Clockwork Alchemist (The Thief's Apprentice Book 1) Read online

  Arhyen sighed as Ephraim left them, then guided Liliana down the dark pavement of the street. As they walked, the sun slowly peeked over the horizon, bringing with it the city sounds of early risers, as if the sun had beckoned them forth with its arrival. Soon they left behind the small stone and wood residences of the border for the outskirts of the Market District.

  “Who was that man?” Liliana demanded suddenly, startling Arhyen out of his thoughts.

  “Ephraim?” he questioned, unable to think of who else she might mean. He shrugged. “An old friend, well, not a friend really. An old associate.”

  He glanced over to see her nod, almost absentmindedly. Her gaze was on the glass front shops around them, all still closed at the early hour. Her eyes darted about curiously, as if she’d memorize every single sight. She’d be in for a shock once they journeyed to the central area of London where the larger shops and cafes sold their goods during the busy hours of the day.

  “Am I here illegally?” she asked distantly, then frowned, turning her concerned gaze to him. “You said before that papers were required to enter the city. Will I be arrested?”

  He sighed, unsure of what to say. “Ephraim won’t tell anyone, and neither will I,” he promised, hoping it would make her feel better, even though she wasn’t supposed to feel at all. If she was simply pretending to feel, she was an excellent actress, because she seemed truly worried about the prospect of getting arrested. Realistically, she’d just be booted out of the city. Hundreds of unregistered citizens found their way into London every day. It was not a severe crime.

  She nodded, but did not return his encouraging smile.

  With another sigh, Arhyen led her onward, toward the place that currently served as his home. The smell of fresh baked bread wafted through the thin morning air, making his stomach growl. Traveling with someone who didn’t eat had made him forget his own needs, but they were catching up with him now, overcoming his limbs with fatigue.

  He glanced at Liliana again, watching her peer through the glass window of a clock shop. With a gasp, he quickly grabbed her arm to prevent her from walking directly into a street lamp. She stopped walking and blinked up at him in surprise as he withdrew his hand, then, seeming embarrassed, she picked up her pace and deftly walked around the lamppost.

  He had to jog to catch up with her, covering his laugh with his hand. “So,” he began, reaching her side. Though she didn’t turn her attention toward him, he continued unperturbed, “can you eat?”

  Keeping her gaze ahead, she allowed him to grab hold of her shoulders to turn her toward a narrow alleyway. Facing the new direction, she continued walking. “I don’t need to eat,” she answered softly. She seemed unaware of the piles of refuse and rubble around her, and didn’t even hesitate as a rat scampered across her path.

  Arhyen dodged another rat. Traveling through alleyways wasn’t ideal, but there were some folk he’d rather not run into. “I didn’t ask if you need to,” he went on. “I asked if you can.”

  She stopped walking and blinked up at him, seeming surprised again. “I suppose I could. I’ve never really thought about it.”

  “Good,” he replied, then took several long strides to venture ahead of her.

  Her boots sounded on the cobblestones of the alley a moment later as she hurried to catch up. “Why do you ask?” she questioned, once again reaching his side. Her eyes held some emotion he couldn’t quite decipher. Excitement?

  “Well I could use something to eat,” he said casually, continuing to stroll along.

  He glanced over to see her thinking deeply as she walked, not watching where she was going. He’d have to keep an eye out for any more errant street lamps once they returned to the main thoroughfare.

  “Would you like to try?” he questioned when she did not speak.

  Her mouth puckered in indecision. He was prepared for her to say no, but finally she nodded. “Yes, I think I’d like to try.”

  Arhyen smiled as he habitually checked the satchel at his side. He really should have dropped it off first, but watching Liliana’s reactions was proving too entertaining. He couldn’t wait to see her try a pastry. Plus, he was starving.

  He instructed her to take a right, then they were back on another main street. The smell of baking bread grew stronger as they approached a small cafe. Liliana jumped at the sound of a jingling bell when he opened the door for her, then stared in awe as they entered the establishment.

