The Prince of Machines (The Last Mechanics)

by Holly Law

  “Shh,” the Prince told her soothingly. “I know it hurts, but I must know the extent of the injury.” His fingers ran the edge of it, and Elisha struggled to breathe against the pain. Then he drew back. “Without my aid or that of another Havalla, this wound would prove fatal. The sword nicked an organ, and an infection has begun. There are none outside of the Havalla who could have aided you. Be thankful I am feeling merciful.”

  He put his palm flat against the wound. His touch felt strange, almost soothingly warm. The feeling seemed to radiate deep inside of her. The Prince watched her as he sat there, his eyes meeting hers in an unfaltering gaze. The feeling became almost uncomfortable, like there was something gently pulling at her side. It went on for several minutes, and the whole time she could not divert her eyes from him. Then he withdrew his hand.

  “I will not do it all today,” the Prince told her. “You have little energy at the moment, and it is best if some of the energy for this comes from you. It will not bleed more, however. I will finish with it tomorrow. For now, I wish to see your older scars.”

  Elisha found herself flipped over and still unable to move. She could only watch as he expertly undid the strings on the back of her corset. He slid his fingers down and exposed her back in its entirety. She blushed furiously. She briefly saw his eye brows come together in anger. Then his fingers slowly traced each scar.

  “I meant what I said before,” the Prince said, his voice soft, almost sad. “The mineral springs would do you much good. With time, I think these would fade entirely. I would be willing to help as well. You are a beautiful woman, Elisha. It pains me to see that you have been so badly scarred. You did not deserve this. If you serve me, this will be taken care of and you will bear no more scars. That I promise you.” Gently, he put his lips to the middle of her back and kissed her. Elisha could only shudder inwardly at the intimacy of that touch.

  The Prince righted himself and smiled at her. “Well, time to get you all dressed and prettied up again,” he told her. Elisha was once more lifted into the air. “I will have to replace all of it. None of it fared well.”

  Elisha felt the clothes on her change. She could see some of herself, but could feel the other changes. Her undergarments changed to become more stylish than hers had been and of higher quality. Fine lace covered parts of it rather than the opaque fabric. She flushed in embarrassment at the more luxurious undergarments that were far more scandalous to be seen in. Then a new dress seemed to spring out of her corset. She found herself wrapped in the finest silk dress she had ever owned. It fit her perfectly and every detail was exquisite. It was by far the finest dress she had ever worn.

  When the Prince was finished, he laid her back down on the bed. “If you worry for your reputation, none will ever know of this. There are few here, and none will ever know what was necessary to heal you. Consider this repayment for the awkwardness. You know I respect you more than most women and have no intention of treating you in a scandalous manner.” The Prince reached out and touched her cheek reassuringly. In that moment, Elisha was confused. There was emotion on the Prince’s face she could not place—a care and concern she had never seen there before, as well as other emotions she could not place.

  Then Elisha was free from her unseen restraints. She sat up instantly, pulling away from the Prince’s hand. She was more frightened of him than she had been the moment she discovered he was Havalla. Experiencing his complete power up close made every story she had heard seem like an understatement. It made her all the more certain that when it came time for her to die that she would not be able to fight back.

  “Nothing has changed,” the Prince told her, a promise in his tone. “I will see you tomorrow. Relax and recover. Give your choice some thought. There is no need for this to end badly.” The Prince left her as Elisha watched him warily.

  She stayed on the bed for several minutes feeling distinctly uneasy. The Prince and Lenora clearly no longer felt any reason to disguise who they were. She didn’t know how she had ever been so thoroughly deceived. The Havalla were such malevolent beings, and she had been naïve enough to fall for their tricks.

  Chapter 23

  Elisha was resigned to her fate. The doors were locked, and the drop from the balcony would have been a death sentence more painful than whatever Corpal had in store for her. In short, she had nothing to do but sit and tinker with the small machines that rested on a table. She knew they were there simply to tempt her into working on them. She saw no harm in fixing them or altering them as she saw fit. None would aid the Prince in any extreme way. They were frivolous little things. One was a small little machine that looked like a caterpillar, but polished the table as it crawled. The other was another type of flower that opened and closed at a touch.

  A hand reached out and picked up the flower. Elisha ignored the hand and flower as it shifted to open at the touch. It was placed gently back on the table. “You create wonders, Elisha,” the Prince said, leaning against the edge of the table beside her chair. It took her conscious effort not to look at him. She clenched her jaw. “It pleases me immensely that you still fix and create machines. I had thought you would avoid the task, but here you create unique machines that have never existed before. He put his hand down and the tiny caterpillar crawled onto his finger.

  He smiled at it, amused, and Elisha glared at the traitorous caterpillar. She wished she had the skill to make machines that would not answer to him or better yet would react in some nasty way to his touch. But her caterpillar only crawled up and down his fingers as he watched it bemused.

  The Prince reached out and brushed some of her loose hair behind her ear. She had seen no need to pull it back in some fancy style. Her life was going to be short. She saw no need for unimportant details. “Will you come for a walk with me?” The Prince asked her.

  “No,” Elisha replied coldly. She picked up two pieces and pondered them in her hand, trying to think of what to do next.

