At Kumar’s command, the elephant stood, and Nell braced herself with elbows and feet, since she couldn’t hold on with her hands. The three great beasts moved slowly away from the station, with theirs in the lead, the howdah swaying as the elephant lumbered along. Eventually, Nell caught the rhythm and was able to keep her balance without straining every muscle. That gave her the advantage of being able to work at the knot behind her back, since she was angled just slightly toward Pritchard.
“Why gifted children in the warehouse?” She fought to keep her voice level and not let her nausea at what they’d found show.
“Previous experiments indicate a far better survivability,” he said with utter scientific dispassion. “As your little friend Ivy proved, when she was the only one to survive my black lung cure.”
“That wasn’t because she was gifted. That was because she’s part fey.” At this point, there probably wasn’t any harm in letting him know, and Nell had been taught that in any hostage situation, one of the best things to do was to keep them talking. “Elves are naturally resistant to disease and have an ability to heal themselves and others.”
His eyes widened and he gaped for a moment. “Hadn’t thought of that. I wasn’t even aware there were part-elves among us. Damn, if I could only have harvested her blood!”
She glowered, fury damping down her revulsion. “And werewolves, among other things. Gifted is a broad category. Not all of them are the same. So what were you testing in Birmingham besides making gold? Another black lung cure?”
He sniffed. “Not at all. I said I’ve discovered a much more lucrative drug. This one gives me absolute and total mind control.”
“The zombies.” Of course. The pieces of the puzzle clicked together. “But if you’ve perfected it already, why do you need the Eye of the Buddha?”
He narrowed his eyes. “Learned an awful lot, haven’t you, you little snoop? I did do extensive research in Jamaica on the practices of voodoo, and that is the basis of my current drug.”
She kept silent, her rapt gaze encouraging him to continue, which he did. “As it happens, the formula isn’t perfected. Oh, I can turn the weak minded into soulless slaves, but there’s a flaw. They’re unable to act without direct instruction. They totally lack wisdom. The Eye of Buddha is said to be one of the most powerful magickal talismans in the world. With it, I can confer the ability to make decisions, as long as they’re in line with the instructions my zombie slaves have been given.”
“You’re a sick bastard, aren’t you?” She said the words as pleasantly as if remarking on the sunshine. “How many customers do you have lined up to buy this drug? Hundreds? Thousands?”
“Not so many, my dear. That would dilute the value.” He tsked. “Only a few select clients, warlords, primarily. Dictators or those planning coups. Men willing to pay millions of pounds. And that’s just for the product. I’ll not sell off the formula, not that it would work, since only I would be able to infuse it with the magick from the Eye of the Buddha. I have everything in place. Now all I have to do is find that damn ruby.”
Nell wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Which is where Charlie comes in. Polly or Barrow mentioned that the son they’d thrown away had a gift for finding things, didn’t they? So you told them to get him, and bring him here.”
“Of course. Why waste a valuable resource just because the brat can’t see?” His dislike of his hirelings was plain. “While Barrow was perfectly fine running my laboratory and mines in England, he’s an idiot sometimes. I can hire a dozen servants to lead the boy around. I think I’ll even keep him, just for the next thing I need to find.”
“No.” The denial slipped out before Nell realized she’d said it aloud, but she lifted her chin and kept going. “Charlie is going home with me. But you’re welcome to think what you like. Soon enough the tables will be turned.”
“Stupid bitch.” He backhanded her casually across the face. “Your only purpose here is to extract money and a cessation of hostilities from that ass Shanku. His people have been causing me no end of trouble, and he’ll be willing to pay a small fortune, including deeds to the land where the temple sits, in return for the safety of his beloved half-caste daughter.”
Oh, Baba Vivek would be giving them something all right. Probably cannon fire to begin with. Nell sat silently and worked at her bonds. The silk scarf was slippery material, and the knot wasn’t well tied. By the time they reached a small swell, with a handful of ruins in the valley beyond, she’d loosened them enough that she could slip one hand free when she got the chance. She’d shoot Pritchard right now, but while Polly might balk at killing Charlie, Barrow sure as hell wouldn’t think twice about shooting Tom. So she waited.
