Angel of Brass Read Online Free Page B

to, but it was good and filling, and paid for
in coin instead of pain.
    The last of his coin, actually, which meant
that tomorrow he’d have to find some useful work, something to keep
him fed while he planned Del’s rescue. He couldn’t go back too
soon—the estate would be on high alert after his escape. But with
any luck, Malachi’s plots would eventually distract him, and Jin
could slip in unnoticed. By that time, he’d have earned the money
to take a steamer across the sea to Xatli or the Muling-Raja
Empire. Anywhere would do, really, so long as it was far away from
Dr. Malachai.
    Finishing off the pastry, Jin turned from the
sea and headed back into the city proper. He needed to find work
where his gloves wouldn’t seem suspicous. Some sort of day laborer,
maybe, hauling on cargo ropes, or packing bricks onto pallets, or
some such. It wouldn’t pay well, but he wasn’t sure he had any
other options.
    If I had my violin, I could play on the
street corner and beg for tips . But, like his rig, he’d had to
leave behind the violin to make good his escape.
    As he sauntered down the street, waiting for
the sun to sink low enough that he could take to the roofs again,
the nightlife of the city began to sluggishly stir around him.
Shops closed up and taverns opened. Prostitutes called out bawdy
suggestions from a street corner, and he looked away uncomfortably.
Given his isolated upbringing, his experience with girls was
practically nonexistent. There had been Rebecca, the downstairs
maid he had liked, and who seemed to like him. Maybe she really
had; they’d shared enough stolen kisses and backstairs fumbling.
Yet when things had progressed to the point where he’d taken off
his shirt, and she’d seen the smooth joining of metal and
flesh...
    He still heard her disgusted words in his
dreams sometime. “What manner of thing are you? Don’t touch
me!”
    Jin shook his head sharply to clear away the
memories. How naïve I was, acting like a person instead of a
thing. A monster. I know better now; I’ll never make that mistake
again .
    The alleyways had grown dark, which meant
that he could climb up to the roofs without being seen, so long as
he was careful. He’d find a warm chimney somewhere, curl up against
it, and try to forget about both the past and the future for a few
hours. Slipping into a likely-looking alley, he peeled off his
gloves and tucked them neatly into his belt, then bent to unlace
his boots.
    “You’ve given us a great deal of trouble,
Master Jin,” said an all-too-familiar voice.
    Jin spun on his heel to see smiling men
standing at the end of the alley. A quick glance in the other
direction showed they had that end blocked as well. Curse
it!
    Their captain took a step forward; the light
of the nearby gas lamps skittered off its goggles, reflecting in
the blood red lenses. “Your father wants you to come home,” it said
in the hated monotone. “Stop being foolish and return with us. All
will be forgiven.”
    As if to reassure him, the captain grinned,
and its troops did as well, exposing rows of metal teeth. Jin
shuddered; he knew exactly what those teeth could do.
    He swallowed hard and unsheathed the claws on
his hands. “No,” he said, hoping that he sounded braver than he
felt. “Tell Dr. Malachi that I’m done with him. I’m not going
back.”
    The captain took another step forward, and
Jin was dimly aware of movement from either end of the alley as
well. “Don’t be foolish. All other considerations aside, you’ve
stolen something quite valuable.”
    “I’ll pay him back for the cursed
airship.”
    “Not the airship, Master Jin. You. You belong to Dr. Malachi, and he’s a man who likes to keep his
possessions close.”
    Jin leapt blindly, even as the smiling men
came rushing in. His mechanical legs carried him high into the air,
and his claws found purchase in the brick. His boots scrabbled
wildly, the claws of his feet digging into the lining as he
instinctively sought