Lindsay Buroker - Peacemaker

“Probably shouldn’t thinkthings like that,” she muttered to herself.

A loud crack erupted behind her. Kali drewher arm in front of her face as a portion of the roof caved in.Burning wood fell everywhere, and ash clogged the air. A gapinghole in the ceiling revealed flames leaping from the cabin’s roof,their fingers licking the bottom of the balloon. If the hydrogenblew…with her this close to it….

Kali gulped and rose to her feet, tempted tosprint outside and forget the ship and the city. She didn’t want todie over this. Maybe if she could find some rope, she could tie thewheel in place, so the ship would turn away from the smokestack onits own if the hull lifted.

Wood scraped and groaned beneath Kali. Thehull scraping against the mill’s roof.

“Yes,” she whispered.“We’re moving.”

With the hot wheel gripped in both hands,she fastened her gaze to the front window. Ash stung her eyes, andtears streamed down her face, but it didn’t matter. They wererising. Slowly but surely, with much scraping and bumping, theyclimbed away from the mill roof.

Kali adjusted the wheel, trying to veer inthe direction of the river. The ship responded sluggishly, but itinched forward.

More than one bullet had assaulted thewindows, and she had to peer through a spider web of cracked glass.Despite the fire raging on the ship, the blanket of night stillcloaked Dawson. She struggled to get her bearings, and it was morememory of the city’s layout that guided her, rather than what shesaw, though dozens of lanterns swirled about below, people runningto and fro, coming to help, or perhaps simply gawk.

Nausea churned in Kali’s stomach, andlightheadedness continued to assail her. She gripped the wheeltightly, fearing she might otherwise wither under the heat andcollapse to the deck. She’d stopped sweating and was simply bakingnow, like salmon bundled in leaves and cooked beneath the embers ofa fire.

Movement stirred at the corner of hervision. Lockhart. He’d drawn even with the cabin, and gripped hisColt, his jaw set with determination, but he didn’t aim it at her.He met her eyes briefly before standing on tiptoes to peer out pastthe bow. Did he know what she was trying to accomplish? Kali hopedso. She was too hot to dodge bullets. All she wanted was-

A snap split the air, hammering Kali’s earswith its power. The ceiling collapsed.

Burning wood plummeted, and somethingheavy-a beam? — smashed into her and flattened her to the deck.

Strangely, Kali didn’t feel any pain, but agreat weight pinned her. It felt like a mountain had landed on herback, and it wasn’t moving. She tried to push and pull herselffree, but one of her arms was also pinned. With the other shereached, trying to find something to grab, some way to obtainleverage to pull herself free, but her fingernails only scrabbleduselessly against the hot deck boards. She couldn’t feel herlegs.

Kali tried to suck in a deep breath so shecould call out for help, but too much weight pressed against herlungs. She couldn’t breathe. Tears of frustration and fear sprangto her eyes. She was going to die here, all because she’d beengreedy and tried to find a shortcut to getting an airship. She’dnever escape the Yukon, never see the world, never know a winterthat wasn’t icy and dark.

“Kali!”

Hope stirred. It was Cedar. But his voicesounded far away, and flames leapt all about Kali. Could he reachher in time?

She tried to lift her head, to use the lastof her air to cry out, but she couldn’t budge her cheek from thedeck.

Boots came into view, not one set but two.Cedar and…Lockhart?

Kali couldn’t tell. Everything was sobright, so hot. Pain stabbed her head and her eyes.

Scrapes sounded, and she sensed the menpulling wood off of her. The great weight shifted on her back,lessening, and she finally gulped in a breath of hot, smoky air.She’d lost her kerchief. Dumb thing to notice.

Hands gripped her beneath the armpits, andmore rubble fell away from her as someone pulled her free. Cedar.She could barely make him out through her bleary eyes, but he swepther up in both arms, carrying her against his chest.

“Take her somewhere safe.”That was Lockhart. He stood amongst the burning debris, both handson the wheel.

Confusion swarmed over Kali. Had they madepeace? Or perhaps declared a truce until the city was safe?

Before she could ask, Cedar rushed out thedoor. In long running strides, he carried her to the railing wherehis rope was tied, the end dangling into the darkness below.

On her back in his arms, Kali had a view ofthe balloon, of the way the flames flickered all about it, burninginto the material, compromising its integrity. She stiffened.

“The balloon!” she triedto shout. Her voice came out raspy and weak. “Get out of there!”she yelled as loudly as she could.

Cedar leaped over the railing withoutslowing. Wind whistled past her face, and she thought they’d fallall the way to the ground, but he twisted in the air and caught therope. He shimmied down it and landed lightly on-a dock? Had theymade it to the river? Kali twisted her neck, trying to see.

Before she got her bearings, a massive boomshook the earth, and the sky exploded in flames. The power of theshock wave knocked Cedar down, and Kali fell to the dock on top ofhim. He rolled over her to protect her, but she still saw theairship, a great fiery ball, plunging into the Yukon River.

It was the last thing Kali saw before herworld disappeared in blackness.

Kali woke in a bed in a log room withdaylight streaming in the window. It was a real glass window, and ablack doctor’s bag sat on a nearby stool. Doc Morgan’s place, sheguessed. Conversations drifted through the open window, and voicesof teamsters managing horses came from farther away, so shegathered the city hadn’t burned down.

Taking a deep breath evoked pain on thebackside of her ribs, and she decided shallow breaths had moreappeal. She turned her head to find Cedar slumped in a chair nearher bed. His eyes were closed, his head was thrown back, and hismouth hung open. Kali smiled, tickled by the idea of the deadlybounty hunter in repose. She was reluctant to wake him, but shewanted to know what had happened in the end.

“I hope-” Kali’s voicecame out hoarse and scratchy, and speaking hurt. She lowered it toa whisper to finish. “I hope Cudgel doesn’t stroll by when you’resuch an easy target.”

A single eye opened. “My back is to thewall, and I can see the door and the window from here.”

“Is it hard to see withyour eyes closed?”

“Not if you’regood.”

As hard as talking was, Kali couldn’t resistthe urge to tease him. “Someone been filling your head with notionsthat you’re good?”

“Not often enough.”Cedar’s other eye opened, and the pair swiveled to regardher.

“Not my fault you haven’tbeen around much.” Kali eyed the hand-hewn rafters in the ceiling.“I suppose that’ll continue now that you’re certain Cudgel’shere.”

“Well, I was staying awayso he wouldn’t learn that I had feelings for you, but it soundslike he already figured out that we’re…something-” Cedar lifted hiseyebrows, and Kali nodded, “-so I expect that’s a good reason forus to stick together. Then he’d have to go through me to hurtyou.”

“I can take care ofmyself,” Kali said, more out of habit than any objection tospending time with him.

“Oh, I know that, but, strange as it seems,I like to be around you.” Cedar leaned toward her, and Kali turnedher face, expecting a kiss, but he hesitated, a question in hiseyes.

He must wonder if she forgave him, if shestill accepted him now that she knew about his not entirelyhonorable past. Kali twitched a shoulder. It wasn’t like she wasperfect either. Tarnation, she’d slept with that weasel, Sebastian.For all she knew, he had a wife or three down south somewhere.