Sophie dozed fitfully. It was much later in the morning than she intended when she packed her bags. Would she notice if she slipped away now? Maybe…maybe she had changed her mind. Sophie fingered the threads on her bracelet. Hadn’t they been close before?

Outside, the camp appeared deserted.

‘I didn’t think it was that late,’ she muttered to the sky. ‘They cannot have started without me. Hey, excuse me!’ Sophie called to one of the night shift workers staggering towards his tent. ‘Do you know where I can find Anika?’

The woman shrugged. ‘It is day, so she is probably on the rig.’

Sophie nodded and turned to face the weathered-grey beast. It was huge, four or five stories tall. Chains clinked as they hulled empty buckets out along its neck before plunging them deep into the earth. Steam wafted through the top of the monster, wreathing its body in perpetual fog. A rain of small rocks and stone cascaded from the tail. The growing pile snaked along the back side of the pond.

The bridge was alarmingly narrow. Parallel boards and a rail on the left side were all that connected land to creature. Sophie gripped the handrail and shuffled slowly across the expansive moat. The water was murky. It wasn’t deep, but there were broken rocks hidden below its surface. Where there other horrors waiting as well? Poisonous snakes perhaps?

Sophie felt her heart race as she inched forward. She exhaled deeply when both of her feet found sound purchase on the floor of the rig. It took several heartbeats before Sophie’s eyes adjusted to the dim lighting of the cavernous interior. Massive gears turned slow rotations. Mouthfuls of earth were dumped noisily into troughs where the contents were rattled past sieves. Water was added to this mixture. The flow added to the cacophony of sound in the room.

Anika stood in the centre of the open floor. Hands rested on her hips. Even at this distance, Sophie could see the dark glower spread across her sister’s face. Sophie swallowed and took another step forward. This was Anika, her beloved sister.

‘You shouldn’t have come,’ Anika said.

‘I am leaving today. After the charm is finished, Georges said he would take me back to town. Come with me Anika. Please come home with me.’

‘Chesico is not my home!’

‘And this is?’ Sophie flung her hands wide. ‘This is … this is primitive and you hate primitive. You hate bad manners and dirty clothes.’

‘I hate poverty,’ Anika said, her voice slicing through the sounds of metal grinding into rock. ‘I hate being without while everyone else have everything.’

‘You have nothing here!’

‘I do! I will have. There is gold in this land. Wealth and power like you have never experienced. It is here for the taking.’ Sunlight spilled through a crack in the roof of the rig. It slipped between wooden boards and became lost in the dark depths of Anika’s eyes. ‘It is here to be found by those with enough courage and determination. I have that. I have strength and power. I will find it, extract it.’

‘Where?’ Sophie gestured at the tumbling conveyor system. Rock and gravel tumbled past. It mixed with water. Sieves rattled as they sorted dirt by size. Pans sloshed as mud moved around their depths. The bottom remained empty of gold. There was nothing in the earth to harvest. ‘Where is your gold, Anika? This is barely survival. Come, you are better than this. You had a steady job in Chesico. We had our own place, our own home.’

‘We had squalor,’ Anika spat. ‘A tenement with only two rooms and the memories of something better.’

‘It was bigger than your tent.’

‘It was small. It was crumbling. It was pathetic. No one would choose to remain in that dingy hole.’

Sophie took half a step backwards. Anika continued to speak. Sophie had drawn forth the words that showered down, only she didn’t want them now. She didn’t want to hear this from her sister.

‘It was a constant, heavy chain. It was prison for me. There was no future in Chesico. Why could you never see that? Our father saw it. He… he knew when to escape a lost cause.’

‘He was devastated by our mother’s death!’

‘He would have stayed, but there was no money left. He had to leave. It was only reasonable.’

‘Like you left? Two days. You were gone in only two days. Said you were going for a little while as you walked out the door! You were worse than our father. You didn’t tell me that the apartment had been given up.’

‘You couldn’t afford to keep it.’

‘Because you took all the money! I thought you didn’t realize, but you knew all along what you were doing. At least our father didn’t sell our possessions, take all the money and leave with barely a goodbye.’

‘No he drowned himself in gin before disappearing. He left us with nothing.’

‘I was there,’ Sophie whispered. Her voice struggled to be heard over the clank of the breaker rig, the sound of the earth being ripped to shreds.

‘You and all your needs. What did you ever do besides wasting hours and money on charm lessons?’

‘I helped,’ Sophie stammered. ‘I cooked and cleaned and I learned charms to help with rent.’

‘You cooked meals of beans and rice flavoured with weeds found growing between cracks. You cleaned a house that was smaller than my bedroom when we were children. You kept us chained to crumbling ruins and shattered pasts. You were nothing but a burden to me. I wasted my life looking after you. I sunk everything into you until I was a shadow of myself: sick and exhausted.’

Anika surveyed the metal gears rotating slowly on long shafts. She watched another bucket of dirt being dumped onto the conveyor system. ‘The rig needs a special hand to keep it running. It may not look like much, but it is going to fix things.’ Anika nodded to herself. Her face set with grim determination. ‘This is going to work. Wealth is going to pour from these rocks and everything will be better. I will make it work.’ She leveled her stony gaze on Sophie. ‘I have the strength for this. No one is going to stand in my way.’

‘What are you doing, Anika?’

‘I am doing what you never could, what you never had the courage to do. I am defining my own future, not cowering pathetically behind half-sung charms. I will not be tied down any longer, while you make weak excuses for why life is terrible. No more will I suffer needlessly because of your selfish attitude.’

‘My attitude? I didn’t hold you back.’

‘You would tie me to poverty, because you are too frightened to work your charms. I always knew you were bluster but no substance, a coward. All those years of education, for what? Can you do even the most basic of charms? Or will you run away without even trying?’

Sophie could feel her blood starting to boil. ‘I will show you what I know!’ she shouted. ‘I am not something useless to be tossed aside. You will see.’

The words of the Gold Charm had been ridiculously easy, as though the charm was written by a child. The music was simplistic in its rhythm and pitch. Any beginning charmer could learn the basics of the charm in a day. Sophie was no beginner. She knew what they were trying to do, weaving six voices together for the charm.

Charms always worked best with repetition. Most charms were repeated verses, overlapping to build strength. Charmers worked the same charms over and over again, as repeated singing also lent them strength. This was the idea behind the churches. Whole congregations would renew the charms of the parish every week: increasing the potency of their charms.

Sophie opened her mouth. She focused on the core idea of the charm: like to like. Gold was found in the body of the earth, just as blood was found beneath the skin of the flesh. Earth and body were akin to each other. Bring the blood to the surface to draw the molten core through the layers of cold, solid rock. Rock to bone, heat to fire, gold to blood.

Sophie was so angry she could feel her own blood boiling beneath the solid skin of her body. Unfocused eyes stared blindly at Anika, as Sophie wished her sister could feel her anger. She wished Anika could know the pain she felt. She had been humiliated to discover from the landlady she no longer had an apartment because Anika had stopped payments. She had been terrified to journey into an unknown land in search of her sister. She had been anxious about the health of Anika. She had been so hurt by her sister’s words.

Anika had cut Sophie. Anika had been a knife drawing more than tears from her younger sister.

‘You were always too easy to manipulate,’ Anika’s voice whispered in Sophie’s ear. She could feel pressure at her wrists. There was a sharp, nearly distracting stab of pain. Then something was pressed against her wrists. Pain came in waves, while the music of the charm rose around her.

Sophie’s voice faltered, but the singing never stopped. Instead it grew in strength and determination. Waves of agony washed over Sophie as she tried to focus on Anika.

‘Blood to gold,’ her sister echoed.

Sophie forced her attention down to her wrists. It felt like an eternity getting her body to respond. Her head tilted slowly until she could see. Anika held her wrists. Her thumbs pressed down on pieces of gold, pinning the metal to Sophie’s flesh. Blood seeped up from wounded skin, red and gold mixing together in Sophie’s blurry vision.

‘What did you do?’ Sophie hissed her voice struggling with the words.

‘I need this claim to succeed. I need a future.’

‘Why? Why did you do this to me?’

‘It is just a little blood.’ Anika’s face twisted before her.

The words swam through Sophie’s mind. She grappled with their meaning. Everything was taking too long. She felt weak and confused as though she were still asleep, caught in some bizarre nightmare. It was more than blood spilling from her wrists. She could feel her life draining. ‘You’re killing me.’

Anika didn’t speak, her lips pressed together in determination. Sophie tried to catch Anika’s eye, but her sister wouldn’t look at her.

Sophie could feel the truth in her words. She was weakening, dying. Her anger flared once more. She wasn’t going to end like this. The anger twisted upon itself becoming a torrent of emotion. Around her the song was gaining in strength; she could feel it. She could feel Anika holding her in place, using her as an anchor to the charm: the focal point. She was the blood to draw the gold from the earth.

Sophie bucked. She wouldn’t be used like this. She fought the nausea and dizziness that threatened to sweep her away. Instead she focused on the charm, on the music that was tightening around them. She spun with it. Her voice joined the other charmers singing somewhere in the distance.

