The Girl and the Clockwork Conspiracy: Clockwork Enterprises Book Two

by Nikki Mccormack

  Maeko slid her arms into the jacket. It didn’t matter that it was too big. Then she picked up Macak and walked over beside Drake to look out one of the front windows. The fog that socked in the city was missing here and enough light came down through the thinner cloud cover to illuminate the large estate that spread beneath them, its grounds thick with stands of trees around big open fields. In the center, just ahead of the ship, was a large manor, not much less than a castle with a plethora of large outbuildings creating a wall around the main house courtyard all brightly lit and alive with activity in spite of the hour.

  She gave Drake a questioning look. “Is this place yours?”

  She meant it in jest, but he returned her gaze with the utmost sincerity. “My family is old money. You could say I was the black sheep, but as the only surviving child I got everything when my parents died regardless of the family’s disapproval.”

  She looked him over, noting for the first time that, for all the simplicity of his black attire, his clothing was of fine make and material. His wolfish look, emphasized by dark stubble and the greasy sheen of his overlong black hair, gave him the appearance of someone you’d be afraid to meet in a dark alley, not moneyed gentry.

  “I have to admit, I’m a little… surprised.”

  He grinned, a disturbingly feral expression. “Most people are. I offered this place as a base for the Pirate efforts. I’ve also been developing technologies here to help us fight the Literati. With those drawings you appropriated, I can step up my development.”

  She smirked. “Appropriated. Funny how that word makes it seem so much more official. I nicked them.”

  “It all works out the same in the end, doesn’t it?”

  “I suppose so.” She stared down at the vast holding, growing larger as they descended toward the courtyard in front of the main house. Several men came out into the courtyard and Ash dropped out lines for them to anchor the ship. “What do you plan to do now?”

  “Now.” He looked down at Macak nestled in her arms. After a minute, he met her eyes. He stepped closer and spoke in a hushed voice, though she couldn’t figure who on the ship he might not want to overhear. “The Literati have started an experimental ‘reform’ program to remake violent criminals. They’re taking these prisoners somewhere and we believe whatever they are doing there is related to the weapons development program that Clockwork Enterprises just announced. Forced labor perhaps. We also have reason to think they may have taken Captain Garrett there. He’s a skilled engineer. They’d be fools not to put him to work on their weapons development. Now we focus on our own development while we try to verify where that program is set up and what they’re working on there. Then we take them down.”

  She glanced at him. His nearness made her uneasy, but she refused to let him see that. “So how do we find out where the Lits are taking these prisoners?”

  “Ideally, we would have a contact on the inside. Since we don’t, we’ll have to work harder at paying attention and hope for a lucky break.”

  How deep did she want to sink into this? Did it matter now? “Someone on the inside? Like a Literati officer?”

  He gave her a measuring look, a new regard building in his scrutiny. “That would be ideal. Do you have someone in mind?”

  “I might.”

  He gave her his wolfish grin again. “I knew I liked you for a reason.”

  She turned to glance out the window and caught Ash watching them in the reflection. She raised her voice a little. “Don’t get attached. I’m not the type to stick around long.”

  Ash looked away.

  Drake went down the ladder first, carrying the folder full of drawings with him. Maeko hurried after him, Macak clinging to her shoulders again. At the bottom, she watched him greet the men there with brotherly handshakes and brief exchanges. She looked around at the immaculate stables and manicured grounds, at all the people working to keep it that way. Most of them greeted Drake’s arrival with a nod or a wave, which he returned without missing a one. The dark loner image he presented didn’t appear to have much basis in reality.

  Something didn’t add up.

  Ash was coming down the ladder now, glancing at her anxiously. Pretending not to notice, she walked over to Drake where he stood now talking to a couple of burly men who looked similar enough to be brothers.

  “Excuse me?”

  Drake looked at her, holding her gaze for a moment before he dismissed the two men. “Something’s bothering you?”

