The Dragon Knight and the Steam World

by D. C. Clemens

  People continued to come into the lodge. As the place provided no beds, the only way to sleep with any kind of comfort was to bring your own bedroll or fabric to lay on. Thus, when an older woman shuffled in with a young boy without a bedroll or blanket, I took notice. The hunched elder took a long look around. She eventually chose to head for one of the smaller metal fireplaces that had other woman and children around it. She sat down against the wall and let the child’s head rest on her lap.

  I heard Odet and Clarissa conversing in my head. They pointed out how cold it was merely a couple of feet away from the fires. They sarcastically wondered who had the power to make things a little better. Sighing at my faraway friends, I stepped away from the group.

  Following me, the ever hyperaware Bregman asked, “What are you doing?”

  “Do you ever do anything to please people who aren’t around?”

  “What are you getting at?”

  “Nothing. I simply want to do something minds and hearts kinder than my own would never hesitate to do.”

  I crouched near the old woman and the boy. Not wanting to seem menacing, I didn’t face them directly. A small flame sparked from the dragon stone. Unlike the murky smoke spewing from the coals, my rock barely emitted a thing as it vaporized to nothing. I weakened my hold over the dragon’s power. This permitted waves of roasting heat to saturate the air for a dozen feet around me, stirring the people within that radius. The dirty haze smelled a tad cleaner as the heat either pushed it away or burned it.

  No adult quite knew what to do, but, engrossed by the spell and the bolstering coziness it provided, the old woman’s child and a few other kids crawled closer.

  The oldest child, a short-haired brunette girl of about twelve, asked me, “Wanna marry me, mister?”

  “Because I can cast a spell?”

  “Uh-huh. My momma told me to get hitched with any magical man who’ll take me. They got money, or can earn it.”

  “I see. Unfortunately, I’m in no position to earn coin right now, and any future coin I do earn will likely be spent trying to get home.”

  “Where’s your home? Can I go with you?”

  I moved to sit cross-legged. “I live very far away, but I will try to bring as many people as I can with me. No marriage required.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  “Why can’t you make money if you’re a weaver?” asked a pudgy boy somewhere near the girl’s age. “You a crook?”

  “I’m a stranger here, so no one knows if I’m bad or good. Once I prove myself, well, we’ll see what happens afterward.”

  For the next while I fed the diminutive flame a steady stream of prana. The heat made most of the kids far too comfortable and sleepy to continue talking much, and any asked questions were answered in my honestly vague way. In truth, the heat and the effort it took to hold the flame metrically steady was making me heavy-eyed as well.

  Then, as those from the second team spoke with the major, Isabel came through the entrance. After notifying Eric of something, the commander looked over at Bregman and me and gestured for us to come over. I slowly let the flame die out at the same time I stood up.

  “Found something?” Bregman asked Isabel.

  “Yeah, we lured out a promising lad. Didn’t even have to get him all that drunk. Got him in his own house right now.”

  “Lead us to him,” said the major.

  “Including the brothers?” asked Bregman. “They can be watched here by the others.”

  “The whole point of this mission is to see how they handle feasibly violent situations. Let’s go.”

  The major’s team gathered their weapons and followed Isabel out into the coldest part of the night. It was hardly bearable now for someone who didn’t mind the cold, so I figured the deepest winter nights could probably turn a lightly swaddled human to an icicle in half a moment, and that was without taking the wind into account. Energetic legs cut through the streets to avoid freezing as much as it was about reaching our destination in a timely manner.

  Our destination turned out to be a cozy stone cottage overlooking the shore from a squat hill. It was a miniature sample of the haughtier homes on its flanks. A dim light came from one of the side windows, though it did not seem to come from that specific room. We climbed up the steps and opened the front door. The light of a fire lit a small hallway beyond the first open room we entered. All of us squeezed through the hall to see Ishree by the door with his rifle. Standing by the foot of a bed was a dagger-wielding Felicia, her blade ready to quietly slice or stab the neck of a well-dressed, well-groomed man sitting at the bed’s corner.

