Agatha H and the Voice of the Castle

The surety struck Gil like a bolt of his own lightning. “Agatha!” He turned to Dr. Sun. “It’s her! It’s got to be her!”

The old man frowned. “Wait. This is the genuine Heterodyne girl you said was ‘already taken care of’? But now you look pleased that she’s here.”

Gil realized that he was, in fact, grinning like an idiot, and his pulse was racing. He took a deep breath. “You’re right. I shouldn’t be pleased.”

Sun looked wary. “Oh?”

Gil continued, “Father is convinced she’s dangerous.”

Sun glanced over at Klaus’s array of medical devices and the bandaged man they served. “Well, all the evidence does suggest—”

“That is why I sent her to England.”

Dr. Sun had worked very hard over the years, perfecting a reputation for heroic unflappability. He was usually very good at it. Thus, it was a shame for Gil that he had his back to him at that moment.

“You did what?¹⁸ You sent a genuine Heterodyne heir to England?” It seemed something of a counter intuitive move.

Gil shrugged. “You remember my man, Ardsley Wooster? He was a British agent. I had to use him to get Agatha out of Sturmhalten. Allowing him to take her to England seemed like the best motivation.”

Sun stared at him. Gil began to feel somewhat anxious under that unflinching stare. He tried to explain: “I wasn’t going to let them keep her, of course. I told him that if they didn’t keep her safe for me, I’d destroy them, okay?”

Dr. Sun was one of those Sparks who liked to believe that he trod rather firmly upon the path of sanity. He did this by maintaining a rock-steady focus upon the administration of the Great Hospital and only unleashed his own considerable talents when he was devising new medicines or treatments. He tried to avoid the politics of the Empire, but even he was familiar with the tensions between the two great powers. He knew well enough how much even a casual threat by the young Wulfenbach could affect the entire continent. He took a deep breath.

Gilgamesh made a soothing motion. “But if she’s here, why then, it’s a moot point.” He smiled at his old teacher disingenuously.

Sun raised an eyebrow—then began elaborately folding back his sleeves, a sight which caused Gil to go pale. “It’s been a while since I gave you a thrashing,” the old man remarked conversationally, “but under the circumstances, I’m sure your father would approve.”

Gil desperately waved at the bodies of the assassins on the floor. “Is this the right time, Sifu?”

Sun smiled. “Do give me some credit, young Wulfenbach. Rest assured that the pain will stop the instant I am finished making sure you understand.”

“Understand what?”

Sun pursed his lips. “Ooh, this might take some time.”

Gil took a step back, wide-eyed. Fortunately for him, he was spared this particular lesson. It was interrupted before it could begin by a giant mechanical ant which came smashing through the wall. It waved its antennae and declared mechanically: “Death to the despoiler of East Kruminey!”

Sun looked startled. “East what?”

Gil flicked a finger and the tip of his cane began to glow with a bright blue light. “It’s not really important.”

“I suppose not,” Sun conceded.

The tall Jäger, who had been following the conversation with great interest, stepped forward. “Allow me—”

Gil waved him back and shot a bolt of electricity at the ant’s head. Surprisingly, it absorbed the charge and discharged it back at him from its antennae.

“Interesting,” Gil grunted. He spoke to Vole. “No, I’ll handle this. I want you to bring the Heterodyne girl here. The one in the town.”

Sun looked alarmed. “No! Wait!”

Anything else he was about to say was cut off as another bolt of lightning shot from the mechanical ant and narrowly missed him but came perilously close to the insensate Baron.

“Go!” Gil yelled as he leapt onto the device’s thorax.

Vole saluted and slipped out the door before Sun could interfere. If this girl truly was a Heterodyne, the ex-Jäger most definitely wanted to meet her.

Back in the Sausage Factory, the now finished coffee engine gave a final “blurk” and released a great gout of savory steam. Several electrical discharge points gave a last crackle as the whine of a dynamo dopplered down the scale. An orange light began to flash. Everyone in the café realized that they were holding their breath and they all released it at the same time.