From the opposite direction, huge clouds of dust approached the ruined temple complex. The excavation area wasn’t large, perhaps six or seven buildings with a few tents set on stilts around them. One building, newer than the others, appeared to be a hastily built barn. Nell supposed that’s where the zombie horde was kept.
The trumpet of elephants sounded from the other side of the ruins, which were perhaps a half mile off. It was hard to tell distance on this vast plain broken by only by millet fields and tiny farm dwellings, with just a small copse of trees here or there.
The dust cloud was too big to be a group of two or three elephants like theirs. No, Nell was sure this was the group from Shanku, the horsemen, the elephants and the guns. Inwardly she cheered.
“Faster,” Pritchard barked.
Kumar flicked the elephant with the whip. Nell could almost sense the poor beast’s anger. She hummed a soothing tune, and soon the elephant was moving ahead at a higher speed and the sensation of anger and distress had dissipated.
Hmm. Nell knew elephants were smart. Were they enough like humans that she could control them with music? It might be worth a try.
Men—or something that had once been men—began to pour out of the barn, carrying a motley assortment of guns, swords and agricultural implements.
With a war cry that could most likely be heard for miles, Vivek’s horsemen swooped down on the shambling zombies and began to cut them down, while up on a small rise, three elephants stopped as their riders dismounted to set up the cannons.
Nell closed her eyes and said a short prayer to Jagganesh, since it was his temple, that Pritchard wouldn’t use this as an excuse to kill the hostages.
“Charge,” he yelled instead.
With another few flicks of Kumar’s whip, the lead elephant began to run and Nell had to go back to bracing herself in the seat.
With a flutter of wings, a silver bird landed on her shoulder. Lark. She’d left him behind at Shanku, which had been a mistake. While he looked like a silly toy, he had a small dart in his beak. Wink never made any of their companion animals without some weapons.
Nell hummed the command notes, and before he could see what had happened, a small needle shot out, striking Pritchard in the forehead.
With a curse, he jerked off a shot, but due to the jolting movement, he missed. Before he could fire another, he slumped over.
Nell held her bonds toward Lark and whistled the notes that meant cut. Now her hands were truly free and she drew the stun gun from the sheath on her thigh just in time to see Kumar leap at her from the driver’s pallet. She shot him midair and he fell to the earth, trampled beneath the beast’s giant feet. Nell immediately sent Lark to Tom, who used his limited supply of commands to try to get him to dart Barrow as well.
Then Nell sang, begging the elephant to slow. Miraculously, it did.
She nearly wept in relief, but there wasn’t time. There was plenty of work to do. She bade the elephant to turn around and stop. It did, essentially causing Polly’s beast to swerve and send the howdah swaying wildly, while right behind it, Barrow’s did the same. Aadi and Rajit both took advantage of the diversion and leaped into their howdahs to rescue the hostages.
The sounds of battle filled the valley below. Nell prayed her father would stay safe,
even as she had her elephant draw up next to the one holding Charlie and Polly.
While Polly wrestled with Aadi, Nell steadied herself on the edge of the howdah and prepared to jump.
“No,” Tom shouted.
Nell looked over to see that Rajit and Tom had overpowered Barrow, and pulled their elephant up on the other side of Polly’s. Aadi got in a good punch to the woman’s jaw and she fell. Nell immediately sang the elephants to a halt, then down to their knees.
“Charlie, are you all right?” Nell climbed down as quickly as she could, and held out her arms while Aadi climbed down with Charlie.
“Yes, Miss Nell.” He clung to her, burying his damp face into her skirts. “I’m so sorry, miss. I didn’t want to help them but she said they’d hurt you if I didn’t.”
“It’s all right, darling.” She didn’t know what else to say. Good or evil, Polly was the boy’s mother. Nell stroked his hair and wept silent tears with him while Tom bound Pritchard and the other two men checked the bodies of Polly, Barrow and Kumar, shaking their heads with each one.
