Quillblade

by Ben Chandler

  Lenis arrived at the engine room. The sight of the engines reminded him that Aeris had been powering the airship all day. That was one of the most serious flaws in airship design. There was no way to switch over the Bestia powering the engines without first shutting the engines down, and they couldn’t do that while they were flying, which meant most of their travel relied on Aeris’s stamina. Under normal circumstances that wouldn’t be a problem, as airdocks were usually built within a day’s flight of one another, but they were hardly flying under normal circumstances.

  Lenis stopped thinking about himself. He didn’t like to push Aeris this hard, and by now, she would already be nearing exhaustion. He wondered how long it would take them to reach Gesshoku airdock.

  ‘I’m sorry, my lady,’ he whispered into the engine block, where the Bestia quivered from fatigue. ‘What wisdom forbids, necessity dictates. Just a little while longer, I promise.’

  The lie felt worse than anything else he had done that day.

  The Hiryû flew into the night. They had been boarded in the early evening, and the captain pushed them on, eager to put as much distance between the stolen airship and the Warlord’s forces as possible. Lucis lit their way, running through a series of pipes interwoven throughout the airship’s hull. She trailed radiance in her wake and generated enough light for Andrea to guide them from the crow’s nest. It would make them easy to spot but was necessary to ensure they didn’t run into any mountaintops. They were flying through a range of them now, making their way to Gesshoku.

  Missy was exhausted from hours spent scanning the airways around them for any sign of pursuit. So far there had been none, which only served to heighten her unease. The tension and constant mental effort had given her a headache and, on top of that, she was hungry and worried about her brother. The look in his eyes as he had sent Ignis up to the Shôgo airship was familiar. Lenis had pulled some wild stunts back in Pure Land – a lot of enslaved Bestia Keepers did. It showed they could work well with their Bestia and usually drove up their selling price, but there was a limit. A common prank was beating a competing vessel to a great berth by pretending to be an airdock communications officer and sending misleading message-images, or flying faster than the legal limit to shave hours off a delivery schedule. Buyers wanted their Bestia Keepers to show skill and a bit of spirit. They did not want to see dangerous and powerful slaves, ones who could or would fight back. Slaves who could turn a Bestia’s power against their owners. Lenis had done just that.

  ‘C-captain?’ Lenis’s voice came reverberating through the speech tube and drew Missy’s consciousness back to the bridge. ‘We need to land soon. Aeris is nearing her breaking point and it’s going to take most of her remaining strength to bring us down.’

  ‘Thank you, Master Clemens.’ Captain Shishi turned to the navigator. ‘Have you found us a safe place to land the airship, Mister Jackson?’

  Nothing in the captain’s tone gave his thoughts away, and Missy was still unable to penetrate the fog in his mind.

  The navigator shrugged. ‘Here’s as good a place as any.’

  ‘Take us down, Master Clemens. Hold her steady, Miss Shin.’

  ‘Yes, sir,’ Lenis and Shin replied together.

  ‘Prepare to land!’

  The force of their descent sent fresh waves of pain to Missy’s head. She winced as the familiar rushing motion sent her stomach into her throat. She was confident her brother knew what he was doing but that didn’t stop her worrying that they were descending just a little too fast.

  With a boom the Hiryû settled to the ground. Even though Missy had expected the lurching halt, she still had to brace herself against her desk to keep from falling over. Except for the captain and the first officer, the others had not fared so well. The older crewmembers were huddled in a corner, helping each other to right themselves. As Missy went to help Shin to her feet, her steps were uneven, as though the deck were still moving beneath her feet. She smiled wryly at the other woman as she grabbed her arm.

  Niji hauled herself to her feet. ‘If we’d been at sea I’d say you’ve still got your sea legs.’

  Missy grimaced. ‘It’s a shame we won’t be stationary long enough to get used to it.’ They both laughed, a little nervously.

  The captain was speaking with the cook. ‘Mister Hiroshi, perhaps you could prepare a late meal for us. I think we have delayed dinner long enough.’

