Between the Lines, page 10
Soots took off into the air again, shifting into different shapes inside the suit. It conformed to and outlined each one, and the delight from Soots was overwhelming.
Fiona couldn’t tell if Gaili noticed or not but kept her thoughts to herself. “Well, I think they like it. We’ll take it.”
Gaili clapped her hands. “Oh, I’m so glad it worked out. I was worried, but I really wanted to get it done. I’m very glad you came to my shop. I wanted to find a way to thank you too for what you did, so I made this as well.” Gaili pulled out a small crystal jar. Flecks of milk white shone throughout the stormy blue liquid inside.
Fiona was taken aback. She took the jar slowly, not sure what to say. Why would Gaili give her another thing for free? “You didn’t have to do that. You already gave me the jelly breath, which worked rather well actually. A bit nuttier than expected but…” She trailed off, realizing Gaili wasn’t listening to her but was instead staring at the forgotten ornithopter. “Do you like it? It’s an older model I brought with me when I moved to Spine.”
“Oh yes, I think it’s just great. I’ve…I’ve never gotten to use one before. I’ve seen them, certainly, but I’ve always wanted to fly.” She gently fingered the leather straps.
“You’ve never flown?”
“No, I mean, there’s really nothing like it in the Court of Copper, and I’ve only been inked for a few months. I needed to get my business set up if I wanted to make it out here, so I’ve been focused on that.”
Fiona put down the jar. This was exactly the distraction she wanted, and she wouldn’t shoo it away. “Well, we absolutely have to change that. You’re coming with me. Today. I’ve got to go to Airmire on some business.”
“Oh no, I don’t want to put you out,” Gaili said, taking her eyes off the ornithopter. “I should get back to the shop.”
“No, no. You must come with me. The shop can wait. It can always wait.” Fiona moved to the stairs with a brief burst of adrenaline and excitement. “Drink your coffee and grab your things. I’ll be back in two moments.”
Wide eyed but smiling, Gaili did as instructed, popping the cup to her mouth.
Fiona raced back upstairs, taking the steps two by two. Getting to show an unread turner the beauty of Mistral was the first thing in a long while she was actually looking forward to.
After loading herself and Gaili down with fur lined cloaks, they walked a short distance to the edge of the turner district. Pagemarks to Mistral were abundant in Spine. It was by far the easiest page to turn to and the safest. Not that there weren’t dangers. An errant lightning storm or a territorial air elemental could spell disaster for a skimmer without a guide. But, using an official pagemark would get you there with little trouble. She rented an ornithopter for Gaili, who tried refusing but was quickly shut down with a plea from Fiona. “Larrakane’s love, let me do something for you!” Gaili acquiesced and put the newer model on. It was a bit snug on Gaili’s tall frame, but Fiona was glad it fit.
Since Fiona’s ornithopter was from her native page, she couldn’t use it as a bookmark for Mistral. Instead she reached into her scarf and felt for a padded pocket with thick stiches on the side. The fabric was soft and cool, and inside she grabbed a pressed feather she had gotten her first time in Mistral from a vendor selling tokens and trinkets.
She focused on the elemental chapter of the Book, directing her consciousness from Spine to that first chapter. Then she focused on the page itself. Fiona felt in the center of her being the flip of pages until she hit the thrum of the right one. Satisfied, she tuned to the specific pagemark that lined up with their place in Spine. The air shimmered around them and the world folded away to reveal wide-open sky. Grasping Gaili’s hand tight and with Soots wrapped in the crook of her arm, Fiona stepped from Spine to Mistral.
The air grew cold as the page turned and the light grew brighter. Their feet sank into fluffy pure-white clouds. Bright blue bounteous skies surrounded them.
“Mistral is mostly air and clouds but with some bits of rock imported from Cobbles,” Fiona explained as she adjusted her ornithopter, settling it tighter on her shoulders. “There’s no night here, just day. No sun, just sky. Traveling in the page isn’t natural, but if you’re not a blotter and you’ve got enough paper to rent an ornithopter or passage on a ship, it’s as easy as anywhere else.”
“It’s absolutely beautiful,” breathed Gaili, head turning to and fro as she looked off into the distance.
