Steamsworn (Steamborn Series Book 3) Read Online Free PDF

should, yes.” He smeared a semi-translucent glob of gel along the end of the barrel.
    “I guess that’s why I pay you and I just steer.”
    Smith flashed Mary a smile and threw a series of levers on his biomechanics. They clicked and hummed, and then his arms began to shake with their newfound power. Alice stared as the tinker lifted the twelve-foot length of steel by himself.
    “Smith, what the hell are you doing?” Mary asked. “You need a hoist!”
    “It is threaded. Watch.”
    Mary and Alice both leaned forward, staring at Smith as he fed the barrel in through the gun pod and bumped it up against the mount. It almost looked effortless when he began twisting it, causing the threaded post to slowly disappear into the barrel. After a minute of turning the massive barrel, it clanged home.
    Smith powered down his biomechanics and took a deep breath. “I need to do a little welding, but that should do it.”
    “Are you kidding?” Mary asked. “You just installed the goddamned cannon in five minutes?”
    “No,” Smith said as he frowned and shook his head. “I spent most of the night with the Midstream tinkers. We got the firing mechanism, breach, and the catch for spent ammo mounted last night.”
    Mary folded her arms and narrowed her eyes. “There is no way— no way —you built those mounts last night.”
    “You are right,” Smith said. “Those mounts have been built for months. Archibald asked for them quite some time ago. I did not realize what his intentions were at the time. I honestly suspected a weaponized crawler, but it was not long before he asked for the barrels.”
    “What do those shoot?” Alice asked. She stood up and walked over to the barrel. Alice could easily stick her arm down the dark metal tube. Rough ridges spiraled up the inside of the barrel.
    “Very large things,” Smith said. “George and Gladys are teaching some of the soldiers how to build them. The Midstream folks are the best there are with gunpowder.
    “Alice, I need to see how easily this can be targeted. Will you climb into the gun pod for me?”
    She nodded, trying to hide her excitement. Smith reached through a gap in the pod and slid a bolt to the side. It released a section of the glass, and Alice climbed in behind the massive cannon. The roar of the wind around the docks died off when she stuck her head into the heavy glass-and-steel pod. Smith closed the hatch and cut off the outside world. The tap of Alice’s shoe echoed above Smith’s voice until he leaned in and spoke louder.
    “Turn the vertical crank to adjust the altitude, and sweep with the flat wheel.”
    Alice jerked in surprise when she moved the flat wheel, and the entire gun pod swiveled. She caught the grin on Smith’s face as he dodged the end of the barrel. She glanced at her feet and almost felt like the floor was dropping out beneath her. She could see people far below, moving around like so many ants.
    “Try the other!” he shouted over a gust of wind.
    Alice continued moving the pod until the barrel hung over the gap in the platform. She cranked forward on the vertical mechanism, and the barrel swung down. She reversed the movement, and it slowly rose again. At all times she could see the crosshairs mounted to a mirror. It was like a scope she’d seen at Festival once that would let you see around corners.
    “Come on out,” Smith said. “It still needs to be test fired, but that is not for today. The Midstream folks are going to check the welds and bolts before then.”
    Alice climbed out. “That’s quite a view.”
    “I half expected a scream, or something, when you realized the floor was glass too,” Smith said.
    “Please,” Mary said, “that girl’s not all panicky like you tinkers. Be reasonable.”
    Smith laughed slowly as he closed the hatch and threw the bolt. “Alright, alright, let me check in with the Midstreamers, and then we can hit the skies.”

CHAPTER FIVE
    T he crawler rolled into a large stable on the