Crista McHugh - Alchemy of Desire

Alchemy of Desire

By Crista McHugh

After winning the Civil War against the Confederate Wielders, the Union Machinists have outlawed magic to usher in a new age of steam-powered technology. Diah, an alchemist and the only non-wielder in his family, owes his brother for saving his life in the war; so when Cager is blackmailed into procuring the magical hide of the White Buffalo, Diah accompanies him to the Dakota territory.

Their guide is Oni, a half-Lakota woman with plenty of secrets to hide. Shes a magic wielder with an illegal wand concealed in her knifeand shes a coyote shifter. To her people, killing the White Buffalo is not only sacrilege, its dangerous. Oni has no intention of helping them actually achieve their missionuntil she falls in love with Diah

83,340 words

Dear Reader,

A new year always brings with it a sense of expectation and promise (and maybe a vague sense of guilt). Expectation because we dont know what the year will bring exactly, but promise because we always hope it will be good things. The guilt is due to all of the New Years resolutions we make with such good intentions.

This year, Carina Press is making a New Years resolution we know we wont have any reason to feel guilty about: were going to bring our readers a year of fantastic editorial and diverse genre content. So far, our plans for 2011 include staff and author appearances at reader-focused conferences such as the RT Booklovers Convention in April, where well be offering up goodies, appearing on panels, giving workshops and hosting a few fun activities for readers. Were also cooking up several genre-specific release weeks, during which well highlight individual genres. So far we have plans for steampunk week and unusual fantasy week. Readers will have access to free reads, discounts, contests and more as part of our week-long promotions!

But even when were not doing special promotions, were still offering something special to our readers in the form of the stories authors are delivering to Carina Press that were passing on to you. From sweet romance to sexy, and military science fiction to fairy-tale fantasy, from mysteries to romantic suspense, were proud to be offering a wide variety of genres and tales of escapism to our customers in this new year. Every week is a new adventure, and we want to bring our readers along on the journey. Be daring, be brave and try something new with Carina Press in 2011!

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Dedication

To all those who pushed the boundaries of whats considered acceptable in order to achieve tolerance.

Acknowledgements

To my husband, who allowed me to hide in my basement office during NaNo 2008 to write this novel.

To my editor, Deb, who saw something good in the story and helped me make it shine.

And to my beta readers who helped me rework this novel into something better.

Contents

Chapter One

New Orleans
Late August, 1872

Uh-oh, the cab driver muttered. Youd better stay inside for a moment, mister, until Monsieur Lamonts boys are finished.

Diah Reynolds shuffled his packages of alchemical supplies and peeked out the window. This visit just got far more interesting. Outside his brothers Garden District home, two men wrestled with a third, taking care to avoid the dim gaslights and keep their identities bathed in shadows. Should we break it up?

The driver shook his head. You can if you want. Me, I prefer to keep my toes from being turned into gator bait.

Before Diah jumped out to assist, the scuffle moved toward a waiting steam carriage, and the light flashed on the face of the man dragged they dragged inside. Diahs gut clenched. It was Cager. As soon as the door closed, red smoke belched from the boiler, and the horseless carriage sped off toward the French Quarter.

Jean-Baptiste Lamont, the self-proclaimed King of New Orleans, ran the city like a tyrant. If anyone crossed him, they were usually found floating facedown in a bayou the next morning. What worried him more was how Cager knew Lamont.

Follow them.

Are you crazy, mister? Ol Sal here cant keep up with one of them steam carriages.

Do your best. Thats my brother theyre taking.

The horses hooves clopped down the smoke-filled streets, their pace matching Diahs own galloping pulse. He reached into his pocket and wrapped his hand around the vial of black fire inside. If worst came to worst, he could use that to free his brother.

As they came closer to the river, a dense fog rolled in and mixed with the soot and steam to cover the French Quarter in a thick blanket. When the Machinists won the war, theyd promised to usher in a new age of steam-powered technology. They kept their promise, but at a cost. The air now seemed choked from the hundreds of coal fires that fueled the cities. Only the very rich could afford the clean-burning murcarbonite, a rare ore discovered during the war that held more than twenty times the heat energy of coal.

Diah covered his mouth with a handkerchief to keep from coughing on the foul air as he leaned out the window to follow the taxi with his brother inside. The pedestrians in the narrow streets behind St. Louis Cathedral flattened themselves against the buildings covered with iron lace to keep from getting run over by Lamonts carriage. At last it came to a stop, and the three men exited it.

The driver pulled on the reins of his horse. Thats Monsieur Lamonts club, mister. The good news is that your brother walked into it instead of being carried.

If theres anything good to be said about this situation. Diah climbed out of the cab and fished a few dollars from his pocket. Drop the packages off with the servants at my brothers house.

The drivers grin widened when he counted the bills and calculated the generous tip Diah had given him. Yes, sir. Good luck in there. You got more nerve than half this city.

Leave it to Cager to get us both into trouble . Diah shoved past the doorman and crossed the room in long strides, determined to retrieve his brother from the room hed seen him disappear into as quickly as possible. The cloying scent of perfume hung so heavily in the air, it almost choked him. Mounds of caf au lait cleavage overflowed from the silk-and-lace corsets the octoroon courtesans wore as they paraded around the room. But as soon as his hand touched the doorknob, a blade pressed between his ribs.

He pulled his hand back and craned his neck to look at the brute standing behind him. At a few inches over six feet, Diah towered over most men, but this lout weighed a good hundred pounds more than he did, and he doubted most of it was fat.

I just need to tell my brother something.

The brute smiled, revealing two rows of tobacco-stained teeth. The gaslights flickered off the smooth steel of his knife. With a click, a jagged-edged blade replaced it. He reached around and opened the door, shoving Diah into the small parlor.

For being caught in the den of one of the most notorious crime bosses in the country, Cager appeared to be relaxing over a glass of cognac with an old friend. Every strand of his dark brown hair was combed into place, framing a smile the ladies never seemed to get enough of. His immaculately tailored suit looked like it cost more money than Diah saw in an entire year. Only the white tips of his fingers revealed his edginess. He set his glass down and rose to his feet. Diah, what the hell are you doing here?