The Phoenix Lord (The Dracosinum Tales)

by Angelique S. Anderson

  “And then will we have some time together?”

  “Yes, once the arrangements are set for the Symposium, I will show you around Oyster Bay on a personally guided tour.” He winked impishly at her. “I’ve only seen pictures myself, but from what I am told, there are many beautiful things to see. I have people making arrangements as we speak.” He pulled her close, lifted her chin, and warmed her lips with his own. “What say you, my wife?”

  Wylie laughed, unable to stop herself. “Very well, my love, that sounds wonderful.”

  “Hmm, too much time away, I know.” His lower lip jutted out in a mock pout. “However, I’ve waited this long, what’s a few more hours? Now, let us get off this ship. We have much to do.”

  Wylie nodded, following after him, joining other guests as they emerged from their rooms and disembarked. Many were greeted by waiting friends and families. Adrian led Wylie off the ship to the waiting footman, Cyrus.

  “Ah, Cyrus.” Lord McCollum called out. “Take good care of her, won’t you? I’ll meet up with you all at the inn later this evening.”

  Cyrus nodded to his master. “You have my word, Lord McCollum. Will I be returning to the ship to assist you, Lord?”

  “No, no, Cyrus. Please, once you’ve taken Lady McCollum to her quarters, feel free to explore Oyster Bay at leisure. Enjoy yourself while you have some free time. Dinner for the Symposium guests starts promptly at seven this evening, pray join us?”

  “Of course, Lord McCollum.”

  Adrian smiled at his old friend and then dipped down to kiss the top of Wylie’s head.

  “Be safe, my love. I’ll be joining you shortly.” Adrian winked at Wylie, then headed back towards the ship.

  “Until then, sweet Adrian,” she called after him, saddened that she would spend the next few hours in the New World alone. Not that she hadn’t been here before, but typically she spent most of her time in the skies above Long Island or New York itself, and always as a protector. Never as a guest.

  “Shall we go, Lady McCollum?” Cyrus motioned to her.

  She nodded and followed him to a waiting carriage. There seemed to be an abundance of carriages ready at the whim of departing passengers. Cyrus loaded her baggage on the back and helped her inside.

  Handing some coins to the driver Cyrus instructed, “Octagon Inn, Oyster Bay.”

  The driver tipped his hat to Cyrus, waited for him to be seated, then clicking his tongue, he shook the reins and started the horses out of the port and along the bumpy post roads to their destination.

  New York seems to be awake at all hours, Wylie noted to herself. Large groups of people were milling about everywhere.

  “We’ve a bit of a journey ahead of us, ma’am, so you may as well rest if you can.” Cyrus encouraged her.

  “No problem with that, I’m afraid my time aboard the ship has taken a toll on me. Would you mind handing me my small carpet bag, so I can use it as a pillow?”

  “Certainly, milady.” Cyrus handed her the bag, then seated himself opposite. Wylie placed the bag beneath the carriage window and stretching out on the seat, she lay her head on it. She was oblivious most of the journey from New York to Oyster Bay, and night was falling when Cyrus gently nudged her awake. He gave her his hand as he helped her down into the gathering dusk.

  To Wylie’s delight, a massive airship with a wooden hull and oversized propellers, passed above them at that moment.

  “Ooh.” A soft gasp escaped her lips as her eyes followed the beautiful ship until it disappeared from view.

  “Howdy do, young lady?” A warm, welcoming voice interrupted her trance. She spun around to see a tall white-haired man smiling broadly at her.

  “Name’s Professor Cornelius Addlekent. That there…” he pointed toward the disappearing airship. “That’s one of mine.”

  “One of yours, Professor?” Wylie could barely formulate words. She had always wanted to be an airship captain though it had since lost its luster as she was now able to fly whenever she wanted in her Teselym form.

  “Indeed, I pride myself in having the best in transportation. The young man who brought that airship to me in its early stages could barely get it off the ground. Now look at it! It’s one of our newest and most popular modes of transportation here in Oyster Bay, heck, I dare say, in all of New York!” He tucked his thumbs under the suspenders that held his slacks up over his rotund belly.

