Hidden City of Alchemy by Melissa H Coleman

Author:Melissa H Coleman [Coleman, Melissa H]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781504321020
Publisher: Balboa Press AU
Published: 2020-02-29T05:00:00+00:00

I did not set out to create a weapon. I needed something to strip the flesh from bones, to enable me to draw their structure. I do not know if I was inspired by the devil to create such a thing, and it weighs on my mind. All too easily can I see what others would use this for.

He felt a kinship with me in that moment. I suppose anyone who has ever made a mistake would. He knew he should have kept Lizzie hidden, but the wonder in her eyes as they walked through Paris, and the fire when she decided to hunt down clues at the library to help her … he could not deny her. Lost in his thoughts, he recognised the extent of trouble Lizzie and her mother were in. He prayed he would not be too late.

It took a few seconds before Maddy’s voice could rouse him. “I’m finished.” She lifted Tommy up before him. “Slip your fist through this handle here and I’ll connect the leather straps.”

The arm felt heavy and awkward at first and Albert winced at the pain on his side as Maddy tightened the straps. The weight of the metal arm balanced out once the straps were tightened, relieving the pain slightly. It felt like an extension of himself, though far heavier than his own arm. Smiling confidently, he made a striking motion. Tommy flashed in the light of the lady beetle, his brass and steel construction looking menacing and dangerous.

“Watch this,” Maddy said as she fitted the little key into the elbow. The pulleys and gears began to turn, clunking slowly before steadily continuing. He grinned, feeling the tension in his arm and a sense of power.

“Hit the wall,” she said, trying to contain her excitement.

Albert walked towards the wall in front of them and raised his arm, pulling back to ready himself. He let his arm fly forward, striking the wall hard, shouting in delight as a piece of stone broke off. Tommy hammered the stone one hit after another but Albert felt like he was punching air.

The boom and crack of rock splintering sounded like a thunderstorm. With each backwards motion, Tommy pressurised then slammed against the wall again. Albert stood with his legs apart to hold his balance, controlling his strike point. He twisted his arm before turning the key back and the punching stopped.

His own laughter was joined by Maddy’s as they stared at the damage. The big German did not stand a chance.

“What next?” he asked.

“Do you have any idea where they took her?”

He shook his head. When the German knocked him over the bridge, he had been lucky. A barge travelling underneath had broken his fall and saved him from drowning in the river. For a while, the barge carrying him away travelled in the same direction as the black car with the double-headed eagle, speeding off with Lizzie inside it. He had watched the car until it turned off the riverside road.

The only action he thought to take was to retrace his steps to where the car disappeared.

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