A Leaf and Pebble

by Andrew Monroe

  He chuckled in response and pointed towards one of the slightly steaming pools. “Don’t worry, you look like one too. Let’s go.” The water was a deep, dark blue, making it almost opaque, and no one seemed to be in it, thankfully.

  “Obviously, any one really active should be on the lookout for red or orange springs, as they tend to be best at muscle recovery,” Volant explained, pointing out the different colored pools. He dipped a toe in to test the water, when suddenly a head popped up from the middle of the pool, gasping for air in deep, hungry breaths.

  Fiery red hair was slicked back to reveal a face of pale beauty. Grey eyes looked up at us in surprise. Volant smiled, waved at her, and climbed in without hesitation. I, on the other hand, froze. Mid step. Much like a caricature of a thief caught in the act. It was the same girl from the day before. The one with the broken rapier I’d seen arguing with the merchant.

  “Well Volant, I see you brought a stray home,” she said in a languid tone, having caught her breath. “Really, he’d probably be cute if he shut his mouth.”

  My mouth snapped closed in response, and I tried to smile. As her eyes drifted up and down me and my fully exposed front side, the desire to be covered in opaque and steaming water overcame me. I jumped in. Intense heat burned all over until my body adjusted. My mind kicked over, bringing a wealth of retorts, mostly childish. Instead I smiled. “Well Volant, won’t you introduce your startled and embarrassed stray to this incredibly polite girl?”

  She sat there for a moment, surprise passing to humor in a pair of heartbeats. We all began to laugh, any tension and embarrassment bled away into the water.

  “Nil, please meet Thecily, first mate of Skywolf, one of the few military ships in Wydvis.” He turned to Thecily. “This is Nil, a most wily leafer, and the greatest friend a man could ask for.” She nodded in my direction, but raised an eyebrow at Volant. “Most days, at least.” A pause. “Ok, he’s not half bad, sometimes,” he said with a wink to me.

  I looked her in the eye, which took an incredible amount of willpower, and nodded back. A friendly smile was paired with firm and unwavering steel in her eyes. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said, ignoring Volant’s jibe. “Skywolf, aye? It seems everyone has a wolf this or wolf that these days.” My own wink followed the comment up as I leaned back, determined not to let my nudity undermine me. My hand tingled from the warmth, and I decided to get in a bit slower next time. Either way, the romantic in me decided death would be better than blowing a chance with this girl as I waited for her to respond to my lame joke.

  Her eyes narrowed, unsure if I was joking. The water covered everything but her head as she sat back.

  I shrugged when she still didn’t answer. “So, how do you two know each other?”

  Thecily grinned, and Volant sighed. “She used to be my Kingdoms partner. And then we both worked on the same farming ship for a while.” Volant seemed to be holding something back, his ears turning red with embarrassment.

  “And...,” Thecily prodded, barely containing her laughter.

  “And after she saved my butt from a pair of bullies, back before I had grown much of a spine. Well, we, uh... she sorta kissed me.” His entire face was red, and I was fairly certain the steam wasn’t the cause.

  Both Thecily and I started laughing at the same time. It was minutes before I had wiped the tears from my eyes and could talk again. I had never heard of him kissing a girl before. Or really showing interest in any of the flocks of women who seemed to want his attention. I had always assumed he just wasn’t into them or something, but his embarrassment told a different story. Volant seemed to be a slow burn kind of guy.

  “The most important part, my friend. You left it out.” I paused dramatically, and then dropped my voice to a low, stage whisper. “Was she a good kisser?” This time, Volant joined in with our laughter, though I received a splash of water from Thecily. After the laughter died out, I sunk deeper into the water. Every ache and pain from the past few months was being replaced with a warm, tingling numbness. The world felt so right. No wonder Volant wanted to come back here. Jumping off sky ships, friends, women, and hot springs. I had a new equation for happiness.

