Obsidian Eyes (7 page)

The main school building connected to the stable block by a long stone walkway, terminating in a large courtyard. Allie headed down the passageway at a brisk pace, eager to break from the damp dark of the tunnel into the early morning sunlight. Emerging, she paused for a moment to take a deep breath of the earthy horse smell permeating the barn area. The combined smell of horses, hay, and saddle oil melded in her nostrils and made an intoxicating perfume she couldn’t resist.

She struck off for the stables. Two stories high, it was built of the same soft grey stone as the school buildings. The entranceway was a huge wooden double door on sliders, easily large enough to swallow a carriage if required. Today the barn doors were flung wide open to let the summer breeze and light trickle into the building’s interior.

As Allie headed down the wide aisle, heads of grey, brown, and bay looked out from stalls. She zoned in on one in particular. The mare looked up from her hayrack and gave a soft nicker on seeing who approached.

“Good morning, girl.” She picked up the two sides of her skirt and attached the hem to the skirt hitches hanging from either side of her corset. It lifted her skirts up to mid-calf height and held them well away from the ground. She grabbed the pitchfork and then unlatched the half door. Sliding it back on runners, she hooked over a chain to stop the inquisitive equine ducking out. She smiled and gave the small chestnut mare a scratch on the wither. Greetings out of the way, she began mucking out the stall, dumping the manure into the mechanised cart roaming the central aisle.

She worked quickly, eager to take the mare outside for a run in the turn out paddock. As she finished, hooves clattered over the cobbles. Poking her head out the stall, she found Jared, followed by a large brown gelding. Both stopped short, Jared’s eyes briefly widened on seeing the pitchfork in her hand.

Allie stared at the casually dressed Jared; with shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows and his waistcoat hanging open. A blue scarf crossed his shoulders warding off the slight morning chill.

“Are you stalking me?” he prompted.

“Yes, armed with a pitchfork to keep you in line,” Allie joked before she tossed the pitchfork back on the cart. She kicked a lever on the side with her foot, sending it rumbling along its track to empty the load out the back of the barn on the manure pile.

The gelding reached out his head and sniffed at Allie inquisitively. She held out her hand for him to nuzzle, before reaching up and stroking his ears. The horse knew when he was on to a good thing and he lowered his head to allow her better access behind his ears.

Jared watched the way her fingers honed in on the spot where his horse was itchiest. “You seem to have made another friend.”

Allie realised what her fingers were doing and let her hand drop back to her side, much the disappointment of the horse who gave her a gentle nudge to continue with the scratch.

“I was moving him out to the paddock to stretch his legs, do you want to join us?” Jared said.

“I was about to do the same thing, I’ll grab Soiron.” Ducking back into the stall, she grabbed the head collar from its peg and fitted it on the mare. Taking up the lead, they moved into the alleyway and followed Jared and his horse across the courtyard and then out into the adjacent field.

They walked a small distance into the paddock before unclipping leads and letting the horses stretch their legs after a night in the stables. The equines snorted and ran off, kicking up their hind legs as they played a quick game of chase over the lush pasture. Soiron pranced back to where Allie stood and pawed at the earth, making a spot to roll. The gelding joined in and both horses circled and then lay down, accompanied by great heaving sighs as they began rolling. Sods of damp earth flung from hooves and legs as they groaned and moaned and made equine dirt angels. Allie laughed at the sight of Soiron with all four legs in the air, scratching her back on the soft ground.

The mare flipped over, pushed out her front legs and then heaved herself off the ground. She gave one big sigh and shook like an oversized dog, shooting dirt and grass all over Allie. She saw Jared’s gelding putting on a similar performance. But it was the handler, not the horse, who drew her attention. He was intoxicating when he smiled and let himself relax. Wolf-like in both his movement and those pale eyes, but at this moment, he looked less predatory. Like a wolf that had just eaten and being briefly sated, you could almost dare to extend a hand to stroke its fur.

Jared looked up and caught her gaze. Slightly embarrassed to be caught staring, Allie shot her attention back to Soiron.

The mare gave a loud snort of surprise as a large shadow drifted over her body. A soft whirr above drew their attention as an airship’s propellers turned on its early morning flight. The low drone of the motors resonated on the crisp morning air, like an enormous swarm of bumblebees. No clouds obscured the crystal blue sky as the rising sun backlit the enormous ship. Her silver sides gleamed and showed the deep green and blue thistle emblem on her flank of the King’s Royal Aeronautical Corp, marking her as a Scottish military ship.

“Scotland patrols the skies, England the oceans.” Jared commented on the intertwined relationship of the English and Scottish military.

A beaten copper pod hung under the huge air bladder keeping the ship aloft and reflected every small shaft of sunlight. Allie could make out the flight crew manning the deck within the pod as it descended over the field. Lines shot from her bow and stern and sunk deep into the soil. Two crewmen abseiled down the lines and jumped on nimble feet to the ground. They checked all was secure and then the dirigible winched itself closer to the earth.

Allie gave the mare a comforting pat. “There, there. I’ve not seen an airship devour a horse yet.”

Although it looks big enough to fit several in its belly and still be hungry.

The mare butted her head against Allie and gave another loud snort. Given the object looked like it was going to stay still, she returned to eating the grass. The gelding didn’t even notice, too intent on the rich green shoots to worry about aeronautical happenings.

Allie gave Jared a questioning look.

“King’s Royal Aeronautical Corp,” he said. “They do have business within the school on occasion.”