Soots agreed with a small prance in their new suit. Fiona reached out to grab them. “Don’t take off without me holding you. I’m still worried about the winds blowing you away, protected or not.”
“Format has it the winds could be deadly if caught in one,” said Gaili with furrowed brows.
“That’s quite right. You have to know where you’re going and pick a pagemark closest to it. And when you do get here, take it easy. Slow and steady keeps you safe.”
Gaili nodded. “Where are we off to first?”
“There.” She pointed to a dot in the distance. “Airmire. There’s a ship I want to stop at for a quick chat.” She pulled out a heavy egg-shaped pocket clock from her doublet and checked it. “It usually takes about thirty minutes or so. In a place like this, it’s best to travel using time you can check. There’s not a lot of…landmarks, as it were. It’s easy to get lost.”
“I vaguely remember that from training,” Gaili said quietly, “but to be honest, I was more interested in learning how to get back home than anywhere else at the time.”
“Hmm,” Fiona said, not commenting. She had been delighted to be in training. To soak up the knowledge and information. Instead of the required year or so that unread turners had to take part in to transition from living in their page to living on Spine, Fiona had stayed at the academy for three years. She learned as much as she could away from home and only traveled back when expected. And she learned how much had been withheld from her too.
Shaking her head to beat away the ugly thoughts, she thrust the clock back into its pocket and tucked the scarf into her cloak. “Anything that falls will keep falling forever until it hits the dark edge or some floating land. Keep anything you like close on you.”
Gaili clasped her pack straps tighter. After a hesitant nod, she pulled the rip cord on her ornithopter. The alchemical components that helped power it combined, burst into a smokeless friction, and she had flight. Fiona kept hold of Soots tightly.
They flew then, through the blue sky, ornithopter wings flapping to keep them aloft. A constant breeze buffeted against them. Fiona dived lower trying to shake the current and settle into a calm area where she could speed ahead. She had always liked to fly. In Restless Rise, her native page, she had loved to travel to the central peak from their home on one of the floating islands that revolved around it. Her father would take her on trips when he had to trade or sell things there. He always told her she was a natural in the sky and dived and twisted almost as well as any Mistral native.
Gaili’s eyes started off glued to Fiona but eventually, with a little courage, she began to maneuver and test things out. Moving up was easy. Moving down, not too difficult, and of course forward was the way the ornithopter was built to go. Moving backward was a no go.
“I think I could tinker with this and add a little more power to it!” Gaili shouted over the wind.
“I was wondering when your mind would turn to tinkering. You’re so clever,” Fiona shouted back.
Gaili blushed, a crimson shade of pink on her golden face. Fiona was happy to see her new friend enjoy flying almost as much as she did.
Soon the speck in the distance became various winged ships bobbing in the sky. Masts stood with colorful sails flapping in the wind like carnival dancers clapping and twirling. Big iron anchors thrust into rocky pieces of floating earth. The ships were slotted next to each other in a row, various distances from the floating earth to give each other some space. They surrounded a voluminous cloudy city. Tall towers of pure white were set against the backdrop of creamy wisps and various creatures flying in and out of the city.
Fiona flew to the closest earth isle, pulled her rip cord to stop the blades, and landed gently on the rock. She tucked the wings in, pushing them down with a click, and covered them under her cloak. Gaili followed suit. Soots, happy to be free a bit, whizzed above their heads, metallic suit softly clinking.
“One of these ships belongs to a Captain Henrietta,” Fiona said, walking swiftly to the next rocky isle. “A Big Betty.”
“There’s so many of them,” breathed Gaili.
“Yes,” Fiona said, squinting at ship names, “but I think I can spot which one would be a friend of Mac’s.”
She pointed to a hulking ship of polished mismatched wood. Though it gleamed, you could tell work had been done to it over the years, patching it up from various other ships. The sails were slightly tattered but strung up high. It wasn’t new like some of the others or as lean as the ships back home. On the side of it was etched Big Betty.
They made their way to the rocky isle the ship was anchored in. A few of the crew—a mix of humans, bird creatures of the same stature, and a smilodon—looked over the railing.
