Heart of Steel Read Free Page A

have tender feelings for me? If it is not that, I must make certain that she eventually comes to care for me. I have had much time to think, and I have heard that extreme hunger clears the mind. I have seen that she respects the Iron Duke—a man who Gives Orders—and so to win her heart, perhaps I will affect the same attitude when I next see her.
    That must be soon. I cannot hold out hope that she will wait much longer.
    The airship is only a mile away. I have searched for a boat or a gondola, but every one of them must have been taken centuries ago when people fled the zombie infection, or has sunk. I think that the chamber door might serve as a raft, however—keeping me dry while I paddle through the canal, where the aviators will certainly see me. I will only have to remove the hinges and throw it over the balcony into the canal. If it floats, I will lower myself on top of it. When I remove the hinges, however, I will have no protection—and I do not know how many zombies are in the palazzo.
    Night approaches, and the light grows dim. I would continue, but my spark lighter is also damp. Rusted iron hinges and a valiant fight await. What an adventure that will be, Geraldine—and I trust that you will write a fine ending for me.
    Â 
    With love and affection, always,
    Wolfram
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    P.S. You will never read this, of course, because I will prevail, and paddle my door to the airship, where I will take charge and give orders. Once there, I will discard this letter and write another. Do not despair, sister! Soon, you will hold in your hands the adventures of Archimedes Fox and the Mysterious Lady Corsair.

Chapter One
    Yasmeen hadn’t had any reason to fly her airship into the small Danish township of Fladstrand before, but her reputation had obviously preceded her. All along the Scandinavian coast, rum dives served as a town’s only line of defense against mercenaries and pirates—and as soon as the sky paled and Lady Corsair became visible on the eastern horizon, lights began appearing in the windows of the public houses alongside the docks. The taverns were opening early, hoping to make a few extra deniers before midday . . . and the good citizens of Fladstrand were probably praying that her crew wouldn’t venture beyond the docks and into the town itself.
    Unfortunately for them, Lady Corsair ’s crew wasn’t in Fladstrand to drink. Nor were they here to cause trouble, but Yasmeen wasn’t inclined to let the town know that. Let them tremble for a while. It did her reputation good.
    Dawn had completely faded from the sky by the time Lady Corsair breached the mouth of the harbor. Standing behind the windbreak on the quarterdeck, Yasmeen aimed her spyglass at the skyrunners tethered over the docks. She recognized each airship—all of them served as passenger ferries between the Danish islands to the east and Sweden to the north. Several heavy-bottomed cargo ships floated in the middle of the icy harbor, their canvas sails furled and their wooden hulls rocking with each swell. Though she knew the skyrunners, Yasmeen couldn’t identify every ship in the water. Most of Fladstrand fished or farmed—two activities unrelated to the sort of business Yasmeen conducted. Whatever cargo the ships carried probably fermented or flopped, and she had no interest in either until they reached her mug or her plate.
    When Lady Corsair ’s long shadow passed over the flat, sandy shoreline and the first rows of houses overlooking the sea, Yasmeen ordered the engines cut. Their huffing and vibrations gave way to the flap of the airship’s unfurling sails and the cawing protests of seabirds. Below, the narrow cobblestone streets lay almost empty. A steamcart puttered along beside an ass-drawn wagon loaded with wooden barrels, but most of the good people of Fladstrand scrambled back to their homes as soon as they spotted Lady Corsair in the skies above them—hiding behind locked