Read The Iron Witch for Free Online

pointless, being careful was a tough habit to break.
    She pushed open the heavy door to the alchemist’s workshop. It wasn’t unusual for it to be unlocked, which is why Donna was unprepared for the sight that greeted her as she stepped into the dimly lit workroom, Navin close behind her.
    “Maker?” Her voice sounded small in the cavernous space.
    The room, although generally filled with junk and metal and machinery of all descriptions, usually had a strange sense of order to it, too. Donna was used to seeing piles of tools and scrap metal all over the place, plans and paperwork on the huge desk against the side wall underneath one of the tall windows, and whatever Maker was currently working on in the center of the room.
    Today, however, the disorder in the workshop had none of the old man’s personal stamp on it. Papers and files were strewn across the floor like oversized confetti; giant sheets of hammered steel, usually piled up against the far wall, had fallen to the floor as though someone had been trying to look behind them; the central workbench had been swept clear of plans that were now on the floor, the paper crumpled and torn. A plate and mug were smashed to pieces nearby.
    “Maker!” Donna called, louder this time.
    “What is this place?” Navin’s voice echoed around the large open space.
    “Shh … he’s not here. This is weird.”
    A mechanical clacking and chirping suddenly filled the air, and Donna was forced to duck as something flew overhead.
    “What was that ?” Navin hissed, his voice almost cracking.
    They both covered their heads and ducked again as the whirring sounds swept above them.
    Donna brushed hair out of her eyes and slowly stood up. “It’s okay, they’re harmless. Just Maker’s birds. He doesn’t usually let them out of their cage … ”
    The two clockwork birds—the size of very large crows—were made from brass and copper and iron, with bright silver eyes and polished wings that reflected the natural light from the high windows. They arced and swooped all the way up to the workshop’s roof, finally settling in the rafters with a click of metallic claws.
    Navin’s eyes were the widest she’d ever seen them. “This … ‘Maker’ of yours. Who the heck is he, Donna? The Wonderful Wizard of Oz?”
    “Something like that,” she muttered, trying to step out of his reach.
    But Navin placed a cautionary hand on her shoulder. “Wait. I have a bad feeling about this.”
    Shaking him off, Donna carefully picked her way around the sharp-edged tools and sea of paper on the floor. Looking up again, she saw that one of the windows had a huge crack in it, spider-webbing outwards in a crazy pattern. Her eyes came to rest on Maker’s super-advanced wheelchair, overturned and dumped in the far corner. The old man didn’t always need the chair to get around—he had built it himself, and it looked like something out of a comic book—but it helped him when his legs grew weak after too much work.
    “What happened?” she whispered.
    “Whoever you’re looking for isn’t here, Donna. I think we should leave.” Navin sounded as nervous as she felt.
    Donna raised her chin. “No, someone broke in. I’m going to check the kitchen and bathroom before we do anything.”
    “I think we should just go. We could call the police.”
    “ You should go, Navin. You don’t even belong here.” Donna’s voice shook.
    “You can’t make me do anything, Donna. You’re my friend and I think you’re in trouble. I’m not leaving you.”
    Exasperation flooded Donna’s chest and she squeezed her hands into fists. He wasn’t making this easy. “Nav … ”
    “Something’s not right—even I can see that, and I’ve never set foot in this place before. It feels … wrong. We should call the cops and just get out.”
    Donna’s mouth thinned. She shook her head as she walked toward the rear of the workshop, heading for the small corridor out back.
    “You are so stubborn, woman,”