The Inexplicables (The Clockwork Century 4)

“Mr. Swakhammer?”

“Miss Mercy’s father,” Houjin said, which didn’t add much to the store of what Rector knew. “He watches the underground. Him and a few other men down here, and Miss Lucy sometimes. And Sheriff Wilkes, but you already know about her. ”

“Didn’t know she was a sheriff. Never heard of a lady sheriff. ”

“She took over the position from her father. ”

“Her father’s been dead since the wall went up. ”

“Yes, but some of the people he freed from jail when the Blight came helped set up the underground. Half the people down here are outlaws, and the other half are outcasts; they like the idea of a lawman who was fair to everyone. And now, Miss Briar is Sheriff Wilkes. ” He changed the subject on a dime. “So, do you feel up to coming upstairs? I can always go get Zeke and bring him back, or bring you food if you’re still too weak to manage. ”

“I’m not too weak to manage anything,” Rector insisted, though his knees threatened to argue with him. He pushed against them, attempting to leverage himself upright. The first attempt failed. He sat back down and covered for the foible by reaching under the bed to grab his bag. His next effort to rise successfully propelled him into a wobbly, but upright, stance.

“Do you want a cane or a crutch? Something to lean on?”

“Goddamn, you’re helpful. Are you always like this?”

Houjin smiled. It was a peculiar smile. It told Rector that he’d said too much. “I can get you food and water, but only if you can’t get it yourself,” he said carefully.

Rector’s vision spun. He reached out for the headboard and steadied himself.

“Don’t pretend. ”

“Don’t pretend what?” Rector asked crossly.

“Don’t pretend you’re sicker than you really are. And don’t pretend you’re any less sick, either. If Miss Mercy sees you, she’ll know. She’ll either send you back to bed, or kick you right out of it. ”

“I’m not pretending anything, I’m just getting my feet underneath me. Give me a second, would you? Your Miss Mercy sounds like a holy terror. ”

Houjin shook his head. “No, she’s just hard to fool. And while I’m thinking about it, I’ll definitely get you a cane. We have some left over from when Mr. Swakhammer was hurt last year. ” He went to one of the cabinets, opened it, and rummaged through several apparatuses that Rector couldn’t identify. Before long, he retrieved a sturdy, polished staff of reddish wood. He almost tossed it toward Rector, who was still teetering, but changed his mind at the last moment and handed it over instead.

“Jesus, Swakhammer must be huge. This thing could hold up a horse. ”

“Mr. Swakhammer is a big man. Everyone who lives here is either big and strong, or small and fast. Try the cane. See how it feels. ”

“It’s fine,” Rector said, testing his weight against the stick and finding that it could easily hold up three or four of him. “A little heavy. ” He took a few steps and his legs quivered slightly, but he liked the feeling of being upright. “Let me ask you, Huey—it was Huey, right?”

“Or Houjin. ”

“Huey, got it. Tell me, is there a chamber pot?”

“There’s a pot, but there’s also an inside-outhouse down the hall—or, that’s what Miss Lucy calls it. This way. ” He pointed out the door and to the right. “It’s not far. There’s a basin in there, too, if you want to clean up a bit. ” Houjin said it like a hint.

Rector took it like one. “All right, that sounds fine. Could I talk you into getting me one more cup of water while I’m down there?”

“I’ll dip one out. ”

“Thanks,” Rector said over his shoulder. The trip down the hall was slower than he’d have liked, but eve

ry step felt like an accomplishment. When he’d finished in the inside-outhouse he returned to what he’d started thinking of as the “sickroom,” and drank one last draught of water before following Houjin in the other direction.

“Where are we going, again?” he wanted to know.

“Kitchen. ”

“But we’re underground, ain’t we?”

Houjin nodded, then paused to let Rector catch up. He walked as fast as he talked, unless he remembered not to. “The kitchen has vents up to the topside, and we have a stove or two for cooking, but people don’t use them often. Sometimes Miss Lucy does, and brings food down to Maynard’s for her customers. But usually meals are cold, unless people want to go to Chinatown. We cook there all the time. ”