The Angel of Elydria (The Dawn Mirror Chronicles Book 1) (44 page)

I
t was quite a struggle,” the gobless said as she strode downstairs. “Argent called at the exact right time. If he’d waited any longer we would’ve lost him.”

“He’s okay?”
Penny exhaled, feeling weak with relief. The first gobless nodded and gave a grin that would have looked terrifying at any other moment.

“He’ll probably make it,” the priestess said and patted Penny on the shoulder. She pulled a collection of flasks and bandages out from her bag and set them on the table. “Be certain that he drinks this medicine three times a day for at least a week, and avoid all types of exertion. By next week he should be back on his feet―as long as you don’t move him. Do not hesitate to call us back if his condition declines. Oh yes, and this all comes to one amethyst and two emerald yuebells,” the gobless reminded her and Penny experienced a twinge of panic. Hector’s wallet was currently miles away onboard the Royal Dirigible.

“Erm, Argent has money, I think,” Penny stammered, knowing that though it was an awful thing to do, she had no choice.

“Ooh, he’s not going to like that. Well, let’s go. Farewell.”

Penny shot up the spiral staircase and into Argent’s room. There was a desk piled with several well-loved books, assorted papers and a number of rather expensive and unusual objects. Penny saw a shimmering stone that looked to be made of brilliant green glass beside a box sealed shut by a lock. Next to them sat a jar of discolored jelly with something white and slimy suspended within, a pink glass mirror set with diamonds, and another puppet with a white face, tangled black hair, holes for eyes, and a dirty, smock-like dress the color of faded ink.

At the far end of the room, lying in Argent’s bed under a green quilt was Hector. Penny tiptoed over to him and saw that he was sleeping, a pained expression on his sallow face. His glasses were set on the bedside table, and Penny saw that in place of the shirt he wore a collection of blood-stained bandages.

For half an hour Penny stayed beside Hector, monitoring his condition. When he did not stir once, she stumbled over to the washroom nearby, longing for a bath. It took a great deal of washing to scrub the bloodstains, sand, and sea salt away.

Wrapping herself in a towel, Penny peered through the colorful windows in Argent’s bathroom to get another look at Hulver. Whereas Iverton had been orderly and clean, Hulver looked as if no amount of rhyme or reason had been bothered with in the design or construction of any structure in the entire city. The roads curved around off-kilter buildings and formed a veritable maze of pathways. Penny stepped down from the bathtub, looking at the bathroom walls. She ran her fingers over a painted moon and several images of galloping creatures and dragons winding around clouds and stars, figuring that Argent had painted them on the walls himself.

Back in the kitchen, deep exhaustion started to descend. In a daze Penny wobbled over to the deflated heap of blankets and collapsed beside Annette. Without the nagging sense of anxiety gnawing at her, she fell into a dreamless sleep.

PENNY EMERGED FROM blissful nothingness to a loud crashing sound and leapt up with a start. As her eyes adjusted she saw Argent standing before her, eyeing her spastic reaction with a grin. She groaned in vexation and Argent laughed.

“Good morning, little sis. Though it should be ‘good evening’ now, I suppose.” On the kitchen table lay the source of the crash: her and Hector’s travelling bags, Simon’s collection of luggage and all of Annette’s suitcases.

Argent stepped over to Penny, a crooked grin on his pale face. “I’m pretty sure this is the part where you say ‘Thank you for carrying all our ridiculously heavy crap all the way from the Air Harbor, Argent! You’re the best!’” he mimicked, and Penny looked at him, nonplussed.

“You went and―? But how did you―”

“It’s not exactly hard to spot the Royal Dirigible of Iverton next to all the janky goblin airships. I just went aboard and told the captain that you all had found accommodations and would be out in the city for a while. He didn’t seem to be too concerned about what was happening, so I just went and picked up this stuff. Though I shouldn’t take all the credit, Hyde and Kasper did most of the work.” He shrugged, and Penny saw that he held Hyde and Kasper’s controls in either one of his hands. Argent’s lips curled back again and he made the two puppets dance around the floor, creating a display that was both humorous and disturbing to Penny.

“Thank you, Argent. That was very thoughtful of you,” she said, glad that she would have her clothes and possessions.

“Oh don’t get me wrong, I really just wanted the money for the priestesses back. By the way, I took the liberty of taking that from your friend’s wallet, along with a
modest
delivery charge. Hope you don’t mind,” Argent added and the warmth Penny had been feeling toward him vanished.

“Anyway, shop’s closed now. I’m going to work in here,” Argent said, and shuffled into the room on the other side of his living quarters without another word. Penny stared after him for a moment, then turned to see Simon and Annette still fast asleep next to each other on the floor. Penny gathered clothes from her bag and went upstairs, taking the medicine for Hector in hand.

Upstairs Penny forced medicine into his parted lips, but Hector didn’t wake. She fought with the idea of giving him the miraculous water she’d stolen from Warwick’s Grotto to spare him the pain of recovery, but decided that it should be saved for a moment of mortal peril, if it were ever to arise.

Penny changed and wandered back downstairs, feeling lost and hungry. Upon checking the icebox, she found nothing but a prehistoric hunk of bread, a large assortment of drinks, and a collection of the ruby-red potions that Penny suspected were the same as the ones Armonie mixed for them. It dawned on her then how Argent could continue to work without needing sleep.

