Soul Goblet

by J. A. Culican

  "Apparently, the Library has decided this rightfully belongs to you."

  His tone was clipped, betraying neither excitement nor approval, but his explanation didn’t help.

  "But what is it?"

  Jarid answered. "It's a key to the Library."

  His voice was soft, and he couldn’t hide his awe as he stared at the key, stars shining in his eyes.

  The key felt warm in my hand and for a moment I could only blink, stunned by the enormity of his simple statement as I watched it sparkle, the antique color glowing softly in the light. Or maybe it was my imagination.

  "A key to the Library?" I looked at Kramson, disbelief making my voice squeak in an unbecoming fashion. "Does you mean I can come and go as I wish?"

  Kramson snorted. "Hardly. The Library may, for reasons I don't fully understand, consider you the equivalent of a full Librarian, but you haven't proven your worth to the rest of us. That will be far more difficult.

  Chapter 21

  I regarded Kramson without speaking as his words echoed in my ears. The Library considered me a Librarian? If I hadn't been on a quest to find answers, that would have made my dreams come true.

  A Librarian at the great Abrecem Secer?

  My heart fluttered at the idea.

  But even as I stared at the key, it was no longer enough for me. He was right. It was going to take a lot to impress the Librarians, and I had no idea how I’d accomplish that task.

  Hadn't finding the secret book room been enough for them? Though come to think of it, I was probably less popular because of that, at least with Luban, if not the rest of them. The fact guards now stood outside the room also made me wonder just how much knowledge was kept locked away from those who sought it.

  But instead of dwelling on the “what ifs”, I gave Kramson another gracious curtsy and stood up proudly. “Thank you for the key and thank you for your honesty. I wish it were otherwise, but I can respect a man who tells me the truth, even when it isn't a truth I wish to hear. I shall guard this carefully."

  I held the key up before slipping it around my neck and tucking it beneath my tunic.

  I turned to Jarid. "I believe it's time for us to go. We still need to acquire transportation to the Dragon Dominion."

  "Thanks for the information." He bowed politely.

  Kramson gave him a faint smile, lightly grabbing his arm and searching his face. "Be careful. You are choosing a difficult path. You may find when you return to the Library it could be a place which you no longer belong."

  I couldn’t be sure if it was a threat or warning, or if there was another, more cryptic meaning to his words.

  Something I couldn’t read passed between the two men.

  Jarid stood up from his deferential posture, giving the Librarian one last dip of his head before turning toward me and the door.

  I looked at him curiously, but he kept his face blank. As much as I wanted to ask, now wasn’t the time. Kramson was watching us, almost as if he was ensuring we were leaving. Good thing I have this now. I put my hand on my neck where the key was, and smiled slightly.

  As we approached the others, Will stood as Gwen and Sel regarded us with hopeful expressions.

  "So?" Gwen’s voice was soft and hesitant.

  "No, we can’t go through there."

  "While you were inside, I remembered one way we can get there."

  "Oh?” Jarid’s ears perked up, his face open and his earlier solemnity replaced by interest.

  "We can take one of the flying ships." Will’s eyes twinkled, and although he was clearly in a good mood, I wasn’t sure I liked his suggestion.

  Jarid shook his head, giving me a sad smile. “I think I should stay here, do some penance. You go, and remember—you have the two-way book. I’ll look at it as often as I can and answer right away. This way, I can still give you information when you need it. Be safe.”

  Disappointed, but knowing he should do what he could to mitigate the damage I’d caused to his role in the Library, I waved goodbye.

  As it turned out, I was right to be concerned about the plan to take a flying ship. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before. A tall woman presented herself the moment we arrived at the docks, and I could tell from the way Will spoke to her this wasn't the first time they'd met.

  "So, you'd like to go to the Dragon Dominion, would you? It’s going to cost you.” She crossed her arms and tilted her head in a jaunty fashion, throwing out a number and waiting, as if daring him to be shocked at the price.

