Agatha H and the Voice of the Castle

Tarvek snorted. “Is that your reason? Trust me, while I’d love to, it would be prudent to defer that particular pleasure. Practically speaking, we’re far better off if he’s here working with us.”

Agatha regarded him skeptically.

Tarvek continued, “Think about it. This place is broken. Its governing intelligence is fractured, and most of the sub-systems don’t recognize you as the Heterodyne. The more Sparks we have helping, the faster we can get it fixed, and that can only help our chances of survival. I don’t know much about this fellow but everything I’ve heard says that whatever else he may be, he is a powerful Spark.”

Agatha’s mouth twitched in annoyance. “I’m not terribly happy about having you here either.”

Tarvek looked away. “Yes, I got that.” He took a deep breath and looked back. “But I still think we should get him. You can always kill us both later if you must.”

“No!” Agatha snapped.

“Your pardon, Mistress,” the Castle chimed in. “But that is an accepted method of dealing with contractors.”

“No! I want Gil out of here! Alive! Can you throw him out without hurting him?”

“Not in my current state. He is not in an area I can see.”

“Don’t be naïve,” Tarvek growled. “You’re obviously new at this, so let me give you some political advice. The only thing that might keep the Baron from leveling this place is the Baron’s son being in here. If you want to deal with the Baron from a position of strength, you’re going to need the legitimacy of being the Heterodyne. To get that, you need a functioning Castle. Gilgamesh Wulfenbach may be an ill-bred dog, but he can help you—if only by acting as a shield while you work!”

Agatha shook her head. “No! I won’t use him as a hostage. This place is too dangerous. I don’t want another—I don’t want anyone dying on my behalf. Not even you.”

Tarvek paused. “Why, that’s the nicest thing you’ve said to me since I got here.”

“Treasure it and get out!”

“I am not leaving. I can’t leave. And, as much as it irks me, I’m betting Wulfenbach won’t just leave either.”

“I can’t trust either one of you!” she shouted.

“So what? You don’t have the luxury of trust. But if you’re going to get us all out of this, you…you need to use what you’ve got.” Tarvek swayed slightly.

Agatha looked at him with a touch of concern. Despite being clad in only a sheet, Tarvek was sweating profusely. “Are you all right?”

“No, I’m not all right. Violetta!” And with that, Tarvek folded up and collapsed to the floor. Violetta was at his side, swearing.

“I thought he’d be good for longer than that,” she muttered.

Tarvek looked up at them. “Have Gaston bring the coach around,” he said earnestly, “I think the eels are rising.”

Agatha stared, “What’s wrong with him?”

Violetta extracted a leather roll, which when opened, revealed a collection of small vials. “You were with this fool in Sturmhalten, right?”

Agatha considered this. “…Technically…yes?”

Violetta ignored the hesitancy. “Well, I don’t know what happened, but apparently, after you took off, your evil twin—or whatever she is—went and shot him in the back.”

Agatha gasped. “She did? But I thought he was working with her?”

“According to him,” she nudged Tarvek with her foot, “that was just to keep you alive.”

Tarvek nodded. “Imagine everything is made of pigs!”

Violetta sighed. “Then he gets captured by the Baron and he’s brought to Mechanicsburg and put in the hospital under heavy guard.” She snorted. “Not heavy enough, as it turns out. Here I go and infiltrate the hospital, knock out the guards and what do I find? He’s been poisoned.”

“Poisoned!”

Violetta looked troubled. “I think so. There was a dart. I…I don’t know what it was, but I could tell that it came from another Smoke Knight.”

Agatha looked confused. “Wait a minute, I thought the Smoke Knights were his…are you saying that his own people…?”

Violetta gave a bark of laughter. “If the Baron had made him talk, half of the Fifty Families would have had to leave Europa. Trust me, these guys take the ‘Secret’ part of Secret Society really seriously. Plus, from what little I heard, he was in trouble anyway.” She glanced at Agatha. “There’s a big plan involving a Heterodyne girl, but I’m betting you’re not the one everyone had in mind. Him throwing in with you, no matter what the circumstances, would send them into a panic.”

Agatha frowned. “But…it was an accident.”

Violetta shook her head. “These people don’t believe in accidents.” She patted Tarvek’s head. “And say what you will about this slug, they all know he can weave a plan that looks as natural as the sun coming up.

“No, they know him and our family too well. Everything they touch becomes a nest of snakes eating their own tails.” Violetta was silent for a moment, obviously remembering something unpleasant. She shook herself and turned back to Tarvek. “So I had to get him out of there. I couldn’t carry him, so I had to give him a dose of Moveit Number Six.” She grinned at Agatha. “He was talking my ear off and feeling no pain all the way over here.”