The Almost King by Lucy Saxon

Author:Lucy Saxon
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781408847695
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2015-04-23T09:48:22+00:00

22

Saturday morning found Aleks leaving the Compass with a shopping list in his hand and a determined expression on his face, his purse weighing heavy in his pocket. He and Luka had methodically gone through everything each of them had thought would be necessary on the trip, and there were still a fair few things Aleks needed to buy. He’d figured that he might as well get his shopping done at the same time as looking for Drazan. Most of the things on his list could be found in or near the shipyard, anyway.

It was strange being near the shipyard; he hadn’t been since he’d first arrived in Syvana, and while he’d been amazed then at watching the skyships take off and land, it was a whole new feeling now he’d actually experienced flying himself. He watched enviously as several trade ships rose as if they were made of air themselves and landed without even a single bump. He wished he could do it that seamlessly.

Wandering through the crowd, Aleks kept his eyes peeled for the flight school. He took a minor detour when he spotted a shop that claimed to sell everything you could ever need to fly a skyship, buying a thickly padded brown leather flight coat. It made his wallet significantly lighter, but it was warm and would hold up to the harsh weather.

It wasn’t until he’d walked almost from one end of the shipyard to the other that he saw it; a building proclaiming to be the School of Skyship Mechanics, Engineering and Ownership.

The building’s entrance hall was small, with a desk set up in one corner and a bored-looking woman sitting behind it writing in a notebook. Aleks approached the desk somewhat nervously, and the woman looked up at him. ‘If you want to book lessons, I’m going to need to see a signed sponsorship form from your captain or master,’ she said in a monotone voice.

‘Oh, no,’ Aleks replied, shaking his head. ‘I’m just looking for someone, actually. His name is Drazan.’ The woman pursed her thin lips.

‘He’s out teaching at the moment, but his session should finish in fifteen minutes or so. You’re welcome to wait.’ She pointed to a short row of chairs against the opposite wall. Aleks sat down, propping his ankle on his knee and leaning back. Hopefully fifteen minutes would pass quickly; he was unnerved by the silence of the room, after the noise and bustle of the shipyard outside.

Pulling his shopping list from his pocket and crossing off the items he’d bought, he jumped when someone called his name.

‘Aleks! Storms, it’s you!’ He looked up, eyes widening when he saw a face he hadn’t seen in months. ‘I thought that scruffy hair looked familiar. Gods, I’m glad to see you safe and sound.’

‘Zhora!’ he cried, jumping to his feet. Zhora crossed the small room in a couple of strides, bundling him in a tight hug. ‘Fancy meeting you here.’

The tall man barked out a laugh. ‘Yes, well, didn’t I tell you we’d meet again?’ he pointed out cheerfully.

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