The Emperor's Bride (Belles & Bullets Book 6)

by Caylen McQueen

  Because it turned, Josiah had to board the second to last car. It wasn't a tragedy, it only meant they had more cars to clear before he reached the front of the train, where the money was supposedly stored. As his horse raced alongside the hovertrain, Josiah sent his lasso into the air. For a few seconds, the rope soared above his head, then he tossed it toward the hissing smokestack. It was a perfect pitch. Josiah tugged on the rope, making sure it was nice and tight before he leapt from the horse's saddle. With a grunt, he climbed up the side of the train car and pulled himself on top of it. His brother was right behind him, but at his current speed, Flynn would have to board the caboose.

  He couldn't wait for Flynn, not when time was scarce. Josiah had the utmost faith in his brother, who could do everything he could do, albeit with less finesse. As Josiah sprinted across the train and leapt to the car ahead of him, he was glad Nicky wasn't with them. In truth, Nicky wasn't as competent as the Coles. If he was there, Josiah would have spent too much time worrying about him, wondering if he could successfully leap between cars. Even with his long legs, it would have been a challenge for Nicky, whose height made him clumsy.

  As Josiah sprinted across the roof of the speeding hovertrain, he stayed in a slightly crouched position, which helped him keep his balance. When he reached the next car, he saw a guard pacing below. The man's back was turned, so Josiah took out his tranq gun, closed one eye, and aimed. Within seconds of feeling the sharp sting in his rear end, the guard slumped to the ground. Josiah smiled at his success. If it could be avoided, he preferred not to kill anyone.

  Josiah leapt to the next car, and then the next one. Fortunately, he had the wind working with him, pushing him forward. Every now and then, Josiah glanced over his shoulder to check his brother's progress. Flynn was a few cars behind him, but he didn't appear to be struggling. Once again, a tiny smile tugged at Josiah's lips. As the older brother, he felt proud of Flynn, who learned all his skills from him.

  When he was three cars away from the front of the train, Josiah spotted two guards patrolling the area below. If he leapt to the next car, one of them would surely spot him, so he had to get them out of the way before he could make the jump. Josiah got down on his stomach and slid to the train car's edge. Staying out of view, he shot one of the guards with his tranq gun. When the second guard went to inspect his fallen friend, Josiah shot him in the back. As soon as both guards were down, Josiah was back on his feet, taking a running leap to the next car. When he was in mid-jump, the hovertrain suddenly turned. It made his landing somewhat sloppy, but at least he kept his balance.

  The lead car was right in front of him, and success was within sight. Of course, since it was the car with the money, it was the most heavily guarded. Josiah slipped a smoky-sleep bomb from the pocket of his coat and pulled out its pin. Grinning, he pitched it into the room where four guards were circling. The bomb exploded with a hiss and a puff of smoke, and a few seconds later, all guards were down. Josiah paused a moment, waiting for the smoke to clear before he dropped down into the lead car.

  Josiah's informant wasn't wrong. The stacks of cash were piled up so high, they practically reached the train's ceiling. With a smirk on his lips, Josiah rushed forward to stuff his pockets with the mountains of money. But it wasn't enough, so he whipped out a small brown bag and started to fill that too.

  “Um... excuuuse me?”

  When he heard someone speaking behind him, Josiah didn't stop. The speaker was definitely a woman, not to mention, a woman with a high-pitched voice, so he didn't feel especially threatened. He kept stuffing the money into the bag, undaunted and unafraid.

  She cleared her voice and repeated, “Excuse me! Helloooo! Do you really think I'm just going to let you walk away with all that cash? Yeah... nope! That's not gonna happen! Sorry, pal!”

  When Josiah finally turned around, his face was blank. There was a short blonde girl standing behind him, and she didn't look happy.

  “Awww, you're kind of cute!” the blonde woman cooed. “It's a shame I have to knock you out!”

  “You what?” Josiah chuckled at her threat. “Look, lady, I don't think you know who--”

  The woman raised a large box and pushed a shiny red button. As soon as it was pressed, the box opened up, and a huge metal fist flew out of it. The fist punched Josiah in the center of the forehead, knocking him out cold.

