Revolutionary Magic (with Bonus Content) by Thomas K. Carpenter Page B

carriage lurched forward. The street was wide enough to turn around, unlike the narrow avenues in most locations of the city. Ben stopped the carriage when he saw a gathering of sailors at the other end lifting their mugs high and singing.
    "Let's take the long way then," he said. "We'll pick up Smith and a few items at the estate and then go straight to the Bingham's house."
    While Ben piloted the vehicle, I mulled Chloris' words.
    We came upon a farmer with a broken-down wagon in the middle of the narrow street, his horses tied to a post while he worked on it.
    Ben turned the steam carriage to the right, heading down an alleyway between the tall rows. Far ahead, between the buildings, a ship on the river passed, its white sheets ruffling in the wind.
    The vehicle rumbled across the cobblestones. I glanced up and out the window, gazing at the scattered cloud layer above the city that reflected the pinks and oranges of the evening sky, when a barrel fell over the side of the nearest three story building.
    Grabbing Ben's arm, I screamed, "Stop!"
    He barely hit the brakes before the barrel hit the cobblestones, exploding fire over the vehicle. A wall of flame blocked the way ahead.
    Ben opened the door to check the streets, when a second barrel hit thirty feet behind us, shards of wood and fire bouncing between the brick buildings.
    The flames ahead subsided, revealing a pile of jagged stones smoldering with a greasy smoke that curtained the space between the two buildings.
    Two men appeared from a doorway ahead, the newest repeating rifles in their hands. I recognized the black bushy mustaches and beady eyes of men from the regions around the Black Sea. These were the Emperor Paul's assassins. The spymaster probably lurked nearby.
    The assassins placed the rifles against their shoulders, aiming in our direction. As I slumped beneath the dashboard, Ben angrily jabbed a button, seemingly at random.
    The vehicle shook when a blast flew from the upper portion of the carriage, a net of fine wire sailing through the air and wrapping around the men, collapsing them into a pile.
    Leaning his head back out the door, Ben jammed the gear lever into reverse. We surged in that direction, bouncing over stones that might have stopped a lesser vehicle.
    The assassins climbed out of the net when we were a couple hundred feet down the alleyway, traveling backwards at a hurried pace.
    Before Ben could turn down a cross street, their rifles barked, putting holes in the engine. Steam jetted out of the brass pressure chamber. We were able to make it another hundred feet before the vehicle slowed to a stop.
    Grabbing my pistol and rapier, I slid into the street. Ben had a fine pistol of his own, along with the knapsack with the gauntlet. We ran together, glancing frequently behind us. Right as we turned, the assassins appeared at the cross street. Bits of brick exploded around our heads as we ducked and ran.
    I didn't bother firing my weapon. With only one shot I was unlikely to hit anything.
    We ran recklessly. With weapons in each hand, I couldn't pull my dress up for running, which slowed us considerably. Ben kept pace, even though I knew he could outrun me.
    When we turned into a blind alleyway, I saw the spymaster at the other end with a rifle. His shot nearly tore my head off.
    Trapped between the assassins and the spymaster, we took a staircase to a landing, hoping we might find connecting roofs to make our escape. Luck wasn't with us—we found a lone building top surrounded by unassailable gaps.
    "At least we have a defensible position," said Ben, leaning carefully to see down the narrow wooden staircase.
    I spun in a circle. Around us, the surrounding rooftops had a clear line of sight to us. A heavy easterly wind tugged on my dress and blew hair around my face. The smell of evening woodstoves burning was thick in the air.
    "We have to get off this roof. They'll cut us down like wheat," I said.
    Ben looked around, understanding my meaning.