“Thanks…” Jonas muttered weakly, while Skye turned to him with a sly smile.
Twist shook his head silently and tried to work out how he’d ever ended up surrounded by these people.
After a dinner that paled in comparison to the tamales they’d had for lunch, Myra entertained herself with the new passengers. Since few of them seemed to speak English now, Twist managed to excuse himself from the stuffy, overwarm lounge and return to the quiet and cool air out on deck. Looking over the edge of the ship into the wild darkness of the shadowed jungle, Twist saw the waning moon glint off of a long, snakelike river that seemed to stretch from horizon to horizon. There were no cities or towns below him now, but he could easily sense the multitude of living things that filled every inch of the landscape.
The aeronauts had said that they would reach Rio early the next morning, so Twist decided to turn in somewhat early. The few hours of sleep that he’d gotten the night before didn’t seem to have been enough. Before readying himself for sleep, he fell lazily into his hammock, still dressed in all but his jacket and boots. Each and every hour of the day weighed heavily on his bones. Meaning to only close his eyes for a moment, he drifted off almost instantly.
The sound of a muffled, struggling voice roused his leaden mind from the cool, empty blackness of sleep. He blinked his blurry eyes clear in the darkness of the cabin and barely managed to make sense of what he saw. There was someone standing next to his hammock—no, it was two men. Even half asleep, Twist recognized Jonas in the darkness, but the other man was taller than Jonas and had a more muscular build than him as well.
Jonas was struggling to free himself from the larger man’s grip, but to no avail. Fright shot through Twist with a violent shock as his blurry vision made out Kazan’s face, smiling down at Twist over Jonas’s shoulder. The human-shaped dragon held a hand over Jonas’s mouth and a long, glinting talon against Jonas’s exposed throat. Before Twist could grapple with his shock enough to move, Kazan moved his talon with a quick, apparently effortless motion. Jonas’s muffled scream fought to escape Kazan’s hand while his blood poured down onto Twist in a hot waterfall.
Twist’s limbs thrashed in blind, stupefying terror, and he fell from his hammock into the deepening puddle of thick, sticky, hot blood on the floor. His ears rang with his own screams, and he closed his eyes against the impossible horror. A heavy weight dropped beside him, onto the floor. Overcome with grief and shock, Twist couldn’t bring himself to look at what he knew must be Jonas’s lifeless body.
“Damn it, it’s all right,” a voice said gently to him.
Twist wrenched his eyes open at the sound and looked up. Jonas was kneeling beside him on the floor, his eyes open and glowing softly green. Twist gaped at him dumbly, hardly daring to believe what he saw. He reached up a shaking hand to the smooth, undamaged skin at Jonas’s throat. There wasn’t even a scratch. The blood on his own hands, and on the floor, was suddenly gone. Jonas took his hand, but Twist’s Sight hardly seemed to notice the touch. There was no flash of fog, only a whisper of coolness on his fingers.
“Twist, breathe. It’s all right,” Jonas said, his voice measured and careful. “It was just another dream.”
Twist’s vision blurred over, and his breath caught in his tight throat. Tears broke free from his eyes as he pulled closer to Jonas and clung to him desperately. He tried to speak, but nothing made it through the chaos in his mind.
“Holy hell,” Jonas breathed, wrapping his arms around Twist as well. “What was it this time? Was it Ka—I mean, was it him again?”
The white fog whispered at the edge of Twist’s mind now, promising comfort and calm. He closed his eyes and wrangled just enough attention to force himself to stop gasping with every breath. After a moment, he managed to slow his sobs down. As he started to breathe properly again, the white fog crept in slowly, numbing the agony of the image he’d seen. It took him a moment to realize that Jonas was already holding the back of his neck. He pulled at his Sight, turning all his thrashing thoughts to it, until Jonas’s touch finally filled his mind with empty, white calm. Twist felt his body release its desperate tensions, and he fell limply into his friend’s arms.
After a long pause, Jonas pulled away—though still holding Twist’s neck—and looked into his eyes. “That’s better,” he said softly. “Just keep breathing slow.”
His thoughts finally feeling numb now, Twist did as he was told.
Jonas gave a sigh. “Right. We’re going to stop this madness tonight. Where’s your watch?”