  “Well, professor. It is certainly most impressive.”

  “That it is, my dear. That it is. Now, how can I help you?” He looked her up and down, like a disapproving grandfather wondering what kind of mischief his grandchildren had gotten themselves into.

  “I’m afraid…”

  Cyrus interrupted her. “Pardon me, milady,” he said, “Professor, you are addressing Lady Wylie McCollum, wife of Lord Adrian McCollum. I work for Lord McCollum as his footman and family retainer.” Cyrus bowed graciously to the Professor.

  “Lord McCollum! LORD MCCOLLUM! Where is the magnificent fellow? Where is his incredible steam-powered carriage?” He shook Cyrus’s hand with gusto.

  “Well, professor,” Wylie said, “he is on his way here. We’ve just left the SS Baltic this morning, I imagine they will have unloaded the carriage by now and are proceeding in this direction as we speak.”

  “Well, well, excellent, excellent. Come, come, come, let me show you to your rooms. You are my honored guests. Anyone associated with Lord Adrian may have anything they need during their stay. My employees are at your beck and call. Please, please, the moment Lord McCollum arrives, send him my way, will you?”

  “Yes, of course,” Wylie responded respectfully. Adrian had described the professor as rotund and jovial, but she could never have prepared herself for the man she had just met. She was grateful when the professor showed her to her room, and he and Cyrus wandered off to talk steam-powered carriages, airships, and steamships. She flopped on her bed, suddenly very exhausted. Her room was already growing dark, so she lit an oil lamp on the stand next to the bed. Suddenly she realized she was late for her Teselym duties. If she didn’t leave soon, the balance would be thrown off and there would be no one to blame but herself.

  Even though she had napped for the entirety of the journey to Oyster Bay, she suddenly felt exceedingly tired. She yawned wide.

  “What is the matter with me?” She was growing very dizzy, and tiny sparks danced in front of her eyes. She was already unconscious when she fell to the floor.

  Chapter Six

  When Wylie awoke the following morning, she found herself lying on the bed, fully clothed, with no recollection of how she had got there. She had a very strong sense that she had not taken her Teselym form the night before and she automatically reached for the Dracosinum around her neck.

  “It’s gone!” she exclaimed in alarm.

  “Quincy? Quincy, where are you?” she called out, hoping he was somewhere nearby so he would hear her and reply, but the room remained silent, and his whereabouts remained unknown. Think Wylie. Surely it can’t be that far away. She tried to remember when she had last seen it. Perhaps I left it in my quarters on the ship? But in all truth, she didn't remember taking it off her neck, at any time in the past twenty-four hours.

  Wylie rose slowly from the bed feeling somewhat dizzy, and made a futile effort to smooth her wrinkled clothes and straighten her tousled hair. Then, she made her way unsteadily down the stairs to find Adrian and the Professor in the dining room.

  Adrian rose immediately and kissed her on the cheek. “Good morning, darling. Are you quite well?”

  “Not exactly. I need to speak with you in private.”

  “Good morning, Lady McCollum.” Professor Cornelius too had risen to his feet as she entered.

  “Good morning, Professor. I hope you don’t think me rude, but I must speak to my husband on an urgent matter.”

  “By all means, Ma’am. I hope everything is all right?”

  “I’m sure it will be, Professor. Please excuse us for a few
minutes.”

  Taking Adrian’s hand, Wylie led him out into the hall and away from the door until she felt they were out of earshot.

  “What is it, my dear?” Adrian was clearly getting worried by her behavior.

  “My Dracosinum is missing,” she said quietly. “I can’t find it anywhere. And something went wrong last night. I passed out in the room and didn’t attend my Teselym duties.”

  “My word. I found you on the floor passed out and thought your Teselym had taken over without warning. I picked you up and put you on the bed, thinking it odd, but didn’t question it.”

  “No, I don’t remember a thing after chatting with the Professor briefly last night before he showed me up to the room. And now my Dracosinum is missing. I called for Quincy, but he’s not responding to me.”