  She swept the grounds with a meaningful glance then met his eyes. “Why are you doing this?”

  He gestured toward the big house with a tilt of his head. “Walk with me.”

  Drake started toward the manor.

  She hesitated, glancing back at the airship. Tomoe and Ash were both on the ground now, watching her with uneasy looks and talking in hushed voices. Ash looked hopeful when she met his eyes. She turned and hurried after Drake.

  “I’m doing this because the Literati movement is widening the gulf between the classes and turning the working class into little better than slaves to their wealthy counterparts. Too many people in power are Literati and they have the queen’s ear. The only way to stop things from spiraling out of control is with a show of force that will leave them reeling. Then the people in power will have to acknowledge the other side.”

  A well-dressed gentleman opened the door for them, bowing to Drake.

  Drake nodded to him. “Thank you, Edward.”

  Maeko murmured a quick thank you and followed him inside. She stopped there, taking in the elegant front entry. A sweeping staircase rose up on one side of the main room, the handrail carved to look like a thick winding vine that originated from a big ivory, blue and gold planter at the base of the stairs. The entry itself had a magnificent marble floor of swirling browns and creams. A life size marble statue of a rearing stallion stood in the center of the entry beneath a massive, glittering chandelier hung from a domed ceiling high above.

  She stared up at the rearing horse for a time until she realized Drake was watching her with a smirk. When she looked at him, he started to walk again and she fell into step beside him.

  “This is what I mean. All this wealth.” She followed him around the statue toward a door under the curving staircase. “Shouldn’t you be Literati?”

  “Should I?” He glanced around the room with vague disinterest. “Perhaps. I never did get on well with the well-to-do. I spent my childhood seeking companionship among the family servants.”

  He opened the door for her and she walked ahead into a long hallway, plain and poorly lit compared to the entry. In fact, it looked as if no one even dusted back here. He opened the first door on the right and she stopped, staring down a flight of dimly lit stairs. At his gesture, she started down them, stroking Macak’s tail where it curled around her neck for the faint reassurance it provided.

  “My parents eventually gave up on making a gentleman out of me. Instead, they decided it best to stop taking me to their highbrow social events. At fourteen, I ran away. I went to work in a factory and spent my evenings carousing with the common blokes I worked with. I met a number of Pirates and came to realize that most of them were quite decent people with legitimate complaints. My parents, proud supporters of the Literati I might add, made a paltry attempt at locating me. They were disappointed when I returned home six months later. I decided then that I would never stand for the things they represented.”

  They went down a few flights and entered another hallway, this one walled in with brick and much darker and shorter than the last, ending in a big metal door.

  “So you’re doing all this to spite your family?”

  He chuckled, finding it far more amusing than she did. “That and other such noble causes.”

  “Such as?”

  “Power, influence, popularity. The usual misguided ambitions.” He went through a quick series of turns on the dial alongside the door. A chorus of clicks and mechanical grumbling came from within
the door, then it shifted open.

  They entered a bright room several times larger than the entry and at least as tall. Five tables stood in one end of the room with several weapons and false limbs in various states of completion laid upon them amidst a cornucopia of gleaming metal parts and tools. Two men and one woman bent over separate tables, focused on their work. Each wore heavy leather gloves and rather complicated looking monocles for focusing on the more delicate details of their work. The nearest man, a burly bloke, had what looked like armor of leather and brass covering one arm from the shoulder down. The glove of the armor sported an array of delicate brass attachments he was using to work on the inside of what looked like a small cannon.

  The woman held Maeko’s attention for a moment. She looked out of place among the tools with her glossy red hair tied loose at the nape of her neck and her full lips pressed together in thought. Aside from a nose that was a little too narrow and prominent, she was the picture of feminine beauty. Her long slender fingers, however, handled the tools with dexterity born of familiarity, making it clear she felt at home with her work.

