Jessie paused again, then leaned in to kiss him. The kiss was simple at first, almost chaste. Then their mouths parted and all their desires came out. Their hands roamed each other, finding their ways underneath clothing to the warm flesh berneath. When both of them had managed to get the other’s clothes off they fell together onto the bed, exploring each other, testing each other’s bodies to see what responses they could tease from each other. When their bodies actually joined they made love side by side, neither of them the superior sex, neither one the master or the slave.
When they were finished they both lay next to each other, their bodies close and still absorbing each other’s warmth as they stared into each other’s eyes.
“When I dreamed about this moment it didn’t exactly happen under these circumstances,” Corin said, his cheeks flushed with a post-coital glow as he smiled. “I guess I imagined myself as being able to actually leave the room afterward if I wanted.”
Jessie didn’t smile back, but she put an arm around his waist and pulled him closer. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to tell him this yet while it was all still formulating in her mind, but now seemed like as good a time as any. “You won’t have to get used to it, I swear.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I’m getting off this ship, and you’re coming with me. But first, maybe you better tell me all you know about airships and this secret project you were working on.”
She wasn’t entirely surprised when he told her that the secret project was called a steam dragon.
11
Scientist” might not have been the best word for what Corin was. It was more like he was an engineer, and when the government of Argona wanted something that would be able to take on the airships, most of the other engineers on the project had just tried to come up with airships of their own. Corin had been the only one to immediately see the biggest drawbacks to such things: they could be powerful and imposing, but they were not very fast. The Twister was only able to attack so easily by sneaking up on settlements with little to no way of fighting back. Corin had realized if the Argonan military was going to fight back, they would need something light and fast that could strike quickly before an airship’s harpoon launchers could target it. And when Corin thought of fast and scary, the first thing that had popped into his mind had been the dragons of ancient mythology.
The steam dragons were not actually creatures that could think for themselves, unlike some people on the Twister might have believed. They themselves were airships, in a way, ships that could only carry a single pilot. When Corin explained them to Jessie he went on at some length about how hard it had been to get all the necessary mechanisms inside such a small shell. The weight issues were tough as well, since the boilers needed to power them were hardly light, and because of this they could apparently only be piloted by people specifically chosen for their light weight, usually women who were only just teenagers. However, it was possible that none of this information was actually true anymore, since Corin had been forced out of the project before a working prototype could be built. That didn’t make them any less of a threat, though. The fate of the Zephyr was proof of that, and they had to get off the Twister before the steam dragons could find it.
Jessie and Corin worked on their escape plan over the next week whenever she was able to make it to his room, which wasn’t as often as she had hoped, given her duties as Leech’s assistant. That was okay, however, since Corin couldn’t do much to help pull it off anyway while he was still locked away. After one particularly sweaty and passionate coupling Jessie explained the basics to him.
“To start with, the biggest problem in escaping is obvious,” Jessie said as she sat up and started searching for her clothes. Corin sat up and stopped her, kissing her gently from behind on the shoulder and pulling her back down to the bed to cuddle for just a while longer.
“You mean that we’re thousands of feet in the air?” he said.
“Right,” Jessie said. “Any attempt to get off of course ends up with us just becoming unidentifiable stains somewhere below.”
Corin grimaced. “You don’t need to be so graphic.”
“Sorry, but it’s true. There are only two times when the ship gets close enough to the ground that leaving wouldn’t kill us. The port and during raids.”
“Escaping while at the port would be the safest way, wouldn’t it?”
“Maybe, but where would we even be? The port is in the middle of nowhere, and the people who run it certainly seem to be loyal to the captains. Too many people who could catch us and too far to go to safety. We don’t even know what country the port is in. Some of the countries in that direction aren’t exactly friendly to Argonans. Also, the next trip to the port isn’t for a few weeks. The steam dragons could always find the ship first.”
“Escaping during a raid can’t be much safer, though,” Corin said.
“No, but there’ll be more distractions. The bazaar is closed during the raids and all the women not involved in the attack are confined to their quarters, so none of them should be able to see us and raise the alarm. The raiders themselves will have their own jobs to worry about.”
Corin thought about it. He was obviously still nervous about it all, but he was starting to come around. “There’s still a lot that could go wrong. And we wouldn’t have much time to work with. You remember how quickly they were in and out of Sun River. And the only way down would be from the ropes on the third level. You said you weren’t even allowed down there yet.”
“I can buy us some extra time, and I know another way into the third level.”
“It’s still going to be very dangerous.”
“You can risk death to be free, or you can stay safe and be a slave.”
Corin smiled and pressed his body up against hers. He was ready again sooner than Jessie would have thought. “If you’re still my master then maybe I could live with it.”
Jessie was about to say that this was not something to joke about and he shouldn’t worry, but she couldn’t say anything more that random grunts and moans for the next twenty minutes.
12
The day of the raid came with a feeling of excitement throughout the ship. Some of the women, Leech being the most vocal, openly talked about how much they wished they could go out with the raiders, and Jessie was careful to watch her words around them. What she really wanted to do was slap them. None of them seemed to care that innocent people were probably going to die tonight just so they could all maintain their comfortable lifestyle. Maybe none of them thought of it in those terms. All the more reason Jessie wanted to get away from them as soon as possible.
