Spear of Destiny by James Baldwin (little bear else holmelund minarik .TXT) 📕

“Right. I’ve still got some food for her, but, uhh, according to this wiki entry, she only needs food once every three days or so because her metabolism gets slower when she’s nesting.” Suri shakily wiped a hand over her face. “Maybe Karalti can catch us something? And we can put it in here with her while we go take care of business?”

“I think she’d be happy to,” I replied. “Just… don’t look at what she brings home too closely, all right? She’s got some weird ideas about baby showers.”

***

The jungle air was like a wet slap to the face. Meewhome was a land of intense, vibrant color, sound, and scent. The humid tropical air was rich with the deep perfume of brilliantly colored exotic flowers. Frogs croaked, bugs buzzed, birds trilled and hooted in the towering trees overhead. We’d carved a trail of destruction from the edge of the meadow to the Strelitzia’s final resting spot. The airship had held together surprisingly well, with only a few major losses. The broken engine had lost its casing, exposing the cracked smoky crystal and carbonized metal. The other engine was steaming, but intact. There was no Mana Poisoning warning, so I figured the Emeraldine-Crystalline-hybrid whoziwhatsits that made it work weren’t busted, either. The bridge was the most damaged part. The glass shell was now an iron scaffold studded with jagged pieces of broken crystal.

We huddled around Rin as Gar moved from person to person, speaking quietly with each member of his crew. I watched him grip Ambrose’s shoulders, leaving only when the Mercurion clapped the back of his hand, then moved onto his shaking engineer. He hugged her until she was okay, and then he slumped over to us, chewing a nail as he hung just beyond the edge of our circle.

“Rin. You okay?” He asked, gruffly. “You were hollering pretty hard in there.”

“I-I…” Rin had her face in her hands. She was crouched down, leaning against Karalti’s side. “Not r-r-really.”

Gar warred with himself for a moment, then went to one knee in front of her. “Hey now, you’ll be alright. Wanna hear a joke?”

Rin peered through her fingers at him.

“How many tickles does it take to make an octopus laugh?” he asked.

The Mercurion shook her head.

Gar’s mouth spread in a roguish grin. “Ten-tickles!”

Rin closed her fingers, but she started to giggle against her palms.

“What do you call a fish with no eyes?”

My eyes narrowed as I thought. “A hagfish?”

“Nah,” Gar replied. “It’s just a fsh.”

Rin’s shoulders shook for a moment before she finally looked up. Her voice was little more than a hoarse whisper. “Th-th-ose are t-terrible.”

“They should be. I got ‘em off one of those flyers with the little paper strips on the bottom.” Still beaming, Gar mimed ripping one off. “They were tearable jokes.”

Suri rolled her head back with a groan. “Hector’s already bad enough. Now there’s two of them.”

Rin laughed, and shakily got to her feet, leaning on Karalti’s shoulder. “Well… I grew up with a single dad, and I like those kinds of jokes. They helped me. Thanks.”

Gar’s expression flickered, eyes darkening. “Don’t suppose you remember if your real name was Regina?”

Rin blinked a couple of times. “No? It was Lily, actually. But everyone always called me Rin.”

“Uhhn.” Gar grunted. He got to his feet and turned away from us, fumbling in his coat for his cigarettes. “Right, well… I’m glad that everyone’s in one piece, but unfortunately for you, we ain’t going anywhere unless you feel like walking to Ru Waat. I reckon that’s a couple hundred miles nor-east of here, give or take.”

“I can take us,” Karalti said. “But your crew might have to camp in the ship while we’re gone.”

Gar jumped as Karalti’s telepathic voice broke through his thoughts. “Hell! What was that?”

Karalti waved. “It’s me. Talking to you.”

Gar scowled at her. “I didn’t say you could get in my damn head!”

“I’m not in your head. I’m broadcasting from MY head, and you’re listening.” Karalti eyes hooded, and she pursed her lips to one side.

The look Gar gave her was skeptical at best. “Right. Sure. And how are you gonna take us to the city? Cuz’ despite what your fella here told me in Taltos, I haven’t seen any horns or dragon wings out of you.”

“I’m polymorphed for twelve hours a day, and I went out and flew behind the ship during the night.” Karalti backed up several dozen feet, then unequipped her clothes and gear. Gar turned beetroot red, then ghostly white as Karalti’s body morphed and stretched back into her native form. I crossed my arms as she paced forward, looming over the smaller trees. She craned her head down beside mine, fixing Gar with a piercing violet glare.

“Oh.” Gar took a step back, not looking away from Karalti. “Oh. Well. If that don’t beat all.”

“You really thought we were taking the piss?” Suri planted her hands on her hips, looking over the wreckage. “Of course she’s a fucking dragon. And you’re about to be the uncle to nearly a dozen hookwings. Cutthroat’s gotta stay where she is.”

“In my bed? You’ve got to be joking.” Gar tore his gaze from Karalti, snapping back at Suri like a dog.

Suri bared her teeth in reply. “You want to fix your ship? Tuck your pussy lips away and help us get this over with. Rin here is an Artificer, and the capital of the Meewfolk’ll have the parts we need to patch the Strelitzia back together.”

“I’m an Artificer.” Gar turned to me, pointing at my chest. “You didn’t pay me enough to deal with this shit.”

Ambrose reached out and grasped his Captain’s shoulder. “Ease up, Captain. We knew what we were getting into.”

Gar scowled and shrugged the Mercurion’s hand off,