Free-Wrench, no. 1 Read Online Free Page A

could manage to
do much more than soften it. It didn’t rust or even tarnish. It was
little surprise that its creators named it trith, which, in the old
tongue, meant perfection. The formula for creating it existed as a
closely guarded secret, and making it proved quite expensive, but
it was nonetheless common in Caldera thanks to the fact that nearly
all that had ever been made was still in use.
    Perhaps seeing her will weakening, Drew
pressed on. “Come on, if nothing else you’ll get a chance to meet
someone from outside of Caldera. Not many who can say they’ve done
that.”
    She turned the offer over in her head. It
would be a lie to say she’d never been curious about things beyond
the Calderan borders. One of the few regrets she had about working
in the steamworks was the simple fact that her skills would be of
use in few places on the isles, and thus there would never likely
be anything new or exciting to look forward to in her career. A
small but vocal part of her yearned for novelty, to see new sights
and experience new things. If nothing else, these black-market
folks promised plenty to see.
    “All right. I’ll join you this time. But
neither of us are going anywhere if we don’t get this valve
in.”
    Few better ways exist to ensure problems will
arise in a given task than by making plans for afterward. Halfway
through completing the installation they discovered that one of the
mounting holes hadn’t been machined properly. Once it had been
removed, corrected, and fitted again, the supply crew managed to
send along the wrong size nuts and bolts. The horizon was already
starting to get rosy when they finally finished up the project and
were given permission to leave.
    “Ugh, I feel disgusting,” she said, hurrying
out of the last roughly hewn tunnel and into the locker room.
    “Well, you’ll have to feel disgusting a bit
longer if you want to make it to the market on time. We’ve got to
leave now, no time to shower,” Drew warned. He checked the clock
and quickly emptied his locker into a bag.
    “I suppose I can bring my clothes and get
changed when I go home. We’ll be done before the sun is up; there
shouldn’t be too many people to offend with my
ripeness.”
    “And just think of the wonders you’ll be
bringing with you! Which reminds me. Don’t forget to bring
something to trade.”
    She nodded and hastily grabbed a few bags of
salt and a brooch she’d left in her locker months ago. After a
moment of thought, she grabbed a large coil box and two smaller
ones. The prospective payments were loaded into a bag and thrown
over her shoulder. With that they made their way quickly to the
pier a few streets away, where Drew’s brother Linus waited in the
early morning fog.
    The boat was anything but impressive, a
simple, flat skiff. It had two large paddlewheels on the side for
propelling and steering, and a sputtering boiler to power them
occupied the rear. Being a Calderan vessel, however, it was painted
with bright, cheery colors in an intricate scheme and had a
figurehead carved with skill to resemble a barracuda. The side
proudly proclaimed it to be The Triumph .
    “Any later and I’d have left without you,”
Linus said, flipping open a pocket watch and leaning close to the
yellow flame of the boat’s oil lamp.
    “You’d have wasted your time then, because
you don’t know today’s password. Now let’s get on with it before we
miss them.”
    Linus untied the boat, and the trio made
their way along the shore to the western side of Tellahn. Their
destination was a jagged cluster of outcroppings a bit more than a
mile off shore. They were far too small and too steep to be
considered islands, standing out of the water like menhirs erected
by a particularly haphazard ancient civilization. In the days
before Caldera had isolated itself, the cluster served as a neutral
ground where authorities could make sure that nothing too dangerous
was brought to the islands. Now it was a largely