Tinker's War (The Tinkerer's Daughter Book 2) (22 page)

“That’s the reason they’ve come,” Tinker said. “The Vangars want our steel. Not the stuff they’re mining now, mind you. They want the good Blackrock stuff, but they don’t know where to find it yet.”

“I don’t understand,” I said. “We’ve been inspecting their technology. The combustion engines they use are a technological wonder. They smoke and stink a lot, but they’re quite powerful.”

“Indeed. The Vangars discovered the black oil nearly a century ago. Since then, they’ve used it to power their entire society. They’ve built machines that we couldn’t even imagine. Machines that could level a mountain. But now, after a century of building cities and weapons and dragon ships, their oil is running out. Their wells have begun to dry up, and they have been unable to find a suitable replacement.”

I closed my eyes, remembering what my grandmother had told me about the missing Tal’mar ships. “Tinker, the Tal’mar sent ships to the west, exploring,” I said. “One of them never came back.”

“Yes, I know. They equipped each ship with a small scouting plane, which the Vangars discovered when they captured the Tal’mar explorers. That’s how they learned about our technology, and that’s why they’ve come for our steel.”

“How did you learn about all of this?” I said. “Have you learned their language?”

“Well enough,” he said. “I still can’t speak it right. The Vangar tongue neglects several consonants we use often, and they have a few we don’t. But then, I’m an old man and language is not my strength. Some of the others have excelled. I have an updated journal for you…” He went into the kitchen and pulled a new journal from a shelf. “This will provide you with the basics, and a small dictionary of common words and phrases.”

I accepted it, flipping through the pages. Tinker had done a wonderful job of cross-referencing the Vangar language with our own, even providing several pages of notes on pronunciation. “It’s no substitute for hearing them speak,” he said, retrieving the percolator from the stove. He set out five cups on the table and filled them. “You can read about the pronunciation and learn the words, but you’ll never get it right until you spend time with them.”

“Not likely,” Robie said. “If I spend any time with the Vangars, it’ll be looking down on their corpses.”

Tinker nodded. “Understood, but don’t act hastily. We mustn’t win a battle today only to lose the war tomorrow.”

“Do you have a plan then?” I said. “Have you learned enough about the Vangars yet?”

“I do,” he said. “I had hoped to discuss this with the others in our meeting the day after tomorrow. Since you’re here now, I suppose I’ll have to have this conversation twice.”

“Then what do we do?” said Robie. “How do we beat them?”

Tinker took a sip of his coffee and savored it for a moment. “Start by enjoying the small luxuries,” he said, raising his cup. “Because if we fail, we won’t even have this.”

We were silent for a moment, waiting impatiently. Tinker took another drink, smiling. “Yes, that warms an old man to the soul.” He looked at our faces for a moment, and it seemed he’d forgotten we were there. I wondered if the stress was getting to him, or if it was just old age.

“Rumors were flying last week,” he said at last, staring into his cup. “Rumors about a dragon ship overtaken by insurgents, and a hundred Vangar warriors slain, their bodies left to rot on the plains. They say the ship was burned.”

I grimaced, shooting a Robie a glare. “I’m sorry Tinker. We didn’t have much choice. It wasn’t all that bad, though. The ship was full of captives, and it wasn’t guarded that heavily.”

“I see. At any rate, that’s not the way I would have planned it, but your attack proved surprisingly valuable. It taught me a lot about the Vangars.”

“How do you mean?” said Robie.

“The Vangars have never faced an enemy who has turned on them. They have invaded half a dozen kingdoms on their own continent, and met very little resistance. As you know, they are fierce and fearless warriors. But as it turns out, that little attack on the dragon ship gave them something to think about. The Vangars have no idea how many of you there are. For all they know, their might be thousands of refugees up in those mountains.”

“That’s silly,” I said. “We have-”

“No!” he said, cutting me off. “Don’t tell me how many, or where they are. Don’t tell me anything about the resistance. I must not know these things, you understand. I am in a very dangerous position now.”

“Tinker,” I said, my voice tinged with worry. “Come back with us. If things have gotten that dangerous, then leave with us tonight.” The others nodded their agreement.

