“Like a raft of driftwood?” Captain Banda said. “Such drifts are found on the river.”
“Big ones?” S’san asked. “Large enough to conceal the sort of thing we’re talking about and not appear strange to the Imperials watching the river?”
“Certainly,” Banda said. “Sometimes entire large trees drift down the river before the river patrols snag them. If we only travel at night while going against the current, we should be able to remain unnoticed.”
Lukas studied the diagram again. “Steam propulsion, most of the hull underwater, using ballast tanks to adjust how deep the craft lies…we can build that,” he finally said.
Alain had understood very little of what the Mechanics were discussing, but he saw every other Mechanic relax and smile at Lukas’ words. To them, if Master Mechanic Lukas said it could be done, it could be.
“I still see one problem,” Banda said. “You would want a short stack for the boiler, as short as possible to keep it from being seen on the river. But the thing we’re talking about would have to enter the river from the sea, and the swells on the surface of the sea would swamp that short stack. The water would put out the boiler and sink the ship.”
“We could put an extension on it,” Mari said. “Like the one on that Dark Mechanic barge that pretended to be a dragon in Dorcastle. Remember that, Alain?"
"No," Alain said. "I remember you using many words as you spoke of the Dark Mechanic device, but I understood none of them." He wondered why the Mechanics present smiled as if he had told a joke.
Mari shook her head. "Anyway, they had a collapsible funnel that they could raise and lower to hide the presence of the boiler at times. We could do that. Use a longer stack at sea that can be lowered when the, uh, thing enters the river.”
Banda nodded, rubbing his mouth with one hand as he looked at the diagrams. “That should work. It would still have to travel as much as possible by night to avoid anyone noticing a raft of driftwood moving upstream against the current, and to minimize the chance of anyone seeing exhaust smoke if we don’t maintain the fuel-air mixture just right, but…it should work.”
“We’ve got some gifted Mechanics and commons when it comes to ship design and construction,” Lukas said. “We can get this done.”
Everyone looked triumphant. Except for the Mages, of course, and except for Mari, who looked steadily at Alain.
Alain nodded to her. He knew he had to be the one who said what came next. “There is the matter of who must go on this journey.”
“We’ll pick the best,” Professor S’san vowed.
“There are two who must go,” Alain repeated. “I must be one of them, because Master Mechanic Mari is the other.”
Chapter Six
If Mari had said it, the room would have erupted with protests. But since Alain had spoken, everyone just stared at him in wordless disbelief.
“Sir Mage,” General Flyn said, having recovered the ability speak first, “Lady Mari cannot—"
“Let me explain,” Alain said. He had discovered that his ability to speak without emotion gave his words more weight with Mechanics. He was not sure why that was, but he made use of it at times like this. “Those who survive at the university in Marandur were tasked to ensure they provided the texts only to the right person. They had abided by that promise, and denied to Mari knowing anything of the texts when she asked after them. It was only after she proved that she was the Mechanic they had waited for that the masters of the university told her where the texts were.”
“How did she prove it?” Mechanic Dav asked.
“I repaired their steam heat system and taught them how to run it themselves,” Mari said. “I didn’t ask for anything in exchange or in payment.”
Professor S’san nodded in understanding. “You said you had proven that commons could operate a steam boiler. I had wondered where you could have done that without the Guild knowing. That was very good thinking.”
“It was Alain’s idea,” Mari hastened to add.
“If any other Mechanic goes to the university,” Alain continued, “the masters will once again deny any knowledge, in case those Mechanics have been sent by their Guild to destroy the texts.”
“But Mari knows where they are now, right?” Alli asked.
“I was told they were going to move them,” Mari said. “Hide them again in case Alain or I got captured and were forced to tell someone where the texts were.”
“But Mari, the risks of you going back there through the heart of the empire—"
“Do you think I want to go back to that awful place, Alli?”
“Lady Mari is irreplaceable,” General Flyn said in a low voice.
“So are those texts,” said Master Mechanic Lukas, as reluctantly as if the words had been dragged out of him.
“Do we risk the irreplaceable to save the priceless?” S’san asked. “How can we in good conscience do that, and yet how can we not?”
Alain spoke again, keeping his words unemotional. “I know of these texts only what I have been told, and I have understood little of that. What I have understood is that Mari does not often cry, but she cried when seeing what those who came here on the great ship could once create. I have also understood that the founders of the Mechanics Guild stole this wisdom from everyone, not just the Mechanics who came after them. One other thing I know. The Great Guilds and the Empire fear what Mari is doing and what she will do next, but none of them will expect her to revisit Marandur by going up that river in a ship which sails under the water.”
“Alain,” Alli said, “you’re arguing in favor of sending Mari into an incredibly risky situation.”
“I know this.” Alain paused, remembering Dorcastle. “You know I would not argue so by choice. Nothing is more precious to me than she is. But one of the first things Mari taught me was the need to do the right thing. As much as it worries me, this is the right thing.”
“If it were for anything less…” Professor S’san muttered.
