The Prince of Machines (The Last Mechanics)

by Holly Law

  “Don’t be,” the Countess said soothingly. “Most of the pretty young women in Melink have been flirted with shamelessly. At least you have a head enough on your shoulders to realize his words were off. That says much of you, Elisha.”

  “It does indeed,” Lenora agreed. “I do need to give you a word of advice on a different matter.” Elisha looked at Lenora, confused. “That mechanical bird was brilliantly done, but your timing was perhaps not the best. Save your tinkering for locations other than the dinner table.”

  “Yes, Lenora,” Elisha said at once. “I won’t do it again.”

  “Good, now run along and enjoy yourself. I think there are many young men here tonight who can’t wait to dance with you.”

  Chapter 13

  Corpal woke early the following morning as was his habit. The sun’s rays hit the horizon just as he sat up in bed. He was only vaguely aware of the feminine presence in the bed beside him. He felt just the tiniest bit smug as he climbed out of bed. He had truly had little interest in the girl. He had chosen her as his object for the night only because he knew she had tried very hard to make life miserable for Elisha, and that was something he found deeply offensive. She had been only mildly entertaining. He would take more pleasure in how it would create a scandal that would effectively ruin the young woman’s life.

  He stretched briefly and pulled on his clothes that a servant had already laid out for him. His clothes from the night before had been taken away already, as he expected of his servants. The girl’s dress remained, but was flung over the back of a chair unceremoniously. He found the substandard fabric distasteful. He could scarcely believe the girl passed for nobility, even in such a backwards place as Sumvale.

  He approached the door to enjoy his breakfast in one of the sunnier rooms of the small palace. “Prince?” a drowsy feminine voice called. He even disliked her voice. He left without so much as glancing back at her.

  As he walked the halls of his palace, he thought back on the previous night. He had viewed it as a success and the party had truthfully only had one purpose. He had wanted to dazzle Elisha, to show her his wealth and power. He wanted her to fully understand what he offered when it came time to ask after her allegiance. He had hoped his collection of machines would intrigue her, and he had acted correctly. Her invention of the mechanical bird had been unanticipated but welcome.

  While he knew that bedding Elisha hadn’t been a possibility for previous night, she had truthfully intrigued him. He had thought she had held a great potential for beauty and seeing her once in her nightgown had not dissuaded that idea from his head. That she would show up as radiant as she had was a welcome surprise. If she had been any other woman he would not have surrendered his pursuit so easily, yet he had known it could only be a fleeting fancy. She would not have served him if he had mistreated her in such a fashion. So he had settled for only one more dance that night. He had flirted more, of course, and she had reacted as he expected. She was demure and modest, oblivious to his hints of something more. It had been a fun game, and by the end of the second dance, she seemed to realize it was no more than that for him.

  Corpal reached his destination and sat at his small breakfast table before a large window that let in the warm winter sun. The frame of the window was a machine itself and chased away the chill of the outside so it did not touch the room. No sooner had he sat down than his breakfast was placed before him.

  “Is Amalia here as I asked?” Corpal asked the servant.

  “Yes, my Prince,” the servant said at once.

  “Send her in.”

  The servant bowed and left him. Corpal ate in peace for nearly a minute before Amalia came in. She acted in perfect loyalty and submission. She took a knee before him as the laws of her own people required. She looked at the ground and not him. He took some satisfaction in that gesture. He wondered if he could get the others in Melink to follow that tradition.

  “Are you making any progress?” Corpal asked her calmly, eating his breakfast.

  “Some, my Prince,” Amalia replied respectfully. “I haven’t found the main machine we’re looking for yet, but I have gotten several clues. I have found many lesser machines that I have turned over to Lenora. Some Elisha has already fixed.”

  “How much longer?”

  “It is difficult to say. I had one source who had been very helpful—extremely actually—but then he discovered I served you and became more wary. He refused to help any longer. I am uncertain how long it will be for certain, but I will say it will probably be at least a few more months.”

