SHORT STORIES
THE LAMPLIGHT WAR
This tale of the vicious struggle between those determined to introduce the latest steam-powered technology and those willing to kill to stop them was included in the April 2013 issue of eSteampunk (you can buy the magazine from Amazon US | UK | CA).
You can download a free PDF of the story by clicking here.
Here is an excerpt:
The war between the lamplighters and thieves began as most such wars begin: with a single death.
The first of what would become many victims was One-Eared Azra, who worked the three westernmost miles of Silver Street. His brother Belial found him but struggled to cut the body down from the lamp where it swung in the summer breeze.
Belial was light on his feet, and could clamber high enough to reach the noose around his poor brother's neck. However, he could not slash the rope while keeping the corpse aloft, so he called for help.
Silver Street has never been a place where warm welcomes are offered or expected, but Belial's pleas eventually attracted a small crowd who stood in curious confusion below the broken light and broken body. They were careful to avoid the wet red circle that had formed where Azra had been swinging. They also kept away from the words written in the dirt, in a mixture of blood and oil: No more lights.
DOCTOR ANGEL'S LAST APPOINTMENT
This story of a doctor brought low by his obsession with an unusual woman was published in Vol. 9 Issue 2 of Tales of the Talisman.
Here is an excerpt:
I could smell the agents of my downfall before I saw them.
The woman and child who rounded the corner and approached me were unfortunate enough to carry with them a miasma comprising Thames mud, ship's oil, dried sweat, and worse. If I had known what their arrival would mean, I would have feigned sudden illness because of the stink and fled back inside the Royal Society. I had only just left its hallowed halls after my bid for membership was rejected for the second time, but I would have tried my luck again rather than face what was to come.