Sloan spun around, her left hand resting on the hilt of the mage sword that lay in the sheath around her hips. “Sorcerer, I—”
“I grew up in the Outland, just like you.”
“What’re you talking about?”
“That chip you carry on your shoulder. I had one just like it when I was your age, when I first moved to New Hope. I wanted to prove to everyone I was just as good, even better than they were. I grew up poor in the Outland, where I had to fight and claw for everything I had. I even went so far as to keep my up bringing a secret. I was ashamed of it, in a way. I know exactly what you’re going through.”
“Not exactly, even if we do share the same origin. You aren’t a woman or captain of the queen’s personal guard.”
“You know what, you’re right.” Marcus took a brief moment to think. “I’m neither of those things. But I do know that true strength lies within and isn’t dependent on whether it’s proven or not. Your strength and determination is your own. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone. You should be proud of where you come from and how far you’ve progressed.”
Sloan’s first response was anger but she held it back. Marcus was looking at her like she had seen him look at Jack.
“You’re not that much older than Jack, right? You must be twenty-four? Twenty-five?”
“Twenty-three, actually.”
“That’s even more impressive, Sloan.” Marcus’ eyes widened. “What you must have had to endure and accomplish to be in the position you are in, in such a short time.”
“Okay, okay. All right.” Sloan’s walls she had built around herself were beginning to crumble as this father-like figure continued to talk. She didn’t like the feeling.
Marcus stopped as he was about to open his mouth again.
“I’ll see the doctor for ten minutes, but then we’re gone.”
Jack
“Are you sure these things are safe?” Jack wasted no time in righting his own machine and took a position on the soft leather seat.
“We can’t be sure of anything, but the guys who attacked us rode them. They can’t be that dangerous.” Aareth looked over at his traveling partner as he wheeled the mage-powered bicycle over beside Jack.
Jack already liked the feeling of sitting on the machine. He had a sneaking suspicion he was going to like riding the apparatus even more. Aareth mounted his machine while Jack looked for some way to start the engine.
The contraptions closely resembled bicycles with a few notable exceptions. They were wider with thicker tires for support and low handlebars. Mostly black with dark brown seats and handle covers, the machines also sported lights, similar to those he had seen in New Hope, mounted in the front. Three steel pipes pointed up from under the machines on each side of the bicycle and a panel of switches and dials were set directly in front of the driver.
“How do we know which button and switches do what?” Jack asked over his shoulder.
“You’re asking the wrong person when it comes to technology, remember?” Aareth shrugged. “I just blasted both of us off a speeding locomotive.”
“Good point. Well, I guess there’s only one way to figure it out.”
Jack clenched his teeth and started to flip switches and turn knobs. The first switch he turned made a bright light shoot from the front of the bike. It pierced through the gloom the nearly set sun left in its wake.
Jack turned the next knob. He felt the machine underneath him rumble and shake to life. A low vibration made his body tingle. Red steam shot up through the pipes on either side of the machine.
“Now, how do we move forward and stop?” Aareth leaned over from his seat to see what buttons Jack was pushing and did the same to his own bike.
Jack looked down and bit his lip. There were gauges galore but none that he recognized. The rest of the switches he turned didn’t seem to affect the machine. Jack guessed they were for mechanical upkeep rather than operation.
On both the handlebars, Jack realized was a lever that could be pulled. When he clenched the device, he felt the machine under him tighten. “I think the lever on the handlebars stops the machine!” Jack shouted to Aareth over the noise of the running engines.
“Okay, but how do we go?” Aareth said.
Jack turned his attention away from the panel and handlebars to the rest of the machine. Nothing else on the bike seemed like it would move. Then he saw a silver plate the size of half of his shoe sprouting from the pedal where his foot rested.
“Hey, there’s a pedal I think you can push by your right foot. It looks like—”
Jack was nearly thrown out of the seat as the machine roared to life and he shot forward over the desert floor.
The sun had completely set now and it was only by the light of the bicycle’s headlight that he could see where he was going. Jack crouched down in the seat, heartbeat quickening as the machine wobbled side-to-side, depending where he placed his weight.
Soon the initial shock was over and Jack was gently tapping the pedal by his right foot to move forward.
“Looks like you did it, Jack! This is amazing!” Aareth appeared beside him with a huge smile across his face. His black hair was flapping wildly behind him.
Jack only trusted himself to take his eyes off the path in front of him for a brief second, but when he did, he got a look at what he imagined Aareth was like before; a fun-loving man who smiled easily and genuinely enjoyed life.
Jack made himself look forward as the mage bicycle wobbled.
“Hey, the camp can’t be far now. Race you there?” Jack shouted.
“Loser has to explain to Captain Tight Pants what happened,” Aareth answered.
Sloan
“Captain—Captain Sloan! Come quickly!”
Sloan was readjusting the brown sheath around her waist and examining the stitching on her right arm after the doctor had finished. She ran from the tent to see men scrambling in every direction. “What’s going on?”
“Lights!” The foreman sprinted to her with Marcus at his side. “Moving lights approaching from New Hope along the tracks.”
“How many of them?” Sloan asked as she started running toward the distant sound of rumbling motors.
