“So, dear, what’s this news you mentioned?” she asked.
I felt bad to break it to Mamo. But really, I had no other choice. “Sukina and I have decided to visit her home in the Southlands,” I said.
Papo almost spat out his food. “You’re going where? But King Cini… What about your contract, Pontopa?”
“I’ll only be gone a week or so, Papo. Sukina knows people that I want to meet, and I think this could be good for the business.” Of course, I mentioned nothing about Faso’s allegations that Sukina might be working for terrorists. But then, in all honesty, I found this hard to believe.
Mamo reached out and I saw her squeeze Papo’s hand. “Where exactly are you going, dear?” she asked.
“The place is called Fortress Gerhaun,” Sukina said. “And I want to introduce Pontopa to my mentor, Gerhaun Forsi.” She glanced my way. I gave her an approving nod. Wisely, she hadn’t mentioned anything about Gerhaun being a dragon queen.
“But, Miss Sako,” Mamo said. “I thought you lived in Orkc.” Orkc was a country far to the northeast of Tow, part of the Sovereign States – independently ruled, even though King Cini claimed jurisdiction over them.
“She did,” I said. “But now she lives in the Southlands. They have a whole colony of anthropologists down there, and they know things about dragons. Maybe I’ll be able to learn more about Velos.” I avoided mentioning anything about the Greys and dragon queens – that would have just tipped them over the edge.
“But how on earth can anyone live down there?” Papo asked. “Those clouds make the place virtually inhabitable. I’ve read it in the magazines.”
“Trust me,” Sukina said with a sly smile. “There are ways.”
Mamo had been silent so far, but she was communicating with Papo with her eyes, the way that couples often do. She had her fork poised in the air with a bit of egg attached to it. Papo looked at me again, this time as if he wanted to tell me that he didn’t approve of this decision. But I just huffed and turned away.
“Gerhaun Forsi,” Mamo said after a moment’s respite. “I think I’ve heard of her. She wrote that book, didn’t she? Was it Dragons and Ecology?”
“Have you read it?” I asked.
“No. But I know a lot of people who have. It had a kind of cult following at the time.”
“I thought it was banned?”
“That’s never stopped university students passing it around the dormitory.”
“Say,” Papo said. “Is that Mr Gordoni coming down the path?” He pointed his knife at a familiar figure approaching in a suit, wheeling some kind of tank on a trolley.
“Wellies, what’s he doing here?” I left my breakfast alone to apprehend Faso outside.
Faso waved once he saw me at the door, but I didn’t return the gesture. Sukina came out to join me, then Mamo and Papo. Mamo glared at Faso with an expression of disgust.
“He better have answers for why he lied to you, Cipao.”
“I’m sure it was all in good intentions, dear.” And that caused me to give Papo another hard stare.
“We’ll see about that,” Mamo said.
As Faso came closer, sunlight glimmered off the top of a brass tank that he was wheeling. Closer still, and I recognised Ratter sitting there, guarding whatever Faso had decided to bring.
“What the hell are you up to, Faso?” I shouted.
“Well good morning to you as well, Miss Wells. How are you today?” He smiled toothily at Papo who smiled back. But Papo’s expression fell as he turned to Mamo, who was shaking her head.
“You caused quite a stir here the other day, young man,” Mamo said. “Now if you don’t mind, please answer my daughter’s question. She has every reason not to trust you.”
Faso squirmed. “I just… Listen, Velos has awoken, and it’s time to fuel his armour.”
“And how did you find that out so quickly?” I asked.
Faso pointed at the armour. “See that nook, just where Velos’ heart is? There’s a sensor under there that measures his vital signs. It told me that your dragon’s heartbeat had quickened. I knew that either he’d awoken, or he was having nightmares, so I sent an automaton scout earlier this morning to check on him.”
“I thought I bloody told you to keep automatons well away from Velos,” I said. “And you never told me that the armour had sensors on it. You said it didn’t use automatons.”
