Page 34 of Only Cold Depths
Thecarriagerolledalonga few more streets, then rounded a wide curve. The shops and other buildings thinned out, then disappeared altogether, replaced by thick stands of gray coniferous trees. Even through the warming shield, the sharp, sticky scent of sap tickled my nose, and I had to hold back a sneeze.
The carriage climbed a steep hill, and patches of snow appeared, covering the cobblestones. The driver hit a button, and the carriage sank lower to the ground. I leaned over the side, watching in fascination as the metal wheels collapsed, changed shape, and smoothly flattened out, turning into runners on an old-fashioned sleigh. An engine also hummed to life on the undercarriage, helping the horse pull the vehicle up the slope.
I let out a whistle of admiration. “I’ve seen transports that can go from land to water, and vice versa, but I’ve never seen one where the wheels changed into something else entirely.”
“One of my father’s inventions,” Asterin replied, pride rippling through her voice. “A few years ago, I applied it to all the House Collier carriages since we often have snow year-round.”
“I didn’t realize your father was an engineer.”
A wide smile stretched across her lips. “My father wasn’t an engineer or an inventor, not like you are, Vesper. But if Urston needed a new tool or device for one of his mines, he usually made it himself. He was very good at figuring out how to solve problems.” Her smile cracked, then vanished completely. “At least, before he died.”
Asterin clearly didn’t want to talk about her father anymore. My tongue itched with questions, but I swallowed them, sat back in my seat, and watched the passing scenery.
We rounded another curve and crested the steep slope, and a sprawling estate appeared. In many ways, it reminded me of the Regal castles that lined the Boulevard on Corios, but instead of being one building, this was a series of castles that rose and fell with the rocky mountainside.
Each structure was made of the same pretty pale green stone, and the smooth surface reflected the surrounding gray trees, making it seem as though the trees were encased in the castles’ walls. Diamond-shaped windows studded each level of each castle, and the stone parapets were all shaped like coniferous trees, each one ending in a slender, wicked-looking spike. Not so much a pretty decoration as a defense mechanism.
In between the castles, dense green hedges that had been snipped into the shapes of wolves, foxes, rabbits, and other animals frolicked around flower beds that were still bright with blossoms, despite the chilly air. Instead of gondolas, all the buildings were connected by stone and glass bridges, along with a few of the metal swinging bridges I had seen around the spaceport. People hustled along all the bridges, even the swinging ones, going about their afternoon chores and duties. Emerald-green flags topped all the castles’ towers, each one featuring a large gold cursiveCwith two hammers crossed in front of it.
I glanced over at Asterin, but the House Collier sigil wasn’t on her gray coveralls, and she wasn’t wearing it as a pendant around her neck as Siya had been. How odd. Why wasn’t Asterin wearing the symbol and colors of her mother’s House?
The carriage stopped beside a stone shack positioned at the end of a massive drawbridge that led into the front of the estate. A guard inside the shack peered through the permaglass window. He was clad in green polyplastic armor, and his hand curled around the blaster on his belt.
Look over there, Kyrion’s voice whispered through my mind, and he jerked his chin to the side. More guards armed with blasters were posted just inside the tree line.
I frowned.Surely the Colliers don’t think we’re going to attack them?
Kyrion’s eyes narrowed as he studied first one guard, then another.I don’t think the guards are for us. Something else has them on alert.
Asterin waved at the guard inside the shack, who eyed Kyrion and me with suspicion. Asterin waved at the guard again, the motion sharper and more impatient. The guard hesitated a moment longer, then pulled a green lever, touched his ear, and murmured something into his comms device.
The driver whistled to the horse, and the carriage continued onward. A faint crackle of electricity sounded, and the air in front of us shimmered like a heat wave. The carriage rattled onto the drawbridge, and a tingling sensation swept over my body, as though someone was scrubbing my skin with a rough cloth. Beside me, Kyrion tensed, his hand clenching around his sword.
A few seconds later, the tingling sensation vanished, although the bitter tang of copper filled my mouth, as though I had licked an old-fashioned penny.
“A defensive shield,” Asterin explained. “It covers the entire estate like an invisible bubble of static electricity. It won’t harm people trying to leave, but no one can enter without authorization. Mostly, my stepfather uses it to keep the heat in and the cold out, although of course, it has other benefits.”
“Like frying your enemies should they try to breach it?” I asked.
A rueful grin spread across Asterin’s face. “Something like that.”
The carriage rattled across the drawbridge, through an enormous stone archway, and into a massive courtyard. A ring of fountains bubbled in the courtyard, while several evergreen hedges shaped like hammers loomed over stone planters filled with blue-moon peonies. I drew in a breath, and the peonies’ spearmint scent flooded my nose. At least something here was familiar.
The carriage stopped in front of some wide, shallow steps that led up to two green frosted-glass doors boasting the House Collier sigil.
“Here we are,” Asterin said. “Home sweet home.”
Her words were light and pleasant, but a sad, bitter undertone rasped through her voice. Kyrion raised his eyebrows in a silent question. I shrugged back. I didn’t know what to make of Asterin’s obvious reluctance to be here.
Asterin hit a button. The warming shield vanished, and the metal pipes slid back into the body of the carriage. Kyrion and I grabbed our duffel bags, then followed Asterin up the stairs and stopped in front of the doors. Green lights shot out from the center of the hammers embedded in the frosted glass. I flinched, as did Kyrion, but the lights only scanned our faces before vanishing. A few seconds later, a soft chime sounded. Asterin strode forward, and the doors automatically opened as she approached them. Once again, Kyrion and I followed her.
We stepped into the main castle. Pale green stone rolled out in all directions, while gold bulbs dropped down from the vaulted ceilings, highlighting dark wooden tables, chairs, and other furniture.
Kyrion and I trailed Asterin up a curving staircase to the third floor. Several servants passed us, holding trays of food and drink, vases of fresh-cut flowers, baskets of clean laundry, and other household objects. Some of the servants bowed their heads to Asterin, but just as many ignored her completely. Not what I expected, given that her stepfather was the head of House Collier. What was going on here?
Asterin entered a corridor and stopped in front of another pair of frosted glass double doors. More green lights shot out, scanning our faces again. After several long seconds, a soft click sounded, and the doors opened. Asterin squared her shoulders, as if preparing for an unpleasant task.
We stepped into an enormous library that took up this corner of the castle. Dark wooden shelves filled with real paper books lined one long wall and stretched up to a second level that could be reached by a spiral staircase in the corner. Several wide, comfortable-looking settees with green cushions were scattered throughout the room, while polished stones of various shapes, sizes, and colors adorned many of the tables, casting rainbow prisms of light onto the floor, walls, and ceiling.
