Winter Embers [ Book 2 ]

Chapter Thirteen

       "No," Claire said with a shake of her head, "that won't be necessary."

       "Good, just the thought of it is unpleasant," Xieren replied.

       A shadow fell over them and Claire looked up just as they skimmed dangerously close to a tower whose faded paint suggested it had once been a bright turquoise. She stepped back in surprise, bumping into Xieren whose hands rose to rest on her shoulders and helped steady her.

       "Don't be afraid, I've got the best pilot in all of Oria at the helm," he assured her. The ship circled again the tower again, tilting to the right as the bow angled downward bringing the ship in a slow spiral towards the dock.

       The ship came to a stop across from a wide wooden platform and several crew members appeared dragging ropes thicker than Claire's arm over their shoulders. She watched with open fascination as the ropes were thrown with expert ease to loop over several tall iron spikes. Once secured, the men and women began to pull the ship towards the dock, the lengths of rope piling at their feet as they drew closer to their final destination. When they were about a foot away, the ropes were tied off and a gangplank was lowered, bridging the remaining gap between the ship and the platform.

       "Welcome to my home, Claire," Xieren said, motioning towards the tower that loomed over them, the top disappearing into a swirl of clouds.

       "Damn, what a rush," a woman's voice exclaimed causing the both of them to turn. "Did you see how close we came? Jonas said I couldn't get that close without sacrificing speed, I bet him a bottle of Drift's finest whiskey I could."

       "And you'll get it," Jonas replied as he fell into step beside her.

       The woman who approached was tall and lean, but it was her bright red hair, shimmering like fire in the light of the late morning sun, that really drew the eye. It was looped into a loose braid and rested over one shoulder while long, loosely curling wisps that had come free during the flight framed her pale, freckled face still flushed from all the excitement.

       "Excellent flying as always, my dear," Xieren replied. "Claire this is my pilot, Luciana Lockwood."

       "Luci, this is Claire," Xieren explained.

       Luciana regarded her with a cool stare that surprised Claire.

       "You don't mind taking care of things here while I tend to other matters, do you?" Xieren asked.

       "Got it covered," Luci replied, staring at Claire a moment longer with a look of thinly veiled disdain that she just didn't understand. After a moment, Luci turned on her heel and strode purposefully towards a group of men and women working on something at the far end of the ship. "Hey! Don't hold it there, you want to lose an arm? Bloody idiots!"

       "Come, Claire," Xieren said, placing his hand against the small of her back to guide her in the direction of the gangplank. She hesitated when they reached the edge and though she told herself not to look down, her eyes lowered as though they had a mind of her own. The ground below was no more than a smear of color, one thing indiscernible from the other and she felt her stomach turn.

       "Don't worry, I won't let you fall," Xieren assured her, giving her a gentle but insistent nudge to keep moving. Having little choice, Claire forced her feet to move and didn't realize that she was holding her breath until she made it safely to the wooden platform at the other end.

       "Jonas, did you finish the task I gave you?" Xieren asked.

       Jonas, who had followed them down the gangplank and now walked half a step behind them, nodded. "Yes, everything has been arranged to your specifications. I know it's not my place to question--"