The Airship Race (Clockwork Calico Book 3) Read online

  “Do you think the cellar leads into the house?” Emmit asked.

  She sighed. “There’s only one way to find out.”

  When the mouse stepped toward the opening, Cali blocked him with her paw. “It might be dangerous.”

  Waving his paws, he replied, “Even Morcroft wouldn’t place security in a root cellar. I’ll be fine.”

  Cali clenched her teeth but said nothing. Moving her paw from his path, she watched as her friend disappeared inside the hole. Ten seconds passed, then twenty. After thirty seconds, she was flat on her stomach, peering inside the opening. She jumped back when a shadow came into view.

  “We’re in luck!” Emmit announced, popping his head out of the hole. “There are mouse droppings everywhere!”

  “Is that a good thing?” she asked, confused.

  “Yes,” he answered. “It’s a trail that leads straight into the kitchen.”

  “That is a good thing,” she admitted. She scanned the back of the manor, scrutinizing every window. Not all of them were armed. Nearly a third of them appeared blue and cool to her heat-sensing eye. The problem was, she didn’t know which window might be in the kitchen, and she didn’t want Emmit laying hands on the wrong one.

  Now there were two choices. She could scratch her way into the cellar, leaving behind a large opening and evidence that someone had been inside, or she could somehow lead Emmit to the correct window.

  “I know,” she said, thinking out loud.

  “You know what?” Emmit asked.

  “Follow the trail to the kitchen,” she said. “I’ll project a small dot of purple light with this.” She tapped the rim of her mechanical eye. “If you see my light shining through the window, open it, and I’ll climb up to you.”

  “And if there isn’t?” he asked.

  “Then make your way through the halls, and make sure to go slowly and stay safe,” she said. “Try to find my light in one of the other windows, but don’t touch any of them except the one where you see the light.”

  “Got it,” Emmit said. He took in a deep breath before disappearing into the cellar.

  Cali moved back from the cellar door and began fiddling with her eyepiece. Turning it toward the sunlight, she positioned the lens to reflect the light. As expected, a small, round beam of purple projected on the back of the manor. Adjusting her angle, she sent the light directly through an unarmed window. Counting the seconds as they ticked past, she hoped Emmit would quickly find the light. Her breaths came in shallow spurts, her jaw firmly clenched.

  Come on, Emmit, she thought. Please be safe in there.

  * * * * *

  Emmit padded slowly through the root cellar, the scent of potatoes and carrots easing his anxiety. Food always did that for him. It was comfort when the world became dreary, and the little mouse loved to eat. Gathering his courage, he followed the trail of mouse droppings through the wall and inside the manor.

  All was dark inside, save for a few soft-glowing lights affixed high on the walls. Emmit suspected there was more to them than light. They were probably part of the security system, allowing cameras enough light to detect intruders. It was also possible they were programmed to send out bolts of lightning, so he crept past each with caution. Repeating to himself that other mice had passed this way in safety, he managed to keep from panicking.

  The kitchen itself was covered in a layer of dust. The table and counters had gone unused for some time, probably weeks. He wondered if Morcroft wasn’t a fan of home-cooked meals. Approaching the window, he looked for any sign of Cali’s light. Nothing purple caught his attention. Only minimal sunlight came through the drab gray curtains.

  Emmit knew it wouldn’t be that easy. Now he’d have to go searching for her light. Peering out each side of the doorway, he checked for any sign of a sentry. He saw nothing, but that didn’t mean he was alone. Keeping his paws silent, he crept along the corridor to the next room.

  Apparently this was the library, or one of them. Books filled a dozen or more shelves, not a space left among them. A single high-back chair covered in worn red fabric stood near an unused fireplace. It was the sort of room a mouse like Emmit might enjoy, had it not been in Morcroft’s home. The little mouse dearly loved to read, and a wealthy man probably owned books a mouse could only dream of. But this was no time for stories. He had to get Cali inside before Morcroft returned home.

