Secrets of the Dragon Tomb (29 page)

“They fled. I don't think they liked how willing Sir Titus was to let them die.”

Putty and Olivia were waiting for me outside the excavator. Putty was almost dancing from foot to foot. The moment I reached the ground, she threw herself on me.

I gasped in pain. “My ribs…”

Putty let go. “I thought you were killed! Now you've broken your ribs and you won't be good for anything. You're really going to have to let me teach you how to fight.”

“Is it over?” Olivia whispered.

“Yes,” I said. She nodded, but for some reason, she didn't look pleased about it.

“Freddie wants you up there,” I said, and suddenly she looked happy. She hurried past and scrambled up the side of the machine.

“Olivia's acting rather peculiar, don't you think?” I said to Putty.

Putty looked at me with pity. “You are dense, Edward.” Then she seemed to remember something. She grabbed my hand. “This way!”

I hobbled after her, completely mystified now. She led me past the dragon, right to the back of the chamber. Between two machines was a second, much smaller sarcophagus, maybe a yard long. Just large enough for a baby. It wasn't inlaid like the dead emperor's coffin. It appeared to be made of sandstone, with a single cylindrical hole in one end.

“Putty,” I said, “I don't think we should…” But she was already sliding back the lid.

There wasn't a baby inside. There weren't even bones. Instead, there was a single, large egg, twice the size of my head. It was covered in what looked like scales, but age had dulled them. Once, they might have glistened like water.

“What is it?” I said.

“A dragon's egg!” Putty said. “Maybe when they buried the emperor, they didn't just bury his dragon with him, they buried her egg.”

I frowned. “That's … cruel.”

Putty looked sober for a second, but she couldn't keep it up. “But isn't it exciting? I've never even heard of anyone having a dragon's egg before.” Her face fell. “I suppose they'll take it and put it in that museum, even though we found it. That's not fair, is it? Can we keep it?”

I smiled at her. “We'll ask Freddie.”

Freddie and Olivia had climbed down from the excavator and were waiting with Mama and Jane at the front of the tomb. Papa stood to one side, peering intently at one of the strange devices and making notes on his shirtsleeve with a piece of charcoal.

“We're saved, Papa,” I said.

“Ah … what's that?” He reached back and patted my arm. “Um. Good job, Edward.” He peered closer at the device.

I sighed. What more did I expect? He never noticed what I did. I tried not to feel disappointed, but I couldn't help myself.

Then, remarkably, Papa turned from the mechanisms and peered at me through his smudged eyeglasses. “I mean it, Edward. You did well. Very well. I'm proud of you.”

For some reason, my throat thickened. I had to blink away tears.

“Er … I don't suppose you have a pencil, do you?” he asked. “And some paper?”

I cleared my throat. “What will happen now?” I asked Freddie.

“The ambassador will send a team to excavate the tomb,” Freddie said. “British Mars will share the rights to whatever's inside, as we were the ones to discover it. The devices will be analyzed. Most of them will be sent to the museum so that inventors like your father will be able to make use of them. Anything dangerous, any weapons, will be kept secret by the British Martian government.”

“So many fascinating ideas and inventions,” Papa said wistfully.

“I'll put in a word for you,” Freddie said. “After all you did to discover the tomb, I'm sure they'll want your help to decipher the functions of the artifacts.”

Papa beamed. “I could achieve so much here in Lunae City with a whole new dragon tomb. It is every mechanician's dream.” He turned to Mama. “Don't you think, my dear?”

Mama drew herself up. “Lunae City?” she demanded. “How about Jane?”

Papa blinked. “I beg your pardon, my dear?”

“Must Jane find a husband in this … this desert? My daughter? Lord Cardale's first and most beautiful granddaughter?”

I rolled my eyes.

Papa seemed to deflate slightly. “Jane will have her season, I promise you, with all the balls and parties she could wish for.”

“Here?” Mama's voice rose several octaves. “A million miles from good society? A season with the urchins and vagabonds of the street, perhaps?”

Papa deflated further. “No, my dear. Um. In Tharsis City?”

Mama's eyes sparkled suddenly. “Ah! Tharsis! You'll love it, Jane. I'll show you the scenes of all my greatest triumphs. They called me the Crystal Rose of Tharsis, you know. Come. We must plan. It will be very grand.”

“And very expensive,” Olivia murmured.

“Can I keep the dragon's egg?” Putty interjected.

“An egg?” Freddie said. “Well, if it goes to the museum, they'll just cut it open.” He smiled at her. “No, I think you can keep it as a souvenir, as long as you don't tell anyone about it.”

“And you?” Olivia asked quietly. Her eyes were focused firmly on the floor.

“I…” Freddie wet his lips. His face grew determined. “I have to report to the British-Martian Intelligence Service, and take Sir Titus to Tharsis City to face justice. Then I must track down his partners in crime, Dr. Octavius Blood and Apprentice.” He straightened. “I may be gone some months.”

