Magnificent Devices by Shelley Adina

Author:Shelley Adina [Adina, Shelley]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: cookie429, Kat, Extratorrents
Publisher: Moonshell Books
Published: 2012-10-03T14:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Both girls’ shoulders hunched up to their ears in unconscious expectation of a bullet. Hers probably had as well, but the only thing that would get them out of range was speed, so Claire focused on the sail as if it were her salvation.

The velogig careened across the ground in the direction of Spider Woman, the sail bellying out like the breast of a frigate bird. The wind’s speed might be constant, but its direction did not seem to be. Claire realized that as soon as they’d gone a hundred yards. She trimmed the sail and once again it filled. They flew toward the monolith as if they had wings, and both girls shrieked with either fear or exhilaration.

“Lizzie, to the right, or we shall drive straight into the rock.”

“I dunno how!”

“Push your left hand out.”

The velogig veered to the right and Claire distinctly felt the leftmost wheel leave the ground. “Gently, Lizzie.”

“But you said—”

“It’s all right. We are out of range of the bullets!” She laughed in sheer relief mixed with a healthy dose of terror.

The strange vehicle flew to the south, then Lizzie steered it around the worst of the rocks.

“Now to the north. We must get as far away as we can by nightfall. I wonder how many miles per day one can travel on this thing?”

“Where’s north?” Lizzie held onto the steering bar like a drowning person, her knuckles stiff and white.

“To our left. A gentle arc, yes, that’s it. The wind is coming from the south, so it will push us along nicely.”

Lizzie pushed with her right hand even more, and the velogig’s course curved in an arc until they were heading due north.

“’Ow do you know which way is north?” Maggie said through clenched teeth, one hand gripping a brass support and the other her sister’s dress. “It all looks the same to me.”

Claire adjusted the sail and they flew forward on the very wings of the wind. She would give anything to know their speed—but if the tears whipped from her eyes were any indication, it was faster than the landau had ever gone, and it topped out at forty miles per hour. If she only had her goggles!

“North is the only portion of the sky where the sun does not travel. We shall choose our landmarks each morning and simply do our best.”

“’Ow far is it?”

Belatedly, Claire realized she might have asked more questions of Alice before their abrupt departure. “I’m not sure, but Miss Alice said there wasn’t another landing field for two hundred miles, and the Rangers came from Santa Fe. So I would assume that is how far it is.”

“Two ’undred miles,” Maggie squeaked. “That’s from London to Cornwall.”

Dear me. It was, nearly. “Just pray there are no canyons to traverse. That will make it longer.”

“Lady, I’m scared.”

Claire risked a glance down and tried to smile with reassurance. “There is nothing to fear, darling. We are together, we have food and water, and Ned Mose is at least two miles behind us already.

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