Steampunk Humor & a snippet from Enchanter's Embrace

 

 

KEEPING IT LIGHT: Some Steampunk

Humor and a snippet from

Enchanter's Embrace

 

 

 

(photo by Popsicle Toes)

 

 

 

What is it that makes steampunk so special? I could name the thousands of things I love about the genre, but I have to say, the jokes could use some work!

 

Enchanter's Embrace is releasing 4/29/16 so I thought I'd give you a sneak peek at what you might find inside when it finally hits shelves....

 

***

 

Perhaps, Archimedes thought in the moments before he lost all control of his senses, there were better ways to handle the men other than violence. Nevertheless, when one of them lunged toward Lucia, all common sense washed away by the red tide of rage that consumed him. He grabbed the closest man by the throat, his copper fingers closing around the man’s windpipe as he lifted the ruffian off the ground.

“Archie!” Lucia’s wand was at the ready, and a quick blast of her magic sent the heavier of the men sprawling into the mud.

“Wizards!” the taller man spat, swinging at Archie with the mallet. “Bloody damn wizards.”

“Oh no you don’t!” Lucia zapped the tall man with her wand, sending the mallet flying. “You have no idea how much wizards sacrifice to keep you safe! How dare you threaten us?”

The man growled and lunged for her, shoving her backward into the mud. He raised his hand as if to strike her, and Archie was reminded of another time he had seen her sprawled in the mud, her blood a pool of thick black around her. He dropped the now-unconscious man in his grip and in two strides he was on the last of the robbers.

“No, Archie!” Only Lucia’s plea kept him from snapping the man’s neck with his bare hands. She stood and reached for his arm. “Let him go.”

“He was going to hurt you.”

“If you kill him it only proves what they say about us. Let him go and send him home with the money.”

The man’s eyes bulged. “You...you’re gonna…let me…go?” he gurgled. “With…with...the money?”

“Yes.” Lucia brushed off her skirts and sighed at the mess. She glared at Archie as he continued to hold the man tightly. “I said let him go, Archimedes.”

“M..Merriweather?” the robber gasped, his already wide eyes growing wider in terror. “G..G..Grand Adept?”

“That’s right, you scoundrel.” Lucia patted Archie’s hand and he slowly released the man. “He could kill you with a thought, but he won’t.”

“He…he...won’t?”

“No, he will not hurt you.” Lucia was trying hard to smother a smile, Archie noticed, the fires of his rage banked a little by the slight curve of her lips. “You can take the money and go back to your homes. See the local Apothecary for treatment of your wounds. Tell the others you see that wizards are here to protect you, not to hurt you. If you attack them you do so at your own peril.”

The man nodded, stumbling to his friends who were slowly coming around. He picked up Archie’s wallet and held it close as the three of them disappeared again into the shadows.

“That was dangerous,” Archie said, the tension finally bleeding out of his body. He cupped her face gently. “Are you hurt?”

“No more than my pride and my dress.” She leaned up to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “You can’t kill everything that threatens me, Archie. It’s not who you are.”

“If you were hurt I would tear the person who hurt you in two,” he vowed, pressing his forehead to hers.

“And it would destroy you.” She tucked her wand away with a twitch of her lips. “Besides, I’m perfectly capable of defending myself.”

He grinned. He knew she was. She was well trained and as courageous as any man. Still, the thought of her hurt made his blood boil. It was an unfortunate side effect of love, he was learning. All his sensible thinking went south when she was threatened, no matter how confident he was in her abilities to defend herself.

“It’s getting dangerous to be a wizard in this city,” he muttered. He picked up his hat and frowned at the mud splattered over it. “With Icarus gone it will only get worse.”

“That’s up to the Grand Coven to fix,” she reminded him, taking his arm. “There must be a treaty between science and magic. All we can do is keep the peace until it is signed.”

He looked at the rising sun. “Care to break fast with me at the VansMueller?” he asked. “I am sure Cora has a dress you can borrow.”

“That sounds lovely,” she said as they headed across town toward his home. “I am looking forward to a quiet few months while Ic and Cora are away.”

He nodded. The duties of the Grand Adept had fallen to him, but Lucan Orrin was making sure that London was well patrolled by Grand Coven wizards, so he anticipated little in the way of danger for the next few months. He glanced down at Lucia and smiled. With his friends away and his duty roster cleared he would have plenty of time to court her as lavishly as she deserved.

 

You'll find links to Enchanter's Embrace live on 4/29/16! Stay tuned!