Gold to blood, echoed the words in her mind. Blood to blood. Sophie pushed the intent. She thought of the charm she had woven to help her find Anika: twisted threads tying them together. They were of the same parents, same blood and bone. Heat flowed through Sophie. Anika had broken their bond. She had attacked Sophie with everything she had, so Sophie pushed back. She was anger and fire. She was molten heat. The charm wove around them, tugging and pulling as Sophie redirected its focus.

In the distance she could hear screaming. She could feel the blaze of emotion burning brightly around her. The molten core rose, erupting from skin and rock. Gold and blood mixed.

The song became a charm with a force of its own, releasing the singers. Voices shouted. Sophie burned until the heat was unbearable. Her body was in agony. Every inch of her flesh was on fire. Some small corner of her mind knew she needed to end the charm. She needed to cool down. Like liquid metal she needed to cool the surface; make it solid and stable once more.

Sophie swayed on her feet. Her vision was streaks of red and gold; liquid flames wavered before her. She blinked trying to clear it. People talked in cracked, worried voices. Their words were a blur, a mash of noise without sense or meaning.

Gradually, the fire seeped out of Sophie. She could still feel its effects. Sweat poured down her back. It dripped from her forehead, stinging her eyes. The pain eased throughout her body, except her wrists which continued to burn.

A swollen tongue licked dry, cracked lips. The agitated shadows were resolving themselves into figures with faces. Sophie stared at them blankly. She struggled to connect names with those who stood before her. She looked from one to the next, searching for one who would always be familiar. When she didn’t see Anika, Sophie dropped her gaze to her wrists. They still danced with gold and red flames in her twisted vision. The flames licked forward singeing the flesh of hands still connected to her body. Anika lay crumpled at Sophie’s feet. Her face contorted with pain and fear. Her hands locked to Sophie’s wrists.

Sophie jerked back. She wretched her arms free of Anika’s fingers. She screamed as pain flared through her wrists. Anika continued to stare unseeingly up, her eyes flat as though the colour had been burnt from them. She didn’t move. Sophie looked up at those gathered around her. She saw the fear in their features. She saw tears streaking their faces.

Sophie turned and ran. She stumbled across the bridge. She tripped over roots and stones. She ran blindly until she came to a small creek. There she thrust her aching wrists into the frigid water. Steam rose and her vision blurred once more. As the pain numbed, Sophie wiped the tears from her eyes. She sat back on the damp, muddy ground and hugged her knees.

It couldn’t be real, she thought over and over. But she couldn’t make herself return. She couldn’t face the truth of what she had done to her sister. Anika had lied, but Sophie… Sophie turned and emptied her stomach onto the ground.

A twig snapped behind her. Sophie turned. Georges stood a dozen paces away, watching. His eyes were glassy as they stared at her, at her wrists.

Sophie followed his gaze. Her skin looked strange in the dappled light. It was no longer a violent red. Instead it looked… it looked… Sophie twisted her arms before her. Light glinted off bands of gold that encased her lower arm. Gingerly she touched the area. It felt smooth like new skin.

Trembling, Sophie turned back to Georges. He still watched her, his face a mix of emotions: horror, fear, sadness and something almost hungry lurking in its depths.

‘I don’t know what happened,’ Sophie faltered.

‘Anika is dead,’ Georges replied slowly. He looked from her wrists to her eyes. ‘You killed her.’

‘No!’

‘She burned from where she touched you.’

‘I didn’t, I couldn’t…I have to leave!’

‘I don’t think so, Sophie.’ Georges voice was soft and steady. ‘You seem to have a unique gift.’ His eyes drifted back to her wrists. ‘An even greater affinity for gold than we had ever thought. No, you still have your use, I think.’

‘I can’t. I won’t. Please, please let me go home. I can’t go back there. I can’t.’

‘Anika will be gone by the time we return.’

‘What did you do to her?’

Georges frowned. ‘She will be buried, as would anyone who dies on my rig. You will take her place.’

‘I know nothing of mechanicals.’

‘But you do know charms,’ Georges said with a predatory smile. ‘A talent I think we can work with. Come Sophie, you have nowhere else to go. You will never find your way back to Dawn city without me. There is either the claim or death in these wilds.’

‘People have survived in the wilds.’

‘You are a city girl. It won’t be an easy death.’ Georges stood there, watching and waiting. He didn’t move as she debated with herself. How could she ever live with what she had done? Perhaps death was the better option.

Sophie looked up, but Georges just stood there waiting. He shifted into a more comfortable position. Arms crossed over his chest he watched her. Nothing was said. For a long time Sophie sat and wondered when he would turn and leave. But he never did.

Finally, Sophie got to her feet. She wobbled; her legs unsteady. She swatted away Georges silent offer of help. She stumbled into the woods half dozen paces before she spoke. ‘Are you going to lead us back? Because I certainly don’t know the way.’

Georges said nothing as he took the lead. He set a slow, gentle pace.

‘I am a coward,’ Sophie muttered as she followed. She moved to finger the charms on her bracelet. Her fingers brushed against golden skin, strangely pliable and warm. She no longer had her bracelets, the charms from her family. Sophie swiped at more tears as she staggered forward.

It was a long, jarring ride to Georges’ claim. Sophie sat wedged between barrels of salted pork and sacks of flour. There were other boxes of supplies including metal gears and dark, viscous oil. Georges drove from a narrow bench at the front of the wagon. Sophie had offered to sit beside him. But Georges had insisted she remain in the back, protected from the sun and elements beneath the canvas cover.

It was stuffy and uncomfortable. Sophie felt every rut and stone they hit, which must have been a continuous stream of obstructions from Dawn City to the claim. Food had been offered around midday, when Georges paused for ten minutes. He had been distant in his interactions: either ignoring or failing to hear any of her questions.

The day dragged along with only a narrow view of the trail for Sophie to watch. She was bruised and sore when the wagon finally splashed across a shallow river and came to a stop. With effort Sophie wiggled her way to the back of the wagon, determined to stretch her legs and back. Everything ached as she gingerly eased herself to stable ground.

As she rounded the front, she noticed Georges strolling along the edge of a pond. In the middle of the water a massive wooden structure floated.

‘What is that?’ Sophie wondered aloud.

‘That is the breaker rig.’

Sophie squeaked and jumped. Spinning she found herself facing a young man about her own age. His dark hair was cropped short and his green eyes danced as they observed her.

‘I didn’t know Georges was bringing women back to camp.’

‘He is not. Well, I suppose he is. But it is not like that,’ Sophie stammered. ‘I am a charmer.’

‘Of course you are,’ the man said sliding the reigns over the head of the horse. ‘Akram Naras.’

He offered her his hand. Sophie glanced at the charms on his wrist as she introduced herself.

‘You are one of the charmers?’ she said her eyes catching the six-sided sun etched with a crescent moon.

‘You must be our sixth,’ Akram acknowledged. ‘Welcome to the claim.’

Sophie looked from the young man to the strange structure floating in the water. ‘Um, what is a breaker rig?’

‘That is a breaker rig. It is the largest in the North. Georges had it special made then shipped here piece by piece. Took a force of people to assemble, or so I understand. I wasn’t around then.’

‘Oh, I see,’ Sophie muttered utterly confused. ‘Er, what does it do?’

‘See that end there? The one that juts out with the metal buckets? Well, those teeth on the edge of the bucket help it break through the rock and soil to scoop up dirt. Makes a terrible racket.’

‘It seems pretty quiet now,’ Sophie observed. She could hear the wind in the trees and the twittering of birds but nothing else.

‘Oh, it is silent now. Broken. Something exploded on the inside not an hour ago. That is where Georges went. See we only get a brief summer this far North. Doesn’t even get warm enough to fully thaw the ground. So Georges wants this rig running all day and all night until the season shifts.’

‘Not warm enough?’ Sophie echoed skeptically. She wiped the damp from her forehead with the cuff of her dress.

Akram chuckled. ‘Once the ground is scooped up, it is carried into the big structure you see there. There are a whole series of conveyors and sieves and water used to sort the gold pieces or dust from the rest of the rock and dirt. The waste material is ejected out that end and forms those huge piles of rocky debris.’

‘Does it often break down?’

‘Seems to be breaking down a fair bit of late.’

‘So what do you do now?’

‘There isn’t much for charmers to do while the mechanists are busy playing with their gears and shafts. Right now, I should probably start unloading the supplies. Georges likes things to be properly stored otherwise supplies spoil and that is never a good thing. You might as well come with me. I am sure Georges won’t want to talk to you until the rig is up and running again.’

*

Steam erupted from the top of the rig’s body. Gears ground together, the sound echoing off the surrounding hills.

It was like a castle of old, with a moat around its base. At the front end huge chains jerked into action. Metal buckets with iron teeth dove into the rock. They scooped up hungry mouthfuls of soil and carried into the rig’s body where it was lost from Sophie’s view. On the other end a long arm or tail dropped waste material in long snaking piles.

‘It looks so simple.’