“I told you it didn’t have a central intelligence. But a sensor can’t make decisions. It can only send me information and hence, like the armour, it’s not an automaton.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re here because it’s high time you remove the whole thing.”
“I can’t.” Faso scratched the side of his neck. “Once it’s on there’s a certain adjustment period while the scales heal around the boreholes. If we remove it, your dragon will feel weak for days. But, trust me, things are going to be better this way.”
“I’ve trusted you far enough.” I started to lurch towards him. I didn’t want to hit him this time, only push a finger to his chest to assert authority. But Ratter turned its red crystalline eyes upon me, and I backed off. “You’ve done it again, you swine…”
Faso looked where I was glaring. “Ah, sorry,” he said. “I have to get that glitch sorted out.” He tapped Ratter and three times on the back, sending him scurrying back up Faso’s sleeve.
“Faso,” Sukina said. “You can’t exactly force your will upon everyone like this. You were wrong to install the armour without permission and Pontopa has every right to be angry.”
Faso put his hands on his hips. “Well, well, I’m genuinely offended,” he said. “I came to talk this through with you before we make any more rash moves. You know, like rational people do.”
I frowned. “So, have your say.”
Faso turned to Sukina. “I’ve been considering your offer to go south, Sukina, and I think I’ll accept it. I’ve put a lot of money into this dragon armour. Now, I want to see it in action.”
I raised an eyebrow. I had a feeling that there was a lot more in this than Faso just wanting to see how the armour works. Granted, as a scientist, he probably wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity to see something new as a scientist. But then, perhaps he still had feelings for Sukina that he wasn’t letting on about. I glanced over at Papo who had a wide grin on his face. Mamo nudged him in the ribs and whispered something in his ear. Then she walked up to Faso.
“Mr Gordoni,” she said. “You lied to my husband here and caused problems in the family. Why should we trust you with anything right now?”
“Why, what lie did I tell exactly, Mrs Wells?”
“You told my father that I’d given you permission to install the armour,” I said.
“I didn’t. I told him that we’d discussed the prospect and that you hadn’t been opposed to the idea of installing a non-automaton entity on Velos.”
“That’s twisting my words!”
“Please, Pontopa, let’s just think about this rationally.”
Sukina was tapping her foot. “We’re waiting.”
“Mr and Mrs Wells, I’ve spoken to a few people in town and they’ve told me you’re not too happy about your daughter’s runs south with the dragon. Honestly, from what I’ve learnt about Pontopa, I’d say that you’re not going to be able to stop her. But you can make sure she has the best protection money can buy. That’s what I’ve created with this armour.”
“Oh, please!” I said.
Mamo placed her hand on my shoulder. “Let’s hear him out, dear.” She had her hand on her chin and she looked as if she’d just seen a new carpet cleaning machine at the market. She’d gone from hating the salesman to thinking what a good buy his product could be.
“Thank you, Mrs Wells,” Faso said. “The armour is powered by secicao via these soft pouches on both flanks. We can use any blend of secicao oil in it to augment Velos in any way we like, making him faster to escape automatons, for example. He’ll never go hungry mid-flight.
/> “The armour has two sensors on each side that can warn via an audible alarm of nearby danger. Each of these sensors can be attached to one Gatling cannon, allowing protection from any threat. Harnesses can also be attached on the back to ensure extra safety in flight. In short, I can assure the armour and any automatons I bring south with me will protect your daughter and Velos from the Southlands. We’ll be clear of any danger before it even has time to notice us.”
He finished his pitch and embraced the silence that ensued. Eventually, Papo stepped forwards and started to examine the armour that he’d helped install. “I wish you’d told me all this before Mr Gordoni because I must say, I’m quite impressed.”
“Of course, you are,” I said sarcastically.
“Don’t talk to me like that in public,” Papo snapped back. “You know full well that your safety is my paramount concern.”
“Exactly,” Faso said. “And thank you, Mr Wells. But remember, this was a team effort.”
