Quillblade

by Ben Chandler

  Finally, the airdock officials relayed the docking procedure to her in a swift succession of message-images. They came through clearly, as though whoever was sending them had used the same sequence so often it had become a reflex.

  Missy let out a long breath. ‘Keep her steady, Miss Shin. The authorities say we should have a clear run from here.’

  The captain was watching the approaching city. ‘Thank you, Miss Clemens.’

  Missy sat back in her chair and finally had a chance to admire the city. Though its construction was unusual, it took her only a few moments to realise that one level looked much like another, except that the higher the level, the brighter the flags and buntings used to decorate it. She was more interested in the styles of the various airships she’d just helped the Hiryû manoeuvre through, and which were now vying for space at the crowded airdocks on nearly every level.

  Far below them there were airbarges ferrying large amounts of both goods and people. These giant, lumbering airships required the power of several Bestia, and often a team of engineers, to keep them flying. Missy wondered how many airbarges it took to keep Asheim stocked with food, given that the city could not produce any for itself.

  Another part of her wondered at the crowded passenger vessels vying for space at the lower-level airdocks. The people crammed into them had the look of new arrivals, country folk seeking their fortunes in the big city. What had life been like for these people out in the countryside that they would choose to live in the cramped confines of the capital rather than stay in their homes? It was true Asheim looked alluring from a distance, but Missy had seen enough of large cities and the poor quarters and slave pens they contained to know that what looked appealing from the outside was often rotten just beneath the surface. Did these people realise what their new city was really like before they boarded their airbarges? Did they realise they would probably never rise any higher than the slums, and that these were floating only just above the Wastelands? If so, what horrors had they left behind?

  Missy sighed and allowed the colourful ribbons and streamers to draw her eyes upwards. She noticed that the higher airdocks attracted smaller crafts. These vessels, like the city itself, were decorated brightly. Traffic also decreased as they journeyed to the upper levels, so by the time the Hiryû had reached the proper altitude for their docking there were only a couple of airships level with them.

  Missy knew these craft carried people of equal rank to their own, or at least to the rank they were pretending to hold. She scanned the two airships that flanked them and recognised the heraldry of Ellia and Lahmon. The Ellian banners showed a yellow circle on a sky blue field, the symbol of the royal family. The Lahmonian airship’s flags showed a white sword with a cross-shaped hilt on a green field. This was no royal vessel but one sent by the Church of Lahmon, the mother-church of the Puritan Faith. In Pure Land the Church’s symbol was the same except the field was white and the sword was red. It reminded Missy of the Puritan slavers and she shivered. The Hiryû was once again flying the black Shôgo banners with their crimson dragons.

  The Ellian and Lahmonian airships, unlike those of Ostian design, were light and slimline. It’s a shame Lenis can’t see these from the engine room, Missy thought. She would have liked her brother’s opinion on their designs.

  All at once, whether because the people of Ost had seen the approach of the three ambassadorial airships or because the Hiryû had simply drawn close enough to the city, Missy heard music burst from the airdock. ‘Is all that for us?’

  Tenjin answered, ‘Unless I am mistaken, today is the day the people of Ost celebrate the ending of the Great War. They hold a festival each year to commemorate the Battle of Asheim, the last and most devastating campaign of the War.’

  Kenji looked up from his chart table. ‘A festival? I’ve heard worse excuses to drink.’

  Arthur frowned. ‘This could complicate things. Shinzô doesn’t usually send a delegation, does it?’

  The captain chuckled. ‘It would be against our policy of isolation, Lord Knyght. Shinzô does not send delegates to any commemorative services. To do so would be to admit to our share of the responsibility for the Great War. I cannot imagine why the Warlord would ask us to come to Ost at such a time, but it is not up to us to question our Lord’s motives.’

  Arthur looked at the captain and then, very slowly, winked. Missy stared, shocked at this sign of humour in the usually stoic man.

  Tenjin looked thoughtful. ‘It does give us an excuse to be here.’

  ‘Precisely.’ Captain Shishi turned back to his scrutiny of the city.