“Oh,” Olivia whispered.

“Some months,” Freddie repeated. “It is … Dash it all!” He glanced around at the rest of us, then turned back to Olivia. “There is something particular that I want to ask you, but I can't. It wouldn't be fair. I'll be gone too long. I can't expect you to—”

“Yes,” Olivia said, and smiled. Even though she was covered in dirt and sand, she looked more beautiful than Jane at her finest.

Freddie blinked through his mask of red dust. “Ah—er—I—That is—
Yes?
”

“Yes,” Olivia said. “Of course. Always.”

They took each other's hands and grinned like idiots.

“I have no idea what you two are talking about,” I said. Just like I had no idea why Mama and Jane burst into tears at that moment, or why Papa clapped Freddie on the shoulder.

I shook my head, while Putty grinned strangely up at me. Sometimes, I don't understand my family at all. But I wouldn't have them any other way.

I turned away from them to face the sunlight streaming through the shattered entrance to the dragon tomb. So, we would stay here, in Lunae City, while Papa immersed himself in his wondrous discoveries, and Jane and Mama planned Jane's season in Tharsis City, and Putty found no end of trouble surrounded by dragon tombs. But for once, I wasn't worried. My family could look after themselves, far better than I ever would have guessed.

And as for me? Well, maybe there would be something here for me, too, something that wasn't just looking after my family. Somewhere, someone might even have the latest copy of
Thrilling Martian Tales
. It was time to find out.

 

 

 

The End

 

Get ready for Book Two in the
Secrets of the Dragon Tomb series:

The Emperor of Mars
!

A missing Martian. A sinister plot. A French spy.

If Edward thinks life is going to be easy in Lunae City, he is very, very wrong. The moment he intercepts a thief escaping from Lord Harleston's town house, he is caught up in a terrible scheme that threatens the whole of Mars.

Soon he's fighting off vicious sea serpents, battling a small army of heavily armored thugs, and trying to unpick an impossible mystery. Meanwhile, Putty has declared war on her new governess, a war that, for the first time in her life, Putty may be in danger of losing.

Edward doesn't know who he can trust. Will he make the right choice? Or will his family—and his entire planet—fall victim to the treacherous Emperor of Mars?

 

Acknowledgments

When you publish your first book, there are so many people who have helped you over the years that it's impossible to thank them all. From teachers to critique partners to those who have offered support and encouragement, the list would be absolutely endless. But you know who you are, and thank you! Every one of you has contributed something.

First and foremost I want to thank my wife, Stephanie Burgis, who read this book more times than anyone should ever have to and had something helpful to say every time. I couldn't have done this without you. I'd also like to thank those who critiqued various versions of the book: Tiffany Trent, Eugene Myers, Ari Goelman, Tricia Sullivan, Renee Sweet, and Nadia Williams. This book wouldn't be half as good without the dedication and insights of my agent, Jennifer Laughran, and my editor, Christy Ottaviano. Thanks to both of you. Thank you, too, to designer Eileen Savage, editorial assistant Jessica Anderson, and the rest of the team at Macmillan who work so hard behind the scenes. I am truly grateful for everything you do. Thank you (again!) to Tiffany Trent, who was so enthusiastic about my first draft that she recommended me to her agent.

I probably learned more about being a writer at the Clarion West workshop than at any time before or since, so I'd like to give special thanks to my instructors Octavia Butler, Nalo Hopkinson, Bradley Denton, Connie Willis, Ellen Datlow, and Jack Womack, and a special shout-out to my incredibly talented classmates.

My high school English teacher, Mrs. Mapes, encouraged me to write when I had lots of enthusiasm but absolutely no talent. There should be more teachers like you.

I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to my parents-in-law, Kathy and Rich Burgis, for vast amounts of baby- and child-sitting when I wrote the second draft of this book. If they hadn't been there, I think I'd still be working on it.

My journey toward being a writer started when my dad, Adrian Samphire, read me
The Lord of the Rings
as a child, and it's been going on ever since. Thank you, Dad, for introducing me to that world, and to my mum, Beth Samphire, for being supportive, interested, and enthusiastic, even though I know these are not your kind of books! Thank you, too, to my brothers, Martin and Ben, for all your support.

And finally, I want to thank my two sons for their smiles and games, and for being so patient when I had to work on this. You inspire me to write books that I hope you will love.

 

About the Author

Patrick Samphire
has been charged at by a buffalo in Africa, been lost in a rain forest in South America, and been scared by a camel in Egypt. He has worked as a physicist, a teacher, an editor, and a web designer. He now lives with wife and two sons in Wales. He has not yet gotten to Mars, but he's still trying. This is his first novel. You can find out more at
patricksamphire.com
. Or sign up for email updates
here
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