She landed on her knees at the top of a rock cliff, looking down into the crashing waves far below.
Grandpa had told her about crossing an ocean like this crammed into a tiny room on a steamship. He told her all sorts of stories about working hard, fishing, cutting up whales, about his first few cows, but he'd never bothered to teach her about any of this Grimnoir stuff. "Oh, Grandpa. You were probably scared to tell me. You knew about people like the one-eyed man, but I could have handled it. I'll sure handle it now. You taught me a lot, and one of those things was to always finish any chore I start," she told the ocean. "I promise."
A seagull landed on the rocks next to her.
"Who you talking to?" Lance asked. His deep voice seemed strange coming from the goofy white bird.
"None of your business," she snapped.
"Sounded like you were talking to the dead." The seagull waddled up to the edge and looked over. "You gonna jump?"
Faye snorted. "That's stupid…"
"Damn right it is… You know, nobody blames you for doing that, though next time ask me before you swipe my knife. I'm particular like that."
She wiped her eyes. "Sorry."
"If we had to apologize to everybody every time we screwed up around here, we sure wouldn't get much done… How old are you anyway?"
"I don't know," she answered truthfully. "My first family said I didn't deserve no birthdays, because I was the devil's child."
Squawk! "What? That's a bunch of bunk!"
"I figure I'm maybe sixteen or seventeen, give or take."
The gull clucked. "Damn, that makes me feel old… Well, for what you've been through, you're doing just fine for your age. You ain't the first person 'round this place that's got a need for revenge."
"Do you need any revenge?"
"Well…" he seemed hesitant. "The Chairman destroyed everyone I loved and took my whole life away and part of my leg. What do you think?"
"I think I liked you better as a squirrel."
Lance flapped his wings indignantly. "That's not what I meant. You're a strange kid, but I do agree. I've got a belly full of garbage and I smell like shit. You want to come back to the house? Francis is running around like a chicken with his head cut off looking for you. I think he's worried."
"Oh… he seems really nice."
"He's a good enough kid, but he's had a sheltered life compared to people like us, so don't hold that against him… He means well."
"He's nice looking."
"Oh my hell." Lance shook his narrow beak back and forth. "That boy's been around the block… more than a few blocks I might add, and he's at least four years older than you. Plus, I don't want to have to snap his little twig neck for dishonoring you, okay? Let's keep our minds on business for right now. Remember, evil empire trying to get a superweapon?"
"I want to help stop them, and I'm gonna kill the one-eyed man myself. I swear it."
Lance was quiet for a long time, his head automatically cocking from side to side as he stared out to sea. "He's in the big leagues, kid. You might as well say you're gonna kill the Chairman while you're at it."
"He's the one-eyed man's boss? Fine. I swear I'll kill him too then."
Lance sighed.
"You're really good at the other magic, aren't you?" Faye asked. "You've got your animal Power, but you can write spells too. If you taught me what you know, then I could be more help."
"It ain't easy," he said. "And it's more than spells. Being Grimnoir means that you hold the line. It's learning how to fight, how to tail somebody and be a good spy, how to shoot, all the tricks of the trade. It takes a lot of practice and hard work."
"Well, if this Chairman is as tough as everybody says he is, we better get started if I'm gonna kill him anytime soon."
The seagull laughed. "Delilah's right. You are a firecracker. All right, I'll teach you how to be a Grimnoir knight, but on one condition: no more murdering unless I say so, or you got a real good reason!"
Chapter 11
People ask me how I do it. It is hard to explain. There is just this thing inside, like a battery. It charges up on its own, and I can turn it on when I really need it. The battery runs down fast, too fast, and it takes time to charge back up, but when it is on… I can feel the individual pistons thumping, the air over the wings, I can see the propeller turning… everything. It is like time slows down. Well, mister, let's just say that when I'm on, I own that sky.
– Lieutenant James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle,
Interview after breaking the world airspeed record i n a Curtiss R4C Parasite, 1927 Mar Pacifica, California "You've only got a finite amount of Power available at any one time." Lance was limping back and forth on the estate's back yard near the swimming pool. The sound of crashing waves could be heard in the distance. "If you get stupid and burn it when you don't need to, then you'll be weak when you really need it… Right, Francis? How's the knee feeling?"
Francis's head snapped up from where he was loafing on a nearby bench. He'd obviously not been paying attention. "Uhm… better?"
"Wake up, Francis. I need your help. Yeah, like I was saying. Don't waste Power on flash. Flash is for chumps. Get in, kick their ass, and get out. If you run through too much Power, too fast, you're on your own until it replenishes itself. Got it?"
"Sure," Faye said happily. The last two days had been rather exciting for her. She'd already mastered a couple of the simplest spells, which had impressed everyone. She was playing with magic in ways that Grandpa never would have allowed. It was even more challenging than attempting to ride a cow. "Don't mess around. Go fast. Get out."
He grabbed the rope that was tied to the cloth dummy that was hanging from a big wooden frame. A pair of boards supposedly representing swords hung from it. A red rising sun had been painted on its chest. "Show me!"
She Traveled directly behind the dummy and stabbed the wooden practice knife Lance had given her into its back. By the time Lance had jerked the rope to spin it, she was already gone, standing in front of it, and jabbed it again. Lance pulled it straight up so a board would hit her, but she was too quick and leapt back, disappearing and reappearing on the other side, still in motion. She planted the knife square into the rising sun.
"Now, Francis," Lance ordered as he let go of the rope.
This time the board moved way too fast, and a different angle, and it clipped her right in the shin. Faye screamed as she Traveled, coming at it from another angle, only to catch another board in the arm. The knife fell from limp fingers. She Traveled back, just as she hit the ground at Lance's feet.
"Ow ow ow!" Faye's fingers weren't responding and a big purple bruise was spreading on her leg. "Thanks a lot, Francis."
"Hey, you said you wanted to go faster," he said, as he released his Power and the dummy collapsed in a pile of fabric and wood. "Sorry."
"Just imagine if that was an Iron Guard's katana instead of a chunk of hickory." Lance sighed. He did that a lot when teaching her. "Jane, would you kindly put our young Traveler back together, please?"
The Healer frowned as she looked up from her book. She was wearing a white bathing suit, enormous black sunglasses, and reclining on a pool chair, enjoying the sun. Healers had the advantage of sunbathing without worrying about getting burned. "This is the last one for today, Lance. I used up most of my Power fixing up the General this morning."
"Fine, fine, we'll do something a little less physical next."
Water was rolling involuntarily from Faye's eyes but she didn't think that fell under her self-prohibition on crying when she'd just got her arm broken. "Less physical? Can I drive the car again? Can we go fast?"
"It ain't a tractor. Of course we'll go fast."
"I'd be happy to shoot more of Mr. Browning's machine guns too!" Shooting those off the cliffs had certainly made the little.32 Iver Johnson she'd bought seem inadequate.