“I believe ’e’s being prepped for a funeral service. I assumed ’e was a friend of yours.”
Ryker shook hands with Dax. “Thank you,” he said graciously. “And please, thank your doctor friend as well. If there’s anything I can do to repay you—”
Dax smiled. “Don’t worry about it. Now, let’s get you cleaned up a bit. You’ll be wanting to get better for your friend’s funeral in a few days.”
Ryker glanced back at Celia and Adelina, and then looked at Dax. “Thank you,” he repeated. He followed Dax to the end of the hall and into a washroom.
***
Wendell’s funeral was held at Lewisham and Deptford cemetery. It was a dark and dreary day, almost too fitting for a funeral service. A thin layer of fog coated the grass, and a dismal misty rain fell upon them. A distant rumble of thunder echoed, and faded.
Ryker, Adelina, and Celia stood in front of the marble grave marker. The words in the stone read, “Wendell Reed 1853 – 1875. Forever missed. Never Forgotten.”
Ryker, outfitted in his black trousers, shirt, waistcoat, and black and red striped tie, knelt in front of the grave and set a rose in front of it. When he stood, Celia and Adelina, both in their elegant black dresses and veils, each put a hand on Ryker’s shoulders.
“Are you alright?” Celia asked.
Ryker nodded. “Fine,” he answered sadly.
“We saved the city, you know,” Adelina said.
“Did we?” Ryker questioned. Celia and Adelina looked confused. “No one knows what happened to Caiden. He’s still out there. We’ll have to keep watching our backs; keep looking over our shoulders until he’s dead. Until we actually see him die, we’ll always be watching.”
“Ryker, for now everything is fine,” Celia said.
“Everything is fine? Wendell is dead. Everything is not fine.” He faced Celia and Adelina. They both hung their heads and looked at the ground. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “We’re still alive to defend the city, anyway.”
Adelina looked up at him. “Ryker.” She paused. “I can’t run the League of Inventors on my own. There are a ton of inventors at the League who could take the places of those who were murdered. But, none of them are capable of inventing like we are. I know you hate everything the League has become… but… I’m asking you to help me lead it. Just you and I.” Ryker stared at her. “If you accept, as the last remaining Head Inventor, I’m changing the League rules. We’d be equals. Just you and I in charge of the League. I think we can both turn it around into something good. Something useful. Plus, we’d have a higher position in society. We could certainly defend the city better as Head Inventors for the League.”
Ryker continued to look at her. “Adelina…” he began. “I have loathed the League of Inventors ever since I learned they fired my mum. And ever since then, I have grown to hate them more as the days go by.”
“I understand,” Adelina said quietly.
“But,” Ryker began again. “I think with us as leaders, we can certainly turn the League around and make it into something great.”
Adelina smiled. “Excellent.” She faced Celia. “You handled yourself very well, Celia.”
“Very well indeed,” Ryker added.
“So, I’m creating a League security division. You’re going to head it. If you’re up for it.”
Celia smiled. “I don’t know. I just got off some lucky shots. I’m certainly no one to head security.”
“Well, the position is always available if you’re ever up for it. I can tell you for sure, though, with Ryker as a Head Inventor, you won’t have to resort to prostitution anymore.”
“Fantastic,” Ryker said. He smiled at Celia.
“Ryker,” Adelina began after a long silence. “Also, since your lab was destroyed, I’m giving you my grandfather’s lab.”
Ryker’s eyes were wide with amazement. “No, I couldn’t. That lab means so much to you.”
“Please, I insist. With the money we’ll have from the League, we can fix up that apartment building and turn it into another League branch, or whatever we want.”
Ryker wrapped his arms around Adelina. “Thank you,” he said quietly. “Thank you, so much.”
Celia looked uneasy. She flicked her eyes between Adelina and Ryker. “Are you alright?” Ryker asked as he released Adelina.
“Um… yes,” Celia answered after a moment of silence. “Do you mind if I step away for a moment?” she asked.
“Of course,” Ryker answered.
Celia walked through the cemetery and stopped at a small grave marker. Engraved in the stone read “Victoria Raven. 1857 – 1875.” She knelt down in front of the marker and closed her eyes, fighting back tears. “Someday,” she began quietly. She clenched her fists. “Someday, I will find out what happened to you. What changed you.” She unclenched her fists and returned to Ryker and Adelina. “Can I talk to you for a moment, Ryker?”
“Of course,” Ryker said. He followed her behind a large statue grave marker, marking the grave of the former head of London security, and lifted her veil. “What is it?” Ryker asked. “Is everything alright?”
“Well, yes,” Celia answered hesitantly. “It’s just… well… I talked to Dax’s doctor friend this morning. And…”
Ryker stared at her. His stomach wrenched with thoughts of what she might say next. He only imagined what kind of bad news the doctor may have told her. Was one of them actually going to die? Perhaps he found an incurable disease in one of them. “And what?” he pressed urgently.
“I’m pregnant.”
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
London Darkness- Infernal Inventions Page 19
