This Deadly Engine Read online

  The tone in his voice – desire, greed, manipulation – made the hair on my arms stand straight. They saw the suffering as an opportunity. What feelings they evoked in me, I couldn’t quite say. Pity? A little. Anger? More than I should. Loathing? With every part of my being. Fear? A considerable amount. The thought of killing them tempted me. The world would be much better without them.

  Perhaps I could blame exhaustion for not acting on the thought, but deep within I questioned whether it would be the best course of action.

  Cracked tanks up and down the way leaked. The occupants in several stirred as their stasis fields failed.

  We could help them all. If we simply used the Heart once more, every single experiment from Schaever’s living hell could be freed.

  “No,” Perrin said. “We need to save my world.”

  “It was only a thought.”

  “You should not even think it. Too much depends on us to even consider anything other than our new mission.”

  True…and no one else understood the nature of the threat. Destruction. Invasion. And in the middle, the Donnavans whose hopes rested with me. And I had the ultimate of magical powers at my command yet could not use it.

  I tried to stand. My legs refused.

  Cavendish said, “Ash, we need to go. Now.”

  We did, and I would not argue the point. In order to move, though, I needed help. I needed…them.

  No. Never!

  I tried to stand again. My legs still refused to hold.

  Perrin said, “Humility is something we know well. If they can save us, then so be it. We need to move quickly, as Schaever’s men will arrive soon. Maybe Reckard will be with them.”

  My better sense could not take the thought of him finding me in such a state. I pointed to the twins. “We need…their help. We need to go with them.”

  It pained me to admit as much. My mighty strength failed, however, and they offered the only hope for escape.

  Cavendish eyed me. “What can they—”

  “They are The Misters. And I cannot leave without help…I am simply too tired.” Even as I spoke, the room turned dark. I tried to push back the exhaustion and stand, yet my legs refused for a third time. They buckled, and the exertion pushed me over the edge.

  Darkness, which I called a good friend of late, consumed me again.

  The pain of another elf falling on Reganas Nine woke me. The ache lingered, as if the gnomes wanted to remind us of the seriousness of the situation and of the consequences of failure.

  I held my head as I sat and said to my resident cyclops, “We need to stop Frengarn. Do you have any idea where the new Gateway is located? Something that large is not easy to hide.”

  Except on Schaever’s estate.

  “The most likely place,” the cyclops said.

  We found ourselves in a small room with stone walls. The damp and cool air hinted at its underground nature. The low ceiling, which forced me to hunch down, indicated the same.

  An old wooden door led to a narrow passage with brick walls. A torch burned in a niche every five feet, illuminating a raised cross between each light. In similar fashion, a circle with the figure of a man on a horse striking a serpent with a spear appeared every ten feet on the ceiling.

  What is this place?

  Sounds from the right drew me down the corridor. There, a wooden door with the Templar cross etched in the center waited.

  A Templar cave. How old was the place? How had it been spared the sewer tunneling years ago?

  I opened the door, walked down four steps, and entered a larger room lined with the same type of brick. Two stone columns provided support for the ceiling. Refugees from the ‘Terrifying Thrills and Wicked Wonders’ exhibit filled the room. Someone had provided them with clothing. Many wrapped themselves in blankets.

  The Misters moved among them and offered what smelled like warmed wine. Cavendish did the same as he kept one eye on a gnome lady – most likely Ravenlea – who slumbered on the side. When he saw me, he hurried over with his bowl. “Here, drink some of this.” As I did he added, “We need to talk. Now.” He motioned for the corridor.

  “Where are we?” I asked between sips. The wine warmed and soothed from my throat to my belly. “And what is in this drink?”

  He pushed me out the door. “Some herbs that help relax the body. There are a lot of dazed and scared people in that room who need time to adjust to what happened. Some of them have lived in a tank for over twenty years.”

  “How is Ravenlea?”