‘Only because we are not on the inside. The rig uses a system of sieves and water sluices to separate the heavier gold from the remaining sediment.’ Akram explained. ‘It takes three crews of six to operate it.’

‘So many people?’ Sophie echoed. She looked around at the tiny camp. There were a dozen tents but surely not enough for all of them, plus the half dozen charmers Georges said he needed.

‘One crew is always sleeping. The next shift would have been called in early to help fix whatever went wrong. It is very large inside. Some of the gears are two stories tall.’

‘And what do you do? What sort of charm work would necessitate six charmers?’

‘The Gold Charm,’ Akram exhaled. His gaze shifted beyond the wooden frame of the rig. ‘Georges has an idea to call gold from the ground to the surface. Like to like.’

‘That doesn’t make any sense! Where are the similarities?’

‘That is perhaps the most interesting aspect. Where do you think gold comes from?’

‘The ground?’ They were digging up the ground in search of the precious metal.

‘Ok, foolish question. Obviously, we wouldn’t be working the claim if we didn’t think gold came from the ground. That is not the point I am trying to make. Gold isn’t just found lying onto of the ground, not all of it. It comes from deeper within the earth.’

‘Like coal? Miners dig deep under the surface to extract the resource.’

‘I suppose so,’ Akram said slowly. ‘Only there are lots of differences between coal and gold. However, they are both components of the earth. You start digging, even in an area rich in the metal and you must pull up dirt and rock. Now you scratch your skin, your surface and eventually you will start drawing blood.’

‘But blood is liquid and gold is solid.’

‘Not at high temperatures. Use a hot enough fire and gold melts.’

‘You still need to actively apply that heat to make it molten.’

‘We do, because like the blood in you, when it reaches the surface it cools, becoming solid.’

Sophie looked at Akram. ‘You seriously believe gold is the lifeblood of the earth?’

‘I feel it is better considered a part. Just as there are several components to your own blood. I think Georges theory is quite sound.’

‘And the charm…?’

‘Like to like,’ Akram said. ‘Georges wants to draw gold from the land like a doctor bleeding a patient.’

Sophie swallowed. ‘That is a bold charm. You do know charms don’t happen that … er quickly. Charms are not really like doctors extracting fluids from patients.’

‘Obviously,’ Akram said. ‘However, a charm that could draw gold to the claim, well that would be incredible. Having a way to sense the gold in a claim would also be a worthwhile success. This charm is going to change things, of that I am certain. First you need to learn the words. The rest will follow quickly.’

Across the pond, the sound of the rig’s engine smoothed out into a steady rhythm. It was accompanied by the crashing of sharp-toothed metal buckets into the earth. The valley where the river had been dammed to create the small pound reverberated with the rig’s noise.

Akram pressed his lips together. ‘I think they are done.’

‘Done?’

‘Well the day shift is done now that the rig is working again. The night shift will be taking over. Look, there is Georges leading the crew.’

A parade of people now occupied the narrow bridge connecting the rig with land. At its lead was Georges, his floppy hat still perched over limp hair. His clothes appeared to have acquired another layer of dirt and grim. The rest were similarly sweaty people in the ubiquitous brown uniform of the north.

In their midst, near the back was a slim, familiar figure. The sleek dark hair had been ruthlessly pulled back and plaited. It was such a simple hairstyle, nothing Sophie associated with her sister. Of course, she hadn’t seen her sister this filthy in years.

Sophie took off. She couldn’t help the wide, grin she knew spread across her face. Anika was there, looking just as exhausted as the rest. But there was no doubt, this was her beloved sister.

‘Anika! Anika! Anika!’ Sophie sang as she raced forward. She threw her arms around her older sister the moment Anika stepped off the bridge. ‘I thought I would never find you. Oh, I am so glad you are alright. I was worried. And it was such a long trip here. I had to come by air-carriage, which was terrible. And then no one knew you in town. I didn’t know how I was going to survive.’

Sophie babbled. Words slipped from her tongue in a torrent of nonsense. She was only half aware of what she was saying: how worried she had been, how lonely Chesico was without her, how their neighbours had gossiped, how strange and awkward the north was, and how soon they could go back home. Everything she had been thinking since she woke to find her sister gone poured out of Sophie in an incoherent mess.

In her arms, Anika was very still.

‘Is something wrong? Are you hurt? Oh, dear I have been crushing you when you were injured.’ Sophie stepped back frantically looking Anika over. Her sister was smeared in dirt. It streaked her face like some primitive war paint. There were tears in her shirt and strands of coal black hair were escaping the practical braid.

‘What is wrong? Talk to me Anika,’ Sophie said. ‘Why don’t you look at me?’

‘Why did you come?’ Anika’s rough voice was low, her eyes watching the ground at their feet. ‘You hate travel.’

‘I was worried. You have been gone so long. I thought you were lost. I thought you were never coming back.’

‘I never asked you to come.’

‘I had to know what happened to you. I had to find you.’

‘Well now that you have, you can leave.’ Anika’s hand flew out gripping Sophie by the arm. Anika pulled her with more strength than Sophie remembered her sister possessing. They were headed back to the camp, to the cluster of tents, the cabin and the wagon. ‘Go, Sophie, go back to the city.’

‘Not without you, Anika. I won’t leave you behind.’

‘I don’t want you here. Leave. Get back on the wagon or whatever you used to get here and return. Go back to Chesico and never seek me out again.’ Anika lifted her dark glittering eyes. They were the same almond shape Sophie remembered. They held the same self-confidence she always admired in her sister. But there was something else there too, something less welcoming.

‘I travelled too far to go back empty handed. I need you Anika.’ Sophie said stubbornly barely meeting her sister’s gaze.

‘You idiot!’ Anika snapped. ‘You selfish fool, do you think of no one but yourself? You, you were the reason I had to leave. Now be gone. Ge out. Leave.’

Tears pricked at Sophie’s eyes. She wretched her arm free of Anika’s clutch. ‘I can’t. Not alone. You have to come home, please.’

‘I am home. This is my home, Sophie.’

‘No,’ Sophie said shaking her head. ‘No, this isn’t home. Home is Chesico, where we grew up.’

‘What do you know of home? What do you remember of our house? Can you recall its colour? The warm sunshine yellow with its green and white trim? Can you remember our mother as she picked flowers in the garden? Or the way she smiled at us?’

Sophie recoiled at the bitter voice. ‘Chesico is more than just a house. The city is huge, far bigger than Dawn City. There is plenty of work to be found there, good work.’

‘I have a job. I work the rig. What do you do Sophie? What have you ever done?’

‘I am a charmer.’

‘Unstable work.’

‘Georges hired me, from a town filled with charmers,’ Sophie retorted. ‘I can get work, I can help to make our life together good. Our family…’

Anika’s eyes darkened. ‘We have no family. They are gone.’ Her voice was cold, flat.

Sophie flinched. ‘Our father might return. He wouldn’t know where to find us if we stayed here.’

‘He doesn’t deserve to find us,’ Anika shouted. ‘He can take his gin soaked hide to the Abyss for all it matters.’

‘Anika, you can’t mean that. He is our father. He is family.’

‘He is a pathetic coward, using grief as a reason to run away. He deserves nothing,’ she spat. Heat coloured her cheeks as Anika glared at Sophie. ‘You are not wanted here. Leave now and never come back.’

‘You can’t mean that, Anika. You can’t. You are my sister. You are my life. You are everything to me. I love you. Always. I would do anything for you, please don’t make me leave.’

‘You are nothing but a weight around my shoulders, dragging me down, preventing me from living my life. Go back, Sophie. Take your silly charms and pathetic dreams and return to Chesico. You are not wanted.’ Anika pushed past Sophie, knocking her sister to the side with enough force to cause her to stumble.

No one in the camp came as Sophie sobbed to herself. The world had cracked leaving Sophie broken upon its bones. She huddled into herself as the tears dampened the earth around her. What was she to do now?

Drying her eyes, Sophie looked around. She could see people moving between the tents. The smell of sausages and beans wafted from a fire. Hunger gnawed at her stomach. It pushed her from the ground and towards people. She didn’t see Anika amongst the half dozen workers milling around the fire. Akram stood when he spotted her. He looked back, towards the cabin. Sophie couldn’t tell if there was someone present or not. However, whatever Akram saw he stood and came towards her.

‘I will show you to your tent.’

‘Thank you. I don’t…’

‘There is food if you are hungry. We will start tomorrow morning.’

‘Start what?’

‘The Gold Charm, Georges wants you to learn it as quickly as possible.’

‘But Anika…’

‘Anika is a mechanists, good at her job, but not owner of the claim. Georges wants the charm performed as soon as possible. You should probably get some sleep,’ Akram added lifting the canvass flap and nodding towards the narrow cot inside. Her bags had already been brought in.

‘I am sorry,’ Akram said as she shuffled past.

*

The pounding was steady, though every so often it was accentuated by a louder explosion. The thunderous noise sent Sophie’s heart racing. In the bleary moments between sleep and waking Sophie wondered if she was under attack. The truth settled around her like a scratchy wool blanket, familiar and unwelcome. She wished she could erase the previous day. Only, how would that change anything? She lay there, still tired and uncertain and waited. Outside, voices drifted through the canvass walls.

