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CHAPTER FIVE


“Wait. You killed all the vampires? All of them?” I nearly fell out of my chair. “That doesn’t seem like a very Knight Watch thing to do.”

“That’s because when you think of vampires, you think of sexually amorous gothic ladies in bustiers and brooding poets in capes,” Esther said. “Vampires are monsters. Pure vermin, the likes of which you have never seen. They refused to follow the accords, and they faced the consequences.”

“If you say so,” I said, uncertainly. “Still sounds pretty extreme to me.”

“You weren’t there,” Tesla said quietly. “You don’t know what it was like.”

“The point is that if there are vampires hunting the world again, it is very much our business,” Esther said. “I’m surprised the Anomaly Actuator didn’t pick them up.”

“Our theory is that the fiend is somehow hiding in our Gestalt while maintaining a very localized bubble of the Unreal,” Tesla said. “We can’t get at him without compromising our timeline. Which is why we need your assistance.”

“That would mean sending members of Knight Watch into the Gestalt. Which means no magical powers,” Esther said.

“I don’t like the sound of that.” Gregory frowned. “If we top off in our domains before we head out, shouldn’t we be at full power?”

“Not exactly.” Esther stepped in before Tesla could answer. “Both the Unreal and the Gestalt are mythic realms, but they have their own internally consistent magic systems. In the Unreal we have mages and rogues and priests. In the Gestalt, it’s”—she gestured at Adelaide and Cassius—“whatever this is.”

“Science,” Tesla said tersely. “The very cutting edge of steam power and bio-automatic—”

“A different kind of magic,” I said. “It doesn’t have to make sense, as long as it makes sense to them.”

“Right. But they can’t cross-pollinate,” Tesla said. “Which is why guns don’t work on us, at least not while we’re in the Unreal. And in the Gestalt, fireballs and holy healing is just snake oil.”

“The point is that mixing the timelines screws things up for everyone—members of Knight Watch who are exposed to the Gestalt are compromised, and vice versa.” Esther gestured around us. “Just being in here is probably degrading our powers, while also causing all sorts of problems for Skyhook and his crew.”

“We’re already dealing with significant anachronism buildup in the engines. Ida’s been keeping a lid on it for now, but if something breaks in mid-flight, well . . .” Skyhook shrugged. “It’s a great airship, but a terrible submarine.”

“Well, then how are we going to be of any use to them?” I asked. “How are we supposed to help track down this vampire if we can’t use our powers?”

“Isolation,” Tembo said. “Strip out of our magical gear, empty our mythic reserves, travel as close to the mundane as possible.”

“Any chance Matthew could come with us?” I asked. “No offense, Nik, but I’d rather have our own healer. Your guy creeps me out.”

The Good Doctor glared at me. Or, I assume he glared at me. It was impossible to tell what was happening beneath those goggles.

“We’d have to round him up. And Bethany, while we’re at it.” Esther slapped her knees and stood. “We better get to it. What’s your schedule look like, Nik? Do we have time to head back to MA to collect the rest of our team?”

“We’re running tight. This all happened two days ago. We’ve been searching for you ever since,” he said. “We really don’t have time to fly back to your base.”

“Tembo, get a portal going. The rest of you start emptying your reserves.”

“I’m still not clear on how we’re supposed to be of any use if we don’t have our powers,” I said. “Without the healing and magic armor, I’m just a witty guy in fancy armor.”

“Only kinda witty,” Chesa muttered.

I glared at her.

“Don’t underestimate the power of a sword in the right hands,” Esther said. “You’ve trained to fight, you’re in the best armor money can buy, and that shield was forged in Valhalla. It carries its own magic. You are all more capable than you imagine.”

“With Bright Vengeance in my hands, and the lovely Chesa at my side, there is nothing I fear,” Sir Gregory announced, certainly louder than the confines of the observation deck required. He stood at stiff attention, clasping the sheathed zweihander to his chest. “Knight Watch will vanquish this evil, you have my word!”

