“Stand wherever you need to and tie yourself to the rail.” He handed her the rope. “Hurry.”
She took the rope and ran starboard side.
He finished loading the gun and prepared to protect her. A gatling gun was no match for a cannon, but by the Bright Lady, he’d do what he needed to do—even if it meant setting fire to the cannon ships. If only he were better at fireballs.
Shivering from the biting cold, as the wind whipped at her cape and hair, Noli tied herself to the railing.
What do we have to do again?
the sprite asked.
They’ll shoot a metal ball at us. We can’t let it hit our ship.
Internally, Noli shook as the full weight of what she needed to do pressed down on her—especially since she had to rely on the sprite.
But what do we do with it?
Noli remembered what Kevighn said.
We can send it away or back to them.
Oh, like Mintonette!
The sprite rippled with excited.
What?
Noli made sure the knot was good and tight, fingers stiff with cold through her gloves. The sun peeked over the horizon, the sky streaked with color.
When we play Mintonette with Breena and Nissa, we lob the ball over the net and we can’t use our hands, only magic and the ball can’t touch our side of the ground. Only this time the net is invisible and there’s no ground, just ships. Yes, I can do this. I’m good at Mintonette.
Noli was about to protest when she realized the sprite
was
good at Mintonette. So good, she’d let her play the idiotic court game with the high queen’s sprite courtiers in her stead whenever they visited the palace.
Please, let me have the body, I can do this
, the sprite insisted.
You’re supposed to let me have more turns. I’ll give it back, promise.
Despite the sprite’s prowess, Noli had reservations about letting her take over. It was getting increasingly difficult to wrest the body back.
The metal balls can’t hit the ship, if they do, we’re dead—that means no more balls, parties, or fun ever.
I get points if I hit their ship, right?
Of course
, Noli invented.
One point for every time you make the ball they send hit them instead of us. Ten points if you blow up their ship.
Ten points?
She squealed in delight.
Yes. But you have to give the body back when we’re done. Understood?
I promise. I’ll win. I’m so good at this.
Noli relinquished the body as the ship released the first cannonball at them with a deafening boom.
Now.
The sprite held out their hand and frowned in concentration, making the ball veer to the right, missing them, but not returning to strike to the other ship.
Oh, I missed
, the sprite pouted.
As long as it misses us we’re fine
, Noli soothed, heart racing. So much rested on the sprite, who wasn’t always reliable.
But I wanted a point.
Two more cannon balls streaked across the sky, one from each cannon, the booms from the discharge so loud they seemed to rattle her down to her very core.
You have two more tries,
Noli told her.
The spite lobbed the first back at the cannon ship, barely missing their deck, but the second nearly hit the Vixen’s Revenge.
Good job, keep focused, you nearly hit one, you’ll get that point next time, I’m sure.
Noli knew from experience scolding would only frustrate her. A frustrated sprite wouldn’t be able to get the job done. The cannons fired two more.
Take that
, the sprite yelled as she lobbed the first cannon ball back in an arc that hit a ship squarely in the balloon, causing it to dissolve into a ball of fire.
Ten points,
she squealed, dancing a little,
ten points.
Don’t miss this one,
Noli cried as the second one careened right at them.
Oh no!
The spite deflected this one, again just barely.
Careful
. Noli watched the one ship sink toward the ground in a ball of fire, parachutes popping open as men abandoned ship. The other ship threw ropes and deployed men on hoverboards to help their fallen comrades.
Another cannonball hurled toward them.
I got it, I got it
, the sprite cried. In a perfect volley the cannonball arched back to the cannon ship, hitting their gas-filled balloon. As soon as it made impact, the hydrogen exploded, that ship joining the other in defeat as it careened to the ground. More parachutes deployed.
Ten points!
The sprite all but crowed aloud.
And that was why helium should be used instead of hydrogen.
Flying figs, they’d done it! Knees giving out, Noli sank to the ground in relief and she realized she had control of the body.
You did such an amazing job. Twenty points for you, none for them. You win,
she praised.
The sprite preened.
What do I win?
“Noli what are you doing up here?” Captain Vix’s shout roused Noli out of her internal conversation.
