by Adam Dreece
“What is it?” asked Tee.
“Well, her room door was open, so I stepped in and had a quick look.” Mounira cringed. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
Elly nodded in agreement. “I appreciate the thought. The last thing we want is to get Christina angry at us.”
“And you and I have searched every part of this lab over the past few weeks, Elly,” said Tee, still working with her back to everyone.
“Maybe she didn’t make it here,” said Alex bluntly, his sharp Endearian accent standing out.
“Huh,” said Elly. “That’s a good point.”
“A mystery for another day,” said Tee, pushing up her goggles and spinning on her stool to face her friends. “That’s everyone’s input that we need, right, Elly?”
Elly gazed at the notebook. “It is.” She glanced at Tee, smiling. She hadn’t really expected Tee to be completely comfortable with letting her run the project, but she was.
Alex pointed at some papers on Tee’s workbench. “My latest changes, did you have a look?”
She reached for them and handed them over. “I think they’re really good. I made a few notes, just thoughts, really. I think you nailed this, Alex.”
“Nailed?”
“Oh, sorry,” she said, remembering that Frelish wasn’t his first language. “I think you got it right.” A flirty smile escaped.
Alex’s face lit up. “Oh! Tha—thank you.”
Mounira rolled her eyes, muttering to herself about teenagers.
“Okay, Tee, you’re done,” said Elly, going through her mental checklist. “You can work on your armband. We’ll bug you when we need you.”
“Hello,” said Christina at the door, startling everyone. “So the lab that I said you could use for your analysis of the shock-sticks and Tee’s armband has become a clubhouse, I see.” She stepped into the room, her arms folded, studying everyone.
“We can leave,” offered Mounira.
Christina offered a stiff smile. “No. I can see that nothing has been touched, save for what I said you could use. And I can understand wanting to be away from the tension upstairs, particularly when you hear people whispering about you Yellow Hoods. All that I ask is that when you continue to treat the space with respect, and please, no one else other than you four. Tee, Elly, I’m holding you guys responsible.”
“Understood,” replied Elly.
“Which brings me to the question of what you’re doing.” Her expression hardened. “You’ve been snooping around for information on the rocket-pack, asking a lot of questions. I thought it was a curiosity for a few days, but it’s gone on too long. I went to check where the prototypes had been dumped, and found them missing. I don’t know where you have it, but it’s pretty clear to me what’s going on. Did you think no one would notice? This is the last thing I need you guys doing. Never mind the political headache you’re giving me, I don’t want you blowing yourselves apart. Canny is one of my best guys, and he… he couldn’t get it to work. That’s the end of it. If these Skyfallers, as they’re called, show up, we’ll just need to find another way of dealing with them. So to be clear, I need you to stop what you’re doing. Understood?”
They all stared at her. Christina had dark circles under her eyes, and her face looked thinner. Her head hung lower than normal, and her shoulders were rolled forward. There was an air of disappointment in her voice, but it wasn’t directed at them—it was like she’d let herself down. They could all sense that she didn’t like saying what she was having to say.
Tee turned around and pulled down her goggles. “Can we talk, just you and me?” she asked.
Elly hid her smile and ushered everyone else out with her. She closed the door after them.
“You and I both know that there was something wrong surrounding the rocket-pack. We’re just trying to figure out what it was so that we don’t get blown to pieces.”
Christina rubbed her eyes. “Did I ever say that the Skyfallers were coming here? No. I just wanted to be prepared. The vault across the hall holds over two hundred years of inventions and scientific ideas, many of which didn’t work. Failure in this area is nothing new.”
Tee hesitated. She glanced at the little painting of her Grandmama she’d taken from Nikolas’ downstairs study just before they’d fled his house two months ago. “Are you sure this was really a failure? I promise we won’t blow ourselves up.”
“No. I need you guys to stop with the rocket-pack stuff, Tee.” Christina walked over to the workbenches and glanced at the papers. “Your armband is coming along, focus on that. There’s a lot of fear going around. Some people seem to think we have spies everywhere, trying to tear us apart.”
