The Inventor's Secret (7 page)

Neither Jack nor Ash turned at the sound, but for good
reason. They were enraptured by the giant object that
filled the shelf from end to end. If Ash hadn’t taken the
time to teach his little sister about the Imperial Air Force,
Charlotte’s gasp would likely have been a scream, because
nothing less than a monstrous war machine crowded the
space before her.
The bulbous cockpit of the Dragonfly offered its pilot
clear views of the sky, while the machine guns under its
wings could target enemies at multiple angles. Built for
speed and maneuverability, only the most skilled airmen
were assigned to Dragonfly combat squadrons, which like
the insects that inspired the aircraft’s design, were meant
to function as agile and deadly aerial hunters.
“Couldn’t have been easy to pilot her in.” Ash eyed the
Dragonfly’s wingspan.
Jack laughed drily. “That’s the beauty of a Dragonfly.
She can move in ways that most fliers can’t.”
Ash took a few steps back from the aircraft, trying to
get a better view of the whole machine. “And she’s completely intact? No defects?”
“I told you she’s perfect,” Jack replied. “Don’t you trust
me?”
“Do you really want me to answer that?” Ash said with
a chuckle. “I can’t believe you actually pulled this off.” He
hesitated before asking, “Are you sure you’re ready to go
back?”
Jack turned away from Ashley and looked directly into
the shadows where Charlotte lay hidden, her belly pressed
to the cold stone and her chin tucked against the lip of the
path. “Why don’t you come over and take a closer look,
Charlotte?”

OR A MOMENT, Charlotte considered
running. If she made it back to her room, she’d
at least have the benefit of a little more time
to come up with an excuse for spying on her
brother before he caught up with her. But running implied guilt, and Charlotte was determined to justify

What right did Ash and Jack have to keep a secret like
this, anyway? A Dragonfly? In the Catacombs? Charlotte
also stung from Ashley’s implied distrust of his sister;
hadn’t she done enough to prove her worth to him?

Charlotte stood up and brushed the dirt from her
clothes. Trying to appear unruffled despite Ashley’s
glower, she walked slowly down the rock slope to the floor

of the cavern. She lifted her chin as she faced her brother.

Ash’s features were drawn, his lips thin with rage. Charlotte braced herself, waiting for him to berate her, but Ashley startled her by turning on Jack.

