Emilie and the Sky World

by Martha Wells

  Then the rope jerked and they were suddenly reeled upward. The ladder still hung down, but Brendan and the other Deverrins had made it to the gallery. As Emilie and the others drew near the railing, lots of hands reached for them and pulled them up. Emilie was dragged onto the metal deck and had to force herself to let go of Miss Deverrin and the harness strap. The professor shouted for everyone to get inside, and they all stumbled through the door.

  The cabin was crowded with confused people. Miss Marlende tore the harness off and started for the steering cabin. Professor Abindon slammed the outer door, locked it, and called, “Everyone’s aboard; get us out of here!”

  The airship powered away and Emilie grabbed the nearest person’s arm to steady herself as the deck angled underfoot. Then she realized the person she had grabbed was Efrain. He looked scared. He said, “I thought you were going to fall!”

  Emilie had thought so, too. Her knees still thought so and were trembling uncontrollably. She asked, “Where’s Hyacinth? And Lord Engal? And Daniel?”

  “Up here.” Efrain led her toward the front of the cabin, shouldering his way through confused members of the Deverrin party.

  Efrain went through the door into the steering cabin. Dr Marlende and Miss Marlende sat at the front, working quickly over the control boards. Lord Engal had been placed in one of the chairs toward the back of the room, and Mikel leaned over him, pressing a folded bandage to the wound above his hip. Daniel sat near the door, leaning back against the wall, and Hyacinth sat on the floor like a pile of discarded foliage. Emilie went to Hyacinth first and knelt beside it. She didn’t know where the translator had ended up. “Is it still bleeding?”

  “I don’t know,” Daniel crawled forward. He looked awful himself. “I’m not sure it’s still conscious. It’s just been sitting where we put it.”

  “We need to stop the bleeding.” A medical kit lay open on the floor and she pulled out more bandages.

  As she looked at Hyacinth more carefully, she saw the blossoms were wilting in two distinct spots on opposite sides. The bullet must have passed right through its body. She tried to press the bandages against the wilted spots, but they were immediately soaked with the clear, violet-tinged ichor.

  Professor Abindon strode in, dropped her satchel on the deck, looked from Engal to Hyacinth, then said to Emilie, “Try clamps. I’ll be with you in a moment,” and went on to Lord Engal.

  Lord Engal gasped, “No, help Hyacinth. This is an opportunity for a concord between our species–”

  “Be quiet,” the professor said, and took Mikel’s place at the chair. She told him, “You get back to the engine cabin; they may need you.” Mikel hurried out.

  Clamps, Emilie thought, digging through the medical kit as Efrain held it steady for her. The airship shook as it pushed upward away from the disintegrating ridge. Miss Marlende had the wheel now, fighting it to keep the airship on its course. Dr Marlende leaned over the aether-navigator, carefully adjusting it. Emilie asked, “What do clamps look like?”

  Daniel crawled over to the medical kit, and fished out two metal clips. Emilie took the clamps and handed Efrain the professor’s bag. “Look for the translator. Ask it if this is what we should do.” She was all too aware that Hyacinth wasn’t human and that they could hurt it while trying to help it.

  As Emilie fumbled to use the clamp to hold Hyacinth’s wound closed, the sky outside the ports turned dark purple-gray and the airship jerked violently. Miss Marlende cursed. Dr Marlende said, “Just keep us as steady as you can, my dear.” The professor swayed but stayed on her feet, her hand pressed to Lord Engal’s side. She was murmuring something that Emilie hoped was a healing spell.

  Efrain got the translator out of the professor’s bag. “Hello?” he said into it. “Hello, can you hear me?” He shook his head. “There’s no answer, Emilie.”

  Daniel said, “The mechanism could be broken, or it might need some other power source to work.”

  Emilie grimaced, realizing he must be right. The translator must have other parts it needed to function, aboard the lifeboat and the aether-sailer. With those both gone, it was useless. She steeled her resolve, leaned in, and fixed the clamp around the first wound. Efrain watched and winced. Hyacinth didn’t react except to move a few blossoms weakly.

