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Back Rebel Mechanics Save as PDF
Chapters (29)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. Dedication
  4. Author’s Note
  5. In Which I Face Bandits and Butlers
  6. In Which I Land Amongst Mechanics
  7. In Which I Land Amongst Magisters
  8. In Which My Position Becomes Unexpectedly Precarious
  9. In Which I Am a Rescuer and Am Rescued
  10. In Which I Receive Multiple Invitations
  11. In Which I Sample Strong Drink, Strange Music, and Steam
  12. In Which I Get Blood on My Hands
  13. In Which I Overhear Valuable Information
  14. In Which I Attempt Persuasion
  15. In Which We Face Young Criminals and Traitors
  16. In Which Things Do Not Go According to Plan
  17. In Which the Fight Moves Uptown
  18. In Which I Reassess Many Things
  19. In Which I Gain a New Perspective on the City
  20. In Which I Assist Robbers and Revolutionaries
  21. In Which I Discover a Dreadful Deception
  22. In Which the City Falls Under a Shadow
  23. In Which an Errand Takes a Dangerous Turn
  24. In Which I Am Reunited with an Old Acquaintance
  25. In Which We Enter the Lions’ Den
  26. In Which We Must Lighten the Load
  27. In Which I Must Decide My Future
  28. About the Author
  29. Newsletter Sign-up

I was still wrestling with this dilemma when I heard a voice calling my name. I turned to see a newspaper boy standing on the corner. “Nat!” I said with a smile. It was reassuring to see a familiar face.

“Good morning to you, Verity,” he said. With a glance at Olive, he added, “I take it you got the job.”

“Yes, I did. Olive, this is my friend Nat. Nat, this is Lady Olive Lyndon, my pupil.” I realized that it might be improper to introduce Olive to a nonmagical boy, but since she was only six, I decided not to worry. Olive gave a pretty curtsy and bobbed her head so that her ringlets bounced.

“You’ll want to read the newspaper this morning, Verity,” Nat said with a wink. I felt I owed him at least the price of a newspaper after he’d helped me the day before, so I fished a penny out of my pocket and handed it to him. He presented a copy of the World to me with a bow. My father had subscribed to the Herald, and that had been the newspaper at the breakfast table that morning. Given Nat’s association with the rebels, I assumed that the World must take a more radical editorial approach. Feeling a little uneasy about how acceptable such a paper might be, I folded it with the headlines inside and tucked it under my arm.

Nat’s eyes widened, and he hissed, “Cross the street, Verity.”

There was so much fear and tension in his face and voice that I didn’t hesitate or ask questions. I clutched Olive’s hand and darted with her across the street. Once we were safely on the opposite side, I looked back to see a pair of policemen approaching Nat. One of them grabbed a newspaper out of his hands, read the front page, then rolled it up and smacked him on the head with it.

“What’s this, then?” the policeman snarled. “Selling sedition, are you, boy? This paper doesn’t have the royal stamp on it, so it’s not legal to sell. Did you know that?”

“I don’t know anything about stamps,” Nat cried. “I just sell papers.”

The policeman backhanded him across the face, then sent him sprawling with a rough shove. I was so outraged to see a child treated this way that I ran back across the street to go to his aid, entirely forgetting that I still held Olive’s hand.

In Which I Am a Rescuer and Am Rescued

IN WHICH I AM A RESCUER AND AM RESCUED

“Leave that boy alone!” I shouted as I ran. “He’s not responsible for what’s in the newspaper.”