Sky Pirates (33 page)

“Ha!” Elle let out a little bark of surprise.

“Ha indeed,” Vivienne said. “Elle, what you fail to appreciate is the fact that we are more powerful than
anybody knows. As the Oracle, you hold all of that within your hands. The entire realm of Shadow is yours to command. All you have to do is learn how to heal yourself from the ravages of aether channeling. If you can do that, you will be invincible.”

Elle nodded slowly. Old Jack had called her his queen once. The reason why he did that made sense now.

She looked at her mother. “But if I don’t learn how to heal myself, using this power will cost me my life.”

Vivienne nodded. “Everything has its cost, my dear. Every single thing. But in return, you gain immortality filled with such bliss that it is hardly a price to pay at all.”

Elle shook her head. “I am sorry, Mother, but I would disagree with you on that.”

Vivienne sighed. “This is why I was counseled against telling you all this. From your point of view, it is hard to understand. We had no way of knowing what would happen once we told you. This is why it is so very important that you remember this about your power and how you might use it. The Shadow Master is searching for these truths. He is vain and ambitious and very, very dangerous.”

“He is also a former docking clerk, so I would not worry too much about it if I were you. I can deal with him.”

Vivienne looked distraught. “No, you are mistaken. He seeks the Oracle because he wishes to use her connection to the aether in order to crack open all of our defenses. If he succeeds, he will gain access to all we have and all we know. Once he has this, he will control everything.” Her eyes grew large with fear. “We must not allow this to happen, for that would be far too much power for one individual to hold.” She grabbed Elle’s hand.

Elle flinched. Vivienne’s hands were like ice. “It will be
the end of us all. The end of every living thing if he succeeds,” she said.

Suddenly the light in the braziers flared up and then flickered. For a moment, Elle could have sworn that she could see Vivienne’s skeleton. She pulled her hand out of her mother’s bony grasp and stepped back. The young and beautiful Vivienne flickered back into view. She smiled at Elle serenely.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t accept what you are telling me about my future. This place isn’t all that either.” Elle looked at her mother. “And so, if it’s all the same to you, I think I might politely decline your offer, Mother.”

Vivienne put her fingers to her forehead in a gesture of measured frustration. “Please, Elle, you must heed my warning.”

Elle sighed. “Look, I will do what I can to stop Patrice. I know I can manage him, so please don’t be so worried. You may take my word as your daughter on that. But as for the rest, I think I will choose a different destiny for myself, if you don’t mind.”

Vivienne snorted. “What? And you think that silly stone
apsara
is going to help you?”

“I don’t care about dominating everything in the universe. All I want to know is how to bring my husband back. Nothing more.”

“Oh, Elle, the
apsara
is not going to be able to tell you how to do that!” Vivienne said.

“She will tell me what it is that I most ardently wish to know. And the knowledge of how to bring Hugh back is just that, so she won’t have much choice in the matter.”

Vivienne let out a little noise that sounded almost like a whine. “The
apsara
will not be able to help you. Forget about her. You have to believe me when I tell you this.”

“No!” Elle said. She heard her voice echo down the hallway. “I refuse to believe that. Not after everything.”

Vivienne glanced over her shoulder into the darkness.
A low rumble started emanating from the gloom behind them.

Vivienne blanched. “Someone is coming. You have to go now.” She grabbed Elle by the arm and led her to the chair. “Please, sit here.”

Elle did as she was told. The bone chair felt smooth and cool under her.

She watched as Vivienne closed her eyes. Her mother’s lips started moving in a fast chant.

Elle felt a strange rush of energy and suddenly reality started spinning and whooshing as she was transported through the portal Vivienne had created.

… 
remember, I am here waiting for you always, my darling daughter. I love you more than words can say …
 Vivienne’s voice echoed in Elle’s mind for a moment before she was catapulted back into the realm of Light.

Elle felt the soupy heat of the jungle enfold her once again. The buzz of insects and the calls of the myriad creatures that prowled the jungle at night filled her ears.

She opened her eyes and lay very still, willing the disorientation to dissipate. She lay there for a long time, just breathing slowly and waiting for the dizziness to settle.

Far off in the distance, Elle heard a wolf howl. It was a deep, unearthly sound which sounded profoundly lonely. She tutted and rolled onto her side. Wolves in the jungle. Honestly, she really was busy losing her marbles.

From the observation deck, Patrice watched the ocean of dawn-tinged clouds turn orange. Dawn would break soon, but so far sleep had eluded him. He stared down at his hands. The little half-moons of his neatly manicured nails were a pale blue color, the skin of his fingers pale and clammy. He balled his fists to stop his hands from shaking. Strange things had started happening to him since the night he had reinstated the barrier. Stranger than usual, and he was a man who was rather prone to strange happenings.

“Everything all right, sir?” one of the flight stewards asked politely. “Would you like me to bring you a coffee?”

“Yes, thank you,” Patrice said with a stiff smile. He had chartered the small passenger ship by buying all the available tickets himself. This meant that he was the only passenger on board a fully crewed dirigible.

It was rather extravagant, but he needed to make sure the ship was attractive bait, and there was nothing more attractive than a defenseless passenger ship. And who knew, the crew might make excellent bargaining tools later.

The steward appeared with his coffee, which turned out to be surprisingly good for airship fare.

Patrice sipped the dark brew appreciatively. They had crossed the Caspian Sea overnight and somewhere out there in the distance before them lay a mysterious
mountain range shrouded in clouds. It was here that he would find them. The fabled Aeternae. The storm riders of the Hindu Kush.

