Cold Copper

Chapter Thirty-eight

Rose was glad the children did as they were told and were silent about it, to boot. She had managed to round them all up and lead them into the warehouse, which stored leather. It stank of old hides, the strong solutions it took to soften them, and the odd hickory smoke of meat and burnt hair curing.

But at least it was warmer in the shed. Rose gathered the children in a huddle close together on the sawdust floor. She wished they’d found a wool or cotton warehouse, or even a hay barn. Any of those would be warmer by far. Still, this was better than standing in the snow.

She brought over some of the supple pieces of leather, which were carefully folded and tied with twine, and draped them around the children to keep some of their warmth near their skin.

“Still mighty quiet,” Alun said as he helped drape some of the softer and warmer folds of leather over the children.

“So,” she said, putting her good hand on her hip. “How do we wake them up?”

“We’ll need to find the Strange that’s put them sleeping,” Alun said. “Could take days.”

“Months,” Bryn added.

“Minutes,” Cadoc said.

Rose turned to the youngest of the Madder men. “Minutes? Do you know a way to find the Strange?”

“No,” he said. “You do.”

“I can assure you, Mr. Madder,” Rose began, “if I knew how to fix all this, I’d be right about doing it—”

Cadoc tipped his head to one side, as if waiting to see if she caught on to the sense in his words.

She still didn’t understand what he was saying, but she suddenly didn’t care.

“The ship!” she said, tipping her face to the ceiling as if she could see through the boards and bracers there. “It’s the Tin Swift!”

She turned and ran toward the door.

“Thought the Swift was in pieces in a barn in Kansas,” Alun Madder said.

“She was,” Rose called back, already breathless with hope. “But you can’t keep her out of the sky for long. I’d know her fans anywhere!”

Rose ran out into the street and scanned the section of sky slotted above the buildings. That was the problem with a city grown so tall: it put its teeth into most of the sky.

She couldn’t see the ship, but she heard her.

And her heart soared with hope. Hink had said he sent a wire when they were on the train. He must have told Seldom to bring the ship.

If they had the Swift, they’d have a way out of this town. They’d have all the wide sky trails to ride, and the men and Strange in this snowed-down city wouldn’t be able to touch them.

The Swift could save Hink.

Rose ran. Ran toward the sound of that beautiful ship. She didn’t know, and didn’t care, that the Madders were shouting at her. She didn’t know, and didn’t care, that the children followed behind her, running as she ran, heedless and determined to save the man she loved.