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CHAPTER FOURTEEN


Tesla sent us back to our quarters for the short flight to our next destination, a rendezvous with the mysterious Evelyn Lumiere. Ida emerged from the ductwork long enough to seal us in. She and Adelaide waited for us to return our magic items to the containment chest, then busied themselves securing it while the rest of us tried to get comfortable in the cots and hay. This time, I kept my armor on. After a few moments, the engines whined to life and we tipped up into the sky.

“So why are we meeting this woman?” I asked as we settled into the lice and hay of the fourteenth century. Chesa, Tembo, and the Saint perched uncomfortably on their cots, while Addie and Bethany lingered near the door. Ida sat on the containment chest, swinging her legs and fiddling with the world’s most complicated wrench. “Shouldn’t we be tracking down whoever built the vampire scarab things?”

“Evelyn Lumiere knows more about the vampires of the Gestalt than any living human. Perhaps more than the vampires themselves,” Addie said. “She was a central figure in the vampiric pogrom. And the bloodsuckers’ first victim. At least on this side of the border.”

“Which border is this?” Chesa asked. “Another part of the Gestalt?”

“Nah. Your side of things.” Ida unrolled a leather sleeve full of tools and started disassembling the lock on the isolation chest. “The bastards came through from your world.”

“Should she be screwing with that?” I asked. “It seems . . . unwise?”

“Ida knows what she’s doing,” Addie said, peering at the young mechanic. “Hopefully. The point is, Evelyn and her family were innocent.”

“Not entirely innocent,” Ida called over her shoulder. “Can’t blame the primitives for that one.”

“Primitives? Does she mean us?” Chesa sat up on her cot, poking one sharp finger at Ida. “In my domain, there’s no filthy, greasy-fingered—”

“What do you mean that her family wasn’t entirely innocent?” I cut in, before Chesa could get us all in trouble. “What part did they play in the war?”

“Evelyn’s parents, Claude and Cecilia Lumiere, were pillars of the Gestalt community,” Addie explained. “Claude was a brilliant scientist, and the founder of the Fraternity of Curious Minds. Sort of a social club for nerds. He was partially responsible, along with Tesla and a few others, for creating a lot of the technology that sustains us.”

“He built the aetheric dampeners, as well as the gravitic dispersion coils that keep the Silverhawk afloat,” Ida said. There was a shower of sparks from the chest. She continued, unfazed. “Kind of genius.”

“Weren’t we supposed to go check one of those out?” I asked. “The vampire attack at the bakery kind of threw us off our game.”

“I completely forgot about that,” Addie said. She turned to Ida. “On our way to the patisserie, we noticed that the corruption of the Gestalt had spread for several blocks. Might want to check out the local dampener.”

“I will add it to the list,” Ida said. “The extensive, extensive list.”

“What exactly do these dampeners do?” Tembo asked.

“Lower the activation energy of Gestalt reality. It probably takes a lot of effort for you guys to get into the Unreal, yeah?” Ida glanced up at me. “Strict rules about diet, those domain things, terrible hygiene. Well, with the dampeners, we can maintain the Gestalt full time.”

“Fascinating. I have been wondering how you manage such a long-lived anomaly.”

“Just like we manage everything else,” Ida said. “Science.”

“Don’t think real-world science would think much of something called a gravitic dispersion coil,” Chesa said.

“That’s a failure of imagination, not science,” Addie said. “Either way, it works for us. And the Lumiere family made a fortune on it.”

“So they’re rich?” I asked.

“At one time. Evelyn poured her family’s wealth into her crusade against the undead. She financed the Silverhawk, and half the gear we still use.”

“So why doesn’t Tesla want to talk to her?” Gregory asked. He was still flat on his back on his cot, but somehow still managed to look like a Greek god, lounging in Olympus. “Sounds like they have a lot in common.”

Adelaide snorted. “Bad blood keeps a different ledger. And there’s a lot of bad blood between those two.”

“A misunderstanding.” Ida shrugged. “Cost her an arm.”

“Ah. Yeah, that’ll do it,” I said. “You mentioned both her parents were important to the Gestalt. So what did her mother do?”

“Spooky stuff.” Ida dropped a gear, which rolled under the cot and disappeared into the hay. She ignored it. “Ghosts. Creeped me out.”

“Creeped you out?” Chesa asked, aghast.

“Cecilia was a medium, and a spiritualist. She conducted séances, dowsed the leylines of the Gestalt, talked to the restless dead. The Order of the Prescient Light owe her a lot. So did Claude, to be honest. Her map of the leylines served as the foundation for aetheric dampeners.”

“Still trying to call that science?” Chesa asked. Addie shrugged.

“You’re awfully cynical for a girl in a princess costume,” Adelaide said. Chesa clenched her fist, but the moment passed quickly. Addie continued. “Anyway, that’s really what caused all our trouble. One of the bloodsuckers latched onto Cecilia Lumiere, while she was holding a séance.” Addie’s eyes got distant. “The Lumieres were holding a ball. Cecilia liked to put on a show for the guests, summon famous ghosts, that sort of thing. But this time, she hooked into something that . . . wasn’t really dead.”

