Adeline

I rushed through the streets of Jaska, and though I desperately wanted to stop at the consignment shop and experience the Shittiest Ale at the Three Drinks Tavern, I kept my instructions from Feargus Finlay in mind, deciding it best I limit my interactions.

But not yet. The first part of my plan to satisfy Captain Kavelin, protect Vera, and to help ensure the employees of the Goose and the Gander felt safe at their jobs, involved a visit to the Glassworks. There was no getting around that, and I was hoping I might run into Alexander as well. When I arrived, stepping through the front doors with a feeling of wonder, it was the most astonishing thing. The sounds, the smells, and voices of those working in the distance, combining science and art in such an inspired way. I approached the counter, leaving my sun-goggles and hat in place.

The woman at the front desk lowered her spectacles to the tip of her nose, casting upon me a stern look of appraisal.

"Good afternoon," I chimed. "I'd like to place an order."

"For?" the woman asked.

"Five—no, six bottles. Much like this one." I reached into my satchel and revealed my perfume to the order-taker. "And would it be possible to include the atomizer?" I mimed squeezing the bulb at the top of my glass bottle. "I would make them myself, but I unfortunately lack the materials and a workshop at the moment."

"I've never seen anything like it," the order-taker said, reaching out questioningly.

Amalia hadn't advanced much technologically since the Divide, not when compared to Delphia, for example. And while I'd never been to Delphia, my mother often indulged me with gifts from our home territory. Happy to satisfy the Amali's curiosity, I passed over the perfume. The woman behind the counter—Katerina, as was engraved on the nameplate—seemed puzzled by the prospect of this particular job.

"We'd need to involve a smith."

"And perhaps a jeweler. And a leather-worker. Or a tailor. Here—" I reached into my satchel again and slid a few sheets of parchment along the counter. "I've drawn up the designs, and if you need any help at all," my voice trailed and my mind wandered, wondering what it was like back there in the factory proper, where my brothers-and-sisters-in-arts-and-crafts congregated each day.

Flipping through the pages, the order-taker turned her attention toward me with raised brows. "You drew these?"

I bobbed my head. "Yes, of course—that's what I said."

"What's your name?"

That was an excellent question. What was my name? If I hoped to leave a message for Alexander, I shouldn't do so as Abby Blaze, unless I began the message with, "Hello! It's me Adeline," which would of course defeat the purpose of the alias. This double identity business was exhilarating, but it was exhausting as well.

"My name is Adeline," I said.

"The Adeline?"

Mine wasn't by any means an Amali name, so how many Adelines in Jaska could there there truly be? "Yes, I think so."

"Mister Roska hoped you might wander in here," Katerina continued, opening and reaching into a drawer behind the counter. "He left you this."

Another mysterious message! How exciting. I opened the letter, sealed with a red letter "R", and began to read:

Rhian and Michael Reider are safe.

How wonderful! I breathed an audible sigh of relief.

But we have been unsuccessful in tracking Andrei Strauss and Vincent Delestade.

How awful! I adjusted my sun-goggles and frowned.

Please keep your eyes and ears open, and please join us at the manor as soon as possible.

The directions Alexander provided next would be easy to follow with the help of my trusted timepass. It was one of my most prized innovations: a compass and a timepiece on either side, with an added pair of compact mirrors within—useful for checking ones appearance, of course, and for lighting fires in a pinch as well.

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Once I'd finished reading, I tucked the letter into my satchel and thanked Katerina for delivering it to me. And then, it was back to business.

"So, will you help me?" I asked.

"Well, I can't make any promises, but—you said you could assist if we needed it?"

I nodded adamantly. "How long will it take?"

"Let's say five days."

"Worst case?"

"Yeah, five days worst case. Check with me in two."

"And how much will it cost? I have eighty-nine notes."

Katerina smiled, pausing for a moment while she pushed her spectacles further up her nose. "Let's put this one on Alexander's tab, okay?"

"Are you absolutely sure?"

Katerina nodded, returning my perfume bottle—the designs would be more than enough, she was certain.