She helped herself to some water, but found this only made her hungrier, and went to consult Argent. Cautiously approaching the door, Penny listened to the sounds of sawing and banging that came from behind it before knocking, hoping that Argent would not be angry with her for interrupting.

“Yeah,” his voice answered.

She opened the door a crack and peeked inside. Argent sat at a workbench covered in spare parts, wedges of wood, dowels, sheets of metal, springs, oddly shaped tools, and hunks of raw magic, all categorized by color and size. Sawdust was everywhere, piled over the floor and gathered in heaps in the corners of the room. Along the shelves were rows of dried plants and mushrooms, doll parts and metal joints, deep hued jewels glinting, captive insects shuddering within their respective containers, and several thousand feet of thread. Sheaves of cloth material leaned up against the wall, and animal bones and bits of shining glass shards hung from the ceiling. A very bright light stood on the table, casting the rest of the room in bleak shadow. Argent wore a pair of eccentric glasses that had dozens of different lenses and knobs as he worked on something that looked like a flat silver disc with legs.

“What do you want?” he asked, sounding perturbed as he used a type of onyx-colored sandpaper to smooth the sides of the disc. He picked up a metal pen with a red-hot glowing tip and started carving designs and letters around the rim of the disk.

“What is that thing?” Penny peered closer.

Argent glared at her before turning back to his work. “Nothing that concerns you…just yet, anyway,” he answered. Penny was surprised that such a disheveled person could express such exactness and refined beauty in his work. “Your friend is still alive, right?”

“They said he would make it. What did you mean by ‘just yet’?” she pressed.

“Good,” Argent commented, starting on another flourish beside the one he had just finished. “Keep him alive until this is done and I’ll tell you. Now get out, you’re irritating me,” he ordered, clicking a button on his glasses that caused a few of the lenses to spring back.

Penny moved to leave and stopped, spotting a half-finished puppet lying on the workbench, its mechanical innards splayed.

“Why do you make those awful things?” she could not help but ask as she pointed to it.

Frustrated, Argent swiveled around on the stool, ripping off the outlandish glasses and setting them on the workbench beside him. “Because people pay a great deal of money for them and they make for wonderful help and companionship,” he answered with little emotion.

“So basically you sell people’s souls for money?” Penny challenged, crossing her arms.

“Pretty much. But like I said before, they’re free to come and go as they please. The thing is, not many of them want to leave. They’re afraid to pass on. So instead of having them wander aimlessly or maybe become a ghost, I give them a way to live on―and make a handsome profit along the way.” He looked over at a huge safe in the corner with glowing affection.

“How come they’re so valuable if souls are hanging around everywhere, then?” Penny countered.

“Frankly, because not too many crafters have the skill. It’s astoundingly difficult to make one that functions at all, much less functions well. I think there is only one other crafter alive in the world who can make them as well as I can, and he was one of my mentors,” Argent told her, and it was clear to Penny he wasn’t bragging.

“So what are you, some type of crafting genius then?”

“Some people have said so. I was the youngest person in a millennium to get a license from the Guild—seven years old. I was called a prodigy a lot in my youth, but I didn’t really do anything special. It just sort of comes naturally, you know?” Argent shrugged, looking a bit embarrassed.

“The Crafter’s Guild? In Iverton? Why do you live in Hulver if you come from Iverton?” Penny questioned.

Argent smiled his lopsided grin, looking at Penny with distant curiosity, as if she were a type of rare specimen. “Well, I could think of a few good lies to answer that question, but the truth is because goblins―unlike humans―leave me the hell alone, and I value privacy,” Argent declared. “And I never said I came from Iverton, I only studied there, but I can go back whenever I want. I’ve got an importer’s pass, so I get to ride the airships for free. Now, would you kindly get out? I need to work.” He stood and pushed Penny lightly out of the workshop by the small of her back.

SIMON WOKE VERY disoriented and jumpy, and it took Penny several minutes to calm him down. Annette, roused by his shouting, was eager to get back into her own clothes as soon as possible. As she bathed upstairs, Penny filled Simon in on what had happened while he was unconscious. He seemed wary of Argent and in no hurry to meet him, and also rather put out that he had passed out and been rescued by Penny.

“And it would’ve been such a good chance to impress Annette. The saving of lives is such an excellent inspiration for romance,” he muttered, smoothing his mustache.

“Simon, you
do
recall that it was you who pushed us over the edge, right?” Penny asked, cocking her head.

“I knew you ladies would fall for me sooner or later,” he replied with a half-smile and Penny laughed, glad to see he was back to his normal self. Annette came downstairs looking fresh and lovely as if she had been through nothing more than just a run-of-the-mill bad day, and Simon went up to change as well. After discussing the fact that they were all ravenous, they came to the conclusion that it was time to find a meal.

Mustering up some courage, Penny led their small party out into Hulver, Hector’s wallet grasped tightly in her hands. The moment they stepped outside and down the stairs, the buzz of the night hit them. Argent’s shop perched on a small hill that overlooked the city. Using her enchanted glasses, Penny read the sign in front of his shop.