CHAPTER 57: DANGEROUS WORK

Sara Ashford stood in the dim warehouse, staring at the pile of materials scattered across the wooden table. Metal pipes, iron nails, strange metal beads that looked like tiny spheres. What was the metal pipe for? She couldn't understand half of what Marcus had collected.

She picked up one of the notebooks he'd given her, squinting at his handwriting in the flickering candlelight. The formulas looked complex even in his simple alphabet. Some of the words were completely new to her.

"Metal shavings," she read aloud, then looked at the pile of iron filings. "Saltpeter. Charcoal powder." She could identify most of the ingredients now, but mixing them in the right proportions? That was gonna take time.

Sara sighed and wiped her hands on her apron. This wasn't exactly the kind of work a proper lady was supposed to be doing. Then again, she thought bitterly, maybe that's why Aldric never sees me as a woman. Always covered in soot or ink stains or now, potentially explosive powders.

She carefully measured out small amounts according to Marcus's instructions, mixing them in a wooden bowl. The warehouse felt safer than her tiny room at the boarding house, but it was also lonely. Every sound outside made her jump.

After an hour of careful work, Sara decided she needed more supplies. Marcus's list called for finer metal filings than what she had, and she was running low on the special charcoal.

She covered her work with a cloth and headed out into the afternoon sun. The eastern district was busier than usual. Merchants calling out prices, children dodging between carts. Normal people living normal lives, not mixing dangerous powders in secret warehouses.

As she walked toward the metalworkers' quarter, Sara spotted a familiar figure ahead. Aldric was standing outside a prosperous-looking shop, talking to someone.

Her heart did a little skip until she recognized the other person. Lord Brightmore. That man again, she thought with annoyance. Every time she saw him around Aldric, it meant trouble.

Sara slowed her pace and tried to look casual as she approached. Aldric was signing some kind of document while Lord Brightmore handed him what looked like a small purse. Money was changing hands, and from Aldric's expression, it was more than their soap business typically brought in.

This doesn't make sense, Sara thought. Lord Brightmore was wealthy. Why would he need anything from Aldric's shop? And why was Aldric looking so nervous?

She ducked behind a fruit cart and watched as they finished their business. Lord Brightmore clapped Aldric on the shoulder like they were old friends, then walked away with a satisfied smile.

Sara waited until he was gone, then continued toward the metalworkers. She'd ask Aldric about it later. Right now, she had more important things to worry about.

After buying what she needed, Sara started the walk back to her boarding house. She wanted to collect her cousins to help carry the heavier supplies to the warehouse. At least with them around, she'd feel safer.

But as she turned onto her street, Aldric caught up with her.

"Sara! Wait up!"

She turned, forcing a smile. "Hi, Aldric. How was your day?"

His face was grim. "Sara, I have news. Bad news." He glanced around nervously. "About Marcus and the Academy people."

Sara's stomach dropped. "What kind of news?"

"They caught them. Marcus, all the officials he was working with against Lord Varek. The King's Guard arrested them last night."

The packages in Sara's arms suddenly felt impossibly heavy. "Arrested? For what?"

"Treason. Conspiracy against the crown." Aldric's voice was barely above a whisper. "Sara, if they start investigating everyone connected to Marcus, they might come looking for us too."

Sara thought about the warehouse, the notebooks, the dangerous materials she'd been mixing. If the King's Guard found any of that...

"I have to go," she said quickly.

"Sara, wait-"

But she was already walking away, her mind racing. She couldn't go collect her cousins now. If the authorities were watching people connected to Marcus, involving her family would put them at risk too.

And she couldn't go to her boarding house either. What if they were watching her? What if they searched her room?

No, there was only one place to go. Back to the warehouse. Back to Marcus's work.

He'd trusted her with something important. Something he thought might make a difference. And even if he was sitting in a prison cell right now, even if she was scared and alone and completely out of her depth, she wasn't going to let him down.

Sara changed direction and headed for the eastern district. The warehouse was hidden enough that she could stay there for a while. Maybe a few days, until she figured out what to do next.

As she walked, she thought about Marcus's instructions. The mixing ratios, the timing, the warnings about safety. He'd been so careful to explain everything, like he knew he might not be around to help.

Well, he was right about that.

Sara pulled her hood up and quickened her pace. She had work to do. Dangerous work that could get her killed or arrested or worse. But it was Marcus's work, and that made it important.

Even if she was just a working girl who cleaned shops and mixed inks, she could do this. She had to.

The sun was setting by the time she reached the warehouse. Sara lit her candles, pulled out the notebooks, and got back to work. Outside, Drakmoor continued its daily life, unaware that in a forgotten corner of the eastern district, a young woman was carefully mixing the ingredients for something that had never existed in their world before.

Something that might change everything.

Or might just blow up in her face.

Either way, she was committed now.