by Peter Oxley
“So they have nothing to live for,” said Joshua.
“If you can call their existence living,” I agreed. “But they’re all the more dangerous for that: they seem to believe that they will still get their rewards if they can just kill enough of the rest of us.” I felt a change in the train’s motion and frowned. “We’re slowing down.”
“Why?” asked Lexie.
“I shall go and ask.” I ushered them into a corner of the carriage where they could sit without being in the way and left them there with explicit instructions not to move.
I ran as best I could along the swaying carriage, bouncing off chairs and walls in an attempt to stay upright while maintaining forward momentum until I reached Pearce and Kate huddled round the speaking tube in the corner. They were using it to shout questions through to the driver in the engine up front.
“Why are we slowing down?” I asked. Kate pointed to the track ahead of us in reply. I leaned out the left-hand window by where they were standing and then cursed.
Less than half a mile ahead of us the track was blocked by a huge tree, upon which stood a host of howling creatures. Looking to the left, I noticed that our pursuers were taking advantage of our rapidly diminishing speed and were drawing closer. I did a quick tally, squinting into the sunlight: ten ahead of us and another dozen or so bearing down from the west. I ran to the other side of the carriage, muttering a stream of increasingly inventive curses as I spied yet more creatures heading towards us from the east.
Pearce looked at me questioningly, lowering the speaking tube from his ear. Forcing myself to calm down, I told them what I had seen.
“Yes, I saw them,” said Pearce. “How many did you count?”
“Ten on the obstruction ahead, then probably a dozen apiece to either side and at the rear. At this rate I would expect them to be upon us in maybe ten minutes, unless we can clear the fallen tree ahead. How many men do we have with us?”
“Only 25, not counting yourselves.”
“Not the best odds in the world.”
“You play the cards you’re dealt. And besides, we have the world’s most feared demon hunters on our side!”
“So what’s the plan?” asked Kate.
“We can’t ram the obstruction: it is big enough to destroy the engine, or at the very least derail us. In any event, we would just be giving the demons on it an ideal opportunity to board us.”
“So we stop and fight?” I asked.
“We have little choice. We will abandon the rear carriages and concentrate our defences on the front two: this one and the engine. In the meantime, I believe we should test your brother’s latest invention. I will organise my men while you install the device.” He put the speaking tube back to his mouth and bellowed down it, ordering the driver and coalmen to make their way back to the safety of our carriage as soon as possible.
I nodded, slightly nervous at the prospect of trusting our lives to Maxwell’s untested device, but we had run out of options. “Kate, let’s get to work.”
We ran through the carriage, our ease of travel now much improved by the slowing motion of the train as it continued to brake. “Do you know how to build Max’s thingummy?” asked Kate.
“No,” I said. “But he does.” I grabbed N’yotsu and quickly explained the situation to him. He nodded and barked out orders and, assisted by two soldiers, we heaved the crates over to the carriage’s entrance and began unpacking them. After a few minutes we stepped back and surveyed the contents: a bewildering collection of ropes and harnesses, a large canvas sack and an equally cumbersome black box.
“The good news is that we should be able to install this relatively quickly,” said N’yotsu. “Unfortunately it is going to require us to be on the roof and underneath the floor.”
I looked out of the window. We were now almost at a standstill and the demons were approaching at a rapid pace. “Let’s get going then,” I said. “We probably have no more than a few minutes before we are overwhelmed.”
I picked up one end of the heavy canvas sack and, with help from N’yotsu and the soldiers, hauled it to the rear of the carriage. I swung open the doors and pulled myself up the small ladder outside and over the lip of the roof. Lying on my belly, I spun round and reached down to grab the edge of the sack as it was offered up to me. I slid it along to the centre of the roof while N’yotsu and the two soldiers clambered up to join me, awkwardly heaving the black box with them.
