Page 47 of Storm to Victory
Fieran settled into a more comfortable position with his back to the post for the speed control, draped an arm around Pip’s shoulders, and listened to the only somewhat familiar tale of his aunt and uncle’s adventures in Mongavaria.
“And then youdrankthe poison?”Pip gaped at Prince Edmund.
He was as crazy as a songbird stuck in a mine shaft. If she’d realized that, she might have hesitated a lot longer about her decision to come along on this mission.
Prince Edmund shrugged. “I was reasonably sure Jalissa and I were developing a heart bond, and I calculated that we had a good chance of getting across the border before I died. But if I hadn’t drunk the poison, the Mongavarian crown prince would have seen to it that I was disposed of in a different way, considering that I was the only witness to his murder of his father. Our only chance was for me to drink the poison so that the crown prince would relax his guard on us enough to let us escape.”
Crazy. Absolutely crazy. Also scarily coldly calculating.
Pip eyed Prince Edmund where he sat there, relaxed and lounging, a grin on his face as he spoke about poisons and nearly dying. He certainly didn’t look like a calculating mastermind with his easy grin and twinkling eyes that reminded her of Fieran.
At least once they reached the facility, she would be headed back to Escarland with Fieran, and crazy Prince Edmund would be Prince Farrendel’s problem as they set out to do whatever they were going to do to end the war.
Prince Edmund further cemented his status as mad genius as he finished the story of his and Princess Jalissa’s flight across Mongavaria, which involved stowing away on trains, money won from gambling, and horse stealing.
Once Prince Edmund wrapped up the tale, he went over a few more notes about the Mongavarian countryside that they ought to know in case something happened. The conversation eventually worked its way from the serious to more light-hearted topics until Prince Farrendel declared that he should head for bed since he had the final watch.
Prince Edmund took the middle watch, giving Fieran the first watch. Before Pip could offer to help, Prince Edmund had gathered the empty dishes and disappeared out the door, saying he would take care of the dishes before heading to bed.
Prince Farrendel gave Pip, then Fieran one last rather parental warning look before he followed Prince Edmund out, leaving Pip alone with Fieran.
“Here. I’ll disconnect this so you can actually steer and correct our heading if we’ve drifted.” Pip hurried to the wheel, using her magic to disconnect the pole.
“Keep that handy. It would be nice to be able to prop that up and wander the skywalk occasionally during my watch.” Fieran checked the chart table, poked his head outside, and glanced at the charts again before he finally strode to the wheel. After a moment, he grinned and held one hand out to her. “Would you like to steer? It isn’t right that you’re the only one of us who doesn’t know how to fly this thing.”
“I think it’s more I don’t have the navigational skills to take a watch by myself. Piloting can’t be that hard.” Still, she grippedthe wheel as Fieran took half a step back, giving her space. The wheel was so tall that the top of it was level with her nose. “Besides, I don’t mind the excuse not to take a watch. I’m here for the engines, after all.”
“Engines that you rigged to run without supervision for the most part.” Fieran’s warm breath brushed her hair as he stationed himself behind her, his hands resting lightly over hers on the wheel in a semi-embrace.
Pip resisted the urge to lean back against him, even though it was incredibly hard to focus on adjusting the wheel against the air currents shoving at the airship. “Give me enough time, and I’ll have this whole airship rigged to run by itself. Just you wait.”
“Always making me obsolete.” Fieran’s chuckle was far too close, making the hair on the back of her neck prickle.
She flushed as Fieran trailed a light kiss on her cheek, then her neck. One of his hands dropped off hers to rest on her waist instead. A part of her—a large part of her—wanted to lean into him. Forget steering. Forget the mission.
Instead, she shook her head slightly. “You’re distracting me. Not to mention, you’re the one officially on watch.”
Fieran’s sigh was hot against her neck a moment before he pulled back, putting a cold layer of space between them. “Fine, fine. No kissing and no distracting.”
“At least while we’re on watch.” Pip wasn’t sure why she was clarifying that. While they were on this mission, they were pretty much always on duty, needing to be alert rather than distracted.
With a light laugh, he returned his hand to its place over hers on the wheel. “We? I seem to recall this watch is mine.”
“Yes, but I think I might as well stay up with you. Keep you awake and help run the airship and all that.” Pip wiggled her fingers beneath his on the wheel. “It will probably take a few hours to teach me how to fly an airship.”
“True, true.” Fieran nudged her left hand slightly to prompt her to turn the wheel a fraction. “Although you are doing a good job of flying it already.”
“Steering is easy. Steering in the right direction is the hard part.” She nudged the wheel back the other way at his prompting. “Although, I’m a little curious why your Uncle Edmund knows how to fly an airship. Surely he didn’t learn in the three days we had before leaving.”
“I’ve learned not to question how Uncle Edmund knows things.” Fieran laughed, his shrug bumping his arms against hers. “I assume he learns how to drive, fly, or pilot any new vehicle, just in case he needs to hijack something while spying. After all, he and my uncles put this plan together way too quickly for it not to have already been some kind of plan Uncle Edmund had brewing in the back of his mind.”
“After hearing his stories tonight, I’d believe it.” Pip laughed, letting herself lean slightly against Fieran as she stood in the circle of his arms.
“That’s Uncle Edmund for you.” Fieran tightened his grip over her hands on the wheel, taking over the bulk of the steering. “I always knew I never could get away with anything growing up. Even if I somehow hid it from my parents—which was difficult enough already—my Uncle Edmund was bound to know about it.”
“Again, doesn’t surprise me.” Pip leaned even more against him, no longer even pretending to steer the airship. Semi-snuggling with Fieran—in a very non-distracting kind of way, of course—was better.
For a moment, they lapsed into silence. Outside the large windows, the stars gleamed so brightly they were visible even through the slight reflection from the low lights in the pilot house.
