“Ohhh no! That's not good!” Carol squeaked. “You better hurry up, Josie!”
From the front of Josiah's arm, a ribbon of fire poured into the sky. With its fifty yard range, the fire barely reached the enemy ship, but when it did, it went up in flame. For the next thirty seconds, Josiah roasted the opposition. He ignited the masts, the propellers, and the topsail. He turned their deck into an inferno. When he finished, the enemy airship was a fiery vessel bound for Hell.
“Wow. That was surprisingly effective!” Carol commended him. “Nice one, Josiah!”
As Carol reloaded the missile, the fourth and final airship attempted to increase its altitude and retreat.
“Oh wow! Would you look at that!” Carol pointed at the fleeing airship as it disappeared into the clouds. “I don't believe that! A second ago, they had a clear advantage, and now you've got them on the run! That's craaazy!”
“You've got them on the run,” Josiah corrected her. “If anyone deserves the credit for this, it's you.”
“Nah. I think you should get the credit, Jojo.”
“I'm not sure I want the credit. A lot of people died today.” Despite his penitent sentiment, Josiah raised the gun arm and attempted to lock on to the retreating airship. “I'm not letting them get away. Maybe it's cruel, but I want to send a message.” When he closed his right eye, and another missile hissed from the arm, he was filled with mixed emotions.
“And what message is that?” Carol asked.
“I don't know.” Josiah shrugged as the last airship exploded. Its parts and pieces rained down to the earth below. “Maybe the message is... West Columbigans won't go down easy?”
“Noooo! You've gotta come up with a better slogan than that!” Carol whined. “How about, when you see me wink, your ass is gonna sink!”
“Uh.” Josiah shook his head. “No. Hell no.”
“How about... when you see these glasses, hold on to your asses?”
He shook his head again.
“When you see Josiah Cole, say goodbye to your soul?”
“I don't think so.”
She tried again. “When you see my gun arm, you better, uh... expect some harm? Nah, that one's no good. How about--”
“Carol!” Josiah laid a finger on her lips. “No more cheesy slogans. Please.”
Leaning away from his finger, she babbled, “Why not? I like cheesy slogans. I should probably come up with one for myself! I would've done that a long time ago, but I can't think of anything that rhymes with Cassady. Not really. Oh, and speaking of cheesy slogans, do you know what sounds really delicious right now? Cheese! I could really go for some cheese. Do you think the princess would be willing to give us a big hunk of cheddar as a reward? If we asked nicely...”
“Good lord, Carol. You never fail to amaze me!” Josiah threw back his head and cackled so loudly, he scared a nearby crewman. “We just blew up four airships, and you've got goddamn cheese on your mind. You really are one of a kind.”
Carol pursed her lips as she considered his words. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
“A good thing.” Josiah coiled his arm around Carol's back and led her below deck. If she had asked that question two weeks ago, he might have had a different reply. Even though his opinion of Carol Cassady had changed dramatically, he felt confident in his answer, so he added emphatically, “A very good thing.”
Twenty Nine
“I'm gonna tinker with the engine. If you're going to be here, I'm putting you to work!” Carol warned Josiah. Even though they were technically prisoners on Princess Isabella's airship, they weren't treated as such. In fact, Isabella was paying Carol to make repairs. She'd already patched the hole in the hull, now she needed to make some minor adjustments to one of the ship's steam engines, which had overheated in the attack.
“What do you need me to do?”
Carol's eyes widened. She was pleasantly surprised by his willingness to assist her. “Keep your eye on this gauge right here.” She pointed at one of the panels in the engine room. “Specifically, I need you to watch the red needle. You're going to keep track of any and all fluctuations. If you see the needle move, even a little bit, I need you to write it down on this notepad right here.” She handed him a well-used, leather bound notebook that consisted mostly of doodles. When she caught him flipping through the pages, she explained, “I like to draw in my spare time.”
Josiah pointed at a drawing of a stick figure cowboy with a gun for an arm.
