Chapter 15: The Impossible Machine
The carriage slowed as we approached the massive iron gates of the Wen Dor Hoven Estate. It was more of a fortress than a home. High stone walls surrounded the property, and armed soldiers patrolled the perimeter.
"Halt!" a gatekeeper barked, stepping in front of the horses. "State your business and show your permit."
I didn't have a paper permit. Instead, I calmly lifted the heavy velvet pouch Lucas had given me yesterday—the one that had held the gold. It bore the golden crest of the Dor Hoven family: a hawk clutching a gear.
The gatekeeper's eyes widened instantly. He signaled frantically to the tower.
"Open the gates! Immediately!"
The heavy iron doors groaned open, and our carriage rolled inside.
My siblings pressed their faces against the windows in awe, but I was focused on something else. Lining the driveway were tall, metal posts. Atop each one sat a glass sphere glowing with a steady, brilliant white light.
Electric bulbs, I thought, my eyes narrowing.
But these weren't primitive, flickering filaments like the ones I saw in the distance on Royal Street. These were stable, high-efficiency lights—almost like LEDs. In a world where people still fought with swords and rode horses, this technology shouldn't exist. It was an anomaly. A dangerous one.
We pulled up to the main mansion, a colossal structure of white stone and dark wood.
We were ushered into a waiting room.
The interior was suffocatingly opulent. The floors were checkered black and white marble, polished so perfectly they acted like mirrors. The walls were covered in deep crimson velvet wallpaper, accented with gold leaf. Above us hung a chandelier made of thousands of crystals, refracting the electric light into a rainbow of colors. The furniture was made of mahogany, carved with intricate designs of dragons and vines.
Finn and Elera sat on the edge of a plush sofa, afraid to touch anything. I stood still, analyzing the surroundings.
"Mr. Grey?"
A butler in a crisp black tuxedo appeared silently at the door. "Master Lucas is expecting you."
He led us down a long hallway and opened a set of double doors.
Lucas's office was massive. The walls were lined with books, maps, and blueprints. At the far end sat Lucas Wen Dor Hoven behind a desk that looked like it was carved from a single ancient tree trunk.
"Welcome, Asher," Lucas smiled, not standing up. "You clean up well."
"I try," I replied, stepping forward.
But then, my gaze drifted down to the object sitting on his desk.
Lucas was resting his hand on a rusted, metallic device. It was roughly the size of two human hands put together, dense and heavy, covered in grease and grime. To anyone else, it looked like a lump of junk metal.
But I froze. My blood ran cold.
I recognized the precise milling of the steel. I saw the intake valves, the spark plug port, and the cylindrical piston chamber.
A combustion engine cylinder head.
This wasn't blacksmith work. This required industrial lathes and precision engineering. It was impossible to manufacture in this time period.
"I see you're looking at my paperweight," Lucas said, his eyes sharp, watching my reaction closely.
"What is that?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
Lucas tapped the rusted metal. "We found it in an excavation site deep underground. None of my engineers can figure out what it is or how to fix it." He leaned forward, his smile turning predatory. "But you… you look like you know exactly what this is."