Sparks flew, and Vincente's mechanical eyelids fluttered. He tried to say something, but his voice grated and sizzled too much to be understood.
Luna's heart leapt. There was still a little tamed lightning left. Maybe she still had a chance. Her gaze raked the room. The nurse hung in the advisor's arms like a crumpled potato sack, with the doctor fussing over her. Luna ignored them and focused on Vincente. She needed something, anything, she could use to get Vincente's mind out of the mechanical man. After all, she had studied the Royal Mechanic's mind machine long enough. With the right materials, she could surely reproduce it. Her mind refused to acknowledge the fact that time was running out. Only three minutes left before Gustavo's body couldn't be used any more.
“Mondo, give me Dad's loot.” Luna pointed to the potato sack on the bed. “Maybe there's something in it we can use to save the king.”
Mondo obeyed wordlessly, but Luna heard the advisor whisper to the doctor.
“With His Majesty dead, the country will drift into chaos, especially with the only grown-up man of the family unavailable for obvious reasons.”
Ignoring the whispers, Luna had Mondo upend the sack.
“Yes!” A sigh of relief escaped her when she realized that her father had stolen the mind machine. There was no need to rebuild it. As fast as she could and with Mondo's help since she could barely use her left arm, she fastened one end to Gustavo's body and the other end to the mechanical skull. Every one of her heartbeats counted down the remaining minutes. With flying fingers she adjusted the dials to the setting she remembered from the journal. Her hands trembled so much she couldn't turn the switch at first. With the last of her strength, she pushed. The familiar hum of tamed lightning filled the room, underlining a clicking noise resembling a grandfather clock. Whirring and sizzling noises filled the room.
“Whatever deity is out there … Please, let him live,” Luna whispered and held her breath.
A mechanical voice came from the mind machine. “Receptacle acceptable. Download commencing.”
The clicking noise grew louder. A sob from the nurse made Luna look up. The woman had regained consciousness but seemed too weak to move. She stared at the lifeless mechanical man, and tears streamed over her cheeks. The doctor patted her hand.
“The girl is doing her best to save him,” he whispered. “Don't give up hope.”
Each of his words was emphasized by another click of the machine. All fell silent, leaving nothing but the clicking noise.
Then it stopped. For a split second, not a single sound rose in the the room. Nevertheless, their hopeful expectation of five people hummed in the air like tamed lightning. Although Luna's lungs screamed for air, she didn't dare to breathe.
A long sigh echoed through the room. The dead man's eyelids fluttered and opened. His gaze searched around until it found Luna. A smile spread over his face. He lifted a hand and stroked her cheek.
“I'll never let you get kidnapped again,” he whispered. He grabbed at his ribs. “Man, why do they hurt so much?”
Luna's happiness threatened to explode outward, and she struggled to stay calm. Proud that her voice didn't shake, she said, “First, I'm not a man. Second, your former body probably broke a couple of ribs of this one.”
Vincente looked at his new body and his jaw dropped. It moved up and down several times as if he wanted to say something but not a word escaped his lips.
“Vinnie!” The nurse bridged the gap between them in record time and smothered the king with kisses and hugs. “Oh, my sweet little Vinnie.”
He struggled. The picture of former Gustavo being stuck in the massive woman's embrace was so funny, Luna's joy bubbled over. First she giggled and then she laughed. She wasn't even bothered by the pain in her arm any more. She laughed until her face and her sides hurt. The others fell in. Their relief was obvious. Finally, the king broke free from the nurse's embrace. He reached out to Luna.
“You saved me again.” His eyes were dark pools that threatened to drown her. She tried to look away but couldn't.
“And the best thing is,” the nurse said, “that you'll stay king.”
Vincente turned and frowned. “How come?”
“Gustavo is the son of your father's lost elder brother. I helped his mother, what with her husband missing and all that. It was only for a fortnight. Then you were born so I had to fulfill my duty. She left the kingdom with her son soon after, looking for her husband.”
“How can you be so sure it's Gustavo?”
“Well, the late Royal Mechanic was your uncle. He showed me all his documents when I questioned him. He had left because he wanted to be a mechanic and not a king. I kept quiet about this discovery because you would have lost your throne had I talked.” The nurse beamed at him. “Gustavo is your uncle's only child, and his real name is Roberto. He resembles his father a lot. Also, he's got that tiny mole at the back of his neck that your aunt's baby had.” She caressed his cheek. “You'll be my little king forever. Although I do have to admit your new body will take some getting used to.”
“Which takes us back to the fact that I still haven't thanked you.” The king turned to Luna again and took her right hand in his.
Her fingers tingled, her breath caught, and she couldn't move. Her whole body ached, and she didn't know why. Surprisingly it soothed her injured arm. The way Vincente was looking at her, she knew he was looking right at the center of her soul. She could hide nothing from him. She opened her mouth to say something, but he was faster. With a small jerk, he pulled her close
She moaned and turned until his body no longer pressed against her arm.