“I hate this,” Lukas said. “No one here can replace you, Mari. You know that. We’ve got depth when it comes to things like technical knowledge. We’ve got the general and his officers to command the military forces. And we’ve got a surprising number of Mages who render invaluable services to us. There’s only one person the commons see as the daughter, though, and only one Mechanic that the Mages will accept as a leader. And I’ll be the first to admit that you have been a very effective leader, showing an ability to inspire and to combine our strengths that I would not have believed before joining you. On top of that is the deal with Tiae, which the Princess insisted on making with you personally. I’m not telling you anything that you don’t know. But I also know that the Senior Mechanics would burn every piece of knowledge, no matter how precious, to try to keep themselves in control for another day. And the Empire would be no better. We have to do this. I can get the ship built. I hope you aren’t planning on just you and Mage Alain sailing it up the river to Marandur.”
“You need a good sailor who knows the waters,” Captain Banda said. “I must go as well.”
“And me!” Mechanic Dav insisted before anyone else could speak. “My ancestor started this. He saved those texts. It’s my job to finish the work he began.”
Mari nodded to him. “I can’t argue with that.”
“If Mechanic Dav goes,” Mage Asha said dispassionately, “I will go.” Despite the lack of feeling in her words, Alain noticed that even the Mechanics and commons had caught the determination behind them.
“That has to be it,” Lukas said. “This mostly-under-the-water boat thing has to be as small as we can get away with. We already have to worry about the boiler and fuel for it. Three Mechanics should suffice to oversee the boiler while you’re moving on the river, and two Mages can provide what could be critical backup if you have to fight at any point. But five people and food for them will take up enough space as it is, and we need to leave room for those texts.”
“Do you see a need
for a common among the crew?” S’san asked Flyn.
“No, Lady Mechanic,” Flyn said, shaking his head. “Lady Mari represents us all.”
“General,” Mari said, “if I knew any other way to safeguard those texts, I wouldn’t do this.”
“I do understand, Lady. At this moment, there are at least two injured men in a hospital who would be dead if not for some of the medical devices in the texts you did bring back.” Flyn grimaced slightly, looking down. “I once told Mage Alain that I had a son who died of illness when very young. What still lies in Marandur could perhaps have saved him, and could save many other sons and daughters in the future. It does not surprise me that you see the importance of that, and are willing to risk yourself for it.”
“Thank you,” Mari said in a small voice, looking down herself in embarrassment.
“We need to keep anyone from knowing that Lady Mari is gone,” General Flyn added, looking resigned. “We can do that for a few weeks by pretending she is visiting other places. But any longer than that and uncomfortable questions will be asked. Is she supposed to sail that thing up through the Umbari Ocean and the Jules Sea, then across the Sea of Bakre and up the Ospren River, and then back? That round trip could be months.”
Captain Banda grimaced as he thought. “The thing can be towed by a larger ship like the Pride. But that would still mean Mari being gone for all that time on the ship.”
“Rocs could take her and Mage Alain to the ship,” Mage Alera said, surprising the others. “Carry them up and across the sea, stopping to rest in the grasslands and the Southern Mountains. It would be much easier and faster than trying to cross the waste and southern Empire as well. The journey should only take three days, four at the most, if the Rocs are pushed.”
“That would be much better,” General Flyn said.
“How do Mari and Alain get from the bird to the ship?” Calu asked. “Can Rocs land on water?”
“Rocs cannot land on water,” Alera said. “No. Elder Mari and Mage Alain would jump into the sea.”
“We would what?” Mari demanded.
“The Rocs carrying you and Mage Alain would glide slowly as low as they could, and you would jump into the sea near the ship,” Mage Alera explained.
“This would work,” Alain agreed.
“Excuse me!” Mari said. “You want me to jump off a giant bird into the sea? What happened to all of this concern that I might get hurt?”
“We would put a boat into the water when we saw the Roc approaching,” Captain Banda said. “There should be little risk.”
“Little risk to you, maybe!”
“Mari,” Alain said, knowing that she probably would not thank him for bringing this up, “I have jumped from a Mechanic ship into the water.”
“We didn’t exactly have a choice, Alain.”
“And I have jumped from Mechanic trains at your request.”
“Only once!”
“Twice,” Alain corrected her. “The first time was supposed to be into water, but it was mostly rocks. The second time was only rocks.”
Mari set her mouth and glared at him. “The second time was dirt with rocks mixed in. Fine. I didn’t think I could hate anything more than I did the idea of going on this trip to Marandur, but now I do.”
“Speaking of things no one wants to do, who tells Princess Sien of this when she returns?” General Flyn asked.
“I will,” Mari said. “She won’t accept it from anyone else.”
“Good luck dealing with the royal wrath, Lady. Princess Sien knows you carry the future of Tiae with you.”
“Needless to say, but I will say it anyway,” Professor S’san added in her harshest tones, “no one is to breathe a word of Mari’s upcoming trip to anyone who wasn’t in this room. And don’t talk about it among yourselves anywhere where anyone can overhear. Better yet, don’t talk about it at all. Mari’s survival will hinge on whether we can keep secret the fact that she is returning to Marandur. You can talk about the experimental watercraft among yourselves. We’ll do our best to keep it secret as well, but the need to construct it will require letting a lot more people in on that. But not what it is intended for. We need a name for the craft, Lukas.”