  He sighed. “She is quiet and withdrawn. Her eyes…Duke Schaever replaced them. I…don’t know what I expected. But it wasn’t this.”

  “Are her eyes red?” I asked, almost not wanting to know the answer.

  “They are red marble eyes, the same as the ones on the Guardsmen. She says she sees things differently. I think it frightens her.” He rubbed his arms. “It certainly frightens me.”

  The way he spoke the last sentence made me ask, “What else is wrong?”

  “There…” He twisted the ends of his beards in his fingers. “There is a…a coldness in her, like she lost a part of herself. She claims she knows me but has not shown any affection.”

  I kneeled and put a hand on his shoulder. “Be patient. As you said, she will need time to adjust. She has been in a magically-induced sleep for a long time.”

  He stepped away. “Speaking of magically-induced, by the Seven Hills, Ash, what happened in that exhibit? One minute I see you holding the Gray Heart, the next I hear you yelling and watch you floating in the air. Then there is an explosion that destroys skeletons and tanks. I thought it killed you…you dropped to the floor like a rock and barely breathed…until you awoke before deciding to pass out for good.”

  “How long did it last?”

  “All of five minutes.”

  I held my head again. We saw so much and experienced so much. It felt as if we had visited the other realm for a lifetime. “Do you believe me when I say your world is in danger?”

  He folded his arms. “Of course…though you might want to explain.”

  Would he still believe me if he knew all that I saw?

  Perrin said, “He deserves to know. This involves his Family.”

  It certainly did…so I took a deep breath before giving him the details of what the Heart had revealed – how the destruction of each Reganas damaged his world, and how Reganas Nine’s fall would end everything he knew. I also told him about the deal to take the Heart to his Mother. When I finished, the gnome’s face had turned pale.

  “By all that is good, Ash, what are we going to do?”

  “What we have been asked to do. Destroy the new Gateway, then deliver the Heart as the gnomes have demanded.” And somewhere in there, we would try to save the Donnavans and try to find Sera. And we would keep the Heart from the Elders.

  Cavendish asked, “Where is the new Gateway?”

  “The gnome lady tried to tell us. She said to look in the city.” I shrugged. “That could be anywhere in Campden, or in the Empire for that matter.”

  Cavendish stroked his beard. “The city. Why does that sound familiar? What—of course!” He gave me his snarl-grin. “The City of the Future. It is one of the exhibits at the Expo. It would give Frengarn the perfect place to stage his invasion, in the heart of Duke Schaever’s land.”

  That made too much sense…could it be so easy? “We need to confirm the location. We also need the means to destroy it.”

  “Yes, destroy it along with the army that is waiting to jump through.” He stared at his last watch. “I wish we had something of our own that would help. Magic or technology. Anything. I can get a few items, but it means going back to my world, and we don’t have the time.”

  I wished I knew where to acquire powerful weapons. Perrin stored his boarding axe and pistols in a warehouse. Other than that—

  A glance at The Misters gave me the answer I needed. After all, what did I deliver to them mission after mission after mission?r />
  Magic. Items of great and unique powers. Outside of Schaever, they had amassed the largest collection. The time had come to put those objects to use.

  “Follow me,” I said and returned to the room to confront the men who attempted to manipulate every situation so they, and they alone, got what they wanted.

  The twins handed the boy with the scales a goblet of their drink. When they noticed my approach, they folded their arms together. “Yes, now why don’t you leave us? We have no more use for you.”

  “Hmmm, except we could use a new doorman.” They grinned in unison.

  I caught myself grinding my teeth. To be in their debt, to rely on them for aid, was as foolish as the plan to steal the Heart from Schaever. Yet my need had the same urgency as Cavendish’s. “I need your help.” This was as bad as trying to talk to an infatuated Reckard or a vengeance-seeking Aimee, neither of whom had any interest in acting either civil or courteous.

  Mister Important smiled while his twin sneered. The former said, “And what is the price? Yes, why don’t you tell us what you desire.” They spread their arms wide. “What makes you think such a lowly creature like us can give you something?”