  He studied the library window but found no sign of purple light. Returning to the corridor, he checked again to be sure the coast was clear. The next room was a bedroom. Emmit stopped cold in the doorway. Was this where Morcroft slept? He shook his head. Surely there were many bedrooms in a house this size. Morcroft probably slept on the upper floor so he could look down on the world.

  But as the mouse looked around, he noticed that a pair of slippers were next to the bed, and a shirt was strewn over the back of a chair. A half-filled cup of water had been placed on the nightstand, and the bedclothes were in disarray. The room had been used quite recently, so unless the Guild leader had a roommate, this must be his own room.

  The thought sent a shudder through Emmit. He could almost feel the vile man’s presence. What would he do if he caught a mouse in his home? Probably use the unfortunate creature for one of his experiments. Glancing all around, he checked for any sign of a mousetrap or a mechanical cat. There was no telling to what lengths Morcroft would go in order to keep mice away from his bedroom. Moving near the window, he hoped he wouldn’t see the light. He wanted out of this particular room as quickly as possible.

  One look revealed nothing, and he began to turn away. But as he did, a gleam of purple flashed in the corner of his eye. Projected on the wall was a small disk of purple light. It had to be Cali. His shoulders fell as he resigned himself to spending more time in the room. He gently placed his paws on the window latch and released it. When he pushed the window outward, its hinge gave an audible creak. He cringed, bracing himself for a nasty shock, but it never came. Cali’s eyes had seen correctly. The window was not armed.

  Startled by the sudden creaking of the window, Cali jumped back. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Emmit perched on the windowsill. He had made it in safely and managed to find her light. Shifting all power to her haunches, she leapt at the window and grabbed hold of the windowsill to pull herself inside.

  Taking in her surroundings, she asked, “Is this Morcroft’s bedroom?”

  “I think so,” Emmit replied.

  Cali took a long look at the water cup on his nightstand. “I think that’s a denture cup,” she said.

  “Denture cup?” the mouse asked.

  “Yes, to soak them clean,” she replied. “I didn’t realize Morcroft had false teeth.”

  Emmit shrugged. “Where do you think the plans are?”

  “This is probably a good room to search,” she answered. She scanned each corner and up and down the walls for any sign of security. With the window unarmed, there had to be something in this room to protect Morcroft’s private bedchamber.

  As the pair stood in silence, Cali swiveled her ears, listening. The ticking of a large clock in a nearby room meant little. It sounded like any ordinary clock. But a faint whirring sounded close by, and she was certain it was a security mechanism. Closing her eyes and holding her breath, she blocked out the input of sight or smell. With those distractions gone, she focused all her energy on the sound.

  “Over there,” she said, pointing a paw toward a large wardrobe. Keeping low to the ground, she approached the piece of furniture but stopped two feet away.

  “What is it?” Emmit whispered.

  A single click was his answer. The two looked at each other and then back at the wardrobe. The wooden doors flew open, a burst of cold air escaping. Cali grabbed Emmit and darted around the corner of the wardrobe, avoiding whatever device was inside.

  “Let me have a look,” Emmit said.

  Cali released the iron grip she had on the mouse. She hoped she hadn’t squeezed him too tightly.
r />   Emmit moved closer to the bottom of the wardrobe. He spotted a camera, mounted to the back wall, and there was something else next to it. Exposed to the cold air inside, he shivered. Was that a pipe? “Cali, I think there’s a pipe in here.”

  “Don’t touch it,” she cautioned. “It probably shoots arrows or poison gas.” She wouldn’t put anything past Morcroft.

  One glance at the opposite wall revealed something shocking. “Cali! Look!”

  Projected on the wall was an image of the area in front of the wardrobe. “The camera is his mirror?” Cali couldn’t believe it. The camera wasn’t a security device, but rather a way for Morcroft to see his own image when getting dressed. But why did he need a pipe to provide cold air?

  “Moths,” she said, answering her own question.

  “What?” the mouse asked.

  “The cold air keeps moths away,” she said. “It’s to protect his clothes.”

