My legs were a rubbery mess by the time the engine died. After sitting for so long, the only thing I wanted was my own bed. I stumbled to the door that separated the garage from the main part of the house, Alayna and Dinga on my heels.
“I need rest,” I said, “we can go to Bailia’s later.”
“Where should I...?” Alayna trailed off.
I pointed to the room off the left side. “My bed’s in there; you’re welcome to it. Dinga has a bed out here, and there’s a lounge in the corner”
She started to protest, but I interrupted her. “Do not argue with me, Princess.” I pointed to the bedroom.
“No funny tricks while I’m sleeping,” an exhausted smile graced her face.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I told her. Given my dream last night, however, it was probably a lie.
The day inevitably passed without any ‘tricks’ as Alayna had said. Dinga hunted, then snuck back in, and I rested off and on. Just after the sun dipped behind the horizon, we set off for the short walk to Bailia’s Bakery, a pack of tools and trinkets slung over my shoulder.
Alayna paused as soon as we exited the workshop. “Um, should we be out in the open like this?”
“Relax. I know a shortcut. The guards won’t see us. Plus, Victor makes sure they stay far, far away.” I glanced at the sun high in the sky. “And plus, Edwin should be on ending his shift and he’ll meet us there.”
She seemed to accept that. Dinga had gone ahead earlier at some point, leaving just Alayna and I to sneak the back alleys until we finally approached the secret entrance to the bakery.
“Ah, Alayna. Welcome back.” Bailia was standing at the foot of the stairs as we entered the back door. Her voice was calm and quiet as usual, as if she expected Alayna to walk through the door at any moment. She had a pair of boots in her hand and lacy stockings draped over them. “I figured you might be in need of these upon your return.” She also held up a leather scabbard just big enough for the jeweled dagger.
“Yes, thank you,” Alayna took them from her.
“I’ve just brought food down,” Bailia told us, “although you’d better hurry so Master Edwin doesn’t eat it all.”
Sure enough, Edwin sat at the table surrounded by more bread than I had ever seen, a pile of pink meat on a carving board, and a bowl blue-speckled firebird eggs. He held a knife in one hand, carving the meat, and a peeled egg in the other. It was nice to be back to normal.
Dinga dangled his clawed feet off the lounge in the corner. He started to braid a leather thong onto his pack. “Too many ishies make for a broken pack, mistress,” he said told Alayna.
She nodded at him and sat next to me, piling food on her plate. “I see what you mean now,” she told me, “everything does taste fresher here.”
I agreed. The meat sticks of Alayna’s world were simply foul.
Edwin stood. “Brother!” He bowed his head at me. “We have been worried about you these few weeks.”
I clapped him on the back, too tired to explain how time moved differently between worlds. “Did we miss anything, brother?”
Edwin lowered his eyes to his plate. “Not much, just the elders’ diatribe meetings.”
“Any word on the queen’s location?”
“Yes, but my father wishes to discuss this with you.”
“Can you not tell us, Edwin?” Alayna asked.
He shook his head and pushed his plate away. “In fact, I must take my leave, now. I will be back later this night.”
I clasped his hand in farewell and he left.
Sitting next to Alayna, I pulled my pack on the table and removed the contents of my bag. A bundle of copper wires, attached to a silver ball, and a few precious and deadly marlita stones sat in a little metal tin, the ones I had managed to save out of the stash I had given Victor.
“What’s that?” Alayna mumbled around her food.
“I haven’t really decided yet.” I washed down my meal with a goblet of the red tea. “You and Dinga are armed with daggers, Edwin must have a sword, but I have my own devices.”
“The power you used on my father seemed enough.”
“This will make it even more effective.”
She stared at me. “It’s a bomb, isn’t it?”
I blinked at her. She was intuitive. “Yes, I suppose it is.”
“That’s a little much, don’t you think?”
