Kiers snapped his fingers, pointing at the aetherometer, still sitting on the table amid the papers and the gun-thing. “Ah, right. We should turn on that thing. It’s almost midmorning, and the Trionans have a daily broadcast from midmorning to midafternoon on their aetherometer sets. News from the capital and the borders, recitations of poetry, philosophical debates, even a bit of musical performances. I overheard it in one of the palace parlors, and asked about it.”
“Like you did the soapstone fireplaces?” Vee dared to tease, grinning at him as she started lifting the smaller buckets out of the tubs stacked under the stairs.
“Cheeky woman,” he retorted. He pointed at her. “You be nice to me, or I won’t help scrub your back.”
She blushed at that. “Er . . . that would imply you’d have to be in the same room with me while I was bathing, Mister Kiers.”
Kiers grinned, assisting her. “That it would, Miss Vielle. If you’ll remember, you agreed last night that we would become lovers, and lovers do bathe together. Even if these tubs aren’t quite big enough for that.”
She snorted but didn’t make a retort. Instead, she helped him heft the two largest tubs into the kitchen. One fit next to the sink, but the other had to be moved over to where her bubble sat. Grabbing her gizmo, she shot a stream of green at it, dissolving the membrane. Kiereseth helped her settle the tub into its place, then went back for the buckets.
It wasn’t until his arms were wrist deep in the tub, his back stooped and his heels and knees slowly flexing as if climbing flat stairs, coaxing his thon into warming the chilly water that something occurred to him. “Vielle?”
“Yes, Kiers?” Vee asked, brushing out what dried dirt she could from the next pair of wool trousers destined for the tub of lukewarm, soapy water.
“Would you get your gun thing and shoot me with the red and the purple mists, please?”
She looked up at that, her brows pinching together in confusion. “Shoot you with it?”
“Yes,” he said, and nodded at the bathing tub. “While I’m using my thon. If it uses thonite for an energy source, then it’s possible the Vull is thonite-based, and that means the beams it shoots are able to affect or manipulate thon. So maybe the other two beams affect the use of it?”
The sight of him sticking his hands back into the tub made her wince. “Kiers, if you’re going to play with your thon, fetch a bit of wood and light the far end of it afire. Do not stick your hands into water which may suddenly turn boiling hot if your theory proves correct on one of these settings.”
She had a point. He also realized that at times she had a tart way of speaking that the ex-prince just wasn’t used to hearing from anyone else. It was actually rather refreshing, and he liked it. He just wasn’t going to let her know it right away. Straightening, he lifted a brow at her. “You do realize that, were we still on Jade Mountain, you wouldn’t be able to get away with talking to me like that, Miss Vielle?”
“That would be because your father was my employer, Mister Kiereseth. In this venture, we are equals,” she reminded him, hands going to her skirt-clad hips, the one outfit she had that didn’t need immediate laundering. “Besides, I’ve been trying to treat you as I would any friend, which means not letting you get away with acts of stupidity. I’ve come to like you very much, and do not wish to see you get hurt.”
That thought was astonishing. She likes me . . . It shouldn’t have been, but it was. Miss Vielle really likes me! She wasn’t just putting up with him because they had been thrown together by circumstances. She actually, actively liked him. Kiers didn’t realize he was grinning at her until she blushed, smiled back, then rolled her eyes.
“Fetch a stick, you,” she directed, “and set it on fire. You can grin and make calf eyes at me later. We have a gun-thingy to test.”
He moved to the woodbox, which they had refilled while making breakfast. Selecting a log, he paused as a thought crossed his mind. A chuckle escaped him. “Anytime you wish me to light a fire for you, Miss Vielle, you need only ask. I like you very much, too.”
She blushed, catching the innuendo, and flipped her hand at him. Picking up the silvery gizmo, she checked the setting, adjusted the third dial to its lowest, and nodded. “Fire it up, Mister Kiers.”
Nodding, he tensed his calves and flexed his toes, focusing on the far end of the thumb-thick, arm-long splinter of wood he had selected. The end darkened and charred for a brief moment, sending up a curl of smoke, then flames snapped up and danced around the tip. They formed a golden-orange halo of moving heat and light, mesmerizing.
“Keep concentrating. Firing in three . . . two . . . one . . .” She aimed the stream of reddish mist at Kiers, not at the burning twig—and gasped in shock as the small, fist-sized flame roared upward, splaying across the underside of the balcony floorboards over their heads.
Kiers yelped and dropped the stick, hopping back. Not since he was a youth had his thon reacted so out of control. The movement disrupted his concentration, snuffing most of the flames. It was still burning when it hit the floor, so he extended his hand and tightened his forearm muscles, clenching his fingers. The flames snuffed out immediately. A glance up showed the boards overhead slightly darkened but thankfully not on fire.
“Well!” he exclaimed softly, turning his gaze to his wide-eyed partner. “I think that proves my theory.”
“Pick it up again and try a tiny bit of thon to make a tiny little flame,” Vee suggested, recovering her composure. “Without the gun. I’d like to see if the mist has any lasting effects on you.”
Nodding, he scooped up the unburned end of the kindling and curled his toes just a little. A head-sized gout of flame snapped up from the charred end, making him blink. “By the Light! Apparently, it does have an effect.” Clenching his fist, he extinguished the flames. Once more, they snuffed out instantly. “Indeed . . . if my sister knew anything about this weapon thing—if Father knew—then no wonder they wanted to keep it secret. Strongly enough to lay false claims of treason against you and me, in the effort to silence us. This gizmo will completely change the face of war!”
“Then we will simply have to decide what to do about it. The two of us, Kiers,” Vee clarified. “You and I. Since you and I alone know for sure what this thingy can do.”
He nodded. He didn’t like it, but he knew she was right. Lifting his chin at the gizmo, he asked, “So what does purple do?”
“Push versus pull, I’d presume. Light it up,” she told him, lifting her own chin at the kindling in his hand. He nodded and tensed, heels shifting a little. The end lit up in extra-long, hot flames again. Vee adjusted the dials, aimed, and pulled the trigger with the fourth button depressed. Violet mist-sparks struck his body—and the flame shrunk down to a mere flicker, one not even the length of a thumb.
“Enough—enough!” Kiers rasped, feeling dizzy. She shut the machine off, but he still swayed. Sagging against the edge of the kitchen table, he shook his head. “Light and Life, I could feel the energy draining out of me, as if I’d been using my thon for hours, but compressed into seconds.” He looked up at her, his face pale under its natural tan, his hands trembling. “This is a very dangerous weapon.”
Vee didn’t like what she had done to him. They had guessed at the weapon’s effects, but hadn’t known. Closing up all the levers and hatches, she set the sphere on the table and took the still burning scrap of wood from him. Tossing it into the hearth fire, she gave him a regret-filled look. “I’m sorry about that. Would you like some thonite? Would that make you feel better?”