Take Back the Skies

by Lucy Saxon

  ‘I’m good at plenty!’ she insisted, making him laugh.

  ‘I never said you weren’t,’ he said. ‘Why don’t you wash up and then knock on my door? I’ll take you down to Matt.’

  She nodded, and the pair of them doubled back into their own hallway, Fox stopping outside the door to the linen cupboard and nudging it open.

  ‘Towels and bed sheets and things are in here. I’m afraid you’ll have to stick with the clothes you’re wearing until Alice finds you something. Gods only know where she’s put my old things.’ He waited for her to grab a towel before shutting the door behind her.

  ‘You’ve been here for a while, then?’ she asked hesitantly.

  ‘You could say that,’ he replied shortly, jaw clenched, and moved to pull open the washroom door. ‘I’ll see you when you’re finished.’ Without waiting for her to say anything, he stalked off, his bedroom door slamming shut behind him. Catherine sighed; she hadn’t meant to upset him. Shaking her head, she went through the open door of the washroom, slid the lock into place and turned to the large porcelain bath.

  As much as she wanted to have a long, luxurious soak, she knew Fox was waiting for her, so she took as little time as she could. Eventually, she was dried and re-dressed. She rather enjoyed just being able to rub a towel over her now short hair and leave it. Tossing the towel into the hamper in the corner, she unlocked the door, and hurried across to Fox’s room, knocking hesitantly.

  ‘Now you’re looking less of a street rat and more of a human boy,’ he remarked as he opened the door, and she resisted the urge to laugh. If only he knew! ‘Let’s show you the rest of the ship, then.’

  He set off down the corridor, and Catherine rushed to follow, half jogging at his side.

  ‘You could slow down a bit, I’ve only got short legs!’ she complained. He snorted, reaching out to cuff her shoulder.

  ‘Maybe keeping pace with me might make you grow a bit. How old are you, anyway? Eleven, twelve?’ he queried, eyeing her small frame.

  ‘I’m fourteen, thank you very much. Almost fifteen, actually,’ she retorted.

  His eyebrows shot up. ‘You’re not serious?’ he scoffed, and laughed when she nodded. ‘Blimey, you’re a midget! You’ll want to put on a bit of muscle soon – you won’t be much good if you can’t lift anything. No wonder you’ve not been Collected yet.’ The government tended to stay away from scrawnier kids, waiting until they bulked up a bit.

  She wished she could reply that she was a perfectly acceptable height for her age and gender. But she stayed quiet, scowling in embarrassment. Fox seemed to realise that he’d gone too far, and ceased his teasing.

  ‘Careful, here. The ladder is a bit shaky, but it holds all right,’ he warned her as they reached the manhole. Nodding, she lowered herself slowly on to the steel ladder, gripping tightly as it swayed with her weight. Once they reached the ground, she immediately noticed the difference in temperature between the two floors. Humid air clung to her skin, drawing a thin layer of perspiration. She wiped a hand across her face, annoyed by the fact that Fox seemed unfazed by the heat, despite being dressed in both a tight long-sleeved shirt and leather waistcoat.

  ‘The furnace must be around here, then,’ she presumed, remembering the sweltering heat of the basement at home, where the burners were kept.

  ‘Right you are. Everything to the left is storage, everything to the right is engines,’ he told her, rolling up his shirtsleeves as he pushed open a door. ‘Oi, Matt, where are you hiding? We’ve got a new one!’ he called into the large, loud room. Steam hissed from pipes, the furnace roared quietly, and gears clanked and ground as they propelled the ship forward. Catherine had to duck as she walked, narrowly avoiding being hit on the head by a jutting piston. She heard the thunk of boots meeting metal, and recognised the stranger walking towards them. He was the man who had been sat on the boom earlier!

  ‘New one? How in storms did we manage that?’ the man asked in surprise, his dark brown hair plastered to his forehead with sweat, tyrium stains on his jaw and arms. He was dressed in a plain cotton undershirt, which was clinging to his muscular chest, and braces hung loose from his waist. Catherine blushed, despite herself. This man was built like a giant!

  ‘Stowaway. Harry wants to keep him, soft-hearted pushover that he is. Figured you might be able to put him to use,’ Fox replied, grinning at the large man. ‘Cat, this is Matthew. Matt keeps the ship airborne and running smoothly. Matt, meet Cat. Storms know what his real name is, but that’s all we’re getting from him,’ he added, ignoring Catherine’s scowl.

