The Well-Built City Trilogy by Jeffrey Ford

Author:Jeffrey Ford
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: Omnibus, Fantasy, Historical, Dark Fantasy, Fiction
ISBN: 9781504048309
Publisher: Open Road Media
Published: 2007-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

19

Back in Anotine’s bedroom, I had only to tell her my idea of using the technology of the metallic chair as some sort of weapon, and she immediately came up with a way it might be put to use.

“The seat and back are the only pieces that carry the charge,” she told me. “We remove the arms and legs, and then lay the effective parts in the entrance, so that when the Delicate tries to come in we can use the black box from a distance to disable him. Once he is weakened, we can finish the job with one of the cruder weapons that Nunnly comes up with.”

“Perhaps we should then fire the signal gun at him,” I said.

She shook her head. “From what you said before, the signal gun should be held for emergencies. If you destroy his face with it like you did the Fetch’s, we may not be able to use him to gain access to the Panopticon.”

“You’re right,” I said, impressed with the speed and clarity of her thought. I could see now that she had shrugged off her fear and was attacking the situation as if it were a research problem.

I followed her down the hall to the laboratory, and stood back as she moved quickly from table to table collecting an armful of implements. The way she launched into the project of cannibalizing the chair showed me why my conjecture as to her being the leader of the group was correct. Although Nunnly was the engineer, Anotine herself was a wizard with tools. She was altogether focused and graceful in her work, and when she needed my assistance, gave orders with an authoritative voice that told me I had better pay attention.

As we set the makeshift trap up in the entrance to her bedroom, I asked her how the black box was able to affect the chair parts from a distance.

“I haven’t the slightest idea,” she said, kneeling to check our placement of the device. “The apparatus was here when I arrived long ago. I can tell you, my discovery of how it worked was rather interesting. I had always thought that the chair, being made of a metallic alloy, must have some importance beyond being another piece of furniture, but I just couldn’t find the key to its significance. One day, after long hours of research on trying to study the instant between a candlewick’s being lit and my extinguishing of it, I sat down in the chair. Back in those days, I believed my stay on the island would have a limit, and I wanted to make the most of it. Instead of simply resting, I thought it would be a good time to take another look at a certain black box with buttons I had also found here in the lab.”

I laughed. “Happy accident,” I said.

“A shocking discovery,” she said. “I think it proves something that Brisden always says: with enough time and the right degree of curiosity, all secrets will be revealed.

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