Dimensional Chapter One

Hello,

To all those celebrating Christmas, I hope you had a good one.  As promised here is the first chapter of my new work in progress Steampunk adventure, Dimensional.

Let me know what you think.  I will be writing the next chapter to showcase on here soon.


Victoria Wolf




Dimensional Chapter One

Chapter One

The ground was shaking and world was caving in.  Spurts of orange flame erupted from the ground and spurt outwards churning up the thick black smoke in to the air.  The smell of burning flesh was intense and overwhelming the planet.  Xalea was dying. The woman ran from the small village in to the vast quarry amidst the mountain range stumbling on her long black Victorian dress and velvet coat as she did so trying her best to keep her balance and to ignore the large airship hovering overhead.  From a small distance, she could hear the unified metal tramp of the clockwork army approaching with their smooth tarnished gold coloured thin skeletal bodies and bulbous motionless eyes, armed for violence without feeling or compassion.

They pursued her unhampered by the rough terrain carrying their long weapons and military arm attachments that could spray bullets and small knives like a gun to mow down armies and those who would dare oppose their master.  Their movement generated rising steam from their figures like an unearthly mist as their inner steam powered workings fought to keep them advancing at speed.  If they caught up with her she didn’t stand a chance.  They were gaining on her. She looked down at her gold steam powered pistol. It would do little to stop them. She had to get to the edge of the cliff. It was the only way to escape.  She looked down at the precious bundle in her arms.  The small girl baby cooed and looked up at her with bright blue adoring eyes.

“I will keep you safe, little one.  I promise,” she declared in a tearful determined voice.  “They will not have you.”

She bestowed a quick kiss on top of the new born baby’s forehead and lifted her skirt using her hand holding the pistol to continue on.  She picked up her pace even though she feared she would stumble on the rubble and drop the child.  The airship was coming closer, it’s large shadow hovered over her form.  Just a little further and she would reach the edge of the cliff.

Two men suited in frock coats and top hats carrying long gold plated and steel rifles began to descend a ladder from the airship that now hovered dangerously near. Any closer and it would be swept away by the chaos erupting around them and knocked to the ground.  She couldn’t afford to be captured, too many lives depended on her survival.  Tears gathered as she thought of the home she’d always know dying and breaking apart around her.

There’s no time mourn.  That will come later.  Focus.

Another few steps and she would make it to the edge of the cliff.  The first man to step of airship ladder reached her just before the army.  He ran towards the woman prompting her in to quick action.  Spinning on her unsteady feet she turned to aim the gold pistol at the man wearing goggles.  But he had already aimed and fired.  She gave a loud yelp when the bullet struck her shoulder.  She nearly lost her balance and fell over the edge.  The baby started to cry.  The idea was to wound her not kill she knew that but she couldn’t let her enemies from the order of the crow possess her knowledge and the child at any cost, even if it meant death.  She raised her arm clutching at the shoulder now seeping with blood and aimed her pistol.  The man aimed again.  He grinned manically at her as the army of clockwork robots came to a halt behind him.  He laughed loudly and raised his goggle on to his hat.

“Give it up Empress.  Your kingdom and the planets you rule are now lost.  The Order of the Crow is now victorious and a new era is to begin.  Surrender yourself and the child for transformation,” he told her with malice tinged with humour as though he did not believe in his words even though they appeared to serve his purpose.

“Never.  It will be a cold day in hell before I surrender to you.  You are nothing but a traitor and mercenary.  I will avenge my people and my planet’s death whatever it takes.  I or my child will return to reclaim the planetary alliance, Morgan Paltrek.  Tell your order, their victory will not last long.” The Empress challenged with highborn dignity.

With her failing strength, she raised her funnel shaped pistol and aimed it at the second man who came to stand next to Paltrek who wasted no time in discharging his weapon.

“No,” Paltrek shouted knocking the gun from the man.  It clattered to the ground as the bullet reached the Empress just after she fired her pistol.  It embedded itself in her arm just as her own reached the man dead centre in the chest, digging through his blackened heart and out the other side killing him instantly.

The Empress staggered back and fell from the edge of the cliff with a shriek clutching the screaming child.  She could see Paltrek rush towards the edge staring at her in horror.  The clockwork army knocked walked around him to deliver a hail of bullets.

“No, stop it.  She is meant to be alive, stop,” Paltrek yelled pushing them out of the way.  “The child must be saved and brought to the order for transformation.”

The Empress felt the bullets lodge themselves tight in her body as she curled over to protect the baby.  She had little time.  With great effort, she turned her body in mid air as it plummeted to the ground and wincing with pain unfolded the large white wings she kept hidden between her shoulder blades.  They opened with force ripping the material of her coat.  Coated in her crimson blood from her injured body they stretched out.  Immediately, she flapped them trying to raise some lift.  She stretched out her hand emitting a yellow light from it just before she and the child reached the ground.  She couldn’t help but scream as the broken ground at the bottom of the cliff loomed so close believing she had failed to open the dimension tunnel. 

The ground spread and opened in to a cavernous tunnel as it bored its way through the rock carrying the Empress and her child.  Flecks of white light appeared at the edges marking the dimensional tunnel out.  A bright light at the end of the tunnel beckoned them on and engulfed them.  Another painful shriek echoed from the lips of the dying Empress as the light spat them out in to space.

The tunnel widened and turned in to an enclosed space made of vivid colours, blues, yellows and reds of every kind.  It twisted and turned through the universe until it expelled them and suddenly they were falling once more through a night sky towards the ground covered in buildings and the Empress had little time to right their course.