Gilded Hearts (The Shadow Guild Series) (30 page)

They were all about to die, but Samuel couldn’t move past the lies and hate. All for what purpose? Ryerson sired Jack and Sam with a prostitute, just as Jack had said. They had been bred as human cogs, and Sam himself had been nothing more than a spare part. “I need you to say it.”

“Say what?”

“You always hated me, were cruel to me. You tried to keep me from the other apprentices, keep me from Pip. You wanted me isolated, and when that failed you pushed to ensure I did more duties than the others so I had no time to make friends. I need you to tell me why. Was it was because I reminded you of Jack and what you were doing to him? Or was it that you truly didn’t care about either of us beyond what use we could be to that bloody machine?”

Ryerson’s disgust was palatable. “Do you know what it was like, forced to look at you every day? You looked just like the whore. Both of you. Spitting images of her. I wanted nothing but to get rid of you, but the Administrators knew of your existence. There would have been questions.”

Jack’s chuckle merely confirmed what Sam knew to be the truth. “Our daddy has issues, Sammy-boy.”

“You bastard.”

Samuel leapt at Ryerson, fist connecting with his jaw. Off balance, he had no way of stopping himself from crashing to the floor when the room began to shake. Above, the metal fan screeched as the gigantic metal fins were suddenly blasted by steam. Cries from the Guild Masters were chased by chunks of stone falling and shattering against the marble floor. The group scattered, leaving Ryerson and Samuel in the path of the falling debris.

“Sam!”

June had pulled Piper to the wall, holding her back from coming to his aid. Good, at least she was safe for a moment. A quake shook them again, sending drawers of memory vials to splinter into oblivion against the unforgiving marble. There wasn’t time to get everyone out. To get Pip to the top, where she could be free. They needed to find a way to stabilize the machine.

They needed to fix it.

All his life Samuel had been running. The first night he’d spent with Detective Inspector Williams, the older man had simply stared at him as Samuel devoured three rolls and two bowls of stew. When he’d finished Williams stood, ruffled Samuel’s hair, and smiled down at him.

“Someday you’ll stop running, son. I just hope it won’t be too late for you.”

That time had finally come. He let his gaze lock on Piper. Her chestnut hair was wild around her shoulders. Her rich brown eyes full of fear, not for herself but for him. He knew he’d loved her for years, but the power of that love, what he’d be willing to do for it, had never been something he’d questioned before now.

The answer was simple. Anything. He would do anything for Pip.

Samuel got to his feet, ignoring Ryerson and the Guild Masters. He held Piper’s gaze and smiled.

“I love you.”

She knew. He didn’t know how, but she knew what he was going to do. Her horror was clear. “No, Sam. Don’t.”

“It’s the only way. The machine needs to be stabilized.”

“No.” Her tears came fast. “Please.”

“It’s the only way I’ll know you’re safe. I’ll be able to shut the machine down for good.”

Ryerson was still holding his jaw. “No you won’t.”

“I love you, Pip.”

And Samuel ran one last time.

Piper’s heart stopped for a beat as Samuel bolted for the hallway. She didn’t know how she knew, but he was going to find the Archives machine and hook himself up to it. His promise to Jack back in the carriage was more than sincere. He’d stop at nothing to prevent Jack from being forced back into the machine, including taking up that shadow life in his brother’s place.

The thought of him sacrificing himself broke her heart.

“Sam!”

Nothing else mattered—not the Guild Masters, Jack, or even bringing him to justice for his crimes. Samuel was going to willingly throw his life away, and any future happiness they might have would be ripped from their grasp. She’d be dammed if she’d stand by and let him do that without a fight.

The corridors were darkened, most of the steam lamps having been blown out by the overload. Relying on her hearing, she tried to follow Samuel’s footfalls, the echoes bouncing back to her. Going on faith, she chased after him as quickly as she dared, until the corridor narrowed. At the end was a small, inconspicuous door with a simple brass knob. The door was half open, and from within the room Piper heard a slow
beep
and the gentle
whir
of ventilation.

Her hand shook as she pushed the door fully open, revealing a darkened room, illuminated with blue light. The far corner was completely taken up by a monstrous chair, which looked as if it were being consumed by a great beast comprised of wires and tubes, gears and iron. The whole mechanism extended to cover nearly half the chamber.

Samuel stood before the chair, one hand stretched out so his fingers could caress the headrest. The back of the chair was molded wood covered with only thin padding and leather. It wouldn’t have been the most comfortable of spots to sit upon for a meal, let alone a lifetime. All Piper could think of was the boy Jack, how his feet must have dangled so far from the floor when he first sat in that chair. Did he know then he had never been meant to leave it?

“He lived here for years.” Samuel’s voice was hushed, as if he were speaking in a holy place. “No wonder he went mad.”

“Sam, please don’t do this.”

