Dandelion Iron Book One (34 page)

Her words were pretty. Another surprise, such poetry coming from my big sister.

I thought about what she had said about being halfway. Despite all the danger ahead of us, Micaiah’s secrets, our wounds, Wren leaving, I couldn’t help but feel we’d make it to the stockyards of Wendover.

There we’d sell our headcount, make a fortune, and finally learn the truth about Micaiah.

But would Sharlotte be willing to hold me like her sister when she discovered my love for Micaiah and his love for me? Or would it tear our family apart?

The pain, the guilt, the sorrow overwhelmed me. I’d been praying to be unconscious all day. Finally, God found pity on me. I closed my eyes and slipped into the darkness, even as the sun shined down—on us, on the Vixxes, on all of the Juniper—the just and the unjust alike.

Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,

that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection,

implored your help, or sought your intercession,

was left unaided.

—Traditional Roman Catholic Prayer

(i)

Mama used to whisper the Memorare every night over us before we went to sleep. As if we needed the Virgin Mary’s intercession during our dreams. Really, we should’ve said it before breakfast ’cause our days were generally far more troubled than our nights.

The Virgin Mary was working overtime during our cattle drive, which was how we all came together in the big shopping mall full of cows. All of us except for Wren.

After passing out beside Sharlotte, what felt like an instant later, I jerked awake to find myself lying in a bed, in a nice bedroom, not salvaged, but lived in, smelling like home. Someone had taken me there. Thank you, Mary, Mother of God.

For a second, I thought I was in my old room, and I had dreamed those last few horrible weeks of our doomed cattle drive. Nice idea, but it was a lie. My room was blue—this one glowed yellow. Gold curtains, trimmed in lace, covered the window. On top of a polished dresser sat a little ceramic vase full of plastic daisies.

I had no idea where I was, or how long I’d been there.

My life had changed again it seemed, as quickly as it had when Wren came traipsing into my principal’s office with her 9mm pistol and a wicked smile.

I pulled myself, wincing at the fiery pain in my left arm and shoulder. It made me never want to move again, though that was just wishful thinking.

A cotton nightgown dotted with little pink flowers covered me. Other than the bandages on my shoulder, I was naked underneath. Someone had washed and dressed me, which was just plain embarrassing. Medical supplies lay in an orbit around me—sponges, rags, bandages. I checked, and yeah, under the bedding was a rubber sheet covering the mattress. Which made me even more embarrassed. I’d been a real chore for someone.

I put my bare feet on the floor and noticed my toenails needed to be clipped. Hadn’t really looked at my feet for a long time. For weeks they’d been in boots.

Standing, I teetered for a minute, and then the dizziness sent me down onto my butt. I slumped over, my cheek resting on the floor, my body curled up in agony. I said the Memorare
until the pain subsided, then opened my eyes.

Under the bed lay a magazine in the dust. Something made me grab it. Something deep inside.

Sliding it out, I got upright, my back against the bed.

Ads for
Lonely Moon
merchandise filled the back cover—perfume, accessories, shirts and hoodies, that kind of thing. They even had a genuine
Lonely Moon
duster as worn by the cast of the show and you could order it by express mail.

I remembered how much Anju loved each episode. How comfortable we’d been watching the Juniper drama in our dorm room, so safe and protected.

I flipped the magazine over to look at the front cover. It was the Christmas issue of
Modern Society
magazine, December, 2057, an actual paper copy, printed for the Juniper since everyone in the World would read it on their electric slates.

A handsome young man flashed a breathtaking smile at me from the cover. Hair, sandy brownish blond, a little long, half-covered his bright blue eyes, just enough to be the very essence of fashion even with the red and white Santa cap on his head.

I recognized the face instantly. My heart took off in a sprint.

I read the caption—
Micah Hoyt. What do you get the boy who has everything?

Micaiah was actually Micah Hoyt, the son of Tiberius “Tibbs” Hoyt, president and CEO of the American Reproduction Knowledge Initiative. The richest, most powerful man in the United States of America. No. He was more than that. Tibbs Hoyt was king of the world.

