Ch. 23

Dr. Steinenburg watched as Lord Taylor approached his carriage.

"What have you done?" the doctor demanded.

Lionel smiled. "Relax, Jason. No one died tonight…that I'm aware of. You didn't really think I'd do anything…inappropriate, did you?"

The doctor narrowed his gaze. "One never knows with you, my lord. You do have a history of…abrupt decisions, even though you tend to think two or three moves ahead."

"That is true."

"So 901-E is…all right?"

Lionel cocked his head. "All right? He's alive…still in one piece…but I wouldn't say he's all right."

"So you're saying his status hasn't changed, yes?" the doctor asked, impatient. Lionel chuckled.

"I said to relax, didn't I?"

"Because you know we're only to monitor his progress…or rather, his degeneration. Anything happens to interrupt that, Dr. Caplan will be most displeased."

"I still don't understand why she wants to see her greatest experiment fail," Lionel said, genuinely baffled. "Why doesn't she just retrieve him and…I don't know, fix him? She could then put him in a giant rat maze or something, and keep him close to home. Why won't she save him?"

"He's in the twilight of his life," Dr. Steinenburg tried to explain. "Or at least he's close, I think. To interrupt it would be like…like following a pride of lions for years on the savannah, then taking the old king of the pride and placing him inside a cage, then tucking him away at a zoo for people to gawk at. To Dr. Muze and I…why, that would be like opening the golden goose. I'd sooner assassinate the king himself than do that!"

Lionel laughed again. "I see you've been speaking to His Grace, Quintus again. Did you happen to see him tonight?"

"Whispering in the old king's ear again," the doctor replied. "Security was quite tight, though. I think they're well aware of his schemes. Someday the scales will either balance in his favor or his demise. There will never be any balance for that boy."

"I know the feeling," Lionel mused. "Well, we best be getting back to the castle, although, if Her Highness believes the Sergeant-Major's story, I might be unwelcome."

"Only at court, to my knowledge," Dr. Steinenburg said. "They'll set a watch on you. Fortunately, I know a thing or two about that tower…"

With Lily tucked away safely in a different room, and with two of Carlotta's team guarding her, Oreldo and Martis returned to the bathroom that adjoined their two suites.

"That is just too weird!" Martis said, yawning. "He looked at her and didn't recognize her one bit?"

"Actually, he did pause for a second," Oreldo replied, "as though he was trying to figure it out, but in the end, he treated her like a typical fan."

"Man, that had to really hurt her."

"Huh? Why do you say that?"

Martis washed his face and cleaned his glasses.

"Think about all of the stuff we've gone through together," he said. "That's a lot of history, a lot of hard work, sweat and blood, all in the name of fighting corruption. And after hearing how she reacted to you just now, and adding how she reacted to when she saw him…I think it's safe to conclude that somewhere along the way, the LT crossed the line from camaraderie to a full-on infatuation."

Oreldo snorted. "No way," he said, "she knows that's frowned upon in the army!" He snickered. "Not that I've ever let it stop me," he added slyly, but quickly grew serious again. "The LT is far too 'noble' to let that happen!" He suddenly frowned, remembering her earlier actions. Now that he really thought about it, she did seem downright…unhinged.

"Maybe it's even deeper than that," Martis said. "They both put their lives on the line for each other! That creates a bond nearly impossible to break! Maybe my instincts that night at the ball were right! And now for him to not even know her…and worse, you mentioned he was sick or something…well, why wouldn't she be upset? Not that I condone her actions, but…well, it had to be quite a shock."

"The slap she gave me was quite a shock," Oreldo said dryly. "Well, we'll just have to sleep on it and sort it out later. G'night, Four-Eyes."

"Yeah, you're right. Good n-hey, wait."

"What now?" Oreldo groaned. "I'm going to be out before my head hits the pillow at this rate!"

"What was the deal you struck with Lady Kavi?"

"Oh, that?" Oreldo said. "She wanted to know if I'd be willing to work with her using my street connections. She said she'd hire me as a paid informant."

For the second time that night, Martis felt his jaw drop. "What…did you accept her offer?"

"I said I'd consider it when the current mission was over. I did ask for one favor, though."

"And what was that?"

Suddenly, there was a knock upon the door to Oreldo's suite. Though the tower was on high alert, Oreldo and Martis weren't taking any chances. They crept up to either side of the door and readied themselves.

"Who is it?" Oreldo called.

"It's me, Mr. Oreldo," came a muffled reply.

Oreldo opened the door a crack, ready to slam it shut in case it was a trick.

"Are you alone?" he asked Lucia.

She smiled sweetly. "Of course."

He threw the door wide and pulled her inside, closing the door quickly. Martis was confused, but remained silent. When Oreldo was sure it was safe, he released a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He let go of her arms, slid a finger inder Lucia's chin and lifted it, peering into her face. He smiled. Martis became aware that it wasn't like his usual charm.

"I thought it was you," Oreldo said softly. "Hannah…what happened?"

She trembled in his grasp. "Please, Mr. Oreldo. Hannah no longer exists."

"When did you move? Why did you stop writing? I was worried! I thought even Lady Kavi would have a hard time finding you!"

Martis suddenly recognized Lucia, aka Hannah, who he'd only seen once at the Windmuhle. He sighed, then stepped out of Oreldo's suite, closing the door behind him. Some guys just have all the luck…

As dawn broke soft and pink, the young maid arose and dressed quickly, recalling only too well how to move without waking the man who had finally fallen asleep beside her. She felt a strange mix of shame and relief. She had explained to Oreldo the circumstances to which the tiny Sergeant-Major had drawn her in. She was unaware of any treachery caused by Lord Taylor, but she did know for a fact that the "good" doctor was trouble, and that Jean had an unhealthy crush on him, though the affection was unrequited. When Oreldo mentioned the 906, she didn't know what he meant.

Jean, she thought, suddenly fearful, no sign of her! Either she escaped…or the doctor did away with her…or maybe Carlotta took care of her-she's been tracking her for years. I'll have to find out quickly!

It was the last thought she had before she felt something slam the back of her head.