Boots for the Gentleman (23 page)

A
FTER
taking five different carts and a meandering set of country roads to the outskirts of the city, Querry and Reg arrived at the edge of the factory district just as night fell. It was bitter cold and still; nothing but the distant chug and clang of the plants broke the silence. The clouds hung low and pregnant with snow, but, as yet, none fell. Darting from shadow to shadow, hoping the hood of his fur-lined cape would hide his face, Querry led his companion toward Dink’s shop, jumping at the slightest sound, unnerved even by the crunch of their feet on the filthy snow. Reg’s gloved hand went again and again to the antique pistols with the mother-of-pearl grips that he wore across his hips or to the rapier beside them. Querry knew Reg could handle them. He’d been quick and adept when they’d played at swords as boys, and weapon proficiency remained part of a gentleman’s education. Still, Querry hoped Reg’s skills wouldn’t be put to the test. Fortunately the brutal temperature gave them the streets to themselves, and soon Dink’s scrap yard came into view. Taking Reg’s hand, Querry sprinted the final block and turned onto the path that led to the small store.

The chimes announced their entry into the warm, well-lit space. Querry breathed into his hands to warm them as he looked at the treasures gleaming on the walls and lining the shelves and counter. Reg, who’d heard Querry talk about the shop but had never seen it himself, gazed around with almost as much amazement as Frolic had. Gingerly he touched a polished brass, telescopic monocle.

“Odd,” Querry said, looking at the chain-mail curtain from which Dink should have already emerged. He called out his old friend’s name, though, and heard a scuffling from the other room.

To his surprise, not Dink, but the blond leader of Dink’s scavengers, the boy who called himself Lizard, appeared. Querry could see at once that something had badly shaken the boy; his face was pale and his eyes darted back and forth. In his hand Lizard held a heavy, metal wrench, and he didn’t look like he planned to use it for tinkering. Seeing Querry, the boy relaxed only slightly.

“Lizard,” Querry said, putting a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Where’s Dink? Has something happened?”

“Yeah, you might say that,” came the answer. “Couple of weeks back, half a dozen big blokes show up in the middle of the night. Me and the boys was asleep down below, and we woke up to hear all kinds of noise coming from the shop. We hear Dink arguing with someone, so we come up to investigate. Now, these blokes claim to be coming from that Lord Thimbleroy, but they sure don’t look it.”

“How so?” Querry pressed.

Lizard shook his head. “Just, don’t. Too rough, like, street gang types.”

Querry nodded. A boy like Lizard knew thugs when he saw them. “What happened?”

“They say they’re recruiting artisans for work on that there tower. Old Dink tried to brush them off, when they tell him the job ain’t optional. I come out from behind the curtain, tell them if they want to take Dink, well, they’re gonna have to go through us first. But Old Dink calls us off. Told me to keep an eye on the place, and he’d be back as soon as the job was done. Wouldn’t hear no arguments.”

“He went with them?” Reg asked.

“Who the hell are you?” Lizard asked suspiciously, bringing the wrench to rest across his shoulder.

“This is Reg,” Querry said. “We grew up together. Speaking of which, where are the other boys?”

“Ain’t no more work or food here, mate,” Lizard said. “Reckon they’re off to find some someplace else.”

“Why not you?”

A serious look fell over Lizard’s face, adding years to his countenance. “I made Old Dink a promise. Said I’d look out for the place. If it weren’t for Old Dink, don’t know what would have become of me. Mum went off with a drunken gambler, see.”

Querry spotted a three-legged stool in the corner and sat down. He dropped his elbows to his knees and kneaded his temples. His injured body still hurt, and he was tired. Reg came over and rubbed his back, saying, “What will we do now, Querry?”

“I don’t know. Lizard, do you remember Frolic?”

The boy snorted. “Hard to forget, that one.”

“He’s missing. I think he might be in danger. Would you know anything about that?”

“Like I told ye, mate,” Lizard said, “Ain’t none of my business. Even if it was, I ain’t heard nothing about him on the street. Dink would know better. You, now, that’s different. Everybody been talking about Querrilous Knotte.”

“But nothing about Frolic?” Reg urged. When Lizard shook his head, he said to Querry, “What next?”

“We have to get to Dink,” Querry said. “They’re likely holding him at Thimbleroy Manor or at the clock tower itself. He’s sure to be well guarded, but I owe it to him to get him free. Trouble is, without him here it won’t be easy to replace the weapons and gear I’m going to need. Sure, I can scrounge something up on my own, but I don’t like the idea of facing the kind of fight we’re likely to get into with second-rate equipment.”

