by Lynn Viehl
Dredmore tipped up my chin with his hand so I had to look into his eyes. “Why did you save my life, Charmian?”
“You’re not dead,” I countered. “Do you want me to promise not to do it again?”
“I want to know”—he bent his head and touched his lips to mine—“why you’re not slapping me, or threatening to push me off a cliff, stab me in the heart, or lock me in my carriage and set it alight. Why you looked so terrified when I came out of Morehaven this morning, and then in the next moment, so relieved. I want to know what changed things between us, Charmian, and how.”
I had to tell him something, but the future that we’d shared no longer existed. It didn’t matter what we’d done; all that mattered was what we would do now . . . and then I knew exactly what to say.
“I had a dream, a few days from now,” I lied. “I was buying peaches at the market, and I stumbled over a curb and twisted my ankle. You helped me up and offered to take me home. After that we became great friends.” I felt him go very still. “That never happened, of course, but when I woke from the dream, all I could think was how much I wished it had. That you and I had become friends instead of enemies.” I smiled. “It was all downhill from there.”
He didn’t say anything for a long time, and then he nodded slowly. “We could try to be friends.”
“We could.”
“Then as a friend I should tell you, that was a terrible lie,” he added. “Someday I will make you tell me the truth.”
I lifted my brows. “Is that what friends do?” I saw how he was staring at the spot in the water where I’d thrown the stone. “He’s gone, Lucien. Forget about him.”
“I wish I could, but Zarath was not the only warlord among the Aramanthan.” Dredmore’s voice grew as icy as the breeze. “There are many more out there. They are waiting, and watching, and plotting their return to power.”
Something rose up in me, something that almost felt like icy burning of the spirit stone Zarath had forced me to swallow. “Do you expect me to burst into tears and clutch at you and wail about how powerless we are against them? Because we’re not. I’ve seen how we are, and we are . . . formidable.”
“We are mortal,” he corrected.
“Oh, very well.” I tossed up my hands. “I don’t think I can cry, but if you like I could swoon. I’m actually getting rather good at faking that.”
“You’re not afraid of what’s coming.”
“Among other things, milord, I am a spell-breaker, and a time traveler.” I turned my gaze to the sea. “Let them come.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
“Disenchanted & Co.,” the sign painter read out loud from my office window. “That’s a right strange name for this sort of business.”
His young apprentice began mixing up some paint in a small can. “Sort of a pun, isn’t it, miss?”
“Sort of.” I handed the painter the shilling we’d agreed on for the job along with a slip of paper. “There’s the name of my new partner. Make sure you mind the spelling.”
“Whatever you say, miss.” He read the note. “Now this one’s mum must have known he’d go into the magic trade.”
As he and his apprentice went to work, I retreated into my office to sort out the mail. On top of the pile I’d taken from the tube lay a thin gray envelope sealed with silver wax that bore the impression of a spike-wielding fist.
I sat down behind my desk and used my letter dagger to slice off the seal and remove a single sheet of thin silver vellum folded in thirds.
The paper exuded a faint scent of ripe peaches, which made me smile a little. Who would have guessed the most powerful deathmage in all of Toriana had such an infatuation with fruit?
Charmian,
Come to dinner tonight and you may have some.
Dredmore
P.S. Please.
Two of my former clients had sent referrals, one for a haunted carri, and the other to remove some wardlings that had become wedged in a door frame. Rumsen Main must have missed those; upon learning from an anonymous source that nearly all of the talismans in the city were counterfeits containing a very dangerous raw stone, the cops had been very busy confiscating and smashing them.
I penned a message to the desk sergeant at Rumsen Main, attached the referral to it, and got up to send it by tube, only to stop as the sign painter’s apprentice opened the door.
“Gent to see you, miss.” He stepped aside as the gent strode in.
Fair-haired and average-sized, Thomas Doyle wore his plainclothesman’s long trench and low-brim. Past his shoulder I saw a beater in dark blue hovering in the hallway.
The inspector doffed his hat, revealing the tough, wind-weathered features and sun-faded blue eyes of a former navyman. “Forgive the intrusion, madam—”
“It’s miss, To—ah, sir.” Barely remembering that to him this would be our first meeting, I sat down behind my desk. “And you are?”
“Inspector Thomas Doyle, Rumsen Station. I’m here to speak to Mr. Kittredge,” he told me. “If he’s stepped out, I can wait.”
“You’ll wait for a very long time, then, as there is no Mr. Kittredge. I am the proprietor.” I held out my hand. “Miss Kittredge.”
He gave me a firm but gentle handshake as he inspected my features. “Surely not Charmian Kittredge of Middleway?”
“Guilty as charged.” I pretended to study him back. “Would you be related to the Middleway Doyles?”
“I am. I believe we played together as children, at my grandfather Arthur’s home.”
I smiled. “I believe we did.”
He paid closer attention to my face. “I haven’t seen you in years, not since you were a gel, but still you look . . . familiar.”
