“Just a little longer,” encouraged Misty just as they heard the door open. The messenger stepped in front of the alleyway tossing a bag of gold up into the air catching it with a smile.
“Now!” whispered Misty as they both lunged at him. Before he could defend himself, Rachael slammed the messenger into the wall and put a dagger under his chin.
“You have one chance to explain why you were in there!” ordered Rachael through her gritted teeth.
“I don’t have to explain anything to you! You’re not my superior!” barked the messenger in rage at his attackers.
“Oh no? And what would your superiors think if they saw you going into the captain’s office?” Misty asked cleverly.
“Like I said…I ain’t saying anything,” replied the messenger.
Misty and Rachael were too occupied with trying to get information from the messenger that they didn’t notice that the door of the office had opened again.
“Ladies, I believe that you have found yourselves in a spot of trouble,” said Captain Sprocket as he cocked his pistol.
“Lower your weapon, captain, or I’ll kill this man,” Rachael demanded unwilling to budge.
“You have one round and there are two of us,” added Misty as she clutched her sword’s hilt in her hand.
“I was going to take it easy on the both of you. I’m sorry,” laughed Captain Sprocket as two of his guards stepped into the alleyway with pistols drawn.
Rachael dropped her dagger and let the messenger go.
“You might as well lay your saber on the ground,” said Captain Sprocket coldly as he looked to Misty.
Misty unbuckled her belt that the sword was attached to and laid it on the ground. Misty and Rachael stood side by side and waited for what was to come.
“What to do with you two? I know that you’re the one that escaped from Firebolt’s ship. Imagine how he will reward me when I deliver you back to him,” said Captain Sprocket as he placed his pistol back on his side.
“What about the other one?” asked one of Captain Sprocket’s men.
“Knock her out. Be sure to tie her up. We’re no longer welcome here. Meet me at the ship when you’re done. We leave immediately. Mr. Blackwin will soon figure out what has happened and by that time, we will have been long gone,” ordered Captain Sprocket as he roughly tied Misty’s hands behind her back and pulled a bag over her head.
“Sorry, miss,” said one of the guards as he hit Rachael and the other guard pointed his pistol at her. Misty heard Rachael fall to the ground as Captain Sprocket began to drag her away.
***
“We should have heard from Misty by now,” said James as he looked at his pocket watch.
“Should we go to the ship?” asked Sky Marshal Plateman as he rose from his chair.
“I believe that we should. Misty is never late,” said James growing more concerned.
Sky Marshal Plateman quickly gathered his belongings and caught up with James as he was entering the lift.
“I told my guards to meet us at the dock. I have left the Lieutenant Commander in charge,” said Sky Marshal Plateman as the lift came to a stop on the ground floor.
“Very good. We will be gone for a few days. Did you inform the Department to have a ship follow us to the Forest of Mist?” James asked as they exited the barracks.
“It should all be taken care of even if we leave before the Department ship,” said Sky Marshal Plateman as the two walked to the dock.
On board the ship, Crew Chief Rewk was loading the weapons and munitions that the Department had provided as gifts for the Cloudkin.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Rewk,” James greeted as he boarded the ship along with the Sky Marshal.
“I’m just about finished loading the ship. We will be ready to sail within the hour,” reported Crew Chief Rewk as he took inventory and the crew used mechanical steam driven cranes to load the cannons and munitions onto the ship.
“Perfection, Mr. Rewk,” complimented Sky Marshal Plateman as he watched the cogs spin on the arm of the cranes and the last of the cannons were lowered onto the deck.
“Mr. Rewk,” James asked after he scanned the deck of the airship without seeing either Misty or Rachael, “I was wondering if you have seen Misty or Rachael? They were supposed to have sent word to notify us when the ship was ready.”
“Hmmm…a few hours ago. They took off in that direction,” replied Crew Chief Rewk as he pointed towards the office of Captain Sprocket.
“Plateman, bring your guards. Something’s wrong,” said James nervously as he looked at the building and saw that it was as dark as night.
Sky Marshal Plateman’s guards were on deck checking their armor and weapons when he called for them. He followed James to the docking platform to exit the ship as the guards caught up with him.
“Gentlemen, we suspect something may have happened to Rachael and Misty. Keep close to us and stay sharp,” said Sky Marshal Plateman as he followed James to Captain Sprocket’s office.
James knocked on the door and waited for a moment. “Seems that no one is here. Have one of your men go around to the back of the building and try to look through the window. The rest of us will ask around to see if anyone has seen them pass by recently,” James said as he glanced over the crowd of sailors and merchants moving around on the docks.
“You heard him. You go around and see what you can see,” ordered Sky Marshal Plateman as he pointed to the guard closest to the alleyway. The guard immediately turned and stepped into the alleyway on the command of the Sky Marshal.
