The Stolen Child (3 page)

“How long before they pull in?”

“About an hour, I think.  Look.”

She pointed at one of the ships drifting low over the clouds.  It was a slender little thing, dwarfed by the trade-ships that surrounded it.  A sleek body, with wide canvas wings and two float-stones mounted on outriggers, just above the twin propellers.  It was an explorer's vessel, and it was the only place she'd ever really thought of as home.  The Triskelion.

“It'll be good to see them again.  You remember we've got dinner planned tonight?”
he said.
 

“Meet at the department, six
thirty
.  I remember.”

“OK, well, I'll see you there.  Now I really should get going.  You've had breakfast, right?”

She rolled her eyes.

“
G
o sign your papers,
Daddy.
 
O
r whatever they want you to do.  I bet it's all really boring.”

“Crushingly dull.”  He gave her shoulder a squeeze.  Then he was gone, long strides carrying him across the observation deck.

She
took
one last look at the open sky, and then she followed him inside.

On her way down to the
café
, Arsha stopped in at the apartment to collect a few things.  Their lodgings were on loan from the university, whilst her father and his assistants were staying in Skytower, and in the three months they'd been living there she still hadn't managed to make it feel like any kind of a home.  She snatched up her bag from the back of a chair, and was turning to leave when she heard a soft trilling sound from atop the dresser, as Penelope lifted her head from under her wing and shook her feathers out.  Mother-of-pearl eyes gleamed under shining silver eyelids as the tiny mechanical bird cocked her head from one side to the other.

“Well come on then,” Arsha said, standing impatiently in the doorway.  With an almost musical sound of metal wings fluttering, Penelope crossed the short distance to land on Arsha's shoulder, tucking herself up just under the wave of her hair.  She reached up to stroke the back of Penelope's head, the little bird twisting to nuzzle her fingertips.  Though her metal body gave no heat, Arsha always felt sure there was a spark of warmth when the little autom pressed up against her.

By the time she reached the café where they'd agreed to meet, Shani was already sitting at a table overlooking the concourse.  
Her
long plaits were pulled back in a loose braid today, and she wore a
bright green tunic with silver embroidery
.  Like her mother, Shani had skin the colour of polished ebony, and a smile like sunlight.

“Hey you,” she said, as Arsha slipped into the chair across from her.  “Ordered you a coffee.”

“How was your lecture?” Arsha said, depositing her satchel.  As she settled herself, she felt Penelope poking her nose out from under her hair.  With a friendly chirp, the little bird dropped down onto the table.

“Ugh.  Boring.  Markus goes on and on,” Shani said, tickling Penny under the chin with the tip of her finger.  “Hey, want to see something neat?”

Arsha nodded, and Shani produced a small object from her bag; her sending stone, the crystal a deep amethyst with
squared off
 corners, set in a brass frame.

“This is a new weave I've been working on.  You link it to your harmonic, right, and it listens to all of the waves that are playing in your area... And then, you just, you know, whistle or hum a little at it, like, any song you have in your head, and it finds you the wave that's got the closest thing to that.  So, you know, whatever kind of music you feel like listening to, it'll find it for you.  Come on, grab your stone and I'll
swipe
it over to you.”

“That's really cool,”
Arsha said, smiling.
  “But, I don't think I'll be able to use it much.  Most of the time we can barely even get the Guild station.  I don't think they'll even have that where we're going now.”

“Yeah, Tyren's really the middle of nowhere huh?  
Hey, don't worry
, you'll find ways to entertain yourself.  
Maybe you'll meet some nice Tyren boys, eh?
”  Shani smiled and gave her a friendly slap on the arm.

For a moment, Arsha tried to return the smile.  Then her face fell, and she felt a twisting knot tighten in her
stomach
.

“It's not going to be the same,” she said, miserably.  “Not without you.  First Elim left, and now you're here studying, and it's just me...”

With a solemn look, Shani gave her
hand
a gentle squeeze.