  “Did you have it yesterday on the carriage ride here?”

  “I think I did, but I’m not completely sure. I mean, I remember having it on when I left the stateroom.” Wylie’s forehead crinkled, her mind desperately trying to remember if she had taken it off at any point.

  “Wylie,” Adrian placed his hands firmly on her shoulders. “We’ll find it, okay? I’m sure it hasn’t gone far. We’ll make haste back to port to see if the ship is still docked, but chances are it's already en route back to London. If that’s the case, I’ll pay whatever it costs to have a message taken by airship to London. We may not hear back for a fortnight, but we won’t stop looking until it’s found.”

  Wylie could feel a lump rising up in the back of her throat, tears stinging the corners of her eyes. She felt angry with herself that she had lost something of such value and importance. She wondered just exactly what would happen if it wasn’t found.

  “We will find it, Wylie.” Adrian tried to reassure her, kissing her forehead.

  “I’m afraid, I won’t feel completely at ease until it’s back in my hands.”

  Adrian took her hand in his. “I understand, but we must remain hopeful. We must not consider the worst.” Adrian paused, searching Wylie’s eyes, but she avoided his gaze. “How are you feeling? Are you at least feeling better?” Adrian steered the conversation away from the missing device.

  It bothered her that he looked so worried and so stressed on her behalf, but she hadn’t the heart to tell him she’d be fine with or without the device. As it stood, she wasn’t sure she would be.

  “I suppose I'm as well as can be expected,”

  “All right, my dearest, Cyrus and I will take a carriage and see if we can reach the ship before it leaves port. Do you wish to accompany us?”

  “I’m not sure I’d be of much help, but I certainly don’t want to be here worrying all day.”

  “Very well, I shall speak to the Professor at once, and we’ll be on our way.”

  Wylie crossed her arms over her chest while Adrian hurried off. Moments later he was back and placing a protective arm around her waist.

  “The Professor has suggested I take the Petford Pusher. He wishes to see it in action, to see if it is as fast and efficient as I claim.” Adrian was grinning widely.

  Wylie nodded her head, not really understanding.

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means that our travel time is going to be cut by at least half. Wait here Wylie, Cyrus and I will head to the barn. We’ll have the boiler fired up and ready to go in no time. The Professor has given me permission to use whatever I need, including coal from his supply.”

  With his arm still around her waist, he led her outside, then kissed the top of her head.

  “We’ll be ready to depart very shortly.”

  Cyrus showed up at that moment.

  “Sir, you sent for me?”

  “Yes, Cyrus. I need you to assist me in preparing my carriage. We’re going back to the port.”

  Cyrus frowned.

  “Does the professor know what you’re up to?”

  “Indeed, he has encouraged it. It will give him bragging rights once he sees with his own eyes how fast that ol’ girl can go.” Wylie loved the way his eyes lit up when he talked about his invention.

  “All the way to the port and back, though?”

  “It's not a problem, we’ll load on extra coal in case there is an issue, and there is already extra water. My wife lost something…” Adrian searched for the words to finish the sentence.

  “Very precious to me. It was a family heirloom,” Wylie said, finishing his sentence and smiling nervously.

  “Yes, a precious family heirloom,” Adrian responded. “We’re traveling back to the ship to see if it's still in port, and if so, if there’s a possibility we might find it.”

  Cyrus nodded to Adrian.

  “My Lord and Lady, you know that I am at your service as always.” Adrian smiled and reached his hand out to lay it on Cyrus’s shoulder affectionately.

  “Then let us away to the barn. Time’s a wasting.”

  Wiley could feel herself growing more and more impatient, even as the men were returning with the carriage. They quickly assisted her inside and started off toward the city. She fought the urge to jump from the Petford Pusher and run the streets of Oyster Bay, questioning everyone she met if they may have seen her precious device.

