The Dragon's Breath (Aboard the Great Iron Horse Book 3) Read online

  “Do you believe me now?” Kale said.

  “Hand me my syringe,” said Socrates. River located the small metal tube with the plunger inside his toolkit. Socrates jammed the needle into the second gland and sucked out as much of the fluid as the device could hold. He stood up with a satisfied grin.

  “Is that dragon’s blood?” said Kale. “Is that what makes the fire?”

  “Hardly,” said Socrates. “This is a chemical created by the glands in the dragon’s throat.”

  “I don’t understand,” said Shayla. “If the chemical is made inside the dragon’s throat, wouldn’t that make the dragon catch fire?”

  “No, the liquid in this syringe is stable until it reacts with air. Only then does it catch fire.”

  “Air makes it burn?” said River. “How?”

  “This chemical reacts with another element, probably the oxygen, nitrogen, or carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. That chemical reaction causes it to burst into flame. It may be phosphorus or sulfur-based, or even a mixture of the two. Both elements are oxygen reactive. Under the right circumstances, they might burn in the way you have described. I’ll know more after I run some tests.”

  Socrates removed the needle from the syringe and stored the components in his toolkit. “Now,” he said, standing upright. “About the starfall…”

  “Follow me,” said Kale.

  The warrior led the rest of the group into the cave and down the tunnel, several hundred yards to the pool of starfall. Socrates scooped up a sample of the fluid in a vial. He held it up, examining it in the light of their lantern.

  “Well?” said Kale. “Did we do it? Is this what we’ve been looking for?”

  “It’s not pure starfall,” Socrates said. “My guess is that it’s seventy-five percent water, at least. Even so, this lake represents a considerable amount of fuel.”

  He stashed the sample in the toolkit and started circling the lake, examining the shoreline and the rest of the cave.

  “What are you looking for?” River said.

  “I’m trying to understand where the starfall came from,” Socrates said. “I had hoped this lake might be fed by an underwater spring, but I can’t find a source.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “An underground source, perhaps a deep aquifer, might provide an endless supply of starfall. Sadly, that doesn’t seem to be the case. This lake must have been fed from above, through a spring or precipitation. It means that for now, starfall remains a finite resource. What we gather from this cave could power sanctuary for a few years, maybe even a decade, but it will not solve our problem in the long run.”

  “But that’s a start, isn’t it?” said River. “I mean, we’re not just going to leave it here, are we?”

  “No, of course not. At least I hope not.”

  “Socrates, it won’t be hard to pump this water out of here. We can easily refine it on the train. It might not all fit in the tender, but-”

  “That isn’t the problem,” Socrates interrupted.

  “Then what is?”

  “Lord Fenn,” said the ape.

  “But Kale killed the dragon!” said River. “The baron said we could have anything we want if we killed the dragon for him.”

  “Perhaps,” said Socrates. “But it would be presumptuous of us to start refining this fuel without his knowledge. As far as I can tell, the baron and his people aren’t even aware of starfall and its potential. To simply take it would be dishonest. It is, after all, an element of great value.”

  “You don’t mean to let that fat weasel keep this starfall? Not after all we’ve gone through to find it!

  “That is certainly not my intention,” said Socrates. “I will do everything I can to reach an amicable agreement. In the meanwhile, we should keep this discovery quiet. There is one other matter of concern.”

  River narrowed her eyebrows. “And that is?”

  “Those eggs,” Socrates said, pointing into the water.

  “What about them?”

  “Are you willing to eradicate an entire species in exchange for a supply of fuel?”

  “What?”

  Socrates stared down into lake. He scratched his chin thoughtfully, the tiny gears and pistons in his fingers making quiet mechanical sounds. “Tell me, how many dragons have you seen before today?”

  “None, of course. I didn’t even believe Kale when he said he’d killed one, until I saw it with my own eyes.”