The soldiers stood guard while N’yotsu and I placed both objects as centrally as we could, securing them to the roof with the ropes. “Careful with that,” called out N’yotsu as I busied myself around the box. “It is extremely volatile. One wrong move and you will find yourself spread over half of this field.”
“Thank you for telling me,” I muttered, adjusting my stance to ensure that as little of me as possible was above the box’s smooth black surface.
We threw the ropes over the side of the carriage and N’yotsu jumped down to help Kate and Joshua secure them round the underside of the train. I maintained my position to ensure that the objects on the roof remained in place, taking the opportunity to check on our pursuers from my vantage point. What I saw made me pleased that I had not looked up earlier, for the creatures were dangerously close, so close that I could make out each slobbering fanged jaw and menacing talon. In their midst charged humans, men driven to a near feral state by their association with the demons: the Soul-less.
I drew my four-barrelled Lancaster pistol and aimed it at the nearest attackers. “I do not wish to alarm you,” I shouted down to N’yotsu and the others, “but time is very much of the essence!” A volley of gunshot from below echoed my sentiments as Pearce and his men opened up with their first defensive volleys. I followed suit, nodding with satisfaction as the head of a Soul-less split open in a bloody mess before I moved on to the next target, then the next and the next before reloading.
The runic sword vibrated in its scabbard and I fancied that I could feel it pulling at me to join in the action. I resisted, knowing that I was needed on the roof until we were sure that the equipment was securely fastened. In any case, I did not wish to risk getting in between the soldiers’ bullets and their intended targets.
I continued firing until the hammer hit down on an empty chamber. As I fumbled in my pockets for fresh bullets a demon landed on the roof in front of me, eyes glowering like twin flames from Hell mounted atop a snout that housed a motley collection of fangs.
I threw the pistol at the creature’s head and drew my sword while it flinched to the side, exulting in the blade’s ringing song of release as I threw myself at the beast. I was fast but the demon was faster and it dodged to the side, spinning past me and raking my back with its claws as it did so. The momentum of my swing took the blade down to the carriage roof, thankfully missing the ropes and equipment but burying itself into the vehicle. The demon took advantage of my momentary distraction to kick me aside, leaving the sword buried in the roof. I slid along the smooth metal, struggling for purchase before I plummeted over into the hail of bullets and demons below.
I wrapped an arm around the rail that bordered the roof edge, gritting my teeth against the wrenching pain as my legs continued on and past, threatening to dash me to the ground. I looked up to see the demon advancing with murderous intent and fancied that I could feel claws grabbing at me from below. I kicked down hard with my feet and was rewarded by a satisfying connection with something, providing enough leverage to allow me to launch myself back up onto the roof. I landed awkwardly and scrabbled with my legs, finding a glorious foothold on the handrail that allowed me to arrow myself forwards at the demon, driving my shoulders into its stomach and knocking it off its feet. I managed to get a couple of punches into the creature’s chest and head before it shrugged me off with a roar.
I flew through the air and landed hard on my back, the wind pounded from my lungs as the world exploded in a sea of red stars. I shook my head in a desperate attempt to regain my focus b
efore the demon was upon me once more, looking up in helpless horror as the creature bore down on me, fists raised above its head and ready to pound me into oblivion. I tried to will my body to move but it was no use; the blow had temporarily shocked all the strength from me.
Something flashed overhead and then the demon fell backwards with a scream. I gasped and flailed about, trying to pull myself onto my elbows, hoping to make use of this momentary good fortune to escape. N’yotsu appeared at my side and helped me up. “We wondered what you were getting up to,” he grinned.
I looked down to see the demon lying prone, my sword sticking from its chest. “Jolly good throw,” I gasped. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, reaching down to retrieve the sword from the creature’s body with a sickly squelch. “The device is securely installed,” he said. “The others are inside; I suggest we do likewise.”
“Agreed,” I said and allowed him to lead me to the end of the carriage. Looking out, it seemed that the soldiers’ constant volleys of bullets were having the desired effect of holding back the demons, at least for the moment.