  Emmit wiped his brow and shook his head. “Well that’s a relief. I thought he was trying to freeze-dry his enemies.”

  The two shared a brief laugh, the mood somewhat lightened. Yet the gravity of their situation remained the same. They needed the schematics, and they didn’t want to stay too long inside the manor.

  “Have a look inside the wardrobe and see if you can find anything,” she said. “I’m going to look for any loose floorboards.” She began systematically pulling at each strip of flooring, hoping to find one that was loose. After several minutes she’d completed her task and come up empty. She checked beneath the mattress and inside the nightstand, but found nothing.

  “There aren’t any papers in here,” the mouse said, completing his search.

  “Then we’ll have to try elsewhere,” she said. “I bet you anything there’s a safe somewhere in here.”

  “It’s probably on the ground floor,” the mouse said. “Knowing Morcroft, it’ll be a large, heavy one that couldn’t be placed on the second floor.”

  “Good thinking,” she said. If he was right, they’d have to search only half the house. “But first things first,” she said. “We have to avoid all of his security devices and disable them if we can find the master switch.”

  Emmit groaned. “I was afraid of that.”

  “Don’t look so glum,” she replied. “I have an idea.”

  “Somewhere in the walls, you’re going to come across electrical wiring,” Cali said. “If you can follow it to its source, you can disable the security system.”

  “You make it sound simple,” the mouse replied, crossing his arms.

  “It is,” she replied. “You’ll be out of view of any security devices, meaning you’re completely safe from harm and can move about freely.”

  Emmit considered it for a moment. “That’s probably true.”

  “All you have to do is listen for a high-pitched whirring. When it gets louder, that’s your signal that you’re nearing the power source.”

  “But how do I disable it once I find it?” he asked. He knew little of electrical wiring. One thing he did know was that biting through wires could result in his own demise.

  “I’m certain you’ll find a switch,” she replied. “All you need to do is switch it to the off position.”

  “How can you be sure?” he asked.

  “Because it’s the simplest design,” she said. “Morcroft rarely comes up with his own inventions. I’ll bet you anything he’s gone with the most common, and that involves a simple switch.”

  “I hope you’re right,” he said.

  “I am,” she replied. “The switch will be well-hidden from my side of the wall. That’s how they prevent thieves from finding it.” Grinning, she added, “But thieves seldom travel through walls.”

  “How does Morcroft shut it on and off?” the mouse wondered.

  “He likely has it hidden behind a picture, shelf, or a portion of false wall,” she replied. “But from this side, it likely requires a key to access it.”

  “The library,” Emmit said. “I bet it was in there. I’ll go that way first.”

  “Just follow your ears,” she replied. “And be careful not to touch any wires.” That advice went without saying, but she didn’t want him burned or electrocuted.

  “Are you going to wait here?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “I’m going to locate the safe.” There was no time to stand around. Morcroft could return home at any moment, and she didn’t want to flee without finding those schematics.

  “All right, but be careful,” he cautioned.

  “Of course,” she replied, her tone confident.

  The little mouse darted across the room and turned toward the kitchen. Cali heard a faint scratching sound, indicating that he had re-entered the hole in the wall. Confident that he was in the safest place possible, she began to scan the room for any dangerous contraptions.

  Finding the bedroom surprisingly void of security, she proceeded into the main hall. Immediately she spotted cameras in various locations. Making note of their angles, she waited to see if any were moving. Two were. They swept in a wide arc, searching for any sign of intruders. She didn’t know whether her feline shape would trigger any defense mechanisms, and she had no desire to test them. Instead, she kept close to the walls, moving directly beneath each camera to stay out of its view. It was a long, tedious path through the house, but it was the safest route.

  She inspected two other rooms, finding no sign of a safe or hidden compartments. When she re-emerged into the main hall, her ears flattened. A spine-chilling ree-a-ree, sounded again and again, irritating her delicate ears. Zooming in with her special eye, she focused where the sound had originated. A sentry, half the height of a man, rolled across the floor. Set to a long search pattern, it entered a room, spun in a slow circle, then exited again to resume its course. It did the same with the next room before proceeding along the main corridor.