She looked up at Christina, her eyes steely and her face showing she was ready for a battle. “I understand. You don’t want me poking around in your world? Okay, fine. Then tell me what’s happening in mine.”
Christina frowned and folded her arms. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You think I don’t know my father lied to me?” said Tee, stepping off her stool. “Elly picked up on it, too.”
“He didn’t lie to you,” said Christina, definitively.
Tee shook her head, she wasn’t buying it. “I know my parents, my dad especially. He didn’t have to say something that wasn’t true, I can hear the holes. I also caught a glimpse of you walking out of the Abbott’s office with him, so I know he spoke to you.”
Christina thought for a minute. “I don’t believe you saw us. You’re fishing for something.”
“Are you or are you not hiding something?” asked Tee.
“Look,” said Christina sharply.
“No, you look,” rebuffed Tee. “You’re feeling guilty about having gotten tangled up with us, I can see that. I’m sure part of you wishes you never came out to get us, but from what I can gather, you’d been missing before you ever met us. There’s no sign of you doing your whirly-bird work here, so I’m guessing you were spending time somewhere else. Wouldn’t it help if we could get the rocket-pack working? We could show that we add some value around here. And if those airships show up, then we’d have a fighting chance.”
Christina pushed her short hair over one ear, and then the other. “Those are big ifs. Few people even know that Kar’m is anything more than ancient ruins. And even if they did, how do you sneak a behemoth like that up on us? We’ll see it coming days in advance. We’d figure out how to drop them out of the sky.”
“I think you’re wrong,” said Tee.
“I’m the leader, and I understand the risk we’re taking. Right now, what I need is for you guys to stay out of the politics and out of everyone’s way. One day you can solve the rocket-pack problem.”
Tee nodded slowly, staring at the floor until Christina left. Putting her goggles back on, she whispered, “That day is today.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Emotional Chasm
Caterina couldn’t smile at the early morning sun, despite the wonderful smells coming in from the outdoor kitchen and the gardens. She stood on her stone balcony, three floors up, gazing down on the part of the world where her word was solemn and final.
Her years of maneuvering had paid off. She’d fought hard to convince the heirless king, and all of his advisors, that she should be Regent. Some had required more brutal convincing than others. She dispelled the pressure to either hand over the reins of rule to a parliament, as was becoming fashion, or to a distant cousin of the king’s. Her decision to annex the neighboring kingdom of Elizabetina had caught many off-guard, and allowed her to silence many of her critics during the confusion.
She stared in the mirror at the fading blotches on her face, a modest smile of victory showing. The attempted poisoning had scared her, forced her back into her red-hooded cocoon. But, like the influence of her father from beyond the grave, it was losing its grip on her with each passing victory: rallying the royals in opposition to the Piemans, starting the civil wars in the Southern Kingdoms, and, most recently, capt
uring Marcus Pieman himself. Seeing Marcus carted away in irons had brought her an immense sense of pride. It had also opened her eyes to the possibility of being able to create her own destiny, far from the path her father had forced her to take. Soon, Marcus would be hung, and the grand game would be over. She wished she could just kill him, as he was notorious for turning things to his advantage, but the political ramifications would shake apart her fragile empire.
Stepping back out to the balcony, she watched with pride as an experimental design of Skyfaller lifted out of its rail-raft container and up into the sky. Using the railways to overcome their short flight times had been a stroke of accidental genius, and one that had allowed her to wipe out the royals of Myke by surprise. By first ruling the rails, she’d set everything up for ruling the skies.
Her thoughts drifted to Bakon, and she stared at the grass below. For years, she’d secretly wanted nothing more than to be with her sons, but that was a long time ago. She needed to rid herself of the sense of hesitation she felt inside.
Egelina-Marie’s eyes opened to the sound of intense knocking somewhere downstairs. She was surprised to see Bakon awake, reading. Their bedroom made up the entire second floor. The main floor had a simple kitchenette and sitting room. The door was guarded at all times, but occasionally they’d been allowed to walk the grounds. “I must be dreaming, because I’ve never seen you read.”