  A glass case held a wide assortment of pastries and breads, all freshly baked. The smell alone made Arhyen’s mouth water. They were the first patrons to enter the cafe at the early hour, though Liliana didn’t seem to notice. She walked straight up to the case and stared, her mouth slightly agape. Arhyen came to stand beside her, noting the direction of her gaze. A giant slice of chocolate cake seemed to have caught her eye.

  The cafe owner, an elderly gentleman with a kind smile, came to stand behind the case. “I see the young lady is quite hungry,” he observed with a chuckle.

  Liliana’s eyes whipped upward and she frowned, seemingly embarrassed, but the old man just continued to smile. While Liliana straightened her dress and attempted to regain her composure, Arhyen ordered two cups of black tea, a scone for himself, and the chocolate cake for Liliana. The cake wasn’t exactly a normal breakfast, but he found it a fitting item for someone’s first taste of food.

  They moved to sit at one of the many vacant tables, and moments later, the items were delivered. As the cafe owner walked away, Liliana stared down at her cake. Arhyen took a bite of his scone and a sip of his tea, then gestured for her to dig in.

  Her eyes glanced up to meet his, as if needing more than the gesture for permission.

  “You’re a free woman now,” he assured. “It’s your god-given right to eat cake.”

  She took a deep breath, then looked down at the confection before her, completely ignoring her tea. She gingerly lifted her fork from the plate, then plunged it down into the cake. Lifting a single bite, she moved the fork slowly toward her face. Then, with another deep breath, she shoved the bite of cake into her mouth. As soon as the taste hit her, she looked up at Arhyen with a grin, then proceeded to chew the cake with her mouth open before taking another bite.

  He found himself smiling, but quickly dampened his own enjoyment. This was just a bit of fun. Soon the automaton would realize there was nothing for her here in the city, and she’d want to go back home.

  Liliana gleefully devoured the rest of her cake, not noticing Arhyen’s change of mood. He shook his head as he ate the rest of his scone and sipped his tea.

  When they were finished, he paid the shopkeeper and they exited the cafe. It was time to store Liliana somewhere safe, then go to meet his employer. The coin he would make from this journal would pay his rent for the next six months, and keep his pantry well stocked on top of it.

  While they’d rested in the cafe, the street outside had grown busy with people going about their morning tasks. Ladies in fine dresses perused the various shops and entered cafes, while men in three piece suits passed by the ornate window displays without a single glance. Older, more distinguished gentlemen in frock coats entered the cafes along with the women.

  Liliana watched it all curiously. It hit him then that she’d likely never even been around so many people at once. It had to be overwhelming, and perhaps a bit scary. He was about to take her arm and guide her forward, when someone bumped into his back, ramming his satchel and its contents against him.

  He instinctively checked his satchel as the man passed, then his eyes widened in horror. The journal was gone. He turned to see the man’s back disappearing into the crowd.

  His eyes flicked to Liliana. “Follow me,” he demanded, then he took off at a run after the man.

  Arhyen wove through the growing crowd, seeking the thief. There. A black clad back jogging away, further down the street. He could hear Liliana’s boots clacking behind him as the girl easily kept pace. The man who’d stolen the journal su
ddenly veered into an alleyway, and Arhyen followed right behind him. He couldn’t make out much of the one he pursued, besides the black coat and bowler cap.

  He followed through several winding turns in the alleyway until they reached a dead end. The alley was bordered by the tall brick walls of buildings on all sides, save where they’d entered. The man he pursued came to an abrupt halt, then turned to face Arhyen as Liliana caught up to him. Liliana gasped at the man’s face, although it wasn’t his face, it was a mask. The same smooth, impassive mask worn by their watcher in the woods. The mask’s visage held a subtle smile, and Arhyen couldn’t help but imagine the face underneath held the same expression. The masked man gripped the journal in one black-gloved hand.