Tamsin, however, didn’t seem to share everyone else’s feelings. She at least had the decency to feel uncomfortable with it all, so Jessie had no issue with spending her last afternoon on the Twister with the tattooist. She did, however, have an ulterior motive in meeting with Tamsin.
“Really?” Tamsin asked. “You haven’t expressed any interest in getting a tattoo before.”
“I guess I just think it’s time to show my loyalty to all of this,” Jessie said, and strangely enough it was true in a way. Before really seeing the dark side of the Twister’s world she had started to fall in love with this utopia, and she could certainly see how the women thought this was freedom. Maybe somewhere out in the world there was another way to have such a beautiful world in the sky that didn’t involve enslaving people. She believed it was possible, and she wanted a permanent way to show it.
Tamsin took three hours etching a delicate pattern into the skin of Jessie’s upper back that evoked a world of clouds and gentle breezes flowing out from her spine. The pain was unlike anything Jessie had ever felt before, but when Tamsin held up two mirrors to allow Jessie to see the beautiful finished piece she knew it was worth it. Tamsin bandaged it up and Jessie tried to pay, but Tamsin wouldn’t have it. She said the first piece was always on the house, even though Jessie knew that wasn’t true. She left a little money when T
amsin wasn’t looking anyway, but that wasn’t for the tattoo. That was compensation for the longest tattoo needle Tamsin had owned, quietly hidden in Jessie’s pants while Tamsin hadn’t been looking.
As the sun started to set the bazaar began closing, and each of the women started making their ways back to their rooms. Jessie saw the captain walking among the stalls at one point, purchasing a meal while she still could, and Jessie couldn’t help but think that the captain looked decidedly more flustered than normal. Her hands were stained multiple colors like she hadn’t bothered to wash the paint from them for several days, and she kept staring out at the horizon like she was looking for something. Jessie thought she had a good idea what the captain was on the lookout for, and it worried her. Perhaps the captain was just being paranoid, but she could also possibly have intelligence of steam dragons in the area. At least she didn’t pay Jessie any mind. Whatever else might be wrong, the captain didn’t seem to know what Jessie had planned.
Before all the women were completely in their rooms Jessie made a quick stop to the second level. Below her, based on what little Corin had been able to tell her, the raiders were probably putting on their leather armor, preparing their crossbows, prepping the cages, and loading the huge flaming harpoon launchers. Whatever it was they used to create the fog and winds that hid their approach was being turned on. The captain might even be down there, coordinating the attack.
Jessie searched the second level for five minutes before she finally found Leech. The girl, for some reason that only made sense in her strange little head, had gone to take a nap in a broom closet. That probably wasn’t something she should be doing right before an attack, but if no one could find the engineer when she was needed then that could only benefit Jessie. Still, she had wanted to say some sort of good-bye to the girl. Instead she carefully took the wrench that had been in Leech’s hand, cradled against her like a teddy bear, and hid it in her pocket right next to the needle.
By the time she got back up to the first level everyone was in their rooms and the entire hallway was quiet except for the distant footsteps of Lock patrolling the halls. Good, then. Everything was ready.
Jessie walked down the hall past her own room and continued in the general direction of Corin and the sound of Lock’s restless walking. When Lock saw her Jessie acted relieved, like she hadn’t actually known where to find the woman.
“What are you doing?” Lock asked. “You’re supposed to be in your room during the raid.”
“I know,” Jessie said. “But I figured if I was going to be confined to a room, I might as well be confined with Corin. You know what I’m saying?”
Lock shook her head and sighed. “You are oversexed, girl. I think that boy’s fluids are starting to rot your brain.” She turned in the direction of Corin’s room and gestured for Jessie to follow. She kept just enough space between herself and Lock that the jailor didn’t hear Jessie pull the needle from her pants to hold it behind her back. At the door to Corin’s room Lock didn’t even bother to look at her as she put the key in the lock. Before Lock could turn it Jessie grabbed her from behind and held the needle against the artery in Lock’s neck.
“Don’t scream,” Jessie said. “It may not look like much, but if I jam this needle far enough in you’ll end up in a great deal of pain before you eventually bleed to death.”
“Jessie, what are you doing?” Lock whispered. She looked like she was maybe thinking about trying to break free from Jessie’s grip, so Jessie pressed the needle to her harder.
“Escaping,” Jessie said.
“Escaping from what? Jessie, you’re free here.”
“I’m just as much a prisoner as he is.” Jessie nodded to Corin’s door. “Now open the door. Slowly.”
Lock did as she was told. Corin was standing at the ready just inside the door.
“Unhook the chain with the keys from her belt,” Jessie said. Corin did so and walked out into the hallway. Then Jessie shoved Lock inside and closed the door. Lock was at the peephole before Jessie even finished locking it again.
“Jessie, I don’t know what he told you to get you to do this, but whatever it is he’s lying.”
“What are you talking about?” Corin asked.