  Cali made note of the height of the sentry’s head. When it examined the rooms, it swept left to right, not up and down. As it neared her location, she sprang, leaping vertically to the doorframe above her. Digging in with her metal claws, she held herself aloft as the sentry went about its duty. Finding nothing, it returned to the hallway, its back to the feline intruder.

  Returning to her feet, she marveled at the simplicity of it all. She had feared Morcroft’s home would harbor the pinnacle of technology. It didn’t. It had only a few designs, two of them Lionel’s. The rest, such as the sentry, were expensive and innovative, but there was no sign of anything unique or unusual. Cali had given Morcroft too much credit for his intelligence. He was no inventor. He was a thief, stealing designs from remarkable tinkers like Lionel and putting his own name to them.

  Finding nothing in this wing of the house, Cali decided to try the opposite wing. She entered the main foyer, her fur bristling. She spotted the camera at once and easily avoided its gaze. When she moved to her right, her eye picked up a faint outline of yellow. A square portion of floor was a warmer temperature than its surroundings. Curious, she approached it with caution. With her green eye, she saw nothing but floor. It appeared no different from the wooden slats around it.

  With her mechanical eye, however, it was quite different. A second scan revealed metal, not wood. Textured and colored to match the floor, the metal was unrecognizable to the average viewer. But there was nothing average about Cali. Could this be a hidden compartment? She traced a claw around the metal and pulled gently. It didn’t budge. Pressing its edge, she felt a slight movement to the side. Its position wasn’t fixed, but it wasn’t designed to be lifted away.

  A pressure plate, she realized. Had she placed her weight on the square of metal, it would have triggered a trap. Glancing at the walls, she wondered what punishment awaited the hapless soul who set foot on this plate. Taking care to avoid it, she moved in a wide arc, scanning each section of floor before stepping on it.

  This new wing was much the same as the other. She found another library, where books were stacked to the ceiling.
This one seemed to be receiving the most use. Papers lay everywhere, and she searched through each stack, hoping she would find the plans she needed. Unfortunately, none of them were airship schematics. The vast majority were news clippings from all over the world. Emmit would enjoy this room, but he still hadn’t returned from his trip inside the walls. Judging by the green light on the library’s camera, she knew he had yet to disable the security system.

  After finding a dust-laden bedroom, she became disheartened. Would she ever find what she was after? Plodding along the hallway, she stopped in front of a closed door. Curious. It was the only room in the house that remained shut. All the other rooms’ doors stood wide open. Could this be the one?

  Peering in through the keyhole, she spied only darkness. It was what she heard, rather than what she saw, that made her certain this was the room. A faint hissing of gas forced through a pipe sounded on the opposite side of the door. She looked again through the keyhole. Could the darkness be the end of a pipe? She placed a paw on the doorknob but didn’t twist it. What if it triggered a trap? Gas could come pouring out of the keyhole. Whether it was designed to render her unconscious or poison her, she couldn’t be sure. Neither sounded too far for Morcroft to go in his desire to protect his possessions.

  Certain that this was the correct room, she removed her paw from the doorknob. She’d have to find another way in. The room to its left was all but empty, only a single chair and a fireplace full of cobwebs awaited her inside. She contemplated the flue, but heading up to the roof would do her little good. She’d have to slide down every chimney in the manor, and there was no guarantee the protected room had a fireplace.

  A gentle breeze rustled her fur, and she turned to face it. A vent! High up on the ceiling was the latest in home heating and cooling. Morcroft had spared no expense when it came to his personal comfort. In a single leap, she grasped the vent and pulled the cover away. Sliding inside, she replaced the cover behind her. All was dark and quiet inside, save for the gentle flowing of fresh air. Taking great care with her steps, she moved into the next room, avoiding the gas trap at the door.