The Airship Aurelia (The Aurelian Archives) by Courtney Grace Powers Page B
Authors: Courtney Grace Powers
Ads: Link
grabbed his auto-encrypting journal and balanced it on one knee, then pulled out a faded leather book and set it teetering on the other. Not for the first time, he wished he was ambidextrous.
Nivy sat down opposite to Po on the ground and started playing cat's cradle with a shoelace. Her eyes glanced over the book subtly, but anxiously.
“I'll be careful,” Hayden promised. She nodded offhandedly, as if she already knew as much, but seemed to have a difficult time smiling. Hayden wasn't sure where the book had originally come from…only that it was important. Nivy hinted that the book had something to do with The Heron's long lost weapon, but she had had even less success wrangling a translation out of it than Hayden. The manuscript was in pristine condition, but its text was in a language that resembled common speak as much as Hayden resembled Gideon.
The alleyway door swung open with a gust of cruelly cold wind that sent the book's pages flipping. Hayden looked up, stifled his groan, and tried to hide his face in the collar of his jacket. The newcomer was Ariel, one of the only people he genuinely disliked. She was horrible. She was also Gideon's…something. The word taskmaster came to mind.
Ariel slammed the door behind her, scowling. He wasn't sure how, but she'd dyed over her dark Pantedan hair and turned it crimson, an impossibly red silky sheet that shivered over her white fur stole and black coat. The red hair, the slanted blue eyes, and the pale skin made her look ghoulish, but still beautiful.
“Where's Gideon?” she asked Hayden in greeting, her drawl menacing. “I heard he was here.”
Hayden pointed silently, and Ariel started for the hallway, the heels of her boots clicking sharply. She passed Po and Nivy, who were staring at her with looks of awe (though, to be fair, Hayden thought Nivy's awe was the kind one felt when they were staring at creature they'd only read about, but never seen), with a sneer for their game and nothing else.
“Don't mind her.” Hayden put aside his books and joined them on the floor. “That was Ariel, Gideon's…” He floundered as Po waited curiously.
“Sweetheart?” she suggested.
He cringed and shrugged. He was hesitant to apply the word sweet to any part of Ariel.
A few moments of stillness passed as Hayden watched Po and Nivy play their game, and then, inevitably, the voices rose like a distant, grumbling storm. Nivy lowered her tangled hands and tipped her head as if to make out the muffled words, but Hayden simply reached for his book and opened it to a marked page with a jaded sigh. Gideon and Ariel yelling at each other was nothing new; they were probably just saying hello.
The slam of a door echoed through the warehouse. Ariel's boots clipped angrily as she marched into the room once more, her hair streaming behind her like flames. Gideon followed on her heels; there were angry red welts on both of his cheeks, but he looked calm.
“—don't care, you thick, plumb-headed man-ape!”
“—just tryin' to make me angry, you're not even talkin' sense.”
“ You don't make sense, you stupid sisquick!” Ariel grabbed the doorknob in both hands and rattled it wildly, pushing instead of pulling. “Should'a known better than to—DON'T!” she yowled like an angry cat as Gideon put a hand on the door to pull it open. Swinging around, she slapped him hard on the side of the face.
Hayden put his book near to his face, his nose nearly parting the pages. Despite wanting to avoid attracting Ariel's attention, he couldn't help but glance over the top of the tome,
Nivy sat down opposite to Po on the ground and started playing cat's cradle with a shoelace. Her eyes glanced over the book subtly, but anxiously.
“I'll be careful,” Hayden promised. She nodded offhandedly, as if she already knew as much, but seemed to have a difficult time smiling. Hayden wasn't sure where the book had originally come from…only that it was important. Nivy hinted that the book had something to do with The Heron's long lost weapon, but she had had even less success wrangling a translation out of it than Hayden. The manuscript was in pristine condition, but its text was in a language that resembled common speak as much as Hayden resembled Gideon.
The alleyway door swung open with a gust of cruelly cold wind that sent the book's pages flipping. Hayden looked up, stifled his groan, and tried to hide his face in the collar of his jacket. The newcomer was Ariel, one of the only people he genuinely disliked. She was horrible. She was also Gideon's…something. The word taskmaster came to mind.
Ariel slammed the door behind her, scowling. He wasn't sure how, but she'd dyed over her dark Pantedan hair and turned it crimson, an impossibly red silky sheet that shivered over her white fur stole and black coat. The red hair, the slanted blue eyes, and the pale skin made her look ghoulish, but still beautiful.
“Where's Gideon?” she asked Hayden in greeting, her drawl menacing. “I heard he was here.”
Hayden pointed silently, and Ariel started for the hallway, the heels of her boots clicking sharply. She passed Po and Nivy, who were staring at her with looks of awe (though, to be fair, Hayden thought Nivy's awe was the kind one felt when they were staring at creature they'd only read about, but never seen), with a sneer for their game and nothing else.
“Don't mind her.” Hayden put aside his books and joined them on the floor. “That was Ariel, Gideon's…” He floundered as Po waited curiously.
“Sweetheart?” she suggested.
He cringed and shrugged. He was hesitant to apply the word sweet to any part of Ariel.
A few moments of stillness passed as Hayden watched Po and Nivy play their game, and then, inevitably, the voices rose like a distant, grumbling storm. Nivy lowered her tangled hands and tipped her head as if to make out the muffled words, but Hayden simply reached for his book and opened it to a marked page with a jaded sigh. Gideon and Ariel yelling at each other was nothing new; they were probably just saying hello.
The slam of a door echoed through the warehouse. Ariel's boots clipped angrily as she marched into the room once more, her hair streaming behind her like flames. Gideon followed on her heels; there were angry red welts on both of his cheeks, but he looked calm.
“—don't care, you thick, plumb-headed man-ape!”
“—just tryin' to make me angry, you're not even talkin' sense.”
“ You don't make sense, you stupid sisquick!” Ariel grabbed the doorknob in both hands and rattled it wildly, pushing instead of pulling. “Should'a known better than to—DON'T!” she yowled like an angry cat as Gideon put a hand on the door to pull it open. Swinging around, she slapped him hard on the side of the face.
Hayden put his book near to his face, his nose nearly parting the pages. Despite wanting to avoid attracting Ariel's attention, he couldn't help but glance over the top of the tome,
Similar Books
