“And you’re just going to take this sergeant’s word for it?” Zaria asked. “What makes you think those other coppers won’t arrest us the moment we show up?”
It was a reasonable question, but it irked Kane nonetheless. He held up a hand, signaling that he was going to intervene. “Trustis a strong word. But if Price betrays me, it’s mutually assured destruction. So, do I trust him insofar as to help us pull this off? Yes. It’s in his best interests.”
He watched Zaria’s face as she tried and failed to come up with a way to counter that. In the end, she only said, “Fine.”
That was good enough for Kane.
“Kane?” Fletcher said. “Tell Zaria what we need from her.”
Kane could see how the wordneedsent Zaria’s hackles up, but she didn’t object and waited for him to speak.
“You already know I want the aleuite explosives,” he began. “Powerful ones, since I’m going to require a good few minutes of uninterrupted time to get that lock open. Like I said at the private viewing of the Exhibition, I also need you to create a device that’ll take out one of the glass panels since there’s no exit nearby. I know there’s a chemical that can do that—what’s it called? Hydrate acid?”
“Hydrofluoric acid,” Zaria said dryly. “Once it’s bonded withsoulsteel, you can manipulate the reaction to some extent as long as you understand the science. But remind me again why you can’t justsmashthe glass?”
Kane shook his head. “Too many ways for that to go wrong. It could take several strikes, it would require us to smuggle another heavy object inside, and I don’t want to worry about having to climb through broken glass when we’re making our escape.”
He forced his eyes away from Zaria’s face as she chewed on her full lower lip. “I can make an atomizing adhesive, yes, assuming you can get me the supplies. The reaction isn’t instantaneous, though. The glass needs time to weaken.”
“How long?” Fletcher interjected.
“Thirty-six minutes.”
That was, Kane thought, incredibly specific. He did a series of quick calculations in his mind. “Okay, we can make that work. Fletch, you can plant the adhesive on the window when the queen and prince consort arrive.”
They would need fifteen minutes to get into the Exhibition—during which Kane would ensure they crossed paths with Henry Cole—and find their way to the Broadwood & Sons display that, all being well, should boast the exact pianoforte they’d stolen earlier tonight. He had ninety seconds to convince Julian Zhao to play the part he had in mind for him—there was no way the boy would let Zaria go alone. Four and a half minutes for Kane to play the Nocturne in C-sharp Minor on the pianoforte. Thirteen minutes for the rest, including bypassing the lock on the Waterhouse exhibit. That left two minutes for anything he hadn’t foreseen. An ill-timed conversation, perhaps, or a few moments trapped behind a slow-moving crowd.
He turned back to Zaria. “Finally, when it comes to unlockingthe exhibit itself, I need you to create a parautoptic key with fifteen self-arranging bits.”
She blanched. “You need me to create awhat?”
“I really don’t know how to be clearer.”
“Try.”
Kane sighed, gesturing for Fletcher to pass him a fountain pen and the nearest scrap of paper. His pulse stuttered as he drew the outline of an admittedly peculiar key. Usually, he prepared to bypass a lock by studying the schematics if he had access to them, then practicing on a similar design. For once, though, Kane had limited faith in his lock-picking abilities. He hated to admit it, but he needed magical interference for this part. Everything relied on their ability to open this godforsaken display.
“I’ve never made something like that before,” Zaria said incredulously. She squinted down at the sketch. “If the bits need to be self-arranging, the interior workings will have to betiny. You’re sure you can’t pick the lock?”
“You heard what the bloke at the Exhibition said,” Kane retorted. “It’s supposed to be impenetrable. The combination of levers is manipulatable and subject to change.”
Zaria gave a slow nod of her head. There was a glint in her eye he was coming to recognize—the one that appeared when she was met with a challenge. “I think I can do that. Having something adjust to its surroundings isn’t the problem; it’s the size that will be tricky.” Her lips twisted to the side. “Just so I’m clear, you want the aleuite explosives to provide a distraction, a magical key to bypass the lock in that time, and an atomizing adhesive to facilitate an escape by the time you’re done?”
“Correct.”
“You ask so little.” Her tone was wry.
Fletcher leaned back in his chair, holding up a hand. “Can we back up for a second? Purely out of curiosity, are these aleuite explosives… you know… harmful?”
“No,” Kane said at the same time that Zaria shook her head.
“Aleuite can be used to create a number of different compounds. It’s tricky to work with because it’s highly reactive, but it’s not flammable. It’s through alchemology that I can turn it into an explosive, and once it goes off, it emits a dark smoke that fills a space within seconds.”
Fletcher moved his jaw from side to side. “And it’s safe to inhale?”
“I’ve never known anyone to experience lasting effects.”
Kane took a drink, staring at Zaria over the rim of his glass. “So you say. Maybe you’re just trying to find a way to kill me.”
