Alex handed the warm wooden box to Sayed as they stood outside of Cat''s Cradle. The meal was done, and now they just needed to see everyone off. It was the second time he had convinced a restaurant that a ''to go'' order was a good business decision, though it was helped by his rescuing the waiter from being shot.


    "Okay," Alex said to Sayed. "You and Erin are going to find a store to order supplies from and send them to the ship. Li Wen and I will see Kali off and sell the gauntlet to see how much money we have. Can you do it?"


    "Have some faith in me, brother," Sayed said, taking the box. "I will ensure that the food gets delivered in the least."


    "And I''ll make sure he doesn''t go running off," Erin said. "Do you want to take Mari with you?"


    Alex looked down at Mari, who still held onto Erin''s hand. She hadn''t spoken much since they had gotten done at the diner, and part of him wondered if seeing the murder had something to do with that. However, they weren''t in the place to ask that kind of question. The android rubbed at her eyes and let out a long yawn.


    "You guys will probably get back to the ship first," Alex said. "Take her with you and let her get some sleep. She''s been active for more than three days straight. Might as well give her a chance to dream of electric sheep."


    Slap.


    Li Wen gave him a light tap on the back of the head. "No one knows what you''re talking about when you say those things."


    "I know." Alex sighed, smiling at Erin''s raised eyebrow. "Let her get some sleep."


    With that, they parted, and Alex followed Li Wen and Kali toward the port. The crowds in the streets had thinned a little, leaving a pitted dirt road stretching between the buildings. Parallel lines marked where people had driven carts down the road the last time it had rained, and the occasional pothole acted as a land mine for anyone foolish enough to step in it or to ride over it.


    Alex could see why the shuttles were miniature slipships. With the roads so unmaintained, they were the best option to get around. The roads would be for those too poor to afford the ride, whether for supplies or people, while the rich rode the skies in style.


    "I can''t wait to get back to April," Kali said as they walked, her hands on her camera. "I need to develop these photos and write my articles."


    "You''re going to write articles on what happened?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Who wouldn''t?" Kali said, giving him a quick grin. "I witnessed the origin of this message and even met some famous outlaws. My boss will be ecstatic when he hears about all of this."


    "What about Bibi''s threat?" Li Wen asked, looking down at Kali. "If you post that article, you''ll draw more attention to yourself."


    Kali stopped for a moment, looking down at the camera. People parted around them as they waited for her, a few grumbling at the inconvenience. It reminded Alex of walking around a busy city like New York City. Most people there knew better than to stop in the middle of the sidewalk.


    "It might draw some attention to me, but I''ll be fine," Kali said. "My boss can send me on an assignment when it publishes, so I''m off the island, and I can be out of people''s sight and mind while it cools down. I can probably bring Whiskers with me this time, so I don''t have to worry about keeping him fed."


    Alex snorted out his laugh. After meeting a massive bearcat named Scratches on Diamond Peak, he struggled with names. In his mind, Whiskers was a massive black cat nearly the size of a sedan because that was what the nightsea was training him to expect.


    "I can''t say I wouldn''t do the same," Li Wen sighed. "Just be careful. We barely survived Bibi''s madness back there. I would hate to see what happens when his father finds out he''s dead."


    "The same thing could be said about you," Alex said as they began to walk again. "When you froze Mister Foley, you cashed in your chips. Are you sure you want to follow along with a bunch of outlaws?"


    "The message helped," Li Wen smirked at him. "But when I saw you again out there, I knew I needed to make up my mind. Of all the people I''ve met on Erth since I''ve gotten here, you seem to want to know how it works the most. I have a hunch that I''ll learn a lot if I follow you around."


    Alex wasn''t sure if he should feel flattered or not by that statement, so he shrugged his shoulders and focused on the thin clouds above them. It wasn''t like he was an expert on Erth. He just knew about island cores and could access them. Everything else he kind of made up as he went along.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    However, having more strong people with him wasn''t a benefit he could refuse. If they had all been together back on Glory Plateau, they might have been able to take down Lucien before the fight. If he wanted to find out the truth in the New World, he would need all the help he could get.


    "I''m more concerned about the reactions to the message," Alex said. "Everything seems so unchaotic. I thought more people would be tearing up the world around them when told they lived in a cage."


    "But what can we do about it if we are?" Kali whispered. "Who can really stand up against the Scions?"


    "Not everyone is as hardheaded as you are," Li Wen said. "There are people who will believe it and act, but most people won''t tear up their lives for the possibility of something better—not when they already live well enough where they''re at."


