Brass and Bone

Being Simon Thorne, friend and collaborator to Lady Abigail Moran, isn't easy. Yes, being a daring thief does have its charms. But I still haven't convinced Abigail that she loves me, and thievery, for all the romantical writers say of it, is not the way to wealth. Especially if Abigail insists we continuously repair the airship with our ill-gotten gains.

So when an old friend summons us to his estate and offers us a daring job with a hefty paycheck, we're happy to accept. The mission: use our airship to transport secret cargo halfway across the globe. Oh, and we mustn't forget to take along the witch and her sinister keeper. A witch more beguiling than expected and her keeper-or is that companion?-with secrets darker than one could imagine.

Alas. Perhaps I have finally bitten off more than I can chew...

36,000 words

*Please note: files are advanced uncorrected proof and may contain errors*

**Files will be archived on November 14, 2011**