Among the Nameless Stars (5 page)

Kai shrugged. “I don’t see why not. He’ll have the carpenters in on the body, so I’m mostly going to be looking at the engine. Don’t see why it should be much different than any of the other boats I’ve been fixing for him.”

“Yeah, but he’ll want this one to go so fast. . . .” Bess shook her head. “I think he’s gone mad with pride. Since when does Pen know anything about boat racing? And against Channel Luddites and Nicodemus Innovation, too.”

“Who is that?” Kai asked, keeping his tone as subdued as possible.

Bess snorted. “You know … the explorer.”

No, Kai didn’t know. Kai didn’t know there were any explorers at all anymore. The very sound of the word struck his brain like the peal of a bell. Lightness streaked through every limb, sparking with a hope Kai thought long dead. “Where does he … explore?”

How does he explore? How do the Luddites even let him? Kai thought exploration was forbidden, like “innovation” itself.

Among the Nameless Stars
by Diana Peterfreund

| 39

“Oh, you know, nearby islands. Amazing, the kind of stuff he finds just days off the coast.

All sorts of treasures from before the Reduction. He’s the one who found those wild horses a few years back. The giant ones all the Luddites around here have?” Bess rolled her eyes. “What Pen wouldn’t do to get his hands on one of those horses. But Innovation won’t sell him one, no matter what. I should know—I’ve been the recipient of all Pen’s anger when he gets Captain Innovation’s latest rejection letter. You know what they say—‘kill the messenger.’ Or the scribe, in my case.”

“Ever think about reading it wrong and telling him he can have a horse?” Kai joked.

Bess smiled at the thought. “Yeah, but then who would get the beating when it doesn’t show up? Not Innovation, that’s for sure. And it seems Innovation’s rich enough without Pen’s business.”

Kai put his hand against the hull for support as surprise and envy coursed through his system.

This man, this Innovation, was an
explorer
. He’d been
off the island
. He was rich. Rich
on his
own
.

“That’s why Pen wants in this race. Each entrant is contributing to the prize pool and Innovation has put up one of his best horses. Guess Pen figures it’s his only way to get his hands on one.”

“The usual scare tactics didn’t work?”

“Sometimes,” Bess said ruefully, “I think Nicodemus Innovation is the only Post in the enclave who isn’t afraid of Pen.”

That settled it. Kai needed to learn more about this man as soon as possible.

“So about the boat—” Bess was saying.

Among the Nameless Stars
by Diana Peterfreund

| 40

“Yes.” Kai waved a distracted hand in her direction. “It’ll be in fine shape for the race. Won’t make Pen an expert skipper, though. I grew up near the Boatwright Estate, so I’ve seen what it takes to pilot a ship.” Kai was no expert either, but he’d always wanted to learn. Unfortunately, the Boatwright’s shipyards had been shut down since he was a child. “I don’t think he’s got anyone to help him there.”

Though, Kai thought, it wasn’t as if this was a sailing race, where the skipper’s ability to read the water and the wind was all-important. In a motorboat race, it took only an understanding of the physics of moving on water and the ability to make the engine work harder.

“No, I suppose not,” Bess said, frowning. “That’s some relief, at least, though I suppose in my condition I shouldn’t be hoping something happens to sour his mood. Most folks I know are dying to see him brought down in some way. If only we dared, right? Maybe if we weren’t so valuable to him, he would let us go.”

“He’ll never let us go,” Kai grumbled. “If we’re not valuable to him as a mechanic and a scribe, he’ll keep us around for brute labor. And when we’re not valuable for that— Well, there’s always chum.”

Bess squeezed her eyes shut, and Kai bit his tongue. That’s right: Pen had killed Sid just to show his power. Sid had been a good laborer, but he’d been far more valuable to Pen dead, as an example of how ruthless a master Pen could be. And though Kai didn’t really think Pen would kill Bess’s baby, he had no doubt their master would use the child to keep the woman under his thumb.

“I can’t stand it anymore, Kai,” she whispered. “I can’t stand it. He always wins, no matter what. Just once, I’d like to see him lose, the way we’ve lost … everything.”

“So, what?” Kai blurted. “You want me to sabotage him?”