  Fifteen

  A while later, after we’d had a good soak in a number of pools, Thecily piped up. “So,” she said, interrupting my introspection. “You never answered the question, Volant.” She was looking hard at him, trying to appear serious, though the faintest hint of a smile played on her face.

  Volant didn’t see either, as he was busy trying to look in every direction but hers. When the silence dragged on he finally looked up at her. “Look Thecily. I only said those things about you being a bad kisser because I was embarrassed! It was long ago.” He looked to me for help, but there was no way I could dig him out of his much deeper-than-expected hole.

  Both Thecily and I slowly moved to sit directly across from Volant. He looked at me as if I betrayed him. I gave him an eyebrow waggle in return.

  “Fine, you were decent enough, I guess.” Abruptly, he stood up. “You two are the worst. I’m moving to a hotter pool.”

  “No, come on, don’t be that way,” Thecily said sounding hurt. Volant shrugged, but as he turned, I saw a grin twitch on his face, along with a wink only I could see. Bless him, a guy really couldn’t get a better friend than Volant. As he climbed out, I realized just how close I was to the unclothed body of the red head and nearly panicked.

  But, before I could revel in our proximity, she slid back around to sitting across from me, seemingly less comfortable with just the two of us than her earlier bravado would have implied. “I should go with him,” I said after we’d chatted a bit about our mutual friend. “But, I’m in desperate need of a Kingdoms game. Want to meet up tomorrow for a round?” I tried to sound casual, but she probably saw through it.

  She looked me over again with those unreadable gray eyes. “You bring something to drink, and I provide the game, and a beating you won’t forget.”

  I started to get out of the pool. Terribly self-conscious, I tried to hide everything but failed miserably. Looking back over my shoulder, I saw her watching me. Nothing came to mind as a clever goodbye. I waved awkwardly, and started off towards the tree down the way. Only a few steps in, and it hit me. I turned around and gave up the attempt to be modest. “You didn’t tell me where we are meeting.”

  Thecily just smiled. “I didn’t. Had to make sure you were at least quick enough to catch that before I agreed to waste my time playing against you.” She arched her back languidly, regaining that original confidence. Whiplash stabbed at my neck from the speed I turned my head away as far too much of her came out of the water. “I have my own room on the Skywolf. Come find me there. After dinner.” She turned away from me, sinking back into the water.

  Volant was waiting at the tree for me, grinning from ear to ear. And still completely naked. “You’re welcome, leafer,” he said cheerily.

  “Fine, I owe you one.” I gave him a fist bump.

  The smug look he had was infuriating. Instead of continuing to satisfy his far too large ego, I began to get dressed. The air nipped coldly in comparison to the steaming water. My mind wandered while we dressed in silence, chasing thoughts of red headed girls and the quandaries of hot water and mountain air.

  When he had finished tying his hair back into a knot, he landed a friendly punch on the shoulder. “I’d bet you even have a plan to meet up with her later, thanks to my hasty retreat.” His light punch brought me back to the present, and I returned with a light shove, not that it did much.

  “We’re playing Kingdoms tomorrow night,” I said with a mixed amount of pride and embarrassment.

  With the world’s most self-satisfied grin, he strode off towards the market at the edge of the clearing.

  At the small shops, Volant pulled out the stone and unwrapped his mother’s shopping list. It was quick work talking to the various shopkeepers until he’d found everything his mother wanted and we both had armfuls of ship s
upplies.

  From there we headed towards a maze of ropes and flags. Weaving in and out of the hundreds of ropes that reached up to the variety of ships, Volant searched for his mother’s marker. Each flag was a mix of colors, lines, patterns and sizes. As the sky turned to twilight, Volant found the one he was searching for.

  We made a beeline for the thick rope. On it, a large, blood red square with jagged yellow patterns flapped lazily. By now, the fallpack had gone from amusing to downright annoying. The straps wrapping the balloon to the rest of the harness were constantly getting stuck on the ropes around us, or gently flicking the back of my head in an annoying reminder.