“No. You already know I won’t do this. I won’t leave the others here to take my punishment, and I won’t abandon the fight before we’ve even drawn blood.”

I stared at him sadly, wondering if the poor old man was losing his mind. “You’ll get yourself killed if you stay here, Tinker,” I said. Tears rose to my eyes as I spoke.

He stared at me, his face full of sadness. “Breeze, I won’t die,” he said. “I’ve never said this before, but I know you need to hear it. You’re my daughter. Ever since your father left you on my doorstep all those years ago, I’ve raised you and cared for you as if you were my own blood. No one else in this world means to me what you do.”

“Then come back with us,” I persisted.

“No, Breeze. It’s because of you that I must stay. Don’t you see what will happen to our world if I don’t? Don’t you see what will become of us if we give up the fight?”

I stared into my cup, watching the steam rising off that dark liquid. I felt the others watching me, and I tried to fight back my tears so that they wouldn’t lose respect for me. I closed my eyes and felt warmth on my cheeks.

“Breeze, I won’t let them destroy everything you fought for. I
will
see the Vangars destroyed.”

“How?” Robie said. “If you’re so sure we can beat them, then tell us your plan.”

Tinker settled back in his chair. “We know two things about the Vangars: We know they came here for our steel, and they won’t stop until they have it all. By then, we’ll all be dead or assimilated into their culture, and they’ll move on to destroy the next place. But as strong as they are, they also have a weakness. They are overconfident, and they’re beginning to see that. You didn’t see the Vangars’ faces as they spoke of the dragon ship you destroyed. They were
worried,
Breeze. You are a faceless enemy and they fear that. They’ve never faced an enemy that fought back.”

“Then we fight!” Robie said.

“Yes, but not like you’re thinking. I don’t care how many of you are up in the mountains, you can’t face the Vangars head on. For now, we must keep them weak. Continue taking out their patrols, even taking the dragon ships if you can. Above all else, slow down their mining operations.”

“Above all else?” Robie said. “Why is that so important?”

“The Vangars have a limited supply of fuel. Soon they will begin converting to new forms of energy. The longer we stall them, the better off we are. Eventually, they will smelt the iron ore from the plains and discover that the steel they’ve worked so hard for is useless to them. Then they will move to the mountains. Before that happens, we must wear them down. We must use up their fuel supplies and weaken their defenses.”

“How will we do that?” I said. “Where should we start?”

“I don’t want to know,” Tinker said. “I’ve given you the information you need to start. Take this information to Analyn and start planning. During this time, I must have no contact with you. Eventually, the Vangars will get suspicious, and they will begin to question us. The less I know, the safer I will be.”

“How will we know when to strike?” Jenna said, speaking up for the first time. “I understand the need for secrecy and the reason you must remain ignorant of our plans, but if we don’t coordinate, we won’t succeed. At some point, we must communicate.”

“Assuming things go according to plan, they will make little progress over the next few weeks. Come back in one month, on the new moon, and I will update you. But from now on, don’t come to my door unless you see a candle in the window. If you don’t see it, then it won’t be safe.”

“What should we do in that case?” I said.

“Search for me in the streets. If you don’t find me, find the others.”

I hated hearing Tinker talk like that, but the sensible part of me knew that he was right. His best chance of survival was in ignorance. If the Vangar truly believed he wasn’t a threat, then perhaps he would be safe. Of course, I would have preferred to simply bring him back to the camp with us, but Tinker wouldn’t hear of it. When his mind was made up, he could be as stubborn as a mule. I suppose that’s where I learned it, though I don’t think it’s a uniquely human trait. Some of the Tal’mar are just as bad.

Chapter 21

Our conversation turned to other things for a short while. Tinker educated us on a few facts he’d learned. The same fate as Anora had befallen Avenston. Between the two cities, thousands of people were being held captive. “Soon they will be put to work in the mines,” Tinker said. “Keep an eye out for the slaves when you’re sabotaging the Vangars. I’d hate to see innocents caught in the crossfire.”

