He slowly entered the lab, his heart heavy.
The heaviness inside him ignited into anger. Theo’s jaw tensed as he looked over the room again, the place where his family had advanced so much science, yet never lifted a finger to try to help those affected by the Mist.
Entrapped by the lure of power.
Power. The Winchesters were drunk on it. Power and wealth.
Living on the luxuries of their circumstances at the expense of mankind.
Rage and deep shame swept over him. He picked up the beaker and threw it at the wall. The glass shattered, and the clear liquid splattered across the stone floor.
Swiping his hand across the table, his grandfather’s notes went flying in a whirlwind of paper. A nearby book was propelled in like manner.
He lurched toward the next table and grabbed another burner, then paused. He stared at the instrument in his hand. This equipment was not cheap nor easy to come by. He slowly lowered the burner back onto the table, the flames inside him ebbing away. He was already regretting the beaker he had thrown against the wall. And the papers and book.
He breathed hard and leaned across the table and closed his eyes.
If only his father had lived, things would have been different.
If Father had lived . . .
Theo opened his eyes and stared across the laboratory. Professor Hawkins’s words came back in a sudden moment of clarity.
Because those who do end up dead.
Was that a warning?
Had the zipper accident been no accident?
Theo’s mind finally put together all the pieces laying before it. The Five Families knew about the secret. Would they have known about his father’s research? If so, would they really go so far as to kill to keep power? The thought of the Purges caused his eyes to blur. Of course they would.
That nuance made him thankful he had only spoken to Professor Hawkins. From this point on, everything he did would have to be done in secret, not only for his only safety, but for Adora’s and Aunt Maude’s as well.
He was on his own.
Cass’s first dive was a success. They retrieved an old painting from the ruined city of Solace and sold it to a powerful trade family in Decadenn. Weeks later, they searched the Mist on the west side of the floating city and discovered an untouched house with Plague War–period furniture. It took several trips down to excavate the rooms due to a roaming company of Turned, which Cass learned firsthand to incinerate. The shock of shooting lasted only a short time before she didn’t even blink at bringing down the walking corpses in heaps of smoking flesh.
The furniture they hauled up sold for thousands of sterlings each. The crew grinned when Captain Gresley handed out the latest payload, but Cass could detect a tightening around his lips, and she wondered if he was thinking about his brother’s debt. Her cheeks burned. That was information she shouldn’t know about.
Weeks turned into months, each dive bringing with it both danger and profitable loads. There didn’t seem to be a dive the crew of the Daedalus couldn’t handle, and the news spread across the skies, bringing in even more jobs. Then her name began to be connected with the others on the ship. It was said she had a knack for finding even the hardest treasure, and there wasn’t anything she was afraid of.
“I heard Cass took on three Turned all by herself,” Jeremiah said in a staged whisper during dinner that night.
That wasn’t true. She only shot one, but its flames spread to two other Turned. Bert shot more than she did. So did Lucas, one of the other divers.
Bert crossed his arms on the other side of the table and turned his head away, a dark look on his face. Cass wished Jeremiah would shut up.
The following day, Bert was distant and cold as they planned out their next dive.
“You know Jeremiah was just exaggerating like he always does,” Cass said, hoping to ease the tension.
“What do you mean?” Bert asked, looking up from the map spread out across the table in the galley. Lucas focused on the map, but Cass could tell he was listening in.
“You know, about the last dive we took, and about me supposedly shooting three Turned.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Right now, we have more important things to discuss than last night’s gossip.”
Cass was taken aback by his response.
Fine. If it was work Bert wanted her to focus on, she could do that.
Before Bert could continue, Captain Gresley walked in with a note in hand. “Change of plans. I just received a bulletin from a passing aeroship for a job that will cover our expenses for at least half a year.”
Bert’s eyes went wide. “Half a year?”
“Yes. A job from the House of Lords.”
At the mention of the House of Lords, Cass stiffened. She hadn’t forgotten how they treated those along the borders, the Purges, and the slums they provided, housing not even fit for a rat. She never wanted anything to do with any of those Families, but she also knew that the Daedalus had no allegiances, except to the crew and the ship. If the job paid that much, it was worth exploring.
“What do they want?” Bert asked. Lucas leaned forward, also eager to hear what the job entailed.
“They want us to retrieve a small box from an old pre-plague village called Magmire.”
All three shook their heads. “Never heard of it,” Bert said.
“Neither have I. Apparently it’s at the base of the western mountains.”
“That’s a long journey from here,” the head diver observed. “And there are large crowds of Turned along the western mountains.”
“I know.” Captain Gresley placed the note down. “But they’re willing to pay fifty thousand sterlings for the job.”
“Fifty thousand!” Lucas exclaimed. Bert stared down at the small piece of paper, dumbfounded. Cass felt stunned herself. That—that was a lot of money.
“So,” Captain Gresley looked around the group. “Is the risk worth it?”
Lucas laughed. “I’d say so.”
