Depth

  Clockwork Twist

  Book Eight: Depth

  by Emily Thompson

  Text copyright © 2018 Emily Thompson

  Cover and artwork by Emily Thompson

  “Clockwork” poem by Janice T

  All rights reserved.

  Previously in Clockwork Twist...

  Twist grew up an orphan, without a name. He had no family and no heritage. He learned to survive without them, but that lack shaped who he was. Twist always knew that he was British, he was skilled with clockwork, and that he was completely alone in the world. But just last week, he met his family.

  Each new detail that he learned about his family and himself chipped away at the solid foundation of his identity. He found out that he wasn’t actually British at all: his father was Spanish, his mother was a French gypsy witch, and he’d been born in Paris. His father had been a skilled clockmaker, which made Twist question if he’d chosen clockwork or simply fallen into the family business. And as for being alone in the world, Twist now found himself with more blood relations than Jonas had, in a large troop of gypsies that roamed through Northern France. Twist also learned that he’d been abandoned as an infant for a reason—it was the only way to ensure his safety.

  Twist was told that, whereas every other Sight in the world was only made up of one whole soul, his Sight and Jonas’s were each made up of one half of the same fae soul. But the fae that made up Twist’s and Jonas’s souls had been sliced in two by a magical weapon in some mysterious battle. They also discovered that it had been Idris, the djinn, who had made this weapon; indeed, making it was the very crime that had caused him to be imprisoned on Earth with limited power for one hundred years. Because only a djinn could make this weapon, no fae had ever been cut in two like this ever before. And now that the weapon was gone, it would never happen again.

  Learning about the fae soul that they carried in their Sights answered some of Twist’s and Jonas’s questions about the strange nature of their Sights, but it also made clear new dangers to them. The fae soul within Twist and Jonas was a very powerful soldier on the side of Winter. It had been cut in two by the rival Summer fae, who’d hoped to destroy it. Now, Winter wanted the fae to return to them unharmed and so worked very hard to ensure that Twist and Jonas would die together, at the same moment, thus allowing the soul within them to return home, rejoin its two halves, and gain new life in Fairy. But the Summer fae wanted to kill them separately to finally destroy the fae in their Sights completely.

  Being a witch and familiar with the fae, Twist’s mother had noticed that there was something wrong with her son’s Sight when Twist was born. She’d asked her fae friends for help and in so doing revealed enough information for them to know that their fallen soldier was bound to her infant son. She also, unknowingly, revealed her son’s name to them. The fae had attacked quickly and viciously. The only way to protect Twist was to hide him. Anyone who spoke his name might be overheard by fae, who could listen to voices on Earth whenever they liked. Both of Twist’s parents were known to the fae, and they were chased as they tried to flee. In the end, they were forced to give Twist up, without his name but with a powerful charm on his pocket watch, so that he could hide from the fae entirely. Twist’s mother had fallen in her fight with the fae, but his father might still be alive, somewhere unknown.

  To even greater confusion and amazement, Twist and Jonas also discovered that Kima’s son, Storm, wasn’t actually her son at all. He showed himself to be a magical Winter satyr, bent on murder. Storm had always claimed there was a magical charm on Twist’s watch that made Twist invisible to him. Now, Twist began to believe that this was all true. When Jonas’s grandmother insisted that Jonas also have a powerful charm like Twist’s, in the form of a tattoo on his left arm, Jonas vanished from Storm’s sight as well. This left Storm with no choice but to attack, and in so doing he showed who he truly was.

  Kima’s true son had been stolen away to Fairy, shortly after his birth, and been replaced by Storm. Storm stole the boy’s face, growing like an ordinary child for over ten years, pretending all the while to be Kima’s son, Pahmut. The real Pahmut, meanwhile, remained in the clutches of the fae, trapped somewhere in Fairy itself. People warned Kima that rescuing her real son might be impossible, but Kima couldn’t accept this idea. No matter what it took, she wouldn’t give up on her son.