  A few seconds later, Flynn Cole descended into the lead car. “So, Josiah, what do I have to look forward to--” As soon as Flynn saw the girl, he froze. He was speechless, immovable. He wanted to help his brother, but his legs had turned into lead.

  So Carol Cassady pressed the button again, knocking out the younger brother too.

  “That one was even cuter,” Carol said, shrugging as she pitched the mechanical boxing glove over her shoulder. “Seriously, why do all the baddest boys have to be so cute? It makes me feel bad about knocking them out. Pfft... oh well! They probably deserved it!”

  Five

  On the day of her wedding, Jun's face was blank with resignation. She had no choice but to accept her fate. Before the ceremony, she practiced walking around in her “flower pot shoes,” which was proving to be more difficult than she anticipated. Jun couldn't keep her balance on the four-inch wooden platform on the silk slipper's center, but they were the emperor's favorite shoes, so she had little choice in the matter. She had to learn how to walk in them, and she had to do it quickly, because the hour of her wedding was nearly upon her.

  After donning the ridiculous shoes, Jun fell flat on her face four times. On her fifth attempt, she managed to take twenty steps before toppling over, then she nearly ripped her hip-hugging qipao dress when she crashed against the floor. As she scrambled to her feet yet again, there was a knock on the door. Her visitor didn't wait for permission to enter.

  “My god, you look beautiful!” Prince Feng complimented her as he breezed into the room. As soon as she saw his face, Jun's stomach dropped. The licentious prince was the last person she wanted to see before the ceremony. A slimy smile snaked onto Feng's thin lips as his eyes raked across her body. “I didn't think it was possible for you to look more like a goddess, but now you've proven me wrong.”

  “And I didn't think it was possible for this dreadful day to get even more dreadful, but you've proven me wrong,” Jun fired back at him.

  “Ah! So you don't want to marry my father?” Feng raised his ivory opium pipe and took a long drag. “I don't blame you, though. Who would actually want to marry that fat, greasy, humorless old man, even if it meant becoming an empress?” Smoke swirled from the prince's lips as he spoke. “Don't worry. When my father has no need of you, I'll happily warm your bed. You won't have to endure his company every night, I'm sure.”

  “I don't need anyone in my bed, thank you very much,” Jun quietly told him.

  “You might not need it... but you'll want it.” He suddenly offered her a drag from the pipe. When she didn't open her mouth, he pushed it closer to her lips and said, “Come on. It will calm your nerves.”

  Turning her head away, she insisted, “I'd rather not.”

  “You're no fun, Jun. Getting you to let down your guard is going to be quite a challenge, isn't it?” Feng stuck his pipe in the corner of his mouth and circled around her, like a predator circling its prey. When he stopped, he was standing behind her, staring at her hips. As he leaned forward to sniff her hair, he whispered, “We'll be in Columbigo in twenty minutes.”

  When she felt the prince's fingers curling around her waist, Jun wanted to escape, but her shoes made it impossible. If she tried to run, she would almost certainly plunge to the ground. “Why are we going to Columbigo for the wedding? Am I allowed to ask?”

  “You're allowed to ask. I'm not sure I'm allowed to answer, though.” Feng brought his grinning lips closer to Jun's ear. “But you're adorable, so I'll tell you. My father plans to conquer West Columbigo for himself.”

  “Why?”

  “Why not?” Her naive reaction made h
im chuckle. “Shouldn't every emperor strive to expand his territory? Besides, many of our people already work in West Columbigo's mines. It's insulting. We should be the ones who profit from their work!”

  “But I don't think it's ever a good idea to start a war. When good people die because of the greed of one man, that's never fair.”

  “You're such a child, Jun. You need to experience some of the world beyond that tiny village of yours, and you'll soon discover there's no such thing as a truly good person. There are bad people... and there are people who are good at hiding their darkness.” When he leaned down to kiss her neck, Jun finally moved away from him. Despite her cumbersome footwear, she successfully crossed the room and stood against the wall.

  “Maybe you've spent too much time around bad people, so you've forgotten what it's like to be around anyone good?” she suggested.

