“I’ll be sure to remember that in case we need anything,” assured James with a smile as he watched the men exit the ship.
“Maybe you were right, James. That man gave me a suspicious feeling that I can’t place,” said Sky Marshal Plateman as he gathered his things to exit the ship behind James.
“Misty, head over to the King’s Crown Inn and make arrangements for the crew. After you are finished, meet us at the Department barracks. Mr. Rewk, if you don’t mind handling the supplies, you can stay at the barracks with us. And if you can, keep an eye out for that Mr. Sprocket,” James said as the crew began to leave the ship.
Once everyone had left the ship, Misty glanced towards the office that Mr. Sprocket had pointed out. All of the windows were covered except for one which had a small slit in it.
“Misty, come on. We need to get these letters sent to warn the Department and the King,” urged James when he realized that she had stopped walking. Misty had not realized that she had stopped but was pulled back into the moment by James’ voice. She turned and began following James and the Sky Marshal again.
“Hey Misty, I wanted to apologize for earlier,” Rachael said earnestly. “We just want to do our job. It’s what we were trained for. We were originally assigned to Sky Marshal Nelean and were on our way to join him when we received the news that he was killed in the north by pirates,” Rachael explained as she slowed her pace to walk next to Misty.
“I understand. I was just a little taken back from the order to surrender my weapons. Look over my shoulder and tell me if it looks like someone is watching us from Mr. Sprocket’s office,” Misty whispered as she felt eyes following her.
Rachael turned her head and looked toward the building and saw only the covered windows, but the crack in the curtains had been closed. “No, just covered windows with thick curtains,” Rachael replied feeling slightly confused.
“It’s probably nothing. Let’s catch up with the others,” Misty said as she forced a smile so that she wouldn’t alarm Rachael any further.
The Department barracks were busy, as usual. Due to the size of Sky Port, the large dungeon underneath it was used as an overflow jail for criminals. As they approached the building, Department guards stopped them.
“Halt! The barracks are closed off to civilian and non-Department personnel,” barked one of the guards as he blocked the entrance.
Sky Marshal Plateman reached inside of his waistcoat pocket and pulled out the crest the King had given him.
“My apologies, sir,” the guard stuttered as he saluted the Sky Marshal.
“The Lieutenant Commander will want to speak to you,” said another guard to Sky Marshal Plateman before shouting, “Open the gates!”
“In that case, inform him that I’m here and ask him to report to my office,” commanded Sky Marshal Plateman. The gates popped and cracked as they opened to allow Plateman and the others entrance to the barracks.
Once they were inside, the entire first floor fell silent as everyone watched as them enter the building.
“James, I’m not sure which way my office is. I have never been here before,” whispered Sky Marshal Plateman as his face began to turn red.
“It’s on the third and top floor. Can’t miss it,” explained James as he pointed to a lift.
“Sir, if I may…there is no hiding it now. Place the crest around your neck. Let them see who you are,” suggested Rachael as she looked over the Department personnel who were staring at the Sky Marshal with curiosity.
Sky Marshal Plateman, his face still red from blushing, looked to James for reassurance. “Go ahead. It may give them hope,” James said with a smile as they walked to the lift that would take them to the upper floors.
Sky Marshal Plateman looked at the crest still in his hand and turned it over and read the inscription on the back:
“Stay vigilant on
the course of Courage.
Duty to the Kingdom
and its people”
“Stay vigilant,” repeated Sky Marshal Plateman as he placed it on the golden chain he wore around his neck. When the Department personnel saw it, everyone quickly saluted him. He simply raised his hand and smiled as he joined the others on the lift and slid the gates shut. As Rachael pulled a lever, gears turned and the familiar sound of steam shhhhhing out of a vent system filled the lift as it began to take them higher.
“That was well done, Plateman,” said James as Rachael and the guards all smiled at him.
“Thank you. Now, we need to focus on getting these letters and Mr. Thornton on the next ship out,” said Sky Marshal Plateman with newly found confidence.
***
Misty arrived at the King’s Crown Inn. There were a few people sitting at a table near the entrance playing a game of Cloud Chase. The game was as old as the Kingdom…a time when ships sailed on water and the sky was still out of reach for anyone other than the Cloudkin. Of course, new features had been added since that time to update the old game.
She watched them play for a moment to see who was winning and who was losing. “Do you know how to play, miss?” asked the clerk at the check in desk.
“It’s been a while. Why don’t you refresh my memory?” Misty replied as she walked to the desk and sat her pack down.
“You see the man with the blue shirt? He is playing as the Department. For him to win, he must destroy all the pirate ships played by the man with the black hat on the other side of the table. The other two men are helping by turning the gears under the table to move the ships on the table,” explained the desk clerk as they continued to watch the men play.
