Alden got up well before sunrise the next day, breaking his fast and preparing for the day ahead with a mixture of apprehension and steely determination. Stepping outside just as the first hints of predawn light pierced the murk of the autumn fog, he was pleased to see Em making their way down the street. Alden greeted the tiny child with a warm smile. “Right on time, Em.” “I still don’t know what this is all about, old man.” “It’s about shutting down the Sunshine Club and getting everyone we can out of there. Given everything, I thought you might want to see it happen.” “Oh…” Em grew quiet, and Alden noticed their hands beginning to shake. With a soft smile, Alden reached out and took Em’s tiny hand in his own. “Don’t worry, Em. You can just hide in the back of the carriage. None of the people you’re afraid of will even know you’re there. And even if someone did spot you, the only way any of those bastards are getting away from there is in chains or in boxes.” Em didn’t reply, but their hand slowly stopped trembling. By the time a big, boxy carriage with heavy curtains covering the windows pulled up in front of the tinctury, Em seemed to have calmed down quite a lot. The carriage driver did raise an eyebrow when he saw Alden was bringing a tiny child along, but he didn’t say anything. Before long, Alden and Em were comfortably seated in the carriage, which was mostly filled with medical tools and supplies. Em still didn’t say anything, but they kept holding on to Alden’s hand the whole way to Whalebone Street. When they got to their destination, Alden was frankly shocked by the sheer scale of things. The constabulary was blockading an area much larger than just the immediate surroundings of the herb shop, and the alley behind the building was full of people and equipment, including two fire fighters’ carriages complete with modern water pumps and hoses. Huge tubs of water stood out in the street surrounded by buckets, in case a bucket line was needed, and there were spaces set aside for treating the prisoners with the antidote. By the time Alden’s carriage arrived, the raid was clearly well underway, with the door to the basement entrance literally torn right off its hinges. It made sense, really. They’d want to make their entrance before it became too obvious that there was some big commotion going on outside. Deciding he’d better introduce himself to the medical team, Alden quickly turned to Em. “I’m heading outside. I want to make sure I can help as much as possible. You’ll be safe in here, and I’ll come check up on you when I can.” Em didn’t say anything, but they nodded and let go of Alden’s hand, if a bit reluctantly. Alden introduced himself to the people standing by to treat any liberated prisoners, several of whom he recognized from the antidote research team. The warm welcome he received was honestly rather heartening, especially since Alden was getting more than a little nervous by this point. It wasn’t long before a group of men emerged, leading a pair of women and a young child. The men looked like they’d been in a fight, and one of them had an open wound on his arm. The wounded man led the rescued prisoners over to the medical station while the two uninjured men turned right around and headed back in. Alden ignored the wounded man, leaving his care to the people with actual medical training, and instead turned to the prisoners. “We’re here to help. We have an antidote to the poison you’ve been given. Do you know how much of the poison you’ve been given, and for how long?” The two women shared a bewildered glance, clearly still reeling from what was going on around them. They had a hurried conversation in what Alden believed to be Hispanian before the taller of the two women turned to Alden and spoke in clumsy, halting English. “Prisoner long time. Poison in cream, on skin. Please, help the child!” “We’ll help you all. Don’t worry. Please stay calm and step onto these scales one by one, then submerge yourself in this tank of water.” It took a bit more explaining to get the three to follow his instructions, as unfortunately no-one on the medical team spoke Hispanian. But Alden did eventually manage to note down their weights and compare it to the volume of water their bodies displaced, allowing him a decent approximation of their density. Fortunately, none of them seemed to have more than twice the usual level of phlogiston in their bodies, so they weren’t in any immediate danger. Picking out the appropriate dosages of the antidote for their weight and condition, Alden watched as the medical team performed the injections with practiced ease. Once they were given the antidote, one of the guards led them away to a resting area where they could stay until the raid concluded. But before Alden could so much as put away the last empty syringe, another group had emerged, this time with