Kate arched off the table, crying out. Simon held her down through the spasm. Her breathing took a last deep gasp and she collapsed. He desperately sought for the rise and fall of her chest under his hand. Several seconds passed with no further breaths. Simon grabbed the blade again, his thoughts plunging dark. Turning the blade inward, he looked back at Kate, memorizing her face.
Her eyelashes fluttered and at last she took a breath, normal and gentle as if she were just waking from a distant dream. The scalpel dropped to the floor with a clatter as he gathered her in his arms.
“Kate!”
She opened her eyes. “Simon. You’re all right.”
He clutched her tight and in her surprise she held him, her hand cupping the back of his head as it pressed against her neck.
“I knew you would save me,” she whispered.
He couldn’t answer her, the state of his voice was precarious. She was alive, that was all that mattered.
“Your powers? Have they returned?” Kate pushed him back, taking in his torso, blank but for the single tattoo over his heart. Such hope filled her, not even concerned about her own present state. “Please tell me this wasn’t all in vain.”
“I don’t know. I feel different. My blood feels like it’s on fire, but I can’t command the aether.”
“Then how did you—?” It was then she noticed the state of her undress and the runic patterns of ink and blood smeared across her chest. “Oh!”
“It was my blood that halted the flow of energy passing between us.”
Just over Kate’s heart, like Simon’s, an inverted rune was burned into her flesh. The skin was puckered and tight like a brand. It was then she noticed his hand dripping blood. She ripped what was left of her blouse and quickly tied it around his palm.
“Blood against blood,” she realized.
“More specifically your blood to begin and mine to end. It took me precious minutes to figure it out. I almost lost you in my folly. I am not familiar with the illogic of blood magic.”
The house shook violently again. Wide-eyed, Kate regarded him with questions.
“We have visitors,” Simon said.
“Jesus. You’d think I was running a bloody public house.” Her mouth quirked into a weary smile. “We need a holiday.”
“I know a spot by a stream in the Scottish highlands near Ft. Augustus,” Simon offered.
Kate’s eyes softened as she slid off the table. “It sounds lovely. I’ll meet you there when this is all over.” She retrieved a bandolier of vials and slung it over her bare shoulder. She lifted her special crossbow and snapped it open, ready for battle. “Shall we go greet our guests?”
Malcolm dodged a smashing blow by a mechanical arm. He fired his massive Lancasters, but the heavy balls merely bounced off the metal beast that rose before him. Hogarth’s mace slammed down against the steel limb, sending flakes of paint flying. That was the extent of the damage he did to the same mechanical monstrosity they had faced on Old London Bridge and which now crawled on its piston-driven legs over the ruined north grounds toward Hartley Hall.
“Where the hell is Penny?” Malcolm shouted. “This thing will tear us to pieces.”
In answer came a thunderous boom over their heads, and the front of the mecha blossomed into smoke and fire. It fell off balance, kicking up dirt and dust.
“Keep your kilt on,” the engineer yelled back, a bit out of breath and lugging her long brass blunderbuss. “I’m right here. Holy God, I need to make this gun more portable.”
Malcolm helped her bring the cannon back onto her shoulder and shoved another canister in. “Keep it away from the house.”
She fired the blunderbuss at the crawler’s undercarriage just as it propped itself up on its long arm, trying to get its flailing legs under it again. The blast knocked it face-first onto the gravel drive.
“Find Barker!” Malcolm yelled to Hogarth. “We need him.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And then go to Charlotte and keep her out of the fight. She’s still too weak.”
“Yes, sir.” Hogarth raced for the house.
“Look at you, giving orders.” Penny smirked.
“Just take that bloody thing down!”
“With pleasure. I loaded more powder in these canisters. I could take down a cathedral.” Penny let another canister fly. The blast impact sent both Malcolm and Penny to the ground as a wave of smoke and dirt rained down on them.
Nick appeared through the haze. He pulled Penny to her feet and stared at the metal monster. “Great. Just what we need. We fared so well against it last time.”
“Got anything more helpful than that?” growled Malcolm just as the machine lurched back to its feet. The mecha abruptly vented steam. The pistons in the legs contracted and it crouched on the ground like a huge elephant settling. Gears ground and numerous panels lifted and shifted aside along its back and abdomen.
“I don’t like this,” muttered Nick.
Things began falling from the body of the giant machine. Each one moved on spindly legs out of the way of other objects dropping behind it. They were the size of large cats, but resembled metal spiders with bulbous translucent abdomens of different colors.
“They’re heading for the house!” Penny shouted in alarm.