Cogs in Time 2 (The Steamworks Series) by SJ Davis & Catherine Stovall & Andrea L. Staum & Deborah Dalton & Faith Marlow & KC Finn & Lexi Ostrow & Beth W. Patterson & Samantha Ketteman & Beth W. Patterson

Author:SJ Davis & Catherine Stovall & Andrea L. Staum & Deborah Dalton & Faith Marlow & KC Finn & Lexi Ostrow & Beth W. Patterson & Samantha Ketteman & Beth W. Patterson [Davis, SJ]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Steamworks Ink
Published: 2014-10-06T00:00:00+00:00

The Servants of Orion

Faith Marlow

“Pen, I have gone as far as I am willing to go on this subject!” Dean Exeter pounded his fist on the top of his highly polished desk—golden wood grain enclosed in a glassy finish. The fountain pen leaped across a document, trickling ink. “I have tried, for your father’s sake, to be accommodating, to make allowances for you.”

“My father would want the world to know what we discovered, not for you to keep it stuffed in a basement!” Pen injected, sweaty conviction misted his forehead.

A vein on Dean Exeter’s forehead pulsed, thick and blue beneath his ancient, almost transparent skin. He inhaled deeply, swallowed the air, and glared at the young upstart on the other side of his desk.

“Your father was a great man, a scholar, philanthropist, and inspiration to many. This university mourned him. But I will not continue to make exceptions for you, Pen. My decision is final, and this discussion is finished. I trust there is something you should be doing.”

“Yes sir. Thank you,” Pen said through his teeth, knowing he needed the old man more than he needed him. He left the stuffy hot, sauna-like office and made his way out of the University.

It wasn’t until he stood outside in the cool afternoon air, did he feel like he could breathe again. The light breeze dried his sweaty brow, pushed through the fabric of his shirt and wrapped around his body. Despite his horrible mood and fortune, he could not help but gasp at the beauty of the city in the failing light of sunset. Copper Ridge. On an afternoon with a good sunset, the entire city glowed orange, its name incarnate. The hue of copper steam pipes, with its turquoise patina at the soldered seams, the rust of unprotected iron in the humid atmosphere, the reflected light in polished chrome—all shades of copper, all shades of light, life, and time.

The University was the heart of the city. In its front courtyard was a garden with an enormous copper statue of an antique key at its center. The University was the key to wisdom, unlocking the past and safeguarding the future. All other buildings and structures in the city had sprung up to surround it in admiration. He watched dirigibles float silently in the distance to and from the airport and over the plateau that surrounded the ridge on which the city stood. Just as the University was the epicenter of the city, Copper Ridge was the transportation hub of the entire region. Anyone who was going anywhere would most likely pass through the airport during their journey, especially if traveling by dirigible. Its strategic position in the Appalachian mountain range was a good height for sailing and promised beautiful vistas for passengers. The west side of the mountains offered spectacular views of sandstone cliffs jutting out of the dense temperate rainforest, waterfalls, lakes, and meadows. Cross over the spine, head east and follow the Atlantic coastline for magnificent beach sailing.