Corroded

by Becca Andre

  “As for you…” She paused as she suddenly understood.

  Grayson’s smile faded, but he remained silent.

  “You were fully the ferromancer when Darby arrived. What possible motive did you have for doing what you did?”

  “Vengeance and retribution,” Perseus answered for him.

  “Exactly,” she said. “And at the time, you were the unfeeling ferromancer.” She continued in a whisper, “You shoved your hand into his stomach. You’re a drake. You don’t have to touch the organs to change them to metal.”

  “But I still lost it,” Grayson whispered.

  It was Perseus’s turn to grip his shoulder. “You merely beat me to it.”

  Briar blinked, stunned by such a confession from the always cool and composed Perseus. Even Liam looked surprised.

  “Thank you,” Grayson said to Perseus. “But—”

  Briar reached up and pressed a finger to his lips. “No buts.” She lowered her hand.

  “Does this mean you forgive me?” he whispered.

  “Yes,” she answered, realizing it was true. He hadn’t acted out of some twisted psychosis or evil intent. He had acted out of love, and though his actions had been a horror to witness, she had to forgive him if they were to go on.

  He bowed his head and took a deep breath. I can breathe again.

  She smiled and laid a hand over his heart. Me, too.

  Does this mean you’ll let me heal you?

  You just want me to remove my shirt, she teased.

  Absolutely. A spark of his usual wit kindled, and the corner of his mouth curled. Shall we return to the boat?

  No. It was her turn to take a deep breath. I can’t let you heal me. I need to remember what failure means.

  “Briar,” Grayson whispered, the pain clear in his voice.

  “Only after we succeed,” she answered. “Then I’ll let you.”

  “Let him what?” Liam asked.

  Briar glanced at Liam. She might lack caring blood relatives, but she certainly didn’t lack family. She turned back to Grayson. “I’ll meet you at the boat?”

  He nodded, seeming to understand that she needed to speak to Liam alone. He cupped her cheek, his blue-gray eyes holding hers for one long moment, then turned and walked away.

  “Let him what?” Liam repeated.

  “Heal me.” She faced her godfather. “Mr. Owens, Solon’s soulless took a knife to me.”

  Liam closed his eyes as he visibly struggled to control the emotion that gripped him.

  “I don’t want to forget what true evil is,” she said.

  Liam opened his eyes, and it broke her heart to see so much pain reflected there.

  “You were right,” she whispered.

  “It brings me no satisfaction to hear you say that.”

  “I know.”

  “What happened, my child? And what part did Drake play? I want to hear the truth. Don’t protect him.”

  “He created the soulless—not out of cruelty for self gain, but out of rage over what was done to me. Or in this case, allowed to be done.”

  “Andrew?” Liam prompted.

  “Yes,” she whispered. “I really don’t know how I kept Grayson off him just now.”

  “He respected your wishes because of his affection for you, but that emotion also inspired his actions with Darby.” Perseus sighed. “You are correct, my lady. Ferromancers are as capable of love as the rest of us. I’ve often wondered if they would be less dangerous if they weren’t.”

  She looked up, meeting his gaze and again saw that wisdom of ages in his blue eyes. She glanced at Liam, including him in her next statement. “I need to be taught to use my magic. All of it.”

  “You mean—” Liam began.

  “I love Grayson. I want to save him, and I’m not going to stop trying. But I’ve seen what can happen when I fail.”

  She glanced up at Perseus, who stood watching, then faced Liam once more. “The things they create…” Solon had even admitted once that it took a certain type of person to be made soulless. That’s why he had chosen Owens. And Andrew.

  Liam reached up and cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing away the lone tear.

  “And right now, the ferromancers are gathering in Portsmouth,” she whispered. “I still want to save them, but I wonder if my greater responsibility is to save the rest of us.” That was the choice her father had alluded to—and the responsibility she must bear.

  “What are you thinking?” Liam asked, his voice soft.

  She took a breath and released it. “I think it’s time you taught me to be Scourge.”

  THE END

  Finish the journey in book 5.

  Go to the link below to learn more.

  http://beccaandre.com/iron-souls-book-five/

  Afterword

  Thank you for reading Corroded. I hope you enjoyed it. If you liked it well enough to leave a review; that would be great! For release news, giveaways, and other goodies, use the following link to sign up for my newsletter. As an added bonus, you’ll receive an alternate POV scene from Ferromancer.

  http://beccaandre.com/newsletter/

  Looking for more to read? Check out my Final Formula Series. Filled with action, magic, humor, and romance, this unique urban fantasy tells the story of amnestic alchemist and her quest to recover her lost past. The first book, The Final Formula, is free everywhere my books are sold.

  Discover the Final Formula

  http://beccaandre.com/excerpt-the-final-formula/

  Map

  Glossary

  For those who did not grow up with the remnants of an abandoned canal in their neighborhood (the old timers still called the road into town the towpath when I was little), the concept of mule-pulled boats may be something completely foreign. To help clarify this world, I wanted to include a glossary of common canal terms.

  The terminology used aboard a canal boat can be confusing, especially for those with some maritime knowledge. Since most canal boatmen did not come from a nautical background, their word choice was often quite different from their seafaring counterparts. Sometimes a boatman might use a nautical term, but apply it to something completely different. For example, a deadeye on a canal boat was not the same as a deadeye on a sailing vessel.

