Steamborn by Eric R. Asher

Jacob said, turning to face them both.
    Miss Penny smiled, and it was one of the largest smiles Jacob had ever seen on her. “You both did very well. I couldn’t be more proud.” She stood up and motioned for the kids to gather closer.
    “Now, I promised you all a treat if this performance went well, and a treat you’ll have.” She pulled a little leather satchel off her belt, and Jacob could already hear the coins.
    “Are you giving us coppers for candy?” one of the younger girls asked, barely containing her excitement.
    Miss Penny smiled as she pulled the strings of the purse open. “The mayor was feeling a bit more generous than that, my dear.”
    The kids all gasped as Miss Penny poured a handful of silvers out. “Now, take one as you leave, and have fun today.”
    There were shouts of riotous joy and unbridled laughter as the boys and girls scooped their prizes out of Miss Penny’s hands and ran back into the crowds on the Square. Jacob and Alice were the last to see their teacher.
    “Thank you so much,” Alice said as she took the coin. She stepped past Miss Penny and waited by the flap that led back into the Square. It still swayed a bit from the last kid to run through it.
    “Jacob,” Miss Penny said, “thank you for being on time today. I know your father is not well, so please take this extra coin to him.” She pressed two silvers into Jacob’s palm and he closed his hand around them.
    “Thank you.” He started to walk away. He hesitated before throwing his arms around Miss Penny, hugging her briefly, and running out the door after Alice.
    The sun was blinding now, but Alice was still easy to follow. Her hair was a beacon, no matter how crowded the Square was. He watched her pat a giant Pill-Bug between its antennae. It was harnessed to a nice black carriage and draped in black silks.
    “Are you getting hot out here?” she asked the bug.
    One of its antennae smacked her in the face in response.
    “He’s quite fine, miss,” the driver said, leaning forward from the top of the carriage. “He’s a bit old, so we like to keep him in wraps.”
    “He’s friendly,” Alice said.
    “Or he’s just a bit too lazy to be mean.” The driver gave her a crooked smile and Alice continued on, giving the driver a small wave.
     
    “Can you imagine what the nighttime Festival must be like inside the city walls?” Alice asked, looking out over the Square.
    “No, but I’d love to see it.”
    “I’ve heard this is still the biggest celebration,” Alice shouted over her shoulder as she wove through the crowd. “I bet the Highlands have a grander one behind the city wall.”
    “Seems like something they’d do,” Jacob said. “Keep the Lowlanders as far away as possible.” He didn’t really care right then, surrounded by Festival and food, and tailing Alice through all the chaos.
    There were even more carriages around the edges of the Square now. Jacob marveled at the array of creatures pulling the carts this way and that. Some were borne by giant Pill-Bugs like the old one Alice had stopped by, while others slowly rolled along behind brilliantly colored beetles. Several had stopped, their carriages unfolding to reveal a wild array of food and treats. Alice headed straight for a bright blue carriage. The rear hatch had been opened and a painted sign hung down, declaring its contents “The Best Cocoa Crunch in Ancora.”
    Jacob’s mouth started watering. He slid the two coins together in his pocket but left them both where they were.
    They waited in line for a bit, and it wasn’t long before Alice bounced up and down on her heels.
    “They aren’t free, little miss,” an old woman said from the back of the carriage.
    “Four, please,” Alice said as she handed a silver coin to the woman.
    “Oh, you must have been in the dance. You all did a wonderful job,” she said as she began carefully wrapping up the chunks of cocoa and candy into neat squares.
    Alice dropped two of the squares into