Armored Hearts

chapter 18

They arrived at Ardenshire within the hour. The business district by the river was just as Mrs. Collins had described. Jessamine held her handkerchief over her nose. Gareth peeked outside. Two gaunt boys covered in filth sat in a doorway. Their eyes were as hollow as their stomachs most likely were, judging by their slight, boney frames.

Gareth turned away when he saw a body in the street next to a pile of garbage, flies circling the cadaver, while a man worked to extract the boots from the corpse’s feet.

Jessamine’s cheeks glistened with tears before she raised her gloved hand to wipe them away. “This is horrible. I’ve never seen living conditions of this sort.” She turned to face Gareth. “How do they stand to go on in a place like this?”

Gareth could say nothing. This place was only a few scant miles from his home, and yet he’d been ignorant of it. The look in the eyes of those boys took him back to his own miserable childhood but never once had he been left dirty, hungry, and in need. It put his personal misery into perspective.

The carriage stopped as Sarah called out in Thompton’s voice, “’Allo there. Can ye point me in the direction of Mr. Steel’s factory? Me employer’s lookin’ to talk to ’im ’bout some business.”

A female voice answered back with directions to a gray building by the river. Then she said, “Just follow the fog. Ain’t nothin’ but fog all about the place. Big clouds of it separate off and go driftin,’ like that one.” Gareth and Jessamine both glanced out the window in the direction she pointed. In the sky was a lone, giant cloud hanging low in the sky. “It looks ’bout as creepy as the tales I hear from the folk that work there.”

The carriage moved on. As they drew closer to the factory, fog surrounded the carriage, seeping through the cracks under the door in long, limb-like strands. They seemed to sniff at Gareth and Jessamine before he leaned forward to wave the mist away.

They stopped, and the door flew open. Sarah, as Thompton, stood at the door with the chair. “I think you’ll be safe to get in yerself. No one will see ye in all this fog.”

Gareth got in the chair while Jessamine made her way out of the buggy.

“The two of ye be careful in there. Have ye worked out a plan?”

Gareth glanced up at Jessamine, realizing they’d not really made one.

She smiled and put her hand to her chin. “I was thinking I’d inquire of them on my father’s behalf. We don’t know for certain if they were directly involved in the kidnapping. It could be a device they made and sold to someone else.”

Gareth nodded. “If that’s the case, they’ll probably give the buyer’s information freely for the right price.”

The stench of the river added salt and a fishy odor to the smell of human waste which already filled their nostrils. They started for the entrance to the building. Fog enveloped them and appeared to overflow from the roof of the factory.

Sarah held up a finger. “Hold on.”

She placed her hand on the sword still strapped to Gareth’s side, and it took on the appearance of a wooden cane.

Gareth glanced up at her. “Can I learn to do that?”

Sarah shook her head. “If ye were a changeling, it would’ve shown up by now. Na all Fae have extra abilities. This will only look like a cane fer about an hour without a recharge from me.”

Sarah, Gareth, and Jessamine made their way to a ground-level door where Sarah, still looking like Thompton, knocked and stood back, waiting for an answer. With a long, low squeal, the door came open. A man with greasy hair and dirty trousers stood before them. “What do ye want?” The man curled his nose at them as if they were the source of the stench in the street.

“My husband and I are looking for Mr. and Mrs. Steel. We came to inquire for some special automations and heard that the Steels were experts in the field.”

“Can’t help you. Sorry.” The man turned to go back in when Jessamine stepped forward and called, “We can pay handsomely. My father needs them to deal with some undesirables back in America. It could expand your business across the Atlantic.”

The man turned around and swept back his greasy, dark hair with a grin. “In that case, nice to make your acquaintance. I’m Mr. Steel,” he said as he gestured above him. “And this is my factory. Come in, and let us talk business. My office is this way.”

Jessamine stepped aside to allow Gareth to enter in his chair first. She nodded to Sarah to stay behind. Thompton’s visage stepped back, but cast worried glances at them both. She didn’t like it, and Gareth couldn’t blame her.