  Another interesting feature was how the terminology changed whether inside or outside the boat’s cabin. For example, the upper level of the boat (the roof of each cabin) was called a deck while inside the cabin it was simply the floor. A wall was a wall, not a bulkhead, yet a boatman would often call the little corner containing his bunk, his stateroom. It was this delightful mix that gave the canal system a language of its own.

  Aqueduct – A bridge-like structure that carried the canal and towpath across a waterway or other obstacle.

  Balance Beam – The long, wooden beams that form the top of a lock’s miter gates. The length of the beams helped balance the weight of the gate and made it easier to manually open.

  Boatman – A person who owned or worked aboard a canal boat. The term could refer to a man or a woman (yes, in those days, women called themselves boatmen).

  Bow – The front end of a canal boat.

  Bow Cabin (Bunkhouse) – The cabin in the front of the boat where the non-family members of the crew slept.

  Bowsman – A canal boat worker who secured the bowline around a snubbing post when the boat was entering a lock. This stopped the boat and kept it from slamming into the miter gates at the far end.

  Bridge Plank – A wooden plank used to walk the mule team from the stable to towpath and vice versa. It was stored aboard the boat when not in use.

  Catwalk – A walkway connecting the decks (or roofs) of the cabins on a three-cabin freighter. It made it easier to get around the boat when the cargo areas were full.

  Deadeye – An iron bar
or eyelet mounted to the roof of the bow cabin and used to secure the towline.

  Doubling – The ability to use a lock as found. The water level did not need to be adjusted before steering the boat into the lock chamber.

  Driver – The crewman who controlled the mule team on the towpath.

  Dry Dock – A chamber built beside the canal and used for boat maintenance. Once the boat was floated in, the water could be drained, exposing the hull for repair work.

  Fit a Lock – The process of preparing a lock for the boat. If the water in the lock wasn’t on the same level as the boat, the water would need to be raised or lowered.

  Freighter – A canal boat used to carry freight.

  Guard Lock – A lock that connected the canal to the pooled water above a dam. A guard lock raised the boat to the level of the pooled water and guarded the canal below the lock from high water.

  Hatch – A trapdoor in the roof of a cabin that allowed access to the cabin by means of a ladder. Hatches were used when the cargo holds were full.

  Headway – A command shouted by the captain to indicated that the boat had sufficient speed to enter a lock. The towline would be detached and boat allowed to coast forward on its own.

  Heelpath – The bank of the canal opposite the towpath.

  Level – A section of canal between locks.

  Light Boat – A canal boat with no cargo.

  Lines – Ropes. The common lines on a canal boat were the towline, bow line, and stern line.

  Lock – A chamber closed on each end by miter gates. Most locks on the Ohio & Erie were made of stone.

  Lock Chamber – The space between the gates within a lock.

  Locking Through – The process of taking a boat through a lock.

  Miter Gates – The large wooden gates at either end of a lock chamber.

  Paddle – A small “door” in the lower section of a miter gate that allowed water to flow in or out of the lock chamber. The door was controlled by the “paddle gear” at the top of the gate.

  Packet – A canal boat typically constructed with one cabin that ran the length of the boat. Packets were used to haul passengers rather than cargo.

  Rudder – A flat board hung vertically at the back of the boat and used to steer the vessel.

  Snubbing Post – A heavy post embedded in the ground beside each lock. The bow line was wrapped several times around the snubbing post to bring a boat to a stop upon entering the lock chamber.

  Stable Cabin – The center cabin on a three-cabin freighter that housed the mules.

  Steersman – A canal boat crew member who steered the boat via a tiller mounted near the back of the boat.

  Stern – The rear part of a canal boat.

  Stern Cabin (Aft Cabin) – The cabin in the back of the boat. Typically where the captain and his or her family lived.

  Tandem Hitching – An arrangement of towing animals hitched one behind the other.

  Tiller – A horizontal handle attached to the rudder post. The tiller was used to control the rudder in order to steer the boat.

  Tiller Deck – A small rail-enclosed deck behind the stern deck where the tiller was installed.

  Towline – A braided rope up to 200 feet long used to hitch the mule team to the canal boat.

  Towpath – The path on one side of the canal where the mule team and driver walked.

  Transom – The stern end of the boat where a boat’s name was painted.

  Acknowledgements

  It’s time again to thank all folks who help me make my stories better. I’d to thank:

  Kendra Highley, Lindsay Buroker, Cindy Wilkinson, Genevieve Turcotte, and Walt Scrivens for taking the time to help me make this book the best it can be.

  Shelley Holloway for her editing magic.

  Glendon Haddix and the team at Streetlight Graphics for the amazing cover art and formatting. (Check out my gorgeous website. They did that, too!)

  And you, kind reader, for letting me entertain you. I really appreciate the reviews, comments, and emails. Thank you!

  About the Author

  Becca Andre lives in southern Ohio with her husband, two children, and an elderly Jack Russell Terrier. A love of science and math (yes, she’s weird like that), led to a career as a chemist where she blows things up far more infrequently than you’d expect. Other interests include: chocolate, hard rock, and slaying things on the Xbox.

  For more on her books, upcoming releases, and random ramblings, stop by http://beccaandre.com

  Twitter: https://twitter.com/AddledAlchemist

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorBeccaAndre