“Afternoon, Shaman Kesuk,”Kali said with a smile. Either way, she would not beignored.
He briefly curled a lip at her but remainedfacing Cedar. “What business do you have here, White Man?” he askedin Han.
“Show him the beadthings,” Kali told Cedar.
Cedar withdrew the pair of decorated patchesand laid them out on his open palm. He seemed content to let Kalitake charge of their half of the conversation.
“One of these was foundnear the body of a Han woman murdered yesterday morning in Dawson,”Kali told the shaman. “The other on a ship of…” There was no wordfor airship or pirates in the language, and such things had neverfloated the skies of the Yukon when she was a girl. What had Tadzicalled those people? “Sky bandits,” Kali finished. “Do you knowanything about them? Is it possible one of our-one of your peoplemade them? Do they have any power?”
“You speak too much for awoman,” Kesuk said, glaring at her without seeming to notice thepatches. Kali opened her mouth, an angry retort on her lips, butKesuk added, “That’s what happens when girls don’t grow up withproper mothers. At least you’re not a witch.” He took the patchesand scrutinized them.
Kali clenched her fists, still tempted tomake the retort, but it was better to simply finish and leave assoon as possible.
She caught Cedar watching her, a concernedexpression on his face. She loosened her fingers and mouthed, “I’mfine.”
“These are trash,” Kesuksaid. “They mean nothing, and if one of our people made them, itwould be an embarrassment.”
He handed them back to Cedar, and Kalitranslated. Cedar’s face darkened, and he slid them back into hispocket. It was disappointing news, so Kali could understand afrown, but Cedar seemed more upset than the dead end warranted. Fora long moment, he said nothing, simply standing there with jawclenched, but he finally tipped his hat toward the medicine man andsaid, “Please thank him for his time.”
Before Kali could relay the message, Kesuksaid, “Leave now. We must keep our people safe from the crime thesewhite men have brought. Take that monstrous beast with you.” Hestabbed a finger at the bicycle, though it idled quietly, notbothering anyone as it puffed soft clouds of smoke into thearea.
Kali gritted her teeth, more indignant onthe machine’s behalf than for the sleights the medicine man haddelivered to her.
“Tadzi, you have chores.”Kesuk turned his back on them and strode away.
“Where are you going now?”Tadzi asked. “If you wait here, I can get you some supper from mygrandma. She won’t mind sharing.”
Kali suspected she would-nobody wanted torisk a medicine man’s ire, and befriending her would probably dothat-but she understood Tadzi’s reluctance to let them go. Shewould have reacted in the same way if someone riding asteam-powered bicycle had come into the camp when she was agirl.
“Thanks, Tadzi, but weneed to solve this mystery.” Kali considered Cedar. He was waitingat the bicycle, his back rigid with determination, his head down,thoughts inward. “I have a feeling that means going dangerousplaces and doing dangerous things. Again.”
“I could come with you. Icould help!”
“No,” Cedar said withoutlooking up.
Tadzi’s shoulders drooped.
“You can help us anothertime. And-” Kali checked to make sure the medicine man was out ofearshot before making her next offer, “-if you ever want to seemore of my steam-powered machines, you can come to my shop inDawson.”
“Really?” Tadzi asked.“That would be right fine.”
She patted him on the back and joinedCedar.
“What’re you thinking?”Kali asked when they were alone. Mostly alone. The guard leanedagainst a tree nearby, his rifle cradled in his arms as he kept aneye on them.
“You should take thebicycle and go back to town,” Cedar said. “Stay in your workshopwith all of your alarms and booby traps in place. Don’t let anyonein.”
Kali propped her hands onher hips. “And where will yoube going?”
“I intend to find out whythose pirates had one of these on their ship.” Cedar held up one ofthe beadwork patches.
“Somehow I don’t think thecaptain is going to be amenable to answering your questions afteryou cut his pants off.”
“Then I’ll make him.”Cedar started to walk away.
“Wait,” Kali said. “Get onthe SAB. I’m going with you.”
“There’s no need to riskyourself on this. I’ve already wasted your time by bringing you outhere.”
Kali patted the seat of the SAB. “Might aswell stop arguing and mount up. You don’t really think I’d let yougo tour an airship without me, do you?” And if Cedar decided heneeded to turn in all of those pirates-or their heads-to theMounties, maybe she could claim what remained of the airship forherself. Oh, she’d want to refurbish it, to make it truly andcompletely hers, but it’d take months off her timeline if shedidn’t have to build everything from scratch. A broad smile curvedher lips as these thoughts wandered through her head.
Cedar’s eyes closed to slits as he watchedher. “Why do I have a feeling you have something more thanquestioning pirates in mind?”
Smile broadening, Kali patted the seatagain. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Now, are yougetting on or not?”
Part VI
Kali huffed up the steep stump-filledincline behind Cedar. The airship had long since disappeared fromthe sky, but he seemed to know where he was going. Thanks to thesteepness of the valley wall, they’d had to leave the SAB by theriverbank below. For the first fifty meters, Kali kept glancingover her shoulder, making sure nobody was sneaking up to bother it.Fortunately, the boat traffic had dwindled with evening’sapproach.
After more climbing-and huffing-they reachedthe crest of the ridge. This time, when Kali looked back over hershoulder, the view gave her a start. A couple of years had passedsince she had reason to climb up there, and the difference in thelandscape was astonishing. Where verdant trees had once lined bothrugged valley walls, hillsides of stumps now stretched. Oh, a fewsturdy spruce and pines remained, those with trunks too thick toentice a miner searching for easy firewood, but the barrenness ofthe scene made Kali’s gut twist. Too many people were pouring outof the south, changing the face of the only home she had everknown.
She shook her head and reminded herself shewanted to leave anyway. Come winter, firewood would be scarce, andthat was a good incentive to double her efforts on her airship. Orto acquire an already-built airship that only neededmodifications….
“I smell a fire,” Cedarsaid. “We might be close.” He was not breathing hard. His longerlegs must mean he took fewer steps.
Ahead of them, the land rose more gently,and evergreens still stood, stretching for the sky.
“What’s the plan?” Kaliasked. “Wait until dark, sneak in, and look around theairship?”
He eyed her over his shoulder. “I wasplanning on dragging a guard away to question, not strollingthrough their craft.”
“There might be cluesinside.”
Cedar raised an eyebrow.
“What?” Kali smiledinnocently.
Cedar pointed through the trees to a fallenlog ahead and crept toward it. He stayed low, and Kali followed,mimicking his movements. She hadn’t seen anything yet, but Cedarseemed to think they were close.
Kali crouched beside him behind the log.“What do you think we’ll find when we reach the pirates? Were theyvictims, too, or could they be responsible for the murders?”
“Victims?”
“There are female pirates.Maybe one of them got a throat cut and the killer left that samefake talisman.”
His eyebrows drew together, and Kali guessedhe had not considered that possibility. It did seem unlikely. Thosethieving bandits had tried to kidnap her, and they’d killed atleast one person and probably stolen gold from countlessothers.
Kali shrugged. “Or maybe we’ll find they’rekeeping a bear on board for mauling people.”
“If they are responsiblefor the murders, that’ll make things simple.” Cedar jerked a thumbover his shoulder, at the hilt of his sword.