Wind Dancer: Secret War Steampunk Series - Adventure, Mystery + Mad Science (22 page)

“Thank you Mr. Rogers, Abigail inclined her head regally.
“The pleasure has been all mine, I assure you. As for that popinjay,” she
twisted her shoulders, “I despise bullying, especially officious bullying.”

“Quite so,” Rogers agreed. He braced to and saluted her,
“Safe journey to you, my Lady.” He walked back up ship leaving the three of
them standing in the lock.

“I am not well practiced at saying thank you,” Abigail looked
at Will and Saira. She squared her shoulders. “Thank you. It has been an honor
to meet you all,” the Scholar said.  Saira gave Will a look and held out her
arms towards Abigail.

“It is we who are honored by meeting you, Lady Abigail.” She
reached forward and the two women embraced.

“This is not good-bye, my sister,” Saira whispered gently in
her ear. “Why, is this one of your visions?” Abigail whispered back. “Yes,”
Saira replied simply. Pulling their heads back, the two locked gazes, then
parted.

Abigail turned towards the captain. She was finding all this
leave−taking surprisingly difficult. She almost wished, then banished the
thought before she could finish it. She had duties to attend to that allowed no
room for wishes. She straightened again. “Captain Hunting Owl” she said, “I am
eternally in your debt.”

“Likewise,” Will said. “Hope all goes well with your father.
You do have our wave connection, right?” Abigail nodded.

“Yes. Saira also gave me a Farley crystal, thank you. I have also
given the Aetherwave address of the hotel to Saira.”

Will nodded, “Call us if you want anything, alright? I’d like
to meet your father too while we’re in port,” he paused as if he would say
more, then shrugged his shoulders. “Walk in beauty, Lady Hadley.”

“I am sure he would like to meet you as well” she replied
with a smile. “Godspeed Captain Hunting Owl.” She set her shoulders, hefting
her bag. “Right then,” she said to no one is particular. She turned, and with
determination walked down the sky bridge towards the tower. Will and Saira
watched her silently until she vanished inside.

“You are an idiot you know, I have seen that the ship will
need her.” Saira said to him at last.

“That is ‘you are an idiot, Captain,’” Will corrected mildly.
“Everyone has to follow their own path Saira, even against one of your
visions.”

“We will see her again you know,” Saira continued with a
certainty.

“Maybe,” Will allowed. “But that is not for us to worry about
now.” He stirred from his slouch near the hatch, turning towards her. “Come on,
let us go make a delivery to a shadowy underworld figure.” He looked at Saira
sideways, as they walked down the corridors to the loading bay. “You briefed
the rest of the party?” She nodded as they walked.

“I have chosen Georgios to accompany us,” she said. “He is
good with the close fighting, and is level-headed. I would like to bring all
the Tigers, but your limit will not let me.”

“It’s not my limit,” Will reminded her. “It’s the limit
placed by An Fong’s people. It wouldn’t be much of a friendly sit-down if we
brought a bunch of rubber armored airdevils.” Saira sniffed at this.

“I fail to see why not,” she returned archly. “It is not as
if you are not bringing him what he prizes for free.”

“That is as may be,” Will allowed. “But I do hope to charge
him for it.”

Well,” Saira said as they entered the loading bay, “Both
Tikku and Georgios are ready. As is the way of things here in Hong Kong neither
is opening carrying a firearm although Georgios is carrying that hatchet of
his, and Tikku her fighting sticks, on their belts. Both do have repeating
shotguns in discreet cases” She padded her knife hilts.

“I, of course,” she added, “have these as well as a hidden
sparkie pistol. You?”

“Good choices”, Will approved. He slid back his coat so that
Saira could see the shoulder holster that held his revolver. He nodded
greetings to Tikku and Georgios who were standing in the landing bay awaiting
them along with First Officer Rogers who held the box they had recovered from
the slaver’s ship.

“Anyone have any questions before we head out?” Will asked
looking around at the room. When no one responded, he nodded in satisfied, then
turned towards Saira, holding up his bracer.

