Page 108 of Prince of the Undying

“Excellent!”

He rubbed his hands together. Humming, he hurried to the Eisenkrieger and unlatched a metal door in the chest, revealing the pilot’s chair inside the cockpit. I unbuckled Chun Yi’s scabbard from my belt. Touching the sword brought a boost of courage.

“Let me give you a hand,” Konstantin said.

“Thanks.”

He grasped me at the waist and boosted me into the cockpit. I twisted around and lowered myself into the seat. I found bootsfor my feet to slide inside, and articulated metal gloves for my hands.

“Now for power,” Konstantin said. “The ignition should be near your left shoulder.”

“Inside the Eisenkrieger?”

“Yes. Twist the key.”

I peered inside the cockpit. Right over my heart, I found a slot with a key. I slipped my right hand from the metal glove. The key turned with a click, and the Eisenkrieger shuddered to life. Deep rumbling vibrated through the steel and reverberated through my chest.

Konstantin danced back. “Carefully, now!”

When I flexed my fingers, the Eisenkrieger’s metal fingers clinked together. I raised my arm and the Eisenkrieger’s arm swung upward. Power hummed through the giant metal body. I had never felt so strong before.

I waved at him. “How is this?”

“Impressive!” He laughed. “You have a knack for it.”

Another archmage came running down the laboratory, her white coat billowing behind her in the wind of her speed. She had the lean look of someone who never stopped moving, and she glanced between us with a grin.

Konstantin greeted her with a smile. “Archmage Carol!”

“Found a better test pilot?” Carol asked.

Better? Hopefully the last pilot hadn’t died.

Konstantin nodded. “Ardis will be helping us today. Is the other prototype ready?”

She waved us onward. “Come and see for yourself.”

Archmage Carol jogged deeper into the laboratory. Konstantin hurried to follow her. She easily outpaced even his long strides.

Konstantin glanced back. “Ardis?”

Clenching my jaw, I took one step. The Eisenkrieger’s massive metal foot swung forward and clunked on the floor. I tensed, worrying it would be unsteady, but it seemed to borrow my sense of balance. Another step. Then another. After only three lumbering strides, I had already caught up with Archmage Carol.

“That’s it,” Carol said. “Nice and slow.”

“Slow?” I laughed. “How fast is this thing when it runs?”

“The prototype is twice as fast as your average soldier.”

“Damn.”

“The technomancy in our Eisenkriegers combines the speed and strength of the machine with the skill of the pilot. The pneumatics aren’t always flawless, though. That’s what happened to the second prototype.”

We reached the far end of the laboratory. The second Eisenkrieger lay on its back on a massive flatbed trolley. The metal plate on its shin had been removed, revealing the gleaming oiled innards of its leg.

“Konstantin?” Carol asked. “When do you need this up and running?”

Out of breath, he caught up with us. “Not literally up and running. Powered should be sufficient.”

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