The Automaton's Treasure

I have a feeling this story would have had more weight had I waited and read the novels first, but I wanted a taste of the author's work so I chose to read this and her other short piece, “The Witch's Betrayal,” in chronological order. She writes quite well, and I find myself intrigued by her world so far. This story just didn't engage me quite as much as the first for some reason, though.