“Likewise.” Slate quickly introduced himself and his party, the Dauntless captain did the same, then Slate gestured to the burnished silver-and-black airship. “What’s her problem? How can we help?”
Captain Thompson scratched at his short beard with a grimace. “Ran out of water. Should’ve had our mechanics double-check before we left port, but they slacked off.”
“Sorry to hear that.” Hands on his hips, Slate rotated to look at the dark trees that surrounded the clearing. “Have you had any dealings with dragons this deep in the Woods?”
“Some trouble,” Thompson hitched a thumb over his shoulder to point to the Dauntless, and Slate noticed the furrows in the metal by the door. “Second day here, we let the men out to stretch their legs, and some plodders came by with stalkers close behind. We got everyone on board without injury, but it was pretty close. Void-cursed stalkers ruined my paint job.” The captain grinned and slipped his hands into his coat pockets with a shrug. “Better a cosmetically challenged ship than dead men, though.”
Slate huffed a short laugh and nodded. “Very true. Sounds like you guys got off easy.”
“We did.” Thompson gestured to the Sapphire. “We have a royal advisor on board who needs to get to Aerugo immediately. Please tell me you have space for him.”
Slate nodded. “Of course. Queen Violet wouldn’t send us to you for just a drop-in greeting.”
“Glad to hear it.” The captain smiled. “That’s good of her majesty. I don’t know how long we’d be stranded without help.” He turned to the crew member behind him, boots squeaking on the damp grass. “Go get the advisor and his attendant. Tell them help is here and they’re switching ships.” Thompson looked back to Slate. “Can you send another ship with water for us?”
“Of course.” Slate shrugged, “Do you need any parts or just water?”
“Eh.” The captain’s eyebrows drew together. “My mechanic would know the answer to that better than I.”
Jade stepped out from around Slate and bobbed in a mimic of a curtsy, despite her stained, loose-flowing mechanic pants. “Krista and I can check it out, talk to your mechanic, and get a list of whatever else is needed. Be back in two sparks!” She waved a hand at Krista, and the two girls jogged to the Dauntless with Zak trailing behind.
The trio passed a tall black man, impeccably dressed in ebony slacks with matching coattails and a top hat. The man smiled when he drew close enough to see Slate.
“It has been a long time. Good to see you again, Captain.” Samuel’s hands moved gracefully through the air as he signed, and the words came to Slate’s mind, Samuel’s stone ring visible on his left hand.
“And it’s good to see you as well, sir.” Slate spoke aloud and bowed. Marvelous things, those interpretation rings. “My crew and I will see you safely returned to Aerugo, and we’ll bring a report of what is needed to get the Dauntless home.”
“Thank you.” Samuel’s smile slipped away, and he gave Slate a significant look. “Time is of the essence, as I bear news of great importance for Lord Everett and Queen Violet—I daresay you will find the information most crucial for your endeavors.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Jade
Jade watched in the mirror as her aunt took the final curler from Jade’s hair and pinned the curl in place under her hat. Krista’s reflection nodded in approval, and Garnet’s hands fell away from Jade’s head, landing on her shoulders.
“You look lovely, dear.” Garnet’s no-nonsense attitude shifted into something softer, and a bittersweet smile touched her lips. “If only your mother could see you.”
Jade shrugged as she ran a critical eye down her reflection, her heart aching. She’d been to formal events with both her father and mother, and Samantha wouldn’t be distraught over not seeing Jade in her outfit today. It was the same dress that she’d worn for the ball in Perennia, when she’d danced with Zak and everything in the world seemed to be going right. How things had changed. But the gown still fit like a glove cut from the latest fashion—fitted in the bosom with a skirt meant for dancing and twirling. Even the corset had extra give to it, allowing for breathability and movement.
The side trip to rescue Advisor Thistle had bought her a few days’ reprieve before she’d have to come visit, but time never slowed enough for her to avoid the palace altogether. She shivered despite the warmth of their room. She’d much prefer to be wearing this for a ball than for today’s purpose.
