Skybreaker (15 page)

“How terrible,” Kate breathed.

Slater dragged a hand across his face. I could see the misery locked behind his eyes, and realized how deeply he cared about all his crew. And now he had lost one of them, and would have to tell the family the tragic news. The moment of Dalkey’s death flared in my mind once more, and I thought I was going to be sick. I took several deep breaths and gradually felt the hot constriction in my stomach subside.

“We carry on then,” Slater said with a savage determination. “We’ll wrest a victory from this voyage yet. I’m short a man. Cruse, you’ve been hankering after work?”

“I have.”

“Then welcome to the crew,” he said.

U
P IN THE CROW’S NEST
, I was the ship’s eyes—as I had been so often aboard the
Aurora
. Despite the heating wires encased within the glass observation dome, small patches of ice glittered on the inside, intricate as lace. I scraped them away, then drew my fleece-lined jacket tighter about myself.

Below us Australia was enjoying a blistering summer, but at sixteen thousand feet the mercury had fallen to negative fifteen. The crow’s nest itself was unheated, and my feet were never warm, though I wore two pairs of socks. I clenched and unclenched my gloved fingers to warm them, and thought of my mother’s hands, her joints swollen with rheumatism. With money it wouldn’t matter. I imagined all the treasures aboard the
Hyperion
. I would plunge my fists into a chest of gold, and the touch of it would warm my hands and heal my mother’s, as quickly as a pond blessed by a saint. I scanned the skies, watching for unmarked vessels—vessels of any kind—always anxious now that someone would steal our prize.

In the distance I saw a brief flurry of sparks, and thought it must be lightning before realizing it was another colony of those squidlike floaters. I reported it to Dorje, who was on watch in the Control Car, but they did not seem to be coming any closer, so we held our course.

Though Kate was shocked by Dalkey’s death, she was still devastated she’d missed seeing the creatures during our first encounter. I could understand her excitement—surely this was a high-altitude species never before seen—but Dalkey’s death was still too close at hand for me, and I did not like to remember it. I could tell Kate was barely able to control her curiosity, but she was kind enough not to pester me.

It was good to be busy again. I was delighted with my new duties aboard ship, though I couldn’t help feeling guilty they had come to me through a man’s death. With Kami Sherpa still bedridden, there was a great deal to be done, and Hal often put me up in the crow’s nest. Some of Dalkey’s sailmaker duties also fell to me: inspecting the rigging and the gas cells and the valves. Once Hal even let me do a watch as navigator.

I found it soothing to be back among the working rhythms of a ship. I was also relieved to be away from Kate and Nadira.

Watching Hal swirl Kate about during the dance, I had felt he could just as easily swirl her away altogether. Before we’d departed, she’d told me her interest in Hal went no further than his ship, but I could tell she fancied him. She seemed awfully self-conscious whenever he was present, and kept touching her hair, and laughing more than usual. I had never known how deep jealousy could bite. So how was it, at the same time, I wanted to look at Nadira and feel her gaze on me? How was it I liked remembering the sensation of her blouse shifting under my hand as we’d danced?

I felt pulled in different directions, and I hated it. I did not
like myself. I wished I had Baz with me. He would be able to sort me out. He knew about these things. Obviously my heart had a fiendish bent, or else how could I adore Kate, and desire Nadira too? When I wasn’t on watch, I started keeping to my cabin rather than join them in the lounge. At meal times, I ate quickly and then made some excuse so I could slip away.

I let my eyes drift to the east. Dawn was almost here, a promise that was never broken. Soon the sun would crest the horizon and bring colour back to the cloudless sky. It would be another day of smooth sailing for the
Sagarmatha
. I was startled to hear footsteps on the ladder, becauser my watch was not over for another two hours. I looked down to see Nadira climbing to the crow’s nest.

“Good morning,” she said, stepping onto the platform. She was a bit out of breath from the climb; the air was much thinner at these loftier altitudes.

“You’re up early,” I said.

“When Mrs. Ram wakes up, she starts humming, and I can never get back to sleep. I was hoping to see the sunrise.”

“You really shouldn’t be up here.”

“Why not?”

“I’m on crow’s nest duty. I’m supposed to be giving the skies my undivided attention.”

“Pretend I’m not here,” she said, and we both smiled, for the crow’s nest was not much bigger than a telephone booth. “May I just stay for the sunrise? Then I’ll disappear, I promise.”