‘I didn’t even know she had a sister!’

‘Can you imagine being related to her? I almost feel sorry for the girl.’

‘I wouldn’t say that around her.’

‘I am not afraid of Anika.’

‘I am not saying it is fear. I just have a healthy respect for her. She hasn’t been here a full season and already she is lead mechanist on the day shift.’

‘Think she will talk to her sister?’

They were talking about her as though she were a curiosity. Sophie held still on the bed. It was lumpy and uncomfortable. Something dug into her side. She remained motionless as the words drifted through the canvass.

‘Anika? You are crazy. She doesn’t forgive. You remember Willis?’

‘The metal worker that was here at the beginning of the season? He went home. Didn’t like the wilderness. Too many bears or wolves or something.’

From the crack in the flap of the tent, Sophie could tell it was light out. That did not help to narrow down the time, not in the summer of the north.

‘He had a disagreement with Anika, something related to the rig. Well Anika said one thing and Willis said another. Anika stayed and Willis is barely a memory. Lesson: don’t cross Anika. You can’t expect her to forgive and forget.’

‘Yah but the girl is her sister. That ought to count for something.’

Sophie could almost hear the shrug of the second speaker as she lay in bed. The misery of the previous day sloshed over her with their words. Unwanted, the word ricocheted around her head. The last remnant of her family had turned her back and walked away: left just as everyone else had left Sophie. She didn’t know what she was supposed to do now. Lying on her back, Sophie tossed an arm over her face. It didn’t stop the tears, but the sleeve helped to mop up the moisture.

‘Then it is good Anika is onboard for the charm. I thought she was going to oppose it.’

‘Georges won’t take the girl back to town until the charm is performed.’

‘No way!’

‘That is why we have to do it soon.’

‘You think the it will work?’

‘Instantly? Like magic? Nah, of course not. You have been listening to too many fireside stories.’

‘But Georges…’

They were charmers, Sophie thought dully. She didn’t recognize their voices. Where they strangers or had she forgotten those she just met yesterday?

‘Look I won’t speak ill of the boss, not while he is paying my wage, but he isn’t a charmer. Gold isn’t going to come pouring out of the ground. Charms are powerful, but instantaneous.’

‘They also take practice and effort to perform,’ a new voice added. Sophie recognized Akram’s clipped voice. ‘Which you are supposed to be doing.’

‘I thought we were waiting for the girl.’

‘Is she not up?’

‘She hasn’t come out yet.’

‘Have you bothered to see if she is awake? No, never mind, I will do it myself.’

The front flap was swept aside as the figure entered. It took a few moments for the dark silhouette to resolve itself into Akram. The man impatiently brushed a lock of dark, wavy hair from his face. ‘Good. You are awake. Georges wants you to learn the charm as quickly as you can. It is summer and he is eager to reap the most benefit from our labour.’

‘I thought Anika wanted me out of camp as fast as possible.’

‘Anika may want any number of things, but she is not the holder of this claim. Until then Georges is boss and his words are the ones we follow. Otherwise we don’t earn our pay.’ She heard the small sigh as he took another step forward. Softening his voice, Akram offered her a tin plate with steaming food. ‘I brought you some breakfast. There is water in the bucket there. When you are ready come out, we will start going over the words of the charm and their intent.’

When she didn’t reach out for it, Akram set the plate on a folding stool. Next to one of the stool’s legs he placed a cup of tea. ‘It is not much advice, but you should try not to listen to gossip. It never does anyone any good.’

‘Thanks,’ Sophie muttered, but he had already slipped beyond the confines of the tent.

The oatmeal was thick and filling. The tea was hot and bitter. It was not the best meal Sophie had eaten, but it wasn’t the worst either. She splashed some water on her face and pulled a new dress from her bag: something less dusty.

Unsurprisingly, the sun was high overhead when she finally emerged. The sentries who had been standing next to the tent had wandered off. Sophie wondered where she was expected to go when she spotted the familiar figure. The dirty brown trousers were the same ones Anika wore yesterday, though the top was clearly different. Sophie watched her sister move commandingly through camp before heading towards the rig.

Maybe she should try talking to her, maybe…

Anika glanced at Sophie before looking pointedly away. Maybe she should give Anika some space. Tomorrow, she might try talking to her sister.

‘Sophie?’ The female was tiny and delicate in appearance. She wore a bright red patterned top over her ubiquitous brown trousers. ‘If you would follow me.’

They didn’t go far. There was a tent on the other side of the cabin. It was bigger than most of the rest. Inside benches were set in a semicircle. There was a table to one side. The setup suggested a primitive office.

Akram nodded from where he sat. ‘Thanks Joss. Now, Sophie, about the Gold Charm, I am going to teach you the words of the song. We will practice here until you are ready.’

Sophie settled down on a bench. She tried to focus on the words Akram was speaking, words that described gold and blood. Her mind wandered to Anika. What was her sister doing now? Would she see her at dinner? Would they talk then?

‘Sophie!’ Akram snapped. ‘Pay attention, you need to learn this.’

‘Sorry,’ she muttered.

Across the tent the other woman snickered. Sophie scowled at her.

‘Oh, taking a page out of your sister’s book?’ Joss laughed. ‘Now we will have two ugly faces to avoid.’

‘You know nothing about it,’ Sophie hissed.

‘Do you really think you are the first person to be disappointed by family? How adorably childish. There is nothing special about either you or Anika.’

‘Joss,’ Akram drew out the name in one long slow syllable.

The woman rolled her eyes. ‘Do you hope to play the chivalrous knight? Because you know it isn’t going to end well.’

‘Perhaps you should leave.’

Joss rose to her feet in one liquid motion. ‘Try not to get attached, she isn’t staying for long.’

‘This is a mess,’ Sophie moaned as flap fell back into place. ‘How could she be like that? This isn’t my sister. Anika isn’t like that.’

‘Sometimes we change,’ Akram said softly. ‘Sometimes people are not who we thought they were. You can’t change them and remold them. People don’t work like gold or wood, molded and carved into the shapes we want.’ His fingers plucked at the charm bracelet on her wrist. The movement of his hands caused his own charms to clink musically together. ‘What is this?’ he asked plucking at the star and thread charm.

‘I made it to find my sister,’ Sophie said between nearly silent sobs. ‘The blue thread represents Anika and the red one is me. We both have the same star.’

‘It brought you here?’

‘I was so desperate to find Anika. Only she doesn’t want me.’

‘We all grow up eventually.’ Akram held up a hand silencing her protests. ‘We are not statues, unmoving and still. We all change with time, in ways we cannot predict. Anika may not be the person you thought you knew. Maybe that means it is time for you to find your own path. Maybe it is time you also changed.’

‘I should just give up on my sister? No, I can’t. I won’t. She is all the family I have left.’

‘You can’t force her,’ Akram held Sophie’s gaze. ‘You can’t shape her into something different.’

‘I can’t give up on her, not ever.’

Akram shrugged and returned to the Gold Charm.

She could feel their eyes on her as she moved around camp. Only Anika would not look her way. Every time she tried to approach her sister, Anika had worked her way somewhere else. Eventually she gave up and retreated to her tent.

She lay there trying to come up with ways of getting Anika home. Outside, workers and charmers talked and laughed. Their words smeared together becoming a babble of background noise.

The night shift continued: a steady beat of metal teeth biting into rock. The chug of the rig’s engine never died. Eventually the sun receded below the horizon and the skies dimmed to grey. In those hours, when the world was the bleakest, Sophie knew she was done. She had to leave. She would perform the charm and return to Chesico. She didn’t know exactly what she would do there, but Chesico was familiar. It was home.

This past weekend we enjoyed unseasonably warm temperatures. Even with cloud and rain, we saw highs into the teens. It helped to melt more of those final stubborn piles of snow. More importantly, it afforded me the opportunity to air out my bedding! However, Monday rolled around, the temperature plummeted and now I am back to my normal state of being cold. As it is only the middle of February, I am not complaining – just noting the facts.

Anyway, back to the short story ~

** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

‘No Tammerik. No Tams. No Tarrek. No Timmins. No Tannik.’ The woman’s voice droned on the edge of irritation.

‘Could she be listed under her first name?’ Sophie suggested.

‘Look girl, I don’t know why you have come to Dawn City and I truthfully don’t care. It doesn’t matter if you are chasing your sister, your father or your own shadow. Unless you want to submit paperwork for claim or retrieve paperwork regarding a claim, then you need to leave.’

‘But I don’t know where else to go.’

The woman shrugged. Long fingers shuffled sheets of paper on the long counter. The nameplate on the counter read Ms. Weatherstone, but Sophie wasn’t sure that referred to the woman scowling in front of her or another employee of the Territorial Claims Office. The clerk sighed, ‘Look girl…’

‘Sophie, my name is Sophie.’