Lock didn’t even acknowledge him. “Whatever he promised to give you, he doesn’t have it. He’s lying. That’s what men do. They lie to you. They can’t be trusted. They…”
“Oh, for the love of the gods, would you just shut up?” Jessie said. She threw the keys and the needle away down the hall, then turned to Corin. “Come on.”
They ran down the hall as quickly and quietly as they could, trying not to let any of the women in their rooms realize that anything was wrong. From outside Jessie could hear the pitch of the engines change as the ship started to descend. They reached the nearest set of stairs, and Corin started to go down before Jessie grabbed him by the shoulder.
“No,” she whispered. “There’ll be a guard before the third level. We can’t get through there.”
“Then where’s this other way you know about?”
She pointed to the stairs leading up. “This way.”
The deck was eerily quiet. A quick glance up to the captain’s tower showed no lights on inside, so she had to be somewhere on the third level. That could cause a problem later but was good for them now. She had to grab Corin by the arm and pull him as they crossed the deck. This was the first time he had ever seen most of the ship, and despite their hurry she understood his curiosity. At the edge of the deck she stopped.
“Well? Where is it?” Corin asked.
“Right here,” Jessie said, pointing down over the side. “The third level has holes all along the sides for their harpoon launchers. I saw them back at Sun River. We climb over the side and go through one just after they use it. Hopefully they’ll be too distracted with reloading and we can sneak in.”
“Oh. Oh no. No way. You’re crazy! That plan is horrible! They’ll see us!”
“Maybe, maybe not. But we really don’t have any other choice that I can see. Can you?”
“No, but… Jessie, I kind of have a problem with heights.”
“So do I. You’ll get over it.”
Jessie climbed over the side, carefully searching out the handholds Leech had shown her. After several seconds of hesitation Corin followed her.
“Oh gods, oh gods,” Corin muttered as they both started to work their way across and down the side. “Please don’t let us fall. Jessie, who would be the best god to pray to for this?”
Jessie smirked. “Try Vestra.” She thought about telling him not to look down, but the first thing he would do then was look. Jessie disobeyed her own advice and looked beneath them. She had that old familiar lurch in her stomach, but she tried to keep her concentration. There was no time to think about how little she had actually used these hand holds. Some small town was rising up slowly to meet them, although it was coated in the Twister’s fake fog. From somewhere farther down the side of the ship a harpoon fired, slamming into a building and painting the side of the Twister in the glow of a spreading fire.
They tried to move as fast as they could, but if they moved too fast they might miss a key hand or foothold. Then they stopped completely as Jessie found one of the service panels in the nearest engine.
“Don’t stop,” Corin said, the panic growing in his voice. “Why are we stopping?”
Jessie didn’t answer right away. She made sure all her weight was on her feet and left hand as she opened the panel with her right. Then she fished around in her pocket until she had the wrench.
“You’re going to sabotage the engines?” Corin asked.
“The fewer engines they have the longer it will take for them to get away,” Jessie said. “With enough damage we might even be able to keep them from going after whichever town was their next target.”
Corin crawled closer to the open hatch until he could see inside as well. “Then let me help you. If you loosen that bolt next to that piston the
re, you can…”
“Thanks, but I know what to do,” Jessie said. “I learned from the master.” At that she started smashing the wrench around inside the panel, hitting any moving parts she could see. The engine actually seemed to run better for a few seconds before the cogs inside broke and ground to a stop. Maybe it was Jessie’s overactive imagination, but she thought she could feel the whole ship lurch slightly as the propeller stopped spinning.
They passed one more engine before they found a harpoon hole, and Corin watched the hole for a harpoon to fly out as Jessie opened the engine’s panel. Jessie had to grip the handholds harder as the wall shuddered and a harpoon launched out into the town. They were only five stories or so up now, and the raiders would all be at their ropes preparing to drop.
“That’s it,” Corin said. “Let’s go.” He edged closer to the hole.
“Hold on,” Jessie said. She smashed the wrench around, but this time she didn’t appear to be doing much damage.
Corin peered into the hole quickly, then pulled back. “Hurry up! They’ve left the launcher, but I don’t know for how long.”
Jessie cursed, then just threw the wrench in between a couple cogs and slammed the panel shut. There was a loud bang from inside, and another propeller stopped above them. Jessie had to hold on for dear life as she approached the hole. It might have been her imagination earlier, but this time she was certain the ship shifted. She could feel that her body was at a slight backwards angle now, and it was difficult to keep her footing.
“What’s going on?” Jessie heard the captain scream from inside. “Somebody go get Leech!”
Jessie and Corin were both at the hole now, and they could both see inside. Right next to the hole was the harpoon launcher, basically a giant crossbow, but the women who had been operating it were gone. Either they were part of the raiding party now or they were the ones the captain sent after Leech. Either way, the area immediately around the hole was clear. Corin climbed through first with Jessie following, and they both hunched in the shadows next to the wall while they got their bearings. They seemed to be in a long, wide hall that ran to their left along most of the length of the ship. There were several other harpoon launchers that Jessie could see from here, but none had their operators at the moment. To their right there was another harpoon launcher, and then the hall opened up into a larger, cavernous space.
The Twister Sisters Page 7