  “Nothing need be different from before,” he told her, unperturbed by her coldness. “I wish your service, Elisha. Nothing need be different unless that is your desire. Come for a walk with me and get some fresh air. You have been cooped up inside all day.”

  “No.”

  “Then I am afraid I must insist. Either you rise from that chair according to your own free will, or I will employ my abilities for that purpose.”

  Elisha clenched her fist around the pieces in anger. She hated what her life had become. He had manipulated her ever since his arrival and he continued to do the same. She put the pieces down on the table with effort. She stood up and stared at the wall rather than him.

  “I am glad you will be coming,” Corpal said with a pleased smile. He took her arm just as he had so often in the city. It made her stomach churn. She had been such an idiot. Her brother had been right, and she had ignored him. She had enjoyed the attentions of a monster.

  He led her into the hallway, and Elisha walked along with him reluctantly. “I had promised you before that I would let you see my menagerie,” the Prince said conversationally. “I intend to keep that promise.” And with that, he led her through an open glass door and out into his gardens. Before the gardens had been a small, neatly contained place. With the city gone, they opened up into the mountainous landscape.

  The animals each had their own cage and the Prince led her straight to the nearest one. Inside was a large prowling cat that was orange with black stripes. It was bigger than she was, and Elisha flinched away from it. The Prince looked at her amused. “It will not hurt you, Elisha,” the Prince told her calmly. He reached out and scratched the giant cat behind the ear. “My powers as a Havalla are absolute. He does as I wish him to.” Elisha stood back and watched the giant cat, not trusting the Prince. The Prince sighed and took Elisha’s hand. He reached out and brought it to the cat’s fur. It was coarse, but pleasant feeling. “You can trust me.”

  Elisha stroked the giant animal. It was such a strange thing to do. The cat watched her with c
alm amber eyes. She doubted it would have done so without a Havalla’s direct influence. She kept her time with the animal brief. She didn’t fully trust Corpal, no matter what he urged her to do.

  He led her deeper into the menagerie, letting her see each of the amazing animals up close. “This is only a small glimpse, of course,” Corpal said offhandedly, as she watched a brightly colored bird preen its beautiful feathers. Its body was larger than her forearm, and its tail doubled its length. It kept an intelligent eye on her, more out of curiosity than any fear. “I have a far larger collection in Melink. I would be glad to show those to you some day.”

  Elisha did not respond. She fully knew what she would need to agree to in order to see those animals. It was a very steep price. Corpal opened the bird’s cage. He extended his hand to the strange bird, and it climbed onto his arm, using its beak for balance on the first step. “Pet him if you wish. I will see to it you’re not bitten,” he told her, his tone soothing. The bird watched her, and Elisha watched the size of its beak. “He won’t hurt you. My powers are sufficient to see to that.”

  Elisha hesitantly stretched her hand out to the large bird. She scratched him behind the neck. She found his feathers a strange combination of soft and solid. The bird leaned into her scratching. The next thing she knew, the large bird was climbing onto her arm and up to her shoulder. It snuggled against her neck and started preening her hair.

  “I think he finds you pretty enough,” Corpal said with a gentle smile. “He has good taste.” Elisha ignored his attempt at a compliment. She was not going to playfully return his compliments as she once did. That she ever had disgusted her.

  After a few further moments he returned the bird to the cage. He brushed her out of place hairs back into place with one smooth gesture. He then promptly took her arm and showed her to more cages of animals. He seemed intent to show her wonder after wonder. He demonstrated his power time and again as she was permitted to touch any he thought she would like. It was an enjoyable experience, but it did not make her forget what her situation was.

  He led her away from the menagerie after a bit and through the gardens. It was a familiar experience, being on his arm in that place. But she no longer enjoyed it. He tried to engage her in light chatter as he once, had and she tried to be unresponsive. No matter how perfect and friendly his smile seemed, she knew the truth of the matter. He would not persuade her otherwise.

  “I have one more treat for you before lunch, Elisha,” the Prince told her. “I think you will be quite pleased with it. I dare say I won’t be able to pull you away.” He stopped before a pair of double doors that led into one of the outbuildings she hadn’t been in before. His blue eyes sparkled with pleasure.

  “And what is it you are going to show me?” Elisha asked, knowing he wished her to.

  The Prince gave her a slight smirk of a smile and pushed open the doors. They slid back into openings set into the wall, and Elisha got a good view of what was beyond. She stared into the well-lit space. “A small glimpse of my personal collection,” the Prince told her. “A trifle really. I hope it isn’t a disappointment to you.” Inside that room were the grandest machines she had ever seen. All had been a part of the parade the day before.

  Without even waiting for permission to enter, Elisha walked into the building, drawn by the amazing pieces of technology before her. She went to the closest one and examined it. Its condition was exquisite. It was polished and oiled. It was a dream come true to see a machine so well cared for. She quickly determined its purpose was to pull large objects. She didn’t pause when she opened a maintenance panel to see exactly how it did what it did.

  “Please, take care with what you touch,” Corpal said warily. “It is the only working one of its kind.”

