In a world of steamships and Progress, no one who sails due south across the Wild Sea ever returns.
No one knows why.
Dale Mortensen intends to solve the mystery. With the help of an old sailor and a reformed playboy searching for his missing sweetheart, he locates a captain and crew ambitious—not to mention crazy—enough to undertake the journey across the Wild Sea.
The Infinity and her crew sail south, but the truth of what really lies on the other side of the horizon is more amazing—and terrifying—than anything they can imagine.
It’s the adventure of a lifetime—and it may just get Dale and his friends killed.
Find out how this Young Adult steampunk adventure unfolds chapter-by-chapter every Thursday! Click here to start from the beginning. Or if you want to read it at your own pace, buy the ebook for $6.99 from Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Smashwords or Sony, or get it as a trade paperback from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Book Depository.
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE HORIZON
E. R. PASKEY
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
DALE AWOKE THE NEXT MORNING WITH A heavy heart. He went through the motions of dressing and joining his fellow boarders for breakfast, but he was still absorbed in thoughts of the night before. After two years of listening to Raphael talk about Elena, hoping his friend would be reunited with his love, and assuring Raphael he would help locate Elena, Dale had actually found her.
Trouble was, Elena did not seem to want to have much to do with Raphael. This left Dale with a dilemma. Do I tell him I saw Elena and leave out the part where she said she doesn’t want him to know where she is? Or do I not tell him anything at all?
He continued to debate this with himself all the way from Mrs. Yunker’s boarding house to the Hospital. The nurse waved to him as he entered; he nodded back to her. The closer he came to the ward, the more he felt like he was marching to his own hanging.
As he entered the room, Dale found Raphael leaning up against the window, staring out through the wavy glass. Minh sat on his cot. He nodded to Dale, but accurately recognized something important was about to happen and said nothing.
Swallowing, Dale came to a decision. Though both options seemed cruel, the longer he thought about it, the more he realized that not telling Raphael about the encounter and letting him wonder if Elena was even alive was worse than the truth. At least with the truth he has time to be prepared and not blindsided.
With that in mind, Dale crossed the room to his friend. “Morning, Raph.”
Raphael pulled his attention back from the window—and wherever his mind had been—to greet him. “Hello, my friend.”
Dale acknowledged him with a nod. He stood for a moment, gathering his courage and attempting to find the right words to avoid crushing the hope to which his friend had been clinging.
Raphael arched a dark eyebrow in some amusement. “Dale, I have known you long enough to know when you have something on your mind.” He waved a hand. “Whatever it is, out with it. You will feel better.”
“Right,” muttered Dale. He squared his shoulders. “The thing is, Raphael, I found Elena last night.”
For a second, Raphael stood absolutely motionless; he did not even appear to be breathing. Then his lips parted and he let out a long, shaky breath. “You did? She is alive?”
“Yes.”
Raphael’s tanned face broke into an ear-to-ear grin and he came forward on his crutches to pump Dale’s arm. “That is fantastic! I knew I could count on you, my friend!”
Dale held up his free hand. “Don’t thank me yet.”
Raphael stilled, though his dark eyes remained bright with joy.
“She didn’t say much. She wouldn’t tell me where she lived so you could find her. I did tell her where she could find you.” Dale hesitated, wondering if he should mention she had said she would try to visit.
A little of Raphael’s joy drained away. “Ah. She is still angry with me, then.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “I knew that, I think, but I forgot it in everything that has happened.”
“She did look pretty surprised to find out you were here,” offered Dale. He frowned, thinking back. “Actually, she looked astonished.” He had a feeling Elena had not actually expected Raphael to pursue her.
“Did she look well?” asked Raphael hesitantly, tentatively.
“She’s beautiful,” said Dale honestly. “Whatever happened to their ship, it looks like she came out of it all right.”
“Where was this?” Raphael listened to Dale’s explanation in silence. “If she is taking classes of some sort there, she will be there again. Or perhaps I will find someone who knows her.” He sighed. “I was planning on attempting this anyway, as soon as the dragon releases me.” He shot a dour look toward the door.
Despite himself, Dale smiled. “Mrs. Weatherby keeping you in line, then?”
Raphael sighed. “The woman refuses to let me go until I can walk without limping.”
Dale and Minh exchanged amused looks.
“What of her father?” asked Raphael after a moment. “Does he still live?”
“Yes. Don’t know if he came out of it unscathed or not, but she said he was expecting her, so…” Dale shrugged.
