Lina dimly realized that she was still expected to partake in the conversation. She opened her mouth to say something, but only succeeded in gasping.
"That's the real secret of flight," said Ryan. "The light-air gas we fly on, I mean, sure, that's important. And coal to push the propellers. But all the kingdoms and city-states back west have got that figured out. The Mechanists have kept anyone from finding out exactly what it is, but everyone knows it's a gas."
"By riding the aetherlines for long stretches," said Andrea, "That's how we get anywhere." The piratess slid down next to Lina. "It's about efficiency. Coal furnace and propellers blow us along, but we have to fight the wind sometimes. Or burn hard to get out of a storm. Or any other damn thing, just like an ocean-going sail ship or steamship. So long as you've got skysails like ours, it doesn't cost a thing. Captain can order the furnace cold and we just ride along, not losing fuel. Then, when we need to, we can burn coal to leave the lines and chase down prey, though you have to heat the furnace again. It's always better to ride the aetherlines, if you can. Those poor bastards on the older models of airship have to make due, and pillage coal from their victims to boot."
Lina thought about this. "Like that old one I saw in port? The Copper Queen?"
Andrea snorted. "Queen hasn't flown in years. Probably can't." She rubbed her forehead and pursed her lips, looking thoughtful. "Though if she did, yeah, she'd be burning just coal, relying on propellers. No skysails in Euron's time." She belched. "Heck, could probably put on a bit of speed, that one, assuming it didn't fall apart and the captain also didn't mind losing all their fuel." She shook her head. "But I'm getting sidetracked. Imagine it. Invisible roadways of aether stretching from one end of the ocean to the other, slightly curving. They probably cross the whole of the world. I'd give damned near anything to be able to see them." Andrea gave a sigh and fell silent.
"But you can't?" said Lina.
"Nope," said Ryan. "Gotta be a magician, an aetherite, for that. And most of them can't do it alone, even then. So they bind daemons to help them. Goddess knows how the Mechanists came up with the sails. I wouldn't be surprised if they've aetherites amongst their number. But by and large they're Rationalists. It's probably something to do with Insubstantial Torque and Havelmann's Applied Rationality."
Lina blinked. "I don't know what any of that is."
"High concept mathematics," replied Ryan. "We may be just pirates, but we've got more practical knowledge concerning aether and flight dynamics than any college-bound hack."
"Yarr," agreed Andrea.
Lina slowly recovered from the horrible drink. It didn't smell so bad after all, and the next sip left her feeling warm and relaxed. They chatted easily, Ryan and Andrea relating knowledge about Lina's new career, Lina freely telling some of the more embarrassing stories from her childhood on the streets.
"Can you fight?" asked Ryan after a time. He climbed up to his feet.
Lina giggled a little. "Knife, broken bottle, hairpin."
Andrea gave an approving nod. "Dirty."
"You're going to want something with more reach," said Ryan. "Usually most merchants just heave-to and surrender when we drop out of the sky. But there are some that put up a fight. Between that and the bit of rough play back in Haventown, it always comes down to a scrap. Let me show you..."
The pirate trailed off, staring at something behind Lina's head. Andrea glanced behind them, then scrabbled away from the pipe to her feet with a curse.
Lina blinked up at them, confused. "What?"
Andrea hissed at her: "Get away!"
Curious, Lina twisted around to look directly behind her.
A horror stared her in the face. It sat on the exhaust-pipe, as long as her arm but coiled atop itself like a snake. Thick, ridged scales covered it from one end to the other, so blue they were almost black. The head was smooth and bullet-shaped, serpentine, with a pair of heavy mandibles folded low about the mouth. Behind the head rose a hump that tapered back down the length of the creature. It watched her with two dark, beady eyes.
"What is it?" asked Lina, curious.
"Chirr," said the thing. It cocked its head, rising up slightly to meet her gaze. The underbelly was smooth and pale. A glow rose from it, an iridescent red that ran in bioluminescent lines down to form complex patterns.
"It's adorable!" said Lina. Then she hiccupped.
"Uh," said Ryan.
"Lina," said Andrea. She rubbed her forehead. "That's a scryn. A sky-ray. Kind of a runty one, actually. But you really—"