  Emilie hoped that was a good sign. She moved around to fix the second clamp into place, and the deck shuddered violently. Bracing herself, she shifted around and managed to clamp the second wound.

  Then Miss Marlende yelled, “Hold on!” Emilie grabbed Hyacinth and Efrain held her arm. The professor dropped into a crouch and gripped the arm of Lord Engal’s chair, and Daniel braced himself against the wall. The airship jerked suddenly, the deck lifted under Emilie’s feet, and she, Efrain, and Hyacinth all slid into the back wall of the cabin.

  The ports went dark, then suddenly filled with the deep blue light of the aether. The airship went still. Miss Marlende turned, pushing her hair out of her eyes. “Are you all right?”

  “I think so,” Emilie said, disentangling herself from Efrain and Hyacinth. She could tell Hyacinth was still alive, though it didn’t seem inclined to move much.

  Daniel tried to get up, then subsided back to the floor. “We’re in the current?”

  “We’re back to our first position, where the aether-sailer was trapped,” Dr Marlende said.

  Miss Deverrin, looking very disheveled, stepped into the doorway from the rear cabin. “We’re not all dead, so I assume things are going well.” Her voice sounded brittle, as if it was taking all of her self-control to appear normal.

  “The disruption is already shrinking and will soon be gone from the current,” Dr Marlende told her. He sounded a little brittle himself. He asked the Professor, “How is Engal?”

  She was leaning over him again, though he seemed to be unconscious for now. “He’ll do. If we can get back home within a reasonable time.”

  “That is theoretically possible.” Dr Marlende looked toward Hyacinth, frowning. “That isn’t going to help our castaway, though.”

  Miss Marlende asked, “How is Hyacinth, Emilie?”

  “I don’t know,” Emilie said. It sat in a heap of blossoms, unmoving. She felt a lump of misery take up residence in her throat. Hyacinth had no way to get home, even if it didn’t die from its wounds. And they had no way to communicate with it anymore. She picked up the translator from where it had landed against the wall. “We can’t even talk to it. This isn’t working; it must have needed…” She trailed off, because the translator was forming words. It was saying, Hello, hello. Strange ship, can you hear us?

  Daniel and Efrain leaned over her shoulder to see what she was staring at. Daniel said, “Uh, I think we need to look outside.”

  The others turned toward the nearest port, and Emilie shoved to her feet, clutching the translator.

  Some distance away, floating in the aether, was a lifeboat just like the one that they had crashed. Of course, Emilie thought. Hyacinth was supposed to follow them if it couldn’t free the aether-sailer. When it didn’t, they sent someone back.

  Miss Marlende smiled. “Answer them, Emilie.”

  Emilie leaned over the translator, cleared her throat, and said, “Yes, we can hear you.”

  Drawing close enough to the lifeboat to transfer Hyacinth to it was easier than they all expected. The lifeboat was far more maneuverable in the aether than the airship. Emilie watched from the port as it moved in close, guided by Miss Marlende on the translator. Then it turned so that its stern hatchway was just over the airship’s gallery and inside their protection spell.

  Dr Marlende ordered everyone else to stay back so the flower people wouldn’t think it was a trap, and it was only Emilie and Miss Marlende who waited on the gallery with Hyacinth. She had been talking to Hyacinth the whole time, though so far it hadn’t been able to reply. Its blossoms had begun to look better now, and it was able to move by itself when they urged it out onto the gallery.

  The door to the ship slid ope
n and two flower people peered out. They were both different colors, one with more yellow blossoms and the other a deep dark green with flowers that looked like grass spikes. Emilie had thought they would all look alike, which she realized immediately had been quite stupid. It wasn’t as if humans looked alike, either.

  Hyacinth turned to her and the translator started to move in her hands. It said, I told them to go, but these two are members of my family, and they took their lifeboat to the nearest stable current and waited.

  Emilie nodded. “That’s what families should be like.”

  Hyacinth curled a blossom-arm around her wrist. And you and I are true companions, even if we do not see each other again.

