Wolves and Daggers_A Steampunk Fairy Tale

by Melanie Karsak

  With my sight enhanced, I headed quickly and quietly across the rooftops toward the building. Thus far, I spotted no guards on the roof. Staying hidden, I leaped onto the roof of the building then went to the levered windows which looked down into the factory below.

  Directly below me was a balcony on which I spotted three guards. They were looking out the windows toward the street, all of their guns drawn. All of them were from Paddington pack.

  Moving carefully, I shifted so I could see below more clearly when suddenly someone grabbed my arm.

  I pulled my dagger and, turning in a flash, spun on the unknown assailant.

  “Agent Rose?” I whispered as I gazed down the barrel of another Red Cape Society agent’s weapon. Casting a glance behind her, I saw Agent Reid.

  Agent Rose put her finger to her lips to silence me then gave me a hand, helping me to my feet. Motioning for me to follow her, I joined her and Agent Reid behind a chimney stack where I found, much to my surprise, two werewolves knocked out cold, bound and gagged.

  “What are you doing here?” I whispered.

  “Tracking Constantine,” Agent Rose replied in a whisper.

  “Constantine?” Constantine needed no last name. The vampire was well known to the Society. He was dangerous in every way imaginable and had only managed to keep from getting slain due to an edict from the crown. Apparently, he’d provided some assistance during the Napoleonic Wars. Since then, he’d been keeping to himself, holing up in some castle somewhere in Scotland. What in the hell were the wolves doing with him?

  “Cyril’s pack picked him up. Any idea why?” Agent Reid asked me.

  I shook my head. “No. But I do know they picked up some goblins as well. And I believe they have Agent Briarwood,” I said, referring to Quinn. I tried to keep my voice steady but failed. The telltale crack at the end betrayed my anxiety. Where was Quinn? What in the hell was going on?

  The agents looked at one another, both of them looking distressed. Quinn was one of the senior agents. If I remembered right, he’d trained Agent Rose when she’d been recruited.

  “When did they nab Quinn?” Agent Rose asked.

  “Goblin saw the wolves lift him this afternoon from Alodie’s brothel.”

  Agent Reid frowned. “There’s at least two dozen wolves down there.”

  “Any sign of your fang?”

  Agent Rose shook her head.

  “Let’s see what they’re up to,” I said then motioned toward the windows.

  We approached slowly, looking inside. Below, I saw wolves—still in human form—from Whitehall, Paddington, Lupercal, and even Romulus packs. That left out only Templars, Lolitas, and Conklins. It was notable that Conklins were not there. That nasty group of buggers was always brawling.

  But even more interesting was the flurry of activity at a series of workbenches below. I pushed up my night optic and pulled out my spyglass for a better look. A series of stations had been erected, and at them, I spotted my missing guild members. It did not escape my notice that each was chained by the ankle to the floor.

  My eyes drifted over each person there, noting the face of Lionheart’s squash partner—Professor Paxton.

  “Bring him here,” Fenton said, his gravelly voice pouring from one of the side rooms.

  Agent Rose barely suppressed a gasp when they wheeled out the vampire Constantine, who had been staked crucifixion-style to a modified dolly.

  “What the hell?” Agent Reid swore.

  A sick feeling rocked my stomach. Whatever was happening here, it was not good. I scanned the space for Quinn.

  “Well, professor. Could you do it or not?” Fenton asked with a growl.

  “I…I hardly know. The notes here are vague, and the prima materia from this gentleman is unlike anything I have ever seen,” Professor Paxton said, looking back through her scope at a sample. “What is this man infected with?” she asked, looking toward Constantine.

  Fenton laughed. “You don’t need to worry about that. You just do what the boss asked, beautiful,” he said then reached out and stroked her hair.

  Something deep within me hardened.

  “What your boss asked is impossible,” said another guild member. I recognized him from his photo as the missing alchemist Neville McKee.

  Frustrated, Fenton growled then turned and punched the man in the stomach. “Shut your mouth, and get the work done.”

