Clockwork Twist : Dreamer by Emily Thompson

Author:Emily Thompson [Thompson, Emily]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-11-17T08:00:00+00:00

Twist reached up to knock on Jonas's cabin door, but the door opened before he could. Jonas held out a small glass that was half-filled with a clear liquid.

“It's about time,” Jonas said, frowning at Twist. “Where have you been?”

Twist took the glass and followed Jonas into the room. Jonas sat down on one of the flat cushions that surrounded a low table in the center of his cabin. There was another glass on the table, next to a cloudy white bottle with no label. Twist sat on a cushion across the table from him and sniffed at his glass. “What is this?”

“Rum,” Jonas said, taking a drink from his own glass. “I'm really glad they didn't find this,” he added, looking at the bottle fondly.

Twist took an experimental sip and found the flavor to be sweeter and smoother than he'd imagined, considering the strong alcoholic scent. “Isn't rum what old sea pirates drink in novels?” he asked vaguely.

“Sky pirates do, too,” Jonas said, opening the bottle to refill his glass. “It's a pirate thing. It's in our blood: like the love of shiny riches and the contempt for authority figures.”

Twist watched Jonas's motions, trying to figure out how much he'd already had. His speech was still clear, at least. There was still a healthy amount of tension in him as well, suggesting that he hadn't chased many of his daemons away just yet. He looked better as well, having changed out of his singed clothing and washed his face and hands.

“So, what kept you, anyway?” Jonas asked after a quiet pause.

“Oh, nothing really,” Twist said. “I didn't mean to keep you waiting for me. I thought you could do with some time alone.”

“I'm fine,” Jonas said flippantly. “Don't worry about me so much.”

“But we're in your version of hell.”

Jonas looked at him quietly, then shook his head. “No, hell would be being handcuffed to Ara without any access to a lock-pick. Or a saw. I've still got a door I can shut in her face, so I'm not doing that badly.”

Twist nodded and took another sip of his drink. Time for a new approach. “This isn't bad,” he said, looking at his drink.

“I'll turn you into a pirate yet,” Jonas said with a wicked grin.

“No, never,” Twist said, shaking his head. “I'm rubbish at swashbuckling.”

“What is that, anyway?” Jonas asked. “Swashbuckling, I mean. I've always wondered.”

“You're the pirate.”

“But I've never buckled a swash,” Jonas said unhappily. “At least, I don't think I have.”

“Then you haven't lived.”

“You're mad. Do you know that?”

“I've got the top hat for that, too,” Twist said with a wink.

Jonas laughed and picked up the bottle again. “I'm so glad Quay gave it to you. It's always good for a joke. More?”

“Please,” Twist said, holding out his glass with a mild sense of satisfaction. At least he was in a good enough mood to laugh.

A knock at the door startled them both. Twist didn't realize that he'd left it open behind him. Arabel stood in the hallway outside, watching them.

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