  ‘At once, Captain.’ Hiroshi left the bridge.

  ‘Shall we all retire to the galley?’

  As the rest of the crew filed below decks, Missy lagged behind so she could make the detour to the engine room. As she had expected, she found Lenis caring for Aeris. The poor thing looked completely worn out, her whole body quivering.

  ‘Is she all right?’ Missy bent to touch her cheek.

  Lenis’s brow furrowed as he stroked the creature’s fur. ‘She will be. She’s a lot stronger than she looks.’

  Missy sat next to Lenis on his bunk, their legs and shoulders touching, and massaged her aching temples. ‘What do you think of all this?’

  Lenis coaxed Aeris to drink from a small dish of water. ‘I don’t like any of it. Stealing the airship, fighting with the Warlord. And that sword of yours! Where did you get it?’

  ‘Lord Tenjin gave it to me.’ Missy pulled the Quillblade out and handed it to her brother. He held the limp feather away from him between two fingers.

  ‘Why did he do that?’

  ‘He didn’t say. You’re not jealous, are you?’

  ‘No, of course not,’ he said quickly. ‘It’s dangerous, Missy.’

  ‘Of course it is.’ She took the Quillblade back and hid it under her clothes. ‘It’s supposed to be some sort of sword.’

  ‘What do you want with a sword?’

  ‘It’s something I’ve never had before.’ Her response sounded lame, even to her. ‘It’s a symbol of this freedom, this “Way” the captain promised us when we stole the Hiryû. You know a slave can’t hold a weapon. Well, here I am, holding one.’

  ‘You’re still a slave, Missy,’ Lenis whispered. ‘You shouldn’t forget that.’

  She sighed. ‘I wish you could just enjoy things, you know?’

  ‘Be careful with it, all right? I don’t like what it did to you.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘When you were holding it, it took something away from you.’

  ‘Only my fear. Isn’t that a good thing?’

  ‘It’s yours,’ he said stubbornly. ‘You shouldn’t have to give it up.’

  Missy reached out and ruffled his hair, half worried and half bemused by her brother’s words. She didn’t mind giving up her fear in the least, but Lenis knew about emotions like she knew about telepathy. If he was warning her about something, she knew better than to take it lightly.

  Lenis lowered his head to rub his cheek against Aeris’s fur. ‘What do you think the captain will do with us?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  He looked up at her and frowned. ‘Ignis.’

  ‘Oh, that. I don’t know, probably nothing. You saved us, didn’t you?’

  ‘Missy –’

  ‘Look,’ she said, putting her arm around him, ‘I sort of did the same thing back at Itsû.’ He pulled away from her, and she rushed on. ‘I don’t think they realise what communicators and engineers can really do, so they don’t realise we’re ... different. Bestia power’s still new in Shinzô. Most of the Shinzôn crew have never even been on an airship before.’

  ‘What about Lord Knyght, and Kenji? They’ve both been on lots of airships, so they probably know all about Bestia Keepers, too.’

  Missy felt her chest constrict and the Quillblade quivered. She pushed her panic down. ‘I’m sure everything will be fine, little brother. Somehow. Are you coming to dinner?’

  ‘I’d better stay with Aeris.’<
br />
  ‘All right.’ Missy stood. ‘I’ll bring you both something to eat.’

  ‘Something with a little meat for Aeris,’ Lenis said, ‘but only a little. I think she needs some iron, but I don’t want her overdoing it.’

  Missy nodded and left her brother sitting on his bunk.

  As soon as Lenis closed his eyes a brilliant blue blazed across the insides of his eyelids and he felt soft rain falling on his face.

  Again.

  A small point of darkness in the depths of the azure glow expanded and resolved itself into the form of a dragon. It hung in the space before him, a featureless shadow.

  I AM APSILLA. LADY OF RAIN AND BLUE DRAGON OF THE EAST. YOU MUST SAVE MY DAUGHTER.