  Emilie swallowed back the urge to cry, part sadness, part relief that Hyacinth must be getting better if it could talk. She said, “We are true companions. And thank you for helping us. We would all be dead without you.”

  It shivered its blossoms at her, in a way she read as amusement. I suspect you would have thought of something. But we were most clever together.

  Emilie and Miss Marlende picked Hyacinth up as gently as possible and handed him up through the door to the others. Emilie took the translator from where it sat on the gallery and tried to hand it up to them.

  The green one pushed it back to her. The translator said, Keep this. Then if we find each other again in our explorations, we will be able to speak.

  “Thank you,” Miss Marlende told it. “I hope one day we do meet again.”

  The flower people disappeared inside and the door swung shut. Emilie and Miss Marlende hurried back into the cabin, and the lifeboat moved smoothly away from the protective spell.

  Moments later, both ships entered the aether current again for their long journeys home.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  It was late evening when they came out of the aether current again, and night by the time they managed to anchor the airship at the Marlendes’ airyard in Meneport.

  They were greeted by a few sleepy journalists who had apparently been camping in the street outside, Dr Marlende’s students and workmen who had been manning the yard, and some of the members of the Philosophical Society who Mikel said had probably been watching for them with aether-scopes.

  Emilie stood with Efrain, Professor Abindon, and Miss Marlende by the anchoring ropes for the airship, watching all the activity. Miss Marlende had asked a student to send a telegram to Lady Engal to tell her about Lord Engal’s injury, and someone else to find a physician to attend him at his townhome, while Cobbier went to arrange transport for everyone. A telegram was also sent off to the Deverrins’ country home, to notify Dr Deverrin’s wife of the rescue, and one to a friend of Anton Deverrin, to see if he was still in town. “Hopefully, he can take charge of his relatives and sort out accommodation and help for the other members of the party until they can be sent home,” Miss Marlende said. The Deverrin party was sitting in one of the workrooms, mostly to keep them from wandering off or being taken away by one of the journalists.

  Miss Marlende continued. “Our house isn’t large enough for this many people, unless we just have them camp out on blankets in the parlor and the dining room.” She glanced down at Emilie. “There’s room for you, Efrain, and Daniel, of course.” She eyed Professor Abindon, “And you as well, Mother.”

  Professor Abindon just said, “Ah, good. I wasn’t looking forward to trying to obtain a hotel room at this hour,” and went off to check on Lord Engal.

  Miss Marlende added, “And I’d better get a physician for Daniel and Seth as well. I’ll have one meet us at our home. They both seem better, but it won’t hurt to take precautions.”

  As she left, Emilie worriedly surveyed the airyard. Watching her, Efrain said, “You’re still afraid of Uncle Yeric, aren’t you?”

  Emilie eyed him; though they were standing in the dark outside the ring of lamps, the airship’s balloon was blocking out the moonlight, and it was difficult to see his expression. “I don’t want to be carried away like a sack of laundry, no.”

  For a moment, it was like they were right back where they had been when Efrain had first stepped into the airyard days ago, as if nothing had happened or changed between them. Emilie’s heart sank, but she should have realized this was inevitable. Then Efrain kicked at the ground and said, “I understand why. If I was you, I wouldn’t want to leave the Marlendes, either. They really like you.”

  Emilie felt a twist of hope. Maybe he really did understand. Impulsively, she said, “Why don’t you stay, too?”

  Efrain thought about it for a long moment. “I don’t think they’d want me around like they do you. They still think I’m a kid. And I don’t hate home the way you do. Besides,” he added, “I don’t want to leave Emery.”

  The way Erin left all of us, Emilie thought, and the way I left you.

  Emilie was digesting this when Miss Marlende returned. Efrain said, “Miss, could I get cab fare to the hotel where my uncle is staying? I think he’ll be very worried about me.”

  Miss Marlende frowned. “Ah. Yes, I’d almost forgotten about that. I think perhaps my father had better take you there himself. I hope your uncle doesn’t think we kidnapped you.”

  “No, I’ll tell him I snuck aboard and it was all my fault,” Efrain assured her. The fact that he didn’t seem the least bit afraid of Uncle Yeric appeared to reassure Miss Marlende, and she took Efrain to go find Dr Marlende. Emilie followed more slowly.

