Quillblade

by Ben Chandler

  Lenis felt something shaking his arm and came instantly awake.

  ‘You might have waited up for me.’

  ‘Missy!’ Lenis grasped his sister’s hand and in that moment a shock of contact jolted between them, far beneath their skin. For an instant the two were connected, more profoundly and deeply than they’d ever been before. Lenis didn’t know if he was looking at his sister or if he was seeing himself through Missy’s eyes. For the span of one breath the Clemens twins fused completely – or at least that was how it felt to Lenis, having his sister back again, really back. Then his eyes filled with tears and he was brushing them away and laughing at the same time, and he was himself and Missy was his sister, alive, whole, and returned to him. ‘Are you all right?’

  Missy’s grin was a little forced, but Lenis could feel her relief swelling, filling the confines of the doctor’s cabin. ‘I will be. I feel like I haven’t moved in weeks.’

  ‘It hasn’t been quite that long.’ Lenis hadn’t even noticed Long Liu leave his bunk, but he’d come over to examine his patient. ‘You’ll be fine. Get up and move around a bit. If you can make it to the galley, you’ll probably live.’

  Lenis looked out of the doctor’s door and saw the faces of the gathered crew turned towards them. Missy lifted her hand to wave and a chorus of cheers echoed through the Hiryû’s hull. Hiroshi was openly weeping, great big sobs wracking his portly frame, and with a start Lenis realised that the old cook’s face was not the only one wet with tears. Everyone started talking at once, and the waves of their affection first battered into and then enveloped Lenis, pushing him about and then pulling him in.

  While Lenis was crying and grinning like a fool, he noticed something, something he couldn’t quite describe. It was as if the Hiryû were breathing again, as if everyone on board had been holding their collective breaths while Missy had been gone and only now, after one great sigh, were they all able to relax. Lenis remembered how he had thought he was the only one on the airship who was worried about Missy. He had been so caught up in his own fear and grief that he hadn’t noticed anyone else’s.

  He grabbed his sister’s hand again and, though this time there was no strange jolt of connection between them, Lenis still felt more whole than he had since Missy’s soul was taken. ‘Do you think you can make it?’

  Missy ran her hand through his hair. ‘With your help, little brother.’

  They reached the door together. As Missy stepped through, Namei reached out to help support her and the trio made their way to the nearest table, where they lowered Missy onto a stool.

  Missy smiled weakly at the crew. ‘Made it.’

  Another cheer rang out. As the crew clustered around to express again their heartfelt welcome, Hiroshi pushed through and placed a steaming bowl of broth in front of her. For a moment a vast emptiness seemed to open up inside Lenis’s stomach, as if he hadn’t eaten for days, and then he realised it was not his own hunger that was demanding to be sated, but Missy’s. Had the bond always been this close between them? Lenis could sense the emotions of those around him, but it was different with Missy. He didn’t sense her feelings; he felt them as his own. Her pain, her fear, her joy and relief, all of it was his, and Lenis suddenly suspected that any thoughts floating around inside his head were hers as well. He didn’t remember the connection between them being this strong, but perhaps he just hadn’t noticed it until it had been severed and rejoined.

  As Missy ate her broth the crew started asking questions about what had happened to her, and around mouthfuls of food she answered them. Lenis sat next to his sister, their arms touching, as she told the crew how Raikô had stolen her spirit when she had attempted to summon him in Gesshoku. Most of it Lenis already knew, but he was happy to hear it again because Missy was telling it. When she told them how she had escaped the Totem-turned-Demon Lord, Lenis paid closer attention. This was new territory, and it answered his most pressing questions.

  When Missy had finally finished, Tenjin rose from his seat and knelt before her. ‘Misericordia Clemens, I must apologise. I should never have asked such a thing of you.’ Lenis winced at the sounds coming from the old man’s joints as Tenjin pressed his head to the ground.