“Gods, you’ve named your sword?” I rolled my eyes so hard I was staring at yesterday. “Can we all agree that’s a bit extra?”

“She has named herself. Revealed to me in a dream, where the spirit of the blade, clad only in finest silk and the glory of her bosom, drew me into the sky and laid me on a bed of clouds. There, we—”

“Okay, I’ve heard enough,” I said, standing suddenly. “Swords and shields and armor are all well and good, but you can’t really expect us to go into battle against a vampire with mundane weapons.”

“We could open new portals into our domains once we find the anomaly,” Tembo said. “We did that during the Florida Event.”

“The whole idea is for them to be submerged in Tesla’s Gestalt. If you open a portal from Steampunk World, you risk contamination of the domains, and vice versa,” Esther said. “Next thing you know, John has clockwork teeth and Chesa’s wearing a corset.”

“I think she’d look good in a corset,” I said. Out loud. Like an idiot.

Chesa stood up, sweeping her battle-skirts aside to reach for her quiver. Somehow, a stray beam of sunlight mingled with her obsidian-black hair, throwing light across the liquid-smooth links of chain, catching the elven runes that declared her queen of the fae. Quick as lightning, she had an arrow nocked and drawn, muscles of her arm bunching as she pulled the fletching back to her cheek. Her eyes, the color of emeralds—if emeralds were fire—sparkled at me. The tip of the arrow hovered three inches from my forehead.

“You think I don’t look good in battle armor, John?” she whispered.

“Um . . . no, not . . . that’s not what I was . . . I mean . . .”

“She’ll do nicely,” Countess Adelaide said with a laugh. “And we have to bring her boyfriend along, just for the awkward conversations.”

“He is not my boyfriend.” Chesa held the bow drawn for a long moment, then released the tension, both in the string and my heart.

“We, uh . . . broke up,” I said, my face flushed. “It was a mistake.”

“You have a history of mistakes,” Chesa said angrily before stomping to the sandwich tray and loading up.

“If the lovers have resolved their quarrel, I have an idea,” Tembo said. “Amulets. If everyone gives me access, I can create an amulet that will link them to their domains. Invoking the amulet’s power won’t have the same effect as a full session of rest, but it will provide a slow recharge. Think of it like getting a trickle of water, rather than bathing in the depths of your domain.”

“How did you know about the baths?” Gregory asked. “They are sacred, and not to be shared with just any—”

“It’s a metaphor, you clod,” I said. “That sounds workable. As long as it gives us some power, I’d be willing to try it.”

“That might work,” Esther said thoughtfully. “You’d need to be more careful about how much power you used, because it’s going to take a lot longer to restore yourself. On the plus side, you’d never be cut off from the Unreal completely. Might provide some protection from corruption by the Gestalt.”

“No clockwork teeth!” I said. “What do you need from us, Tembo?”

“Onetime passes to your domains, and some privacy. I can deliver the amulets before we leave.”

“Do it,” Esther said. “The rest of you—”

She was interrupted by a deep thrumming sound that reverberated through the floor. There were several loud bangs, then a vent in the wall blew open, followed by a tidal wave of cold, sludgy water. The wave washed through the observatory, upsetting the tea cart and floating the furniture closest to the shattered vent. I jumped to my feet, only to be swept off them immediately by the flood. I fell onto the soggy couch, my weight sinking into the embroidered cushions and sending another wave through the room. The rest of the team was in a similar predicament. Cassius was trying to rescue the plate of crumpets that had fallen into the drink. Tesla, Esther, and the rest of Knight Watch fought to keep upright, as the flow of water was creating a strong current down the stairs and into the rest of the ship. On the bridge below, the Pinkertons ran around chuffing in alarm.

A large slimy black shape slipped through the open vent and landed, flopping, in the middle of the observation deck. It looked like a cross between a harbor seal and a shark, with sleek, spotted fur and dextrous fins, but also a mouth full of cruel teeth and the eyes of a murderer. It twisted its head back and forth, chomping loudly at the air and howling.