  To my surprise, Will agreed.

  "Only if you can you be ready to depart within the hour." He threw back a challenge of his own, eyebrow cocked in a rakish fashion that made me want to smack him. More and more, he reminded me of my brother. Maybe it was the military aspect, or his behavior in general.

  Sel appeared overwhelmed by excitement, and was unable to keep his eyes from flicking between flying ship to flying ship.

  Gwen, on the other hand, was pale.

  I searched her face and leaned over, nudging her with my shoulder.

  "Are you all right?" I wasn’t reassured when she gave me a smile that was more bared teeth than anything else.

  "Yeah." She gulped as the sound of a bell went off and another flying ship took off two bays down. "I'm not sure I'm going to enjoy flying." Biting her lip, she looked at the wolves sitting beside her.

  Kiya was whining softly as her hand reached down to gently weave through the strands of soft fur. She closed her eyes and leaned against the wolf.

  "Will the wolves be okay?”

  "Likely as well as I'll be." She let a humorless chuckle escape. "I know I live in a treehouse, but I'm not fond of actual heights. The idea of being in something floating high above the ground, when I have no ability to get back down safely on my own, is a little nerve-racking."

  She paused to look at an enormous flying ship that had just taken off. It was covered in a dark brown material, reminding me of a floating brown cloud as it majestically pushed off from the dock. When I looked back at her, she sighed, her face gloomy.

  “At least if we fall from up there, the view will be nice. I really shouldn’t worry because we likely won't survive long enough after we land to notice our fatal injuries."

  "Oh, my Suun! There’s no need to be so morbid. I’m sure we’ll be just fine. The captain looks quite competent. Then again, I’m not sure if the fact Will knows her is a plus or minus," I added as an afterthought.

  We waited as they wrapped up negotiations, giving a firm handshake to seal the deal before he returned, the captain close at hand.

  "Guys, this is Captain Baeley. She’s agreed to take us to the Dragon Dominion for a reasonable price." Will raised his hand, making a see-saw motion before he continued. "We'll be leaving shortly, so we can head onto the ship now."

  I forced a smile I didn't feel, patting my satchel for reassurance, feeling the familiar weight of the books soothe me.

  Gwen made no effort to appear happy. Her eyes were wide, and she kept her mouth pressed tightly shut.

  Sel practically skipped his way onto the ship.

  It looked exactly like the ships I'd seen in books, the ones that sailed the large bodies of water. Of course, I’d seen them from a distance in the past, but as the privileged daughter of the leader of Cliffside, and an aspiring Librarian, the docks where the airships were wasn’t a place I’d ever been.

  Up close, it was easy to see that the biggest external difference was on the underside of the ship, which I’d glimpsed prior to boarding. As it wasn't in water, it needed a way to lift and steer in the air, but I was impressed by the arrangement of propellers and wheels underneath. It was different up close compared to the books I’d read about them.

  Captain Baeley was dashing back and forth, commanding her deckhands. People were racing back and forth at her bidding and when she pointed us toward the below decks, we followed her directions and placed our stuff in a roomy berth large enough for us all. As

  Sel lo
oked longingly upstairs, and Will took pity on him, slapping him on the back.

  "I imagine you'd like to go above deck again to watch as we lift off?"

  I smiled at Sel’s exuberant head nod. I patted my satchel again to reassure myself the books I required were still within and stood up.

  "I'd like to go to as well. I've never been on a flying ship before.”

  I was nervous but wanted to experience as much as I could. After all, if I succeeded in our mission and life went back to the way it was before, it was likely I would go back to my quiet life in the Cliffs and do what was expected. If we didn't succeed, I'd already resigned myself to the fact that I would probably die, not that I was eager for that to happen.

  As excited as I was frightened, I turned to Gwen.

  "Do you want to watch, too?"

  By now, Gwen's face was an unpleasant shade of green.

  "No. I think I'll stay here with the wolves."

