The Almost King

by Lucy Saxon

  ‘Oh, yeah. Nearly burned it down when I was ten,’ he remarked. Zhora laughed, and Aleks blinked in astonishment.

  ‘I don’t want to know, do I?’ he asked, wondering what he was getting himself into making those two his crewmates.

  23

  Zhora and Drazan were at Luka’s around the same time as Aleks arrived, both wearing thick leather flight coats. Drazan had a pair of battered black flight goggles hanging around his neck, and he grinned brightly when he saw Aleks approaching. ‘Good morning for flying,’ he said by way of greeting. Aleks let them into Luka’s workshop, shaking his coat a little to get the snow off before entering; Luka would make him mop the floors if he tracked snow in.

  ‘We’ve got company,’ he called. Leading the pair to the end of the row of shelves, he smiled to himself, seeing Luka bent over at his workbench working on the promised gun. It was looking good already, and Aleks didn’t doubt it would fire like a dream when Luka was finished with it. He couldn’t wait. Clearing his throat, Aleks waited for the white-haired man to look up, smiling at the mildly disgruntled expression he wore.

  ‘Yes, what?’

  ‘Long time no see, Luka,’ Drazan announced. Luka whipped his head round, smiling when he spotted the pair of brothers.

  ‘Oh, good, you found them,’ he said to Aleks, jumping to his feet and grabbing his coat from the hook on the wall. ‘Shall we get going, then? You’re wasting time, lads. Get a move on. I assume Aleks has filled you in?’

  ‘He told us about everything he could in a semi-public place,’ Zhora confirmed. ‘Apparently the details are best seen for ourselves.’ Luka grinned, setting off down the street towards the nearest tram station.

  ‘Yes, I don’t doubt that. You’re working on skyships now, aren’t you? Branik mentioned they’d snapped you up at the flight school.’ Zhora nodded.

  ‘Yes, sir. They keep trying to persuade me to teach, but . . . I like to keep myself free for interesting opportunities,’ he replied, winking at Aleks.

  ‘Good, good. You don’t want them roping you in there – they’ll never let you go. Only reason they let me leave was because they thought I’d cracked.’

  ‘I’ll keep that in mind for when I want out,’ Drazan joked, only for Luka to turn around and give him a pointed look.

  ‘Don’t be daft, lad. They won’t fall for the same thing twice. You’ll have to find your own escape route.’ They waited for the tram, and bundled into the carriage with the other commuters.

  ‘Where are we headed, anyway?’ Zhora asked, voice low in Aleks’s ear.

  ‘Just outside the city limits, by the cliffs. It’s a decent taking-off spot, and well-hidden,’ he replied quietly.

  Luka practically dragged them off the tram when they reached their stop, leading the way down the path Aleks could probably walk in his sleep by now.

  ‘Oh, I’ve never been out this way before. Ma always warned us that heading out Northwest would only end in falling off cliffs,’ Drazan remarked cheerily as they left the city walls, boots crunching on the icy path.

  ‘Your Ma was a smart woman,’ Luka replied. Aleks raised an eyebrow – was their mother not around any more? His silent question was confirmed by Zhora’s half-smile.

  ‘Aye, that she was,’ he agreed softly. ‘Is this the place, then?’ The warehouse was in sight by now, and Aleks nodded.

  ‘That’s it. You wait till you see what’s inside.’ Luka’s half-frozen fingers fumbled with the keys but he managed to unlock the door, shoving it open with his shoulder. Aleks wandered over to the light switch, flicking it so Drazan and Zhora could get a good view of the ship. He grinned to himself when he heard Drazan’s gasp, turning to see matching wide-eyed expressions on the brothers’ faces.

  ‘Bloody hell, she’s gorgeous,’ Drazan murmured. ‘When can I fly her?’

  Aleks laughed, sharing an amused look with Luka. ‘Help us check her over, then we’ll take her out straight away,’ he said, dropping his satchel by the bench and getting to work. Zhora and Drazan seemed to understand the ship’s mechanics a lot quicker than he had, no doubt because of their previous experience. Luka happily bragged about his design, glad for a fresh audience who had a better idea than Aleks of the work that had gone in to creating such a machine. The two brothers were full of questions, taking in everything eagerly, and Aleks was surprised to find that he could answer a lot of their queries. Obviously Luka’s nattering had sunk in more than he’d thought.

