Clockwork Twist : Missing (24 page)

“How’d you do that?” he asked Twist sharply.

“Do what?” Twist asked him back, wishing dearly that everyone would stop watching him so closely.

Orad shook his head. “That’s just the strangest thing I’ve ever heard,” he said. “I’d get that checked out, if I were you,” he added to Twist. “Anyway, I’ve got work to do and no time to do it,” he said with a sigh. “It was nice to meet you, Twist. I hope you stop buzzing soon.”

With that, the astronomer turned and walked back toward the consoles and the crowd of busy-looking scientists. Twist watched after him in helpless bewilderment.

Sitting on the edge of the wooden porch outside the house, Twist watched the stars as they crept cautiously out of the darkening sky. Out here, so far from any sort of city lights, the stars soon filled the rusty sky to bursting. The warm wind that played over the red land and tugged at Twist’s hair brought nothing but whispers out of the silence.

Orad and the Rook scientists had been busy pinpointing the speed and direction of Jonas’s ship for a while now. The others had gathered together to wait for the next step in the rescue plan, but they all spoke with such forced positivity that it put Twist’s nerves on edge. With nothing left to offer, Twist had slipped away as soon as he could. Out here, alone with his own thoughts, Twist was able to convince himself that the plan really might work.

“There you are, poppet,” Vane’s voice purred from the doorway. Twist gave a sigh and let his gaze drop to the dusty ground at his feet.

“If you’re going to use
that
pet name, I prefer ‘Twisty.’”

Vane laughed softly to himself as he sat on the edge of the porch beside Twist. Twist glanced at the gap between them—less than a foot, but not close enough to touch by accident—and decided to pick his battles.

“Well then, Twisty,” Vane said pleasantly. “How are you holding up?”

Twist shrugged. “Fine.”

“Come now, Twisty,” Vane admonished. “It’s unhealthy to bottle up your emotions. It’s all right to admit that you’re worried about your lover.”

“Will you stop saying things like that?” Twist snapped. Vane’s smile fell into a plaintive pout. Twist sighed and shook his head. “For the last bloody time, Jonas is not my lover. He’s my friend, all right? Just my friend.”

Vane’s head tilted slightly, his expression confused. “But you love him. That’s obvious.”

Twist paused, startled to find he couldn’t exactly disagree. At least on some familial level, he couldn’t deny that he did, in fact, care for his friend. Especially not after these torturous days without him.

“So, if you love him,” Vane went on slowly, “and he loves you, then how are you not lovers?”

“There’s a vast difference between those two things,” Twist answered, frowning in confusion at the fox.

“Everyone says that,” Vane said, looking troubled, and he glanced off to the horizon. “I guess I really don’t get it. Maybe I will when I’m older,” he added with a listless shrug.

Twist could only marvel at Vane. Was it possible that this strange, human-looking creature honestly couldn’t understand something so simple? If it was possible, then perhaps he never meant to offend with his constant comments on the subject. Maybe he only spoke the way he did because he was honestly missing some basic human understanding. He wasn’t human, after all, no matter what he might look like. Neither were the dragons Twist had seen in human forms, nor even Idris the djinn.

“Hold on, don’t we know a djinn?” Twist asked suddenly. Vane looked to him, obviously surprised by the change of subject. “Can’t he grant wishes with nothing but a snap of his fingers? Why didn’t I think of that before? He could save Jonas in a moment!”

“Oh, Idris won’t help with this,” Vane said, shaking his head. “I mean, even if you could convince him to help, which he hates to do, he’d never interfere with dragon business.”

Twist looked to Vane quizzically. “Dragon business?” He felt the uneasy ripple over his skin again but tried to ignore it.

“Well, he’s a djinn,” Vane said with a shrug. Twist narrowed his eyes slightly, still completely unable to follow the fox’s logic. “Dragons, djinn, and fae don’t interact,” Vane went on as if it were obvious.

“Vane, I didn’t even know dragons were real until your friend attacked me. Let’s hypothetically assume I don’t understand.”

“All right,” Vane said, getting himself into a comfortable position facing Twist. “Dragons are native to this world. Their power comes from heat and light, from volcanoes and stars. Fae are from a different plane of existence—a dimension we can’t access—that runs parallel to ours. Their life force is tied to the other plane, so naturally they can’t bodily appear in this one. Only weak, lesser creatures like satyrs and pixies can cross over. But djinn live in between all of the different dimensions, and can appear in any of them whenever it suits them. Are you following me so far?”

