Putting on a brave face for Durae was easy, but left with Lady Mae, Blaze wished he had something to occupy his hands to keep his fingers from worrying the end of his enchanter’s belt. He realized how close that was to being an indecent gesture and clasped his hands behind his back. Then he noticed that Lady Mae was doing the same thing with her hands and the end of her braid, and he couldn’t help a small laugh under his breath.
When she raised an eyebrow, he explained, “You’re as nervous as I am.”
She laughed, which eased his nerves, and held her palms out. “I am. Durae is my eldest, and though he and his sister are both seeking spouses this marriage mart, you’re the first any of my children have chosen for themselves. He can be impulsive, but that doesn’t mean he’s fickle. He runs with his whole heart wherever he goes, and while I love that his heart is sweet, I worry for him.”
“Any parent should worry for their elfling’s happiness,” Blaze said. “My fathers have always stressed that though their duty was to raise me, their honor was to love me.”
“A wise foundation for parenthood,” Lady Mae said with a nod. She drifted across the deck of the ship, clearly taking inher surroundings. Her gaze lingered on the makeshift canopy. “Durae mentioned I would be surprised by this ship. How?”
“She’s my prototype,” Blaze replied.
“Of what, exactly? She looks common enough.”
At the academy, Blaze had dreamed of sharing his invention with someone as powerful as Lady Navisora. He’d written to so many businesses that the stack of rejection letters was larger than the tome of basic cosmomancy he’d first learned from. His throat dried on the words, but he cleared it. This wasn’t about his ship. Winning over Lady Mae was about her approval of his connection with Durae. Everything would be smoother if she liked him.
“Before I tell you that, I want you to know Durae gave me a fake last name when we met,” Blaze said. “I didn’t know he was a Navisora when I invited him back to my ship. He’d helped me with a cosmomantic enchantment at a tavern, and he’s handsome and intelligent, and we … ah …”
“And you wanted each other,” Lady Mae said.
Blaze nodded.
“Understood. Now, the ship?”
“It’s a work in progress, but I’m nearly finished.” Blaze crossed the deck and opened the cabin door. Subtly, he kicked the blankets further into the corner, though his foot tapped against one of Durae’s ridiculous boots, and then stepped out of the way for Lady Mae to see the engine. “You’re standing on my first airship.”
Lady Mae’s attention snapped over to his engine with a sharpness that reminded Blaze of the most scrutinizing professors at the academy. She quickly joined him in the cabin, skirts swishing and heels clicking with sure confidence. Like Durae, her features softened the longer she examined his work. Wonder filled her eyes, and Blaze saw the family resemblance.
“This looks very promising,” Lady Mae said. “Before you attempt to take it into the air with my son on board, I want to look at the schematics.”
“I have them right here.” Blaze began to reach for the tube where he kept them.
Lady Mae motioned for him to stop. “Not this moment. The construction and enchantments I see before me are enough to know you’re not a fraud, but you might still be a gold digger.”
Blaze tried not to scowl at her, but his annoyance was quick to slip into anger, and he had to focus on a tiny little dick carving that one of the elflings who had been helping him with his ship must have carved.
“You don’t like that insinuation,” Lady Mae said.
“I understand your reasoning in discerning the truth, but no. I don’t.”
“Are your parents wealthy?”
“Their house is held together with hope and paste,” Blaze replied.
“Then marrying rich would solve your problems. Is that why you’ve come to market? To land yourself a rich spouse?”
Blaze couldn’t help glaring at her. She was calm, her face smooth as an undisturbed pool of water. These were the sorts of questions he ought to expect from her, but he hated hearing them in a matter-of-fact way. It sounded like an accusation. He bit his cheek, took a breath, then told her, “No. I have had trouble finding a benefactor for my project. I met Kidd, and he pointed out that many who come to market are looking to make investments, share ideas, or create trade routes for rare materials that could be of use. I signed on with his caravan and worked my way here, and have been working every day since we arrived. I have scraped this ship together with sweat and hard work, and she will be ready to take to the sky at the Innovation Awards.”
Whatever Lady Mae’s judgment of his declaration, she continued to maintain her elegant demeanor. “Why have you had difficulties finding a benefactor?”
“At the academy, I competed against several other students who had less ambitious projects,” Blaze said. “And some early calculations suggest that if the energies of the engine are misaligned, I could cause a significant explosion. Having spent my time studying rather than socializing, I didn’t have the connections to aid my creation of my ship. I sent many letters out, but most who hear ‘airship’ immediately reject the possibility. Those that didn’t were too scared of the possibility of an explosion.”
“You’re far more likely to fall out of the sky,” Lady Mae replied.
At that, Blaze cracked a smile. “Durae said the same thing this morning.”
“Has he seen the schematics?”
“I was about to share them with him.”