  ‘You’re a wee’un, aren’t you?’ Matt commented. ‘Well, welcome aboard, I suppose. What can you do?’

  ‘Whatever you ask of me,’ said Catherine earnestly. ‘I have some experience with basic household mechanics, but I’m a very fast learner, sir.’ Matt chuckled, amused at her enthusiasm.

  ‘We’ll see about that, sprog,’ he told her. ‘I suppose you’re more useful here than anywhere else on this ship. I’ll take him from here, Fox, no worries.’

  Fox nodded. Catherine felt alarmed at the thought of being left alone in the engine room with such a hulk of a man. Her trepidation must have shown on her face for Fox laughed.

  ‘He doesn’t bite, shortie. He’ll look after you and I’ll see you at supper.’ Lightly nudging Catherine’s shoulder, he left the room by a door to their right.

  Catherine stared up at Matt. Despite his massive build, he had a friendly face, with a chiselled jaw, a thin goatee and striking green eyes that contrasted with his pale skin. He held out a hand and she took it, his callused fingers dwarfing her slender hand.

  ‘It’s a pleasure, kid. Now come on, I’ll show you the ropes before supper.’ He tugged her forward – and Catherine only had time for one brief thought: ‘What on Tellus have I got myself into?’

  Chapter 4

  Catherine was startled out of her work when a loud bell rang through the room. She glanced up through her tinted safety goggles at Matt, who was just setting his wrench down.

  ‘Food’s waiting. Come on, Alice will have both our heads if we let the grub get cold,’ Matt told her, tugging off his own goggles and reaching for the grey button-up shirt hanging on a pipe end.

  Catherine wiped her oil-stained fingers on her trousers. They hadn’t been doing anything too difficult; just basic maintenance on the engines, with Matt showing her what things looked like when they were working perfectly, and common signs of something malfunctioning. She picked it all up quickly, and was hooked already. She’d always been intrigued by machinery – her father had loathed her interest in it because he felt it was beneath her station. But learning how several innocent-looking pieces of metal could be shaped and put together to create something complex was fascinating to her. Working on Samuel had been her only experience of mechanics, and it thrilled her to learn more.

  Letting Matt lead her back up to the galley, she hung back slightly when they reached the door. She had one crew member left to meet, and she had no doubt that if Harry’s wife disagreed with her staying, she’d be out on her ear before she could say Anglya.

  ‘Go on, lad. Alice is lovely,’ Matt urged, nudging her through the door. Everyone but Ben was already inside, and they looked up at the noise. Alice was standing at the head of the table, spooning a thick stew from a large tureen into bowls. She was a short, curvy woman, her blonde hair threaded liberally with grey and tied in a bun. Her warm blue eyes fixed on Catherine. By no means overweight, she was differently shaped from the painfully thin, tightly corseted women of the government. She looked natural and homely, wearing a blue dress with ruffled skirts that swept the floor and a short brown jacket with large brass buttons. Catherine found herself instantly relaxing.

  ‘You must be Cat, then,’ Alice declared, her voice clear and friendly.

  ‘Yes, ma’am. It’s a pleasure to meet you,’ she said shyly. Matt and Harry broke into loud guffaws.

  ‘Oh, hush up, both of you! There’s nothing wrong
with having a bit of manners,’ Alice scolded, hitting Harry sharply on the shoulder with her serving spoon. ‘You just ignore them, Cat, lad. They wouldn’t know politeness if it smacked them in the face.’ She walked around one of the long tables, her laced boots clicking on the waxed floorboards.

  ‘You’re an orphan, I presume?’ she asked.

  ‘Something like that,’ replied Catherine, remembering Fox’s own phrase. Alice frowned.

  ‘No parents waiting who might be pleased to hear their little one has escaped Collection?’ She peered down at Catherine, one hand resting on her waist.

  ‘No, ma’am, no one waiting for that,’ Catherine replied quickly, pleased not to have to tell a lie. Alice pursed her lips.

  ‘One more mouth to feed won’t kill us, I suppose. I expect you’ll work hard?’ By now she was addressing the crew. Matt nodded his head readily.

  ‘He’s been a good lad, Alice. It’s good to have a sprog to scrabble under the narrower pipework.’

