A Study In Ashes Part 57

"I was there the night it was destroyed."

"Ah, you were with Madam Thala.s.sa?"

"Yes."

"That was a blow well struck." The woman's look of satisfaction made her look younger. Once upon a time she might have even been pretty, but suffering had stripped any softness from her features.

The conversation dwindled as the tunnel gave way to a cavern lined with brick. Barrels were stacked against the wall and Evelina thought perhaps it might have once been part of a merchant's cellar. The party came to a stop.

"This is as far as we go," said the woman. "Our job is to patrol the tunnel and bring any who stray beneath the streets to this way station."

"Did you see the Blue King?" Nick spoke for the first time since they'd been captured. His voice sounded strained, and Evelina remembered this wasn't the first time he'd been taken prisoner.

"We do not share information," their captor said. "What you learn from the underground is Lord Fawkes's decision."

"Lord Fawkes?" asked the prince.

The skin on Evelina's back began to creep and she turned. There stood a Wraith with two of the Others cringing at his feet like whipped curs. An aura of fear surrounded him as it did all the Wraiths, making her grow short of breath. It wasn't something she could see or smell, but it writhed around him all the same, turning her stomach to a tight, icy ball.

"I am Fawkes," said the figure in a cultured accent. The voice was the only clue Evelina had about the man. He was tall, dressed in a tailcoat and top hat, but the hat was draped in a black veil that hid his face. The torch he held revealed nothing. "Follow."

The word had the force of a compulsion. Evelina gripped Nick's hand, reluctant to leave the half humans behind. At least she knew they had once been men and women. She wasn't sure about their new guide. She'd always a.s.sumed the term "Wraith" was a term of affiliation like "Yellowback," but now she wondered if it might refer to a species.

All conversation ceased as they carried on, the top-hatted Wraith in the lead. The two Others followed behind, more than ensuring that no one tried to leave the procession. Here most signs of the world aboveground dwindled. Vast caverns opened up, revealing dark streams and lakes that never saw daylight. The scent of magic hung everywhere, giving a faint glow to the surface of the rock and sometimes manifesting in fantastic vegetation that had no business growing underground. Strange and disturbing birds clung to the branches, singing like the echo of heartbreak.

But the landscape wasn't the strangest thing there. Evelina caught glimpses of figures darting through the darkness-some humanlike, some not-and felt the presence of ten times that number hiding just out of sight. Her magic reared up, ready to fight as she caught the scent of their predatory interest. It occurred to her that no one had asked for their weapons. Perhaps for these creatures, anything short of an aether cannon simply didn't matter.

It was hard to say how long they'd walked, but Evelina was about ready to drop when they reached a narrow pa.s.sage in the rock. Lord Fawkes stood aside, signaling for them to proceed.

Nick balked. "What's on the other side of this?"

"Your destination," Fawkes said without emotion. "I shall be right behind you."

Nick looked at Evelina, then pulled her tight, giving her a hard kiss that left her lips hot and aching. Then wordlessly, he pushed through the gap in the stone, turning so his shoulders would pa.s.s. She followed, and Prince Edmond after her. The pa.s.sage was only about eight feet long, but it opened into a vast cavern large enough for the Athena to dock twice over. Torches burned along the walls and more wraiths stood at intervals between the flaming lights, their features hidden with hoods and veils. Some of the figures were dressed like Fawkes, in relatively modern clothes. More looked as if they wore the costumes of a bygone age. All had Others crouched like guard dogs at their feet. In the center of the cavern sat a metal throne in the shape of a hand, but the clawed fingers that formed the back said no human had served as its model.

Something was curled around the throne. At first Evelina thought it was simply part of the surrounding stone, but the light caught a gleam as the thing s.h.i.+fted. Nick's breathing quickened and she felt him move to get between her and the uncoiling ropes of muscle and rippling black skin. Evelina caught his shoulder. "Wait," she whispered. "I need to see."

And there wasn't much Nick could have done to protect her as the dragon reared up. Red eyes glittered, but they were bright with an intelligence every bit as old as Athena. Pale horns coiled from the black head, long whiskers trailing from a mouth filled with ivory fangs. The thing wasn't tall, standing only the height of a man, but it was at least twenty feet from nose to tail.

Prince Edmond turned pale. "What ..."

"Do not speak in the presence of our king!" Lord Fawkes ordered. Then his voice dropped. "Unfortunately, the noise of your war has awakened him. That was not a wise thing."

"The Black King is a dragon?" Edmond breathed.

"Indeed," the Wraith intoned with a touch of sarcasm. "That escapes the notice of so many."