“
Maybe it's time to
think about what your father said.  Going to the Guildhall to study.  Boarding school
could
be a lot of fun.  I bet there's a bunch of kids there whose parents are explorers or archaeologists just like your dad,” Shani said.  With a shrug she added “Or captains, like mine.  It's not like we're the only ones that h
abe
,
like
,
weird parents and stuff
.”

“Yeah, I know.  I
t's
just... What if I hate it there?  What if no one likes me?  
Or w
hat if I don't make any friends, or I'm no good at my classes, or...”

“None of those things are going to happen.  Arsh, you're like one of the nicest people
in the world
, and you're smart, and you're fun, and I love hanging out with you.  My friends all think you're awesome.  Do you have any idea how crazy that is?  University students are not normally impressed by fifteen year old girls.”

Arsha felt her cheeks tingle, and for a moment she had to pretend to scan the concourse as a smile crept across her lips.  At that moment a waitress arrived with their order.  Arsha was blowing the steam off her coffee when Shani's sending stone chimed.  She waved a hand over the crystal, and
the
message flickered into view, suspended over the surface in faintly glowing letters of light.

“Oh, hey, that's Mum and Dad.  Someone missed a slot, so now they're pulling in to dock already.  
Come on, w
e gotta go.”

They dr
a
nk their coffees quickly, wincing at scalded tongues, and snatched up their bags.

“Come on,” Arsha waved at Penny as they set off.  The little bird
swept
into the air, gliding over their heads as they walked.

Once they left the
brightly lit
concourse, the corridors of Skytower grew tighter and darker, ceilings low and crowded.  Arsha had to coax Penny back down onto her shoulder for fear that
she
wouldn't have room to fly.  They made their way down a creaking old stair
well
, and emerged into the bustling chaos of the docks.  
Arsha breathed in the mingled scent of oil, smoke, and canvas wax
.  Keeping t
o t
he upper catwalks, they watched as the dockers worked the level below, carts laden with crates and barrels being hauled by broad shouldered men and women in grease stained overalls.

Eventually the girls found their way to the dock where the Triskelion was pulling in.  Through the tall windows that ringed the catwalk she could easily see the ship ahead of them, floatstones still dancing with energy, even as the propellers were slowly coming to rest.  She could almost hear the the canvas
snapping
in the wind.

“Hey, hold up,” Arsha said, pausing to reach into her bag.  She pulled out
her
holographer and raised the viewfinder to her eye.  Gently squeezing the capture, she froze a few stills of the Triskelion in the dock.

“Are you done playing with that that thing yet?” Shani laughed, as Arsha tucked the holo away in her bag again.

They made their way down a small stairwell, and through a heavy door that lead them out onto the pier.  As they stepped outside, the wind struck them both like a hammer.  Arsha pulled her goggles down, and watched as Shani produced a scarf from her bag.

The Triskelion's deck was long and flat, save for the vast form of the conning tower that rose up over the aft.  The bridge had a curved window across its entire front, giving a clear view over the deck.  Just below, at the base of the tower, was the heavy iron hatch
way
that lead inside.  As they crossed the deck, Arsha saw the hatch swing wide a
s
two figures emerged.  With a sudden thought, she pulled out the holo from her bag again and caught a quick still of Abasi and Milima as they were stepping out onto the deck.

“Seven Names Arsha, did you really have to?” Milima called out to her, laughing as the wind whipped around her.  Abasi heaved the door to and turned just in time, as Shani flung her arms around the both of them.  Arsha caught a few more quick stills, as the couple embraced their daughter.  Then the three of them were strolling towards her, Shani clinging to her parents arms as she walked between them.

“
Hey you
,” Abasi said, his voice booming like thunder as he threw an arm around her.  She squeezed her arms around his
rotund
waist, and pressed her face to his chest
as the man towered over her.
 

“
Uncle Abasi.  How was your trip?”
 

