Killing the Machine (Aboard the Great Iron Horse Book 2)

by Jamie Sedgwick

  He inhaled deeply. “Do you smell that?”

  “What?” she said.

  “Firewood.”

  River smiled. “It’s not so bad, is it?”

  He licked his lips. “I’d rather be back on the water.”

  “It takes time,” she said with a grin. “I want you to come out here again tomorrow, and every day until you’re not afraid anymore.” She glanced over his shoulder and shouted, “NEXT!”

  Of the four, River managed to get three of the men out onto the propeller shaft. She could hardly get the fourth man even to look over the rail. River decided he was a lost cause. The man was going to have to find work on a different ship.

  By that time, they had entered the mountain range and had been flying north for half an hour.

  “Lights ahead!” shouted a sailor from the crow’s nest. Rowena called for her spyglass. River climbed back onto the ship and raced to the helm. Kale joined them, standing on Rowena’s other side.

  “Is it them?” Kale said.

  “That is the ship I saw,” said Rowena. She handed Kale the spyglass. He glanced through it, and then handed it to River with a dark look. She put the scope to her eye, focusing on the lights in the distance.

  In a clearing next to a mountain lake, a carrack-sized ship hovered over a walled encampment. River instantly knew it was Burk’s ship. Having become well acquainted with Rowena’s ship, River could tell that the design of Burk’s vessel was only vaguely similar to those used in the Forgotten Sea. It was wider in the midsection and flatter, lacking the tall forecastle of the carrack. The construction seemed to be a hybrid of the local ships and the dragonships the Vangars had used to invade her homeland.

  Other, similar ships rested both on and off the shore of the lake, in various stages of construction. In the fort below the airship, River saw long, lodge-style buildings and corrals for cattle and sheep. Torches burned here and there, casting flickering light across the muddy streets. The Iron Horse’s tender car sat behind one of these buildings, at the edge of the fort. She noticed a handful of tall, long-haired warriors patrolling the wall. They were dressed in fur cloaks and carrying broadswords and battle-axes over their shoulders.

  River slammed the spyglass shut and handed it back to Rowena. She looked Kale in the eye. Through clenched teeth, she said, “I knew we should have killed them all when we had the chance.”

  Chapter 15

  “These are the men who stole your fuel?” said Rowena.

  “Not men,” said River. “Monsters.”

  “Burk is working with Vangars,” Kale said. “How did this happen?”

  “He must have heard about them while we were in Port Haven. Somehow, he contacted them.” River turned to the captain. “We have to land before they see us.”

  “Where?” said Rowena. “We can’t put down on these hillsides.”

  “There,” River pointed. “That cove at the southeastern corner of the lake. We’ll be out of sight there, and we can sneak up on the camp from the water. They’ll never see us coming.”

  Rowena called out the order, and her crew went to work. They opened the exhaust ports on the balloon and made a quick descent as the ship turned to the east. River took Rowena’s spyglass to the aft end of the ship, and kept watch on the Vangar camp to make sure they hadn’t been spotted.

  The crew experienced a few harrowing moments as the Lady Fair scraped the treetops on the way in for a landing, but then they glided in for a gentle touchdown on the mirror-like surface of the lake. Before they had even set anchor, River was already prepping the rowboat. Rowena approached her.

  “Do you have a plan?”

  “Our fuel container is at the west end of the camp. I’ll make sure the fuel is still there, then you can swoop in and take it. Send down ropes, and I’ll secure them. We’ll have to move fast.”

  “How will I know when you are ready?”

  River considered her options. “We can’t risk a signal fire. I’ll have to send a message back with one of your crewmen.”

  “Take two. It will be faster.”

  “Perfect,” said Kale, who had been standing nearby, listening in. “Let’s go!”

  River rolled her eyes. “All right. I’m too tired to argue with you.”

  “I’ll get my swords,” he said, grinning widely. Kale disappeared below deck. River unlocked the winch and began lowering the nearest rowboat into the water. Rowena jumped to the second winch to help her.