Putting down the book, he gave her a fake stern look. “Don’t worry, I’m not. I’m just tracing all the letters with my eyes.”
“Oh, okay. Wait, that sounds remarkably like reading to me,” she replied, sitting up. “And here I thought I’d caught myself a mindless ruffian.”
The knock came again.
Glancing at the stairs, then back at Bakon, Egelina-Marie wondered if she was imagining the sound, as Bakon seemed to be ignoring it.
Bakon tapped the book thoughtfully. “You know, a ruffian has to keep up to date on the latest ruffian news. What’s happening with the latest clubs? Is oak still recommended against travelers or is it now birch?” Eg started to laugh. “What about the best lines for robbing people? Is it rude to be to the point, or is it more effective?”
“Stop,” snorted Egelina-Marie, immediately embarrassed.
“Heh heh. Don’t get excited, it’s just a book of fairy-tales.” He tapped it again, his face revealing the ripples of thoughts deep down. “My mother used to read this one to me.”
The knock came again, along with some words they couldn’t understand.
“I better get that,” he said heading downstairs.
Eg reached over and picked up the book. “The Three Piggies and Other Fine Tales, by Martha Gooz.” She tried to imagine Caterina, the Lady in Red, the Regent of New Staaten, once upon a time sitting with a little Bakon on her lap, reading a book. It was far easier to imagine him with their own little ones one day, reading to them.
Bakon opened the front door.
“Finally,” said an annoyed bald man in a red cloak.
“Another guy with gold embroidery,” said Bakon. “You must be important, to someone.”
The man chewed on his lip and then offered a smooth as silk smile.
“Good morning, Beldon. My name is Lord Silskin. May I come in?” he asked.
Bakon didn’t move or say a word.
Silskin grimaced. “Do you prefer Bakon? My apologies. Do you know that you have your father’s, face but your mother’s eyes? Remarkable. So very similar, and yet different, from your sister.”
Bakon kept his stony expression but stepped out of the way to allow Silskin entry. He could tell the man was an experienced talker, and wouldn’t have been surprised if he was lying to manipulate him. Bakon figured if he’d ever had a sister, he’d know. “Come in… like we have a choice.”
“Oh, you do, just… not one you’d likely care to exercise, my good man.” Silskin turned and smiled at Egelina-Marie as she descended the stairs. “Good morning, Mademoiselle Archambault. I’m sorry you haven’t received any attention since arriving, but I hope you’ve enjoyed the accommodations?”
“Yes,” she said glancing at Bakon. “They were… a bit of a surprise, I have to admit. I thought we’d be in a prison cell.”
Silskin laughed. “Why? You aren’t our prisoners. You are guests. I mean, Bakon Maurice himself is here.”
Bakon shared a surprise glance with Egelina-Marie. “The door’s guarded and we can’t go wherever we want.”
“Yes, well, we are all restricted guests of some form or another. We can’t have people stumbling off the edges of castle walls because of construction, and whatnot. We have a lot going on at the moment, and we can’t be too careful."
“Now, please tell me, have you been escorted out and about to tour the grounds over the past week?”
Bakon nodded. “It’s a nice enough place.”
“Good, good, I’m glad to hear it,” said Silskin, his head held high. “Now, if you’d come with me, we can walk and talk. Her royal highness, Regent Catherine, is very busy at the moment.”
“Wait,” said Bakon, confused. “But my mother’s name is Caterina.”
“Ah. There’s a story there, I’m sure. Anyway, shall we stroll? It’s a lovely day,” said Silskin. His tone was compelling as he gestured to the door as if it was the way things needed to be.
“Um, okay,” said Egelina-Marie, reaching for her boots. “Bakon?”
He glanced at her and nodded. She could tell there was a lot going on. The gears were moving behind his eyes. Neither of them had a plan yet.
“Oh, one thing I’d like to mention,” said Silskin, his tone switching to reveal he was far from simply a glorified host. “The Regent has appreciated that you have not tried to escape, as am I. Though you are our guests, the guards and soldiers are under orders to kill you, outright and without hesitation, if you attempt it. It’s not personal, but there’s a standard to be maintained, and we cannot have any exceptions.”
