An Ill Wind by Regina Puckett

Author:Regina Puckett
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Cyberpunk, Steampunk, Futuristic
Publisher: Regina Puckett
Published: 2015-05-16T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

LIGHTNING BRIGHTENED the night sky and the wind lashed at Harmony’s clothes, but she ignored it all and focused on the water gauge. “Damn it to hell.”

“What’s wrong?” Boy inched forward to slide out of the co-captain’s chair.

Hoping to forestall him, Harmony held up her hand. “Nothing.” The low reading on the water gauge would only worry him unnecessarily.

If that wasn’t enough of a problem, drops of rain plopped onto the deck. Soon enough, the skies would open and do their best to wash them out of the sky. “You should take Molly into the cabin. I don’t want either of you out here when it starts raining.”

She walked over and patted his head. “Please. I know you would prefer staying out here with me, but you will be doing me a huge favor if you stay in the cabin. I worry about that hard head of yours filling up with water.” Harmony crossed her fingers and hoped Boy actually did as he was asked for once.

“I will go to the cabin with Molly if you tell me why. I know you’re worried about more than just what the rain will do to me. What’s really bothering you? I see fear written all over your face, and I promised your grandmother I would take good care of you. But you make it hard for me to do so when you’re always so busy trying to protect me instead.”

Harmony slipped into the captain’s chair and drew in a deep breathe. “Okay. Fair enough.”

The wind whipped at her long black hair, so she braided it, to keep it out of her face. This mundane action gave her a few moments to gather her thoughts. “We’re just about out of water and I have no idea how far we are from land. As you can see, another storm is brewing. If we have to bring Airus down in the middle of the ocean, I’m not certain how long it will stay afloat. I know my great-grandfather built it out of an old clipper, but without a rudder I have no way of controlling which direction it goes in. But my biggest fear is whether or not it’s still seaworthy.”

She tried to push away the feeling of doom that was trying to suffocate her. It felt as if nothing was ever going to go right again. With each problem she fixed another one took its place.

Even though she seldom spoke about her feelings, Harmony decided that this might be the last time she would have an opportunity to do so. “I never told Griffin that I loved him, and if Airus crashes into the ocean our bodies will never be found. My family will never know what happened to us. I know Mom. The not knowing will kill her.”

Harmony looked up at the black sky. Her heart felt as if it might break. They had worked so hard to fix Airus and now it looked as though it would all have been for nothing.

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