“Alright, let’s start asking around. You and your men take that side and I’ll take this side of the docks. Meet back here in twenty minutes,” James said as he stepped towards the crowd.
“Wait! Over here!” shouted the guard as he emerged from the alleyway. James was the first to rush over and saw the guard cutting a rope that bound Rachael’s hands.
Sky Marshal Plateman arrived and pushed past James to see Rachael lying almost lifelessly on the ground. He bent over to check her pulse. She was still breathing, but unconscious.
“Rachael! Wake up! I need to know what happened!” Sky Marshal Plateman begged as he gently shook her in an attempt to wake her up.
James stepped further into the alleyway to look for Misty when Rachael began to open her eyes.
“Don’t bother, Mr. Blackwin. He took her,” Rachael whispered as James returned to where she was lying.
“Rachael? Who took her? Who took Misty?” James asked frantically as he leaned over her.
“Captain Sprocket! He’s one of Firebolt’s. They got the jump on us. I’m sorry, Mr. Blackwin. They knew who she was,” said Rachael as she fought the pain in her head from being hit so hard.
“Let’s get her to the ship,” said Sky Marshal Plateman as he picked Rachael up in his arms.
The walk back to the airship was quite despite the crowded docks. When they reached the boarding dock, Lieutenant Commander Shockly was waiting for them.
“Sir, news on the spy…” said Lieutenant Commander Shockly before stopping when he saw Rachael being carried by Sky Marshal Plateman.
“You’re a little too late,” said the Sky Marshal as he stepped past Shockly.
“What happened?” asked Lieutenant Commander Shockly with growing confusion.
“Captain Sprocket of the docks was the spy. He has taken Misty. And as far as we know, more information than they need to know,” explained James solemnly as he sat down on a barrel next to the railing of the airship.
“They took Misty? Hang those pirates!” yelled Crew Chief Rewk as he brought a glass of water for Rachael.
“What do we do, James? We have already gone over the plan. Coming up with another one would waste time that we may not have,” said Sky Marshal Plateman feeling conflicted.
“No. We stick to the plan. There’s only one place they would take her,” James said as he looked out at the clear, blue sky.
“Hover Bay,” said Rachael as she stoo
d to her feet and staggered over to James.
“Yes! Hover Bay! Whatever Firebolt is planning is going to happen in Hover Bay,” James said as he placed a hand on Rachael’s shoulder. “We must first form an alliance with the Cloudkin and hope for the best. No harm came to Misty the last time. Let’s hope the same is true now until we can rescue her. She is strong. I have all faith in her.”
“Shall we get on with it then?” asked Sky Marshal Plateman as he looked at James.
“Mr. Rewk, take us out. The Cloudkin may not welcome us with open arms, but we have to try,” said James as he watched Crew Chief Rewk salute and rush to the helm.
“Lieutenant Commander, if anything should happen in my absence, I expect you to handle it as I would,” said Sky Marshal Plateman as he shook the Lieutenant Commander’s hand before he left the ship.
“Fair winds and clear skies!” said Lieutenant Commander Shockly as he returned to the docks.
James and the others remained on the deck until Sky Port was barely visible.
“Have you thought about what to say to the Cloudkin Chief?” James asked Plateman to break the silence.
“Not in the least,” replied Sky Marshal Plateman with a forced laugh.
“We still have several hours before we arrive at the Forest of Mist,” James said with a smile.
“Come on. Let’s get a bite to eat and get Rachael patched up,” suggested Sky Marshal Plateman as they walked across the deck to the stairs.
Below deck, James asked the cook to fix them stew and ordered one of the medical staff to look at Rachael.
“Thank you, Mr. Blackwin. I can’t believe that they got the jump on us,” Rachael said as she lowered her head.
“It isn’t your fault. That pirate has been one step ahead of us since the King’s Ball,” said James as he ate the last bite of his stew.
“Before it’s all said and done, James and I will see that pirate hung from the gallows at Moon and Star Palace for all to see,” said Sky Marshal Plateman as he slammed his fist down on the table.
“Take it easy. Let’s think about what we know. Firebolt has summoned the council and with the members of the council working with him, it may be more difficult to get into Hover Bay this time,” said James trying to prove his point.
“Not only that, James, but I have no idea of what I’m going to say when face to face to the Cloudkin,” said Sky Marshal Plateman with disappointment in his voice.
“We will face them together,” smiled James as he stood to his feet. “Rachael, you can use Misty’s room. You should get some rest. Mr. Rewk will alert us when we are close.”
“Thank you, Mr. Blackwin. Normally I would turn that offer down, but I could use a spot of rest,” said Rachael as she stood up from her seat and saluted the Sky Marshal before leaving the galley.
“What about you, James? What are you going to do until we arrive?” asked Sky Marshal Plateman as they left the galley behind Rachael.
