Skyjackers - Episode 3: The Winds of Justice (Skyjackers: Season One) by J.C. Staudt Page A

up. “I can’t understand it, Poleax. I invite
you into my home. I make you a part of my family and share the spoils of my
endeavors with you. You have shown me the price of my generosity. First Lily,
now this.”
    “There has been no price, Ben. I ran an errand of personal
import, and now I have returned. You’ve lost nothing apart from the two animals
you thought had vanished into the jungle anyway.”
    “You’re forgetting something, Poleax. The Marquis of Bixbury
has filed charges with the constabulary.”
    “How do you know that?”
    “I have eyes and ears in many places, cousin. Thanks to your
mucking up the operation that night, the Marquis’s people have identified the Hummingbird by name.”
    “Perhaps your ships wouldn’t be so easy to identify if their
names weren’t painted across the back.”
    Benedict gave him a brief smile. “A ship’s name is a thing of
pride. Not something to be hidden like a cold sore at a kissing booth. You’ve
embarrassed me in both word and deed. However, being the tolerant man I am, I
have decided to give you one last chance. This new hideaway we’re building has
turned out to be rather a strain on my coffers. A Regency airship called the Justice will be transporting gold between a heavily guarded storehouse in Roathea and
one of its subsidiaries in Cardemere. The Justice is a dreadnought-class
vessel, rivaling Junior’s Stratustarian in size, and is sure to be
escorted by a number of well-armed steamers. The convoy leaves tomorrow.
Together, we must seize that ship and plunder its booty.”
    Junior snickered.
    “You have an infantile sense of humor.”
    “Sorry, Dad,” said Junior, straightening.
    Benedict shook his head in annoyance. Looking around the
room, he became suddenly aware that someone wasn’t there who should’ve been.
“Gertrude… where’s Misty?”
    “Perhaps her crew will enlighten us,” said Gertrude, looking
to Misty’s first mate and quartermaster for a response.
    Xan Janakki gulped. “I thought she was with you, Commodore.”
    Benedict stared at him, blinking. “Come again?”
    “The day we left Azkatla, everything was in chaos. I came to
the conclusion that Misty must’ve boarded one of the other ships.”
    “What in the name of all the gods would lead you toward that
conclusion? We’re half a world away, and you haven’t once checked in to confirm
whether your captain might’ve boarded another ship by mistake? Who ordered the Moonmist to leave Azkatla, if Misty wasn’t aboard?”
    “I gave the order myself, sir.”
    “Did she leave you in charge?”
    “Yes, sir. While she was at the hideaway.”
    “And do you specifically remember her returning to the ship?”
    “Not specifically.”
    “Then why would you make such a daft assumption?”
    “I thought the Captain was in her cabin sleeping, sir. You
know how she hates to be disturbed when she’s sleeping. On top of that, the
holds were all full of treasures from the house and such. Plenty of servants,
plenty of weight. I got to thinking that if another of those earthquakes
happened, might be Mandrake Hollow was like to fall in on us. I thought it best
we got out of there while we could. Sir.”
    “That was a terrible idea. Not to mention a blatant breach of
the chain of command.”
    “I do apologize for that, sir.”
    “Apology will get you nowhere, Janakki. Unless your
destination is the bottom of the ocean. Viv, since this buffoon is incapable of
following orders, go to the hideaway in Azkatla and look for your sister. I
want a full-scale search. Leave no leaf unturned until she’s found.”
    Vivian stood. “Just me, Dad?”
    “I can’t spare more than one ship at the moment. We’ll need
all our strength for tomorrow’s stickup. The Dawnhammer ’s crew is large
enough to conduct a thorough search without being too big a loss. Bluewave me
the moment you find her. If she was, in fact, left behind at the mansion, she
won’t have gone far.”
    “I only pray she’s