  “That is acceptable. A pity this man decided to withdraw his support. Do you think he could be persuaded to be useful?”

  “No, unfortunately I do not. But I can continue without him.”

  “Pity. What is your opinion of Elisha?”

  “Elisha?” Amalia asked with some surprise, and she looked at him questioningly. “She seems like a sweet girl, a bit uncertain at times, but sweet. She learned to dance very quickly. I believe she has some natural talent. She is very intelligent, but does not know how to react to praise. It tends to fluster her.”

  “I have noticed that. Do you think Elisha will join us when the time comes?”

  “I am uncertain. She is very skittish and slow to trust. She is beginning to trust Lenora, but only just. It would take a long time to build the trust needed for her to voluntarily trust you.”

  Corpal did not like that summary, but he could not argue with it. Lenora had said the same thing. He had been beginning to think that perhaps Elisha would not be so hard to win over, but he hadn’t realized the girl’s lack of full trust in Lenora. “What do you think could remedy this problem?” Corpal asked, looking at the window thoughtfully.

  “More time, my Prince, and she would probably need more of a friendship with yourself before she would agree to serve you. That would take a great deal of trust on her part. And even then, when she realizes the violence of some of the machines you would want her to make…I worry she would refuse to serve you.”

  “And then I would be forced to kill her. That would be a waste. I will think on your advice, Amalia. You are dismissed.”

  The Prince finished his breakfast in silence. Elisha was a puzzle to him. Her tendencies made him increasingly uneasy about her future allegiances. He would be greatly disappointed if he was forced to end her life. Yet he would have no other choice should she choose against him. Her gifts were rare to be sure, but he couldn’t risk letting one loose who could both activate and deactivate machines at will.

  When he was finished with his breakfast, he determined he should go visit Elisha, to see more fully the impact last night had on their friendship. A servant was at the door jabbering on about the things he had to do that day. He ignored all of it. Little took precedence over turning one of the few remaining mechanics to his side. Almost as an afterthought he grabbed a few broken machines to bring with him. Elisha enjoyed fixing them too much for him to deny her the pleasure

  Lenora’s finishing school was quiet was as he approached it. He didn’t doubt most of the girls were taking the opportunity to sleep in. He knocked on the door sharply and waited for a servant to attend him. Elisha’s brother was the one who answered the door. The Prince was well aware that Eldwin did not care for him. More than that, he was aware that Eldwin preferred him keeping some distance from his sister. He was not sure what caused her brother to be so protective; the Prince had tried to be nothing but kind to him, out of respect for Elisha.

  Eldwin stepped aside to let him enter instantly, bowing his head as a servant should. “Where would I find your sister at this time of day, Eldwin?” Corpal asked, in a friendlier tone than he truly felt.

  “I believe she has a painting class at this time,” Eldwin said after a moment. “Do you want me to ask Lenora if…”

  “No, just tell me where this classroom is.”

  Eldwin obliged him, but only begrudgingly. He was shown up to the third floor and into a room that had
clearly at one time been an attic. Its interior had been redone into an art studio. There were six girls in the room, all standing near easels painting a stone sculpture of a lion. All had their back to him and didn’t see him enter. The painting master clearly did and Corpal gestured the elderly man to silence.

  Corpal examined each painting the girls worked on. The range of talent in the room was extreme to say the least. None realized he was there as he silently stepped behind each of them. He came to Elisha last. He expected her painting to be at the lesser end of talent and he was pleasantly disappointed. Elisha’s eye for detail clearly carried over from machinery into painting. She was focused intensely on the painting clearly, trying to make the paint match what was before her in as precise detail as possible.

  “You are a woman of many talents, Elisha,” Corpal complimented her, smiling when Elisha turned to look at him startled. All the girls were startled at his abrupt voice.

  “Your highness,” Elisha said at once, curtsying to him respectfully.

