Behemoth Read online

  Alek took a slow breath. It was all up to him now.

  To the west lay Europe, descending into madness and war. To the east was the Ottoman Empire, stretching, vast and alien, into the heart of Asia. And spanning the two continents was the ancient city of Constantinople.

  “We stay in the capital, for now. We’ll need to buy clothes … and perhaps horses.” Alek paused, realizing that with the gold bar they could buy their own walker if they wanted. The possibilities were endless. “At least in the city some of the storekeepers will understand German.”

  “Very sensible,” Klopp said. “But where tonight, young master?”

  Bauer nodded, staring back the way they’d come. The woods were silent, but the searchlight still glimmered on the horizon.

  “We head west for an hour,” Alek said. “Then circle back toward the city. Perhaps we’ll find a friendly inn.”

  “An inn, sir? But won’t the Ottomans be looking for us?” Bauer asked.

  Alek thought for a moment, then shook his head. “They won’t know who to look for, unless the Darwinists tell them. And I don’t think they will.”

  Klopp frowned. “Why not?”

  “Don’t you see, the Darwinists don’t want us to be caught.” As Alek spoke the words, his own thoughts became clearer. “We know too much about the Leviathan—how its engines work, the nature of its mission. It won’t help them to have us in Ottoman hands.”

  Klopp nodded slowly. “They could say it was only Volger and Hoffman who tried to escape, and they’ve caught them. So there’s no one else to look for!”

  “Exactly,” Alek said. “And as a warship, the Leviathan has to leave neutral territory by tomorrow. Once they’re gone, no one will know we’re here.”

  “What about the Germans, sir?” Bauer said quietly. “They saw the Stormwalker in the Alps, with its Hapsburg crest, and saw the Leviathan mounted with our engines. They must know we were aboard, and they’ll guess who was trying to escape tonight, even if the Ottomans don’t.”

  Alek swore. German agents were everywhere in Constantinople, and tonight’s ruckus hadn’t been subtle.

  “You’re right, Bauer. But I doubt there are any Germans in these woods. I still say we sleep in an inn tonight—a quiet, comfortable one that will take gold shavings in payment. Tomorrow we’ll disguise ourselves properly.”

  He walked into the darkness, setting his course by the last glimmer of searchlights behind them. The other two hoisted their bags and followed. No arguments, no debate.

  As simple as that, Alek was in command.

  Deryn carried the tray carefully, barely trusting herself to walk straight.

  The Clankers’ escape had kept her awake all night—scrambling to the rookery to release the strafing hawks, being dragged about by a pack of excited sniffers, then two hours with the officers as they explained it all to the Ottoman authorities, who thought it a squick rude for the Leviathan’s crew to be gallivanting across their airfield without permission.

  When Deryn had finally found a moment to check the machine room, Dr. Barlow was already there. One of the eggs had hatched in the night, and the newborn beastie was missing!

  The odd thing was, the lady boffin had hardly seemed upset. She’d ordered Deryn to take a good look around the ship, but had only smiled when Deryn had come back empty-handed.

  That was boffins for you.

  By the time Deryn had stumbled to her own cabin, it had been dawn—time to go back on duty. To add insult to injury, her first orders had been to deliver breakfast to the man who’d caused the whole palaver.

  A guard stood in front of Count Volger’s stateroom. He looked as tired as Deryn felt, and stared hungrily at her tray full of toast, boiled eggs, and tea.

  “Shall I knock for you, sir?” he asked.

  “Aye, feel free to wake his countship up,” Deryn said. “Seeing as how he kept us up all night.”

  The man nodded and gave the door a good piece of his boot.

  Volger opened it a moment later, looking as though he hadn’t been to bed yet either. His hair stuck out at all angles, and his riding breeches were still spattered with mud from the airfield.

  He gave the tray a hungry look and stepped aside. Deryn pushed past him and set it down on the desk. She noted that Volger’s saber was gone, along with most of his papers. The officers must have ransacked the room after the escape.

  “Breakfast for a condemned man?” Volger asked, closing the door.

  “I doubt they’ll hang you, sir. Not today, anyhow.”

  The man smiled, pouring himself tea. “You Darwinists are so forgiving.”

