The door creaked and started to slide and Emilie tensed. It opened just enough to reveal Daniel standing across the threshold.
Emilie meant to lunge through the door as soon as it was open wide enough, but instead she found herself just standing there.
Daniel still looked like himself, though his clothes were mussed and he had lost his sling. His shirt was torn enough for her to see bandages on his shoulder. They were blood-stained and the skin around them was purple-black with bruises. “You’re hurt,” she said stupidly. And it was very stupid, because of course she had been there when Miss Marlende had shot him back in the Hollow World. He must have made the healing wound much worse when he had climbed the ladder.
For a moment, she couldn’t remember why he had climbed the ladder.
He said, “Give me the weapon.”
She had actually reached into the bag still hanging from her shoulder and grasped the medical kit inside before she realized what she had done. She froze, staring at him. Oh. Oh, my. This had to be the effect that had clouded the minds of Miss Deverrin and the rest of her party. It chilled her straight to the bone. What would have happened back at the camp if Dr Marlende hadn’t been able to resist it and warn them about Dr Deverrin? Would they all still be sitting beside the corpse of the wrecked airship, listening to Deverrin and nodding along with everything he said?
Emilie forced herself to smile. “Of course.” She drew out the medical kit and held it out. “I hid it in here.” When he reached for it, she jammed it into his face and shoved forward through the door.
He wrenched backward and hit something on the wall beside him. The door rammed into Emilie’s shoulder, squeezing her painfully as it tried to close. The breath shot out of her lungs and she couldn’t even cry out. Then Hyacinth was beside her, then above her head, forcing its body into the shrinking gap. The door slid open abruptly and Emilie staggered forward, gasping for air. Daniel swung away from her, reaching for the controls on the central table.
Emilie shouted to Hyacinth, her voice a strangled croak, “Get the other door!” She lunged forward and tackled Daniel around the legs. They both hit the ground with a painful thump.
She remembered at that point that Hyacinth wouldn’t have understood her request to open the other door. But it must have realized that was the best course of action, because it leapt across the room and hit the control. Daniel struggled under her, turning to hit her, but Dr Marlende and Lord Engal charged in. Miss Marlende grabbed her arm from behind and hauled her off Daniel.
They surrounded him. Efrain and Miss Marlende stood by Emilie, and Miss Marlende had her pistol drawn. Dr Marlende held the aether-device. Daniel scrambled backward, his expression confused and terrified. “Help me, Emilie!” he said, desperate.
Emilie said, “If you were really Daniel, you’d know that thing won’t hurt you.” She was flushed and dizzy, and her shoulder hurt where it had taken the brunt of the door’s weight.
Dr Marlende lifted the aether-device and triggered it.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Daniel went still for an instant, then lifted both hands to his head.
Emilie bit her lip so hard she tasted blood. Come on, come on, work, she pleaded with the device. Then Mikel said, “What’s that?”
Emilie thought for an instant he was talking about Daniel, then realized she could hear someone shouting. It wasn’t someone in this room. Professor Abindon swore and said, “The Deverrins! They’ve managed to get aboard.”
Lord Engal stepped quickly to the doorway. “Dr Deverrin won’t know we have the device. This is our chance.”
“You’re right.” Miss Marlende turned to Mikel. “Get back up to the airship and have them break off. We can’t risk the Deverrins reaching it. Efrain, show him the way to the topside door.”
Efrain hesitated, throwing a worried look at Emilie. She jerked her chin, telling him to go. He nodded and ran out the door with Mikel.
Dr Marlende was already striding to the door with Lord Engal, Miss Deverrin right behind them. Dr Marlende said, “Vale, keep an eye on Daniel. We have to set a trap for Dr Deverrin.”
Emilie looked at Daniel again. He had fallen over sideways, curled into a ball. She started to step forward, then made herself stop. If the device hadn’t worked, he might grab her and hold her hostage. Miss Marlende said, “Emilie, take the translator, please.”