  “I have had some success here,” Toby Winston, an alchemist, said. “The sample provided by your boss is reacting. Basing my experiment on Jamison’s notes, I was able to use the alkahest she has been working with to some effect.”

  “Someone tell Doctor Marlowe that Master Winston has made a discovery,” Fenton said.

  There was a clamor of noise from the back and a moment later, a bent old man in a heavy robe, walking with a cane, entered. Two Romulous pack members were at his side. The man stopped by Professor Paxton’s table. He looked at her work, nodded, then turned to Master Winston, motioning for the alchemist to move aside so he could investigate.

  Doctor Marlowe tapped his cane. “We are making progress. Good. Let’s get some more samples. Bring in the others.”

  There was a commotion, and a moment later, three werewolves came in, dragging along two goblin men. The goblins fought the wolves, cursing them in a language I didn’t understand.

  My heart stopped when I saw the wolves push Quinn forward. His hands were bound behind his back.

  The old man whom they called Doctor Marlowe chuckled when he saw Quinn. “Ah, now we have the complete set. Nigredo,” he said, pointing to Constantine. “Citrinitas,” he added, pointing to the goblins. “Rubedo,” he said, pointing to Quinn. “And…” he said then looked back toward Byrony Paxton. “Albedo, I believe. How does she smell to you?” the old man asked, turning to Fenton.

  “Yeah, she’s pure.”

  The old man nodded. “My nose isn’t what it once was, but so I thought.”

  “What…what are you talking about?” Professor Paxton stammered.

  “Let’s get a sample from all of them. We’ll use Master Winston’s work and see what we can uncover. And when should we expect Professor Jamison? Her work is key.”

  “Conklin went to round her up,” Fenton replied.

  “From where?” Doctor Marlowe asked.

  “Red Capes had her stashed on the Isle of Dogs. We found her. They’ll have her soon.”

  “Let’s hope you have more success than you did last time.”

  Fenton laughed. “Well, he’s here tonight,” he said, pointing at Quinn. “So much for the fierce werewolf hunter.”

  Doctor Marlowe shook his head, apparently unimpressed with Fenton’s bravado, then went back to Master Winston’s workbench once more.

  “Sample? How much?” one of the wolves asked, grabbing one of the goblins by the arm.

  Doctor Marlowe signed heavily. “Use the device Master Dart made, you idiot.”

  “Oh. Right,” the wolf said then went to Master Dart’s table and picked up a syringe, which had a long tube connected to it that led to a glass container.

  The werewolf grabbed the thing clumsily.

  “You fool. You’ll break it. Master Dart, you take the samples,” Doctor Marlowe said then turned to the werewolf. “Unchain Master Dart.”

  “Yes, sir.” The werewolf set the device down and unchained the tinker.

  Oliver Dart, a slim man who looked like he might faint at any moment, picked up the syringe and approached the goblin.

  Doctor Marlowe looked over his shoulder at Master Dart. “A blood sample from each of those wretched beasts,” he said, pointing toward the goblins. “And from the Red Cape as well,” he added motioning to Quinn.

  Doctor Marlowe then turned and gave Constantine a hard look. The two exchanged a glance. Doctor Marlow grinned. “Let’s get what we can from our illustrious guest. Then we’ll burn him. He’ll draw too much heat from the Red Capes. Ah, yes, and a sample from Professor Paxton too, but be gentle. We need he
r alive and albedo,” he said, giving Fenton a sharp look.

  Gasping, I rose and pulled my pistols.

  “Who in the hell is that old werewolf?” Agent Reid asked.

  I shook my head as I quickly dug into my satchel. I handed slim boxes of bullets to Agents Rose and Reid who stared at me. “Silver bullets. Right between the eyes. I’ll grab Quinn.”

  “I need to get to Constantine,” Agent Rose said. The look of distress on her face puzzled me.

  Agent Reid pulled a small, hand-held bomb from his pack. “Shall we start with a distraction?”

  Chapter 9: Boom Goes the Dynamite

  The loud explosion shook the building. Windowpanes burst sending showers of glass onto the floor. The guards on the platform rushed downstairs while the others went to the doors.

