Sky Scorcher 2

by Harlan J Meade

  King Tideon cleared his throat and announced, “Today, we receive back not only the loved ones who were taken from us, but also the brave sons who selflessly took on the task of rescuing them against overwhelming odds. The Kingdom welcomes you back home…now as heroes…every one of you.”

  James and the others bowed before the king and queen to show their gratitude.

  “Rise! Rise, my friends! And let the celebration begin!” ordered King Tideon as he once again turned to the crowd and raised his arms. The crowd erupted again with cheering and music began to play. As fireworks exploded in the air above them, Lieutenant Plateman asked in amazement, “James, have you every seen anything like this before?”

  “I have not,” answered James as the men walked through the crowd.

  Misty rushed to catch up with James and reported, “Everyone is in the medical station and has been reunited with their families,” as she brushed the hair from her face.

  “That didn’t take long, but it looks like the reports will have to wait for now,” James said as he continued to walk through the crowd. With every step into the crowd, someone thanked them or simply placed a hand on their shoulder to show gratitude for bringing loved ones back home. When they finally reached the stairs to the Palace entrance, the men and Misty stepped away from the people and stood behind King Tideon.

  The king turned to the crowd and spoke. “If I may have everyone’s attention for a moment…with repairs to the Palace still underway and the garden already fully restored, the queen has made arrangements for something special tonight. We have committed to a new ball in the gardens. Everyone is welcome,” he shouted over the noise of cheering which had grown louder than ever.

  King Tideon motioned for James and the others as he raised his hand high in the air once again to signal for silence.

  “Now, we have with us today those who without being told or asked, took it upon their hearts to retrieve their countrymen by placing themselves in harm’s way. I have a few medals I would like to bestow. James and Lieutenant Plateman,” the king said as he faced the men, “I bestow to you the Sun Medal for the brave decisions you made and the safe return of your countrymen. Thank you for your continued efforts to get everyone home.” The crowd began clapping loudly as the king placed the golden medal attached to purple ribbon around each man’s neck.

  James and the Lieutenant shook the king’s hand with shock on their faces.

  “Your Majesty, I feel as if we didn’t do anything to warrant all of this,” James said quietly when he was close enough to the king for him to hear.

  King Tideon shook his head slightly. “These people are in need of some heroes. Now, enjoy the celebration and come to the ball tonight. Don’t worry, the entire Aerial Defense Department is seeing to the defense of the Palace tonight,” he explained as he smiled at James and the others.

  “In that case, your Majesty, may we have a word in private before the ball?” asked James hoping that the king could hear him over the cheering of the crowd.

  “Mr. Blackwin, I will make time,” answered King Tideon firmly.

  King Tideon presented the group to the crowd one last time and then joined in the festivities.

  “Come, Mr. Rewk! Let’s find a pint of ale!” shouted Lieutenant Plateman as he walked in the direction of his favorite pub just outside of the Palace garden.

  “Lead the way. First drink is on me!” laughed Crew Chief Rewk as he hurried to catch up with the Lieutenant who was almost lost in the crowd. Misty and James both laughed at how fast Mr. Rewk moved to get a drink.

  “James, I’m going to make sure that our belongings were placed in our rooms,” Misty said as she excused herself. “Besides, it will be nice to clean up a bit and get some rest before the ball.” Misty hugged James tightly and turned towards the Palace entrance.

  As James watched his companions go off in different directions to do the things that they missed while they were gone, James waved goodbye to the crowd and turned to go inside the Palace. As he began to leave, the cheers were too great and he instead decided to follow Lieutenant Plateman and Crew Chief Rewk to partake in drinking ale.

  The Lieutenant was already on his third mug by the time James arrived. He was welcomed with a cold mug of freshly poured ale. “This is good ale, Lieutenant,” commented James as he took another gulp and tried to pinpoint the exact flavor of it.

  “See now why it’s my favorite pub?” laughed Lieutenant Plateman.

  A few hours passed and the Lieutenant was well on his way to being drunk when James motioned some of the guards over to the table and said, “We need to get him sobered up for tonight.”

  “What can we help with, sir?” asked one of the guards to James.

  “Make sure that the Lieutenant gets to his office and sobers up enough for the ball tonight,” explained James as he led the guard to the Lieutenant.

  “Yes, sir,” answered the guard as he and another helped the Lieutenant to his feet and placed his arms around their shoulders to help him walk out.

  James turned to the Crew Chief and said, “Come on, Mr. Rewk. You can borrow some of my things for tonight.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Blackwin, but I must report to the Department,” Mr. Rewk replied as he stood up from the table.

  “Then I’ll see you later tonight,” James said as he shook the Crew Chief’s hand and walked out of the pub and into the still large crowd.