  I took a deep breath, then spoke in a controlled manner, despite the fact I wanted to yell at them. “Because I know who you are. I know you once worked out of a lawyer’s office and that you had a doorman who answered a certain knock.” I demonstrated by knocking on a column. “And you employed an assistant named Pienne who administered your elixirs to your servants.”

  The lips on both men tightened. I enjoyed seeing the surprise on their faces after having endured all the years of their anonymous and undignified scrutiny. They no longer tortured me with the mystique of the bare, blood-stained room, the white light, and the creations of an imagination run amok. A person, or persons, stood before me who were every bit as human as me…when I was not a cyclops. They cringed as they studied me, trying to discern who I was and how I knew what I knew. They wondered where we had met. They wondered if they had miscalculated and allowed someone to discover their secrets.

  “I don’t know what he is speaking of, yes? What preposterous notions this creature brings.”

  “Hmmm, but I find him offensive and wish he would leave.”

  I let them have their say without interruption. Once silence returned and they regained some of their composure, I said, “Tell me where you keep your magic items.”

  Both of them chuckled at the same time. “He mistakes us for someone dangerous, yes? How could lowly creatures such as ourselves, dressed in such finery as we are, possess any magic? If we were, would we not have used them by now?”

  “You count among your possessions the Statue of Forneil, the Ring of Seven Powers, the Axe of Kend, and the Cup of Jermaine.”

  Their faces turned pale, then ash grey. Neither said a word as they studied me even closer.

  “I know you scoured Campden far and wide for any object you believed worthy of adding to your collection. I know you used any number of powers, from jumping, to invisibility, to a silver tongue, to night vision, to speed, to thickened skin. You are the masters of The Company. And I can help you in your revenge against The Gatherers and Schaever.” I paused to let them soak in the words, to let my assurance touch their addled minds. Then I played the game they had successfully won against me so many times and added, “But you will give me what I want first. You will tell me where you store your possessions.”

  The twins appeared on the verge of fainting. Both sets of eyes narrowed as they steadied themselves. Their brows wrinkled in thought.

  Mister Important whispered, “Who is this creature, and how does he know so much?”

  His twin hit him in the chest. “Hmmm, but we must deny. We must never acknowledge such possibilities. To do so—”

  “Would expose you,” I said. “Would you rather be exposed to Reckard, your former slave, who finds himself in the company of Schaever? I believe you are the ones who placed him there. Perhaps he revealed the location of your office? The one blown to bits by a bomb?”

  For the first time since I had known them, the men gave no quick reply. They reeled from my vocal blows, and I did not want them to recover. “If you doubt my trustworthiness, then ask yourselves why I have not carried this information to Schaever. Do you think he would be delighted to know the secrets of The Company?”

  Mister Mercy peered at the floor. “The cyclops makes a valid point, Brother. Hmmm, but he could barter his information for concessions from the Duke.”

  Mister Important placed a hand on his waist. “Who are you to demand that we tell you such important information? What will we receive in return for our…cooperation? What is to keep you from departing this place and informing the Duke about where our objects reside, yes?”

  “You have my word.”

  Not that my word meant much, considering what happened to Aimee, Sheela, and Rebecca. And The Misters once mocked me for claiming that I kept my word. They humbled me and threatened to kill me for believing that I would follow through on a promise.

  I said, “But I could tell Schaever that you are here. He could use a variety of means to extract whatever information he wants. I’m certain you would find none of the methods pleasant.” I took a deep breath, as if I resigned myself to such a fate for them. “Trust is so much easier, yet so much more difficult.” I looked both of The Misters in the eyes. Anger and suspicion filled them.

  I had one last card to play in the game. I hesitated to use it, though, for it further complicated the tasks before me.

  Perrin said, “All paths begin and end with him, so put it out there. Give them what they want…what we all want.”

