Queen Victoria's Ball

The second short story in the Clockwork Imperium series. Decorated airship pilot Henry Emerson has just returned to London from a military expedition in the Sudan. He and his friends are to receive medals for heroism at the Crystal Palace from Queen Victoria herself, but when an enigmatic American woman appears to warn him his life is in danger, Henry finds himself racing against time to prevent a conspiracy aimed at the very heart of the Empire. For someone means to assassinate the Queen, and Henry will risk everything to stop them. Queen Victoria's Ball is an 8,800 word (38 pages) steampunk novelette.