“Oops, sorry,” he whispered and pressed his lips on hers.
Something exploded in her mind, taking the world around her with it. Only Vincente still existed. She slung her healthy arm around him and kissed with all she was worth. He moaned and drew back a little.
“My ribs,” he whispered.
“Sorry.” She released him reluctantly.
“It'll get better with time.” He kissed her again. “I want to live with you for the rest of my life. Will you do me the honor of becoming my queen?”
Her answer was a long but careful kiss.
The End
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Bonus Story: A Robber's Tale
“So, you came to turn yourself in? Why's that?” Werner Vogt, the town's chief bailiff, looked at the skinny youngster in front of him and frowned. The boy couldn't be much older than his own son. Fifteen summers at the most, but his face was nearly as pale as the whitewashed timber-frame walls of his office.
“I'm a robber.” The youth's gaze darted around as if he expected something to jump him any minute. “I'm part of Redbeard's gang. You'll have to lock me up.”
“So you say, but can you prove it? I'm not going to incarcerate someone as young as you without significant proof.” Vogt Werner picked up a quill and smoothed a piece of paper on his dark oak-wood writing desk to write down the alleged criminal's testimony. “As a member of his band, you surely know where he hides out, don't you?”
The youth shivered. “He's probably in hell for all I know.”
Werner's head snapped up. “He's dead?”
“Dunno for sure.” The youngster wrapped his arms around his shoulders and hugged himself. “But with that thing coming after us, it's more'n likely.”
“Boy,” Werner sighed with exasperation, “could you start at the beginning, please? This doesn't make sense at all.”
The youth nodded and sniffed.
“A few days ago, Redbeard caught me when I stole a loaf of bread from a tanner in Varenheide. He took me along to their hideout in the forest. It was the first warm place I've been invited to in years. Their larders were full of bread, venison and cheese, even butter. And they had warm clothe
s.” He fingered the slightly too big tunic he wore over his too short breeches. “So I joined them. I've never eaten as much as during that first night in my entire life. The next morning, Redbeard started…”
“Wait a moment. How many members are in his band?” Werner dipped his quill into the ink once more.
“Aside from me? Redbeard, One-Eyed Jack, Franzl, and Simple Joe.” The youth counted on his fingers and finally held up his hand. “Four.”
Werner finished the last name with a flourish. “Go on with your tale, lad.”
“As I said, the next morning, we started to plan our next robbery, which was going to be my first. I was a little worried but the thought of a warm place to stay and food on the table every day soon got rid of that notion. We planned for three days, then we were ready for the night's work. At dusk, we had an early dinner. And then, it happened.” He hugged himself closer and rocked his upper body until the chair he sat on creaked.
“What happened?” Something had clearly terrified this youngster. Werner reached out and put a hand on the boy's shoulder. He used his gentlest voice. “If this is something that might endanger Bremen, I need to know.”
“The devil came for us that night.”
“The devil? Don't you think you're exaggerating a little?”
“It was the devil. I swear!” The kid's eyes filled with tears, and he stared at Werner as if his life depended on the fact that the bailiff believed him. “I swear by all that's holy, by my immortal soul, and by my mother's grave that I saw the devil.”
The youth's voice was barely more than a whisper but his vow cut through Werner like a knife. He began to tremble. Would he be capable enough to protect the town if the devil himself decided to pay a visit? “No doubt?”
The youth nodded.
“What did he look like?” Fear, anticipation, and curiosity tingled through Werner's body in equal measure.
“He was gigantic, a black shadow up to the top of the window and then some. And the voice…” The youth pressed his hands on his ears as if the sound was still in his head. “I'll never forget the way he screamed his rage at us.”
“I understand. Can you remember any physical features like his face or dress?” Despite his heavily thumping heart, Werner went through the usual routine. It was best if he got as good a description of the devil as possible. His men's life might depend on it if they had to face it.
“When the devil crashed through our window, the lantern broke and died, so it was too dark to see much. But what I saw was more than enough.”
Again, Werner had to reach out to reassure the shivering boy before he went on to describe the creature of this nightmare.
“His hair was like feathers, not soft downs but the hard, cutting blades of a cockerel. He had several pony tails that lashed out at us. And there was a hard bit at the front, maybe some matted hair or the bone of a victim braided in. I couldn't see it clearly. With it, he attacked One-Eyed Jack until the man's face was covered in bruises as I later saw.
“The devil's eyes were tiny but they glowed an eerie green. Their slits widened trying to swallow me, so I hid behind a bed-curtain as best I could. I probably cried. Also, he had claws on the sides of his face. When Redbeard tried to hit the devil's face with his club, it ripped away from the rest and shredded the boss’ face. From the tales I heard about him, I knew he'd killed many a man, but he screamed like a little girl and ran as fast as I've never before seen anyone run.
