Megan O'Keefe - Break the Chains

Cracked Thorn Steading appeared like a festering sore on the horizon.The townships red-painted roofs, crammed into a split in the cliffside,made it look as if the town was bleeding out across the desert sands.Pelkaia stood alongside her first mate, Coss, on the foredeck of theairship which had once been named the Larkspur, now rebirthed as theMirror, and watched the township slide into focus. She squintedagainst the wind and put her eyeglass up, scanning until she found thesandstone jetty the city used to perform its executions.

Figures moved beneath the glaring sun, little more than smudges ofsilhouettes.

Thisll be a close un, captain, Coss said.

Pelkaia nodded and slammed her eyeglass closed against her thigh. Cossdidnt need the glass to see what was afoot, that man could see an antfart at a hundred paces. Although he couldnt move selium gas to savehis life, he could see minute selium particles trapped in eddies of air,and how they bent around a body. He was useless for manipulating theselium bladders which gave the airship lift, but he was brilliant as alookout. And as a spy. Not a day went by Pelkaia didnt bless the stablesands shed scrounged him up out of Kalisan.

Well make it, she insisted.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and slouched backward, a scowlcarved into the granite square of his jaw. You sure its worth therisk? Could be a bum report, rumors being what they are. Wouldnt wantto kick up a fight with the local watchers over a petty thief.

The Mirror caught a draft of good tailwind in its sails and lurchedforward, eager to claim the speck of a prize standing on that spear ofrock. She stroked the fore rail and gave Coss a tight nod.

Our mere existence is a risk. If were wrong, were wrong. But I wontlet them murder a so-called deviant just for breathing if theres achance I can stop it.

She spun on her heel and pinned her makeshift crew under a criticalgaze. Deviants, all of them, each one a selium-sensitive capable ofmanipulating that precious gas in a way the empire deemed indecent, ifnot outright illegal. Theyd all been destined for a jail cell beforePelkaia came along and scooped them up, though none had been plucked outof a situation quite as dire as this.

Five souls handled the rigging, two hauled at the propeller cranks. Nota one of them was necessary to pilot the ship. If needed, Pelkaia couldmanipulate the directional force of the vast selium bladders hidden inthe ships hull. But most airships sported one sel-sensitive pilot, ifthat. A whole ship full was destined to raise a few eyebrows.

Jeffin, her mirrors-man, sat on the deck with his back against thecaptains podium, eyes half-closed as he gathered his strength. Betweenthe young mans wind-reddened cheeks and tousled, sandy hair, she couldnever quite tell when he was truly tired or just suffering the bodilyabuses of late adolescence.

Stuck to Jeffins shadow, as always, was Laella. The young woman hadcoaxed little Essi into sitting across from her on the top of a barrel.Though Laellas fingers were busy braiding the younger girls hair,Pelkaia could see clear as a blue sky that the womans eyes were lockedon Jeffin, waiting for him to need her assistance. They were a study incontrasts; the long-limbed woman born of aristocracy, and her sturdyScorched counterpart. Try as Pelkaia might to keep an open mind, thesimple presence of Laella rankled. Here was the daughter of heroppressor, no matter her deviant sensitivity.

Laella! Pelkaia snapped. Stopped being a damned distraction and letEssi tie the blasted sails up.

She winced and bowed an apology. Essi leapt from the barrel,half-braided hair flapping in the breeze, and darted toward themainmast.

Jeffin! Mirrors up! Make us look like a flat-bellied wallower.

The young man leapt to his feet and saluted, then sat right back downand closed his eyes. Laellas shoulders slumped, but Pelkaia ignored herdisappointment. The girl came from privilege. She could wait her turn.Pelkaia extended her sel-sense and felt Jeffin draw from the invisibleselium ring her crew kept looped around the ship at all times. Hesectioned off what he needed and shaped it into mirrors all along thehull. By the time he was done the ship looked like any other dinkyimperial cruiser, the distinctive lines of the original Larkspurhidden away. She smiled to herself. This was what the empire missed outon, outlawing any sensitive who could do more than just move selium intoairships. Theyd never see them coming.

Lotta watchers up there, Coss said, squinting toward the growingtownship.

If theyve got an illusionist, itll be worth it. She folded her armsover her coat, a uniform piece stolen from an imperial commodore. Theburgundy cloth stank of fresh dye, and the buttons had yet to lose theirshine. The woman Pelkaia had snatched it from probably lost her postover the theft, but that wasnt any of Pelkaias business.

She smiled at the approaching township. This was her business.

Coss grinned at her. Rumor was a firebug.

Now look whos bending to rumor.

Oh fah. Can you imagine if its true?

She pursed her lips and adjusted her overlarge lapels. Yes. Yes I can.

Cosss eyes widened and he looked away, pressing his mouth shut so hardhis lips went bloodless. She knew the unspoken rule amongst her crew,though no one had ever dared tell it to her outright: Dont speak ofthe Honding. Itd been a year since shed seen that firebug-scoundrel,and still the shadow of their meeting dogged her. She clenched herfists, and called out to those up on deck.

To arms, all of you lazy scabs! Those bastards mean to send one of oursto the endless night today. And what do we have to say to that?

Get fucked! the chorus went up.

She laughed, and strode toward her cabin. Prepare yourselves. I need toput my face on.

Within her cabin, warm wax and raw oak permeated the air. She settledherself onto the padded seat of her new vanity, and unlatched the cap onher private sel bladder. While she worked, she ignored the gentle swayof the ship, the clatter of her crew, and the lack of her old bed behindher. The one her son had made.

In Aransa, she had used one of her beds four high posts as a guide.Now, she had only the seams in the walls planks to line up with.Guiding the selium to lay across her face in a fine, thin mask, sheextended her senses and shifted the gass color and texture.

She shaped a simple face, an approximation of the drink-sodden commodoreshe had liberated the coat from. It neednt be a perfect match, it wasdoubtful anyone would recognize a commodore of an inconsequentialmercantile barge, but still Pelkaia found it advantageous to do her workbeneath a mask. It left her true countenance unknowable; wanted postersdifficult to print.

And it was always easier to put on an act while wearing someone elsesface.

Itd be a lovely thing, if the deviant they were looking to save now wasalso an illusionist. Having a twin in ability would make Pelkaias workthat much easier.

Cosss patterned knock rattled her door and she polished off her newvisage. It was quick work, and wouldnt hold up under tight scrutiny,but she didnt expect the ruse to last. Despite Cosss reservationsabout a fight, the lads and ladies of the Mirror needed to starttesting their teeth if they were ever going to strike back againstValatheas oppressive rule.

Lookin lovely, Coss said with a little smirk. Do something with yourhair, did you?

Nothing ever gets by you.

Were almost in visual range for you blindies. Time for our esteemedcommodore to make an appearance, eh?

Lead the way.

The Mirror slewed to a halt alongside the jetty, looking for all theworld like an imperial patroller. While the ship settled she scanned thescene, taking in the half dozen watchers and the bound-and-bagged man intheir charge. He stood barefooted on the hard stone, his breechesscarcely reaching past his knees and his shirt smeared with filth. Someover-puffed watcher in a faded blue uniform had been encouraging himtoward the edge with the point of a cutlass, but now that Pelkaias shiphad arrived, his attention wavered. Pelkaia prayed to the sweet skiesthat the condemned man wouldnt take the distraction as an opportunityto end his own life.