  Past the tables was a wide-open space full of large curved metal pieces that Maeko imagined the ribs of a whale might look like. A much smaller man stood arranging these, checking to see if the ends matched up properly to a long bar in the center. Beyond that was another door, also metal and larger than the last. She could hear clanging, like the sound of many hammers working hot metal, from beyond the big door.

  “The forges are through there,” Drake offered.

  “What are those?” She nodded to the long metal pieces.

  Macak hopped down to the nearest table and sniffed at some of the parts before he commenced batting a screw around the smooth surface.

  “Those, dear girl, are the bones of my battleship.”

  He was serious. This man meant to wage war against the Literati and he had the means to do so. No matter his motives, he could be a useful ally. At least until she got Chaff out of Literati hands, she would help him wage his war.

  “Brilliant. But why are you showing it to me.”

  Drake smiled at her. “You’ve done us a great service and I believe you can be a valuable addition here, but I need your trust, which means I need to trust you.”

  It was an answer she could appreciate and she didn’t doubt he knew it.

  The two men and the woman who had been working at the tables had abandoned their work to gather around Macak. The cat pranced before them, his gleaming metal leg reflecting like starlight in their eyes. The big man crouched down, bringing his eyes even with the table to watch the appendage move.

  The woman looked up at Drake and stepped around the table. She pulled off the monocle and flung her arms around him, kissing him with an intimacy that made Maeko flush and look away. Then she turned back to the table.

  “Where’d you find this marvelous creature?”

  “He comes to us courtesy of this marvelous young lady,” Drake nodded to Maeko. “Along with these.” He tossed the folder of sketches down on the table.

  The woman opened it, long, elegant fingers flipping through the first several pages. The two men leaned in to look and all three smiled like kids given a bucket of candy. They turned their excited eyes on Maeko after a moment and the woman held one hand out to her.

  “Crimson Delevay,” she offered.

  Maeko took the hand. “Maeko. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  Crimson smiled and wrapped both hands around Maeko’s. She had smooth hands, tipped with long red nails, and a firm grip. “Oh no kitten, the pleasure is all mine. You have no idea what these things will do for us. How did you get them?”

  She fought an urge to pull her hand away and go find a dark corner to hide in. Instead, she met Crimson’s vibrant emerald eyes. “I nicked them. Same way any self-respecting street rat would.”

  The men laughed at that.

  Crimson only smiled and stepped close to put one hand on her shoulder and the other against her cheek. “You’re not a street rat now, love. You’re a hero.” She kissed Maeko on the other cheek.

  Maeko flushed. I think I’d rather be a street rat.

  Drake came to her rescue. “Don’t overwhelm the girl.”

  Crimson released her and stepped back, batting her thick lashes at the wolfish man. “You’re just jealous. Have you given her a room yet?”

  “I was getting to that. Take a look through those sketches and see what we can do with them.”

  “I’d like to take a closer look at that leg too,” the burly bloke stated, his eyes following Macak as the cat leapt back to Maeko’s shoulders. The monocle made him look vaguely insectile.

  Drake gave the cat a wry look. “You’ll get a chance later.”

  When they arrived back in the entry, Tomoe, Ash, Julia, and Samuel were waiting near the statue. Tomoe and Ash watched them approach with matching looks of disapproval.

  Drake leaned close and murmured, “I’d appreciate if you didn’t say anything to them about what I showed you just yet.”

  She nodded. “I won’t, but you should know Ash worked with his father on airships quite a bit. He might be useful.”

  “I’ll take that under consideration.” They stopped before the others. “Julia, I believe you and Samuel are already settled. There are a number of empty rooms upstairs in the west wing. The rest of you are welcome to make yourselves at home there. If any of you are willing to share, it would be appreciated. We have more people joining us all the time who are finding the unrest in the city not to their liking. I’ve business to handle, so I’ll trust you can manage.” He started to turn away, then hesitated and turned back to Maeko. “I’d like to speak more about your contact in the city. I’ll send for you.”

