Free-Wrench, no. 1 (25 page)

Authors: Joseph R. Lallo

Tags: #adventure, #action, #steampunk, #airships

BOOK: Free-Wrench, no. 1

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“Give me the longest lifeline we have, and
make sure one side is secured,” he ordered. He pulled some levers
and set the
Wind Breaker
to descending, though the damaged
fore end of the dreadnought was moving swiftly away. He plucked up
Wink and set him on the control harness. “Do you want to prove your
loyalties to me once and for all? To stay on this ship, as a part
of this crew?”

Wink gave a very deliberate and very emphatic
tap.

Captain Mack took the end of the presented
lifeline. He tied a large loop into it, then attached it to Wink’s
harness. “You see that greenhorn?”

Wink looked to Nita’s rapidly retreating form
on the deck below. He again tapped.

“Bring her home.”

With that, he picked up the creature and
hurled him off the edge of the ship.

Wink plummeted to the deflating envelope,
where his deft claws quickly found a grip. He looked up, his one
eye wild with fear and confusion, then looked down. With a vocal
sound that could only have been frustration, the beast scampered
down the deflating envelope and into the rigging.

The wind was catching the falling ship now,
drawing it under the
Wind Breaker
where no one could see
what was happening. Captain Mack guided the ship down and away,
doing his best to follow the path of the accelerating descent of
the dreadnought. They were close to the surface of the fug, and
getting closer. All eyes but the captain’s were on the coil of
lifeline still on the deck as it whisked foot by foot off the side
of the ship. The dreadnought plunged beneath the surface of the fug
now, forcing the horrid stuff aside and sending it rushing up on
all sides like soil hurled from a crater. Mack restored the levers,
slowing the
Wind Breaker
lest they follow the ship into the
toxic stuff. They began to climb again, and the lifeline was nearly
at its end.

One final loop of line was drawn off the edge
and the whole of the rope went taut. They were rising steadily
now.

“Start hauling that line in,” Mack
ordered.

Gunner and Coop jumped to the task, pulling
the line up quickly but steadily. Lil looked anxiously over the
side as more of the rope was pulled up from the fug. Finally a form
became visible. Wink dangled from the line where it had been tied
to his harness. A moment later, her arms hooked through the loop
but her body motionless, came Nita. They hauled her up to the ship,
where Butch rushed to her side. She placed her head on Nita’s
chest, then hammered at her ribs with two firm blows. It prompted a
raking breath, then a deep, hoarse cough from the Calderan girl.
She gasped and coughed again, hacking out a wisp of purple
vapor.

“Well,” she croaked when she looked around to
see the crew standing over her. “I always say, there’s nothing like
a nice vigorous ending to an uneventful day.”

Epilogue

A month later, as the
setting sun was finally giving way to full night, a small skiff
called
The Triumph
waited at Moor Spires. On the deck were
two men, Linus and his brother Drew, who were watching to the
west.

“There,” Drew said, pointing, “They’re
coming. Right on time, like always. I knew they would.”

“I owe you five, then. I’ll bet you double or
nothing that they deliver a ransom demand instead of Nita.”

“You’ve got a real dark streak, Linus.”

The airship, low to the waves, drew nearer,
revealing itself in the dim light of night. There had been good
deal more repair work done to the ship since last they’d seen it.
One whole side had been replaced with new planking, and it had what
looked to be an entirely new envelope. A new and particularly
sturdy-looking gig replaced the one that had held their salesman
last month. Crew appeared at the railing on either side and threw
skillfully tied loops over each of three mooring stones. A few
grinding noises came from inside the ship, and down came the
gig.

When it was low enough, Linus and Drew were
able to see that it held not one person but two. The first was Lil,
wearing a mildly ill-fitting dress of elegant Calderan design. The
other was Nita, outfitted in her standard work clothes.

“Drew! I’m so glad to find you here! I was
afraid I would have to wait until after your shift!” Nita called
down as the gig continued to lower down to the water.

“I traded shifts. I wanted to get you away
from these people as soon as possible,” Drew said. He looked to
Lil. “No offense.”

“Aw heck. I’m pretty sure the bad influence
went both ways, Mister,” Lil replied.

Nita leapt from the gig a few feet before it
reached the water and landed in the skiff. “How has everything been
since I’ve been gone?”

“Well, the foreman is pretty sore you took
your relief time for the whole year at once without notice, but no
one seems to think anything much of your sudden trip otherwise.
You’ve always been a little impulsive.”

“And my mother?”

“I understand she’s been holding on, but your
sister says she’s in a bad way.”

“Listen, I need a favor. I know you came here
to do your monthly trading, and I assure you there are better goods
today than you’ve ever seen before, but I need you to take me back
to Tellahn immediately.”

“You got the medicine?”

“I did. And I’ve got to get to my mother. The
sooner she gets it the better.”

Nita hurried into her gorgeous home. The
glorious joy of homecoming could wait; the task at hand was too
important. She rushed to her mother’s bedside.

“Mother!” she urged, shaking her gently.

“What? Eh? Who’s there?” the sleeping
matriarch asked groggily.

“Nita? Is that you?” asked her father,
awakened by the noise. “Where have you been? You can’t just go
running off.”

“I know, Father, and I’m sorry. Mother,
please, come with me.”

“You know your mother needs her rest,” Mr.
Graus said.

“Mother, what do you know about the people of
Rim?”

“Precious little, and I don’t care to learn
more.”

“Well, I think that’s a mistake, and I’ll
show you why.”

She went to her mother’s master bath and
fetched a glass and a pitcher of cool water. She filled the glass,
then revealed a small jar and dumped a carefully measured spoonful
into it. She stirred until the powder dissolved.

“Drink this. It will make you well
again.”

