Tinker's War (The Tinkerer's Daughter Book 2) by Jamie Sedgwick Read Free Book Online Page B

we’ve had no need for them in years.”
    “How many Vangars are on the other side?” Robie said. “We may be able to overpower them.”
    “Unlikely,” Tam said. “They have twenty men, all heavily armed fighters. Most of our numbers are elderly.”
    “Then you can’t swim across either,” Robie said.
    “No. We have already discussed all of this. We’re trapped, until the invaders decide to leave.”
    I digested all of this, trying to think of something we’d missed. The problem with crossing the Crimson Straits is that the waters are ice cold and the undercurrents are dangerous and unpredictable. The reason for building the bridge in the first place was so that humans and Tal’mar could travel back and forth freely. I felt a moment of pride as I remembered how my friend General Corsan had helped to design and build that structure. Even now, years later, the Tal’mar Bridge was the largest on the continent.
    I knew we didn’t have time to build a raft. Even if we tried, the effort would likely attract the attention of the Vangars. The queen and the other elders could not possibly swim the strait. Their only hope was the bridge. It seemed we were trapped.
    “We can’t just wait here,” I said. “The sun will be up in a few hours. We may be able to hide from the Vangars now, in the dark, but what happens after sunrise? We don’t even know what kind of weapons they have. You’ve seen the palace… what if they do that to the bridge?”
    Robie scratched the back of his head, considering that. “We’re sitting ducks here.” He looked Tam up and down. “I see you have a bow. Are you a good shot?”
    “I could knock the wings off a firefly at a hundred paces,” Tam said proudly.
    “Right. What about the others?”
    “Any Tal’mar can shoot,” Tam said. “Unfortunately, we have only half a dozen bows and a short supply of arrows. None of us had time to arm ourselves or collect belongings when we fled the city.”
    “Do you have twenty arrows?” Robie said mischievously.
    Tam grinned wryly. “Of course.”
    “Then I hope you’re as good a shot as you claim. Do any of you have a flint?”
    Tam reached into his cloak and produced a small wooden flint box. “What is it for?” he said.
    “To make sure they see me,” Robie said. “Okay, here’s the plan…”
     

 
     
     
    Chapter 6
     
     
    I was skeptical, to say the least. Robie may have impressed me with his fighting skills, but his so-called plan sounded more like suicide. Unfortunately, none of us could come up with anything better and we didn’t have a lot of time to argue about it. The Tal’mar didn’t like the plan until they realized Robie would be the only one in danger, and then they were on board with it entirely. It seemed they didn’t mind letting a human risk his life for Tal’mar, but it was fairly clear that they considered the reverse unacceptable.
    I reluctantly went along with it as well. As foolhardy as Robie’s plan was, it really was our only chance. I began to rethink that decision when he appeared in the middle of the road, carrying a torch and walking straight towards the bridge. My grip tightened on the hilt of my sword. Tam had loaned me an elven blade in case the plan failed and we had to fight our way across the bridge. It was an elegant weapon with a thin, slightly curved bronze blade and a narrow half-moon shaped guard. It fit me well and was a much finer weapon than my old cutlass, but that didn’t help the fact that I barely knew how to use the thing. Tinker had once promised to teach me swordplay, but as the years progressed he mostly taught me about physics and metallurgy. I’d been too busy flying to study much of anything else. Sadly, I realized that this was but one of many opportunities I’d missed while chasing my dreams across the sky. I suddenly felt very childish.
    I watched in breathless anticipation as Robie stepped nonchalantly onto the bridge and began his trek to the other side. I