  ‘Gesshoku airdock sighted.’ The lookout’s voice came through the speech tube.

  Lenis turned to the engine. ‘A proper berth tonight, my lady.’

  It had been a long, tense day. At any moment, Lenis had been expecting a summons from the captain to explain his actions, but no such summons came. Missy’s assurances that everything was going to be all right did little to assuage his fears. A part of Lenis was convinced Gesshoku would be his last port of call with the Hiryû, but he was hopeful. Gesshoku was a small town bordering the Wastelands in Tsuki domain. The Yûgure clan ruled there, and they were enemies of Lord Shôgo. If Captain Shishi did sell the twins, whoever bought them would be unlikely to give them to the Warlord, and there was also a chance that there wouldn’t be anyone who could afford them, or anyone the captain could buy to replace them. He did need them to run the airship, after all. Lenis tried to think only in terms of ‘us’ and ‘we’. He couldn’t face the thought of being separated from Missy. They had always been sold as a pair. Always.

  Lenis sighed and rubbed at red-rimmed eyes. It was bad enough having to worry about being sold all day; he was also functioning on almost no sleep. The dragon dream had haunted him all night, giving him no real rest.

  The docking procedure went smoothly and Lenis removed a grateful Aeris from the engine block. He turned some valves to release some of the pent-up air in the system and then took Aeris to her hutch. Without power, the metal of the engine block began to cool rapidly. Lenis left the machines to settle and went to the galley. Hiroshi was again behind his enormous pot.

  ‘Morning, lad! Come for some grub for the little ones?’

  ‘Yes, Master Hiroshi.’ Lenis was taken aback by the cook’s enthusiastic greeting but was pleased he had put out six dishes filled with thick stew. He could smell beef, but a closer inspection showed him there was only a little in each dish. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Rations are a bit short, I’m afraid. We can restock down in Gesshoku, and probably find a decent bath, too! And call me “Hiroshi”, boy. I’m no man’s master. I gave that up a long time ago, let me tell you.’

  ‘Oh?’

  ‘That’s a long story! But you go feed your pets and maybe we’ll have a chat once the others head down to the village.’

  Lenis half nodded, half bowed and made his way to the engine room with the dishes balanced in his arms. On his way past the crew quarters he peered into his sister’s cabin.

  Missy was busy brushing her new trousers, a gift from Andrea, the woman who kept yelling things down the speech tube. Last night after they had all eaten, the captain had ordered that the crew weren’t to wear their Shôgo uniforms any longer, and the lookout had offered Missy some of her old clothes when it was pointed out that the twins only had clothes in the Warlord’s black and red.

  ‘Going ashore?’

  Missy smiled at him and bowed in the Ellian fashion. The trousers had been tailored to fit Andrea and hung at Missy’s hips. The cuffs had been turned up and the shirt that went with the outfit was loose. ‘The captain wants me to go in case Lord Knyght needs me to translate anything.’

  ‘Captain Shishi isn’t going?’

  ‘There’s no real reason for us to leave the airship except to stock up on our provisions, and Arthur knows more about that sort of thing than the captain. Between you and me, though, I think Arthur wants to take a look around the village. He wasn’t too happy about stealing the Hiryû until the captain said something about the Warlord being overthrown. I think Arthur wants to get an idea of how Shinzô works, or something. He’s been thinking of Kyst a lot, and he’s been making comparisons between the captain and some people he knew back home.’

  Lenis glanced down the hall and stepped into Missy’s cabin. ‘You’ve been reading his mind?’

  Missy smoothed her hair and tied it back. ‘I’ve only been taking peeks. I want to know why Arthur came along when the captain gave him the choice to stay behind.’

  Lenis thought about asking his sister if she had gleaned anything about their fate but decided he didn’t want to encourage her. Besides, he could feel her excitement and didn’t want to dampen it. Gesshoku would be the first place in Shinzôn either of them had seen up close. He forced some levity into his voice. ‘Arthur, now, is it?’

  ‘ Lord Knyght.’