“It’s less that I’m following you, and more that I’m clinging to your coattails like a child.”

“Good enough,” Vane said with a grin. “Anyway, fae magic only has a general effect on this world. You know, like summer and winter. They can’t affect details. They are aware of us, but they can’t interact directly, except for the occasional kidnapping. Dragons are bound by physical limits. You killed Kazan”— Twist’s skin prickled at the sound of the name, but he shook it off—“and now he has to wait for about a century before he can reform himself and take revenge. They also have to use a ship to travel to another planet, because it’s too far. Djinn can do anything they like, but their magic is obviously not of this world. Dragons and fae can recognize it. They had long, bloody wars ages ago and banned any magical interaction between the three main powers to keep the peace.”

“Wait,” Twist said, putting a hand up. “Are you trying to tell me that fairies make summer and winter happen?”

“Sure, everyone knows that,” Vane said, frowning slightly.

“Fairies really exist?”

Vane gave Twist a level look. “Twist, don’t be daft. Of course fairies exist.”

“Right, of course…” Twist said, nodding. A violent flash of homesickness washed over him as he tried to find a spot in his mind where he could place the thought of fairies actually existing.

“Anyway,” Vane went on, ”Idris literally cannot help you. If he did anything magical in front of a dragon, he could start a war.”

“I see,” Twist muttered, looking back to the innumerable stars.

“If we could get enough gold, we might be able to pay a dragon to help us,” Vane offered. “They’ll do almost anything if you can pay well enough. That’s probably what Storm had been planning for Kazan.”

“I’ve had enough of the beasts, thank you,” Twist toned, rubbing absently at the tingling sensation on his arm.

Vane looked to his motion thoughtfully. “Can you already feel that?”

“Feel what?” Twist asked.

“The blood on your skin.”

“Look, my hands are clean,” Twist said, holding up one spotless hand. “Why do you keep talking about blood?”

Vane shook his head with a sigh. “Human beings can be so ignorant sometimes.” Before Twist could speak up on behalf of his race, Vane looked to him squarely. “You killed Kaz-chan, and he exploded right on top of you. His soul can’t be destroyed. His soul, his magical energy, his blood, whatever you want to call it, fell right on you. That’s probably what Orad heard. But you shouldn’t be able to feel it. Not yet, anyway. It’s only been a day.”

Twist frowned. “Well then, how do I get it off? Will it just go away after a while?”

“I don’t know,” Vane said, shaking his head. “I’m not a warlock. I’ve heard stories of people putting the blood in a bottle to use in spells or to enchant things, but it’s been ages since anyone’s actually killed a dragon. It’s all before my time.”

“Great…” Twist muttered, his head starting to spin with all the absurdity in it.

“I’m sorry I can’t be more help,” Vane said softly.

Twist looked up to him, startled by the honesty and sympathy he heard in the fox’s voice. For the briefest of instances, Twist could almost believe that Vane really did wish that he could be more helpful. Was it possible that the fox wasn’t entirely devoted to satisfying his own aimless whims? Could he actually become a true ally?

Vane’s face slowly took on a smile, and he tilted his head slightly to one side. “Does Jonas tell you often enough that you have very pretty eyes?”

Twist jerked, his expression snapping into alarm.

“Well, he should,” Vane offered, his smile falling as he looked away.

“I told you, Jonas and I aren’t in love,” Twist said carefully.

“Sure…” Vane said with a sigh. “Whatever.”

Twist rubbed a hand over his face and tried, again, to forgive the fox his ignorance.

“There you are!” Storm said suddenly from the doorway. Twist and Vane turned to look at him. “Come on, Skye’s just about to go!”

Twist shot to his feet and hurried inside, followed a little too closely by Vane.

Twist stood in the low-ceilinged basement of the main house, staring at the circular metal pad that lay in the center of the room. Thin poles stood all around the pad in a ring, with just enough space for a person to slip between each one. The pad itself was shining with a high, reflective gleam under the stark electric light that hung from the center of the ceiling. There was a collection of softly glowing, colorful crystals, set to one side like controls, and a gentle hum in the stale air under the house. The scent of warm metal wafted at the edges of Twist’s senses
.

Myra, Arabel, and Skye stood to one side of the machine, while Storm, one of the younger scientists, and Vane stood on the other. Everyone waited in silence, as if mesmerized by the low hum and unnatural gleam of the machine. Orad, standing opposite to Twist, was busily working at the crystals, adjusting them in fine detail.