  I took a deep breath, then said, “I can destroy Schaever through the power you have stored away. Would that not be a better solution? And if I died in the endeavor, then so much the better for you. So why don’t you tell me where to find your treasures?”

  “No,” Mister Mercy said at the same time Mister Important did.

  Bastards. Even in such dire circumstances they still played their petty games. Their desire for control allowed them to do nothing less.

  With the power at their disposal, we could challenge Frengarn and Schaever and the lot of orcs and automatons. We could, quite possibly, put an end to the magic wars once and for all. We could destroy the new Gateway.

  What would it take to make them understand? If the threat of turning them over to Schaever did not move them, if the promise to destroy the man made so little of an impression, then what?

  The boy with the scales approached. He glared at The Misters. “This is the chance to make Duke Schaever pay for what he has done to us. How can you deny this cyclops?”

  The Misters peered down their collective noses. Mister Mercy said, “Hmmm, but we know nothing of the ugly, one-eyed creature other than the fact that he threatens us.”

  The dwarf with the gun-arm moved beside the boy. “We – every person in this room – is due a recompense from the Duke. He lied to us so he could twist our bodies.” He pointed his gun at The Misters. “The cyclops freed us from our eternal prisons. He gives us the opportunity to make the man pay. He asks for help in destroying Schaever. What more do you need?”

  Loathing oozed from The Misters like cream from Polish Tarts. Mister Important said, “Yes, but we saved him when we pulled him from the building. We fulfilled our obligations, yes?”

  The spider lady joined the other two. “We carried him. Not you. In fact, you wanted to leave him.” All six hands went into and out of fists. “If he can help us defeat the monster who twisted us, then you will agree.”

  The Misters turned back to me. Their shoulders shifted as if the opposition made them uncomfortable. “What is it you want from us that you make such a request, hmmm? What do we have in the form of assurance that you are worthy to keep your word?”

  Beyond the need to save both worlds? Beyond the need to find the Donnavans and Sera? Beyond the need to destroy a robotic Frengarn?
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  Yes, I needed more. “I need the power to break Schaever. I need the power to break The Gatherers. You are the only ones who have the means to destroy them. If you help me, you help yourselves.”

  “Tell him where you keep your possessions,” the dwarf said. Agreements echoed from the growing crowd. Even Ravenlea stood among them. Both of her eyes blazed red like those of an automaton Guardsman.

  The sight made me groan within.

  The Misters wrung their hands. Mister Mercy said, “Do not tell him. Hmmm, but I still say we cannot trust anything he says.”

  Mister Important closed his eyes. “I fear you are wrong, yes I do. If this ugly one-eyed creature does what he says, then we break the Duke’s power. We have our revenge.”

  “And I have mine,” the boy said.

  “As do I,” the dwarf said.

  The spider lady smiled. “The day of reckoning for Duke Schaever is at hand.” She laughed as she flexed all six of hers. “And he will find it comes from the army of freaks that he created.”

  The others agreed as they pressed closer to The Misters.

  The twins looked at all of those gathered around. “Hmmm, but what is to keep us from turning you all over to Duke Schaever?”

  Mister Important frowned. “Do you know who Pienne is?” When I nodded, he continued, “Find him. He will tell you where everything is located.”

  Mister Mercy hissed. “Tell him our secrets? Destroy us for all time?” He tried to put his hand over his twin’s mouth, but Mister Important grabbed his arm.

  Mister Important continued, “You will find our brother at The Eight Bells. Yes, he keeps a room on the first floor.”

  Did I hear him correctly? Pienne…was their brother?

  The twins regarded me. Mister Important said, “Tell us what you are going to do, yes? We have shown trust in you, now show trust in us.”

  I would never trust them. Anything I said would be used against me. They manipulated and threatened. No, the less they knew the better.

  Mister Mercy smiled, showing all of his front teeth. “Our brother will not help without our approval. Hmmm, but he will not give you what you want unless we tell him.”