Mechanical Wings

By Pip Ballantine

A novella of steampunk and magic, from one of the minds behind the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences.

Based on Hans Christian Anderson's classic fairytale Wild Swans, this is the story of Eleanor and her quest to save her beloved brothers.

When the beautiful Faine Escrew marries Eleanor's father, she, her brother's and the flying City of Swans are thrown into danger. When she is sent away by her new step-mother, she discovers her brothers have been locked in mechanical swans, and only she can save them.

This impossible task demands everything from Eleanor, and only her wits and determination can save those she loves.

First appeared in the anthology Clockwork Fairy Tales.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ImagineThat Studios
• Release date: Feb 10, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224956920

Pip Ballantine

Born in New Zealand, Philippa (Pip) Ballantine has always had her head in a book. A corporate librarian for thirteen years, she has a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Library and Information Science. She is New Zealand's first podcast novelist and has produced four podiobooks. Many of these have been shortlisted for the Parsec Awards, and she has won a Sir Julius Vogel Award. She is also the author of Geist and the soon-to-be-published Spectyr. While New Zealand calls, currently Philippa calls America home.

Book preview

Mechanical Wings

MECHANICAL WINGS

PIP BALLANTINE

CONTENTS

Also by Pip Ballantine

Mechanical Wings

Published by Imagine That! Studios 2016

Copyright © 2016 by Philippa Ballantine.

Interior Layout by Imagine That! Studios

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, digital, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or conveyed via the Internet or a website without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead is purely coincidental. Any actual places, products or events mentioned are used in a purely fictitious manner.

ALSO BY PIP BALLANTINE

Books of the Order

Geist

Spectyr

Wrayth

Harbinger

The Chronicles of Art

Chasing the Bard

Digital Magic

The Shifted World

Hunter and Fox

Kindred and Wings

The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences (with Tee Morris)

Phoenix Rising

The Janus Affair

Dawn’s Early Light

The Diamond Conspiracy

The Ghost Rebellion

Operation Endgame

Verity Fitzroy and the Ministry Seven (with Tee Morris)

The Curse of the Silver Pharaoh

The Mystery of Emerald Flame

The Secret of the Monkey God

Anthologies (with Tee Morris)

The Books and Braun Dossier

Magical Mechanications

Ministry Protocol: Thrilling Tales from the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences

Eleanor stood in the shadow of her father, and watched him slip the golden ring on the finger of the wickedest person in any of the floating cities. Her protestations, her scream of outrage lay still on her tongue like a painful stone. One that she would have gladly spat out into the world—but dared not.

Faine Escrew was tall, beautiful and the richest woman in all of the sky. She also had a heart as dark as a moonless, starless night, and not an ounce of pity for any living creature in her blood. As she turned and looked over her shoulder at Eleanor and her brothers standing on the steps of the palace below her, a smile lingered on her lips. It was one that some might have said was beautiful, but the princess knew was more of a smirk than anything else.

King Ivan had long ago passed into Faine’s iron grip—anything that Eleanor said now would be wasted on him. However, her brothers were not so circumspect. Iain, the youngest of the King’s sons, and of the eleven the closest to his sister in age but furthest in temperament, could not keep his words to himself.

Snake, he whispered under his breath, his blue eyes narrowed in hatred. Too late Eleanor shot him a look to silence him. A slight shift in Faine’s back told that she had heard Iain’s comment.

All unaware the aristocracy and common folk of the City of Swans, watched their monarch marry his second wife. Perhaps they hoped he would not have quite so many children with this one, but more likely no thoughts at all occupied their minds. Madame Escrew had that effect on people. The dirigible city relied on her trade for its mere existence.

Every ship in this city, tethered one to another, filled the envelopes of their airships with gas mined from her mountain estate. Those ships that could not afford the precious æther from