“I don’t believe so.” I picked up the bundle and tucked a few wires here and there. “Alayna, we’re up against a Keeper off his rocker, with powers we don’t understand, who has guards and metal dragons at his beck and command. The queen is somewhere, out there, awaiting rescue.” I glanced at Dinga and lowered my voice. “And we’ve got to save his bloody leader in addition to all those perils. So, tell me, do you really think it’s not a brilliant idea?”
She shook her head. “You’re right. Bring the bomb.”
I filled another goblet. “Don’t tell Edwin. I don’t trust him.” I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something had changed since we left. Edwin was always so brazen and spoke his mind, but now I felt he was hiding something.
Alayna was spreading jam on a piece of dark bread. “What? He’s Victor’s son!”
“He’s a guard.” I shrugged. “I think we just need to keep an eye on him. I’ll discuss it with Victor privately when he arrives.”
Chapter Seventeen: Victor
HOURS PASSED. I FINISHED the bomb and put it away, always close to me. Dinga wandered in and out; I’m not sure where he went. Alayna was teaching me a strange game from her world; she called it rock, paper, scissors, though I knew not what scissors were. The hour grew late, and still there was no Victor.
Finally, Edwin entered the room. This time he was dressed in full knight regalia, with an ornate breastplate, adorned with Roman numerals and a variety of cogs and wheels. Strapped to his side was a long sword in a polished leather sheath. I’d never seen him dressed this way, and it was a stark difference. Authoritative somehow. I was cautious.
“What is this fanciful game?” He looked curious, taking a seat next to me.
I looked down at our hands, mine poised in a closed fist and Alayna in a sideways number five. “Ha, don’t I win with stone?” I exclaimed.
“It’s rock.” She laughed. “And yes, you do.”
“Alayna, a word?” Edwin said.
I stared at him, but he dismissed me. What was he up to?
She nodded and pushed away from the table. “I’ll be right back, and I will beat you next time around!”
I shook my head.
As soon as they ducked into the storage room off to the side, I motioned to Dinga and we snuck to the side, careful not to let them see us. The curtain had fallen behind them, but I could hear every word as clear as day.
“What did you want to—” Alayna started.
The brief sound of lips meeting flesh angered me. Dinga’s clawed hand on my arm stopped me. For Edwin’s sake, he better h ope her hand was all he had kissed.
“My apologies for the time we met,” Edwin said. “I was taken with drink.”
“It’s okay,” Alayna replied, her voice cautious. “I know that more than most.”
“It was truly wrong of me in the presence of royalty, given the circumstances.”
“Where is everyone else?” Alayna whined. “Shouldn’t Victor...”
“Ah, hence my presence.” Edwin’s voice was equally nervous, I noticed. An edge that alerted my senses. “My father sends this,” Edwin continued, “with his apologies he must serve his days as the region’s tax collector. You know how busy his life must be, keeping the Order a secret, after all. And you have been gone for some time, princess.”
She paused, then said, “Thank you.”
Dinga and I hastily returned to our previous seats.
Alayna excited the room, a puzzled look on her face. I could see the brief edge of parchment poking from the top of the bodice on her dress.
I pierced the last piece of meat
with a two-pronged fork and tossed Edwin a roll. “So, where are the others?” I hoped my voice was jovial enough.
“I suppose at their day jobs in the city,” Edwin mumbled around a mouthful. “Victor sent me here to fetch you. I’m to sneak you in to the mine entrance on my way to my nightly duty at the palace.”
“Mine entrance?” Alayna seemed alarmed. “Why do we have to go there?”
I thought about this, and it worried me. “Well, it is the easiest way into the Palace. Don’t you remember the plans we looked over the last time?” I licked my fingers, letting the time fall between us.
“Manners, brother!” Edwin exclaimed, and then looked at me. “Please excuse his barbarism, my lady.”
Alayna stared at him. “Where I come from, most men do it.”
Edwin gave a mock gasp. “I suppose all women wear pants there, too, or is it just you that rebels?” He looked at me, then. “Is it true, are all women there as strange as this one?”
“‘Tis true, brother,” I admitted. “Some even wear shirts that don’t cover their shoulders.”
“God of Gears,” Edwin breathed.