The factory was filled with dirty men, women, and children slouched over tables. In front of them were crates filled with metal components. Each person connected one part with a small tool before passing it off to the next person. The people stared blankly while waiting their turn. Each had hollow eyes and expressions and their clothes hung on them like fabric draped over bones. Gareth could nearly hear the growls of their empty stomachs.

Mr. Steel smirked at him. “Glorious, isn’t it? They do this all day, every day, from sunup to sundown, with hardly a break. I’ve found they work better when afraid, so I walk out screaming and yelling every other day and throw one of them out, refusing to pay him or her for the work they’ve done for the week.” The man inhaled deeply. His body appeared to strengthen as he did it. “Wonderful smell, the scent of human toil, don’t you agree?”

Gareth only glared at the man as they entered his office.

A woman with stringy hair hanging out of a jumbled bun atop her head stood by the window, inhaling deeply, just as Mr. Steel had done.

“Darling, look. We have guests.”

The woman jumped back from the window and grinned. “Now, this is a surprise. Please, come in.”

Mr. Steel shut the door behind him. “They knocked at the door, looking to buy automations.”

Jessamine chimed in. “Yes, you see, my family owns factories in America. They’ve been acquiring old cotton mills and automating them. But there are some in charge of the local town who are complete luddites, throwing up roadblocks to progress at every turn. My father believes it would be much easier if those in his way just…disappeared. I’ve heard you produce automatons which can help with such a cause.”

Mrs. Steel made her way to a tea service, poured a cup, and placed it on a saucer. “One or two sugars in your tea, Mrs…?”

Jessamine swallowed and glanced down at Gareth. “Blythe. Two please. My husband is from here originally but has joined my family’s business in America.”

Mrs. Steel presented the tea to Jessamine before turning to Gareth. “And how do you take your tea, Mr. Blythe?”

Gareth waved her off. “I’ve no taste for tea at the moment.”

Jessamine sipped her cup. “Do you have some automatons we can see? Maybe get an idea of what you offer?”

She drew another sip from the tea.

Mr. Steel smiled as he moved forward. “Perhaps we have something on the roof you’d like to take a look at.

Jessamine glanced over at Gareth, concern in her face.

Gareth spun his chair to face the man better. “The roof would not be possible for me. Perhaps you could bring them down here.”

Mrs. Steel marched forward to Jessamine, taking the cup from her hand. “Let me take that before you drop it.”

“Why would I drop it?” Jessamine suddenly blinked and reached out to clutch Mrs. Steel’s arm. Her words slurred. “I’m not feeling quite myself.”

Gareth pushed his chair toward her, but Mr. Steel stopped him. The man placed a foot upon one of the wheels. “Stay right where you are, Mr. Blythe, or do you prefer Lord Smyth?”

Gareth grasped at the sword on his hip.

“Maybe we should just let her fall.” Mrs. Steel let go of Jessamine and pulled her stringy hair over an ear.

Gareth flew out of his chair, catching her the moment before she hit the floor. He placed her down safely and spun with sword drawn, glaring at the couple.

Mr. Steel danced a jig and ended with a dramatic flourish. “Yes, bow to the king of the Seelie. The crippled mutt the Ansleigh court wants on the throne.”

Gareth stood between Jessamine and the Steels, sword ready.

“What have you given her?” he shouted. His eyes darted between the two.

Mrs. Steel replied with a gloating smile, “I don’t answer to you. Too bad you weren’t in the mood for some tea, or we could’ve been done with the both of ye.”

Gareth’s jaw clenched as he lunged at the woman, for a moment forgetting all the techniques Mr. Strong had taught him. There was no focus or aim or strategy—only anger guided his sword. He sliced through the air where Mr. Steel had just stood, but his lack of concentration kept him from anticipating his opponent.

Mrs. Steel took to the air, tossing the hot tea at Gareth as she made her way to a box on the other side of the room.

He jumped to the side, knocking the cup away.