  With the ship checked over and pulled out on to the deck outside, Aleks led the way up the ladder, heaving the trapdoor open and dropping below deck with ease. Giving the brothers a quick tour of the ship, which would be their home for however long the voyage took, Aleks showed Drazan to the control room while Zhora followed Luka to the engine room downstairs.

  Sitting in the seat in the control room, Aleks let Drazan explore a little. He flicked on the speakers, waiting for Luka to give him the go-ahead, peering out of the viewscreen to see where the wind was heading. It looked to be a very strong Northerly wind, but not the worst he’d dealt with. ‘Ready when you are, lad. Best way for them to learn is to watch,’ Luka’s voice called over the speakers, making Drazan jump. Aleks nodded, grinning to himself.

  ‘Yes, sir. Sail,’ he checked off aloud. ‘Wings.’ He extended the wings, catching Drazan’s eye in his reflection in the glass screen. ‘You might want to hold on to something, Drazan. This part gets a bit bumpy.’ Drazan grinned, planting his feet wide and gripping the back of Aleks’s seat. ‘Tilting now, prepare for take-off.’ With a turn of the handle he tilted the wings and the ship shot into the air like a bullet, nearly sending Drazan sprawling across the floor.

  ‘Oh, she’s feisty!’ the young man crowed happily.

  ‘She is that,’ Aleks agreed. ‘How are you doing, Luka?’

  ‘Just fine, lad, just fine. Zhora here is a kid in a sweet shop. Take her as far out as you like, just keep an eye on the height.’ Aleks rolled his eyes, smoothly turning the ship towards the Stormlands.

  ‘I know, I know. Storms, man, I’ve done this plenty, I know how high she can go,’ he muttered under his breath, making Drazan snigger.

  ‘Luka’s just worried about his baby – leave him be,’ Drazan teased softly, too quiet for the speakers to pick up. ‘She flies like nothing I’ve ever seen before, though. How does she work?’ Drazan shuffled closer, perching on the arm of Aleks’s seat.

  ‘It’s more instinct than anything else,’ he admitted, flying daringly close to the tall columns of rain-filled cloud that had torn away from the Stormlands on their own wind currents. As much as he wanted to dive straight into one and see what would happen, he knew doing so would be a move he couldn’t easily reverse. ‘A ship this small, you can feel even the lightest of breezes nudging you.’

  ‘It looks much more fun than flying a regular skyship,’ Drazan murmured. He turned to the speaker’s microphone, a grin on his face. ‘Hey, Zhora, can we keep her?’ Aleks smiled, hearing Zhora’s bark of laughter in response.

  ‘I’ll be having words with Luka if we can’t – she’s amazing. True work of genius.’

  ‘Oh, don’t say that in front of him – his ego’s big enough as it is,’ Aleks mock-complained, reaching out to tilt the left wing to avoid sending them soaring into the heart of a whirlwind, feeling the steering wheel straining in his hand against the force of the storm. Edging the ship into safer skies, he turned to look at Drazan. ‘Fancy a go?’

  Aleks didn’t need to ask twice, and the man eagerly slipped into the seat as Aleks vacated it, a look of intense concentration taking over his features as he set one hand on the steering wheel, the other over the wing controls. ‘Drazan’s at the helm now,’ Aleks said loudly. ‘So if we crash, it’s not my fault.’ Drazan made a whine of offence, which turned into a yelp of surprise as they were blindsided by a particularly strong gust of wind, his hand scrabbling to right them. Things were wobbly for a while as Drazan got the hang of the controls, but soon they were flying alm
ost as smoothly as they had been with Aleks at the wheel.

  ‘She’s definitely got some life in her, hasn’t she?’ Drazan remarked brightly, showing off a little by winding through a series of thin storm columns.

  ‘And then some. How does she feel?’ Aleks asked, leaning on the back of the seat and swaying with the movement of the ship. ‘You’re good at this.’

  ‘She makes it so easy. It’s definitely different to what I’m used to, but you’re right about it being mostly instinct. I wish more ships handled like this.’ It was obvious how passionate about flying he was; Luka had definitely made the right choice there. ‘How did you end up here, anyway? I haven’t seen you around at the flight school.’ Aleks shrugged, explaining how he’d stumbled into Luka’s shop and everything had escalated from there.