  Arthur remained silent and Missy risked a peek into his mind. She saw an image of a Kystian man in full uniform flash briefly before his mind’s eye. Was Arthur worried about running into someone from his past? Missy hadn’t skimmed his thoughts since Raikô had taken her soul, but Lenis had told her what the captain had said about why the exiled Kystian had decided to stay with the Hiryû. His surface thoughts returned to immediate matters.

  The captain picked up the speech tube. ‘Everyone, please do your best to act in a way that will not bring shame to our beloved Warlord. Miss Clemens will accompany me to greet our hosts. The rest of you may explore the city until nightfall. Search for any information that could lead us to the royal vault. If we cannot search for the manuscript with the Ostians’ permission, we will have to do so without it. Return to the Hiryû at sundown.’

  ‘Yes, sir,’ Missy replied with the others, though with less enthusiasm. While the rest of the crew got to explore Asheim, she had to tag along behind the captain and play interpreter all afternoon!

  ‘I can’t wait!’ Namei strained against the railing, staring out into Asheim.

  Lenis grinned beside her. ‘Me neither.’

  On the docks below, behind a line of red-liveried soldiers, a crowd had gathered to welcome the delegations. The Ostians were dressed in a mixture of flowing robes in bold colours and simple shirts and dresses edged with elaborate ruffles and cuffs. The hair of men and women alike was piled high atop their heads, streaked with heavy gold, crimson and sapphire paint. They were waving flags and banners and sticks with coloured ribbons attached to them.

  Lenis found it difficult to distinguish where the finery of one person stopped and another began. It seemed as if a mass of cloth and colour was spread out beneath them, interspersed with upturned faces and bordered by the Ostian guardsmen. Protected by this wall of armed men were the captain and Missy, who were greeting the Ostian officials along with the Ellian and Lahmonian ambassadors. Once they were done with the formalities the rest of the crew would be able to leave the Hiryû and venture out into the bulk of revellers.

  ‘I haven’t been to a celebration since I left Pure Land.’ Kenji gave a bark of laughter. ‘I could use a good drink.’

  Arthur crossed his arms over his chest. ‘Remember you have information to gather.’

  ‘Of course, sir!’ Kenji said grandly. ‘Everyone knows the best place to find information is in an alehouse or a tavern.’

  Shin was leaning against the railing next to him. ‘Somehow I thought you might say something like that.’

  Andrea joined her. ‘He is right.’

  ‘That’s not really the point, though, is it?’ Shin countered.

  ‘No, I suppose not.’

  Kenji threw his hands in the air. ‘I think I’m being insulted.’

  Arthur moved up between them and looked over the railing. ‘Just make sure you don’t do anything to jeopardise our mission.’

  Kenji dropped his hands and turned his back on the scene below. ‘Why is everyone picking on me today?’

  Shin kept her focus on the crowd. ‘Because you’re the most obvious target.’

  Kenji glared at her back.

  Namei turned to Arthur. ‘We can have a little fun, can’t we, sir?’

  Arthur’s grim visage soften
ed slightly. He almost smiled. ‘A little.’ He turned to Yami. ‘You’ll watch the children?’

  ‘Of course,’ the swordsman replied. He stood a little way behind Lenis with his hand resting on his sword hilt.

  ‘Look!’ Namei pointed over the railing. ‘They’re done.’

  The captain looked back at them before following the other delegates and the Ostian officials off towards a tower that reached up to the next level of the city. Namei grabbed Lenis’s hand and the two ran towards the gangplank.

  ‘Remember to return by nightfall,’ Arthur called after them.

  ‘Where do you think Missy and the captain are going?’ Lenis asked breathlessly as Namei pulled him onto the airdock.

  ‘Probably up to the palace with the rest of the ambassadors. Come on! We’ve only got a few hours until it gets dark.’

  As Lenis was hurried off into the city he noticed his companions were fanning out. Andrea, Shin and Kenji headed straight to a tower that bore markings suggesting it would take them to a lower level of Asheim. Tenjin, Hiroshi and Long Liu wandered off in a different direction at a much slower pace, while Arthur sat down on a crate next to the gangplank to watch over the Hiryû.

