Clockwork Twist : Waking Read Online Free PDF Page A

blood still thundered with the reckless might of the engine, filling his heart with fire that didn't belong to him.  He rose to his feet so quickly that the others jumped back a step in shock.  Twist's cold blue eyes locked onto Zayle's, steady and fierce as a hungry wolf.  He smiled subtly, his form held relaxed, still, and ready to destroy.  Zayle stared back at him blankly, though something not unlike fear began to show at the edges of his eyes.
    “Are you really so small, that you can only bolster your own meager ego by belittling me?” Twist asked, his voice level, cool, and razor edged.
    Zayle opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out, as confusion and alarm bloomed awkwardly on his face.
    “Um...” Arabel began gently. “Twist?  Are you all right?”
    Twist looked to her with mild distaste, but something in her eyes steadied his thoughts.  She was confused as well, bewildered, frightened, and somewhat disappointed in him.  Something was wrong.  He struggled to separate his own emotions from those of the vision, shaking his head to clear out some of the chaos.  He reached for the watch in his pocket and held it tightly in both hands.  It's tiny, constant, gentle heartbeat cooled his anger and soothed his disdain.  He took a deep breath.  By the time he exhaled, the fire in him had all but gone out.
    “I'm sorry,” he said softly.
    “What did he say?” Zayle asked.
    “I'm sorry,” Twist said again, pushing his small voice harder. “Please disregard what I said,” he added to Zayle. “There is a lot of anger in the heart of that engine.”  Zayle looked to the engine uncertainly.
    “It has feelings?”
    Twist looked back at him silently for a moment before he answered again. “There's too much pressure on this side,” he said, pointing. “There is a weakness in the metal near the back and the pressure is overheating the oil and forcing it out through the seals.  Lower the pressure on this side and the leak will stop on its own.”
    “Of course!” Zayle exclaimed, slapping at his own forehead. “I've checked the seals three times and never found a fault.  But if there is even a small point of weakened metal then the pressure...” he said, rushing to the controls.
    “See?” Arabel said happily. “I told you he could figure it out.”
     

 

     
     
    After all the noise of the steam engine, which had rushed through his mind, Twist couldn't bear the near total silence of his cabin.  He instead returned to the open second deck and leaned his back against the railing.  The breeze tossed his black curls about playfully and tugged at his scarf, now looped loosely around his neck.  The brilliant sunlight poured down his back like warm water and reflected off the sea of pure white clouds that the ship sailed so quickly over.  The ship still made no sound as its bow broke the crests of the clouds along its hull, but the rigging creaked softly as the balloon pulled against the whispering wind.  Twist closed his eyes to the overpowering light and quietly savored the curious combination of chilly air and baking sunlight in the soft murmurs of the sky.
    Before long, however, the warmth of the sunlight began to fade.  Twist opened his eyes to see vibrant color splashed over the sky.  Orange and pink brushed each tower of cloud, while lilac spilled into the valleys, and the sun fell slowly through the pale blue sky.  Twist turned to look out over the vista, just as the clouds opened below the airship, falling away to reveal a land Twist had never seen.  Emerald fields, rimmed and dotted with gray, stretched out to the edge of the world impossibly far below him.  Tiny castles cast strong shadows against the green, and small villages and towns appeared in clusters here and there, as the land grew darker by the moment.
    Twist looked behind him, but found only Capt. Davis out on the deck with him.  He was standing at a wheel not unlike that of a sailing ship, which stood at the front