He looked at Papo who tugged on his collar. “Yes, well…”
Mamo watched Papo with a resigned look on her face. She turned to me and spoke more softly in my ear.
“Look, Pontopa. You have to understand that this is incredibly hard for both me and your father. But sometimes we have to let go. Still, I’ve got to ask one more time, do you really have to do this?”
“I do,” I said. “It’s important.” As much for me to have a holiday from my father as anything else.
The two men finished their inspection and came back to join us. “It’s sold,” Papo said. “Faso, we’ll take the armour and your protection.” There he was, playing matchmaker again with the man I wouldn’t marry for the end of the world.
“Papo, the decision isn’t up to you,” I said.
“While you live under my roof, it is!”
I sighed. I’d just about had enough of Papo’s bullish ways. But I decided not to chastise him for it this time. Better they were happy with my decision than we had another row. “Fine, but don’t think for a moment I forgive you for what you did, Papo.”
“Great,” Faso said. “Then let’s get on with the fuelling.” He walked up to the tank and looked up to Velos. “I assure you, Mr Dragon, this won’t hurt a bit.”
It had better not, I thought. Because if Faso caused any noticeable pain to Velos then as soon as we were high enough, I’d throw him out of the sky.
Sukina and I decided to stay one more day. I wanted to spend a little time with Mamo, but I avoided talking to Papo like the plague. This also gave Sukina plenty of time to explore The Five Hamlets, which she told me was one of the most beautiful places she’d seen.
For the first half of the day Sukina, my parents, and I sat and finished our breakfast outside, while Faso installed the tank. Mamo offered Faso a plate. He refused at first, but I guess he couldn’t resist the smell, and he was soon tucking in and munching away. After that, Faso took some time to make what he called the finishing touches. I watched while he inserted a pipe into a spigot on Velos’ underside and pumped into the armour what Faso described as his finest secicao yet. Papo helped the young inventor, seemingly interested in what he was doing. They were getting on ingratiatingly well.
Meanwhile, Mamo, Sukina, and I sat drinking tea around the outside trestle table. When Mamo asked how long I’d be away for, Sukina told her that it shouldn’t be longer than a week. I decided to reveal nothing to Mamo of Faso’s assertations that Sukina was terrorist or of her association with the Greys, for that matter.
After Faso had finished fuelling Velos’ armour, he produced some harnesses from a hatch at the back of the tank and hooked them onto the brass seats that flipped up out of the top of the armour. A ladder led up to the central one of these.
Eventually, Faso and Papo stood back to examine their work, adulation plastered across both their faces. Velos had his head lifted high, peering into the distance as if posing for a photograph. “You’re meant to be on my side,” I wanted to tell him. But I didn’t say anything out loud. Even Sukina had started to support the idea of Velos wearing the armour.
“If it protects Velos, it can’t be a bad thing, right?” she said. But it was a matter of principle really – maybe I wouldn’t have minded so much if Papo and Faso had talked this out with me first.
Faso eventually left, saying he wanted to finish some things off at his workshop before he travelled. Sukina also asked for some time alone so she could do some research for her novels. Honestly, although I wanted to spend more time with Sukina, it felt good to have a day of peace before we’d have to carry that bumbling fool Faso south. I just hoped I wouldn’t have to put up with him long after that.
7
It took a good couple of hours for the fog to clear the next day before it seemed safe to leave. After another breakfast of bacon and eggs – Mamo had decided to spoil me with my favourite meal before I left – I spent some time packing my clothes into a small bag. Faso had created some storage space underneath each seat on Velos’ armour. Although I still wasn’t happy about the armour, part of me appreciated the extra room for more changes of clothes.
Sukina had changed out of her green floral dress into black denim trousers and a white blouse. With her being so small, her clothes took up very little space, but even then, she seemed to be travelling with so little.
