City of Steam (Blackburn Chronicles)

by Dominic K Alexander

  The Sentry roared to life rumbling and shaking enough for her to have to grab onto the walls. Gears and cogs were spinning and moving all around her. It was an impressive sight to see. Mac looked through a set of optic tubes in front of her and saw William and Walter had figured their Sentries out as well. She couldn’t help but think next time she saw Jonas she owed him a hug. The man had successfully turned steam powered beasts into tinker toys with guns. At that moment, she did’t care if she won this fight or not because regardless of what happened she was about to have a whole lot of fun.

  Mac found the leaver that made the Sentry move forward, looked back into her optic tubes, pulled back on the lever, and walked the Sentry right through the wall. Her grandmother was going to be very angry at her.

  29.

  The Sentries moved quickly and smoothly past the explosions and fires before finding a group of fighters that Coilin gathered. By the looks of things there was less of a loss than Mac had originally assessed with more than two-thirds of the people there.

  “Good of you tin heads to join us.” Coilin said with a smile. He frowned and held up three fingers shrugging. Mac heard Walter telling him William had taken the third. He gave a slight bow to William’s Sentry then pointed at Mac and yelled. “Care to take the lead oh fearless one.” Mac thought about popping a shot off at him, but instead took the lead and played the more mature of the two.

  The group hurried to the cities gate and Mac looked back seeing aeroships finally falling from the sky one by one. At least there’s that. Mac thought before looking out into the wooded forest. She could sense several of the Thermas as they reached out into the fields with their earth elementals and felt for any enemies waiting for them. Every now and then one of the trees would shift as if it had been hit with a solo gust of wind, then, like a giant venus fly trap it would bend down and grab someone up hiding close to it and crush them before tossing the remains into the air as if it were a piece of trash. Then, as if nothing had happened, the tree would stand tall once more.

  After several minutes, there was no more activity coming from the tree line and everyone pulled their powers back. Mac looked at the eager group and pulled her stolen Sentry forward leading them to Steam City. The walk was long and slow, but Mac was surprised when they met no resistance on the way. There were no assassins or Sentries to be found anywhere. The thought of it was more than unsettling. They stopped several times reaching out with their powers and yet, nothing. Mac had to wind her Sentry several times, but they were finally getting close to the forests edge.

  As the edge came near silver flecks of moonlight flickered off the ground. The group slowed to a halt and Mac opened the hatch to her Sentry to get a look with her own eyes instead of the obscure view from the optic tubes. The entire area was scattered with long metal spider legs and a bulbous body not far from where they stood. Coilin crept up to see what the holdup was and stopped in his tracks when he saw the destroyed machine in front of them.

  “What could do this amount of damage to one of these things?” Mac asked amazed at the extent of damage. Coilin looked at the body before letting out a long deep sigh.

  “Can you think of no one.” He said. “Son, you may as well come out, I know you’re here.” Coilin called into the dark forest. The ground began to shiver and mound upward until several large bog beasts tore free from the earth.

  Selek stepped forward looking down on Mac and Coilin. She had the distinct feeling if he could have a smile on his face it would have stretched ear to ear. She also had the feeling he was the one responsible for the lack of resistance on their trip.

  “We fight.” Selek said using actual words and not talking with his mind like he had done previously.

  “We fight.” Coilin replied to Selek with watery eyes. He reached out and grabbed his son’s hand, then shook his head with approval. “I will never be more proud of you, Abel, than I am right now.”

  “Let us get to the center and the rest is your personal play ground, big guy.” Mac said to Selek before turning to leave. He grabbed ahold of her arm before she could leave and she turned back to him.

  “Family.” He said to her. The thought hit Mac hard knowing they could all die here and now. She looked at him and no longer saw the walking pile of mud and grass, but instead saw Abel looking back at her. He was family and some of the only family she had left. It was easier to distinguish him as some sort of monster and think of him as Selek than Abel, but it was wrong and she suddenly felt horrible for thinking it.

