Chapter : 1353

  The possibilities were endless. He could build automated sentries for his estate. He could build mining golems for his salt project. He could build a robotic butler that didn't judge him when he ate cake at midnight.

  "Focus, Lloyd," he scolded himself. "One thing at a time. First the suit. Then the robo-butler."

  He looked out the window again. The sun was starting to set, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple. The mountains cast long shadows over the tracks. They were getting close.

  He felt a familiar itch in his eyes. His [All-Seeing Eye] was active, passively scanning the environment. He could see the heat signature of the train's engine. He could see the stress fractures in the metal wheels. He could see the skeletal structure of a bird flying past.

  He blinked, dialing the power down. It was exhausting to see everything all the time. He needed to save his energy for the museum. He needed his vision to be razor-sharp when he looked at the Heart.

  "I hope it's not crowded," Lloyd worried. "It's hard to stare intensely at an object when there are school children running around screaming. Maybe I should go right when it opens. Or right before it closes."

  He started strategizing his museum visit. He would need to stand at specific angles to see through the outer casing of the Heart. He would need to avoid the guards noticing his glowing eyes. Maybe he should wear sunglasses? No, wearing sunglasses inside a museum would make him look like a spy or a blind person.

  "I'll just squint," Lloyd decided. "Like I'm reading the small print. Scholars squint. It's a known fact."

  The train began to slow down. The rhythmic clanking changed tempo. They were approaching a station. Not Ramos, but a mid-way stop. A place to refill water and let passengers stretch their legs.

  Lloyd didn't intend to get off. He was comfortable. He was safe in his box. But then he felt the train lurch to a halt. The sudden stop knocked his guidebook onto the floor.

  He sighed and bent down to pick it up. As he did, he heard voices in the corridor outside his compartment. People were boarding.

  "I hope they don't come in here," Lloyd thought. "I booked this whole cabin. I have the ticket to prove it."

  He heard the door to the next compartment slide open and slam shut. Then silence. Good. The neighbors were quiet.

  The train whistled again, signaling departure. It lurched forward. Lloyd settled back into his seat. He still had a few hours before Ramos.

  He picked up his notes again. He started sketching a new idea for the interface between the Heart and the Lilith Stones. If the Heart was the brain, the stones could be the nerves. It was a complex system, but he was starting to see the shape of it.

  "It's going to work," he whispered. "This time, it's going to work."

  He felt a surge of determination. He wasn't just running away from his problems. He was running toward a solution. The Golem Heart was the key to his survival. It was the key to protecting his people. It was the key to winning the war.

  "Just a quick trip," Lloyd reassured himself. "In and out. Like a ghost. No drama. No fighting. Just science."

  He smiled at his reflection in the darkened window. He looked like a man with a plan. And for once, he really hoped the plan would actually survive contact with reality. Because if he failed here, if he couldn't fix the suit... well, he didn't want to think about that.

  "Ramos," Lloyd said softly. "Show me your secrets."

  The train picked up speed, carrying him deeper into the mountains, towards the city of stone and the heart of a legend. He was alone, he was prepared, and he was blissfully unaware that his solitude was about to end very, very abruptly.

  The train rattled on through the night. Lloyd was feeling quite pleased with himself. He had successfully eaten a second sandwich, drawn three new diagrams, and avoided talking to a single human being for six hours. It was a personal record.

  He decided he needed to stretch his legs. The private compartment was nice, but it was small. He stood up, adjusted his coat, and slid the door open. He stepped out into the narrow corridor of the first-class carriage.

  Chapter : 1354

  It was quiet. Most passengers were asleep or reading. The gas lamps on the walls flickered, casting long shadows. Lloyd walked towards the end of the car, intending to visit the dining car for a cup of coffee. Real coffee, not the train sludge he had earlier.

  As he walked, he passed the other compartments. The doors had glass windows in the upper half, covered by curtains. Most curtains were drawn. But one was slightly open.

  Lloyd didn't mean to look. It was just a reflex. His eyes scanned the gap.

  He froze. His foot stopped in mid-air. His heart did a little somersault in his chest.