Airships patrolled the entire Southern Barrier, an archipelago arranged in a horseshoe that separated the Northern Continent from the Southlands. Every island had a guarded station, making it virtually impossible to slip by unnoticed. But Velos and I had passed through many times there before and after a while, both I and the customs guards agreed that there was no need to land every time and show my papers.
“We’re best to take the Fraw route,” I said. “They know me there.” Fraw was the largest of The Barrier Islands, the most fortified since most ships and airships passed through it. That meant there was less bureaucracy. Everyone took it for granted that a criminal would try to take a less guarded route.
Usually, I’d speed through fast, giving that usual flirty smile to that good-looking guard stationed there. Admittedly, I’d never carried a passenger on the back of Velos, before, or had him pass through wearing armour for that matter. But this flying-by ritual had become so common that I’m sure the guard wouldn’t bat an eyelid. Then, perhaps on my return journey, I could stop off there finally for a cup of secicao and get to know this man a little better.
Faso soon came down the path, wheeling another tank on a trolley, and with Ratter perched on his shoulder. “All ready?”
Sukina looked at the tank. “More secicao?”
“This is another blend, my dear. I won’t put in much, but it should give Velos a little extra strength if he ever needs to defend himself.”
I don’t know why I trusted him, really, but I let him open the valve on one of the side balloons and pump the contents of the tank into it. Mamo and Papo came outside, Mamo carrying a plate of blueberries and Papo with my hip flask. They’d bought this for me on my eighteenth birthday: gold plated, rust free, embossed like a tortoise shell, and perfect for tipping secicao oil down my throat on those rare times that I needed it.
“Don’t forget this,” Papo said.
I snatched it off Papo. “That’s the last thing I’ll forget,” I said. I sloshed it up and down a few times to check it was full and then slung it over my shoulder without giving my father another glance.
The flask contained the very own secicao oil that Velos and I supplied to the king’s military. A sip of that would give me the acuity to slow time around me and make me much quicker on my feet, plus allow me to heat my body up or cool it down to withstand extreme temperatures. Not enough to stop my skin from burning, however, just to alleviate discomfort. Sukina and Faso had their hip flasks too, but what blends they’d used and what kind of properties they had was anyone’s guess.
“Look,” Papo said and rubbed the back of his neck. “Your mother and I have been talking, and I wanted to say�
� well… I’m sorry about the other day. We only want what’s best for you, and I wanted the armour to protect you. But it turned out for the best, right?”
This was a typical Papo apology, saying that he shouldn’t have done something and then saying that he did the right thing anyway. I’d still rather be flying Velos without the armour; I would surely miss the feeling of his scales under my bare legs as the wind whipped against them. But if it got my parents off my back, it was best to stick with the armour for now.
“Just let me do my thing,” I said. “I need some time away, Papo.”
Papo shifted awkwardly on his feet. “Fine,” he said then turned to Faso. “You look after my daughter for me, will you? And bring her back alive…”
Faso smiled. “I have no intention of doing anything else.”
Mamo then took her turn to step forwards. “Pontopa,” she said. “Good luck out there and I hope you have an adventure. I was your age once and I know what it’s like to be young and carefree.”
“I know, Mamo,” I said, and we hugged for a while.
“Okay,” Faso said. “Bottoms up and time to climb aboard.” He patted Velos’ rump, and the dragon stood up on his haunches and craned his neck to the sky. Faso had spent the last moments installing two Gatling turrets on the armour. They made Velos look rather mean, like a weapon of war...
I climbed on first and took my place at Velos’ steering fin. Sukina came next and seated herself behind me, followed by Faso who took the rear. I didn’t think I’d need to use the harness, but then the seat seemed a bit slippery and I knew that, by the way Velos rolled about, it would be easy to slide off.
I ran the two harness straps over my shoulders and buckled them at my waist. I pulled the waistband tight. Then, I pulled back on Velos’ steering fin. The dragon kicked back on his hind legs, took a huge run, spread his wings and launched us into the sky, Faso screaming, “Bombs away!”
Dragonseers and Airships Page 6