One hand occupied by her pistol, Miss Marlende held the translator awkwardly tucked under her other arm. Emilie took it, wondering if Miss Marlende just wanted to distract her from Daniel. But Hyacinth stood at her elbow, and she realized it must not have understood what had just happened. She said, “The Deverrins are aboard and we’re setting a trap for the creature in Dr Deverrin.”
Hyacinth flowed toward the door immediately, following Dr Marlende and the others. Emilie hurried after it. Professor Abindon said sharply, “Emilie, be careful!”
Emilie waved an acknowledging hand and followed Hyacinth through the outer compartment and out to the corridor overlooking the gallery. Dr Marlende, Lord Engal, and Miss Deverrin had taken position to one side of one of the supporting arches. Lord Engal held his pistol and was saying, “They must have climbed up along the ridge and reached the lower hatch of the aether-sailer. Part of the ladder was still attached to it when it broke away from our airship.”
Dr Marlende was armed only with the aether-device. His expression severe, he said to Miss Deverrin, “Young woman, I am asking you to withdraw. Surely you realize what effect seeing this creature again may have on you–”
“This creature is holding my father prisoner inside his own body.” Miss Deverrin’s voice was quite sharp. “I assure you I am very aware of that now. I will be here when that device frees him.”
“And I’ll remind you we don’t know if it worked on Daniel yet or not,” Dr Marlende said.
“Quiet, they’re coming,” Lord Engal whispered.
Emilie drew Hyacinth back and crouched down. She glanced around and saw Professor Abindon had taken up a position in the doorway to the control compartment, where she could hear what happened but also keep an eye on Miss Marlende and Daniel.
Emilie had a view of the archway in the far wall of the open area below, and she could hear movement now, booted footsteps on the metal floors. If Lord Engal was right and the Deverrins had gotten in through the underside hatchway, they must be coming down the main corridor from the first wall shaft.
Dr Marlende eased forward, carefully cradling the aether-device. Lord Engal lifted his pistol and said in an almost silent whisper, “Careful. Miss Deverrin, do they have other firearms?”
“Besides the ones you took, there are another rifle and three pistols,” Miss Deverrin whispered back.
“I’d rather avoid a gunfight inside this ship,” Dr Marlende murmured.
Emilie would, too. She spotted movement past the archway, a flash of metal, the gray of someone’s coat sleeve, and heard low voices. She tensed. If Dr Deverrin would just step out into view… That would leave the other Deverrins to deal with, but with Miss Deverrin here to talk to them, they might be able to avoid a fight.
Then Dr Deverrin’s voice said, “I know you’re there. I assume you have weapons pointed at us.”
Dr Marlende didn’t move, but Lord Engal shifted uneasily. Dr. Deverrin shouldn’t know about the new aether-device, Emilie told herself. He was only worried about the guns. The other ghost pirate would have told him that it had destroyed the original device.
“We have no desire to injure you,” Dr Marlende said. “But you have held us captive before, and we have no intention of allowing you to do so again. Perhaps if we can discuss the situation?”
“You wish to bargain with me?”
Emilie thought Dr Deverrin’s voice was oddly unemotional, as if the ghost pirate wasn’t bothering to play the part anymore. She sneaked a look up at Miss Deverrin and then wished she hadn’t. Miss Deverrin’s face was taut with dread, her expression sickened.
“You obviously want this ship. Yo
u and your companion went to a great deal of trouble to seize it and keep it in the aether current, and now you’ve brought it here. I assume your need for it is now urgent,” Dr Marlende said. “If you admit what you are, we can bargain.”
“Admit what I am?”
Dr Marlende smiled. “Oh, come on, now. Surely there is no point in attempting to conceal yourself further.”
“Very well,” Dr Deverrin said. “We are exiles. Our own people sent us out here to die and closed the aether current stream to our world so we could not return.”
Emilie whispered the words into the translator for Hyacinth, and added softly, “So they really are aether ghost pirates.”
Lord Engal muttered, “He must have the rest of the party under very strict control, to be able to speak so openly. That doesn’t bode well.”
Miss Deverrin took a sharp breath, as if suppressing the urge to speak. Lord Engal glanced back at her, and she shook her head. She whispered, “Perhaps. I don’t know what he’s done to them.”
