6 - Voyage of Jerle Shannara 01 - Ilse Witch by Brooks Terry

Author:Brooks, Terry [Brooks, Terry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-08-31T14:20:30+00:00

Bek smiled back. One down, he was thinking in response, but

two still to go.

TWENTY-ONE

It took two more months of travel to reach the island of Shatter-

stone. Bek had thought they would arrive more quickly since it

had taken them only ten days to gain Flay Creech. But Walker's

rough-drawn map showed the distance to be considerably greater,

and it was.

Nevertheless, the days between passed swiftly, eaten up by rou-

tine tasks and small crises. Bek continued to learn about airships—

how they were constructed, why they flew, and what was needed to

maintain them. He was given a chance to try his hand at almost

everything, from polishing the diapson crystals to threading the ra-

dian draws. He was allowed to go topside to see how the draws were

attached to the light sheaths so as to draw down their power. He

was given time at the ship's rudders and controls and a chance at

Plotting courses. By the end of the two months, Redden Alt Mer

thought him competent enough to leave him alone in the pilot box

for several hours at a stretch, allowing him to become accustomed

to the feel of the airship and the ways she responded to his touch.

For the most part, the weather continued to favor them. There

Were storms, but they did not cause the ship damage or ship's com-

pany to fear. A few were severe enough that ship and passengers

sought shelter in an island's protective cove or windward bluffs.

Once or twice they were badly lashed by heavy winds and rain while

still aloft, but the Jerle Shannara was well made and able to endure.

Certainly it helped having the ship's builder aboard. If some-

thing malfunctioned or failed, Spanner Frew found the problem and

fixed it almost instantly. He was ferociously loyal to and protective

of his vessel, a mother hen with teeth, and he was quick to repri-

mand or even assault anyone who mistreated her. Once Bek

watched him cuff one of the Rover crew so hard he knocked the

man down, all because the crewman had removed a diapson crystal

improperly.

The only one who seemed able to stand up to him was Rue Me-

ridian, who was intimidated by no one. Of all aboard ship, save

Walker, she was the coolest and calmest presence. Bek remained in

awe of Little Red, and when he had the chance to do so, he watched

her with an ache he could not quite manage to hide. If she noticed,

she kept it to herself. She was kind to him and always helpful. She

would tease him now and then, and she made him laugh with her

surreptitious winks and clever asides. She was the airship's navi-

gator, but Bek soon discovered that she was much more. It was ap-

parent from the beginning that she knew as much as her brother

about flying airships and was his most valued adviser. She was also

extremely dangerous. She carried knives everywhere she went, and

she knew how to use them. Once, he watched her compete against

the other Rovers in a throwing contest, and she bested them easily.

Neither her brother nor Furl Hawken would throw against her,

which told Bek something. He

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