  “Now would be the best time to try to speak to King Tideon,” thought James to himself. He made his way through the crowd and noticed that it was much easier than when he had walked to the pub. He decided that some of the people must have returned home to get ready for the ball that was only a few hours away.

  James was almost to his room when he met Misty leaving hers. “Have you spoken to the king yet?” Misty asked as she followed James to his room.

  “No, not yet. I’ve just left the pub where I’ve been celebrating with Lieutenant Plateman and Mr. Rewk,” explained James with a short laugh.

  Misty looked James over and realized that he could use a shower and some fresh clothes.

  “James, you go and freshen up. I’ll go to town and find us something casual to wear,” Misty suggested as she laid out a clean change of clothes and a shaving kit for James.

  “If you’re going to the shops in town, pick up something a little more than something casual. And, Misty…thank you,” James said softly as he began to unbutton his shirt.

  “You’re welcome,” Misty said as she turned shyly away and took a satchel of coins from James’ travel bag. She left for the shops located just outside of the Palace.

  After a shower, James felt refreshed and clean but he still felt dread in the back of his mind. He opened the door just as a servant of the Palace passed by his door. “Excuse me,” James spoke loudly to get the attention of the servant, “do you know the location of the King?”

  “Yes, sir,” answered the servant as he turned to face James. “He is getting ready to go to the gardens to oversee the preparations personally. That is what I was told by my superior.”

  “Thank you,” said James as he wasted no time. He grabbed his things and began to hurry towards the gardens.

  ***

  Misty was feeling a little stressed from being in the crowd when she looked up and saw a sign: Drake’s Corner Emporium.

  She quickly pushed through the people and peered in the window. None of the lights were on and a ‘Sorry, We’re Closed’ sign was hanging on the door.

  Worry crept into her mind. She closed her eyes and thought of the kind man and hoped that he had been able to escape Hover Bay unharmed. She slowly backed away from Mr. Mattus’ store and forced herself to focus on the reason for her outing. She looked around at the other shops and saw that many people were out shopping for the ball.

  Misty decided that one of the more expensive stores would be less crowded than the low-end shops. She walked a way before she came across a shop known for selling well made clothing.

  Osm
er’s and Sons. Even the king himself wore clothing from the store.

  Misty opened the door and stepped inside. Cool air hit her face as the steam powered fans overhead circulated to keep the store comfortable.

  “Hello Madame. How may we help you today?” asked Mr. Osmer as he loaded fabric into a machine used to roll out the amount of cloth needed.

  “Yes, sir. My employer, Mr. Blackwin, is in need of something for tonight’s event in the king’s garden,” explained Misty as she admired the fabrics hanging against the wall.

  “Yes, ma’am. I will need the sizes and color preferences,” answered Mr. Osmer as he handed Misty a chart for her to fill out with her choices.

  Misty took her time as she looked through the fabric options and then wrote down James’ sizes and handed the paper back to Mr. Osmer. “I believe that deep purple and black with golden buttons would look fantastic on James,” Misty said as she touched the fabric she had chosen.

  “And for yourself?” asked Mr. Osmer as he raised an eyebrow at her.

  “Sky blue with a touch of silver, please,” answered Misty as she finished the paperwork with her sizes and handed it back to the owner.

  “We will start right away. When we are finished, we will send the outfits to the Palace for you,” explained Mr. Osmer as he loaded the purple fabric into the machine.

  “Thank you, sir. I’m sure your work will be exquisite.” Misty shook the man’s hand and stepped back into the crowded streets.

  She saw a growing group of people circled around what looked like street performers. Misty curiously stood at the back of the crowd and saw that two men, one dressed as James and the other dressed as Joshua Firebolt, were dueling. James won the fight, of course, which pleased the crowd and they began to cheer.

  She smiled at the realization that James was truly considered a hero now. She pressed her way back to the street leading to the Palace so that she could find the infamous James Blackwin.

  ***

  James stood on a balcony that overlooked the garden. He scanned the area below him and spotted King Tideon as he examined the plans for the ball. James descended the stairs leading to the garden and arrived near the place King Tideon had set up as an office. James noticed that the newly planted flowers and greenery was breath-taking and the new additions had changed the layout of the entire garden.

  Roses were used for an outline of the garden and fruit trees were spread out amongst the garden instead of being housed in one section. Colorful flowers were placed at the base of the shrubs which were still in the shape of exotic animals.

  James continued to admire the beautiful landscaping while comparing it to the destructed state it had been in when he left.

  King Tideon saw James as he walked about the garden and called out to him. “Well, what do you think, Mr. Blackwin?” asked the king as he stretched his arms out to present the newly renovated garden.

