Tinker's War (The Tinkerer's Daughter Book 2) (29 page)

“And then it shoots the projectile, just like a rifle,” I said.

“Exactly. Only they don’t have to use cannon charges and lead balls because they’ve built it all into one unit.

“And that’s how they’re so powerful?” I said, still confused. “They used these cannons to wipe out our capital city in a few hours?”

“Well, not to discount the firepower of this weapon,” he said, “but there is more. Follow me.”

We went back into the stairwell, down to the next level. Here, Cabol led me to a series of smaller cannons with fuel tanks attached to them. I grimaced. “They shoot burning fuel at their enemies?” I said, horrified. “That’s the most cruel, vicious thing I’ve ever heard!”

My mind went back to the royal palace at Tal’mar and all of the burned bodies I’d seen lying on the ground. At the time, I had thought the palace caught fire during the attack. It had, but not in the way I’d imagined. Those people hadn’t been burned by accident. The Vangars had done it to them on purpose. I suddenly felt nauseas. I reached out, touching his arm to stabilize myself.

“Are you well?” he said.

I nodded, straightening myself. “I’ll be fine. I just can’t imagine… how could one man do this to another?”

“We’re talking about the Vangars,” he reminded me. “I suppose they would tell you that burning a few people allowed them to win more quickly, and saved lives in the end.”

I grimaced. He had a point, but I wasn’t sure how I felt about it.

“Or maybe they just like killing us,” he added cynically.

 “I think I’ve seen enough war today,” I said.

“Yes, ma’am. Can I help you back to the mansion?”

“No, I can find my way. Thank you Cabol.”

I wandered back toward the stairs and spent a few more minutes wandering around the dragon ship. On the second and third levels, I found the bunks. Three hundred of them. I knew it wasn’t the most accurate way to get a count of the Vangars, but it was a good place to start. If each ship was designed to accommodate three hundred men, then I simply needed to multiply that number by the number of ships they had arrived with. Of course, getting that number would be next to impossible. I knew a good way to start though. The bulk of the Vangar force was either in Avenston or in the mountains. One quick flight would be all I’d need…

Not today though
, I decided. Analyn was right, I wasn’t well enough to fly. Perhaps in the morning. Or perhaps, if I found the courage, I would give the task to Robie.

I forgot my thoughts as another wave of nausea struck me, and my head spun with vertigo. I thrust my hand out against the wall and lowered myself onto a bunk.
What is wrong with me?
I thought.

I waited for the dizziness to recede and then I closed my eyes, allowing my mind to drift. I moved my hands along my body, guiding my
sight
across my chest and torso, searching for the cause of the problem. A moment later, my eyes popped open and my breath caught in my chest. I took a deep breath.

“I’m fine,” I said aloud. “I’m going to be fine.”

I rose unsteadily from the bunk and made my way back down to the ground, and back to the palace. I was halfway up the stairs when Analyn came out of one of the rooms and spied me. “Breeze! What do you think you are doing?”

“Just went for a walk,” I said weakly.

“The doctor specifically ordered you to bed rest!” She caught one of my arms and tossed it over her shoulder. “Come along,” she said. “You’re going straight back to bed.”

I sighed, too weak to argue and having little desire to do so. At that point, I knew what I needed was rest and I didn’t care to fight it anymore. I
couldn’t
fight it anymore. I had to do what was best, not just for myself, but for the child growing in my womb.

Chapter 26

Robie returned later that evening and I heard his voice and Analyn’s coming down the hall. They quickly fell to whispers, and then I heard her guide him into a different room and close the door. It was impossible to hear any more at that point. I had half a mind to stalk down the hall and put my ear to the door just to spite them. Once again, my vigor had returned and I was feeling quite spirited. I knew better than to push my luck, though.

A short while later, Robie knocked on my door. “Enter,” I said coldly. He came in and stood next to the bed, looking down at me.

“Breeze, I was worried about you. Analyn said you went out today.”

“I just needed some fresh air,” I said. “I’m fine. And what of you? How was your flight?”

