Land of Verne (9 page)

Grim stopped. The old man now stood upon his stubby legs and his mouth was wide open.

“Magnificent!” he said. “I like to run that test first to see if I might catch a rare jewel out of the orphans that come through here. The next reading was going to be quite simple. I hadn’t expected that at all. Well, let’s move on, shall we?”

He was quite agitated now, and waddled about with an agility and speed Grim did not expect. They moved next to mathematics and Master Cobblepot was quite surprised at the ability with which Grim could handle numbers. “Better than some of the Academy’s students,” he muttered. “I have much that could use with a servant like you.”

Servant. Wonderful.

Master Cobblepot ushered him out the door before Grim could say a word. He was relieved he hadn’t mentioned his bowl of spittle.

Finneas Keltin seized Grim by the wrist and yanked him down the hallway. “This way. No time to waste.”

He brought Grim to another room.

Inside a sturdy-looking woman waited. She was easily more than a foot taller than Grim and had long hair tied back. She wore snug pants and a loose blouse with frilly sleeves. The woman was built like a bear.

She was human. Completely.

Without warning a white ball hurtled towards Grim’s head. He barely had time to think before he caught it.

“Please come in,” said the woman as she took long strides towards him. “Good catch. My name is Madam Adelaide. I catch a number of you orphans off-guard with that ball. Too many black eyes and lumpy foreheads leave this room. Well, let’s get on with it, shall we? Your name is Grim, correct?”

Grim nodded.

“Interesting name. Well, let’s get you up on this plank then.” She pointed to a piece of wood suspended over two pillars that stood about four feet off the ground. The plank couldn’t have been more than four inches wide. It reminded Grim of the balance beam back home. This would have been more suited to Rudy. He hated to admit it, but she was better balanced than he was.

“Up you go then,” she said and lifted Grim with one hand. He took a deep breath and stepped forward, making sure not to look down and instead focused on where he placed his feet. With one foot in front of the other and hands outstretched for balance, Grim inched across the plank. After a few more steps, he exhaled and stepped onto the final pillar. He jumped down and landed lightly on his feet.

“Not too bad,” she said as she flicked dirt from underneath her fingernails. “I’m new to this job, but you’ve got some of the best balance I’ve seen in the last couple of days.” Out of the corner of his eye, Grim saw another ball flying towards him. He caught it with one hand.

“Very good. Almost no one gets the second one. I can’t tell you how many useless servants go running out of here crying because of that second ball. I’m impressed and I have seen enough to know what I am going to recommend for you.”

“Like what?” he asked.

What could possibly require balance?

“Two orphans are in the infirmary with broken limbs after cleaning the tower.”

“What happened to them?”

“A massive bird flew at them and they slipped clean off the rain-soaked roof. They bounced off the tree, fortunately for them. Their fate was better than my predecessor who had to be scraped off the ground.” She grinned. “You’ll be my new replacement.”

The Tower? Was she crazy?

She shooed him out the door. “Good day to you.”

Again, waiting for him was Finneas. He snatched Grim by the arm before he could say a word.

Grim was then dragged down long corridors that seemingly had no end, into rooms where he faced yet someone new each time. With Master Galan, who was the new Alchemist, Grim knew little about what things needed to be mixed together. The man decided that even though he could not use him as a servant, he would teach him what he could, knowing he was new to this world.

Then there was Master Rickett, the Caretaker — the same man he saw Aunt Patrice talking to in the corridor earlier. Grim walked through piles and rows of items that needed repair. Most of the things in the room ticked and hooted when Grim approached them. There were bugs flying about the room that reminded him of fireflies, but they were sinth.

The old man was at the back of the room. He had a monocle covering one of his eyes and was a gruff looking fellow with wild gray hair that looked as if a windstorm had swept through it.

He paused to look at Grim, motioned him over, and then returned to working on whatever was in his hands.

The object in front of him appeared as if it were some sort of metallic spider. And when Master Rickett poked a part of the body with a probing device, the legs would jerk sporadically.

“What is that?” Grim asked.

Master Rickett lifted the other eyebrow, the bushier one, and paused. “Haven’t decided.”

