“Wouldn’t dream of it,”Kali said.
Which was true. Sheought to be concernedsolely with escaping, maybe finding that girl and getting her outtoo, but the fact that she was within the bowels of the veryairship she wanted to claim for herself kindled ideas in her mind.Maybe she could yet take it over somehow and keep it for herself.Unless she ran out of other options, she wouldn’t risk blowing halfof the hull off in a boiler explosion.
“Now, I reckon I can getsome sleep, though the night seems young for that.” Soot-face threwa smirk at the guard, then considered Kali through slittedeyes.
She tensed. With her hands free and a shovelin her grip, she thought she could defend herself, leg iron or not,but the guard standing by the hatch was watching, his shotgun atthe ready.
“Don’t see why Sparwoodgets all the girls,” Sooty grumbled.
“’Cause he can pound youinto pieces,” the guard said. “You better leave her be and findyour hammock.”
“Guess you’reright.”
Given his defeatist words, Kali wasn’texpecting Sooty’s hand to lunge in. He squeezed her breast, mashingdown with the subtlety of a jackhammer. Kali swung the shovel,cracking him in the side of his head.
He staggered back while the guard laughedand said, “You deserved that.”
Kali dropped into a crouch, expectingretaliation. Sooty clutched at his head, but he was grinning.
“Worth it,” he said andsauntered to the ladder. “Sparwood’ll find his goods bruised up.”He snickered as he climbed and disappeared through thehatch.
“Idiot,” Kalisaid.
A woman’s scream sounded, then was cut offwhen the hatch clanged shut. Kali’s indignation faded. Kali couldbe experiencing a far worse fate at the moment. And she might stillhave to worry about that, if she didn’t escape.
The guard jerked his shotgun toward her.“Get to work.”
Kali opened the furnace door and squinted asheat rolled out. Next to the gloom of the boiler room, the flamesthrew off an inferno of light. While she scooped coal from the binand into the firebox, she debated her options. She could fling ashovelful of burning embers at the guard, but he was too far awayfor her to launch a follow-up attack. She hadn’t seen the captainpass him the keys for her leg iron either. Something on theworkbench might help her escape, but it too was well out ofreach.
Kali eyed the heavy black chain attached toher ankle and didn’t see any weaknesses. It would take a blacksmithto break one of the thick links. At the other end, the chainattached to an eyelet secured with a hinge to an iron plate mountedflush in the deck. She couldn’t have been the first prisoner to bechained in the boiler room.
She kept scooping coal into the furnacewhile she contemplated that hinge. In its present state, shedoubted she could wedge the tip of the shovel into the crease topry the eyelet free, but she’d loosened many a rusted old bolt byapplying heat to break the bond.
The next time she dumped fresh coal into thefurnace, she slipped a few burning red embers out. The guard waswatching her, but the door hid the shovel, and the furnace itselfblocked the eyelet from his view. Kali laid the glowing coals onthe metal plate around the hinge. Making certain not to take toomuch time and rouse suspicions, she repeated the process until apile of hot coals lay all about the eyelet.
Kali continued to load the furnace for acouple more minutes, giving the iron time to heat. Even if she wasable to loosen the hinge and pull the chain free, she still had todeal with the guard.
“It’s getting prettyfull.” She paused to mop sweat from her brow. “How much more shouldI put in?”
“When it’s full, close thedoor and start loading the other one.”
“Whatever you say, boss.”Kali considered her words, then added, “I don’t suppose there’sanything I can do to talk you into letting me go?” If she was toogood of a worker and didn’t try to wheedle her way out of her fate,that might make him suspicious. “I’ve got money stashed at home.How much do you make as a pirate?”
“More than you’vegot.”
“I doubt that,” Kali said.“My partner is a proficient bounty hunter, and he shares hisearnings.”
“Men who give money towomen are stupid. Get back to work.”
Kali rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. Shecertainly wasn’t going to explain what she did to earn her half. Noneed for him to think she might have a crafty side.
“It’s powerful hot inhere.” Kali wiped her brow again and leaned on the shovel. “Anychance I can get some water?”
“You’ve barely beenworking five minutes. You’re fine.”
Kali made a show of letting her shouldersslump and tried to look weary as she went back to shoveling. Aftera few more rounds, she said, “I just need a little break.”
She slipped between the furnaces, nudged thecoals off the eyelet with her shovel, and eased the tip into thehinge crease. She wiggled the blade in deeper, relieved when therewas enough give to do so. Then she leaned her weight onto it. Thehinge pin eased upward, but it made a telling creak.
“What’re you doing overthere, woman?” Footsteps thudded on the deck.
Kali shoved downward with all of herstrength. The hinge popped free. Kali scattered the hot embers,smacked the shovel against the furnace, making a loud clang, thendropped to the floor on her back, hiding the popped hinge with herbody. She closed her eyes and didn’t move.
The guard stomped around the corner. Kaliwatched through her eyelashes as he surveyed the mess. “Stupidwoman, what’d you do?”
Passed out from heat exhaustion, or so shehoped he’d think.
The guard came close enough to kick her bootwith his foot, then, when she did not respond, he leaned in closer.He reached down, probably intending to take the shovel from herreach. Before he could grab the shaft, Kali whipped it up andslammed the pan into his face.
The pirate reeled back, but the blow was notenough to drop him. He lunged for the shovel. Kali hit him againand scrambled to her feet. The guard, blood running in twinrivulets from his nose, started to lift his gun. She jammed herheel into his shin, and he yowled and went down. Kali snatched theheavy iron chain from the floor and swung it at his head. Itconnected with a solid thud. The man’s shotgun drooped in hishands. Kali tore it free and backed away, aiming it at hischest.
“On your belly,” shebarked.
The man groaned and slumped to the floor,eyes crossing. She found the rope the pirates had tied her withearlier and hurried to bind his hands and legs while he was stillwoozy. If she could find the key to her leg iron, she’d stick thaton him as well and see how well he liked being tied up.
“You have any morebuckshot?” Kali asked after checking the shotgun. She could fire itonce, but that was it.
“Not down here,” thepirate growled, his eyes focusing again. “Why don’t you wander upand look for some above decks? I’m sure someone can help youout.”
“With a bullet to thechest, I’m sure,” Kali said.
Figuring she didn’t have much time, sherushed over to the work table. She decided the iron band on herankle wasn’t a priority and left it on while she searched throughher tools for, yes, there was the vial of flash gold. She wassurprised the captain hadn’t taken it with him, but maybe Conradwas the only one who knew what it was, or maybe he’d warned themnot to take it. Now if Kali could come up with something useful todo with it before someone came and checked on her….
Another feminine cry of pain echoed throughthe ship, muffled by the closed hatch, but not muffled enough. Kaliclenched her jaw. She had more than one reason to hurry.
Kali checked the machine shop drawers andtoolboxes. She doubted she would stumble across something asobviously handy as ammunition for the shotgun, but maybe she couldfind raw materials to make-she did not know what yet. But she hadthe flash gold, so she could power something. She just had tofigure out what.