Welcome to Chapter 7 of Devon Monk's online story
Hang Fire
HANG FIRE is a steampunk short story set in late 1800's America. It takes place between the Age of Steam book #1, DEAD IRON and book #2 TIN SWIFT. The story is broken into 20 "chapters" and posted, one chapter at a time, on 20 awesome blogs. To read the whole story, start at chapter 1 at www.candacesbookblog.com and follow the "read the next chapter" links at the end of the post. This story won't be found anywhere else on the web or in ebook form!
Today we start off with the cursed bounty hunter Cedar Hunt, who has just discovered his good friend, Rose Small, is about to be killed by a strange steam matic. Then we switch to the airship the Swift and Captain Hink who must out-fly the bigger, heavier-gunned airship crewed by glim pirates, before they blow him and his crew out of the sky....
...read chapter 6 at: Fantasy Literature
HANG FIRE - Chapter 7
Cedar Hunt sighted down the length of his rifle, taking aim at the metal contraption bearing down fast behind Rose Small.
Rose was dazed, her hat having fallen back to rest between her shoulders, the chin strap tugged tight around her throat. A thin streak of blood smeared the side of her cheek.
Her horse was nowhere to be seen. Cedar knew she was a smart woman and wouldn’t have gone running off on foot into the forest on a foolish whim.
She must have heard Cedar yell. She must, at this moment, hear the metal device puffing and clattering behind her.
But she turned toward him, not toward the danger.
And in doing so, put herself dead center in the line of fire.
Cedar swore under his breath and jerked the rifle down. He bolted across the forest floor, aiming to reach Rose before the matic did.
Wil, still in wolf form, and Mae Lindson rushed after him.
Maybe it was the flicker of light sliding like oil down the trip wire. Maybe it was the sudden knowledge that Wil was trying to twist to the side before his feet hit the ground.
Whatever it was, Cedar had just enough time to pivot and wrap his arms around Mae before the forest floor opened up beneath them and they fell into darkness.
The Swift fell through the sky like a man tripping off a cliff.
“Hold her steady!” Captain Hink yelled. He braced one boot against the open door and gripped the overhead bar as his airship screamed down, her tin bones singing, all the steam and power out of her, just like he’d told his crew he wanted.
Mr. Guffin, at the helm, was swearing in French and doing a surprisingly good job of it. That might have made Hink wonder about the man’s parentage, if they weren’t currently plummeting to their imminent death.
Mr. Ansel worked the Swift’s wings, keeping them tight, so they could take the fall as level as possible. He was also singing a song he must have picked up while they were out Chicago way. It was a mournful tune that went well with the short, stout man’s surprisingly operatic voice. Hink would have enjoyed hearing the whole diddy, but Mr. Ansel only sang when things were going very, very wrong.
And that was about to change.
The two airships on their tail were still climbing, still gunning ahead. Heading for the glim fields. Headed for Captain Hink’s glim stake.
Which was another thing he wasn’t about to let happen. All the Swift needed was a belly full of fire to bring her back to life.
“Hit the bell,” he hollered to Mr. Guffin. Then, back toward his boilerman who would not hear him through the thick metal door at the rear of the ship. “Molly Gregor, give her steam!”
Mr. Guffin was tugging on the bell wire so hard, Captain Hink thought he’d break it straight through.
They needed canons, they needed lift, and by God and glim, they needed steam.
“Steam,” he whispered, “give her steam, give her steam.” Every kick of his heart tapped out a beggar’s eternity.
He glanced out the port door. Land was coming up pretty damn fast to make acquaintance of his little ship. And though he’d had more than his share of chances to look his own death straight in both eyes, he was not about to go softly into that night.
“Molly!” he yelled.
Then he felt one shuddering thump.
...read chapter 8 at All Things Urban Fantasy
TIN SWIFT (Roc Trade Paperback Original; $15.00; ISBN: 978-0451464538), the second book Devon Monk’s widely-praised Age of Steam series hit shelves on July 3rd!
In steam age America, men, monsters, machines and magic battle to claim the same scrap of earth and sky. In this chaos, one man fights to hold on to his humanity--and his honor. . .
Life on the frontier is full of deceit and danger, but bounty hunter Cedar Hunt is a man whose word is his bond. Cursed with becoming a beast every full moon, Cedar once believed his destiny was to be alone. But now, Cedar finds himself saddled with a group of refugees, including the brother he once thought lost.
Keeping his companions alive is proving to be no easy task, in part because of the promise he made to the unpredictable Madder brothers—three miners who know the secret mechanisms of the Strange. To fulfill his pledge, Cedar must hunt a powerful weapon known as the Holder—a search that takes him deep into the savage underbelly of the young country and high into the killing glim-field skies defended by desperate men and deadly ships.
But the battles he faces are just a glimmer of a growing war stirring the country. To keep his word Cedar must navigate betrayal, lies, and treacherous alliances, risking everything to save the lives of those he has come to hold dear…
***GIVE AWAY***
Devon Monk is offering one winner
1. Copy of Tin Swift 2. Tin Swift magnet 3. Handmade (by me) signed steampunk airship bookmark
To enter:
1. Leave contact info
2. Tell me what Steampunk accessory would you like to own
*followers get double entries
Devon Monk is offering one winner
1. Copy of Tin Swift 2. Tin Swift magnet 3. Handmade (by me) signed steampunk airship bookmark
To enter:
1. Leave contact info
2. Tell me what Steampunk accessory would you like to own
*followers get double entries
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