  “Now what?” With the harness on, I might be able to climb the flag rope, but that seemed too tiring, especially in my still weakened condition.

  “We ring for a ride up, of course,” he replied with a straight face.

  I stood there, curious if he was serious or not. He grabbed the rope. With some effort he shook it back and forth before stepping back and giving a thumbs up. Less than a minute later, a sturdy wood platform that looked like a swing came slowly down. It stopped about ten paces off the ground, a thin rope hanging from its side.

  Volant walked over to the string and pulled down. The platform lowered with each pull, until he could reach up and grab the polished edge and bring it the rest of the way to the ground. He stepped onto it, and gave a grand bow, inviting me on board.

  “This is interesting...” I said, a little wary.

  A tug on the rope that ran back up, and we ascended into the sky above as if by magic. The floor was the same design and wood as the ships were made out of. A geometric weaving of lightweight, light colored wood mixed with the heavier, thicker strips of board that made up the frame. Holes in the wood lined the edges, room for more hooks I assumed.

  As if he could read my thoughts, Volant chimed in. “Once you taste that adrenaline, the kind a ship jump gives you, it’s hard to sate. I tried repeatedly to have my mother send me a fallpack while we were at the school, but she always said they were too valuable for me to use as a ‘play thing.’ I suspect it was less the cost and more of an attempt at getting me to give up on my studies and come back home.” He sighed, gazing out as we ascended. A distant thought taking up his attention.

  I nodded, though he didn’t notice. Following his gaze, I looked out across the treetops. Sunset colored the horizon with a multitude of purples, reds, and pink undertones. A colorful last stand against the night’s oncoming darkness. The sunset was beginning to fade before I’d finished relishing the moment.

  A satisfying clunk announced our arrival in the cargo bay just as the last of the color was bleeding dark. Glass spheres swung all around the large bay area. Each sphere cast a twinkling white light, the source being a squat candle floating on a gel like surface. It reminded me of home, seeing those candles. In the trees, we used the same setup when we needed something that gave more light than glow moss. The gel, its name forgotten to me, was an impressive design. If the sphere broke they were made in a way that would immediately snuff out the candle floating in it. Plus, the gel provided a stable platform against the swaying of the ship, always keeping the candle up right.

  In one of the corners, a pair of men leaned against a crank. The sight was confusing. First, the crank system seemed incredibly complicated. I’d even assumed it was a bit of abstract art or something previously when I was given the tour. Ropes from every direction fed into the top of it after going through countless pulleys all over the ceiling. Metal spokes stuck out the sides like a compass. The crank had a metal locking mechanism on the front, holding the multiple gears in place and preventing movement. Before I could get a full examination, the skinnier of the two men spoke up.

  “What, couldn’t wait for the main lift, oh scholar?” A derisive snort followed.

  The second man cuffed him on the back of the head, albeit lightly. “Excuse him, he gets grumpier each day.” His hand stuck out, and I took it. “Everyone calls me Finn. This is my twin, Brawn.”

  The men looked identical, yet were opposites. Both shared the same face, height, hair color and other natural features. But the rude one, Brawn, was pale and skinny, with permanent frown lines about his face. Finn, on the other hand, looked like a well carved statue. With muscles larger than pretty much anyone I’d met, and the usual tan of Wydvis making him practically glow, it was like he’d devoured all of Brawn’s vitality. For some reason, they even dressed the same; brown boots, brown pants and a light white shirt. It brought on an oddly twisted sense of double vision.

  All four of us stood quietly. An unexplainable awkwardness filled the space, Volant saying not much of anything as the rest of us waited for him to speak. Finally, when Finn sighed, and his brother pointedly didn’t introduce himself to me even after the nudge, Volant cleared his throat. “It sure is getting late, guess we will see you later.” He began to walk off, and turned his head around. “Don’t worry. We’ll take the public lift next time,” he said stiffly.