After a few moments of watching, Misty spoke up. “I almost forgot what I came here for!”
“Oh. Do you need a room, then?” asked the clerk with a smile as he reached for a sign in book.
“No, not exactly. I need all of your available rooms. Our ship’s crew will be staying here,” she replied as she placed the bag of gold that James had given her onto the desk.
“I think we can handle that,” said the desk clerk as he looked at the bag of gold.
“Good. I will inform them to sign in when they arrive. They will have the King’s seal on their shoulders,” said Misty as she picked her pack up and walked to the door.
“I’ll see to them personally,” assured the clerk as he waved goodbye to her.
The cold evening air hit Misty’s face and chilled her to her core as she stepped out of the Inn and back onto the street to return to the barracks.
***
On the third floor of the barracks, a highly decorated man in a Department uniform waited next to the largest office.
“Sir, my apologies. I hadn’t read any news about the King selecting a new Sky Marshal. Let me be the first to say glad you are here, sir,” said the Lieutenant Commander as he reached out his hand to shake the Sky Marshal’s hand.
“Glad to be here. But unfortunately, it’s actually business from the King,” replied Sky Marshal Plateman as he shook the Lieutenant Commander’s hand.
“I would be glad to help out in anyway that I can,” explained the Lieutenant Commander as he ushered them into the Sky Marshal’s office.
“Thank you. There are a few questions I would like to ask you,” replied Sky Marshal Plateman as he stepped inside his office.
“Anything at all,” the Lieutenant Commander said with a smile as he walked to the desk where Sky Marshal Plateman settled into a chair.
“What is your name again?” the Sky Marshal asked as he looked over his large oak desk.
“Martin Shockly, sir,” replied Lieutenant Commander Shockly as he stood in front of the desk.
“From now on, when you address a ranking officer of the Department, mentioning your name would be the correct introduction. What I need to know is how many patrol ships do we have patrolling outside the King’s border to protect it?” asked Sky Marshal Plateman as he took the letters he had written on the ship out of his travel pack and placed them on the desk and began to m
elt wax for his seal.
“Sir, we have no ships on patrol. Orders from Headquarters were to recall all vessels to Sky Port,” explained Lieutenant Commander Shockly nervously.
“Of all the ignorant orders ever given! Get those patrols back out there to defend the Kingdom. And have a ship sent to the King with these letters. Inform the crew that the ship I arrived on has a coffin that I want delivered to the Palace. See to it that this gets done, Lieutenant Commander,” ordered Sky Marshal Plateman as he handed the letters with a fresh seal to him.
“Yes, sir. Will that be all before I leave?” asked Lieutenant Commander Shockly as he took the letters and saluted the Sky Marshal.
“No. That’s all. You may leave now,” replied Sky Marshal Plateman as the Lieutenant Commander turned to leave the room.
***
Misty had walked the entire way to the barracks in the cold. On her way to the entrance, she noticed that several messengers were leaving and were headed to the docks. The entrance was full of Department personnel who were also on their way to the docks. “I wonder what is going on,” she thought to herself as she made her way past the Department personnel and to the gates.
“Here for registry or deployment?” asked the guard at the gate.
“Neither…I’m here on business, actually. My employer is here with the Sky Marshal,” Misty explained as more and more Department personnel left for the ships at the dock.
“After today, nothing surprises me. Wait here while I check,” answered the guard as he walked to the intercom system.
A few minutes passed by as Misty waited on the guard to return. “Hey! Finally!” said a familiar voice. Misty turned to see Mr. Rewk approaching her.
“I’m glad that you ran into me. Did you finish with the supplies?” asked Misty when Mr. Rewk was close enough to hear over the noise of the Department personnel moving through the entrance.
“Everything is loaded onboard the ship. What on sun fire is going on?” asked Mr. Rewk as he looked at everyone leaving.
“I’m not sure, but I am sure that Sky Marshal Plateman and James will tell us if we can ever get inside,” Misty replied with a hint of frustration as the guard returned.
“Your story checked out. Head inside and stay to your right. A lift will take you to the third floor. Mr. Blackwin is waiting for you there,” said the guard as he opened a side door to allow them to avoid the crowd. Misty and Mr. Rewk hurried inside and found the lift.
“Do you know how to work one of these?” Misty asked the Crew Chief as she stepped onto the lift.
“I do. Step away from the gate,” Mr. Rewk said as he pulled them shut and pushed a lever. Misty stumbled as the lift picked them off the ground floor and began to climb upward.
***
“Captain Sprocket!” said the messenger as he barged into the guard’s house on the docks and paused to catch his breath.
“Yes?” answered Captain Sprocket coldly.
“The new Sky Marshal has arrived at the barracks. He’s mobilized the Department and granted patrols,” replied the messenger as he pointed to the window.