  Stepping into the tight bedroom illuminated by a small flame inside a glass case, the major asked, “What have you got for us?”

  “Mayor’s aide,” answered Felicia. “Fell for the whole girl-likes-the-dangerous-and-powerful-type act. Claims to be one and know some.”

  “Hope he did more than claim.”

  “Of course. This gentleman here gave me some solid details, didn’t ya, Ivan? I especially like the one where you mention the mayor himself provides refuge for the Berganza’s gang’s top members.”

  “Confirmed that myself with Ivan’s young protégé,” said Isabel. “Drunk bastard couldn’t wait to tell me that Mayor Gilabert and Matias Berganza are basically buddies. The adorable relationship keeps his gang and some others from attacking the place.”

  “So it goes a bit deeper than simple bribes,” said Xavier.

  “You jackasses better let me go or Berganza’s people will bring trouble for y’all,” said Ivan.

  With the blunt end of her dagger, Felicia jabbed the back of Ivan’s head. “Geez, if even armed captors can’t get manners out of their captives, what hope is there for everyone else?”

  “Did you get anything else?” asked the major.

  “Matias has been in town the last few days. Might go anytime, though. Probably could have gotten more information if I slept with the guy, but he’s not my type. I know he’s privy to juicier stuff, so we just gotta get it out of him… somehow.”

  “Ah, I wonder how we’ll do that,” said Xavier in an impish tone. He rubbed his hands together.

  The major silently mulled over his options. Coming up with one of my own, I asked him, “Can I make a suggestion?”

  The commander squeezed past everyone in the hall, a jerk of his head telling me to follow him to the open room we entered in. In a whisper, he asked, “What is it?”

  “I don’t think we’ll get too far by revealing our true intentions, and it won’t be too long before people realize we’re from a warship right offshore. We don’t have much time to act as anyone we want.”

  “I’m aware. I was already thinking of lying, so what lie do you want to give me?”

  “I’m corrupted. We’re looking for fiend sympathizers. Let me tell Ivan that we need to connect to our cultist connections up north without getting shot by gangs or your law officers. I’m supposed to be helping out, aren’t I?”

  “That you are… All right, go ahead and have your go at him. Don’t make him scream or anything. We don’t want to attract unwanted attention.”

  “Aye.”

  As I went back toward the bedroom, the hushed major explained to his team not to interfere with me. Stepping in front of Ivan, I summoned a dragon stone. He stared at the rock with a raised, bushy eyebrow. He flinched when an untainted flame burst into existence.

  I allowed the flame to burn the entire rock, prompting a nervous voice to say, “You gonna burn it out of me?”

  “I won’t have to. Do you know who we are?”

  “Uhh, I was thinking bounty hunters at first. Now I’m thinking something government related.”

  “You’re close. We were mercenaries hired by the military. However, now we have a problem. We’re on the run because of my brother and me. We ended up here, but we can’t stay long. We need to connect with the so-called turncoats residing in the Rutted Mountains.”

  The room diminished in brigh
tness when a flash of shadow overtook my flame. Ivan’s eyes didn’t know whether to widen or narrow at the strange sight in front of him. They inevitably had to squint when the capricious pulses of heat reached them. Another uneasy sensation reached him when I deliberately let my corrupted soul leak without restraint. Even if he possessed no talent to sense prana, a corrupted soul insatiably feeding its external aura so close to him undoubtedly impacted his own meager spirit.

  “Are you beginning to understand, Ivan? What do you think I am?”

  Leaning back to ease the weight of the heat and toxic aura bearing down on him, Ivan replied, “Shit. You’re a ghoul. You’re a human ghoul.”

