Page 65 of Requiem of Silence

Yalisa grabbed her hands and squeezed. “Of course,uli,we shall not lose one another forever. Maybe I will travel for a few years, or perhaps Eskar and I will settle down somewhere, but either way, I hope you will come and visit wherever I am. You and your… friend?” The small smile she gave hinted at more with Varten, but Zeli’s cheeks heated and she shook her head at the idea ofmore.Though sometimes it was difficult to remember that wasn’t what she wanted.

“I would like very much to visit you, when all this is over.” Part of her wanted to forget about the Rumpus and just stay with her now. Yalisa had been a mother figure to a young orphaned servant, one of the only people who had truly cared for her.

They were quiet after that, taking in the sights of the busy bay and Melbain City looming in the distance. Zeli had been to Sayya, Lagrimar’s capital city, once as a child; she didn’t recall much but noise and stench and fear, but as the bay narrowed and their ship was funneled into a wide river, she realized that even her glimpse of Adara had not prepared her for a true megacity.

Great metal towers rose in the air for what looked like kilometers. Their small ship passed under bridges filled with belching autos—no horses and carts were mixed in with them like on Rosira’s streets. Smokestacks poured thick, bilious smog into the air, turning the sky from blue to gray, even though the sun shone.

There was an underlying noise to the city, a buzzing drone thatthreatened to drown out all thought. The temperature was similar to Rosira and the people she saw hurrying through the streets wore drab, dark coats, heads covered with hats. Her wonderment was mixed with revulsion at the thought of living in such a place.

The river led them past a dozen or more docking areas, packed with crafts of various sizes, but Eskar sailed on. Soon they found a spot in an overcrowded marina. Once they exited the boat, they had to negotiate a narrow, floating walkway until they finally arrived on dry land.

While Eskar went to the marina office, seeking someone who spoke Elsiran, Zeli was faced with saying good-bye to her friend and mentor. “How long will you stay in the city?” she asked.

“Maybe a day or two. Long enough to say we’ve visited, though I don’t know that I’d like to stay here very long.” She looked up at the towering structures dubiously.

Zeli was glad that Yalisa had her brother with her. Neither spoke the language, they did not have much money, or even their Songs to rely upon, but they also had no fear. After surviving the True Father, why should they?

Eskar returned and they all said their good-byes. Zeli tried, and failed, not to cry as Yalisa and her brother disappeared into the city to explore a bit. Once they were out of sight and her tears had still not stopped, she ducked her head and fiddled with the strap of the small bag that held what few possessions she had. She did not want to face the others in such a state.

“We should see about transportation to Gilmeria,” Lanar announced, startling her with his voice. He’d spoken so rarely on the trip down, fortunately abandoning his questions about how Varten had learned to speak Lagrimari. “It’s quite a ways away.”

Zeli recalled the map. They would have to travel north again,toward the mountains bordering Lagrimar. Airship or train were the best options to get to Gilmer City quickly. Varten got directions to the air station from an attendant who spoke broken Elsiran and they made their way on foot through the busy streets.

Pedestrians here were even ruder than in Rosira. Zeli was jostled and shaken so much by passing elbows and shoulders that she thought she might turn into a milkshake. After one particular bone-jarring rattle, Varten put a protective arm around her. She sank into his side, avoiding a large handbag headed for her face, though she was careful not to grip him too tightly.

Yalisa’s knowing smile haunted her memory—it had been a little too on target—and as soon as they turned onto a quieter street, she pulled away abruptly. She tried to ignore the small expression of hurt that crossed his face when she did so.

The air station was in the center of the city. Airships big and small filled the tarmac. Zeli had only ever seen the king’s airship in Elsira, which was tiny compared to the airbuses built to ferry hundreds of people across the continent.

Lanar, who mysteriously knew a few words of Yalyish, went off to investigate schedules and prices. Though he had not shared much about himself, he must have been a prisoner of war like Eskar, stuck in Elsira since the last Breach War. They agreed to meet back at the entrance to the air station. Beside her, Varten was quiet. She hadn’t talked to him much on the journey, so absorbed by seeing Yalisa again. Of course, he’d been busy with Eskar, learning the workings of the fishing ship.

People milled about in large groups, but a ripple of disturbance caught Zeli’s attention. “What is that?” she gasped as something cut its way through the crowd. Exclamations and curses rang out as people tripped and leapt away.

The gap grew closer, revealing a tiny, mechanical dog scurrying across the floor. Its body was metal, including a very busy, articulated tail. It paused, turning its silver head to look around, then seemed to focus on Zeli. Two shiny, glass marbles served as its eyes, and while she wasn’t certain such a thing could even see, the contraption hastened its movements, coming straight for her.

She reached down to stop its forward momentum and picked it up, dodging its still moving feet. The creature was lighter than she’d expected and vibrated, letting out a little “yip” before a warm tongue reached out to lick her. It wasn’t wet, rather it was made of some kind of beaten leather, soft and ticklish.

A man’s voice called out, and she spied a figure jogging through the wake of confusion the little dog had left. He was portly and grandfatherly—or at least what she imagined a grandfather might be like. Round and gray and balding, with ochre skin and twinkling eyes. He moved with surprising speed until he’d caught up with the mechanical creature.

The dog licked her again and she giggled. The old man worked to catch his breath while the crowd around them went back to normal, as if nothing strange had happened. He smiled and spoke in a fast stream of Yalyish.

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” she said, first in Lagrimari, then in Elsiran.

He stopped and squinted at her, then reached for the side of his head. What was left of his hair frothed out messily around his head, but his motion revealed what looked like a metal ear. He adjusted the contraption, which hissed alarmingly, before quieting.

“Now, what was that?” he asked in Elsiran. “Ah yes, miss, I thank ye for rescuing m’dog.” He reached for it, and she handed the still wiggly creature over.

“You are welcome,” she said carefully. She turned to a stunned Varten and whispered in Lagrimari, “What do you think that thing on his ear is?”

“Well, missy, lost m’ear in the Tin War of ’02. Got this replacement from Fremia. Came upgraded with a language module.”

Varten squinted, while Zeli’s jaw dropped. “You understand Lagrimari? Is that an amalgam?”

“I thought they weren’t making amalgamations any more after the Physicks headquarters was destroyed,” Varten said, again in Lagrimari. His voice was unusually cautious.

The man responded in Elsiran. “Oh no, no more of those. All the stores selling out, no more recharges, all useless junk they are now as soon as they run out of power. But this mech is based on a similar idea. Different application. Cutting edge. Me granddaughter is an engineer down in Adara, working on assistive tech. She got me on some list of testers. I can’t speak Lagrimari, but I can understand any tongue on Saint Melba’s green earth. Comes in handy.” He motioned to the dog still wiggling in her arms to be let free. “I thank ye for helping Ziggy here. He tends to run off.”

“Is he another of your granddaughter’s creations?” Varten asked, wide-eyed.

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