“She dug too far, and too deep?” I asked.

“Don’t bring the professor into this. The leeches came through the aether like mad dogs,” Addie said. She looked at me and showed her teeth. “Tore right through the house, killing and feeding. It was a bloodbath. We got called in, but the mix of Unreal and Gestalt was too much. By the time we had it under control, the Lumieres were dead, along with some of the brightest minds of the Gestalt.”

I swallowed and looked to Chesa. She was pointedly looking elsewhere.

Addie broke the awkward silence. “Evelyn was one of the only survivors. Both her parents died trying to contain the incursion. Her father was torn to pieces right in front of her. Her mother . . .” Another pause. “They turned her into a thrall. We had to hunt her down, along with many of our former friends and allies.”

“Evelyn staked Lady Lumiere herself,” Ida said quietly. She finished whatever she was doing with the isolation chest, then sat cross-legged in front of it and leaned back. “Before my time, but I’ve heard the stories.”

“She wouldn’t let anyone else do it. We tried to spare her that, but . . . she was determined.”

“Gods. It’s no wonder she hates the vampires,” I said.

“Yes, well, Madam Lumiere is accustomed to grudges,” Addie said. “As I’m sure you shall soon find out.”


Skyhook brought us down beside a dusty gravel road that cut through gently rolling cornfields, somewhere outside of Chicago. At this range, honestly, everything was somewhere outside of Chicago. I squinted into the setting sun as Addie, Ida, and the rest of Knight Watch descended the Silverhawk’s staircase.

“Steampunk cornfields?” I asked.

“We’re still in the Mundane,” Tesla said. He and Skyhook stayed at the top of the stairs, waving like beauty queens to see us off. “Madam Lumiere maintains her realm separate from the influence of the dampeners. You’ll have to hike your way in.”

“You couldn’t land us any closer?” Gregory asked. His curls were already starting to collapse in the humidity.

“We suffer from the same limitations as Knight Watch, Sir Gregory. Evelyn’s bubble of the Mundane prevents us from getting any closer. We can’t do too much to upset the balance, can we?” Tesla checked his pocket watch. “Better get going, if you want to be there before nightfall.”

“Didn’t you people invent cars or something?” I asked Adelaide as we set off down the road.

“Nik refuses to use them. More of that Henry Ford nonsense,” she said. “I’ve never asked.”

As Tesla predicted, we were still walking when the sun set. A chorus of insects rose from the surrounding fields, accompanied by the distant yipping of coyotes. It wasn’t quite full dark when we spotted a gate by the side of the road.

“This is it,” Addie said. Even she looked exhausted. “Remember. Best behavior.”

The Lumiere Estate stood proud in the center of a cornfield, a remnant of a more glorious age, but also a product of this new age of industry and science. The main house was surrounded by a wrought iron fence topped with razor-sharp fleurs-de-lis, the bars worked into the shape of clinging vines. The main gate featured an elaborate coat of arms covered in gold leaf filigree. Through the bars, we could see the main house at the end of a long driveway that terminated in a roundabout, complete with a water fountain, though no water was flowing. The house itself was white marble with broad windows and copper gables. If the Queen of England had answered the bell when we rang, I would not have been surprised. I pressed my face between the bars and squinted at the distant estate.

“I thought you said she emptied the family’s coffers?” I asked, gesturing to the coat of arms. “This feels pretty swanky.”

“She retains the house and grounds, and enough wealth to see to their care.” Addie hooked her thumbs on her belt and frowned up at the gate. “And, frankly, I don’t think anyone else would be willing to live in the shadow of such horror.”

“Kept the sigil at least. I wish I had a decent sigil.” The shield was quartered in gold and black, with a set of three gears in the upper quadrant, and a pentagram in the bottom right. It was flanked by a clockwork lion on the right, and a dragon on the left. I cocked my head at Ida. “Have I mentioned I killed a—”

“No one cares, John,” Chesa cut in.

“Doesn’t look like anyone’s home,” Gregory said. The windows were dark, and while the property was immaculately kept, it felt oddly abandoned. “Is she expecting us?”

“If we warned her ahead of time, I guarantee Evelyn would be out of town,” Addie said. “Don’t worry. She’s home.”

“How can you tell?” Chesa asked doubtfully.

“Dogs haven’t found us yet,” Ida said. She stepped up on the lowest rung of the gate and stuck her head between the bars. The great mop of her hair tangled with the fleurs-de-lis. “She only keeps them kenneled when she’s in residence.”

“The rest of the time they roam the grounds, eating anything that slips through the gate.” Addie reached through the bars and pulled the velvet cord hanging next to the empty guardhouse. Distantly, a clarion call jangled. “All I ask is that you let me do the talking.”