A chill ran through Eg and Bakon.
Leaving the building and entering the northern gardens, Silskin started pointing out various breeds of rare flowers.
Bakon was struggling holding on to his sanity, the level of boredom beyond anything he had ever experienced or imagined. He marveled at Egelina-Marie’s ability to nod and smile, unaware that her mind was hundreds of miles away.
Silskin picked up yet another flower and Bakon snapped. “I appreciate the tour or lesson or whatever it is you think you’re doing, but what do you want to talk about? It can’t be this. Please, tell me it isn’t,” said Bakon.
Egelina-Marie hid her smile, proud that Bakon hadn’t just outright punched the guy, as much as she wanted him to.
“Fair enough. I can see you’re a direct man, which doesn’t surprise me. Your mother is very much the same way. I need you to tell me what you know about the Piemans, the Fare and the Tub.”
Egelina-Marie squeezed Bakon’s hand before he said anything. Keeping his eyes on Silskin, Bakon replied, “We live in a small mountain town you’ve probably never heard of—”
“Minette? Please. We know full well where Minette is, as well as its origins and history. Of all towns to try and claim to be from and thus be ignorant of the Tub, that is not one of them. You see, I know the Archambault family, as I was the one that recommended your grandfather move there, Mademoiselle. As for you,” he said turning to Bakon, “I hear you were raised by the Klaus family. Nikolas Klaus would have been involved with many important people over the years. Please, continue.”
Bakon started walking again, needing time to think.
“Beldon?” asked Silskin.
“Bakon,” corrected Eg. “His name is Bakon Cochon.”
Silskin tried to hide his disgust. “Very well. Bakon?” he asked.
Egelina-Marie glanced around, picking out the guards who were keeping an eye on them from a distance. “Scratch that,” she muttered to herself, dropping one escape idea.
Slowing down, Bakon said, “The Klauses rais
ed my brothers and I until we moved into a house we built as teens. They then just… kept an eye on us. I beat people up for a living.” He noticed how the statement no longer felt true. “All I know about Nikolas Klaus is that he’s a nice old man.”
Silskin soaked in Bakon’s expression, his body language, word choice and tone. He nodded as he processed it. “What about these Yellow Hoods I’ve heard about?”
“The kids? You’re concerned about a bunch of teenage kids running around with capes?” asked Egelina-Marie.
Glancing at Bakon and seeing the same expression, Silskin replied, “No, I suppose not. One last question; what do you know about Franklin Watt?”
Bakon shrugged. “I don’t know, I met the kid for about two seconds. Seemed okay.”
Silskin pulled out a pocket-watch and considered the time. “Okay, well. Have a good stay. I’ll speak to you again soon, I’m sure.”
Egelina-Marie leaned in and asked Bakon, “Do you trust your mother?”
Rubbing his fledgling beard, Bakon scanned and stopped as he noticed something floating in the sky. “No.”
Mister Jenny rubbed his hands together nervously as he stood ready to knock on the marble framed white doors to the Regent’s attending room. He’d been one of many to learn recently that the Regent Caterina was also the Lady in Red. It connected a disturbing number of dots, and was obvious afterwards. Silskin had clearly known, as there was no sign of surprise, and Jenny couldn’t believe how masterful the man was at keeping cards so close to his chest.
“Are you ready, sir?” asked Alfrida’s twin, Zelda. She was wearing a white jacket, shirt and pants, decorated with red at the shoulders and elbows.
He shook his head.
“Whenever you’re ready,” she replied, returning to her statue-like pose.
Jenny took off the old leather backpack and double checked its contents. In it, he caught a glimpse of the original letter he’d received from Caterina directly. He’d found it waiting for him on his kitchen table, neatly propped up and no signs of anyone having come or gone. At first, he’d suspected it was really from Silskin, and that he’d returned to his paranoid ways. It had been years since Silskin had laid a loyalty trap for him, but he never put it past the man.
