Secrets of the New World (Infini Calendar) (Volume 2) (4 page)

Without even looking at her, he said off-handedly, “Something which will secure our alliance with the Americans. That’s all you need to know for now.”

She muttered under her breath, “Condescending bastard.”

“What was that?” he said sharply.

“Nothing.”

“I thought so.” He finished saying goodbye to his wife and boarded the ship.

Frederick, who had been standing next to her, leaned in to offer advice. “It’s probably not a good idea to risk upsetting him. Don’t forget what he threatened to do last time you, ah,
criticized
him.”

She whirled around and grabbed him by the collar. “If you want that tongue to remain in your mouth, you’ll keep it in check. Do you understand?”

“Yes, of course,” he replied just as fast as he could get the words out.

Satisfied, she turned around to look up the boarding ramp of the ship and momentarily forgot about Frederick. “I know I’ve seen that chest before. But where?”

“I didn’t see it in my time at the Hofburg,” Frederick offered.

“I get the feeling it’s been a long time since I’ve seen it,” she said.

She was unable to come up with the answer, so she shrugged and boarded the ship with Frederick right behind her. She soon found her cabin and was thankful she wouldn’t have to share it with Frederick since he had his own.

***

When everyone was aboard, the
Hapsburg Pride
set sail and was on its way. They would sail southeast down the Danube, travelling across Europe. They would eventually have to head northeast until they exited into the Black Sea. From there they would travel south through the Istanbul Strait into the Sea of Marmara, where they would travel southwest until they reached the strait of the Dardanelles, which would lead them into the Aegean Sea. At this point they would be between Turkey and Greece. All they would have to do then would be to head south into the Mediterranean, navigating around the various islands of the Aegean Sea, and travel west out of Europe.

***

The President’s Palace, Washington, D.C., November 6, 1792 (Infini Calendar), 9:08 a.m.

She knocked at the door. A voice called out, “Come in.”

She entered the Oval Office. “You called for me, Mr. President?”

The president of the United States stood up to greet his assistant and confidant. “Yes, Mary. I thank you for coming. The reason I’ve called you in here concerns an upcoming visit from the emperor of Austria.”

“Austria? I thought it was a
French
delegation that was coming.”

“That is true. However, an Austrian delegation will also be arriving here around the same time.”

She could guess as to why. “For the same reason, sir?”

He nodded. “Yes. They’ve seen our technological advances and they wish to partake. I’ve agreed to negotiate a treaty with them.”

The blonde woman fumbled with her glasses to keep them from slipping off her face. She thought she might never get used to the things. “Have you given the Austrians the same condition as the French?”

“That’s right,” he said. “And Emperor Leopold II has agreed to the terms. It seems both Austria and France have pieces they are willing to give us.”

Mary, however, had her doubts. “We still don’t know if the pieces will even do anything when assembled.”

He sighed and said, “You’re right; we don’t. But Ben believed it. And that is enough for me.”

“A pity Mr. Franklin is no longer with us. He was a true visionary.”

“You are correct in that regard. However, I fear we have gotten off topic. I would like you to make the proper preparations for the arrival of our guests. Perhaps you can give them a tour of the city.”

“I would be happy to.”

“And the Austrians in particular would likely enjoy one of your violin sonatas.”

“Rest assured, I will endeavor to make their visit a pleasurable one,” she agreed.

“Thank you, Mary. I can always count on your hospitality.” Despite the fact that his wooden dentures made it difficult for him to smile, she could hear the warmth in his voice. “That will be all, for now.”

She bowed and left the Oval Office. As soon as she closed the door behind her, though, she was struck with a thought she hadn’t been able to entertain while engaged in conversation with the President. This thought filled her with both excitement and unease.
If Leopold II is coming to Washington, does that mean
she
is coming as well?

This could be trouble. The President may have conquered Great Britain, but he had never seen the likes of that unpredictable Austrian. Mary decided she would have to take steps to prepare for the possibility of
her
arrival.

Her glasses suddenly fell to the floor, and she sighed and bent down to pick them up.

Chapter IV: Ambush on the Istanbul Strait

The Istanbul Strait, November 11, 1792 (Infini Calendar), 12:00 p.m.

On the fifth day of their journey, the
Hapsburg Pride
entered the narrow strait, which connected the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara, known as the Istanbul Strait.

Located east of Constantinople, the Istanbul Strait was a dangerous region to sail. With sharp turns that had to be executed to successfully navigate the strait, it was entirely possible to run straight into previously unseen ships coming from the opposite direction. Heavy currents also posed a hazard to vessels.