  ‘All right, then,’ Alice agreed. ‘Welcome aboard, Cat. We run a tight ship and don’t you forget it! I’m Alice.’ She smiled and reached out a soft hand. ‘Unfortunately shackled by marriage to this scoundrel.’ She jerked her thumb towards Harry, who faked an offended look. ‘I can’t say it’ll be bad to have a sprog on the ship again, now Fox is almost grown.’ She smoothed a hand over Fox’s messy red hair. He ducked out from under her hand, but his expression was fond.

  ‘Just sit right there, dear,’ Alice prompted, setting a bowl at the empty space next to Fox. With a tentative glance towards him, Catherine slipped on to the bench. Alice poured from a bottle of mead for the rest of the crew and herself, and Catherine and Fox were given water.

  Jumping as a brass spoon was shoved in front of her face, Catherine took it from Fox’s hand, smiling in thanks.

  ‘Aren’t we waiting for Ben?’ she enquired, looking around as everyone else dug in.

  ‘He’s still in the control room,’ Fox explained. ‘Harry will relieve him after dinner, he’ll grab his own food then. How did you and Matt get on?’ he asked quietly, shooting a glance towards the bulky man, who was deep in conversation with Harry.

  ‘He’s great, I’ve learned so much already! I never knew there were so many small parts involved in keeping an engine running,’ she gushed. Fox laughed.

  ‘So you’re enjoying yourself.’

  ‘Definitely. What were you up to?’ she asked curiously, spooning more stew into her mouth.

  ‘Just stuff,’ Fox replied evasively.

  ‘What do you think, Mattie? Can the sprog stay?’ Harry asked, his loud voice interrupting their conversation. Matt looked Catherine up and down, seeming to consider.

  ‘Yeah, he’s a sharp lad, fine by me.’

  Catherine glowed with pride from the praise. Harry looked around the crew in turn. Alice shrugged, having already said her piece. Fox scowled.

  ‘Well, I can’t exactly say no, can I?’ he pointed out.

  ‘Come on, Fox, you know we’re all run a bit thin on this ship. One more can’t hurt, and it’ll give you more time to work on your little projects.’

  ‘Yeah, it’s fine by me.’ Fox smiled cheekily. ‘Good to have someone younger to bully.’ Alice rolled her eyes.

  ‘Well, that settles it. Welcome to the crew, Cat. Alice, love, would you dig out some of Fox’s old clothes for him?’ Harry added. His wife smiled and nodded.

  ‘Will do. They might still be a little big on him, though.’

  ‘Thank you, I’m sure they’ll be fine,’ Catherine insisted.

  ‘Where are you from, anyway, Cat?’ Matt asked.

  ‘Breningarth, born and bred,’ she answered, hoping she could think quickly enough so as not to get caught in her own cover story.

  ‘We assumed as much, but where specifically?’ Matt continued, holding his bowl out towards Alice with a hopeful look on his face.

  ‘Just outside Greystone,’ Catherine told him. It was technically true; Greystone was the closest part of common city to the government district she lived in. A lot of kids in Greystone were educated alongside government children.

  ‘Ouch, hard luck. No wonder you ran,’ Matt said sympathetically. Being the closest to the government district, Greystone barely had any children over the age of thirteen due to the ease of Collecting from there. ‘Are you sure your parents won’t miss you?’ he asked in a low voice, frowning. He clearly hadn’t believed her earlier words.

  Catherine’s smile vanished, and her eyes fixed on her bowl.

  ‘Like I told Alice, my parents … aren’t around,’ she said awkwardly.

  Fox patted her shoulder ‘Yes, well, that’s always the story,’ he muttered quietly. Catherine wondered again what his story was.

  She looked over to include the rest of the crew.

  ‘What about you, where have you all come from?’ she asked.

  ‘Well,’ Alice began, glancing at her husband. ‘Harry and I met years ago in Mericus – I’m from there originally. I was sixteen, he was seventeen and flying with his father. My parents owned an inn by the shipyard, and I was working behind the bar when Harry and his dad’s crew rented rooms with us. I fell in love with him and when he asked me to come with him, I couldn’t say no.’ Her eyes shone at the memory, and Catherine smiled as the two kissed, their love obvious.

