Chapter 4
The lightest tapping of metal on metal roused Durae from his slumber.
He rubbed at his eyes. Though he was in shadow, the world around him was bright, and his body was far stiffer than he’d ever known it to be.
He sat up, and his head brushed against a piece of canvas.
Someone had fastened a makeshift shade over him.
His clothes looked freshly laundered, and there was a plate of fruits, cheese, and bread.
A waterskin was sitting next to it, along with a cup of tea.
He picked up the cup and took a small sip.
Happiness warmed his cheeks as he tasted notes of mint and ginger.
After their third round of sex, Durae had flopped rather inelegantly down onto the not-so-clean blankets and realized he lacked both the urge and the energy to walk back to the inn.
However, he was still on his grand adventure, and he hadn’t felt like sleeping.
Neither had Blaze. They’d talked so long that at some point Durae must have fallen asleep on him.
Their conversation had wound its way through a few topics, including that Durae was interested in exploring all the market had to offer.
Blaze had mentioned this tea as one of his favorites.
He must have woken early, remembered the conversation, and set some aside for Durae.
He also had to be responsible for the impromptu canopy protecting Durae from the morning sun.
The tea was at the right temperature to drink, so Durae enjoyed it while plucking food from the plate. Not knowing if Blaze would need to eat from it, too, he kept his munching to a minimum.
In the night, the docks and surrounding area had been calm.
Now, they were active. The tiny dock that Blaze’s boat was tied to didn’t have traffic like the others, but Durae was becoming increasingly aware of his nudity beneath the blankets and of how many elves were passing by on the nearby street.
Luckily, everyone seemed too preoccupied with what they were doing to notice him.
He grabbed his small clothes and slipped into them before sliding into his robe.
He tied it loosely and took hold of his breeches.
His ass—which was unfairly sore—was covered by his robe, but he couldn’t trek back to the inn without pants.
The cabin ought to be a better place to dress and deal with all the lacings of his tunic and breeches.
The cabin door was open, and the light metal tapping was coming from within. Breeches in hand, Durae went down the three steps.
What would have been storage or perhaps a sleeping room on another ship was instead crowded with a complex machine.
Blaze poked his head from around the other side of the device. “Did I wake you?”
“It’s all right.” Durae leaned in to investigate a series of runes. They were cosmomancy, but he recognized the interlacing work of Gearwickian magic, too. “What is this? An engine?”
“I’m building an airship, and this is its heart.” Blaze joined Durae on his side of the machine. He was shirtless and had worked up a light sweat.
Durae wasn’t sure if the sight of Blaze in the dim sunlight was what caused his mind to blank or the shock of standing next to potentially one of the greatest inventions of his generation had quieted his thoughts. Both. “Can you show me?”
“She’s unfortunately unfinished.” Blaze rested his hand on the engine. “I should have her ready for the Innovation Awards, though. She’ll be quite the show.”
“You are laying the enchantments through the rest of the ship so that it resonates with the engine, yes?” Durae circled Blaze’s creation. There were thin copper wires and plenty of crystals encased in silver, etched with runes. “Is this a diamond?”
“That is a Hunter’s Arrow,” Blaze said proudly.
“You’ve gotten your hands on a celestial diamond?” Durae was slack-jawed. “How?”
“My grandfather followed a falling star and found it,” Blaze replied.
“Amazing! Oh, that is so much better than using an earth-bound diamond for this. You’ve checked for occlusions, yes? One wrong refraction and—”
“And the whole engine could melt. I am aware of how my machine can fail.”
Something about the way Blaze said that made Durae sad for touching on the subject. He decided to pivot. “I’d love to learn more about your airship. It’s genuinely fascinating, Blaze.”
“Most of it is proprietary.” Blaze shot him a shy smile. “I’d love to share them with you, should we get to know each other.”
Durae’s heart caught in his throat, but it quickly twisted into dread colder than the winter wind at the top of the tower.
Even if he turned down every suitor—which was his plan—he was still expected to show up at the market’s functions.
The chances his absence wasn’t known were growing dimmer with every passing breath, and the likelihood his parents would keep a closer eye on him grew.
They were going to be furious if they discovered he’d avoided their plans and spent the night with a commoner.
If Blaze had a single drop of noble blood in his veins, Durae would go to his knees and beg him for at least the pretense of an engagement so he could make excuses for the next two weeks.
But that wasn’t possible, and he couldn’t abandon Uleyri.
They had done so much together; marriage was likely to be the thing that separated them for the rest of their long lives.
While they would see each other, it wouldn’t be the same.
The realization of that was another cold weight in his stomach.
However, Blaze was singular. Durae was staring at the proof of his unique genius. He had never seen a more brilliant union of cosmomancy and Gearwickian arcane technology, and many had petitioned his parents with business ideas.