I also took the opportunity to share some of the knowledge I’d learned with Tinker. He hadn’t had the opportunity to look at Vangar technology up close, so I explained to him all that I had learned about their combustion engines and gyroplanes. He was fascinated by the concepts, but regretted that he probably wouldn’t have a chance to explore its possibilities while he was in the city. “First things first,” he said. “When all this is over, then I can go back to my experiments. Until then, let’s focus on our plan.”

We left before the ten o’clock curfew, which didn’t give us much time to talk about anything else. I said my goodbyes to Tinker with a heavy heart. I had an awful feeling that something bad was going to happen, but I didn’t know if it was a premonition or just the same fear that had been gnawing at my gut for weeks.

Back in the alley, we gathered up our weapons and left the city without a word among us. The others had just as much to consider as I did, and none of us were happy with the news. We wanted to kill Vangars, yes, but we wanted it done. We didn’t want to attack them one piece at a time, winnowing down their defenses. We wanted the Vangars gone as fast as they had come. Tinker’s plan was just the opposite. It meant that the Vangars would be with us for some time to come.

Back at the camp, I briefed Analyn on all that I had learned and then she called a gathering in the mess tent to share our plans with the others. Analyn turned the meeting over to me, and I somewhat nervously related Tinker’s plan to the full room. I watched their faces as I spoke. I saw mixed reactions, but very little argument.

I couldn’t help but feel disappointed when I finished and not one person had a comment or question. I’m not sure what I expected. After all, we all knew that we couldn’t face the Vangars head on. I just thought the others might have
something
to say. I must confess I would have liked to see more courage in that room. I wasn’t so much surprised as disappointed. They all turned to Analyn, their queen, waiting for her to tell them what to do.

I had long since learned that few people possess the kind of fortitude it takes to question their leaders. Humans and Tal’mar are no different when it comes to this. The individual is always more worried about calculating his or her personal outcome in a situation than making that situation a success. Regrettably, I had come to learn that many people would choose to loose the war if it meant they could be the head slave, rather than win the war and be equal with everyone else.

These people would do what Analyn told them, I wasn’t worried about that, but I knew that when things got tough they would throw up their arms and surrender the first chance they got. I saw this written on many faces that night, and I couldn’t ignore the feeling of helplessness building inside of me.

It was all over by midnight. As the crowd filed out of the tent, Analyn came to my side.

“If we’re going to make this strategy of Tinker’s work, we’re going to need more than just one team of fighters,” she said. “We have a handful of ex-soldiers among the refugees. I’m going to have them start training more teams.”

“What about us?” I said. “Do you want my team to help with the training?”

“I wish you could, but we don’t have that much time. Tomorrow, I want you to visit the Vangars’ mine. If they’re already working, do what you can to slow them down. Sabotage their equipment, steal their tools, kill the guards. Do whatever it takes. When you’re done, report back to me.”

I considered her plan, and an idea struck me. “You know, if that gyro was back in one piece I could scout ahead and find out exactly what we’re up against. I could also get there and back quite quickly.”  

“That’s an excellent idea,” she said. “The Vangars probably wouldn’t give you a second look either, because it’s one of their machines.” She stared at me for a moment, weighing her decision. “All right,” she said at last. “Get Cleff and the other mechanics working on it. I want it ready to fly by dawn.”

“Of course,” I said.

I left the tent and wandered to the south end of the camp, wondering what I’d just gotten myself into. I hadn’t even mentioned that we had an issue with the fuel. I still hadn’t heard from Cleff about the combination of kerosene and alcohol he’d been experimenting with, either. If it wouldn’t power the engine correctly, the gyro wouldn’t even get off the ground. None of us had ever owned a vehicle like the gyros. Our steamwagons burned coal and wood. It was just a matter of stoking the fire every few hours. This was something completely different, and if we couldn’t find a suitable substitute for the Vangars’ black oil, we’d never get that gyro to fly again.

I found Cleff in his tent, already bedded down for the night. I gave him the bad news and then with his help, rounded up the rest of the mechanics. We set up lanterns around the southern end of the camp and collected all the tools we could find. “I know we can rebuild this machine in a few hours,” I told Cleff. “But we have to get the fuel problem figured out. Did you try mixing kerosene with whiskey, as we discussed.”