chapter THIRTEEN
“Now, you do know the way to your cousin's house?” Miss Marlende asked, looking a little worried. “It's going to be dark soon.”
They were standing on the dock at Silk Harbor, under a cloudy early evening sky, near the Sovereign's slip. This spot had been crowded with journalists and onlookers earlier, but by the dinner hour the furor had calmed down, and now there were only the usual dockworkers, off-duty sailors, and a few passengers making their way down the wooden boardwalk above the boat slips.
Dr. Marlende's airship had attracted the attention as it was towed in this morning on a large pontoon barge by a tug boat. It had taken a few days to get the tug and the barge from the port on the far side of the island of Aerinterre, load the airship, and then travel here, so the word had flown ahead of them on the wireless. Emilie wasn't sure what had caused more sensation, the news of the successful expedition, or when Lord Engal had formally given Lord Ivers in charge to the magistrates.
He had also had to give Dr. Barshion in charge, a moment of considerably less satisfaction for everyone.
Somewhat recovered from his injury, Dr. Barshion had admitted that he had been in Lord Ivers' pay from the moment Lord Engal had hired him. He had given Lord Ivers copies of Dr. Marlende's notes, and research that Miss Marlende had shared with Lord Engal, had committed some small sabotages and spied on everything Engal, Miss Marlende, and Kenar had done to prepare for the expedition. Barshion had apparently hoped to stop the Sovereign from ever making the attempt, leaving Lord Ivers to rescue Dr. Marlende and take all the credit and acclaim. Once they were down in the Hollow World, he had started to regret what he had done, but he had still put the sleeping spell on the guards, so Ivers and his men could escape. But he had refused to help them destroy the Sovereign, and Ivers had bashed him in the head and left him for dead.
Emilie felt a little sorry for him. A little. She would have felt considerably more sorry for herself and the rest of the crew if Ivers had managed to take control of the airship and destroy the Sovereign, and all the witnesses to and evidence of his wrongdoing. They were just lucky that no one had been killed in the escape attempt. Some of the crew, including Mikel and Charter, had been left behind temporarily in the town hospital at Aerinterre, and would have to be retrieved later.
“I'm sure I know the way,” Emilie told Miss Marlende now. The others would be leaving with the Sovereign, which was preparing to set out for Meneport tonight to arrive in the morning and meet the representatives of the Philosophical Explorers Society. The airship would be remaining here for repairs to its balloon, because Silk Harbor had one of the only weaving factories in Menea that could produce the special fabric. “It's on Caveroe Street, on Tamerin Hill. Karthea's letters said it's not a far walk from the port.” She felt considerably more prepared to present herself to her cousin than she had before. For one thing, she had new clothes: a skirt, shirtwaist, and jacket, plus a cap, stockings, and a set of walking boots suitable for town or country. There was also an extra set of under things and a nightgown, and a shoulder satchel to carry them and what was left of her old clothes. On Miss Marlende's request, Mrs. Verian had run out to a large drapery shop not far from the harbor and purchased all of it for her. Emilie could now arrive at Cousin Karthea's looking respectable, with something to wear until the package with her own things arrived in the post.
The Marlendes would be back here in two weeks, to collect their airship and Emilie. She had decided to take the time to stay here and visit Karthea, so she could explain to her why she had left home, so Karthea would know the truth and be able to pass it along to the more far-flung members of the family. It would also be a good chance to write letters to her brother in the navy and her friend Porcia, to let them know she was all right. Emilie expected she would be spending much of her time at Karthea's studying up on just what it was a lady's assistant and social secretary did.
“All right, then, as long as it's not far. I'm going to give you some money-” Miss Marlende began, taking a small purse out of her jacket pocket.
“Oh no, I couldn't accept it!” Emilie said. She hadn't started her new position yet. “I'll be fine, really.”
“Emilie,” Miss Marlende eyed her. “Do you even have the money to buy dinner, if you had to?”
“Well, no.” The last of her money had been pinned into the pocket of her bloomers, and it had been lost at some point, probably one of the times she had had to jump into the water.
“Isn't that how you got into this situation?”
“Well, yes,” Emilie admitted. “Maybe I'd better take it.”
“Besides,” Miss Marlende said, handing her the purse. “You've already been acting as my assistant and as an auxiliary member of my father's ground crew, so we probably owe you back wages for the voyage.”
“Oh, that's true.” That was different than taking charity from a friend.
Miss Marlende continued, “I've also put in a note with the addresses for our townhouse in Meneport and my father's workshop. If you get into any difficulty in the next two weeks, please write to us or send a wire. Do contact us,” she emphasized. “Don't try to stow away on anything to get there. I can send someone to get you, or I can wire you passage money for a ferry.”
“I'd be a much better stowaway now than I was before,” Emilie had to point out.
“Yes, I'm sure you would.” Miss Marlende smiled, and hugged her again. “We'll see you soon, Emilie. Try not to get into trouble.”
“I'll try,” Emilie promised. She had already said goodbye to the others, and even given her direction to Lord Engal, who had said that he might need to contact her for her account of the voyage. But even knowing that she would see her again before long, it was still hard to walk away from Miss Marlende, waving goodbye.
Emilie managed it, heading down the dock toward the stairs that led up to the walkway, and the streets above it where the gas lamps were being lighted as dusk fell. The houses and shops of Silk Harbor were spread out over the low hills above the wide sweep of the port, the streets dotted with trees. She could see people on the paved walks, and house lights coming on. She took a deep breath, filled with the sea, boat tar, and the scents of grilled fish and beef from the nearest chophouse. It wasn't as busy a place as Meneport, perhaps, but much less easy to get lost in.
Footsteps pounded behind her and she glanced back, surprised to see Daniel. He was dressed in a much more respectable jacket and trousers than she had last seen him in, and had shaved recently. He carried a satchel over his good shoulder, and his other arm was still in a sling. Miss Marlende's bullet had torn his shoulder, but hadn't hit bone. It had done quite a bit more damage to Lord Ivers, though he would still recover.
“Hello,” Daniel said breathlessly as he caught up to her. “Miss Marlende said you were going this way.”
“Hello.” Emilie lifted an inquiring brow. “What are you doing here? Aren't you going to Meneport with the others?”
He explained, “My family lives in a small village a few miles outside of town. I was going to stay over here tonight and then head out to see them in the morning. I'll catch up with Dr. Marlende when he comes back to get the airship.” He looked a little bashful. “I thought I'd walk with you. Maybe your cousin can tell me where there's a good rooming house.”
“I see.” Emilie smiled, turning to head for the walkway. “Maybe she can.” And they walked up into the town together.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Martha Wells is the author of several fantasy novels, including Death of a Necromancer, which was a 1999 Nebula Nominee.
Publishers Weekly has said of her work: “Wells continues to demonstrate an impressive gift for creating finely detailed fantasy worlds rife with many-layered intrigues and immensely personable characters.” And she has been lauded by authors such as Anne McCaffrey and Robin Hobb.
Her books have been published in eight languages, including French, Spanish, German, Russian, and Dutch. Her most recent novels are The Cloud Roads and The Serpent Sea.