“You’re going to live with me, now, Charlie,” Nell said. “What do you think of that?”
“Is she dead?”
Nell nodded before remembering he couldn’t see her. “I’m sorry, darling, but yes, she is. So is your father.”
Charlie sighed. “I know I’m bad, but I can’t help it—I’m glad they’re gone. They weren’t good people, Miss Nell. I don’t want them to be my parents.”
“Then think about calling me Mum.” She lifted him into her arms and held him tight. “If you want to, that is. I want to adopt you, Charlie.” All hesitation was gone. She’d proven to herself that she was strong enough to do anything, even manage her own school.
He cried harder. “Yes, please.” His sobs racked his small body, but she heard him whisper, “Mum. My own mum,” and her heart filled with love.
The sound of an airship overhead caused them to look up in shock. The one they’d left Cortland and O’Malley in was already down in the valley.
This one was unfamiliar, and landed next to them while all four adults trained weapons on the occupants.
Vidya and Jonathan stepped out, along with more of the Shanku staff. “We left as soon as we got father’s wire. There are more soldiers coming from Government House as we speak, but their ship is slower.”
“Behind you,” Jonathan yelled.
Nell turned to see that Pritchard was…glowing. He burst free of his bonds and lifted a hand. Light shot from his fingertips and three of the servants fell, writhing in agony.
“None of that.” Vidya stamped her foot and shouted something in Bengali. At least Nell assumed that was the language.
Behind Pritchard, a giant cobra reared its head, hood spread.
Tom screamed like a little girl.
Tom had never been more ashamed of himself, but the snake was the most terrifying thing he’d ever seen, after Pritchard holding a gun to Nell, of course. Pritchard turned, saw the snake and started to run.
The cobra struck, and Pritchard died with a horrible scream.
Tom raised his gun to shoot the snake, but Vidya chanted again and the snake…vanished. Tom swallowed the bile in his mouth.
Jonathan cast a proud gaze on his wife. “There is magick in her family as well as mine. That’s one of the reasons our marriage was arranged.”
Nell and her sister-in-law went to help the fallen servants, but even from a distance, Tom could see there was no saving them.
Tom and the other men mounted the elephants. “Wait in the airship,” he told the women. “Protect Charlie.”
Nell started to object, but after looking at the boy who clung to her skirts, she remained onboard. Vidya, too, obediently climbed back onto the deck. They looked on somberly as their men rode off to battle.
At least Tom considered himself Nell’s man. After last night, she damned well better marry him. Somehow, he had to be able to convince her.
The battle was nearly over by the time Tom and the others reached the valley. The mindless zombies and their dozen or so minders had been no match for trained soldiers on horse and elephant. Vivek himself rode in the midst of his men, on an iron horse with brass gears and pistons, and a mane and tail of shining silver.
Tom let his magick flow, taking out several zombies at a time. Once the valley was quiet, Tom and Jonathan borrowed horses and, along with Vivek, went to retrieve the women and Charlie.
“We need to find the Eye,” Nell said. “This formula is too powerful, and so is the magick of the ruby. I don’t want it to fall into any hands, not even the viceroy’s.”
“They’re right here.” Charlie pointed to a small pile of rubble that might have once been an obelisk. “Four sides, two eyes per side. Can’t you see them?”
Nell explained that the structure was ruined.
Tom laid a hand on the mound. “Charlie’s right. They’re here.” He and Jonathan dug through the rubble with pitchforks, finally digging out eight egg-sized opaque pink stones.
Nell picked one up. “Shouldn’t they be red?”
Vidya studied one. “Most Indian rubies are like this. Perhaps that’s why Mr. Pritchard never found them. He was looking for something he imagined, not something real.”
“Put them on that stone floor.” Vivek led his mechanical horse over as one of his men laid the eight stones in a small circle. With three quick blows of its iron hooves, the horse destroyed the rubies. Tom felt the magick disperse into the air as a swirling wind swept away even the remaining dust.