“I haven’t changed all that much. Mostly taller.” I folded my hands in front of me. “Now how can I help the Yard, Inspector?”
“We received a report of some fake wardlings needing collection, but my men are having some trouble removing them. Our staff warder, Mary Harris, recommended Kittredge of Disenchanted & Co.” He glanced over at the door. “But I see you’ve a partner now as well.”
I smiled a little. “Yes, he’s just joined the firm. Unfortunately he works nights, so you’ll have to settle for me, if that’s acceptable.”
“Of course.” He seemed a little embarrassed. “We’d appreciate any help you can give.”
“Let me get my cloak and keys.” I stood up and went to the rack.
On our way out, I inspected the sign painter’s progress:
HARRY MERLI
“Very nice lettering.”
“We’ll have it done before you get back, miss.” He nodded toward the glass. “Then you and Mr. Merlin will be in business.”
Acknowledgments
The only name on the cover of a book is the author’s, and sometimes I wish I could change that. It took nearly four years to make this novel happen, and while I’ve rarely worked as long or as hard to get something into print, with this one I never fought alone. Since I can’t give everyone who had my back a byline, I’ll offer them instead my gratitude:
Tim Kim and all the wonderful folks at National Novel Writing Month and the Office of Letters and Light, who provided me with motivation for writing this story, and followed up that with unstinting support and enthusiasm. What you do for writers and kids all over the globe is nothing short of miraculous.
The readers of Paperback Writer, who cheered me on while I was working on the first draft, and all of my readers out there who have followed this journey with enthusiasm and encouragement. You are a constant joy and true blessing in my writing life.
New York Times bestselling authors Gail Carriger and Larissa Ione, whose generosity and kind words kept me going even when things fell apart completely. Ladies, I will never forget that.
New York Times bestselling author Darlene Ryan, who has been there for me in so many ways that it would take another three pages to list them all. Dust bunnies will never be safe again, and Bubba, you rock.
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I wouldn’t be able to write anything without the support of my guy or our kids, but for this book they went above and beyond, and for four long years never once complained. I love you, and you are my heart.
The art department, copyediting, and production teams at Pocket Books, who collectively have done magical things for this novel. I know how lucky I am to have you, and I hope you all know how grateful I am, too.
There’s one more person whose name should be on the cover of this book, and I saved him for last because if I could I’d put it there in fifty-point font right now. For believing in me and this story, for fighting for it (twice), for restoring my faith in the creative partnership between publishers and authors, for being so damn good at what he does, and for giving me this marvelous opportunity to bring Disenchanted & Co. into our world, I’d like to thank my editor, Adam Wilson.
Torian Glossary
abstainers: religious agnostics
across the pond: When in Toriana, a reference to Great Britain or Europe; when in Great Britain or Europe a reference to Toriana (“pond” being the Atlantic Ocean)
aid-solicitor: legal representative provided by the Crown to defendants who can’t afford to hire a barrister
ambrotype: photography that uses chemicals (silverblack) to etch images on glass plate negatives
annum: year
apothecary: pharmacy
Aramantha: the island homeland of the Aramanthan, destroyed by mysterious forces that caused it to break up and sink beneath the sea
Aramanthans: a race of superhuman magic practitioners who ruled the world before the rise of mankind
bacco: tobacco
barrister: attorney
bathboy: a male attendant/masseur who works at public baths for women
beater: a uniformed police officer who patrols the streets, usually on foot
believer: someone who believes in magic
belowground: beneath street level
binding: a stone or other object that can contain psychic energy until its release is triggered by touch or proximity
black: very strong, thrice-brewed tea
blackpot: a coal-fueled boiler
blacks: formal suit worn by high-class male servants
bloodbane: one of the highly toxic magic poisons used in snuffballs
blower: a chamber that uses air leached from the city’s tubes to dry wet items
blue ruin: gin
blues: people of aristocratic birth
bookmaker: printer
braves: warrior class of native Torian people
BrewsMaid: an automatic tea maker
bronze, bronzen: a theatrical cosmetic that temporarily darkens the skin
brown: Talian currency
bruiser: a large or physically intimidating man; thug
bucks: clothing made of buckskin
bum: ass
calendula: an herbal tincture used as a topical disinfectant
care kit: first-aid kit
carri: steam-driven carriage
carriwright: maker of steam-driven carriages
cartlass: a girl or woman who sells food and/or beverages from a portable cart on the street
cashsafe: a hidden, locking recess in a private home where money and other valuables are kept
catchall: an extending/grasping device with a pinchers at one end
Church: the Torianglican Church, the only religion recognized and approved by the Crown; the Church of England
clearstone: quartz
clopboard: building siding made of planks recovered from abandoned horse barns
coal burner: engine that runs on coal
coddles: cod cut into chunks
coin: money
collar: vicar
