He handed a battered canteen to Moth, who quickly unscrewed the cap. The one thing he really wanted was a drink. He took a long, thirsty pull of the water, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. Together they sat cross-legged on the blanket, staring at each other in the candlelight.
“Thanks,” said Moth, but he felt embarrassed suddenly, like one of those vagabonds that sometimes crawled off the train from Medona. The pity in Fiona’s face made it even worse. “Are they looking for me?” he asked flatly.
Skyhigh hesitated, as though he didn’t want to answer. “Some of Rendor’s men came to the aerodrome. They’re asking questions about you, Moth. Hark pointed them in my direction. Idiot.”
Moth’s stomach somersaulted. “What’d you tell them?”
“What do you think I told them? I said I haven’t seen you and I don’t know where you’d run off to. Made it sound like I was real worried about you, too.”
Fiona nodded. “I told my grandfather the same thing. He came looking for me at dinnertime. I don’t think he believed me, though.”
“He’ll be keeping an eye on Fiona, you can bet on that,” said Skyhigh.
“You sure you weren’t followed?” asked Moth.
“I snuck out of the mansion. No way anyone saw me,” Fiona said confidently.
“Fiona, you shouldn’t have come,” Moth told her, annoyed at the risk she had taken. “Once your grandfather knows you’re gone he’ll be looking for you, too.”
Skyhigh shot a glare at Fiona. “Yeah, that’s what I told her, but she wouldn’t listen.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’m not going back anyway.”
Moth reared back in surprise. Skyhigh just rolled his eyes.
“Fiona, you have to go back,” said Moth. “You can’t stay here with me.”
“Yes I can,” insisted Fiona. Her face hardened like candy brittle. “My grandfather’s putrid and I’m not going back to him, not after what he’s done.”
“Stop,” said Skyhigh, putting up his hands. “First we have to figure out what’s been going on.”
Fiona smouldered at the interruption. “He took Moth’s home, Skyhigh.”
“But why?” Skyhigh countered. “That’s what really matters here.”
“Fiona, don’t you have some idea why?” Moth asked pleadingly. “Why would your grandfather be searching our place? Why’s he taking everything?”
“He doesn’t want everything you have, Moth,” said Skyhigh. “Just something in particular.”
“But we don’t have anything! You’ve seen our place. All Leroux had was that stupid bird, and now she’s gone too.”
Skyhigh took one of the meat pies and broke it in half, handing part of it to Moth. He chomped down on the other half, saying, “And what about that bird, huh? Why’s he looking for her?”
Moth had asked himself the same question a thousand times. “I don’t know. Maybe…” He stopped himself.
Skyhigh kept on chewing. “What?”
“It’s stupid. Just something Leroux told me last night. But it’s crazy.”
“Go on and say it,” urged Fiona.
“It was just one of his stories. And it was the middle of the night. He woke me up to tell me that Lady Esme isn’t really a bird. He said she’s really a woman from across the Reach.”
Skyhigh took a hard swallow of pie. “That really is a story!”
“See? It’s dumb.” Moth finally bit into his food. “He was feverish. I should have run out to get the doctor but I didn’t. Maybe if I had he’d still be alive.”
“Forget that,” said Skyhigh sharply. “Leroux was old. No one could have helped him. Go on with what you were saying—Lady Esme?”
“Leroux said he had a gift for me. I thought his silly story was the gift, but now I’m not sure what he meant. He wanted me to help Lady Esme get back to normal.” Retelling the tale frustrated Moth. “He said he met her over in the Reach and that they fell in love, but then she got turned into a bird.”
“Sounds to me like he knew he was going to die,” said Fiona. “See, Moth? You couldn’t have saved him.”
Skyhigh steered the conversation back again. “What else did he say? What else about the gift?”
“Nothing! That’s the worst part. He said it was all some secret that he couldn’t tell me.”
Skyhigh smirked. “I’ve heard Leroux tell stories. He was never shy about giving details. That was one long-winded old man. If he said he couldn’t tell you something, he probably meant it.”
“But none of it makes sense,” said Moth.
Fiona’s face scrunched up as she recalled, “Last night when I had dinner with my grandfather, he asked about Leroux. He must have heard he was sick. He wanted to know how he was feeling.”
“He asked you that?” said Moth. “Why?”
“It’s all the same thing,” Skyhigh surmised. “He wants something. That gift, whatever it is. The kestrel, too. It’s all tied up together. Fiona, did Rendor ever ask you about Leroux before last night? Did he ever mention him?”
“I don’t think so,” said Fiona. She twirled her red hair around a finger as she thought. “But my grandfather was an Eldrin Knight. Maybe they knew each other.”
Moth gasped. “When your grandfather was at my house—he said that! He told me that Leroux was a great man. I forgot that until now.”
“And Leroux never mentioned Rendor to you?” asked Skyhigh. “Ever talk about him coming to Calio, becoming Governor, anything like that?”
Moth’s mind was a jumble, difficult to untangle. “He talked so much it’s hard to remember. He might have said something about Rendor once, I dunno.”
“We can sneak back to your apartment,” said Fiona. “See what’s left there. Maybe Lady Esme came back.”
“Too risky,” said Skyhigh. “If he really wants the bird he’ll have thought of that. He’ll have someone waiting there already. Besides, Moth has to stay put.”
“What, here? I can’t live here forever, Skyhigh…”
“Not forever. Just until I figure out this mess.” The Skyknight rubbed his hands together, partly in thought, partly to warm himself. “We need to know what Rendor’s looking for.”
“If he found it, it’ll be back at the mansion,” said Fiona. Her pale face darkened. “Maybe I should have stayed there,” she admitted.
“It doesn’t matter,” said Skyhigh gently. “If he found what he was looking for then he’s got it hidden somewhere safe. You wouldn’t be able to find it, Fiona.”
“But it belongs to Moth,” Fiona fumed. “My grandfather stole it!”
“We don’t even know he has it!” grumbled Skyhigh.
Moth decided to get between them. “Fiona, I lost the knife you gave me,” he confessed. “It was at the apartment.”
“Sure, they probably stole that, too!” hissed Fiona.
Skyhigh took a drink from the canteen. Moth could tell he was worried.
“Skyhigh? Are you gonna be in trouble for all this?” asked Moth. “ ’Cause if so…”
“Hey, forget that,” said Skyhigh. He reached out and playfully tapped Moth’s cheek. “Skyhigh Coralin’s not afraid of anything. What can they do, bust me down to dishwasher? Their best pilot?” He turned back to Fiona. “That meeting tomorrow—you know anything about it?”
“Just what my grandfather told me. He says it’s to talk about the Skylord problem.”
Skyhigh laughed. “Might as well be talking about the weather,” he scoffed. “Skylords! Your grandfather just wants to make trouble. He’s become a big man by making everyone afraid. Now he wants to show off that monstrosity he’s built, the Avatar.”
“That’s not it,” said Fiona. “He believes what he says about the Skylords. A lot of old people like him do.”
Moth nodded. “Leroux did.”