Phoenix Burning Read Free Page B

Reykjavik and he worried about hail. He and the captain had weighed the danger that bad weather posed to the solar panels against the fact that the oil war between Reykjavik, Scotland and St George, which had started over the North Sea oil reserves, would keepSt George ships away from Faroe Rocks. They had decided the anchorage was worth the risk.
    At the moment the clouds seemed to be racing away from them. Toby squinted up at the crow’s nest where Arnav was keeping watch, then over the swinging plastic shades to the bow where Peel had set up a barbecue and was cooking gull stew for dinner.
    As he watched Peel stir the broth, Toby thought of how the awful cook had tried to save him from the Banshee . That led his mind down familiar pathways back to Ayla. The last time Toby had seen the Banshee , she had been facing a St George naval vessel and fighting for her life. Even with one arm broken, she had whirled like a tornado.
    “You’re thinking of her again.” Uma touched his arm.
    Toby flushed. “How do you know?”
    Uma smiled. “I remember how you looked when you brought her to me, injured.”
    Toby shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Even if the Banshee escaped St George, we’ll never be together again.”
    Uma tied off a knot. “Because the Phoenix left the Banshee to the Greymen?”
    “Because my mother betrayed Nell and had her family killed.” Toby sat at her side and adjusted Nix so that the sword wouldn’t dig into his thigh. “Nell blames the captain.”
    “If the captain hadn’t fled, Judy would never have been in Nell’s home – it would never have happened.”
    “I know.” Toby leaped to his feet as the deck hatch that led ultimately to the wreck room was flung open and the captain appeared. He climbed up the ladder and stood with his shoulders bowed.
    Toby froze. “Bad news?”
    “We’ve been through that inventory three times.” Rahul climbed on to the deck behind the captain. “We never pulled any inverter out of the salt.”
    The captain growled. “It must have been in a separate shipment.”
    “All of this for nothing?” It was Oats. He was standing with Marcus by the winch and his hook glinted as he raised it over the panels. Toby couldn’t tell if he meant the work they’d done getting the solar array fixed up, or the loss of his hand.
    The other pirates started to mutter and Polly hopped quickly across the deck, her metal wings clattering as she spread them for balance. Toby lifted her on to his shoulder.
    “You’d a known we needed that inverter from the start,” Crocker snapped. “You shoulda made sure it was there before we worked our butts off gettin’ those panels all fixed up.”
    “Watch it, Crocker.” Dee stalked forwards. “That’s yourcaptain you’re speaking to.”
    “Crocker’s right,” Rita called. “Why wasn’t this checked before we started?”
    “The box was there—” Rahul began.
    Toby raised his voice. “There’s no use arguing about it. What’s done is done. Your work’s not been for nothing. All we need is an inverter. Fix the panels in place, then I’ll fire up the boiler and we’ll find one.”
    “There’s a problem with that.” Marcus tugged at the scarf that covered the scar on his throat. “The solar panels on land were all destroyed in the riots – that’s why our salvage was so precious. And if the panels were all destroyed, their inverters likely were, too.”
    “Marcus is right,” the captain said roughly. “There might not be any inverters left to find.”
    Toby swallowed. “But you can make anything out of anything, right? Make an inverter.”
    The captain spread his palms. “I can try, but I’ll need components compatible with the Solaris array. I just don’t know…”
    “So, we’re screwed,” Oats spat. “That’s just great.”
    “Well, there’s a surprise. Looks like the Phoenix needs me again.”
    Toby’s brain stuttered. It was the voice he had been hearing in his mind for weeks. Polly jerked