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Briar Wilkes cocked her head toward the station’s exit and led the way out "For starters, you were theYou inia You ever been out this far west?"

"No ured And anyway, you’re about the right age, and traveling alone I didn’t know you were a nurse, though That’s what the cross on your bag ht I worked in a hospital in Richmond"

The sheriff’s interest was piqued "Smack in the middle of the war, huh?"

"Yes ma’am Smack in the middle"

"That must have beenhard" Sheriff Wilkes led the way back outside, which put the over there, just so you know" She pointed down the street, where a set of docks were playing host to a small multitude of airships "I hope you don’t have any trouble flying I know some folks are afraid of it"

"That’ll be fine How far away is Seattle from here?"

"Oh, not far It’sAnd I can’t believe I didn’t think to tell you right away, but your pa’s doing all right For a while there, we really thought he wasn’t going to h"

"Really?" said Mercy, who likewise couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought to ask It was the whole point of her trip, wasn’t it, finding her father, and seeing hihest son of a gun I ever did know Or he’s in the running for that title, that’s for damn sure I say that, because you’re about to un I know You see that dirigible right there?"

She indicated a patchwork metal monster that bobbed lazily above a pipe dock

Mercy could see the top of it, but not ate, and another, s Her captain, Andan Cly, is a friend of mine and your daddy’s"

"I didn’t know ht herself "I meanOh hell, I don’t knohat I mean I haven’t seen hiirl"

Briar Wilkes said, "That’s what he told me, and he feels real bad about it Worse probably than he’s willing to say But when he thought he was dying, and we didn’t knohe kept asking for, over and over, was to see his little girl" She gave an ironic laugh "Course, he was delirious as could be, and I finally figured out that his little girl had to be a grooh details out of him to track you down I won’t lie to you, it was a pain in the ass"

"I bet"

"We sent out ith air captains in every direction, especially those ent pirating along the cracker lines, or who had connections back East He said last he knew of you, you’d been in soht," she said

"But we couldn’t find it, and could hardly find anyone who’d heard of it But one of Crog’s old buddies--Crog, he’she’s another one of the air captains out here, one of Captain Cly’s good friends--anyway, Crog’s buddy said it wasn’t too awful far fro overwheled direction and said, "But I won’t bore you with the details Suffice it to say, it took soetting myself out here," she said softly

It was Sheriff Wilkes’s turn to say, "I bet"

They walked in silence for the rest of the block, until they reached the gates Then the sheriff paused and turned to her charge "Listen, there are soet to Seattle"

Mercy got the distinct iht then and there, on the very spot, telling her whatever things she had to say, but someone hailed her fro, I’ Keep your shirt on, Captain"