The dragon was clearly the conduit of the ancient power she'd been feeling. How, she could not say, but she suddenly understood that the Black Kingdom was the door through which magic manifested in the land, and the dragon had soaked in that power for thousands of years. Evelina felt it like the brush of fingertips as the serpent glided through the cavern, oddly graceful on its six short legs.

She'd met a fire drake before, but it had been a kind of deva, more an elemental than a literal reptile. There was no mistaking the solidity of this creature, miraculous though it was. She could see a ridge of bony plates along its back, and old, white scars where something had once done battle with it. She could feel the primal hunger for life radiating from it and knew that in some way, through Magnus, she shared its appet.i.tes.

But while it moved gracefully, she detected a hitch in its movements that spoke of age and pain. For a moment, it reminded her of Magnus, long past his time. The beast stopped to sniff at each of the Wraiths as it pa.s.sed, a forked tongue flicking out to taste the air. As it worked their way, Evelina instinctively pressed into Nick's chest, protective and seeking protection.

Edmond inched closer, too. "What's it going to do?"

"Not quite sure yet," Nick said, stiff with tension. He had an arm around Evelina tight enough to ache, but she wasn't about to make him stop.

The dragon stopped, huge head reaching forward to tongue at the prince. This is the one who would be king above the ground?

Both Nick and Evelina jumped, hearing the voice in their heads. It sounded like sandpaper and fur-silky and rough at once, and very deep.

"It is, sire," Lord Fawkes replied.

The prince looked confused, but held utterly still as the red tongue flickered close to him. His jaw muscles worked, his expression less afraid than angry. But when the dragon stopped tasting the air before him, the prince bowed, making a perfect courtier's leg. "Fair greetings to the king below the earth."

The dragon snuffed, pawing the earth with one taloned paw. Evelina wondered if that was the equivalent of a laugh. The princeling has courage and manners. That is well, for as much good as that does him. The dragon moved stiffly on, stopping at Nick and Evelina next. A lord of the air and a queen of many kingdoms. My realm grows rich with royalty today.

The Black King finally turned to Lord Fawkes. These I would keep for a little while. You have other prisoners, do you not?

"I do, my king."

Then bring them out. I am weary of waiting for a meal.

A meal? Evelina and Nick exchanged panicked looks. A sound of antic.i.p.ation rustled through the Wraiths that said they were eager, too. Evelina stiffened and Nick pulled her yet closer, moving to be shoulder to shoulder with the prince. She'd always heard people who wandered too far into the underground never came out. Some might have been recruits like the half humans who had caught them in the tunnel, but the rest, it seemed, might well have ended up dinner. Cold, sweaty fear started to work its way up her spine.

She reached for her magic, wanting it at her fingertips, but the moment she did so, the dragon's head swiveled her way. Do you truly think yourself a match for me, little mouse?

Evelina bridled. At least Magnus had compared her to a kitten. She drew on her dark magic, spooling it into her core, ready to strike. And then she regretted her defiance.

The weight of the Black King's power crashed down on her with the brutal indifference of an avalanche. Old and in pain, perhaps, but it still had strength she hadn't even dreamed of. The smack of power was only a warning, but darkness swirled up as if she were about to swoon. Leaning into Nick, Evelina slowly released her magic, letting it slip free until the dragon looked away. As the world righted itself, she set her jaw, refusing to give in just yet. She'd come to count on her power, but a direct a.s.sault was foolish. It would take more than brute force to get past such an old and wily foe. They would have to wait and watch for clues to its weakness.

Wraiths vanished through a crude doorway to her left, presumably to check the larder. Evelina caught her breath when they returned with the first prisoners-a mature woman holding an infant. The woman was mute, but the baby was whimpering softly. Nick swore under his breath.

The next made them all murmur in surprise. It was Jasper Keating, his silver head held high, his jaw thrust forward as if ready to fight. The last was King Coal, ranting as he was pushed forward by three trembling Blue Boys. "No. No! I will not comply. Whatever it is you think you can accomplish, you great lizard, it will come to nothing! I will bury you down here. I will seal you up like a potted ham until you rot!"

"Will you be quiet!" snapped Keating.

The Blue King smacked the arm of his chair. "Don't order me about, you pomaded idiot. In case you hadn't noticed, this isn't Grosvenor Square."

The dragon shuffled forward, tongue flicking at each of the prisoners in turn. The woman and babe interested it little. Its attention lingered longer on Keating, but when he reached King Coal the dragon's tail gave a flick. And then it snapped, jaws plucking the fat man from the chair.

Evelina barely saw the sudden motion. Then she gasped. They might have chased the Blue King through London, and he might have killed most of their company, but instinct made all three of them lurch forward.