  “I didn’t know you participated in such classes here. Lenora has never mentioned you taking such a thing.”

  “I…Lenora thought it would be good for me to take this class,” Elisha said, clearly still trying to get over her surprise at seeing him.

  “Would you mind sitting with me for a few minutes downstairs or must I wait until you are finished? I could see you were intent on your work, and I would not distract you.”

  “Class was to be done in a few minutes, your highness,” Elisha informed him politely. “I have reached a point where I might stop.”

  “Excellent. You will join me downstairs then?”

  “Yes, will you give me a couple of minutes to change out of my painting smock?”

  “Of course,” Corpal said with a pleased smile. He was very well pleased with the changes he could see in Elisha within just a few weeks. She seemed to become more a lady every day. When he had first met her, he had gathered the impression that she was unlikely to pay much attention to her own clothing. “I will see you downstairs in a few minutes then, take your time.” He took her hand and kissed it, knowing that gesture would cause much talk among the girls as soon as he left.

  Corpal found the sitting room on his own. He had been inside it on several occasions previously. He sat and waited for a couple minutes. Then he remembered the machines in his pocket and placed them on the table. A servant saw him in there and asked him if he required anything. He sent the servant for tea for both him and Elisha. The servant instantly complied.

  Elisha was down a couple minutes later and curtsied to him as she entered the room. Corpal thought she looked quite pretty in the soft rose colored dress. She was beginning to move with a grace that would not disappoint once she moved to Melink. Her popularity the night before had screamed of her future successes. She looked like a lady and her actions were beginning to echo her appearance.

  “Please join me, Elisha,” Corpal said gesturing at the chairs in the room. Elisha silently sat down in one of the chairs, looking slightly nervous of his presence. That was one thing he would have to work to fix. “I hope you don’t mind that I ordered tea for us.”

  “No, your highness,” Elisha said at once.

  “I thought you must be getting short on machines to fix, so I brought a few over that you may fix if you have the time,” he told her, trying to explain his visit.

  Elisha gave a brief smile. “There seems to be a never ending amount of machines to fix. I suspect there are far more broken machines in the world than I could ever fix and more break every day.”

  “That is true,” Corpal agreed. “And you have such talent that I hope you will never neglect your abilities to create new machines. I was quite captivated by that bird last night. Perhaps you will make me another sometime?”

  “Yes, I think I would like to make another machine like that.”

  “I would like to pay you for it, of course. Such a thing is deserving of payment. I thought it a very interesting start. Some of the most impressive machines that are still in use today started on a much smaller scale, did you know that?” Elisha shook her head. “Perhaps someday we will have machines to fly us places. That would be quite a feat I think.”

  “An intriguing idea,” Elisha agreed, looking interested in the idea. The Prince smiled at the idea he had planted. The servant brought in the tea and placed it before them. The servant left them quickly. Elisha instantly poured them both a cup, clearly showing Lenora’s training well. She looked at him inquiringly to see what he desired in his. He informed her and soon they sat back with the tea.

  “How do you find your lessons?” Corpal asked, finding a familiar subject to put her at ease.

  “Lessons?” Elisha asked him confused.

  “Yes, a week ago you expressed that you felt inadequate in them. Does that feeling remain, or do you begin to feel you may yet have some mastery of the skills here?”

  “I still feel they do not come naturally for me,” Elisha said slowly. “But I am not as far off from where the other girls are as I once was. Perhaps there is some hope for me.”

  “Did you enjoy my party last night?”

  “Yes, I did,” Elisha replied simply, not elaborating on what she had enjoyed as he had hoped she would.

  “You seemed to be among my more popular guests,” Corpal suggested, trying to prolong the conversation.

  “I spoke with few people. Mostly the same ones.”

  “Yes, but those you spoke with were among the more important ones there. And I saw you dance frequently.”