The fury in Ash’s question startled Jack as well. He
staggered back a step, spluttering, “I, uh, well, I—”
“How long?”
Jack coughed. “I heard her behind us when we turned
into the last passage.”
“And you decided not to say anything?” Ash glared at
him.
Straightening his shoulders, Jack stared right back at
Ash. “You were going to have to tell her soon enough.
You’re a stubborn lout for dragging your feet about it. This
way was easier.”
Charlotte watched her brother’s face go white as his
fists clenched.
Jack gave Ash a measured look and said, “We can have
a good tussle if you want, or you can just accept that I’m
right.”
The indecision etched on Ash’s features prompted
Charlotte to ask, “What do you have to tell me?”
“Stay out of this, Lottie,” Ash snapped without sparing
her a glance.
“No!” Charlotte stepped into her brother’s line of sight.
“This is about the homingbird, isn’t it? And why Jack was
missing when we left the Heap. Tell me what’s going on!
Or are you forgetting that Pocky and I kept you from being
a feast for rats while Jack went to fetch this big secret of
yours?”
Ash scowled at her, but spoke to Jack. “Are you sure
you’re ready for her to know the truth?”
Behind her, Charlotte heard Jack sigh. “I always knew
it was coming.”
The strain in Jack’s voice pulled Charlotte around to
look at him. Her throat closed when she saw the tightness
around his eyes.
“Try not to hate me,” Jack said. “It had to be this way.
I didn’t want to lie to you.”
Lie to me?
Charlotte’s skin felt cold.
Ash buried his hands in his hair and paced beneath the
Dragonfly’s wings. As she heard her brother muttering angrily under his breath, Charlotte began to wish she hadn’t
followed the boys after all.
“I didn’t come from the Foundry.” Jack’s voice grounded
Charlotte in the present. Despite her sudden fear, Charlotte looked at Jack and nodded for him to continue.
Jack drew a long breath, his next words coming out in
a huff. “I’m from the Floating City.”
Laughter bubbled up Charlotte’s throat. The bright
sound died when Jack didn’t crack a smile. He waited until
she regarded him solemnly.
“You’re serious?” she asked.
“I’m afraid so,” Jack answered.
Charlotte no longer felt anxious. She didn’t feel anything. Numbness curled around her limbs, stopping her
breath. She wobbled, and Jack reached out to steady her,
but Charlotte jumped back as if his hand were a striking
snake.
Then Ash was beside her, his arm slipping around her
shoulders.
“Easy, Lottie,” he murmured. “Let Jack tell his story.
Trust me—it’s going to change everything for us. For the
better.”
Jack cast a grateful look at Charlotte’s brother, then
fixed his eyes upon Charlotte once more.
“I left the city so I could find you.” As the words left
Jack’s mouth, he paused, frowning, and then said, “I mean
all of you. This place. There were rumors that the children
of the Resistance had a hideout north on the river. I hoped
to make contact, and I was lucky to run into Ash. Well . . .
lucky once I convinced him not to shoot me.”
Ash laughed gruffly. “What’s lucky is that you’re a fast
talker.”
“That too.” Jack grinned. “Things in New York are
going badly, very badly. There are those of us who want to
make a change before it’s too late.”
Charlotte shrugged herself away from Ash’s arm. Now
that she’d recovered from her shock, a hard rage settled in
her bones. Why should she believe the words of anyone
who came from the Floating City? They were all enemies,
murderers. Nothing more.
“Why would you leave a home where you have everything?” Charlotte spat at Jack. “Who are you?”
Jack offered her a thin smile. “Everything isn’t all you’d
imagine it to be.”
“Ugh.” Charlotte didn’t want to look at him. His perpetual arrogance and bravado made perfect sense to her
now. Jack didn’t just pretend to think he was superior to
the rest of them. He believed it—that was how citizens of
the Floating City justified their rule.
“Charlotte.” Ash moved to stand beside Jack. “Stop
judging him and listen.”
Charlotte tried and failed to rein in her emotions. Jack’s
admission had gutted her in a way she couldn’t explain.
Making an effort to mask her discontent, she said, “I’m
listening.”
“My father is an important man in the Empire,” Jack
continued. “And I was groomed to follow his footsteps by
serving in the Air Force.”
Charlotte looked at the Dragonfly. “You piloted one of
those?”
“I’m cleared to fly half a dozen Imperial aircraft,”
Jack’s eyes shone in a way Charlotte had never seen. “But
the Dragonfly has always been my favorite. My brother’s
too.”
“Your brother?” Without meaning to, Charlotte took a
step toward Jack, her anger tempered by fascination.