“Ben’s escorting you, right?” Krista scooted off the bunk and circled around Jade, fluffing the skirt as she moved. “He won’t leave your side.”
Garnet nodded. “You’ll be safe, dear.” She leaned away to look at the clock, then sprang back to Jade’s side. “We need to get you going, or you’ll be late!”
Jade rolled her eyes at her aunt. “Your idea of being late is not being early. I plan to arrive at the exact moment I’m supposed to be there. No earlier, no later.” The fabric rustled softly as she walked to the door, and she paused, leaning a hand against the frame as she lifted a foot and tugged at her slipper. “Do I have to wear these?” She cast a longing eye at her boots. “These are too tight.”
“Yes,” Garnet replied firmly. “You are meeting with the Queen of Doldra and Aerugo. You need to look the part of your station and carry it with dignity and respect.”
Jade sighed. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Let’s go find your escort,” Krista said, sympathy in her voice though her eyes twinkled with amusement. “And am I glad it’s you and not me who has to go see her,” she whispered as she clutched Jade’s arm. “It’s so freeing to not be a noble.”
“Low-ranking noble,” Jade muttered.
“Still noble enough.”
Jade wrinkled her nose at Krista and cut in front of her to take the stairs leading up to the main deck. She lifted the hem, cautious to not let it get caught on the metal tread or brush anything that would dirty the aqua fabric.
Kerlee passed the stairs just as she came to the top step, and he paused, blinking at her before he grinned and bowed. “You look simply beautiful, princess.”
Jade groaned. “Don’t you start, too! Bad enough that Briar calls me that.”
“Princess Gearhead,” Kerlee rolled the title off his tongue and snapped his fingers, “of the Engine Room.”
“Fine. Whatever.” She shook her head at him as he laughed.
He pointed and winked. “They’re over there.”
She didn’t have to ask who “they” were. She closed her eyes for a brief second before stepping out onto the main deck and turning to face Zak and Ben.
Ben cleaned up well. She took note of his top hat, polished boots, and matching sword belt. But her attention drifted to where Zak stood, just a step behind Ben, his lips parted and eyes shining with the same look that he’d given her the night of the ball. Like she was his whole world.
She stopped before the duo and let herself bask in the rare moment of enjoying being dressed up. She smiled up at Zak, a thrill of delight racing through her as his breath hitched.
“I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again.” Zak shoved his hands in his pockets and licked his lips. “You’re beautiful.”
“Absolutely stunning,” Ben agreed.
She dipped into a playful curtsy. “Why, thank you.”
Garnet hustled to her side, waving her pocket watch. “It’s time to go, Jade.” Garnet studied Ben straightening his collar and tugging on his vest. “Good, good. I’m glad we found something that works for you. Did Zak show you proper etiquette for meeting the queen? Of course he did.” Garnet laughed to herself as she circled around Ben. “Zak is an excellent teacher.”
What joy Jade had been floating on slowly sank as her aunt bustled about, being the business woman that she excelled at. She watched as the light in Zak’s eyes faded, as if he’d put up a shield, not letting her see inside.
He gave her a perfunctory nod before gesturing to Ben. “He’ll be by your side the whole time.” Zak
’s lips twisted and he turned halfway, speaking over his shoulder. “You should probably hurry if you don’t want to be late.”
* * *
Jade lifted her skirt in a final curtsy as Ben held the door open for her to escape the queen’s meeting chamber. The door whispered shut behind her, and she closed her eyes with a sigh of relief. She’d done her required duty of seeing the queen, and now she was as free as she could be when within the stifling confines of the palace. Time to escape. She glanced to the left and then right, pleased to see the stark hall clear of all but the customary guards at the queen’s door. From here, down to the main floor, through the gardens, out the—
“That wasn’t so bad.” Ben’s voice broke through her mental calculations. He slipped his hands into his slate-gray pant pockets casually and cocked his head at Jade. “Where to next?” A small smile crossed his lips. “Are you sure you really needed me in there? You were definitely more well-mannered than I was.”
