Leviathan-Middies

He knew. Prince Aleksandar of Hohenburg knew that she was really Deryn Sharp—not "Dylan Sharp", as she had been telling everyone for months. How he had figured it out, she didn't know. And at the moment, she didn't care. She ran down the dark corridor of the Leviathan, desperate to catch him, to try and explain. "Alek." She whispered loudly. He didn't slow or even acknowledge that she had spoken. "Alek!" She called, louder this time. He just kept walking away. She paused, knowing that he had heard her that time. Her irritation with him grew and she spurted forward. "You daft prince! Stop!" She whispered sharply, reaching out to grab his

Wildcount Ernst Volger sat in a plush leather chair in his office, his body still and comfortable, but his mind raced. He stared at the scribbled note in his hand without really seeing it, already knowing the words by heart. V. Archduke and Princess are dead. Drinks poisoned. J. He looked up and let his eyes drift, taking in the familiar surroundings. The window on the far wall allowed the last golden rays of twilight to filter through. An ornately-carved wooden desk—a family heirloom—holding important documents and correspondence, sat beneath the window. The blazing fireplace to his right chased away the chill of the advancing ni

Deryn Sharp couldn't believe what was happening just now. She stared at Alek, completely dumbfounded. Had he really just told her that he had written to his mother and brother? Was he really proposing to her?! Deryn had been pleasantly surprised by his secret Huxley Ascender ride. It had been so wonderful to see the world from on high and feel the wind on her face, blowing her hair in every direction. However, she had been completely flabbergasted when she saw him using semaphore flags to ask her to marry him. Blisters! When did he learn to use barking semaphore flags! She wondered. Deryn had always thought that marriage to Alek might be a po

Something was wrong. Deryn knew something was terribly wrong, but she couldn't make her mind focus enough to try and determine what that something was. She drifted through weird dreams about different times in her life, seemingly so real, she wasn't sure they were dreams. She dreamt of the first time she had been forced to wear a corset with her dress, her mother and the aunties exclaiming loudly how adorable she looked in the awful flowery-print dress; all the while inside, she felt trapped and barking uncomfortable. The dream switched to the first time her Da had taken her up in his hot-air balloon, her first taste of freedom and breaking f

"No, Deryn!" Count Volger said sharply, "You're sword point must be up!" With a flash of glinting-silver, he whacked her forearm with the flat of his fencing saber—as if to emphasize his sincerity. Deryn couldn't help the tiny yelp that escaped her lips. She lowered her sword arm to rub the painful area. His irritation with her was more than evident. With a long, exasperated sigh he demanded, "Again!" Deryn glared at the infuriating man before her, wanting badly to whack his daft head with her own saber. The dummkopf was too meticulous for her liking. She mentally ran through the correct posture of the offensive and defensive movements

Gaven Matthews had finally made it back to Scotland. He walked along the winding dirt road that led to his home, but a permanent limp in his right leg made his trek slow. He used this time to admire his surroundings. It was early morning, the sun just starting to rise over the distant mountains. The eastern sky glowed with various shades of yellow, pink and blue. He passed groves of trees and lambs dotting the glen, while birds called to each other from above. The green grass was sprinkled with purple and blue from the spear thistles and bluebells that grew. He warmly regarded the familiar sights, smells and sounds around him. However, his m

The group of Ottoman soldiers lead the bound Gaven Matthews along the shores of Kilye Niman. Gaven was thankful for the soldier's electrikal lights, since the clouds were blocking what little light the moon and stars were giving off. The ground was sandy now that they were near the water and the waves slapped against the shore in a steady, relaxing pattern. However, Gaven felt anything but relaxed. His right ankle—injured during the keelhaul drop—was painful and swollen after being forced to walk two miles. Plus, his head hurt from where he had fallen in the rock-hard earth moments before. But worst of all was the knot in the pit