Phoenix Burning Read Free

memories.”
    Barnaby’s fingers drummed on the bollard. “Not necessarily.”
    “I think I remember a classroom – the pictures painted on the walls.” Toby hung his head. “I can’t remember her at all.”
    “Your mother.”
    “Not her face, her smell – not even the sound of her. I don’t know, maybe that’s a good thing.” Toby looked up, his face drawn tight. “After hearing what she did, I’m not sure I want to remember.”
    Barnaby closed his eyes, then opened them again. “You did spend a lot of time in that classroom – I’m not surprised you remember it. Judy adored you, but she loved her work, too. And you know me. Once I got into an invention, I could be gone for days.”
    “Did I know Ayla when I was a kid, were we friends?”
    “Nell and I worked in the same lab, but her husband stayed at home with the children, he was a better dad than—”
    “Than you?” Toby grabbed his father’s hand. “Never.”
    Barnaby’s smile sagged around the edges. “No matter what else Judy or I have done, you’re the best of us both. Wherever she is, if she’s still alive, she loves you, maybe even as much as I do.”
    Toby squeezed his father’s rough hand. Their fingers were both zigzagged with old scars and ingrained with soot.
    Barnaby patted Toby’s shoulder and stood, captain of the Phoenix once more. “Come and help me get these electrics sorted out.” He pulled Toby to his feet and stamped back towards the panels. “Hiko, grab a cloth and help D’von polish. Dee, what’re you doing just standing there?”
    Dee huffed. “Don’t worry, I’ll have a course plotted by the time you’re ready to move the panels into position.”
    Toby took a final moment in the fresh air and looked around. Faroe Rocks were behind them, a low cluster of caves and ridges that sheltered the Phoenix from prying eyes. Ahead, it was open sea almost all the way to Eire.
    Toby strained to see as far as the horizon, his heart thumping. He had been born before the sun’s return: his eyes saw better at dawn and dusk and he always kept a piece of light material to cover his face when the light dazzled.
    As always, he was looking for any sign of the Banshee . Nell would never give up her vow to seek revenge on the Phoenix . And now Ayla knew about her murdered sisters, she wouldn’t try to curb her mother.
    The Banshee was coming and one day there would be a reckoning.
    Toby turned from the railing and headed towards thebridge. He waved at Hiko as he passed. His serious little protégé crouched next to D’von, whose face was as open and sunny as the sky. The two were as different as the Banshee and Phoenix , yet had more in common than almost anyone else on the ship – both had lost their families and been sold as slaves.
    Yes, Toby’s mother was gone, but at least he had his father.

    Inside the bridge Toby chose a pair of wire strippers and looked at the captain. “You’ve made all the changes to the engines, like we planned?”
    The captain nodded. “They should work fine with the solar power, but we’ll know for sure soon enough.” He rolled his shoulders.
    “She’ll be able to reach ten, maybe fifteen knots with her engines running,” Toby said with a grin.
    “We’ll burn up the salt, all right! Get the rest of these small wires stripped and ready to connect and I’ll check the inverter. It’ll be in the final crate – there’s only one we haven’t unpacked.” He raised his voice: “Rahul, I’m ready for the last box.” He forged out of the bridge and on to the main deck as the wind caught in the furled sails with the sound of a flock of birds.
    Toby twisted a wire between his fingers then carefullyhe stripped the plastic and laid the wire down. The sun shone through the holes drilled in the bridge roof, ready for the leads from the solar array to snake through. All Toby had to do was attach each to the panel via the inverter and the Phoenix would be powered by electricity.
    Electricity. All