Read Online Clockwork Twist : Dreamer by Emily Thompson - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Emily Thompson
Ads: Link
not visibly affected by the cold.
“You're honestly not cold?” Niko asked her, warming his long fingers by the fire.
“No skin,” she said with a shrug.
“But you can feel things,” Niko said.
“Sure,” Myra said. “I just don't mind the cold. It doesn't hurt my clockwork or the metal, or anything, so it doesn't hurt me.”
“Lucky,” Jonas muttered, sitting down on the deck, very close to the fire.
“Who wants cocoa?” one of the crew members asked, holding a tray full of mugs.
Everyone but Myra took one instantly, nestling in around the fire. Myra brought out a box of her cookies and passed them around, making sure that Twist got the lion's share. In no time at all, the faces in the fire's glow began to smile and laugh as they chatted together. One of the crew, a man with gently graying black hair and a bushy salt-and-pepper mustache, joined in with the conversation after a while as if checking to see that his guests were happy. With the cocoa warming everyone from the inside, and the fire burning brightly, some of the scarves were being loosened and the gloves taken off.
After a few miles, the skies around them began to darken. At first, Twist thought it was the approaching evening. He checked the time on his watch and saw that it was still early. Even in winter, there should still be at least another hour or two of true daylight. He looked more closely at the sky and saw that it was only the clouds above them that had darkened. The wind also began to pick up, cutting more violently at the little airship.
“Jonas, what's that look like to you?” he asked, nudging his friend.
Jonas had been wearing his goggles as they all sat around the fire, and pulled them off to look up at the sky. His expression darkened instantly to match it. He hurried to his feet and went to the railing, staring into the sky.
“Captain!” Jonas yelled over his shoulder, his voice sharp. “We have to turn south. Now.”
“It's just a little rain storm,” said the man with the bushy mustache. “We'll steer cle—“
“It's not rain,” Jonas said, walking back to Twist. When he caught Twist's eyes, his own were a colorless gray like the sky above. “Take Myra and get below decks.” Twist nodded, obeying instantly. He felt the serious, almost frightened edge in the buzz at his neck, and needed no other explanation. He got to his feet quickly and took Myra by the hand. “Tasha, Niko,” Jonas said, still looking at the sky, “you too. This is going to get rough if we don't miss it.”
“Calm down,” the captain said with a smile. “I'm telling you, it's nothing—“
“It's not nothing,” Jonas said, his voice strong enough to make the other man pause.
“Can we help?” Tasha asked Jonas.
“No, just get below,” Jonas said. “And turn off anything electrical,” he added to Niko.
Niko's luminous blue eyes widened and he pulled the sleeve up his left arm—turning tiny switches in the cage of copper that clung to his skin—as he began to hurry to the hatch. The two-man crew watched as everyone but Jonas climbed quickly into the shallow cargo hold under the deck, and both looked at the gray clouds again.
“We have to drop, too,” Jonas said to them as Twist followed Myra into the dark, tight space under the deck.
There were a few crates and barrels stuffed into the curving space that would be the bilge on a seafaring ship, and there was just enough room to sit upright comfortably along the low center seam of the hull. Niko was the last to enter and called up to Jonas, asking if he was coming inside. Jonas told him to shut the hatch and leave him on deck, so Niko complied. Darkness swallowed them all until their eyes adjusted. Piercing shafts of daylight fell through small glass disks set regularly along the deck every ten feet, illuminating the space just enough to let them see each other.
Twist knelt down in the center of the cargo hold, a full arm's
“You're honestly not cold?” Niko asked her, warming his long fingers by the fire.
“No skin,” she said with a shrug.
“But you can feel things,” Niko said.
“Sure,” Myra said. “I just don't mind the cold. It doesn't hurt my clockwork or the metal, or anything, so it doesn't hurt me.”
“Lucky,” Jonas muttered, sitting down on the deck, very close to the fire.
“Who wants cocoa?” one of the crew members asked, holding a tray full of mugs.
Everyone but Myra took one instantly, nestling in around the fire. Myra brought out a box of her cookies and passed them around, making sure that Twist got the lion's share. In no time at all, the faces in the fire's glow began to smile and laugh as they chatted together. One of the crew, a man with gently graying black hair and a bushy salt-and-pepper mustache, joined in with the conversation after a while as if checking to see that his guests were happy. With the cocoa warming everyone from the inside, and the fire burning brightly, some of the scarves were being loosened and the gloves taken off.
After a few miles, the skies around them began to darken. At first, Twist thought it was the approaching evening. He checked the time on his watch and saw that it was still early. Even in winter, there should still be at least another hour or two of true daylight. He looked more closely at the sky and saw that it was only the clouds above them that had darkened. The wind also began to pick up, cutting more violently at the little airship.
“Jonas, what's that look like to you?” he asked, nudging his friend.
Jonas had been wearing his goggles as they all sat around the fire, and pulled them off to look up at the sky. His expression darkened instantly to match it. He hurried to his feet and went to the railing, staring into the sky.
“Captain!” Jonas yelled over his shoulder, his voice sharp. “We have to turn south. Now.”
“It's just a little rain storm,” said the man with the bushy mustache. “We'll steer cle—“
“It's not rain,” Jonas said, walking back to Twist. When he caught Twist's eyes, his own were a colorless gray like the sky above. “Take Myra and get below decks.” Twist nodded, obeying instantly. He felt the serious, almost frightened edge in the buzz at his neck, and needed no other explanation. He got to his feet quickly and took Myra by the hand. “Tasha, Niko,” Jonas said, still looking at the sky, “you too. This is going to get rough if we don't miss it.”
“Calm down,” the captain said with a smile. “I'm telling you, it's nothing—“
“It's not nothing,” Jonas said, his voice strong enough to make the other man pause.
“Can we help?” Tasha asked Jonas.
“No, just get below,” Jonas said. “And turn off anything electrical,” he added to Niko.
Niko's luminous blue eyes widened and he pulled the sleeve up his left arm—turning tiny switches in the cage of copper that clung to his skin—as he began to hurry to the hatch. The two-man crew watched as everyone but Jonas climbed quickly into the shallow cargo hold under the deck, and both looked at the gray clouds again.
“We have to drop, too,” Jonas said to them as Twist followed Myra into the dark, tight space under the deck.
There were a few crates and barrels stuffed into the curving space that would be the bilge on a seafaring ship, and there was just enough room to sit upright comfortably along the low center seam of the hull. Niko was the last to enter and called up to Jonas, asking if he was coming inside. Jonas told him to shut the hatch and leave him on deck, so Niko complied. Darkness swallowed them all until their eyes adjusted. Piercing shafts of daylight fell through small glass disks set regularly along the deck every ten feet, illuminating the space just enough to let them see each other.
Twist knelt down in the center of the cargo hold, a full arm's
Similar Books
