Into the Ether (12 page)

 

When I woke, Mina waited at the foot of the bed, hands folded neatly in front of her.
It was disconcerting to say the least.
I wiped a hand over my face.
I'd only managed a few hours sleep, and those were plagued with nightmares of being chased, or finding Terry dead in Lord Kreios' parlor.

“Good morning, miss.”

I sat up and rubbed my
face
.
“Something like that, I suppose.”

She didn't crack a smile.
Her eyes didn't even meet mine, staying locked on the lumps that marked my knees beneath the covers.

“Don't you find
being
so prim tiring?”
I asked, annoyed.

“It doesn't do any good to get attached to one of his lordship's guests.
They never stay long.”
A note of defiance crept into her tone.

At least she had a backbone under all that snowy
,
starched white.

I grunted and swung my legs over the side of the bed.
“That's something, I guess.”

A dress and new
under things
were
draped over a chair next to the fireplace.
I couldn't help but wonder how long Mina had been in the room without my knowing.
Unease trickled through my body and I licked my lips.

“I've brought you things to wear.
You've about an hour before you
're
required to attend breakfast.”

I sighed.
I knew I should get up and let her help me dress.
But I
never
remember
ed
anyone
ever
help
ing
me and the idea made me uncomfortable.
Mina came around to the side of the bed and I stood, silent and stiff
,
while she brought me different pieces of undergarments.
I slipped into the fine lawn
material
as quickly as I could, and she gave me some semblance of privacy by turning her back and fussing with the corset.

Fitting it around my waist, she instructed me to grab the bed post.

“I haven't
worn
a tight corset before.
Must I?”

When I glanced over my shoulder, her face twisted into a moue of disbelief and amusement.

“Yes, I'm afraid you do.”

I sighed.
“Be gentle, please.”

S
he might have laughed, but it was muffled by a cough.
And then I was focusing on breathing as she pulled the laces tight.

“Holy Mary.
Is that necessary?”
I gasped, my good hand slipping on the polished oak post.

“This is the fashion.
You
'
ll look lovely.”

I
might
have believed her more if she hadn't yanked on the laces in the midst of her statement.

By
the time she was done, I was certain breakfast would pass without incident.
I didn't think any food would be able to fit in my stomach, and I knew for a fact that bending over would be impossible.
If I even tried, the edge of the corset would probably pinch my legs off.

She slipped the dress over my head and buttoned up the back.
I looked down at the material and stifled a giggle.
It was a light blue pinstripe.
I matched the room.

Mina pushed me into a chair in front of the vanity and brushed my hair until it crackled around my face.
With a few deft twists of her hands and some well-placed bobby pins, it was swept into an elegant chignon.
I didn't recognize the girl in the mirror.
She stared at me through wide, frightened eyes and asked what purpose all this frippery served.

“There.
You look like a painting.”

I glanced up in the mirror.
“Thank you.
I think.”

She frowned, but didn't comment further.
Checking a timepiece pinned to the front of her apron, she nodded once.
“It's time to head downstairs.
Everyone will be most pleased with your transformation.”

Mina walked towards the door, but I remained where I was, watching in the mirror.
“What point does this serve?”

“I'm sorry?”

I raised a
brow.
“I'm a thief, Mina.
I came from the streets, and if I ever get out of here, I'll be back there.
Why bother with all this?”

Her features fell into a smooth
,
expressionless façade as surely as you close the shutters on a house.
“I'm sure I don't know what you mean.”

I stood.
“I'm sure you do, but that's
all right
.
I'll figure it out soon enough.”

I waited at the door.
“Well, lead on, MacDuff.”

She sniffed and brushed past me, guiding the way to the dining room.

Lord Kreios was already there, filling his plate at the sideboard when
I
entered.
Spiros leaned in a corner.
They turned when I entered, and admiration shone from Kreios' face.

“Ah, splendid.
I knew with a little effort you would be a lovely creature.
Come, fill a plate.”

He motioned with a fork to the overflowing
,
silver
chafing dishes
, and my stomach rumbled.
I followed his lead and filled the plate with as much food as I thought would fit while I wore the corset.

