Page 39 of Fated to the Wicked King

He jerked in sharp protest, his eyes narrowed. “I am not letting you go by yourself. Are you mad?”

“Then—” I threw my hands up. “Whatever else do you suggest, Your Majesty?” I stepped back to assess the machine once again. “This is the only way to cross the river, right?”

He waved me back. “Step away from there. It’s dangerous.”

I rolled my eyes again. “I’m sure it’s perfectly safe. Look, those other people already used it before, right? Plus, part of our bargain was finding a way for me to cross the river. The solution is right here.”

His posture was tense, fists clenched at his sides, shoulders heaving slightly, seeming at a complete loss. His grumble was controlled aggravation. “There’s no way for me to dissuade you from this crazy folly, is there?”

I tilted my head. “You already knew that.”

He closed his eyes for a moment, as if he regretted the mere train of his thoughts. He let out a deep sigh. “Fine,” he snapped. “I will go to Lucerne⁠—”

“That’s great⁠—”

He pointed at me. “You will accompany me and—negotiate.”

I put my hands up. “That’s absolutely fine. Leave the mediation to me. I will ensure this debacle is dealt with peacefully. No more blood needs to be shed.”

He darted a menacing glance at me. “If I find them to be unreasonable, I will kill them all.”

I waved him back. “I am certain it won’t come to that.”

Almost certain.

Satisfied, I took a deep breath. Now then… “Did you see how they operated the machine?”

“No.” He coughed. “I was trying to keep an eye on this woman I know who keeps getting into trouble.”

Making a face, I shooed him away with my hands. “Fine. Then let me see. I am sure I will be able to figure it out.” I assessed the array of buttons and levers. Most of them weren’t labeled, but since the internal workings of the machine were visible through the glass case, it wasn’t too difficult to extrapolate the functions of each setting.

Eyes widening, I walked around the contraption again. “This is truly fascinating. It actually looks similar to—” My breath caught as I almost revealed my secret invention. “A project I’ve been working on,” I finished, keeping my gaze averted.

If the king had noticed my suspicious pause, he didn’t let on.

Carrying on, I flicked a few switches and toggled a couple of buttons. “If my analysis is correct, this machine works similarly to the concept of rabbit holes. Since certain empty spaces contain vibratory discrepancies and⁠—”

He droned on to finish, “—these are the spots where the barriers are thinner, which allows for the creation of a tunnel or a doorway.”

I stopped and met his gaze in wonder. “You remembered.” In the days of before, I had spent many a fine day talking everyone’s ears off—his, Chez’s, the Duchess’s, the flowers’—about theoretical physics, and where magic and science intersected. Of course, I was never under any illusion that anyone had been paying close attention.

He looked away. “Save the babble. Just make it work.”

A strange warmth threatened to spread across my chest, but I refocused on the task at hand.

It was easy enough.

This contraption was a revelation.

I had no idea there were other similar gadgets like this being built on Wünder. And while it didn’t look like this particular machine used an F-capacitor, perhaps I could find the people who built it and ask. It would mean an even greater chance to find the last piece I needed.

“Aha.” I pushed the main lever up. The machine hummed louder.

Without warning, a large spiral of bright, blinding light ignited before us with a pop and a crackle. The phenomenon swirled around like an otherworldly twister.

Light glimmered in my already widened eyes.

Holy cats.