‘Irrelevant. Our job is to maintain records of the claims, active and closed, for the government. We work with the owners of each outfit, who pay to submit their paperwork…’

‘I don’t have any money,’ Sophie interjected.

‘…not with the workers.’ The woman’s deepening frown was the only indication she heard Sophie’s comment. ‘You could have an entire clan of Thaines out there and we would never know. Have you tried to walk those streets? It is not my job to keep track of every weed that blows through here. You want to know about a specific person, try the bank. Most people keep an account with them: some to save their gold but most to withdraw more than they have.’

‘I have!’ Sophie wailed barely resisting the impulse to stamp her feet on the wide plank floor. ‘I have been to the bank, the post office and to every hotel and boarding house I could find. I spoke with the station master for the air-carriage and the ships master handling the river boats. I have run out of places to go.’

‘Then go home and accept that you sister ran off elsewhere.’

‘She didn’t! Anika wouldn’t do that to me. Anika is my sister, she is…’

‘She is family and most families are jerks.’

‘Families are special,’ Sophie whispered.

‘You can tell yourself that all you want. But either she lied to you and didn’t come here, or she is working a claim.’

‘How do I search the claims?’

‘Ha ha! You are serious? There are hundreds of claims set into the hills around Dawn City.’ Ms. Weatherstone leaned over the counter to look down on Sophie. ‘It would take you more than a year to search each one and that’s only accounting the official ones. Besides changing owners and going bankrupt means the workers drift from one claim to the next like fluff in the wind.’

The door opened to the chime of a small brass bell. Ms. Weatherstone straightened behind the desk surreptitiously smoothing the fabric of her green striped vest. A faint smile started to bloom but died as heavy boots pounded atop the floor boards.

‘Georges,’ Ms. Weatherstone said in the same flat voice with which Sophie was growing accustomed. ‘The answer is the same as last week. I cannot grant you rights to the claim. Only Mr. Mitchel has that authority and he will not be back in town for two months.’

‘Penny,’ the man boomed, the gap between his front teeth obvious as he favoured the clerk with a wide smile. Removing his battered hat revealed a mat of dull brown hair flecked with grey. It hung in limp chunks framing his square face. ‘Penny, it is always a treat to see you. And entertaining a guest,’ he added spotting Sophie. Dark, thoughtful eyes scrutinized her from head to toe. Sophie tried to summon a smile and a greeting, but the words became lodged in her throat. She flashed one last desperate look at Ms. Weatherstone, but the clerk had drawn forth papers and was busy trying to appear occupied. Dismissed and frustrated, Sophie left the Claims Office.

What was she going to do now? It would take ages to search all the claims according to the clerk and the woman ought to know. She had an awful detailed map spread across her counter with countless tiny markers. Dawn City was little more than a couple of dots. Sophie would need transport from town to the claims, but she couldn’t ride and she certainly couldn’t afford anything better than a new pair of sturdy shoes.

She was running dangerously low on funds. Barely in town three days and already her small savings had nearly run out. If only Anika hadn’t been so thorough in selling off anything of value. While Sophie appreciated the cost of travelling north, Anika had taken most of what they had collected.

‘Watch out!’

The shout jerked Sophie out her reverie in time to side step an over full wagon. Wooden poles and bits of canvas stuck out from the vehicle’s box. Sophie

a step to avoid crashing into another pedestrian. She moved over to the edge of the street and looked around to gather her bearings. Across the street was a saloon. The ridiculous half doors would have been appropriate to a small desert town in the south. Raucous shouts of laughter spilled from the dark interior. To the right was a grocery and to the left was a blacksmith. Neither establishment was of any use to Sophie. On her side of the street was a small book shop, a ladies clothing store and directly in front of her a Charm Shop.

The sign above the store depicted the symbol of the star and crescent moon. Replicas of sturdy, neat homes, of ships and tools in different sizes hung in the wide glass window. Drawn as a moth to a flame, Sophie entered the butter yellow building.

All around her were everyday objects like spoons, small knives, books and coins. There were more exotic objects such as steamer ships, surveying tools, and unfamiliar animals. Some were decorated with lines etched in flat disks or coloured beads of different shapes. Many of the objects were cleverly crafted from gold and silver, small delicate work with thin loops to be attached to bracelets. Others had been made with thread, bone or wood. These larger scale designs were better suited for the home or aboard a ship.

Next to the cashier was a barrel of lumpy golden blobs. A small sign read, Gold Nuggets – call the gold from the earth to your hand. As she moved around the space, Sophie listened to the faint sound of singing that came from somewhere deep within the building. It was comforting in its familiarity.

A back door opened. A middle-aged man walked out. He was neatly dressed in a striped shirt and dark trousers. Silver charms hung from his wrists. A pair of oddly designed glasses rested on his nose. The right lens was larger, longer and blue. The left lens was tinted red. He smiled brightly at the only customer in his shop.

‘How might I assist the young Miss this morning?’ he asked pleasantly. As he stepped around the counter Sophie saw he wore a wide belt with various tools strapped to it.

‘You have lovely charms.’

‘I sell the strongest, most potent charms in all of the North. The gold ones in particular are exceptionally powerful. The gold is mined locally, so I get it before it has been handled by many people. It is shaped and designed with one purpose to ensure a superior quality. It holds the song longer than any other charm you can purchase. They are an incredible bargain.’

‘I understood that the processing of the materials was just as important preparation for the charm to hold. Do you not need the gold to be properly worked before it can be made to hold a design and song?’

‘Ah, so you are familiar with the basics of charm theory, young lady? Yes, the gold must be melted and purified during which the proper songs need to be sung to prime the metal for charm work. However, the fewer hands that touch the metal, the fewer imprints are left on it. Virgin gold, taken from the body of the earth herself is pure, unaltered by old songs and charms. With only a few people involved in its processing, that native strength is retained.’

‘So you argue the strength of the charm is directly related to the amount of contact that material has experienced prior to charm formation?’

‘It is not an argument but the truth. I have seen with my own eyes the superior handling of natively mined gold.’

‘I understood recent research has shown the quality of the charm is proportional to the strength and skill of the charmer, not the materials they use.’

‘Then the researchers have not seen the work I do here. Come, choose a piece and you will see for yourself the incomparable affect it has on your life. This here is a charm of fortune,’ he added with an appraising look at the drab, tired dress that hung awkwardly from Sophie’s frame. The blue dress had once belonged to Anika and had been a favourite of hers until she had outgrown it.

‘It is very pretty,’ Sophie said. ‘You must need many employees to maintain this quality and quantity of merchandise.’

‘I hire only the very best charmers.’

‘I am well educated. I trained closely with Reverend Hong back in Chesico City.’

‘Another city charmer come to the north.’ The shop keeper’s demeanor dimmed. ‘I am sure you were very good at whatever little charms you practiced down south. However, I have a full staff and even more charmers waiting for those positions. I do not lack for employees.’

‘I have excellent training,’ Sophie rushed. ‘I could demonstrate for you now, if you would like? I could show you any type of charm. I know them all.’

‘All?’ he said skeptically. ‘You have no experience with the mechanicals. Machines, some at least, don’t take kindly to charms. They need an expert hand. Besides, as you can see, I have a shop full of charms for sale, no need for another charmer.’

‘But…’

‘This is a shop,’ the man said firmly. His brown eyes darkened. ‘I do not run a charity.’

She turned away. The slow trudge back to Patal’s Palace seemed far longer than the three blocks she had to go. Upstairs in her tiny room, Sophie looked at her pathetic assemblage of belongings. She had nearly nothing. There was nothing to trade for more time in the boarding house. She was a trained Charmer but couldn’t get work here. She still couldn’t find her sister.

Sophie fingered the charms on her bracelet. Her fingers traced the two interwoven stars, the charm their mother had given both of them. Twin stars for two sisters, she had said. At least, that was what Anika always told her. Sophie didn’t remember their mother. She had only vague recollections of their father. Anika was her family. Anika was her whole world.

As the sun sank lower in the sky, Sophie’s wandering mind lit upon the only remaining solution. She was a charmer. Perhaps she could use that to find her sister. It was a ridiculous idea of course. Charms couldn’t do anything so active, so immediate. Charms were the physical manifestation of positive thoughts; they were wishes more than anything else.

Need was a powerful motivator. Sophie looked at the hem of her blue dress. She remembered exactly how Anika had looked in the dress: tall, powerful, capable. Worrying about the hem, Sophie removed a long blue thread. She then rummaged through her bag for a faded red handkerchief. It was all that remained of the red shirt Sophie had destroyed through constant wear. It took time to remove a red thread of similar size.

Sophie twisted the threads together. The charm was a physical manifestation of what she wanted; like to like was the philosophy. She joined the threads, as she wanted to be joined once more to her sister. As she worked, Sophie sang. She sang about family, about finding lost people and about the strength of bonds. She worked the thread into the twin star charm on her bracelet and pictured the other end extending to Anika’s matching metal charm. She sang and thought and wished until the sun slipped below the horizon and sleep put an end to Sophie’s thoughts.

