Free Rebel Skyforce (Mad Tinker Chronicles) by J.S. Morin Page A

if it was?”
    Dan studied her. Madlin had not grown accustomed to the vast age that crept into his eyes when he took something seriously. She couldn’t tell if he was using the aether vision he had told her of, or if there was some evaluation being made of her. “I’d keep it to myself, fix it quiet, in the middle of the night, when no one was around.” He bobbed his head, prompting Madlin for a sign that she understood his double-meaning.
    “Good enough,” Madlin replied. She checked over her shoulder, and Jamile was still on the next wagon ahead, sitting with Tanner. “I’ll find you once everyone else is asleep.”
    “I’ve got a price though.”
    “What’s that? Ten percent of a gold mine not enough?”
    “My share’s only five once Tanner and I split it, but I’m not asking for more gold. I’ve got two conditions.”
    Madlin’s hand strayed to her pistol. No-Boots had tried a similar tactic on her once. What was it about adolescent boys? “What kind of conditions?”
    “First is for your own protection. I’m going to use a spell to watch through your eyes. If anything goes wrong, I’m waking Jamile.”
    Madlin shrunk back. “You can do that?” Dan shrugged and nodded. “I don’t like the idea of someone else watching what I see.”
    “Just don’t go bathing or taking your clothes off in front of a mirror. I’m guessing Jamile and your father aren’t keen on you using magic, or you wouldn’t keep looking over to see if she’s listening. I’ll help you, but I don’t want you killing yourself, either.”
    Madlin mulled over Dan’s condition. The thought of another mind lurking behind her eyes sent a cold shiver through her despite the warm Kheshi rain. It sounded similar to her own slumbering consciousness watching Chipmunk’s antics, but without the lifelong familiarity, sisterhood, and trust. Some part of her had always wondered whether she and Chipmunk were even really separate people, and not king and crest of the same coin. Dan’s presence would be alien. “Will I be able to tell you’re there?”
    Dan held up his palms. “How would I know? I don’t let anyone use magic on me.”
    “That’s not exactly reassuring,” Madlin replied dryly.
    “It’s like a wolf pack,” Dan replied. “Biggest wolf doesn’t get rolled on his back for anyone. Doesn’t mean the others have it so bad though. I’m the lead wolf wherever I go when it comes to magic. You want my help, you’re gonna have to learn how to behave in the pack with the rest of them.”
    “What says I won’t take your advice, then renege?”
    “For your own good, I’d check on you anyway. You haven’t got a sorceress’s mind. You want to learn about magic, but you put your trust in things like locks and guards with rifles. I could slip past any guard you post and get through any door. So, are you just pissing in my ale here, or are you going to agree to my first condition?”
    Madlin couldn’t see another way. If Dan had a mind to, she suspected he could make good on all his boasts. He had already proven that he wasn’t deterred by guns. Why would a lock on the door of a rented room pose any greater challenge? “Fine. But let me hear your other condition before I agree.”
    “When we get settled into an inn, we ditch this bumpkin festival and find a game of Crackle somewhere with good liquor,” Dan said. He hopped down from the wagon and fell into stride a pace away. He was tall enough that he only looked up slightly to see eye to eye with Madlin.
    “Serpent Festival not to your liking?” Madlin asked.
    Madlin had heard many descriptions of Bouo. To most foreigners, it was the bazaar of Mongrel Khesh. To frequent visitors, it was a pit of vice and corruption. To the locals, it was the soul of the Kheshi Empire. To the southerners, it was the leak where filth from across the seas seeped into the continent. It was crowded, raucous, colorful, and diverse. She had never heard anyone refer to it as backward or