And my sister and I had fallen soul-deep in love with his son, a true prince if there ever was one.

To be continued …

Cavatica Weller will return in 
Killdeer Winds
,
book two of the Juniper Wars series.

Glossary of Historical Figures, Slang, and Technology

Angel, June Mai
—The most powerful of the outlaw warlords and the most organized. Her past is a mystery, but her soldiers are fierce. She controls the Denver area, from Colorado Springs to Fort Collins.

ASI Attachment
—A steam engine that can interface with the drivetrains of larger vehicles such as trucks or minivans. Manufactured by the American Steam Ingenuity Company.

ARK
—The American Reproduction Knowledge Initiative—A publicly funded corporation researching the Sterility Epidemic and running insemination clinics across the world.

AZ3
—The next generation of assault rifle manufactured by Armalite Industries. Includes self-correcting laser targeting, tactical readout/ammunition count, and water-cooled barrels.

Beefsteaks
—Cattle

Besharam
—Shameless (from the Hindi word)

Besiya
—Prostitute (from the Hindi word)

Burke, Sally Browne
—Co-founder of the New Morality movement

Chalkdrive
—Removable computer storage devices

Cargador
—A large steam-powered vehicle used in the Juniper for salvaging operations and later as military vehicles.

Colton, Anna
—Professor of Sociology, Princeton University, and a firm supporter of women’s rights outside of religious or domestic roles.

Corfu, Archbishop Jeremy
—An archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. and highly critical of the ARK and any artificial insemination outside of marriage.

CTRA
—The Colorado Territory Ranching Association—An organization created by Robert “Dob” Howerter, presumably to ensure high quality beef and ethical ranching practices, but in reality was used to fix prices and drive other ranchers out of business.

EMAT
—Emergency Medication Absorption Tape—A delivery system for medication during combat situations.

Eterna Batteries
—A perfectly clean power source created by General Electric. Named after Chinese food, the most powerful and efficient is the Kung Pao. A weaker version is the Egg Drop.

Frictionless Automobiles
—The next generation in automotive engineering, frictionless cars float thirty centimeters off the ground.

Gillian
—Lesbian (from the Mandarin phrase
tong xing lian
)

Girly ’strogen
—Excessively feminine (’strogen is short for estrogen)

Headcount
—The number of cattle owned by a ranch

Howerter, Robert “Dob”
—Founder of the Colorado Territory Ranching Association and the largest cattle baron in the Juniper

Hoyt, Tiberius “Tibbs”
—President and CEO of the American Reproduction Knowledge Initiative

Jankowski, Maggie
—Lead engineer on the Eterna battery project funded by General Electric

Johnson
—A derogatory term for a male

Jones, Calvin “Crush”
—Founder of the Old Glory Salvage and Renewal Company and the first to become what was later known as the Juniper Millionaires

Juniper
—1,438,577 square kilometers in the middle of the United States of America comprising what once was Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and sections of surrounding states. Due to the Yellowstone Knockout and the subsequent flood basalt, electrical current does not function in this area.

Kanton, Jack Anthony
—48th President of the United States of America and the second president to hold four terms in office.

Kutia
—Female dog (from the Hindi word)

MG21
—Standard issue assault rifle in the Sino-American War.

Male Product
—The male reproductive cell.

Masterson-Wayne Act
—Signed into law by President Jack Kanton in 2033, this act of Congress relegated the five states affected by the Yellowstone Knockout back to being territories.

Meetchum, Mavis
—Second largest cattle operator in the Colorado territory. Located in Sterling, she has established treaties with the Wind River people and is a strong advocate for Native American rights. She introduced buffalo back into Wyoming in the mid-2030s during a critical time for the Wind River people.

MRE
—Meal, Ready-to-Eat.

Neofiber
—A variant of carbon fiber but stronger and lighter

New Morality
—A religious movement with socio-political connections that encouraged women to remain chaste, dress appropriately, and behave in a conservative manner.

New Morality Dress
—A dress of a neutral color (usually gray, brown, or cream-colored) that covers as much of a woman’s body as possible to comply with New Morality etiquette.