Jade caught the eye twitch of the silver-and-black-clad guard and gritted her teeth. She grabbed Ben’s shirtsleeve and pulled him after her. “That’s because it was just the queen, and I’ve been raised to know multiple etiquettes for multiple kingdoms.” Her next words threatened to stick in her throat. “And some places here aren’t safe for a female to walk alone.”
I thought Zak would have told him before we came here. Maybe he didn’t?
Ben stumbled after her, matching her pace, and she released him when he reached her side. He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes hard. “Jade. I know only fragments of what happened here last year. And I know you need to avoid the prince. That about sums it up.” He hesitated. “I don’t know the details of what happened, nor do I know if I want to.”
They passed an open window, and Jade glanced out at the lush green garden and the vibrant flowers and winced. “Give the man a cookie; he figured it out.” She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose as she walked as fast as her flowing dress would allow. Great. Now her sarcasm was coming out. As much as she’d been enjoying Ben’s presence the last few days, having Zak here would have been better for her nerves.
Then again, after this morning, maybe it was better that he wasn’t with her right now. She needed to keep her wits and not be distracted. Not that Ben wasn’t distracting in his own way. She thought he’d been interested in her, but then she’d seen him flirt with the girl at the bar last week. What was his deal? Had she been misreading him at the market?
No, Ben was just as distracting as Zak would have been. All that mattered was that she’d had a relatively good visit with their family friend, Queen Violet, and now was Jade’s chance to visit her uncle before returning home. Quickly. Her shoes pinched in the toes, and walking so fast made them hurt even more. Further motivation to find Uncle Andre, and get back to the Sapphire.
“I know Zak isn’t allowed at the palace as an escort.” Ben’s voice held no reproof, just mild curiosity. “And, to use his word, the prince is ‘handsy.’“
Memories of blood, despair, and fear washed through Jade like an ice bucket over the head. Air caressed the nape of her neck as Ben nearly rammed into her back. She ignored his startled apology and shut her eyes, shaking her head, trying to dislodge the vision. How could she tell him Zak had been whipped last time they were here? And that her uncle had been the one to suggest that punishment—to protect Zak from worse? All because he’d defended her when Weston forcibly kissed her?
One of her closest friends was permanently scarred because of her. And Weston didn’t like hearing “no.” What if he tried claiming her again? “I…” She licked her dry lips and tried again. “Yes. And—”
“Miss Stohner.”
If Ben’s question had been frigid water to her body, the voice she heard now froze everything in her core. Despite every cell in her being yelling for her to run, she couldn’t move her feet. Her lungs couldn’t pull breath.
He’d found her.
Prince Weston stood in a nearby doorway, his eyes as wide as hers. He fumbled with a velvet-wrapped package in his arms when he realized she was looking at him. “Oh, uh…” He pulled himself upright with an impervious tilt of his pointed chin and offered a minute bow. “Have your travels treated you well?”
Speechless, Jade stared. The brief glimpse of him in the marketplace hadn’t prepared her at all. Same light hazelnut skin, dark eyes, and tight curly hair. He had filled out a bit since last summer—no longer lanky, but lean and well-muscled. His gaze didn’t stray from hers. She closed her mouth and shook her head, backing up into Ben, whose hands braced her shoulders.
Weston pressed his lips together, gaze downturned at the bundle he gripped, before looking down his nose at Ben. “And you are?”
Ben squeezed her arm and stepped out from behind her to bow—not as low as he should’ve. He settled his hands on his hips, his stocky shoulders tense. “Ben.”
“Ben?” Weston’s eyebrows rose, and his gaze flickered from Ben’s borrowed boots up to his brownish-red hair. “No title? No last name?” Weston smacked his mouth in distaste and looked past Ben to Jade. “Your replacement for Zak?”
At the mention of Zak’s name, all the ice in Jade’s body melted away in favor of hot anger, leaving her trembling from the sudden change of emotion. Just enough fear kept her from grabbing the entitled princeling prick and hurtling him into the doorframe.