  Yami was a silent presence behind them, and Lenis was glad the first officer had asked the swordsman to watch over them, though he didn’t much care for being called a child. They pushed through the line of soldiers and were immediately surrounded by people. The Ostians seemed to take their simple black and red uniforms as a personal challenge and set about swaddling them in flowers and ribbons dyed scarlet, azure, and a painfully bright saffron. Even a scowling Yami, despite his best efforts, ended up with a crown of white flowers.

  Namei laughed as she pushed through the throng, one hand pulling Lenis along behind her. Lenis couldn’t enjoy the crush of people and colour and sensation as much as his friend did, and soon found himself longing to return to his tiny cabin and the friendly, peaceful company of the Bestia. The fact that he couldn’t understand what the Ostians were shouting at him only increased his sense of suffocation.

  After a few moments – which seemed to Lenis more like an hour – they reached the edge of the pack of wellwishers and were allowed through, probably because the crowd had discovered the crewmembers of the Ellian and Lahmonian airships. As Namei pulled him over to a nearby stall he plucked stray feathers, petals and ribbons from his hair. ‘They certainly are friendly.’

  Namei giggled. ‘Try to be positive. They could have thrown us off the edge of the city.’

  Lenis rolled his eyes. ‘I guess you’re right.’

  ‘Come on, I’m hungry!’

  Namei bartered heroically with the stall owner and, though neither spoke the other’s language, they both seemed happy when Namei handed over a handful of Shinzôn coins and was given in exchange three steaming legs of an unidentifiable animal. She handed one each to Lenis and Yami.

  Lenis eyed his warily. ‘What is it?’

  ‘I’ve got no idea.’ Namei bit savagely into hers. ‘But it tastes good.’

  Lenis took a more delicate bite and was forced to admit that Namei was right. Whatever animal they were eating, it tasted delicious.

  Yami pulled his crown of flowers off his head and turned to place it in the hair of a small girl standing beside him. With a delighted squeal the girl curtsied and then ran away. Lenis and Namei stared at the swordsman, mouths agape. He turned to them. ‘Yes?’

  ‘Ah, nothing.’ Namei tore another chunk of meat off with her teeth.

  Lenis bent to his own meal, trying to hide his smile.

  For the next couple of hours the trio wandered around Asheim. Neither Lenis nor Namei was inclined to venture any higher or lower and, as Yami seemed content to follow them, they were able to thoroughly explore the level they were on. It was shaped roughly like a disk, with the airdock taking up almost the entire eastern quarter. The market square they had stumbled into when they had left the airdock was in the exact centre of the level and was ringed with towers. Some of these proved to be elevators that travelled down into the city. The only tower they had seen that led up was the one Missy and the captain had left in. Beyond the towers, large houses with spacious grounds occupied the northern, western and southern quarters. Behind these was another ring of towers supporting the level above, and between and beyond these was nothing but open air.

  The houses, or estates, Lenis supposed, were clearly the homes of the aristocracy. High wrought-iron fences separated them from each other, and by peering through these Lenis and Namei were able to see ordered garden beds and well-maintained lawns. Lenis could only wonder at the cost and effort it took to transport enough soil and water up to this level of the city to keep everything alive. Between the estates were broad, stone streets paved in decorative patterns.

  What drew Lenis’s attention, though, were the advancements Yami had hinted at back on the Hiryû. In the market square, shop doors opened of their own accord as people approached them. The fountains on the corners and at the gates and posterns spouted water at unlikely angles. There was light everywhere; enormous globes hung down from the bottom of the level above them, chasing away the darkness the upper decks caused as they blocked out the sun.

  Lenis could feel the thrumming of Bestia power all around them. It must have taken hundreds of engineers and thousands of Bestia to generate it all. He had never felt so much of it in one place before. It was in everything: a mechanised bubble-blower, giant fans that kept the air fresh, and a wondrous machine that produced music without players or instruments. Lenis’s practical mind tallied the needs of the populace and weighed them against the luxuries around them, but every time he completed a sum his mind shied away from the sheer waste of it all. Was the whole of Asheim like this? Or was it only the aristocrats who got to enjoy the wonders of this technological age?