“The machine will tear this building apart. If it goes, collapses, it will create a ripple effect that will destroy not only the landscape of New London, but its spirit. The archivists were a part of the natural order of things for so long. The knowledge they collected was vital to the advancement of our society. Everything will be lost.”

“I thought you hated them, this place? How can you be willing to sacrifice everything, too?”

Samuel finally turned, and Piper was shocked to see tears on his cheeks. “I don’t give a frig about them. I’m doing this to save you, Pip.”

“Me?” No, that was the last thing she wanted. “Don’t be insane. We still have time to leave.”

“I would listen to the little Pipsqueak.”

The sound of Jack’s voice should have driven a spike of fear through her, and yet she could only feel relief and a fragile shard of hope. He was here, in the one place above all others she would have suspected he’d flee from.

“What are you doing, Sammy-boy? Looking into the maw of the beast to see if you’re man enough to jump in?”

“I made you a promise that I wouldn’t let them put you back.”

“You’re going to take my place?” Jack laughed. “How do you propose to make it work? Fit yourself in and turn it on?”

Samuel held up his wrist strap. “I’m clever, remember? I can work it out. But I don’t think I’ll have to, when it comes down to it. The machine recognizes me as much as it does you. That’s why when I put on the goggles it tried to connect with me, to reach out and pull me in. It thought I was you. I suspect all I need to do is sit down and it will figure out the rest.”

“What are you doing, Sammy?”

Stepping behind the console, Samuel took his place in the deep seat. The cables and tubes hanging off the sides began to move as the chair adjusted around him, curling like eager tentacles to secure him into place. It was just as it had been back in the observation room—a melting together of machine and man.

“You’re even dumber than I gave you credit for.” Jack pulled the knives from the back of Pip’s corset and pressed each of the tips beneath her breasts. This killer of women, whores, now had her at his mercy. In a blink her life could be over.

Samuel’s grip tightened on the arms of the chair as he struggled against the machine that bound him tighter every moment. A cable slid from behind the headrest and wound itself almost lovingly around his neck, the exposed wires at the end stretching slowly toward his ear. “What are you doing?”

“I thought it was fairly obvious.” Jack’s mouth pressed to her ear, his rotten breath filling her nose. “I’m about to kill the woman you love.”

Piper tried not to breathe too deeply, somehow gaining control over herself enough to keep from fighting him. Of all the things that could happen, being killed in front of Samuel was the last thing she wanted. Not only because she feared the pain that Jack would inflict before ending her life, but because she couldn’t stand the idea of Sam forever blaming himself for letting it happen.

“Let her go!” He jerked away from the seeking wire, regaining a little range of motion in his arms.

“No.” The tips of the blades cut into the leather of her corset. “She’s no better than the others. She’s no better than me, a piece of a machine. What life will she have if this place is destroyed? She’ll have no purpose, no direction. She’ll go mad. Maybe even kill others, herself. I’m doing her a favor.”

“John—” Samuel’s voice cracked. “Please. Let her go so she can run away.”

“This one doesn’t run. She’s not like you. Get out of the chair, Sammy.”

With the next push Piper felt the blades slice through the leather and cut into her skin. Pain surged through her chest, threatening to override even her fear. Piper ground her teeth against the pain and fought her need to cry.

“Sam,” she whispered. “I love you.” It was so simple to say the words now. With her world falling apart, everything she’d ever lived for being reduced to rubble and dust, she knew the only thing that mattered was the feelings she had for him. “I love you so much.”

Samuel’s hand fell away from the chair. “I love you, too.”

“Well, isn’t this touching?” Jack signed before he pressed the knife in.

“Pip!”

She couldn’t stop the scream from spilling from her as the blade shredded leather and skin. Sam lunged forward with a roar, ripping free from the wires as Jack threw her to the floor. The air left her lungs as she scrambled to break her fall, only to land on the stones, her arm twisted beneath her body.

Samuel dropped to his knees by her side, pulling her into his arms. He was warm and the rapid pounding of his heart comforted her even as the pain consumed her. The steady rocking motion was almost enough to make her forget that she was about to die. At least she wouldn’t be alone at the end.

Was all that blood hers?

“It’s all right. You’re going to be fine, Pip. Just keep your eyes open and talk to me.”

Where had Jack gone? Trying to push Samuel to the side, she caught a fleeting movement beyond his shoulder.

“Stop moving. You’re making it bleed more. Someone help us!”

“Jack. The chair.”

“I don’t care. Just don’t die on me.” She couldn’t tell if it was his tears or hers that rolled down her face. He pressed his hand to her chest, trying to hold the blood back. God, it hurt more than she’d ever experienced before. She couldn’t take a breath, and yet all she wanted to do was suck in a lungful and scream.

No, there was something more important than the pain. Jack. The chair.

“Sam.” He looked down at her and pushed her hair from her face. “Jack. In the chair.”

She remained conscious long enough to see the look of horror cross Samuel’s face, before the blackness took her.

