Excerpt 3 (Contains Spoilers for Clockwork Heart)

Clockwork Heart 2, NaNoWriMo, Steampunk Comments (0)

(Caveat: Anything I write during National Novel Writing Month is subject to significant change or deletion during the longer editing phase to follow! So don’t get too invested in any scene I quote here … this is “rough draft” at its roughest!

… Also, if you haven’t read Clockwork Heart, the text below contains SPOILERS.) 

Clouds of ash-imbued steam billowed from the locomotive, coating the platform and everything and everyone on it in light gray soot. Uniformed porters bellowed to each other as they loaded the delegation’s traveling trunks into the ambassador’s special car at the back of the line and dodged the rest of the train’s passengers as they stretched their legs or disembarked. A brass band was playing, the engine was rumbling, other passengers were milling back and forth to take advantage of the stop and crane their necks at the formal-looking group at the back of the platform, and rain pounded on the glass-and-iron canopy that covered the small, open-sided Grimaucourt Station.

Taya had left her husband with Lt. Amcathra and Lord Pomeroy and the rest of the formal farewell party.  Lord Pomeroy’s translator could handle things there; her job was to watch as her wings and the chest containing her ondium counterweights were loaded into the car and locked to heavy rings that had been bolted to the walls. Rikard stood next to her, one hand casually resting on his air rifle, which hung from his shoulder by a leather strap. The Mareauxan porters looked askance at the forbidding young lictor as they worked.

“Are you glad to go?” Rikard asked in Ondinium as the metal tips of the wings tapped against the painted fabric that covered the ceiling inside the private carriage.

“I’ll be glad to be able to fly again,” she said, looking outside with regret. The rain would keep her inside today. She’d hoped she might be able to fly out with the train and land on top a few miles later, before it had gotten up to full speed. But flying in the rain was miserable to begin with, and the winds would be against her, blowing south off the Corundiel inland sea. Landing on a moving object was something best done in clear, calm weather; and even so, it was a daredevil’s trick. She hadn’t admitted to Cristof quite how difficult it was, when he’d first expressed his worries about her trying it on the way out.

Rikard looked out the window, as well.

“There’s somebody shouting out there,” he said, swiveling his rifle around. He frowned. “It’s the inspector.”

“What does he want?”

“A ‘Missus Forlore’? Does he mean the exalted?”

“Forgefire!” Exasperated, Taya turned and leaned out the door of the passenger car. Inspector Gifford stood there, breathing hard, his oilcloth coat streaming water and creating great, murky puddles of ash on the platform by the stairs. He carried a leather suitcase, as if he were going with them.

She carefully picked up her Mareaux-style skirts and stepped down to the platform to talk to him, manuevering well away from the puddles.

“Inspector,” she said, holding out a hand. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Um, Missus Forlore?” He took it more awkwardly now than he had last time.

“Just Taya, please. Icarii don’t use last names.”

“I’m sorry.” He looked uncomfortable. “I’m not used to calling a nobleman’s wife by her first name.”

“Then don’t think of me as the exalted’s wife, if that makes it easier. Marriage doesn’t make as much of a political difference in Ondinium as it does in Mareaux.” It had social repercussions, of course, but she didn’t think that foreigners needed to hear about her nation’s caste prejudices.

“I, ah, yes. Things are much more complicated there, aren’t they?”

“Are they?” Taya wondered what he meant. Ondinium seemed very well-organized and rational, to her; it was countries like Mareaux, with their labyrinthine inheritance laws and multitude of confusing, ever-shifting social ranks, that challenged her ability to keep things straight. “How may I help you, Inspector? If you’re looking for — oh, no, you aren’t, are you?”

“No … I know he’s up there.” Gifford glanced toward the front of the platform, then back at her. “I was looking for you. This is a bit difficult, but I didn’t know whom else I could ask — Lt. Amcathra’s busy, and I don’t know the other members of your delegation very well….”

Intriguing.

“You can ask me whatever you want, Inspector. My official role here is to act as the exalted’s liaison with the public, after all.”

He nodded, looking like he still harbored reservations.

“Maybe you can tell me, then … are Ondinium and Mareaux going to be at war?”

Surprised, Taya started at him, then looked around to see if anyone else were listening. Nobody was paying attention in the noise and bustle of the travel preparations.

“No, not as far as we’re concerned.”

“Really?” He studied her intently. “People are saying someone tried to assassinate the exalted, and his sudden departure means war.”

Taya glanced around again, then stepped closer to lower her voice.

“There were a few suspicious mishaps, yes. But I don’t think the Council will declare war with one of its strongest political and economic allies, not over a few failed attacks.  Certainly Exalted Forlore doesn’t want that. He’s leaving because he has to; Ondinium has security protocols that demand his withdrawal if his life is endangered. Besides, he has to send a message that this kind of thing can’t be tolerated. But that’s just diplomatic gamesmanship — it doesn’t mean we want war. I hope you’ll let people know that.”

“They say that you’re taking one of our balloons so you can study it, make more, and turn them against us — that the trade delegation didn’t go well, and that’s why you’d want to attack, to annex more land and increase your power.”

“‘They’ have an active imagination.” Taya sighed. ‘They’ did in Ondinium, too. “Inspector, Ondinium prizes itself on rational governance. It wouldn’t go to war without calculating all the pros and cons and modeling about a dozen alternative strategies, first.  Even if Cr — if the exalted went back demanding vengeance, unless the Great Engine calculated that a war was in our best economic interest, the Council would ignore him. Besides, it would be stupid of us to attack Mareaux — you’d immediately ally with Alzana and we’d have to fight on two fronts.”

Gifford slowly nodded.

“You sound convincing.”

“The truth should sound convincing.” She looked down at the suitcase sitting on the dirty platform next to him. “I hope telling you that hasn’t put a crimp in your plans to defect to Ondinium.”

“Defect?” He looked down at the case and then laughed. “Is that what you thought?”

“Well, or try to convince me to run away with you.” Taya smiled as he laughed again. “Now I’m insulted.”

“I’m sorry, Mis — Icarus. I don’t think my wife would approve, though.”

“No, and my husband wouldn’t, either. So, why are you carrying around a suitcase?”

drupagliassotti @ November 24, 2008