  She nodded, feeling the eyes of the others burning into her.

  With that, he left them. Tomoe, Julia and Samuel headed for the stairs. Maeko grabbed the two satchels someone had carried into the house. When she reached for the carrier, Ash stepped in and picked it up for her. She smiled uneasy thanks and started up the stairs.

  The rooms were large and fully furnished. Julia sent Ash to room with his brother. He handed off Macak’s carrying case to Tomoe and followed Samuel.

  Julia stopped at the next room. She looked tired. Her long blond hair had started to pull out of its bun. “I hoped Garrett would have found us by now, but, seeing as he’s still missing, there’s room for one more in my room if either of you want, unless you’d like to room together.”

  Tomoe looked at Maeko. A sad smile whispered across her lips. Perhaps this was a chance to rebuild some of that bridge.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Harris, but I’d like to room with my mum. Besides, we’ll find Captain Garrett soon.”

  Julia turned away without a word and ducked into the room.

  Maeko followed Tomoe into the next room. It was done up in an array of lavender, pink and ivory fabrics with an elaborate floral wallpaper in the same soft palette. She never expected to stay in a room more lavish than the one Lucian let her use, but this room was splendid. The bed was a massive thing with heavy carved legs that ended in big wooden paws. An ornate wardrobe stood against one wall across from a matching vanity and two full-length mirrors were set into the wall. The high ceiling had gold scrollwork along curved edges and in the corners.

  Macak leapt from her shoulders onto the vanity as she walked past. She took off Chaff’s jacket and laid it on the bed.

  Tomoe shut the door and paused with her hand on the knob. “Mae-chan. You must be careful. Mr. Drake is an ambitious man. He will take advantage of you.”

  Maeko faced her. “And I will take advantage of him. He can help me get what I want. I don’t think it unreasonable to offer my assistance in return.”

  “And what do you want?”

  Her throat tightened. She turned back to the bed, her fingers reaching out to brush the front of Chaff’s jacket. “To fix what I’ve broken.”

  “Mae-chan.”

  “Can we t
alk about this tomorrow?”

  Tomoe nodded and fell to preparing for bed.

  Maeko slunk outside with Macak to give them both a much-needed break. Free of the manor, she stood and watched the cat explore the big garden. His vibrant curiosity eased some of the ache inside. Just when she was about to pick him up and head back to the room, Ash trotted up beside her, knocking her emotions into turmoil again.

  “Mae, I’m glad I found you. I wanted to warn you to be careful around Drake, he’ll…” He trailed off when she turned a frustrated glower on him.

  “He’ll what? Take advantage of me? Use me? I’m fully aware of his ambitions and the fact that he’ll do whatever he thinks necessary to accomplish them. I don’t need a lecture.”

  Ash didn’t back down. If anything, he seemed to grow taller and he met her assault head on. “Don’t you? Because it looks to me like you’re throwing yourself out in the line of fire again.”

  The anger in his voice startled her. It was refreshing in a way, something other than frustration and sorrow, though she wasn’t about to tell him that. “Maybe I am. If so, it’s my problem, not yours.”

  “It is my problem! Like it or not, I care about you and I refuse to stand by while you try to get yourself killed.”

  He wasn’t the first to say such things. She crossed her arms over her chest and spun away to stare into the darkness. “You saw how well that worked out for Chaff.”

  His tone softened and he put a comforting hand on her arm. “That wasn’t your fault.”

  She knocked the hand away and turned on him again. “It was my fault, Ash. He asked me not to go, but I wouldn’t listen. Instead, I talked him into coming with me. He shouldn’t have even been there.” She turned away again and wiped at a tear. Ash stood silent while she went to gather up Macak. She hugged the cat close and put her cheek against his soft head.

  “Do you love Chaff?”

  Her mouth went dry. “Yes.” She swallowed. “No. I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. What happened is my fault and I have to find a way to make it right.”