Sky Song: Overture Read Free Page B

don’t know the name,” I said. “I’m sorry for my voice. I had an accident.”
    “I don’t mind. Please, go on. It lifts my sorrows.”
    I continued to hum, hearing my mother’s voice in my head as I did. The song conjured a feeling inside me that had been numbed for years. It was a yearning for something I knew I could never have again, and while the melody eased this child’s pain, it nearly brought on tears of my own. I heard the lock in the cabin door turn over. Captain Dirk re-entered.
    “You made her see reason!” he cheered. “Oh, Molly. Whatever was the matter?”
    “I swear it was nothing, brother,” she said. “It was the strangest thing. The tears came upon me like a fever.”
    “Thank you, Clikk!” Dirk cried, kissing both my cheeks. “The wedding is the day after next and you’ve saved us.”
    “Happy to help,” I said. “And I hope I may remain on the Wastrel.”
    “Yes, of course!” Dirk’s celebration was a bit premature; once again, little Molly began to cry. “Oh no no no no! What’s wrong now?”
    “I… can’t… stop…” She had to force the words out as she choked on her sobs.
    “Clikk! Do something!”
    “Shhh,” I hushed her and began to hum again. The tears vanished.
    “Don’t you see?” the girl said, exhausted. “The song helps me think clearly.”
    “Well then by all means, keep humming it, Clikk!”
    I did as my captain asked, but I couldn’t very well do this for the rest of the girl’s natural life, so I halted to present my theory on what was going on. “This has to be the witch’s curse.”
    Molly began to weep yet again. Dirk bit his lip and scratched his head, pacing about the chamber.
    “Damn. Damn. Damn,” he kept saying. Molly sniveled helplessly. “Ugh! Clikk!” Dirk snarled. “Would you please keep humming while I think?”
    “Yes, sir! Hmm-hmm-hmm,” I continued.
    “Only stop humming to answer me. What is that song?”
    “I don’t know the name! Hmm-hmm.”
    “Do you know any of the words?”
    “No!”
    Molly tried humming it for herself and I stopped to see if she could keep up the tune. She could not, and collapsed back into her crying fit.
    Dirk rubbed his temples and closed his eyes. “All right, you’ll just have to be singing that song when we board the emperor’s ship, as well as throughout the wedding ceremony.”
    “Captain. My voice is rubbish, but I do play fiddle. I could be playing the tune softly so it would be more pleasing to the ear.”
    “Yes! Of course!” he exclaimed, whacking me on the back. I almost fell forwards. “You must practice the song.”
    “Yes, Captain,” I said, bowing my head.
    “Miss Clikk?” said Molly, sniffling. “Could you perhaps sing to me just a bit more? It is so hard for me to fall asleep.”
    “I suppose,” I said, and began humming the melody from the beginning.
    The girl lay on her side and closed her eyes. The cushion beneath her head was damp, so I turned it over and fluffed it for her. I pulled the fleece over her shoulder. This was a strange role for me, as I had never taken care of anyone but myself. My only example of nurture came from memories as distant as the stars.
    Dirk watched in silence, eyes unfocused, arms folded. As much as he pretended to have a callous heart, deep down lurked some familial compassion for the girl. Big brothers pretend not to care about their younger siblings, and pirates are the most adept men in the world at hiding their sentiments, but I could see the relief in his eyes as Molly drifted off to sleep.

 
    III. Falling
     
     
    T he thirst came upon us, but our Skye stores ran low due to shortages throughout Elsace. Skye, the fermented concoction of gray bubbly, made a man feel like a supreme being, awake and full of spirit. It numbed all kinds of pains: toothaches, illness, hunger, homesickness and the boredom that blanketed the hours and days between raids. The crew always jested an airship needed two kinds of Skye, Skye for the