  “Family.” She said taking his oversized hand into hers. Coilin still held the other and they looked at each other realizing what this mission could cost them. Coilin released his sons hand and pulled Mac into a big, yet awkward hug, then released her and went back to the others without another word.

  “Abel, if you tell anyone what happened here I will take a set of hedge trimmers to you.” Mac said with a smile. His large body shook slightly and he went back to the other bog people. Mac turned to walk back to her Sentry and Walter stood behind her. She stared at him a long second before speaking. “Not. A. Word.” She walked past him and back to her Sentry. Walter held up his hands in surrender and went back to his Sentry, a smile on his face.

  Now was the part of the plan Mac had been dreading. She took a deep breath and fired up her Sentry, then wound the key as far as it would turn. With a pull of the lever the three Sentries moved alone across the field. As they approached the massive metal walls the front gate opened and allowed them to pass. There were no guards in sight and the streets were void of life altogether. If it hadn't been for the occasional person peeking from a window she would have thought the place completely empty. She wasn’t sure if the people were always this scared at night or if they were walking into a trap, but the scene was unsettling to Mac.

  When they made it to the center of the city the gate was already wide open and Mac knew it was a trap, but what she was unsure of was whether they knew there were three trojan horses heading for them, so they continued through the gate as if they belonged there.

  After making their way through the gate they found at least fifty of the cities Controllers waiting with guns at the ready. The entire area beyond the gate was full of the fierce guards with the occasional assassin walking among the ranks. When Mac reached the steps of the palace a short stocky man came running out to them yelling.

  “You three are supposed to be watching the front gate!” He said in a frantic voice. “Reports say they are going to attack tonight and we need to be ready for anything. Now, go back to your post.” Mac ignored him and took another step forward. Walter and William followed her lead, stepping behind her.

  “I said STOP!” The man yelled turning a bright shade of red and shaking. Several of the Controllers came to life aiming their guns at the three imposters. Mac stopped, turned, aimed her guns at the Controllers, then stood unmoving. The three stood for several seconds until finally the Controllers moved back to their nonaggressive stance.

  “Very good.” The man said. “Now go watch the front gates you outdated hunk of junk.” Mac didn’t move. She watched as Walter moved slowly to the left side of the Controllers and William snuck to the right. The man was so busy yelling at Mac that he failed to notice the three surrounding them.

  Mac aimed her guns at the Controllers as a bead of sweat ran down her forehead, then reached forward, grabbed the gun’s leaver, and slowly squeezing the trigger. Her companions did the same.

  The guns roared to life spraying the unsuspecting Controllers in front of them. Bursts of steam and explosions rocked the area with the rare splatter of red from whichever of the unlucky assassins in the yard were hit. The rotund man let out a yelp finding himself stuck in the middle of the gunfight.

  Controllers started firing shots, but they couldn’t see through the steam which now filled the area, so instead they started firing shots blindly into each other, which intern made for more explosions and even more steam. Mac locked the trigger back on her Sent
ry and popped the back latch sneaking out and crawling low to where she had last seen Walter. The air was moist and hot burning her skin slightly as she moved through. She was sure anyone standing would have a bad case of melted skin and no longer be a threat to anyone.

  Finally finding Walter’s Sentry she reached up and knocked loudly on his hatch. There was no answer. She knocked again and still nothing, so she reached up, popped the hatch and stuck her head in. The muzzle of his gun pressed hard against her skull.

  “I’d rather you didn’t.” Mac said unflinching. Walter pulled his gun back and spun it once then re-holstering it.

  “You ready?” He asked locking his trigger in place as Mac had.

  “Nope.” Mac said with a sarcastic look on her face. “I just came to see if you wanted to go grab a bite to eat.” Walter pushed her out of the way and slid to the ground without responding.