“I … I was just helping,” Noli stammered, fear pushing the elation at their success aside.
“I gave you an order and you disobeyed it—that’s treason.” Vix’s voice rose in pitch as her face contorted in anger.
“I … I’m so sorry, Captain,” Noli stared at her feet. Had Vix seen? There was no way she could explain what she’d done. But Kevighn had been correct, there was no alternative.
“Go to your room, now, and stay there. I’ll deal with you later. First we have to get out of here.” Vix scolded her like a naughty child.
She was right, Noli had disobeyed a direct order to stay below and tend the engines. “Yes, Captain.” She untied the rope around her waist and tried to keep the tears out of her eyes, since Vix wouldn’t be moved—or amused. “I’m sorry, Captain,” she added, making her way to the hatch that would take her below.
“You’d better be.” Vix turned to shout at Kevighn.
Noli went below, heart heavy.
Why is she mad? We won the game?
the sprite asked.
Never mind. You won, do you want to weave now or sleep?
Sleep pressed down on her, but she should reward the sprite. Noli still couldn’t believe how well she’d done.
Sleep. But we can weave later? We’re close to finishing.
Noli yawned as she trudged to her room, ever footfall heavy.
Of course.
When she reached her little room she realized Rahel slept soundly in her hammock. Oh well. Not even bothering to pull on her nightdress, Noli climbed into the hammock, wrapping her arms around the little girl and the doll and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
“Noli, wakey, wakey,” Rahel whispered.
Noli’s eyes fluttered open in time to see Rahel making the doll dance. On her chest.
“Winky brought you something to eat. Are you in trouble?” Rahel frowned in concern.
The early morning’s events rained down on her with the force of a thunderstorm as she sat up and rested her still-shod feet on the floor. “Only a little, why do you ask?”
“Winky’s been checking on you and we’re supposed to let you sleep, and the grumpy man-lady has been yelling a lot.” Rahel made the doll dance on the hammock.
Noli wasn’t sure how all this related to her being in trouble. “We should be in San Francisco soon—then we’ll try to find your papa.”
Rahel danced around the tiny room, holding the doll tightly in her arms. “Oh, I’ll have to give you back your dolly. Thank you for sharing.”
One look at Rahel was all Noli needed. “You may keep Charlotte. I’ll make Jeff win me a new dolly.”
“Truly?” A giant smile broke out across Rahel’s face. Noli couldn’t help but grin at the little moppet. “Truly.”
The moment Kevighn slunk up the stairs to get some coffee he could hear arguing on the bridge. At least if they were fighting, Vix wouldn’t see him. He feared if she did they might toss him off the moving ship instead of booting him off when they arrived in San Francisco.
Actually, getting off in San Fran wasn’t a bad idea, he could find Ciarán. But that meant leaving Magnolia. If he could get anywhere near her he’d ask her to come with him. Unfortunately, Vix had Asa guarding the door to the engine room.
Kevighn was certain Vix had seen Magnolia in action. Actually, his fair blossom had been something, lobbing those cannon balls as if playing that idiotic game that Tiana’s ladies enjoyed, the one with nets and golden balls.
Of course, to a mortal, the sight of sweet Magnolia, in her cape and bonnet, using magic to send cannonballs
back
to the cannon ship might be terrifying.
“I don’t like this idea at all,” Vix retorted. “I don’t think this is the right place for your sister.”
“Will you at least tell me what you saw?” Jeff asked.
Kevighn quietly helped himself to a cup of coffee as he eavesdropped.
“Will you tell me why you want her on the drop? Kyran is particular,” Vix retorted.
Kyran? Kevighn’s ears pricked.
Kyran
was one of Ciarán’s aliases.
Wait, why were they doing business with Ciarán?
“I think Noli knows … about their kind. I’ve seen the design on her knife before—on one of their knives. Her valise
has
to be magic—there’s no explanation as to how she could have brought
all those dresses
in a regular one,” Jeff insisted.
“But how would she know?”
“I think this Charlotte must have been one of them, since she received the knife and the valise from her. For all we know they could have been the ones who kidnapped her.”
Kevighn nearly dropped his mug. How close they were to the truth, well, about the kidnapping, not about Charlotte.