  Deryn rolled her eyes at that. Volger knew he was indispensable. The lady boffin might speak Clanker, but she didn’t know the fiddly words for mechanical parts. And she certainly wasn’t going to spend her days up in an engine pod. Volger would be treated well as long as Hoffman was needed to keep the engines running.

  “I’d hardly say you’re forgiven,” Deryn said. “There’ll be a guard on your door day and night.”

  “Well, then, Mr. Sharp, I am your prisoner.” Volger pulled out the desk chair and sat down, then gestured at an empty cup on the windowsill. “Tea?”

  Deryn raised an eyebrow. His countship was offering her, a lowly middy, a cup of tea? The floral smell rising from the pot had already set her mouth watering. Between the ruckus last night and resupplying the ship before they left today, it might be hours before she sat down to her own breakfast.

  Better a quick cup of tea and milk than nothing.

  “Thank you, sir. I believe I will.” Deryn picked up the cup. It was fine porcelain, as light as a hummingbird, with Alek’s mechanical eagle crest inlaid in gold. “Did you bring this fancy china all the way from Austria?”

  “One advantage to traveling in a Stormwalker, there’s plenty of room for luggage.” Volger sighed. “Though I’m afraid you hold our last surviving piece. It is two centuries old. Pray, don’t drop it.”

  Deryn’s eyes widened as the wildcount poured. “I’ll try not to.”

  “Milk?”

  She nodded dumbly and sat down, wondering at the transformation that had come over Count Volger. He’d always been a dark presence on the ship, skulking through the corridors and glaring at the beasties. But this morning the man seemed almost … pleasant.

  Deryn took a sip of tea, letting its warmth spread through her.

  “You seem in good spirits,” she said. “Considering.”

  “Considering that my escape was foiled?” Volger stared out the window. “Odd, isn’t it? I feel somewhat light-hearted this morning, as if all my cares had lifted.”

  Deryn frowned. “You mean because Alek’s got away, and you haven’t?”

  The man stirred his tea. “Yes, I suppose that’s it.”

  “Well, that’s a bit hard, isn’t it?” Deryn said. “Poor Alek’s out there on the run, while you’re sipping tea out of a fancy cup, safe and sound.”

  Volger raised his cup, which had the Leviathan’s silhouette and nautilus spirals stamped on its side in black. “That would be you, boy. Mine is quite plain.”

  “To blazes with your barking teacup!” Deryn cried, annoyance rising in her. “You’re happy that Alek’s gone, aren’t you?”

  “Happy that he’s off this ship?” The wildcount salted his boiled eggs and took a bite of one. “That he’s no longer destined to spend the war in chains?”

  “Aye, but the poor boy’s all on his own. And here you are having breakfast, smug as a box of cats! I think it’s dead rotten of you!”

  Volger paused, a forkful of potatoes now halfway to his mouth. He looked her up and down.

  Deryn swallowed her next words, realizing she’d let exhaustion get the better of her. Her voice had gone all high and squeaky, and she was gripping the antique teacup so hard it was a wonder it hadn’t shattered.

  During the alert there’d been so much commotion, it had been easy to forget that Alek was out there running for his life. But sitting here
watching Volger salt his eggs with a self-satisfied expression, the enormity of it all had finally struck home.

  Alek was gone, and he wasn’t coming back.

  Deryn set the teacup carefully on the desk. Careful to use her boy’s voice, she said, “You seem dead pleased with yourself, is all. And I reckon it’s because Alek isn’t your problem anymore.”

  “My problem?” Volger asked. “Is that what you think he was?”

  “Aye. You’re glad to see the backside of him, just because he had a mind of his own sometimes.”

  Volger’s face fell back into its usual stony expression, as if Deryn were a bug crawling across his breakfast. “Listen, boy. You have no idea what I’ve given up for Alek—my title, my future, my family’s name. I’ll never see my home again, no matter who wins this war. I’m a traitor in the eyes of my people, and all of it to keep Alek safe.”

  Deryn held his stare. “Aye, but you’re not the only one who’s had to go against his own country. I kept Alek’s secrets and looked the other way when you lot were planning to escape. So don’t go getting all high and mighty on me.”