more wounded, along with a man with deep marks on his arms and legs from where he’d struggled against his manacles and two dead bodies that looked to be people who had worked at the Sunshine Club. Things quickly turned rather hectic. The trickle of rescued people turned into a steady stream, and it was all Alden and the rest could do to keep up with treatments. There were also more bodies, and even one or two prisoners who were unconscious but alive. But the medical area was starting to fill up with men who’d gotten wounded in the raid, and a man called out that each team should start bringing buckets during entry to fight fires. Alden rarely had time to check on Em, though he did cast a glance over to the carriage whenever he could. Em seemed to spend half the time peeking through the curtains, a single eye visible between the folds of cloth, and half the time hidden away in the back of the carriage well out of sight. As such, Alden was rather shocked when Em suddenly left the carriage, rushed over to the medical area and pointed to a woman who was being escorted up from the basement entrance. “That one needs help now, old man! She’s whiskery!” “What do you mean?” “Women and children take way longer to burn than men. But when their faces start getting hairy, that means they’re close. She’s so whiskery I could see it from the carriage!” Without a moment’s hesitation, Alden grabbed a syringe for the largest dose of the antidote he felt comfortable giving to a woman her size and rushed over. The woman clearly didn’t understand his hasty explanation, but he just about managed to get enough of his point across that she allowed him to inject her with the antidote. She then said something in an unfamiliar language, and Alden hastily brought her over to the others. “I can’t understand a word she’s saying. Anyone speak her language?” The woman said something else, and one of the medical staff replied in the same tongue. With a nod, the man turned to Alden. “It’s Nihonese. What did you need to tell her?” “She needs to stay calm, keep her body as cool as possible and perform light exercise. It’s important that she makes her body work as much as possible without raising her pulse or body temperature too much. I also recommend sips of cold water mixed with sugar or honey.” The man nodded and took the woman aside, relaying Alden’s instructions in Nihonese. Alden just about had time to breathe a sigh of relief before he noticed smoke was starting to pour from the open cellar door. He clearly wasn’t the only one who noticed, because one of the people coordinating the raid started shouting. “The place has caught! Buckets aren’t enough anymore! Man the pumps! Two squads to a hose, find where the fire is and keep it contained. We’re not letting this place go up until everyone is out!” The already frantic nature of the relief effort turned even more hectic. The number of injured just kept increasing, and now people were coming out singed and with burnt clothing. Thankfully, the rescued were being led out covered in heavy, fireproof blankets, because a burning building was just about the most dangerous place imaginable for a person with elevated phlogiston levels. To Alden’s surprise, Em didn’t return to the carriage. Instead, they remained with the medical team, helping the team diagnose how badly affected the rescued people were and doing what they could to assist with treatment. Alden could tell they were terrified, and on the rare occasions a living prisoner was brought out Em turned white as a sheet and curled up behind anything that would conceal them. But despite their obvious fear, they still seemed fully determined to help as much as they possibly could. “Old man, that man has the crazy eyes! He’s gonna burn any minute!” Alden looked over and saw a man being led out who was clearly barely lucid, and his eyes were flicking frantically back and forth without ever fully focusing on anything. Alden grabbed the largest dose of antidote he could find and ran over to inject it before talking to the team that brought the man out. “Get this man into the largest of the water tubs right now! He needs to be submerged!” To their credit, the team instantly hauled the man to the tub, but Alden could see smoke rising from under his clothes as they hurled him in, and he heard the momentary hiss when the man’s body hit the water. Even if they managed to halt the combustion process, Alden was sure the man already had some pretty bad burns on his body. Pushing aside the somewhat gruesome image, Alden started patiently instructing the man, telling him to stay submerged as much as possible, only lifting his head out of the water to breathe. As he guided the man through some basic muscle exercises that should help the body start to process and release the phlogiston in his tissues, Alden felt fairly confident the man would