Mrs. Steel lifted the lid of her box. Mechanical bees of silver and gold flew out and set upon Gareth. The swarm of metal insects obstructed his view and distracted him from his task. He swatted at them with his sword, avoiding the sharp needles on their behinds. They clanked against his steel, slamming into the wall and floor with a thud as he batted them out of his way.

Gareth made his way to the open window, hoping Sarah was close enough to hear. He shouted over his shoulder, unwilling to take his eyes off the Steels as he fought the mechanical insects. “Sarah? Some help, please?”

With the last of the mechanical vermin incapacitated, Gareth flew to Mrs. Steel. The woman and her husband had run to a door on the opposite side of the room, and thrown it open. Gareth flew straight at her, knocking her into her husband, blocking their attempt to escape.

Sarah crashed through a closed window. Glass debris rained upon them and scattered across the concrete floor like the rack of balls on a billiard table. She landed in a squatting position. With a growl, she glanced up, sword drawn and ready for battle. Shards of glass trapped in her fiery hair reflected light like diamonds in a princess’s tiara, but the cuts and blood on her arms and the wild rage in her eyes was pure warrior.

The clamor caused the Steels to turn in her direction. Mr. Steel was closest to the window and engaged her. The Unseelie fairy pulled a cutlass from beneath his jacket and took to flight. He pushed in close enough to strike Sarah, but she blocked his attempt with her rapier.

Mrs. Steel, still unarmed, shouted a battle cry, her muddy eyes round and feral as she rushed at Gareth. Her stringy hair flew behind her, and her fingers took on the form of claws. He neglected her the respect due a woman when he kicked her into the wall. She flew into it with a thud. The plaster cracked, and she groaned on impact.

Gareth charged her, holding his sword to her throat. “What did you give my wife?” The word “wife” had a new taste on his tongue, and he quite liked it.

Mrs. Steel spit in Gareth’s face before shouting, “I hope she dies a miserable death from the poison I gave her. I only regret you didn’t drink any.

Gareth glanced at Jessamine’s limp body upon the floor. She blinked at him as her eyes lost focus and rolled back into her head.

“Tell me how to fix her, or so help me, I will kill you myself.” Gareth pressed the sword to her throat until a trickle of blood rolled down her neck.

“Never.” She growled and pressed her neck into the sword, just as the assassin had at Mr. Strong’s. Her body sunk to the floor.

Sarah’s rapier clanged again with Mr. Steel’s cutlass. Gareth spun in their direction. The man pressed her into a corner, a vicious snarl twisting his face. She leapt over the man in a midair somersault. Steel faked a move to the right before flying straight at her. His dodge took her by surprise, and her eyes grew wide as Mr. Steel knocked her over a crate. She fell toward the floor, and her head hit the crate before she could catch herself, knocking her dizzy.

With a victorious smile, Mr. Steel pointed his cutlass in Gareth’s direction. The man’s eyes grew as he saw his wife upon the floor. His face grew almost the same shade of crimson as his wife’s blood when the realization hit him.

Anger seethed from the man, and his face contorted into something inhuman. He screamed and took a step forward. “You killed my wife!”

Gareth lifted his sword and prepared for the fight.

But the man stopped. His eyes flashed and a malicious smile curled his lips. He glanced down at Jessamine, still lying helpless on the floor. “A life for a life and a wife for a wife.”

Gareth’s heart sunk as he rushed toward the man.

Mr. Steel was faster. He flew to where Jessamine lay, sword overhead, ready to bring the point down on her throat. Gareth flew into Steel, knocking him against the wall. Mr. Steel’s cutlass grazed Gareth’s shoulder, and the sharp sting made him drop his own blade.

Gareth hovered and then rolled as he had so many times with Mr. Strong, ending in a squat as he glanced at the bleeding slit in his jacket sleeve. He searched for his sword, but he’d flown in the opposite direction. It sat in the shards of glass at Mr. Steel’s feet. Swallowing hard, Gareth made for it, but Mr. Steel’s feet moved in the opposite direction. Blinking up, Gareth found Steel heading for Jessamine once more.