Raphael was silent for a long moment, before he turned back to Dale. “I cannot thank you enough, my friend. It is a tremendous burden off my mind to know Elena is alive.”
“I hope things work out.”
A hint of a grin tugged at the corner’s of Raphael’s mouth. “I have crossed the Rift to find her—I am not about to let her go now.” Balancing himself on his crutches, he clapped his hands together briskly. “Now, Dale, you must tell me about learning Demascenese.”
~oOo~
THURSDAY could not arrive soon enough to suit Dale. Quarter to seven that evening found him in Professor Hodges’s classroom, eagerly awaiting the start of the lecture. And, if he was completely honest with himself, he was also hoping for another chance to talk to Naya for a few minutes. She was, after all, one of the few people he knew in Rift City.
He happened to be watching the door when she entered. Dale lifted a hand in greeting, but to his astonishment, the tall, slim, dark-skinned girl frowned at him and swept toward her seat without a backward glance. Surprise and crestfallen disappointment tangled for the upper hand in the pit of his stomach.
Why would she give me the cold shoulder? Dale wracked his brain for any recollection of something that could have offended her. I did leave rather abruptly, but I said, “excuse me”.
He suppressed a sigh. Raphael would know. His friend seemed to have a much better understanding of the way women’s minds worked—though of course even Raphael agreed that most days they were beyond fathoming.
Professor Hodge called the class to order, and Dale glumly opened his book. He managed to put Naya’s behavior mostly out of his head, but his body’s awareness of her presence off to his left kept him from forgetting her entirely. Every so often, he stole glances at her, only to find her glaring fiercely down at her book.
At the end of the class, he debated with himself whether or not he should go over to her and say something. It was his turn to frown. I didn’t do anything wrong. At least, I don’t think I did.
His eyes strayed to the door, waiting for a flash of red-gold hair. As far as he knew, Elena had not yet visited Raphael.
Naya took the decision out of his hands. She marched out of the class as soon as Hodges announced they were done for the week, but spun on her heel halfway to the door and stomped back. Narrowing her eyes at Dale, she planted her feet and cocked a hip. “You should know talking to that girl’s dangerous.”
Dale gaped at her in astonishment. “What?” One minute she was ignoring him, and the next offering clipped advice?
“That girl. Elena what’s-her-name.” Naya impatiently tipped her head toward the door.
Wordlessly, Dale raised his eyebrows at her.
Naya scowled. “Oh, please. The redhead you chased the other night.” She held up a hand. “Not that I care, don’t misunderstand, but I just thought you should know that she’s off-limits.”
Of course she is, Dale thought, but the next second it was his turn to frown. “How do you know about Raphael?”
“Raphael?” Naya blinked, looking slightly taken aback. “Who’s Raphael?”
Unease settled over Dale like a cold, slimy fishing net. “What are you talking about, Miss Azlynn?”
Naya glanced from side to side and leaned a fraction closer to Dale. “I’m talking about the Family Scion who’s courting that girl.”
Dale froze. What?
Taking in Dale’s pole-axed expression, Naya sighed loudly. “I was afraid of this.” Clucking her tongue against the roof of her mouth, she cast another glance around and grabbed Dale’s sleeve. “You’d better come with me for a moment.”
“Wait—” Dale began to protest, but she silenced him with a sharp look.
Dale allowed her to lead him out of the classroom and into the hall; it seemed the only way he was going to get any answers. His mind reeled. A Family Scion courting Elena. That could not be a good thing.
Naya dropped his sleeve, but held her tongue until they had reached the bottom of the staircase and crossed the lobby. They stepped out into the cool, humid air on the walkway and traveled for a block before she stopped and spun to face him. “I know who she is. Everybody does—not many women come through the Rift. She’s being courted by the Demascenese Family Scion. He’s taken a fancy to her and wants to marry her.”
Dale made a faint, sputtering sound. Raphael is not going to be happy.
Naya’s expression remained firm, but her eyes softened. “Put her out of your mind, Mr. Mortensen. She’s beyond your reach.”
“Why?” he demanded bluntly, not grasping her implicating. “What’s so special about a Family Scion, other than money and connections?” Raphael had both, on the Other Side of the Rift.
Naya glared at him and her mouth thinned. “Because people who cross the Families tend to Disappear.”
“Disappear?” Something in Dale’s mind crystallized, made all the strange bits of information he had been gathering lately begin to slot into their assigned places.
