Chapter 1: Runaway

There was no point in trying to take in the scenery from a steam coach. The carriage rattled along in a shroud of smoke at high speed, but very low comfort. Each passenger fought his own private battle with motion sickness. The window seats were given to those who lost.

Despite the noise, smell, and shaking, Mayport Titus slept. He had made good his exodus from Ramshock’s Academy for Young Gentlemen without detection by his personal watchdogs. Rest was necessary for the final leg of his journey. Somehow, he managed to get some before being jolted awake by the conductor’s shout. Mayport grabbed his carryall pack. He had no idea what the man was saying, but felt he’d come far enough from Surat to get well and truly lost. The overcrowded coach gave little room for him to move. He tumbled from the side door, narrowly avoiding his own luggage being thrown down from the roof.

He grabbed his bags and scrambled well-clear of the carriage’s tracks. Smoke and steam poured out of the engine, engulfing him in grime. The gears screamed, and the carriage thundered on its way.

Mayport hunkered in the tall grass and weeds until the dust had settled and he felt certain of his solitude. Only then did he get to his feet and examine the guidepost at the deserted crossroads.

Several bits of scrap metal had been fashioned into signs and fixed to a stone pillar. The squiggles were quite beyond his...