(eng) Paul Kidd - Effectuators 03 by To Foreign Shores

Author:To Foreign Shores [Shores, To Foreign]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

It seemed that their journey was verging into ‘exciting’ territory. They crossed the car over a valley, down, down into a land of beautiful soft-sighing pine trees and little shallow streams. At the side of a bright, clear-running ford, Brilliana halted and the upper baggage trunk was breeched. She presented Annie and Guy with rifles – a pair of gleaming new American Winchester repeaters, quite the latest thing: much like a Henry rifle, but far more sturdy.

Predictably, Brilliana had something far more awful for herself: a weird long barrelled rifle, hand made by Gairloch and Sudds, her favourite gunsmiths. Guy looked at the thing in absolute incomprehension.

“What have you engendered this time?”

“It’s pneumatic!” Brilliana was absolutely thrilled with the thing: it looked like the mad offspring of an Arab jezail and a tea flask. “Ain’t it the beauty of all creation? My very own patented design!”

“It looks innovative, eclectic and well-engineered...” Guy put his hands out for the weapon, which proved to have a flask of compressed air beneath the lock. “And what would be the advantages of so very odd a weapon?”

“Silence, you see! Stealth!” Brilliana relished the weapon entirely. “Do you know, the Girandoni air rifle of 1779 could throw a .46 round and pierce an inch thick board at a hundred yards! But with my improvements, this gun can achieve the same penetration at three hundred.”

“This does not look to be of .46 calibre.”

“Oh no! Never in life! This is an eight of an inch precise! And it fits…” Brilliana produced a long, wicked sliver of tempered steel: a streamlined dart fitted with a little silken tuft at the tail. “These!”

Annie looked at Brilliana – quite appalled.“You! You’re planning on poisoning people!”

Brilliana looked quite innocent. “Only the most beastly horrid people!” She felt damnedly pleased with her darts. “Look – they have a poison reservoir inside, with an impact-activated injector. I took out a patent on them. I’m ever so chuffed!”

Annie was scandalised. “I should never have let you grow that damned curare plant!”

“Oh, let us not take against my poor dear littleStrychnos toxifera!You complimented her so prettily when she came into bloom.” Brill pouted. “And the perfume is quite exquisite.”

“Perfume.”Annie-Lou fumed. “It’s like having Lucretia Borgia in the house!” She motioned to the rifle. “Put that silly thing away! I think the Winchesters will do well enough.”

“I really should look into keeping some Columbian poison dart frogs.” Brill took a far-away, blissful look upon her face. “They come in the mostdarling colours!”

“Brill– no.”

Weapons hidden, they munched sandwiches and fed liver sausage to the dog, then rolled onwards, into a great quiet valley that was filled to overflowing with brilliant summer butterflies.

The gorgeous country put them almost in a holiday mood. The car performed beautifully, hauling itself up the long hills and coasting smoothly down into the vales. On – on, past crags and rocky outcrops, and ancient, twisted trees. There was time to step out of the car at a little waterfall, fill the boiler and stretch their legs.

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