  ‘I’ve only ever had lessons from Luka,’ he finished, watching as Drazan’s gaze changed to a look of astonishment.

  ‘You’re not formally trained and you’re that good? Storms, the old man hasn’t lost his touch with newbies. But this is a big undertaking for such a green pilot. Are you sure you’re up for it? You have a family . . . not like Zhora and me. You have people to miss you if you don’t come back. We can find another pilot, if needed.’ Aleks swallowed thickly at the reminder of what might happen, but didn’t get the chance to reply.

  ‘No, we can’t,’ Luka’s voice snapped over the speakers, making both men jump. They’d forgotten the connection was live. ‘The ship won’t make it across without him, lad, even with you at the wheel. Aleks has the instinct for her – you can’t train that into a pilot, especially one that’s already used to regular ships. You need him. He’s a big boy, he understands the decision he’s made.’ Aleks couldn’t stop himself from grinning at Luka’s words, surprised at the man’s show of faith. Drazan didn’t seem put out, nodding in acceptance with a smile on his face.

  ‘I look forward to working with you, then, Captain.’

  They spent hours in the air. At one point, Zhora left Luka in the engine room and came up to join his brother and friend in the control room, marvelling at the ease with which Drazan flew the ship. ‘She looks a darn sight less complicated than your average skyship, I’ll tell you that now,’ he remarked.

  ‘Smoother too, for such a tiny little thing,’ said Drazan. ‘If she had the controls of a larger ship we’d be halfway to the bottom of the ocean by now,’ he mused, pulling a worryingly tight turn through the centre of a storm cloud.

  As much as he wanted to stay out until the sun set, Aleks had to meet Saria for dinner, and a glance at his pocket watch told him they’d better bring her in soon or he’d be late. ‘Luka, as much as I hate to say it, we need to wind this up. I’ve got somewhere to be, and you know what happens when I’m late.’ Drazan frowned in confusion, but gently urged the ship in a slow arc, bringing her back to face Siberene.

  ‘Have you told your girl yet, lad?’ Luka queried, making Aleks wince.

  ‘Not yet, no. I was going to do it tonight,’ he admitted.

  ‘You’ve got a girl?’ Zhora asked, surprised. ‘You didn’t mention that little detail!’ Aleks flushed.

  ‘Her name’s Saria,’ he told his friend, unable to stop the smile that tugged at his lips at her mere name. Storms, he was done for. ‘She’s the daughter of the man who owns the jewellery shop in the courtyard.’ Zhora smirked, reaching out to ruffle his hair.

  ‘Aww, you look so smitten just talking about her. Do I get to meet her?’

  ‘Storms, no, I want her to like me,’ Aleks retorted easily, making Drazan laugh and send the ship dropping a good ten feet.

  Trying to ignore Zhora’s teasing as they descended, Aleks took the controls back from Drazan when they got close enough to land, wanting to show how to land such a small ship before allowing Drazan to attempt it himself. It wasn’t as smooth as he’d seen Drazan land the day before, but it was gentle enough, and he looked up at the two brothers with a grin on his face when he stood from the seat. ‘What do you think, then?’

  ‘When can we leave?’ Drazan returned instantly, making him laugh. Zhora smiled, nodding.

  ‘I’m definitely in too. Though I’d like a few more trips out in her before I’m truly comfortable working without Luka there,’ he admitted.

  ‘That can easily be done,’ Luka assured him, popping up from the trapdoor at the other end of the corridor. ‘I can take both of you out any time this week; Aleks doesn’t even have to be here. I might leave him to keep an eye on the shop – he’s making a few things for you to take on your venture.’ Aleks sighed at the prospect of being left in the shop, but knew it would be good for Drazan especially to get a chance at being the only person in the control room. Besides, he deserved to experience Luka’s unique brand of teaching.

  Aleks began checking the ship over, but Luka cuffed him over the head, giving him an impatient look. ‘Go on, lad, go and see your girl. And good luck,’ he added, meeting his gaze. ‘I hope she takes it well.’

  Aleks smiled wryly. ‘So do I.’ Heading over to pick up his satchel, he turned to Zhora and Drazan. ‘I’ll see you both soon.’

