Agatha H. and the Clockwork Princess

tears of joy.

“Oh, you dear girls,” Lucrezia cooed. “You did it! I’m ever so pleased with you!”

This only sent the two into new paroxysms of joyful weeping. Lucrezia knelt next to them and gathered them within her arms.

“Oh Lady,” whispered Shurdlu. “To have you back at last...”

Eotain continued. “We have worked so hard.”

Lucrezia hugged them tighter in delight. “Shhh,” she whispered. “Yes, I know. And I missed you as well.” She released them. “Now pull yourselves together. I need you to be strong for me.”

She gracefully rose to her feet. Eotain reverently offered her Agatha’s glasses. Lucrezia looked at them blankly for a moment and then gingerly, with several attempts, slipped the loops over her ears. She looked around the room with a renewed interest, and paused as she saw Vrin huddled separately on the floor. She stepped over towards the prone woman.

“And you, Vrin, are you happy?”

“Of course, my Lady.” Vrin raised her face from the floor, but seemed incapable of raising her eyes above Lucrezia’s waist. Lucrezia realized that the woman was terrified. Interesting. She began to notice other things.

“Why is your hair cut?” Traditionally, the Geisterdamen never cut their hair.

“It... it is a mark of my shame, Lady.” When Lucrezia said nothing, she continued. “When first you sent us here, your gateway, and most of your device plans were destroyed. I... none of us could rebuild it. Even I, your High Priestess had not the skills.”

Lucrezia nodded slowly. This explained much[54]. Vrin continued. “We were cut off from you, and I couldn’t even punish the... saboteurs.”

This word caused Lucrezia to sharply draw in her breath. Vrin finally dared to look Lucrezia in the face. “But I remembered the name of Prince Aaronev. With his help, I kept our sisters safe. We rebuilt your machine—” Here she broke down and wept. Years of tightly held frustration and fear were finally allowed release, in this, her moment of triumph. “And I found the child! Everything worked! You are here and I can finally— finally beg your forgiveness!”

Lucrezia’s eyes had gone cold. “Surely I sent adequate guards. Surely you knew how to utilize them. Who destroyed my gate?”

This was the moment Vrin had feared for years. “Oh Lady,” she whispered, “It was one of us.”

Lucrezia froze. “One of you?”

Vrin huddled prostate upon the floor. “Yes Lady,” she whispered, “The Lore Mistress, Milvistle. She...” Vrin swallowed, “She doubted your divinity.”

Fury filled Lucrezia’s face. “Is she dead?”

Vrin nodded frantically. “Yes, Mistress! But...”

Lucrezia grabbed Vrin’s hair and yanked her upright.

“But—?”

“But there are signs that she did not act alone!”

“Traitors?” Lucrezia screamed. “Heretics?! Amongst my priestesses? How dare they?”

She released Vrin and stood there, a look of calculating rage upon her face. If Geisterdamen had arrived here ready to rebel, there must be rebels plotting back in The Silver City. Right below her very nose...

This line of thought was cut off by the trembling woman at her feet. “There are others about whom I have doubts, my Lady.”

That caught Lucrezia’s attention. An opportunity to work off some of the betrayal and indignation she felt would be quite welcome indeed. “Who? Tell me!”

A smooth voice, speaking in perfect Geisterese, cut Vrin off before she could speak. “I trust I am not on that list, Lady Vrin.”

All four women whirled to see Tarvek Sturmvarous standing before them. Before they could react, he smoothly dropped to one knee and bowed in supplication. “Welcome back, My Lady.” He raised his head and smiled. “Allow me to be the first of many to offer you my service.”

Vrin opened her mouth angrily, but was stopped by Lucrezia gliding forward, her face a picture of joyful amazement. “Wilhelm?” She reached Tarvek and he rose to face her, surprise, and a touch of confusion in his eyes. Lucrezia studied his face and reaching out, sensuously slid her hands down his arms. Tarvek shivered.

“I can’t believe it,” Lucrezia breathed. “Why you’re—” her tongue delicately licked at a corner of her upper lip—“You’re looking better than ever!”

The light dawned. Tarvek cleared his throat. “Ah. Forgive me, my Lady. You have confused me with my late father, Aaronev Wilhelm Sturmvarous.” He stepped back and made a slight bow. “I am Aaronev Tarvek Sturmvarous, his son.”

This news caught Lucrezia by surprise. “Dead?” she whispered. “Faithful Wilhelm is dead?” She looked back up at Tarvek. “When?”

Tarvek sighed. “Just last night, I’m afraid. Like myself, he never faltered in his devotion to you, my Lady. But I’m afraid that actually finding your daughter precipitated a... crises of faith in my sister, Anevka. One that proved quite fatal to my father.”

Lucrezia closed her eyes and sighed heavily. She gently reached out and touched Tarvek’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry for the loss of your father.” Her eyes opened and they were as cold as space. “And now I really must kill your sister. Do bring her to me.”

Tarvek shrugged. “I have already ordered some of your priestesses to do just that.” He turned towards Vrin, who looked as if she would burst with barely suppressed rage. “That was the correct thing to do, wasn’t it, Lady Vrin?”

Vrin stared at Tarvek and opened her mouth. Her gaze shifted towards the hand that Lucrezia had delicately laid upon young Sturmvarous’ shoulder. She closed her mouth. “Yes,” she responded through clenched teeth. “Yes of course it was, Master Tarvek.”

Tarvek raised a finger imperiously. “Prince Tarvek,” he corrected her chidingly, “It is Prince Tarvek now, Lady Vrin. Do try to remember that.” Vrin stared at him for several moments, and then nodded with a jerk.

“I would suggest,” Tarvek said, turning his back to Vrin and addressing Lucrezia, “That the Lady Vrin and her retainers go and inform the rest of your priestesses that you have returned.”

Lucrezia smiled. “They’re here?”

Tarvek nodded. “A substantial number of them. When they first arrived, my father turned a cavern in the basement over to them. That is the Lady Vrin’s domain.”

Vrin reluctantly acknowledged this. “It is... a very comfortable place.” She shook herself and addressed Lucrezia. “We are divided into three shifts, My Lady, two of which were always traveling the Shadow World searching for the Holy Child, while the remaining third rested and guarded your machines.” A thought struck her. “We... we won’t have to search anymore. I don’t know where we’ll put everyone—”

She gasped as another thought struck her. She turned to Lucrezia and dropped to her knees. “My Lady,” she said, her voice quavering with emotion, “My Lady, our task has been fulfilled. May we... may we be allowed to return to The City of Silver Light?”

This question caught Lucrezia by surprise. She considered it. “Well, I don’t see why not,” she conceded.

The three Geisterdamen shrieked with joy. Eotain and Shurdlu hugged each other with almost bone-cracking force. Vrin stared up at Lucrezia with tears streaming from her eyes. Lucrezia held up an admonishing finger. “But not immediately, of course. I must repair the gateway and assemble other assistants as loyal as you have been.”

“Impossible!” Vrin swore. “There will never be anyone who loves and needs you as much as we do, Mistress!”

Lucrezia smiled. “I shall just have to make do.”

Tarvek leaned in. “Perhaps the Lady Vrin and her retainers should go to the caverns and let the others know the good news that you’ve returned, not to mention that they will be returning home.” Vrin looked at him. Tarvek continued, “plus I imagine, you’d like to smarten the place up a bit for when The Lady comes to inspect it?”