  “This will all be over soon,” Rowena said, staring at her. “I suppose we will all go our own ways.”

  “I suppose so,” River said, peering over the rail as the boat settled onto the water. Rowena released the winch line and stood back.

  “Promise me you will take care of him,” she said.

  River frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “You know what I am talking about. Promise me that you will take care of Kale. I must admit, before I met you, I had hoped that he would stay with me. But now that I know you, I can see he will never leave you for me.”

  River tried to hide her discomfort with the conversation. “I’m not so sure about that,” she said. “You’re his type.”

  Rowena cocked an eyebrow. “How so?”

  “You’re strong. You have your own ship. Now it flies, so you can go anywhere, do anything. You’re free, and… you know what you want. I’m not like that.”

  “Perhaps you do not know what you want, but your friend does. I am little more than a distraction to him. I never was any more than that. I can see that now.”

  At that moment, Kale returned. He wore two broadswords strapped to his back -the two he had taken from defeated Vangars during the rebellion- and a flintlock pistol tucked into his belt. He handed River her gun belt, with the revolver already tucked into the holster.

  “I loaded it for you,” he said. “Are we ready?”

  “Ready,” River said. She ordered Pirate to stay on the ship until she returned, and then she climbed down the rope ladder. The coon leapt up onto the rail, obediently watching her drop into the rowboat. Kale came after her, followed by two of Rowena’s crewmen. As they pushed away from the Lady Fair, Pirate tensed up to jump after them. Rowena caught him by the scruff before he could make the leap.

  The sailors lifted their oars, and with hardly a sound, the boat slipped into the mist. The snow flurries had passed, but the weather was cold in the mountains and a thin layer of fog hovered over the surface of the lake. The woods around them were dark, the tips of the evergreens thrusting up through the mist like a thousand spears impaling the night sky. Beneath their oars, the water was obsidian black.

  River drew her revolver and checked the cylinder. Kale had done an adequate job of loading the bullets for her. They were pressed in tight enough that they wouldn’t move, but not so tight that they would jam the gun’s spring action. The interior components seemed to have dried, but she knew a complete takedown and thorough oiling was in order.

  When we get back to the Horse, she told herself. When Socrates is back in one piece, and everything is back to normal, then I’ll have time…

  River felt a sense of despair at the thought of her lost companion. Despite her youth, she had knowledge beyond her years, and a wealth of experience that came along with a difficult life and a troubled childhood. As an infant, River had lost her mother. She had been raised by Tinker, the kind old man who taught her all she knew about machines and technology. She had seen him killed by the same Vangars who had ruled over her homeland for a decade.

  River had escaped the Vangars and eventually defeated them, but not without her share of scars. Granted, they weren’t as bad as the angry red scar on Kale’s cheek, but then they weren’t the same kind of scars. River’s scars lived inside of her, and she thought of them often, especially when she touched the Vangar slave collar that she still wore on her throat. All of this served to keep her memory fresh; to remind River that it was best to prepare for the worst. It was difficult now though, because this time
the worst meant that Socrates was gone forever. Somehow, River had always thought of Socrates as something permanent, a creature beyond trivial matters like mortality and age. Unlike her mother and father and Tinker, Socrates was supposed to be forever. She didn’t want to let him go.

  It took fifteen minutes to cross the lake. When they reached the Vangar ships that were scattered along the western shore, they slowed their speed and quietly slipped through the shadows between the larger vessels. Two of the ships were almost finished, and had men on board with lanterns burning. Five more were under construction. These were dark and silent.

  As the rowboat slipped up to the rocky shoreline, River and Kale leapt into the shallow water. “Wait over there,” River said in a whisper, pointing to a dark alcove a few yards down shore. The crewmen nodded, and quietly slipped their paddles back into the water.