  Elisha said nothing as she examined it. All the details were fascinating. There were parts small and big working together in a complex harmony. She had never dreamed of the likes. It completely inspired her. She could see what Corpal had meant about smaller machines leading to larger ones.

  “There are many more to see,” Corpal told her.

  Elisha moved on at his urging, carefully replacing the panel. She studied ten other machines. Each was different and each unique in their own function. How each worked was new to her. It was all her dreams come true. Corpal watched her, amusement clear on his features. Finally, they came to what he had referred to as the Crusher.

  It was a large machine that was clearly designed to carry people from one place to another. She opened the hatch on the front of it and looked at the complex engine. There was system after system, all of them working in harmony. Yet there was something different about that machine. It didn’t seem like the others.

  “This machine is newer,” Elisha said sliding underneath it to look at the belly of it. She stared at it in awe.

  “It is,” the Prince agreed. “It was built by a Havalla we call the Mechanic with the aid of your mother.”

  Elisha was shocked at the mention of her mother. She slid back out from underneath the Crusher. “My mother?” Elisha asked.

  “Your mother served me for a few brief years. I will confess she did not do so willingly. This was her crowning accomplishment. It is among my favorite machines.”

  Elisha looked at the Crusher and found it difficult to reconcile that it was created by her mother. She had few memories of her. Most were of that last day. She mostly remembered her mother dying. “And who is this mechanic of yours?” Elisha asked, wanting to think of something else.

  “Ah, the mechanic,” Corpal sighed and looked skyward. “Yes, I suppose he would interest you. Come, sit and I will explain him.” Corpal opened the door to the Crusher. He gestured her inside. Elisha did not object. She had hoped to see the inside of it.

  It proved to be very comfortable inside. There were three rows of leather covered seats, all stuffed for comfort. There were controls in the front of it, and each fascinated her. There were so many parts working in tandem. Elisha sat and studied each of them. Corpal sat beside her and reclined in the seat. He continued to watch her, his expression remaining amused.

  “The mechanic,” Corpal began, “is anti-social, very different from most Havalla. You will notice that both myself and Lenora desire company of others. He has no true loyalties to me, and thus I keep him separate from the rest of the world, for both the safety of the Havalla and humankind. He doesn’t care what his machines are used for. He creates them out of some instinct of his.”

  “Why do you need me if you have someone like him around?” Elisha asked, leaning back on to the comfortable seat.

  Corpal reached out and took one of her hands. “You have very delicate hands, Elisha. He does not. He’s really a big brute of a man,” he explained and ran his fingers over her hand, an intimate, soothing gesture. “He can’t create the small delicate machines that you can. He couldn’t repair my ring, and even some of his own projects remain unfinished. It is your ability to work on details that I need. That, and I do find your company pleasant.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. He gave her a flirtatious smile.

  She pulled her hand away. “Why don’t you build your own machines?” Elisha asked him, wanting some distraction from his attempt to flirt with her again. “You seem to be capable of almost anything else.”

  “Ah, I will show you why. Come,” he beckoned her and was out of the Crusher. Elisha left the large machine reluctantly. She wanted to do nothing more than to study every detail. The Prince led her to an orderly workbench near a collection of machine parts. There were so many wonderful parts and they stirred her imagination. “I will show you why I cannot create a machine. Create a simple machine, and I will duplicate your steps.”

  Elisha frowned and felt confused. Most couldn’t follow the steps at all. She pulled out parts and started assembling the little ball she had made before, the one that Corpal had found her and Eldwin playing with. She meant to go slowly, but Corpal was beside her. He matched her step for step, putting every pa
rt exactly where it belonged. No step went unnoticed. When she finally clicked the last piece into place, her ball shot across the work bench away from her. Corpal’s fell to pieces. She stared at those pieces.

  “But you did everything right,” Elisha said confused. “I watched you. Everything was where it should be.”

  “I am unable to build machines. I don’t possess the gift. They will not work for me, just like all the rest of the humans who are not of mechanic blood. I understand how they work, I can see the problems with faulty machines, but I cannot work on them.”

  “That would be frustrating.”

  “Immensely, and since I enjoy the machines, I find myself in need of mechanics who will serve me,” Corpal told her, his tone serious, his blue eyes speculative. “But I suspect you are hungry. Let us head back inside. You may come back later if you wish.”

  With that, Elisha found her brief taste of freedom done. Corpal treated it as a brief stroll, but there was no doubt in her mind that she could not have requested to stay longer. Corpal was still her jailer. No matter how much he flirted or how friendly he tried to seem, nothing had changed. The arm looped around hers was nothing more than a chain keeping her from running.

  Soon they were back inside, and just as soon they were in a brilliantly sunny room. It was a familiar room. She had shared a couple of meals with Corpal there before. But the view drastically transformed the room. Instead of looking out over a bustling square, it looked out over a beautiful mountain valley.

  Corpal was a perfect example of manners as he pulled out her chair for her. Elisha looked out the window, barely noticing the politeness. It was a breathtaking view, but unnerving. With a view that beautiful, it was easy to forget how many had died less than a day earlier. In such a short time, a city had been returned to a natural landscape, its people gone from memory forever.