commoner: an ordinary, untitled individual; someone of low birth
conciliator: mediator
cosh: bludgeon
crispie: potato chip
croke: croquet
Crown, the: the English monarchy as well as its authority over Toriana
crowswalk: a viewing deck that encircles the upper portion of a building
dear: costly
deathmage: magical practitioner licensed to kill
deb: debutante
detector: a magic practitioner (generally employed by the court) who uses touch to discern truthfulness
digger: miner
dink: a small or short man
dipper: strip of treated paper that changes color when exposed to poison or drugs
drawers: underwear
drips: syphilis
Druuds: mortal magic practitioners who captured and imprisoned the Aramanthans to end the mage wars
ducklings: children
echo: device used to detect hidden objects
elshy: hellchild
entitlement: inheritance of title and property
exormage: exorcist who nullifies curses and rids people and places of demon infestation
faeriestale: fantasy story told to children
fete teller: the humblest of fortune-tellers who set up tents at village fetes to do many readings for very little money
fichu: a shoulder wrap, usually made of lace
firebrigader: firefighter
fishncrisp: a shop that sells fish fillets fried together with potatoes cut in various shapes
flat: apartment
flathouse: a building that has been divided up into flats
Fleers: remnant members of the American rebel forces who fled west after losing the war to England
flystick: a clear glass rod containing live lightning bugs, used like a flashlight or lantern
foundling: abandoned orphan
freeclaiming: a social practice caused by the shortage of women among the original colonies, which allowed men to kidnap and hold captive unprotected or abandoned women
freedman: ex-convict
fry bread: bread fried in bacon drippings
furrin, furriners: slang for foreign, foreigners
garms: garments
gaslamp: exterior lighting powered by natural gas
gel: girl (common, casual, generally used to refer to females of the merchant class)
get the sack: be fired
gildstone: marble
ginger: woman with red hair
glass: common term for ambrotype glass plate negative
glassed: photographed
glasshield: windshield
glassies, glassines: protective, preservative glass coatings applied to documents
glasslung: terminal respiratory disease caused by inhaling sparkglass; suffered by painters and construction workers
gogs: protective eyewear
goldstone: building made of blocks of pyrite-flecked granite
gone off: suffered a mental breakdown
gowners: dressmakers who specialize in creating gowns for wealthy society women
gravecart: hearse
Great Uprising, the: Toriana’s name for the failed revolutionary war against England
Great War, the: Toriana’s version of WWI
hatch drop: manhole access to underground tunnels
hellchild: a child believed to be demon-possessed and therefore impervious to magic
Herself: slang term for the queen of England
hidey-holes: small, concealed places in houses for people to hide in or use to spy on someone
Hill, the: an area of Rumsen where most of the wealthy and titled reside
H.M.: abbreviation for Her Majesty
hothead: woman with red hair
illuminator: a device that works like a primitive film projector
Independence: freedom from English rule
johnnies: men who hire prostitutes
keroseel: a combination of seal, whale, or fish oil and kerosene
keyfob: a chain-and-loop key ring, carried by men
keylace: a ribbon key ring, worn around a woman’s wrist
kipbag: mesh tote
kneecappers: criminal enfor
cers who use clubs to shatter the knees of their victims
knickers: underwear
lampflies: fireflies
lass: girl (affectionate, proper)
lav: lavatory
loo: toilet
loomgel: a girl or woman who works in a menial position at a textile factory
loomworks: textile factory
loon: a mentally disturbed person
loon herder: an orderly at an asylum
loonhouse: asylum for the mentally disturbed
Lost Timers: brigades of English and Italian soldiers who became lost in the Bréchéliant forest and were there possessed by Aramanthan spirits
lungfever: slang for influenza
mage: magic practitioner
magis, magistrate: judge
maiden night: the first time a virginal woman has sex with her husband; term often used for betting purposes by men who want to break an engagement
mariners: sailors
matchit: a disposable, one-use lighter
mate: friend
mech: a mechanic; anything mechanical
mechworks: mechanical rooms
mercantile: a shop selling some variety of merchandise
Middleway: industrial Torian city located on the Great Lakes; also called Middy
mixpot: mixing bowl
mole: city underground worker
nappy: diaper, women’s panties
navyman: a current or former member of H.M.’s naval forces
necktwister: assassin
negli: negligee
netherside: the spirit world, invisible to ordinary mortals; the source of magic power
new industry: the beginning of the industrial age in Toriana
New Parliament: governing body of Torian officials who petition the Crown and enforce the Queen’s legislation; the Torian version of Congress
nightstone: a semiprecious mineral used to contain the spirits of long-dead mages and Aramanthan wizards
Nihon: Japan, Japanese
nits: head lice
nobber: private security guard hired by Hill residents to patrol their streets and keep out any undesirables
Norders: people from the North of England
nozzer: nose; a face mask used with a portable oxygen tank
nudie: a flesh-colored garment worn to give the illusion of nudity under a semitransparent gown or overgarment
Occupancy, the: a period of thirty years after the Rebellion failed during which Toriana was occupied by English troops and governed by martial law