Fawkes thrust out an arm. "I wouldn't interrupt his meal." His voice slammed her to a stop. It seemed to reach deep into Evelina, freezing her limbs. All of a sudden, it wasn't possible to move, not even to reach for her power. "My advice is for your own good, of course."

Keating and the woman holding the baby were pulled aside, but the three servants of the Blue King were herded forward from behind the mechanized chair. And then the Wraiths surged forward with an excited murmur, closing in like a pack of hyenas, clearly waiting for their king to eat his fill so they could feast.

The Black King dropped his prize to the ground and trapped King Coal beneath his claws. Then he tore away a chunk of flesh, tossing it down his gullet like a bird with a fish. Evelina caught a glimpse of red gore and yellow fat and turned to bury her face in Nick's shoulder, too shocked even to feel sick. He's not even dead yet. The screams and wet, slippery sounds twisted inside her, cracking open a whole new layer of horror.

Make it stop! The plea was almost wordless, any sound lost beneath the chaos of carnage.

But Nick somehow heard her. "Evelina." He took her face in both hands, tipping it up so that the most natural thing was to meet his gaze. His eyes were dark and liquid in the s.h.i.+fting light. "Look at me. My love is the only thing in this room, and it's all yours. Think about that. Only that."

Her breath shuddered in, shuddered out. She wanted to be deaf, or perhaps able to crawl out of her skin and flee-anything to not be there. But Nick's eyes held her, giving her refuge, a lifeline that held her secure from the horror.

He lowered his head, giving her his lips. His kiss was warm and raw, salty with the sweat and smoke of battle. His hands slipped to her waist, his touch fierce with need. All the yearning they shared welled up, and suddenly she was airborne a thousand miles from this place. Her heart unfolded, her chest suddenly free. She tasted the heat of his breath, living and real and nothing to do with darkness. Nick had power, but this was the spell he had over her.

"We're going to get out of here," he whispered.

Her soul leaped to believe.

But in the next moment, they heard a gibbering howl swirl up from the Wraiths. Evelina turned at Nick's indrawn breath. They had brought fresh prisoners.

TOBIAS STEPPED INTO THE PRESENCE CHAMBER AT THE heart of the Black Kingdom. His eyes took in a handful of details-the fresh kill on the floor, the sharp-toothed Wraiths lapping at the blood, their deathly white faces finally exposed as they fed. Beyond them were the red glowing eyes of a monster, enough to make any man weak with terror. But he had gone to a place far beyond fright-and he'd gone there long before this moment.

For now he knew precisely what the Black Kingdom was. From the bridge, he and Alice had been bound and marched through the underground wilderness until they'd come to a waterway. There, they'd been thrown onto a flat-bottomed boat that had brought them here, the Wraiths using long poles to guide the craft through the sluggish black water. From the boat, he'd seen creatures no mortal was meant to discover-tentacled, eyeless things in the water, half-human creatures hanging upside down from the roofs of the great caverns, man-wolves and white-skinned women with fangs. This was the kingdom of nightmare, and death seemed the only means of waking up.

He'd held Alice as best he could, his heart breaking as her composure finally shattered into tears. All he had asked of Fate was that she survive and go free, but he was far from sure now that his wish would be granted. He would have to fight for her and, h.e.l.l, he didn't have a lot to lose.

She was behind him now, head bowed in stupefied silence. Tobias took another step forward, racking pain making him feel oddly disembodied, as if he were really floating just above the ground. The dragon lifted its head, tongue flicking out to mop up a smear of blood from its snout. Dragon? He nearly burst into a hysterical laugh. After all the bullets, bombs, and magnetic aether he'd survived that day-not to forget the Scarlet King's poison-and he was about to die by dragon. No one could ever accuse him of taking the conventional path to a gruesome death.

"Tobias!"

He looked over to see Evelina, Captain Niccolo, and-dear G.o.d-the man they were calling Prince Edmond. "What are you doing here?"

The instant he spoke, a baby began to cry. The sound, all too familiar, speared through him. "Jeremy!"

Oblivious to the guards, Alice sprang from behind him and raced to her child and Mrs. Polwarren. He moved to follow, but a magnetic aether rifle poked him in the chest. "Stay where you are," the Wraith said.

But Tobias barely heard, the implications of Jeremy's presence cras.h.i.+ng home. The dragon was watching Alice sob over her child. Tobias couldn't read lizard faces, but he thought he caught a glint of speculation in those red eyes. Too many people he loved were in the room, and in peril. He glanced around, afraid to see more.

Then Tobias noticed Keating. "You evil b.a.s.t.a.r.d," he snarled with a vehemence that surprised even him.