  ‘Please, Lord Tenjin, don’t.’ Missy poked Lenis in the side and he bent down to help the records keeper to his feet. At one time Lenis would have liked to see the old man begging for forgiveness, but his anger had long since abandoned him. Besides, Missy was home safe and that was all that mattered. ‘There’s no need to apologise. You had no way of knowing Lord Raikô was sick, and if I hadn’t summoned him Shamutar might have destroyed Gesshoku, or worse!’

  Tenjin grabbed Missy’s hands in both of his and bowed his head over them. He said something in Shinzôn that Lenis didn’t understand, and Missy nodded. As Tenjin returned to his seat Missy asked, ‘But what has happened to all of you while I’ve been gone?’

  Again, everyone began talking at once.

  ‘It seems our wayward communications officer has returned,’ Captain Shishi called from the doorway. He and Shin had stayed on the bridge while the rest of the crew had waited in the galley for Missy to wake.

  Missy saluted him from her stool. ‘Misericordia Clemens, reporting for duty, sir!’

  ‘Tomorrow will be soon enough to return to your duties, Miss Clemens.’ The captain’s smile was wide and his eyes were bright with unshed tears of his own. When he spoke, though, he was all business. ‘We are still ten days from the Ostian capital. We will be sailing up the coast until we reach Ost. From there we will turn inland to Asheim, one of the most advanced cities in the world.’

  Andrea snorted. ‘It’s also built on top of a patch of Wastelands. Don’t leave that part out.’

  Lenis’s head snapped up. ‘What?’ The mention of the Wastelands had sent a perceptible chill through everyone in the room.

  ‘It is quite safe, Master Clemens,’ the captain replied. ‘The only way to reach the city is via airship. It is built on top of four towers that reach down into the Wastelands. The defences are quite strong. No Demons have ever reached the city. Now, I suggest we all get what rest we can. We don’t know what we can expect in Asheim.’

  The captain’s words shattered the joyous atmosphere generated by Missy’s return. They reminded everyone of the purpose of their voyage, and of the dangers they still had to face. Lenis’s fears were not eased by the captain’s assurances. How could a city be built on top of the Wastelands? How could anyone live there? He knew there was a limit to how high the taint could spread, having flown over patches of Wastelands in the past, but Asheim wasn’t floating above the Wastelands. It was rooted within them. The city’s defences had to be pretty impressive to stop the rise of the miasma and any Demonic assaults.

  Despite Lenis’s misgivings over their destination, the voyage north proved to be a pleasant one. Though their pace was far from leisurely, the Hiryû kept well back from the Demonravaged waters of the ocean and their course kept them clear of any Wastelands. Every night they docked at a Heiliglander airdock, evidence of the trade that went on between Ost and Heiligland. When officials approached them, Captain Shishi stepped forward and presented the authorities with documentation that seemed to satisfy their questions.

  The weather remained unseasonably calm, if chill, and the temperate conditions did a great deal to make the journey more enjoyable. The last thing Lenis wanted was to be stranded by inclement weather again. He would have liked to spend more time exploring this new country. The Heiliglanders seemed very friendly, and the traders they spoke to were fair and open. What’s more, the land they flew over reminded him so much of Pure Land that Lenis felt a little homesick. He thought it strange that such feelings were evoked here, in a country that could pass for his own, yet had remained mostly dormant in Shinzô, where everything was so different. Even the mountain ranges to the west and north-west, though carpeted in white and reportedly infected by vast
stretches of Wastelands, reminded Lenis of the place of his birth. He could almost imagine they were purple under their covering of snow.

  Is this what the Heiliglanders felt when they first reached Pure Land? he often wondered.

  On the day they crossed the border into Ost, Namei and the twins were gathered behind the dragon figurehead. Missy and the cabin girl were playing a game Lenis had invented with the rune pieces Atrum had found in Neti’s temple. It was something they had taken to doing whenever they had a spare moment. Tenjin had told him the runes meant Fire, Warden, Nature, and Treasure in ancient Heiliglander.

  As always, the silent Yami watched over them.

  Namei made a winning throw with the rune pieces and smiled over at Missy. ‘You’re looking better today.’