  River and Kale hurried up the beach and ducked into the shelter of the trees. Their breeches and boots were soaking wet, but for the moment, these were but minor discomforts. Their adrenaline was high, their hearts pumping with the exhilaration of imminent battle. They were both veterans of war. Both knew the thrills and horrors of combat; the rush of victory and the crush of defeat. Of all the things they shared, perhaps nothing was stronger than their seething hatred for the Vangar overlords. Kale had a scar to remind him why, and River had her slave collar. No amount of Vangar blood could quench the fires of this hatred. Time perhaps, could heal their wounds and harden their scars, but for the moment, their injuries seemed fresh and the pain remained sharp.

  The adventurers slipped quietly through the forest, circling round the fort, careful not to disturb the underbrush and fallen branches that littered their path. A wild hare scurried across the clearing up ahead. Patches of snow glistened in the moonlight. A pair of watchmen carrying torches circled the fort’s outer wall and disappeared around the corner. River pointed out that the front gate was closed, and Kale signaled for her to follow him around to the far side. They crept back to the southern end of the fort, well beyond the light of the torches, and climbed along the rough mountain slope towards the western edge.

  “There,” Kale whispered, as they drew close. River saw a cliff not far from the wall. It was close enough, she realized, that they might use it to get over the top of the wall. Kale moved in that direction, and River hurried after him. They paused a moment later as the guards circled around the back corner.

  Kale ducked back behind a boulder, pulling River along with him. For several minutes, they could do nothing but wait. Their bodies were pressed close in the small space, and River felt the warmth of Kale’s body next to her. She became conscious of the sound of the tall warrior’s breathing, the movement of his coarse skin across her own.

  River tried to draw away, but Kale’s arm snaked around her and held her fast. She resisted at first, twisting around to glare up into his face, and Kale grinned wickedly. He bent forward and kissed her hard on the lips. River resisted, but couldn’t quite find the strength to pull herself away. Her pulse quickened, and her mind reeled. She felt herself falling, spiraling into vertigo, losing all sense of herself and the world around her. She struggled against the feeling, pushing away, but Kale held her in his iron grip.

  River bit his lower lip, and Kale responded by kissing her even harder. Then, without warning, he released her and pulled away.

  “They’re gone,” he said in a whisper with a sly grin. River closed her fist and punched him in the jaw. It was a solid blow that left the massive warrior blinking in surprise. He reached for the pain, dumbfounded, massaging the slight swelling as he stared at her. River smiled and stepped around him.

  Noiselessly, she flew to the top of the outcropping and crawled up to the ledge. She was ten feet away from the wall, and several feet higher. The ground beyond the wall was level, but muddy. She had a clear view of the tender car and its resting spot behind a nearby building.

  “Looks quiet,” Kale whispered as he came up behind her. “They’re all inside, sleeping.”

  Without a word of warning, he rose to his feet and launched himself through the air. The warrior easily vaulted over the top of the fence. He disappeared over the side, and River heard him touch down beyond with a heavy thump. Kale somersaulted to his feet and raced into the shadows of the nearest building.

  The patrol came around again, and River ducked back behind the outcropping. The Vangars were talking quietly, their harsh guttural language more like the croaking of bullfrogs than human voices. It was a sound she knew well, a language that she had heard every day of her life until the Vangars were defeated. The men were discussing fishing, she thought, but River only caught a few phrases of their quiet conversation. It seemed that the mountain lake had a good stock of trout, if one knew where to fish.

  The Vangars turned the far corner, and their voices faded into the distance. River pushed to her feet. She paused long enough to make sure the way was clear, and then she leapt. Effortlessly, River cleared the top of the wall. In the darkness beyond, she couldn’t see the ground coming up, and she landed somewhat awkwardly on the muddy earth. River’s uneven weight turned her ankle, and her feet went out from under her. She ended up lying on her side in the mud. River stifled a groan as sharp pains shot up and down her leg. Kale rushed to her side. He knelt down to examine her.

  “Is it broken?” he said, turning her boot side to side in his hands.

  “Sprained,” she said with a wince. “Help me up.”

  Kale lifted her in both arms, and carried her back into the shadows of the building. He set River down gently, with her back pressed up against the wall.