I saw worry flash over his face, but he quickly suppressed it. “There wasn’t much to see, really,” he said. “Dragon ships all over the place, just like always.”

“And the mountain? Did they take it to Avenston?”

“Nearly so. They stopped over the plains east of the city and appear to be working from there.”

“Did you count the ships?”

He twisted his face up. “Count them? No, what would be the point of that? We know there are dozens, maybe even hundreds-”

“Well which is it?” I snapped. “Dozens or hundreds?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“Then I think you should see the wisdom in counting them!”

A pained expression crossed his face and suddenly I felt sorry for yelling at him. “Have I done something wrong?” he said quietly. “Why are you so furious with me?”

I pursed my lips, tears rising to my eyes. “You haven’t done anything,” I said. “I’m just angry… I’m frustrated, that’s all.”

He settled down on the bed next to me, taking my hands. “Breeze, don’t be angry with me. I’ll do anything to make you happy.”

Naturally, that made me feel even worse. Tears streamed down my cheeks and he wiped them away with his large, calloused hands. I reached out to him, pulling him into my embrace. He held me quietly for a while, cradled in his arms. For a moment, it seemed the dark, quiet mansion would swallow us up, until Analyn came to the door. She knocked and I immediately invited her in.

“I see the two of you are getting reacquainted,” she said, grinning.

Robie turned red with embarrassment, and rose from the bed. I smiled, more at his reaction than at her teasing. For a full-grown man, he seemed to behave like a little boy with surprising regularity. “I’ve ordered dinner brought to the room for you,” she said. “For both of you, that is.”

“Thank you, Analyn,” I said. “I was just asking Robie about his flight. It seems he saw nothing out of the ordinary.”

Analyn glanced at him and then back at me, her face unreadable. “Then that must be good news,” she said. “All the better for you to rest.” She glanced at Robie again and this time I understood the meaning of it. I waited for Analyn to leave before I ripped into him again. As soon as I heard her footsteps disappear down the hall, I let him have it:

“What are you and Analyn keeping from me?” I said angrily.

“Breeze, don’t. You need to rest-”

“Do I look to you like I’m getting rest right now?” I said, my eyes wild. “Whatever you’re not telling me… it’s a betrayal of our trust, that’s what it is. Do you think my trust isn’t important?”

“Of course, not! I just don’t want you to worry.”

“Yet for some reason, I’m worried,” I said cynically. “Why do you suppose that is?”

“Breeze, if you’d just forget about it…”

“I will not! You should know me well enough by now Robie, to know that I will not turn my head and pretend everything is just fine. If there is something I should know about then tell me for goodness’ sake, otherwise I’ll be sneaking out of my room the first chance I get to find out what’s going on.”

He sighed, slumping his shoulders. “You would, wouldn’t you?” he said.

“I would and I have.”

“I figured as much. Where did you go?”

“I spoke to Cabol, the engineer. And don’t try to change the subject. What are you hiding from me?”

He took a deep breath, running his hand through his thick, black hair. “I told you the Vangars have stopped short of Avenston, and that they’re working from there.”

“Yes.”

“What I didn’t tell you is that now that they’ve settled, some of the ships have separated from the group. Several more seem to be en route to the area, as if they’re gathering for something.”

“You think they’re getting ready to attack us then?”

“It would seem so.”

“What does Analyn plan to do about it?”

“She will be choosing fighters tonight, and trying to arm them the best she can. It will be a day at least before the Vangars arrive. Analyn hopes that will be enough time.”

“What about the dragon ships?” I said. “The ones we have captured?”

“We don’t have the manpower to use them. The engineers will pull the cannons and mount them around the city. We will try to replicate more of their ammunition, but we’re in a race against time. We may be limited to what they left on the ships.”

I considered that. It wasn’t a bad plan, considering what we had to work with. The one thing we had working in our favor was that the Vangars couldn’t manage a full frontal assault. They were coming at us with five, maybe ten dragon ships. That was a formidable force, but not unstoppable.

“And what about you?” I said. “What does she have planned for her new spy?”

“I’m to begin training new pilots tonight.”

“Pilots?”

“Yes, we have seven gyroplanes working now.”

My face fell. “No, Robie. You can’t be serious!”

“It’s not as bad as you think. Our engineers have analyzed the Vangars’ weapons and we understand now why they prefer gyroplanes. They may be small and underpowered, but they are evasive. They can pull maneuvers a plane wouldn’t even dream of! It would be next to impossible to hit a gyroplane with a cannon or a rifle.”

“But still,” I protested, “the Vangars must know the flaws in their own technology. To do this, to take stolen gyroplanes and fly them against dragon ships… it’s insane!”

“This is why Analyn asked me not to tell you,” he said. “She knew how it would upset you. She knew how you would fight.”

“Leave me alone,” I said angrily. “I have to think.”

He turned away from me and quietly left. I was angry enough to ignore the guilt I felt for chasing him away, and I focused on that anger, trying to maintain it. Without it, I knew I’d lose all sense of perspective. For now, I had to think clearly. I had to think of Robie not as my lover, not as my mate, but as my best pilot. And that, as much as it pained me, was why I knew Analyn was right. I had to let him fly.

That didn’t mean he was flying alone, though. I went to sleep that night fully intending to join with him in the assault.

When I woke the next morning, I still felt tainted by the sickness but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been on previous days. I splashed cool water on my face and then went to the kitchen to help myself to a breakfast of fresh fruit and bread. It was later than I’d hoped, and I had the kitchen to myself. I felt strangely at peace sitting there alone, staring at the bright autumn colors outside. Part of me wanted to just stay there forever. The other part knew it could never be.

As I stepped out of the mansion and the cool autumn wind blew across my face, I still felt surprisingly hopeful. I saw the trees waving up and down the streets, their once green leaves now fading to brilliant crimson, gold, and purple, and I was reminded of a day I hadn’t thought of in years.

It reminded me of that cool autumn morning when my father had left me with Tinker, when the world had seemed pure and new, before I knew how evil men could be or what purposes they might turn their dark hearts toward. That morning so long ago had turned sorrowful for me, but upon reflection, I had always seen it not as an ending but as a new beginning. I spent two years with Tinker doing little more than watching him work and studying and learning. I aged quickly, as all Tal’mar children do, and I found myself leaving childhood behind and becoming a young woman far before my sensibilities knew how to handle these changes. My entire childhood had taken place in that narrow valley, in Tinker’s little cottage that backed right up to the mountains.

As I left the mansion and passed through the gates into the city, I felt as if I had traveled back in time to that cool autumn morning. But now I was a woman. I knew the world for what it was. I was no longer naive or confused, but somehow I still dared to feel that same hope. I still dared to believe that somehow, everything would turn out all right.

The leaves fell around me as I walked, drifting lazily on the breeze, crunching under my boots against the cobblestones. It was a peaceful moment, a moment to treasure, and I only wished Robie and Tinker could have been there to share it with me. Still, I fought the urge to linger. I couldn’t long forget the worries facing us.

Robie and the other pilots were circling in for a landing when I reached the airfield. I noted that they hadn’t been flying very quickly, nor very high. Still, I was impressed to see all seven gyros in the air at once. Robie had actually managed to train six new pilots during the night. I almost felt bad about the fact that one of them would have to remain behind because I would be flying in his place.

“Commander!” Cabol said, running up to me. “I’ve got good news.”

He led me over to a workbench in the shadow of the dragon ship. There, he had laid out several new devices. I recognized the first instantly, though I had never seen before. “Is that a revolver-rifle?” I said.

“It is. One of the other engineers made this a few years ago as an experiment. He never found a practical use for it until now.”

“How does it work?”

“Just like any other revolver. When you pull the trigger and fire, the cylinder rotates, bringing another charge into the chamber. This rifle holds ten rounds, but we might be able to fit a larger cylinder to it.”

“And you can mount this to a gyro?” I said.

He smiled, pointing at a twisted metal bar lying on the ground next to us. “That’s the brace right there. It’ll mount in front of the pilot. I’m just waiting for the gyros to land long enough that we can mount one and test it.”