  Sitting in that compartment, reading a thick book with a very serious expression, was a woman he knew. A woman he knew very well. A woman he was currently trying very hard to avoid.

  Mina Siddik. Rosa's sister.

  Lloyd pressed his back against the wall of the corridor, hiding in the shadows. Panic flared in his chest. What was she doing here? Was she following him? Did Rosa send her? Was she here to drag him back to the estate by his ear?

  "Calm down, Lloyd," he told himself. "She's reading a book. Assassins don't read books. Usually."

  He peeked again, very carefully. Mina looked... normal. She wasn't wearing armor. She wasn't holding a weapon. She was wearing a sensible traveling dress and reading glasses. She looked like a scholar.

  "Archaeology," Lloyd realized. "She loves old stuff. Ramos is full of old stuff. She's going to the museum."

  It was a disaster. A coincidence of cosmic proportions. Of all the trains, in all the towns, in all the world, she had to walk onto his.

  "I have to go back," Lloyd thought frantically. "I have to hide in my room and never come out until we reach Ramos. Then I will jump out the window and run."

  He turned around to sneak back to his compartment. He took a step.

  Creak.

  The floorboard under his foot groaned like a dying cow. It was the loudest sound in the universe.

  In the compartment, Mina's head snapped up. She looked at the door. She saw a figure in the corridor. She narrowed her eyes.

  Lloyd froze. He held his breath. Maybe she didn't see him. Maybe she thought he was just a passing conductor.

  Mina stood up. She walked to the door. She slid it open.

  Lloyd stood there, caught in the act of tip-toeing away. He slowly turned his head. He tried to put on a casual smile.

  "Hello," Lloyd said. "Fancy meeting you here. On a train. In the middle of nowhere."

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  Mina stared at him. Her eyes widened slightly. Then they narrowed again. She looked annoyed. Not angry, just... tiredly annoyed. Like she had found a fly in her soup.

  "Lloyd," she said. Her voice was flat. "What are you doing here?"

  "Me?" Lloyd laughed nervously. "Just... traveling. Seeing the sights. Expanding my horizons. You know, typical lord stuff."

  "You are supposed to be inspecting soap factories in the east," Mina pointed out.

  "Ah, yes," Lloyd said. "Well, I took a wrong turn. A very long wrong turn. Navigation is tricky."

  Mina crossed her arms. "You are going to Ramos."

  "Maybe," Lloyd admitted. "Are you?"

  "Yes," Mina said. "I am going to study. I have a permit for the archives. I am researching the pre-unification era."

  "Fascinating," Lloyd said. "Rocks and old paper. My favorite."

  They stood there in the corridor, staring at each other. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. Lloyd felt guilty. He had proposed to this woman in a moment of insanity. Then he had run away. Now, here they were, trapped in a metal tube hurtling through the mountains.

  "Well," Lloyd said, pointing down the hall. "I was just going to get coffee. So... good to see you. Bye."

  "Lloyd," Mina said.

  He stopped. "Yes?"

  "Don't be an idiot," she said. "Come inside. If people see the Lord of Ferrum lurking in the hallway like a thief, it will start rumors."

  She stepped back and gestured for him to enter her compartment. It wasn't a request. It was an order.

  Lloyd sighed. He was caught. He walked into her compartment and sat down opposite her. She sat back down and picked up her book, but she didn't read it. She just looked at him over the top of her glasses.

  "So," Lloyd said, trying to break the ice. "How is the family? How is... everyone?"

  "Everyone is fine," Mina said coolly. "Rosa is angry. Yacob is confused. Father is counting money. The usual."

  "Right," Lloyd said. "And you? You are... escaping?"

  Chapter : 1355

  "I am working," Mina corrected. "Unlike some people, I take my research seriously. I am not running away from my problems."

  "I am not running away!" Lloyd protested. "I am running toward a solution. A very scientific solution."

  Mina raised an eyebrow. "Does this solution involve a museum?"

  Lloyd blinked. "How did you know?"

  "Because Ramos is boring," Mina said. "Unless you like mining or history. You don't look like a miner. So you are there for history. Just like me."