    For a second time, Alex couldn''t help but shrug, unsure that he should take that as a compliment.


    "Besides, this is just one island," Li Wen continued. "And probably the most stable one on the Fringes."


    As she finished, they reached the docks, stepping out onto one of the long wooden boardwalks that stretched out into the sea around the island. At set intervals, large wooden towers rose into the sky, each allowing slipships to dock in the air above on platforms extending out in varying directions from the towers. Some slipships also rested in wet docks below, along with local boats that couldn''t hope to sail on the nightsea.


    The entire operation probably took a few kilometers, and the docks were the largest Alex had seen outside of when he had escaped August. A flurry of activity across the long docks marked that Dry Trutle was a center for trade and commerce.


    That was why Alex wasn''t surprised when he recognized one of the larger ships resting on the high tiers of the air docks. A smile cracked his face as he looked for the name on the back of the long ship to confirm. It was the Night Queen, a massive transport ship that needed four lodestones on each side to keep its bulk in the air.


    "I know that ship," he said, pointing up and causing Li Wen and Kali to pause. "We might be able to negotiate if they''re going in the right direction."


    "That transport ship?" Li Wen squinted at the massive bulk of the Night Queen. "Are you sure?"


    "It''s worth a shot," Alex shrugged. "Besides, I know a guy."


    With that, they started down the docks and toward the ship''s tower. It didn''t take long to climb the steps up to the ship, and Alex was only a little winded when he reached the top. Kali wasn''t as fortunate, but her body hadn''t been modified through experiments to be stronger than anyone had any right to be.


    As they walked up the boarding plank, Alex heard Hubert long before he saw him. Hubert was short and round, with a face that always seemed red, no matter how much he had recently drunk. He stood on the deck of the Night Queen, directing a group of sailors as they worked with ropes to pull up the ship''s light sails.


    Alex held up a hand as Kali and Li Wen moved forward, causing them to stop and wait for the man to be done.


    "We need another hand here, boys!" Hubert yelled, spittle flying from his grey beard as he looked over the working sailors. "We need this sail up so we can do mast repairs!"


    Alex waited as the men pulled against the rope in waves. Pull. Release. Pull. Release. It reminded him of the times he had worked on slipships to make his way across the nightsea. It wasn''t even that long ago, weeks ago, that his life was much like these sailors, but now, he had his own ship.


    "Heave, ho!" With one final tug, the sailors brought the sail to the top of the past, and men on the top set about securing it together with ropes.


    "Good job, boys," Hubert said, putting his hands on his hips as the men fell to the ground, breathing hard. "Go get a rest."


    Hubert turned, ready to walk away, when he saw Alex standing on the deck. Confusion made the man tilt his head to the side before his eyes widened, and a grin cracked his beard. Hubert ran at Alex, his arms out and a laugh escaping his lips as he charged forward.


    "Alex! Abyss be damned, how are you here?"


    He hit Alex hard in the chest, hugging Alex before stepping back and shaking his head. Alex took a moment to pat Hubert on the shoulder. He honestly thought he would have never seen the old man again. The Fringes were wide, and there were more than enough islands to route between for them never to cross paths.


    "That''s a long story," Alex said. "How are you doing?"


    "After getting off that mess on Glory Plateau?" Hubert asked. "I''m doing great. I''m just surprised you got out. I saw those fights before we had to leave. I didn''t think you''d be able to find a way out. And what with me being the reason you were there. I felt right wrong that I put you in that situation."


    "It worked out in the end," Alex shrugged. "I met some people because of it, and I got pretty lucky. I came into my own ship."


    "You did now?" Hubert asked. "Are you thinking about following that message? Are you heading for the Core?"


    "I might," Alex said. "However, that''s a long trip, and not why I''m here."


    "Then why are you here, son?"


    "Where''s the Night Queen heading now?" Alex asked.


    "We''ve got a long arc of shipping toward the Core," Hubert said, scratching his beard. "We''ve got some choice cargo heading toward the Twelve Kingdoms in about a month, and it''ll take us that long to get there with all the stops on the way."


    "That''s just what I was hoping to hear," Alex smiled, looking back at Kali. "I want you to meet my friend back here, and she needs a ride back to April or as close as you can get her."


    With that, he negotiated with Hubert to take Kali with the ship. It might not have been the fastest available ride, but with an ''I saved your life from prison'' discount and a little poking and prodding, Alex convinced Hubert to sign Kali onto the ship. With that problem solved, he and Li Wen left the ship, and Kali took a final photo of them as they walked off the deck.


    Together, they went to see exactly how much money they could scrounge together to repair the Nighthawk.