Twist’s hand reached for the pocket of the waistcoat he still wore from the day before, but his fingers wouldn’t function properly. Jonas took the watch from his pocket and put it into Twist’s hand.
“Hold on to this for a second,” Jonas said, closing Twist’s fingers over the watch. “I’ve got to put some proper trousers on.”
Twist stared blindly down at his closed hand and the softly ticking watch he held, as Jonas moved away. No longer soothed by his friend’s calming touch, Twist’s mind returned to the horrific image again. He moaned against the thought and clutched his watch, pulling his attention deep into the solid, constant certainty of the clockwork.
“You all right?” Jonas asked from across the small cabin.
Twist looked up to see him pull a new cotton shirt on, his trousers already in place. The memory of the dream surfaced instantly, dampening Twist’s eyes again. Twist looked away and wiped at his wet face with a hand. “He killed you.”
“Me?” Jonas asked, returning to him. He knelt down before Twist again and reached immediately for his neck. Twist welcomed the touch and felt himself ease slightly, but nowhere near as deeply as he usually did at such a touch from Jonas.
“It felt so real…”
“It wasn’t,” Jonas said instantly. “Look, I’m fine.”
“There was so much blood…” Twist shuddered. The moment he closed his eyes, the image of Jonas’s flowing blood filled his mind. He gasped and snapped his eyes open again to see Jonas still perfectly fine but staring at him with great concern.
“That bastard’s ghost is using your Sight,” Jonas said, his voice grim now. “It has to be. You’re hardly even responding to me.” Jonas’s fingers rubbed soothingly at Twist’s neck, catching enough attention to calm Twist just a little more.
Twist poured every drop of his awareness onto the touch, letting the white fog take him. Finally, he lost his grip and tumbled fully into cool, empty peace. He watched his fears evaporate and seemed to slip totally from his own body as all his senses numbed into silence. It felt like forever before the quiet white world began to thin into mist again. He felt his body rise as Jonas helped him to his feet.
“Come on,” he said, his voice echoing in Twist’s mind. “You need more help than I can give you. And I’m not letting you out of my sight, either.”
Neither understanding nor caring what Jonas meant, Twist let himself be led out of the cabin and to the door across the hall. The door opened a moment after Jonas’s knock. Myra stood on the other side, rubbing at an eye with her copper hand, a clearly sleepy expression on her clockwork face.
“Myra, Twist needs you,” Jonas said gently.
Her face sobered quickly. “What’s the matter?” she asked, looking over Twist as he stood leaning heavily on Jonas.
Somewhere in the depths of his mind, Twist’s pride wasn’t pleased with this situation.
“He’s had a horrible nightmare,” Jonas said with a sigh. “Can you come help him get back to sleep? I’m sure you’d do a better job than me.”
“Oh!” Myra toned, a bright note of pride glowing in her concern. “My poor dear,” she cooed, reaching for Twist. Her cool, copper fingers petted at the curls that hung over his temple, splashing warmth over the fog in his Sight. “Of course, I’d love to help, if I can,” she said to Jonas.
“That’s not neces—” Twist began.
“Shut up,” Jonas said, his voice stern but not sharp. “It bloody wel
l is necessary. You need sleep.” Twist thought of shooting Jonas a glare, but his face wouldn’t respond. He began to feel dizzy and closed his eyes.
“What’s going on?” Skye’s groggy voice asked from within the cabin.
“I think the ghost of the monster Twist killed in Japan is using his Sight to keep him from sleeping,” Jonas answered. “But for heaven’s sake, don’t say the ‘d’ word in front of him right now.”
Twist’s head cleared slightly, allowing him to open his eyes again. Somehow, though, the brightness of the gaslights in the hallway seemed to vibrate in his vision. When he moved his head to look at the nearest light, the world swung threateningly. Skye leaned out the door with Myra, looking at Twist critically.
“He doesn’t look so good,” she said softly.
“Yeah,” Jonas agreed.
Myra made a comforting sound, her emotions turning a shade more worried while she moved to take a supportive hold of Twist’s arm.
“I’m all right,” Twist muttered, trying to stand a bit straighter. Fatigue pulled on him heavily, making it much more difficult than he’d expected. He was also certain that his voice wasn’t nearly as strong as it should have been.
