Rising Shadows

The fog swirled around her like a living, breathing, hungry thing. She walked swiftly, eyes darting nervously from side to side even though she could see nothing but swirling shadows. A footstep sounded on the cobblestones behind her and her heart began to beat faster. Another footstep, and another. Drawing closer to her, but at a leisurely pace. It was somehow more unnerving than someone running.

"Good evening, pigeon." The velvety voice seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once. "Nice night for a walk, isn't it?"

A man emerged through the fog almost directly in front of her. He flashed a smile, white teeth slicing the darkness. A predatory smile. She tried to run, but her skirts weighed her down and she ran blind, heart pounding so loud it drowned out the rest of the world. An arm locked around her waist while another came up to cover her mouth and muffle the scream she was trying to muster. He flung her roughly to the ground, the air whooshing out of her lungs. His weight came down on top of her and his hands were at her throat. She couldn't breathe as he steadily tightened his grip around her neck.

She tried meekly to pry his hands away but her own were trembling and everything was growing slower and hazier as her lungs shrieked for air.

Emily sat up in bed with a strangled scream, still seeing the terrified face of the girl in her dream and feeling phantom hands around her throat. She took several deep breaths to calm herself down, jumping when there was a knock on the door. Her housekeeper, Nora, stuck her head inside and laughed.

"Still in bed at this hour, Miss Emily? You're to meet with Lord Trilby today. Have you forgotten?"

"No," Emily said. "I didn't forget. I just overslept." Emily threw off her covers and climbed out of bed while Nora went to the closet to search for a suitable dress.

"It's because you're so busy all the time, Miss Emily," she said. "You spend more time in that lab of yours than you do in your own house. Makes my job easier, but you still need proper rest." She pulled a lavender colored dress out of the closet and helped Emily into it, lacing up her corset.

"Of course if I had an assistant like yours I'd probably spend all my time at work too," Nora added, shooting Emily a sly look in the mirror. Emily felt her face turn pink and Nora laughed. She finished cinching Emily into the dress, then pinned her hair up into a chignon.

"Now you'd best be on your way or you'll be late," Nora said, ushering Emily to the front door as she slipped on a pair of gloves. She climbed into the steam powered cab that was waiting for her at the curb and gave the driver Lord Trilby's address. Her inventions were steadily becoming more well known and many of the wealthy elite were starting to commission her to design custom inventions for them.

She stared out the window with a pensive frown. She couldn't shake the memory of her nightmare, and she didn't know why. It was nothing more than a bad dream but it had been so vivid. She had felt the terror of it as if she were experiencing it herself; had felt the mysterious man's hands at her own throat; yet she had still clearly seen the face of the girl being strangled. Most disturbing of all was that the girl seemed vaguely familiar.

Emily shoved the nightmare out of her mind as the cab pulled up in front of a grand, sprawling estate. Like Percy and Nora had both said; she was working too much and not sleeping enough. She was sleep deprived and her imagination was running wild. The cab dropped her at the front door and Emily squared her shoulders as she walked up to the front door and lifted the lion headed knocker. She would simply focus on her work and not spare the dream another thought.

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"Nora, do you think people would believe me if I said three invitations managed to get lost in the mail and I never received them?"

Emily stared at the expensive stationary cards in her hand with dismay. She had always gotten invitations to parties and balls; her family may have been viewed as a bit eccentric but they were also rich and her father and brothers were well respected. People had murmured and stared and more or less seemed intent on avoiding her when she first became an inventor alongside her brother, but then Lord Trilby had come to her seeking a set of elaborate toys for his children's Christmas presents, and he'd been so delighted with her work that he hadn't stopped raving about it. Emily had been pleased and flattered about the praise and amount of people wanting her to make things for them. But then the invitations had come flooding in at an alarming rate and as much as Emily hated the small talk and the mingling she felt it would be rude to turn people down, especially if they invited her as thanks for an invention.

"It's not so bad," Nora said as she tidied up the kitchen. "You're a celebrity, Miss Emily. A rising star in the world of inventing. Everyone just wants to bask in your light."

"Can't they go bask in their own light?" Emily grumbled. She set the invitations down with a sigh.

"If you don't mind, I think I'm going to go upstairs and contemplate life as a hermit."

Nora laughed, shooing her out of the kitchen. Emily flopped dramatically across her bed and stared at the ceiling, wondering if she could talk Finnigan into wearing a wig and a dress and going to parties in her stead. Maybe she could invent a clockwork version of herself that could pass for human. A light tapping on her balcony door interrupted her planning and she sat up, blinking when she saw Percy on her balcony. She stood and went to unlock the doors, stepping out to join him.

"Percy what on earth are you doing on the balcony?" she asked. "You know you can just come to the front door now."

"I was wondering if you'd come for a walk with me," he said.

"But you still could have used the...oh, never mind. Of course I'll go with you." She reached up to kiss his cheek and he carefully climbed back down her trellis. She shook her head in bewilderment, climbing after him. He caught her as she hopped down with a breathless laugh.

"You look very handsome tonight," she said, noticing that he had his hair combed back the way she liked it and wearing one of the nicest outfits she had talked him into getting. He smiled slightly, though he seemed to grow more and more nervous as they walked. She realized with surprise that they were approaching her father's house.

"Percy what's this all about?" Emily asked.

"You'll see." He took her hand and led her into the garden, where they had so often met in secret before Emily got her own house. It was lit with soft light, and Emily smiled when she saw that it was created by tiny clockwork fireflies. She had decided she wanted to start teaching Percy a bit about all her tinkering and had made the fireflies for fun. They were the first things Percy had actually helped her make.

"This is beautiful," Emily murmured, watching the tiny metal bugs flit lazily around the garden. She stepped closer to Percy, wrapping her arms around him.

"Is this what you wanted to show me?" she asked.

"Yes, but...there's something else."

He gestured for her to sit on the little stone bench that was encircled with rose bushes. She folded her hands in her lap and stared at him curiously. He raised his hand as if he were going to run it through his hair, which was his anxious habit. But he seemed to remember he had combed it and so let his hand drop again.

"Emily, when we first met I never would have imagined how much you'd change my life. But now I can't imagine my life without you. And I know that you never planned on living the traditional sort of life that everyone told you you should. But maybe some traditions aren't so bad."

He paused, looking more nervous than Emily had ever seen him. He took a breath and knelt in front of her on one knee, taking her hands in his.

"I love you," he said. "More than I ever thought was possible. And I want to be with you forever. So I wanted to ask...Emily..."

"Yes?" she prompted gently when he paused again. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. He almost dropped it twice before he succeeded in opening it. Emily stared at the sparkling little ring, blinking in confusion.

"I wanted to ask you if you'll marry me," Percy said quietly.

"You want...you want me to marry you?" Emily said slowly, still staring at the beautiful ring.

"Only if you want to," Percy said hastily. Emily tore her eyes from the ring to look at him, into his worried dark eyes. Then she flung herself off the bench and into his arms, nearly making him drop the ring box again.

"Of course I want to!" she exclaimed. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. He awkwardly got to his feet, having to drag Emily up with him because she wouldn't let go of him. He finally managed to draw his face back slightly, wearing a lopsided smile.

"Em, let me at least put the ring on your finger."

Emily couldn't stop smiling as Percy slipped the ring onto her left hand. As soon as it was on she stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him again, clinging to him tightly because she felt so elated she thought she might just float away if she didn't.