Page 29 of Lightningborn

“That’s an order, Lysander.”

The mage sighed. Throwing up his hands, he turned to storm out—and ran smack into Gem as he was leaving.

“Ouch!” Gem stumbled back, wincing. “Excuse me! I’m standing right here.”

“What? Oh, the dragon rider.” The mage boy glared at her, his eyes a stormy green under his silver hair. He did look tired, she noticed. Dark circles crouched under his eyes, which were quite bloodshot. “I hear you’re the reason we had to drop altitude so quickly and get so close to the Maelstrom,” he accused. “Don’t you know better than to go flying during a storm? No, of course not.” His lip curled in a sneer. “You’re just some pampered rich noble who doesn’t know anything about the real world—”

“Thank you, Lysander.” The pirate woman’s voice cut through the mage’s rant. “That is enough. Dismissed. Oh, and if you throw a tantrum and it damages the ship even a little, it is coming out of your pay. I am tired of finding scorch marks in the cargo hold. Understand?”

“Yes, Captain.” The mage gave Gem one last glare, then stalked across the room, making the door squeal as he wrenched it back.

“And don’t slam my door,” the captain called after him. The mage winced, stepped out of the cabin, and closed the door very gently behind him.

The captain shook her head. “Don’t mind Lysander.” She turned and smiled at Gem, gesturing toward one of the chairs in front of her desk. “He’s always cranky when he’s tired. If I didn’t force him to lie down every few days, he’d stay in the crystal chamber until he withered away. Have a seat. Do you want anything?”

“Um, no thank you.” Gem perched gingerly on one of the chairs, watching as the captain opened a drawer and pulled out a bottle, setting it on the desk. “I did want to thank you for letting Cloud and me land here during the storm.”

“Don’t mention it.” The pirate captain poured herself a glass of…something and smiled across the desk at Gem. “It’s not often we run into a dragon rider way out here. Especially one who is so…prestigious?”

Gem tensed. “What do you mean?”

The pirate woman leaned back in her chair, regarding Gem thoughtfully with her glass raised. “Like I said before,” she began, “my name is Captain Cutlass, and this is my ship, theQueen’s Blade.Have you heard of it?”

“Not really,” Gem admitted.

“Of course you haven’t,” Captain Cutlass said. “Few in the capital would. The lives of those who live on the Fringe are below the attention of most. Until they cut into their profits. Then they send the warships and the sky knights, but by that time, most pirates have already fled.”

The pirate woman tipped back her glass, then set it on the desk. “The capital doesn’t pay much attention to the Fringe,” she went on, “but the Fringe always pays attention to the happenings in the capital. And some of us are more observant than others. For instance, most of my crew assumes that you are just a noble who got caught in the storm with your dragon. I am not about to correct those assumptions, even ifIknow there is only one person in the kingdom who owns a rare white dragon, who comes from the capital, who is also a mage.” Captain Cutlass smiled at Gem and laced gloved fingers beneath her chin. “Isn’t that right…Princess?”

Gem stiffened so quickly she nearly fell out of her chair. The pirate woman raised an eyebrow, still smiling, and Gem’s heart began to race. There was no use denying it, not when the pirate woman already knew. “How did…?”

“I told you. I’m observant.” She sat forward in her chair, regarding Gem intently. “As captain, it’s my job to keep my ship and my crew safe. Sometimes, unfortunately, our paths cross with the sky knights, who belong to the king. I’ve made it a priority to know everything I can about him, and the royal family.” The woman smiled again, leaned back, and put her boots on the desk. Her green eyes never left Gem’s across its surface. “So, Princess Gemillia Sunwind Gallecia. I’m afraid we have a few things to discuss.”

Gem clenched her fists in her lap. She knew she shouldn’t have trusted a pirate. Her mind was spinning, thinking of ways to escape. If she could just reach Cloud, she could jump on his back and fly out of here.

“Relax, Princess.” The pirate woman’s voice was amused, as if she knew exactly what Gem was thinking. “Don’t panic and do anything rash; I’m not going to kidnap you and ransom you back to your father. We’re not those kinds of pirates.”

“Oh.” Gem was relieved to hear it, but she did not relax. “That’s…good. I suppose.”

“Though therearethose types of pirates out there,” Captain Cutlass warned. “You’re very lucky you landed on my ship, instead of, say, theWindsharkor theBloody Gale. Someone like Jhaeros wouldn’t hesitate to use you against the king. Which brings me to my next question. Why are you way out here in no-man’s-land, instead of in the capital, where you’d be safe?” She waved an arm at the wall to her left. “You realize you were flying that dragon straight at Cutthroat Wedge, right? One of the roughest and most dangerous pirate outposts in the Fringe?”

“I know,” Gem said quietly. “I’m looking for someone.”

“In the Fringe?” Captain Cutlass asked incredulously.

“On Cutthroat Wedge,” Gem corrected.

The pirate captain raised a very red eyebrow. “Who?”

“I would rather not say,” Gem said carefully. She was grateful to Captain Cutlass for helping her during the storm, but she certainly didn’t trust her. She was a pirate, and friendly or not, she was a criminal. “I’m on an important mission, for myself,” Gem went on. “I need to find someone, and their last known direction had them headed to Cutthroat Wedge.”

“Hmm.” The captain leaned back again, stroking her chin in thought. “The daughter of the king, on a secret mission to one of the most dangerous places in the Fringe. How…intriguing. This could benefit both of us.”

Gem frowned, instantly wary. “How?”

“If you’re going to Cutthroat Wedge, you’re going to need help,” Captain Cutlass went on. “It’s not a place to venture into alone. You’re just asking to get robbed, or worse. And, of course, there’s the question of your dragon.”

“What about Cloud?” Gem asked.

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