Jack nodded, smiling slightly. “Three years older. His
name is Coe.”
Charlotte glanced at the Dragonfly. “He’s the one who
sent the homingbird.”
Nodding again, Jack said, “Yes. He sent the homingbird to let us know when and where he’d ditch the Dragonfly in the Heap so we could retrieve it.”
Charlotte went quiet, impressed and a little frightened.
No wonder Ash had been willing to bleed himself to draw
the rats away from Jack. And yet  .  .  . astounding as the
feat was, Charlotte couldn’t fathom what possible use the
Dragonfly would be. Unlike
Pisces,
which stayed hidden in
the dark waters of the river, the Dragonfly’s bright metal
plating would make it easy to spot in the sky. But Ash and
Jack wouldn’t have taken the risk of bringing it to the Catacombs unless it had immense value to their cause.
Charlotte gasped. “You’re going back to New York?”
“We,” Jack replied, not taking his eyes off Ash. “
We
are
going to New York.”
“Dammit, Jack,” Ash muttered, but didn’t offer further
argument.
Charlotte gazed at her brother, cold clamping down on
her chest. Ashley was going to the Floating City, the site of
everything they strove to hide from.
Turning to Charlotte, Jack said, “We’ve gathered almost enough support within the military and aristocracy
to act, but we want to secure an alliance with the Resistance. We’ll need them when the time comes.”
“Are you telling me that you’re planning to stage a
coup?” Charlotte gaped at Jack.
“The body of the Empire is strong,” Jack told her. “But
it’s ruled by a sick and twisted head. Corruption and decadence run rampant in the upper echelons of Imperial society. If we don’t act soon, the Empire will go the way of
Rome. It will be bloody and ugly, and this continent will
be ruined while its conquerors fight for scraps.”
“Won’t a coup be just as bloody and ugly?” Charlotte
asked.
“Not if we execute it correctly,” Jack replied. “But
that’s why enlisting the aid of the Resistance is so important. There will be fighting, but if we can both surprise and
overwhelm the old guard of the Empire, we may be able to
contain the violence and keep it from throwing the entire
country into chaos.”
Ash spoke up. His voice carried a fervor of hope Charlotte hadn’t heard before. “A coup would mean a clean
slate. No more punitive labor for descendants of the revolutionaries.”
Charlotte tried to catch some of Ash’s enthusiasm, but
she was still thrown by the notion that anyone who benefited from the Empire would be willing to turn against it.
“What about those who are fighting now?” Charlotte
queried.
“Full pardons,” Jack answered. “So long as they fight
on our side when they’re called upon.”
“That’s why I have to go, Lottie. Jack has arranged for
me to meet with Lazarus as an official envoy of the Resistance. I’ll see for myself if it’s worth joining our cause with
theirs.”
“Lazarus?” Charlotte asked. “Who’s Lazarus?”
“That’s the code name for the leader of the rebellion
that’s taking place within the Empire,” Jack told her. “His
true identity is the movement’s most closely guarded secret, but it’s rumored that he’s one of the highest-ranking
officers in the Imperial Armed Forces.”
Charlotte’s head was spinning from all the information
being hurled at her. “But how can you trust this Lazarus if
you don’t know who he really is? What if the rumors are
lies?”
“They can’t be,” Jack answered, shaking his head. “He
wouldn’t have been able to gather the following he now has
if he weren’t a person of great influence within the Empire.
People would be too afraid to follow a nobody.”
Charlotte flinched.
He means nobodies like us, like
the Resistance our parents have been fighting for all our
lives,
she thought. Charlotte found herself a bit resentful of
Jack’s presumption that she’d be enthusiastic about these
revelations.
“And you think we should join this rebellion?” Charlotte said to Ash. “Have you contacted Mother or Father?”
Ash shook his head too quickly for Charlotte’s liking.
“It’s an opportunity like nothing the Resistance has been
offered before, but it’s not worth distracting them from the
war until I’ve made sure Lazarus would be a true ally and
asset to the cause. If he’s all Jack claims, it could mean access to Imperial war ships and artillery, which might convince the French to give us outright support when we move
against the Empire.”
Hiding her uneasiness, Charlotte said, “If this meeting
goes well, and you decide the Resistance should ally with
this Lazarus, what happens then?”
Ash and Jack exchanged a look that made Charlotte’s
hands balls into fists.
“Then I go to the front lines and rendezvous with the
