Read Online Steemjammer: Through the Verltgaat by John Eubank - Free Book Online
Authors: John Eubank
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them, piecing together your precious secrets. How much longer until they master them, and then what?
“‘They’ve won, Hendrelmus. There will be no place you can hide. Your existence will be that of a hunted rat. Every morning you wake will be to face the pain of your disaster, as befits the name you carry: Steem-failure.’”
“ Failure ?” Angelica interrupted. “What’s he talking about?”
“I don’t know,” Will admitted.
Giselle made a face. “Well, this has bugged me for a long time, but ….”
“What?”
“In Dutch, ‘jammer’ means, well, a ‘pity’ or ‘disappointment’. Or a ‘failure’.”
“Impossible!” Angelica said. “We’re really good at steam, so how could we be steam-failures?”
“It must have another meaning. Let him finish.”
“‘Here is my offer, cousin,’” Will read. “‘I have considerable influence with Zander Rasmussen. If you send me back, I will convince him to spare your wife and children. For you, I can only ask that he give a clean and merciful death.’”
Too angered to go on, he stopped. Giselle took the letter.
“‘Since your obvious response will be to scoff,’” she read, “‘I extend my offer to this: send me back, and I’ll reveal the location of Deetricus, whom you will notice has disappeared. I have him locked up, far away and in a place you’ll never find.’”
She paused, shocked, and glanced at Will.
“You were right,” she said. “He must have snuck up on Dad from behind, like he did with us. He probably put a rope around him and hauled him away with the airship. If only I’d looked up, I would have seen it.”
“I knew I should have clobbered him,” Will said, taking the letter back and reading. “‘When you realize you have no choice but to agree to my terms, fly a large white banner off the tower of your current domicile. I’ll be watching from afar, and don’t take too long. I’m not inclined to feed your brother.
“‘Awaiting Your Response, Marteenus S. Skelthorpe.’”
A grim mood fell on them. It seemed like all emotion had drained away from Giselle’s face, and Angelica put a small hand on her back.
“I’m all right,” Giselle said, fighting back tears. “At least he’s alive. He didn’t drown.”
“But Marteenus thinks my dad will make some deal with him,” Angelica said. “He doesn’t realize that he’s gone.”
Giselle turned to Will. “Can you make any sense of this?”
“It’s like some sort of war,” he said. “Now we know why Dad taught us how to fight.”
“Why would anyone hate us so much?” Angelica asked. “If Marteenus is our cousin, how could he be so evil?”
“I don’t know,” Giselle said, making a decision, “but Will’s right. We have to go on searching Beverkenhaas.”
Will glanced down at his sister. She closed her eyes and made a small nod, adding: “But where?”
He had no idea but wasn’t about to let on, so he led them back to the hidden room and said “Here!” He stomped his foot confidently on the wooden floor.
To his surprise, he heard a hollow-sounding thump.
***
After a quick search Giselle found a knothole in the floor that depressed, opening a second trap door in the hidden room. Instead of a pit, this one revealed brick steps going down into inky darkness. Turning up the lantern, Will slowly descended, but Angelica hesitated.
“Dad said it was dangerous, remember?” she said.
“You don’t have to come,” Will said, continuing down.
“We won’t be long,” Giselle added, overcoming her fear and following him.
“Wait,” Angelica said. “You know that powered armor in the barn? Why don’t you put it on, first?”
Will sighed. “That rusty old thing? It hasn’t worked in years, and I don’t know how to steam it up. We’ll be fine.”
As Angelica watched them descend, she began to get anxious about being left alone. Steeling her nerves, she put a hand on the railing and went down as fast as she dared,
“‘They’ve won, Hendrelmus. There will be no place you can hide. Your existence will be that of a hunted rat. Every morning you wake will be to face the pain of your disaster, as befits the name you carry: Steem-failure.’”
“ Failure ?” Angelica interrupted. “What’s he talking about?”
“I don’t know,” Will admitted.
Giselle made a face. “Well, this has bugged me for a long time, but ….”
“What?”
“In Dutch, ‘jammer’ means, well, a ‘pity’ or ‘disappointment’. Or a ‘failure’.”
“Impossible!” Angelica said. “We’re really good at steam, so how could we be steam-failures?”
“It must have another meaning. Let him finish.”
“‘Here is my offer, cousin,’” Will read. “‘I have considerable influence with Zander Rasmussen. If you send me back, I will convince him to spare your wife and children. For you, I can only ask that he give a clean and merciful death.’”
Too angered to go on, he stopped. Giselle took the letter.
“‘Since your obvious response will be to scoff,’” she read, “‘I extend my offer to this: send me back, and I’ll reveal the location of Deetricus, whom you will notice has disappeared. I have him locked up, far away and in a place you’ll never find.’”
She paused, shocked, and glanced at Will.
“You were right,” she said. “He must have snuck up on Dad from behind, like he did with us. He probably put a rope around him and hauled him away with the airship. If only I’d looked up, I would have seen it.”
“I knew I should have clobbered him,” Will said, taking the letter back and reading. “‘When you realize you have no choice but to agree to my terms, fly a large white banner off the tower of your current domicile. I’ll be watching from afar, and don’t take too long. I’m not inclined to feed your brother.
“‘Awaiting Your Response, Marteenus S. Skelthorpe.’”
A grim mood fell on them. It seemed like all emotion had drained away from Giselle’s face, and Angelica put a small hand on her back.
“I’m all right,” Giselle said, fighting back tears. “At least he’s alive. He didn’t drown.”
“But Marteenus thinks my dad will make some deal with him,” Angelica said. “He doesn’t realize that he’s gone.”
Giselle turned to Will. “Can you make any sense of this?”
“It’s like some sort of war,” he said. “Now we know why Dad taught us how to fight.”
“Why would anyone hate us so much?” Angelica asked. “If Marteenus is our cousin, how could he be so evil?”
“I don’t know,” Giselle said, making a decision, “but Will’s right. We have to go on searching Beverkenhaas.”
Will glanced down at his sister. She closed her eyes and made a small nod, adding: “But where?”
He had no idea but wasn’t about to let on, so he led them back to the hidden room and said “Here!” He stomped his foot confidently on the wooden floor.
To his surprise, he heard a hollow-sounding thump.
***
After a quick search Giselle found a knothole in the floor that depressed, opening a second trap door in the hidden room. Instead of a pit, this one revealed brick steps going down into inky darkness. Turning up the lantern, Will slowly descended, but Angelica hesitated.
“Dad said it was dangerous, remember?” she said.
“You don’t have to come,” Will said, continuing down.
“We won’t be long,” Giselle added, overcoming her fear and following him.
“Wait,” Angelica said. “You know that powered armor in the barn? Why don’t you put it on, first?”
Will sighed. “That rusty old thing? It hasn’t worked in years, and I don’t know how to steam it up. We’ll be fine.”
As Angelica watched them descend, she began to get anxious about being left alone. Steeling her nerves, she put a hand on the railing and went down as fast as she dared,
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