Grim laughed. “You don’t know what it is?”

“You’d be surprised what you can do if you just give your hands a little freedom. Sometimes it’s utter junk. And sometimes it’s worse than junk. But every once in a while you create something that has promise. That’s the nature of tinkering, boy.”

 “Can I watch?” Grim asked and settled himself on the floor in front of a hodge-podge of junk. He picked up a piece of chain.

“Pass me that. That’s exactly what I need.”

Grim passed him the chain and watched as Master Rickett attached it to the spider-creature, deep inside its body.

“What else do your hands tell you, boy?”

Grim shrugged and grabbed a pincer-like object. It appeared quite sharp.

 “Good, good.” Master Rickett took it and fastened it under an item that looked like a head.

“Again,” he said.

Grim grabbed some red crystals this time.

“Very good.” The man snatched them up, placing them inside the metal skull. “More!”

Grim then began grabbing various cogs and gears, handing them to the tinkerer as fast as his hands could move. And every time Master Rickett would place each inside the metal creature, all the while shouting words like: “Astounding!” and “Magnificent!”

Then Grim paused.

“What is it, boy?”

He looked about the pile. His fingers hesitated and hovered over a shimmering blue sphere.

“Well?”

Grim looked at the old man and saw a twinkle in his eyes. And there was something else there as well, like Master Rickett was studying him. Grim grabbed the stone. “This is the last item. There’s nothing else.”

“Where does it belong?”

Grim looked inside the spider creature and as he held the stone it seemed to beat like a heart. He knew exactly where it belonged. With a swift motion he placed it inside. He pulled his hand away as he heard a whirring sound and the squeaking of metal on metal. Red beacons glowed in its head and the thing rubbed against Grim’s leg. He could swear it was almost purring.

“Good hands, boy.” He nodded his head towards the door. “I’ll call on you when I need you.”

The spider-like creature started to follow Grim.

“Take her with you,” Master Rickett said. “She’s yours.”

“Mine?”

He nodded. “Give her a name, boy.”

Grim bent over and picked the spider creature up. It
was
purring. Its red eyes blinked.

“Scarlet,” he said.

The spider creature wiggled its pincers and then settled down in Grim’s hands.

“She likes it.”

“Thanks,” Grim said and stepped out the door to find Finneas Keltin once more.

“Last room,” Finneas said, as he led Grim down the hall. He casually glanced at Scarlet perched on Grim’s shoulder.

Grim stepped inside the final door.

The room was bereft of any decoration or furniture; just a cold, empty space. It had no window.

Waiting for him was Aunt Patrice. Her face looked sad and more wrinkled than usual. As the door closed behind him, Grim looked for any other presence in the room.

They were alone.

“Hello, Grimwald,” Aunt Patrice greeted. She leaned on her umbrella. “It is good to see you, child.”

“It’s nice to see you too,” Grim returned. He let Scarlet down to investigate the room.

“I’m sure you have much to ask since your arrival here, but let’s get down to why I am here first.”

Grim nodded.

“I need you to keep your sister’s feet on the ground. Someone needs to keep her in check.”

“Sure,” he said. “I’ll keep an eye on Ellen.”

“I’m not referring to Ellen.”

“Oh,” he said. “You mean Rudy.”

The old woman nodded. “Rudolpha will be the Lady of Harland Manor one day. She needs to have a level head. And if there is anyone that can keep her rooted to the ground, it’s you.”

He said nothing.

“Now, with that said, you will need to work with her; watch over her. Keep her out of mischief. And keep her safe.”

He rolled his eyes.

“In addition you will learn from Master Rickett. There are few that are gifted in his art, and he’s not getting any younger. Master Rickett was quite taken with you and Sam. I will have Madam Malkim see to it that you both work with him.”

He nodded.

“Ellenova will be working with laundry and kitchen duty. You will work with her from time to time to watch over her as well.”

“What about the twins?” he asked.

“Bensworth and Barnsworth will be cleaning. Goodness knows they need to learn how. You and Rudy, both, will join them.”

Ugh.