Bert tugged on his chin. “I think we can handle it.”
Captain Gresley glanced at Cass. “Cass?”
Knowing what she knew, she had a feeling this job meant even more to the captain. An amount like that had to be able to cover whatever debt his brother had incurred. “Yes, I think it’s worth trying.”
Captain Gresley straightened up. “Then I’ll send word back, and we’ll start flying westward today.”
It took four weeks to reach the western mountains and another couple of days to reach where Magmire lay below the Mist. The mountain range was tall and steep, with sharp sides and rocky cliffs, leaving very little room above the Mist for crops or people. The Daedalus came to rest at the only port near Magmire, a tiny village called Duskward.
Cass stood by the railing as the sun began to set ahead, sending orange and red streaks across the sky above the mountain peaks. The town of Duskward barely clung to the rocky cliff on which it was built. There was nothing green, not even a tree, for miles. And there were no roads through it, only rickety platforms that connected the buildings together.
“Not much of a place, eh?” Jeremiah said as he came to stand beside Cass.
“I’m wondering how they even built it,” she remarked.
“Ropes and pulleys.”
“But why? It seems like it would be a lot of work to build a whole town on the sheer side of a mountain.”
“I heard Duskward is one of the oldest towns above the Mist. It was probably built by those who escaped its rising but still wanted to live in the area they used to call home.”
Cass glanced down. The greenish-grey Mist looked dark and foreboding. She tried to imagine what the place looked like before the Mist, with valleys full of farms and villages, sprawling cities and forests, and the people who lived there. People, who when the Plague Wars peaked and the weapon that eventually created the Turned was released, fled up the mountains but refused to leave their land.
It was a con
cept she didn’t understand. Then again, she had moved her entire life. And only recently had she found something she would consider home.
After the Daedalus docked, the crew went into Duskward. Cass gripped the railing along the walkways, every few minutes wishing she had her glider with her just in case the railings gave way. How could people live like this?
But live they did. As the crew passed the narrow wooden homes, doors would open, and people stared curiously at the newcomers. Candles were lit in the windows, and curtains were drawn back. There were no gas lamps, no steam-powered technology, or even the new “electricity.” Just an old town gripping the side of the mountain, trying to eke out a living next to the deadly Mist.
At the end of the walkway stood a two-story, narrow building with a faded sign along the top: Sam’s Mercantile. Captain Gresley and Bert went in to see if the merchant would be interested in purchasing supplies from the Daedalus, while the other crewmembers sauntered around the rest of the town. Cass stayed by the mercantile and stared up at the sky. The sun had set behind the ridge, leaving behind a dark rainbow of colors while the stars came out one by one. She could see why the town was named Duskward—the sky looked amazing overhead.
A half hour later, Captain Gresley and Bert emerged. Cass followed them back to the ship. The others slowly returned. There wasn’t anything of interest in the shantytown, not even a pub.
Lights were lit along the deck instead, and Jeremiah brought up a keg to celebrate the expedition in the morning. Of course, the only ones going down into the Mist would be the diving team, so most of the crew could take it easy. Someone brought out a mandolin and began to play a lively tune. There was laughing, loud chatter, and a few jigs were danced across the deck.
Cass stood by the railing and watched the frivolity. Captain Gresley joined her, a wide grin across his face. After all these months being part of the crew, the captain’s size still intimidated her, but she knew now that he was a gentle giant who cared for those under his command.
He was kind of like a father.
Cass blinked at the thought, surprised by the sudden warmth of emotion. She barely remembered her own father now, just hazy images and his short stature. She missed him, and her mother, but the years had faded them to the back of her mind. Now she had a home again, and a family. She smiled. If only they could see her now.
“What’s that smile for?” Captain Gresley asked.
“Just thinking,” Cass replied.
“About?”
Cass paused, then decided it was time to open up a little bit. “Remembering my parents.”
“Oh?” Captain Gresley said simply. Cass could sense him waiting.
“We moved a lot, always trying to stay one step ahead of the Purges, always looking for work. Everything we owned we carried on our backs. But we always had each other. This is the one thing I remember.”
“So what happened? If you don’t mind the telling,” he added.
Cass leaned across the railing. “The Purges finally caught up with us. My parents hid me, then they gave themselves over so that our flat would not be searched right away. I escaped later.”
“How old were you?”
“Fourteen. Old enough to take care of myself.”
Captain Gresley shook his head. “I can’t imagine what your life was like as a fourteen-year-old girl on the streets.”
Cass stared at the view below. “I already knew how to survive from my family’s previous moves. And Belhold doesn’t have many roving gangs, not like some of the other cities. As long as I remained invisible, no one noticed me.”
“And you lived like this until you came on the Daedalus?”
“Yes.”
On the deck nearby, the sailors began to sing an old folk song with Jeremiah leading the tune.