“How could it, dear?”

“Please, Mother. Just drink it.”

The matriarch looked into the pleading eyes
of her daughter, then reached out with a shaking hand. Nita guided
the cup to her mother’s lips and steadied her hands enough for her
to finish the glass. She then struck a match and lit the bedside
lamp.

“Show me your hands,” Nita said.

Mrs. Graus held out her delicate hands. They
were shaking and unsteady.

“You shouldn’t get your mother’s hopes up
like that, Amanita,” said Mr. Graus.

“I… I think…” Mrs. Graus began, tears forming
in her eyes. The tremor in her fingers was subsiding. By the time a
minute had passed, they were still. “How did you do it?” she asked,
forcing the words past the lump in her throat.

“It is a treatment, from a group of terrible
but brilliant people. This first dose should take away the
symptoms. Two more should cure the disease.”

“Are we certain it is safe? Her hands have
steadied before. How do we know the drug is actually working?”

“It is working, Caldwell. I can feel it. I
can feel it in my hands. My fingers. My arms. My whole body. I
haven’t felt so calm, so still, in
years
.”

“I’ve spent the last few weeks reading
through the books I… acquired on the drug, Mother. I even tested a
few doses on myself to be sure it wasn’t dangerous. You’ll be well
again.” There were tears in her own eyes now. “In two days, after
two more doses, you’ll be well.”

The mother and daughter embraced tightly,
tears running down their faces. When they separated again the joy
of the moment and of the reunion began to subside, and the
questions asserted themselves.

“How did you get this medicine, dear? Did you
go to Rim? How did you get there? And when did you last bathe,
dear? You smell a bit off. You know hygiene is important to good
health.”

Nita laughed and brushed her tears away. “It
is a long, long story, Mother.”

Once she’d taught her mother how to finish
her own treatment and left more than enough of the medicine to do
so, Nita went about making some preparations. She fetched two more
changes of work clothes and a few more suitable outfits for those
rare moments when she would not be working. Next came a quick jaunt
back to the steamworks, where she replaced those tools that had
been lost from her tool sash and grabbed a few she’d wished she’d
had during her repairs. She traded in a few favors for a mound of
replacement piping, gaskets, and valves, and said her good-byes to
her friends and coworkers. Finally she fetched a few items she knew
her crewmates would appreciate, including a few fine dresses of the
proper size for Lil, a bottle of brandy for Coop, and some Calderan
cigars for the captain.

When all was in readiness, she wished her
family a tearful good-bye. She promised to come home and visit with
each monthly stop from the
Wind Breaker
until she was
finished teaching them what they needed to know about its upkeep.
Her father promised to do his best to open discussions about
reopening the borders, at least for the
Wind Breaker
and her
crew. Far too soon, the night was ending and it was time to return
to the ship. Linus and Drew took her back to Moor Spires, where
Coop and Lil were just closing a deal with one of the other
Calderans eagerly seeking exotic goods.

“Oh, you’re back! And right on time,” Lil
said. “We had a good night!”

“Glad to hear it. Did the boiler give you any
trouble while I was gone?”

“Believe it or not, we
did
get along
without you for quite a few years,” Gunner called from above. “Now
step into the gig. We’ve only just got the last planks replaced. I
don’t want those guns of yours ruining all of that hard work.”

“Not so fast. Coop, make sure these two get
what they came for. They were a tremendous help to me today.”

“Will do, Nita.”

“Lil, can you give me a hand with this
stuff?”

“Did you get all of the stuff the cap’n asked
for?”

“And plenty more.”

The women got to work filling the gig with
all of the goods Nita had been able to secure, while Coop helped
Drew and Linus find what they were after. When everything was
loaded and all trades had been made, Nita smiled and hopped into
the gig.

“So long, Drew, Linus,” she called out. “See
you in a month! Oh! Any special requests?”

“I, er… well, I’m looking for a bit more
inspiration for my photographs. Perhaps if I could see a few more
examples?” he stammered.

“I’ll take care of you, Drew,” Cooper assured
him. “We’re heading east this time. You ain’t
seen
a woman
until you’ve seen the women they got over there.”

The gig, with its haul of traded goods, rose
up to the ship’s belly. Lil and Nita made their way to the deck and
went to work unmooring from the spires.

“So, did the medicine work?” Lil asked.

“It did,” Nita said.

“Was it worth coming out here into this
mess?”

“Absolutely.”

“How was your visit?”

“It was nice to see the familiar faces again,
but it’s also nice to be back on the
Wind Breaker
.”

“Don’t tell me you missed this rickety old
wreck.”

“Well, Caldera is beautiful, and it will
always be my home… but what can I say? Once you’ve had a taste of
the sky, the land just seems so small.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself. Say, I
recognized most of that stuff we loaded up from Caldera, but there
were some funny lookin’ casks and tools. What were those
about?”

“Well, Lil, I
am
a Calderan. In my
homeland they say we are all born with at least one great
masterpiece inside us, and we owe it to the world to let it out
before our days are done. If I’m going to be aboard the
Wind
Breaker
, let
her
be my masterpiece. Just wait until you
see what I’ve got in mind…”

With that, they hauled in the ropes, set
their course, and were once again on their way.

###

From The Author

Thank you for reading
this fun little experiment.
Free-Wrench
was a National Novel
Writing Month project. It went from concept to completion in less
than three months. As my first foray into Steampunk, it was a lot
of fun to write, and if you enjoyed it, please consider reading the
sequel,
Skykeep
, or some of my other books. If you liked
this story, or perhaps if you found it lacking, I’d love to hear
from you. Below are links to some of the places you can find me
online, and if you’d like to be kept in the loop with important new
developments and releases, consider joining
my
newsletter
.