  “Precisely. Based on our experiences, I would guess that these dragons are likely an endangered species. Aside from these eggs, there may only be one or two others in existence. Now, one of those two is lying dead outside this cave.”

  “Who cares!” Kale shouted. “You’re talking about dragons! These are not puppies and kittens. Did you see the pile of bones out front?”

  “Nonetheless,” said Socrates. “We may be responsible for the extinction of a species if we do this. That is not a decision to make without due consideration.”

  River folded her arms over her chest. “Then what are we supposed to do?”

  “I will speak to Lord Fenn. If he cooperates, then we can decide how to manage the starfall, and hopefully do so with minimal impact.”

  “And if not?”

  “Then we will appeal to the king.”

  “You mean the coward who hides in the safety of his castle? That’s what the baron said, remember? He also said we were forbidden to go up there.”

  “We shall see about that,” Socrates said, turning back to the tunnel.

  Chapter 14

  Socrates drove the group to Stormwatch, bypassing the Iron Horse altogether. The day had warmed considerably, and the city air was thick with the scent of baking bread, wood-fired ovens, and an elusive but not offensive tinge of sulfur.

  Traffic inside Stormwatch was heavy. Hundreds, perhaps even thousands of peasants filled the streets, some pulling carts, a smaller number driving small cattle-drawn wagons, all of them in a haphazard rush to get done what needed doing before dusk came and the dragon’s breath returned. Busy merchants sold their wares on street corners, or stood right out in the middle of the street, haggling with customers. Other vendors called out to the group as they drove by, offering freshly baked bread, smoked fish, and other foods. One seller even tried to chase them down, demanding they stop and buy something. One snarl from Socrates was enough to send him on his way.

  “Look at all these people,” River said at one point. “It’s hard to believe this is the same place we found last night.”

  “Give it a few hours,” Kale said. “As soon as the fog comes back, these cowards will hide inside their homes and lock their doors, and they won’t open them until dawn. They’d sooner watch you die than open the door for half a second.”

  At the center of the city, they arrived at the palace to find the gates locked and guarded by armed soldiers. Two stood out front, flanking either side, and others paced along the top of the wall.

  “State your business,” said one of the guards at the gate.

  Socrates looked the man over. A low whine came out of the ape’s neck as he turned his head. “We’re here to see Lord Fenn.”

  “Lord Fenn is not taking guests.”

  “But it’s important,” River said. “We had an arrangement-”

  The guard raised his hand. Two men up on the wall raised their crossbows and took aim at the group. “When the baron wishes to see you,” the guard said, “he will have you summoned. I advise you to leave now, while you still can.”

  River glanced at Socrates. The ape’s jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed. She saw his gaze stray from the guards on the ground to the ones up on the wall. Her hand inched toward the revolver on her hip. She couldn’t be sure what the automaton was thinking, but one thing was clear: Socrates was not pleased. The baron’s treatment was rude at best. Frankly, it was insulting.

  Still, River had never known Socrates to truly lose his temper. At least not until he had exhausted every other possibili
ty.

  This time was no exception. The ape put the steamwagon in reverse and began turning around. River relaxed a little.

  “That didn’t go well,” she said as they drove away.

  Socrates looked at her.

  “What?” she said.

  “That’s exactly what you said the last time we were here.”

  Kale spoke up: “What happens now? Does this mean we’re going to the castle?”

  “It seems Lord Fenn isn’t giving us much choice. When we get back to the train, I want you to gather a group of volunteers. Fighters, preferably. Make sure they’re well armed.”

  River stared at him. “What are you planning?”

  “Not planning, just being prepared.”

  “You think the baron will try to stop us?”

  “I wouldn’t put it past him. Nor can we be sure what to expect from his brother, the king. I believe it’s time to let them know that we are a force to be reckoned with.”

  “But we’re not,” River said, lowering her voice. “They outnumber us a thousand to one!”

  “True. However, we have the advantage of secrecy. They have no idea how many men we have on the train, or how well armed we are. This lack of information is their weakness. We will use it against them.”

