Senta and the Steel Dragon – Illustration

It certainly didn’t feel like his house. Technically it was, even though it didn’t feel like it. Under Brech law, all of a woman’s possessions belonged to her husband. And Egeria had a great many possessions. The table that Zeah was sitting at, made of sturdy cherry wood brought all the way from Mirsanna and inlayed with jade and mother of pearl probably cost more than he earned in a year—than he had ever earned, in his best year. The teacup in his hand probably cost more than the table—at least the set that the teacup had come from. Another man might have been bothered by this feeling that he was living in someone else’s house, or felt a certain unease at owning so many things that didn’t feel like his own. Not Zeah. He had spent his entire life living in a home that didn’t belong to him, and even when he eventually had his own home, he had only lived there a week or two before he moved back out and began living out of a small room behind his office.
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Senta and the Steel Dragon – Illustration

Senta suddenly realized that the doll looked like her; or rather she now looked like the doll.
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Senta and the Steel Dragon – Illustration

Iolanthe released the brake and pressed down with her foot on the forward accelerator, and the carriage slowly rolled forward.
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Senta and the Steel Dragon – Illustration

When Zeah stepped outside, it was already dark. The lamplighters were running slightly behind in their duties. Two of them were making their way up the street, one on either side, lighting the gas streetlights with their long-handled wicks. The trolleys were already shutting down for the night, so Zeah had to walk several blocks until he found a cab still on duty. This particular one was a shabby old carriage, with an unhappy and probably flea-bitten horse, not long for the glue factory, if his speed was any indication. The head butler gave orders to be taken to the docks, and sat back to ponder the fact that in the servant quarters at home at that exact moment, Yuah and the others would be finishing their evening meal and would be looking forward to one of Mrs. Colbshallow’s carefully crafted cakes.

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Senta and the Steel Dragon – Illustration

After Saba had dropped Iolanthe and her daughter home, she decided to take an afternoon nap, sleeping right through tea time. By the time she got up, most of the family had gathered in the parlor. Egeria had already brought the children home, and Augie was playing with his lead soldiers on the carpet, while Iolana read to Terra from Mrs. McKeeb’s Big Book of Childhood Admonitions. Mrs. Colbshallow and Cissy sat side by side, knitting. Even Yuah was present, slumped in a chair, drinking a tall glass of fortified wine. She looked sallow and drawn.
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Senta and the Steel Dragon – Illustration

Huge, sleek, and modern, it was bright silver in the summer sunlight, except for the yellow tail with the large black eagle emblem of Freedonia.
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Senta and the Steel Dragon – Illustration

Most agreed that the most enjoyable duty was the special squad of eight women who were assigned to help Professor Calliere. True, they had to tote around a certain amount of equipment, but it was worth it. They unpacked the professor’s gear, which included a large wicker basket, a heater, and a magnificent hot air balloon. The balloon was inflated and the professor sailed off into the sky, staying firmly attached to the ground by a very long rope. From his towering altitude, Calliere sketched out the surrounding countryside. Best of all, his helpers took turns riding with him.
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Senta and the Steel Dragon – Illustration

After a quick breakfast, they once again started off through the forest. The march seemed little different than that of the day before until they came to the shore of a river. Even though it was only about one hundred feet wide, the water was too deep to wade through even had it been safe to do so. But it wasn’t. Not only did huge crocodiles lie sunbathing along the banks with their massive jaws open, but the dinner table sized heads of salamander-like amphibians bobbed through the current. The party followed the shoreline along a southeasterly path. As evening approached, they moved further away from the river to make camp.

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Senta and the Steel Dragon – Illustration

He was pointing to one of the crates at the bottom of the stack against the wall farthest from the doorway. It had black printing painted across the wood. Saba had to kneel down in the darkness to read the writing. “.30 caliber Hecken 98”

“Oh sweet Kafira. Rifles.”

Suddenly what little light there was filtering into the room from the doorway was extinguished. Saba stood up and turned. He was shoulder to shoulder with Eamon. Directly across from them, silhouetted in the subdued illumination was a figure. From the shape, it was obvious that it was a lizardman, a large one. But only when his arms brought something up to his face did it become obvious he was holding a rifle. A .30 caliber Hecken 98 Freedonian service rifle, Saba realized.

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