  Stupid wolves.

  There was a second explosion as Agent Reid tossed another bomb toward the door where guards were standing. The device exploded, causing the whole building to rock.

  I rushed down the platform, Agent Rose right behind me. Pulling out my pistol, I took aim and fired.

  “Red Capes,” someone yelled.

  There was another explosion as Agent Reid tossed a third bomb.

  Growling, the wolves began to shift form.

  “Get Doctor Marlowe and the tinkers out of here,” Fenton called then turned. The massive beast craned his fat neck then stretched as he shifted into werewolf form.

  Blasting, I shot through the crowd as I tried to get to Quinn.

  One after the other, the wolves lunged at me, but in the confusion of the gunfire and smoke, they were unsteady. In their haste to unchain the guild members, I was able to get off a few shots before the werewolves even saw me coming.

  I eyed the door to see Doctor Marlowe being ushered out of the building by two of Fenton’s regular henchmen.

  The man glared at me, his eyes flaming ruby red.

  I lifted my pistol and aimed at him.

  I got off a shot, but the old man waved his hand in front of him, and the bullet went wide, hitting the wolf guard beside him in the shoulder instead. The three of them turned quickly and headed out the door.

  There was another explosion.

  Fenton howled.

  The sound sent a shiver down my spine. I looked back in time to see the beta lunge toward Agent Reid.

  “Reid,” I screamed.

  He looked up in time to see Fenton charging him.

  Agent Rose turned and fired in an effort to protect her partner.

  I raced over to Quinn, who lay forgotten on the floor.

  “Quinn,” I said, bending to help him up.

  “Clemeny,” he said, his voice sounding ragged. “Get the guildsmen out of here.”

  “Let’s get you up and out of here first,” I told him as I quickly cut his binds.

  “No, Clem. Leave me. You…you don’t understand,” he said.

  Agent Rose screamed.

  I looked back to see Agent Reid on the ground, Fenton chewing out his throat.

  Agent Rose shot wildly, but at least half a dozen wolves were between her and Agent Reid.

  “Quinn,” I said, attempting to help him up. “Come on. We need to go.”

  “He’s gone, Agent. They cut him open. Leave him,” the vampire Constantine told me, his voice surprisingly calm and steady.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked the vampire.

  “Get me down. Get me down, and I’ll kill them all.” With a turn of the neck, his mouth shifted, a row of jagged teeth gleaming menacingly. “Get me down, and he might still have a chance.”

  “Quinn?” I said, shaking Quinn’s shoulder. He didn’t respond. His face had turned horribly pale.

  “Let me down, Agent,” the vampire said.

  I shook Quinn again. “Quinn?”

  Agent Rose’s piercing scream grabbed my attention. I looked back to see her pull herself up onto the platform. She had a long cut on her leg. Red blood marred her trousers. She pulled a sword, swinging it in front of her as she retreated. But she was quickly running out of space.

  “Let me down,” the vampire screamed at me. This time, his words shook me to my core.

  Leaping to my feet, I went to the vampire. “Your word you’ll leave the rest of us in peace. The other agents, the guild members, and me. Your word, fang.”

  “Don’t you know who I am?” he said through jagged teeth. “You have my word.”

  Dammit. There was no way I should trust him.

  “You have my word. Now let me down,” he yelled at me, his face full of fury.

  I looked back at Agent Rose as she climbed back up the steps, skillfully brandishing her weapon in front of her as six wolves cornered her. Skilled or not, she was going to die.

  The wolves had nearly unbound all the scientists, including Professor Paxton. I needed to do something. Fast.

  “Hell’s bells,” I swore then one by one, I pulled the stakes from the hands and feet of the vampire.

  The vampire’s eyes glinted brightly, shimmering with silver light.

  “Thank you,” he said, and with speed I could not even phantom, the vampire shot around the room.

  Howls of pain and anguish filled the air. The wolves called to one another, tried to warn one another, but it was too late.

  In a blur of blood and body parts, the vampire exacted his terrible vengeance.