Once Spiros sat, we ate.
At first, it was a tense silence.
But after he'd downed a few cups of coffee, Spiros leaned back in his chair and watched as I nibbled at a piece of toast.

“Genevieve, I have something I'd like to show you today.”
Kreios said.

I put the bread down and cleared my throat.
“While I appreciate that, I must know what happened to Terry.”

He smiled, but it didn't warm the chill in his voice.
“Perhaps this trip will answer all your questions.
Besides, it wasn't a request.”

I pushed the food around on my plate
with a polished
,
silver fork,
almost chok
ing
on the words.
“Where are we going?”

Kreios chuckled.
“And everyone said you were such a stubborn child.”

I held my tongue.
Just.

“I want to take you on a tour of one of my factories.
I think you
'
ll find the experience
most
educational.”

****

The entire ride in the steam auto to Kreios' factory was spent reminding myself to breathe past the panic that threatened to overwhelm me.
After breakfast, Kreios,
Spiros
,
and I packed into his auto and headed for the outskirts of London.
I sat the entire trip twisting my fingers in the fraying knot on my bandage and praying to be anywhere else.

I
knew
I would
n'
t like what
I
saw.
I just didn't know what he planned to do when we got there.
I couldn't make myself ask either.
Several times I had the opportunity to throw open the door to the auto and run, but the knowledge that Kreios knew something about Terry stayed my hand.
I had to know, whatever the news might be.
For now, I would pretend to be the biddable girl he seemed to want.

Kreios and Spiros spoke around me in a language I didn't understand.
The
reprieve
was welcome.

Just when I thought I would burst from the stress of waiting, a
great
hulk of a building appeared in the window.
It crouched over the green landscape like a great monster, waiting to devour anything that strayed too close.
Great smokestacks thrust up against the sky, turning the blue into heavy, grey clouds
that
ooze
d
despair.

My dread grew as we pulled in front of it and stopped.
Kreios led the way into the belly of the monster, and I cringed as we passed through the wide entrance way.
M
y white and blue dress
glowed in the midst of such dark and dismal surroundings.
Children of every age imaginable hunkered at huge machines that shimmered with oil and o
ozed steam at every seam.
The n
oise made it hard to think, let alone hear
.
Metal squealed when gears hit each other.
Steam hissed and sighed from pipes and cracks.
A deep
,
rhythmic pounding vibrated from the floor, so that I heard it both with my ears and through my chest.
The sound
added to the atmosphere, clinging to
me like wet wool clothing.

We passed by a bank of gears where three
,
grimy girls under the age of ten scurried to spray oil onto the axles, over and over as the teeth whirred dangerously close to their tattered clothing and hair.
I rubbed my hand on my skirt, seeing myself in the hopeless sheen
of
their eyes.
When one looked up at me and paused, a
tall
man appeared and bellowed something that had her jumping off the ground and running at break
-
neck speed towards the machinery again.

My stomach flipped.
I was one of them, not some social butterfly out for a day of slumming.
Shame that I didn't quite understand burned under my cheekbones and I avoided looking directly at anyone else.

We headed deeper into the building, the
gas lit
rooms becoming hot and dismal with steam and the crushing feeling of despair.

Finally we stopped at the heart of the building, where a
n enormous
,
steam-powered piston rose and fell like the great heartbeat of a sleeping leviathan.
Kreios pushed me forward, and I looked around, confused.
Several older teenage boys hauled huge tools around the base, manacles around their ankles hindering their movement.
As I watched, one stumbled, and just as one of the overseers started towards him, a puff of steam blew one of the gas torches and the light wavered on the boy's flame-red hair.

“Terry.”

He shouldn't have been able to hear me.
I shouldn't have been able to move so fast.
But one minute I was standing in front of Kreios, and the next I was crouched next to Terry with my arms thrown around his neck.

“If you touch him, so help me God, I'll castrate you.”
I told the
burly man
.

He
stopped and
glanced
up at Kreios
for direction
.

I didn't hear what they said.
Terry's face turned to mine, and he blinked.
“Gennie?”

He
dropped the
massive
wrench
he'd been carrying
and crushed me against his chest.
“What
are you doing here?”

