Bloomer

20. How to Give a Lecture

Whiskers wheezes as I haul him up the galley steps onto the sun-drenched deck.

"I don't need a flippin' bath," he says. "I took one last month. I jes' need me some fresh air." He breathes in a lungful of air and coughs it back out. "That's more like it. I feel better already."

"I'm taking you to a bath house," I say. "There's more than one month's worth of dirt on you."

I pray I don't regret my offer as I guide Whiskers to a pile of crates where he props himself up. The airship tilts and Bastian climbs on board, returning from a trip to the airfield to say good riddance to Merrick and Circus Man. His lips are pinched, kind of like Merrick's were after I decked him.

"I see you managed to get Whiskers out of his cave," Bastian says. "A little sunshine will do him good." He walks past me, trailing his fingers across my waist like a dragon playing with his hoard. I narrow my eyes and wait for him to look at me. I want him to know he's being a tease.

"I'm trying to convince him to go to a bath house," I say. "But he's being a stubborn, old fart."

Whiskers waves me off as he coughs into his beard.

"That's an excellent idea." Bastian inspects a few gauges at the helm as he pulls a pouch from his pocket and stashes it behind the steering wheel. "I know just the place. Annie's Bath House and Pub. She has the cleanest drunks in the outpost. We can head that way right after you and I have a chat, Ivy." He inclines his head in the direction of his cabin and starts walking toward it.

What did I do? Is he pissed because I didn't play nice with his annoying friends? I don't think anyone noticed I didn't drink the tea. Maybe he knows about the incident with Merrick. Not much seems to get by him. Or maybe he doesn't want to talk at all. Maybe the pink dress with rose embellishments has done the trick. Excitement forces my stomach into a knot, or it might be panic.

Don't be a jellyfish, Ivy.

I pat Whiskers on the arm. "I'll be right back. Don't move a muscle."

Whiskers doesn't appear interested in moving anything, and my legs are feeling the same way as I slowly make for Bastian's cabin. Once inside, I slip my arm around the first stable thing I can find, the finial of his footboard, leaning on it casually. Bastian appears much more relaxed. He takes a seat in his captain's chair, grabs the bottle of rum off the table, and holds it up.

"See this bottle?" he says. "I'm going to show you something that may or may not impress you." He lets go of the bottle and it stays suspended in mid-air, his hand hovering steadily over it.

"You don't have to levitate bottles to impress me." I grin like a nervous idiot then cover it with rambling. "Levitation spells were off limits to me and my cousins. Eighteen was the golden age for learning the stronger incantations in our clan, but I still saw plenty of it. If you want to know the truth, it was River who taught me most of the stuff I know."

Bastian smiles but it doesn't last. He lets the bottle come to rest on the table, snapping into serious mode and ensnaring me with his eyes. "Ivy, I didn't call you in here to show you magic tricks. I wanted to give you a little demonstration of the power that now resides inside you. I took a bold risk sharing my magic with you. When Miss K told me you were a Tate, well... I wasn't sure what you were capable of. Neither of us were."

I take a seat on his bed, relieving the pressure from my legs. "So, you knew about my clan's age rule?"

He nods. "News gets around. I'm not surprised my mom chose Five Points Canyon to hide out. Less chance for her lover to be questioned about the gift he didn't have. I understand why your clan followed that rule. Magic can be destructive in the wrong hands. If a caster abuses his power or shows signs of instability, it can lead to the caster's downfall. Sometimes the downfall of the whole clan."