Page 41 of Lightningborn

She swung her boots off the desk and rose, turning to place the decanter and glass back on a shelf. “Whatever your beliefs, Princess,” she said over her shoulder, “remember: You and that boy will be sneaking aboard theWindsharktogether. I’m putting my ship and my crew on the line for this, so I suggest you figure out how to work with him, thief or not, or this entire mission is going to fail.”

Gem set her jaw and walked out of the captain’s office. A blast of wind tossed her cloak, nearly pushing her hood back, as she stepped onto the deck. Gazing around, she saw Remy standing at the helm with Jack and First Mate Tuhga. The boy was facing the horizon, the wind blowing at his rags and unkempt hair. One arm lifted, and a grimy finger pointed into the distance. With a single nod, the first mate grabbed the wheel and spun it to the left. Gem felt theQueen’s Bladeshift, very slightly, as it changed direction and flew toward the sinking sun.

Her eyes narrowed. They were putting their trust in a thief, in an unknown street kid from a pirate town. Who claimed to have such a strong connection to a dragon, he could feel him across the of miles of empty sky between them.

She would see about that.

Raising her chin, she started across the deck toward them.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-ONE

“That way.”

Remy tried not to wince, to sound confident as he pointed a finger toward the setting sun.“‘That way’ is not a direction,”the captain had said, but he didn’t know how to convey direction any other way. Beside him, the lanky pirate, Jack, regarded him with a tongue in his cheek, then turned to the first mate, standing at the wheel.

“Three points latitude, Tuhga,” he said, and the other man nodded once. He spun the wheel, and theQueen’s Bladeturned, angling toward the setting sun.

“You sure about that direction, kid?” Jack asked as they settled into the new course. “You know there’s nothing out that way, right? Not islands, not ports. Nothing but sky. You sure that’s the way theWindsharkwent?”

Remy closed his eyes, searching for that feeling, and bobbed his head. “Yeah, I’m sure. Storm is that way.”

Jack shrugged but then straightened quickly, gazing at something over Remy’s shoulder. “Lass.” He nodded as Remy turned to face the girl. She ignored the pirates, her dark blue glare solely for him.

“Excuse me,” she said in a stiff tone of voice. “I need to talk to you.”

Remy gave a wary frown. “Why?”

“Just come with me.”

He looked at Jack, who shrugged. “Better see what the lass wants, boy,” he told him with a smile that said he wasn’t going to intervene. “Just remember the captain wants you back here in an hour to make sure we’re still sailin’ straight.” He grinned. “Hopefully your talk won’t take that long.”

Remy followed the girl across the deck to the rear of the ship, which was called the stern, according to the patrons at the Salty Barrel. Having grown up around pirates and sailors, Remy knew all the different places on a ship, even if he’d never been on one before.

“Your name is Remy, correct?”

He looked at the girl. She stood there with her arms crossed, watching him with a narrowed gaze, as if he might steal her purse if she took her eyes off him. It didn’t bother Remy; he’d seen that look nearly every day of his life.

“Yeah,” he answered with a shrug. “It is. You never told me your name, though.”

“Mary Featherbottom,” she said immediately. “But that’s not important. Tell me about this dragon of yours.”

Remy frowned. She still didn’t believe him. “What do you want to know?” he asked.

“You said you can feel where your dragon is, that you know which direction he’s going.” The girl made it sound like an accusation. Remy nodded, and her lips tightened. “And this is your first dragon?” she went on. “You’ve never encountered one before?”

He snorted. “You saw Cutthroat Wedge,” he scoffed. “Where would I get a dragon that wasn’t wild? The sky knights and rich nobles don’t exactly travel that far out in the Fringe.”

“So you’ve never even seen a dragon before Storm.”

“Up close? No.”

She stared at him a moment longer, then turned away. “Follow me. I want to show you something.”

With a sigh, he followed her again. This time down the steps into the cargo hold. Crates, barrels, and sacks were piled throughout, turning the space into a giant maze. The air smelled faintly of dust and tar, tickling his nose and making him want to sneeze.

The girl raised her head and gave a soft whistle, and from deeper in the shadows of the hold, something big rumbled an answer.

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