“Even if she does know of them, what good would bringing her with you do?” Vix added.
“I … I just think I need to bring her. Also, she reacted to the artifact, the one we stole from the museum in Denver. She noticed it in the case when she went with me inspect the museum during open hours. I know there’s more to what Kyran is telling us.” Jeff sighed.
“We’re thieves,” Vix hissed. “It doesn’t matter why someone wants something or if their stories line up. All that matters is that they pay us.”
Wait. Artifacts. Museum thefts. Roderick’s message about a job Ciarán needed him to do. What exactly
was
his old friend up to?
Well, he was about to find out.
There was no way that Vix would allow him accompany Jeff and Noli on the drop—and he wasn’t about to reveal he was Fae. Not yet. When Jeff and Noli went to meet him Kevighn would follow—if nothing else than to make good on Roderick’s message to find Ciarán.
Noli hunched over the watch chain as she wove, the project nearing completion. Still trapped in her room like a disobedient child, she had to do something to keep from going mad. Rahel seemed to be the only one allowed to come and go freely and they’d played “dolly tea party” more times than she cared to count. The sprite
liked
dolly tea party. Noli wasn’t actually sure where the little girl had currently gone off to.
Maybe Thad was guarding her door. If she asked, he’d probably show her more knife fighting or help her practice what he’d been teaching her bit-by-bit on the sly.
“Noli?” Jeff rapped on the closed door.
“Come in.” Noli held her spot in the elaborate weave with a cog … almost done.
Jeff popped his head in. “We’re going to be arriving in San Francisco soon.”
“May I go with Vix to deliver the girls?” She returned to her weaving, anxious to finish. “I’ll miss Rahel.”
His eyebrows rose. “They haven’t been onboard that long.”
“I’ll still miss her.” She kept weaving. Just a few rows to go.
Jeff sat on her hammock. “You do understand that what you did was wrong?”
“Yes, Jeff.” Her voice went bland as she completed another row. She’d replayed the scenario in her head. Every time she’d chosen the same way. Constantly being protected and coddled was tiresome. She wasn’t some vapid pile of mush.
“Mr. Silver won’t be coming with us when we leave port, it’s not working out.” Jeff looked as if he were truly fascinated by the needlework pillow on the hammock.
Noli finished the final row of the section. “What you mean is that Vix blames him for me disobeying orders.”
Jeff’s jaw gritted. “Mr. Silver isn’t suited for this ship.”
“And I am?” It wasn’t Kevighn’s fault. The sprite had saved them all. But it wasn’t like she could tell anyone that. Noli finished off the section and added it to the others. Using her little knife, she trimmed all the ends neatly. Now to assemble the five pieces into a chain.
His hand lay on her shoulder. “You’re still learning. Besides, I need your help.”
“Did you burn the food?” She scrunched her nose at the thought. Cooking would get her out of this miniscule space.
“Actually, I need you to help me with something even more important. I need you to accompany me on a drop.”
“A drop?” Noli made a face as she attached the silver clasps and joined the sections into a single chain. “What’s that?”
“We’ve been collecting items for a client,” he explained. “Now it’s time to make the exchange, the artifacts for the money.”
“You want
me
to accompany you?” Noli’s fingers traced the complex design of the watch chain as she pondered his words. The little beads and clips she’d bought to accent it sparked in the dim light.
Jeff nodded. “This client is quite refined and doesn’t like Vix much. We always do drops in pairs and you’re far less suspicious than Asa or Thad. Why don’t you get ready? Wear something pretty.”
“What sort of pretty?” Her mouth clamped shut. She sounded like such a nit-wit.
“Like something you might wear when visiting someone in the morning?” Jeff’s face contorted in puzzlement.
“I’m sure I have something,” she replied. He wanted her to go with him on his air pirate business? And Vix allowed it?
Wait. Findlay House was in San Francisco. A chill enveloped her entire body.
Jeff frowned as he stood. “What’s wrong?”
“Please, don’t send me back to Findlay.” Tears pricked her eyes at the thought of that dreadful place, the watch chain falling through her fingers onto the worktable. “Send me to Boston, but not Findlay.”