Free The Impossible Cube: A Novel of the Clockwork Empire by Steven Harper Page A

Alice didn’t pause. She flicked her claws at the next zombie, and the next, and the next, working her way through the fetid alley in a red haze. The spider grew heavier and heavier, and her arm ached from swinging. The smell of blood hung on the air, mingling with the soft groans and yelps from wounded zombie flesh. Alice’s entire world narrowed to bricks and blood, and she lost all sense of time. She could save them all. Swing, slash, bleed, and move on. Swing, slash, bleed, and move on.
    “That was the last one,” Feng was saying. “Alice! You can stop!”
    Alice came to herself. The last zombie was shuffling into the light, and the screaming had died down from the marketplace, and whether it was because the people had become tired of running away from zombies or because they had all fled, Alice didn’t know. The strength drained out of her, and Feng caught her before she collapsed.
    “Sorry,” she murmured. “I didn’t know it would be like this.”
    “You helped so many,” Feng said. “That was a fine thing you did.”
    “But there are still more. I need to save them.”
    “They will be well. The cure will spread to them quickly enough.”
    “I’m thirsty.” Alice’s mouth was dry, and her head felt light. “So thirsty.”
    She was only vaguely aware of Feng half leading, half carrying her somewhere. Eventually, she found herself sitting at a table with a plate of fruit, bread, and cheese before her and a mug of cider at her elbow. A muscular arm encircled her like a warm wing and drew her close.
    “Are you all right?” Gavin demanded.
    She leaned in and soaked in his scent, his strength. “Yes. I just needed to eat.”
    “I found him at another market,” Feng reported from across the table. “He was unaware that the zombie was your doing.”
    “I thought it was a chance event,” Gavin said, “so I moved on to play somewhere else, without all thescreaming and stampeding. I had no idea you were in trouble.” His voice was tight with tension.
    “I’m fine. Really.” Alice sat up to emphasize her words and noticed for the first time the little tavern where they were sitting. It was low-end, with straw on the wood planks and a bored-looking pair of daughters serving bread and beer drawn by their mother, who held forth behind a scarred bar. Alice, Gavin, and Feng occupied a freestanding table near the fireplace, which was empty this late in summer. The faint smell of dead ashes and old alcohol hung on the air, and the working-class patrons were still talking quietly, not drunk yet. “No need to worry, darling. I was just caught a little off guard. Next time, I’ll know better.”
    “Next time?” Gavin echoed. “What next time?”
    “Next time I heal people,” she said.
    “You’re not going to keep doing this?” he asked incredulously.
    She pulled away from him. “Of course I am. I have to help, Gavin. The clockwork plague needs to be cured.”
    “That’s what the fireflies are for.”
    “Every person I cure is one fewer person who dies,” she said with heat. “I can’t hold it back and wait on the chance that a firefly will bite.”
    “And you’re putting yourself in danger!”
    “It didn’t seem to be an issue when I came to rescue
you
!”
    “That was low.”
    Alice’s voice rose. “No lower than you assuming I can’t take care of myself.”
    “Of course you can take care of yourself.” Gavin’svoice rose to match. “It’s why Feng had to carry you in here.”
    “I often enjoy it when people stare,” Feng said, “but I believe our plan was to keep to ourselves.”
    Most of the customers were indeed staring at them. Alice, who noticed she was on her feet, sank slowly back to her chair. Her claws had pierced the tips of her glove. “I apologize, Mr. Ennock,” she said stiffly.
    “Me, too, Miss Michaels.”
    They finished eating in silence. Alice kept her eyes on her food and fumed, despite her apology. She had a duty to spread the cure. The plague had made