  In trying to murder Twist and Jonas, Storm trapped Idris to use his powers for himself and then wished all four of them away to somewhere no one could follow—a lost city at the bottom of the sea that Storm called Atlantis. The city was filled with strange and advanced technology, but it was empty of all life. Using his Sight, Twist managed to work out vaguely where the city was, but he wasn’t sure how to escape or return to his friends.

  Myra appeared, in her ghostly form, after using a bit of magic to track Twist down. But just as quickly, Storm escaped his bonds and attacked again, this time using wishes and Idris’s magic to chain Twist and Jonas to the floor and arm himself with pistols. Idris had no choice but to help Storm until the third wish was made. Then, Myra managed to claim the djinn’s prison for herself just in time to wish Storm away entirely, to a Rook prison, and save Twist and Jonas. Once he was freed himself, Idris gladly freed Twist and Jonas, as well as taking them all back to their friends in the gypsy camp in Northern France.

  Once everyone was safe again, Idris expressed his remorse for his part in the creation of Twist’s and Jonas’s Sights and for all the ills that had come after. As recompense, he promised each of them one wish, to use however they liked, with no complaint from him. Given the djinn’s obviously heartfelt offer and apology, Twist found that he couldn’t blame him for anything. After all, it had been the fae who had asked for the weapon and the fae who had used it. Idris had never meant Twist or anyone else any harm.

  When the Rooks learned that Twist and Jonas had accidentally discovered Atlantis, Aden immediately started to organize an expedition to mine the city of all its mysteries. Since Twist had been able to use the Atlantean technology easily, he was invited along. Not wanting to go anywhere without his friends, Twist asked that Jonas and Myra come with him as well, and Aden easily agreed. After a week of rest in the gypsy camp full of his own relations, Twist and his friends set out to conquer Atlantis with the Rooks.

  The blood is gone but not the stain

  Of brute betrayal, attempted chains.

  In bold adieu

  Twist and his crew

  Are off adventuring again.

  —Janice T

  After spending over a week in a rugged gypsy camp, hidden deep in a vast and unspoiled forest, the modest French city of Troyes looked like a metropolis to Twist. Quaint half-timbered houses clustered together in some parts of the city, while the fashionable, modern houses sat primly at the edges of the wide, tree-lined boulevard leading to the train station. Echoes of Parisian-style apartments and city buildings stood proud regardless of their meager four stories, and the great gothic cathedral and other old religious buildings seemed just as numerous as the mosques in Constantinople.

  Twist alighted from the coach after Jonas and turned to offer his hand to help Myra to the ground. She hopped down beside him and kept hold of his hand as they stepped closer to the stately front of the Gare de Troyes while the other coach passengers disembarked as well. Now that all of the arrangements had been made, it was finally time to head back to Atlantis with a ship full of Aden’s best Rook engineers and scientists, to mine the ancient city for all its secrets and magical technology.

  Though he’d said nothing about it, Twist had actually been quite pleased to have a legitimate excuse to leave the gypsy camp behind him. Once learning that he was in fact their long-lost kin, the gypsies had treated Twist with cordial kindness and endeavored to expre
ss an interest in him. But when Twist answered their questions or repaid their stiff smiles with his own gentlemanly airs and decorum, the divide between them only grew. Twist might share their blood, but he clearly had nothing else in common with them at all. Twist took in a deep breath of the sooty urban air and was content to be back on familiar ground.

  “This is such a nice little city,” Myra remarked, looking over the environment as well.

  “Indeed, it is,” Twist agreed.

  Jonas chuckled.

  “You don’t agree?” Twist asked him suspiciously.

  “A few days in the woods, and you’re grinning from ear to ear just to be on pavement again,” Jonas said with a fondness to his own grin. “You’re such a city boy.”

  “I never claimed to be otherwise,” Twist responded, standing straight in his trim frock coat and matching black silk top hat, his brass watch chain hung elegantly over his blue silk waistcoat.

  He held his walking stick at a gentlemanly angle for added effect, the other arm genteelly bent for Myra to hold. Myra’s pride sparkled over his Sight as she matched his pose. In honor of returning to the civilized world, today she had decided to wear a pretty, fluttery, rosy-pink, European-style dress with a large hat to match, and long white gloves. Although he always loved her in a sari, Twist was glad that she matched his style just now.

