Dark Water Breaking (Gunpowder & Alchemy Book 2) by Dan Davis

Author:Dan Davis [Davis, Dan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dan Davis
Published: 2015-06-13T23:00:00+00:00

The Dragon’s Cage

Archer looked round the corner across the moonlit street into the dark streets leading to the marketplace. His breath misted in front of his face. The air was bitterly cold and promised to only get colder through until dawn. People walked the streets around them and voices from distant crowds floated in the air along with the cloying stink of burning coal. No one paid him and Weaver the slightest attention while they waited for Winstanley to arrive. They had until sunrise to rescue Burp, meet the others and get away before anyone knew they were gone.

Only, Winstanley was late.

‘Let’s just go and get Burp,’ Weaver said close to his ear. ‘We know he’s just down that road in a big marketplace, right? Winstanley said most of the soldiers have gone on movements or whatever and if there are any, well...’ she punched her fist into her palm. ‘It’ll be time for a Weaving.’

‘Winstanley’s getting a wagon,’ Archer said. ‘We can’t get Burp out of the city without one.’

‘Burp can walk,’ Weaver said. ‘He’s slow but he can sort of crawl on his wings.’

‘What do you think the soldiers will do when they see a dragon walking out the north gate?’

‘Don’t matter what they think if I give them a weaving.’

‘I’m serious.’

‘When ain’t you?’ Weaver said. ‘Do you think he’s big enough to fly now?’

‘He’ll never fly,’ Archer said. ‘Not after the Alchemist kept them chained up tight for years. When Owen smashed his chains off it was the best thing I ever saw, him being free. But his wings are crippled, always will be.’

Weaver didn’t say anything so she obviously knew he was right.

‘Winstanley will be along soon,’ Archer said, straining to see in the dark.

‘You trust him?’

‘The way I see it, Winstanley and Cedd don’t want Cromwell’s men to have Keeper or Burp and that’s why they’re helping us. But if they try to cross us later on, then...’

‘Then it’s time for a Weaving,’ Weaver said.

Archer smiled. ‘Exactly.’

He heard an ungreased axle squeaking and wagon wheels clattering along with hoofs on cobblestones echoing through the half empty streets.

‘What a relief,’ Weaver said, picking at her ear.

Winstanley’s wagon, when it finally drew near from the shadows was being pulled, very slowly, by a tired looking old mule with a drooping head. Winstanley sat atop with a heavy cloak around him. ‘Best I could do, I am afraid,’ he said, sheepishly.

‘What is this rotten load of rubbish?’ Weaver said, kicking at a spoke. ‘It’s like a pig sty on wheels.’

‘There’s a war on, you know. All the good wagons were taken by the army and we’re left with wonky wagons and broken old nags.’ The mule turned round and looked at Winstanley. ‘Oh, you know it’s true,’ he said to it.

He and Weaver climbed onto the flat back of the wagon. There were piles of sackcloth in there, a bundle of Cedd’s clothes and some tools but not much else.

‘The sacking’s so we can hide him,’ Winstanley explained as he flicked the reigns and drove the mule forward down the road.

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