A Clockwork Fairytale by Helen Scott Taylor Page B

been detained by frivolity? Turk released Melba and stepped back. He must remember that transforming her into a young lady was a job. His success was important to the fate of Malverne Isle and to the Shining Brotherhood. He brushed the gliss off his jacket as he made his way to the door. “I must be off. I’ve work to do.”
    Acting as Melba’s lady’s maid was a mistake that would not happen again. He must guard against his instinct to please her lest he forget his duty. He wiped his face and dusted the rest of the gold powder from his jacket with a handkerchief. As he descended the stairs, he whispered a prayer to the Great Earth Jinn and his heartbeat calmed. All would be well. This was simply one more challenge he must overcome in pursuit of his duty.
    Then he heard Melba’s bedchamber door open and she shouted down, “Don’t be late back, sir. I’ll need you to undo me dress at bedtime.”

Chapter Six

    Earth gives and Earth takes away .
    —Master Turk

    Just walking along the mucky street in the third circle made Vittorio feel dirty. He’d only endured his time as a ship’s captain working with the scum who unloaded the ships in the outer circle because he knew he didn’t belong among them. As Royal Victualler, he was within reach of his goal. Just because his father Gregorio had abdicated the throne and failed to acknowledge him as his son, did not mean he would give up his rightful claim to succession. In a few more months, his plan to regain his birthright would come to fruition and he would never have to set foot in the outer circles again.
    He hugged the shadows, pausing in an alley a few doors down from the baker’s shop where fourteen years ago he’d left the baby princess.
    The shop was closed at this late hour, but the yeasty smell of bread still hung in the air. The yellow light of an oil lantern lit the small grubby upstairs window while the flickering light from a candle penetrated the crack between the shutters downstairs.
    A faint footfall warned that someone was stalking him under cover of darkness. Just let the blighter try something. Vittorio enjoyed turning the tables on the scum when he had the chance. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a blade glint in the moonlight. “You lost your way, sir?” the man asked with a sly chuckle.
    Palming his dagger, Vittorio swung around to face the man. He slipped his other hand in his jacket pocket to find the tiny ice-cold tin beetle containing a Foul Jinn. “No. But you’re about to lose your sanity.”
    The small tin doodad was a gift for Master Maddox, but Vittorio could spare a taste of terror for the would-be attacker if necessary. The ruffian must have had a trace of latent power, because the whites of his eyes flashed in the moonlight as he sensed the malevolence of the Jinn. With a scuffle of boots, the man fled into the darkness.
    Vittorio resheathed his dagger and returned his attention to the baker’s shop. Once the night was quiet again, he made his way across the dirty, rutted alley to the front door. He thumped with the side of his fist, rattling the wood in its frame.
    Metal grated on the other side of the door as the bolts were drawn back. With a creak of hinges, the door cracked open and a dirty face with a bent nose and two missing teeth appeared in the gap. Vittorio winced and prayed to the Great Earth Jinn that this was not the princess he intended to marry. He threw his weight against the door and barged into the unlit room. The ragamuffin cried out and stumbled back to huddle with two others in a doorway. One of them had to be Princess Melbaline.
    Vittorio grabbed the nearest by the scruff and went to the adjoining storeroom where a lone candle burned on a small scarred table among stacks of boxes and heaps of sacks. He thrust the tyke’s face close to the glow, only to release him the moment he noticed his dark hair. The princess had been blonde like her mother. He lunged and grabbed the other two, lifting them off the