“He obviously suspects a trap.” Dr Marlende turned and crouched down, and whispered to Emilie, “Take this and the translator and give it to Abindon. Ask Hyacinth to guide her around to the other side of the gallery. She may be able to get a shot from there.” He dumped the aether-device into Emilie’s arms.
She quietly scrambled back to the doorway, saying softly to Hyacinth, “Did you get that?”
I did. I will guide the matriarch.
To Dr Deverrin, Dr Marlende replied, “That’s very unfortunate, and you have my sympathy. But that doesn’t give you the right to torment and drive away the crew of this ship, or to attack the Deverrin party and use them to assault us.”
In the cabin, the professor stepped forward, taking the aether-device and the translator. “I heard. Come along, my friend.”
Hyacinth led her back through the control room, past where Miss Marlende waited with Daniel. He still lay curled in a huddle on the floor, and Miss Marlende looked deeply worried. Emilie hesitated, torn between following Professor Abindon and Hyacinth, and joining Miss Marlende. She decided two people moving through the ship were less likely to alert the Deverrins than three, and she didn’t think she could stand to sit and watch Daniel and not know whether it was all him in there or not. She slipped back to her former vantage point in time to hear Dr Deverrin say, “We needed to return home and used what was available to us.”
Dr Marlende frowned, trying to understand. “And did you cause the disturbance in the current that created this place, this amalgam of other worlds?”
“This is our way home. We have stirred the currents to bring us fragments of all the worlds along their path. These fragments join the whole, which will soon have such weight and power to break the seal and force open the aether current to our world. We will ride this vessel down it, and our people will not be able to prevent our return.”
Dr Marlende and Lord Engal exchanged dubious expressions. Emilie whispered to them, “Will that work?”
Lord Engal replied softly, “I have no idea. It sounds possible, though unlikely. But these beings obviously understand much more of the aether than we do.”
“I see,” Dr Marlende said to Dr Deverrin. “If that’s your goal, then I want to bargain with you. Have your companion release my assistant Daniel, and you release Dr Deverrin, and we will leave you in peace to carry on with your endeavors.”
Emilie held her breath. This depended on whether the two pirates could communicate with each other over distances through the aether, or if she and Hyacinth were right and they had needed the communication device aboard the lifeboat to speak.
“If that is truly all you want,” Dr Deverrin said, “Prove you have no ill intent. Come down where I can see you.”
Dr Marlende glanced across the room. Emilie followed his gaze and saw Professor Abindon standing just inside the doorway on the opposite gallery, Hyacinth beside her. He said, “Will you agree to release Dr Deverrin and my assistant Daniel?”
“Of course. But first come out so we can speak like gentlemen.” Emilie shifted uncomfortably. The ghost pirate hadn’t been speaking as Dr Deverrin since it had started the conversation; despite the reference to “gentlemen”, it still didn’t sound like him. It was as if it had pulled the word from some fading memory. Emilie suddenly didn’t think Dr Deverrin was in there at all anymore.
She didn’t want to think about what that might mean for Daniel. He hadn’t sounded at all like himself, either.
Lord Engal muttered, “I’m afraid we have to. He won’t come out unless we do.”
“Yes.” Dr Marlende threw another look across at Professor Abindon, who was waiting in tense impatience, the aether-device held ready. “Emilie, Miss Deverrin, stay up here.”
“I’m coming with you,” Miss Deverrin said. “Don’t argue. It will be to your advantage – he’ll think he can manipulate me.” At Lord Engal’s glance, she said, “He can’t. Not anymore.”
“Very well.” Dr Marlende stepped toward the wall shaft. “But Emilie, stay up here with Vale. She may need you.”
“I will,” Emilie said.
Lord Engal and Miss Deverrin followed Dr Marlende down to the wall shaft. Emilie stepped back further into the doorway, pressing herself against the side. It was harder to see the archway that the Deverrins would come through, but it would be harder for them to see her, too. She didn’t know what she could do to help. She didn’t want to just stand here. But she didn’t want to do anything foolish and make things worse, either.
