Chase the Stars

Mila was furious. She'd been duped, double crossed, and designated to take the fall for the theft of the emerald. This was the largest heist she had ever tried to pull off; she would be ruthlessly hunted by the Empirical Regulatory Force. And she hadn't even stolen the damn thing. She should have expected something like this from the likes of Horace Crawforde. She reluctantly followed the green-eyed stranger as he ducked into a small room and went to the window. He peered out and then unlocked the window and forced it open with a grunt.

"Come on," he whispered. "We can jump down into the alley from here. I know a place we can hide out."

"I need to get back to my ship," Mila snapped, leaning over the windowsill where he had jumped.

"Don't you think they're going to be patrolling the streets and watching the harbor?" he hissed back. "You'll look far too suspicious if you try to leave now."

Mila pressed her lips into a thin line. He had a point, though she was loathe to admit it. She swung up onto the windowsill and dropped to the cobblestones below, tucking her knees and rolling. She and the strange man ran soundlessly to the end of the alleyway, creeping through the shadows. Mila could hear the distant, piercing wail of a siren. If they could get far enough away from the Archives, they could avoid detection.

The stranger seemed to know his way around the back alleys well enough, and they had quickly put significant distance between themselves and the Archives. He led her to a rundown clock tower in the middle of the east end of Etherport, strolling in casually as if it were a normal thing to walk into a clock tower. Mila glanced up, noticing that the clock hands weren't moving. They were frozen, forever stuck at 9:32. Mila followed the stranger inside and up a flight of rickety metal stairs.

When she emerged at the top she found a makeshift loft, with a few more steps leading up to where you could look out the clock face. There was a compact travel stove, and two mattresses stacked on top of one another. There were a few pieces of mismatched furniture and a wide collection of...stuff. Shelves that looked handmade were nailed up on some of the walls.

"You live here," Mila said, looking around in a sort of horrified awe. She couldn't imagine living inside an old clock.

"Welcome to my humble home," he replied, bowing dramatically. "I'm Charlie, by the way."

"Mila," she said stiffly.

"We can stay here tonight, until some of the chaos has died down. I know these streets. I can show you the best route back to the harbor, where we'll encounter the fewest people."

"What makes you so sure I won't leave you behind?" Mila asked. "My ship is mine, and mine alone." She felt jittery and itchy just thinking of having someone else on board the Peregrine with her.

"Because I'm sure I can be granted clemency if I tell the Regulatory Force about you. I can give them a description, and direct them to search for airships." He arched an eyebrow at her and Mila stared stonily back.

"I could always just kill you," she pointed out, clicking the safety off and swinging the barrel of her gun to point it right at his face. His smug demeanor wavered only the tiniest bit as he eyed the gun.

"You could," he said slowly. "But I did help you escape."

Mila let the silence stretch out, waiting long moments before casually clicking the safety back on and returning the gun to its holster. She needed to make it clear that she wasn't going to be a pushover.

"Fine. The associate Crawforde sent to me gave me five hundred thousand crescents, that should be plenty to get us far enough away from here to-"

"What?" Charlie interrupted, looking insulted and outraged. "He gave you five hundred thousand crescents?"

"Yes. It was a down payment and I was supposed to get the rest when I delivered the emerald."

"He didn't give me any down payment."

Mila smirked. "I guess he doesn't consider you much of a professional."

"Don't get so cocky about it. He did use you, too."

"And I will deal with that at the earliest opportunity." Mila tugged off the guard's shirt and discarded it in the corner. "We leave first thing in the morning."

"Who put you in charge?"

"I'm the one with the ship."

Charlie kicked off his boots and flopped across the pile of mattresses. "Five hundred thousand," he muttered under his breath. Mila chose the chair that looked the least likely to collapse beneath her and folded herself into it. There was a rather spectacular view of the city from up here, but she was far too angry and brooding to truly enjoy it. She dozed in fits, finally climbing restlessly out of the chair when the sun had risen.

She briefly considered making good on her idea and leaving while Charlie was still snoring on his mattresses. Clearly he had no trouble sleeping after being set up, or with having someone else in his space. Mila wished she could be so lucky. She kicked him awake.

"Rise and shine, Charles. It's time to go."

"It's Charlie," he grumbled, yawning and stretching. He began stuffing things into a satchel while trying to tame his messy hair. Mila tapped her foot impatiently.

"Let's go," she said irritably. "We're wasting daylight."

"The daylight isn't even ready to move yet," he muttered. Mila was already headed to the stairs and he trailed after her.

"Maybe I should lead the way, since I am very familiar with the city?" he suggested.

"I've been in Etherport before too," she informed him, but she reluctantly slowed down and let him catch up. She was annoyed by his casual and carefree saunter but forced herself not to speed up. They did indeed take less crowded streets, and they were even emptier because of the early hour. Mila swore under her breath when they reached the docks and found Regulators milling around. One of them stopped her and Charlie as they approached.

"Where are you headed?" he asked. Mila gave him her most winning smile, so bright and charming it might even have made her father proud. If Stanton Harkness had approved of smiling, anyway.

"Just on my way home," she said. "I'm actually running a bit late. I've never been to the city before and I got a little bit lost."

The man seemed easily swayed by her girlish charade, though he cast a look at Charlie.

"Oh, this is my cousin," Mila said quickly. She lowered her voice. "He's a bit simple, you see. Very difficult to deal with sometimes but he does so enjoy outings. I try to bring him along as much as I can." She patted Charlie's arm and gave him an indulgent smile. He grinned in a dopey way and the Regulator didn't seem suspicious.

"What's all this about anyway?" Mila asked. "I've never seen so many Regulators before."

"There was a robbery at the Archives last night."

"No!" Mila gasped, hand flying up to cover her mouth. "How dreadful! And now you have to be out here in these ungodly hours hunting down the culprit. Some people are just so inconsiderate. As if your job wasn't hard enough."

The Regulator cracked a small smile, quickly looking her up and down. "It's all right, Miss. All part of a day's work. I won't keep you waiting." He stepped aside and she gave him another beaming smile as she led Charlie past him.

"Come along then, Archie," she trilled. "Don't want to make you late for your breakfast. I know how cranky you get."

As soon as they were out of earshot Charlie wrenched his arm away and scowled. "Really? A simpleton named Archie?"

"Well it worked, didn't it? Quit complaining and let's go." Mila whistled a complex tune and a ladder tumbled down from the side of her ship. She climbed quickly and went to work hoisting up the tether as Charlie clambered over the side.

"How'd you do that?" he asked.

"It's a special modification. The mechanism responds to a specific tune. Most of these ships have crews, and have someone who can lower the ladder. I fly the Peregrine alone. Can't leave the ladder just hanging there, can I? I have a lot of modifications like that."

She reeled up the tether and climbed up the ropes to loose the sails. She was already feeling better, as she maneuvered through the ropes like a monkey. She climbed back down to the deck to steer the Peregrine out into open air. She cranked a lever on the helm and the wings unfurled from the sides of the ship, catching the breeze and carrying them away at a steady clip. It was lucky she had stocked up on supplies as soon as she'd arrived in Etherport.

"We'll go to South Plymm," Mila said, adjusting course. "That's as far as I take you, Charles-"

"Charlie."

"-and then we go our separate ways. In the meantime, I will remind you that this ship is mine. So you'll follow my rules, or I'll dangle you over the side by your toes. Once we're in South Plymm, I hope to never see your face again."

"Well now that's a bit insulting. I've been told my face is rather nice to look at."

Mila shot him a withering look. "This is already shaping up to be the longest voyage of my life."