  “It’s magnificent, your Majesty! What are those?” James asked as he stepped closer to the king and saw something mechanical that he had never seen before.

  “Ah! That is our new watering system. It is much like the steam machines in the archives. I had it made for the garden to take some of the load off of the workers and servants,” said King Tideon proudly.

  James, although fascinated by the steam powered machines, knew that he needed to use that opportunity to speak to the king. He took a step closer to King Tideon and lowered his voice. “Your Majesty, the reason I wanted to have a word for you is that I bear ill news about Sky Marshal Nelean,” said James solemnly as he lowered his head.

  “What is it, Mr. Blackwin? What’s the matter?” questioned King Tideon as he gave James his full attention.

  “He didn’t make it, your Majesty,” answered James bluntly, feeling as though he may burst if he held the secret in any longer.

  King Tideon looked at James for a moment and sat abruptly in his chair. He struck a match and held it to a pipe, puffing it slowly to light it. He took a deep breath before looking back to James.

  “This morning before breakfast Captain Woodard sent a message and now I know what he meant. He had said that he would be reporting to me instead of the Aerial Defense Department,” whispered the king as the fire in the tobacco pipe began to glow.

  “I’m truly sorry, Your Majesty. If I can do anything, please let me know,” replied James in an attempt to show his condolences.

  “Thank you, Mr. Blackwin,” said King Tideon as he knocked the fire out of his pipe and returned it to a pouch he wore around his belt. “I might be able to use you for something...”

  “What is it, Your Majesty?” James asked curiously as he stood at the corner of the table.

  “When Captain Woodard arrives, I will have to meet with him. Would you inform him that he can leave the Sky Marshal out of his report?” asked King Tideon as he stood and placed a hand on James’ shoulder.

  “Absolutely, Your Majesty. What time are we expecting him to arrive?” asked James as he checked the time on his watch.

  “We hope that he will be here before the ball so that we can deal with this sooner rather than later,” explained the King as he returned to the plans scattered across the table.

  “Very well. Send for me when he arrives and I will handle my part,” replied James as he walked back to the Palace.

  Chapter Four

  The King’s Word is Final

  Misty heard a knock at her door.

  “Hold on…I’ll be right there!” yelled Misty as she scrambled to the door.

  “Hello ma’am. I have two packages for you,” said a Palace servant as he handed the boxes to her.

  “Thank you,” Misty replied as she took the boxes and closed the door. Misty opened both of the boxes and took the clothing out of them. She neatly folded James’ attire and placed it by the door. Her outfit was the perfect color…exactly what she had imagined. Each piece worked well with the others. The touch of silver looked like stars scattered across the sky blue fabric of the dress.

  She held it up against her and peered into the mirror. She felt like James would approve.

  Misty returned to James’ clothing to examine it more closely when she heard the door to James’ room open. She placed the clothing back into the box, walked into the hallway and knocked on his door.

  “It’s open. Come in,” answered James though he was uncertain of who was knocking on his door.

  “James, I have your clothing for tonight’s ball,” said Misty with a smile.

  “Ah, glad you were able to find something. I had forgotten about them with everything that I’ve had on my mind,” James said absent-mindedly as he opened the box to see what Misty had picked for him.

  “How did your meeting with King Tideon go?” asked Misty as she stood next to the large window in James’ room and watched as the servants decorated the Palace gardens for the King.

  “As good as one can expect, I suppose. He informed me that Captain Woodard is on his way and asked if I could meet with him,” explained James as he looked over his clothing with no complaints.

  “Why is the Department sending the Captain?” Misty asked as she scrunched her eyes in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

  “The only thing I can think of is it is a possibility that the King is going to promote him to Sky Marshal,” answered James not knowing the answer himself.

  “Do you know anything about this Captain?” asked Misty as she thought of Sky Marshal Nelean. She had only met him a handful of times and always when she had accompanied James.

  “All I know is that his name is Woodard and he was at the battle,” explained James as he checked his watch.

  “Do you need me to do anything else before I go and begin to get ready?” asked Misty as she walked back to the door.

  “Just one thing…will you send someone to check on Lieutenant Plateman? Make sure that he plans to meet with Captain Woodard when he arrives,” answered James as he placed his pocket watch back into his waistcoat pocket.

 
“I’ll see to it personally that he is present tonight when the Captain arrives,” Misty assured James as she left the room.

  After Misty left the room, James tried on his purple shirt and black pants. He then slipped on his double breasted black vest with a purple brocade and the golden buttons. It was a perfect fit, thanks to Misty.

  ***

  Misty arrived at the entrance of Lieutenant Plateman’s office where all the lights were off and it looked as if no one was there. She poked her head around the door and called.

  “Hello?” Misty called loudly. No one answered so she pushed open the door and flipped on the lights.