Alayna was glaring at him now but stayed quiet.
“At least you are dressed appropriately, today,” he told her.
I put my hand on Alayna’s leg to calm her and shook my head quickly. “Not here,” I whispered.
“Well, I’m not going into the mines dressed like this,” she splayed a hand over her dress. “I don’t know what I was thinking, but apparently princesses are not allowed to be comfortable, ever.”
Edwin held up a hand. “Enough, we must get to the mines. You have fifteen hand-cycles to get ready.”
Alayna stomped away to the supply closet. I could tell she was angry, but I didn’t know what to do about it.
Dinga was a welcome interruption, then. He hopped up on the seat next to me. “Am I going with you, master?”
“I suppose,” Edwin leaned back in his chair, “Leading a Zespar slave will make for a good cover.”
Dinga frowned at him and looked to me. “Mistress?”
I sighed. “What do you have in mind, Edwin?”
He pulled a pair of iron shackles from behind his breastplate. “Zespar, you shall wear these, just for now.”
Dinga inched closer to me. “Must I?”
Sebastian nodded to him. “I’m afraid so.”
Dinga sighed, deep and heavy. He exhaled, his small chest heaving with the effort. He stuck out his claws and Edwin clapped the shackles around his wrists.
“That should do it.” Edwin looked up at me. “All prepared?”
I nodded and stood, my hand covering the concealed bomb in my pocket. Alayna appeared from the closet, dressed in a pair of tan trousers, the boots Bailia had given her pulled over her knees. The white men’s shirt was tied at her neck, and much too large for her small frame. I offered her my arm and announced, “Here we go, Alayna. We’re off to save the queen and kingdom.” In her ear, I whispered, “I think this is a trap. Keep the dagger close.”
She nodded her eyes wide.
“And the Anual,” Dinga piped up, his eyes were wide and terrified, but threw back his scrawny shoulders and held his head high.
“Sebastian, a moment before we go?” Alayna asked.
Edwin waved us away, his eyes narrowed.
We stepped into a corner of the room and Alayna pressed a note between us. “You were right,” she whispered.
I popped the red dragon seal easily and unfolded the thick paper, on tan parchment that was torn at the bottom. The dragon key fell into my hand. I clasped it tightly, feeling the points dig into my palm. Why would Victor give this to her, now? The tilted cursive was so ornate it took me a minute to decipher Victor’s classical handwriting:
My Dear Alayna,
It is with heavy heart that I cannot see you off this morning on your adventure. I wish you luck from the God of Gears that you will be a success. Sadly, I must return to my duties today. I pray this will be of more use to you than to me. I believe you are the woman from the prophecy, and may the Gods protect you and keep you. Hail to the Order.
Trust no one.
Regards, V.C.
At the very bottom, a section was crossed out, scribbled with ink so dark I couldn’t make out the last portion. I nearly dropped the key as the letter fluttered from my fingers. I looked at the carved silver key, blinking to see if it was real. I closed my palm over it repeatedly, feeling its weight.
Where could we hide it from Edwin? I looked around the room, anxious to find something, anything. A ribbon hung from a nail just outside the closet behind us. I reached behind Alayna and tugged it toward me.
“Hide this in your hair,” I told her. I moved so Edwin couldn’t see what we were doing.
Alayna nodded and took the ribbon, wrapping the key in it tightly. She bent over and threw her short hair over her head, tucking the key and ribbon at the nape of the back of her neck. She patted it, making sure the key was tucked safely out of sight in the thick folds of her hair.
I folded the letter and handed it back to her.
“Ready?” He was growing impatient.
I briefly glanced at Edwin. He seemed not to be paying attention, examining the tattered wall hangings. But the short look he gave me before he turned away told me all I needed to know. Victor was worried about Edwin, with his sharp wit and impulsive behavior. How could his son be anything but an asset to our group?
Alayna nodded to Edwin. “We’re off the kill the wizard.”
Chapter Eighteen: Edwin
“WHAT’S A WIZARD, MISTRESS?” Dinga asked after we walked a block from the bakery.
