Agatha H. And the Clockwork Princess (42 page)

Zeetha’s grin vanished. “Prince Aaronev is dead. A lab accident, they say, though there’s a general feeling that there must be more to it. The town is officially in mourning. No one is allowed on the streets after dark. It’s expected that the Prince’s son, Tarvek, will be the new Prince, once the Baron’s Questor is satisfied.”

Lars looked intrigued. “A Questor? Here?”

Krosp nodded. “Balan’s Gap is an important trade city because of the pass. Plus, The House of Sturmvarous is a major player amongst the Fifty Families
⁵³
. The Baron has to be able to demonstrate that the succession here is legal and legitimate.”

Zeetha nodded. “A messenger has already been sent off to the Baron. Because of the city’s status, the Questor is expected to be here in time for the funeral. That should be in about three days. The bureaucracy is in a panic.” She indicated a large, ornate building which was doubly noticeable because most of its lights were still burning and if the evidence of its chimneys was to be believed, every fireplace in the building was going full blast. “Apparently there’re a lot of files that need to be ‘updated.’”

She continued with a grin. “The city is also
supposed
to be sealed. No one in, no one out, until the funeral. That’s the local tradition whenever one of the Royal Family dies.”

Dimo considered this. “Vot do dey say about Miz Agatha?”

At this Zeetha got serious. “Nothing.” Dimo started to shrug, but Zeetha interrupted him. “No, you don’t understand. Everyone is talking about everything because they’re worried. I can tell you a whole lot of gossip about the Royal Family. The guards, the servants, who’s looking after the royal horses—But about a young actress who was visiting the Royal Family when the Prince died? Nothing. Not a word. Not a
whisper
. It’s as if she were never there at all.”

Lucrezia’s movements were already more sure and graceful. Shurdlu and Eotain knelt before her, weeping tears of joy.

“Oh, you dear girls,” Lucrezia cooed. “You did it! I’m ever so pleased with you!”

This only sent the two into new paroxysms of joyful weeping. Lucrezia knelt next to them and gathered them within her arms.

“Oh Lady,” whispered Shurdlu. “To have you back at last…”

Eotain continued. “We have worked so hard.”

Lucrezia hugged them tighter in delight. “Shhh,” she whispered. “Yes, I know. And I missed you as well.” She released them. “Now pull yourselves together. I need you to be strong for me.”

She gracefully rose to her feet. Eotain reverently offered her Agatha’s glasses. Lucrezia looked at them blankly for a moment and then gingerly, with several attempts, slipped the loops over her ears. She looked around the room with a renewed interest, and paused as she saw Vrin huddled separately on the floor. She stepped over towards the prone woman.

“And you, Vrin, are you happy?”

“Of course, my Lady.” Vrin raised her face from the floor, but seemed incapable of raising her eyes above Lucrezia’s waist. Lucrezia realized that the woman was terrified. Interesting. She began to notice other things.

“Why is your hair cut?” Traditionally, the Geisterdamen never cut their hair.

“It… it is a mark of my shame, Lady.” When Lucrezia said nothing, she continued. “When first you sent us here, your gateway, and most of your device plans were destroyed. I… none of us could rebuild it. Even I, your High Priestess had not the skills.”

Lucrezia nodded slowly. This explained much
⁵⁴
. Vrin continued. “We were cut off from you, and I couldn’t even punish the…saboteurs.”

This word caused Lucrezia to sharply draw in her breath. Vrin finally dared to look Lucrezia in the face. “But I remembered the name of Prince Aaronev. With his help, I kept our sisters safe. We rebuilt your machine—” Here she broke down and wept. Years of tightly held frustration and fear were finally allowed release, in this, her moment of triumph. “And I found the child! Everything worked! You are here and I can finally—
finally
beg your forgiveness!”

Lucrezia’s eyes had gone cold. “Surely I sent adequate guards. Surely you knew how to utilize them. Who destroyed my gate?”

This was the moment Vrin had feared for years. “Oh Lady,” she whispered, “It was one of us.”

Lucrezia froze. “One of you?”

Vrin huddled prostate upon the floor. “Yes Lady,” she whispered, “The Lore Mistress, Milvistle. She…” Vrin swallowed, “She doubted your divinity.”

Fury filled Lucrezia’s face. “Is she dead?”

Vrin nodded frantically. “Yes, Mistress! But…”

Lucrezia grabbed Vrin’s hair and yanked her upright. “
But—?”

“But there are signs that she did not act alone!”

“Traitors?” Lucrezia screamed. “
Heretics?!
Amongst
my
priestesses? How
dare
they?”

She released Vrin and stood there, a look of calculating rage upon her face. If Geisterdamen had arrived here ready to rebel, there must be rebels plotting back in The Silver City. Right below her very nose…

This line of thought was cut off by the trembling woman at her feet. “There are others about whom I have doubts, my Lady.”

That caught Lucrezia’s attention. An opportunity to work off some of the betrayal and indignation she felt would be quite welcome indeed. “Who? Tell me!”

A smooth voice, speaking in perfect Geisterese, cut Vrin off before she could speak. “I trust
I
am not on that list, Lady Vrin.”

All four women whirled to see Tarvek Sturmvarous standing before them. Before they could react, he smoothly dropped to one knee and bowed in supplication. “Welcome back, My Lady.” He raised his head and smiled. “Allow me to be the first of many to offer you my service.”

Vrin opened her mouth angrily, but was stopped by Lucrezia gliding forward, her face a picture of joyful amazement. “Wilhelm?” She reached Tarvek and he rose to face her, surprise, and a touch of confusion in his eyes. Lucrezia studied his face and reaching out, sensuously slid her hands down his arms. Tarvek shivered.

“I can’t believe it,” Lucrezia breathed. “Why you’re—” her tongue delicately licked at a corner of her upper lip—“You’re looking better than ever!”

The light dawned. Tarvek cleared his throat. “Ah. Forgive me, my Lady. You have confused me with my late
father
, Aaronev Wilhelm Sturmvarous.” He stepped back and made a slight bow. “I am Aaronev
Tarvek
Sturmvarous, his son.”

This news caught Lucrezia by surprise. “Dead?” she whispered. “Faithful Wilhelm is dead?” She looked back up at Tarvek. “When?”

Tarvek sighed. “Just last night, I’m afraid. Like myself, he never faltered in his devotion to you, my Lady. But I’m afraid that actually finding your daughter precipitated a… crises of faith in my sister, Anevka. One that proved quite fatal to my father.”

Lucrezia closed her eyes and sighed heavily. She gently reached out and touched Tarvek’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry for the loss of your father.” Her eyes opened and they were as cold as space. “And now I really must kill your sister. Do bring her to me.”

Tarvek shrugged. “I have already ordered some of your priestesses to do just that.” He turned towards Vrin, who looked as if she would burst with barely suppressed rage. “That
was
the correct thing to do, wasn’t it, Lady Vrin?”

Vrin stared at Tarvek and opened her mouth. Her gaze shifted towards the hand that Lucrezia had delicately laid upon young Sturmvarous’ shoulder. She closed her mouth. “Yes,” she responded through clenched teeth. “Yes of course it was, Master Tarvek.”

Tarvek raised a finger imperiously. “
Prince
Tarvek,” he corrected her chidingly, “It is
Prince
Tarvek now, Lady Vrin.
Do
try to remember that.” Vrin stared at him for several moments, and then nodded with a jerk.

“I would suggest,” Tarvek said, turning his back to Vrin and addressing Lucrezia, “That the Lady Vrin and her retainers go and inform the rest of your priestesses that you have returned.”

Lucrezia smiled. “They’re here?”

Tarvek nodded. “A substantial number of them. When they first arrived, my father turned a cavern in the basement over to them. That is the Lady Vrin’s domain.”

Vrin reluctantly acknowledged this. “It is… a very comfortable place.” She shook herself and addressed Lucrezia. “We are divided into three shifts, My Lady, two of which were always traveling the Shadow World searching for the Holy Child, while the remaining third rested and guarded your machines.” A thought struck her. “We… we won’t have to search anymore. I don’t know where we’ll put everyone—”

She gasped as another thought struck her. She turned to Lucrezia and dropped to her knees. “My Lady,” she said, her voice quavering with emotion, “My Lady, our task has been fulfilled. May we… may we be allowed to return to The City of Silver Light?”

This question caught Lucrezia by surprise. She considered it. “Well, I don’t see why not,” she conceded.

The three Geisterdamen shrieked with joy. Eotain and Shurdlu hugged each other with almost bone-cracking force. Vrin stared up at Lucrezia with tears streaming from her eyes. Lucrezia held up an admonishing finger. “But not immediately, of course. I must repair the gateway and assemble other assistants as loyal as you have been.”