  ‘I asked her to marry me as soon as it was respectable – wasn’t going to let her get away!’ Harry said. ‘When my dad died, I inherited this little beauty, and we made it our own. Had a few issues when the war began – we lost half our crew to the army, and the other half to their families. Wasn’t so bad back under King Christopher’s reign, gods bless his soul. No rations, no need for us to smuggle. We carried supplies out to the soldiers in Siberene, since it was easy for us to pass the storm barriers. When the monarchy went, well … Collections and rationing began, and we became a little less reputable. People were starving, and it felt wrong not to help. We picked up Fox about six years ago.’

  Fox remained silent, unwilling to volunteer any further information. ‘Benny a year later,’ Harry continued, ‘and Matt followed within six months, making enough of a crew to let the old boys go. Couldn’t bear to be apart, these two,’ he teased, elbowing Matt in the side.

  ‘Benny and I grew up in Stratton,’ Matt explained in response to Catherine’s confused look. ‘We lived next door to each other, went to the same school, did everything together. I was doing an apprenticeship at Tinker’s when Ben got the offer to fly for Harry, and had to finish up my contract before I could leave and join him. Wasn’t going to let him have all the adventures without me, was I?’

  Catherine was impressed; Tinker’s was a very prestigious mechanics company – her father had shares in it. Its workers practically maintained the docklands single-handedly now, though they were spread too thin to use their expertise on other things, such as the tram system. Matt must have been the best of the best to get an apprenticeship there.

  ‘And you, Fox?’ she tried, turning to the freckled teen beside her. Fox’s shoulders tensed, and he stood abruptly, not meeting Catherine’s eyes.

  ‘If you’ll all excuse me, I’ve got work to do before bed,’ he announced quietly, not waiting for a reply before leaving the galley, the door swinging shut behind him.

  ‘What did I say?’ Catherine asked, hurt.

  Alice reached over and patted her on the shoulder, offering a smile.

  ‘Nothing, dear. Fox just doesn’t like talking about himself. He’s had a bit of a rough past,’ she confessed, making Catherine bite her lip.

  ‘I’m sorry, I … I didn’t know.’

  ‘Of course you didn’t, lad. That’s why you were asking,’ Matt remarked. ‘You wouldn’t have asked if you had known it would set him off like that. He’s a mite sensitive, is our Fox.’

  Catherine shrugged, still feeling guilty, but the movement was cut off by a yawn. Her belly full, it was finally beginning to hit her how tired she was. Suddenly, the thought of her new
bed down the hall was all too inviting.

  ‘If I’m excused, I think I’ll head to bed. It’s … been a long day,’ she said ruefully, and Matt chuckled.

  ‘Running away from Greystone and stowing on a skyship? I’ll bet. Goodnight, brat, I’ll expect you down in the engines after breakfast.’

  She nodded, standing.

  ‘I’ll be there. Thank you for the meal, Alice, it was lovely.’

  Alice smiled at the compliment, piling Catherine’s empty bowl on top of the others.

  ‘You’re very welcome, poppet. Breakfast is at seven – there should be a clock in your room. Either way, Fox will wake you up, if he’s not still in that foul mood of his.’

  Saying her goodnights, Catherine left the galley thankful to have been accepted by at least most of the crew. Fox’s door was firmly closed and while Catherine was tempted to knock, she didn’t dare.

  Opening the door to her own new room, she sat down on the bed to unlace her boots. Placing them neatly aside, she stowed her purse away in one of the desk drawers and turned to the bed, not wanting to undress any further. She’d definitely give away her gender if one of the crew walked in on her in her undergarments. Sleeping in the clothes she’d been wearing all day might not be the most comfortable thing in the world, but she’d make do for one night.

  There was a grubby mirror bolted to her wardrobe door, and she took the chance to get a proper look at herself, astonished by how much of a boy she looked with her hair cut short. It came down to just below her ears – a little longer than the current style, but nothing she hadn’t seen on boys before. Fox was right, though; she definitely looked closer to twelve than fourteen. And she didn’t look like Catherine any more. ‘I look like Cat,’ she murmured, staring at her unfamiliar appearance.

  Slipping under the thick fur blanket, she curled up tight on the comfortable mattress, her brain racing. In just a few short hours she’d gone from Catherine Hunter, daughter of Nathaniel Hunter and future wife of Marcus Gale, to Just Cat, skyship dogsbody.