Brothers, Rebels, Treasure Seekers by Caylen McQueen

Author:Caylen McQueen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: steampunk, steampunk romance, romantic steampunk books, gaslamp fantasy, romantic comedy with fantasy elements, fantasy steampunk romance, light fun steampunk romance
Publisher: Caylen McQueen
Published: 2023-06-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

The airships departed at eight o'clock in the morning and drifted side-by-side through an ocean of downy cloud. Kath, the Wild Wendall's first and foremost pilot, was hardly thrilled about the surfeit of passengers, and she was even less thrilled about her father's new engagement. Half of Lynn's boys had relocated to Buoyant Bessie, but the airship was still too crowded for Kath's liking. The last minute addition of Princess Lysa, two royal guards, and a trumpeter, were enough to sour Kath's mood for the foreseeable future.

The aforementioned trumpeter, Gordon, was bleating his morning melody from the crow's nest. His nonstop noise, made at the princess' request, was adding to Kath's headache. She kept one hand on the airship's wheel, and another hand on her head, where she tried to massage away the pain. The throbbing crescendoed with Gordon's wretched music.

Rhys had been avoiding Kathleen for the last twenty-four hours. He was upset by her decision to invite Claire, and when he asked for a reason, Kath had no answers for him. In fact, she had no answers for herself. She wouldn't have answers until she spoke to Hiroaki about his conversation with Juanita.

Kath glanced down at the teletalk in her pocket. She was tempted to call Hiro, but she didn't know what to say. If she was wrong all along, and he wasn't a cheater, what did that mean for them? Did she owe him an apology? What would happen to Rhys? Too many questions were clamoring for answers, but all she wanted was a moment of peace.

As long as Gordon kept playing, peace could never be attained. Kath turned on the autopilot, left the helm, and shouted at the crow's nest, “Can you stop your music for a little while, please?” She cupped a hand over her eyes, shielding them from the sun as she turned her gaze skyward. The crow's nest was so tall, she could barely see Gordon and his trumpet. The shiny instrument winked in the sunlight, and the music finally stopped.

Gordon called down to her, “Pardon?”

“Can you stop playing?” Kath repeated. “I have a headache and I can't even hear myself think!”

Gordon shouted, “The princess wants me to play! She says it keeps her spirits up!”

“Well, it keeps my spirits down, and I'm the damn captain!” Kath yelled to him. Mentioning the word spirits inspired her to uncap her flask and take a swig.

“Can I do one more song?” Gordon asked.

“Just one more,” Kath allowed. “Make it a short one, though. I need to make a call.” She held up the teletalk, which was pointless, because she was sure he couldn't see her. With clenched teeth, she returned to the helm and suffered through the trumpeter's fifth and final song. When the music finally ended, she punched a few buttons on the teletalk and raised it to her ear.

First, she heard a gurgle of static, followed by the sound of her ex-fiancé's voice. “Hello? Kath?”

“Yeah. It's me.” Kath glanced at Buoyant Bessie and wondered if Hiro, like her, was standing behind the wheel of his airship.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.