“Shh,” Alayna whispered. “I’ll explain in a bit.”
Dinga clawed at the spiked collar around his neck, attached to a leather cord held by Edwin. Edwin held it tightly, wrapped around his wrist, as if at any moment Dinga would spring and attempt escape. Alayna and I walked in front of them, our pace slow and steady to avoid drawing attention.
“Is this really necessary?” I hissed behind me to Edwin, who had taken up the rear, his cloak pulled over his head but open in the front.
“It’s for appearances, brother,” his tone was sarcastic, harsh.
I threw a glance back at him and that crazy smile was ever present on his face.
“Hey,” Alayna interrupted. “Guards, up ahead.”
We rounded the corner, three blocks down from the bakery. Edwin explained, in hushed tones, it was to avoid bringing suspicion to Bailia’s home and business.
Two guards in full plate armor strode past us, not even giving us a look, their eyes fixed forward. I let out a whoosh of breath. Had I been holding it as they passed? I lived so long in fear of them it was second nature to me. Next to me I could see Alayna’s face twisted in anxiety as well. Edwin urged Dinga to carry on the lead, and we journeyed closer to the din at the center of the city.
I had seen the piston a thousand times, driving through the city. Every time I had given it a wide berth. It was a monstrosity the city failed to even believe was there. From the fields outside the city, it was a huge black stain on the sky. Despite its massive size, it was silent and deadly, due to a barricade of bronze panels that stretched into the sky. Each panel was perforated in perfect rows. Padded squares studded the metal.
“It looks like a checkerboard of bronze and black,” Alayna breathed. Her arms wrapped across her chest, though no chill breeze swept by.
“Except for the silver arms and black sphere that rises and falls into the horizon,” I whispered.
We stopped a dozen feet from the entrance, a small door where two knights stood guard. Two more patrolled around the large circumference of the piston, their knees high in a synchronized march.
Alayna shivered and looked at Edwin. “What is Victor’s plan?”
I saw the flash in Edwin’s eyes before it was too late. I don’t trust him, Victor had warned. To truth, I had seen the signs. Watch him, Victor had admonished. I hadn’t dis
missed it, but Edwin was always too weak willed to do anything. As children, he had cried like a newborn upon falling on his knees! He had seemed so faithful up until today, so willing to help the resistance. His father was the leader, for God’s sake!
“Edwin?” Alayna’s voice was urgent.
Edwin didn’t look at me, instead kept his gaze fixed on Dinga. He wiped a hand across his brow, throwing the sweat to the ground. His normally brown eyes were dark now, impossibly black, covering the whites of his eyes. He looked demonic, but not in the good way like Dinga. He licked his lips furiously.
Before I could call out to Alayna that something was wrong, Edwin reached down and snatched the leather cord.
Dinga fell to the ground and let out a yelp.
Edwin wrapped the cord deftly around his wrist, and pulled Dinga up to him, his arm wrapped firmly around Dinga’s neck. He threw off his cloak, revealing a gun attached to his arm, seated on a wide leather wrist guard. Four thin barrels were streaked with rust, and the steel had chipped off the sides. A key at the end of the barrels, a trigger of some kind, must have held in the deadly gunpowder. Despite the barrels, it was so slender, I doubted it held any more than one or two bullets.
My hands twitched as my power rose within me. My fingertips heated. I clenched my fists as the electricity shot into my hands.
Edwin pulled his gun and pressed it to Dinga’s head.
Dinga struggled, his bulging eyes shifting to the mine entrance, so he dared not cry out. His jaw clenched as he tried to bite Edwin, but the grip was too strong.
“Unless you want your friend here to meet the God of Gears,” Edwin hissed directly at us, “you better toss me that letter my father gave you.”
“Eddie, why are you doing this?” I whispered urgently. “You’d betray the queen, the honest and good leader, and her daughter?”
“Shut up!” He laughed high and nervous. He pointed the small gun at Alayna now. “Alayna, the letter.”
She pulled it from her waistband and tossed it to him.
I narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. “Why, Edwin?”
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