Weston must’ve caught her shift in mental state; he shuffled his feet awkwardly. He dropped his gaze and sucked in a cheek, then he looked up at her through his thick eyelashes. “I’m sorry.” He swallowed with an expression that suggested he’d just tasted something sour. “That was unnecessary. And…cruel.” His lips puckered. “What happened last year, I mean.” He scuffed the toe of his shiny black boots against the marble floor.
She didn’t reply. What was there that she could say?
Silence stretched, broken only by the distant sounds of servants moving about in other hallways.
Ben eyed her and clapped his hands together, startling her and Weston. “Well, pleasant conversation. Thank you. Time for us to go.” He pressed his hand against her shoulder blades and gently propelled her toward the door. “After you, my lady.”
“Wait.”
Ingrained manners barely held Jade in place. She turned slowly to see Weston holding a hand out to her, his eyes panicked. He extended the velvet-wrapped package.
“I…I’ve been learning metalworking,” Weston said. “Pistoia—my master—suggested I try making something that could be used against flying dragons. It made me think of you and your crew, and I wanted to somehow say I’m sorry about last year. I made this. Well, I made it with the help of my master, of course, and I know you probably don’t want anything from me, but,” he held it out again, insistently, “please, I-I’m sorry.”
Jade accepted the gift hesitantly, cautious to not touch his fingers or get too close to him—just in case it was a ploy for him to grab at her again. She shuffled back two steps once she grasped the bundle securely.
A smile of relief split Weston’s face, and he nodded. “Open it, and I can explain.” The tension in his shoulders dropped as she flipped back a corner of the fabric to reveal a coppery handle. “I call it a steam-pistol. It can propel a lead ball the length of an entire hallway.” Weston gestured to the passage they stood in as an example of distance. “It’s deadly, and it can maybe be used for dragons or bandits. Maybe you’ll find it useful on your travels.”
Jade ran her finger along the ridged handle and inspected the narrow barrel and the pistons on the side. A small glass tank, filled with water, was attached to the bottom of the barrel. The design was unique, she’d give him that. But to accept a gift from him? Even an apology gift? Jade bit her lip. She’d take it, but she wasn’t going to keep it.
“If it’s steam, where does it vent?” Ben asked.
Jade peeked around her curled hair at Ben’s still somewhat shiny red hands. Why hadn’t Jaxton used a time-spell to heal him already?
Weston ignored Ben, but pointed to four small vents on the right side of the pistol. “It vents to the right, so don’t have anyone stand too close, unless they’re in proper protective gear.”
“Thank you.” Jade spoke softly to the gleaming floor, unwilling to look up at Weston.
“You’re welcome.”
She waited, silent for a few moments. “Well, I have to go. Thank you for the steam-pistol.” She didn’t move as she listened to Weston’s footsteps fade away in the opposite direction. Jade finally looked up when Ben touched her elbow.
His blue eyes analyzed her, and he stepped closer, keeping his voice low in the echoing hallway. “Are you okay?”
Jade wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the sudden shiver that rippled through her body. “I’ll survive.”
He gestured to the door. “Shall we escape while we still can?”
“Yes. Please.” She swallowed hard and held the pistol and velvet wrapping out to Ben. “You want this? I don’t.”
He accepted it with a quiet nod, his eyes searching hers for answers that she didn’t want to explain. “About what just happened—”
“I’ll be fine.” Jade turned toward the stairwell and stopped when Ben’s hand clasped onto her wrist. She looked back and watched the struggle on his face as he started to say something, stopped, closed his mouth, and finally nodded to himself.
The gentle warmth in his eyes kept her still even when he released her. “Jade. I want to be your friend, and I want to do all I can to help protect you. But part of being friends is honesty, openness.” He sighed and rubbed the nape of his neck. “I don’t have much to share, because I still don’t remember much worth sharing.” His brow furrowed. “And I’m not asking for you to dig through painful past stuff, or to spill whatever dark secrets you have. Just, be honest.”
Jade stared at the blurry floor through watering eyes. The last man she had been open and honest with hadn’t talked to her the next day, and had only just started acting normal around her again. And she still didn’t know what she’d said then that had pushed him away. Did she dare make the same mistake now?
Renegade Skyfarer Page 16