  “What now?” he said in a low whisper.

  River glanced over his shoulder at the tender car. “Check the box,” she said. “Make sure the starfall is still in there.”

  Kale nodded. He hurried over to the boxcar and pulled the door partially open. It creaked slightly, and he glanced back and forth to make sure no one had noticed. Satisfied, he disappeared inside. While he was gone, River managed to crawl up to her feet. She balanced her weight on her good leg, leaning back with her shoulder pressed against the building. Kale returned a few seconds later.

  “It’s in there,” he said. “The coal is still there, too.”

  “Good. Help me get onto the roof, and then get out of here.”

  “I’m not leaving you!”

  “You have to. One of us has to send the message to Rowena, and I can’t walk.”

  “I’ll carry you!”

  “Over the wall?” River said skeptically. “Kale, one of us has to be here, to hook the container. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. If I lay down up there, no one can see me.”

  Kale shook his head, clearly not happy with her solution to the problem. Unfortunately, there was no other answer. “All right,” he said at last. “Just keep your head down, okay?”

  “Don’t worry about me.” She patted her revolver in its holster.

  Kale carried River over to the tender car and boosted her up to the roof, pushing against her rear with both hands. River caught the edge and pulled herself up. As soon as she was on the roof, she rolled over and shot him a glare over the side. She was pretty sure Kale had been taking advantage of the situation. He confirmed this with a sneaky grin. River shook her fist at him, and Kale blew her a kiss before he went scurrying back to the wall.

  River watched the warrior clamber up the posts and vanish over the top. As soon as he was gone, she rolled over on her back, staring up at the stars. In her mind, River tried to calculate how long she would have to wait.

  First, Kale would have to sneak back through the woods and make his way back to the rowboat. That should take no more than ten minutes. It would take approximately fifteen minutes to row back to the ship, and then Rowena would need a few more minutes to hoist the anchor and get airborne.

  Thirty minutes, River decided. That was under optimal circumstances. If Kale ran into trouble along the way, that amount of time could easily double. But at le
ast, after thirty minutes or so, River would know to keep an eye out.

  She moved her ankle, and grimaced at the pain. She licked her lips, feeling the slight bruising there from Kale’s kiss. She wondered if she’d done the same for him. She hoped so. Her bite should have been enough to draw blood, and her punch… well, that had been enough to skin her knuckles, so it must have got his attention. She almost laughed as she remembered the shocked look on the big warrior’s face.

  What a fool you are, she thought. A big, arrogant, beautiful fool.

  As the minutes ticked by, the adrenaline wore off and the last two day’s experiences began to weigh down on her. River’s body ached from the welts and cuts on her skin, right down to her bruised bones. Thinking back, River wasn’t even sure how she’d survived it all. She had been telling herself it was just one more thing to get through, one more thing and then it would all be over. But that one more thing had become another, and then another, and thinking back now, she found the last two days were nothing but a blur.

  As River reflected on these thoughts, a heaviness came over her limbs. The stars seemed to whirl overhead. She smelled firewood and pine, and felt the cold steel of the tender car’s roof against her back. The pain gave way to a dull throbbing. Her breath came out in billowing fountains of steam that dissipated in the cold night air. Her eyelids drifted shut…

  River heard a shout, and bolted upright. Off to her left, she heard a thunderous kaboom. A pillar of fire rose up in the air somewhere in the direction of the lake. She lowered herself back down to the roof, and slid up to the edge. She heard a chorus of yells, and a throng of Vangar warriors came racing out of the buildings. The warriors hastened to pull open the gates, while in the distance, there was another explosion.

  River raised her head high enough to look over the wall. One of the ships on the lake had exploded, and two more were on fire. The Vangars gathered up their arms and swarmed through the gates, down toward to the lake. As they leapt into their rowboats and began paddling for the ships, the Lady Fair swooped down over their heads. River heard shouts and cursing as the Vangars reversed their direction back toward shore.