At that point, no one on board was more acutely aware of the currents than Farahilde. She was currently leaning over the portside railing trying to keep from emptying the entirety of her stomach, a battle she was losing.

“Farahilde? Are you all right?” said a voice from behind her which she recognized as that of Frederick.

With great effort, she managed to turn her seasick head around to yell at him. “What do you think, genius? Of course I’m not all right.”

“You look…green,” he said. “This is strange; you had your own airship. Shouldn’t you be used to this?”

She replied, “Airships are different. There aren’t any waves or ocean currents in the sky. God, I wish I still had—Ulp!” Her words were cut off as a fresh wave of nausea overcame her. She returned her head to its original position overlooking the water.

An errand boy arrived and told them Leopold wished to speak with them both in his cabin. Farahilde waved off the messenger, as she was too sick to speak. She managed to then divorce herself from the railing with the intention of lumbering over to Leopold’s cabin.

It was at that moment that a strong wave hit the ship. She fell forward, but instead of dropping to the deck, she fell into the arms of Frederick, who had rushed forward to catch her. She found herself staring into his eyes. “Are you unhurt?” he asked.

Since she had taken great efforts to avoid him throughout their time together, she wasn’t aware of the strong arms he possessed. She had thought him to be a weakling, but perhaps that was not entirely the case. “Fine. I didn’t need your help.”

“Nevertheless, I cannot allow any harm to come to my future wife.”

He let go of her, and she stood there for a moment to make sure she could actually remain on her feet. Once she was satisfied that this was the case, she proceeded to Leopold’s cabin.

“You are late, my sister,” Leopold said when they entered. He was sitting on his lavish bed smoking a pipe.

Still feeling queasy, she said, “I’m not in the mood, Leo. And if you keep smoking those pipes, you’re going to start feeling as bad as me.” She then planted herself and sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the bed. “What do you want?”

He motioned with his pipe towards the chest that sat between her and the bed. It was the same chest she had puzzled over earlier. “I think it’s about time I told you what’s inside this. In the event that anything befalls me, it will be up to you to deliver it to the President of the United States.”

“What’s so damned important about it?”

“Open it up and see.”

She did so, and was stunned by its contents. “You’re giving
this
to the Americans? Why would they want this thing?”

“What are you talking about?” Frederick asked. He refrained from looking in the chest, possibly in the event its contents weren’t for his eyes.

Leopold replied, “Take a look.”

Frederick peered inside, and when he did so, he saw the thing that had shocked Farahilde: a slender three-foot-long piece of orange metal covered in strange symbols he had never seen before. “This is a queer artifact,” he observed.

“It has been in the Hapsburg family for hundreds of years,” Leopold explained. “Legend says it arrived here from another world. Up until now, though, it has only held archeological value.”

“So why are we giving it to the Americans?” Farahilde asked, still incredulous.

“Because when I wrote them asking what they might want in exchange for negotiating a treaty, they inquired if we had any objects matching its description. I said yes, and they indicated their president George Washington would be willing to give us technology in exchange for this strange chunk of metal.”

“If they want it so badly, they must know something about it. Are you sure we can afford to give it to them?” Farahilde asked. She was beginning to think the object was more important than it appeared.

           “It’s been in our family all these years, and we haven’t been able to learn a thing about it,” Leopold said. “If it can bring us new technology, that is probably the most use we’ll ever get out of it.”

“I don’t like it,” she said.

“You don’t have to like it. You simply have to obey my orders.” He turned his attention to Frederick. “Young Frederick, I want you to observe the negotiation process. That will give you valuable experience for the day when you are king.”

“Understood.”

Leopold took a final smoke on his pipe and coughed. “That’s all I wanted to talk to you two about. You may leave—”

The ship suddenly shook violently with a roar. Leopold managed to hang onto his bed post, but Frederick fell forward onto Farahilde who was still on the floor.

“What was that?” Leopold shouted.

“Perhaps the something happened to the engine,” Frederick said.

“Get off me, you idiot! We could be under attack.”

“Oh! Please pardon me, Farahilde.”

Frederick let her up, and she bounded out onto the deck. Despite everything, her seasickness had let up, so she was ready to fight anyone foolish enough to pick a fight with a ship she was on.

However, there were no other ships around. So, then, at least they weren’t under attack. Maybe they had hit a rock which was hiding under the water. She asked the
Hapsburg’s Pride
’s captain if this was the case, but he replied: negative.

There was a loud commotion behind her as a company of guards hauled a man out onto the deck. They forced him to his knees. “Who is this?” she demanded to know.

The captain of the royal guards explained, “He was a seaman working down in the engine room. He was right there when the explosion happened. He sabotaged the engine.”