  River sighed. “I still don’t understand why we can’t just take the starfall. The dragon is dead, and it’s not like these people have any real claim on it. They don’t even know what starfall is. We could set up a distillation unit outside the cave and then haul the refined fuel to the train in barrels. They wouldn’t even know.”

  “It could take weeks,” Socrates said. “Eventually, they would suspect something. Besides, their ignorance is not an excuse to steal from them. We will stick with my plan for now. If the king respects us, he will negotiate fairly.”

  “And what about the baron?”

  “If the negotiations go well, the baron won’t be a concern.”

  “And if they don’t go well?”

  “If we have exhausted all of our options, and still not reached a satisfactory compromise… then we will have three choices.”

  River raised an eyebrow. “Three?”

  “Three. Our first option is to abandon the starfall and continue on our way, hopefully having secured at least enough to make it to the next city. The second is to renegotiate, and possibly offer them some form of payment. It may be that we can share technology or some other resource in exchange for the fuel.”

  “And our third option?”

  Socrates was silent for a moment. He seemed to take a great breath, inflating his chest and heaving his shoulders. He fixed his gaze on the road ahead. When at last he spoke, his voice was a low rumble:

  “Our last option is to send word to Sanctuary. We will request airships and ground troops. Our last option is war.”

  Chapter 15

  Socrates gave River a few hours to finish her work and find a team before heading to the castle. She suspected he may have been buying time, hoping Lord Fenn would change his mind and agree to meet with them. She spent the early afternoon running loads of salvaged goods from the crashed airship to the Iron Horse. Micah and Loren had scavenged quite a few useful items, such as lanterns, blankets, tools, and a few crates and barrels of food. River stowed these in an empty boxcar and then put a few crewmembers to work burying the bodies and scavenging the lumber from the airship’s hull. She figured the wood may come in useful at some point, and if not, they could always burn it for fuel.

  At this point they still had not received word from the baron, and it didn’t look like they would. River gathered her team for the trip to the castle. It didn’t take long to assemble a reasonably solid group, with the exception of Shayla, who in River’s opinion had no redeeming qualities whatsoever. The woman was a distraction at best. She was lazy, unskilled, and a generally useless individual… unless one needed advice on makeup or hairstyling of course, as those things seemed to take up almost all of Shayla’s time. Unfortunately, where Thane went, Shayla went also.

  It was late afternoon when they made the drive back through Stormwatch and took the road up to the castle behind the city. They were pleasantly surprised to find that no one tried to stop them along the way. It was a steep climb, and upon reaching the summit they found a broad plateau with a few hardy pines, junipers, and wildflowers sprouting up from the rocky soil. The landscape fell away steeply at the edges of the plateau, providing a fantastic view of Stormwatch and the plains to the north. The mountains and the wall running along the ridge blocked out everything to the south and east.

  The portcullis at the entrance was raised, revealing two massive wooden doors. Flanking the entrance stood two great statues that had been carved out of the granite mountainside. The statue on the left was a man with a long beard, wearing a horned helm and scaled armor. He leaned on the handle of his battle axe, the head of which rested on the pedestal at his feet. The statue opposite him was of a woman carrying a shield and spear. She was dressed similarly, but with no helm.

  Unobserved by the rest of the group, Micah -who had snuck into the back of the second steamwagon when no one was looking- frantically began sketching the images into his notepad.

  “No guards,” River observed. “And the portcullis is raised. I guess Lord Fenn was right about King Dane. He must be as incompetent as he is lazy.”

  Socrates stepped forward to lift one of the heavy knockers. The big iron ring was nearly two feet in diameter. When he rapped it against the metal, the base reverberated with a low hum like a tuning fork. They heard a whooshing sound similar to the movement of a pneumatic cylinder, followed by a loud creak. The door began to swing open.