  When she looked at her friends, I felt even worse for her. The wolves were lying down, looking sadder than I'd ever seen an animal look. Kiya was whimpering softly, her head resting on Gwen's right foot, while Swift rested his chin on her other and Daimyo curled on the bench beside her.

  "All right. Would you like me to bring you some food?"

  The look on her face told me all I needed to know, so I reached my hand out to gently squeeze her shoulder.

  She exhaled, looking as dejected as the wolves. I pulled her close for a hug, feeling her grip me tightly, as if trying to absorb my strength. I stroked her hair gently, wishing I could make her feel better. She rested her head on my shoulder for a moment, and it was nice.

  Sel was shifting impatiently in the background, and the noise reminded me we had an audience.

  I pulled back with a smile. "I'll check on you as soon as liftoff is over," I promised. "I have some reading to do anyway, so if you want, I’ll join you for a bit."

  Gwen smiled and waved us out. I felt guilty leaving her alone, but I was too excited about watching the ship take flight to turn around.

  In the end, it was almost anticlimactic.

  After the initial hustle and bustle of the crew readying the ship for departure, we were away with only one small bump to rock the ship. The docks moved farther away from me and it was quieter than I’d expected, truly making me feel like we were floating into the clouds through some sort of magic.

  I looked at the rigging, trying to figure out how the ship was able to maintain power, and Captain Baeley noticed me staring and came over.

  "Trying to figure out how it works, are you?"

  I gave her a sheepish smile. "I've never seen a flying ship up close before, let alone been on one. I’ve read about them in books, of course, but I don’t remember learning about how they work." I waved my hand at the mast. "How does it run? I mean, how does it take off and stay in the air?"

  She laughed, a surprisingly infectious sound given her tough appearance. "Well, with magic, of course." A dimple appeared in her cheek, then she winked and turned away to another duty that required her attention.

  I understood now how Will and Captain Baeley knew each other. They seemed to share the same cockiness, courage, and mischievous streak. I smiled as she left, but was disappointed. I already knew airships ran by magic, but her answer added nothing to what I knew. Maybe if she wasn’t as busy later, I would press her for further details.

  As expected, once take off was complete things settled into a smooth ride. Will assured us it was a long flight, with plenty of time to catch up on sleep if we wanted. I checked on Gwen as promised, finding her curled up with all three of the wolves on top of her, fast asleep. I tiptoed out, not wanting to disturb them if they'd managed to find enough peace in the air to rest.

  Once back above deck, I took out the book I'd been dying to read. I had a hard time focusing at first because I kept catching glimpses of the scenery passing by which distracted me. From Starside to the Dragon Dominion, we covered an amazing swath of land.

  We went from the mountainside, over grassland, and up into the clouds. It was misty and cold then, and I couldn’t see much past the ship. Finally, I was able to focus on the text and most of the trip from that point on was spent searching for our next destination in the book I'd stolen from the Library.

  By following the symbols, as I had in the Library, I was able to find the clues hidden within the text. Once again, the texts were vague and didn’t give an exact location, but it seemed from what I was reading we needed to head to Bomrega Island, where the nine High Dragons had resided before Onen Suun had used them to trap Dag’draath.

  I didn't know very much about how dragon society was run, but even I knew Bomrega Island wasn’t a safe place for most other creatures. Since the nine High Dragons had gone missing, other dragons had warred over the territory, passing it back and forth repeatedly between feuding clans.

  Tucking my book back into my satchel, I looked over to where Will and Baeley were chatting next to the stern.

  Sel stood nearby, his upper body leaning almost all the way over the side as the wind ruffled his hair with his eyes closed.

  Asking Baeley to take us to Bomrega Island was huge. Even though we were paying her well to take us to the Dragon Dominion, I wasn't certain she’d be able or willing to take us there. I stood up and walked over to where they were enjoying the view.

  "Hi." I had to clear my throat as my voice betrayed my hesitancy. When they looked at me with curiosity on their faces, I dove right in.