*

The room was stuffy when she woke the next morning. Not for the first time, Sophie wished she could open the window and capture whatever faint breeze stirred outside.

She moved slowly. Her body ached from an indifferent night. Sleep had come but had been far from restful. Fatigue and worry still pulled at her. She woke with no brilliant plan, just the steady resolution to do whatever it took to find Anika. After splashing tepid water on her face, Sophie collected grabbed her bags. Methodically, she removed every copper she had carefully saved and hid.

‘I have seventeen coppers,’ she informed the room. ‘I will need twelve to return to Chesico, and that is assuming we skip some meals. This room,’ she frowned as she said the words. ‘Will cost another seven coppers to keep for another week. I simply don’t have enough.’

Sophie blew the air out of her lungs in one explosive breath. ‘How am I going to find Anika in the next three days? I have exhausted every lead in town and outside…well, the clerk laughed at me.’

She surveyed the scraps of her life; everything could fit in two bags. ‘Is there anything I could sell?’ She had a broach and silver spoon. Both items had been given to her by her mother. Sophie wasn’t certain how much they were worth, but they must have some value.

Sitting back on her heels, Sophie’s fingers moved to her bracelet. The star charm seemed to glow in the morning light as she moved her wrist. ‘Once we are back in Chesico we will find jobs. That is not an issue. The problem is still finding Anika. That is all I have to do.’

It was one small, impossible task that had to be completed in the next three days. Sophie repacked her bags. She put the things she thought she would need to search the claims in the small sack.

‘What if Anika wasn’t able to come into town?’ she asked the room. ‘What if she wanted to come but couldn’t? Perhaps she has been injured. Maybe she is being kept hostage.’ She would come otherwise. Even though her sister did know Sophie was coming north. Anika wouldn’t want to be isolated from civilization. Unless something prevented her, she would be known in town. Sophie’s stomach tightened with anxiety.

She had to find Anika and she couldn’t do that from the floor of her tiny rented room. Sophie piled some clothes into the smaller of the two bags and stuffed everything else into the larger. She would walk to each claim if she had to; she would find her sister.

The dining room was empty when Sophie made her way down. There were dirty dishes stacked in a metal tub at one end of the table. On the sideboard were a few scraps of toast, some rubbery scrambled eggs and three biscuits. Sophie wrapped the biscuits in a handkerchief and stuffed them into her small bag. She slathered strawberry preserve on the toast and drank the bitter, cold tea remaining in the pot.

She then walked out of the boarding house and straight into a man.

‘Oh!’ Sophie gasped as she rocked backwards and came down hard on her bottom.

The man grunted and peered down at her from beneath a wide-brim hat. There was something very familiar about the square head and gap-tooth smile that he favoured her as he stuck out his hand. Sophie eyed him warily as she accepted his help. On her feet, she did the best she could to brush the pale brown dust from her skirts. It was almost impossible, she thought, to stay clean here.

‘Are you Tammerik?’

Sophie frowned at the man. ‘Do I know you?’ she asked warily.

‘I am looking for Tammerik, a Sophia Tammerik.’

‘It’s Sophie. No one calls me Sophia except… Did Anika send you?’

The man’s smile deepened. ‘I heard Anika’s little sister was a charmer. You are Sophia, er Sophie? You look similar to your sister. It is the eyes, I think.’

‘Who are you? You know Anika? Anika Tammerik? You know my sister? Where is she? Is she alright? Can you take me to her?’ The questions poured from Sophie’s mouth like water over a falls. She could no more stop them than dam a river with her bare hands.

‘Aye, I know you sister. I know where she is. I can even take you to her, if you want.’

‘Of course it is what I want. It is the only reason I came here. Oh thank the Maker. I thought I would never find Anika.’

Sophie tilted her head up to observe the man. He had dark eyes, half hidden by the shadow cast from his hat. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his trousers. His boots, like everything else about him, were tired and falling apart. He looked like so many of the miners Sophie had seen in town. The only thing that was really different was the thoughtful glint to his eyes. They looked at her speculatively.

‘You are a charmer?’ he asked slowly.

‘Yes, yes, I am a charmer.’ A successful one, Sophie added silently. I sang a charm to find my sister and here you stand ready to complete my wish. ‘Is Anika far from here? Can we leave immediately?’

‘I heard you are church trained?’

‘I studied under Reverend Hong back in Chesico. Though I doubt that means anything to you.’ Sophie’s brow furrowed. ‘I know! You are the man from the Claims Office yesterday. Why didn’t you say anything at the time?’

The man smiled down at her. ‘The name is Georges. I didn’t recognize you at first. I was distracted by my own business.’

‘Is Anika safe? Will it take us long to get to her?’

‘We will get there, all in good time. First though, I am going to need something from you.’

‘What do you want?’ Sophie took half a step backwards. ‘You do know my sister?’

‘Oh, I know Anika. She works for me, on my claim. Works the rig. What I need now, however, is a charmer. That would be you.’

‘What will I have to do?’

‘I need you to do a charm for me, once we get back to the claim. You do that and I will take you to your sister.’

‘You are offering me a job in exchange for bringing me to Anika?’ Sophie couldn’t keep the incredulity from her voice. Yesterday had appeared so bleak. Today she was going to have her sister back. The job was a nice twist of fate, not that she wanted it. Still, one charm in exchange for Anika, the fates favoured her today.

‘That about sums it up.’

‘I will get to see Anika.’

‘Today, if you are ready to leave.’

‘Yes, I am ready.

Georges stared down at the small bag flopped over in the dirt. ‘You have anything else?’

‘What do I need?’

‘You should bring what you have. Wouldn’t want to leave anything around here unattended. You don’t know where it will end up. Food and lodgings you will get at camp, everything else is your responsibility.’

‘I am to live on your claim?’

‘That is how it works. The claim isn’t that close to town. All the workers, both the mechanists and charmers, stay there, expect for their time off.’

‘You have other charmers?’ She felt rather sad about that. Not that she was planning on staying anyway.

‘I need a lot for the charm I am going to perform, six to be exact. The other five are already working at the claim.’

‘Six is a powerful number,’ Sophie observed thoughtfully.

‘This will be a powerful charm,’ Georges replied. ‘I will get the wagon, while you collect your belongs.’

Well people, the truth is I have not read anything of late. I have traveled a little, worked a little and written a little. But I have not been reading. So, to follow in the footsteps of others, I am going to foist my short story upon you.

** ** ** ** **

Sophie’s stomach lurched upward as she gripped the edge of her seat with white knuckles. Her knees curled tightly around the chipped, hard edge of the two-person bench she blessedly shared with no one. With strained determination Sophie stared straight ahead.

The dark red carriage-car shuddered. Worn wooden benches shook against wrought-iron feet bolted to the floor. Glass windows rattled and the entire conveyance dropped suddenly before settling at its new altitude.

‘Mama, mama!’ The child on the opposing bench giggled. ‘Look. I can see trees.’

‘Indeed. See the ribbon of blue? That is the Kalska River. Can you spot any boats?’

From the corner of her eye, Sophie saw twin-braids bob as the child shifted in her seat. The girl pressed her snub nose to the glass. Bracelets of small dangling charms clinked as the child’s hands were placed to either side of her face. Her breath fogged the window in a gentle aura spreading out from the girl’s face, no doubt obscuring her view of the land below.

Sophie fretted her bottom lip between her teeth. The carriage-car and its collection of passengers held steady. Beneath the hum of conversation, there was the gentle whirl of the steam-powered engine propelling their transport north. Very cautiously, she relaxed the muscles in her hands. Gradually, she eased their hold so the edge was not as painfully biting.

‘Incredible is it not?’ The mother said directing her warm brown eyes to Sophie. ‘To believe we will reach Dawn City in only one day’s flight from White River!’

Sophie grimaced. ‘Air carriages are certainly much faster.’

‘Indeed, it would have taken us a week by steam ship. My husband made the journey this spring. They make you bring so many supplies when you move North. The Territory Guard are quite particular when it comes to immigrants. Every man heading to the gold fields must bring enough to last the winter. Inconvenient for those who will only prospect during the summer.’

The air carriage jostled in some unseen breeze. Sophie’s stomach knotted.

The woman continued to chatter, oblivious to the turbulence. ‘As family, we of course don’t need to bring as much. Besides I hear you can find anything you want in Dawn City, just as you could in the major cities farther south. Yes, Yuki, that is the river and the trees. No, child, it will be some hours yet before we arrive.’

The girl twisted on her seat in a manner Sophie assumed was designed to garner a better view of the earth. The earth that was so far from them at present.

‘You must also be meeting someone,’ the woman prompted.

Sophie pried her jaws apart enough to answer. ‘My sister.’

‘Of course! How lovely it is to have siblings in other parts of the country. I was always so delighted to visit my older sister, Suki. She married and moved back east; to the coastal capital Bington. What an adventure it was to cross the entire continent; it had such varied scenery to enjoy. I was fascinated by the wide sweeping plains, so flat you could see for days in any direction. That is the spread of our family: coast to coast. Of course, we didn’t have these marvellous creations when I was younger. Just regular rail-carriages running on tracks.’

