Read Online Sky Pirates by Liesel Schwarz - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Liesel Schwarz
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He scratched his beard and sucked air through his teeth as he regarded the wound. “That bullet’s gone straight into the gut,” he said after a few moments. “There ain’t a doctor alive that can cure a shot like that. She’ll be a goner in a few hours, for sure. But I’ve orders to take you alive so you’d best wait here quietly until the Captain calls for you.”
“If you’ve orders to take us alive, then you should get us to your sick bay. If she goes, I do too,” Elle said.
The pirate ignored her. Instead, he strode over to the cockpit. “My, but it’s hot in here. Must be from the shooting. He shrugged off the black canvas coat he was wearing and flung himself into the pilot seat. Then he put his great hobnail boots up onto the flight console and stretched out. “Ah, that’s a nice chair. I think I might take it for myself.” Then he grabbed the communications tube and barked a few orders into it.
“Pity you ripped the balloon on this one. She’s a pretty little freighter. But I reckon she’d fetch a nice price, ripped canvas or not.” His face broke open in a dirty grin. “A bit like her little pilot. What d’ya say?” He guffawed at his joke.
Elle just glared at him with cold anger. There was much she wanted to say to this vile man, but she had to stay calm for Gertrude’s sake.
She watched with naked hatred as the pirates carried the crates up through the hatch and into the hull of the
Inanna
.
Elle’s back ached from sitting in such an awkward position and her hands were numb, but she held on to Dr. Bell, willing her own life force into her and hoping for a miracle. From time to time, she felt the strange trickle of energy slip between them. It was, after all, the function of an Oracle to channel the energies of the worlds, but she had no knowledge of the healing skills of the Shadow Realm. Gertrude was growing quieter and paler by the minute, and Elle could see that what she was doing was not enough. There was so little aether up here that there was not much more she could do.
The pirate with the yellow teeth eventually strode up to them. “That one still alive?” he inquired.
“Please. You must help her,” Elle murmured. “Look, I’m a good pilot. I can navigate. Let me work in return for her treatment.”
The pirate laughed heartily at her offer, but he didstand back and survey them for a moment. Elle could almost see the cogs and gears turning inside his meaty head. “That’s a mighty fine offer, but who says we don’t already have a good navvy on board?”
“I’ll do anything … anything you want if you just get her to a doctor,” Elle said.
The pirate scratched the back of his greasy neck. “Well, as I said before, I have strict orders to bring you aboard alive.”
“And what if we resist?”
“Well, then I have orders to shoot you. Not kill you, mind. Just maim you a little. Seems our Captain wants a word with you.” He shrugged. “You should count yourself lucky that we only have orders to put the two of you into a life-raft balloon and set adrift out there if you refuse.” He wiped his huge hand on his none-too-clean shirt, leaving a brownish streak of what may have been blood or engine grease across it. “Millions of square miles of nothing but sand and sun,” he said sniffing.
“If I come without protest, will you ask your doctor to help my friend?”
The pirate shrugged. “Can’t promise anything, but if we bring her on board, Doc said he’d look.”
Elle closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Very well then, I accept,” she said. She could play at being a willing prisoner if it meant there was a chance of getting Dr. Bell some help. They could find a way to escape later.
The pirate grinned through his thick beard and the skin around his eyes crinkled with pleasure. “Well then, Osbert Heller’s the name. First mate and bosun of the
Inanna
.
“Eleanor Chance,” Elle said.
“Well, welcome aboard the
Inanna
, Eleanor Chance,”
“If you’ve orders to take us alive, then you should get us to your sick bay. If she goes, I do too,” Elle said.
The pirate ignored her. Instead, he strode over to the cockpit. “My, but it’s hot in here. Must be from the shooting. He shrugged off the black canvas coat he was wearing and flung himself into the pilot seat. Then he put his great hobnail boots up onto the flight console and stretched out. “Ah, that’s a nice chair. I think I might take it for myself.” Then he grabbed the communications tube and barked a few orders into it.
“Pity you ripped the balloon on this one. She’s a pretty little freighter. But I reckon she’d fetch a nice price, ripped canvas or not.” His face broke open in a dirty grin. “A bit like her little pilot. What d’ya say?” He guffawed at his joke.
Elle just glared at him with cold anger. There was much she wanted to say to this vile man, but she had to stay calm for Gertrude’s sake.
She watched with naked hatred as the pirates carried the crates up through the hatch and into the hull of the
Inanna
.
Elle’s back ached from sitting in such an awkward position and her hands were numb, but she held on to Dr. Bell, willing her own life force into her and hoping for a miracle. From time to time, she felt the strange trickle of energy slip between them. It was, after all, the function of an Oracle to channel the energies of the worlds, but she had no knowledge of the healing skills of the Shadow Realm. Gertrude was growing quieter and paler by the minute, and Elle could see that what she was doing was not enough. There was so little aether up here that there was not much more she could do.
The pirate with the yellow teeth eventually strode up to them. “That one still alive?” he inquired.
“Please. You must help her,” Elle murmured. “Look, I’m a good pilot. I can navigate. Let me work in return for her treatment.”
The pirate laughed heartily at her offer, but he didstand back and survey them for a moment. Elle could almost see the cogs and gears turning inside his meaty head. “That’s a mighty fine offer, but who says we don’t already have a good navvy on board?”
“I’ll do anything … anything you want if you just get her to a doctor,” Elle said.
The pirate scratched the back of his greasy neck. “Well, as I said before, I have strict orders to bring you aboard alive.”
“And what if we resist?”
“Well, then I have orders to shoot you. Not kill you, mind. Just maim you a little. Seems our Captain wants a word with you.” He shrugged. “You should count yourself lucky that we only have orders to put the two of you into a life-raft balloon and set adrift out there if you refuse.” He wiped his huge hand on his none-too-clean shirt, leaving a brownish streak of what may have been blood or engine grease across it. “Millions of square miles of nothing but sand and sun,” he said sniffing.
“If I come without protest, will you ask your doctor to help my friend?”
The pirate shrugged. “Can’t promise anything, but if we bring her on board, Doc said he’d look.”
Elle closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Very well then, I accept,” she said. She could play at being a willing prisoner if it meant there was a chance of getting Dr. Bell some help. They could find a way to escape later.
The pirate grinned through his thick beard and the skin around his eyes crinkled with pleasure. “Well then, Osbert Heller’s the name. First mate and bosun of the
Inanna
.
“Eleanor Chance,” Elle said.
“Well, welcome aboard the
Inanna
, Eleanor Chance,”
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