“The texts call it a submersible,” Calu pointed out again. “But that’s for something that completely submerges.”
“We want a name that is misleading,” General Flyn suggested.
“Misleading?” Lukas asked. “It’s essentially a boiler that can be floated somewhere.”
“It is very dangerous, then,” Alain said.
“No. Not if properly operated. Why do you think a boiler is very dangerous?” Lukas asked.
“Because—" Alain suddenly realized that what he was about to say might not be welcomed by Mari. “They can explode. And create fires.”
“How did a Mage—?” S’san began, then looked at Mari. “What did you do?”
“I made a boiler explode,” she said, with an aggravated look at Alain. “And set a fire in the boiler room on the Queen of the Seas.”
“That’s right!” Calu said. “You blew up a boiler in Dorcastle, right?”
“You blew up a boiler.” Lukas stared at Mari as if seeing her for the first time.
“It wasn’t an accident!” Mari protested. “I did it on purpose!”
“You did it on purpose.” Lukas looked at S’san as if hoping she would have a rational explanation for such behavior.
“There was a dragon,” Alain said.
“And Mari used the boiler explosion to kill the dragon,” Alli explained. “She told me all about it. Hey, that’s what we could make people think the thing is. A way to sneak a powerful bomb next to a ship at sea. The Queen! That might sink her. And Mari already tried once.”
“I didn’t try to sink the Queen,” Mari corrected. “I just wanted to disable the ship. But the Senior Mechanics probably think I did want to sink her.”
“And fanatical, crazy Mari would be obsessed with finishing the job, wouldn’t she?” Alli said.
“Could you put that some other way?” Mari asked.
S’san nodded, smiling thinly. “Yes. That is exactly what the Senior Mechanics would think. And that thing could be a sort of mobile bomb potentially useful against a steel ship like the Queen of the Seas. Or at least it could be in the eyes of a dangerous, unpredictable opponent.”
“We don’t want the Mechanics Guild to be too worried about this thing if they hear about it,” Captain Banda said. “That would attract too much interest.”
“Not if they think it’s a piece of junk,” S’san said, smiling again. “We can plant plenty of rumors that the thing is not working, that the design is the flawed product of a flawed mind. The Senior Mechanics would be eager to believe that Mari’s obsessions were driving her to such irrational schemes.”
“Excuse me,” Mari said. “Still sitting here listening, and not enjoying this. Aren’t we supposed to be deciding on a name?”
“The Terror,” Calu suggested. “That’s the sort of name an obsessive, insane leader would pick, right, Mari?”
“Why are you asking me that?” she replied coldly.
“Um…and the nickname would be the Terrible,” Calu finished, trying to pretend that he hadn’t heard Mari’s response.
“I like that,” Lukas said. He gave Mari another look. “You do understand we don’t want this one to blow up?”
“Yes, I do understand that,” Mari replied, her tone of voice flat now. “I have a very strong desire to get back from this alive.”
S’san nodded. “Remember, everyone, an incautious word could doom Mari. Banish the name of Marandur from your minds from this moment on, and don’t even hint that Mari will leave Tiae at any point in the future.”
Alli stood up and walked up to Mari. “Since we can’t talk about this once we leave here, I’m telling you right now, your daughterness, that you had better come back safely. You and Alain both. If anything happens to you, if you die, I swear that I will find your
grave, dig you up, and yell at you until my voice gives out!” She blinked back tears, then embraced Mari.
“She means it,” Calu said to Mari. “Alain, you’ll get Mari back to us, right?”
“I will,” Alain said.
After everyone else had left, Mari shut the door again and sat down next to Alain, burying her face in her hands. “Thank you for convincing the others that I had to go,” she mumbled.
“I am sorry,” Alain said.
She looked over at him, smiling crookedly. “I wasn’t being sarcastic. If I had told them I had to go, each and every one of them would have accused me of being irresponsible and misguided and impulsive and…lots of other things. But they knew you wouldn’t have proposed it unless it really was necessary. When it comes to me, they trust you more than they trust me.”
“When it comes to most other things, they trust you a great deal. But they know you place a very high concern on what you see as your duty, and a very low concern for the dangers that duty may place you in.” Alain put his arm about her, worry and guilt filling him now that he had helped convince the others that Mari must go into danger again. “I hope what I said about no one expecting this is so. We might be able to get into Marandur and escape again without anyone in the Empire knowing.”
“My darling Mage, I am certain you are right about no one expecting me to do this.” Mari closed her eyes tightly. “Jumping off a Roc into the sea. You’ve wanted to get back at me ever since I made you leap off that second train, haven’t you?”
Concerned that Mari was serious, Alain began to deny it, then looked closely at her. “This was a joke?”
“Not much of one, but yeah.” She looked at him again. “I’m starting to be as bad at telling jokes as Mages are. You’re rubbing off on me. Did you have to bring up the boiler explosion in front of Master Mechanic Lukas?”
“Yes?”
She tried to keep a straight face, then laughed. “If I stay sane, my Mage, it will be because of you.”