  Up and down the boulevards and between the towers and stalls the trio explored, but they were unable to find any clue as to the whereabouts of the royal vault. It could even have been on this level of the city, hidden away on one of the estates or inside one of the many towers. Nor were they able to gather any useful information, as none of them spoke Ostian and none of the people they came across seemed able, or willing, to speak either Shinzôn or the common tongue. Lenis was certain their ignorance of the common tongue was feigned, given the advancement evident in Asheim, but there was little he could do about that.

  By the time Yami reminded them they had to return to the Hiryû, even Namei’s enthusiasm had waned. It was as if the overwhelming waste evident in the wonderful capital of Ost had affected her too.

  ‘Let’s go back.’ She put her hand in Lenis’s. Hers was warm and calloused, like his, and Lenis was uncomfortably aware that Yami was still watching them.

  ‘All right.’ His voice cracked as he answered.

  They walked in silence through the dense crowds still surrounding the airdock. This time Lenis didn’t even notice the crush of people around them. He suddenly wasn’t in any hurry to get back to the Hiryû.

  They pushed through the last of the crowds and the Ostian guards let them onto the airdock. Namei leant close and whispered in his ear, ‘I hope the others managed to find out more than we did.’

  Her breath tickled his skin and made his neck tingle. He pressed his own mouth to her ear. ‘Don’t worry. I’m sure the captain and Missy were able to find what we came here for.’

  They had reached the Hiryû’s gangplank. Namei squeezed his hand before releasing it, and Lenis followed her on board, a lopsided grin fixed on his face.

  Missy stood behind the captain with her face lowered, listening to the Ostian official as he greeted the delegations from the neighbouring kingdoms and translating for Captain Shishi in a hushed tone. The man was of middling years with a broad, open face, and he spoke with great animation.

  He turned at last from the Ellian ambassador to greet the captain. Hi
s blue-green velvet robe swished out behind him in his eagerness to address Captain Shishi. ‘Welcome to Ost! We had not expected an emissary from Shinzô to attend our festival commemorating the Battle of Asheim. I must say it is a pleasure, a very great pleasure to have you here.’

  The captain bowed. ‘It is an honour. Our esteemed Warlord, the Great Lord Shôgo Ikaru, could think of no finer mission for the maiden voyage of his new airship than to journey to our northern neighbours to show his respect for those who lost their lives during the Great War.’

  Missy tried not to let her amusement show as she translated the captain’s speech. What would the Warlord think of his self-appointed emissaries? Under other circumstances, he might have been proud.

  The Ostian official, meanwhile, was sizing up the Hiryû with unconcealed interest. ‘What do you call this magnificent machine?’

  The captain’s smile widened. ‘We have named her the Hiryû. In your language I think it would be ...’ He turned to Missy.

  ‘The Dragon Who Soars Through The Heavens.’ Though her eyes were demurely downcast she couldn’t resist stealing a quick look at the official’s face out of the corner of her eye. She had only exaggerated a little.

  His own eyes had widened and his mouth was hanging open. ‘Such poetry! Come, you must join us in the greeting chamber. Unfortunately, King Yolseph Greygori will not be present.’ Another glance told Missy this confession made the man uncomfortable. He went on in a lower voice, ‘His Majesty has been unwell of late, but his son, the Crown Prince Alexis, will be greeting our kingdom’s honoured guests.’

  ‘I trust the King’s illness is not too serious,’ Captain Shishi replied.

  The official shook his head. ‘No, no!’ Missy took the opportunity to scan his mind, which flitted back and forth between images of an old man lying in a grand bed, wasted away to almost nothing, and a pale young boy. He was drawing unwanted connections between the two. She risked probing deeper, and what she saw there was not encouraging. ‘I shouldn’t have brought it up. Please, come with me.’