“Yeah, that's you,” Carol answered before he could ask. “I figured the cowboy hat and the mechanical arm would tip you off.”
“I know it's a stick figure, but the likeness really is uncanny. He's even got my eyes.” Josiah pointed at the bright blue dots for eyes.
“I know! I think I made him too smiley, though. You don't smile that much.”
As if to prove her wrong, Josiah pasted a giant grin on his lips. “Who doesn't smile much?” he challenged her.
“You. You're usually a Grumplepuss. Grumplestitlkin. Grumperella. You've been so moody lately.”
“Naaah.” Josiah shook his head in protest. “Maybe I was grumpy for awhile, but I think I'm getting better.”
“I think a lot of things, but that doesn't make them true.” Carol flipped her book of doodles to an empty page and returned it to Josiah's hands. “Anyway, back to more important things... keep track of any fluctuations, alright? If you see the needle approaching the black zone, you need to get my attention immediately... but that probably won't happen 'cuz I'm good at stuff.”
“Alright.” A yawning Josiah dutifully watched the gauge. When he saw her slip a pair of obnoxiously large glasses over her eyes, he had to chuckle. “What the hell are those?”
“Glasses. Mega-glasses,actually. They magnify my vision,” Carol explained. From her seemingly bottomless bag, she pulled out a variety of tools and skipped to the fussy engine. “It's almost like having a microscope strapped to your eyeballs.”
“I don't think I'd like that.”
“You'd like it if you were tinkering with teeny materials!” With the tiniest of wrenches in her hand, Carol leaned over the engine. “Watch the gauge, Josiah! Don't forget to watch the gauge!”
“Aye aye.”
Carol held a cone-shaped device to her ear. “I like to magnify my hearing, too. I have to listen for leaking steam, and sometimes it's super quiet.”
Josiah had no idea what she was doing, so he simply replied, “Uh huh.” The red needle suddenly jumped to the right, so he turned his attention to the paper and scribbled a note for Carol.
“When I get bored...” Carol went on, “sometimes I'll tweak the mechamplifier and try to listen to conversations in other rooms.”
“Do you do that a lot?”
“More often than I should. I've heard a lot of crazy things in hotels,” Carol said. “One time, I listened in on your conversation with Jun. She was talking to you about oolong tea.”
“I remember that.”
“And she said she wanted a piece of Josiah Cole,” Carol added with a snicker. “She said she wanted your manly body. She wanted to plant a big fat kiss on your lips.”
“She didn't say that!”
“Uh... I'm pretty sure she did.”
“I'm pretty sure she didn't!” Josiah was so caught up in their argument, he missed one of the needle's fluctuations.
“Okay, maybe she didn't... but I'm pretty sure that's what she wanted to say!” Inspired by her adventures in eavesdropping, Carol adjusted the mechamplifier before returning to work on the engine. After a few minutes of listening to a distant conversation, she cooed, “Ooooooooooh! That's juicy!”
“What is it?” Josiah asked.
“I was just listening to a conversation between two soldiers. One of them, a guy named Steven, said he missed his boyfriend.”
Josiah shrugged. “I'm not that shocked.”
“It wouldn't have been shocking... if he hadn't talked about missing his wife and kids too!” Wit
h an admonishing click of her tongue, Carol exclaimed, “Tsk tsk tsk. That Steven! What a naughty dog!”
Josiah's brow furrowed as he watched her rotate the mechamplifier in another direction. “What are you doing now?”
“Listening to another conversation. Hey, are you still paying attention to that gauge?”
“I am. I think the important question is... are you still focusing on your work?”
“Yeah yeah. I'm working!” Carol blew away his concerns with a flick of her hand.
But she lied.
A few seconds later, she abandoned the engine and ran to Josiah's side. “Ooo... you have got to hear this.” She held the mechamplifier to his ear and waited for his reaction.