I gave a curt nod and turned my gaze back to the sky, willing the sun to hurry up. I could no more ignore Nadira than a pillar of fire. From the corner of my eye, I saw her silently watching the eastern horizon.

Kate would have talked.

She would have made all sorts of observations and told me everything on her mind. She would have vexed me and made me laugh. There was no stopping her words. I loved her words. Harness their energy and you could light Paris. My feelings for Kate were so strong I could scarcely make sense of them. Being near her, I was filled with happiness and want and panic all swirled together. I wanted to talk to her, shout at her, touch her, and kiss her. I wanted to flee from her. It was altogether exhausting.

The sun was taking an awfully long time.

“You must love it up here,” Nadira said. “The view.”

“It beats studying.”

A few moments passed in silence.

“I can’t read fortunes,” she said, “but it turns out I’m pretty good with numbers. I might be able to help.”

I’d been trying to hide my difficulties from everyone, hunched over my textbooks, cursing only inside my head. But Nadira must have been watching carefully, and noticed my scratchings and crossings out. If Kate had made the same offer, I would have pretended I was getting on just fine by myself, thank you. She was quite brilliant enough already. I felt like I was doomed always to lag behind her. Flying was
supposed to be my realm: my pride would not let her best me there too.

But somehow I didn’t feel the same competitiveness with Nadira. Maybe it was because I didn’t know her as well, or because I saw her more as an equal than a superior. And best of all, Kate would not have to know of my mathematical failings.

“It’s complicated stuff,” I said.

“Maybe we can muddle through it together. My father schooled me, whenever he was at home. He was a good teacher. After that I picked up a fair bit on my own.”

“All right,” I said. “Thank you, that’s very generous of you.”

“Stable hands like us should stick together.”

I chuckled but felt sad, remembering Miss Simpkins’s stern words of caution to Kate.

“Look, there’s the sun,” said Nadira, the dawn’s light upon her face.

I forced myself to look away. “Yep, it’s a beauty. You should probably head down now.”

She turned, her hair’s fragrance ensnaring me. We could not have been closer if we were dancing.

“It’s my wedding day today,” she said.

“So it is,” I said.

She smiled. “Care to kiss the bride?”

I said nothing, thinking this must be a joke. I did not move. She leaned forward and put her lips against mine. Our noses rubbed. She tasted deliciously of sleep, of raisins and curry. Her hands came up to rest on my shoulders. It was
impossible not to kiss back. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. I had not started this. Our bodies pressed together. My hands touched her face and hair. My heart paused, as if forgetting itself, then gave a kick and ran fast like some guilty thing. Our mouths parted for breath in the thin air, and when she tilted her face back towards me, I stepped away. I cleared my throat. I scratched at my neck.

“You look miserable,” she said.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Why not? I’m the one who’s betrothed.”

“No, but Kate and I …”

And I stopped, for suddenly it seemed presumptuous to say anything. I wasn’t at all certain how Kate felt about me anymore. Miss Simpkins certainly didn’t think we were sweethearts, and perhaps Kate didn’t either. Hal had half convinced me that he was her object of desire. I shook my head, too confused and dismayed to speak.

And then, for the second time that morning, I heard distant footsteps on the ladder, and looked down in shock. Climbing up to the crow’s nest was Kate.

“Oh, no,” I breathed.

“Should I step outside?” Nadira whispered, eyebrows arched with amusement.

I ignored her and briefly considered hurling myself out the hatch.

“I thought I’d come and say hello,” Kate called up from below. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages.”

Her head emerged above the platform and her eyes moved swiftly from me to Nadira. She gave a big smile.

“Oh, hello! Did you come to see the sunrise too?”

“Nadira couldn’t sleep,” I said.

Kate was flushed and blowing hard from the climb. She reached out a hand, and I helped her up onto the platform.

“You know, it’s really surprisingly roomy up here,” she observed.

If two people was a squeeze in the crow’s nest, three was almost impossible. We stood all bunched together, shoulders and arms grazing. Despite the subzero temperature beyond the hatch, I was starting to sweat. Kate was quiet for a moment, still catching her breath.

“You just missed the sunrise,” Nadira told her.

“Did I? What a shame. I have a bad habit of sleeping late. Matt can tell you all about that. Remember the pirate village, when we were trying to escape?”

I forced a chuckle from my parched throat.

“It must have been stunning up here,” Kate commented. “The sunrise.”

“Thrilling,” Nadira replied.