  “Let’s get William.” He said then crawled low to the other side of the yard. On more than one occasion a round hit the ground next to them spraying dirt into their face. When they finally reached William’s Sentry it stood silent and unmoving. Walter quickly opened the hatch and William’s limp body fell out into his arms. Mac punched Walter then checked for the boy’s wounds. He took three bullets in his hip and abdomen and needed time to heal before someone found him and burned his body. She looked around, bullets still whizzing by, and pulled Walter behind the sanctuary of the stone staircase.

  “What are we going to do?” Mac asked.

  “Leave him here where the guards will find him and burn him, or get him inside and stuff him in a closet somewhere so he can heal up.” Walter said.

  “You get to carry him.” Mac smiled then called to the earth and punched her fist into the ground as hard as she could. A ripple of waves moved forward throwing the Controllers in every direction. Walter threw William over his shoulder and they ran for the front door having to leap over the blood covered rotund man on the stairs. As they leapt through the front door they were greeted by five overly armed assassins standing in a semicircle and waiting for their prey. Walter stopped, looking at the men and slowly set William down. The men pointed their firearms at Walter ready for his attack.

  “Come on, Walter.” The man standing in the middle of the group said. He was much cleaner and well-kept than the others standing around him and the look in his eye told Mac this man wanted Walter’s blood. “Let’s just go talk with the duke and finish this, unless you care to finish things right here, right now.”

  “That’s all we have to do is follow you to the off-” Walter pulled his pistol before finishing the sentence and fired five rounds in rapid succession dropping each of the assassins before they could take a shot then holstered his pistol and slung William over his shoulder as if nothing had happened.

  “Remind me to never make you angry.” Mac said with a raised brow. Walter gave her a small smile then headed off.

  “We need to get William to the kitchen so we can stash him in the wine cellar before we go see the Duke.” Walter said as he left. Mac didn’t follow, but instead started up the staircase.

  “I’m going to the office.” Mac said. Walter stopped and looked up at her. She ignored his gaze.

  “You need me.” He said.

  “Trust me, Walter, I don’t.” She replied. All the death and destruction was balled up inside her and rage practically seeped from her pores. Walter knew the look she currently had and let her go.

  “Fine, but I am coming to get you as soon as I get William out of sight.” He said and headed off.

  Mac ran up the stairs towards his office. He killed my father, and tried to kill my sister, my family, and my friends. Tonight, he will die. She thought as she came to his door. The door and frame had been shredded when his guards broke in during their previous meeting.

  Mac peeked around the corner and into the destroyed room. The wall was still missing, the chairs, books, and papers were still strewn around, and his sisters blood still painted the floor. The duke sat calm and quiet, sipping his glass of absinthe, and waiting for her arrival.

  “Do come join me, Miss Blackburn.” Weir said as if greeting an old friend. Mac slowly stepped into the dusty haze filled room looking around. It was absent of any guards or Guardians to watch over him. She frowned waiting for the attack. “May I offer you a drink?”

  “No, but I’d be more than happy to take your life.” She continued to watch the room waiting for the attackers to show themselves. Nothing. Then it hit her, slowly at first then much stronger. Tightness filled her chest and a heavy weight seemed to pull down on her. She started to panic looking back and forth waiting for her enemy. Someone was watching her; she could feel it boring into the back of her skull. Sickness welled up into her stomach. She moved closer to the duke stretching out her senses trying to find the source of her distress. There was no one. She stood alone, confused, and scared.

  “Are you sure you don’t want a drink?” Weir had an even grin on his face as he took another sip from his glass. “You are looking a bit green. Maybe your mother would like to chat with you.” He pulled a charred skull from the floor and set it on the desk.

  Mac stared at the skull shaking. It watched her through hollow eyes, but she was too scared to attack and take revenge on the monster who killed her family. Something was wrong, she could feel it.

  “What are you doing to me?” She said still looking back and forth around the room waiting for it to leap out at her. Devin stood in the corner watching her, laughing. She fell back to the floor holding her hand out ready for the fight, but he was gone. The room shook and she couldn’t concentrate on anything around her, then everything went blurry and she wiped at her eyes trying to get her vision back.