“Well, if you need to distract his Sight, take Kali too,” Skye said.
With a flash of golden light and a long curl of orange smoke, Kali appeared in the hallway beside them. The tiger looked up at Twist with deep, rich brown eyes that seemed curious.
“Why?” Jonas asked, looking at the tiger.
“He told me before that touching Kali confuses him,” Skye said. “But it’s not a bad thing. He likes to pet her. Plus, she’s warm and furry,” she added with a shrug. “I sleep curled up against her all the time.”
Before Twist could marshal a complaint, he found himself back in his cabin again. Kali lay down on the floor, her large body bent into a curve around he and Myra and acting as a huge cushion. Jonas stepped away, leaving Twist’s mind dim and confused. Myra sat at the tiger’s shoulder, beside Twist, and wrapped him in her metal arms as she leaned back against Kali’s warm, furry side. Kali’s touch filled Twist’s Sight with a colorful haze that neither made any sense nor caught any of his attention. Myra put Twist’s head on her chest and stroked his hair gently as he lay helpless at her side, one arm curling over her waist. Twist vaguely noticed Skye and Jonas leave the room and shut the door behind them.
Very gently, and slower than he’d seen before, Myra’s metal skin rippled away into cool flesh and soft pink silk. Overwhelmed by Kali and soothed by Myra’s spirit, Twist’s saturated Sight stole every ugly thought from his mind. As he felt Myra’s slender body rise and fall slowly with her steady, ghostly breath, and Kali began to rumble with a deep, slow purr, Twist let go of any thoughts of pride or propriety. He clung to Myra and took in a long, full breath of her airy scent. In moments, he felt his whole being drowned in delicious comfort and peace.
A soft, sweet melody wafted into Twist’s awareness like a gentle breeze. Sunlight spilled over his form, warming him even through the blanket that lay over him. He blinked his eyes open into the light and saw Kali’s sleeping face before him, over the gentle curve of Myra’s pink-silk-covered shoulder. Cool fingers petted gently at his hair, while he slowly sensed that there were chilly, soft arms wrapped around him. It took a moment for him to realize that the melody he heard was Myra’s voice, humming softly. Finally understanding where he was, Twist held himself perfectly still and closed his eyes again, hoping to remain in this calm, blissful space for the rest of time.
As he lay bathed in the pure comfort of Myra’s caring touch and Kali’s sea of colorful nothing, he slowly began to remember his dream. The horror was significantly dimmed in the sunlight, but it was far from gone. He banished it from his mind and tried to savor the delicious sensation of Myra’s soft fingers in his hair. The lullaby she sang whisked his thoughts away into his many memories of watching her dance. A deep, contented breath billowed up out of him.
“Oh?” she said softly, and her song paused. “Are you awake, dear?”
Not wanting to give up this moment of pure peace, Twist only gave a soft tone in response and nuzzled his face against the cool skin at her throat. She bent her head to place a kiss on his brow. Twist finally relented and lifted his head to look at her smiling face.
“You look so much better now,” she said, stroking the edge of his face with her hand. “No more bad dreams?”
“You’ve cured me,” Twist answered, reaching up to take her hand and lay a kiss on her palm. “How could I dream of anything else when you’re so lovely?”
Myra’s smile deepened, and her dark eyes glinted playfully. Twist moved closer to kiss her cool lips, indulging in the simple delight of it. Kali’s body shifted slightly. When Twist pulled away and glanced at the tiger’s face, he found her watching him through slow, sleepy blinks. He suddenly remembered that Skye could see through her familiar’s eyes.
“Oh!” he muttered awkwardly, feeling suddenly exposed in such an intimate moment.
“Kali, go back to sleep,” Myra said, wrapping her arms around Twist’s neck to pull him closer again. Her warm, inviting smile threatened to blur his pride away entirely, but a soft buzzing sensation bloomed almost hesitantly in the base of his neck.
“Jonas is outside the door,” Twist murmured, his eyes lidded as Myra’s chilly nose nuzzled against his.
“He can wait,” Myra said back, her smile thickly coloring her voice. “I’m not sure you’re completely cured yet.”