“Well, I’m so glad we both had the same idea,” said Kate. “What fun. And what a view! I can see why you’ve been avoiding us, Matt.”

“I haven’t been avoiding you,” I said. “I’ve just been busy. And if you two don’t mind, you really should go back down.”

“But I just got here,” Kate protested.

“If Slater finds out I’ve been entertaining up here, he’ll have a fit.”

“Oh, Hal won’t mind,” said Kate, sounding as if they were on very familiar terms now. “I was hoping we could have a little chat about those floaters you encountered. I’ve hardly seen you since then, and I want a full account. I even brought my notebook.”

“What a surprise.” So she’d only come to press me for scientific details; once again, I was merely useful to her. “I’ll tell you all about it tonight when I’m off duty. Honestly, you two, it’s very hard to see properly with so many people up here.”

“The glass is a bit steamed up,” Kate said. She wiped at it with her handkerchief. “There you go. Is that better?”

“Loads, thanks.”

“I don’t think Matt likes us up here,” said Nadira.

“Is the presence of two young ladies a bit distracting, Mr. Cruse?” Kate inquired.

“I’m all aflutter,” I said.

“Maybe we should leave him be,” Kate said to Nadira.

“Good idea,” she agreed. “Let’s have breakfast.”

I watched as they descended the ladder one after the other, chatting amiably, leaving me alone up in the crow’s nest, feeling utterly confused.

“And its tentacles,” Hal said, “were easily ten feet long.”

I’d just come off my afternoon watch and walked into the lounge, hoping for some dinner. I found Hal and Kate sitting
side by side on the sofa, very cozy. On his lap, Hal had one of Kate’s large sketch pads and was drawing a picture of the airborne creatures that had killed Dalkey. Near the electric hearth sat Miss Simpkins and Nadira, one sewing, the other reading.

“You draw with a very fine hand,” Kate told Hal. “You’re a man of many talents.” She noticed me for the first time. “Oh, hello. Hal’s just been telling me all about this fascinating fellow.” She turned back to him. “And how many tentacles exactly did it have?”

“I think eight, wouldn’t you say, Cruse?”

“I’m not sure. When they’re all flailing at your head, it’s hard to do a proper count.”

“And sparks leaping from their tips!” Hal added.

“Not all of them carried electricity,” I said. “Dalkey got struck across the face with one, and it didn’t electrocute him.”

“Hmm.” Kate did not sound impressed. She looked back at Hal’s drawing. “Oh, that’s fabulous! Thank you so much. Now, tell me about this balloonlike structure at the top.”

She had a notebook of her own and busily took notes as Hal talked. I had to admit, he was a good storyteller, and he did have a good eye for detail, even though he’d scarcely seen the thing at all, compared to me. Kate was listening to him, engrossed, and would frequently interrupt to ask for a more precise bit of information. She and I had talked just like this when we’d first found the bones of the cloud cat. I felt usurped.

“You’ve never seen anything like this before?” she asked Hal.

“Never.”

Kate smiled. “This is an amazing discovery, you know. It’s certainly very odd. It seems to combine the characteristics of a number of aquatic animals. The squid, the jellyfish, and the electric eel of South America. And yet, its element is air, not water! It actually flies!”

“Floats anyway,” said Hal. “Likely just riding the winds. The thing was light enough.”

“No. It had hydrium,” I said.

“What was that?” Kate asked, looking up from her notebook.

“Hydrium. There was one right over me and—”

“A bit far-fetched, don’t you think?” Hal interrupted. “Hydrium comes from deep within the earth, Cruse! You’re saying that creature produces its own lifting gas?”

“It smelled of mangoes.”

He compressed his lips, as though too polite to point out how absurd I was. Then he turned back to Kate and began describing how the creature had moved through the air by contracting and dilating its apronlike membranes. Kate nodded, taking notes, asking more questions.

“Don’t forget to tell her about the beak,” I said.

“It had a beak?” Kate asked Hal, ignoring me entirely.

“Absolutely,” he said. “Sharp, like a squid’s.”

Hal only knew this because earlier I’d told him myself. He hadn’t been under its foul maw, about to be gored. But I could see that this was Hal’s show, and I didn’t feel like hovering
around the two of them, trying to horn in. I went to the kitchen and asked Mrs. Ram if I might have some food. With my plate, I returned to the dining room and started eating my meal alone, feeling miserable. I could see Hal and Kate through the archway, still talking excitedly.