“That reminds me,” Lizard said. “Package come for you the other day. Poor bloke what delivered it didn’t seem like he knew his own name. He handed it off to me, looked all over like he didn’t know how he got here, then just wandered off whistling to himself. I’ll go and fetch it.” With a musical jingle, he parted the chain drape and returned carrying a package almost as long as he was tall, wrapped in iridescent paper resembling wet leaves. Curly rushes fastened with intricate, decorative knots held the parcel shut.

“Querry,” Reg said cautiously as the thief took the bundle from Lizard.

When he’d set the package down on the counter and opened it, Querry found, neatly folded inside, his snug black pants, striped cravat, shirt, and leather waistcoat. Beneath them he discovered his boots, pistols, and holsters, and even the ornate sword he’d obtained on his first outing with Frolic. It all smelled like a summer meadow sprinkled with clover. Staring down, Querry tried desperately to recall how he’d lost his things. The visions his mind conjured had nothing to do with the situation: dancing, swirling at impossible speed. A few bars of music played inside his head, and he began to tap his foot, but he couldn’t recall anything specific. Querry swore under his breath, tired of trying to make sense of a world seen through a keyhole, with everything significant happening just outside the tunnel of his vision.

“Well,” he said, shaking off the eerie feeling, “I suppose that’s one problem solved.”

“But we’ve got a bigger one,” Reg said. “Namely, reaching the top of the clock tower.”

“Climb the scaffolding,” Querry suggested.

“Won’t do,” Reg said. “Even if it was physically possible, and it might be for you, were you in top shape. But in your current condition I’m not so sure. Neither am I sure I could make it at all. If we could, we’d be out in the open for much too long. Any number of people could spot us and pick us off with a rifle.”

“You’d have made a good thief, Reg.”

“And once we get there, we have to get Dink back down. I seriously doubt he could make the climb at his age.”

“Might be I can help you out there too,” Lizard said. “Since it’s for Old Dink and all. Follow me.”

He led them out of the shop and deep into the yard, past the heaps of sheet metal, engine parts, wheels, canisters, and pieces of machinery and clockwork in various stages of completion. The three of them came to a clearing, and Querry couldn’t believe what he saw.

There, encircled by heaps of scrap, sat a car about the size of the average horse-drawn carriage. But the vehicle, which was made of brass panels along the lower half and sheets of clear glass on top, all held together with silver solder, had no wheels. Instead, a huge sack of pieced-together leather scraps hung over the opposite side. Half a dozen smaller balloons were tethered to the first with braided wire, and an expansive pair of bat-like wings, cut from aluminum and polished to a high shine, stretched beneath them. Copper tubing formed the spines on the wings and also extended from them to the base of the car. Querry could see, near the top, smaller tubes set within larger ones, as well as the gears that would allow them to extend or retract, moving the wings. A small propeller sat at the far tip of each wing, and a larger on at the back of the main compartment. Inside, brass levers and a wheel, just like that of a ship, gleamed in the gaslight.

“An airship,” Querry breathed with longing.

“But will she fly?” Reg asked, eyeing the vehicle dubiously.

Lizard shrugged. “Old Dink said she was finished. Pretty proud of her, too, he was.”

“But he never took her up,” Reg said, his head and shoulders drooping.

“She’ll fly,” Querry said, taking a step closer, eager to get his hands on the beautiful marvel.

“Even if she will,” Reg continued, “You’ve no idea how to operate her.”

“How hard can it be? Reg, this is just the thing! We’ll sail right over to the clock tower, rescue Dink, and be on our way. Then he’ll tell us where to find Frolic.”

“Oh, Querry,” Reg began, but Querry cut him short.

“Lizard, could we go inside?”

“I don’t see the harm.” The boy opened a glass door, and Querry followed him into the airship’s interior, trailed reluctantly by Reg. Like all of Dink’s best work, the airship’s hull, dash, instruments, and leather-cushioned benches had been adorned with swirling decoration cut from a contrasting metal and further enhanced with elaborate etching. It was truly a marvelous sight. Querry ran his bare hands reverently over the control panel. Lizard came to stand beside him.

“Beautiful, ain’t she?”

“Amazing,” Querry agreed.