Panic blinded his periphery with white. He abandoned his mission to retrieve the sword, choosing to fly out over Jessamine’s limp body. He beat the villain there and hovered over Jessamine, pressing his chest against hers. He would block her from Mr. Steel’s cutlass.

Jessamine’s floral fragrance filled his nostrils as he closed his eyes and braced for the pain of the blade slicing through his back. He swallowed and mentally told her goodbye.

Another crash and a bellow forced his eyes open. He glanced towards the cry to find Sarah and Mr. Steel landing on the floor.

Gareth scrambled for his sword and returned just as Sarah stood over the villain with her sword overhead, coming down to pierce him through the chest. The sound of flesh and bone crunching echoed in his ears as the man’s eyes grew round and then lifeless.

Sarah sailed into the air and called out, “Are you hurt, your Majesty?” Sarah circled Gareth to inspect him.

Gareth blinked at her. How had this woman lived with him his whole life, and he’d never known her capable of such violence? He shook his head.

“I’m fine.” He waved her off as he made his way to his wife. “They poisoned Jessamine.” He knelt beside his wife’s listless body. A lump caught in his throat as he took hold of her and tried to wake her. “Are you all right?”

She blinked and waved at him, her dark eyes glazed over. Her voice was hoarse and weak. “Go. Find. Tabitha.”

He glanced up at Sarah, realizing he’d forgotten all about his aunt for a moment. “They were trying to exit out that door. See where it leads. Look for any other Fae or any signs of Tabitha.”

Sarah obeyed.

“Go find her, Gareth.” Jessamine turned her head to the side, her face growing pale.

Gareth picked Jessamine up and cradled her to him “Sarah will look for Tabitha. I’m staying with you right now.”

Jessamine didn’t answer. Her body went slack, and sweat beaded on her forehead.

“You’re going to be fine. You only sipped a little. It will pass soon.” He didn’t know if what he said was true or not. He traced his hand down the side of her cheek, brushing the stray ringlets which had fallen from her coiffeur.

“Lord Gareth, come up. All’s clear. I’ve found Tabitha and…something else.”

Gareth gathered Jessamine in his arms. She was so light and frail, and her arms hung loosely. He choked back the tears which stung his eyes and headed for the door where Sarah had exited. It opened to a stairwell which led to the roof. Once there, he stopped and stared.

Sarah was untying Tabitha, who stood on what looked like a steel ship suspended in air by cables. Above, a silver oblong balloon ran the length of the vessel.

He flew forward, cradling Jessamine to him. “What the devil is that thing?”

Tabitha rubbed her raw, red wrists. “It’s some kind of airship. The man and woman put me on it this morning, once the horse took me to the woods.” She turned and pointed to the sides of the ship where crossbows with automatic feeds lined the deck. “It was just the two of them, but with those, they could fight like a whole army.”

Sarah took hold of Tabitha and hugged her so hard, it looked to Gareth she might be bruising her before she finally let go.

“Did they hurt ye?” She looked Tabitha up and down.

Tabitha shook her head with a half smile. “No, I’m not hurt. Just sore from being tied up.” She glanced over to Gareth. “What happened to Jessie?”

“Mrs. Steel poisoned her.”

Sarah approached with her brows furrowed. She sniffed around Jessamine’s face and frowned. “Just sleeping herbs. She’ll be fine.”

Gareth flew closer to the dirigible. “Mrs. Steel said she might die a horrible death. What if they were enchanted, like the herbs you used on Mr. Strong?”

Sarah smiled. “They haven’t the power. Unseelie magic is limited. Good can destroy evil, but evil is no match for good.”

Sarah examined the ship more closely before turning to Tabitha. “How did they fly it here without it being seen?”

Tabitha walked onto the deck of the ship and pointed to a set of hoses along its perimeter. “These work to produce a cloud cover surrounding. It looks just like the other clouds that come off the place.”