Thankfully, the Everend Market’s events weren’t only for nobles. The solution was so simple Durae almost laughed at himself after all his panic. “I’d love to spend time with you at the opening ceremony.”
Blaze frowned. “I wasn’t planning on going. My daytime’s filled with work for Kidd. I need to spend my free time here.”
“That doesn’t leave you much time for wooing or seeing the sights,” Durae replied.
While he’d rather have Blaze at functions, there was a silver lining.
No one else would be able to capture Blaze’s attention.
What an awful thought to have. I can’t possibly keep him.
I should want him to be happy with someone.
“Like you, marriage isn’t on my mind.” Blaze rested his hand on his engine. “And if she doesn’t work in time, then I won’t be wooing any investors.”
“But I can’t ignore the social calendar.” Durae sighed. “How will I ever learn more about this beautiful craft and her genius inventor if we don’t spend any time together?”
Blaze chewed on his bottom lip.
“Assuming you’d like to get to know me.” Durae put his hand on Blaze’s.
Blaze curled his fingers and laced their fingers together. “I would.”
Drawing Blaze’s hand to his waist, Durae wrapped his other arm around his shoulders. “Then you must attend the dances at the very least.”
“I could go for an hour or so,” Blaze said slowly. “Perhaps you could leave early and join me here.”
“I think I could manage that.” Durae kissed him. He tasted of ginger and cheese.
With a groan, Blaze grabbed Durae by the hips and nudged him further away. “Kidd and the others’ll be opening soon, and a mess of elflings who are helping varnish the deck will be here. I need to get a few things squared away before work.”
“And I have a window to climb back into.” Durae forced himself to look away from Blaze and put on his breeches. “Will I see you tonight at the celebration after the opening ceremony?”
“No—and you know that the opening ceremony is this morning, right? The celebration will start directly after.”
“Morning? Are you certain?”
“Yes. The whole reason we drank last night was that we’re bound to have a slow morning because everyone will be at the shrine.”
Startled, Durae clambered up the three steps before he finished tying his lacings.
He fumbled them, creating knots, but his clothes wouldn’t fall off, and that was all that was important.
Shoving his feet into his boots, he said, “We might have to cancel all our plans. My mother’s bound to skin me alive. ”
“Dawn only just broke. You still have a couple hours.”
“I need to bathe and fix my hair, and between all of that, she’ll insist on reading my tea leaves. All of which will take hours, and I have to find my way back!”
“Surely you know your way?” Blaze asked.
“There are no landmarks to navigate from any reasonable distance!” Durae thrust his hand up at the sky. “And now, I don’t even have the stars!”
Blaze was holding in a laugh, which would have been cute if Durae weren’t in greater and greater jeopardy.
With a grin, Blaze went to the railing and whistled at the house not far from the end of the tiny dock.
An elfling who couldn’t be more than sixteen years old ran out.
They wore their silver-blue hair in tight braids that reminded Durae of scales. “What d’ya need?”
“Durae, this is Mack, our local guide. Mack, do you have time to take Durae back to—where are you staying?” Blaze said.
“The Radiant Flower,” Durae replied.
“If he can keep up.” The elfling tilted their head and ran their gaze over Durae.
“Or hire us a hackney. We should be able to find one in the main market. Kidd wants me to run to Cloud Cake and get some of those jewelberry treats before they’re sold out, so getting your noble sorted won’t be trouble. ”
A ruse came to mind. Durae said, “I’d love to go to this Cloud Cake, too.”
The elfling shrugged. “Makes my job easier.”
Suddenly, the time to separate had arrived.
Durae longed to tell Mack that never mind, he was staying, but not only did he lack clothes, but his parents would comb all of Everend if they couldn’t find him.
He couldn’t worry them, or Uleyri, that much.
He spun toward Blaze. “If I can’t make it out here tonight or tomorrow—”
“Then I will see you at the Emberleigh dance, for at least an hour.” Blaze kissed him, light and quick.
It warmed Durae the same as his searing, passionate kisses did. Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to linger. He hurried off Blaze’s ship and down the dock.
The elfling, Mack, giggled under their breath as they led the way. “You better hope there’s a line at Cloud Cake so you have an excuse to put yourself right. You look like you’ve been ridden hard and put away wet.”
“What does that even mean?” Durae asked.
“You’re a fancy, fancy noble. Got it,” Mack replied. They shot a glare over their shoulder at Durae. “You didn’t make Blaze a bunch of promises that you don’t intend to keep, did you?”
“I would never break my word to someone so wonderful,” Durae stated. He had siblings who were less rude than this elfling was getting, and one of them had a habit of hiding overplump berries in his shoes.
“You’re that kind of fool.” Mack laughed and hurried down the street. Durae had to jog to keep up. They pumped their fist into the air a few times. “I freaking love market time!”