I nodded. Why was she telling me this? Of course he had to fix it. It had lost its rudder. If he needed money, Papa would help. My stomach felt like it was caught in a whirlpool. I didn’t know what was going on. I didn’t know whether I wanted to step up to Mina and give her a hug or turn and run.
Mina cleared her throat. “When he does, when his boat is repaired, I’m going to go with him.”
I froze. I tried to say something, but nothing would come out. Going? With him? I’d thought … what? That she’d stay with me when this was done. Why would she? What was there for her?
“It’s my brother,” Mina said. “You have to understand. You saw him flee during the fight when Dr. Blood told him to kill us. That means he’s out there somewhere. He’s lost. He’s alone. You saw what Dr. Blood did to him. I know you think he’s a monster, but he’s my brother. I have to go after him. If one of your sisters was out there, you’d do the same.”
I nodded slowly, not trusting myself to speak. If one of my sisters was lost and hurt, I’d turn the world upside down to rescue her. Just like we had for Putty.
Mina came so close I could feel her breath on my cheek. “Forgive me,” she whispered. “I did like you. I do. It wasn’t all a lie. I hated doing what I had to do. But I thought … My father. My brother.” She looked down. “You’re a good person.” Before I could react, she set a quick kiss on my cheek.
“It’s all right,” I said through numb lips. “It’s all right.”
* * *
Putty stood on the small viewing platform just outside the airship cabin watching the high, twisting roofs of the Lunae City approach. She glanced over as I let myself out to stand beside her. Her tiny dragon was nestled inside her shirt. Its long neck twisted out and bright eyes fixed me with an unblinking gaze.
“You were right,” I said.
“What?” For once, Putty actually seemed stumped. It wouldn’t last long.
“I was leaving you out of things. I was refusing to get involved in your schemes. And it wasn’t fair.”
“I knew it!” Putty’s eyes gleamed. Then her face dropped. “But why?”
I sighed. “Because I thought I had to look after the family. Because every time one of you got into trouble or created a disaster, I thought I had to fix it.”
“That’s crazy!”
I peered over the rail at the still-spreading floodwaters below.
“I know. But when I figured that out, after we found the dragon tomb, I realized I never did anything of my own. You and Papa had your inventions. Jane had her suitors. Olivia had Freddie. Mama had her Society rivals. But I didn’t have anything. I didn’t even know what I wanted. I was just trying to find something I liked doing and something I was good at. That was all.”
She looked at me suspiciously. “So did you find it?”
I glanced back at the cabin to where Mina and Olivia were sitting together talking. “Not yet.”
The airship dipped down toward Lunae City as late afternoon faded into evening.
The Inundation had arrived. The floodwaters had risen, covering the fields around the city and seeping into the tunnels that the beetle-vines had bored beneath it. Enormous, brightly colored tendrils were erupting from the ground, throwing sticky streamers across the high, twisted buildings. Even the Flame House was covered. It looked magnificent.
“Then I’ll help you find it,” Putty said.
I put my arm around her shoulders. “All right.”
She grinned up at me. “We are going to have so much fun.”
Acknowledgments
Once again I would like to first and foremost thank my wife, Stephanie Burgis, for her support, encouragement, advice, and dedication in reading this book many, many times. I couldn’t have done it without you, Steph. Thanks to Jamie for the saber-toothed spiders. Thank you to my editor, Christy Ottaviano, for her unending patience and incisive suggestions. Thank you, too, to assistant editor, Jessica Anderson, and the rest of the team at Macmillan who continue to work so hard every day. I’m also constantly grateful to my agent, Jennifer Laughran, who keeps everything running smoothly and who is always on my side.
Finally, thank you to my family, particularly Ollie and Jamie, who have been unendingly enthusiastic and excited, even when this book has taken up too much of my time. You are great, and I’m writing this for you.
About the Author
Patrick Samphire is the author of Secrets of the Dragon Tomb, which Publishers Weekly praised as “a gorgeously articulated clockwork of a novel” in a starred review. He has been charged by a buffalo in Zambia, lost in a rain forest in Guyana, and scared by a camel in Egypt. He has worked as a physicist, teacher, editor, and web designer. He lives with his wife and two sons in Wales, in the UK. He has not yet gotten to Mars, but he’s still trying.
Visit him online at patricksamphire.com, or sign up for email updates here.
About the Illustrator
Jeremy Holmes is the creative mind behind Mutt Ink, a graphic design studio, and the illustrator of many children’s books. His first book, There Was an Old Lady, was awarded Bologna Razzi’s Opera Prima award at the 2010 Bologna Book Fair. He lives in Pennsylvania. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Map
Part One: The Missing Martian
Chapter One: The Trouble with Vine-Mining
Chapter Two: The Missing Martian
Chapter Three: The Clue in the Museum
Chapter Four: Doom
Chapter Five: A Desperate Plan
Chapter Six: The Thief
Chapter Seven: An Indecipherable Clue
Chapter Eight: Eaten Alive
Part Two: Betrayal
Chapter Nine: Prisoners
Chapter Ten: Warnings
Chapter Eleven: Attack of the Shark Beetles
Chapter Twelve: Madness in the Museum
Chapter Thirteen: A Suspicious Savior
Chapter Fourteen: In Which We Bravely Run Away
Chapter Fifteen: Danger from the Deep
Chapter Sixteen: My Really Terrible Plan
Chapter Seventeen: Disaster
Chapter Eighteen: Betrayed!
Part Three: The Emperor of Mars
Chapter Nineteen: The Spy
Chapter Twenty: Chasing Putty
Chapter Twenty-One: Captured!
Chapter Twenty-Two: Murderous Machines
Chapter Twenty-Three: Run!
Chapter Twenty-Four: Awakening
Acknowledgments
About the Author and Illustrator
Copyright
Text copyright © 2017 by Patrick Samphire
Illustrations copyright © 2017 by Jeremy Holmes
Henry Holt and Company, Publishers since 1866
Henry Holt® is a registered trademark of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.
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All rights reserved.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016953765
Our eBooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at (800) 221-7945 ext. 5442 or by e-mail at [email protected].
First hardcover edition 2017
eBook edition July 2017
eISBN 9780805099102
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The Emperor of Mars Page 24