“Not so loud!” she hissed, casting an alarmed glance around them. She took a step closer to him, her dark face ashen in the cheery glow of a nearby lamp post. “Don’t say such things where people can easily hear you.”
He looked down at her furious face and saw the anxiety and fear in her eyes. “Is this another rule of Rift City that they forgot to mention? Don’t go near the water, and don’t cross the Families?”
“It’s no laughing matter.” Naya drew herself up to her full height. “I was only trying to—”
“—save me again?” interrupted Dale, without thinking. She had gone all prickly, but not fast enough to hide her concern.
Naya tossed her head. “Fine. Go your own way and see where it gets you. Good night.” Whirling around, she stalked away from him down the walkway.
Dale looked up at the sky. He rarely interrupted people, but that had just slipped out. Now he had two choices—follow Naya and attempt to explain that Elena was his best friend’s girl, or wait until after his next stint on the Platform. He watched Naya take a swaying bridge across the gap to the other walkway, and shook his head. It can wait.
He had more important things to worry about at the moment—like how he was going to tell Raphael he had a rival for Elena’s affections. The bit about people disappearing, however, stuck with him. The emphasis everyone put on the word struck him as decidedly odd.
~oOo~
THE next morning, Raphael took one look at Dale’s face when he entered the ward room and arched an eyebrow. “What has happened now? More bad news?”
Dale grimaced; he had thought he had done a better job controlling his expression. He noted the emptiness of the room and paused, his train of thought momentarily derailed. “Where is Minh?”
“Ah.” Raphael lifted one hand in a slight wave. “He was released this morning. Our friend Banger arrived to escort him on his way.”
“And Yutha?”
“Still here. The dragon will not release him for another week or two yet.”
Dale nodded. Mrs. Weatherby had a soft spot for the boy; he admired her resolve to make sure Yutha was healthy before she turned him loose in Rift City. He moved to one of the chairs by the window at the end of the room, near the cot that had been his during his stay in the Hospital.
Dark eyes shrewd, Raphael joined him. He said nothing, but waited for Dale to voice whatever was on his mind.
In a few terse sentences, Dale relayed everything Naya had told him about Elena, the Family Scion, and Naya’s statement about people disappearing after crossing a member of a Family. He watched his friend carefully throughout his tale.
Raphael sat very still, his expansive features unusually grim. He could have been the subject of a still life painting. After a moment, he rocked back in his seat and tipped his head back to stare up at the ceiling. “Well, I cannot say I am surprised to learn I have a rival.”
What? Dale frowned, thunderstruck. “You expected this?”
“No, no, not the way you think.” Raphael waved an impatient hand. “My Elena is a remarkable, one-of-a-kind woman. It was inevitable that someone else should recognize this as well.” His mouth twisted in a wry smile. “Although I must confess I had hoped to have safely married her by this time. But…no matter.” His dark eyes glittered fiercely as he lowered his chin to look at Dale. “I will win her back.”
“As soon as you get out of the Hospital,” said Dale, correctly interpreting the petulant look that had suddenly crossed his friend’s face.
“Exactly.” Raphael scowled. “I am helpless until the dragon frees me.” He pinned Dale with a sudden, intense stare. “This girl—Naya—she said nothing of impending marriage? Only courtship?”
“That’s all.” Dale hesitated, wondering if he should ask Raphael about Naya’s strange behavior, but ultimately dismissed it. His friend’s head was entirely too full of Elena.
“Oh.” He remembered the package he had carried in with him. “Before I forget.” Opening his seabag, he extracted a package wrapped in brown paper and handed it to his friend. “Found one in your language.”
“For me?” Raphael tore through the paper like a child and a muscle in his jaw worked as he smoothed his fingers over the cover of a thick, leather-bound Demascenese language book. He smirked at Dale. “You just want company turning your brains to mush.”
Dale shrugged, suppressing a grin. “If you don’t like it…”
“No.” Raphael’s fingers tightened on the book. “Thank you, my friend. This will make waiting more bearable.” Something dark flickered through his eyes, though his next words remained light. “Now I will understand whatever this would-be suitor of Elena has to say.”
“That’s the spirit, Raph.”
Find out how this Young Adult steampunk adventure unfolds chapter-by-chapter every Thursday! Or if you want to keep reading right now, buy the ebook for $6.99 from Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Smashwords or Sony, or get it as a trade paperback from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Book Depository.
Copyright © 2013 E. R. Paskey