City of Steam (Blackburn Chronicles)

by Dominic K Alexander

  Mac released the duke and the wind grabbed hold of him and shot him to the ground like a rocket. His screams were silenced as he was thrust head first into the earth sending pieces of brick and red mist in every direction. With help from the wind Mac slowed as much as she could, but she still hit the puddled remains of the duke with enough force to daze her.

  The battle raged on around her, but Mac lay on the ground covered in blood with pain running through her. She welcomed death; to join her mother and father, but she knew it would not take her. She watched the upper floor of the mansion begin to burn and she longed for burning lumber to fall and take her from the misery she felt here. Bullets flew around her and screams broke through the night’s silence. Her people died as flames burst from the Guardians engulfing the open streets. The mechanical beasts didn’t know the fight was over and their side had lost. They fought on as they had been programmed to do and it was the ones Mac loved and held dear that suffered.

  Mac tried to pick herself up from the ground, but the pain from where the sword had pierced her was too great. She looked down and a long piece of the sword still protruded from her wound. She grabbed ahold of it and slowly pulled the metal shard from her body. The sound of the blade scraping across her bones was almost more unbearable than the pain itself. She screamed and fell back as the sword was finally removed from her. The bleeding stopped almost immediately.

  She reached out with her senses and could feel her people rushing the gate and were torn down before making it inside. Selek grabbed Guardians and threw them against the ground until there was nothing left, but they kept coming. As they made another rush the gates exploded with fire and more screams rung out. Her people had won the fight and yet they were all going to die here.

  Mac gave herself to the earth spreading her arms wide like an angel. The ground opened and pulled her banged and bruised body into an embrace. She wanted it all to end; the pain, the loss. She touched the energy around her and asked it to end all the pain. The earth accepted her gift.

  The ground began to shake violently before shifting and cracking. The air picked up and rain began to spiral to earth putting out the fires. Lightning crashed into several of the Guardians and the unlucky metal menaces exploded sending shrapnel in every direction. The ground reached up and pulled the remaining machines below the surface. Mac lay content below the loose earth. Her body burned and head spun, but she pushed harder, giving everything she had to save the ones she loved. Her chest tightened and heart raced until it burst and even with the pain she smiled as the world went black.

  30.

  “She gave her life to save us, Kris.” Walter said.

  “I don’t believe it.” Kris tore at the dirt trying to find her sister. Tears ran like rivers and loss surged through her. Mac wasn’t there and she knew it, so she dug deeper and deeper.

  “The earth took her, my love.” Ed said taking her by the arm.

  “No!” Kris shouted pulling away. “She isn’t gone. You’re all wrong.” She continued to dig.

  “Your people will survive because of the sacrifices she made.” Walter said looking down. “She will forever be a part of history and her memory will live on.”

  “She isn’t dead and I am going to find her.” Kris stood, enraged, and left the city.

  31.

  “You should have found another way.” Isabel said.

  “There was no other way.” The cloaked figure replied. “We all would have died.”

  “There is always another way.” She retorted.

  “But not always enough time to find it.” He said.

  “They were just children.” She replied.

  “They tried to kill us.” He said flatly.

  “I hope you realize the cost of your actions.” She said.

  “How could I ever forget.” He shook his head. “I will live banished and a wanderer reliving her fear and loss every night.” He picked up a small sack, slung it over his shoulder, and walked into the forest.

  32.

  The stench of feces and sweat filled Mac’s nostrils and she thrashed her head back at the foul smell. Some sort of sticky muck coated her eyes and she had to force them open. It was hard to breathe and felt as if a great weight pressed down on her chest.

  “Miss Blackburn, please be still, you don’t want to overexert yourself.” A young man said. “Allow me to help remove the paste from your eyes.” Mac tried to respond, but her dry mouth and throat halted her words.

  Water ran over her mouth and eyes feeding her want to drink. A finger rubbed away the gunk and allowed her to see again.

  As Mac opened her eyes she saw a large metal pot strapped to her chest. Tubes and valves moved in and out of her body bringing panic to the surface. She started to squirm on the table and the young man pinned her down. She tried to blast him off, but as the elements burst forth pain rushed through her chest and she screamed out. The boy quickly adjusted some of the knobs and the pain subsided quickly.

  “Please calm down, ma’am.” The boy said.

  “What have you done to me?” Mac asked still panicked.

  “We gave you a new heart.” He replied with a smile.

  “Who is we?” She asked staring at the monstrosity strapped to her.

  “If you promise to calm down I will show you.” He said in as stern of a voice as possible.

  “Scouts honor.” She replied holding up three fingers.

  “I’m unsure what you mean.” He said.

  “Just come on.” Mac said sighing. “Help me stand up with this thing.” The boy helped her stand and she wavered slightly before finding the best place to lean as to not fall over. Once she could stand, he helped her walk across the room and up the stairs.

  Raggedy men and women wandered around the different floors as they climbed the stairs. Some were shuffling through crates of supplies and others were preparing meals, but they all looked poorly kept and ignored Mac as she went up the stairs.

  “Mrs. Blackburn, it’s good to see you survived.” A dirty old man said to her as she reached the top level of the aeroship. She looked around in amazement at the half ship half zeppelin contraption she was riding on.

  “Survived?” Mac replied. “If that’s what you want to call it.” The old man laughed.

  “Well, you are alive.” He said.

  “I have to wonder why that is.” She replied.

  “Cheap service.” He smiled.

  “Great, I’ve been shanghaied.” She shook her head and pinched her arm. Nope, not asleep.

  “I like to think of it as a debt repayment program.” The man said still smiling.

  “I didn’t ask for any of this.” Mac reached up and started to pull on the metal heart. The captain pulled his sword and placed it on her arm.

  “If you force me to I will remove your arms from your body.” He said; a darkness falling over him.

  “If you cut my arms off then I will be of no use to you.” She said with a smile.

  “If you make me do that, you won’t need your arms for the way I will make you repay your debt.” The smile vanished off Mac’s face. The realization of how deadly this man could be sickened her. “I am going to warn you one time. Your life belongs to me and everyone on board knows it. I offer you a place on my crew. If you refuse my offer, then I will give you to my crew and don’t need to tell you how they will get repayment from you. We lost a lot of money when you killed the duke and you owe every one of us. So, will you accept a spot on my ship?”

  Mac already hated him, but shook her head in acceptance. As if she had a choice.

  “Then, welcome to the crew of The Dirty Seed.” The Captain said with an evil smile.

  Mac closed her eyes and once again wanted to die.

 

 

 
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