Samuel watched helpless as Piper’s eyes rolled into the back of her head and she went slack in his arms. She was still breathing, but it was shallow and her face had gone pale. Her fingers were still curled around his sleeve, but had lost their grip.

“Poor Sammy-boy. What to do, what to do?” Jack had wriggled back into his chair, sliding his body around so he was pressed flat against the back. Once he was in place he pulled his shirt off, leaving his disfigured chest exposed. “Stop the villain or save the girl. It’s not an enviable choice. Personally, I’d save the girl.”

“Why are you doing this?”

The chair was a mass of writhing cables and spinning gears now, things moving twice as quickly as they had when Sam sat down. Jack put a hand out and a tube slid into his waiting palm as if he and the machine were already one mechanism. He snapped the end of the tube into one of the grommets on his side, cringing as he did so. “Why let you be fucking noble, sacrifice yourself? Take all the glory when this was my hell? I don’t think so. I’m going down with the ship.”

“We can find another way. Shut the machine down safely.”

Jack paused, hand clutching a series of wires, his unnerving eyes wide and unblinkingly fixed on Samuel. “You are such an idealist. I’ve been bad. Need to be punished. Being in this chair will do that, Sammy. Because there is no I. Every memory of every person has been through my head. There isn’t any room left for me.”

“You’re crying.” Samuel wanted to set Piper down, go to the monster who was his own flesh and blood and take him into his arms. They were two sides of the same coin, the same and yet infinitely different.

Jack frowned, reached up and touched the tears. “Interesting. Maybe there is a bit of life in me yet.” With a casual shrug, he continued to reattach leads to his body, occasionally angling himself to let the machine plug itself in instead. As Samuel watched, shuddering, the cable by the headrest snaked smoothly into Jack’s ear, not hesitating this time.

“I made you a promise, that I wouldn’t let them do this to you again.”

Settling back, Jack placed a final wire to his temple, sliding his hair up to reveal a miniature socket Sam hadn’t even noticed before. “You held up your end. I did it to myself. My choice, not theirs.”

Reaching into his pocket, Jack pulled out an animal that looked like a small crab. Samuel pulled Piper closer to his chest. “What’s that?”

“A way out. You see, I wasn’t lying when I said I had the memories of every person who’d ever been extracted pass through my brain. Sometimes things stick. There was one I saw years ago that had always stayed with me. My escape plan.”

“John…”

“He was a patient from Bedlam. He’d been in a fight, got stabbed in the forehead with a spike. Lived for years after that. His mind was so… calm. I’m not sure if this will work, but it’s worth a shot. If I die, feel free to push me to the floor before you take my spot.”

“No!”

Jack lifted the crab to his forehead and deployed its legs, flinching as they attached themselves to his skin. But he didn’t press the button. His hands shook as his finger hovered, the flow of tears down his face increasing. The sharp, bitter laugh was pitiful. “I guess this is harder than I thought it would be. Funny, I can take a life without a thought, except for my own. Might need your help after all, brother.”

He couldn’t do this. Couldn’t leave Pip, but couldn’t bear to leave Jack to another lifetime of torture, either. Not when he could give him peace. “How?”

“You’re clever, remember.”

One press of a button and it would all be over. “I can’t. I can’t do that to you.”

“You owe me, Sammy-boy. You owe me this and then you can go live your life. Do it. Do it now.
Now!
”

Samuel fiddled with his wrist strap a moment to attune it to the crab. After a final look at his brother he poised his finger in place, squeezed his eyes shut and pressed the button. Jack’s head jerked and a snap akin to gunfire filled the room. Jack’s eyes grew wide and his hands fell to his lap. A thin trickle of blood rolled down his forehead and nose, to drip across his lips.

Samuel kissed Piper’s head, but knew if he let go of her now, the blood flow would start again. He couldn’t leave her, not if it meant she’d die.

“John?” His brother’s chest continued to move up and down, the only indication that he was still alive. “John?”

The distant shriek of steam pipes eased and quieted. The weak, heat-driven spins of the ventilation fan stopped as the mechanism powered on again, zipping into silent, steady life. Even as Sam sat trying to gather his thoughts, the air around him cooled and calmed. It was like being out on the water after a storm. Jack’s cold void radiated outward, the horrible emptiness turning slowly to a peaceful glimpse of infinity. Then, as suddenly as the sensations were there, they stopped.

Jack stopped.

He was gone.

“Ouch.”

Shifting Piper in his arms, Samuel pushed her hair from her face. “Pip. Sweetheart, are you all right?”

“Hurts.”

“I know it does. I need to get you out of here. The doctor needs to stitch you up.”

“Jack?” She struggled to sit up.

Knowing she wouldn’t stop asking, Samuel scooped her into his arms, turning to show her where Jack was. He could see Jack’s shirt moving rhythmically against his chest, could tell he still breathed at least. “I’ll come back and check on him. It seems the machine recognized him. I think the worst is over.”