Read Online Flamecaster by Cinda Williams Chima - Free Book Online

Byram said, “Hold up.” Jenna reined in, and he stuffed some papers into her hand. “Here’s your paperwork, in case we get stopped. We got flour and oil for the kitchens, see? If it’s clear when we get to the bridge, turn the wagon around and pull onto the shoulder. Soon as you come to a stop, me and Mick will roll the barrels under the bridge and light it up. Once it blows, we’ll hop on and hit the road. Take it nice and easy, though, ’cause we don’t want to get noticed. Got that?” For some reason, Byram fancied that he was in charge.
    Jenna got it, but she didn’t like it. The upside of traveling at darkman’s hour was that there wasn’t much traffic on the road. The downside was that once the bridge blew, they’d be prime suspects to any soldiers who happened to be on that side of the bridge. Especially since they’d be driving away, when any other person would head for the noise, to see what happened.
    â€œWe’ll be the only ones on the road except for mudbacks and blackbirds. Once the bridge goes up, they’ll be all over us, with no place to hide.”
    Byram snorted. “What’s the chance there’ll be mudbacks this side of the bridge in the middle of the night?”
    â€œNot mudbacks so much as blackbirds. From what I hear, that new commander is mean as a snake. I want to be far away when it blows.”
    â€œIf you’re scared, you should’ve stayed at home,” Byram said.
    â€œIf you’re not scared, you’re stupid.”
    â€œLook,” Byram said, in the manner of someone instructing a small child. “Somebody’s got to light the thing; after that we got no more’n a couple minutes.” His eyes narrowed. “Or are you thinking me or Mick should stay behind while you beat it back to town?”
    Jenna shook her head. “I brought this.” She pulled a long, thin tube out of her carry bag. It was made of cotton, coated with pitch, and stuffed with black powder.
    â€œWhat’s that?” Byram poked it warily with his forefinger.
    â€œSomething new. Blasters in the Heartfangs are beginning to use them in the deeper shafts. Light one end, and it takes as long as a half hour to burn through.”
    â€œI never heard of that,” Byram said, as if that was that.
    It would help if you talked less and listened more, Jenna thought. “I heard about it from a collier whowas passing through town on his way north,” she said vaguely. She didn’t care to reveal her sources to anyone who might spill.
    â€œHow do we know it’ll actually work?” Byram said. “We don’t even know how to use it.”
    â€œYou don’t, I do. You get the kegs down there, I’ll handle it,” Jenna said. She slapped the reins and they rolled forward again. Her heart was beginning to hammer as it always did during this kind of job. She tried not to think about what would happen if they got caught. Instead, she thought about Riley and Maggi, who were dead, and her da, and everyone else in Delphi, squirming under Arden’s thumb.
    She thought of Arden going up in flames, leaving nothing but a charred skeleton behind. That always gave her the heart to do what she did.
    They turned off the main road toward the garrison headquarters. It was in a manor house the army had taken over when they moved out of the town. Now the army encampment spread on both sides of the road, and squat, ugly warehouses had been raised behind the stables and the manor kitchen. There were still bits of what must have been a garden around the building, but it had been trampled into mud by men and horses. A few winter-blasted shrubs still framed the house. All of this was encircled by a high stone wall.
    The wall was new. It seemed that the garrison’s youngcommander, Halston Matelon, had grown tired of hit-and-run attacks.
    The military road crossed the river midway between the main road and the