Fiona waved in greeting, saying. “Hello there! Looking for a Captain Henrietta? Is this her ship, or have I blundered?”
“And who would be asking?” came a gravelly voice hidden from sight.
Fiona frowned. “My name’s Fiona. Fiona Thorne. Mac sent me. She said you may be able to help me. She also asked about her blasted cocoa.”
A red head and bright peach face popped up over the side of the railing. A large, mischievous grin beamed out. The voice didn’t match the look at all. “Oh, that blighter of a woman.” She raised a bushy eyebrow. “Don’t tell her I said that though. Well, nice to meet you, Fiona Thorne. Come on up!”
Fiona snorted in incredulity but walked up the footbridge along with Gaili and Soots. The boards creaked beneath their feet, and a hint of polish and soap smells swirled about them in the cold wind.
Fiona took the captain’s waiting hand, shaking it in greeting, her rough calluses warm. Though human like herself, Captain Henrietta was much brighter in skin and style. Pear-green baggy trousers that cut off after the knees, butter-yellow shirt, and a bright rosy cone-shaped hat to top it off. It was a bit shocking to her senses. While she’d grown up with tales of sky pirates of old, before all the floating island nations had been combined into one, she didn’t think they were real.
Captain Henrietta must’ve seen the look often, for she said, “Ah, you like my flair?” She cupped her mouth, whispering as if it was a highly valued secret just for them. “It helps entice the skimmers, makes me stand out from all the other humans that come traipsing through here giving tours.” She glanced at Gaili. “And who would this lovely be?” She bowed down to her. “I am enchanted to meet you.”
Gaili, cheeks crimson again, nodded and said her name quietly.
“Beautiful name for a beautiful lass. Come, let us discuss in the captain’s office, shall we? You can partake of some of Mac’s blasted cocoa.” She bellowed a laugh and led them down a step into a wooden office that fit them all well enough amid a massive desk and a couple of deep-seated chairs. The walls held various maps of Mistral pinpointing pagemarks and blockades. There were also paintings of Henrietta with her crew and landscapes of scenic spots within Restless Rise and Mistral. Seemed as if she spent most of her time between the two. Captain Henrietta settled herself behind the desk and began to brew a pot of milk.
Fiona took Soots out from the cranny of her arm and said, “Soots, are you okay? You’ve been awfully quiet.”
:Hungry,: said Soots sadly. They were curled in a ball. Fiona could barely feel any warmth from them.
“Does that slim metal talk?” Captain Henrietta said, brushing her strawberry hair out of her face and peering at Fiona’s hands.
“They’re a flame sprite friend. Gaili made this suit for them as some protection when we cross pages. It’s their first trip to Mistral.” Fiona frowned. “I assume.”
Captain Henrietta clapped her hands. “My dear, that is an ingenious contraption. Never seen anything like it.”
“Well, I made the materials myself using an old human technique combined with a Court approach. Melting the metal and then combining it with iococom powder makes them strong. Setting the metal mixture into tiny links that interlock makes it flexible. Stitching the links together creating a pocket helps displace the heat Soots outputs and feeds it back to them so they never really lose it in environments not made for them. It could work the same for other things, but...” She trailed off as the two looked at her with wide eyes.
“I think that is the most I’ve ever heard you say,” Fiona said. She pressed her lips together at her rude comment. “Sorry.”
“No, no, it’s okay. I could go on and on about this sort of work. I try not to.”
“You know, we could use something like that on the ship. Not being from here, sometimes it gets awfully cold during a good sail. Perhaps we can commission something or other from you.”
Gaili’s eyes lit up. “I’d like that very much.”
:Hungry,: said Soots, interrupting the conversation.
“Yes, apologies, Soots. I’ve gotten distracted.” Fiona turned to Captain Henrietta. “Do you mind if Soots borrows your little stove there?”
“Oh no, help yourself. Help yourself.”
They watched as Fiona placed a stack of wood chips on the stove and Soots flew to it. A small fire leapt up from Soots, engulfing the bits.
Captain Henrietta jumped out of her chair and backed up. “Oh, quite right. Yes, well now, that’s a bit of a blaze. Let’s be careful. Ship’s still wooden.”
