Broken Veil (Harbinger #5)(31)

As he finished cinching the belt, it struck her with powerful certainty that this man knew how to use that sword. She had no doubt of it.

“Let’s leave some clothes in there so it’s comfortable for her, Papa,” said Curtis. He gave her a knowing smile. His childlike innocence made the world seem brighter than it had just yesterday.

“You can get me back to my world?” Cettie asked, the thread of hope growing thicker. “They will try to harm those I love.”

Owen nodded. “Trust me. We can get you home faster than you think.”





The idea came to me this morning during my walk. Regardless of what time I am abed at night, I always awaken before the rising of the sun and take a brisk walk in the tenements surrounding the hospital. It gives me time to think, to ponder, to wrestle with the issues from the previous day.

I know the officers of Law use a map of the Fells in their efforts to hunt the Fear Liath that was set loose here. They mark the streets where victims are found. The idea came to me to use the same tool to keep track of the victims of the cholera morbus. If I understand their commonalities, perhaps I can discover how the disease is carried. A certain type of food they eat, perhaps. Something they drink. I already know it cannot be the air they breathe.

I fear that if we do not find the source of the plague soon, there will not be enough boxes to bury them all in.

—Adam Creigh, Killingworth Hospital





SERA





CHAPTER ELEVEN

MR. BATEWINCH



Mrs. Pullman brought food twice more, as well as the sickly sweet cider that Sera refused to drink. Her thirst had become an intense, powerful urge. It made Sera suffer in a way she had never suffered before. Her arm was still throbbing, the wound a nasty reddish black, and the cut on her face pulsed with pain. Confined in her little room, hurting and parched, Sera could do little else than wonder what Lady Corinne would do to her next.

Being in the dark made her lose all sense of time. It felt like she had been there for days, but it couldn’t have been that long, could it? The lack of water would have killed her.

The isolation was its own kind of torture. Her thoughts spooled in dizzying circles as she tried to think of a way to escape. She’d tested each portion of her little cell, looking for weakness. But she lacked the strength to pry anything open. Thankfully, there were no rats scuttling in the dark. Sera wondered if she could overpower Mrs. Pullman, but how? One of her arms was practically useless. She worried a physical scuffle with the old woman would end in humiliating defeat.

So Sera reached out to the Mysteries, asking for a way out of her predicament. She focused on the idea of escaping, willing something to happen to change her fortune. It was tempting to grumble inside about her condition, but surely Trevon had experienced worse, and his abduction had lasted more than a year already.

If he can bear it, so can you.

The thought gave her strength, and it made her feel closer to her husband than she had the past year.

More time passed, she wasn’t sure how much, when she heard a noise coming from beyond the door. Acting on instinct, Sera scooted closer to it, though she did not yet have a plan for how to best Mrs. Pullman. It struck her that the steps sounded different now.

A pulse shivered in the air, and the Leering outside the door spilled light into the corridor. From the crack beneath the door, she thought she saw a different pair of shoes—a man’s set. Was this someone who could help her? The feet shuffled a bit, as if the person were searching for something.

Sera sat up and knocked on the door. “Can you hear me? Help!”

“Goodness gracious, who is that?” asked a gruff voice. The steps drew quickly to the door, and the handle jangled. It was still locked.

“Can you hear me?” Sera asked, hope flooding her chest.

“I can. Who is this? Who locked you in here?”

“Mrs. Pullman locked me in here.”

“Who the devil is Mrs. Pullman?”

Sera could tell the man was befuddled by the situation. She had to think quickly. “She’s the keeper of the manor.”

“No, the keeper at Gimmerton Sough is Mrs. Rosings.” The handle jangled again. “Who is Mrs. Pullman?”

Sera closed her eyes. “Who are you, good sir? What is your name?”

“I am Mr. Batewinch, the steward of Gimmerton Sough.”

Sera bit her lip to prevent herself from squealing. She knew that name. Cettie had told her about him, about his arrival at Gimmerton Sough with the Patchett siblings. So she was at Gimmerton Sough, which she knew Lady Corinne owned. That made perfect sense. At least the woman hadn’t stowed her in some far-flung part of Kingfountain. She was still home. There was still hope.

“Mr. Batewinch, please listen to me,” Sera said in a trembling voice. “I am Sera Fitzempress. I was abducted by Lady Corinne Lawton, who is a traitor to the empire. My life is in grave danger. Please, you must free me and contact the ministries immediately. There is a Control Leering here at the estate, is there not? You must contact them at once and tell them where I am.”

“Y-your Majesty?” Mr. Batewinch said with utter confusion in his voice. “You’re the empress? I don’t understand. Is this some trick?”

Sera wanted to reach through the door and clutch his shirt. Instead, she took a deep breath to calm her emotions and spoke as quickly as she could. “No trick, Mr. Batewinch. I know your name. I know you were Admiral Patchett’s steward. That you’ve tried to look after his children, Joanna and Randall, as best you can. Please, sir, you must help me. Your keeper may be an imposter. Her real name is Mrs. Pullman—the same Mrs. Pullman who used to work at Fog Willows. She’s been feeding me, but she’s in league with Lady Corinne. Please! I beg you, send for help immediately.”