‘I like rail-trains.’

‘Naturally, there is much to like about an entire string of carriages speeding along a well laid track. I will concede the level of comfort in the sleeper and dining cars is far superior to our limited confines. But this view’–the woman gestured to the window–‘is incomparable. This is like an adventure you would read in the papers. Oh, how exciting it is to be part of history. Is this your first time North? Of course, it must be.’

The woman nodded at Sophie’s rigid posture. ‘Well, welcome. I know, I know. I too am new to the North, but I can just feel it. Dawn City is going to be wonderful.’

‘Mama, what’s that?’

The woman shifted on the bench–sweeping her skirts to the side–she half stood to peer over the head of her child at the distant ground. Sophie saw the carpet bags stowed carefully under the seat. There was also a food hamper, likely obtained from their hotel in White River just for this portion of the journey. Sophie’s stomach gurgled softly, torn between nausea and hunger.

‘That appears to be some rapids. Yes, I do remember your father mentioning something of the kind in his letter home. They have cables; I believe they help the ships navigate this stretch. Slow going, another reason why it is better to travel by air than water.’

Sophie thought of her own letter, neatly folded in a similar carpet bag stored at her feet. It was well creased now. Only two months old and already it was showing signs of age.

‘What brought your sister North?’ The woman resumed her position demurely on the opposite bench. Everything was proper about her appearance, Sophie noted while keeping her eyes from roaming.

The brown hat with its fabricated flowers was pinned to a large, thick bun of dark, glossy black hair. The colour reminded Sophie of Anika, though her sister hated long hair. She complained it took too much work to keep nice. The woman’s dress had the structured bodice and military cut reflecting a war that raged across an ocean. The skirts were full but clearly lacked the extra crinoline layers favoured by fashionable women in the large southern cities. Sophie felt drab and poor in her faded brown cotton dress.

‘Did she move with her husband, or…’

‘She had a letter from our father,’ Sophie replied keeping her voice steady and factual. Anika received a letter and then was suddenly gone. ‘He found his way to Dawn City and started working a gold-field.’ At least that was what Sophie remembered. She didn’t have that letter anymore, only the echo of Anika’s words two days before she was gone.

‘Claim, the term they use is a claim. Though, I suppose in a way the gold is harvested from the ground. A family reunion, that is wonderful! I am certain you are most excited and nervous too no doubt. We give up so much to support our families. As exciting and adventuresome as it is I confess I was hesitant to leave everything familiar for the great unknown. It will be worth it though, when we are a family again.’

Yes she was going to be with her family too. She was going to see Anika again. Sophie thought of her sister, of Anika’s large brown eyes and energetic personality. Anika loved to move. She hated to sit still. Soon, they would be together again. The tension in Sophie’s shoulders eased. Anika was always good at taking care of things. Everything would be sorted once she got to Dawn City.

‘Sadly my husband is at the claim now. It is not so easy to move between the various claims and the town. There are no air carriages, only unkempt dirt roads.’ The woman sighed. ‘It seems like he left an age past, though of course I know it has only been a matter of months. I do worry though.’

Sophie watched as the woman’s fingers rubbed absently at the red bead charm on her left wrist. She recognized the worn protection charm. Everyone had one or something similar. It was one of the first charms attached to a child’s bracelet. It was a charm to keep the wearer safe; it offered general protection from the small accidents in life. There were other more specific charms. Sophie wore one to protect against disease and falling. Anika had another charm to protect her from sharp blades as she was prone to nicking her hands in the kitchen.

‘Mining is such dangerous work,’ the woman sighed.

‘I thought they were plucking gold from river beds.’ Anika had been interested in the gold discovery from the moment the stories appeared in the papers. Anika, who hated to read, was inspired to pour over the broad sheets twice daily for any scrap of information she could find. Any hint of gold or even of the far North was enough to still her restless body for a few minutes.

‘If only it were that easy. I suppose it must have started that way. Certainly the papers described the first discoveries as happenstance: gold nuggets glittering from beneath the creek’s trickle of water and awaiting discovery. If the gold was only found in rivers and streams then I am certain we wouldn’t be heading North now. No, I am sure all the gold hunters would have already stripped every once from the land. Indeed, there is nought by dust left in the waters and little enough of that.’

‘But Dawn City is growing. Anika, my sister, said it was a bustling place filled with – well everything. Tons of people still line the docks in Chesico to catch a ship.’

‘Is that where you are from? Chesico is a beautiful city. I love the spectacular views of the bay you get from the surrounding heights.’

Sophie nodded absently. She didn’t want to think of her home, now so impossibly far away. Sophie had never left Chesico before. Absently, Sophie’s fingers found the small silver charm. The precise strokes spelt the city’s name.

‘Is there no gold left in the North?’ Sophie wondered.

‘Oh, it is still there,’ the woman said leaning back in her seat. Her gaze drifted for a moment to a distant spot over Sophie’s shoulder. ‘It is buried deep within the land. It is a game now, trying to find it and then extracting it. That is what a claim is: a section of land leased from the government on which the hopeful dig for their riches.’

Sophie frowned. ‘It sounds like a lot of work.’

‘Dangerous work too.’ A shadow passed over the woman’s features. ‘There have been accidents on the claims and moving between the claims and town. The North is wild country filled with all sorts of challenges. Freezing cold, long winters, wolves, bears…’ The woman cast a sidelong look at her daughter, still happily peering out the window at a never ending ocean of wavering pine trees.

‘There are charms,’ Sophie said. ‘Protection against cold and wild animals.’

The woman shook her head. ‘Charms might help but the digging for gold… there is danger in the process. The mechanicals they use, well no one is entirely certain how well charming and mechanicals work together.’

‘Charms only enhance,’ Sophie said, the words of her teacher flooding through her mind. ‘They are a way to direct our actions and our futures. Charms have been sung into existence for thousands of years. If mechanicals fail, then how can we know it was a result of the charm and not the contraption?’

‘Spoken like a charmer.’ The woman smiled at Sophie. ‘I always thought charmers were a mysterious breed, cloistered away in churches and low ceilinged shops.’

Sophie laughed weakly. ‘There is nothing particularly mysterious about what I do.’

‘You must have a beautiful voice. I always wished I was better at singing. Yuki, though, has potential.’ The woman turned a fond look on her child.

A lull fell between them. Only now Sophie wished her companion was busy chatting. The constant stream of words had been a good distraction for all the uncertainties that lay before her. Sophie shifted in her seat. The cushioning had worn to threads. It did nothing to soften the hard wooden.

She could feel her eyes drawn to the window. The deceptive beauty of an azure sky lay beyond the stuffy confines of their carriage-car. With effort, Sophie resisted the draw of her thoughts out of the carriage and the immediate future. Instead she thrust her arm awkwardly forward and plastered a smile on her face. ‘Sophie Tammerik,’ she said. ‘Pleased to meet you.’

‘Mrs. Lynda Yamata and my daughter Yuki. The pleasure is mine.’

*

‘We are falling!’ a passenger shouted.

‘Of course not, you old fool. We are descending. Just go back to sleep and everything will be fine.’

Sophie’s mind estimated the damage that would be done to the carriage-car should the two altitude balloons release all their gas without pause. Would the main bladder hold enough air to slow their descent? Would they crash in a splintering mess of metal and wood and bone?

‘We must be almost there, for I am sure those are cabins I can see,’ Mrs. Yamata said softly.

‘Look Mama, there are houses and streets and…’

‘And what my dear?’

‘Trees and water and rocks. There are piles of rocks, big ones.’

‘Ladies and Gentleman, please hold onto your hats we are approaching the platform for Dawn City.’

The voice rose above the general chatter of the carriage-car, stilling conversation to a low hum.

‘Who was that?’ Yuki asked twisting in her seat.

‘That was the conductor,’ Sophie supplied grateful for the brief distraction. ‘There is a bronze horn half way down the carriage. It connects to a mouth piece in the cab perched atop the car. The conductor, navigator and propulsion engineer are up there flying the air-carriage.’

‘Oh, have you been on an air-carriage before?’ Mrs. Yamata was just as calm as before.

Sophie shook her head. ‘I studied the model during boarding. They have an extremely accurate miniature of the air-carriage, complete with three canvass balloons and panelled interior. It is a superior charm,’ she added in appreciation for the craftsmanship that went into making the model.

Pressure built up in Sophie’s ears reminding of where she was. She moved her jaw in an attempt to alleviate the discomfort. As her heart rate increased, Sophie scrambled to focus on something beyond the end of her short life. She hummed the charm for general protection. It was old and familiar: a child’s song. She had not actively sung its chords for some time now; her focus was on more advanced charms. The familiar notes loosed her tongue, until she was softly singing the words that accompanied the music.

The final drop slowed. With a jarring thump, the air-carriage landed.

‘Ladies and Gentleman,’ came the conductor’s brisk voice. ‘We have arrived at our final destination, Dawn City. Ensure you have collected all luggage before disembarking.’ Pause. ‘And thank you for flying with Northwind Transit.’