  “I did dance often,” Elisha agreed after some thought. Elisha didn’t continue to talk about the partners she had as he had hoped. Corpal was uncertain why she was being so difficult to talk to. There was something almost distant about her.

  “I was wondering, Elisha, would you join me in the city today?” Corpal asked her, changing the subject abruptly.

  “I have classes…” Elisha began.

  “I’m sure Lenora would excuse you if she were asked.”

  “But…,” Elisha began again.

  “I will go ask Lenora, if you do not believe me.”

  “Ask me what, my Prince?” Lenora said stepping in the room. Corpal turned to look at her, surprised by her sudden voice. Lenora had clearly just stepped in from out in the city. She was still wearing her cloak, and there was a servant girl behind her. Lenora did not realize that he had come simply to speak with Elisha and not herself.

  “I came to speak with Elisha,” Corpal informed Lenora, smiling “and to see if she would join me in the city this morning. Elisha claims her classes would be in the way, but I was certain you would excuse her.”

  “Oh, of course I would,” Lenora said at once. “When will you have her back?”

  “Some time after lunch I would think,” Corpal said after a moment of thought. There was something suspicious in Lenora’s eyes he did not recognize. He wondered what she was wary of. She had never looked at him that way before.

  “I will inform her instructors so she will not be missed and so we can make adjustments for her to make up for what she misses.”

  “Excellent. Send your servant for Elisha’s cloak, and we will be on our way.”

  Corpal realized how fast he had moved when Elisha was outside on his arm walking through the streets. The girl looked a bit wide eyed and uneasy. He scolded himself subconsciously for not taking more time to make sure Elisha was well at ease with the idea. He had sprung it on her far too quickly.

  “I don’t have any particular destination in mind,” Corpal confessed as they walked. “I simply thought you might appreciate the chance to get out of the school a bit. I have been told you have been working very hard on your studies.”

  “I have,” Elisha confessed. “I am surprised you have taken such an interest in what I do and do not do in the school.”

  “Your talents make you a unique individual, and as such, you interest me. I keep tabs on all those in the city who could be labeled as
unique or important. I know you would not label yourself as such, but you are. But beyond that, we have the start of some sort of friendship. I have many servants, but very few true friends.”

  “Lenora?”

  “Is a friend, yes, but one of few, less than half a dozen.”

  “Isn’t that lonely?”

  “Yes, but you know that already. From what I have observed you have few friends yourself. That you often keep to yourself at the school. Is that not so?”

  “It is,” Elisha agreed after a moment.

  “Perhaps it behooves the friendless to be friends then?”

  “Perhaps.”

  They walked in silence for nearly a minute. “Let’s walk to the shopping district. I am curious what this city has for sale. I have not looked too much myself. Will you show me the way?”

  Elisha consented and showed him straight to the shopping district. His appearance instantly created quite a stir. All the shopkeepers, merchants, their wives, and the shoppers, rich and poor, recognized him on sight. They all moved out of his way, bowing low, as was to be expected. Corpal was very curious what things would interest Elisha and if he would have the opportunity to endear himself to her by buying her something she desired.

  They went in and out of many shops at his request. Elisha would simply inform him of what a shop was and together they would go in. The first shop they went into was a small hat shop with some surprisingly decent hats inside. He convinced Elisha to try on several. She knew little of such an accessory and only humored him. She showed no interest in them even as he tried to enlighten her to the latest fashions.

  Next, they went into a dress shop, it proved to be the very shop that he frequently ordered dresses for Elisha from. Elisha looked at several different dresses on display. There was a new effort from the shop keeper to try to match the styles of Melink now that several members of nobility were in town. Still, they were not quite up to standard and he told Elisha as much very quickly. Elisha then looked embarrassed and affected disinterest in the dresses. Corpal realized his mistake instantly. Dresses were one of the few topics Elisha had the slightest bit of knowledge in and he had discounted it far too quickly. She would know what the girls from the school knew and nothing more.