Tin Swift(118)

Wil was faster, taking out two with two bullets: throat and eye.

Cedar ran, Hink still over his shoulder, weighing him down, firing as he pounded for cover, not at the man aiming at him, but at the soldiers aiming at Molly.

Miss Dupuis was behind Molly, grim and calm, the lightning gun spent and the revolver in her hand blasting shot after shot.

Cedar couldn’t stop the bullets heading to Molly. Miss Dupuis couldn’t pull her away in time.

Molly pulled the trigger on her rifle to kill General Saint.

She shuddered, bullets tearing through her. She fell. But got one shot off.

Her bullet sped toward General Saint’s head.

And blew right through the middle of his forehead and out the back of his skull.

He crumpled to the ground.

The Swift was too far gone to help. Every soldier in the compound was running over here with loaded guns.

Where were Guffin and Seldom?

They would not survive this. None of them.

They didn’t have guns enough, didn’t have cover enough, didn’t have time enough.

But Cedar wouldn’t leave Molly here to die alone.

As each foot fell, as Wil fired beside him, matching his pace, taking out men, he knew the escape they ran toward became more and more unlikely with each heartbeat.

They had lost this fight before they had jumped rope off the ship.

Molly lay on the ground, facing the sky, bleeding. Miss Dupuis had had to fall back for cover, and couldn’t get close enough to drag Molly toward her.

Cedar caught a glimpse of Seldom, pinned down by gunfire behind a stack of crates.

Seldom looked across the smoke and fire, saw him with Hink across his shoulder. Cedar met his gaze. He didn’t know if the captain would make it. Didn’t know if Molly still breathed.

Even across the bloody field, Seldom seemed to understand.

“What are you thinking, brother?” Wil asked, his shoulder set tight against the sideboard of the wagon they had ducked behind.

“I’m going to set Hink down. Then I’m going to go get Molly.”

“Good plan,” Wil said. “But mine’s better.” Wil ducked around the wagon and ran for Molly.

Cedar starting swearing and took aim on the men who rose up to fire on his brother.

He had six shots and made them all count.

Wil bent, smoke shifted to cover his exact whereabouts. But he’d have to stand to get Molly out of there. And he’d be an easy target.

“Damn hot-blooded idiot,” Cedar cursed. “I will not watch you die again.”

He shifted so he could lower Captain Hink.

The roar of an engine right over his head drowned out the sound of gunfire and threw chunks of debris everywhere. Then that ship let loose a glass globe. Pretty. Familiar. Green with a silver cap to it.

When that globe hit the ground it shattered. Wasn’t anything more than instinct that made Cedar close his eyes and turn away. Good thing he did too. The flash of light that exploded from the globe was unholy bright white tinged with the strange green of glim. The combination was so bright it blinded.

Men cried out, unable to see, unable to shoot.

Cedar squinted, his vision foggy and fouled even though he’d had his eyes screwed tight.

Walking across the field, with another green globe in one hand and a tinkered blunderbuss in the other, dark goggles firmly over his eyes, was Alun Madder.

Above him hovered a wooden airship that resembled a child’s top with fans stuck out every which way.

Bryn Madder leaned out the door of the thing and cranked a Gatling gun into the crouching soldiers.

Cadoc Madder was standing in a basket that had been lowered from the ship, laying down fire in the opposite direction.

They were all wearing dark goggles and were likely the only people on this rock who still had clear enough vision to shoot.

Alun looked over at Cedar. “Evening, Mr. Hunt,” he yelled over the gunfire. “Got a message from Captain Beaumont you might be in the area. Have you found the Holder for us yet?” He smashed the globe into the ground and another painfully blinding light flashed out.

Men screamed.

Cedar growled at the pain of the light, even through his eyelids. “Can’t find something blind,” he yelled.

Alun laughed. “Don’t expect you’d need your eyes for that. Still…”

Another flash went off, and this one wasn’t just light. This one was dynamite. Cedar’s ears cracked with the sound, and rocks and dirt slammed through the air.

Then Alun was beside him, his hand on his arm. “I’ll get you to the basket. Then we can talk about your promise to us aboard ship. Shall we?”

“Wil,” he said. “He’s got Molly.”

“Already have them on the way to the basket. The men with Miss Dupuis too. You’re the only one left out here worth saving, Mr. Hunt. You and whoever that is you’re wearing as a neck warmer.”