“I think that's for the best,” Nyssa agreed. “What do we do next?”
“My dad’s safe is in the wall over there.” He pointed. “There should be enough cash and bonds in there to get us as far as we want to go.”
She almost swallowed her tongue. “Us?”
“If it’s all right, I'll tag along. You don’t mind, do you?”
She shook her head, feeling like an idiot. “Not at all.”
A bit later, Nyssa and Ellis left the lab, headed towards the freight elevator hidden behind a panel in the workroom. The bodies of Albriet and Miles lay, open-eyed and blue-tinted. The top-hat rested next to its former owner. Its eyes blinked at Nyssa. She shuddered, but resisted the urge to rush over to kick it.
“What about all this?” Nyssa asked, waving her hand towards the work tables.
“Without the schematics on the main computer, it’s all scrap metal.” Ellis shook his head. “My dad’s life was devoted to inventing wonderful things, things he thought would help people. How did he end up here?”
“I’m sorry, Ellis.” She squeezed his hand. “It’s over now.”
“Is it?” His mouth hardened. “I’m his son. What if I carry that darkness, that potential for insanity in me?”
“I think most people have the potential, but we write our own story. In spite of all this awfulness, you’re going to be all right.” She hesitated for a moment, then leaned down and kissed his forehead.
He smiled and tightened his fingers around her hand. “Let’s get out of here.”
They rode the elevator in silence. On the first floor, Ellis asked her to fetch him some more clothes and personal items from his bedroom. She shoved these into a suitcase, along with the money they’d taken from the safe. With its mysteries unlocked, the house no longer seemed like a trap, more like a mausoleum, a sad, empty place with nothing left to offer the living.
Nyssa considered their options as they continued through the dark, empty halls. They had to get out of New Taured. The money would get them passage, but in this state, they’d be sure to draw attention to themselves. The police might be looking for her in connection with Mr. Calloway’s death as well. Explaining everything that had happened would be impossible.
Pushing open the front door, she stepped out and inhaled the dust-free night air. The clouds had parted, allowing a handful of bright stars and a thin crescent moon to peek through. Nyssa smiled, and with a hand on the back of Ellis’s chair, enjoyed the quiet walk towards the gate.
“I don’t suppose that’s yours?” Ellis pointed forward. On the other side of the gate sat Albriet’s horseless carriage.
Nyssa grinned. “It is now.”
Chapter Thirteen
Nyssa cursed and stuck her finger into her mouth. “Stupid spark plugs.” The rocks in the dirt road dug into her back. She wriggled around beneath the carriage, trying to get in a position where she could reach the right parts.
“You need any help down there?” Ellis called.
“I’ve got it.”
“It's probably just dirt messing with the connections,” he said.
The wheels of his chair clattered over the bumpy road. His shadow blocked the light, and she rolled her eyes.
“You’re an expert on horseless carriages now?” She wormed out to glare at him.
He raised his eyebrows. “You know, not only did I grow up at the feet of a mechanical genius, I spent almost four years of my life literally being a computer. I think I know a few things about machines.”
She grimaced. “Sorry. I forget sometimes how annoyingly smart you are, but I know what I’m doing too, you know.”
“I never doubted it. I just asked if you wanted some help.” He smiled.
“Okay, hand me a spark plug, then.”
He flipped a switch on his chair, and it adjusted until he was able to stand upright with it bracing his legs and back. It looked a bit like he was wearing a pair of hip-high rollerskates. He reached onto the carriage roof for the extra plugs. She took one from him and replaced the part.
Climbing back out from under the carriage, she dusted herself off. They’d driven far enough out of New Taured to avoid recognition before stopping at a small town to pick up supplies and fresh clothes. Nyssa had purchased a dress and peacoat, but also the pair of sturdy canvas slacks and aviator’s jacket she now wore, from a military surplus store which thankfully carried small sizes.
They’d kept to country roads, whistle-stop towns, and farming communities, often sleeping in the carriage. They had no particular destination, just far from New Taured and Dalhart’s shadow.
At first they could only travel for short periods before Ellis needed to stop and rest, but a couple of weeks under the sun, eating real food and exercising, had done wonders for him. His skin had tanned and his face filled out, making him quite handsome.
Nyssa tried not to think about that too often, though.
She’d managed to get the butterflies under control. Now, for the most part, she could talk to him without feeling like an idiot. Of course, sometimes she slipped up and called him Hart. He didn’t seem to mind that. She wasn’t quite sure where they stood, though.
Technically he was older than her. A quick discussion of the current date allowed him to name his age at 19, but his last clear memories of being human were as a fifteen-year-old boy, and sometimes his immaturity slipped through like flashes of light from a shuttered lantern. He was also above her in social station, wealthy … the money he’d taken from his father’s safe would be enough for him to easily live comfortably for the rest of his life, and that didn’t include the Dalhart estate. He hadn’t mentioned making
