Page 112 of Clockwork Boys

“I noticed!” yelled Slate. “What do you want me to do about it?”

Her horse took an acorn to the haunches and lunged a few feet forward. Its feet slipped, and Slate clutched at the saddlehorn with a shriek. The animal lunged, caught itself, and then it was half-galloping, half-sliding down an embankment.

Slate had time to think,Oh, no, not again!and then the horse was prancing and jittering to a halt in the center of the open road.

Learned Edmund and the line of mules, with a squawking Grimehug, came crashing down behind her. The mules in particular were not pleased: they were cow-kicking at the air and braying, while the gnole clung to his makeshift saddle.

The stones stopped.

Slate looked down the road, which was broad and dusty and possibly the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. She was just in time to see Caliban and his horse come charging down a fewhundred yards away. His horse reared up. The knight clung with his knees, still holding his broadsword in his free hand, despite the weapon’s demonstrated ineffectiveness against thrown nuts.

A minute later, Brenner’s horse came down behind them, with an empty saddle. A minute after that, the sound of cursing announced the arrival of Brenner.

And so it was, flailing at the air, the horses neighing and stampeding under them, in complete disarray, bloody and cursing, they arrived at the end of the road, less than five miles from Anuket City.

“We made it,” said Slate. “We made it. We…can’t have made it. This is impossible.”

They had followed the road, arguing about where it might be, until it had joined up to another, larger one. People and animals streamed by them: ox teams grunting and horses high-stepping around them, carts laden with squawking chickens in cages, people on foot with baskets piled high on their heads.

Then they had all argued some more, until Caliban had simply walked out into the road and asked a woman with trays of bread on her head where they were.

“The west gate of Anuket City,” he said, returning to them. “And she looked at me like I was an idiot and I said we’d been in the Vagrant Hills, and she said, ‘Ohhh…‘ and offered me a sweet bun.”

He took a bite of the sweet bun in question. The other three humans stared at it with envy. Grimehug said, “A gnole said that’s where it was.”

“So that’s it,” said Slate. “We made it. We lived.” And then, staring at the distant gates, with the heartfelt intensity of prayer, she said “Well…shit.”

She got off her horse, rummaged in the saddlebags, and pulled out a hat. It fit low over her eyes and she honestly hadn’t expected to live long enough to need it.

“So now what?” said Caliban. “We just…go in?”

“Why not?” said Brenner.

“Because we’re…uh…” He gestured at all of them. “We’re… well, you know.”

“No one will even notice us,” said Slate.

She tried to get back on her horse. It didn’t go well. After three tries with her foot not even reaching the stirrups, Caliban dismounted and came over to her.

He knelt down. “My liege,” he said, under his breath.

“Don’t start,” Slate warned and he chuckled.

She stepped into his linked hands. There was a moment, just before he lifted her into the saddle, when she gripped his shoulder and felt the muscle underneath, and Caliban turned his head and met her eyes.

He smiled in a way that made her heart turn over just a little.

Stupid to think that when we’re going to die…she thought reflexively, and then another thought intruded.We’ve made it this far. Who knows how far we’ll get?

She turned her head and saw Brenner watching her, his face unreadable.

A wail went up suddenly from Learned Edmund. Everyone started.

“What’s wrong?” said Slate.

“If we’re here…” said the dedicate, staring at the map unrolled across his saddlebow. “If we’re here, then we’re not here…” His finger skipped back and forth, trying to reconcile their location. “Which means we could have been anywhere in the Vagrant Hills! Anywhere at all!”

“Okay?” said Slate.

“You don’t understand!” wailed the dedicate of the Many-Armed God. “If I don’t know where we were, I’ll never be able to tell anyone where to find the wonder-engine!”

Brenner rolled his eyes. Slate shook her head. Learned Edmund looked ready to turn around and ride into the woods, mandrake roots and all, but Caliban leaned over and grabbed his reins.

“Later,” he said. “We have other things to worry about. And your Brother Amadai to find.”

“Yes…” said Learned Edmund slowly. “Yes, I suppose we do. And the rest of his journal to translate. I’ll need to find the key to the second cipher.” He sighed. “I suppose it will have to wait, then. But I hate to leave work undone.”

“Trust me,” said Slate, spurring her horse forward, “there will be plenty of work for us in Anuket City.”

The others followed. Slate rode looking up at the gates, and slowly, step by step, the city reached out and swallowed them.