Sweep in Peace (Innkeeper Chronicles, #2)

by Ilona Andrews

“Yes,” I told her. “It has worked many times for many different innkeepers. Sometimes simple plans are the best.” I turned to Arland’s engineer. “Please fix it.” Hardwir stared at the cruiser. “You want me to fix that?” “Yes. It must be restored to its original condition, exactly as it was before the blow.” The dark-haired knight frowned, approached the cruiser, glanced through the gap, and wrenched the hood up. “This is an internal combustion engine.” “Yes,” I agreed. “This is an abomination against nature.” Hardwir let go of the mangled hood. It fell, broke off, and crashed to the ground. “I won’t do it.” Arland’s eyes blazed. He gathered himself, somehow turning larger. “What do you mean, you won’t do it?” “I won’t do it! I swore an engineer’s oath. I owe obligations to my profession, obligations which bind me to practice my craft with integrity and to preserve the precious nature of the universe.” Hardwir stabbed his gauntleted finger in the direction of the engine. “It poisons the environment, it’s horribly inefficient, and it runs on fossil fuels. It requires a finite, high-pollutant resource to function. What idiot would build an engine based on a nonrenewable resource?”

heh ... another artiste