We slid down the ladder and swung into the carriage, pulling the door shut behind us. The interior was a Hell of smoke and noise thanks to the soldiers’ rifles discharging in the confined space. Captain Pearce saw us enter and ran over to us. “Everyone’s in!” he shouted. “Activate the device!”
N’yotsu nodded and picked up a small box with a plunger on the top. Two cables led from the sides of the box, leading under the door and presumably to the device on the roof. “On three,” he shouted. “One…”
“Everyone,” shouted Pearce. “Brace!”
“Two…”
I pushed my back against the wall and wedged myself as best I could between the corner of the car and the doorframe. In common with most people in the carriage, I was not sure exactly what would happen when the device was activated, but I had seen enough of Maxwell’s prototypes to be more than a little wary.
“Three!” N’yotsu pushed down the plunger and braced himself against the wall.
For a moment there was silence, aside from the snarling and shouting of the demons outside. I cursed inwardly; had the connection from the plunger to the device been severed? Or was the device simply ineffective?
Then there came an almighty bang from above, as though something very large and heavy had landed on the roof. We all looked up, hoping against hope that no hole had appeared, and were rewarded with a hissing sound: the noise of a balloon being inflated. After a few more seconds, the carriage lurched to the side, throwing me hard against the wall, then again to the opposing side, as though the whole train were trying to stand up and walk.
The jarring became more pronounced, accompanied by screeches of metal from all around us, the train protesting at the injustices being visited on it by my brother’s invention. The lurching continued and we found ourselves thrown from one side to another as though we were on a choppy sea.
“Something’s wrong!” shouted N’yotsu.
“Demons?” I asked.
Kate staggered over to us. “I don’t suppose anyone remembered to uncouple this carriage from the rest of the train?” she asked.
We looked at each other and then cursed. I grabbed the door and wrenched it open, sword raised ready in case any of the beasts tried to attack through the opening. N’yotsu looked over my shoulder and grunted. “That’s not good. The weight of the rest of the train will stop us from taking off, and might just tear the carriage apart.”
I looked up. The sack that we had attached to the carriage’s roof had been inflated so that it formed the balloon of a dirigible, with the carriage we were situated in effectively becoming the gondola. The balloon was fully inflated and holding fast, but it clearly had not been designed to carry the weight of the whole of the Juggernaut. It was straining to get us airborne, but the ungainly mass of the rest of the train was acting like an anchor, threatening to drag us into the hordes of demons swarming around us, who were in turn only held back by the odd volley of gunfire from our soldiers.
I saw what needed to be done and acted instinctively, swinging my sword down and through the coupling connecting us to the next carriage, the runic sword severing the metal as though it were cotton thread.
Immediately, the carriage jerked upwards with the released end flying into the air while the other end, still coupled to the Juggernaut’s engine, remained anchored to the ground. “Well, that’s better!” shouted Kate as we slid painfully down the floor to the opposite end of the carriage. Even in that undignified position, she still managed to convey exasperated sarcasm in my direction.
I grunted as I hit the wall and scrabbled for the other door. We were now listing hard as the remainder of the train, primarily the engine, continued to drag us down, this time just from the one end. I could hear the metal protesting, machine and gravity fighting the upward pressure from the balloon above. As I pulled the door open I reflected that it was a wonder that the straps securing us to the balloon had held firm: given the weight of the engine holding us down, it was only a matter of time before they snapped.
I swung my sword desperately and felt the faintest of resistance as the blade passed through the metal of the coupling. The carriage immediately swung upwards, throwing me backwards as I collided painfully with a chair and then some equipment. I flailed around with my free hand in a desperate attempt to find purchase, grabbing hold of someone’s arm and clinging on in the vain hope that they would somehow stop me from falling. They didn’t, and the back of my head collided with something hard before the world blinked into darkness.