Moments later, the viceroy’s men arrived and took charge of the scene, dealing with the bodies of the drugged bandits.
The rest of them returned to Shanku.
Chapter Thirteen
Tom couldn’t seem to let go of Nell. He kept his arm around her during the entire elephant ride, with Charlie wedged tightly between them. A single touch to the boy’s shoulder had relieved his last doubt. Charlie was Berrycloth’s son by blood, and far more gifted than even Nell had mentioned.
“Are you going to be my papa?” Charlie asked.
Tom tousled the boy’s hair. “I’d like to, but that’s up to your new mum.” He’d been drawn to the child from the moment he’d seen him on the train platform.
Nell sighed. “No, dear, but we’ll talk about that later.”
That was the answer Tom had been afraid of. She wasn’t going to make things easy.
Tough. He wasn’t going to give up, either.
Back at Shanku, clothes were changed, wounds bandaged, and copious amounts of food served. Several of the women, including Vidya, washed and wrapped the bodies of the fallen members of the household, perhaps a dozen, all told. Despite their ultimate success, it was a somber evening.
And long. It seemed forever before Tom was able to slip into Nell’s bedchamber. This room was even bigger and more lavish than the one in Calcutta, reminding Tom that here, she was a princess. Once again, his princess had waited up, this time in her nightgown without the robe, her feet drawn up and her arms around her knees.
“Baba Vivek wants me to stay,” she said before he’d even opened his mouth. She gestured around. “He’s trying to sway me with all this, but I think he knows that the trappings of wealth don’t matter much to me.”
“I’m sure he simply wants time to get to know you.” Tom understood that. He just didn’t know what to do about it.
Nell rested her chin on her knees. “I do love him. It’s silly in such a short time, I suppose, but I feel as if he’s always been a father to me. Just…a second father. He’ll never be the man who raised me.”
“Do you want to stay?” He settled on a floor cushion a yard or so from her chair.
She shrugged. “After today I don’t know what I want.”
A tiny spark of hope flared in his chest, but he kept the conversation away from their relationship for the moment. “What about the adoption? I think you have enough contacts either here or in England to make sure it goes
through.”
“I’m absolutely sure of that.” Nell wrapped one strand of hair around her finger. “Nancy, too, I think. They’ll be good for one another.”
“You’ll need a big house.” He did his best to keep his tone neutral. “I don’t imagine you’ll stop with two.”
She chuckled. “You know me too well. And I want my school, but I’m not going to hire someone to run it for me. I’ve proven to myself that I can do anything I set my mind to.”
He grinned. “Of that, dearest, I have no doubt whatsoever. I suspect one of your fathers would build you a school on the moon, if you wished, but either would happily fund one here or in England.”
“I did find something of home here,” she said. “Learning about this half of my history helped me feel whole in a way I didn’t expect. It came as a bit of a surprise, but for all its faults, I think I’ll always carry a little of India inside my heart. I’ll not try to hide it anymore. My Shanku heritage is part of what makes me who I am.”
“Of course it is. If you did want to stay here, I’d be willing to leave the Order.” Tom hadn’t meant to blurt it out quite like that. Leaving the Order would tear out a part of his heart, but the rest of that organ already belonged to Nell. “The viceroy has said he can find some use for me, and if not, I’m sure your father will put me to work somewhere. Of course I might be able to start an Order office here, as well. Papa and His Grace have discussed it.”
“You’d leave the Order?” Her eyes turned misty. “That’s…more generous than I deserve. Not after the way I’ve railed at you about trust and fidelity.”
Tom scooched closer until he knelt at her feet. “You had every right. I was a fool to sleep with Polly, even if it was before we’d kissed and spoken about the future. It cost me everything I ever wanted—you.”
“We all make mistakes. I could have forgiven you. As I said on the airship, I have now, if that means anything.”
“It means everything.” He drew her into his arms and held her close. “Marry me, Nell. We’ll live wherever you like, have a school and adopt a dozen other children. It will be better, you know, if they have a papa as well as a mum.”
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