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in my soup.”
    Gears left behind a happy Gustav who turned his attention to the newest guests of the Sparrowhawk. His scowl vanished like a passing wind, replaced by a large smile as he filled our bowls. In broken English he said, “Good stew for growing bones.”
    I drained my bowl and moaned in delight as the tender beef fell apart in my mouth. I savored the last of the squishy potatoes, carrots, and other vegetables in the salty broth and looked around the table to see what else I could eat.
    Everyone filed out of the galley and made their way into a large open area on the main deck. The crew who weren’t on duty sat around on crates and in a few hammocks hanging from the hull. One man played guitar, and another struck an empty barrel like a drum.
    Captain Baldarich sat beside me and Genevieve. He ordered Coyote to the bridge as Gears continued past them, looking eager to get back to his engines. The captain leaned back against the wall.
    I looked up at him and asked, “How did you become a Sky Raider?”
    The crew laughed and clapped their hands, as Baldarich leaned in and gave me a long hard look. I started to thinkI’d asked the wrong question until the captain slapped my shoulder, almost knocking me over. “It’s a grand tale. I used to serve in the Kaiser’s army.”
    â€œYou were in the army?”
    â€œI was friends with the Kaiser! He’d arranged a promotion because I was going to marry a noblewoman. But her family found a better offer. You see, I’m Schwabish, from the Black Forest, and they wanted someone from a higher class.”
    â€œCouldn’t the Kaiser help you?”
    The crew laughed again. It seemed to be a very funny story to them. Baldarich smiled and grabbed my shoulder. “It was the Kaiser who stabbed me in the back. A few of her family did the deed, but he sanctioned it. I’ve got three nice scars to remind me of the Kaiser’s generosity. I’d show you, but there’s a lady present.”
    â€œI’m sorry.” I felt horrible for asking. “So how did you get this great ship? Did you win it in a card game?”
    â€œNah, I stole her from the Kaiser.”
    â€œYou stole her?”
    â€œMy last job was overseeing the aero-dirigible’s construction. I call her my Kaiser compensation.” The captain slapped his knee and went to fill his goblet.
    I looked around and saw Hunter leaning against an interior wall. Separate from the others, he watched everyone with a keen eye. I felt his gaze often, but when I would look over, he always turned away.
    Across the vessel, Ignatius chuckled through the captain’s story as if he’d heard it many times before. He sat with a barrel in front of him and his gun-cleaning tools arranged in perfect rows.
    Ignatius pulled the first two Colt Peacemakers from the back of his belt and laid them on the barrel. The next two from the front, two more from holsters under his shoulders, one from each thigh, and even one from each boot, but Ididn’t see where the last two came from. Twelve pistols in all; I had never seen a man carry more.
    Mr. Singh sat on a bench beside Genevieve and asked, “Did you ever travel to India?”
    â€œYes, and I hope to return one day.”
    Mr. Singh smiled. “If India is in your heart then I am certain she will call you back.”
    Genevieve nodded. “My father told me much of the Sikhs. He admires your people—their skill as warriors, as craftsman, and particularly their zeal for life.”
    Mr. Singh said, “Your father is a great man.”
    Watching the two of them brought this weird feeling to the pit of my stomach, so I glanced over and watched the crew instead. Already, they had accepted me more than all my classmates at Eton. I’d made no friends since coming to London, but these men were more inviting than I ever imagined possible.
    The captain started to sing in German. The others joined in, which