  Volger glared at her another moment, then let out a tired laugh. He finally took his bite of potatoes, and chewed them thoughtfully.

  “You’re as worried about him as I am, aren’t you?”

  “Of course I am,” Deryn said.

  “It’s quite touching, really.” Volger poured more tea for them both. “I’m glad Alek had you as a friend, Dylan, even if you are a commoner.”

  Deryn rolled her eyes. Aristocrats were so barking stuck up.

  “But Alek has trained for this moment his whole life,” Volger went on. “His father and I always knew that one day he would be alone, with the whole world against him. And Alek has made it amply clear that he was ready to go on without me.”

  Deryn shook her head. “But you’ve got it all wrong, Count. Alek didn’t want to go it alone; he wanted more allies, not less. He even said he wanted to …”

  She remembered the last time they’d spoken, two nights before. Alek had wished that there were a way for him to stay aboard the Leviathan, because the airship felt like the only place he’d ever belonged. And she’d been a bum-rag about the whole thing, just because he hadn’t been declaring his undying love for her.

  Suddenly her throat was too tight to speak.

  Volger leaned forward and regarded her. “You’re a very sensitive boy, Dylan.”

  Deryn glared back at him. It didn’t mean she was barking “sensitive,” just because she knew when things mattered.

  “I just hope he’s all right,” she said after a good swallow of tea.

  “As do I. Perhaps we can still help Alek, you and I together.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “He has a bigger part to play in this war than you understand, Dylan,” the count said. “His granduncle the emperor is a very old man.”

  “Aye, but the throne doesn’t mean anything to Alek, because his mum isn’t royal enough. Right?”

  “Ah, I see he told you everything,” Volger said, giving her an odd smile. “But in politics there are always exceptions. When the right time comes, Alek could tip the balance of this war.”

  Deryn frowned. What the count was saying didn’t quite square up with Alek’s story, about how his family had always looked down on him and his mother. But back in the Alps, of course, the Germans had sent a massive fleet of airships to capture him. They, at least, seemed to think he was important.

  “But what can we do to help him?”

  “At the moment, not much. But one never knows what opportunities might present themselves. The problem is that I no longer have a wireless set.”

  Deryn frowned. “You had a wireless? Did the officers know about that?”

  “They didn’t ask.” Count Volger waved a hand at his breakfast. “And I see you haven’t thought to bring me the morning newspapers. So if you could keep me apprised of events, I would appreciate it.”

  “What? Spy for you?” Deryn cried. “Not barking likely!”

  “I could make it worth your while.”

  “With what? Cups of tea?”

  The wildcount smiled. “Perhaps I can do better than that. For example, you must be wondering about a certain missing creature.”

  “The beastie that hatched last night? You know where it is?” The man didn’t answer, but Deryn’s mind was already spinning. “Then it must have hatched before Alek left the machine room! He’s got it with him, hasn’t he?”

  “Perhaps. Or perhaps we strangled it to keep it quiet.” Volger took his last bite of toast and dabbed his mouth with a napkin. “Do you think your Dr. Barlow would be interested in the details?”

  Deryn narrowed her eyes. The way the lady boffin was acting, she already had a good idea where the newborn creature had gone. Suddenly it all made sense. Deryn would’ve seen it herself if she hadn’t been so exhausted.

  Now that she thought about it, quite a few peculiarities surrounding the eggs were beginning to make sense.

  “Aye,” Deryn said. “She might be interested.”

  “Then, I’ll tell you exactly how your creature fared last night, as long as you keep me informed over the next few days.” The count looked out the window. “The Ottomans will soon make their decision about entering this war. Alek’s next step will depend greatly on that choice.”

  Deryn followed his gaze out the window. The spires of Istanbul were just visible in the distance, the haze of engine smoke already rising over the city. “Well, I could tell you what the newspapers say. That’s not spying, I suppose.”

  “Excellent.” Count Volger stood, offering his hand. “I think you and I may be allies after all.”

  Deryn stared at his hand a moment, then sighed and shook it. “Thank you for the tea, sir. And by the way, next time you try to escape, I’d be much obliged if you did it more quietly. Or at least in the middle of the day.”