  "Is it possible to get to Bomrega Island from here?"

  Will just blinked, but her head jerked back in surprise.

  "Why do you want to get there? Of all the places in the Dragon Dominion, it’s the most dangerous.”

  "I know, but I have reason to believe we need to get to the Temple of Light. I'm positive I'll find what I'm looking for there."

  "If we live long enough," Will muttered.

  When I shot him a glare, he looked off in the distance, pretending he hadn't spoken.

  I looked at Captain Baeley, who was shaking her head. "I'll do what I can. It's easy enough getting there, no more difficult than anywhere else in the Dragon Dominion, but you'll only have a short period of time. They also may not let me remain docked, which could mean you'll have to find your own way back."

  "That’s a chance I'm willing to take. Do you think you can buy us some time?"

  I tilted my head to the side, maintaining eye contact as she searched my face.

  "What can I say? I love a challenge. I'll change course to land at Bomrega Island. I’ll dock and try to buy us some time. But it may not be long enough for what you need. If I’m unable to stay until you complete your mission, I'll try to return to pick you up."

  "That would be wonderful, thank you. How long will it take to get there?"

  She looked out over the stern, and squinted off into the distance. "My best guess is about another hour or so of travel, then arguing with officials alone should buy us close to an hour once we dock, even if they don't buy my reason for landing."

  "Hopefully it’s enough. How far is the Temple of Light from where we land?"

  She shrugged a shoulder. "Perhaps ten minutes or so. I've only flown over though, so I can't tell you how long it takes to get there by foot."

  "More like twenty," Will interjected, his face serious. "I've been there. Once. We’ll need to move fast, and it's best if the wolves don't come with us. They'll draw too much attention."

  I sighed, but knew he was right. The wolves would draw too much attention. "Are you going to tell Gwen, or am I?"

  He winced, looking toward the passenger berths. "If it's all right with you, maybe we could do it together."

  Knowing we didn't have much chance of making my hunch work without a miracle or intervention from a god, it was time to come up with a plan.

  "Captain Baeley, what kind of diversion do you think would buy us the most time?"

  Chapter 22

  We came up with a plan, o
f sorts. It wasn’t as sophisticated as I would have preferred, but it was all we could come up with. We decided we’d let Captain Baeley beg for supplies while we snuck off of the boat and headed into the city to find the temple.

  To make her plea more realistic, she had her first mate hide most of the food in a secret compartment in case they were searched. She freely admitted it was a flimsy excuse, but it was better than nothing. Hopefully, it could buy us at least an hour. The rest of the plan was shaky, us getting off the ship unseen and heading right to the temple.

  She explained that in the Dragon Dominion, humans could be bonded to a dragon. The humans who were bonded basically functioned as servants, but there were benefits to both parties, unlike when elves kept humans as slaves. I’d felt a twinge of shame at that, but focused on her instructions, knowing I couldn’t change centuries of culture by myself.

  When we docked, she’d speak with the dragon-bonded dock-master and apply for permission to have a berth. This would be our one chance to escape, as it was rare a non-dragon owned airship was approved. We’d only have as much time as she was able to argue with him to accomplish our mission, which made the timeline tight indeed.

  Gwen reluctantly left her wolves, agreeing it was for the best. The wolves whined when she explained it to them, but settled in the bunk to wait patiently, their sad eyes following her as we went above again.

  We watched from deck as we approached the island. Similar to the ones on Starside, the docks here were larger, with wider gangways and boardwalks to accommodate several dragons walking abreast.

  The smell of lush greenery was noticeable on deck even before we landed. Even though the clouds had been misty and cool, the air here was humid and warm, and a trickle of sweat tracked down my back as I considered everything which could go wrong.

  Captain Baeley gave us the sign as we pulled closer. We followed her first mate to the side of the ship, waiting until the ship bumped to a halt before we moved. The sound of people talking was our signal, and with the assistance of two of the deckhands, we snuck out the back using the rope ladder the first mate had rolled out.