  ‘You just watch your manners, and if you have to look into his mind, do it gently. The last thing we need is to draw any more attention to ourselves.’

  Missy groaned. ‘Don’t you have Bestia to feed?’

  ‘Have fun for me.’

  Missy stuck her tongue out at him.

  Lenis returned to his room feeling even more despondent. Between his show of power and Missy’s mental spying it wouldn’t take long before they were both sold off.

  He placed the dishes of food in the Bestia hutch and sat on his bunk to watch his charges eat. Aeris, as he had expected, ate with relish and then sat and cleaned herself. The others were more sedate, but he noticed both Terra and Atrum only picked at their food. He lifted them both and checked their ears, eyes and mouths before hugging them and settling them back in their pens. ‘I think we could all do with some fresh air.’

  If it weren’t for the Bestia, Lenis would never have dared to address the captain directly, much less remind him of his new slave’s impertinence. For their sake, though, he had to ask, so he picked up the speech tube.

  ‘Captain Shishi, sir, I think the Bestia need some exercise and fresh air.’

  Lenis found himself unexpectedly wary when the captain replied, ‘By all means, Master Clemens, bring them on deck.’

  Lenis thanked him and carried the Bestia, two by two, into the light. Aeris and Aqua found a shady spot under one of the holds and curled around each other to sleep. The others scampered across the deck. Ignis and Atrum took it in turns to chase each other along the railings, on top of the holds, and even around the outside of the crystal-domed bridge. In this game Ignis had an advantage, as he could nip at Atrum’s much longer tail while Atrum had to make mad leaps to reach Ignis’s. Lucis went so far as to climb into the crow’s nest and was rewarded with a frightened shriek from Andrea. Terra stretched his long legs and began sniffing one of the holds.

  Lenis’s mood lifted considerably as he watched his Bestia enjoying themselves. He looked over the railing and was pleased to see that, although it boasted its own airdock, Gesshoku was a small village with few dwellings. The village’s wooden buildings were scattered seemingly at random and the streets were wide and made of compacted dirt, rather than stone or wooden slats. The sturdiest of the village’s structures seemed to be the pigpens, and that was including the wall that surrounded the place. It seemed doubtful that the Shôgo’s agents would find them here. It seemed even less likely that the captain would find anyone here willing to buy or replace the twins.

  The reason for the small population of Gesshoku was apparent when Lenis looked to the west. The Wastelands that bordered Tsuki domain seemed to reach right up to the outskirts of the village. There had once been some sort of forest here, but the Wastelands had stripped the life from it. The greenish fog that drifted through the Wastelands had gathered into a great mass on this edge of the forest. Dead roots and branches poked out of the fog and seemed to c
law at the healthy land. Tendrils of fluorescent taint spread through the Wastelands’ greying soil and into the sparse grass that grew on the narrow field before the walls. Though Lenis knew it would take at least an hour to cross that thin stretch of still-healthy ground between Gesshoku and the corrupted forest, if the Demons decided to attack, that time would be the only warning the villagers would get. Lenis doubted their wall would hold against a full-on assault.

  Lenis shuddered and turned to the captain, who was sitting on the steps leading up to the bridge. ‘Have the Demons ever attacked Gesshoku?’ The question was out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

  ‘A few times,’ came the reply. ‘Not often. This used to be a crucial outpost in the defence against the Demon hordes, but the Yûgure clan abandoned it about forty years ago when they bought their airships from the Puritans. This airdock allows them to ferry troops here quickly, so they no longer need to keep a substantial portion of their forces here. It frees their warriors for ... other things.’

  Lenis suspected those other things involved rebellion against the Warlord. ‘I don’t know how people can live so close to it.’

  ‘What wisdom forbids –’

  ‘Necessity dictates,’ Lenis finished the captain’s thought and stared glumly over the railing. The Wasteland miasma that was not quite a fog seemed to be growing denser the longer he stared at it. It was almost as if it were encroaching on the village, though Lenis knew that was only an illusion created by the strange gas.