The airship gently bobbed against its tethers, looking like an abandoned child’s balloon. A gangplank extended and four black clad soldiers emerged, a stark contrast to the vivid grass as they started across the paddock.

“The Conri,” Jared breathed quietly from next to her.

“Who are they?” Allie was curious about the black clothed soldiers. This was the second time she encountered them and she wondered how a fellow street brat ended up as their lieutenant.

“The King’s Hounds, they’re an elite unit within KRAC.” He tracked their progress across the field.

“I assume they are here for Zeb again?” She threw the comment out, to judge his reaction.

Jared turned to her. “Most likely but it doesn’t make sense, they were here earlier this week.” A frown played on his forehead.

The soldiers approached from across the field and had to walk past the grazing horses and their handlers before the archway to the stable courtyard. Allie recognised the lead soldier and Jared greeted the lieutenant with a nod.

A blue gaze swept over Allie and a need to be remembered bubbled up in her gut.

“Do be careful that nothing explodes on you,” she called out, remembering Zeb working late in the library to solve some pressure related problem.

Four sets of feet halted. One of the men swung his head around to face her. “How do you know about that?” he asked in a sharp tone.

She smiled and arched an eyebrow. “Now, you boys are supposed to be clever, I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

The man took a step in Allie’s direction, his fingers starting to draw his sword when Lieutenant Harris clapped his hand down on the man’s shoulder.

“Put that away,” he commanded. “She’s only needling, she always could be a brat.” He directed his steady gaze to her, unread questions racing in the sky blue depths. “Why exactly are you here, Allie?”

“You remembered me then.”

“Yes, although it did take me a while. You’re grown up quite a bit since I last saw you.”

“Why exactly are
you
here, Christian?” She met his gaze and held her spine straight. No hint betrayed her inner turmoil.

He gave a huff of laughter and tucked his thumbs into the belt holding his sword. “Ask yourself which one of us is more out of place?” He looked on the brink of saying more, but his orders took priority. “Perhaps we can continue this another time?” With a nod to Jared, he turned and the four soldiers continued through the paddock to the stable entrance.

Allie watched the retreating backs and mused over Christian’s comments, wondering how long it took him to remember the twelve-year-old version of her.

“How do you know him?” Jared asked, interrupting her thoughts.

“I knew him on the streets of London.” She chewed her bottom lip in thought, remembering the youth she once idolised. “A lifetime ago. How do you know him?”

“Scottish nobles are expected to undertake military training. Duncan and I are cadets with the Edinburgh base. Everyone knows Harris, he’s the youngest lieutenant ever in the Conri.”

Voices carried across the paddock from the airship, as her crew carried out standard checks, while waiting for the soldiers to return.

Allie’s gaze drifted back to the airship, a visual reminder of the military presence on the school grounds. “I’m not surprised, Christian always was talented and kept his eyes cast upward.”

Painful memories rose to the surface. Uncomfortable dredging up her past, she flipped back to current concerns.

“What’s the deal with their interest in Zeb?”

Jared shrugged. “He assists his father, and conducts his own research here. Lord Lithgow is the top scientist for KRAC in Edinburgh. He heads up Theory and Devices.”

“Sounds nice and nondescript and tells me nothing.” She drew her coat closer around her body, still not used to the climate change from humid Egypt. The English summer cut through her body like a harsh winter wind. “What’s the translation please?”

“Advanced engineering, weaponry, and mechanics. It’s all highly classified and sensitive. The Scottish military research gives the United Empire its edge in warfare. If they hadn’t developed the airship first we would have fallen to Napoleon.” Jared stepped closer to Allie as he spoke, his body acting as a shield from the light breeze swirling across the field. “How can you be cold? It’s the middle of summer.”

“You’re Scottish, there could be ice on the ground and you would call it tropical. I’ve spent the last three years in Egypt.”

He pulled the blue cashmere scarf from around his neck and dropped it over hers.

She muttered a thank you, grateful for the kind gesture. She nestled her face into the soft folds and Jared’s warm musky scent rose up from the fabric and surrounded her like an embrace.

“It’s not uncommon for Zeb to be fetched when he’s needed.” Jared watched her burrow into his scarf. “But they used to send regular soldiers. They never sent the Conri until this week.”

They left the horses and headed back toward the barn as the grooms began bringing the other horses out to graze. Allie watched the horses gallop around before settling to the lush pasture.

“Something’s happened for KRAC to start sending their top unit. It makes me curious about what Zeb is up to, that he requires elite soldiers as handlers.” Allie’s guild mind drew together snippets of information. Military tech had never interested her, until now. “Do you know what he’s up to? Has he appropriated any more sentient components he shouldn’t have?”

Jared met her gaze. “Zeb has a laboratory under the school but no one is allowed in. Is stealing his latest invention your brief?” he threw in with a hopeful grin. “You did say you knew the lieutenant from the streets, does that mean you’re a Runner?” He named the thieves guild which controlled everything at street level.

Allie laughed. “Nice try. Zeb is a friend and this situation sends a prickle down my spine. Plus Eloise likes him and would kill me if anything happened. So think of my interest as self-preservation, I’m saving myself from her electrodes.”

Jared nodded. “If we’re in this together, we have to trust each other with information and we need to have a talk to Zeb.”

Allie gave a sigh.
Trust. Sure way to end up with a knife in your back.
“I’ll think about it.”

Jared arched an eyebrow but didn’t push any further. “Don’t take too long thinking about it.”

With him standing so close, she had trouble thinking about anything at all.