“The princess is too smitten with Josiah, Vee. There's no way she'll let us have him. We can kiss that bounty goodbye.” The voice belonged to Hu Lian, who was cuddling with her lover, three doors down.
“Just how smitten is she?” Vee asked. “Do you think Tom has a reason to worry?”
“Maybe. Josiah's been getting special attention since day one. As soon as she saw what Tom did to his face, she's been going out of her way to make it up to him.”
“He's cute, I'll give him that... for a man.” Carol's listening device amplified their conversation so well, Josiah could hear Vee kissing Lian's neck. “Of course, I'd much rather have a woman. But not just any woman... you. You're irresistible, Lian.”
“And I'm smitten with you,” Lian added.
Before he could hear any more of their private moment, Josiah handed the mechamplifier back to Carol.
“What did you hear?” Carol asked.
“They were talking about me.”
“Okay... but what did they say specifically?”
“I couldn't really recite any specifics.”
“Ugh! You're no fun!” Carol stomped back to the engine and resumed her job. While she tinkered, she used the mechamplifier to hone in on other conversations. Several minutes passed before she heard anything ear-grabbing.
“I didn't realize there were female soldiers on this ship,” Carol heard a familiar voice. “Not to mention, beautiful female soldiers! The name's Amberley. Patrick Amberley. Do you think you could
tell me your name, you beautiful young thing?”
When he saw Carol's puckered nose, Josiah had to ask, “What is it? Did you hear something?”
“Yeah. Your friend Patrick was flirting with another girl!” Carol reported with a roll of her eyes. “Honestly, does he ever quit?”
“No, not really. Lately, he seems worse than usual. Maybe he's trying to make up for lost time after all those months in jail.” As they discussed his friend's amorous nature, Josiah jotted down another fluctuation for Carol.
“He's even worse than Nicky.”
“His brother's not that bad.” Josiah was surprised when he heard himself defending the younger Amberley.
“Uhhh, Jojo? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Nicky tried to grab my butt on day one. Day one!” Carol exclaimed. “I don't think that's defensible.”
“I guess Pat's a bad influence.”
For the next few minutes, they worked in silence. Carol even set the mechamplifier aside and focused her full attention on the engine. Her heightened concentration made a huge difference. Within minutes, she completed the task, and the engine was restored to working order.
“Do you think those girls are right?” Josiah suddenly asked. He passed his notebook to Carol, who observed the six minor fluctuations with a quizzical brow. “Do you really think Princess Isabella's smitten with me?”
“I don't know about her, but I know I am.” The words accidentally slipped from Carol's mouth while she was distracted by her work. “I mean... I, uh... yeah... you know... heh...”
“Did you just say what I think you said?” Josiah's entire body was suddenly frozen. “Did you just say you were smitten with me?”
“Pfft. No! Don't be ridiculous!” Carol slapped his arm with the notebook and attempted to change the subject. “Now... we need to move on to the next job. Do you have a blowtorch by any chance?”
“Carol.” When he said her name, his voice was tinged with frustration. “Don't try to wriggle your way out of this. I know what I heard!”
“Yeah? Well...” Carol drew the deepest of breaths and held it. As soon as her lungs were empty again, a storm of words blew from her lips. “To be honest, I've been smitten with you for a long time, JC. You're the handsomest, strongest, cleverest, bravest, kindest man I've ever known. After awhile, I started to think of you as a best friend, but now... you're more than that. I've been trying to ignore the way I feel, but I can't. When you're close by, you make my stomach tighten and you make my head feel crazy. You... you...”
Carol didn't know what else to say, so she let her actions speak for her.
She rose to the tips of her toes and kissed him on the lips. When her mouth touched his, relief flooded her body. She was glad she told him how she felt. She kept her feelings bottled inside so long, her heartstrings were in danger of snapping. Now she was finally free. She was free from the burden of secret love.
But Josiah didn't react to their kiss, nor did he speak. Even his face was entirely unreadable. Several seconds passed—it felt like an eternity. After nearly a minute of agonizing silence, Carol spun on her heel and bolted. She didn't want to wait around, only to be rejected by him.
