Tinker's War (The Tinkerer's Daughter Book 2) (13 page)

“He has taken residence in the
Old Pony Inn
, near the town square. The toy-maker is one of the chosen interpreters.”

I twisted my face up. “Interpreter?” I said. “Tinker? Is that a joke?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know why they chose him. Perhaps they thought him intelligent.”

“Well, he is that,” I said with a grin. “But he’s no linguist. Tinker can barely speak the common tongue. It took him a year to remember how to say
‘Thank you very much’
in Tal’mar.”

“We should go,” Llana said, glancing up the street. “The Vangars don’t look like they’re paying much attention, but they might surprise you. Patrols come by every few minutes. Come, we must share this news about the queen with the others!”

“You two go on without me,” I said. “I’ll find Tinker.”

Tam stared at me. “Are you sure?”

“I’ll be fine. I know the way to the inn.”

“Be careful,” Llana warned. “The Vangars have installed a curfew. The streets will be emptied in less than two hours. After that, you’ll be stuck here.”

“We’ll be gone before them,” I assured her. “Tam, meet me back here in an hour. If you’re not here, I’ll leave without you.”

“Agreed. If one of us should be caught, the other should not be left waiting.”

“Exactly. We’ll have to stash our weapons here, too. We can retrieve them later.”

Llana slipped out of the alley to blend in with the crowd. Tam removed his bow and quiver and tucked them into the corner. “One hour,” he said again before he stepped into the street. I nodded. I placed my cutlass next to his bow and then waited a few minutes, so as not to attract attention. Then I left the alley, slipping into the crowd as inconspicuously as possible, and making my way towards the
Old Pony.

The Vangars took no notice of me. The citizens who recognized me only gave me a cautious smile or a passing nod. They knew better than to draw the Vangars’ attention.

Chapter 12

I found Tinker in a room overlooking the street on the third floor of the
Old Pony
. The door was open, and he was sitting quietly with a half dozen others, gathered around a table. They had no candles or lanterns. They spoke quietly in the soft light that drifted in through the window from the street. When I appeared in the doorway, Tinker glanced at me and then did a double-take.

“Breeze!” he called out, jumping up.

I rushed across the room and threw my arms around him. Words can’t describe how relieved I was to find him alive and well. He pulled away to look down at me, and I craned my neck up at him.

“I was worried about you,” I said. “You’re lucky you didn’t get killed.”

He smiled. “They had no reason to harm me,” he said, gently stroking my hair. “I’m just a harmless old man.”

I laughed at that, and I heard subdued laughter coming from the others in the room. No one who actually knew Tinker would consider him harmless by any stretch. The man had not only invented the powder charges commonly used in rifles and cannons, but had also invented the airplane, and the spring engines we used to power them.

Tinker’s mind was simply different than everyone else. To him, a rock was not a rock and a tree was not just a tree. They were materials. They were components; things that could be turned into something else, if one could discern the right method and design.

I pulled away from him and glanced around the room, taking stock of the situation. Among the others, I recognized the mayors of Anora and Riverfork, as well as the sheriff of Riverfork. I was surprised to see the latter two in the same room. The last time I’d seen them, the sheriff had made threats about the upcoming election and the mayor had gone off in a huff.

“We are friends here,” Tinker said, reading my thoughts. “Tell me, have you come from the mountains?”

“Yes.”

“And Analyn? She made it there safely?”

I nodded. “Her and at least a hundred others.”

“Thank heavens,” one of the women said. “She’s the last in line for the throne, you know.” They all nodded and murmured in agreement.

I nodded uncomfortably. I wondered if the woman knew that Analyn had no desire for the throne. It was telling however, that they still considered her a valid ruler. That meant none of them had accepted the Vangars. That at least was a good sign.

“Breeze, there is one thing,” Tinker said. “Your friend Robie-”

“He’s back at the camp,” I explained. “He would have come, but I asked him to stay.”

“I see. How can I explain this? We evacuated Riverfork ahead of the Vangar airships, but they caught up to us outside Anora. They fired on us mercilessly as our caravans streamed into the city. Robie’s parents were riding on a wagon that was struck by cannon fire. They were both killed instantly.”