  Of course, Wylie was Lady McCollum now, and that kind of behavior would be frowned upon. Not to mention that she was sure it hadn’t gone missing in the streets. It was either aboard the ship, or somehow, it had slipped off when she was transporting her carpet bags to her room at the Octagon Inn. Part of her wanted to blame the footman, Cyrus, for the loss, but deep down she knew he had nothing to do with it. He was too loyal and too kind a servant to Lord Adrian and her, to betray them in such a way.

  They made record time to the harbor as the day was still bright and clear. With great relief, they found the ship still in port though they could see the ship's crew were preparing for departure.

  Adrian flew from the carriage, running so fast he nearly tripped over his own feet, and grabbed one of the ship’s officers heading up the gangway. Wylie couldn’t hear what they were saying, but she could see that both of their faces were very serious.

  After a moment, Adrian motioned for her to come over. Practically giddy with excitement, she nearly tumbled out flat onto the pavement, but caught herself on the side of the carriage.

  “Adrian, will they allow us aboard the ship?”

  “They will, but this man needs to speak to the captain first. It will only take a moment.”

  Wylie nodded, cautiously relieved. The Dracosinum had to be on board, it just had to. The officer had hurried away, and time seemed to tick on for hours as they waited, though it was only a few minutes.

  “All right, the captain says you can come aboard. Here’s the thing, ain’t nothing like what you’ve described been found. We gave this ship a thorough cleaning overnight. Odds are something like that landed in someone’s pocket, or it was never aboard the ship to begin with.”

  The man had stringy gray and brown hair and was missing a tooth.

  “That’s just fine, we just want to do a quick search and then we’ll be on our way,” Adrian said.

  “That’s up to you, fella, but if’n y’all ain’t off this here vessel by the time she leaves port, ain't nothing I can do.”

  “How much time do we have?”

  “We’re doing last minute checks right now, making sure the boilers are at max. I’d say less than an hour.”

  “Then we’ll do what we can in the time we have.” Adrian grabbed Wylie’s hand, and they scurried aboard the ship. They scoured the floors of the stateroom they had occupied and the passageways from there to the gangway. There was no sign of it anywhere.

  “What do we do now?” The tears she had been holding back since she discovered the Dracosinum’s absence spilled out. “What am I going to do?”

  Adrian remained silent for a time, still looking up and down.

  “I imagine we head back and try to search the inn and every other place you’ve been since our arrival.
Or, we can search the ground outside. Perhaps it fell out when you got out of the carriage?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous! Something that valuable would have been picked up long ago.” Wylie snapped at him. Frustrated that he didn’t have a better solution.

  “My dearest, I know you’re upset. If we don’t at least take a look, we’ll always wonder. You just never know. You head back to the Pusher, Cyrus and I will take a last look around and then we’ll figure out what to do next.”

  Wylie nodded, too heartbroken to argue.

  “Please don’t worry, love. You’ll make yourself ill, and we can’t have that.” He leaned in to kiss her softly on the lips before she hurried back to the carriage to tell Cyrus of Adrian’s plans.

  Taking her seat inside, Wylie watched them from the window as they searched the street to no avail. She could feel the familiar dizziness starting to overtake her once more.

  Adrian and Cyrus returned shortly, both stonily silent. Cyrus drove the steam-powered carriage back over the bumpy roads back to Oyster Bay. They made record time and soon arrive at the inn and once more secured the Pusher in the barn.

  Discouraged and feeling weak, Wylie grabbed Adrian’s hand for support as the three of them walked back to the main entrance of the inn. By the time they arrived, Wylie could barely stand on her own.

  “Lady McCollum, are you okay?” Cyrus questioned, his face scrunched with genuine concern.

  Wylie was tottering as if she were going to fall, so Adrian scooped her up in his arms and carried her.

  “Cyrus, I will meet with you and the Professor shortly in the dining room.”

  Cyrus nodded and left. Then Adrian returned his attention to the very weak Wylie in his arms.

  “My love, I don’t know what's happening, but you need to rest.” He carried her to their room and laid her gently on the bed. “I promise we will keep searching until it is found.” She could feel consciousness fading from her rapidly, so she simply nodded, and pulled the blanket around her.