Factoryville by Rossi Tabitha

Author:Rossi, Tabitha [Rossi, Tabitha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Two Muses
Published: 2023-08-08T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

“Y ou’re absolutely sure this is the thing that’s been, uh, eating metal all over town?” Harrison looked uncertain.

Cordelia glanced at Megara, whose jaw had gone tight. Being disbelieved and questioned constantly by the men in her life didn’t sit well with her, apparently.

“We both saw it,” Cordelia said, turning back to her brother. “Look at its mouth. It started with the padlock and then went to munching on gears. Those irons flakes didn’t come from it. They came from the things it’s been attacking in the ironworks.”

The creature wasn’t exactly what Cordelia had pictured. It was a dull gray metallic creature, no more than three feet tall. It was slight, with gangly arms and legs, metal wings that may or may not have been functional, and a tail.

It had the long claws she had envisioned, along with point ears. She could see why it might be mistaken for a cat, because when she and Megara first saw it, it was on all fours. It hadn’t made a sound, though its strange maw opened and its empty eyes flashed as if in anger before it launched itself at Megara. The weight had knocked her to the ground. After a brief scuffle and some tears to her sleeves, they had found a way to somehow turn the creature off and stop its flailing.

When they picked it up to bring it back to the house, they found that it was far heavier than it appeared. Rather than try to drag it back the way they had come, Cordelia suggested they bring it into Harrison’s office.

Its composition had to be at least somewhat iron, because it made Cordelia’s hands tingle with warmth when she touched it. But how had the metal been fashioned into a creature that could move and act on its own?

Dawn was still far off, so the four of them stood around the motionless body, swaying and yawning with exhaustion. But they remained transfixed by the strange object.

“I supposed there is only one way to figure out what this is.” It was the prince who finally took a step forward for a closer inspection.

Cordelia shivered and wiped her hands against her thighs. The appearance of the thing disgusted her, yet energy still prickled along her palms from touching it. Her new brother seemed unbothered by the strange, cold scent emanating from the creature, despite it being made from the one element that could hurt him the most. Aubrey held his hands over it, palms down as if anticipating a blast of heat or ice. After another moment, he lowered his palms to his sides and sucked in a breath.

“There is a soul inside it. A consciousness. A fae one.”

Megara’s eyes widened. “You can’t be serious.”

“Quite. And, further, I believe it knows what it’s doing. The metal suit protects it from the iron, the very thing that destroys our kind. That makes it even more dangerous. Whoever created this has found a way to make fae invincible.”

From the way Aubrey and Megara looked at one another, faces pale, Cordelia knew that was a bad thing.

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