Dr Marlende, Lord Engal, and Miss Deverrin went down the wall shaft, Miss Deverrin stumbling a little as she reached the floor. Lord Engal slipped his pistol into his jacket pocket but kept his hand on it.
Dr Marlende stopped near the wall shaft, not moving any further into the room.
Emilie held her breath, watching the doorway. After a long moment, two young men stepped into the room. One was Brendan, and the other was one of the men who had been guarding the Marlendes; both held pistols. Brendan said, “Alea, are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” Miss Deverrin replied. “There is no need for firearms. These people want to help us.”
Emilie didn’t move, didn’t turn her head for fear of attracting attention, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw the professor lift the aether-device and take aim.
Dr Deverrin stepped through the doorway. He said, “Come here, Alea.”
Professor Abindon stepped around the corner and fired the aether-device.
Dr Deverrin staggered two steps forward and Emilie was ready to cheer in relief. It was working on him, just as it had on Daniel.
Then Dr Deverrin straightened up, smiling at Dr Marlende and the others. “My companion told me he destroyed that device. I thought you might try to rebuild it.”
Emilie looked across at Professor Abindon and Hyacinth. The professor looked annoyed and angry and Hyacinth had all its blossoms extended in alarm. Behind her, she heard a quiet “damn” from Miss Marlende.
Dr Deverrin said, “But it is far too late to use it on me. I have been in this body too long.”
Emilie looked at Brendan and the other man, the other Deverrins she could see through the doorway. Their expressions hadn’t changed; they still looked worried, a little confused. They can’t hear what he’s saying, she thought, just like in the camp when Dr Marlende had accused him of being an imposter. Dr Deverrin still had them under tight control.
But Miss Deverrin shouted, “You bastard, let my father go!” and surged forward.
Lord Engal caught her around the waist, holding her back.
Dr Deverrin held out his hand to her. “But I am your father, my dear. We are one.”
“It’s horrible,” Emilie whispered aloud. Poor Dr Deverrin… And Daniel, if the device hadn’t worked on him.
“But why?” The words burst out of Dr Marlende in a tone of anguish. “Why steal the bodies of other beings?”
Dr Deverrin said, “We cannot cross the bridge we have constructed
in our true forms. We took these bodies because we needed them. There was no other suitable shell for my companion among the ones we already had, and if you had not come, we would have had to delay our crossing until–”
Then, behind her, Miss Marlende shouted a warning, and Emilie twitched around in time to see Daniel staggering toward her. She hesitated for a heartbeat, not sure if this was Daniel or the ghost pirate, then she lunged forward to tackle him back into the room.
But he grabbed her shoulders and twisted away from her, and she stumbled back and sat down hard. Miss Marlende tried to grab his arm, but he flung her off and made it the last few steps out onto the gallery.
He stopped right on the edge, and as Emilie rolled to her feet, he started to shudder. There was something jerky and inhuman in the movements, as if something was trying to fight its way out of his body. Emilie started toward him but stopped when Miss Marlende grabbed her shoulder. She could see everyone on the gallery floor staring up at him, and for once, Dr Deverrin had a real expression on his face. It was horror.
Daniel’s body convulsed and then light shimmered out of his skin. It was the deep red Emilie had seen reflected in the aether current clouds, shot through with black. It stretched away from Daniel’s body, dragged itself free, and Emilie could see it forming a shape. She saw multiple limbs, nothing that looked like a head. She gasped in relief, realizing this was the aether-creature leaving Daniel’s body.
Then the shape pulled free and Daniel stumbled back. Emilie and Miss Marlende both darted forward and caught him before he could fall. He was still breathing, blearily half-conscious. He gasped, “What happened?”
“You were taken over by an aether ghost pirate, but it’s gone now,” Emilie told him.
As they eased him to the floor, Miss Marlende muttered, “I didn’t expect it to happen like that.”
Emilie didn’t think anyone had. The aether-creature had disappeared over the edge of the gallery, and she looked down to see it lying in a gently glowing pool on the floor below. I hope it doesn’t go after Dr Marlende, she had time to think. Then, abruptly, its light winked out.