Page 110 of Only Cold Depths
A bitter laugh spewed from my lips. Then another one . . . then another one . . . The loud, harsh sounds startled Asterin, Zane, and Wendell, who all exchanged worried glances.
“Vesper?” Wendell asked. “What’s wrong?”
My laughter finally died down. I opened my mouth to tell him what I’d figured out, but at the last second, I clamped my lips shut. The information would only hurt his feelings, which was the last thing I wanted to do right now.
“Everything’s wrong,” I muttered.
“Well, I’m here now,” Wendell said in a gentle voice. “Perhaps we can figure out a solution together. How can I help?”
Once again, my heart squeezed at his words, but I hesitated. I still wasn’t sure if I could fully trust Zane and Wendell, especially with a weapon that could so greatly benefit House Zimmer, but Zane had already seen me fix the cannon, and Wendell was bound to figure out how to do the same thing. So I showed Wendell the lunarium and solar wiring inside the magazine and explained how adding the right amount of sapphsidian was the key to stabilizing the cannon’s power source.
His face brightened. “Of course! I should have thought of that myself, especially given all the stormswords I’ve examined over the years.”
“But now I have another problem. I can’t give the cannon to Esmina and Pollux.”
Or their partner in crime, although I didn’t mention that. I needed some time to think about the person pulling the mercenaries’ strings—and figure out how I could use the information to my advantage.
Wendell’s gaze flicked over to the cannon, then up to the holograms still hovering in the air. “You’re wrong, Vesper. Youcangive the cannon to Esmina and Pollux.”
“What do you mean?”
He stabbed his finger at my last simulation, the one that had finally been successful. “You give the weapon to them—and then you take it away.”
Wendell swiped his fingers through the hologram, removing the sapphsidian pieces and leaving behind the original magazine—the one that would only fire a few times before it overheated and fried the cannon.
“You could even add a little something extra to the cannon.” He tapped some keys, running another simulation that had a very interesting result.
Asterin nodded. “That’s brilliant.”
Wendell shrugged. “I have my moments. If Vesper thinks it will work? It is her design.”
“Asterin’s right,” I replied. “It’s brilliant.”
A sly grin spread across my father’s face, and I found myself grinning back at him.
“I hate to break up the father-daughter bonding moment, but we have another problem,” Zane said. “Esmina and Pollux will let Vesper walk right into the mining museum, but they won’t be so kind to Asterin and me. The mercs will shoot us on sight.”
Wendell squared his shoulders. “I’m coming too.”
“No,” Zane and I replied in unison.
The two of us looked at each other, then Zane focused on Wendell. “You’ve done your part, Father,” he said. “Fixing things is what you do best. Well, fighting is what I do best, so leave it to me.”
After a few seconds, Wendell gave a reluctant nod.
“Zane is right,” Asterin chimed in. “We need to find some way to sneak into the museum, but how? The mercenaries are sure to have the latest scanners and equipment.”
“Actually, I have an idea about that.” Zane pulled up his jacket and shirtsleeve, revealing a wide silver band circling his left wrist.
My eyes narrowed. “Is that Jorge Rojillo’s temperature-shielding wristwatch? How did you get one of those?”
“I stole it,” Zane replied in a cheerful voice. “Lord Jorge tossed it across his workshop in a fit of temper the night of the summer solstice, and I thought it might come in handy.”
Asterin frowned. “How will climate-control tech help us sneak past the mercenaries?”
Zane grinned at her. “I’m glad you asked, although you just answered your own question.”
Asterin and Wendell exchanged confused looks, but the longer I stared at the wristwatch, the more my mind started to churn. Suddenly, I could seeexactlywhat Zane was talking about.