“Right,” he declared decisively. “Agent Blue, if you please. I need to take your measurements.”

“You’d better keep them to yourself,” Skye said to Orad as she stepped easily through the bars and onto the pad.

Orad seemed slightly confused, but turned his attention to his work with the crystals while the young scientist beside him jotted things down on his clipboard. Twist watched as Skye checked to be sure that both of the pistols she’d holstered to her hips were fully loaded and ready to fire. She’d also strung a belt of the magical bombs across her shoulder and slipped a knife into a sheath strapped to her right boot. She looked around at the others with a confident smile playing in the gleam of her bright blue eyes.

“Why are you so happy to be the one going?” Twist asked Skye, no longer able to keep the question to himself.

“Fighting dragons in outer space? Are you kidding?” she asked, with far too much joy in her voice for Twist’s taste.

“You do realize, of course, that you could be killed up there.”

Skye gave a halfhearted laugh. “If I pass up a chance to do something this exciting, then what the hell am I living for?”

“You’re absolutely mad,” Twist said, shaking his head.

“Coming from you, I’ll take that as a compliment,” she said, smiling warmly at him.

“Why will she flirt with you, but not me?” Vane asked bitterly, walking closer.

“Because you’re sleazy,” Skye said instantly. Vane grumbled to himself and crossed his arms.

“Can’t someone else go in your place?” Twist asked Skye.

“No,” she snapped. “My adventure. Back off. Geez, Twist, why are you so against me doing this?” Twist backed away slightly, shocked by the sudden edge to her tone.

“I…I rather like you,” he offered weakly. The chilly edges of her expression melted softly. “I mean, you know, you’re a charming young woman,” he covered quickly, pulling himself into a more proper posture. “I’d hate to be any part of something that would take you from this world.”

“Myra!” Vane called suddenly, turning. “Twist is flirting with another girl!” Skye laughed brightly and shook her head.

“I bloody am not!” Twist snapped angrily at Vane.

Myra and Skye shared a lighthearted laugh. Twist wished dearly that he could punch someone.

Orad seemed to finish his work. “The coordinates are set,” he announced, “and the preparations for the transfer are complete. Are you ready, Agent Blue?”

“Aye, aye,” Skye said with a wide smile and a salute. “I got the drug, I got the guns, and I’m ready for battle!” As she spoke, she drew one of her pistols, cocking it. She caught Twist’s eye and flashed him a wink before looking to Orad.

“Good,” Orad said with a satisfied nod. “Happy hunting, Agent Blue,” he said, his hand on a lever.

When he pressed it down, the low hum in the room grew louder instantly. A ring of red lightning broke from the tiny antennas at the base of the pad and raced up the thin bars that surrounded Skye. She watched with excitement as another ring rose to follow the first. In a moment, her image was obscured by ring after ring of pulsing light, each one moving faster than the last. With a sudden, sharp gust of wind that pulled into the circle, Skye’s form vanished from the room. The machine fell quiet and still again, as the hum dimmed down to nearly nothing.

“That was amazing!” Storm declared in the new silence.

“Arabel,” Twist asked, turning to her, “can you tell where Skye is now?”

“Yep,” Arabel said, staring into space. “She’s in a glass room…and there are stars outside. And…” She looked upward, not obviously looking at anything at all. “Wow, that is amazing,” she toned. “She really is in orbit. I can see the Earth! It’s beautiful…”

“Can you tell what she’s doing?” Twist asked her. “Is she all right?”

“Sorry,” Arabel said with a sigh, as her eyes found him. “I can’t see that kind of thing.”

“Well, we’ll know as soon as she gives Jonas the drug,” Storm said. “Actually, Twist, you might want to sit down.”

“Right,” Twist said, turning to find a simple wooden chair at a note-strewn desk against the wall behind him.

He remembered watching Jonas fall to the floor the moment Loki had injected him with the same drug. He realized, as he sat in the chair—his hands folded, anxiously waiting—that he had come to the end of his own ability to help. There was nothing else he could possibly do now. He could only wait for news. If anything went wrong on the dragons’ ship, there was no longer anything that Twist could do about it.

Myra stood beside him and put her hand gently on his shoulder, while some of the others surrounded to watch him. Twist tried not to think about them and turned his full mind onto the subtle comfort of Myra’s soft emotions. His own heart calmed slightly, but the remaining nervous fear fell sharply from his mind as the world went suddenly black.