Clockwork Twist : Trick Read Free Page B

said, handing Jonas a small slip of paper. “If it's clear, we can come back together.  If not, we can figure out our next move.  Either way, wait for me to tell you what the situation is before you act,” she added pointedly to Jonas.
    “Sure,” Jonas said, nodding.
    “I mean it, Jonas.”
    “I get it,” Jonas snapped. “We'll wait for you.  Now go and figure out what's going on, will you?”
    Aazzi seemed to accept his promise, and turned to glance around the crate before walking around it and onto the Vimana .  The moment she was gone, Jonas nodded for Twist to follow him and turned to hurry farther down the ramparts behind the shelter of clustered piles of cargo.  When they were a good distance away, he stopped, took a steadying breath, and then quickly looked over the people around them: aeronauts, merchants, passengers, dock workers, and disguised pirates wandered among their own business, all along the ramparts and docked ships.  Jonas snapped his eyes closed and leaned back against the wall of the building to take a breath.
    “Not a mag in sight,” he said. “We're safe for now.”  Twist took a quick glance as well, not seeing a single feathered creature anywhere.
    “What is going on, Jonas?” Twist asked.  Beside him, Myra continued to hold to his hand tightly, sending a pulsing throb of worry wafting through his skin.
    “It's a really long story,” Jonas said, looking to him. “Basically, it’s a huge secret society of people who steal strange or dangerous technology and remove it from the general populace.  They say it's so it can't hurt anyone, but we all know their game.  They always go for things that might cause more harm than good, like weapons or time machines.”
    “Time machines?”
    Jonas waved his words away. “Like I said, it's complicated.  They also try to police any magically inclined people, and generally cause strife and misery to anyone who they don't count as 'friendly.'  They're a damned bloody nuisance and we do not want them interested in Myra.”  Myra gave a soft, nervous sound.  Twist grimaced against her fear.
    “What can we do about them?” Twist asked quickly.
    “Not a lot, if they've got our scent,” Jonas said darkly. “Mags—“  He stopped suddenly. “Rooks, I mean, have a lot of money, a lot of power, and all of the dangerous items that they take away from people.  They also have the best information network on the planet, and people stationed all over the world.” 
    Twist nodded, listening, and willed himself not to panic.  As he struggled to control his thoughts, a stray question slipped through his grasp.  “Any reason for the obsession with birds?” he asked.
    Jonas gave a sigh. “They call themselves 'Rooks.'  It's probably because those birds are supposed to be mysterious, intelligent, and can predict death and whatnot, but the rest of the world calls these people 'magpies' behind their backs because they tend to steal and hoard all the best stuff.  And it's usually bad luck to see them unannounced.”
    “They sound like something I should have heard about.”
    “They don't interact with the normal world,” Jonas answered Twist. “You only see them when you get close to weirdness.  But, once they appear, they have a tendency to take control.  If they decide that Myra is high enough on the freaky scale—“ Myra's face took on an affronted expression. “Not that you are, of course,” Jonas amended. “We know that you're as harmless as a kitten.  But if they decide to say that you're dangerous, that would justify taking you.  And there'd be no way for us to stop them.”
    “Taking her where?” Twist’s fingers tightened unconsciously on Myra’s.
    “There are rumors of stockpiles all over the world, but no one has ever found them.  And believe me, plenty of pirates have tried.  We only have two options here,” he said, holding up a finger for each one. “One, we find some ridiculous way to prove to them that