She gingerly moved the pot of cocoa off the stove next to Soots and poured it out in three mugs. Pulling out a flask, she topped one of them off and then rattled it toward the ladies.
Fiona smiled but shook her head. “On business. But thank you all the same.” She sat down in one of the chairs.
“Oh yes, quite right. Quite right.” She looked at the flask for a moment and then poured a little more into her mug before putting it away. “You said you had questions for me?”
Fiona pulled the stationery she had scribbled on with Mac out of her scarf. “Yes, do you know what sort of cypher this is? I had Mac translate some of the words, but nothing lines up.”
Captain Henrietta pulled out a pair of spectacles, shook them out, and placed them on the bridge of her nose. She picked up the paper, peering at it closely while sipping her drink. “This here is cant.”
“Cant?” Fiona asked.
“Yes, thieves cant. A few ruffians and rippers use it back on Rise. But it’s been through a bit of an improvement. Let me see here.” She got out a pencil and licked the tip of it, then translated onto the document.
Blaze - Firetail | One | LM
Depths - Handfish | Five | DI
Mistral - Harmina | Ten | QE
Cobbles - Rockworm | Three | DI
“And so on,” she said.
Fiona stared at it trying to work out what Henrietta obviously could tell. “I suppose it’s relating what was taken and from where.”
“It’s a bit of work, but I see how it’s maybe been done. The language written should indicate what page, but that would be too easy. Most cant has a value on where it’s placed. So see this word written in Aer. Well, in Aer that would be fire. So you know to read the rest of it as it pertains to Blaze. Not to Mistral. And then it’s lined up by page.”
“So you mean the way the order of the pages line up in the elemental chapter of the Book is the way this ledger has them grouped. Blaze, Depths, Mistral, and Cobbles,” said Gaili, chin in hand listening.
“Yes, that about sums it. Easy enough if you know what you’re reading but not so easy that anyone can just pick it up.”
Fiona pursed her lips. She tried to choose her words carefully but wanted to understand just where Henrietta sat. “And this cant is new to you? You picked it up fairly easy.”
Captain Henrietta sat back and sipped her mug. “Smugglers deal with all sorts of ways of talking. If I couldn’t pick things up, I couldn’t be in business.” Fiona’s eyebrow raised. Henrietta laughed, at ease. “That Mac. Direct about some things but not about what others might think is important to know. I only deal with mild things. Cocoa, for instance. And coffee. Things that are taxed too high by the Queen and the damn Guild.”
“And how do you know we aren’t with the Guild?” Fiona said. It felt like the third time this week someone was saying it was clear she wasn’t a jacket. It didn’t feel like a compliment though.
“Well, for one thing, Mac sent you. And another, you’re too nice! Jacket would’ve asked to see my storage hold by now. No, you ain’t no Guild, lass. But you’ve got the eye of ’em.”
Fiona nodded. “You’re pretty astute. I’ll give you that.”
“Well, what’s more, I can tell you something about those letters at the end.”
“And that would be?”
“Those are Gilded initials.”
“What?” said Gaili.
All mirth flew from Fiona and she sat up straight. “How can you be sure?”
“Easy as blueberry pie. Got a request to bring back harmonas from the Flurris colony a few months ago. You know those tiny birds always flitting around? Turned it down for sure. Don’t deal in that kind of work. Ain’t right. But the request came from a jacket who said they were acting on behalf of their boss. A Gilded leader, they said. Of course I didn’t want to be trussed up for my regular work, so I didn’t say anything. Who was I gonna say it to?” Henrietta put her mug down on the desk and brushed hair out of her face. “I’ve felt keenly bad about it ever since. If this is something you’re into, I want to help. Least I can do. I can say no, but some others can’t afford to.”
Fiona let out a deep breath. Gilded leaders were not people she wanted to trifle with. She met a few when she worked for the Guild as a tour guide. They had been nice enough, but she was a trivial worker in the cog of the Travel Guild then. They had no reason to care about what she did, and she them. But there were only six of them in total, and besides their leader, the Binder, they had the most power in the Book.