  Jonas laughed and reached out to pat Twist’s shoulder. “And good for you. A man should know what he’s about.”

  Twist smiled back at his friend’s praise, enjoying the soft, cool, white fog that filled his Sight at the swift touch. Jonas, of course, looked nothing like a gentleman. His brown trousers and jacket were sturdy and more comfortable than stylish, his chocolate waistcoat was unbuttoned over his white cotton shirt, and it was utterly impossible to get the man to wear a hat. Instead, his black goggles rested at the edge of his messy disarray of pointy, short blond hair. The roguish smirk fit perfectly with his look, as well.

  “All right, everyone, this way please,” Aden called, ushering Twist, Myra, Jonas, and the others from the carriage into the train station.

  Twist and the others followed him into the shade and echoing murmurs of the station lobby. Though it wasn’t nearly as grand as some he’d seen, Twist still found the simple little station with its obligatory long wooden benches, high and full windows at the front, and large central clock somewhat charming. Aden and one of his Rooks went to attend to everyone’s tickets, while the others gathered together to one side.

  Twist didn’t really know the two other Rook agents who had assisted Aden since he’d arrived at the gypsy camp and hadn’t seen much reason to engage them. Monti and Kima, meanwhile, had kept mostly to themselves after all the trouble with Storm, though Twist, Myra, and Jonas had each attempted to cheer Kima up from time to time with varying levels of success. After finding out that her son, Storm, was truly an impostor, Kima had fallen into well-deserved melancholy from which she now rarely stirred. As far as Twist understood, she and Monti would be leaving them at Paris, taking an airship from there back to Australia. He wasn’t sure where the other Rooks were bound for.

  Jonas sat down on a bench with a languid sigh, watching Aden in line at the ticket counter. Monti and Kima sat quietly beside him, but Twist and the others remained on their feet. Myra’s eyes played over the small shop and newsstand that nestled together near the ticket counter.

  “Dear, how long will it be before we leave?” Myra asked Twist.

  “I’m not sure,” Twist answered.

  “The next train doesn’t leave for half an hour,” one of the Rooks that stood with them mentioned, nodding at the departures sign hanging above the ticket counter window.

  “I’d like to see if they have any nice snacks for sale,” Myra mentioned to Twist, eyeing the shop with a gleam in her jeweled eyes. “You might get hungry on the trip,” she added to Twist.

  “That’s not a bad idea, actually,” Monti mentioned.

  “Why don’t you have a look, darling?” Twist asked Myra.

  “I won’t be long,” Myra promised, giving Twist’s arm a gentle squeeze before letting go.

  Twist nodded and smiled in return as she hurried away with Monti. The others glanced back to Aden, only to find that he hadn’t yet reached the head of the short line. The two Rooks mentioned something about coffee and wandered off as well.

  “Holy hell,” Jonas muttered, watching the others depart in search of entertainment. “Can’t any of them stand still for more than an instant without growing restless?”

  Only Twist and Jonas remained now. “Apparently not,” Twist responded with a smirk.

  A soft sigh caught his attention suddenly, and Twist turned to find that Kima still with them, sitting on the bench and wearing a glum expression. Her long black hair hung loose over her sloping shoulders, nearly hiding her soft features and distant, dark eyes. Like Monti, she still wore the uniform of the Australian Rooks, which hid her feminine form in sturdy browns and leather weapon straps.

  Jonas looked at her for a moment, while Kima seemed to not notice their attention at all, sitting still and silent as a statue. Twist’s light mood faded on seeing the woman clearly so despondent. Jonas moved closer and sat beside her, but she still didn’t stir. Without a word, Jonas reached out and took one of her hands from where they both lay lightly clasped on her knees. Kima seemed to wake from a trance as she looked to him, but she didn’t protest the touch at all. Jonas kept his naked gaze safely on their two hands: his pale but gently tanned, hers a warm and natural amber brown.