  “Of course.” Volger bowed gracefully, then said, “And if you ever want to learn to fence properly, Mr. Sharp, do let me know.”

  Halfway back to the bosun’s cabin, a message lizard stopped on the ceiling overhead and fixed her with its beady eyes.

  “Mr. Sharp,” it squawked in the lady boffin’s voice, “I shall need you in full dress today. We’ll be visiting the sultan.”

  Deryn stared up at the beastie, wondering if she’d heard right. The sultan? The man who ruled over the whole barking Ottoman Empire?

  “I have told Mr. Rigby to relieve you of other duties,” the lizard continued. “Meet me out on the airfield at noon, and make sure you look sharp.”

  Deryn swallowed. “Aye, ma’am. I’ll be there. End message.”

  As the beastie scuttled away, she closed her eyes and softly swore. She didn’t even have a dress uniform to wear, not since yesterday. Deryn had taken off her jacket before she’d jumped onto the Dauntless’s trunk, but her only fancy shirt was still bright red from the spice bomb. Even after two washings, one whiff of the shirt was strong enough to make a dead horse sneeze. She’d have to borrow one of Newkirk’s, and that meant making adjustments with her sewing kit.…

  She groaned, then headed toward her cabin at a run.

  As Deryn descended the gangway hours later, the rumble of Clanker engines sprang to life around her. In the airship’s shadow Newkirk, the bosun, and a dozen riggers were loading themselves onto a squadron of walkers in the shapes of donkeys and water buffaloes. They were headed to the markets for supplies, and looked to be in a hurry. If the Leviathan didn’t leave the city by late afternoon today, the Ottomans would have every right to impound it.

  The officers hadn’t let on where the ship was going next. But wherever they were bound, Deryn doubted she would be seeing Istanbul or Alek again, not until the war was over.

  She watched Newkirk for a moment, envious of his disguise. The whole party was dressed in Arab robes to keep the Young Turks from spotting them and starting up another protest. If only she could be doing proper shi
p’s work instead of diplomacy … or whatever Dr. Barlow was up to.

  The lady boffin waited a hundred yards from the Leviathan, on a stretch of empty airfield past the mooring tower. She was dressed in her finest traveling coat, twirling a parasol and standing beside a small hay-filled box. One of the last two eggs sat inside it, shining like a huge pearl in the sun. So Dr. Barlow’s secret cargo would at last be delivered to the sultan.

  But why take a spare middy along?

  As Deryn drew near, Dr. Barlow turned and said, “You’re a bit late, Mr. Sharp, and looking positively unkempt.”

  “Sorry, ma’am,” Deryn said, adjusting her collar. Her shirt fitted all wrong despite a mad hour of sewing. Worse, it still smelled of Newkirk—the bum-rag hadn’t bothered to wash it since yesterday. “I had to borrow this shirt. Mine was still a bit spicy.”

  “You possess only one dress uniform?” Dr. Barlow clicked her tongue. “We shall have to remedy that, if you’re going to continue assisting me.”

  Deryn frowned. “Assisting you, ma’am? Frankly, I never fancied myself much of a diplomat.”

  “Perhaps not. But this is what comes of making your self useful, Mr. Sharp. You were invaluable during the battle of the Dauntless, while the ambassador and his lackeys were quite hopeless.” Dr. Barlow sighed. “Soon I shall be afraid to leave the airship without your protection.”

  Deryn rolled her eyes. Even when dispensing compliments, the lady boffin always managed a mocking tone. “I hope you’re not expecting to be attacked again today, ma’am.”

  “One never knows. We are not as welcome here as I might have liked.”

  “That’s right enough,” Deryn said, still hearing the anger in the protesters’ voices. “But I’ve been meaning to ask you, ma’am. What’s a behemoth?”

  Dr. Barlow looked at her with narrowed eyes. “Wherever did you hear that word, Mr. Sharp?”

  “It was just something they were shouting yesterday. The Young Turks, I mean.”

  “Hmm, of course. That is the name of the Osman’s companion creature, and thus part of Lord Churchill’s unfortunate appropriation.”