"By the way," I added before leaving, "if you see Alexander, tell him I said, 'Thank you, and hello, it's me, Adeline,' and that I'll be joining him as soon as possible."

Operation Step One: Get the Bottles had been at least partially successful. I couldn't say for certain until the work was complete, of course, but it was promising. Step two involved drawing a map of Jaska, copied from the one Feargus Finlay had left me. With that in mind, I worked my way back to the brothel, feeling quite proud of myself and ever so thrilled to have learned that Enforcer Rhian and Commander Michael were safe. I was still concerned about Father Strauss and Mister Delestade, but finding no trace of them at all was encouraging—in a sense. At least they hadn't been found dead in the pretty house with all the murders.

As I wormed my way down the alley not far from the door with the goose in the glass, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I spun around and there he was: Feargus Finlay, complete with a form-fitting winter jacket and that adorable hat with the fuzzy ball on top.

It felt so good to see a familiar face, even if I'd only seen his face up-close once before, and only for a few hours. I beamed a smile in his direction.

"Heya," he said. "How's it going?"

"Fantastic," I replied, lowering my voice to a whisper. "Enforcer Rhian and Commander Michael are safe, though Father Strauss and Mister Delestade are missing. Further, I believe I've found a way to satisfy the locals, the city guard, and protect the Goose and the Gander."

If Feargus Finlay had been at all surprised by the information about our friends, he certainly didn't show it, and ultimately said nothing on the subject. "I knew you'd have this one in the bag. I'm curious, though—what's the plan?"

I leaned down, cupping my hands at the approximate location of Feargus Finlay's ear. It was difficult to tell with the hat. I relayed to him my plan of six steps, and when I was done, Feargus Finlay smiled widely and patted my arm with a mittened hand.

"Nice job, mate. It's a pretty great plan—so great I could practically kiss you," he said.

By all means, I thought but dared not say. My cheeks burned—frostbite again, of course. "You truly think it will work?"

"Should do. Need anything from me?"

"Actually, yes—do you happen to have any spare maps of Jaska? Like the one you gave me but without the circles. It would save me about a day's work."

"What kind of silly question is that—do I have maps? Of course I have maps." Feargus Finlay held his hand up—or maybe it was a finger, but it was impossible to tell. "Just a tick," he said, rummaging through his bag until he found what we were looking for. The map was quite crumpled, but it would do.

"Anything else?" he asked.

But besides the kiss, there wasn't anything else I needed at the moment.

With operation Step Two: Get a Map now complete, I proceeded to Step Three: Ask Everleigh Gloom for a Favour. I wasn't certain where to find her in the off-hours, but the Anima seemed to think that she both knew and saw everything that happened around the brothel. I decided I'd put this theory to the test, and in the wee hours of the morning, long after everyone else had gone to sleep and well before Vera typically rose, I stood centre on the stage in the theatre and whispered loudly.

"Ever!"

Nothing.

"Ever!"

Nothing.

"Everleigh Gloom!"

Finally, the Anima appeared before my eyes, shimmering into full form.

"Hey," she said. "I heard you the first time."

"Oh."

"Uh huh." The Strachan put a hand on her hip, looking the same as she always did in her shiny shoes, black dress, and white ruffles. "So, what do you want?"

"Do you think you could—" I leaned down and crooked my finger, waiting for her to approach my cupped hands rather than to approach her with them suddenly. She was one of the Anima, after all, and one could never be too careful about infringing upon personal space. Ever leaned in and I whispered to her my six-part plan, and how she could help me with step three. When I was finished, she pulled away.

"Not bad, Abby Blaze."

This day was doing wonders for my confidence. "So, will you help?"

"Aye, I'll help."

With our alliance affirmed, I handed the newest map of Jaska from Feargus Finlay over to Everleigh Gloom. Step three: partial success. The outcome relied on the result of her task, but I had faith she would come through. Satisfied everything was falling into place, the only thing left to do before enacting steps four, five, and six was to act normal and bide my time.

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