Page 3 of Winds of Death (War of the Alliance #4)
Chapter
Two
C lutching her bag, Pip joined the handful of other civilians and on-leave military personnel as they stepped off the train onto the platform in Aldon.
A glass ceiling arched overhead, supported by steel girders while brick walls rose on all sides.
Several brick platforms ran along the train tracks while raised walkways allowed train passengers to move between the platforms. King’s Central Station was the main train hub in Aldon, and one Pip was rather familiar with from her time at Hanford University.
On this particular platform, the closest to the station building, the end of the train was cordoned off by MPs. Pip stood on her tiptoes, but she couldn’t see past the wall of men to spot if Fieran had been unloaded yet.
With a deep breath, Pip halted and stared at the bustle.
Where was she supposed to go from here? Her orders had been rather vague.
She was on temporary reassignment to the AMPC—the Alliance Magical Power Company.
But what did that mean? Was she supposed to report in there?
Or to a local military post before being sent there? Where would she be staying?
“Are you Pippak Detmuk-Inawenys?” A tall young woman with silver-blonde hair and striking light blue eyes strode from the crowd. There was something familiar about the shape of her face, the color of her hair.
“Yes?” Pip gripped her bag tighter, not sure why that came out a question rather than a statement. She shouldn’t feel this off-kilter here in Aldon, not after she’d spent several years here studying at university.
But yet again, she found herself in an all-new situation, unsure of exactly what her purpose here might be.
“I’m Louise Laesornysh. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” The young woman stuck out her hand, a warm smile breaking onto her face.
And then Pip saw it. The silver-blonde hair and light blue eyes Louise had inherited from her dacha, Prince Farrendel Laesornysh. The smile that was so reminiscent of Fieran’s, though Louise’s had a little more serenity than Fieran’s grin. The pointed ears that showed Louise’s elven ancestry.
“Call me Pip.” Pip took Louise’s hand and shook it, trying to pretend her heart wasn’t hammering.
A year ago, she would have been intimidated enough, meeting one of Prince Farrendel’s and Princess Essie’s daughters.
But now she was meeting one of Fieran’s sisters, and that made this moment all the more important.
Louise wouldn’t know it, but Pip certainly did.
Worse, Fieran wasn’t even here to smooth the way.
Worse still, Pip wasn’t sure where she stood with Fieran. She’d distracted him right at a critical moment, just as he’d feared, and it had caused Fieran to crash and cost Merrik his leg. Granted, she and Fieran had done a pretty thorough job of distracting each other. She wasn’t all to blame.
But she certainly felt like she was to blame. Would Fieran feel the same way, once all the healing magic and drugs wore off?
That left her off-balance not just with Fieran but with his whole family.
“I’m afraid I didn’t take the roadster—conserving magical power cells and all that—so we’ll be taking the Underground.” Louise turned and led the way through the crowded station, headed for a set of stairs leading downward. “Is your bag heavy? We can take turns carrying it.”
“Not that heavy.” Pip heaved the bag a little higher.
She’d left most of her tools with Mak, trusting that he would see that they were sent to her if she didn’t end up back at Fort Defense after this temporary reassignment.
She’d taken her favorite wrench, of course, along with her clothes and other miscellaneous items.
“All right. Just let me know if you need a break.” Louise looked over her shoulder and shot Pip a smile before she shoved her way into the throng of people headed down the stairs for the Underground.
Pip dove after her, trying to keep up as the taller young woman navigated the crowd with far too much ease.
Louise had already taken the time to purchase tickets for both of them so they hopped on the next train headed in the right direction.
The train was already packed, so the two of them stood in the aisle.
Louise held on to one of the leather straps hanging from overhead while Pip gripped a pole and braced her feet.
The underground train began moving, the tug pulling against Pip.
Air whooshed past her face, then everything steadied and they were clacking through the nearly dark tunnels, lights flashing past the windows, and the overhead lights almost too bright.
Louise swayed gracefully with the train’s movement, all tall elven grace.
As they came to a station, the train slowed, a rush of air coming from the back of the train, before it halted.
