Chapter 1
Human
life is of value.
The rich man living in a Manor is no more valuable than the poor living in the gutter.
The scoundrel is no less valuable than the saint.
A Reaper must redeem each and every life he takes.
The rich man living in a Manor is no more valuable than the poor living in the gutter.
The scoundrel is no less valuable than the saint.
A Reaper must redeem each and every life he takes.
Raven
Grace stepped off the walkway onto the cobblestone street to avoid the post of
a gaslight lamp standing in her way. The
crowd in front of a street vender wouldn’t part for her, and she didn’t feel
like elbowing through this time. Used to the whispers and stares, she winked at
a pinch-faced woman with cottony hair who looked Raven up and down with
disapproval. Even in the city, a woman in breeches instead of a skirt was just
not acceptable. Or maybe it was the crossbow snapped to the magnets on the back
of her corset.
New
Haven boasted of a modern environment, dominated by foot traffic and more
automated horses than flesh ones. Three to four story buildings stacked
together like books on a shelf to both sides of the brownstone street. Merchants
peddled their wares from carts, occasionally pushed by automatons to draw
interest. Outside of carriage drivers, the general population had little to do
with the shiny metal, clockwork robots otherwise. Though it’s heard they are frequent among the
zeppelin-living high society.
She
pushed away a black curl as it fell into her eyes when she lowered her head and
skipped up the steps toward the bridge. Only a day’s journey still stood between
her and Greg’s house, and this time she’s not injured. She smiled to herself as
she imagined the look of surprise on his face. She might just tell him she
loves him this time.
A
scream pierced the air, and she furrowed her brows. A polished brass automated
horse barreled toward the bridge from the opposite side. The eerie sound of
scraping metal set Raven’s teeth on edge. Steam poured from the nostrils of the
metal horse and leaked from its joints in an unnatural way. The black lacquer
carriage it pulled careened on two wheels, threatening to tip through the turn
before righting itself. A metal coachman
in the driver’s seat was headless and rendered useless.
Raven
jumped to the railing, moving out of the way of the stampeding crowd as they
raced toward her to evade the mayhem. She gripped the lamppost as time trickled
to a crawl. Her Reaper instincts kicked in, and she scanned the area to take in
every detail. The door to the carriage
sat open and banging on the side of the black lacquered frame. Though she
couldn’t see the occupant, a shadow told of only one. With a sudden jerk left, the horse charged
for the railing, and the oak boards splintered apart as though they were balsa
wood.
In
a quick, natural motion, Raven unsnapped her crossbow and felt through the quiver
on her side for the right bolt for her bow.
Pulling the wire from her belt’s winch, she hooked it to the arrow,
pointed it at the wooden post of the gas lamp standing closest to the carriage,
and pulled the trigger.
For
a moment, the heavy metal horse hung over the edge as the carriage wedged
between the parts of broken railing. The horse’s metal legs still poured steam
as they struggled in the air. Gouges raked along the black side as the carriage
inched its way toward the rim. The door stuck in the closed position. Two small
hands pressed against the window. As the
door made it past the railing and the hands pushed it open, the body of a young
boy tumbled out. He held the door handle with his fingertips. A gasp and a few
screams filled the air behind her.
A
female voice shrieked, “It’s the young duke.”
Adrenaline pumped through her veins as Raven
made the leap. The wind blew through her long hair as she reached for the
falling carriage. It broke free from the bridge a moment before she reached it.
She pressed the button on her winch to release more line, and grabbed the boy
in a full embrace just before they hit the water. As the line reached the end, her body jerked
to a stop submerged, and the boy’s forehead struck her in the temple. The
saltwater burned her eyes, and stars dance in her vision. Bubbles of air escaped
her lips in a moan.
The
boy was unconscious. She gripped him with her right arm and hit the rewind
lever on her winch with her left.
Streaks of her black hair stuck to her face as she broke the surface of
the water. The winch pulled her toward the bridge, and the crowd above began
clapping. Gasping, Raven raised an eyebrow. Was this a show for their pleasure?
With
a squish in her black boots, she pushed off a tarred pylon to make it over the
lip of the bridge without the cable pulling them against the railing. The winch slowed as it neared the top. Raven
reached up with her left hand and grabbed the crossbow bolt. With a flick of
her thumb, she depressed the lever that caused the grappling hooks to withdraw,
and replaced it in her quiver. A slow zipping sound continued as the winch on
her belt drew in the cable. Hands from the crowd pulled the boy from her grasp,
and she let them. She blinked the water from her eyes, her vision still blurred.
Four armed guards and one skinny man in a bowtie surrounded the boy she’d hauled
to the surface. The guards held back the crowd.
With
a sputter and a cough, the boy wretched water from his lungs. Raven smiled,
glad the boy made it. She attempted to step toward him, but she was stopped with
a vice-like grip. Her fingertips twitched; ready to grab the knife on her hip
and fight her way out, if necessary. She looked up and studied the hard faces
of the two guards holding her. She considered smacking one in the jaw with the
back of her head, but considered the surrounding crowd. She made a count of the collateral damage and
clenched her jaw. She needed no more lives to redeem herself for. With a deep
sigh, she remained still.
The
man in the bowtie had the wet boy pulled to his chest. Cold blue eyes met hers as he pointed and
said, “Arrest her.”
Thanks for reading! Do you think you'd be enticed into reading more? If so, I may consider editing it and posting as I go along as a serial fiction of the novella. Leave a comment if you'd be interested!
Review first published at Readers' Realm
Then along came 
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