Calvin shouldered Ella out of the way and swiped his sword at her assailant. Karra tackled him to the ground and with her iron grip, held his blade still. Fighting to steady his sword, Karra leaned in close with wide, bloodlust eyes.
Pressing her lips against his forehead, she said, “you’ve been most entertaining tonight.”
She then pierced his side with the knife-like fingers of her other hand. He reared his head back as he screamed.
“Cal!” Ella leaped onto the girl’s back and squeezed her arms ever tighter around her neck. “Let him go.”
Though briefly surprised by Ella’s sudden chokehold, Karra would not give her the pleasure of being her victim. She pulled her hand from Calvin’s side, then swiped the grappling girl’s shoulder, leaving a series of deep cuts. Wincing from the pain, Ella relaxed her grip just long enough for Karra to shake free and assume a rather savage attack stance from atop the bed.
“Oh the choices,” Karra said, watching Ella and Calvin stumble to their feet. “Should I fancy the moment and bleed the both of you, or simply end your lives outright?”
All-too quickly, her musings came to end as the sounds of pounding from the hatch at the far end of the room disturbed their savage quarrel. Half a moment later the hatch flung open and Kenzo, katana in hand, and dressed in a loose-fitting blue cloth pants and shirt came rushing in.
“What’s going on?” Kenzo growled. “Never have I had such loud neighbors.”
Karra received the familiar face with mild adoration.
“Another guest.” At first, she presented him a deceivingly warm smile, then she sighed. “This does make things a little less fun.”
A distant rumbling and then a sudden clatter gave everyone pause. For a moment, the room shook, then grew still leaving behind an ominous silence.
Ella slowly scanned her surroundings, as if anticipating another unfortunate surprise. “What in the world was that?”
Karra mocked her guests with a satisfied expression. “It seems dearest brother just finished dressing down your engine compartment. Amazing what a few well-placed sticks of dynamite will do.”
“Sabotage! This reeks of Royalist brutality, “ Kenzo accused.
“Royalists indeed. But come now. Brutal we are certainly not. I prefer methodical.“
“But the engine compartment is a whole other car away,” Ella added. “It could be a hundred sticks of dynamite and we wouldn‘t feel the shock. Unless. . .”
Karra skipped playfully on the bed, then jumped onto the floor behind her. “I do love explosions. Especially the ones that are set off at all the right vulnerabilities to ignite a most predictable chain that collapses both bulkheads and machinery across the whole spine of this wonderous little ship.”
Ella glared. “How do you know so much about this ship?”
Karra pressed a finger against her lips. “A little birdy told us.”
Calvin, once again readied his sword while Ella snatched a hefty metal rod from a nearby shelf. The faces of Karra’s three aggressors fumed of anger and passioned outrage, which, considering the room’s limited space and Kenzo’s suspected competency with the katana in his hand, left her at an unexpected disadvantage.
“Well, bugger,” Karra blurted. “This hardly played out the way I wanted. Well, ‘c’est lav ie‘.”
She retreated several steps, then gave a gracious bow. “A pleasure to finally meet you Ella. Oh and do be mindful of our future date. Because though you may have avoided it this time, death will surely find you again.”
YOU ARE READING
THE STEAMCHILD CHRONICLES PRESENTS: CHILDREN OF THE CLOCKWORK SKY
Teen FictionA rompous Young-Adult Steampunk tale of absurd gadgetry, adventure and daring deeds, with larger-than-life characters in a post-apocalyptic Victorian world. Ella Marshall never saw the cities fall to ruin, nor the life torn from the once lush and vi...