  “You seem good. But after today, I suspect you'll be a different person.” Feng took another drag from his pipe as he moved to the door. “We should reach The Great Canyon shortly. That's where the wedding's taking place. Good luck, Jun.”

  When he was gone, Jun staggered to her bed and sat. She felt like she wanted to cry, but she couldn't. It was as though all the tears in her eyes had already dried up. With a heavy heart, she watched the clock on the wall. Each time another minute ticked by, her stomach clenched a little harder. Bile threatened to surge from inside her. Because of her nerves, she hadn't eaten anything for the last twenty-four hours. Jun was so nervous, she didn't even realize how hungry she was.

  She could feel the airship descending, so she collapsed into bed with a sigh. For the hundredth time, she imagined the emperor removing her clothes and staring at her nakedness. No matter how many times she tried to imagine it, she was never comfortable with the idea. In fact, her entire body shivered at the thought.

  Right before the airship touched down, Jun had another visitor. It was Quan, the young serving boy. He didn't knock, he simply rushed into the room with panicked eyes and a great big bundle in his arms.

  “Quan!” As she sat up in bed, Jun gasped his name. “Why are you here? What are you carrying?”

  “Clothes. For you, my lady.” Quan dropped his bundle at her feet. “It's a guard's uniform. This commoner is going to help you escape!”

  “But...” Jun's heart pounded as she lifted the uniform and held it against her body. “I shouldn't let you do this. It's too dangerous!”

  “But this commoner wishes to escape as well. He wants to live and work in Columbigo!” Quan said. “I... I would like to come with you, my lady, if I could.”

  When he finally referred to himself in the first person, Jun changed her mind. It was risky, of course, but she couldn't live the rest of her life as the emperor's plaything—and Prince Feng's mistress, apparently. She hopped to her feet, kicked off her shoes, and motioned for Quan to turn around. “I have to undress. Don't look!”

  “Alright, my lady, but please be quick!” Quan begged her. “I don't know how long we have before the emperor's men come to fetch you!”

  Jun wriggled out of her dress so fast, she nearly ripped it. As she pulled on the guardsman uniform, she was glad she wasn't too busty. A guard with breasts would have been difficult to hide.

  “I'm done!” Jun announced as she tugged on the last garment and jumped into a pair of boots. They were too big for her feet, but they were much easier to walk in than the previous monstrosities.

  “Good. Now... keep your head down, and maybe no one will look at you,” Quan whispered as he jostled her through the door. “I'll be right behind you.”

  As they made their way to the deck, Jun's heart was beating so hard, she swore she could hear its pulse in her ears. When Jun and Quan passed two guards in the hall, her head dropped and her shoulders sagged. Mistaking her for a fellow guard, the men gave her a tiny nod, but they didn't seem especially interested in her. Jun breathed a slight sigh of relief when the guards kept walking. She assumed her feminine face would be a curse, but as long as no one paid attention to her, she was safe.

  The airship had only just landed, so when they reached the deck, its propellers were still spinning. As they headed toward the gangway, they passed a tiny girl playing with dolls, so Jun had to ask, “Who's that?”

  “That's the emperor's youngest daughter, Mei,” Quan whispered his answer as they surged forward. “She's the second daughter of his sixth wife, but some people think she's actually the daughter of Prince Feng.”

  “That's... unsettling,” Jun whispered. If she could save herself from becoming a part of the imperial family's drama, she would consider herself lucky.

  Quan expected the gangway to be guarded, but it wasn't. The nearest soldier was several feet away. However, their departure wasn't completely without incident. ChangChang, who was setting up for the post-wedding feast, couldn't stop staring at Jun and Quan as they passed. When she finally realized who she was looking at, she pointed and screamed, “Hey! Isn't that Shuchun Jun? I think she's trying to escape!”

  “Go!” Quan hissed, shoving her forward. “Go go go go go... run!”

  Before dashing away, Jun kicked off the oversized boots. Running barefoot was much easier than running in shoes that didn't quite fit. She assumed Quan would be right behind her—until she heard the gunshot. Jun was at the bottom of the gangway, and when she turned around to check on him, she gasped. The serving boy was on the ground, and he had a bullet wound in the middle of his forehead.