“What the hell is that?” I shouted, struggling to my feet as I drew my sword.

“Selkie!” Esther yelled back. She pulled her Colt and sent three shots into the beast, but between the water and the stifling interference of the Unreal, the gun just burped loudly before coming apart in her hands. “Do something!”

Fighting to stay upright, I waded through the churning flood of cold water to face off with the selkie. Water continued to pour in from the vent, and despite the growing current down the stairs, the observation deck was becoming deluged. By the time I reached the beast, the water was up to my waist. The water pouring into my steel pants made it difficult to move and harder to think straight.

“I don’t know how you got here, but you’ve got to go,” I said, waving my sword to get the selkie’s attention. I really wished I had my shield, especially as the beast turned its attention to me. Those jaws creaked open, revealing row after row of wickedly sharp teeth.

“Got your back, Rast!” Gregory splashed past me, swinging his massive zweihander overhead, throwing up a wake that nearly toppled me once again. He smashed the blade into the observation deck’s glass dome, shattering several panes and denting the lead frames that held them in place. The selkie snapped at him, catching him by the shoulder and crumpling his armor. He dropped the sword and wheeled away, slapping at the creature with his gauntlet. “Oh crap, never mind!”

I lunged forward, plunging my sword into the blubbery skin of the beast, both hands wrapped around the hilt and my full weight in the thrust. The selkie howled, discarded Gregory like a rag doll, then turned its full attention to me.

“Really wish I had that shield . . .” I muttered as the selkie reared back, its nightmare eyes glistening with cold hatred.

The deluge of water from the vent sputtered, and a second shape erupted into the room. This figure was much smaller, a thin girl with a mop of brown curls that clung to her shoulders like a shawl. She wore twelve shades of brown, made darker by the water drenching through them, a hodgepodge of leather apron, work belts, workman’s pants, and sturdy boots with enough grip to climb walls. Screaming, she hurtled across the room, landing on the selkie’s back. With a shout, the girl lifted a giant wrench over her head.

“Back to the taps with you, you slimy bastard!” She dropped the wrench on the selkie’s skull with a satisfying crack.

The selkie bucked upward, crashing into the glass dome of the observation deck, shattering glass and sending sharp splinters throughout the room. The girl hung on, swinging her wrench again and again. Something gave way in the selkie’s skull, and the beast flopped forward, sending a final wave across the room. The torrent of water from the vent immediately cut out. Water drained down the stairs and through a dozen other gaps in the walls. From belowdecks, I heard the strangely proper swearing of the Pinkertons, and the creaking of metal and steam.

“Are you okay?” I asked. The girl slid off the dead monster, landing in the receding waters with a splash. When I reached out to help her to her feet, she stared daggers at my hand.

“Get your medieval ass off. My. AIRSHIP!” she shouted. “Now!”

“Now, now, we spoke about this,” Tesla said. He was tugging his sodden cuffs back into place, as though nothing spectacular had just happened. “These are our guests.”

“I don’t care if they’re the King and Queen of La La Land. They’re turning the Silverhawk into a waterpark. I’ve already fished three of these things out of the pipes. If this goes on much longer, we should just install a slide and start charging admission.”

“I have complete faith in your ability to handle the situation,” Nik said. “What are problems but—”

“Stuff it, Nik! I have complete faith in your ability to wreck my airship!” The girl stormed past us, somehow shouldering each member of Knight Watch aside before stepping awkwardly past Tesla and storming down the waterfall on the stairs. Down below, I could hear her voice booming. “I’m going to need a mop!”

“Yes, well,” Tesla said demurely. “And that was Ida. But I think you might understand our problem a bit more clearly, yes?”

“Yeah,” I said, kicking the dead selkie. Water and blood sloshed out of its barbed jaws. “I think it’s clear as mud.”


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