“Well, Cass.” Captain Gresley’s voice was gentle but firm as she looked up at him. “I’m glad you’re here with us. It’s always been my goal to provide a home for those who have none, give them some skills, then set them loose. It’s what my mother modeled for me.”
“Is your mother still alive?” Cass already knew the answer but was curious for his response. Maybe she would discover more about his family.
“No. She passed away ten years ago, leaving behind me and my brother.”
“So, you have a brother?”
Captain Gresley scratched the back of his neck, an awkward look on his face. “I don’t talk about him much. We parted ways after Mother died. He’s three years older and lives in Decadenn. We still run the diving business together. I fly the Daedalus, and he takes care of business on land.”
So the argument she overheard, and the debt incurred, did indeed affect more than just his brother.
Captain Gresley turned and looked over the railing. The light from the ship barely bounced off the Mist below, and the sky above was filled with the twinkling of a thousand stars. Beside him, Cass stared up at the night sky.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Captain Gresley said. Cass nodded silently. “Every time it feels like the world is out of control, all I have to do is look up, and I remember there is an order to everything. There is someone bigger than my problems, bigger than the Mist, bigger than anything that can happen in this world. And because of that, I can breathe a sigh of relief.”
Cass glanced at the captain. What was he talking about? The look on his face—his soft smile as he gazed up at the sky—quieted the question inside her. For one fleeting moment, she wondered if she could ever experience the peace that seemed to fill him.
A moment later, she spotted Jeremiah dashing across the deck as another song started on the mandolin. He came to a stop before her and grinned. “Come on, Cass, you’ve been standing here all night. Time to dance.” He grabbed her hand.
“What?” she exclaimed. “But I don’t know how to dance!”
“It’s easy! I’ll show you.”
Captain Gresley let out a full-bellied laugh. “Go on, Cass. Enjoy yourself.”
Jeremiah pulled her to the middle of the deck amongst the rest of the crew. His dancing consisted of twirling around the deck and spinning Cass alongside him. Her apprehension gave way to laughter, and her curls swished around her head as she spun along the deck to the sound of music and gaiety. By the end of the night, her face was flushed, and her cheeks hurt from smiling.
“Night, Cass,” Jeremiah called out and waved.
“Night, Cass,” a few more sailors shouted.
Cass grinned happily. “Good night, everyone.”
She entered the tiny cabin and shut the door, then leaned against it. The airship swayed slightly with the wind, the gentle rocking motion she had grown accustomed to over the last few months.
Yes, this was her family now. The Daedalus was her home.
The next morning the Mist was thicker than ever as Cass landed near the village of Magmire. The flight down had been uneventful, but there was an ominous feeling that she couldn’t shake. She wasn’t sure if that was because of the dense Mist or the deathly silence that seemed to hang heavy over the forest just outside the village. She could barely see outlines of buildings in the hazy fog.
Nearby, Bert, Lucas, Oliver, and Captain Gresley put away their gliders.
“Be on alert,” Bert said through his gas mask as he pulled out his revolver. “There is rumor of a high concentration of Turned in this area.”
Cass patted the revolver at her side. There were six bullets ready, and she had another six in the pouch attached to a loop on her belt.
“So where do we start?” Lucas asked.
“The message said the box is in the old Staggs estate on the northern side. So we will be looking for a large, expensive house.”
“I wonder why they’re paying so much for a box,” Oliver murmured. Cass wondered the same thing.
Lucas shrugged and led the way into Magmire.
Unlike Salbum, the town where her first dive occurred, Magmire was small, with only a patch of ground and a great tree for the village squ
are. There were a few shops, one apothecary, and rows and rows of narrow, two-story houses in a variety of colors, all faded now.
“Is this where the residents of Duskward came from?” Cass asked.
“I believe so,” Captain Gresley replied. “Or at least some of them. Others traveled from other villages across the base of the western mountains to escape the Plague Wars.”
The group became quiet again as they looked around the town.
“This place looks virtually untouched,” Bert said a few minutes later. “I wonder why.”
“Perhaps all the rumored Turned?” Cass said.
“And where exactly are they?”
Cass had no response, but the dread inside her increased tenfold. This place seemed different than all the others they had visited. But why? The Mist, although thicker, was the same. It was always quiet during a dive, save for a few small animals. So why did this one feel different—?
“Watch out!”
A shot rang out as Cass spun around. Captain Gresley already had his revolver in hand and set on something emerging from the corner of the apothecary. Fire erupted in the shadows as a Turned staggered out of the alley and fell to the ground in a smoking heap.
More shadows began to move from behind the narrow houses. Bert swore. “Great, a whole company of Turned.”
Drawn to their source of prey, six more had appeared in the small village square while more seemed to be following.
The five divers grouped up in a circle with their backs toward each other. Cass concentrated on the homes in front of her with her revolver ready. As soon as one stepped away from the building, she fired. Soon the air began to fill with smoke and the smell of burnt bodies and hair. Cass coughed inside her mask.
Secrets in the Mist Page 10