Kieran expected a laugh for that, but Sebastian simply nodded and stared at him for a long beat, then two, still all business.
Kieran pursed his lips.Tough nut to crack, I suppose.
“Your fashion sense is quite flashy,” Sebastian blurted out, realizing that he’d been silently staring for a few seconds too long.His cheeks filled with color, and he averted his gaze, adding, “It’s, ah…nice.”
Kieran smiled at that, offering a small flourish with his ruffled sleeve.He’d had a taste for the ostentatious since he was a child, especially when it came to clothing, and he had no shame in showing it.“I’ll take that as a compliment.Come on.I’ll give you the grand tour.”
He gestured for Sebastian to follow, and the other boy shut his new bedroom door behind him, barely making a sound.Compared to the way Briar and Delilah moved around without regard for the noise they made, it was almost jarring to meet someone who strove for silence.
Kieran pointed out his own room as well as Briar and Delilah’s.He figured he could save their introductions for last, since he could hear them laughing through the door and didn’t want to interrupt.Instead, he led Sebastian out onto the main open-air deck.
“It’s chillier now than it was the last time,” Kieran said with a laugh as Sebastian instantly tensed at the cold.When Sebastian shot him a questioning look, Kieran added, “It’s my second time traveling aboard this ship.Last time was with my friend Delilah—the tall girl with the curly hair you saw earlier—for her Calling in the spring.”
Kieran looked around at the tables and chairs set up around the perimeter, facing the open sky.Since the last time he’d been aboard, Ariel and Santiago seemed to have started using the deck for storage, judging by the stacks of wooden crates he saw there.“But with the right coat, this deck is great for stargazing.I come out here a lot when I can’t sleep.”
Sebastian tilted his head to examine the aeroship’s balloons and crow’s nest.“It seems…quiet.I can’t hear the wind at all.”
Kieran explained: “My great-aunt Adelaide traveled with usthe last time, and she wove us a spell to keep the wind away so we could stay outside without its being too loud to speak.”
Sebastian’s eyebrows rose.They were thick and black like his hair, with a sharp angle that gave his resting face an intimidating look.“I’ve heard that all the Pelumbras are witches.Is that true?”
Kieran nodded.“Yep.For the last two hundred years or so, they haven’t allowed any nonmagical folk to marry into the family.Don’t want to accidentally dilute the bloodline.”
“ ‘They’?”Sebastian repeated, cocking his head.The cold had begun to turn his cheeks and the tip of his nose pink.“You’re a Pelumbra.Do you not associate with them?”
Kieran nearly laughed.“Oh, definitely not.If it hadn’t been for Delilah, I’d be dead because of them.My twin too—she’s the redhead who’s attached to Delilah at the hip.But that’s a long story for another time.Let’s get out of the cold.”
Sebastian gratefully nodded and followed Kieran to the stairs that led to the lower decks.Kieran took them two at a time, practically bouncing with excitement at getting to show off his home away from home.He showed Sebastian the kitchen—where they got some ice for Sebastian’s split lip—then the study and the dining room while recounting a few stories from the previous journey, like finding Delilah in Kitfield, her hometown, and persuading Briar to join them in Port Lorring.Sebastian nodded as he took it all in, his eyes seeming to map out every corner of the ship.
Although he offered nods and one-word responses to show he was listening, Sebastian wasn’t much of a talker.He seemed much more concerned with whatever was going on in his head.Kieran was generally good at reading people, but Sebastian’s face andvoice gave very little away.Then again, he’s probably anxious about Elias.Maybe he just needs to get his mind off it.
Kieran decided to take that as a challenge.
“But enough about me,” Kieran said, gesturing to the stairs to the lowest deck.He sat on the banister and used it to slide down to the bottom while Sebastian followed stiffly behind him using the stairs.“Tell me about yourself.”
Sebastian pursed his lips, considering the request as he looked around the deck.It was the one in which Kieran spent the least amount of time.It boasted two rooms: the observation deck—a mostly window-enclosed room with a view of the clouds and the land below the ship—and the bedroom that Ariel and Santiago shared.Kieran led Sebastian toward the observation deck.
Following Kieran to the big open room at the back of the ship, Sebastian finally asked, “What would you like to know?”
The day was cloudless after Gellingham’s recent snowstorm, and they could see all the way to the ground.Ariel had spent the few days before picking them up researching the best way to the Lake of Whispers, which was only a two-day journey to the east, in the direction of the sea.Now they were passing over the villages outside the city, the pale-green Gell River winding through them like a massive serpent.
“Hmm,” Kieran considered, stroking his chin.“Well…how did you wind up working for Elias Barclay?”
“Nothing very exciting,” Sebastian explained, stepping closer to the windows to get a better view.His shoulders, wider than Kieran’s, were tense.“He was hiring, and I was looking for a job.His was the best-paying one I could find.”
“Saving money for something in particular?”Kieran pushed.He hoped he didn’t sound nosy, but then again, it seemed as if getting Sebastian to open up was going to require a bit of prying.
Sebastian paused, as if mentally weighing the words hanging on his lips.Finally, he said, “Not really.I mostly just send money to my younger sisters in Shui City.”
“It must be hard to be far from your family,” Kieran said, hoping it might push him to share more.“Are your parents around?”
“No.They’ve both passed.”Sebastian stuck his hands in his pockets, not meeting Kieran’s eyes.“It’s just me and my sisters.”
“It sounds like you had to grow up really fast,” Kieran said, standing beside Sebastian as they gazed down at the landscape.He wondered if he was too close, but let the thought go when Sebastian didn’t move away.If he squinted, Kieran could just see the edge of Shui City, and he wondered if Sebastian was thinking of his sisters now.
Sebastian nodded but didn’t say anything more.
Silence overtook them, and Kieran immediately felt itchy.Some people, he knew, were comfortable with silence, but he certainly wasn’t one of them.
