And hopefully, he'll be enough of a handful that we can slip away in the struggle.'
'I had him, Jacob! I had Crane by the throat.'
'No, you didn't.' I held up my hand. 'Two outcomes back there. One, Crane eventually wears you down, takes the crows and then steals your pattern. You would have spent the rest of your life as a cog in his engine. Two, the Brights interfere and somehow steal you away. And I think steal Crane, too, but I'm less clear on that part.'
'They could have done that?' she asked.
'Yeah. But I was integral to the plan, so it really had no hope of succeeding. Listen, I'm going to get you out of here. But only if you help, you understand?'
'Why would I want that?' she asked.
'Because your alternative is an eternity in the basement of the family Bright. It won't be as nice as the eternity you spent in this place. They're certainly not going to worship you.'
'An eternity is less time that you think,' she said, coldly. 'I've already been through two of those, and lived a third before that. Fine. I won't have my revenge in this eternity. Perhaps the next. Where will you take me?'
'I know a place. Now. What did you do with Wilson?' I asked.
'He's safe.'
'Define safe.'
'Not dead. Not dying. Probably not awake enough to know the difference.'
'Let me clarify some things for you.' I spat. 'You need to stop giving me smartass answers. Smartass answers are going to get you killed. Did. You. Hurt. Wilson.'
'I did, Jacob. I hurt him very badly. Probably in a permanent way. For what the two of you did two years ago, the last time I had a chance to escape. And I would do it again, and I would do it to you, if you gave me the chance.' She crossed her thin arms over her dissected chest. 'Are you sure you don't want to take me back there and give me a chance with the Brights?'
I sat there, staring at her and smoldering. 'You little bitch…'
'Careful, Jacob. You're supposed to be saving me, remember?' She smiled prettily. 'You don't threaten the girl you're trying to save.'
'You've misunderstood the nature of this rescue, Camilla.' I stood abruptly and picked her up. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders, and hugged me with the remnants of her wings. 'I can't let the Brights have you. But I can't let you free, either.'
'Well, then. Whatever are you going to do with me?'
'Something pretty horrible,' I said. 'For whatever you've done to Wilson.'
'Honestly, I'd almost think you didn't like me. Live my life, Jacob. For one day. And then decide what you would do, given the chance.'
I grimaced, but didn't answer. Instead I headed down, down into the Church, down toward the chamber of the heart. I hoped the Mother Fehn had one more trick.
The chamber was as I remembered it. Spherical, cold. The cage of pipes at the center had been torn open, from when Camilla had gained her freedom. There was a thin pool of foetal metal on the floor. It had gone stiff in the cold, clinging to my boots like tar. Camilla looked down at it wistfully.
'I could rebuild you, Jacob. I could restore your heart,' she said. 'I could make you fly again.'
'Promises, promises,' I answered. 'Now where's that door?'
Last time I was here, there had been a secret passageway. One of the Fehn, a friend of mine by the name of Morgan, had come through it to lead me out. Camilla had used him to negotiate with the Council, and to lead me to safety, when it was in her interest. I was hoping it was still here.
'The Fehn stopped talking to me,' she said. 'They controlled the door.'
'They've stopped talking to anyone,' I said. 'On account of Crane killing most of them. It should be right around here. Somewhere.'
At no prompt from me, the door opened. Wright Morgan, undead of the river Reine, stood in the entrance.
'Jacob,' he said.
'Morgan. Haven't seen you in years. Thought you'd joined the silent chorus.'
'I've been away. Looking for your girl, actually.'
'Emily?' I asked. Afraid of the answer.
'Emily. And the heart you gave her. The cog.'
'And?'
'Still gone, Jacob. You got good and rid of her.'
I sighed. Of course I had. Jacob Burn never screwed something up halfway.
'Why are you here now?' I asked.
'You were looking for the way out, weren't you?'
'Sure, but I suspected the Mother wouldn't be interested in helping me anymore. Not after what happened with Crane.'
'She isn't,' he said, then held out his hand. To Camilla. 'I'm here for her. You're just coming along.'
There was darkness, and water. The flat slugs of the Fehn filled my mouth and my lungs, but I struggled not to panic. When we came up, the Mother Fehn was waiting. Wright Morgan had left us behind, long before we got to the current of the waterfall. Said something about never going down there again. I had an anchored rope that would get me back to the calm water, after all this was over.
The Mother Fehn was waiting. I vomited her children up on the floor as that globe of light watched impassively. Camilla lay on the metal floor, bewildered.
'Where are we?' she asked.
'Central Processing,' Mother answered. 'Servitor colloquially known as Camilla. Welcome.'
'That didn't make sense,' Camilla said.
'I'm glad to see you just as baffled,' I said. 'I think so, at least. This thing is very old.'
'Time frame relative. Iterations occur regularly, central fragmentation makes referencing source dates irrelevant. There were many of us. Now there is one. This unit is still getting used to its vessel.'
'What is that thing?' she asked.
'This, my dear monster, is the Mother Fehn. She knows a lot about you.'
'I would know more,' the Mother answered.
'Which is why we're here,' I said, standing up. 'Initiate your subteens, you crazy old bitch.'
The globe turned to face me, then strobed its attention over Camilla. The pillar of slugs slithered forward.
'Jacob, what's happening?' Camilla shrilled. I smiled.
'She's about to know more,' I said. 'Put yourself in my shoes, Cam. Live my life for a day, or a year, or a brief, mortal span. What would you do?'
The carpet of squirming Fehn-slugs surged across the room like a tide, covering Camilla. She was screaming when they got to her mouth, and then there was silence. The Mother was still processing when I let myself out.
