. He grinned a discomfiting simian smile, and the others watched with amusement as Marget tried to maintain her composure.
“Yes, I see it now,” she said uncomfortably. “Perfectly human.”
She moved on to help River, who had selected a pair of leather breeches to replace her old ones, but couldn’t find much else. River had been browsing through a selection of fur coats when Marget approached her.
“Only these?” Marget said, eyeing the breeches skeptically. “Is nothing else to your liking?”
“Everything you have is so nice,” River said. “I can’t take any of this. It wouldn’t be right.”
Marget looked her up and down. “You are a pretty thing, aren’t you? Why don’t you go into the back room and slip out of those rags while I find you a nice dress?”
River raised an eyebrow. “A what?”
“A dress, darling. You don’t want to be seen around town wearing those… things. They make you look like a man. And not even a proper one, at that.”
The Mayor saw River tense up, and he quickly rose from his chair to defuse the situation. “Perhaps a coat, Marget,” he said with a smile. “Something long and warm?”
Marget looked skeptically at River’s worn breeches and tall boots, but she held her tongue. She reached into the coat rack, located a long tan-colored leather coat with a fur collar, and held it out. River tried it on and found that it fit perfectly, and closely matched the color of her new breeches.
“I’ve never felt leather so soft,” she said, caressing the front of the coat. She glanced at the mayor. “I don’t think I can accept this. Its must be terribly expensive.”
“Never mind that,” he said, offering her his arm. “It’s all taken care of, courtesy of the magistrate. Shall we?”
It was mid afternoon, but the sky was dark and a heavy snow was falling as they filed out of the store. This apparently did nothing to dampen the moods of the festivalgoers. The streets were filled with the beaming faces of children chasing each other merrily through the crowd on their way to the frozen pond.
The mayor led the companions on a leisurely stroll through the park, during which River and Socrates paused several times to examine various inventions (a snowball machine and a steam-powered snow shovel were their favorites) and Micah was given the opportunity to sample half a dozen different sweetbreads and treats, thanks to the mayor’s generosity. Socrates got his share of looks, but most everyone in New Boston seemed to have already heard of him. A few strangers even came up and introduced themselves.
Eventually, the mayor approached one of the sleighs parked on the street.
“A tour of the park, only two silvers,” the driver called out as they drew near.
“A tour of the city,” said the mayor, and handed him five.
The man felt the weight of the coins in his hand and considered the proposition for about three seconds. He grinned widely, tucked the coins into his pocket, and said, “Climb aboard! Watch your step there, young lady!”
The sleigh’s two seats provided ample room for the group, though it tilted slightly to the side under Socrates’ great weight. The driver made no comment regarding this, and the two draft horses didn’t even seem to notice the difference. The ape settled in the front with the mayor, while River and Micah shared the back seat. As soon as they were away from the park, Socrates glanced up ahead and noticed the airship hovering over the tallest building in the city.
“That’s Larkin Tower,” said the mayor, noticing the ape’s stare. “It’s forty stories tall.”
“Larkin?” said River from the backseat. “As in Magistrate Larkin?”
“The same. Magistrate Larkin is probably the wealthiest man in the city, perhaps even the entire region. That building is his. The airship is his, too.”
“I see scaffoldings on the roof,” River said, squinting against the falling snow.
“The Magistrate is having work done-”
“Stop!” River shouted, jumping to her feet.
The driver pulled on the reins, but by the time the sleigh had stopped, River had already leapt over the edge. She landed in a snowdrift at the edge of the street and sank into it up to her knees. She leapt onto the sidewalk, broke into a run, and vanished into the crowd.
Chapter 24
“It’s not your fault,” Vann said, clapping his hand down on Kale’s shoulder. “You couldn’t have known they’d react like this.”
The warrior made a grumbling noise as he gazed at the line of constables outside the train. During the night, they had lined up half a dozen wagons along the tracks parallel to the Horse, turning them onto their sides to use as cover. After that, the police lined up behind the wagons to load their muskets, and trained their sights on the windows, ready to open fire at any moment.
Since then their commander had been riding back and forth along the column on a great dappled draft horse, waving a saber in the air and shouting orders at his men. The constables were ready for war. Little did they know that the train held less than a dozen able-bodied fighters, and hardly enough weapons even for those. The rest of the crew were too old to fight, too inexperienced, or more inclined to abandon the train altogether at the first opportunity.
“Of course it’s not Kale’s fault,” Loren said with a smirk. “How could he have known picking a fight with the city’s police would lead to all this? After all, it’s not like Micah warned him.”
“Where is that little twerp anyway?” said Vann. “I haven’t seen hide nor hair of him all day.”
“He’s gone,” Kale said. “I think he went after River.”
“See?” said Vann. “All hope’s not lost!”
“So you say,” said Loren. “River won’t get us out of this mess, and we can’t hold out like this forever. Kale, you shouldn’t have sent Rowena on her way so quickly. At least she had a few muskets, and good fighting men.”
Kale drew his gaze from the window for the first time during their conversation. “I didn’t exactly have a choice. She is a free woman, you know?”
“Ha!” Vann. “Fawning and weeping all the way back home, no doubt. She couldn’t take another moment of heartbreak. That’s what chased her off.”
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“Heartbreak?” said Loren. “Of what do you speak?”
Kale turned his gaze back on the window, trying not to listen to his companions.
“You didn’t hear?” said Vann. “Kale broke her heart. Gave the captain a taste of his manliness, and then sent her on her way. What woman wouldn’t crumble under such strenuous circumstances?”
They both laughed heartily at this, although Kale didn’t quite understand the joke. In fact, it was a little too close to the truth.
“That’s all wrong,” said Loren. “Not even Kale would scorn a woman as fine as Rowena. Fine for a human, I mean. I prefer my women thinner, and with pointed ears, but Rowena… A woman like that might change my mind.”
“Fat chance,” said Vann. “She only had eyes for our friend here, not that I understand why. He may be tall and good looking, and strong as any six men, but what’s he got beyond that?”
“Maybe he prefers the company of men,” said Loren, grinning.
“Oh, that may be!” Vann said, scooting closer to Kale and smooching up his lips across the bar. “How about it, big boy? Got a kiss for a lonely old cook?”
Kale formed a fist and held it up in Vann’s face. “I’ve got a kiss for you, all right,” he said. “It won’t break your heart, but it’ll break your jaw.”
“Easy, big fella. Just tryin’ to lighten the mood.”
“It doesn’t matter anyway,” said Loren. “His problem is not with women. It’s with woman. Kale’s heart belongs to River. Anyone can see that.”
“Heart?” said Vann, looking Kale up and down. “You don’t have a heart, do you Kale?”
“Not last I checked,” Kale said, rising from the stool. He turned to leave the room just as someone shouted:
“They’re leaving!”
Kale paused. He glanced at his companions, and at once they all turned back to the windows. Sure enough, the police force had stepped back from the wagons, and started flipping them back onto their wheels.
“They’re giving up!” said Vann. “We did it!”
“Did what?” said Kale. “All we’ve done is sit here.”
Killing the Machine (Aboard the Great Iron Horse Book 2) Page 21