“
Long,” Milima said, peeling Arsha away from her husband, and pulling her into a fierce embrace.  Milima smelled of cinnamon and nutmeg, a sure sign that there was a fresh load of pastries and cakes waiting aboard the ship.
 

“
So, listen, we've got dinner at seven,” Shani said, “Arsha's dad booked some super fancy place in Upper East.  What do you guys want to do to kill time until then?”
 

“
Oh I don't know dear.  Whatever you like,” Milima replied.
 

“
Is Liam going to be joining us at all?” Abasi added, with a curiously hopeful look.
 

“
Ugh, no.”  Shani made a face.  “Liam and I, uh... We kind of split.  Look, it's a really long story.”
 

“
Oh sweetheart,” Milima said, putting an arm around her daughter.  “If you want to talk about it we could find somewhere quiet...”
 

“
Maybe later.”  Shani smiled, and patted her mother's arm.  “Come on, let's head up.”
 

Arsha trailed behind a little as they walked, listening to the conversation as Penelope chirped happily in her ear.
 

The day passed in a gentle haze of shops and
cafés
, as Abasi and Milima caught up on Shani's life at the university, and filled the girls in on what they'd been doing.  
In the three months since
dropping off Arsha and her father at Skytower, Abasi and Milima had been travelling all across the Guildlands and beyond,
gathering items that her father had needed from various far flung
outposts
.  It wasn't especially exciting, but after months cooped up in one place, Arsha envied them.  She missed the Triskelion, and her cosy little cabin.

As six o'clock rolled around, Abasi and Milima made their way back to the ship, to change into something suitable.  Shani made her excuses likewise, and Arsha found herself walking alone back to the apartments.  She was trying on a
matching deep blue salwar and kameez
when her father knocked and poked his head in through the door.

“Hey Daddy,” she said, “is this OK for tonight?”

“You look perfect, love,” he said.

She pulled a face.

“You always say that.  It doesn't help if you always say it.”

He laughed.

“Listen, I'
ve
got one more errand to run.  Can you wait down at the department for me?  Micah and Ilona will be there already.”

She nodded.
 

“
And you do look perfect.  Just like always.”
 

She felt a tingling in her cheeks, even as she rolled her eyes at him.
 

“
Alright, I'm going,” he said.
 

After picking out a gold shawl from her wardrobe
, Arsha settled Penelope on her shoulder again, and set off down the avenue.  At a doorway with a brass plate that read 'Department of Exploration and Archaeology' she knocked politely, and a grey haired porter let her in with a smile.

She made her way through the twisting maze of corridors, finally stepping through a set of double doors that lead into the lab.  Long worktables lined the room, nearly every inch of them now covered in neat stacks and rows of equipment.  Tools were laid out and labelled by size, stacks of supplies had neat little tags indicating type and quantity, and more still were already being packed away into crates filled with straw.  Piles of loose equipment, as yet unsorted, dotted the floor throughout the room.

Ilona sat to one side on a wooden stool, with a notepad
resting
in her lap.  The woman was wearing a
black
dress with
silver
trim,
cut in the Novarsi style that she preferred.
 
H
er
pale blonde hair
was
pulled up into a tight bun, revealing the delicate sharpness of her features,
the paleness of her skin standing sharp against the black satin
.  
The woman
was staring at her notes intently, and didn't seem to even notice when Arsha entered the room.

Sat between two benches, crossed legged on the floor, Micah was slowly untangling a small mountain of climbing rope.  His
dark
hair was tied
back in
a pony-tail and his shirt sleeves were rolled up.  
One braided forelock had been woven with a handful of coloured beads.  He turned at the sound of the door, and whistled when he set eyes on her.
 

“
Hey there little bear,” Micah said with a broad grin.  “You look exceptionally pretty today.”
 

She smiled, and propped herself up on one of the benches.

“
Dad got you working late?”
 

Micah shrugged, broad shoulders moving expressively.