Captain Sprocket leapt to his feet and rushed to the window. “I thought the Department had new orders to withdraw to Sky Port! This new Sky Marshal is going to be a problem,” said Captain Sprocket as he watched the Department ships fill up with crewmen.
“There’s more, sir,” stuttered the messenger as he held up a pile of letters to show Captain Sprocket.
“What are those?” asked Captain Sprocket as he raised his eyebrow.
“Letters to the Department Headquarters and to King Tideon,” explained the messenger as he laid them on Captain Sprocket’s desk.
“Before we go any further, show me your mark,” commanded Captain Sprocket as he looked to the pile of letters on his desk.
“If I must…” replied the messenger as he unbuttoned his shirt. Upon his chest was a tattoo of a broken crown…a common tattoo of pirates who worked for the Department undercover.
“Very good. Did you make copies of these letters?” asked Captain Sprocket as he picked up the letter on top of the pile.
“Even better. I have a copy of the Sky Marshal’s seal. If you wish, we can send out the originals after your read them,” said the messenger proudly.
“Good work.” laughed Captain Sprocket as he tossed the messenger a small bag of gold before cracking the wax seal of the letter he was holding.
Half an hour passed as Captain Sprocket finished reading the letters. He carefully folded them back into shape and handed them back to the messenger.
“Thank you, sir,” said the messenger as he melted the exact same color of wax and sealed them with the counterfeit seal.
“No, son. Thank you. Be sure they get to their destination,” ordered Captain Sprocket as the messenger placed the letters back into his satchel and hurried out the door.
Captain Sprocket pulled a new piece of parchment from his desk and dipped a quill into an ink well.
Captain Firebolt,
I have just received news of Mr. Blackwin.
He is traveling with the new Sky Marshal
who has remobilized the Department fleet here
at Sky Port. Keep travel to a minimum
in or around Sky Port.
I’ll write more when I can.
Your Eyes
“There. Make sure this gets to him. Word is that he has summoned the Council of Rain. Start looking for him at whatever is left of Hover Bay,” commanded Captain Sprocket to a man standing behind him in the shadow. The man took the letter without saying a word and disappeared back into the darkness.
Chapter Eight
Fortress in the Sky
As the lift shuttered to a halt, Misty could hear that the entire third floor was abuzz with Department personnel. She was unsure if they were sending out the Sky Marshal’s new orders or filing reports, but it seemed much busier than the first floor.
“Look, Mr. Rewk. That must be the Sky Marshal’s office. Let’s go join James and see what the plan is,” said Misty as she carried her pack and Mr. Rewk followed her.
Sky Marshal Plateman’s guards were posted as sentries outside the office.
“Hello, ma’am. Mr. Blackwin said that you were expected to be here soon. You may take your weapons inside,” winked the guard as he opened the door.
Misty nodded her head to thank the guard as she stepped past him. Inside, James was going over the largest map she had ever seen.
“Gentlemen, this is where we were engaged by the Empire ships. Looking at the map, I believe the route must have been through here…” explained James as he moved a long wand over the map in the path that made the most sense.
“Are you certain?” asked Sky Marshal Plateman as he stood to his feet to look at the path James had pointed out.
“That’s directly though the Forest of Mist. They must have known that section of the Kingdom was Cloudkin territory,” commented Lieutenant Commander Shockly as he leaned over the map.
“Yes it is. The bigger question is how did they make it past the Cloudkin Defense Blockade?” James asked as he looked at Lieutenant Commander Shockly.
“So what are you saying, James? That the Cloudkin are breaking faith with King Tideon?” questioned Sky Marshal Plateman as he looked at the Forest of Mist on the map.
“I’ve learned not to assume anything until you see it for yourself, Plateman,” replied James as he stepped away from the map and poured a glass of water.
“So, you’re suggesting a trip to the Forest of Mist?” questioned Sky Marshal Plateman with confusion.
James took a sip from his glass and replied, “Think about it. The Treaty of Peace between the Cloudkin and our Kingdom prohibits all ships and persons from contact with the bird-people of Cloudkin society. However, if one side is in need, the other side can assist without breach of contract. Remember that those Empire ships were battle damaged before we encountered them.” James sat his glass down on the corner of the map and waited.
Sky Marshal Plateman sat back in his chair and struck a match to light his tobacco pipe. “And if they are not in need of help, we will have committed an act that could lead to war, James,” replied the Sky Marshal as he inhaled causing the end of the pipe to glow red.
“Perhaps not,” said Misty as she walked further into the Sky Marshal’s office and placed her pack down in a chair with a thud which startled everyone but James.
“And who are you?” asked Lieutenant Commander Shockly in a rude tone.
“She is my body guard, Mr. Shockly,” replied James with a smile.
Shockly bowed his head toward Misty.
“No worries,” Misty said as she smiled back at James.
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