“I need to keep studying these books about the Cloudkin and you should too. I’ll be in the Captain’s Quarters if you need me,” James said as he patted Sky Marshal Plateman on the shoulder and walked away.
***
James finally closed the book and checked the time. Several hours had passed without him paying any attention to the time. “Better go and check on Mr. Rewk. Surely we’re getting close,” said James to himself as he stacked several books back onto the shelves and opened the doors of the captain’s cabin.
James felt a light breeze as he opened his eyes and saw giant trees in the distance. He studied them for a moment. The true height of the trees was concealed by the clouds. James hurried to the helm to see what was stopping them from proceeding closer to the Forest.
He opened the door and found Sky Marshal Plateman and Rachael looking out of the window at the massive trees.
“Have you ever seen anything like that?” asked Sky Marshal Plateman when he noticed that James had joined them.
“When I was young, my father brought me here, but my memories are cloudy,” said James as he began to feel a familiarity of the view.
“Really? That was before we agreed to stay out of their business then?” asked Sky Marshal Plateman as he looked at James in disbelief.
“Yes, it was. Mr. Rewk, can you take us in closer?” James asked as he looked out over the tall, dark trees.
“I can try but it doesn’t appear that there’s an entrance inside the Forest, sir,” answered Crew Chief Rewk as he spun the ship’s wheel to get closer to the Forest of Mist.
“Are those birds flying out of the trees?” Rachael asked as the ship steamed closer.
“No, that’s Cloudkin warriors. Are the King’s colors raised?” yelled James as he rushed out of the door to see for himself.
“Yes, sir. I had the men hoist our flag as soon as I spotted those enormous trees,” assured Crew Chief Rewk as he watched the Cloudkin draw closer.
Suddenly, the warriors began to fly higher and eventually into the clouds and out of sight.
“Where did they go?” asked Sky Marshal Plateman with his face against the window as he tried to spot any signs of them.
“Mr. Rewk, can you see them?” asked James after looking for himself.
“No, sir. No sign of them anywhere,” replied Crew Chief Rewk as he gripped the ship’s wheel and continued to steam towards the massive trees.
Several moments passed as the entire crew fell silent. No one even dared to move.
“Did anyone hear that noise?” James asked as he looked to the deck of the airship.
Everyone paused and held their breath as they listened for the noise that James had heard. “Yes. There it is again. And again,” said Sky Marshal Plateman as they all looked to the deck.
“What in sun fire is that, sir?” asked Crew Chief Rewk as he slowed the airship down.
“No one panic. We’re about to be boarded. The books said that this is a kind of test,” explained James confidently.
“Maybe I should have studied some of those books after all,” said Sky Marshal Plateman with fear rising in his voice. No sooner than when he finished speaking, a large, winged Cloudkin landed on the deck next to the main mast with a loud thud.
Everyone froze in place including James until the Cloudkin warrior spoke.
“My name is Dayden, War Chief of the Cloudkin. Who among you is the Captain?” shouted Dayden as he folded his large green wings behind him and removed the helmet that covered the greenish-blue feathers growing out of his head.
James opened the door to the helm and stepped out onto the stairs. “I am not the Captain but I do lead these men,” answered James as he stepped slowly towards the much taller Cloudkin.
“We did not receive word that your King was sending anyone. You will now leave unharmed,” commanded Dayden as he stretched his wings and flew into the air.
“Wait! We know that the Empire sent scout ships here. Your people are in danger!” shouted James as Dayden circled the ship and landed back in the same spot he had before.
“Tell me, Vaspian, what is your name?” asked Dayden as he moved his head in a bird-like manner.
“James Blackwin,” replied James as he bowed to Dayden.
“Adam Blackwin’s son?” asked Dayden as he took a horn from his waist and blew it.
In a matter of seconds, three more Cloudkin landed on the deck from out of what seemed like nowhere.
Sky Marshal Plateman and Rachael joined James and stood by his side. “What’s going on, James?” whispered Sky Marshal Plateman as he watched the Cloudkin warriors on the deck of the airship.
“James Blackwin, we will take you to the elders. Your father was a truthful man. The elders will hear you,” announced Dayden as the other Cloudkin flapped their wings and disappeared out of sight once again.
“Thank you!” said James as he bowed again.
“I will tell your navigator how to enter the Forest,” said Dayden as he stepped onto the stairs that led to the helm and waited for James to show
him the way.
“Follow me. I’ll introduce you to Mr. Rewk,” said James with a smile as he motioned Dayden to follow.
Dayden stepped past Rachael and Sky Marshal Plateman as he followed James. It was the first time that either of them had seen a Cloudkin in person and they couldn’t help but stare. The creature was combination of Vaspian and bird. Dayden’s body resembled that of any other person, but with wings emerging from his shoulders. He was at least seven feet tall and his wing span was around fifteen feet. In the places that hair grew on a Vaspian’s head and face, Cloudkin instead grew colorful feathers.
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