  “Good.” I reduced the amount of corruption I expelled. “Now, I consider myself a reasonable ghoul. I see no reason to hurt our own cause by harming anyone who helps us. Besides, you have to expect that mingling with the powerful and dangerous will bring about some inconveniences from time to time. Or did you believe you could enjoy all the benefits without the occasional danger to your well-being? No matter, your health will remain perfectly intact as long as you do your utmost to help. So, what will you do? Anger a ghoul, or get back to a good life by making friends with him?”

  His eyes darted from me and the others in my group. He swallowed. “What exactly do you want?”

  I shrank my black flame. “What do you know about the turncoats in the Rutted Mountains?”

  He leaned forward a bit. “Turncoats? Not much. They don’t come down here as far as I know, and I’ve never been up there.”

  “But Matias comes down here. Why? Can’t he send other people to pick up his bribes?”

  “I mean, he comes with other people. They do all the actual work of taking cash and supplies back up to the Ruts. Matias just comes down to enjoy urban life for a while.”

  “How long will he be here?”

  “He was supposed to go yesterday or the day before, but leaving town to go back to a cave is tough. He might go today or stay all winter.”

  “If you had to get in contact with him, could you?”

  “Uhh, doubt it. He doesn’t have a place of his own, so he goes from house to house when he’s not out in a saloon.”

  “But the mayor should know, right? As his aide, I’m certain you can find out from him.”

  “What? Why would I need to know where Matias is? That’s gonna sound suspicious.”

  “I’m assuming Matias likes his women, yes?” asked Felicia. “Probably has them anytime he can get them.”

  “Yeah, maybe, what’s your point?”

  “Tell your mayor that a woman from his past wants to see him. There, easy. The mayor will be happy to send some willing pussy Matias’ way. That should get us his latest address.”

  “That all you got in your head, girl? Shaking your ass and tits to trick men?”

  “If I needed an intricate plan to trick your brain-dick, I’d come up with one. Or let’s hear a better idea, hmm? Anyone? Would any guy here turn away a girl for their buddy?”

  My flame died out. “While I like the plan, I don’t believe we have to resort to more deceits now that we’ve entrusted Ivan with our little secret. Our new friend merely has to go to his boss and tell him a few people on the run need Matias’ help. Either he gives us the meeting or we get out of town tonight. What say you, Ivan? Think you can manage something so easy?”

  He sighed. “It’s not like saying ‘no’ is going to get me out of this particular situation any faster.”

  Mostly making eye contact with Eric, I asked, “Anyone else have a problem with the idea?”

  “I suppose it’s time to be more forthcoming at this point,” said the major. “Still, I’d hold off telling the mayor we have corrupted in our group until he agrees to keep everything between himself and Matias. Can you do that, Ivan?”

  “Yeah, yeah, I can be discreet. That’s basically my whole job.”

  “Then let’s get this over with.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Eric, Bregman, and I closely tailed Ivan to the mayor’s home. So as not to present ourselves as an intimidating gang, the others followed us from an aloof distance. Being an aide who could be called upon at any time, our disinclined guide did not live too far from the mayor’s household. The double-storied structure he turned toward was not on a hill like the other balconied homes overlooking the sea, but stilts still gave it a contrived pomposity. Its back half, however, was raised partly by a foundation of compacted rock.

  Once we ascended the stairs to get to the big red door, Ivan used a metal knocker to inform the inhabitants that at least one person stood outside. A white curtain behind the tall, narrow window fluttered as someone looked out to view the small porch. The peek he took permitted a dim light to show through from the inside. Half a second later, a light shown from a glass bulb above us.

  The door opened. Now opposite us, an older, stern-faced man wearing an unwrinkled black vestment over a white shirt said, “Master Botin, welcome back.” His tone sounded friendly, but his mistrustful eyes took a vigilant note of the strangers. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

  “Hey, Raymond. I know it’s late, but a sudden and, uh, kinda pressing piece of business has come up for my friends here. You won’t happen to know where Matias is right now, do you?”

  “I have not been appraised of his latest movements. Do you wish for me to call upon Master Gilabert?”