It was a familiar sensation, both from taking the trains that wound underground through the dwarven mountains and from Pip’s time here in Aldon while at university.
The Underground had been expanded and improved in the years since she’d last been in Aldon, but many of the main stops and stations were familiar.
Pip and Louise took the Underground for two more stops before they got off and switched to another train.
They took this train for three stops before hopping off.
After navigating through the underground station, they climbed up the stairs and out onto a sunlit, brick-paved square surrounded by tall buildings, also built of brick.
Louise led the way down the street. At the end, they were confronted with a high brick wall with an iron gate set in the road before them.
The wall had a faint blue tint, and Pip could sense the subdued but waiting crackle of Prince Farrendel’s magic in the stones before her.
The tops of huge buildings were visible over the wall, iron walks connecting them, while the hum of machinery filled the air and vibrated through the cobblestones beneath Pip’s boots.
Louise showed her badge to the guards at the gate, then gestured to Pip. “This is Pippak Detmuk-Inawenys. She’s an expected guest.”
One of the guards consulted a list, nodded, and allowed them to pass.
Pip tried not to gape as she strolled between the large warehouses and factories that made up the AMPC complex. So much activity and bustle. So much magic of many kinds radiating from various buildings.
A part of her wanted to clap her hands and squeal like a little girl. This was everything she had dreamed of growing up, and time hadn’t dimmed the wonder of the melding of mechanics and magic going on in this place.
She had visited before during her time at Hanford University. Yet she’d been so overwhelmed back then and so nervous about possibly catching a glimpse of Prince Farrendel Laesornysh that she hadn’t been able to truly take it in.
Now she’d met Prince Farrendel, and she knew she wasn’t going to accidentally run into him here. She’d grown, thanks to the army forcing her to take charge more than she ever had before.
As they passed each building, Louise pointed to each of them.
“There’s where the empty magical power cells are made.
Here’s where the filled ones are stored before they’re distributed.
That building over there refurbishes used magical power cells before they are filled again.
This building is where engines and other mechanics from various non-AMPC companies are tested before they are certified as compatible with the magical power cells.
It’s also where we fill the power cells. ”
Pip gazed around, trying to absorb it all, but there was too much bustle.
As they neared another building, a large troll man in overalls approached them. “Louise, can I get your signature for the next batch of magical power cells to be shipped out?”
“Sure.” Louise took the clipboard from him, scrawled her name on the bottom of a page, and handed it back.
Then she gestured from Pip to the troll.
“Pip, this is Voron. He’s in charge of overseeing the day-to-day operations here at the AMPC.
Voron, this is Pippak Detmuk-Inawenys. She’s going to be working here at the AMPC for the next little bit. ”
“Nice to meet you, Pippak.” Voron gave her a wide smile and tipped his head to her. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around.”
“Likely. She’s going to be living with me here in the AMPC.” Louise turned from Voron to Pip. “Voron, his wife Rikze, and their two girls also live here in the AMPC complex. Rikze is my Aunt Vriska’s younger sister.”
That answered the question of where she would be staying. Pip smiled and returned Voron’s nod. “I didn’t have the pleasure of actually speaking with the general, but I saw her and General Julien Ardon a couple of times while at Dar Goranth and Fort Defense.”
She’d heard that the famous troll general had led the reinforcements who rescued Fieran, but she hadn’t seen that for herself. She’d been busy rescuing Merrik and defending headquarters at that point.
Voron tipped his head to Pip again. “Rikze will be happy to help if you need anything. Good to have you here.”
With that, he moved off, the clipboard tucked under one arm.
Louise pointed to the building ahead of them. “This is the main building where we will be working.” She pushed open one of the double doors and led the way inside.
Pip followed before letting the door swing shut behind her.
This building didn’t have the bustle she’d heard from inside the other buildings. Here the cavernous space had a few random piles of junk along the sides. The center held what seemed to be scattered work stations where everything from some type of engine to a half-assembled biplane rested.
Louise strode between the work stations before she halted by a contraption so strange that even Pip wasn’t sure what it might be for.