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But as he doing so close to the bow?

"Excuse me, Mr Malone," she said "Are you lost?"

The uilty expression on his face Then he frowned and took a closer look "Oh, it’s you, Mr Sharp How lucky!"

"Indeed you are, sir You’re wandering about in a restricted area" She pointed back toward the stairs "I’m afraid you’ll have to rejoin the other reporters in the mess hall"

"Well, of course," Malone said, but heapast overhead "I just wanted a better look at your hed She had only a few hours to learn how to use a diving apparatus, how to keelhaul drop onto solid stone, and how to handle acid-spitting barnacles! She wasn’t in the mood for pleasantries

"You’re very kind, sir" She pointed down the corridor again "But if you please"

Malone leaned closer and spoke quietly "Here’s the thing, Mr Sharp I’ht make your ship look bad, if reported in a certain way Perhaps you could clear things up for ood authority that you’re holding a prisoner here He should be a prisoner of war, but you’re not treating hiabout"

"I think you are! Ahih he’s a real-life count!"

Deryn’s hand went to her couards But then she realized how Malone erfrom Alek

With a quick look in both directions, she pulled Malone out of the main corridor and into the officers’ baths

"Where did you hear this?" she whispered

"Ithe chin of his bullfrog "I thought he was a bit suspicious, and suddenly the Gerht, as he was Austrian, a fellow Clanker!"

"Gerave theain today at lunch" The man smiled "He knew a lot about your ship, which was also odd Do you think I could e to deliver"

Deryn groaned, her stoht coils it always did when she was conte treason But Alek was still here in Istanbul, and the Gerer could help

She held out her hand "All right I’ll take the e to him"

"It won’t work that way, I’ "Rusty here has the e in his head, and you don’t kno toif it was ht now Could she really trust this reporter?

Her thoughts were shattered by a whistle echoing through the ship - the all-hands signal The sultan was almost here In a fewthe gangaiting for his arrival

Which er’s stateroo of keys

"Come with me," she said

Chapter Twenty-Three

As expected, no one was guarding the count’s stateroo halfway out his , trying to get a better view of the sultan’s ation roo across the airfield It was even larger than the Dauntless, its howdah as ornate as a lady’s hat on Derby Day

"Excuse er’s backside, "but you have a visitor"

As the wildcount extracted himself from the , Deryn checked the empty corridor and closed the door behind the"

The reporter stepped forward and thrust out his hand "Eddie Malone, reporter for the New York World"

Count Volger said nothing, eyeing Malone up and down

"He has a er’s face froze for a ht here in Istanbul" Malone pulled out his battered notebook "He toldwell treated, sir?"

Volger didn’t answer, his expression still one of shock

"Blisters, Malone!" Deryn swore "We haven’t got ti interview Can your wee beastie please just deliver the e!"

"Alek said it was private, just for the count"

Deryn groaned with frustration "Alek won’t ht, your countship?"

Volger regarded the bullfrog with an expression of infinite distaste, but he gave the reporter a nod

Malone took the beastie from his shoulder and set it on the desk He scratched beneath its chin, tapping a sort of code with his fingertip "Okay, Rusty Repeat"

The frog began to speak in Alek’s voice "I can’t be sure if this is really you, Count, but I have to trust this man We’re still here in Istanbul, you see, which I’reatly But we’ve met some friends - allies, I suppose you’d call them I’ll say more about that e meet face-to-face"

Deryn frowned Allies? What was Alek blethering about?

"Mr Malone tells me that the Leviathan is still here as well," the beastie continued "If you and Hoffman can escape, you can join us! We’re at a hotel in the old city, with a na as we can"

At this, Count Volger softly groaned, his fists clenching at his sides

"Oh, and I apologize foryou listen to this abomination But I need your help, Count, e, I suppose"