But the Gold King looked too shaken to care. "Don't waste your breath on me, boy. That thing just ate the Blue King and three of his men."

Inexorably, Tobias's eyes returned to the stain on the floor. There were bits in the gore-inedible buckles and sc.r.a.ps of bone-but the only thing he recognized was the steam-driven chair shoved into the shadows. King Coal had been a huge man, and for any creature to eat him and three others beggared the imagination. Tobias had a fleeting thought about greasy food and indigestion, but it vanished as the monster rose and began moving his way. "What is it? Why isn't anyone killing it?"

"Because it's the Black King," Keating returned, his voice grim.

The dragon's tongue flicked his way. With what seemed like prudence, Tobias fell to one knee and bowed his head. The tongue flicked again, this time touching his face.

Death sits upon you, said a voice in his head.

Tobias looked up sharply. "What's going on?"

Yes, you hear me. The Black King's eyes gave a lazy blink. You are close enough to the realm of spirit for me to speak with you.

Rage shot through Tobias. "No!"

Why deny it?

Because he never wanted anything to do with magic. Because he wanted to be home in his bed with Alice, making up for everything he'd never got right. But the clock that measured his life was winding down, every tick weaker than the last. He felt Alice's eyes on him, questioning. Loving. Hot tears burned in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. This creature hadn't earned the right to see his weakness.

A rueful chuckle rippled through his mind. Do you know what it is to be old, Mr. Roth?

"No, Your Majesty." And I never will. He furtively glanced about the room, which was largely unfurnished but for the throne on its dais. Though Tobias had seen gaslights elsewhere, this room was still caught in a time before industry. Torches were thrust into sconces along the walls. The Wraiths had ended their feeding frenzy and stood motionless in a regular circle around the perimeter, puddles of squirming shadows about their feet.

Old age is when some ambitious peddler of coal lands in your home and proclaims himself your master. He thinks it is the s.h.i.+ny, steaming toys he owns that makes him king. Blue King. Gold King. Scarlet King. What do they know of kings.h.i.+p?

Tobias bowed his head again. "Your Majesty, are you not also a member of the Steam Council?" Then he recalled that the Black Kingdom was always represented by proxy. Now he knew why.

I was here long before the first machines. My only requirement was that I be left in peace, but your war shook me from my sleep. So I had the tunnels blocked and my servants deployed to bring the remaining barons my way. If they cannot solve their differences, I will do it for them.

A wave of pain made Tobias giddy. "Devouring the opposition is a tactic I honestly hadn't considered."

The dragon gave an amused blink. Why are you here?

"The Gold King stole my child."

So it seems, but your search is over now.

It was, but not the way he would ever have imagined it, with his wife and child in even more peril than before. He cursed himself for letting Alice accompany him, even though he well knew that wasn't his decision to make. Misery and fury claimed him, bringing on another heaving, wet cough. "All I want is for my family and friends to go free," he gasped at the end of it.

We don't always get what we want, Mr. Roth.

Bitterness made him foolish. "What could you possibly want that you don't have?"

Tobias felt, rather than saw, the Wraiths and their pets drawing closer. Anxious, he began to rise, the sickness in his body suddenly roiling to the fore. Pain shot up from his gut, leaving him sweating and breathless. Blind terror jumped along his nerves as the Wraiths seized him, hard hands crus.h.i.+ng flesh against bone. He heard Alice and Evelina cry out, but the sound was distant. The burning eyes of the Black King consumed his mind.

What do I want? I am a creature of another age, Mr. Roth. I am the last of my kind. No one else walked beneath the new sun, when fire was a marvel and men lived like a lesser kind of wolf. No one remembers the songs or the sorrows of that age. I have changed with the endless roll and churn of time, but after so long, the will frays like old silk. I have been the object of fear and veneration. The race of Man has wors.h.i.+pped me, and they have reviled me. I have been dishonored, tricked and cast down to these depths. I no longer wish for anything new, so I sleep. But sleep is forever interrupted by the antics of children. I want forgetfulness. I want abdication. Death is the only true peace, and it is one I am denied.

"Death is not as pleasant a prospect as it sounds," Tobias growled.

You do not value it.

"I'm not ready." Pain made his voice sharp.

Few ever are, Mr. Roth.

"I would fight for those I love."

What would you trade for your wife and child?

"Let the other prisoners go and you can have what you want of me."

And if what I want is to taste your death?

Fresh terror made him flinch against the Wraiths' iron grip. He heard the dragon's words, but they made no sense. A thousand questions battered against his fading will until, with his last sc.r.a.p of strength, he pushed the confusion away.