Stormbreak (Seafire #3) - Natalie C. Parker Page 0,5

away.

“Heading up!” a voice called from the level below. Pisces appeared a moment later, hauling herself onto the reclaimed ghost funnel that now served as Caledonia’s lookout. The past six moons had given Pisces a resolve of stone and physical strength of the same. Her new confidence was matched only by her right hook.

“Closing in?” Caledonia asked, feet braced wide against the wind.

“Closing in,” Pisces confirmed with a nod of her smooth shaved head. Sweat glistened against the dark tan of her cheeks. “We’ll be on them in another mile.”

Pisces wasn’t the only one to change since the attack on Cloudbreak. Since Lir killed Aric and took command of the Bullet Fleet. Since Caledonia’s brother, Donnally, had looked Caledonia in the eyes and chosen Lir instead. In that time, Caledonia and her command crew had gathered their own fleet and transformed Cloudbreak from a bustling market town into their base of operations, and Sly King Hesperus from a reluctant accomplice into their most trusted ally.

News of Caledonia’s victory at Cloudbreak had spread quickly. Rogue ships looking to join the fight had arrived in a near constant stream, adding ships to her growing fleet and willing hands to its ranks. Even a few Bullets had defected, which presented a very specific set of problems, but Caledonia wasn’t in the business of turning people away. Sledge and Ares had created a system for supporting Bullets as they slowly squeezed the Silt from their veins. It didn’t always go smoothly; no matter how willing a Bullet seemed, or how well they came through their withdrawals, it was difficult to trust them enough to put a weapon back in their hands. For his part, Hesperus had a small, dedicated team working on soiltech, while his sister Kae partnered with Far to keep everyone fed, watered, and organized.

Oran, as always, was Caledonia’s eyes and ears whenever she was away from the city. He was her proxy in spite of Hesperus’s copious, unbridled objections.

Their efforts kept Caledonia free to do what she did best: hunt.

Caledonia narrowed her eyes against the wind and swept her gaze along the horizon. They’d been en route to the Braids to meet with the Hands of the River when her scouts unexpectedly spotted an AgriFleet barge just south of their location. They’d changed their plans, radioed to Cloudbreak for additional support, and held position until Silver Fleet arrived.

“Sledge was right,” Pisces added. “Looks like Fiveson Decker’s fleet is escorting them. Ships are all marked with green.”

Caledonia smiled hungrily. She’d been waiting for an opportunity like this for moons. Aric’s death had ripped through the Bullet Seas like an electric current, igniting small pockets of rebellion from the Colonies to Slipmark. In response, Lir had recalled nearly all his ships to the Holster, which he’d claimed as his seat of power like Aric before him. The infamous city was entrenched in the southern peninsula, protected by a devastating crown of gun towers. But well-fortified as he was, he still had to provide food and Silt for his Bullets, and that meant eventually the AgriFleet barges had to sail. Barges that Caledonia could steal or destroy.

“Silver Fleet is on standby?” Caledonia asked.

“Holding back and awaiting our signal,” Pisces confirmed.

The first blush of orange blossoms appeared against the brilliant blue sky as the towering barge came into view. Caledonia felt an answering spike of adrenaline in her blood. The barge stretched a quarter mile in each direction, its long platform deck covered in baleflowers reaching for the morning sun with their mouths open wide like baby birds.

Caledonia turned to Pisces. “Looks like trouble,” she said, invoking the words their fallen friend Redtooth had said so often. “Trouble” was code for a fight, for an opportunity, for a chance to strike back instead of turn tail and run.

One side of Pisces’s mouth tipped up at the memory of their friend. “There’ll be more on the other side,” she warned.

“I hope so,” Caledonia said, offering her sister a mischievous smile before sliding down the ladder to the command deck. “Drive us in, Nettle!” Caledonia called, striding onto the bridge. “Harwell, alert the Blade and Piston that we’re sailing for gold.”

Harwell’s voice rose softly from his station at the radio. It had taken some convincing for Caledonia to go along with using the thing, but it turned out coordinating with ships was a lot easier if you could just talk to them. The Blades had set up a system that allowed them to communicate on open frequencies