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69 - Good To Be Back

* * *

Suni

Back to Lekarsos then, with the smoking ruins of the Bospurian camp behind us and Kamil’s report safely tucked in my pack. There was still so much to unpack from everything that had happened, so much to process, and Kamil’s betrayal most of all. But for now, what I really needed was rest. My bed at the college had never looked so appealing, but we were still some ways from home. A couple of days, at least, but we were making good progress. Amazing how that tended to be the case when one flew in a skyship instead of trekking through the most dangerous wilderness known to man.

We were above the Evergrass and continuing on a nice and steady course toward the coast. From up here, leaning on the forward rail and looking down, the Evergrass was a beautiful thing. A tapestry of greens and yellows, punctuated throughout with a thousand, thousand sloughs of shining water. Altogether, it looked a hundred-mile mosaic, lovingly laid out across the land from horizon to horizon. At least, that was how it looked from above. I could remember all too well what it was like to traverse the place on foot.

I felt my eyelids drooping down, heavy with sleep and, for the first time in what felt forever, I didn’t fight them. I didn’t need to stay awake now. Didn’t need to stay alert. Nothing was going to eat us up here. Probably.

I rested my head on the rail and dozed off.

* * *

I awoke to shouting.

“What?” I jumped up, spun around to see what was wrong. But everything on deck was calm. Theo was lounging in the shade of the tarp, a hat tipped low over her eyes, Maritza was at the helm—doing a much better job than Senesio had—and the man himself was poking around at the bite marks the komodo had left in the aft.

So, then who was shouting?

I turned back to the rail. Maybe I’d been hearing things? Or maybe it’d just been a dream. Ancestors knew I’d enough nightmare fuel to keep me awake for all the nights to come. I shook the thought from my mind and gazed down to the land passing silently below.

We were still over the Evergrass. Oh, and there was Clearwater Outpost. From the air it looked so small. Nothing like the place where we’d nearly all been devoured by terror birds.

Wait.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I looked closer. Someone was in the outpost. Was on the stakewall, yelling and waving. That’s who I’d heard. But... who was it?

As I looked closer, though, there was no question.

“No way... ” I said, then let a dumbstruck grin stretch across my face.

Maritza had the ship landed in no time and a few moments after that the unexpected guest had joined us.

“Almost didn’t call out,” she grunted, climbing on board then standing up straight. “But then I thought I saw you, Suni, passed out with your head on the rail like you hadn’t a care in the world.” She shook her head. “Shouldn’t be so careless. All it’d take is one stray teratornis to swoop by and pluck you off the deck. We’d never see you again.”

I couldn’t do anything but laugh at the admonishment.

“It’s good to see you, Elpida,” I said, then went in for a hug. The grouchy old woman flinched, then held still, all stiff and awkward. Finally, she wrapped a single arm around me and patted my back once.

“Good to see you too,” the guidemaster said. I pulled away and gave her a good look over. She wore the same familiar frown and, aside from some burn marks on her clothing and a few new cuts on her arms and neck, she didn’t look much different than normal. I wasn’t sure what that said about her fashion sense, but probably nothing good.

“We had no idea,” Theo said, disbelief clear in her eyes. “The explosion... ” She paused, swallowed hard. “Gabar... didn’t make it. We assumed the same of you.”

“The blast knocked me underwater. Last thing I remember was fighting toward the surface, then wrapping my arms around a piece of canoe and blacking out. I woke up ancestors knew how long later, half drowned and a good way into the Evergrass.” She shook her head. “Gators must’ve had the day off. Normally they jump all over an easy meal,” she said with a morbid chuckle.

“It’s a right blessing fine to see you,” Maritza said, stepping up and clasping her by the forearm.

“It’s good to be back.”

“Elpida Petros, Guidemaster of Lekarsos and the toughest person to ever walk the earth,” Senesio said, beaming from the quarterdeck. “Just when I thought I’d gotten rid of you.” He came down the stairs with a lazy saunter.

“Senesio.” Elpida said the name plainly, but there was a hint of smile on her lips. “How am I not surprised to see you’ve come out of this whole shitshow looking none the worse?”

“Better, even!” He gave a low bow. “Allow me to formally welcome you aboard what will be the finest skyship this side of Cyphos. Of course, we’ll need to rename her.”

Elpida balked. “The emperor’s not going to let you keep this thing.”

Senesio gave one of his knowing smiles. The kind that said he was plotting something. The kind that usually ended in some form of trouble.

“Ignore him,” I said, waving the man away. “He’s struck with delusions of grandeur. Fancies himself a skyship captain now, just because he stole this thing.”

“Captured it from the enemy,” Senesio corrected him, but I wasn’t listening.

“Oh, here, I have something for you,” I said, turning back to Elpida and digging around in a pocket.

A frown stretched across her features until I produced a dented but shining metal canister.

“Your flask,” I said, holding it out. “I was going to keep it to remember you, but seeing as you’re still alive... ”

“Thank the ancestors,” she said, reaching out to take the thing. “I’ve been dying for a drink.” She unscrewed the cap and tilted the flask back.

“Um, also, I may have drunk some of it.”

“You drank all of it,” Elpida said, scowling as she put the cap back in place.

“To be fair I only drank some. Senesio sprayed the rest into the komodo’s face and near made it wet itself in terror.”

Elpida frowned at that. “Hold up, what?”

I laughed. “We’ve a lot to catch you up on.”