Amelia’s doll-like face stayed perfectly cool for a long moment. After that, her big blue eyes narrowed. “Remember your place, Clothilde.”
Clothilde’s prim features crumpled with despair. “Show her your secrets, and you risk too much. Please.”
My heart sped so fast I felt it beat against my ribs. What could be down there that would scare Clothilde so thoroughly?
Amelia lifted her chin. “You are free to leave my employ at any time.” Her voice gentled. “I have to do this, Clo. Not only for Veronique. For me. I won’t be his obedient child anymore. I can’t keep hiding. It’s time to do something to stop him. I hope you can understand.”
Clothilde’s shoulders slumped. “I’ll have luncheon at noon.”
I could have sung for joy. I was getting closer.
“Thank you, Clo.” Amelia returned her attention to the door and began jangling the keys again. “One of these has to work, blast it all.” The door clicked. “Ah, here we go.”
I fought back a cheer. Now, I might finally see whatever secret Amelia was hiding. Excitement prickled across my skin. Perhaps it could be some kind of totem ring wrapped in machinery. That would certainly be the obvious choice. And where better to build one than here? “I can’t wait.”
“Follow me.” Amelia stepped across the threshold to descend a darkened staircase. I stayed close behind. At the base of the steps, there stood a thick door made from what looked like an intricate mass of tiny, interlocking gears. I’d never seen anything like it. I brushed my fingertips across the uneven metal. The thing reminded me of the mechanical book Amelia held when I first met her. “Did you make this?”
“Yes.” Amelia beamed. “We had too many fires erupting from our experiments. One conflagration might have made its way up into the house.” She patted the door. “This keeps everything out.”
“I should say so. It looks sturdier than a castle wall.”
Amelia’s eyes brightened under my praise. “It is. Let’s see my workroom.” She twirled a few of the gears in an odd rhythm. Suddenly, the entire door came to life. All the many metal disks spun and clacked. With a great thunk, the door swung wide open.
I took a half step backward. “That was amazing. I never thought I’d see magick without magick, if you know what I mean.”
Amelia beamed again. “Thank you. Everyone said that I was the greatest of the Vicomte’s chil—” Her face fell. “Of the machinists he put to work.”
Poor Amelia. How horrible to be called someone’s child and then be asked to serve them like a slave. I wanted to offer her some kind of comfort. I couldn’t think what to do though. In the Cloister, I’d been schooled to hide my emotion. Still, a bad attempt was better than none. “I know I said this before, but I’m sorry for what happened to you. Truly.”
Amelia’s face lightened a bit. I took it as a good sign that I’d done the right thing. “I appreciate your concern.” Determination hardened her sweet face. “Come along now.” She moved past the clockwork door and into the workroom itself.
My breathing quickened. Clothilde had warned Amelia not to show me something. Now I might discover what that “something” was.
I trailed Amelia into the laboratory. The moment I entered the massive chamber, my mouth fell open. The place wasn’t so much a basement as an underground cathedral. Heavy stone pillars lined the walls, the columns bending into arches that jutted up into the shadows. Small iron desks lined the floor.
I stepped around the maze of tables. The surfaces were piled high with tiny gears, bits of metal shavings, and odd-looking tools. “You worked here alone?”
“No, there were hundreds of us here at the cottage. Machinists, every last one. I was their leader. We worked on a secret project for Daddy Dearest.”
I brushed my fingers across a line of tiny knives with wooden handles. “What happened to everyone?”
“I was told they went to work in other laboratories.” Amelia shook her head. “That’s the official story. Truth is, the Vicomte sent them off to be drained.” Her voice broke. “They’re all dead.”
A weight settled onto my shoulders. “He spared you because you’re his heir.”
“I’m certainly his only heir, but that’s not why I was spared. The Vicomte adopted me from a Cloister orphanage. That was…” She tapped her chin. “Oh, a few years before the Tsar took over and gutted the holy houses.”
My stomach tightened at the thought. So many Cloisters and Monasteries were ruins now. The Cloister where I’d trained, the Zelle, was one of the few that remained standing. It was certainly the only one that was still inhabited. The thought seeped all the excitement from my soul.
Amelia stepped closer. “Are you all right, Elea?”
“I’m fine.” It was a tribute to my Necromancer training that I could sound so calm right now. Controlling emotions certainly came in handy sometimes. “Please, go on.”