  "We have shared interests," Lloyd said weakly. "That's nice."

  "It is inconvenient," Mina said. "I wanted a quiet trip. Now I have... noise."

  "I can be quiet," Lloyd promised. "I am the Silent Lion. Silence is my middle name."

  Mina sighed. She put her book down. She looked at him, and her expression softened just a tiny bit.

  "You look tired, Lloyd," she said. "More tired than usual."

  "It's been a long week," Lloyd admitted. "Weddings. Assassins. Demon lords. It takes a toll."

  "And three wives," Mina added helpfully.

  "Don't remind me," Lloyd groaned. "Please. I am here to forget about that. I am here to look at a rock."

  "The Golem Heart?" Mina guessed.

  Lloyd stared at her. "Are you a psychic? How do you know everything?"

  "I am a historian," Mina said. "I know what is in Ramos. The Heart is the only thing there that would interest an inventor like you. You want to research your new invention."

  Lloyd slumped in his seat. She was too smart. "Yes. I need to see it. It's the key."

  "Well," Mina said. "It seems we are going to the same place. To see the same thing. For different reasons."

  "It seems so," Lloyd said.

  "Fine," Mina decided. "We can travel together. But we maintain professional distance. No drama. No proposals. No emotional speeches on balconies."

  "Deal," Lloyd said instantly. "Professional distance. I love distance. Distance is my favorite thing."

  The train ride continued, but the atmosphere had changed. It was no longer a solitary escape. It was now a shared confinement.

  Lloyd and Mina sat opposite each other. Mina read her book. Lloyd pretended to read his notes, but mostly he just looked out the window and tried not to breathe too loudly.

  It was awkward. Incredibly, painfully awkward. Every time the train went over a bump, their knees would almost touch, and they would both jerk back like they had been electrocuted.

  "So," Lloyd said after an hour of silence. "What book is that?"

  Mina didn't look up. "The Fall of the Stone Kings. It is about the collapse of the golem armies."

  "Cheerful," Lloyd commented. "Light reading."

  "It is informative," Mina said. "Did you know Anubis died alone? He was paranoid. He thought everyone wanted to steal his secrets."

  "He sounds like a smart guy," Lloyd said. "People did want to steal his secrets. I want to steal his secrets right now."

  "He destroyed them," Mina said. "Burned his lab. Smashed his prototypes. The Heart is the only thing left because he couldn't destroy it. It was too strong."

  "Stubborn rock," Lloyd mused. "I respect that."

  They fell silent again. A waiter came by with a cart.

  "Coffee?" the waiter asked.

  "Yes, please," Lloyd said. "Black. Like my soul."

  Mina rolled her eyes. "Tea for me. Green."

  The waiter served them and left. Lloyd sipped his coffee. It was still terrible.

  "You know," Lloyd said carefully. "I didn't mean to... upset things. At the ball. With the dance."

  Mina stiffened. She put her cup down slowly. "We agreed. Professional distance. That topic is not professional."

  "Right," Lloyd said. "Sorry. Strike that from the record."

  He looked at her. The curve of her jaw. The way she held her cup. It was haunting. But he forced himself to see Mina. The scholar. The sister-in-law. The woman who was currently annoyed with him.

  "Why are you studying the Heart?" Lloyd asked, changing the subject. "Is it just academic interest?"

  "Partly," Mina said. "But there are rumors. Old texts in the Siddik library mention a connection between the Heart and the sealing arts. My mother's curse... it was spiritual. I want to understand how souls can be bound to objects. Just in case."

  "In case the curse comes back?" Lloyd asked gently.

  "In case we need to protect ourselves," Mina said. "Knowledge is a shield, Lloyd. You build suits of armor. I build libraries. It is the same thing."

  Lloyd nodded. He respected that. "You're right. We're both builders."

  The train began to slow again. The conductor announced, "Approaching Ramos! City of Stone! End of the line!"

  Chapter : 1356

  Lloyd looked out the window. It was dark now, but he could see the lights of the city. Ramos was built into the side of a massive cliff. It looked like a fortress. Layers of stone buildings climbed up the mountain, connected by bridges and stairs.