Sophie stood on shaky legs. Around her people unbuttoned coats and collected their bags. The car was quickly becoming hot and stuffy now they had reached ground-level. She followed the shuffling chatting crowd off the conveyance and into a clearing.

White and pink wildflowers added colour to the carpet of weeds which spread out to the boarder of wavering pine trees. The air was brisk and filled with foreign smells; tree resin, wood smoke, and crushed grass. It was different from the city, though not unpleasantly so.

The single platform was crowded with laughing and shouting people. Passengers, in crumpled clothes and wilted hats wobbled forward. Their movements were hampered by arms loaded with bags and packages. Townspeople, Sophie guessed, stood welcome before them. They were different from the travellers. Their clothing was rougher, dirtier and muted in colour. They stood with causal confidence watching the spectacle of new arrivals.

All around her, the constant throb of chatter was punctuated by shouts of joy as excited greetings were exchanged. Sophie searched the waiting faces for some familiar signs. She felt her stomach slowly sink as Yuki squealed and rushed forward into the waiting arms of an older man. Beneath the wide brim of his dusty hat, Sophie saw the scraggly edges of a beard a moment before the man embraced Mrs. Yamata.

Caught by the crowd, which had grown too large for the rough plank platform, Sophie spun trying to orientate herself. Behind her was the air-carriage, the late afternoon sunlight glinting off brass fittings and glass windows. A crew of uniformed workers were busy cleaning the interior and making ready for tomorrow’s departure.

Before her, along the western edge of the clearing was the station house. It was a log-structure, presumably made from the local pine. The round logs had been cut with notches at the corners and the town’s name had been carved into a sign that hung over the wide front stairs. The covered porch wrapped around the building, the only building. Where was the town?

Sophie’s eyes followed the shuffling mass of people, who appeared to be heading around the station house rather than into the building. Readjusting the handles of her carpet bag, Sophie followed. Though it seemed unlikely an entire city could be hidden by a single structure.

As she moved, Sophie checked each female face in view. Could she have forgotten the shape of her sister’s eyes or the pull of her mouth? Had it only taken a few months for Anika to become a stranger? None of the people in sight looked like Anika and certainly none stepped forward to greet her.

Around the back of the station house, was another platform that jutted out over the steep slope of a hill. From glimpses she caught between the trees, Sophie could see painted buildings at the base of the hill. She had not yet arrived in Dawn City. Hopefully the city would be more modern than the station house.

As she waited with the crowd, a heavy cable pulled a large basket to the edge of the platform. The metal wheel clinked to a stop and the man inside the basket called for people to load up after paying the required fee.

‘What is that?’ Sophie wondered, not realizing she had spoken until her neighbour answered.

‘The cable-basket,’ the older woman replied. ‘It ferries people between the town and the station. There are actually two. One will currently be loading people at the bottom, while this one loads them at the top. Then the cables will pull one up and the other down.’

‘How do they know when to move the baskets?’

‘The ferryman there,’ the woman said pointing a bent finger at the man collecting fees. ‘He rings a bell when everyone is loaded. There is a third man in the powerhouse operating the cables.’

Sophie swallowed. ‘Is that the only way down the mountain?’

‘You could always walk. I hear there is a narrow path that winds its way down, somewhere over there.’ The woman waved a dismissive hand back towards the station house. Sophie frowned and bit back her next comment. Instead she watched the full basket bob and bounce as it started its descent.

It was a slow process. Stuck in the middle of her basket, Sophie swayed and rocked with the constant movement. She bumped into the people around her, unable to keep her balance. While most were too dazed by their first ride in a cable-basket, several of those she assumed were townspeople scowled at her.

Welcome to Dawn City, Sophie thought glumly. The man standing with his arms crossed over his barrel chest nudged her away from him. They were more than halfway down the hill when the trees thinned and the city came into full view. Unfortunately, Sophie could see little past the tall shoulders of the other passengers.

In the small spaces that appeared between swaying people Sophie caught sight of buildings, streets and the glitter of light on water. What she did see was not evidence of a bustling city like Chesico, whose streets were paved with stone. Chesico’s downtown had buildings rising four and six stories tall. Dawn City looked small. It did not look any bigger as Sophie was pushed from the basket.

From the smaller platform, Sophie left the cable-basket and entered into Dawn City proper. People and wagons shuffled along packed dirt streets. Individuals with determined looks stood beside massive packs and crates. A year’s supply of rations piled together blocked the street to wagons. The raised boardwalks on either side were crowded with the better dressed and cleaner looking members of society. Men in dark trousers and white shirts watched carts of goods and people pass. Women in long skirts and wide-brimmed hats fanned themselves as they chatted with each other.

Timber buildings were painted in a myriad of different colours with garish trim around the windows and doors. False fronts made the buildings closer to the river appear taller and more imposing than the structures hidden behind.

Sophie walked in a bewildered daze through the streets. The press of bodies seemed to close in on her. It had looked so small from her position in the cable-basket. Yet walking from one full hotel to the next made the town feel expansive.

Her carpet bag grew heavy and banged awkwardly against her shins. The smell of bread and grilled meat wafted through the air causing her stomach to grumble loudly. How long had it been since she ate? Looking at the sun was of little help. The orange ball of light sat low on the horizon, a swollen orb that refused to surrender its place in the sky.

Fatigue and worry pulled at Sophie’s nerves. Her fingers played over the charms on her wrist. She needed help and rest; food and shelter. She turned down another smaller side street and spied the vibrant pink building. The fourth hotel Sophie had stopped at in search of a room had recommended the boarding house. She read the pealing orange letters painted on the side of the building: Patal’s Palace Lodgings.

Sophie rubbed the charm on her wrist as she climbed the wide front stairs towards the dark opening. She smiled at the miniature house nailed to the right of the front door. The carefully constructed replica of the boarding house shared the same garish paint job. It was also chipped and peeling. A nail had loosened and the miniature tilted on its perch just as the boarding house listed to the left.

The wide front door hung open. Inside the dim interior the front hall was painted golden yellow. The floor was scuffed green painted wood.

‘Hello,’ a young man said. Blue eyes sparkled curiously at her. ‘Are you new here?’

‘I hope so,’ Sophie replied licking dry lips. ‘Do you know where I can find the proprietor?’

‘I think Ms. Patal is in the kitchen,’ he waved his hand towards the back of the building, the charms dangling from his wrist jingled musically.

At the end of the narrow hall was the kitchen. Aromas of curried stew wafted out. Three young girls moved purposefully around the space from work counters to sink. The clatter of dishes and pots filled the air. Sophie salivated as leftover food was put away and dirty plates were cleaned for the night. At the centre of the dance was a tall woman dressed in bright pink and gold. Her long black hair fell in a single braid down her back. She wore a long sleeveless tunic over a split skirt.

‘Hello, hello,’ she sang spotting Sophie. ‘Welcome to Patal’s Palace.’

Dislodging herself from the kitchen, Ms. Patal flowed toward her. ‘A recently arrived adventurer? What has brought you to our magical land?’

‘I have come after my sister.”

Ms. Patal smiled. ‘Come to join your sister?’

‘To find my sister,’ Sophie amended.

‘So you will not be lodging with her.’

Sophie shook her head. ‘I … I don’t know if she is in town. I think she said she was working a gold-field–I mean a claim.’

‘Of course, of course. No doubt she will be here to greet you shortly. Until then you need a place to stay, yes? Well, let me think. I don’t know if I have any rooms left, summer is a very busy season for us…’

‘Where else can I go?’

‘There is no place like Patal’s Palace,’ the landlady sang. ‘I have just the thing. Follow me.’

Ms. Patal lead Sophie up three flights of stairs to a room stuffed in a small corner of the attic. The roof sloped. The bed creaked and sagged. The window was permanently shut in its orange frame. Atop the chest of drawers was a chipped ceramic washbasin and mismatched jug.

The landlady smiled as she gestured exuberantly at the room. ‘Meals are included: breakfast and dinner. The cost is paid by week.’ She looked expectantly at Sophie as she noted the price.

Sophie sputtered. ‘You want how much? For this miniscule space! I could easily get three times the space back in Chesico.’

Ms. Patal’s smile faded. ‘We are not in Chesico, now are we? If you don’t want the room, I am sure someone else does.’

‘No, no,’ Sophie hurried. She had already been turned away from several hotels. ‘I will pay.’

‘Don’t worry, I am sure we can fit the rest of your supplies somewhere,’ Ms. Patal said as she left.

‘I don’t have any other supplies,’ Sophie told the room. ‘And that is a good thing. I am glad Dawn City isn’t any bigger. I don’t think I could afford to stay here another week.’ She moved over to the window. ‘Don’t worry Anika, it shouldn’t take more than a day to find you. Then we can be on our way.’

Slipping out of her shoes, Sophie curled up on the bed. She let the fatigue of the journey pull her into the sweet oblivion of sleep.

Outside, the sun skimmed along the horizon. The sky dimmed but never fully darkened even Sophie drifted away in the realm of dreams.