  “Return what you stole,” Arhyen calmly demanded, taking an aggressive stance, “and I’ll let you go on your way.” He didn’t reach for any of his weapons, not yet. It was best to keep them hidden for the element of surprise it would afford him.

  The masked man shook his head, then leaned to the side to glance behind Arhyen. Once again, Liliana gasped. Arhyen peeked over his shoulder, then turned fully to face the new threat. Three men, dirty and dressed in ragged clothing, crept toward them.

  Arhyen grabbed hold of Liliana and placed her at his back, then moved with her so she’d be between him and the nearest wall. The men closed in. Arhyen drew a dagger from a specially sewn sheath within his coat. It would do him little good. The other men appeared unarmed, but it still wasn’t a fair fight.

  “If you get the chance,” he began, speaking to Liliana without looking at her, “run.”

  The men closed in as one.

  Arhyen deftly dodged the attacks of first one, then another, landing a swipe of his dagger across the second man’s back. The third pounced, and Arhyen ducked, then stood at just the right moment, hitting the man with his shoulders and using the momentum to toss him aside. The first two came at him again, and he managed a slice across the unwounded man’s arm.

  Arhyen smiled coldly, though he knew the odds were stacked against him. He was a skilled fighter, but all it would take was a single misstep. He didn’t see Liliana, and could not take the time to look for her. Hopefully she’d taken his advice and ran.

  The first man, clutching his bleeding arm, charged. Arhyen whirled out of the way, then gave him a surprise blow to the gut with his elbow. Liliana screamed from somewhere behind him. Damn, she was still here. Arhyen’s eyes snapped to her, just as the third thug grabbed her arm. Without thinking, he threw his dagger. It landed with a solid thunk into the man’s back.

  Not giving him a moment to recover, one of the thugs jumped on Arhyen’s back and wrapped a grimy arm around his neck. Arhyen spun around, struggling to free himself from the man. He attempted to maneuver toward the wall to slam the man against it, but suddenly there was a loud thwack, and his attacker fell away with a grunt. He turned to see Liliana with a piece of broken brick in her hand, and a stunned expression on her face. The man who’d jumped on his back was out cold at her feet. Footsteps sounded, and he turned to see the remaining conscious man fleeing back down the alleyway.

  Arhyen panted from exertion while he searched their surroundings for the masked man. He was gone, along with the journal.

  He turned back to Liliana, surprised that she’d had the wherewithal to save him.

  Tears slowly formed in her eyes. The sleeve of her dress was torn, but she appeared otherwise unharmed. “Why did they attack us?” she croaked.

  He shook his head. “It was a distraction,” he explained.

  The thugs had attacked so that the masked man might escape. Arhyen had nothing else of value that random street hooligans would want to steal. The moment he pulled a dagger, they should have surveyed the risk and ran.

  His gaze moved to the man who’d caught said dagger. A growing pool of blood was forming beneath him, weaving its way between the cobblestones of the street. This was not good. If someone had heard Liliana scream, officers of the Watch might be on their way at that very moment.

  He approached the man and pulled his dagger out of his back, taking just a moment to wipe the extra blood on the man’s coat. He returned the dagger to its sheath within his coat, then grabbed Liliana’s hand. “We need to get out of here,” he instructed.

  She nodded a little too quickly, her eyes wide with panic.

  Arhyen tugged on her hand, coaxing her into a run, wincing as her boots clattered loudly on the cobblestones. They made their way down several twists and turns of various alleyways unmolested, with only the rats to witness their passing. Once they’d gained some distance from the scene of the crime, Arhyen slowed and let his breathing catch up with him. Doing his best to act natural, he pulled Liliana out on the main street, instantly blending in with the bustling crowd.

  He kept her close, partially to keep track of her, and partially to hide her torn sleeve. He didn’t want any overly-ambitious young men deciding that she’d been abused and needed rescuing.

  Neither spoke as they made their way through the throng. He considered not going straight to his home, for fear of being followed, but no one had any reason to follow him. They’d already stolen the journal.