Sarah shook her head. “That fog be the byproduct of human suffering. Unseelies feed off it. They’re possibly feeding a whole army with those puffs they send off from here. Growing their strength without having to be out among the humans.”

Gareth found a place to lay Jessamine, kissing her forehead as he left her there. He flew back to find Sarah and Tabitha grinning at each other in some exchange he wasn’t privy to.

“I’m shutting down this factory.” Gareth clenched his jaw and made his way back down the stairs to his chair. Once seated, he flung the door to the factory floor open. A squeal and several cries of surprise came out, and the people cowered by the tables, eyes wide as they stared at him in the doorway. He hadn’t thought about what the people had heard as he and the Steels fought. He quickly closed the door behind him so as not to show the bodies of their former employers.

“I…I hope…” Gareth thought some more before speaking. “I hope you weren’t frightened by the noise. The Steels were demonstrating some of their goods for us, and it got out of hand.”

One raggedy woman missing her front teeth peered up. Her straw-blonde hair hung out under a white hat, and her voice shook. “No worries. We know to keep to ourselves.”

Gareth coughed and stammered, “Yes, well that’s good. But I wanted to inform you all that I’ve just made the purchase of this factory from Mr. and Mrs. Steel. You are all to go home immediately.”

The people stared blankly at him for a moment before stepping away from the tables, their shoulders sagging more than before. One of the women began to cry. Someone in the crowd mumbled about how they would now starve.

“No, no. You misunderstand. You will be paid for the whole day.” He pulled his money from his wallet. “Come here and tell me what Mr. Steel owes you for your work.”

The people looked at each other and then to him, frozen in place.

“Hurry up. Get your money. We’ll be giving you your wages for the next two weeks here while my wife and I reorganize the factory and the working conditions.”

The people stood in line, telling Gareth their wages as he gave them money. Most of them were smiling, and one woman broke out into tears as she thanked him. Eventually, they had all made their ways to their coats and headed for the door. When he was done, he joined Sarah and the others on the roof.

Sarah was circling the airship rubbing her chin as she did. “Tabitha thinks she can figure out how to operate this vessel. It might be the perfect way to get you and the queen back to Waverly Park without anyone seeing.”

Gareth nodded, scooping up Jessamine again, holding her close to himself. She stirred a bit when he lifted her, and he breathed in her scent, closing his eyes. He flew to the ship and took a seat on a bench, cradling his wife. Her eyelids fluttered for a moment but shut again, and she stilled.

Gareth watched Tabitha as she took hold of the controls, flipping switches, sending cloud puffs all around them.

Sarah came and sat by him, both of them watching Tabitha. “We have to tell her about her…Lord Pensees.”

There was a glow of pride across Tabitha’s cheeks. Gareth leaned toward Sarah and whispered. “Not yet. We’ll tell her when we get there. Let her have her moment right now.”

Sarah patted his shoulder and stood and spoke louder, “I agree. I’ll dispose of the bodies here and meet you at Waverly Park.”

Tabatha shot a glance back and nodded to Sarah. “We will meet you there.”

The fairy maid ran a hand through her red curls and twisted the hair into a quick bun, pinning it up smoothly. She smiled at Tabitha and hopped from the ship.

Gareth watched the world disappear under them as they rose higher than he’d ever flown. He looked out, imagining the suffering in the streets all around the industrial district. He wasn’t yet sure what his newly procured factory would produce. His grandfather would never approve. An Earl did not enter the business of trade. He would discuss it with Jessamine when she woke. She was brilliant at these kinds of things. And she would wake. Sarah had promised. Gareth choked back the emotion boiling inside his gut. It wasn’t like him to have so much trouble hiding his feelings. And he hardly knew her, so why was he so concerned? He wouldn’t let himself contemplate that just now.

Jessamine moaned. Her brows furrowed a moment before the muscles in her face relaxed again. Gareth gazed at his wife and tugged her closer. She was lovely. Perhaps there was room for a real wife after all. He was already planning to seek her advice on the factory. He could possibly let her into more of his life, with limits. He shook his head. No, no more limits. All of it.