With Silent Screams (The Hellequin Chronicles, Book 3)

  I nodded as I remembered both the rough searching and the explosion I’d heard just before we’d entered Leonardo’s house. We discussed more ideas, but didn’t really get anywhere and started to get frustrated at our lack of progress, so Leonardo went to get us some drinks.

  He returned to find me standing by the bike. “Where did the idea for a bike come from?” I asked.

  Leonardo nodded as he returned with a tray of cold drinks. “Antonio went to your realm and brought me back a few dozen books on bikes and engines. They were very interesting, although ultimately I think I’ve grown past them. I picked a design I liked based on aerodynamics and practicality. I’m quite proud of it, although I’ll be much happier once I can actually get it to work without killing anyone who rides it.”

  “I didn’t realize you were into bikes,” I said with a smile as I took my glass and drank the refreshing water.

  “Yes, well, I may have ridden one or two the last time I was visiting your realm. They’re quite liberating.”

  “Well, when it’s ready, I’m happy to come test it for you.”

  “Thank you, Nate, although I think you may have to pry Antonio away from it first. The man took to a motorbike like a duck to water. He’s told me he’d like to perform an endo on the bike, unfortunately he won’t tell me what that is.”

  “It’s where you lift the back wheel off the ground and ride only on the front one,” Caitlin told him. “I liked the occasional bad boy back in the day,” she told me when she noticed the expression on my face.

  Leonardo’s expression was even easier to decipher. “He will not be doing anything of the sort on this bike. Not after the time and effort it took me to make it in the first place.”

  Leonardo walked off back toward the house, ranting the whole time about finding an assistant who would respect his work, while Caitlin and I stayed in his study.

  “Is he coming back?” Caitlin asked.

  I nodded. “He’s probably gone to make a note about yelling at Antonio before he forgets and starts work again.”

  “Does he go through a lot of assistants?”

  “He had three or four last time I was here, but Antonio is his main one. They’ve worked together for a few hundred years I think. Sometimes Leonardo needs to be reminded of work he’s agreed to do for someone, especially when he gets caught up in a bit of a pet project, like this bike and those crystals.”

  She picked up one of the crystals from the table and turned it over in her hand. “These would revolutionize the energy over the world. Free sustainable fuel for everyone.”

  “Yeah, except it doesn’t work like that. If any of these crystals became common knowledge on earth, there would be wars fought over them. And with them from the sound of things.”

  “Wouldn’t Avalon try to stop that sort of thing? Isn’t it in their best interest to do so?”

  “Probably not, although they’d make sure the people they wanted to win, did so. No matter the cost. Everyone would want these, and no one in any sort of position of power would allow free energy. They have to stay here. Besides, who knows what happens when they go through the gateway. We don’t have particles of magic in the air, they’d have been found by now. These things might detonate the second you step into our realm. It’s just too dangerous.”

  “It’s a shame though,” she said and replaced the crystal.

  “Nate is correct,” Leonardo said as he returned. “Avalon would try and control this place. Or there would be an influx of people here and we simply don’t have the ability to take on millions, or even thousands, of extra people. The first option would result in a war, the second in a devastation of the way of life of the people who live here. Neither would be acceptable.”

  “What happened to your other assistants?” I asked. “You didn’t blow them up, did you?”

  Leonardo laughed. “No, I still have three others. They’re all away today, I need one day a week to myself. I think I’ve gone through four or five sets since you were last here.”

  “Where do they go?” Caitlin asked. “I mean, once they finish here, what do they do?”

  “Most go to work in the palace as advisors or engineers. I think in the last hundred years, since Nate’s previous visit, I’ve only had a real problem with one person. A young woman, she stole from me about thirty years ago, just after the plans for the prison were finalized. Such a shame, she was a well-liked by many, including the king.”

  Antonio arrived as Leonardo mumbled names to himself. “The king will see you,” he said. “No guard will try to stop you, although I’d advise not picking a fight. They’re on edge with your arrival. They see what happened last time as a slight against them all, and guards hold grudges.”

  “Thanks, Antonio,” I said and shook his hand. I was itching to get an audience and arrange a visit with Simon. As nice as it was to see Leonardo again, and as useful as the visit had been, it was time to get going.

  “Antonio?” Leonardo asked. “What was the name of that girl I had to fire? The one who stole from me?”

  “Patricia,” he said with a slightly angry tone. “Human girl who betrayed us all and fled the realm before we could stop her.”

  The name made both Caitlin and I glance at each other. “Was she short, long dark hair? Utterly nuts?” I asked.

  “Not sure about the last part,” Leonardo admitted. “But the rest is accurate. Do you know her?”

  “Yeah, she’s my mom,” Caitlin said. “She’s also the one currently killing people and working with Simon.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Antonio said. “Although it does shed new light on what happened.”

  “What was it?” I asked.

  “She tried to steal the blueprints for Simon’s cell, and when she was caught, she killed a guard and escaped.”

  Caitlin and I aimed a barrage of questions at both Antonio and Leonardo for the next few minutes. They appeared infuriatingly calm the whole time we made our way back into the house where Antonio prepared tea.