  With a dejected sigh, he turned down the street that would lead to his current home. Not only had he lost the contract of a lifetime, but he now had a murder on his hands. He glanced at Liliana, walking by his side. He couldn’t even begin to think about that complication. All he could really think in that moment, was that he needed a drink, and it wasn’t even noon.

  Chapter 4

  The apartment they entered was not at all what Liliana had expected, simply judging by the exterior. First they’d traveled through an area of town strewn with refuse, with many sinister looking individuals hanging about. Arhyen had advised her to keep to the shadows, and he’d done the same. Then they’d reached the door, which had been practically hidden in a narrow alleyway, within a nook between two buildings. Few would happen upon the door by accident.

  It made Liliana nervous that Arhyen felt the need to live in a well hidden place, but she supposed she couldn’t really judge him. She’d come from a secret compound far out in the countryside, after all.

  After unlocking a series of locks with multiple keys spread about his person, Arhyen had held open the door, waiting for her to go inside. Before she’d taken more than two steps, he’d instructed her to avoid a nearly invisible, ankle-height wire spanning the length of the entryway, far enough into the room to not be hit by the door when it opened.

  As Arhyen shut and locked the door, Liliana walked further into the apartment, casually attempting to investigate. Her father had taught her that it was rude to look through other people’s belongings, but she’d been around only her father’s belongings for so long, she found the need to look about almost irresistible. She approached one of the tall book cases that lined the walls, filled to bursting with a mix of leather-bound tomes and cheaper covers that looked like some sort of paper. She resisted the urge to snatch one of the books from the shelves. Her father had many books, but she’d read them all too many times to count.

  She glanced over her shoulder to see Arhyen watching her from near the doorway, then quickly looked away. Her eyes did a quick scan of the rest of the apartment. The space was small, but well organized. A bed was pushed against the far wall, while the center of the room was dominated by a large sofa, stuffing emerging in places through the dark blue fabric. A low table, covered with neat stacks of paper, stood in front of the sofa. The corner directly to the right of the door boasted a sink, stove, and a short countertop. In the opposite corner of the room, directly ahead of where Liliana stood, was a single door, presumably the bathroom, since she did not see one elsewhere.

  She was only really accustomed to the facilities of her home, but had read descriptions of other homes in books, and had even seen a few illustrations. Basing her deductions off her limited knowledge, she deemed Arhyen’s home rather normal, except for the obscured doorway, and wire at the
entrance.

  He came to stand beside her, a wry look on his face, but he didn’t call her rude for observing everything. In fact, he seemed to be amused by her actions. “I was going to have you wait here while I delivered your father’s journal,” he explained, “but I suppose that’s no longer a valid plan, since I no longer have it.”

  Picking up on the bitterness in his tone, Liliana realized something with a start. He’d only taken her along because she’d shown him where the journal was. Now that the journal had been stolen, did that invalidate their deal? He’d still taken her to his apartment, but would he soon force her to leave, seeing no further value in her?

  “Your father didn’t keep copies of that journal, did he?” he added hopefully, interrupting her thoughts.

  Feeling deflated, she shook her head and used her long, red hair to obscure her face. “Most of his work resided within his memory. He kept only a single copy of each new formula, just in case.”

  He moved past her and slumped down on the sofa, then turned his head to regard her. She had the urge to step forward and rearrange his messy hair. Her father’s hair had always been perfectly groomed. “And what about your memory?” he questioned.

  Something akin to hope blossomed inside her. She had transcribed most of her father’s notes herself . . . though there had been many, and it was difficult to keep them all straight. Still, she’d paid special attention to the formulae in the now missing journal, wondering at what they were truly meant to create. Her father had claimed that he’d used them to manufacture her soul. She clutched her chest as she thought about it. She liked the idea of having a soul, though she wasn’t sure if one really resided inside her. She’d read through much of her father’s literature, and had obtained the information that the creation of a soul was impossible. Not only was it impossible, the very idea was evil. Perhaps it was better if she didn’t share that information?