Chapter 5
I came back to my senses into a world of noise and confusion. People shouted and screamed around me, while above and to the sides was the deafening sound of gunfire. I pulled myself up onto my elbows and looked around. The carriage seemed to have turned through 90 degrees, so that the walls of the vehicle formed the floor and ceiling. A dozen or so soldiers had used the benches fixed to the floor—now wall—to climb up to the windows and were firing out, while others reloaded from below and handed over fresh muskets as needed.
“How are you feeling?” Lexie asked me.
“A bit bruised, I think, but otherwise fine,” I said. “What happened?”
“We flew for a bit and then crashed down here. We think the balloon’s straps were weakened by us lurching all over the place; eventually they just gave way and snapped. The good news is we think we landed on a few of the demons.”
“Bad news is there’s more out there though, eh?” I asked.
She nodded. “You should rest for a bit.”
“No time,” I grunted, pulling myself to my feet. I noticed my sword lying on the floor a little way away and staggered over to it.
“You’re really in no fit state…” started Lexie.
I grabbed the sword and felt its power course through me, lending strength to my tired limbs and making the pain a distant memory. I straightened up and grinned at her. “You’ve got a lot to learn about us,” I said. “It takes more than that to lay me low.”
I found N’yotsu in huddled conversation with Kate and Pearce. “Ah, you’re awake,” he said.
“Yes. I’m fine, thank you for asking,” I said. “So what’s the plan?”
“We’re currently penned in,” said Pearce. “My men are holding the enemy at bay for the moment, but we’re quickly running out of ammunition and are restricted to picking them off on their terms. We need someone to get out there and distract the enemy, push them back so we can get enough bodies on to the roof and inflict some proper volleys on them. That way, we should be able to drive them off before we run out of bullets.”
“That’s where I thought we could come in,” grinned N’yotsu. “Fancy giving that sword a bit of exercise?”
“Delighted to, old chap,” I said.
I braced myself on the side of a bench, my back bent to allow full range of movement to the soldier next to me as he leaned up
to fire his musket through one of the holes in the roof which had once served as a window. I looked over to N’yotsu, who was similarly perched under the window next to mine and we nodded grimly at each other.
“On three!” shouted the Sergeant from below. “One… two… three!”
I tensed my legs and, as the soldier beside me ducked out of the way, launched myself through the window and into the air, the sword’s power lending extra height to my leap. I hung in the air above the carriage for a split second and surveyed the battlefield below. There were probably around 20 or so demons and Soul-less scrambling around the upturned carriage, with at least double that number lying dead or dying on the ground. A long smear of mud and gore indicated where the carriage had slid to a halt, handily taking with it those creatures slow or unfortunate enough to be in its way.
I dropped back down to earth, heading towards a group of Soul-less who were looking up at me hungrily, tattered clothes barely disguising their overinflated muscles. I pulled my lips back in a mirthless grin, spotting my initial targets as I fell towards them. I landed in their midst in a squat with a pleasing amount of grace, having finally perfected the art of doing so without stunning or wounding myself. I snapped my head up, glaring at them before my sword spun into action.
My task was particularly pleasurable for if there was one group of creatures I despised more than demons, it was the Soul-less. Many of them were the soldiers and other unfortunates who had sided with Andras during the conflicts that led to the Battle of Greenwich and the demon’s defeat at the hands of N’yotsu and I. Andras had tempted them with promises of whatever their hearts desired, but at the expense of their souls; a deal that I myself had also been briefly tempted by. However, while I had been released from the pact thanks to the actions of my brother, these people had not been so fortunate. Although Andras had been taken from the world, their pacts remained in place. As a result they subsisted, shunned by a human race horrified by what they represented, but lacking the release that only Andras could give them. The demons had quickly recruited them to their cause, recognising kindred spirits with nothing to lose and doubtless showering the gullible fools with yet more promises of riches and power.