  More carriages and people were arriving, including a man Miss Marlende said was Dr Amalus, advisor to the Ministry and the Ruling Council. Then suddenly a man dashed through the gates into the yard. Emilie recognized a hatless and hastily dressed Anton Deverrin. She said, “Miss Marlende, look!” and waved at him.

  He saw them and started forward, and Miss Marlende pointed toward the work shed where the Deverrins had taken shelter. He bolted toward it and had almost reached the door when Miss Deverrin stepped out, Brendan behind her. They fell into each other’s arms.

  Emilie’s eyes filled with tears, but at least it was for a good reason this time. Dr Marlende came over to Miss Marlende and stood watching. Miss Marlende put her arm around him and said, “There was nothing to be done. He was long dead before we arrived.”

  He said, “I know.”

  Emilie sniffed and wiped her eyes. It was a sober reminder that there was one person that they had failed to rescue.

  Emilie woke the next morning, lying comfortably in a soft bed and under blankets that had been recently aired. It was a very agreeable sensation. She remembered she was on a day bed in one of the Marlende’s guest rooms. Professor Abindon had the bigger bed, and the other guest room was being shared by Daniel and Seth, who were staying overnight to make certain their injuries were tended. Mikel and Cobbier had gone to their own homes in town.

  The previous night, while everyone was still running around sending telegrams and arranging coaches, Emilie had talked a little with Daniel. He had said, “I hope I didn’t… do or saying anything while that thing was… I mean I hope that–”

  “You didn’t,” Emilie assured him. “Except, you know, you hit Seth.”

  Daniel seemed relieved. “Oh, good. Not about Seth, I mean. I already apologized to him.”

  “Do you remember anything that happened?”

  “No, it was all a blank, like I was asleep.” He grimaced, obviously thinking about what it would have been like to be aware through the whole terrible experience. “I suppose that’s a good thing.”

  “It would have been very frightening to have been watching and not able to stop.” His pained expression worried her, and she said again, “But really, all you did was take over the aether-sailer. It was Miss Marlende and I who attacked you.”

  Daniel smiled a little. “Well, that’s nothing unusual.”

  Now Emilie sat up, peering blearily around. Morning light was falling through the gaps in the curtains, and the professor was up getting dressed. She said, “Go back to sleep, if you like. I’m just an early
riser.”

  “Oh,” Emilie said, and thumped back down onto the pillow. Then the professor opened the door to the hall and the scent of sausages and hot bread wafted in, and Emilie flung the covers off.

  She hurriedly washed in the bathroom next door and dressed, and found her way downstairs to the dining room and the attached parlor, where a number of people, including the Marlendes, the professor, Daniel, Seth, several students, and important members of the Philosophical Society were all eating breakfast, talking loudly, or listening to other people talk loudly. Emilie helped the housekeeper carry in another full platter from the kitchen, then managed to put together a plate of sausage, fried bread, and warm jam, and acquire a mug of tea. She found a chair in a corner and sat down to eat.

  The Marlendes’ house was not large, but it was airy and comfortable, stuffed with books and framed maps and papers and philosophical equipment. There were no formal rooms; every place looked inviting, as if people often read or studied in every available spot.

  “Emilie,” Miss Marlende said, “No, don’t stop eating. We’re going to need everyone to write up an account of their version of what happened to them during the expedition. I’ll need one from you, and Efrain if possible, then I’ll need your help collecting it all together for our report to the Society.”

  Emilie nodded, still chewing. Maybe taking a typewriting course at some point soon wasn’t a bad idea.

  A maid came to the doorway and signaled urgently to Miss Marlende. Miss Marlende followed her away, and Emilie finished eating, snagged one of the cream tarts some thoughtful person had brought in a bakery box, and then helped the housekeeper and some of the students clear away abandoned plates and cups. Daniel got up to help her. “You should be careful of your arm,” she told him.

  Daniel balanced several cups on a plate. “Compared to what else I did to it, I doubt this will matter.”