“At least two, maybe more. Are the men that attacked the locomotive back?” Christopher asked.
“I don’t know, but get your workers ready for a fight. Marcus, with me.”
Marcus ran beside her as Christopher headed out to order his men in position.
Soon Sloan could see the two lights for herself. They were heading to the tented city fast. Sloan drew her sword and flipped on the switch that made it hum to life. Sloan caught action out of the corner of her eye as Marcus reluctantly drew ends of his staff from the sheath on his back and connected the two pieces.
Christopher and his men weren’t suited for battle, but they formed a line behind Sloan with whatever they could use as an improvised weapon; shovels, picks, wooden planks, and steel bars.
The two roaring machines were just yards away now. Marcus lowered his staff as he realized who was headed their way. The two apparatuses stopped and a smiling Jack and Aareth hopped off the mage-powered bicycles.
“Wow, we surrender, Captain,” Aareth raised both hands in mock submission.
“Are you all right, son?” Marcus ran to Jack’s side.
“More than all right. We saw what happened to the locomotive while we were riding up—I thought you were—”
“I’m fine, son. We both are.”
“Wait till you ride one of these things.” Jack let a deep sigh escape before a grin crept over his lips.
There was a collective sigh in the camp as the men realized they wouldn’t be fighting for their lives.
Sloan gave Jack and Aareth a stern look before sheathing her sword. Jack readied himself for the tongue-lashing, or at least the stern talking to he was sure would follow. To his surprise, Sloan actually smiled. “I’m glad you two are back safe.”
Jack and Aareth exchange
d shocked expressions. Marcus smirked like he was privilege to a secret.
“Ummm… thanks?” Aareth said.
“Now let’s see who’s responsible for attacking the locomotive and derailing the queen’s greatest achievement, shall we?” Sloan motioned for one of the men standing near the crowd to hand her the lantern he carried. The worker obediently complied.
“How do we do that?” Jack cocked his head to the side.
Sloan walked over to the two mage-powered machines and slowly moved the lantern around the bicycles’ exterior.
The group of men who gathered to ward off what they thought was a threat were beginning to disperse. Some made their way back to the tents while others hung around, waiting to get a chance to examine the pair of strange machines themselves.
“What are you looking for?” Jack asked.
“These mechanisms are on par with what the military in New Hope is developing.” Sloan was bending over, examining the leather saddle on one of the strange machines. “Most manufacturers leave a brand or stamp on their products. There has to be one on this—here!”
The three men ran to her side and leaned down, eyes squinted at the back of the dark brown saddle on the steam-powered machine. Sloan was pointing to an almost invisible emblem branded into the seat. It was a picture of a tiny “L” and “I” that looked like smoke stacks with smoke coming out of them in a circle that resembled a gear.
“What—what does “LI” mean?” Jack asked.
“It stands for Livingston Industries,” Sloan said.
Jack
“Wait, the same Dr. Oliver Livingston we met during a tour with Edison?” Jack asked.
“The same one,” Sloan answered.
All four members stood quietly for a moment, considering what the connection could mean.
“We need to warn Edison and the Queen,” Sloan swung the lantern and turned to walk to the camp.
“We need more proof before we start making accusations,” Aareth cautioned the captain. “I know what this looks like, but it’s possible these machines were stolen.”
“I agree,” Marcus chimed in.
“And how do you gentlemen suggest we get more proof?” Sloan asked.
“The bodies,” Jack said in a low voice as of he were talking to himself. “Has anyone looked at the bodies of the men who attacked us?”
“Follow me,” Sloan took the lead, lantern still swinging in her left hand.
Jack, Marcus, and Aareth walked with her through the tent city where men were standing in small groups talking about the events of the day and what it could mean. More than one wary eye or frown was directed at the group.
As they broke through the ring of tents, Jack saw where they were heading. Sloan was making a beeline for a spot where a large blanket was thrown down covering six lumps.
Jack bit back the bile in his mouth as Sloan grabbed a corner of the sheet and threw back the cover. Six dead men glared at the sky through unseeing eyes. Besides his father, who would at all costs seek to spare human life, Jack was the only one that seemed disturbed by the dead men.
Aareth knelt by the first figure. He removed the man’s mask. The man looked like he was in his mid-thirties, with a bald head and a twisted nose.
“Jack,” Sloan motioned for him to come over. “Take the light.”
Sloan handed him the lantern and knelt down, examining the sword the dead man still carried in a clenched hand. “This is military issued to the soldiers of New Hope—I—I have one just like it.”
“He’s definitely a soldier,”Aareth moved on to the next body. “They all were.”
“How can you tell?” Marcus asked as he, too, knelt in the cold sand.
“Worn boots, like Sloan said, military issued weapons, and we can know for sure if…” Aareth rolled up the right sleeve of the man he was examining to reveal a tattoo of New Hope’s banner, two crossed swords behind a black bat.
“Sloan, do—do you recognize any of them?” Jack asked.
“No, but I think Aareth is right.” Sloan stood and shook her head.
“So who attacked us?” Jack stopped his hand from shaking. “Doctor Livingston? The Queen? Both of them?”