  "We're here," Lloyd said.

  "Finally," Mina said. She closed her book and put it in her bag. She stood up and smoothed her dress.

  "Do you have a place to stay?" Lloyd asked.

  "I booked a room at The Scholar's Rest," Mina said.

  Lloyd choked on his coffee. "What? No. That's where I booked a room."

  Mina stared at him. "You are joking."

  "I wish I was," Lloyd wheezed. "It had good reviews! 'Quiet and clean'!"

  "It is the only reputable inn for academics," Mina sighed. "Of course we booked the same place. Fate is laughing at us."

  "Fate is a comedian," Lloyd agreed. "A bad one."

  They gathered their luggage. The train pulled into the station with a screech of brakes. Steam hissed.

  "Okay," Lloyd said. "Here is the plan. We get off. We go to the inn. We pretend we don't know each other. I am Professor Ferrum. You are... Lady Mina. We are strangers."

  "Agreed," Mina said. "I do not want to explain to the innkeeper why I am traveling with my sister's husband."

  They stepped off the train onto the platform. The air in Ramos was cold and crisp. It smelled of coal and mountain pine.

  "The museum opens at nine tomorrow," Lloyd said. "I'll be there first thing."

  "I will be there at ten," Mina said. "To avoid you."

  "Perfect," Lloyd said. "I love this plan."

  They walked towards the exit, maintaining a careful distance of five feet. They looked like two people who had just had a fight, or two spies trying not to look like spies.

  As they walked out into the city streets, Lloyd felt a strange sense of camaraderie. Yes, it was awkward. Yes, it was complicated. But he wasn't alone. He had an ally. Sort of. An ally who thought he was an idiot, but an ally nonetheless.

  "To the museum," Lloyd whispered to himself. "To the Heart."

  "Did you say something?" Mina asked.

  "Nothing," Lloyd said quickly. "Just talking to my luggage. It's a habit."

  Mina shook her head and kept walking. They headed into the stone city, two scholars on a mission, unaware that their separate paths were about to collide with a very big, very empty glass case.

  The next morning, Lloyd woke up early. He felt energized. The bed at The Scholar's Rest was hard, the pillow was lumpy, and the room smelled like old socks, but he didn't care. Today was the day. Today he would meet the Golem Heart.

  He dressed in his best "humble professor" outfit: a tweed jacket with patches on the elbows, round glasses (which were fake, but looked smart), and a scarf. He looked harmless. He looked like a man who got excited about Dewey Decimal Systems.

  He left the inn before Mina was awake. He wanted a head start. He walked briskly through the streets of Ramos. The city was impressive. Everything was made of grey stone. The buildings were blocky and solid. Statues of old generals glared down from every corner. It was a city that took itself very seriously.

  He reached the Ramos Old Military Museum. It was a massive building with tall columns and a heavy iron gate.

  But something was wrong.

  There were guards everywhere. Not the usual sleepy museum guards. These were City Watch soldiers. They were wearing armor and holding spears. And there was a bright yellow tape stretched across the entrance that said: CRIME SCENE - DO NOT CROSS.

  Lloyd stopped. His stomach dropped. "No," he whispered. "Please, no."

  He walked up to a guard. "Excuse me, officer. I am here to visit the museum. I have a ticket. I am very excited about the antique spoon collection."

  The guard frowned. "Closed. Museum is closed."

  "Closed?" Lloyd asked, feigning shock. "But it's Tuesday. Museums are open on Tuesdays. It is the law of the universe."

  "Crime scene," the guard grunted. "Robbery. Last night."

  Lloyd felt like someone had punched him in the gut. "Robbery? What was stolen? The spoons?"

  "Big rock," the guard said. "The Golem Heart. Gone."

  Lloyd stood there, frozen. Gone. The Heart was gone. He had traveled across the country, escaped three wives, and slept on a lumpy mattress, all for a rock that wasn't there anymore.

  "Are you sure?" Lloyd asked desperately. "Maybe they just moved it to clean it? Maybe it rolled under a table?"