  “Might as well.”

  “Please, come in.”

  We got out of the cold and entered a sitting room warmed by a deep stone fireplace. Sitting not far from the entrance were two men who had postponed their card game to hold their guns. Their weapons looked to be the “shotgun” variety, for they were shorter and thicker than rifles. A woman in black and white spied us from the adjoining room before awkwardly moving on to continue dusting and cleaning somewhere else. Since Ivan did not seem to be on sociable terms with the bodyguards, and with everyone fully aware we might be each other’s enemies, all of us kept a close eye for any movement that could be construed as perfidious.

  A few minutes after the servant went up a creaking staircase, a pair of steps echoed back down them. A man in his early thirties strode in front of his servant. Even in a billowing blue robe swathing his form, I could tell he was quite scrawny. The bodyguards stood up when they heard him descending.

  “Not often you brave the cold to see anyone but a young woman,” said the mayor. In the light of the living room, I saw that his black beard and mustache were only a little longer than stubble.

  “Not really my choice. Ran into some people looking for Matias. They’re kinda insistent on meeting him.”

  The mayor slapped Ivan’s back. “Insistent, eh? They didn’t dunk you in ice water, did they?”

  “I’ve found fire to be more effective,” I said. “Though no burning proved necessary this time.”

  That got the mayor staring at me with a half amused, half barbed expression. “That’s good. I don’t take kindly to those that treat my cronies horridly.”

  “Actually,” began an empowered Ivan, “one of the bitches hit me in the back of the head with her knife.”

  “The handle end,” I said. “And it was barely a tap from what I saw. Unless you want to admit a woman struck you with the force to bruise your ego and skull.”

  Mayor Gilabert smirked. “So, Ivan, do you admit that she damaged your mental and physical well-being?”

  “Er, no. Like he said, a mere tap. I’m just sayin’ it wasn’t so polite.”

  “Ha! Indeed. Try not to be so easily played next time, Ivan. So, why are these insistent people insistent on meeting Matias?”

  “They want to get to the Ruts.”

  “Is that all? Doesn’t sound like you need Matias for such a basic thing.”

  “It’s simply the most basic way to explain it,” said Eric. “What we really need is protection and the location of certain allies we believe to be inhabiting the mountains. We hear Matias is on a rung high enough to do both.�
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  “That he may be, but what you’re requesting are not things so easily handed to strangers. Come on now, why do you need these things?”

  “A sensitive topic, but as a man who maintains the peace between the law and its transgressors to the north, it seems you can keep a secret or two, right?”

  “Of course I can. Now, out with it. I’m not up for games this late at night.”

  “I assure you, neither are we. We’re a former mercenary contingent on the run from Vanguard and military agents from Esmolana. We think we lost them, but once they figure out we stole a ship and figure out where we’re headed, it won’t be long until they track us here.”

  “And why are you on the run?”

  Eric nodded at me. “Because of him. Ivan has experienced for himself what power he commands. He has seen a black flame fueled by his corruption.”

  “He’s a ghoul,” confirmed Ivan. “I could see his veins pumping when he used his power to turn his fire black. Fucked up shit.”

  One of the bodyguards half rose his weapon. The other looked over at his employer. His employer almost took a step back, but refrained from doing so. The servant wrinkled his brow in confused disgust.

  After clearing his throat, the mayor said, “A corrupted human?”

  “Two corrupted humans,” I said. “My younger brother is also corrupted. More so than I, in fact.”

  “How?”

  “Experiment of some kind, we think. I personally don’t have a memory of my life before being corrupted, and we’re obviously not part of any official project.”

  “Yes,” continued the major. “From what I’ve gathered, the boys came from something of a rogue sect of the Esmolana military. My men were hired to hunt them down when they escaped, expect we learned too much about their origins, so now we are hunted as well. We need to connect with some turncoats, hide among them, and find out everything they know about corrupted humans.”