  “Did she take anything else?” I asked. “Maybe information about the crystals?”

  “No, we didn’t even know about them back then. She was obviously trying to figure out how to break Simon from jail, but her plan went awry.”

  “Did you find anything else out about her?” Caitlin asked.

  Leonardo shook his head. “The king would know more, he had an investigation conducted. Humans were only allowed to arrive here in limited capacity for a while after that.” He glanced behind him at a sizeable grandfather clock. “Speaking of which, that’s a meeting you need attend soon. The guard will be getting anxious that you haven’t turned up, and I’m sure Galahad will be keen to see you both.”

  I stood and embraced Leonardo and Antonio. “Don’t be strangers,” the latter said as he allowed me to be removed from another bear hug.

  “I hope you stop these people,” Leonardo said. “If their aim is to free Simon, then I will talk to Harrison about strengthening the guard at the realm entrance. He’ll be only too happy to gain extra help up there.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “No need to thank me. That man is not someone I want running around again.” He turned to Caitlin. “I’m sorry about your mother, but rest assured, your parents do not define who you are. If at any point, you think that maybe because she’s turned out a certain way, that you might too, you need only remember that you, and you alone, are the master of your own destiny. That takes people far too long to realize, and even longer to do something about.”

  Caitlin nodded thanks and gave Leonardo a hug.

  “Nate, take care of this one.” He grasped my hand in his. “And of yourself. Charles Whitehorn and his minions are involved in this and they will not hesitate to kill those in their way. You have always been a survivor, and I am not a man of war, despite some of my inventions being designed for such. B
ut if you need to, end them. All of them. Ensure there is no third time lucky for these people.”

  CHAPTER 27

  I found Caitlin outside, leaning against the wall of Leonardo’s house. She had a piece of steel in her hand and was using her alchemy to change its shape.

  “Nervous habit?” I asked.

  She glanced up, but continued transforming the steel until it became a thin blade. “Leonardo told you to kill my mom, didn’t he?”

  I considered lying to her, but she deserved the truth. “Not in so many words, he told me to deal with what was happening. Whitehorn was king here for twelve years. During that time, the cells were full and people were not allowed to cross between our realm and this one without his written permission. He stole from the city and had people killed who crossed him. He was, in short, a very bad man. If he gets back in power, a lot of people will die.”

  She dropped the steel onto the ground, where it changed back into a small disc. “Let’s go see the king.” Caitlin pushed herself off the wall and started walking toward the palace.

  It took ten minutes to walk to the foot of the steps, which led to the palace high above the rest of the district.

  “We have to walk up those?” Caitlin asked, staring up at the several hundred steps.

  I’d noticed several guards watching us since we’d arrived in the king’s district, but there were larger numbers of them the closer one got to the palace. “Yeah, it was meant to be a defense mechanism. Very few invaders are still in peak physical condition once they’ve made their way here and then have to run up a few hundred steps.”

  “And Leonardo couldn’t have just built a lift or something?”

  “We could go back and ask him, if you’d like?”

  Caitlin started up the stairs, and three hundred and twelve later we reached the courtyard to the palace.

  “That’s pretty damn impressive,” she said.

  The building was a mixture of old stone that gave it a medieval appearance. Ramparts with guards patrolling them sat high above the dozens of windows and several balconies that were on the front of the building.

  The guard stared at me for a short time before moving aside. We made the rest of the way to the palace’s imposing front door and inside, without anyone else trying to tell me how much they disliked me, although I could still feel their stares on me every step I took.

  The first room inside the palace was a massive reception room, with an incredible staircase that led up to a landing. Several people were walking around, either tidying and cleaning, or chatting amongst themselves, and no one really paid us much attention as Caitlin and I stood there and waited for Galahad or one of his people to turn up and talk to us.

  The massive, thirty-foot, floor-to-ceiling windows down one side of the room allowed in a huge amount of light and showed the opulent garden that must have taken a fleet of people to keep in good shape.

  “How does someone live here?” Caitlin asked. “There are so many people.”

  “The king’s own chambers are near the rear of the house; very few people get to go in there.”

  “So, how do you know about it?”

  “Ah, well, one of the older kings, a few hundred years ago now, used to have a weakness for sleeping with women who weren’t his wife. Avalon wanted leverage and I was tasked with making sure that happened.”

  “You watched him having sex with people?”

  I shook my head. “No, just took a few objects to let him know how easy it would have been for me to find out whatever I wanted. Fortunately, the plan backfired and he resigned instead of becoming Merlin’s puppet. That was the last time Merlin tried to get leverage over anyone here. At least as far as I know.”

  “It was the last time,” Galahad said from the balcony above us. “Wait there.”

  I wasn’t entirely sure where he thought we were going to go, considering the shit I’d put up with to get here in the first place. But I did as I was asked and waited, while he walked down the staircase, wearing an expensive dark suit.