  Missy spread her arms wide to catch the breeze. ‘I feel better!’

  ‘Are we in Ost yet?’ Lenis leant against the forward railing. The wind pulled the moisture from his eyes and chapped his face.

  ‘I think we crossed the border a couple of hours ago.’ Namei glanced over the railing. ‘It’s hard to tell from up here.’

  Lenis looked down at the land passing below them. They were so high that it seemed to be plodding along beneath them. ‘It doesn’t look much different from Heiligland.’

  Namei scooped up the gaming tokens and placed them back in their battered pouch. ‘That’s what I mean. Though I think the land is a bit lower here, and there are fewer trees and more farms.’

  Lenis thought this over. ‘Do you think so?’

  Namei rolled her eyes at him. ‘What do you know about Asheim?’

  ‘Nothing, really. And you?’

  ‘Same.’

  ‘Puritans aren’t really big on educating slaves,’ Missy pointed out, ‘unless it involves machinery. Why don’t we ask Yami?’ The others nodded. ‘Hey, Yami! What do you know about the capital?’

  The swordsman regarded them for a moment from his vantage point atop one of the holds. He was sitting on his haunches with his hands resting on his thighs. With the barest of nods he leapt down and came to join them on the foredeck.

  ‘Asheim was an impressive city, even before the Great War.’ He turned to gaze over the dragon figurehead’s shoulder. ‘It was originally constructed on marsh, which is why they built the towers beneath it. Then they kept building up. The city is made of different levels, with the wealthier residents living higher than everyone else. The poorer people live closer to the Wastelands below. Ostian society is strictly hierarchical, and there isn’t much movement or interaction between the classes. The royal family lives on the highest level of the city. Only those of royal blood can walk there.’

  ‘What did Captain Shishi mean when he said the city was advanced?’ Lenis asked.

  ‘It is a city of technology. The man who discovered Bestia power, Siegfried Huginn, was an Ostian. They say that Bestia power the entire city, including the doors and the lifts that allow travel between the levels of the city.’

  Lenis whistled low, his mind already turning to the practicalities of such a place. ‘I wonder how many Bestia they have there, and how many Keepers.’ Another thought occurred to him. ‘If Asheim is built on the Wastelands, how do they feed all the Bestia?’

  ‘Not to mention all the people!’ Namei added.

  A part of Lenis couldn’t wait to get there to find out exactly how such a city worked. There was another part that didn’t relish the idea of getting there at all. ‘Yami, do you know how they keep the Demons away?’

  ‘It is rumoured that for centuries the Ostian royal family have relied on Lilim to protect their capital. The price for such ongoing support would be very high, but it would give the Ostians great power.’

  Lenis shivered. ‘I wish we didn’t have to go there.’

  Yami nodded. ‘As do I.’

  This surprised Lenis. He hadn’t thought to ask what the swordsman thought of where they were going or what they were doing. He seemed content with whatever the captain decided, as long as the Hiryû wasn’t put in direct danger. As if he had heard Lenis’s thoughts, Yami continued, ‘We risk much by going there. Some call Asheim the Birthplace of Demons.’

  Namei gasped. ‘Their birthplace?’

  ‘Yes. The final battle of the Great War was fought around Asheim. That battleground became the Wastelands.’

  Lenis interjected, ‘Wait. Are you saying the Wastelands under Asheim were the first Wastelands? Ever?’

  Yami nodded and Lenis shuddered. He wasn’t the only one to.

  Missy was shaking her head. ‘But why would anyone keep living there?’

  ‘The Ostians fought hard to keep their capital during the Great War,’ Yami told them, ‘and Asheim was an advanced city, even then. It would have been hard for them to abandon it. Besides, if the Demons ever did find a way to attack the city now, they would have to go through the poorer quarters first. As they were feeding on the destitute, the wealthy would have ample time to escape in their airships.’

  ‘That’s terrible!’ Missy cried.

  Namei covered her mouth with her hands. ‘I think Sir Yami must be joking with us.’