He had been most surprised to learn of the air raid that had swallowed up so many pirate ships. The sensational news that the Aeternae had broken cover and were appearing over the skies of Siam had even reached the papers in London. There was much speculation as to whether the Empire was at risk, but Patrice knew that this could only be the doing of one person. And that person was Eleanor Chance.

Once the ingredients were all there, hatching his nefarious plan really wasn’t that difficult at all. All it took was a little research and a few carefully placed inquiries.

He pulled out a small leather box from his pocket. Inside was a perfectly polished oval stone attached to a strip of leather. On it, numerous fine characters were carved out in Sanskrit. Carefully he lifted the stone and held it up in the light. It was a summoning stone, cunningly liberated from the vaults of the British Museum. He had orchestrated the theft by means of a series of carefully placed bribes. He pulled his arm back and struck the stone against one of the metal struts that arched up and around the windglass. The impact set off a soft subsonic hum, inaudible to ordinary human ears. Patrice repeated this two more times before carefully placing the stone back into its box.

It was done. He had sent out the call. All he had to do now was wait for the storm riders to answer.

He smiled despite himself. Yes, he knew where the Oracle was. And this time he was going to make sure she would not slip away.

Patrice did not have to wait long for the storm riders to arrive. In fact, he had just sat down to an early lunch
when he noticed the crew whispering and walking off as fast as they could without causing alarm. In a way he almost felt sorry for them, he thought as he calmly finished his asparagus and quail egg salad. A steward cleared the table, his face pinched with worry. “I’m sorry, sir, but we are going to have to interrupt your luncheon.”

“Why on earth would you need to do that?” Patrice said, dabbing a corner of his mouth with his napkin. He knew the answer, but he was taking pleasure in taunting the man.

“I don’t wish to alarm you, but the captain has asked that we escort you to one of the escape balloons. There might be a little trouble with some pirates and we want to ensure that our passenger is safe.”

“No,” said Patrice.

“But, sir, we need to get you to safety.”

Patrice shook his head. “Tell the captain that I am going nowhere. In fact, you can tell him to slow down so my guests can catch up with us. Tell him to open one of the cargo doors, so they may board easily.”

“Sir, but these are vicious raiders. They will kill us all if we do that.”

Patrice gave him a reassuring smile. “Oh, I don’t think that is strictly correct. You see, I have an appointment with these gentlemen. So I think it might be more correct to say that they might kill some of you once they are on board. I, on the other hand, will be perfectly safe.”

The steward blanched.

“Now go and tell the captain what my instructions are.”

The steward wavered.

“Now!” Patrice barked.

He looked around the dining room of the dirigible with its silver tableware and starched linen. Yes, this would be a good place to await his new allies.

The dreadnought arrived accompanied by darkening skies. Lightning crackled in the clouds around them, and the passenger ship shuddered as it was boarded amid buffeting winds. Patrice put the summoning stone on the table before him and waited long moments as the Aeternae strode on to the ship. There were four of them. Three were tall and muscular, their skin tunics decorated in a macabre pattern of little bones. Patrice could see the little bones of bird skulls woven into the intricate patterns. The fourth man was small and dressed in a simple gray robe. The electromancer. The one who made the storms for the Aeternae to ride.

“We have been summoned. Who wishes to speak with us?” their leader grunted. Patrice noticed that his teeth had been filed into sharp points.

“Gentlemen, please sit.” Patrice gestured for them to join him at the table. “Would you care for something to eat or drink?”

The leader of the Aeternae spat on the carpet. “We are not here to feast. Say what is needed.”

“Very well,” he said, holding up a conciliatory hand. “My name is Patrice Chevalier and I come with a proposal.”

The Aeternae leader struck his chest with his fist. “Ga-Rok,” he said.

“Well, I am pleased to meet you, Ga-Rok. How would you like to have access to as many ships as your heart desires?”

Ga-Rok frowned. The skin around the sharp, bony protrusions in his head wrinkled. “We are storm riders. We chase and capture all the ships we wish already. Why should we need more?”

Patrice shook his head. “No, no. What I meant is how would you like to join me? You bring your dreadnoughts
and I will provide food and clothes for your wives and children. No one will ever go hungry.”

This answer did not seem to have the desired effect, as Ga-Rok roared with indignation. “How dare you pass insult like that? The wives and children of storm riders are not starving or poor. We are good hunters.” The other Aeternae were looking at one another and shaking their heads.

Patrice rubbed his forehead in consternation. This meeting was not going the way he had hoped.

“That is not what I meant. I meant that I will give you access to all the gold and riches you desire if you fight for me.”

“Who will we be fighting?” Ga-Rok said.

“A war is coming,” Patrice said. “Many will die, and I want to make sure that those who are with me are safe and protected. This is why I need you.”

“This war is none of our concern. We will leave now.” Ga-Rok started to turn away.

“Not so fast,” Patrice said.

The Aeternae turned back to him with a look of ill-disguised amusement.

“I am the Shadow Master. I control the barrier between Shadow and Light. I also control him.” Patrice pointed at the electromancer who was, at that moment, staring at him with wide eyes. “Just like I control all electromancers.” Patrice made a sweeping move with his hand and the little man dropped to his knees.

The Aeternae gasped in horror and drew their wide-curved blades.

“You stop now!” Ga-Rok shouted.

“Come, that is no way to speak to an ally,” Patrice said. “You see, you need me. Without me there will be no lightning and storms.” Patrice paused and gestured for the Aeternae to put away their blades.

The electromancer in his grasp groaned in pain, and this seemed to galvanize the storm riders into action.

“What do you want, Shadow man?” Ga-Rok said.

“Ah, that’s better. Now please sit down, so we can speak properly,” Patrice said.