Old Growth
—A synthetic coal created from wood taken from old-growth forests

Parson, Reverend Kip
—Co-founder of the New Morality movement

RSD
—Reality Simulator Displays—Video screens with near-perfect resolution

Sapropel
—A weak fuel used for heating and lighting in the Juniper. Chemically manufactured by using remnants of oil shale.

Shakti
—Raw female power (from the Hindi word)

SISBI
—The Security, Identity, and Special Borders Injunction (SISBI) is a set of laws enacted by a special executive order that requires all U.S. citizens to register eye-scans with the government. It also allows for border fences around the Juniper and military units to secure the perimeter of the territories.

Skye6
—Diacetylmorphinesextus (a synthetic morphine)

Slate
—Tablet computer

Sterility Epidemic
—First cases discovered in January of 2030. One in ten births are male. Of males born, 90% are sterile.

Thelium
—Theta-helium—Synthetic helium manufactured to give zeppelins greater lift.

Thor Stunner
—Eterna-powered electrical non-lethal weapon

Viable
—Non-sterile (refers to males)

Weller, Abigail
—Growing up in the family business (The Buckeye Urban Recycling and Reclamation Company), Abigail Weller chose to enter the Juniper to run salvage for Crush Jones. After the Salvage Era, she operated the third largest ranch in the Colorado territory until her death in the winter of 2058. She had three daughters: Sharlotte, Wren, and Cavatica.

Wind River People
—The general term for all Native American tribes living in the Wyoming and Montana territories.

Yellowstone Knockout
—A term used to describe China’s missile attack on the Yellowstone caldera and the subsequent flood basalt.

Zeppelins
—Four classes of airships: Jonesies, Jimmies, Johnnies, and Bobbies. All manufactured by Boeing for use in the Juniper. Jimmies are engineered for maximum speed and Johnnies for maximum cargo hold. Bobbies are a mid-size zeppelin. Lastly, Jonesies are the most customizable. Also known as dirigibles or blimps, the airships have rigid skeletons of Neofiber covered with next-generation lightweight Kevlar. The superstructure contains air-cells filled with thelium.

Zeus 2 Charge Gun
—Eterna-powered electric rifle for short-range lethal combat and area-of-attack demolition.

If You Liked …

If you liked
Dandelion Iron,
you might also enjoy:

Oshenerth
Alan Dean Foster

Blood Ties
Quincy J. Allen

Crystal Doors
Rebecca Moesta and Kevin J. Anderson

About the Author

Aaron Michael Ritchey is the author of
The Never Prayer
,
Long Live the Suicide King
, and
Elizabeth’s Midnight
. He was born on a cold and snowy September day in Denver, Colorado, and while he’s lived and traveled all over the world, he’s a child of the American West. Sagebrush makes him homesick. While he pines for Paris, he still lives in Colorado with his cactus flower of a wife and two stormy daughters.

A Note from the Author

I hoped you enjoyed reading
Dandelion Iron
. The second book,
Killdeer Winds
, will be available in the coming months.

A prequel novella based in the world of the
Juniper Wars
series is available now. A prequel novella based in the world of the
Juniper Wars
series is available now.
Armageddon Dimes
takes place five years before the events of
Dandelion Iron
and follows the adventures of a returning Sino-American War veteran, Mariposa Hernandez. Bored of civilian life, haunted by the war, Mariposa is invited by a long lost friend on a treasure hunt into the wastelands of Denver. Can Mariposa reclaim a fortune in abandoned dimes before the ghosts of her past consume her?

Another prequel story is available for free on
http://www.Wattpad.com
.
Trapdoor Boy
is about Robert, a rare, viable boy, who carries a secret that is crushing him.

I have invited other writers to write short stories in the world of
The
Juniper Wars
, and I’m excited to share their work with you. I’ll be making them available to my newsletter subscribers and to anyone who is interested in the series. For more about me, my books, and
The
Juniper Wars
, visit my website at
www.aaronmritchey.com
.