  “How are you, Kima?” Jonas asked her, his voice softer than Twist usually heard it.

  Kima put on a smile that only managed to affect her lips. “I’m fine,” she answered in her ever-thinning accent. The longer she spent with Twist and his friends, the more her words mimicked theirs.

  “Now, now,” Jonas said gently. “Twist and I both know that saying you’re ‘fine’ always means that you’re not.”

  Kima looked away from him, her smile vanishing entirely.

  “Aden sympathizes with you, you know,” Jonas mentioned. “Have you asked him to help you find your son? I’m sure he would agree to.”

  Memories of Storm, the satyr who had posed as Kima’s young son for so long, flashed quickly through Twist’s mind. The impostor was now safely locked away in a Rook prison in London, but the whereabouts of her actual child were still unknown. The only theory anyone had was that her baby had been taken away to some faraway Fairy lands, while the satyr had taken his place. Where these lands might be and how to get to them were mysteries. Regardless of the abundant evidence, Twist still had trouble believing anything about evil fairies.

  “Yes, of course, I want to find my son,” Kima said, her voice hollow. “But I don’t even know where to start, and neither does anyone else. I asked your grandmother,” she said, looking to Jonas again, “but she said that finding him would be impossible. Your djinn friend couldn’t even help. And those monsters wouldn’t give him up, even if I found him. Even if he’s still—” She stopped short, her voice growing tighter.

  Jonas gently patted the hand he held. “You can’t give up hope. You have to keep going to keep on your feet.”

  “But going where?” Kima asked him, her voice sharpening and her words speeding up. “Aden offered to send me home, but I don’t even know where that is. The land where I grew up is full of Americans now. My husband is dead, and no one knows where my son is. My village is under Cypher control, and the Cyphers would surely kill me for stealing Storm away from them. I could go back to the Rook house in Australia, but I don’t belong there either!”

  She raised her other hand to cover her mouth as her voice broke and tears began to well up in her eyes. Fear tingled up Twist’s spine to see her in such distress. He couldn’t imagine a single thing to do or say that could give her any comfort, no matter how much he might want to. Miserable as she was, she looked younger now than usual, reminding Twist that despite the amount of misery she had s
uffered, she wasn’t really much older than he or Jonas.

  Jonas released her hand to put his arm gently around her shoulders. “It’s all right, Kima.”

  Kima bent into him without contest, taking long, deep breaths to calm herself down. Jonas remained silent for a moment longer, gently stroking her shoulder and letting her lean her head into the hollow space beside his throat. After a moment, she seemed to master herself somewhat and pulled back, her face bowed to let her long hair partially shield it.

  “I’m sorry,” she muttered weakly.

  “Don’t be,” Jonas answered instantly. “If anyone has a right to tears, it’s you.”

  Kima glanced at him, seeming to marvel at his unwavering loyalty. Twist found it odd himself. Jonas usually hid his natural compassion from others, possibly due to some destructive belief that showing it would make him appear weak. But with Kima, he seemed incapable of fighting his true nature at all.

  “Well,” Jonas said, his tone lighter than Twist thought appropriate, “here’s an idea. If you’ve got nowhere to be, why don’t you come with us?”

  Confusion washed over Kima’s face. Jonas took his arm back to hold her hand once again, his naked gaze falling precariously close to hers.

  “Twist and I are bound for a legendary city at the bottom of the ocean,” Jonas said. “Why not come and have an adventure with us?”

  “But…” Kima said, still looking confused, “Aden is only bringing people who can help him in Atlantis. I’m just a hunter. I’d be no use at all.”

  “I’m not much use either,” Jonas said with a shrug. “Myra’s coming as well, and she’s not a scientist. She and I are only going because Twist is. If Aden can bring us along for no more reason than that, then why not you?”

  “You know,” Twist added as the thought occurred to him, drawing Kima’s attention, “Jonas and I need to learn all we can about the things that stole your son. They want to kill us, after all, and I’d rather they didn’t manage it. If you stay with us, we can work together. We might even happen upon a way to find your boy.”