live. Though it had been a damn near thing. Fortunately, that man was the most severe case that arrived. Or perhaps not so fortunately. After all, Alden had no doubts that some of the captured people hadn’t made it. Especially since some of the teams returned empty-handed sporting fresh burns and dour faces. But Alden didn’t let himself dwell on that. What mattered was saving everyone he possibly could. But before long, it was all over. The fire in the basement spread so far that the building proper was starting to catch, and with flames billowing from the open basement door, it simply wasn’t safe to send any more teams in. The last team to emerge was carrying three extremely young children wrapped up in fireproof blankets. As the coordinator called the raid to a halt Alden’s stomach turned. These three children barely looked old enough to walk, but there were obvious marks around their wrists that spoke of a long time spent in manacles… But Alden could hardly spare the time to rail against the sheer cruelty of it all. The raid might be over, but his work wasn’t done. He monitored the condition of the more severe cases. He taught people exercises to help them process the excess phlogiston in their system. He discussed long term treatment plans with the people from the research team. Apparently the rescued prisoners would be kept in a special facility where they could be protected and cared for until the prince deemed it was safe for them to leave, and Alden wanted to make sure they got the best possible treatment while they stayed there. It was well into the afternoon by the time Alden could finally take a proper breather. The still burning ruins of the herb shop were starting to collapse in on themselves, but thanks to the fire hoses, the blaze had been contained to just this one building and hadn’t been able to spread to the neighbouring stores. Feeling bone-weary after hours and hours of frantic activity, Alden went to talk to Em, who had slipped back into the carriage once the rescue efforts had stopped. He found them curled up behind a now-empty crate that was originally packed with bandages. “How are you holding up, Em?” “I’m fine, old man.” Alden sighed and sat down next to them, taking their hand in his own. “How are you really?” Em hesitated for a moment, but when they spoke next, they were almost shouting. “I’m scared, all right? I was so scared all day and now that place is all burned down and I’m still scared!” “I know. You’ve been very brave today.” “What do you mean, brave? I’ve been shaking like a leaf the whole time!” “But you still did everything you could to help everyone. Not being scared doesn’t make you brave. When things are actually scary, not being scared just makes you an idiot. Doing the right thing even though you are scared is what makes you brave.” Em didn’t say anything for a long time, but then they crawled over to Alden and buried their face in his chest, their body shaking softly with sobs. Alden gently patted their back and spoke in low, soothing tones. “It’s all right, Em. They’re gone now. The whole place is nothing more than ashes and dust. They can’t take you back.” Em’s sobs grew stronger until they were fully wailing into Alden’s chest, the thick material of his suit muffling the sound of their cries. Alden gathered the tiny child into his arms, rocking them back and forth as they cried. It took a long time before they finally ran out of tears, but in time Em stopped crying and grew still in Alden’s arms. Just as Alden started to think they had fallen asleep, they spoke in a quiet, tear-choked voice. “She wasn’t there.” “Who wasn’t there, Em?” “Mama wasn’t there. I knew she wouldn’t be. She was already getting hair on her face when I managed to get free and ran away. I knew she must have burned up a long time ago. But…” “But you couldn’t help hoping.” “Papa was gone almost as soon as we were brought there. But mama and I were down there longer. She was next to me the whole time. She sang lullabies to me when I cried. Real quiet, so the guards wouldn’t hear. I knew there was no way she wouldn’t have burned up by now, but I…” Em’s voice trailed off again, and they clung to Alden with all their might. Alden gently stroked the child’s hair as he worked through his own thoughts on the matter. Em was such a brave, strong child. They had proven that beyond any possible doubt today. But nobody should have to carry a burden as heavy as Em’s all by themself. Making a decision, Alden spoke softly. “It must be hard, living at The Place.” “It’s not so bad. Not really. I have a roof over my head and enough to eat. And I’ve been gathering old blankets and things, for when it gets colder…” “You know, my apartment isn’t that big, but I think it’s big enough for two. At least when one of the two is as little as you are.” Em grew very still in Alden’s arms. When they