He pulled out the chair next to the table, sitting down and studying Moth with his crazy blue eyes.
“The moment the sun comes up we’ll start searching for Fiona. It would help if we knew where to look.”
“She fell into the river,” said Moth.
“Only a fish can swim in that river, boy. By now it’s carried her into the rocks. Why were you heading for the mountains? What’s there?”
“Nothing,” said Moth. “We were just following the river.”
“You’re a terrible liar, you know that?”
Instead of looking at Rendor, Moth stared out the window.
“Keeping your mouth shut isn’t going to help Fiona. What about the Starfinder? Does Fiona have it? Or did you give it back to Merceron?”
Moth struggled to hold his tongue.
“All right,” sighed Rendor, slapping his hands against his lap. “You ask the questions.” He leaned back, tilted up his chin. “Go on. Leroux obviously kept you in the dark. Merceron, too.”
“They told me enough,” said Moth. “Especially Merceron.”
“Did he tell you how we helped him fight his war? That Leroux and I were the ones that smuggled the Starfinder out of here? That old beast owes me that at least.”
“All right,” said Moth. “I do have a question for you. Why’d you ever come here? Why’d you and Leroux cross the Reach together?”
“Leroux never explained it to you?”
“He never told me anything,” said Moth. “All he ever did was tell stories. I thought he made them up. He was old. He really didn’t have anyone. I always thought he told those stories just so folks would listen to him.”
Rendor actually looked sad. “Don’t blame him for that, boy. We were Eldrin Knights. We swore to keep our mission secret.”
“Mission?”
“To spy on the Skylords,” said Rendor. “To find out if they really existed and what they were like. But Leroux forgot the things we saw over here. I never did. Now tell me about the Starfinder.”
“Forget it,” scoffed Moth.
“You must have figured out how to use it. Otherwise you’d never have found Merceron.”
“You don’t know that. You don’t know anything.”
“Not even the Skylords knew where Merceron was hiding. Only the Starfinder could have found him.”
Moth turned back to the porthole. “I’m tired.”
“Then sit down! I’m not going anywhere and neither are you.” Rendor gestured to the cot. “There’s something you need to know.”
Curious, Moth sat down at the edge of the bed.
“Two things,” said Rendor. “First, Merceron didn’t tell you everything about the Starfinder. Second, I think I know why you’re able to make it work.” Rendor grinned. “You do want to know why the Starfinder works for you, don’t you?”
Moth couldn’t help himself from nodding. “Yes,” he said. “Tell me.”
“I spent my whole life trying to figure it out. So did Leroux. So did Merceron.” Rendor laughed and clapped his hands together. “I can’t believe that old reptile hasn’t figured it out yet!”
“Figured out what?”
Rendor smiled and said, “That you’re a child.”
“What? I’m not a child,” Moth protested. “I’m thirteen.”
“It’s not about your age,” said Rendor. “Not precisely. It’s about what’s up here.” He tapped his head with his fingertip. “Your friend Skyhigh’s been telling me about you. He says you’re a dreamer. That you want to be a Skyknight, that you’re always looking up, head in the clouds.”
His accusation made Moth squirm. “I am going to fly one day, Governor. Even you can’t stop me from that.”
Rendor waved off his words. “Being a dreamer isn’t an insult, boy. But when you get older things will be different. You won’t see possibilities anymore, just obstacles.”
Moth looked at him blankly. “Uh-huh…”
“You’re confused. All right. You like stories, so I’ll tell you one.” Rendor poured himself a cup of tea. “I had a brother named Conrad. He was four years older than me. I loved him. I trusted him. Anything he told me, I believed. When I was growing up, all I ever wanted was to fly. Conny knew that, so when I was six or seven he told me he was going to build me a pair of wings.”
“Wings?” laughed Moth. “I guess you weren’t a very smart kid, huh?”
Rendor set down his cup without taking a sip. “I was a genius, but that’s not the point. I did Conny’s chores for him, gave him my toys, kept his secrets—anything to get those wings. I believed. And because nobody told me I couldn’t fly, I just assumed that I could.”
“I get it,” said Moth. “Because I’m a dreamer I can use the Starfinder, right?”
“Maybe,” said Rendor. He shrugged. “It’s hard to be sure. But I bet Fiona couldn’t make it work, could she?”
Moth hesitated. He promised himself he wouldn’t answer any of Rendor’s questions. “Why not?”
“You know Fiona better than I do. You can answer that yourself.”
“Because she’s not a dreamer?”
“Because she has no faith. Because she doesn’t believe in anything.” Rendor pulled the watch from his pocket to check the time. Only he didn’t seem interested in the time. He just sort of gazed at it.
“What’s the other thing?”
Rendor blinked. “Eh?”
“You said there were two things you wanted to tell me about the Starfinder.”
The old man nodded. “Yes.” He slid his watch back into his pocket. “The Starfinder isn’t just a way of finding the creatures of this world. It doesn’t just spy on them. It controls them.”
“Controls them?” Moth shook his head. “No, that’s not what Merceron told me.”
“Merceron couldn’t tell you the truth,” said Rendor. “Not once he realized what you could do. The Starfinder lets the Skylords command the beings of the constellations. It’s like a leash around their necks. They can’t escape it.” Rendor’s voice got deep and serious. “I don’t know how it works,” he admitted. “All I know is what Esme told us. The Skylords use the Starfinder to force others to do their bidding. That’s what makes it so dangerous. Think about it, Moth. The Starfinder makes you as powerful as a Skylord.”
“I feel sick,” Moth groaned. He remembered what Fiona had said about Merceron. Maybe she was right. Maybe all he’d ever wanted was the Starfinder. “Now I understand why you want the Starfinder so bad.”
Rendor rose from his chair. “The Starfinder is the ultimate protection against the Skylords, Moth. Ever since I discovered what they truly are, I’ve spent my life preparing for them.”
“Sure,” muttered Moth. “You knew the Skylords didn’t want people flying. You knew building your airships would make them mad, but you stuck your finger in their eyes anyway.”
Suddenly Rendor reached down and grabbed hold of Moth’s collar.
“Hey!”
The old man dragged him off the cot and shoved him toward the porthole. “Look out there!”
Moth wriggled in his grasp. “What?”
“Look at those mountains! We are two thousand feet in the sky.” Rendor released him. “We have every right to be up here,” he said. “Who are the Skylords to tell an eagle not to soar?” He jabbed a finger into Moth’s chest. “Do you want the Skylords to tell you what dreams to have?”
Moth shook his head. “No…”
“No,” echoed Rendor. “Because we are free. That’s what the Eldrin Knights fought for—freedom. That’s what it means to be human. And that’s why I want the Starfinder—to stop the Skylords from doing to us what they did to the dragons.”
He took a breath, smoothed down his waistcoat, then turned back toward the door.
“Wait,” said Moth.