“We’re all right,” Cole said.
“Must have been a white-knuckle ride.” Adam chuckled. “I can hardly imagine. How’d you navigate back here?”
“Durny rigged the coffin to find the salvage yard,” Mira said.
Adam shook his head. “That man has forgotten more about shaping than most will ever know. A corpse box, you say? Not the friendliest omen.”
“It’s out in the yard,” Cole said.
“You bring back any goods?” Adam wondered.
Cole tried not to dwell on the bow and shawl he had chucked under the porch. “We tried. I think most of it fell out. It’s dark out there.”
“You have some jewelry,” Adam noted.
Cole grinned sheepishly. “That’s right.” He had forgotten the pendants and the rings. He started taking them off.
“Princely adornments. The two lifeboats that survived also off-loaded some nice finds. We’ll fly the Vulture while we make repairs to the Domingo. If nothing else, your boneholder should have some floatstones we can salvage. Cole, I understand you went back to help Durny and Mira after boarding a lifeboat.”
“He saved us,” Mira said. “The spider left us stunned, and a cyclops would have finished us. Cole killed it.”
“Not a bright move,” Adam said. “Most days, that would lead to three corpses instead of two. But it’s the kind of stupidity I can admire.”
“Thanks,” Cole said. “I think.”
Adam winked. “You two had a tough night. Take the day off tomorrow, and I mean completely—no chores, no responsibilities. Go dry off and get some sleep.”
Chapter 15
MIRA
Cole could sense the sunlight through his eyelids. The sleep felt so good that he didn’t want to wake, but he peeked with one eye, then the other.
Daylight poured through the window. The room was empty. The other bunks were made.
Jace’s bunk had been empty when Cole came to bed the night before. The two other boys had been asleep. After putting on dry clothes and curling up under his covers, Cole had slept undisturbed.
He kicked his legs over the side of his bunk and dropped to the floor. Cole hadn’t had a true day off since arriving at Skyport. When he wasn’t out on a scouting mission, there had been chores to learn and perform. He hardly knew what he would do with a whole day to relax, but breakfast seemed like a sensible start.
In the kitchen, he scraped the bottom of a vat and ladled sticky porridge into a bowl. He grabbed some fruit as well—an apple and some sort of purple citrus. Fruit had been abundant lately.
Cole took his time eating. The common area was deserted. Outside, the sun glared across a blue sky as if the storm had never happened. The Borrower and the Vulture were probably out raiding.
The purple citrus fruit turned out to be the best part of the meal. Cole went and grabbed a second one. As he walked back to his room, Mira caught up to him from behind.
“Good morning,” she said. “You slept late.”
“Maybe I’ve been up for hours,” Cole said.
“Nope. I looked in at you a few times. We need to talk.”
She sounded serious. Cole tried to think what he might have done wrong. Did she know about the bow and shawl under the porch? He hadn’t taken the time to hide them well. “What’s up?”
Mira stepped closer and lowered her voice. “We mustn’t be overheard. Come with me.”
She led the way down multiple stairways, beyond the basement and into the caves. Although the floors, ceilings, and walls were natural stone, the addition of wooden walkways and steps made travel more convenient. Some areas of the caves had so many rugs, tapestries, and furnishings that Cole could almost forget he was underground.
A narrow offshoot branched from one of the main walkways. At the end they came to a door. Mira paused. “This is my room.”
“Not many doors down here,” Cole observed.
“True. Durny got this room for me. It’s isolated. I don’t bring anyone inside.” She took out a key, unlocked the door, and entered. “Come on.”
Cole followed her in and then stopped in his tracks.
The room was amazing.
A huge canopied bed with silky covers and mounds of pillows stood out the most. Other furniture included an ornate desk, two fancy sofas, a pair of stately armchairs, and a wooden table with matching benches. Beautiful paintings hung on the walls, some wider than his outstretched arms. Fine rugs softened the floor. Statues of animals prowled on shelves and crouched in corners. Crystal lamps made everything bright.
“How’d you get all this great stuff?”
“I made it,” Mira said.
“What?”
“I wove the rugs, painted the pictures, sculpted the animals, and built the furniture.”
Cole took a closer look at a painting. It showed a flying tiger swooping over a pond near a fanciful castle, its reflection somewhat blurred in the rippling water. The image looked beyond professional. “No way. You’re messing with me.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Mira said. “Please don’t mention the crafts I have in here. Durny tried to hide my talents, or Adam would have had me slaving every day as an artisan.”
“You’re serious? You built that bed?”
“Sheets, pillows, everything. Durny lent me some help. I used a little shaping.”
Cole chewed on his bottom lip. “If there was shaping involved, I might start to believe you.”
She sighed despairingly. “If you find that hard to believe, just wait.”
“I almost forgot,” Cole said. “There’s more. What do you want to tell me?”
“Have a seat,” Mira invited, sitting down on one of the sofas. Mira was normally so confident, but right now she seemed a little fidgety.
The two sofas were at right angles to each other. Cole sat on the near side of the other one.
“I have . . . some secrets.”
“Okay,” Cole said patiently. “The first step to telling secrets is admitting that you have them.”
Mira looked down. “My secrets could be dangerous, Cole. They could get you into trouble.”
“This place is nothing but trouble. What’s a little more? We’ve been through some harsh stuff already.”
She looked at him intently. “I know. It’s why I know I can trust you. I have to be careful about who I trust. At Parona, you didn’t have to risk your life for me, but you did. I don’t think anything less would let me confide in you. Without Durny, I need somebody on my side. Before he died, he told me it should be you. I think he was right.”
