Nick glanced back toward the lake. “What’s the Bloodlords’ Guard?”

Amy pulled her arms to her chest and looked him in the eye. “You know that there’s the old line of Bloodmaidens and the new one.”

Nick nodded.

“The Bloodlords’ Council advised the emperor in the bad old days, and after the last of the old line killed the royal family, it became the Lords’ Council—officially. It’s still the same families. They’re the most powerful users of blood magic. The Guard never changed their name, and it’s loyal to the Council. It’s officially loyal to our family too as we’re members of the Council, but we bring our own guards to sessions. We know where their loyalty lies.

“I knew they were nervous about me, but I thought the Harcourts were their only agents.”

Nick stared at her. “You knew that and you’re still traveling with them?” Continue reading Bloodmaiden: Part 9 →

The man pointed his revolver at them, saying, “Don’t move!”

In the time that it took him to speak, four men had stepped away from the group, all of them in dark suits, all of them pulling pistols out from under their jackets.

A woman standing near them covered her mouth with her hand while the man holding her other hand said, “God in heaven!”

Next to Amy, Nick barely moved his mouth, saying, “This isn’t as bad as it looks–”

But she barely listened. The sound of wailing voices filled her head. They shrieked danger and told her to change and to do it now. She didn’t hesitate. She let the voices have their way. The shrill screaming turned to music, and red light surrounded her as her limbs felt lighter. Continue reading Bloodmaiden: Part 8 →

Amy shouted back, “I’ve never been to New Amsterdam before. If it’s not in a penny dreadful, I’ve never heard of it.”

Barely understandable between the wind and the gyrocopter’s blades, Nick shouted, “Right! Penny dreadfuls!”

The propeller behind the passenger compartment roared and the gyrocopter flew upward, leaving the area above the street, and reaching an altitude higher than most of the buildings.

Avoiding the factories’ billowing smokestacks, Nick flew the gyrocopter across the city until they reached a wide green area. A lake stood in the middle of it, but the land around it was large enough that the lake didn’t dominate the place. Amy guessed that the land could hold several small towns.
Continue reading Bloodmaiden: Part 7 →

“Somewhere that’s not in the building?” Nicholas frowned, and glanced around the room.

Amy nodded. “I’d feel safer.”

Nicholas paused, but then said, “Well, at least you’re dressed for it. Have you ever ridden in a gyrocopter before? It’s a little cold.”

She hadn’t taken off her overcoat. If that counted as “dressed for it,” she was. “Don’t people wear goggles on those things?”

He shrugged. “We’ve got goggles, but you’ll have to leave your hat.”

She turned back toward the stairway. “It’s just a hat. Which way?” Continue reading Bloodmaiden: Part 6 →

Nicholas’ eyes darted over toward the table where his grandfather had opened a bottle of wine. “Uh… Let’s start walking.”

He pointed toward the nearest doorway. Amy raised an eyebrow, and they walked past a metal shelf that was covered with gears and a machine whose purpose Amy couldn’t even guess at.

When they reached the stairway, Nicholas said, “That way. I’ll show you the way up.”

The stairway wasn’t much. Only wide enough for one person to walk, the stairs were worn brown tile, accompanied by cracked, white plaster walls.

“You know,” Amy said, following him up, “if they were listening, leaving the room won’t make them less suspicious.” Continue reading Bloodmaiden: Part 5 →