#36 - The Clockworks and Explosives Set

The rumble of the bales of paper being loaded into their storage bay was a barely audible thunder in the Coalition News’s main office, but the smell of ink and hot lead and fixatives and colours all wafted up from below as if it were a chimney.

Teel James leaned back on his spring chair, wheels squeeking as he propped his heels on the desk.  He was a very tall man with a mass of curly salt and pepper hair that cascaded almost to the floor as he leaned back.  His waistcoat was an astonishing blue Cylak silk, for all that it was a decade out of fashion, and stained with years of ink.  His stockings appeared to be cream coloured though he knew that they’d begun their lives as pristine white, and his red-heeled shoes were only slightly down at the heel.  His great coat hung sloppily tossed over the coat rack over his small sword.  He flipped the next page in his notebook and addressed his colleagues, Mercedes and Dauf.  “Something stinks up at the House of the Hand,” he said.  “The whole family has been very tight lipped on Ahrimaz’s ‘illness’ and the House has all but unanimously voted  in Ahriminash.”

“I received a note from Yolend, saying that Ahrimaz has become violent and needed to be restrained to keep from hurting people,” Mercedes said.  She was originally from Yhom and had come with the First Wife when she’d married Ahrimaz.  Her black hair was kinked and knotted into a headscarf to keep out of her way as she tracked down stories.

“Violent,” Dauf said.  He was the most average of the three main rédacteurs of the News.  His hair was brown and cut short, he had a bit of a paunch and his waistcoat was a burgundy brocade over brown shirt and pantaloons, though his stockings were brown and white striped. “That’s not like him.”

“The last shift of staff said it was true.” Teel said, running a hand through his hair.  “They did lock him in a basement in the fall.  But nothing really since then.”

“I heard a rumour that THE warmaster was teaching him, though how that could be if he were violent, I don’t get,” Mercedes sniffed.

A tap on the door brought their heads around, all three to see one of the younger writers for the broadsheet standing with papers in his hands, his quill thrust into his hair.  “Um Mr. James, sir?”

“What?”

“We just got a note addressed to the Writers and Inventors about a new kind of pen that doesn’t need to be dipped, sir.”

Teel waved.  “And you figure you need to interrupt us, you pup?”

It’s from Ahrimaz Kenaçyen, sir.”

Mercedes lips pursed in a soundless whistle as the boy went on.  “There’s a plan for a stove that burns fifty times more efficiently than our fireplaces, a commentary on a breech-loading fire arm instead of a muzzle loader, a ‘speculation’ on improving cannon…”  He held a stack of pages in his hands.  Teel held out his hand and gestured imperiously with his fingertips.

“You did right.  Give me that!”  The boy handed his wad of papers over and fled. Teel began flipping through the stack and then broke it into three handing them off to the other two.  There was a silence as they flipped through and read here and there as their eyes were caught by diagrams or by turns of phrase.

“Huh,” Dauf said at last, staring at his section of papers.  “If Ahrimaz has gone crazy then he’s gone crazy like a fox.  These are brilliant!  These are going to change our world!”

“Well then!” Teel let his heels thump to the floor.  “I’m obviously going to have to pay him a visit!”

“Not just you,” Mercedes said archly.  “I’m going along…”

“Me too!” Dauf said.  “We all three need to find out what’s going on here.  I was just going to say that I needed to send a junior over to Aeono’s temple and speak to the Second Most High about his brother.  So I’ll do that.  When are we going to speak to our madman in the cellar?”

“Tomorrow,” Teel said.  “That will give us time to have copies of these made and to read through them ourselves.  The Inventors pages will have a field day with these!”  He yanked open the door, calling down the hall to his science editor. 

“Mal!  Get your adorable ass in here!  We’ve got an exclusive for the Clockwork and Explosives Set!  Breaking news even!”