  Galahad wore his kingship a lot easier than when I’d last seen him; he was smiling and showed none of the stress that I was expecting to see. It suddenly dawned on me that I hadn’t asked anyone how Galahad was, not as a king or ruler of his kingdom, but as a man. I hadn’t asked how my old friend was doing, and I felt more than a little regret and anger at myself for being so selfish.

  Galahad stood before me, ignoring everyone in the room who had bowed as he passed by, and smiled at Caitlin. “Good to see you, welcome to Shadow Falls and my palace.”

  “Thank you, it’s beautiful,” she said.

  “You do me a great honor for saying so. Some people call this palace The Shadow’s Break. Apparently the red brick was meant to symbolize the sun. It’s a little ostentatious for my liking, and I grew up in a castle, but even if we’re alchemists, we can hardly knock it down and start again just because the new ruler doesn’t like something.”

  Galahad turned to me and breathed out through his nose. “Nathan.”

  “Nate,” I corrected. “You can call me Nate.”

  Galahad nodded. “Nate,” he said, as if trying it on. “It suits you.”

  “I hope so. We’re here to talk about Simon.” I explained what had been happening in Stratford and Washington. There was no point in hiding anything from him. I wanted his help.

  When I’d finished, he nodded, more to himself than anything else. “I will arrange for Simon to be interviewed tomorrow morning; even a king cannot move mountains. Metaphorically, anyway.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “In the meantime, Caitlin and Nate, I will have someone take you to your rooms for the evening. Feel free to explore my home and ask for whatever refreshments you wish.”

  A moment later a young woman arrived and walked off with Caitlin, talking as if she’d known her her whole life. “I assume Harrison threatened to have you forcibly ejected?” Galahad asked me.

  “He may have mentioned something.”

  “I will talk to him and arrange a twenty-four hour ceasefire. I won’t have you followed while you’re in my home, Nate, I promise you that.” He smiled and then immediately sighed.

  “Thank you,” I said. “Your majesty.” The second I saw the hurt in his face from not using his name, something I would do for every friend I had, I knew I’d said the wrong thing.

  I watched Galahad walk away and as a butler arrived to show me to my room, I just knew it was going to be a really long night.

  While the room itself was stunning, I needed to stretch my legs and left the room to wander around the palace. True to Galahad’s word, there were no guards following me at discreet distances, I even received a few nods of hello from the staff. Hopefully Galahad had told people that I was neither the bogyman, nor some sort of assassin sent to kill everyone.

  After a few minutes I opened a door to what turned out to be, an expansive balcony. The sole occupant was Galahad, who turned to look at me, cup of tea in hand.

  “Sorry,” I said and went to close the door.

  “Stay, Nate,” Galahad said, placing his cup on the table beside him. “Would you like a cup? I think we have some things we need to discuss, and as there is no one around who may listen in or interject, this is probably a good a time and place as any.”

  I stepped onto the balcony and closed the door.

  “Earl Gray okay with you?” Galahad asked, pouring the boiling liquid from a teapot into a second cup. “Lemon, honey, sugar?”

  “Lemon would be fine,” I said and took the cup from him once he’d placed a slice into the boiling drink.

  He took a drink of his tea and sighed a little. “I think I’m the only person in the city who drinks this stuff, apart from Leonardo. I guess that makes him my dealer.”

  I smiled and savored the hot drink. “You don’t get back to our realm
often, then?”

  Galahad shook his head. “About once a year, I make sure to go back. The guard usually has a bit of a mental breakdown at the same time. Apparently I’m incapable of taking care of myself since I became king.”

  “You wear the role well. Better than when we.…” I paused, unsure how to finish that sentence without saying something stupid or offending him without meaning to.

  “When we last met,” he finished. “Is this how our friendship ends? With awkward silences and small talk?”

  “I don’t know,” I said honestly.

  “That’s not good enough, Nate. Do you remember when we were young, we’d go to a tavern and drink and gamble and pick up wenches?”

  I wondered where he was going with his walk down memory lane, but it was a good memory, so I didn’t mind. “Ah, the wenches,” I said with a smile. “I do remember them. The drink was, in hindsight, fucking horrible though.”

  Galahad’s smile was genuine. “It tasted like piss, I remember that much. But do you remember that time you stopped me from doing something stupid?”

  “Which of the many, many times are you referring to?”

  “The girl and her betrothed. She was all over me, and then her bloke turned up and challenged me to a duel. You stopped me.”

  “You’d have killed him and he wasn’t in the wrong.”

  “Yes, that’s the one. You were always the one who didn’t get as drunk as the rest of us. It sometimes felt like your job to look out for us all.”

  It was, I thought. “Someone had to.”

  “I wish I’d listened better thirty years ago, Nate. I wish I hadn’t allowed people in my council to push their way to get what they wanted. I cleaned house when I returned, got rid of the old council and started anew.” He paused. “What I’m trying to say is, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I put you in a position you shouldn’t have been in, I’m sorry I lied to you, and I’m sorry I tried to manipulate you into doing something I knew you’d hate. But I’m most sorry for what I said outside the mayor’s house, I was so full of anger and disappointment at myself and what I’d allowed to happen, that when given a target to aim at, I did with ferocity.”