Badlands Read Online Free PDF

that matched her own. And he’d put her hands on a method of exacting some vengeance.
    From the bowels of the other dirigible, specks of blue and gray dropped. She took aim and waited for them to draw closer, her heart thudding with anticipation. Yes, this was what made her blood race. The incident with the captain had been nothing more than a strange coincidence.

Chapter Three
    Pale blue wings stretched out from a thin frame. It didn’t look strong enough to hold its occupant’s weight much less the mounted weaponry. Ever waited for Zeke to crank off a shot as a sign they were within range, but the glider opened fire first. A bullet tore through the deck of the gunship inches from her right foot.
    They were close enough.
    Ever tracked the face of the man in the glider with the gun’s scope and turned the handle with as much speed as she could muster. The initial push met with resistance, but as soon as she broke through the barrel ratcheted around and around. Three shots flew before she realized it.
    The gun on the glider fired wildly as the corpse in its carriage leaned to the right, dragging the flying contraption into a steep dive. One bullet ricocheted off a strut holding the gunnery boat to the ship above them. Another took out a second glider.
    Considering the odds, Ever would take all the help they could get. Ten gliders had dropped from the ship behind them. Seven remained, and already Ever could hear the hiss of air from a leak overhead. Who knew how many hits they’d landed.
    She took aim at another glider banking hard to her left. Its mottled gray wingspan spread wide in front of her like some great mountain bird. Her heart wanted to shoot directly at the men who had attacked her home. Firing on the glider itself made her skin crawl. It was the act of a coward. Then a bullet sliced through the air next to her cheek so close she could feel the heat of its passing.
    The crank rolled beneath her hand. A bullet pierced the skin of the glider and pieces of shattered wood flew through the air as the wing collapsed. Man and machine plummeted to the ground below.
    Rain began pouring down in sheets, obscuring her vision. Each round still met its target, but not every hit brought down a glider. Ever quickly realized puncturing the wing wasn’t enough. She had to make a kill shot on the pilot or cripple the frame. She took down one more with a bullet through a man’s skull, while Zeke finished off the rest.
    “Not too shabby for a beginner.” He clapped her on the shoulder.
    Ever winced. He had jarred her injured arm, but the backhanded compliment hurt more. She should have been able to outshoot him, regardless of the weather and unfamiliar weaponry. She was a decorated warrior. Her muscles hardened at his touch. “That is not good enough.” Before Zeke could respond, Ever sank to one knee and took aim, cranking slowly. The first shot went too low, blown off course by the wind.
    “I thought I told you not to waste ammo. The Cap’n won’t…”
    She let his voice trail off to background noise as she kept cranking and raising the angle of the gun. In seconds the other airship dropped back, losing both speed and altitude. Its wings twisted sharply as it fought to stay aloft.
    Ever stood and brushed her hands on what remained of her skirt. When she turned to face him, Zeke’s mouth gaped open. “I trust your captain will forgive the lost bullets.”
    “What in tarnation did you do? Bullet holes shouldn’t do that much damage.”
    “Of course not, but if those holes are all close together and the fabric is strained—”
    Zeke turned from her to the enemy airship. “It’ll rip wide open. I’ll be damned. No way they can make those repairs in the air.” A grin split his face as he looked at her. “I knew what you were the moment we picked you up, but there’s a mite more to you than I expected.”
    Tucking dripping strands of hair behind her ear, she returned his smile. Yes, this one was a much more