How many women were smitten with Josiah Cole? How many confessed their love, only to have their hearts broken by him? How many women threw themselves in his path, only to have him step aside?
As she replayed her confession in her head, Carol despised herself.
Why did she expect him to react any differently to her?
Thirty
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Jun was in the back of the motocarriage, listening to a radio she borrowed from Julian. After being assaulted by advertisement after advertisement, she couldn't stop yawning. Flynn sat beside her, idly peeling an apple and popping wedges into his mouth. When he offered her a slice, she declined with a shake of her head.
“Are there always this many ads?” she complained.
“Pretty much,” Flynn answered with a shrug. “I haven't listened to the radio that much, but I know those sponsors pay a lot to be heard.”
Jun and Flynn endured three more ads before the news finally aired. A deep male voice enthusiastically reported the latest current events.
“Queen Lyneah and King Tobias of Englund are expecting their third child,” the newscaster announced. “This news comes just months after the birth of their twins, Prince Kieran and Princess Katherine. We offer our sincerest congratulations to the happy couple, whose love has inspired us all.”
It was a long shot, but Jun was waiting for any mention of Prince Feng. If they were going to return to Gravestone for Julian and Lettie's wedding, she wanted to be sure they wouldn't encounter the emperor's lecherous son.
“Emperor Nico and Mary Melissa Mae are back together after a three-week breakup,” the reporter continued with a new story. “The couple split after Miss Mae's scandalous past was revealed to the public. Mary Melissa, twenty-seven, fled from the palace to avoid humiliation. According to our source, Emperor Nico spent a great amount of time, money and effort to track her down and win her back. Mae has returned to the palace, and the emperor is doing all he can to quell the spread of malicious gossip.”
“I'd hate to be royalty,” Flynn spoke up. “There'd be no end to the gossip.”
“If you recall, I was almost an empress... and then I was almost a princess.” Jun chuckled at the memory of the weddings she escaped. “I'm glad I'm not.”
<
br /> Both of them got quiet when the newscaster began another story. “Yesterday, Princess Isabella's West Columbigan fleet was attacked by Emperor Ju-long. Three of her airships were destroyed, and the flagship nearly fell. The battle was won by a single man, who we've now identified as Josiah Cole, the notorious outlaw who--”
“Josiah?” Jun gasped. “He's alive?”
A smile tugged at Flynn's mouth. “I told you he wouldn't go down that easy. My brother's tough.”
“But I was so sure he was dead!” Jun's lips parted, and a sigh of relief soared through them. “I've never been more happy to be wrong!”
“Yesterday's battle has launched an all-out war between the two nations, who are expected to face off in the city of grrrzzzt... beep... zzzztt.”
Jun frowned when the reporter's voice was lost in a sea of static. “What happened?”
“Technology goes bad sometimes.”
“Can you fix it?” Jun tried to wiggle the radio's antennae, to no avail.
“I wish. I know nothing about that stuff.” Flynn climbed out of the motocarriage and hovered by the door. “Are you sure you want to go to Gravestone, Jun? It might be dangerous.”
“I told Lettie I'd be there for the wedding. I'd feel bad if I missed it.”
“Alright. But once we're there, stay close to me.” He bowed his head in the direction of Jun's revolver. “And keep your weapon close.”
Flynn hopped into the driver's seat and started the engine. They were in the middle of the desert, roughly twenty minutes from Gravestone. It was an especially windy day, so Flynn donned a pair of sunglasses to shield his eyes from scattering dust.
The wedding took place on Julian's airship, which had been grounded at Gravestone's skyport since Ju-long's arrival. Jun and Flynn were among the last guests to arrive, so they were seated toward the back. The audience consisted of Julian's crew, as well as a few Gravestone citizens the baron liked. The glaring omission was Nicky Gunn. Even though Nicky was Julian's recent favorite, he was impossible to locate in time for the wedding.
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