“What kind of dogs?” I asked.

“Big boys,” Ida said enthusiastically, then nodded toward the house.

“Oh dear,” Tembo said, as the creatures came into view.

The large oak door creaked open, and three black shapes launched silently into the yard. They shot toward the front gate; the only sound they made was their nails clattering on the cobblestones of the driveway. Muscles rippled under black hides as they bounded closer, their chests as wide as wine barrels, with sleek flanks that reflected the moonlight like lightning on an oil slick. Blunt faces bristling with teeth watched us intently. Ida hopped off the gate as they approached.

“Put that away, Rast,” Addie said, leaning against the side of the gate. “This is a social call, not a raid.”

Without realizing it, I had backed away from the gate and drawn my sword. Abashed at my reaction, I sheathed the blade and tried to act casual as the dogs reached the gate. They pulled up just short of the iron bars, claws skidding on the stones. Their snuffling breath stank of raw meat and violence.

“G . . . good boy. Good puppies,” I whispered. “I have a dog, too.”

“I doubt your dog is anything like these,” Ida said. “They were a final gift from Evelyn’s mother. Hellhounds, trained to guard her precious daughter.”

“My dog has a little hellhound in him,” I said. Truth was, the World Dog contained every pupper, legendary or otherwise, from Pomeranians to Fenrir himself.

Well. Fenrir got away. But the rest of them are still in there.

The dogs growled at us as they paced the length of the gate, bodies quivering with the promise of imminent violence. The smell of sulfur and blood wafted off their flanks.

“My lady Adelaide. What an unfortunate surprise. And Ida. Come to repair that leaky faucet you took apart last time you were here?” I looked up to see a middle-aged woman strolling casually down the driveway. Her black hair was pulled back into a bun, and she walked with the imperious nonchalance of a woman who was accustomed to wealth. She wore a dark red dress, accented with black lace and white silk. Her eyes were piercing gray. She looked at each of us in turn, barely flickering her gaze over Addie and Ida before considering the members of Knight Watch, then whistled once. The hounds slunk back to her heel, flanking her like guards. It wasn’t until she got closer that I realized the sleeve of her right arm was empty and pinned to her shoulder. She had a very faint French accent. “You have brought guests. Does Nikola have the two of you working as a chauffeur?”

“Hiya, Evie,” Adelaide said. “Long time.”

“I could look at that faucet if you want,” Ida volunteered. At Evelyn’s icy glare, she shrank away. “Or not. Up to you.”

“Yes. I’m sorry that I haven’t been more social, Lady Adelaide,” Evelyn said stiffly. “Time slips away from me, sometimes.”

“We’re more of an escort, to make sure they don’t get lost, and to keep them from breaking anything.” Addie gestured to us. “Evelyn, may I introduce Sir John, the lady Chesa, Sir Gregory, Tembo the mage, Bethany of many knives, and Matthew. Apparently he’s a saint. They are the current members of Knight Watch.”

That brought her up short. The hounds raised their hackles and let out a low rumble, deep in their chests. She pinned a sterile smile on her face.

“Joys upon joys,” she said. “Is that bitch Esther dead yet?”

“No, ma’am. She’s still the boss,” I said.

“A pity. Well, I don’t imagine I have much to say to members of Knight Watch.” She nodded to Addie. “Do give Nik my regards. And remind him of his outstanding debt.” She began to turn away.

“We need your help, Evelyn,” Adelaide said.

“I imagine you do. You’re not fool enough to bring these charlatans to my door without good reason. Sorry to disappoint. Adelaide, come around sometime when you aren’t trailing these Mort d’Arthur pretenders. We can have tea.” She turned and started toward the house. The dogs lingered for a minute, as though they desperately wanted to leap through the bars and tear our throats out. “Good evening.”

“There’s been a vampire attack,” Addie said calmly. Evelyn froze in her tracks. The dogs started barking, the sound loud enough to shake my rib cage. When she turned around, Addie continued. “Nik didn’t want to worry you, but it’s happening again.”

“No,” Evelyn said, glancing sternly at the hellhounds. “It is not. We saw to that. Tesla, and I, and”—her piercing gray eyes darted in my direction—“and the rest of you. You must be mistaken.”

“Evelyn.” Addie loosened the collar of her blouse and pulled her raven-black hair aside. The two puckered scars on her neck glistened in the lamplight. “I’m not mistaken.”

For a heartbeat, Evelyn’s face changed. She almost looked like a little girl, hiding in her closet, gripping a teddy bear tight to her chest. One of the hellhounds whimpered as the fingers of her left hand twisted in his hackles. But then it was gone, and the iron-hard lady in red was back.

“I hope you’re wrong,” she said. At a signal, the gate opened on silent hinges. The dogs lunged out, circling close to our legs, snuffling at us. I kept very still. Evelyn whistled, and the dogs bounded off for the manor. “For all our sakes.”


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Framed