  Lenis didn’t think so. It had been settlers from countries just like Ost that had brought the custom of slavery to Pure Land. He knew most Puritans wouldn’t hesitate to feed their slaves to a Demon if it meant they could save their own lives. In fact, Lenis imagined if Wastelands ever did appear in Pure Land it would soon become quite common to keep the local Demon population satisfied by throwing them a slave or two to munch on. He didn’t see why the Ostians would be any different.

  Yami turned back to stare past the dragon figurehead’s shoulder. ‘I am only speculating, of course. The nobility of Ost may be more charitable than I have been led to believe. We will see for ourselves tomorrow.’

  Lenis caught his first glimpse of Asheim as dawn lightened the sky the following day. At first he was reminded strongly of the World Tree of his dreams, reaching out of the horizon and into the heavens. As the light grew, however, he realised that there was nothing natural about the capital city of Ost.

  From a distance it seemed as though someone had stacked one circular arena on top of another, giving a sense that the city was a single tower rising out of the deceptively picturesque dawn-tinged miasma of the Wastelands into the pink clouds of morning. As the Hiryû drew nearer, Lenis realised that this was not the case. At the very bottom of the city, he could just make out four towers supporting a large stone slab on which other towers had been built. These held up the next level of the city, and so on. Each level, including the one at the very top, was roughly the same size, which meant the Ostians could probably keep adding onto their tower city indefinitely, until they overbalanced one side or made it so heavy the sheer weight of the city pulled it back down to earth.

  ‘Lenis, the captain wants you in the engine room,’ Namei called to him from the deck. ‘We need more altitude.’

  ‘More altitude?’ Lenis took one last look at the city before reluctantly making his way back to his post.

  Namei fell into step beside him. ‘He says we’re going right to the top. We are in the Warlord’s private airship, after all.’

  ‘You’re kidding?’ Lenis stopped. ‘We’re going to pretend Lord Shôgo sent us here?’

  Namei grinned. ‘We need to get into the royal vault to search for this manuscript, remember? Besides, we’ve already got the outfits, and the captain doesn’t think the Warlord will have spread word that he lost his new airship. He cannot afford to admit to such weakness.’

  Lenis stifled a groan and hurried on, unconvinced by Namei’s logic. They reached the engine room just as Captain Shishi’s voice came through the speech tube. ‘It appears we are to become Shinzôn officials for a while! Could everyone please act as though we are in the service of our great master, Lord Shôgo Ikaru?’

  Namei did groan at
that.

  Lenis turned to her. ‘What’s wrong? I thought you were looking forward to this.’

  ‘It’s a good idea, but that doesn’t mean I have to like putting on that uniform again.’

  Lenis laughed. ‘Why not? You look good in it. I mean ... ah, never mind.’

  Namei giggled and hurried out of the engine room. Lenis moved to adjust the mechanisms that controlled their altitude, wishing he could cool his burning cheeks.

  Missy was busy long before they reached the airdocks of Asheim. The skies around the capital were full of airships. She hadn’t seen so many gathered together in one place since she had left Pure Land, and it was her responsibility to make sure the Hiryû didn’t crash into any of them. Between relaying messages from the airdock officials to Shin at the tiller, and keeping in constant contact with the other airships around them to make sure their flight path remained clear, Missy didn’t have time to admire the city.

  Getting through the traffic required concentration but was relatively easy. Maintaining their cover as Shôgo agents was much harder. Missy had to not think about why they were really coming to Asheim in case a stray image, like of the crew stealing the Hiryû, was picked up by an Ostian Bestia and faithfully relayed to its Keeper. Usually, receivers politely ignored unintentional message-images, but Missy doubted they’d ignore something as blatant as treason. If she made a mistake now she could give them all away.

  The constant mental effort of trying not to think of anything incriminating began to take its toll. Missy felt the sweat start to run down her face, and she was gripping her desk so hard her knuckles ached. Her message epitomised the rule of condensation. It contained only one image: Lord Shôgo’s red dragon motif. That couldn’t get her into too much trouble.