Resistance commanders,” Ash said quietly. “To negotiate
an alliance.”
Charlotte bowed her head, trying to organize her jumbled thoughts. This was all happening too fast.
“It’s nearly time for me to join the battlefront anyway,”
Ash continued. “You knew that was coming.”
“Fine,” Charlotte said. “But if you’re going to New
York, then so am I.”
“Lottie.” Ashley began to laugh—until he saw the determination in Charlotte’s eyes. “No.”
“You need me,” Charlotte pressed. “I’m always at your
side when we go into battle. I’ve saved you more than
once.”
“I don’t deny that,” Ash said. “But this is different.”
“No,” Charlotte replied. “It’s a different sort of battle,
but it’s still a battle, and I’m fighting this war as much as
you are.”
Jack shifted his gun belt on his hips. “This isn’t a place
you can fight, Charlotte. Women in the city aren’t like
you.”
“I don’t care,” Charlotte said, ignoring how silly that
pronouncement sounded. “I’ll find a way to help.”
“Yes, you will.” Meg’s voice startled all of them.
She’d entered the cave unnoticed while they’d been arguing.
Ashley went to meet her, reaching for her hands but
then quickly pulling them them away with a glance over
his shoulder toward Jack and Charlotte. “What are you
doing here?”
“Charlotte’s not the only one who knows how to sneak
through the Catacombs,” Meg told him with a teasing
smile. “You should know that better than anyone, Ashley.”
Though it was dim in the cavern, Charlotte thought she
noticed a blush painting her brother’s cheek.
“I’ve been thinking about this.” Meg gave a meaningful
look at the Dragonfly. “And about Grave.”
“What about Grave?” Jack asked.
“He can’t stay here,” Meg replied. “I don’t know why,
but I know it’s not safe. If I can take him to the city, there
are people I believe can help me to understand why the boy
troubles me so.”
Disappointment fell heavy on Charlotte’s shoulders.
She’d assumed Meg had taken her side when it came to
Grave. “But you’ve been so kind to him.”
“And I’ll continue to be,” Meg said. “But I can’t ignore
my instincts about him. Until I understand who  .  .  . or
what he is, I won’t risk this place and the people I love.”
Ash raked his finger through his hair, giving Meg an
uneasy look. “I don’t disagree that Grave presents an unusual problem. We don’t know who he is, but Meg—you
know that this mission is important. We can’t take the extra risk of bringing him along.”
“I’m telling you that you must.” The steel in Meg’s
voice made Charlotte straighten up in surprise. She’d never
heard Meg talk to Ash, or anyone, that way.
Jack and Ash looked as startled as Charlotte felt. Jack
recovered first. With an apologetic but uncomfortable
clearing of his throat, he said, “I don’t think there’s a way
for us to conduct our business and keep an eye on Grave.”
Ash quickly nodded in agreement.
“You won’t have to,” Meg said, calm but unyielding.
“Charlotte and I will deal with Grave, while you see to
your secret meetings.”
Charlotte’s eyes widened, and she clapped her hand
over her mouth to cover her smile when Meg spared her
a tiny, conspiratorial smile. Charlotte couldn’t help but
marvel at Meg’s brilliance. Of the Catacombs’ inhabitants,
Meg was the one person Ashley couldn’t say no to.
Tugging at his collar, Ash went mute and threw a pleading glance at Jack.
Jack’s shoulders hunched up as he faced Meg. “I don’t
think you have a realistic grasp of this situation. How do
you propose we should take you and Charlotte into the
city?”
“Leave that to me,” Meg told Jack. “Though I will need
you to acquire some papers for me. I assume you’ll have
no trouble doing that, given that you must be forging your
own.”
Jack replied with a grudging nod. “What kind of papers do you want for Charlotte?”
Ignoring Jack’s glower, Meg answered, “As I’m sure you
know, the social season is about to begin in New York.”
Charlotte’s brow furrowed. “What’s that?”
“It’s when the young women from the Empire’s best
families are presented to society,” Meg said. “You’re the
right age to make your debut. It will give us the perfect
cover under which to move freely through the Floating
City.”
“Why would they have to be presented?” Charlotte
asked.
“It’s a formality,” Jack said. “More silly trappings of an
overindulgent system that fattens its rich while starving its
poor.”
Ash grunted, making a sour face at Meg.
“Don’t be so somber, Ash,” Meg quipped. “Charlotte,
the girls are presented so everyone knows they’re looking
for husbands. It’s basically the starting line for a great race
of matchmaking.”
“Oh.” Charlotte frowned, then she blushed. “
Oh.
” She
looked at her brother in alarm.