“I don’t know, Jack.” Marcus’ eyes fixed on the corpses. “But I think we can all agree that whoever it is doesn’t want us to make it to Burrow Den.”
“Well, I say that’s exactly where we go and get some answers,” Aareth stood from his position next to the dead bodies. “We won’t find anything more here. Their pockets are empty—all we have to go on is their weapons and tattoos.”
“I can’t wrap my mind around Queen Eleanor being involved in this,” Sloan pushed a rogue hair from her line of sight. “But either way we need to get to Burrow Den quickly. After the locomotive crashed, I sent a rider to the Queen to inform her of the attack. If she is involved, then we have to get to Burrow Den and figure out what’s going on before the Queen or whoever it is that attacked us has a chance to react.”
“The mage bicycles will get us there twice as fast as any horse and we’ll be able to travel during the night,” Aareth motioned to the steel machines.
“I’ll have the foreman look at the machines and make sure they’re ready to travel first thing tomorrow morning,” Sloan instructed, “Let’s try to get a few hours sleep and reach Burrow Den before another attempt is made on our lives.”
Jack
That night Jack was shown to a small tent he would share with his father. Any thought of food made his stomach queasy as he remembered the broken bodies and twisted faces Aareth rummaged through like junk in an old room.
“Are you all right, son?” Marcus asked as he prepared his own cot for the night.
“I’m fine, just tired. So much is happening. Who do you think is behind it all?”
“There are quite a few different possibilities, it’s hard to say. What I do know for certain is that Sloan has nothing to do with this. She’s rough around the edges but when it comes down to it, we can trust her.”
“I think we can trust Aareth, too. He’s been through a lot but he saved me on the train.”
“Well, whoever our enemies are, at least we know they are not among our allies.”
“I guess that’s a first step. Good night, Dad.”
“Good night, son.”
Jack threw himself on his cot. He tried to go to sleep but every time he closed his eyes he could hear Aareth yelling at him to shoot. To kill the man that was racing towards him.
His dreams were no different. He was on the train again as it sped through the darkness at a mind-numbing rate. He held the steel wand in his hand. Someone was screaming at him to shoot. It wasn’t Aareth’s voice this time, it was a female voice, coming from someone who he missed very much. Something was running toward him. All Jack could see in the darkness was the shape of a large bat.
His arm holding the wand rose as the figure approached. He couldn’t fire. The imploring female voice yelled for him to take action but it was too late. The last thing Jack remembered before he woke was being tackled by a gigantic bat with red eyes and a mouth full of sharp teeth.
Jack
Jack sat straight up in his cot as the memories of his dream drifted into oblivion. He tried to recall what woke him so scared. There was little time for him to remember as he saw his father’s cot empty beside him. Light already replaced the darkness outside the tent.
Jack slipped on his dark boots. He grabbed his weapon and long jacket before he exited the tent. The sun was just rising, but already the tent’s inhabitants were awake and busy with work.
Jack spotted Aareth, Sloan, his father, and the foreman he had seen Lieutenant Baker talking to when they rode into New Hope. The group was standing around the two mage bicycles.
“Really impressive machines, actually.” The foreman was explaining to the group. “All that is needed to run them is the same magical energy we use to power the locomotive.” The foreman pointed a stubby finger to a twist off cap on the rear of the
mage-powered bicycle. “After the machine has cooled down, you unscrew this cap and fill it with the mage fuel. The mechanism heats the fuel and uses it as a sustainable source of power to propel the bicycle forward. I don’t understand it all, but I’ve filled both containers mage fuel for now. How long they’ll last, I can’t be sure. Oh, and you may need these if you’re traveling through the desert in an open vehicle.” Christopher passed out brown and black goggles to the group.
“Thank you, Christopher,” Sloan adjusted her sword in preparation of mounting the machine.
“There he is. We’re eating breakfast on the road. Ready to roll?” Aareth tossed Jack a pair of goggles along with a green apple.
“Yeah, how fast do you think we can make it to Burrow Den?”
“If we ride hard and these machines can keep up, no more than two days.”
The group exchanged good-byes with Christopher, who headed back toward the tent city with a wave.
“Okay, whose riding with me?” Aareth asked.
Jack was already mounting one of the machines. His apple nearly devoured, he smiled as his father handed him a biscuit. Marcus was positioning himself behind his son.
“I don’t think so, Aareth,” Sloan scowled, her toned arms crossed in front of her military style shirt. “You’re in the back. I’m operating.”
There was an awkward pause as Aareth and Sloan’s eyes locked. An immovable object met an uncompromising force.
“Ummm… Yeah, about that. No,” Aareth grinned clearly enjoying the captain’s dilemma.
“If you think that just because you’re a man that I can’t—” Sloan balled her fists and put one on each of her hips.
“Wow, there, tiger, this has nothing to do about me being a man or trying to assert some kind of dominance. I’d actually prefer it if you operated this thing. I just want you to hop on for an hour or two so you can get the hang of it and I can explain to you how it all works.”
House of Wolves: (A Paranormal Urban Fantasy) (The Vampire Project Book 1) Page 9