Flash Gold by Lindsay Buroker Page B

back so roughly pain erupted in her neck. He spun her to face him. Sharp, cold steel pressed against her throat.
    “ Mongrel bitch,” the man snarled. “I’ll send you to the bone orchard for that.”
    A rifle fired.
    Shock widened her attacker’s eyes. He stumbled back, dropping the knife. She shoved him, and he collapsed.
    Her mechanical dog still harried her other assailant. The three men who had charged in the front door lay unmoving, blood spattering the floor around them.
    Cedar crouched on top of the boiler on her steam sled, rifle balanced across his knees, while the other dog clanked about below. He glared at the last man standing, but that fellow had noticed his comrades were all down. He raced out the front, slamming the door before the dog could chase after him.
    Kali gave the bronze lever a shove. She wanted the metal guardians back in their cabinet before Cedar had a good look at them. She told people all her constructs were simply steam-powered machines, but anyone familiar with the technology would guess more than punchcards directed their actions.
    Cedar watched through narrowed eyes as the hounds clanked toward their kennel. “Interesting.”
    “ A girl who lives alone up here has to have security measures,” she said, not sure what to make of the speculation on his face.
    His blue eyes shifted to study her. They were clear, like the purest ice, and a striking contrast to his dark hair. They could have made her uneasy, but the speculation was not unfriendly. The scar and beard fuzz notwithstanding, she wagered he would be popular with Nelly’s girls. Not that she cared. A handsome man would not swindle her again.
    “ They say you’re a witch.” Cedar hopped to the floor, landing lightly. He pulled his sword from the belly of one of the downed men without the faintest change in expression that might suggest the killing bothered him.
    Kali looked away. “How lovely. The local rumormongers have decided to share their theories with the cheechakos passing through.”
    Cedar cleaned the long, thin blade on the dead man’s jacket. “It seems your friend is correct. You need the protection of a pugilist.”
    Whatever this fellow was, she suspected he was far more than a simple pugilist. After cleaning the sword, he walked from downed man to downed man, considering each face. He rolled one fellow from belly to back and stared for a long moment before shaking his head slightly.
    “ Have I proven my capabilities sufficiently so you’ll hire me?” he asked.
    “ For all I know, you’re one of these bandits, eager to rob me for...whatever they think I have.”
    “ Would I have shot them if that were the case?”
    Kali shrugged. “I haven’t noticed that criminals care overmuch for other criminals.”
    He walked toward her. She tensed, but he stopped a few paces away and stared her in the eye.
    “ I’m no criminal.”
    “ Then what are you?” she asked. “Why do you want to go with me?”
    “ I’m a simple traveler seeking adventure.” He nodded toward the sled. “I believe you are someone whom adventure finds.”
    Kali snorted. In the aftermath of Sebastian’s betrayal, those words were proving too apt for her tastes. Yet it might be useful to have such a capable fighter along, if he did not mean to betray her himself. At the least, she could put him to work loading and unloading supplies.
    “ Fine,” she said, hoping she was not making a mistake. “We leave at eight A.M. Bring food for yourself for several days and kerosene for the lamps. Since it’s dark most of the day, we’ll travel through it when the trail allows.”
    She headed to a coat tree and bundled up. She would have to visit the new Mountie headquarters to report the incident. Things had been easier before the law showed up, representing the “Dominion of Canada.” Criminals’ bodies had merely been tossed out for the wolves.
    “ Where do I sleep?” Cedar asked.
    Kali stopped at the door and gaped at him. “Uh, the