“The bit below the devil's head was strange, not like a normal neck or shoulders. It had at least four arms but they didn't seem to have hands. Instead, it had gapping jaws with very sharp teeth snapping at everything and everyone. By this time, the devil had broken into multiple parts. I couldn't say how many. From my hiding place, I saw Franzl drop his weapon and run for his life. Simple Joe got knocked around by the devil's hooves. He flew through the hut like a rag doll and smashed into me and my curtain. We tumbled to the ground. Since all of the devil's parts were heading toward us, I fled as fast as I could with Joe on my heels. He was much slower due to his broken ribs.
“We found the others in a nearby clearing. A little later, Redbeard decided to go back and kill the devil. Jack, Franzl, and Joe tried to stop him. I didn't much care. I curled up in a hollow below a root and vowed to never come back out. But Redbeard grabbed my collar and pulled me up as if I weighed nothing, and he dragged me along to the house. He wanted me to watch out for demons. I probably saw a million between the trees, but it was night and my eyes might have played tricks on me. Regardless, I didn't dare to utter a word. If I had, things might have gone differently…” His voice trailed off.
Enthralled by the tale, Werner bent forward and patted the youngster's hand. “You're safe now. Neither Redbeard nor the devil will be able to harm you as long as I'm still breathing.”
Hope flickered in the boy's eyes. “I wet my pants that night. Like a toddler.”
“I would probably have done so too.” Werner tried to reassure the lad.
“I couldn't see the fight between Redbeard and the devil, but it must have been horrible. The screams, the crashing and shouting and bumping. It was all too much. I bolted. Never knew whether Redbeard made it out alive. I raced past Jack, Franzl, and Joe, screaming a last warning their way and never stopped until I reached your office.”
“You've done very well, boy.” Werner considered the youngster for a while. He would need his help to find the way to the house in the forest so he and his constables could verify the happenings, but he couldn't lock him up. Aside from filching food, the boy hadn't committed a crime, and after his scare, he'd surely never again consider anything remotely criminal. Also, he obviously needed some care and attention, something Werner's wife was showering her unwilling son with. Maybe, this boy would be able to ease the tension between the two. He smiled at his own idea and at the boy. “I'd like you to stay with me and my family for a while,” he said. “What's your name?”
The End
The First Book in the Series
includes the original and a bonus story
Once upon a time in a world where magic and technology collide with unexpected consequences …
When Martin helps a pregnant woman to flee from the king’s men, he doesn’t know that the twins she bears will change his solitary life forever.
What if the Brother's Grimm misunderstood the dwarf in the original tale of "Snow White and Rose Red"?
Get it on Amazon
The Next Book in the Series
includes the original and a bonus story
Once upon a time in a world where magic and technology collide with unexpected consequences …
As a mechanic, Tessa lives a dangerous live ever since the new king outlawed technology. Little does she suspect the true reason for this law. But when she discovers a hut in the forest with an obviously cursed inhabitant, she gets drawn into a political intrigue that might destroy not only the kingdom but her family too.
What if the Brothers Grimm misjudged the strength and intent of the curse on “The Hut in the Forest”?
Get it on Amazon
Please turn the page for the main story's original fairy tale.
The Original: Beauty and the Beast
Charles Perrault
Once upon a time there lived a merchant who was exceedingly rich. He had six children — three boys and three girls — and being a sensible man he spared no expense upon their education, but engaged tutors of every kind for them. All his daughters were pretty, but the youngest especially was admired by everybody. When she was small she was known simply as ‘the little beauty,’ and this name stuck to her, causing a great deal of jealousy on the part of her sisters.
This youngest girl was not only prettier than her sisters, but very much nicer. The two elder girls were very arrogant as a result of their wealth; they pretended to be great ladies, declining to receive the daughters of other merchants, and associating only with people of quality. Every day they went off to balls and theat
res, and for walks in the park, with many a gibe at their little sister, who spent much of her time in reading good books.
Now these girls were known to be very rich, and in consequence were sought in marriage by many prominent merchants. The two eldest said they would never marry unless they could find a duke, or at least a count. But Beauty — this, as I have mentioned, was the name by which the youngest was known — very politely thanked all who proposed marriage to her, and said that she was too young at present, and that she wished to keep her father company for several years yet.
Suddenly the merchant lost his fortune, the sole property which remained to him being a small house in the country, a long way from the capital. With tears he broke it to his children that they would have to move to this house, where by working like peasants they might just be able to live.
The two elder girls replied that they did not wish to leave the town, and that they had several admirers who would be only too happy to marry them, notwithstanding their loss of fortune. But the simple maidens were mistaken: their admirers would no longer look at them, now that they were poor. Everybody disliked them on account of their arrogance, and folks declared that they did not deserve pity: in fact, that it was a good thing their pride had had a fall — a turn at minding sheep would teach them how to play the fine lady! ‘But we are very sorry for Beauty's misfortune,’ everybody added; ‘she is such a dear girl, and was always so considerate to poor people: so gentle, and with such charming manners!‘
The King's Mechanic Page 9