“I’m not finished,” she said, studying the look of surprise on his face. “You did well reading with Master Cobblepot, a little too well. You have much to learn of this world, and he is the only one who can ready you with that information. You will work with him as well.”

“How am I going to do all that?”

“It’s not uncommon to be put to multiple uses around here. There are others who will work just as hard. You’ll manage. Your Dad did.” Aunt Patrice studied Grim for a moment before nodding her head. “All right then, child. Now, is there anything else?”

“Yes,” he said. “The Anniversary. I thought we should tell Dad and Pop. They could come in disguise.”

“Clever. More than likely they will be attending, in disguise as you put it. I will let you know of their plans as soon as I am able.” She eyed Scarlet poking at the floor boards. “I must go now. Please wait here for Finneas to return.”

She left Grim in the room, alone with his thoughts and the whirring sound of Scarlet searching through the room. She now seemed fascinated with a painting on the wall.

A few moments later, Finneas Keltin entered. “Are you ready?” he asked.

“Yes,” Grim said. “Am I finished?”

“The others are already waiting.”

He found them in a rather refined-looking room with an elaborate rug, comfy chairs and a shiny round table that glimmered with one’s reflection.

Rudy hustled over with Treena behind her. “So, how did it go?”

He told them, but kept the conversation with Aunt Patrice to himself.

Rudy nodded during the entire thing while yanking on her pigtails. He could tell she felt as overwhelmed.

Grim sat down. “So, how did it go for you?” he asked Treena.

“That horrid Madam Adelaide was just cruel,” she said. “She must have thrown that ball at me ten times.” She rubbed her head. “I couldn’t even stand on the pillar, let alone walk across that plank. She said she was surprised I can stand on my own two feet and said she needs help cleaning the sewers. She also said she intends to have me cleaning the tower by the end of the month.”

Grim shuddered. That was just cruel.

Rudy put her hand on Treena’s shoulder. “I’ll help you,” she said. “I did pretty good with her.”

“You impressed that horrible muscle-woman?”

Both Rudy and Grim nodded.

Grim turned to his sister. “Ellen, what about you?”

Ellen frowned while she adjusted her dress. “Dirty laundry stinks.” She looked at the spider creature on Grim’s shoulder. “What’s that?”

“This is Scarlet. I made her,” he said. The spider inched down his arm and jumped to one of the chairs. Ellen put her hand over to let it crawl up her arm. She giggled. “I like her.”

“Why don’t you take care of her for now?” Grim suggested.

Ellen smiled after that.

The twins were quiet and subdued for a change. Even Scarlet didn’t seem to interest them. “Cleaning,” they muttered.

The only other one smiling was Sam. “I’m going to fix things,” he said. He reached over to pet Scarlet as the door opened.

Madam Malkim strode in.

She casually brushed her eyebrows and adjusted her pristine white gloves. She studied herself in the mirror.

“You,” she said, pointing to Grim, “come with me.”

Grim followed her out the door, almost running to keep up. Madam Malkim led him down the hall to a simple room that was like the House of Mirrors at a carnival. He didn’t look in them. He just kept walking, especially after he thought he caught the face of an old man in one.

With a swift, silent gesture of her hand Madam Malkim directed Grim into the next room where there were two chairs with a large desk separating them. She motioned for Grim to sit. The chair adjusted itself to suit him.

“Now,” she said. “I have heard interesting things about you. Many of our staff believe you to be quite talented. We need talent here. Running the orphanage takes intelligence.” She handed Grim a piece of parchment. “Your duties.”

Grim looked it over and nearly groaned. Every hour of the day was filled.

“By law I must give you a half-day off every two weeks. Other than that, you will work as requested. If you are sick, these forms must be filled out.” She pointed to a stack of them on her shelf. “They cannot be filed while you are scheduled to work.”

“That’s fine,” Grim said. That meant they’d have to be filed on his time off.

“As well, these forms,” she said, gesturing towards the remainder of the shelves, “are for your compensation, time tracking, deliveries, substitutions, accidents, and bereavement. All must be filled out off-schedule. And if they are not done in a timely manner, you owe me work in lieu.” Her grin stretched from ear to ear.

Again Grim nodded.
So much for that half-day off
.