  ‘See you soon, lad. Good luck,’ said Zhora with a hug.

  Aleks left the three of them to put the ship away for the night, heading out into the cold and jogging back to the tram station.

  Nerves curling uncomfortably in his stomach the entire ride into the city centre, he tried to push them away when he got to the courtyard, seeing Saria waiting for him at her usual spot by the fountain.

  ‘Hi,’ he greeted her breathlessly, leaning in for a kiss.

  She smiled at him, taking his gloved hand in her own.

  ‘Hello, you. Busy day? You look terribly worn down.’ Her eyes were concerned.

  ‘I’m fine, just had a bit of a long day. I bumped into a friend of mine yesterday, though, which was unexpected.’ They started off walking aimlessly, not really caring where they ended up, and Saria gave him an amused look.

  ‘I didn’t know you had any friends up North,’ she remarked lightly. He grinned, shrugging as he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer.

  ‘He was working in the tunnels when I passed through on my way here,’ he explained. ‘I saw him at the shipyard yesterday when on an errand for Luka. He’s been working there since the tunnel work finished, apparently. It was good catching up with him – he’s a great bloke.’

  ‘That’s lovely,’ Saria replied, sounding happy. ‘You could do with a few more friends around here. Though if he starts monopolising your time, I’ll have to have words with him,’ she teased.

  They ended up at the winter-blooming park, though the flowers were hardly visible through the thick layer of snow; obviously no one bothered to shovel it like they did in the streets. It was the perfect place to have a conversation without being overheard. ‘Listen, Saria,’ Aleks started, coming to an immediate halt. She eyed him curiously, but when he tried to open his mouth again it felt like his throat was made of sandpaper.

  ‘Is everything all right?’ she queried, brow furrowing in concern. Taking a deep breath, Aleks squared his shoulders. It was like pulling out a splinter; best done quickly and in one go.

  ‘Saria –’

  ‘I knew I’d find you again eventually.’ The unexpected voice cut him off and Aleks froze in horror. Crossing the small bridge over the nearby stream was Shulga, looking no worse for wear after their last encounter. He was out of uniform this time, wearing a plain black greatcoat that almost brushed the snow. He looked amused at the expression on Aleks’s face. ‘You didn’t really think I’d just let you go, did you? Especially not after your little woman there brained me with a flowerpot.’

  ‘Why do you care so much?’ Saria asked boldly, stepping up to face him, jaw set despite the way her hands were shaking at her sides. ‘Aleks is just one cadet. He’s never done anything to you, or to anyone else. He’s not a criminal serving a sentence, just a man that you tricked into a horrible life. Would it really kill you to let him go a
nd get back to terrorising other people?’

  Shulga laughed coldly. ‘Is that what he’s told you? That he’s never done anything to me? Oh, sweetheart, I’m sorry to say your boy’s been telling tales again.’ Saria’s determined expression faltered. Aleks cursed silently; surely Shulga wouldn’t dare tell her about the journal. He’d incriminate himself far more than he would Aleks.

  ‘You’re lying to me,’ Saria insisted, tucking a stray lock of blonde hair behind her ear. ‘Aleks told me all about Rensav, and why he had to escape. He told me how much of a monster you are. If he did do anything to you, you probably deserved it.’

  ‘Did he tell you about how he stole from the Crown on his way out?’ His tone was mocking, and Aleks saw red.

  ‘I never stole from the Crown!’ he argued. ‘You stole from the Crown, and I stole from you! I didn’t even realise what I had until after I’d left. I was looking for my enlistment papers. I figured since I signed them under false pretences, you wouldn’t mind me taking them back.’ Shulga’s eyes narrowed as they met Aleks’s, Saria forgotten for the moment as the two men stared each other down.

  ‘You’ve read it, then?’ Shulga asked, not looking as panicked as Aleks had imagined he would.

  ‘Of course I read it. You’re disgusting, keeping something like that for yourself when it needs to be in an evidence locker. I bet you’re just waiting for the day you can start repeating those tests on cadets.’ The smirk on the lieutenant’s face was all the answer Aleks needed.

  ‘Aleks, what are you talking about? What did you steal?’ Saria cut in sharply.

  ‘Nothing important,’ he insisted, which turned out to be the wrong answer.

  ‘Clearly it is if this lunatic wants to kill you over it!’