“Let’s check that these work shall we?” he said, pushing the
appropriate button. Saira followed suit. Will spoke into the air above his
wrist.

“
Wind Dancer
,
Wind Dancer
,” Will chanted. “This
is Hunting Owl, do you receive me?” McGuire's voice answered from the bracer.

“I hear you fine, Cap’n,” The voice said.
“Is Brighton standing near you with her bracer on?” Saira nodded, then
realizing that the Aetherwave officer could not see her, spoke to her wrist.

“Yes, I am,” she said.

“I did tell you that you shouldna be doing that,” he answered
his brogue thickening as he spoke. “I can adjust for the interference, but only
just.” Captain Hunting Owl looked at his Arms-Master who waved her arms in
annoyance at this.

“Sorry about that Michael,” Will responded. “We will try to
not stand so close together. I want to leave this connection open as we
discussed.”

“Fine from this end Cap’n,” McGuire responded. “
Wind
Dancer
standing by.”

Will turned towards Rogers, holding out his hands for An
Fong’s box.

“Well,” he said to his First Officer, “Looks like we are on.”
Rogers handed him the box, shaking his head doubtfully.

“I still am not convinced on the wisdom of relying on this
ground to air talking,” Rogers said to him in a low voice. “But message us and
we will come running.” The officer promised.

Will grinned at him.

“Let’s hope that there is no need for that Larry,” he
answered. “Remember you are to do nothing unless you hear me say so.”

Rogers nodded at this. “Understood,” he replied shortly.
After an awkward pause he said, “Good hunting.” Will nodded silently at him,
choosing to leave much unspoken. He then turned towards Saira and her Tigers.

“Let’s be about this then,” he said, leading the way down
the loading ramp.

~~~

Hu was dressed as any other rising young
zhu shou
who
worked in one of the near-by office buildings would be. He was wearing a brown
Western-style suit and tie with slicked back short hair. As such he was
completely unremarkable from the dozens of others like him. Given that he made
his living by being anonymous, anyone would be forgiven for not catching on
that he was following them. A fact which would have been of small comfort to
Saira and her Tigers, had they known at the time.

However, she and the others were busy looking for more
obvious threats, so the busy young modern man in the crowded modern air tower
went completely unremarked.

Hu witnessed the meeting of the
Wind Dancer
crew with
An Fong’s representatives in the basement garage of the Air Tower where the
steamcars were parked.

After what appeared to be many introductions, the group drove
up the exit ramp in one of the more luxurious steam cars. Hu hefted the box
that he carried on a shoulder strap while looking about the garage. Finding a
secluded spot, he opened the box, pulling out a speaking horn and earmuff. As
he cranked the handle to power it up he knew a moments pride at having been
entrusted with one of the far-speaking devices the White Lady of Death herself
had distributed among the gangs. He held the ear piece and spoke into the horn
as he had been taught.

“This is Hu,” he reported. “The package is being taken to An
Fong by the Redman Captain. There are four of them, and four of An Fong’s
people in an open roofed steamcar, going down Main Street. It should be easy to
spot. Any more orders?” He listened for a moment then signed off with a
relieved sigh. His part was done. He did not know who the Redman Captain and
his crew were, nor did he care to. As enemies of the White Lady, they were all
soon dead anyway.

~~~

Afterword

Thank you for reading
Wind Dancer
. I do hope you
enjoyed it. I’d really appreciate it if you could take a moment to review the
book.  Your comments mean the world to me.

For more information about my writing projects join my
mailing list
. In
thanks, I will send you a free story.

Raven Bond, Yule 2014

Author blog –
http://ravenbond.com

Facebook
author page

My twitter feed

Acknowledgements

It has become something of a cliché to say that while
writing is a solitary endeavor, publishing a book is not. Nonetheless it is
true, especially of this book. Thanks to the hard work of my publishing team,
it is finally done.

I would like to give a shout out to my all Beta readers,
especially Joshua Books, whose unflagging enthusiasm about this project kept me
going and gave me a great sounding board for the mad science. My gratitude to
the wonderful Seattle Steampunk community, for inspiration and companionship,
and to my editor at Impish Press, whose untiring efforts has helped turn this
manuscript into something I am proud of.