Tears burned my eyes.
I'd caught a glimpse of several bruises on his
pale
face.

Before I could answer, I felt Kreios' presence at my back.

“She's been my guest for the last few days.
You can see I treat those who cooperate well.”
Kreios' words were designed to cut.

“What have you done?”
I
sniffed, blinking
,
but
no matter how hard I tried
the tears
wouldn't
leave
.

Terry loosened his hold, but one arm still remained anchored at my waist.
My fingers tightened in the hair at the nape of his neck.
Despite the precariousness of our situation, part of me was still struck dumb with the physical proof that Terry was alive.

Any good humor had fled
Kreios' face.
“Consider this a demonstration of what might happen to you if you fail.”
His eyes flicked over my head to Terry's and back.
“And a warning that more…unpleasant things could happen to your friend if you refuse.”

“You bloody
bastard,
” I
sputtered.
“You arranged all this just so I would steal the box?
No
artifact
is worth someone's life.”

“The value you place on human life is commendable, but naïve.
What you think doesn't matter.
What I think could kill you both.”

And that was the heart of the matter.
We both knew I would do whatever he wanted.
That
was, after all,
the purpose of the visit.
Dress me up, make me feel uncomfortable and ashamed, and then show me the one thing I wanted most.
I'd underestimated Lord Kreios.
But I wouldn't let it happen again.

“You will let me speak to him for a few minutes.”
I demanded.

He raised an eyebrow.
“I will?”

I stayed silent, waiting.

After a few moments he sighed and waved a hand.
“Fine.
Two
minutes.”

I released my hold on Terry and pushed to my feet.
Terry followed me, keeping hold of my hand so tight it seemed he thought I would disappear if he let go.
He pulled me several feet to the side, where a continuous plume of steam gave us some semblance of privacy.

He looked far worse than I realized.
His hair was dull with soot and sweat, and his face was coated in grime.
Bruises purpled his face and arms beneath the sheen of moisture that clung to his skin.

“What are you doing here with him?
Why didn't you stay at the museum like I told you?
Didn't you get my note?”
His
gaze
fell to the bandaged hand.
“Did he do this?”

The rage in his voice shouldn't have made me feel as good as it did.

“No.
That was my own fault.
But
,
Terry, I got your note.
I wasn't paying attention and Justin snuck into the museum and knocked me out.
He brought me to Lord Kreios.”

Terry's hands flexed around
my hand
.
“When I get my hands on him
—”

I shook my head.
“When you get out of here, we aren't going to worry about what Justin is up to.
He'll get his soon enough.
”

I slid a glance to Kreios, who stood watching his pocket watch.
Spiros waited next to him, arms crossed.
His face was hard to read.

“I'll
come back and get you, Terry.”

His grip tightened until I winced.

“You'll do no such thing.
Getting into this place is the easy part.
It's
leaving that becomes an issue.
You stay away from here, Gennie.
I'll get out on my own.”

“You would come back for me.”

“I'm a boy.
That's different.”

I snorted.
“You're full of crap.”

Kreios snapped the pocket watch closed.
“Time to say your goodbyes
,
my dear.”

I frowned and turned back to Terry.

“Promise me you won't try to rescue me
,” h
e demanded.

I tried to tug my hand away, but he wouldn't relinquish it.

“Terry, you shouldn't
—”

“Gennie...”

I sighed.
“Fine.
I promise not to try to rescue you.”

“Thank you.”
His whole body seemed to relax a little.
As Spiros started towards us, Terry's hands framed my face.
“I'd like to kiss you, Genevieve.
But the first time I do that won't be with Kreios watching and me covered in dirt.”

Words didn't seem like enough.
I blinked and nodded.
“I'll collect later.”

“Come along, Genevieve.”
Spiros almost sounded sympathetic.

I glanced at him then turned my head to press a kiss to Terry's palm before walking away.

It took all my will power to resist the urge to turn my head and look at him
, but I managed to keep my
attention
on the ground as I walked b
etween Kreios and Spiros toward
the exit.
I took comfort in the fact that I would be back.
And I could do it without breaking my promise to Terry.
I wouldn't
try
to rescue him.

I'd succeed.