spoke, their voice held a strange mixture of hope and disbelief. “Are… Are you saying…” “I think you’re a wonderful person, Em. You’re so much braver and stronger and kinder than I think you realize. But nobody can be strong all by themself forever. I’d like to be there for you, Em. If you’ll let me.” “I… I think I’d like that.” “And if you want, I can see about getting you enrolled in a school. It doesn’t have to be one of her majesty’s free schools. I can probably afford to get you enrolled just about anywhere. Or I could teach you myself, if you prefer.” Em was quiet for a moment, then… “They’re really gone, aren’t they? They really won’t find me?” “They’re gone, Em.” “Do you think I could make friends at school? The Rascals aren’t mean to me or anything, but I don’t have a lot of friends…” “I’m sure you could. Just try not to bite people too much. People are less friendly when you bite them.” That actually coaxed a laugh out of Em. “I think I want to go to school. I promise not to bite people. Unless they really deserve it.” “Then I’ll make sure you can go to school. You might need a proper name, though. ‘Em’ is fine for the Rascals, but I think people might tease you for it at school.” Em stiffened. “I don’t want my old name back! I’m not that person any more! That person… That person died down there, in the dark, with her mama and papa.” Alden frowned thoughtfully as he considered things. “You know, Ember is a fine name. It’s a little unusual, but it isn’t so rare that people will find it strange. And it’s the kind of name that’s just as common for both boys and girls.” Em finally looked up from Alden’s chest, staring up at him with wide, bloodshot eyes. “How did you know…” “I might not look like it, but I’m pretty clever. And I think Ember would suit you pretty well.” “Yeah… Yeah, I think so too…” “Besides, ‘Ember Stowe’ has a pretty nice ring to it, don’t you think?” Em’s eyes somehow managed to grow even wider. “You’ll adopt me?” “Do you want me to?” Em looked down again, their face scrunching up as they thought about Alden’s offer. But in the end, they nodded to themself. “I do. I want to be Ember Stowe.” Alden smiled and ruffled Ember’s hair. “Then Ember Stowe you shall be. It might take me a while to get the paperwork sorted out, especially since I’m not sure you’re even registered as an English citizen. But I’ve got some friends in very high places. I’ll sort it out.” Ember shot him a smile that almost seemed a little shy. Tears were forming in the corners of their eyes again, but Alden felt that these were much happier tears than before. Still, some things had to be done properly… “That being said, you’d better go back to The Place just for tonight. No child of mine is gonna be on a bad footing with the Scabby Rascals. Head over there and tell Hakim and Li Hua you’re moving and you need to be excused from any duties for a few days so you can settle in properly. And make sure you tell anyone else you’re on speaking terms with as well. Even if you’re not so close you’d call them friends, it wouldn’t do just to vanish for a few days without telling them anything. You can come to my place tomorrow morning when you’ve gathered anything you want to bring with you and settled things properly with the Rascals, understood?” Ember got a very serious look on their face. “I understand. Don’t worry. I won’t do anything that would sully your name with the Rascals, papa.” Alden’s breath hitched as an unfamiliar warmth spread throughout his chest. As he felt tears starting form in his eyes, he caught Ember in a tight hug. Even as Ember returned the embrace, Alden knew he couldn’t let it linger for too long. They both had more things that needed to be done today. And yet, a part of him wanted to simply hold on to Ember forever and never let them go. The sun was already setting by the time Alden finally made it home. He had been deep in thought for the entire carriage ride back, thinking about the future and the people he wanted to share it with. By the time he got back, he had made his decision. Wasting no time, he went to find Tiffany, who was taking care of the mice and the monkey in the back of the storeroom. When she noticed him, she hurried over for a hug. “Alden! I’m so glad you’re back! Are you all right? How did everything go?” “As well as I could have hoped. Your work with the antidote saved a lot of lives today, Tiffany.” Tiffany flushed a little red. “It wasn’t just my work, Alden. We all perfected the antidote together.” “Based on your original formula. Don’t sell yourself short, Tiffany.” “Well, one way or the other, I’m just glad it helped people.” Alden couldn’t help but smile. Tiffany really was such a wonderful girl. But that was just all the more reason… “Tiffany, would you join me for a cup of tea in my apartment? I would like to talk to you about the future of the tinctury…”