“I helped Old Dink build her,” the boy said proudly. He pointed to a button. “This here fires up the gas burner.” He pointed to a metal disk in the center of the glass ceiling. “And this lever controls the flow. More juice and you go higher. ’Course, you can drop the anchor round the other side here, and she’ll hover in place just like a humming bird. You steer with that wheel, plainly. These two levers here control the angle of the wings. Pull up, and she’ll dive. Flap ’em down hard, and she’ll gain a little more altitude. Straighten ’em out to the sides to glide. Er, at least Old Dink says that’s what’ll happen.”

“This is a bad idea,” Reg said.

“No,” Querry said, his voice soft with awe. “It’s brilliant.”

“Take her,” Lizard said. “If it’ll help Old Dink. But take care of her. We been working on ’er the better part of three years.”

“Thank you,” Querry said. “We won’t let you down.”

Reg groaned. “Is this really the best course of action, Querry? We could be killed in that thing. Both the government and several private companies have been trying to perfect air travel for many years. Surely you’ve seen the results in the news? Fiery explosions as often as not. Not a single prototype has been successful. I don’t want to burn up or fall out of the sky.”

Turning to face him, Querry took Reg’s shoulders in his hands and looked deep into his eyes. “I wouldn’t ask you to do this if I thought there’d be any danger. Do you really think I’d risk losing you now? You don’t know Dink’s work like I do, Reg. You haven’t seen what he can do. This is going to work. I know it.”

Convinced, but clearly not excited by the prospect, Reg nodded twice and patted Querry’s knuckles.

“One more thing,” Querry said to himself, as a solid plan took shape in his mind. “Lizard, I need a grapple and something to project it. I need one that can hold to stone.”

“Right!” the boy said, saluting as he disappeared into the yard. Querry took the time to change back into his own clothing. It felt good to position his goggles above his forehead and strap his guns and sword around his hips. As he tugged his gloves into place and buckled them at the elbow, he caught Reg’s reflection smiling from behind him.

“Yes?” Querry said, eyes narrowing.

“I was just thinking,” Reg said, stepping forward and running his hands down the sides of Querry’s leather-clad waist, “how much that gear becomes you.”

Querry turned and took Reg’s face in his hands, though he couldn’t feel his skin through his armored gloves. He leaned in, about to kiss him, but was interrupted by Lizard’s return. The two men stepped quickly apart as the boy opened the airship door. He handed Querry a device resembling a two-foot crossbow with a spool of heavy rope attached to the underside. A thick bolt topped with a serrated, three-pronged claw waited to be fired.

“We call her The Gripper,” Lizard explained. “She’ll hold to anything.”

“Thank you,” Querry said, stashing the device beneath one of the airship’s benches.

“Just help Dink,” the boy said, insecurity and concern cracking his tough exterior and showing him for the child that he was.

“I promise.”

The boy nodded once, exited the ship and soon disappeared among the heaps of scrap. Querry went to stand at the helm, his finger trembling excitedly above the ignition button. When he pressed it, he heard a few clicks, then the gas lighting with a whoosh. A blue flame burned steadily above the glass ceiling. Slowly the balloons inflated with a steady hiss. When they stood full, Querry could practically feel the ship itching to take flight, tugging insistently toward the sky, like an excitable puppy on leash.

“Time to take her up,” he said, his heart skipping. He grasped the cold, oily bronze of the lever, and pulled it a few inches toward the floor. The fire brightened, and a series of gears moved against each other rhythmically. The propellers began to spin, and the ship ascended, jerkily at first, rising a dozen feet, dropping two, and rising again. Querry gave her a little more gas, and soon he and Reg rose smoothly toward the sky. Gripping the other lever, Querry brought the wings down and they shot toward heaven with the speed of a bullet. Querry laughed out loud, and Reg staggered to a bench, holding its back with one hand and his forehead with the other.

The little glass airship entered the layer of cloud and smog hanging above the city. For a moment everything went white. Then they broke through, and Querry brought the wings horizontal, allowing them to glide smoothly.

“Oh, Reggie, look!” he said, stepping away from the controls. As far as his eyes could see, the snow clouds stretched beneath them, obscuring everything below. To Querry it looked like a tranquil ocean rippling with subtle waves of glowing lavender, turquoise, rose, and lemon-yellow. Here and there the mist rose up in wavering curlicues or translucent sheets that dispersed in their wake. Directly in front of them, the moon cut an ivory crescent in the rich cobalt of the sky, and the stars shone even brighter and purer than they had in the country. To Querry, it seemed the perfect picture of the paradise promised to the faithful in the cathedrals.