Iron Horsemen Read Online Free PDF Page B

“Can I ask you about America?”
    â€œYes, of course.”
    â€œI want to know everything about your country.”
    The steamcarriage belched and chugged just outside. I leapt up, looked out the window and saw Finn open the door. A figure tightly bound in a black cloak quickly slipped into the house.
    â€œWho could that be?” Genevieve asked as she crossed the room to the door.
    â€œWait, you’re not going to lurk without me!”
    Genevieve and I tiptoed to the top of the stairs. Lord Marbury and the baron stood in the foyer. The figure dropped his black cloak to the floor and flung his top hat, revealing thick gray hair and matching beard.
    â€œHis cane, I’ve seen something like that before,” I whispered, staring at the elaborately decorated gold handle.
    Genevieve put her finger to her lips and gave me a stern look.
    As the three men stepped into the dining room,Genevieve and I crept along the wall to the doorway.
    The ease of her movement surprised me; she was well practiced at parental defiance. I’d slipped past my father many times. It had been easy at the universities, but at Eton, not only would my father find out, but there was the House Master, the House Captain, and the Praepostors who logged every infraction. After my first caning, I stopped, worried that Eton might not keep a professor’s son who was labeled a troublemaker.
    I heard the baron’s voice. “I depart soon. I have contacted a group of Sky Raiders. Their aero-dirigible will get me into the Med.”
    A trembling voice said, “Sky Raiders, but they’re the cutthroats of the four winds.”
    I smiled and nodded at Genevieve, delighted that I was right about the Sky Raiders. I leaned closer and cupped my ear, not wanting to miss a word.
    The baron’s voice was calm. “No need for alarm; I know one of the crew. I saved his life in India.”
    â€œWe need to be careful,” Lord Marbury said. “Look what’s already happened.”
    A Scottish accent from within the dining room joked, “I think I’m insulted they went after the professor, but it makes the most sense.”
    How could they not be serious about this tragedy? An angry fire ignited deep within me. I shrugged off Genevieve and stormed into the dining room. “He took my father and had a mechanical arsenal for an arm.”
    The three men narrowed their gaze at my interruption.
    Baron Kensington walked over to me. “No one is making light of your father, but this is bigger than him and he knew that. We will find him, but charging in is foolhardy.”
    The gray-haired man had a large belly that matched his frame. “The lad has fire, I like that. But he’s an insolent pup.”
    I eyed the older man who spoke with a Scottish accent.
    â€œGenevieve.” Baron Kensington sounded annoyed.
    She stepped into the room.
    The gray-haired man stopped the baron. “There are a few things both of them should know.” He placed his large hand over my entire shoulder, pulling me closer. “I came here, lad, to talk about your father. He was doing good work for the cause.”
    I noticed a medieval signet ring on his hand. The emblem, a large red cross on a plain gold background, was familiar. The shape. The Templar Cross.
    The baron wore the same symbol on his cufflinks, and it adorned the cover of Lord Marbury’s pocket watch. Tension seized my spine. These men were more than they appeared, and I kicked myself for not seeing it sooner.
    â€œYou’ve noticed our crosses.” The gray-haired man removed his hand and walked over to the table. “It’s good to have a keen eye. It’ll keep you alive.”
    â€œAlexander, we are Templars.” The baron motioned toward the gray-haired man. “This is Sir Archibald Sinclair, Grand Master of the Order. He’s brought something we all should see.”
    Excitement sparked my imagination. I’d read tales of