The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters

long, and the dusty air was tickling her nose. She glanced at Chang, his lips pressed shut, and realized he had controlled his cough this entire time. She’d not given it a second thought, but suddenly the possibility—the inevitability!—of him exposing their presence terrified her. They must take some action—but what? What possibly?
    “I suppose it must have been Doctor Lorenz, or—what was his name?—Mr. Crooner, from the Institute, the one who died so badly. They were the ones working the machines. Gave it to me as a sort of
keepsake
—don’t know how that villain Svenson found it unless he had help—I stashed it most brilliantly—”
    The Contessa cut him off. “Excellent, Your Highness, that’s very helpful.”
    She crossed to the Comte and relieved him of the items he’d taken from Elöise, speaking with a barely veiled anger.
    “This gets us nowhere. We have what we came for—the key. Let us at once return to the books, to find what we can from Lord Robert’s
testimony
. Perhaps we will finally learn why the Colonel was killed.”
    “You don’t believe it was Chang?” asked Crabbé.
    “Do you?” scoffed the Contessa. “I would be happy to hear it—my life would be simpler. But no—we all remember the delicacy and risk involved in our final
swaying
of Robert Vandaariff, who up to that point quite believed the entire campaign was his own conception. We know the Colonel was brokering secrets—who can say how many secrets he knew?” She shrugged. “Chang’s a killer—this is
politics
. We will leave you, Monsieur, to your work.”
    The Comte nodded to Lydia. “It is done…save for the settling.”
    “Already?”
The Contessa looked down at Miss Vandaariff’s spent body. “Well, I don’t suppose she would have taken pleasure in drawing things out.”
    “The pleasure is in the final outcome, Rosamonde,” the Comte rasped.
    “Of course it is,” she replied, her gaze drifting to the spattered bedding. “We have intruded enough. We will see you at the airship.”
    She turned to leave but stopped as Xonck stepped forward and nodded at Elöise.
    “What will you do with
her
?”
    “Is it up to me?” asked the Comte.
    “Not if you’d prefer it otherwise.” Xonck smiled. “I was being polite…”
    “I would prefer to get on with my work,” snarled the Comte d’Orkancz.
    “I am happy to oblige you,” said Xonck. He pulled Elöise to her feet with his good hand, and dragged her from the room. A moment later the Contessa, Crabbé, and their retinue followed.

    Miss Temple looked to her companions and saw that Chang’s hand was clapped across Svenson’s mouth. The Doctor was in torment—yet if they made any noise at all, Angelique would sense their presence and overcome them as easily as she had Elöise. Miss Temple leaned forward again, peeking down into the laboratory. The Comte had watched the others depart, and then returned to his table. He glanced over to Lydia and to Angelique, ignored the Prince, and unscrewed a small valve that stuck out from the metal implement’s side. With more delicacy than she would have credited a man of his size, Miss Temple watched the Comte pour steaming liquid from one of the heated flasks into the valve, never spilling a drop, and then screw the valve closed. He lifted the metal implement and walked back to the bed, setting it down next to Lydia’s leg.
    “Are you awake, Lydia?”
    Lydia nodded. It was the first time Miss Temple had seen the girl move.
    “Are you in pain?”
    Lydia grimaced, but shook her head. She turned, distracted by movement. It was the Prince, pouring more brandy.
    “Your fiancé will not remember any of this, Lydia,” said the Comte. “Neither will you. Lie back…what cannot be reversed must be embraced.”
    The Comte picked up the implement and glanced up to their balcony. He raised his voice, speaking generally to the room.
    “It would be better if you descended willingly. If the
lady
brings you down, it will be by dragging you over the edge.”
    Miss Temple turned to Chang and Svenson, aghast.
    “I
know
you are there,” called the Comte. “I have obviously
waited
to speak to you for a reason…but I will not ask a second time.”
    Chang took his hand away from Svenson’s mouth and looked behind for some other way out. Before either could stop him, the Doctor shot to his feet and called out over the balcony to the Comte.
    “I am coming…damn you to hell, I am coming down…”
    He turned to