Frieda didn’t look impressed. Emily didn’t blame her. She’d gone from a mountain village to Mountaintop, then to Whitehall and Zangaria. Beneficence had to look chaotic to her, a melange of people jammed together on a small island. The city was roughly the same size as Manhattan Island, Emily thought, with far too many people crammed into its towering buildings. Indeed, some buildings along the edge of the cliff face had clearly been built on top of other, older buildings. The line of runes carved into the stone probably helped keep them upright. Emily hoped, for the sake of the inhabitants, that the magic never failed. The entire structure might collapse under its own weight.
You can build a house out of clouds, with enough magic, she thought. Beneficence didn’t seem to have made that mistake, thankfully. The spells were common knowledge – and almost never used. And if the magic fails, you’ll plummet to your death.
She listened, absently, as Caleb talked about the virtues of a cosmopolitan city. Beneficence drew on ideas from all over the world, ranging from complex spells to new building techniques…even their cooking drew on ideas from far and wide. In addition, Beneficence had become a center of the New Learning, spreading ideas across the world. Emily wondered, as they passed a pair of sailors who eyed Frieda and her with interest, what they’d say if they knew she’d founded the New Learning. Would they believe it was her?
“You’ll like this,” Caleb said, as they reached the edge of the docks. “You probably designed its grandfather.”
Emily’s eyes went wide as she saw the funicular. A small car – practically a tiny railway carriage – sat at the bottom of the track, its twin perched at the top. A steam engine puffed to life as the carriages began to move, one heading up the track while the other slid down. She couldn’t help smiling as she realized what a particularly ingenious engineer had built. A funicular might normally be powered by humans – there were plenty of slaves in the city – but this one drew on steam. It was probably nowhere near as efficient as an electric motor, yet it advertised the potentials of steam technology to the entire world.
Caleb led them to the ticket booth and handed over a couple of coins. Emily followed him into the car, looking around with interest. Someone had pulled out all the stops, furnishing the interior with luxury seats and even a small bar…she shook her head with wry amusement at the sight. The trip would only take five minutes. They wouldn’t be in the car long enough to have a drink. She turned her head to peer up the track and saw a stylized golden ‘V’ carved into the metal framework. Another was clearly displayed on the upper station. Anyone coming into the Caldron could probably see it, if they bothered to look.
“That’s Vesperian’s symbol,” Caleb said. He stepped up beside her, wrapping his arm around her waist. “He’s one of the richest men in the city, Emily, and he owes it all to you.”
“Watch your hand,” Frieda called. “And behave.”
Emily felt her cheeks heat as Caleb pulled back. “You don’t need to be that careful,” she said, embarrassed. “We’ll behave.”
Frieda smirked. “Lady Barb made me promise to protect you,” she said, sticking out her tongue. “And I don’t want to disappoint her.”
“No one wants to disappoint her,” Emily said.
She felt a pang of sadness. She’d hoped that Lady Barb would accompany her to Beneficence, but Lady Barb had stayed with Sergeant Miles instead. Now that the necromancer was dead, the vast army that had assembled to defend Tarsier was breaking up and making its way home. Emily wasn’t sure why Sergeant Miles had needed to stay in Farrakhan to assist Lord Alcott in disbanding the host, but he apparently hadn’t had a choice. Half the other combat sorcerers had already returned to the White City, where Master Bone was facing an inquest. He might not have known that Gaius was a spy and a traitor, but he still had some pretty sharp questions to answer.
A low rattle echoed through the car, followed by a series of jerks. She and Caleb sat down hastily as the car started to move, inching its way up the track. Frieda giggled as she looked up, watching the other car heading down towards them. Emily knew – she hoped she knew – that it was perfectly safe, but it still looked ominous as the other car flashed past and headed to the bottom. Their car rattled into the upper station a moment later, the conductor unlatching the doors. Outside, the giant ‘V’ was everywhere.
“Welcome back.” Caleb’s voice turned regretful. “I wish you’d come under happier circumstances.”
“So do I,” Emily said. She’d found Beneficence to be a fascinating city, the last time she’d visited. “Caleb…”
Caleb squeezed her hand. “We’ll talk about it later,” he said, softly. “I…”
The streets were crowded, Emily realized, as they came out of the station. Thousands of people were hurrying from place to place as though their lives depended on them being on time. A long line of sailors headed down the ladders to the docks, choosing not to ride the funicular. It was probably too expensive for them, she reasoned. Indeed, she couldn’t help wondering if it made enough to offset the original investment and running costs. There didn’t seem to be any shortage of coolies carrying goods up the ladders and taking them into the city.
She took a breath and regretted it, instantly. The omnipresent stench of fish mingled with the scent of a primitive city: shit and piss, sweat and horse dung. Beneficence had slaves who were employed merely to clear the streets – as well as a reasonably modern plumbing system – but it still stank. She hated to think of how many diseases might be breeding in the streets. London had had a nasty outbreak of cholera that had been traced back to a single water pump.
Caleb pushed his way onwards, into the crowd. Emily gritted her teeth as she followed him, clutching to his hand as through it were a life preserver. She’d never liked crowds. Frieda stayed next to Emily, one hand raised in a casting pose. She probably didn’t like crowds either. It was a relief when the crowds started to thin out…