Agatha H. And the Clockwork Princess Read Free

Storm Knights, led by Hugomont, his aide-de-camp, were there. The man shrugged apologetically. Valois waved it off, the old fellow had done wonders, Andronicus had easily had almost fifteen minutes to himself.
    Hugomont spoke. “Your Majesty! The Heterodynes are approaching! You must prepare!”
    The Storm King nodded, squared his shoulders and allowed himself to be led away to his destiny.
    The Muses watched him leave, and then, as one, swiveled about to look down upon the approaching procession.
    “Because, my King,” Artimo said softly, “It is too late to change anything.”

CHAPTER 1
    SCENE; A small cottage. Table. 3 Chairs. Shutters on the windows. Sturdy door. PRINCESS VIONA & Her three SERVANTS are center stage.

    SOUND EFFECT; KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
    PRINCESS VONIA; Now who could that be?
    THE FIDDLER (softly); Please let me in. I want your light.
    PRINCESS VONIA; My light? How peculiar!
    THE SERVANT MADE OF ICE; Princess! Remember! These are the Wastelands! Don’t open the door!
    THE FIDDLER (softly); But I’m so dark. I need your light.
    PRINCESS VONIA; But he sounds so weak.
    THE SERVANT MADE OF LEAD; Princess! We were warned! These are the Wastelands! Don’t open the door!
    THE FIDDLER (softly); Please. You are using so very much. I need it. Just open your door.
    PRINCESS VONIA; Why, surely a little light couldn’t hurt.
    THE SERVANT MADE OF WHEELS; Princess! There is something wrong here! These are the Wastelands! Don’t open the door!
    ALL THREE SERVANTS; Don’t open the door! Don’t open the door! (TO THE AUDIENCE) Help us before it is too late!
    SERVANTS AND AUDIENCE (louder each time); Don’t open the door! Don’t open the door! Don’t open the door!
    PRINCESS VONIA; Surely a peek will not hurt. (OPENS DOOR) Oh!
    (LIGHTS GO OUT)
    —Act 1/Scene 1, The Heterodyne Boys and the
Mystery of the Thrice-Dark City

    T he little airship was losing altitude fast. Agatha could see the wild pine forests and mountain outcrops growing ever closer, and this worried her. She had guessed that her quick patch-job wouldn’t hold for long, but she had hoped it would last long enough for the stolen ship to get her over the mountains before nightfall. Now, she wasn’t so sure. She aimed toward a promising gap in the peaks, then, locking the wheel so the course would hold, killed the engines.
    She turned to the center of the gondola and tugged at a likely ring in the floor, stumbling backward slightly as the heavy hatch first stuck, then swung open as if spring-loaded. She quickly scanned the mechanism it revealed, humming softly to herself. Then, she dragged a leather roll of tools to her side, flipped it open with a deft movement, and began to work.
    She wasn’t even sure what mountains they were 1 , or where she was, exactly. She knew she was traveling east, toward the sun rising behind the peaks.
    Agatha had been insensible on the trip from her home in the University town of Beetleburg to the great airship city Castle Wulfenbach 2 . She now realized, with some annoyance, that in all the time she had spent on Castle Wulfenbach, she had never bothered to discover the present location and route of the gigantic airship as it continued its endless patrol of the Wulfenbach Empire. This morning’s escape could have begun practically anywhere over Europa.
    Well, she thought, as she slammed the hatch and re-started the engines, it hardly mattered at the moment. Putting the mountains and their turbulent air currents between herself and any pursuit seemed like her best shot at escape. Once on the ground, she could worry about where she was. For now, anywhere but Castle Wulfenbach was her goal.
    “Krosp—wake up.” She called to the gondola’s other occupant, a large white cat who yawned and stretched.
    “What is it, Agatha? Pursuit?”
    “No, but we’re starting to lose altitude.” She tapped a fingernail against a dial face. The needle within flicked briefly, then continued in its slow decent. “Pretty quickly,