My heart sank as I heard this, and I wondered how I would ever find the strength to tell Robie. I sighed. “I have more bad news,” I said. “The Vangars caught up to us at General Corsan’s farm. We escaped, but they killed the general.”

Tinker’s face fell even more, if it were possible. “Cruel tidings,” he muttered. He took a deep breath and glanced around the room, then his eyes returned to me. “We must be steadfast, or the same fate will befall the rest of us. Resolve your mourning into ferocity. That is what we will need to defeat our enemies.”

The others in the room nodded emphatically, a few quietly speaking the words, “Hear, hear!”

“I don’t have much time,” I said. “I have to get out of Anora before curfew. I don’t know what to do. My plane was destroyed when I crashed. The refugees have very few weapons and almost no supplies. What are we going to do, Tinker?”

He gave me a sympathetic look. “For now, nothing. It will be a few weeks before we clearly understand the Vangars’ intentions. Until then we must watch them. We must learn their ways, their secrets. We must test their strengths until we find their weaknesses.”

“I don’t understand,” I said. “Aren’t we going to fight them?”

“Such action would be foolish right now,” he said. “It will take time to organize a resistance. Attacking them now would leave us exposed and cost us dearly.”

I frowned. I had been certain that Tinker would have a plan. I looked at him and then at the others. “So you’re not going to do anything?” I said. “You don’t have a plan at all?”

Tinker put his hand on my shoulder. “Calmly, Breeze. We
do
have a plan, and right now, that plan is to be cautious and wise. If we act rashly now, we will ruin our chances later.”

“But they will only get stronger,” I argued. “They’ve captured thousands of people… tens of thousands. They’re rounding everyone up like cattle. And the people are acting like cattle, Tinker. They really are.”

“And what would you have them do?” he said, raising an eyebrow. “Would you have farmers with no boots and only pitchforks as weapons try to fight off these invaders? Come, look at this.” He guided me over to the window. “Look out at the street and tell me what you see.”

“People,” I said. “Humans, Tal’mar. Walking around.”

“Correct.”

“It’s terrible,” I said.

Tinker shook his head. “They are alive. They are healthy. And most importantly, they’re not a threat.”

I sighed. “Clearly not. The Vangars aren’t even worried about them. They know they have us beaten.”

“Do they?” he said cleverly. “Is that what the Vangars know, or is it
what they think they know?

“Are you saying they’re wrong?” I said. “Because it looks to me like those people are ready to lick the boots of the first Vangar that crosses their path.”

“Looks can be deceiving,” Tinker said. “Right now, it’s important for us to look like that. We must appear weak, beaten. The less of a threat we represent, the less prepared the Vangars will be when we rise up and crush them.”

His voice rose at the end and I saw a fire in his eyes that I hadn’t seen there in a long time. I smiled. “So you do have a plan,” I said.

“All in good time.”

“Fine. Then what should I do?”

“Go back into the mountains. Tell Analyn and the others what you saw here, and the things that were spoken. Tell them to be patient and clever. Tell them to gather tools, to build weapons, to make black powder charges and rifles and whatever else they can manage.”

I frowned. “Tinker, you must come with me! You can’t stay here.”

“I must. Against all probability, the Vangars have entrusted me with a position of influence. They’ve made me an interpreter.”

“I heard,” I said cynically.

Tinker laughed. “Who knows what they were thinking? I may not be the best man for this role, but I’ll do what I must. In the meantime, I will use their misplaced trust against them. Keep that in mind, Breeze. Take those words to heart. Whatever an enemy gives to you, you must bide your time until you can use it against him.”

We turned away from talk of fighting and insurrection at that point. Tinker and the others wanted to know more about Analyn and the rest of the refugees. I told them what I could. Then, reluctantly, I gave Tinker a parting hug. I had to get out of the city before curfew or risk being trapped there.

“When will you know more?” I said before leaving. “When should I come back?”

“On the new moon,” he said. “You will easily get back into the city then, and I should have much more information.”

