Page 47 of Lightningborn

“The Vortex,” Captain Cutlass whispered. “We’re here.”

CHAPTER

TWENTY-FOUR

TheWindsharkfloated like a great black whale over a swirling, flickering vortex of clouds and mystical lightning, its grinning hull lit up in the flashing lights. Despite its size, the ship looked tiny against the monstrous whirlpool beneath. Strands of purple lightning sizzled up from the center of the Vortex, blasting objects apart, or sometimes twisting them into something else entirely. TheWindsharkhovered over the Vortex, out of reach of most of the lightning, but occasionally a purple strand would flash up from the center, striking the big ship’s metal lightning rods in a burst of sparks.

Gem shivered and handed the spyglass she was holding back to the captain, who put it to her own eye again. “Well, Jhaeros is certainly either very brave or very foolhardy,” the pirate captain said. “That close to the Vortex, it’s a wonder the ship hasn’t been struck, either by lightning or the random debris flying around.”

A wrecked sky ship drifted between them, torn sails flapping, blocking the view of theWindsharkfor a few seconds. Gem shivered again. She found the ship graveyard eerie, with its carcasses of dead vessels floating aimlessly around the Vortex, but according to the captain, it was a blessing in disguise. TheWindsharkwas huge, threatening, and very noticeable, but theQueen’s Bladewas much smaller and could easily blend in with the rest of the ships. As long as they didn’t get too close, theQueen’s Bladecould just be another wreck drifting among the detritus.

“Flying over there is certainly going to be a challenge,” the captain murmured, lowering her arm. “Are you certain you and your beastie will be able to handle it?”

“Cloud will be fine,” Gem said. “He’s strong. He’ll be able to make it.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about.” Captain Cutlass closed the spyglass with a snap and slipped it into her coat pocket. “I’m no dragon expert, but I’m guessing that a pure white dragon who practically glows in the dark was not bred or trained for stealth missions.”

Gem grimaced. Cloud was many wonderful things, but subtle was not one of them. Still, she would rather have him than any of the sneakier dragons in her father’s stable. Even Shadow, the female dragon who was as dark as Cloud was bright. Shadow could move as silently as a wraith, but she was also ill-tempered and very unpredictable. Gem much preferred Cloud’s calm reliability, even if he wasn’t the stealthiest dragon around.

“Mr. Tuhga,” the captain said, turning to the first mate at the wheel. “Take us into the clouds. Sundown is about two hours away,” she told Gem. “If I were you, I would get everything you need for the mission ready now. Dark will be here before you know it.”

Gem heaved Cloud’s saddle onto his back and buckled down the straps, making sure they were extra tight. The dragon stood quietly, though the tip of his tail thumped against the floor, and his wings fluttered. He knew he was going to be flying tonight. Looking over the saddle, Gem tried to picture, again, how three people were going to be riding her dragon. The saddle was just big enough for two, so she and Remy would have no problem, but Bart would have to sit behind it, at the base of Cloud’s tail. Also, there were no extra straps or harnesses to keep either of them from tumbling off the dragon’s back; they would just have to hold on tight and hope Cloud didn’t have to make any evasive maneuvers.

Remy appeared, making no noise as he slipped into the dragon’s corner. He had changed into darker clothes—black trousers and a dark red shirt—and looked very much like a pirate as he walked up. “Ready?” he asked.

Gem nodded. After they’d seen theWindsharkand the Vortex, the captain had pulled them all into her quarters to go over the plan once again and make sure everyone knew what they were doing. It was risky, and there was a lot that relied on chance or pure blind luck, but it was the best they could come up with.

She hoped they would succeed. She hoped they would survive. Everyone in the kingdom was counting on them, even if they didn’t know it.

“Are you nervous?” she asked Remy. He shrugged.

“Avoiding pirates, sneaking around, and trying not to get caught? It’s what I do. Though I’ve never flown a dragon before.” He scratched the back of his head, and she could see hewasnervous, though he was trying not to show it. “What about you?”

Before she could answer, Jack walked around a crate stack, nodding to them as he came into view. “Sun’s down,” he told them, causing Gem’s stomach to twist like a wrung dishrag. “Captain says it’s time.”

Up on deck, the wind had picked up, blowing in cold sheets across the planks. The dragon raised his head, nostrils flaring as he sniffed the air, and his wings fluttered against his sides. At leasthewas excited.

Gem could feel the intense magic in the air. It wasn’t like the magic back home, or in any other place she had been. She could always feel the energy; generally the closer you got to the Maelstrom, without ground or structures or land in the way, the easier it became. But the ripples of magic were subtle, like a breeze through your hair, or a faint smell on the wind.

This was nothing like that. This was a violent, chaotic swirl of power and energy that snapped and sizzled and made her skin vibrate. It came from the Vortex, from the concentration of Maelstrom magic swirling through the air, and it was absolutely terrifying.

Captain Cutlass stood on the aftcastle with her arms crossed, the wind whipping at her hair and still somehow not managing to sweep the hat off her head. Behind her, First Mate Tuhga worked the wheel, keeping the ship steady through the gusting wind. The captain regarded the dragon with an appraising eye, then glanced at Gem. “We’re a few hundred yards from theWindshark,” she told her. “Are you ready?”

“Yes,” Gem replied, though her heart thumped in her ears and her palms were sweaty despite the cold.

“And you know what the plan is?”

“Fly to a safe spot to observe theWindsharkand wait for your signal,” Gem replied. “When theQueen’s Bladeattacks, enter the ship through the bilge hole, rescue Bart and the dragon, and get out again.”

The captain gave a single nod. “Sounds easy,” she said with a faint smile. “Good luck.”

Gem turned to Cloud and swung herself into the saddle, feeling the dragon’s muscles shifting beneath her as she settled onto the leather seat. As usual, though, he didn’t squirm impatiently or dance around in excitement. Out of all of them, he was probably the calmest. She could feel her own heart racing against her ribs like a terrified rabbit’s.

Remy paused, gazing up at the dragon with a faint frown on his face. “Um, so how do I get on?” he asked, and Gem stifled a wince for not realizing before. “Pretend I’ve never been on a dragon and have no idea how to do this.”

“Oh, sorry,” Gem said, and tapped Cloud’s shoulder. “Cloud, lie down.”

The dragon huffed but immediately sank down until his belly touched the deck. “You’ll have to sit behind me,” Gem told Remy. “The saddle is big enough, but there’s no straps to keep you from falling off, so you’ll just have to hold on to me.”

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