Panic filled Westie until she felt as if she might suffocate in it. “You need to use the Fairfields’ gold to buy the parts you need to finish Emma.”
Nigel shook his head. “Everyone selling copper knows that I’m broke. I’ve traded off everything I had of any value. And the authorities know the Fairfields’ gold has been stolen. They’ll be looking for anyone making large purchases with raw gold.”
Westie thought about Costin’s gray skin, the dark rings around his eyes. He’d saved her life more than once, and there was no way she would let him die over her vendetta against the Fairfields. If she hadn’t taken their gold, Nigel might have already had the investment money and the parts he needed to complete Emma by now.
She held on to the back of a rocking chair on the porch to keep steady, but crushed it with her machine instead and stumbled backward. One of the Wintu men caught her before she could fall. It took all the fight in her to keep from crying.
“Then I’ll sell myself to the blood brothel to get the money. I’ll do anything. Just please save them.”
Nigel grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her until her eyes cleared. “You will do no such thing,” he said. When he saw the shocked expression on her face, he took a step back. “I’m sorry. But please, Westie, don’t go to the vampires. The Wintu have this under control. They plan to shorten the perimeters of the ward to exclude the lake and the crag. With the crag unprotected, people will stop mining. There are dwarves in those hills who were always attacking humans before the ward went up.”
“It’s too bad all the water creatures died off from pollutants,” Westie said bitterly. “Folks never would’ve survived the boat trip it took to get to the crag in the first place.”
“I don’t want you to worry,” Nigel said. “If things start looking dire, we’ll move the creatures north where there’s hardly any human presence and magic is dense. The north has a thriving creature population.”
“These aren’t wild creatures you’re talking about transplanting, Nigel. Some have been in Rogue City since the ward went up. They’re just as pampered as the rest of us. And what about the ones who can’t survive the colder climate in the north? The vamps will be fine, but elves are cold-blooded. There’s no way they’ll make it through the winter. I doubt many would even survive the journey there. Have you seen how weak they are?”
Nigel said, “You know I won’t let anything happen to the creatures. You leave their safety to me and leave the magic to the Wintu. Right now I just need you to stay out of the way. I don’t need to be worrying about you too.”
Westie tapped her foot, arms crossed over her chest, trying to hide the fact that it hurt her to know he thought of her as being in the way.
She nodded, tossing aside the remnants of the rocking chair still clutched in her metal grip, and walked away.
Thirty-Two
Jezebel and Lucky tore through the house to meet Westie at the door. She gave them each a pat on the head in greeting and went straight to her room to pack, stuffing her clothes into a saddlebag as she prepared to leave with the Wintu.
She had almost finished packing, feeling confident about her decision to leave, when she heard the door creak open and then closed behind her.
“What are you doing?” Alistair’s metal voice said.
Westie continued to pack garments while Alistair stood beside her, pulling clothes out of her bag and putting them back into her wardrobe.
“Stop that.” She swatted his hand away, her face shades of red when he refused to let go of her knickers.
“I’ll stop when you answer me.”
She tossed her extra stockings to the bed. “I’m going to go stay with Bena.”
“Why?” Alistair asked.
“That’s none of your concern.”
“Then I suppose you don’t want these back.”
He held her knickers to his front as if he were sizing them.
She let out a mortified squeal. “Give those back.”
“No.” He jumped onto her bed and over it, his boots landing hard on the wood floor.
“Alistair . . .” The metal in her knuckles ground together when she made a fist.
“An answer to my question would be lovely.” He made her knickers dance, which only deepened her humiliation.
She sighed, finally giving in to his taunting. “I’m going to leave with the Wintu and say I’m staying with Bena.”
“Where are you really going?”
“To keep an eye on the Fairfields. Nigel wants me to sit at home, doing nothing so he doesn’t have to worry about me, but I can’t do that. I need to be out from under his eye.”
Alistair tossed her knickers into a corner. “How will I find you if I need you?”
“I’ll check in from time to time.” She lifted her saddlebag, hoisting it over her shoulder. If she left now, she could get to the Wintu before they left. Nigel wouldn’t make a scene of her leaving in front of Bena and Big Fish.