The new moon was two weeks away. I hardly dared think about what might happen between now and then. I sighed. “All right. Two weeks, then.” I turned away but Tinker caught me by the arm. He lifted a journal off the table and shoved it into my hands.

“What’s this?” I said.

“It’s what we’ve learned of their language. It’s not a lot, but I will have more for you next time you return. Study that, and memorize it. We won’t beat these invaders until we can understand them.”

I nodded, tucking the journal snuggly under my belt. “Two weeks,” I said. Then I left and tried not to look back for fear I might break into tears. Once again, I was leaving Tinker in the heart of danger. I shouldn’t have been surprised that the wily old inventor had managed to survive unharmed, but I wondered how many more times he could get away with it. I wondered how many times it would take before my heart broke.

I found Tam back in the alley, waiting for me. His mood had darkened considerably. We didn’t speak until we were outside the city and back across the river. Then he finally told me what had happened.

“The Tal’mar have chosen leaders,” he said. “A few of the elders have taken control of their minds.”

“What do you mean?” I said.

He held out one hand and punched it with the other. “They’re cowards,” he said. “They’re talking about watching and waiting. They refuse to fight even though their queen has been driven into the wilderness. They are like lambs waiting for the slaughter.” He stopped walking and turned to me. “What of the humans? Do they have a rebellion planned? Are they ready to fight?”

“Unfortunately, no,” I said. “I was told the same thing your elders told you. They are going to wait. They want to learn the language and study the Vangar for weaknesses.”

“Fools,” Tam said. “If they do not fight now, they never will.”

“Maybe,” I said. “Some of what Tinker said made sense, though. It will be easier to defeat an enemy that we understand.”

Tam snorted. “While they’re all busy
understanding each other,
my queen is shivering in the northern wastes.”

I didn’t respond. I knew Tam was beyond the comfort of words and I understood what he felt. The queen was my grandmother, after all. And she wasn’t the only person I cared about who was in danger. I couldn’t bring myself to think of what might happen to Tinker, or about the hundreds of other people I had come to call my friends over the years. I’d already lost General Corsan. How many more dear friends would I put to rest before it was over?

I understood Tam’s impatience and I shared his hatred of the Vangars in a way that I couldn’t put into words. Unfortunately, neither of us were in a position to do anything about it. For the time being, all we could do was wait and hope our chance came soon.

Tam and I crossed the miles quickly, passing like the wind through the foothills and then back into the Blackrock Mountains. Then we were up into the trees, moving fast and silent through the branches. It was just after midnight when we got back to camp. I found Analyn pacing by the campfire at the center of the encampment.

“Ah, there you are!” she said as I stepped into the ring of light. Tam slipped quietly up to my side. “What news do you have?”

“I found Tinker,” I said. “He is well.”

“Excellent! And Robie, did you see him?”

My heart skipped a beat. “What do you mean? I told you to keep him here.”

“He dashed off the moment I turned my back,” she said. “He stole a horse and took off after you. I was sure he must have caught up to you.”

I took a deep, shivering breath. “We saw no sign of the human,” Tam said. “Clumsy as he was, he’s almost certainly captured or killed by now.”

I felt anger and fear welling up inside of me. I fixed my eyes on the fire, trying to clear my thoughts. “How long ago?” I said.

“Hours. It was within the hour after you left. We were serving dinner…”

I turned away, scanning the woods beyond the camp. “He was headed for Anora?” I said, even though I already knew the answer.

“Where else? That is where
you
were going, after all.”

My left hand went to the sword hilt at my side, and I remembered the journal. I pulled it out and tossed it at her. Analyn caught it awkwardly, frowning. “What’s this?”

“It’s what Tinker has learned of their language,” I said. “I’ll be back.”

“Don’t go,” Analyn said. “Your friend is right. Robie may have been brave, but I’m afraid his courage has probably cost him his life. We can’t risk losing you as well.”

“I must see,” I said. “Don’t worry, I won’t do anything foolish. I won’t be long.”

I raced over to the edge the camp and leapt into the low-hanging branches of a gnarly old oak. Tam appeared next to me. “This is a fool’s errand,” he said in my ear. I paused to look at him, and he took my hand in his. “Forget the human, Breeze. Come with me.”