  Grabbing whomever they could—including Oliver Dart, Mavis Porter, and Toby Winston—the surviving wolves rushed to the waiting autos outside. The goblins had already disappeared.

  The last of the wolves tugged Professor Paxton along behind him. Lionheart’s friend fought back with all her might.

  Leaving Quinn, I pulled my dagger from my belt and rushed across the room. Slicing with as much strength as I could muster, I slashed the wolf’s arm.

  He let go of the Professor.

  Growling, he looked from me then back into the room where Constantine devastated the remaining wolves.

  “Leave her. Come on,” one of the other pack members yelled.

  The wolf glared at me then turned and fled.

  I turned and rushed back to Quinn.

  “Quinn,” I called, shaking his shoulder. “Quinn?” I turned and looked at Professor Paxton who had followed me. “What happened to him?”

  “They removed part of his liver. We need to get him to a proper surgeon.”

  “His liver? How do you…” I began but watched as Professor Paxton motioned toward one of the workbenches. In a glass tray, I spotted a piece of purplish meat.

  My stomach turned. “Oh my God.”

  “He can survive, but he needs a skilled surgeon. Doctor….Doctor Murray. Yes. He has a place in Mayfair. He could help. But we must get there quickly.”

  Quickly was a problem. The wolves and their autos were gone, and there was no underground transit here.

  I stood and looked around the room.

  There were bits of werewolf everywhere, and in the center of the space, a very bloody vampire stood, his hands shaking, blood dripping from his fingers.

  Limping, Agent Rose approached him.

  She whispered something to him. Her words were soft and gentle.

  He shook his head.

  I eyed Agent Reid who lay on the floor. His neck was a bloody mess. His bright blue eyes were glassy, frozen in a gaze fixed on the ceiling. He was gone.

  “Constantine,” I called. “Agent Briarwood is gravely injured. He must get to Doctor Murray in Mayfair, or he will die. I…I need your help.”

  The vampire looked at Agent Rose then back over his shoulder at me.

  He whispered something to the agent that I could not quite hear.

  She nodded.

  He turned then suddenly appeared at my side.

  The vampire met my eyes. “This will make us even.”

  “Agreed.”

  He picked up Quinn then in a blur of black, he disappeared back into the night.

  “What was he?” Professor Paxton whisper
ed.

  “You don’t want to know,” I said then crossed the room to Agent Rose who stood over the remains of her partner.

  Tears streamed down her cheeks.

  “I will hunt that man down and kill him,” she said, her voice shaking with rage.

  “Doctor Marlowe. He was a werewolf…and a mage.”

  “A mage?”

  I nodded.

  Agent Rose stared. “No spell will save him. I will find him and finish him.”

  “Not alone,” I said then set my hand on her shoulder.

  Chapter 10: 0-0-Red

  With the help of the local constables, we were able to get word to the Society of the tragedy that had unfolded. Not long after, a Society airship, boasting its signature scarlet-colored balloon, arrived to help secure the crime scene, gather evidence, and take Agent Reid’s body back to headquarters.

  “I’ll go with him,” Agent Rose said as they prepared his body for transport.

  As the first team worked the crime scene, a small, second aircraft arrived. A crewman rushed down the rope ladder and over to me.

  “Agent Louvel?” he asked. I eyed him over, noting the R. M. pendant on his lapel. He was one of us, an agent of the Rude Mechanicals.

  “Yes?”

  “I am instructed to transport you and Professor Paxton. Please come with me.”

  “Come with you where?”

  “Classified. I’m sure you understand. Come along.”

  I nodded to Professor Paxton, who looked like she was thrilled to go anywhere as long as it was away from here. Following the agent, we climbed up the rope ladder to the small airship. As soon as we were aboard, the ship turned and headed back toward the city.

  I pulled out my silver flask and handed it to Professor Paxton.

  She sighed heavily, twisted off the cap, and then took a swig as she stared out at the city. “All my life I was taught to stay away from anyone wearing a red cape. To avoid you if I saw you on the street. To look away. But you… You’re a force of good, aren’t you?”