“Impossible!” Vrin swore. “There will never be anyone who loves and needs you as much as we do, Mistress!”

Lucrezia smiled. “I shall just have to make do.”

Tarvek leaned in. “Perhaps the Lady Vrin and her retainers should go to the caverns and let the others know the good news that you’ve returned, not to mention that they will be returning home.” Vrin looked at him. Tarvek continued, “plus I imagine, you’d like to smarten the place up a bit for when The Lady comes to inspect it?”

Vrin shot to her feet. “Of course! We will prepare a feast for my Lady!” She paused. “Most of the food of the Shadow World is rather disgusting, My Lady, but we make do.”

Tarvek nodded. “They’ve actually learned how to make a rather tasty cheese. We didn’t even know they’d brought cows down there—”

Vrin stuck out her tongue in disgust. “Moo-cows? Those stupid fat things? Ew. We make our ‘cheese’ from the juice of our own cob spiders.”

“Really?” Tarvek, who had eaten a lot of “cheese,” looked ill. “How fascinating.”

Lucrezia gave a snort of laughter and then looked startled.

Tarvek noticed. “Are you all right, my Lady?”

“There is so much that I have forgotten about this place,” Lucrezia murmured. “There is always so much happening, and so much of it is so delightfully ridiculous.”

The Geisterdamen formally bowed, and then darted off. Lucrezia looked after them fondly. She turned to Tarvek. “Vrin does not like you.”

Tarvek shrugged and started to walk. “She has been touchy and suspicious about everyone ever since your machinery was sabotaged. Rather unfairly, I feel, since none of our people were involved.” Lucrezia remained silent. Tarvek continued. “I shall have a suite set up for your use—”

At this point, Tarvek realized that Lucrezia was no longer by his side. He wheeled about and discovered a now naked Lucrezia delightedly examining herself in front of a large mirror. His strangled “glurk!” caught Lucrezia’s attention.

“Oh
do
forgive me,” she sang out as she turned and looked at herself over her shoulder. “It’s been so long since I…” she paused, and gave a peculiar laugh that sent a small chill up Tarvek’s spine, “Since I was really
human
, I suppose, that I have to get used to it all over again.” She ran her hands down her sides and nodded approvingly. “Yes, I can work with this.”

She turned back to Tarvek, who was resolutely facing away. Lucrezia smiled. This sort of thing was always fun. She sashayed over to him. “Now you were saying?”

Tarvek nodded. He turned, saw her lack of clothing and spun back, his face flushed. “Yes. Well. There are hidden parts of the castle. I’m afraid that you’ll have to stay out of sight for the next few days. Until after my father’s funeral. We can’t risk having the Baron’s people seeing you yet.”

Lucrezia frowned with mock severity as she oh-so-casually took his arm. She noted that he was sweating slightly. “But surely these are
your
lands.” She thought about this and continued more seriously. “What do you care about some Baron?”

That stopped Tarvek dead. He turned to look at her and to Lucrezia’s surprise, stayed focused on her face. “You really
have
been out of touch for a while. Interesting. Baron Wulfenbach means
nothing
to you?”

Lucrezia stared at him. She tried to stall for time and regain the upper hand by going back and picking up the clothing she had dropped. However, despite the view she provided, she saw that Tarvek was no longer flustered. The young Prince was more formidable than she had first thought.

“A Baron Wulfenbach you say? My, that does take me back. His
father
meant quite a lot to me, but that was such a long time ago.” She frowned in genuine annoyance now. “I wonder where
dear
Klaus was keeping his mother? I had thought him the last of his family.”

Tarvek looked confused. “Well, there is a son, yes, but the one we’re talking about—this is in fact the same Klaus Wulfenbach of whom I speak.”

Lucrezia’s jaw dropped. “HE CAME
BACK
?”

In Tarvek’s opinion, the fear and astonishment he saw in her face was the first honest emotion she had displayed. He nodded slowly. “Yes Lady. A few years after he disappeared.”

Lucrezia reeled. “Only a few—!”

She saw Tarvek studying her and caught herself. She allowed herself a small wistful smile and sighed affectionately. “That man.”

With that she pulled herself back together instantly. Tarvek was impressed. She raised her chin and smiled. “Very well. Klaus is here. How droll. He is but a Baron, how much trouble can he be?”

Tarvek stared at her. He slowly removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “Please have a seat, my Lady. This… this may take awhile.”