Among the Nameless Stars
by Diana Peterfreund

| 41

She touched the hull, then lifted her eyes to Kai’s face. For the first time ever, Kai read hope on her face. “Can you do that?”

Making themselves worthless was no way to escape from Pen’s control. The only option was making themselves even more precious than ever. Precious enough for others to notice.

He shook his head once, very slowly. “I’m not going to make Pen lose, Bess. I’m going to make him win.”

Among the Nameless Stars
by Diana Peterfreund

| 42

Dear Kai,

I have fownd the peepul you were looking for. I wil meet you at the mareena for the race and
sho them tou you.

Best,

Cleopatra

The boat race was scheduled for late afternoon, and by the third time Kai had finished reviewing the instructions for boat operation with Pen, quite a crowd had gathered at the marina, the Posts in their gaily colored clothes and the Luddites in their great carriages or sitting astride their massive Innovation horses. The docks had been lit with sun-lamps, another device that Kai had never seen before coming to Channel City. Unlike the lanterns he’d known growing up, they took no oil and were powered by mirrors that captured the rays of the sun all day and used them to shine all night. Bartholomew had a few in his shop, and Kai knew Pen kept several in his residence, but none of the workers had them. The smell of kerosene was strong in the metal-box village. Tough to save for a sun-lamp when you were worried about putting food in your children’s mouths.

Now the boats were all bobbing in position behind the starting buoy, and as the sun set over the channel, an air of excitement coursed through the spectators. Kai stood in the crowd, searching intently. Across the way, he saw a pair of light-haired figures waving their arms in the air and shouting his name. He waved back.

Among the Nameless Stars
by Diana Peterfreund

| 43

“
Those
are your pupils?” Bess asked, appearing beside him. She narrowed her eyes at the waving girl in her skimpy clothes.

“Yes. And they’ve helped a lot.” He started forward, but Bess grabbed his elbow.

“She knows you can read?” Bess clucked her tongue. “Not smart, Kai. You know what kind of girl that is. What makes you think she’d keep your secret as soon as she could use it to her advantage?”

He jerked his arm out of her grip. “Because she fed me when no one else would, and there’s no advantage in that. She no more chose her life than we did, Bess. Don’t be cruel.”

Bess snapped her mouth shut and looked contrite, but Kai didn’t have time to argue with her.

Not today.

“Did you bring the bag I asked for?”

“Yes,” she said, and handed it over. It had been nice of Bess to offer to help him, especially in her delicate condition. He hadn’t wanted Pen to ask questions about the machine while Kai had been coaching him. “Do you really think it’s going to work?”

“Are you kidding?” Kai said. “I’m the best mechanic in Channel City. That’s the whole problem.”

“Yes,” Bess grumbled. “It is.”

He shouldered the bulky sack and took off toward his friends. When he reached them, he affected a formal bow. “Alexander. Cleopatra.”

The boy frowned, and his sister sighed. “He’s not Alexander anymore. Now he’s decided he wants to be Napoleon.”

Kai chuckled. “Of course he does. Short but powerful.” They’d rechristened themselves several times over the past few months, but the new names didn’t seem like they’d ever stick.

Among the Nameless Stars
by Diana Peterfreund

| 44

Kai had to call them several times before either Cleopatra or Alexander—or rather, Napoleon—

realized he was talking to them.

Kai wondered if he’d have the same problem if he ever changed his name. He hadn’t done so yet. To begin with, there was still the chance that Elliot might come, though that possibility diminished day by day. If she was going to come, wouldn’t she have done so already? If she ever wanted to see him again, why didn’t she at least take her father’s carriage and come visit? If she really cared, wouldn’t she be the slightest bit curious to see how he was doing?

The other reason was more personal. Kai didn’t want to change his name until he’d made a new life for himself. If he was still Kai, still Kai of the North Estate, he could pretend he was still in transit, that he hadn’t yet forged his own path into the future. This situation with Pen was not permanent if he was still Kai.

“The Innovations are over there.” Cleopatra pointed. She handed him a small red slip of paper. “This pass will get you into their pavilion.”

“How did you get this?”