Twist tried to think of an objection but found nothing at all. He was only vaguely aware that Kali had laid her head down, appearing to fall asleep again, and that the buzz in his neck quickly faded away, as he surrendered to Myra’s charms.
Finally emerging from the lovely haze a while later, Twist found his mind utterly devoid of all unpleasant thoughts. Myra roused Kali from her disinterested doze with a playful scratch behind the tiger’s ear. Kali’s jaws opened into a massive yawn before she turned to blink sleepily at them again.
“You can tell Skye that Twist is awake now,” Myra said pleasantly to Kali. Kali gave a soft, muttering sound in response and nudged at Myra’s hand with her wide, flat nose.
“You’d better do as the tiger says, my dear,” Twist said, sitting up to stretch his back.
Myra giggled, petting at Kali’s warm fur. Kali began to purr instantly. A moment later, there was a soft knock at the door. Twist smiled at it, feeling the buzz in his neck return. He got to his feet and opened the door to find Jonas standing outside with an overly pleasant smile on his face.
“Good morning, Twist,” he said brightly. “Are you sure you don’t need any more private time? I could come back…”
“Shut up,” Twist muttered, feeling his face warm.
“I should go freshen up,” Myra said, standing behind Twist now, back in her clockwork form to his eye.
Twist smiled to see her shining metal skin once again, watching the sunlight glint brilliantly on it. Search as he might, he couldn’t find anything that needed any freshening. Glancing down at himself, however, he had to admit that his rumpled shirt, waistcoat, and trousers gave him a dreadfully untidy appearance. Kali got up and stretched her long body in a dramatic and very satisfying-looking arc. Myra gave Twist one last kiss on the cheek, with a wave of delicious emotions, before she and Kali left the cabin. Twist took a deep breath, leaning his back against the inside of the door once he’d closed it again. Jonas glanced at him with a smirk.
“What?” Twist asked back.
“Nothing…” Jonas looked away, busying himself with his luggage. It was only then that Twist noticed that Jonas’s clothes looked crumpled as well, and obviously slept in.
“Where did you go?” Twist asked.
“You had Myra,” Jonas answered with a shrug. “I thought you might relax more if you were alone with her.”
“Well, I did,” Twist muttered, thinking back to the luscious comfort of her arms. “But where did you sleep?”<
br />
“You’d never believe it,” Jonas said, examining a shirt for cleanliness, “but Skye actually has a soft side.” He gave Twist a clever smirk. “I was so worried about you that she took it upon herself to console me. She must be taking lessons from Myra…” he added, looked back to his luggage as his voice took on a taunting note.
“That’s explanation enough, thank you,” Twist snapped instantly. “I don’t need any detailed reports on your dastardly exploits. And if you have anything distasteful to say about Myra—”
Jonas laughed, making him pause. “Well, looks like you’re back to normal, all right,” he said, smiling at Twist fondly. “I’d never say anything against lovely little Myra, and I’d surely wallop any man who did. I’m just ever so proud of you.”
“Me?” Twist asked, perplexed. “What did I do?”
“You’re finally becoming a man,” Jonas said with a wide grin. “Or maybe you already have. I don’t know. Kali looked away.”
Twist’s propriety raged at the insinuation as he gaped at Jonas. Jonas snickered and looked away again.
“Damned bloody sky pirates…” Twist grumbled, turning his back on Jonas.
“I’m sorry,” Jonas said with an exaggerated sigh.
“No, you’re not,” Twist said, his arms crossed.
“No, I’m really not,” Jonas said, walking closer. Twist didn’t look at him. Jonas laid one hand on his shoulder, sending a misty cloud of brilliant, sweet delight into Twist’s Sight. “But I’m very glad we figured out how to stop your nightmares.”
Twist looked at him over his shoulder. “Did we?”
“If you’d had another bad dream after I left you last night, then you wouldn’t have looked ‘a picture of bliss,’ as Skye described, this morning. And you wouldn’t be feeling up to arguing with me, either. Logic dictates that the big blue bastard couldn’t touch you once Myra got a hold of you.”
“I don’t think I dreamed at all after…” Twist ran a hand over his face to distract himself from the nasty image as his more recent nightmare flashed to mind. He turned to Jonas. “That horrid beast knows exactly how to frighten me. But how could he? He exploded before he could learn anything about me.”
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