“Must have been a white-knuckle ride.” Adam chuckled. “I can hardly imagine. How’d you navigate back here?”
“Durny rigged the coffin to find the salvage yard,” Mira said.
Adam shook his head. “That man has forgotten more about shaping than most will ever know. A corpse box, you say? Not the friendliest omen.”
“It’s out in the yard,” Cole said.
“You bring back any goods?” Adam wondered.
Cole tried not to dwell on the bow and shawl he had chucked under the porch. “We tried. I think most of it fell out. It’s dark out there.”
“You have some jewelry,” Adam noted.
Cole grinned sheepishly. “That’s right.” He had forgotten the pendants and the rings. He started taking them off.
“Princely adornments. The two lifeboats that survived also off-loaded some nice finds. We’ll fly the Vulture while we make repairs to the Domingo. If nothing else, your boneholder should have some floatstones we can salvage. Cole, I understand you went back to help Durny and Mira after boarding a lifeboat.”
“He saved us,” Mira said. “The spider left us stunned, and a cyclops would have finished us. Cole killed it.”
“Not a bright move,” Adam said. “Most days, that would lead to three corpses instead of two. But it’s the kind of stupidity I can admire.”
“Thanks,” Cole said. “I think.”
Adam winked. “You two had a tough night. Take the day off tomorrow, and I mean completely—no chores, no responsibilities. Go dry off and get some sleep.”
Chapter 15
MIRA
Cole could sense the sunlight through his eyelids. The sleep felt so good that he didn’t want to wake, but he peeked with one eye, then the other.
Daylight poured through the window. The room was empty. The other bunks were made.
Jace’s bunk had been empty when Cole came to bed the night before. The two other boys had been asleep. After putting on dry clothes and curling up under his covers, Cole had slept undisturbed.
He kicked his legs over the side of his bunk and dropped to the floor. Cole hadn’t had a true day off since arriving at Skyport. When he wasn’t out on a scouting mission, there had been chores to learn and perform. He hardly knew what he would do with a whole day to relax, but breakfast seemed like a sensible start.
In the kitchen, he scraped the bottom of a vat and ladled sticky porridge into a bowl. He grabbed some fruit as well—an apple and some sort of purple citrus. Fruit had been abundant lately.
Cole took his time eating. The common area was deserted. Outside, the sun glared across a blue sky as if the storm had never happened. The Borrower and the Vulture were probably out raiding.
The purple citrus fruit turned out to be the best part of the meal. Cole went and grabbed a second one. As he walked back to his room, Mira caught up to him from behind.
“Good morning,” she said. “You slept late.”
“Maybe I’ve been up for hours,” Cole said.
“Nope. I looked in at you a few times. We need to talk.”
She sounded serious. Cole tried to think what he might have done wrong. Did she know about the bow and shawl under the porch? He hadn’t taken the time to hide them well. “What’s up?”
Mira stepped closer and lowered her voice. “We mustn’t be overheard. Come with me.”
She led the way down multiple stairways, beyond the basement and into the caves. Although the floors, ceilings, and walls were natural stone, the addition of wooden walkways and steps made travel more convenient. Some areas of the caves had so many rugs, tapestries, and furnishings that Cole could almost forget he was underground.
A narrow offshoot branched from one of the main walkways. At the end they came to a door. Mira paused. “This is my room.”
“Not many doors down here,” Cole observed.
“True. Durny got this room for me. It’s isolated. I don’t bring anyone inside.” She took out a key, unlocked the door, and entered. “Come on.”
Cole followed her in and then stopped in his tracks.
The room was amazing.
A huge canopied bed with silky covers and mounds of pillows stood out the most. Other furniture included an ornate desk, two fancy sofas, a pair of stately armchairs, and a wooden table with matching benches. Beautiful paintings hung on the walls, some wider than his outstretched arms. Fine rugs softened the floor. Statues of animals prowled on shelves and crouched in corners. Crystal lamps made everything bright.
“How’d you get all this great stuff?”
“I made it,” Mira said.
“What?”
“I wove the rugs, painted the pictures, sculpted the animals, and built the furniture.”
Cole took a closer look at a painting. It showed a flying tiger swooping over a pond near a fanciful castle, its reflection somewhat blurred in the rippling water. The image looked beyond professional. “No way. You’re messing with me.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Mira said. “Please don’t mention the crafts I have in here. Durny tried to hide my talents, or Adam would have had me slaving every day as an artisan.”
“You’re serious? You built that bed?”
“Sheets, pillows, everything. Durny lent me some help. I used a little shaping.”
Cole chewed on his bottom lip. “If there was shaping involved, I might start to believe you.”
She sighed despairingly. “If you find that hard to believe, just wait.”
“I almost forgot,” Cole said. “There’s more. What do you want to tell me?”
“Have a seat,” Mira invited, sitting down on one of the sofas. Mira was normally so confident, but right now she seemed a little fidgety.
The two sofas were at right angles to each other. Cole sat on the near side of the other one.
“I have . . . some secrets.”
“Okay,” Cole said patiently. “The first step to telling secrets is admitting that you have them.”
Mira looked down. “My secrets could be dangerous, Cole. They could get you into trouble.”
“This place is nothing but trouble. What’s a little more? We’ve been through some harsh stuff already.”
She looked at him intently. “I know. It’s why I know I can trust you. I have to be careful about who I trust. At Parona, you didn’t have to risk your life for me, but you did. I don’t think anything less would let me confide in you. Without Durny, I need somebody on my side. Before he died, he told me it should be you. I think he was right.”