I would also like to give a shout out to you the reader. If
you have liked what you’ve read here, spread the word about it, and join my
mailing list
to find
out about my next projects.  The crew of the airship
Wind Dancer
shall
return with more adventures soon, I promise.

Most of all I would like to thank my beautiful Ria, companion
and partner−in−flight, for her love and understanding. Her belief
in what I do is the wind that lifts my wings.  

Raven Bond Reviews

STRONG MAGIC

 
Mystery wrapped in enigma
− This is one of my favorite styles of
writing - there's enough detail to make it interesting and enough left to your
imagination to make it personal. The characters are enigmatic, even to each
other and the small reveals along the way give the story an intimate feeling.
The Steam aspect is subtle and the magic is unique. The pacing and careful use
of language are reminiscent of R.A MacAvoy. I look forward to the next
installment! Bring it on, Raven Bond!

Wonderfully rollicking good fun! −
I give this book 5 Stars! Lots
of fun! A wonderful mix of Steampunk and magic and general Victorian landscape.
Set in Victorian Age Hong Kong, surrounded by the works of Steampunk as well as
a very strong magical presence. Raven has incorporated some really fun elements
as well as some really fun witty banter. I recommend this to anyone who is
into Steampunk, Magic and/or the Victorian era!

Too good to put down - charge your device!
  This is a page turner.
I’m writing this review whilst waiting for my device to charge so that I can
get back to the action, I’m sure it is going ahead without me. The pace is
breathtaking from the very first scene. The writing is tight and very well
crafted. I am right in the scene with the characters. Murder and Mystery in a
Steampunk setting what more can you ask for?  

Fresh take on the steampunk mystery
  This is the first work I have
read by Mr. Bond and I loved it! I enjoy all things mystery and steam punk and
had felt like I'd read everything. Hong Kong is a fresh new location in the
Steampunk genre and adds an exotic flavor to the mystery. The characters are
strong- each has a full personality and the feeling of a life beyond the
current book and stories all their own; the mystery aspect was solid and
interesting. Mr. Bond has a knack for just the right amount of detail in a
scene- enough to set the stage and let your mind fill it out- and for creating
characters that I can't wait to meet again.  

Strong Alchemy
Many of the characters in
Strong Magic know a great deal about alchemy, the mystical art of combining
disparate elements in order the produce a substance with rare and wondrous
qualities. They are not alone in their expertise. In this new work, Raven Bond
blends ingredients of espionage adventures, murder mysteries, historical
thrillers, science fiction, occultism and fantasy into a singular new substance
with a gleaming, brassy, steampunkish glow.

STRONG ADEPT

Ill met in scarlet
 
−
Durable
fictional pairings need an attention-grabbing starting point, a sharp, addictive
exploration of the convergence of their paths. And that, ladies and gentlemen,
is precisely what Raven Bond delivers here.
As an
introduction to the Magica sequence, Strong Adept briskly draws us into an
enigmatic variation of our universe, into its exotic, curiously familiar
cultures, and, most importantly, into the intriguing dynamic between his two
charismatic protagonists.

Perfectly paced backstory and
introduction.
A fast paced stand alone short story that teases you sufficiently
to want the next book(and then the next). This is the perfect introduction to
Owen Strong's world. It enhances the storyline of Strong Magic in subtle ways.

Excellent book −
I was unable to put this down.
I recommend this to everyone. Mr. Bond is an excellent wordsmith. I can't wait
for the next chapter.

Steampunk + magic = nonstop read
− Fun prequel
to Strong Magic, can be read before or after the first novel with equal
enjoyment!

Books by Raven Bond

STEAMPUNK MAGICA SERIES

Strong
Magic
Strong
Adept
Strong Omens (Spring 2015)

THE SECRET WAR

The Wind Dancer
Alien Devices (Spring 2015)

FREELANCE EDITORIAL

Big
Sky: A Rocky Mountain Showdown
(A Western by James Lachlan)

Library of Time
(Urban Fantasy by Ria Loader)