Lindsay Buroker - Hunted

“Because you lack power, I imagine. If thearrogant coot hadn’t been obsessed over looks, we mighthave…”

She did not finish, but Kali could guess.They might have had a child. So, this was some spurned woman herfather had not chosen for a lover. Maybe Amelia wanted Kali deadfor more reasons than flash gold.

“Sorry, he didn’t love you,” Kali said. “Butit’s not my fault. Killing me won’t-”

“It will ensure no more flash gold is evermade,” Amelia snarled. “It’s bad enough that it exists at all, butnow that gangsters know about it, they’ll not stop until theycapture you and wring its recipe from your brain. They’ll findsomeone who can imbue it, and the world will suddenly have powerenough that countries can destroy each other without ever fieldingan army.”

Kali’s probing in the broken cicada revealeda small cracked compass. “Don’t you think flash gold has power forgood? To be used as an energy source? It’s more efficient thanburning coal or wood and-”

“Don’t lecture me, child. I know what it is.I helped invent it. And then I watched as the first experimentburned half of a town and killed dozens of people. I wascaught in that fire.”

For the first time, Amelia lifted a hand toher face and pushed up her goggles. She used her left hand. Maybethat bullet in her right shoulder had hurt after all.

Next she removed the wrapping, letting itfall about her neck like a scarf. Short graying blonde hair frameda narrow face with a pointed chin. She might have been pretty once,but shiny scar tissue ran up and down the right side of her face,contorting her features.

“I have that lodestone with me,” Cedarwhispered, and Kali realized he had been watching her finger thecompass. “Wrapped up in the bottom of my pack.”

Kali caught on immediately. If the cicadasused the compasses for navigation, a lodestone, with its magneticproperties, might be enough to throw them off by a hair. A hairmight be all they needed. “Get it,” she whispered back. “Hook it onthe lead one’s wings.”

She tossed the broken machine aside, and tooka couple of steps toward Amelia, placing herself to block thewoman’s view of Cedar. “I’m sorry you were injured, but look.” Kaliheld out the drill with both hands. “Flash gold is a brilliantinvention. It needn’t be used as a weapon. I’ve used it for toolsand plan to use it for transportation. I’m sure there are a millionways it could make people’s lives better.”

“It would only take one unscrupulous personto use it to destroy the world,” Amelia said. “It’s too dangerousto keep around.”

“We just have to make sure it doesn’t fallinto an unscrupulous person’s hands. If we worked together we coulddo that. You have no idea how much I’d like to learn from you. I’venever had a teacher.” Kali was buying time, yes, but the ache ofsincerity in her voice surprised her.

It must have surprised Amelia too for shefrowned thoughtfully at Kali. Might she consider it?

“It’s true I’ve no magical gifts,” Kali wenton, “so I couldn’t make the alchemical potions or whatever you usedto heal yourself and deflect that bullet…” She raised hereyebrows. She was guessing since she had little knowledge ofwitchery, but Amelia nodded slightly. “I’m told I’m a fair tinkererthough.” Kali juggled the drill so she could remove her packsack.“I love to make things. I can show you some of my handmadetools.”

“I was impressed by your vehicle,”Amelia admitted. “Nobody taught you, you say?”

“I’ve had to learn it all on my own.” Kalitook another step. If Cedar gave her a chance, she would have tosprint forward and act before Amelia had time to think upsomething. “This drill isn’t fancy since I only had a couple ofminutes to make it, but it shows you the potential flash gold hasfor useful things.”

Amelia’s face hardened. Mentioning the goldagain had been a mistake.

“No,” Amelia said. “It’s too dangerous. And,because you know its secrets and criminals know of you, you’re too dangerous.”

A clunk sounded behind her. Cedar tossing thelodestone at one of the flying creatures?

Before she could turn around to check, metalclashed. He was attacking the cicadas. That was her cue.

Kali sprinted toward the water, gripping thedrill in both hands.

Amelia sneered and pushed a lever on hercontrol box.

With the river roaring in her ears, Kalicould not hear the click-whirs of the machines, but she knewCedar could not take them all down at once. They would be pursuing.Pursuing and shooting.

Balls hammered the granite bank, bouncing offlike hail. None struck Kali, but she sprinted faster anyway.

Three strides from the shallows, she touchedthe flash gold flake with her thumb to turn on the drill. Cedarsurprised her by running past her. He leaped into the air, clearlyhoping to jump over the shield on the boat and land on Amelia. Shesaw him coming, though, and hurled something. A small black ballexpanded into a net, entrapping him in a heartbeat.

Kali splashed into the shallows, high-kneeingit to the back of the boat.

Though the net entangled Cedar, his momentumtook him into the pilot’s seat. He crashed down on top of Amelia,who shrieked in anger.

Kali reached her destination, the furnace andboiler at the back of the boat, but frigid water reached to herchest, and a strong current tugged at her body. She spread herlegs, trying to brace herself on the slick bottom. She would needleverage if she meant to succeed at her task. Something akin to acat fight was taking place in the pilot’s seat, with both peopletangled in the net.

“Cedar!” Kali called. “Get out of there!”

Stones shifted and moved beneath her feet,and the current threatened to suck her into the rapids, but shefound a big rock to brace her boot against.

Amelia screamed in pain.

A splash sounded-Cedar obeying her order.Good.

Kali closed her eyes, tucked her chin, andpressed the drill to the side of the boiler. As soon as she feltthe tip pierce the metal casing, she dove down, hoping the waterwould provide her some protection from the-

Boom!

Even though she knew what to expect, she hadno way to defend against the raw power of the boiler failure. Thewater did little to soften the blast wave, and it hurled her intothe stony river bottom. Her back slammed against the rocks. Herbreath escaped in a burst of bubbles.

For a dazed moment, she could do nothing. Thecurrent swept her off the rocks, and she forced her stunned limbsto work. She kicked and stroked, hoping she was angling toward thesurface, but the powerful water defied her efforts. It swept herout of the shallows and into the rapids where she picked upspeed.

She clawed her way to the top only to bebattered against a sharp rock. She managed a gasp of air, but thetorrent forced her underwater again. More rocks barred her way, andshe bounced between them until her hand caught on something.

Rope?

If so, it was narrow, but she wasn’t going tocomplain. She twined her fingers around it and lunged for anotherpiece with the other hand. Not rope, a net.

As soon as she gripped it with both hands,she felt herself being hauled out of the current. Her head brokethe water. Rivulets streamed into her eyes, but she dared not letgo to wipe them, so she merely trusted it was Cedar.

The current lessened, and her knee bumpedagainst the bottom. Shallow water. She heaved a sigh of relief.

Strong hands gripped her by the armpits andpulled her out of the water. Before she could so much as wipe hereyes, she found herself crushed into a soggy hug. She did not relaxinto the embrace immediately; she craned her neck, searching forAmelia and the vessel. Kali had been swept a good hundred metersdownriver, and she could barely see the bank where she’d started,but she squinted and spotted a couple of cicadas, flying around,lost. One crashed into a tree and went down. Others were alreadysmashed into the ground. Kali did not see Amelia or the boat.