figure out this mess.” The Skyknight rubbed his hands together, partly in thought, partly to warm himself. “We need to know what Rendor’s looking for.”
“If he found it, it’ll be back at the mansion,” said Fiona. Her pale face darkened. “Maybe I should have stayed there,” she admitted.
“It doesn’t matter,” said Skyhigh gently. “If he found what he was looking for then he’s got it hidden somewhere safe. You wouldn’t be able to find it, Fiona.”
“But it belongs to Moth,” Fiona fumed. “My grandfather stole it!”
“We don’t even know he has it!” grumbled Skyhigh.
Moth decided to get between them. “Fiona, I lost the knife you gave me,” he confessed. “It was at the apartment.”
“Sure, they probably stole that, too!” hissed Fiona.
Skyhigh took a drink from the canteen. Moth could tell he was worried.
“Skyhigh? Are you gonna be in trouble for all this?” asked Moth. “ ’Cause if so . . .”
“Hey, forget that,” said Skyhigh. He reached out and playfully tapped Moth’s cheek. “Skyhigh Coralin’s not afraid of anything. What can they do, bust me down to dishwasher? Their best pilot?” He turned back to Fiona. “That meeting tomorrow—you know anything about it?”
“Just what my grandfather told me. He says it’s to talk about the Skylord problem.”
Skyhigh laughed. “Might as well be talking about the weather,” he scoffed. “Skylords! Your grandfather just wants to make trouble. He’s become a big man by making everyone afraid. Now he wants to show off that monstrosity he’s built, the Avatar .”
“That’s not it,” said Fiona. “He believes what he says about the Skylords. A lot of old people like him do.”
Moth nodded. “Leroux did.”
There was silence for a moment. The grin melted from Skyhigh’s face. “I don’t know what’s beyond the Reach. Maybe it’s full of women that turn into birds. Or maybe there’s just nothing there. And you know what? It doesn’t really matter. It’s just nice and quiet in the Reach, the way things ought to be. People like Rendor just stir the pot.” He gave Fiona a sideways glance. “No disrespect.”
Fiona grimaced. “I don’t care about him. All I want is to help Moth.” She folded her arms across her chest. “And I’m not going back.”
Moth gave her a sad smile. “It doesn’t matter, Fiona. Now that Leroux’s gone I need to think about getting on the train, getting away from here.”
“Not yet,” said Skyhigh. “Give me a couple of days first. Maybe things’ll blow over by then. If not . . . well, just stay put, all right?”
The thought of being alone was dreadful to Moth. Suddenly he was grateful Fiona had come. “I’ll stay put. Can’t really show my face around here anyway.”
“Good.” Skyhigh stood up and brushed the crumbs from his uniform. “I’ll be back as soon as I can get away. Might not be until tomorrow night. You think you’ll be okay until then?”
“Sure,” said Moth, though he really wasn’t. “I’ll be fine.”
Skyhigh smiled as he looked at Moth and Fiona, sitting together in the candlelight. “Kind of romantic here,” he joked. “Like I said, stay out of trouble.”
THE STAR-THINGY
MOTH HAD FORGOTTEN about the wizard until that night, when he dreamed of Leroux.
In the silence of the old hangar, he lay asleep in the loft near Fiona. Too exhausted to force himself awake, he looked upon Leroux’s face in the dream and was happy. They were together on a train, then suddenly in an airship, and Leroux seemed young again. He spoke clearly, without his cough, his eyes bright and free of cataracts. Until that point Moth hadn’t remembered what Leroux had said about Merceron.
“Are you embarrassed to tell them?” Leroux asked. “Do I embarrass you, Moth?”
“No!” Moth insisted. Now they were no longer in the sky, but had somehow dropped into a thick, merciless fog. “I don’t care what people say, Leroux. They can laugh; it’s
“If he found it, it’ll be back at the mansion,” said Fiona. Her pale face darkened. “Maybe I should have stayed there,” she admitted.
“It doesn’t matter,” said Skyhigh gently. “If he found what he was looking for then he’s got it hidden somewhere safe. You wouldn’t be able to find it, Fiona.”
“But it belongs to Moth,” Fiona fumed. “My grandfather stole it!”
“We don’t even know he has it!” grumbled Skyhigh.
Moth decided to get between them. “Fiona, I lost the knife you gave me,” he confessed. “It was at the apartment.”
“Sure, they probably stole that, too!” hissed Fiona.
Skyhigh took a drink from the canteen. Moth could tell he was worried.
“Skyhigh? Are you gonna be in trouble for all this?” asked Moth. “ ’Cause if so . . .”
“Hey, forget that,” said Skyhigh. He reached out and playfully tapped Moth’s cheek. “Skyhigh Coralin’s not afraid of anything. What can they do, bust me down to dishwasher? Their best pilot?” He turned back to Fiona. “That meeting tomorrow—you know anything about it?”
“Just what my grandfather told me. He says it’s to talk about the Skylord problem.”
Skyhigh laughed. “Might as well be talking about the weather,” he scoffed. “Skylords! Your grandfather just wants to make trouble. He’s become a big man by making everyone afraid. Now he wants to show off that monstrosity he’s built, the Avatar .”
“That’s not it,” said Fiona. “He believes what he says about the Skylords. A lot of old people like him do.”
Moth nodded. “Leroux did.”
There was silence for a moment. The grin melted from Skyhigh’s face. “I don’t know what’s beyond the Reach. Maybe it’s full of women that turn into birds. Or maybe there’s just nothing there. And you know what? It doesn’t really matter. It’s just nice and quiet in the Reach, the way things ought to be. People like Rendor just stir the pot.” He gave Fiona a sideways glance. “No disrespect.”
Fiona grimaced. “I don’t care about him. All I want is to help Moth.” She folded her arms across her chest. “And I’m not going back.”
Moth gave her a sad smile. “It doesn’t matter, Fiona. Now that Leroux’s gone I need to think about getting on the train, getting away from here.”
“Not yet,” said Skyhigh. “Give me a couple of days first. Maybe things’ll blow over by then. If not . . . well, just stay put, all right?”
The thought of being alone was dreadful to Moth. Suddenly he was grateful Fiona had come. “I’ll stay put. Can’t really show my face around here anyway.”
“Good.” Skyhigh stood up and brushed the crumbs from his uniform. “I’ll be back as soon as I can get away. Might not be until tomorrow night. You think you’ll be okay until then?”
“Sure,” said Moth, though he really wasn’t. “I’ll be fine.”
Skyhigh smiled as he looked at Moth and Fiona, sitting together in the candlelight. “Kind of romantic here,” he joked. “Like I said, stay out of trouble.”
THE STAR-THINGY
MOTH HAD FORGOTTEN about the wizard until that night, when he dreamed of Leroux.
In the silence of the old hangar, he lay asleep in the loft near Fiona. Too exhausted to force himself awake, he looked upon Leroux’s face in the dream and was happy. They were together on a train, then suddenly in an airship, and Leroux seemed young again. He spoke clearly, without his cough, his eyes bright and free of cataracts. Until that point Moth hadn’t remembered what Leroux had said about Merceron.
“Are you embarrassed to tell them?” Leroux asked. “Do I embarrass you, Moth?”
“No!” Moth insisted. Now they were no longer in the sky, but had somehow dropped into a thick, merciless fog. “I don’t care what people say, Leroux. They can laugh; it’s
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