  “No!” Jun cried. But she didn't have time to mourn, because the guards took aim at her next. Jun raced alongside the airship, narrowly evading their shots. If they were taking shots at her, she assumed her engagement to the emperor was officially at an end.

  Jun ran into the nearby town of Flagpole, which was small but bustling. The emperor's guards were chasing her, so Jun raced behind a building and sharply turned a corner. When she briefly lost sight of them, Jun ran into one of Flagpole's few saloons and waited by the window. As she peered through the pane, checking for guards, she overheard a snippet of conversation from one of the nearby tables.

  “Kitt... I don't understand why you're crying. You're the one who wanted to visit The Great Canyon! Did it not live up to your expectations? Was it really just a big hole in the ground after all?”

  “I'm not crying because I'm sad, Doon. I'm crying because it was perfect. I didn't expect you to propose.”

  “Oh. So... you're actually crying because you're happy?”

  “No, not happy,” the woman corrected her roguish beau. “Overjoyed.”

  Jun didn't see any guards in the vicinity, but she knew it was too soon to rest. She needed to put some distance between herself and the emperor's airship, and she needed to do it quickly. Peering out a second window, she spotted a stagecoach and decided to make it her destination. She exploded from the saloon's double doors, charged toward the stagecoach, and dove into its interior. She prayed there wouldn't be people inside, and her prayer was granted. There were only chickens, and a few of them clucked wildly when Jun joined them in the coach.

  “Please be quiet!” she begged the chickens. “Please. I don't want anyone to check back here!”

  “Juuuuuunnnn!” When she heard Prince Feng calling her name, Jun nearly retched into the palm of her hand. “Oh Shuchun Juuuuunnn! I know you're hiding in town somewhere! Come out and show yourself! I promise I'll be kind!”

  Jun crushed herself against the floor of the stagecoach and held her breath. The prince was quite a distance away from her, but he was heading in her direction. All she could do was hold her breath and hope he wouldn't look inside the chickens' coach.

  “Shuchun Jun!” Prince Feng screamed her name again. “If you come out now, everything will be alright. The wedding can proceed as planned. My father never has to know what happened. Those stupid guards weren't supposed to fire at you... and they'll be punished most severely, I assure you. All I want is you. Safe and sound. So please... come out of hiding and let's go back to the airship
together!”

  He was creeping even closer to the stagecoach, so Jun squinted her eyes and silently prayed.

  “Jun!” Feng was so exasperated by her escape, he kicked a lamppost. “Dammit, Jun, where are you?”

  All of a sudden, the stagecoach rolled forward, inspiring another round of clucks from the frantic chickens. When Jun peeked out, Prince Feng was slowly disappearing from view. Overwhelmed with relief, Jun breathed a sigh that seemed to go on forever.

  As the stagecoach rolled away from the tiny town of Flagpole, Jun's lips felt their first smile in several days.

  Six

  When Josiah Cole opened his eyes, he was sitting across from the blonde girl who knocked him out. She was, without question, the oddest-looking person he had ever laid eyes on. She was wearing two shades of lipstick: purple on the top, green on the bottom. Her eye makeup was similarly unusual: only her right eyelid was emerald green, while the other eye was bare. Her long blonde hair had been twisted into two messy braids, and the tips of her hair were green. The lenses of her sunglasses were violet, and the frames were decorated with feathers. She wore a mohair gray sweater, which wasn't too unusual, but the same couldn't be said for her breeches, which were bright white with cow-like spots.

  “Oh, heya!” When she realized Josiah was awake, the woman raised her handgun and waved. “I'm Carol. Carol Cassady. And you were robbing my train.”

  “Your train?”

  “Yep. Are you surprised?” Carol scratched her chin with the barrel of her gun, which looked like a tiny cannon. “You're looking at the inventor of the hovertrain, guy!”

  Josiah's eyes narrowed skeptically. “You? Are you serious?”

  “Yep.”

  “Riiiight.” He was so confused by Carol's appearance, it took him a moment to realize Flynn was sitting in the chair beside him. His brother's blue-gray eyes were downcast and sorrowful.