  Weir slowly stood from his chair and pulled his sword from its cane sheath, then picked up his drink and took a sip while walking over to Mac, who shook on the floor and wiped at her eyes.

  “Breathe.” Weir said taking a deep breath. His voice came out in a demonic echo. Mac looked in the direction of his voice and took a deep breath of air. Breathe. Must breathe. Air. More air. Mac thought. She didn’t know why she wanted to breathe so much, but she knew it had to be good, so she took more breaths.

  “So, Mrs. Blackburn. I think it is time for us to discuss your role in the death of my sister.”

  The voice echoed through the room and Mac couldn’t make out the words. There was something about rolls, or food. Why was someone offering her food? She lay on the floor shaking and not knowing where she was or why she was there.

  The duke followed his prey as she crawled across the floor shaking like she was having a seizure. He took another sip from his glass then lifted his sword and ran the tip across her leather covered abdomen until she found a leather-less section of skin. He pressed gently until scarlet started to run from the open wound. His demonic laugh again echoed all around her.

  Mac screamed out as pain ran across her abdomen, but she didn’t know why it hurt. She ran her hand over the wound, feeling the wetness of blood. Why is my stomach wet? Why does it hurt? She thought then pulled herself aimlessly across the floor.

  The duke continued laughing as she pulled away from him. He ran his sword up an open area of her back cutting down the spine. She arched back in pain which made him laugh even harder. He cut away at her clothing piece by piece exposing the skin underneath and giving him more area to slice. She pulled away again tangling herself in her now shredded leathers and stopping her from being able to escape as he ran the blade over her body again and again. The floor pooled with her blood and she cried out rolling around the ground having no idea she was about to die.

  She struggled to free herself, becoming more and more tangled until something snapped and she could pull herself away again. She crawled away from whatever kept biting her and searched for freedom, but it kept striking like a wasp relentlessly.

  “Do you know what atter root is, Mrs. Blackburn?” Weir said with a giggle. “You see, first you take the root, dry it, an
d grind it into a fine powder. Then when someone inhales it they become useless. Lucky for me, pear bark counteracts the effects, so I can simply grind it up and mix it in my drink and I don’t have to worry about being effected by the root.” He took another sip of his drink. “I’m not really sure what you can hear or feel right now, but I do hope you are able to take in everything I am going to do to you. And, by the way, if you thought your friend Walter was going to come up here and save you, well, he is busy with some of my finest right about now and you will be long gone before he can come save you.” He swung the sword through the air and connected with Macs arm opening the muscle down to the bone. She screamed out and pulled away with her working arm. He whipped the sword back and forth cutting long deep gouges out of her body with every swing.

  Mac pulled herself as far as she could until the floor was simply not there anymore. She rolled onto her back, head hanging out the window, and tears running down her face. A few more inches and she would fall to the earth below. The duke would not allow that quick of an escape. He reached high into the air then brought the sword down piercing her stomach and driving the blade into the wood floor. Mac let out an ear-piercing scream.

  The duke took a sip of his drink then grabbed the oil lamp from his desk and stood over Mac staring with hate in his eyes. He unscrewed the cap on the lamp and poured a foul-smelling oil over her half bare body. She squirmed to get free rocking the blade back and forth while pulling up and slicing into her hands.

  “I always win, filthy mutt.” He whispered bringing the still lit lamp close to her face.

  “You forgot the effects of fresh air on your little drug.” Mac said through gritted teeth, then swung her arm hard into the lamp sending it across the room where it exploded into a fiery ball. She grabbed the duke as he pulled the blade free from her ready to attack again and kicked him hard in the groin. With him wrapped up in her arms she kicked back hard sending them both out the window. They sailed into the night. She called to the wind and instead of asking it to slow them down she asked it to move them harder and faster to the ground.