He could have bit off his tongue as soon as the words left his mouth. He knew how she’d gotten it. Cleopatra wasn’t saying anything, and he gave a clipped nod and stuck the pass in his pocket. He wouldn’t turn down her gift. That would only make it worse.

He needed to make sure the pass was worth it. And then, one day, he’d pay them both back for helping him when no one else would.

“Wish me luck,” said Kai, and took off.

He liked Cleopatra and her brother—whatever the boy decided his name was. Whether he was teaching them to read or scheming with them to track down the Innovations, they reminded him of Elliot more than anything else in this strange place. His elegant Elliot would probably be
Among the Nameless Stars
by Diana Peterfreund

| 45

appalled to think she was anything like the angry, coarse Cleopatra, but the resemblance was there nonetheless. They were both so strong and so loyal.

At least, he’d always thought of Elliot as the most loyal person he knew. But then she’d let him go on alone, after all the promises they’d made to each other. Maybe Kai didn’t know her at all.

Those were thoughts for another day. He pushed through the crowd toward the spot Cleopatra had indicated. This close to the railings, the audience was a mess of rich Posts and Luddites. Everyone wore beautiful clothing, some in velvet or bright colors, and he could see jewelry glittering from every ear, neck, wrist, and nose. Nearby, a line of Innovation horses was tied to a rail, and colorful streamers that looked like they might be made of real silk bobbed along with sun-lamps over everyone’s head. Kai was jostled and shoved by the crowd, and there were more than a few dirty looks and grunts of disgust aimed in his direction. Even the man who took his pass at the gates they’d set up looked skeptical that someone as grungy as Kai should possess one.

For the first time, he began to wonder if his plan was even feasible. He needed to get close to Innovation’s wife and daughter for it to work at all.

At last he reached them—or the people he’d been told were they. Mrs. Innovation was dressed in a deep plum suit, with a split skirt that reminded him of the riding habits Elliot had been forced into for her lessons. For some reason, the trousers Elliot wore on a daily basis during her trips to the barn were deemed unacceptable for riding lessons with her father. The Innovation daughter, who he’d heard was named Sophia, looked to be about Napoleon’s age or a little older and was wearing more pieces of velvet than Kai had thought humanly possible. He looked closer and thought that beneath her fuzzy and quilted jacket, she was even wearing a silk shirt. Silk!

Among the Nameless Stars
by Diana Peterfreund

| 46

Kai supposed if you were rich like Sophia Innovation, you could have whatever you wanted, even if what you wanted was to swathe yourself from head to toe in the most luxurious fabrics imaginable. She didn’t even seem to care what colors she was wearing. Mustard yellow vied with chartreuse and rose and pumpkin and sea green, all in different patterns and textures.

He came as close as he dared, then set down his bag and pulled out the box he’d spent the last week devising. It was all cranked up and ready to go. He unfolded the antenna and aimed it in the right direction. There’d be one shot at this.

Though several bystanders looked over in curiosity, Sophia Innovation did not so much as turn her head. With her luxurious clothing and distant air, she acted more like a Luddite lord than any Post he’d ever met.

Kai supposed that’s what happened when you never knew anything but wealth and status. He would never understand it, the way he would never understand what led Elliot to the choices she made. It wasn’t just that she was a Luddite and he was a Post. It was that she was born with a place in the world and he was not.

Sophia Innovation was also a Post, but she didn’t invent her own name. She was born with it.

Like a Luddite, she was born with everything. He’d only recently realized how lucky he was among Posts, to have had a close relationship with a father who loved him, to have learned to read and write, and to have been raised in a safe and gentle place. But his position had been fragile. It depended entirely on whether his father survived, on whether Kai remained a highly skilled slave on the North Estate. He knew that now.

Sophia’s position was certain. Even if her explorer parents perished, she’d have their money, and the protection of the Luddites who were her family’s patrons. There wasn’t one Post in ten thousand who had a life like hers.

Among the Nameless Stars
by Diana Peterfreund

| 47

Kai hadn’t even realized how tightly he was gripping his device until the antenna snapped off in his hands. Dismayed, he turned his attention to the box. “Oh, no,” he mumbled. “No no no no no no no.”

The girl at last turned in his direction. “What’s the matter?”