The Steamwork Chronicles 2: Lust Plague by Cari Silverwood

Author:Cari Silverwood
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Steampunk, BDSM, Erotic Romance, Futuristic, Fantasy
ISBN: 9781611188028
Publisher: Loose Id LLC
Published: 2012-03-28T04:10:36+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Carrying the cases up six flights of stairs was easy for Sten. He could have done it in half the time but chose to go up with only one case on the first trip while he followed the doctor. Ever since Dr. F. had announced he’d helped create frankenstructs, questions had simmered up. Zen helped him keep a handle on his emotions, but he still needed to know about his past.

After that one trip, however, Dr. F. begged off.

“Place the cases here.” He pointed at the back bulkhead of his airship, the Emshalley.

“Right.” Sten lowered the steel case to the timber floor with a thump. “Gotcha. I’ll strap them down after they’re stacked.”

The command cabin was no more than four by four yards, and with suitcases along the back wall, any swinging of cats would have to be done somewhere else. At the opposite wall was the long, polished arc of the timber flight panel with the altimeters and velocimeters, the steering column and air pressure gauges. A wide yet narrow armored glass window looked out over the rooftop. Brass inlaid the panel and encircled the gauges. The rest of the cabin, though… Sten raised his eyebrows. A painting of the Dalai Lama was riveted to one wall, and the rainbow color scheme from the monastery was here too.

“Where’d you get the ship?”

“It belonged to the monastery. The monks donated it to the PME when they left.”

“Donated?” More like the PME evicted them and claimed it. He didn’t push the point. Need the doctor on my side, to get answers. “No weapons, then?”

“No. None on board. I don’t especially like guns.” Dr. F. pulled down his waistcoat.

“Tell me, Doc, where’d the others go? This place must have had more people?”

The doctor studied him. “Most evacuated earlier. I stayed behind with four others at the last moment, afraid of what might happen on a large airship if the virogen hit.”

“Ah-huh. So where are the other four?” He raised an eyebrow.

“I’m a cautious man. I watched and waited. Stayed down in the shielded basement mostly.” His mouth twisted. “I came up and shot those who became zombies.”

Who’d’a thought? The man looked as tough as a daisy. “You did right.”

“Thank you. I will never forget seeing my colleagues become mindless things.” He shuddered. “Ahem. Dinner will be served up here on the roof in an hour—before the light goes. The steam generator is almost out of fuel, and I’ll be recharging my legs and Clavis before we take off.” He lifted his trouser cuff enough to show a shiny metal joint in the gap between sock and trouser.

“Clockwork?”

The doctor put his foot down, stomped a few times as if seating something into place, then shrugged. “Clockwork in emergencies. I use a voltaic battery for everyday use.” He walked to the boarding ladder. “Dinner will be informal.”

With the doctor gone, Sten took a moment to recheck the cabin. A hole showed in the center of the flight panel. He traced his finger around the brass-framed cavity that dived into the guts of the panel.

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