"We were very worried about you," she said
suddenly, having been apparently content with the silence up until then.
Ellis glanced at her, uncertain how to reply, but he
needn't have worried, for the elderly Philosopher, engineer and fine cook was
ready to continue on her own.
"You can hardly blame us. You were walking around like a zombie for so
long and we did everything we could think of to snap you out of it, but to no
avail."
"I'm sorry," Ellis replied, feeling guilty
once more.
"Oh no, don't be sorry. Even when you behaved as you did in
Whispercove, I do not think it was you who was truly at fault."
"Whispercove," Ellis said softly, as if
trying the word out for size. He could
just about remember their flight through the sodden streets of that silent
district, chased by Spectre and Knights, with the tentacles of Lakhma roiling
in the stormy sky above, and all because he had chosen exactly the wrong moment
to stir from his trance-like state.
"You were not acting yourself, at all,"
Miss Barkcastle continued, as if reading his thoughts, "so don't you worry
about it!"
"But I am worried," he admitted, "as
you said I was like a zombie that whole time and then, just when it would be
most dangerous for me to do so, I acted on some strange impulse..."
"You're worried it's something to do with being
Rosetta Barkham's construct, aren't you?"
"Well, what if it is? What if it happens again? I might be a serious liability!"
"You weren't yourself. If there is anything programmed with in you
for such circumstances, that is the only time it has happened. I think your own will is much stronger than
you think - when you want it to be."
She gave him a warm smile.
"Just focus on being yourself and even if you're still trying to
work out just who that is, you'll win out over any darker nature the Noble
Society instilled you with."
"I hope you're right."
"Best thing you can do for now is try not to
worry about it."
Ellis nodded, unsure what to make of the elderly
mechanic's well-meaning advice. He was
pretty sure she was right on some level, but it seemed a little too much like a
platitude to believe in it fully. It
made him uneasy.
They parted ways once they reached the Forts proper,
Miss Barkcastle towards the kitchens and Ellis towards the room he had woken up
in. With all he had been doing, it
already seemed like a long time ago, but it was only a couple of hours at most.
Astonishingly, Ember was standing in exactly the
same place and with exactly the same posture as when Ellis had left him. Ellis looked a question at him as he entered
the door and the Fallen's blank expression came alive in an instant with
another mild smile.
"You spoke with Annabella." It wasn't a question.
"Yes, and then I went to see what was happening
in the library. It seems like we have a
plan of sorts."
"The obelisks, yes."
"You know about them?"
"I remember when they were built."
"Then you know where they all are?"
"No."
"But you-"
"Remember when they were built. I wasn't present when it happened,
however. Neither was I greatly invested
in the outcome. It was a... difficult
time for me."
"I see," Ellis replied, uncomprehending
and yet unsure how to continue.
"I assume I'm wanted by the canal?"
"Is there anything that goes on around here
that you don't know about?"
"There are many such things. The canal isn't one of them. I'll head there immediately."
There was a flash of light and then Ember was gone,
leaving Ellis staring at a corner of his bed in confusion.
Siren's room was just down the corridor. There was no answer when Ellis gave the door
a tentative knock, but a light push was enough to send it ajar and inside all
seemed dark and quiet. He stood there
for a moment, wondering what he should do, before taking a step inside.
"Siren?" he whispered. "Siren, are you awake?"
Something stirred in the darkness and there was a
soft groan.
“Ellis?
Ellis, is that you?”
“Yeah… I just came by to see if you were okay, and
to thank you.”
Sheets rustled, something clattered off a bedside
table and then the hypostatick candles flared up to reveal Siren, still dressed
but dishevelled, her hair resembling a haystack covered in tar, standing just a
few feet away from Ellis.
“You’re back to normal,” she said with a sleepy
smile.
“Yes, thanks to you.”
“Well…” Siren
looked away and a hint of a blush came to her cheeks.
“It’s okay,” Ellis replied. “I remember what you said to me. I remember everything now and… though it
doesn’t all make sense and I’m really not
sure just who I am… I think I can
cope with it a bit better now.” He took
a deep breath, then added, “As long as you’re with me.”
There was silence then. Siren was still looking away and, suddenly,
somehow, Ellis’ heart was pounding faster than he could ever remember, faster
even that when they had shared that kiss on the landing so many months ago
now. And it became clear to him, his
existence balanced on a knife edge of decision, only, just then, it seemed the
decision wasn’t his, but hers.
She turned her face towards him, raised her eyes so
that they were level with his own and she smiled again. She was definitely blushing, a look both
unexpected and yet alluring on a woman with Siren’s confidence and poise.
“Of course I’m with you, Ellis Graves. Where else would I be?”
She took a few steps towards him and he found he had
the confidence and assurance to do the same.
She reached a hand to his face, running her fingertips along his
jawline, lightly brushing the stubble there.
His hands moved to her hair, straightening wild strands with gentle
care, restoring the perfection he saw already.
“I’m not sure of many things in this world, or any
other at the moment,” Ellis said in a voice suddenly made soft and raw, “and we
both know that by any normal standard I’m not real-”
“-Ellis, we’ve been there before you’re-”
He put a finger to her lips and she fell silent.
“I’m just making things clear. This is important. I need us both to be sure of what follows
here, okay?”
Siren nodded, but her eyes showed confusion mingled
with the tiniest drop of fear.
“Don’t worry,” he continued and he let out a nervous
little laugh, “but this is
serious. I might not be sure of much
right now, but if having you in my mind did anything for me, it made me sure of
one thing.”
He gazed into her eyes then in silence, just
drinking her in and forming the words in his mind so that when he uttered them
with his lips they would be all that they needed to be. They were difficult words, slippery, and they
never seemed to want to form the way they should, but had to be wrestled in to
place, but once they were ready he knew they were true.
“I love you, Klarise,” he said.
Her eyes started to shimmer and a tear built up and
spilled down her left cheek.
“Oh,” Ellis said, “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to-“
Her kiss was as sudden as it was powerful, full of
certainty and desire. It seemed to go on
for a long dreamy time and as they pulled away Ellis felt as if he were
drifting off, as if his hypostatick soul had become untethered from constructed
flesh. But he was still standing there,
gazing at Siren and she was still standing there, gazing back.
“I love you too, Ellis. I really do.”
Ellis couldn’t contain his grin then. He positively radiated joy and he laughed
with delight at the sound of those words.
There was more kissing then and it went on for a while with no one to
interrupt them, but eventually Ellis realised that he should bring Siren up to
date with all that he had learnt so far that day. So, he told her about the obelisks and the
plan to seek them out and use them once more to defeat Lakhma, about the first
one near lake Nightglass and about the Vampire’s steam barge that could get
them there once it was suitably serviced.
Siren pulled back at that and gave Ellis a hard
look, so familiar from their first few days together.
“You mean there’s a boat down there needing work and
you let me just lie around here kissing you!”
“Uh, yes?”
The punch was soft and playful, but unexpected and
he yelped in spite of himself.
“You dolt!” she said, dragging him to his feet. “We need to get down there and start working now.”
“But… what about…?”
“It can wait, Ellis, my love.” She gave him a grin. “Didn’t you know the fastest way to this girl’s
heart is through a ship?”
And they laughed as they ran, hand in hand, to the
barge.
:) Love!!
ReplyDelete