  As the crack widened, they all stared into the darkness, expecting a soldier or gatekeeper to greet them. Instead, as the door swung wide, they found themselves facing an empty passageway. Smaller statues similar to the ones out front lined the passage, and torches burned in black iron sconces along the walls. They could hear the sounds of machinery and ringing anvils echoing out of the chamber ahead. Somewhere in the distance, they heard a loud bubbling noise,like a waterfall crashing into a lake.

  “Looks like nobody’s home,” Thane said. “Maybe we should come back later.”

  “What do we do now?” River said to Socrates.

  “It seems to me as if we’ve been invited in,” said the ape. He stepped inside, and the others followed him. The acrid scent of burnt sulfur and tar washed over them. A hot wind blew down the tunnel, drying their eyes and causing beads of perspiration to rise on their skin. Several tunnels and passageways branched off on either side. Ahead, the opening grew larger and they saw human figures moving in the distance.

  “Someone is definitely home,” River said in a whisper. She moved forward with Socrates at her side. They exited the tunnel and found themselves not inside a castle, but deep in the heart of the hollow shell of a mountain. Workers passed back and forth around them, too busy to notice or care about the strangers in their midst. Some pushed wheelbarrows or wheeled carts full of rocks and ore. Others drove small vehicles similar to steamwagons, but a fraction of the size.

  River heard heavy metallic footfalls and turned to see a man wearing a massive mechanical suit. Gears turned at the joints, and actuators and pistons hissed and whined as he moved. River took a step back, eyes widening as she raised her revolver and lined up the sights. Her breath caught in her chest, and her heart drummed in her ears. She closed her index finger around the trigger, ready to squeeze.

  “Stop!” Socrates said. He put a hand on her shoulder and leaned closer, speaking quietly into her ear: “River, it’s not one of them. He’s not a sentinel. Look closely.”

  The gorilla’s deep, calming voice had an effect on her. River licked her lips. She looked the man up and down. He strode past the group carrying a pallet of wooden crates, oblivious to the fact that his life may very well have been hanging in the balance.

  The armor was all wrong, River realized. Sentinels had a pressurize
d tank on the back of their suits, and hydraulic pipes everywhere. This suit didn’t work that way. She couldn’t be sure, but it almost seemed like it was powered by springs. And the man inside… he wasn’t even six feet tall. Hardly a Vangar.

  River lowered her weapon. Her shoulders slumped and she turned to face Socrates. He grinned. She flinched at the sound of a loud bark and glanced down to see a small, motorized, self-propelled wagon rolling past her feet, with a dog chasing it. The wagon disappeared into the crowd, and the barking dog along with it. River holstered her firearm.

  “Unbelievable,” Kale said, turning in a slow circle. “This isn’t a castle at all. It’s a volcano!”

  River followed his gaze, staring up into the cone. She saw a mesh of steel framework supporting a massive glass dome.

  “It’s sealed off,” Socrates said. “That’s how they keep the fog out.”

  “Look at the walls!” said Vann. “The whole inside of the mountain is like a giant clock!”

  They stood on a broad road that ran along the interior of the mountain. To the right, it inclined gently downward. To the left, it rose in a steady slope and then circled around to the far wall. Homes and storefronts had been carved into the face of the stone. Here and there, trains of mining carts rolled along a set of rails that wound in and out of tunnels and behind the intricate clocklike framework climbing the mountain’s interior.

  “Incredible,” Kale mumbled. “I haven’t seen anything like this since we left Sanctuary.”

  Socrates crossed the road, over to the railing that ran along the ledge. The others joined him. Looking out, they saw a lake of glowing lava at the base of the mountain. In the center of the lake was an island, accessible only by means of a long bridge. They could see men working down there, some breaking rocks, others hammering on anvils that were spread out across the island.

  “Excuse me!” Socrates called, hailing a passing worker. The man paused to stare at them. He was tall and thin in build, with fiery red hair and dark streaks all over his face. He carried a cloth bag over his shoulder that looked like it was full of coal.