  Not knowing quite what to do, I gave the odd twins a smile and a wave on the way out. Halfway up the stairs Volant stopped. “Left hand,” he muttered, turning back to me. His finger jabbed at the balloon floating behind him. A sigh and he was headed back down the stairs.

  The twins had already sat down and didn’t look up. A deck of cards was being passed between the two as it was slowly split up. Still, Volant said nothing, tossing the harness into the cage. I raised an eyebrow in question, but followed suit. Again we traversed the stairs in silence, fallpack free. Volant was practically fuming by the time we reached the main deck.

  Each step without the harness felt as if my feet were made of lead, supporting a body weighing ten times what I remembered. I missed it dearly. Volant led us off his mother’s boat and across the starlit boards that bridged the many ships floating in the clouds.

  “So,” I started. “That was not the friendliest I have ever seen you.” The night was bright. The perfectly round moon in the starry sky had always given me an uncomfortable feeling. It was like a god’s eye staring down at us.

  Volant lifted one shoulder, shrugging. “Long, pointless story.” After a quick raid of the kitchen’s leftovers, we wandered back to the bunks. I planned on pushing him about the twins, but fell asleep when my head touched hammock.

  I woke with a cold sweat and the shakes. I stumbled across the room, heading towards the bag I had hung near the stairs. I’d almost forgotten the final tincture but it took effect instantaneously. I looked around and saw that I was the first to wake. Not having much else to do, I made a pile of various coins on the floor.

  Sitting before them, I slowly concentrated, turning will to Skill. The Skill spread at a snail’s pace down my right arm. It was actually harder to transfer slowly. Much easier to unleash in one fluid motion. It was like pouring water downhill, but forcing it to move like a glacier instead of flowing freely. A terrible metaphor I thought, but a teacher had said something similar, and the idea had stuck with me.

  When Skill was pooled into my hand, I felt a wave of dizziness pass through me. I was still recovering, and it certainly left something lacking in my stamina. I slowly rolled my neck in a small circle, berating myself. Fingers tingled with sudden warmth.

  Too much Skill held for long could end up cooking you, both mentally and physically. Not only permanently lessening your abilities, but raising the risk of becoming a mental vegetable. Death was also possible, but rare.

  I mentally scooped up one of the coins at the bottom of the stack, mirroring the motion with my finger. Ever so slowly I raised it to eye level. Coins that were stacked precariously on top of one another wobbled while I was exerting my Skill on the bottom coin, keeping them all aloft. I used my other hand to split the levitating stack in two.

  Slowly, I managed to make the coins unstack in mid air, solely with Skill and the focus of a master craftsman. I began to dance the coins. Waves, twists and jumps gained speed faster and faster. The Skill I’d pooled in
my hand was ebbing away quickly as I forced the coins back and forth, and up and down, faster than a pianist playing. A few coins fell as I danced them about.

  By the time I brought them to sit in one stack hovering above my palm, at least half were on the floor. The stack dropped into my hand as the last bit of my will was expended. My hands still felt off after I had placed all the coins back in their pouch. I needed to find some food soon; otherwise the fog in my head would follow through the day. Volant still slept, and I didn’t want to raid his mother’s food without his guidance. A useful piece of my mind was rather terrified of her.

  Instead of risking the Captain’s wrath, I decided to find the market I first saw with Johanna. Priorities. Bakery would be the beginning. Honey glazed loafs from the bakery, and some mooshi if there was any, and those freshly boiled eggs wrapped in paper thin strips of bacon I’d seen a sailor munching.

  I bought four eggs when I arrived, and topped it off with fresh milk from a large cow that had no business being milked so far away from the ground. The cow seemed to agree, though it had little say in the matter with it being tied to a post.

  The mooshi wasn’t found, but the bread more than made up for it. Remembering I was supposed to bring drinks for the game, I also found a merchant and with a bit of haggling, left with a bottle of some exceptional strawberry tasting liquid and a basket with which to hold everything. With the memory of one who had only a faint recollection on how to get somewhere, I strolled off in the direction of Johanna’s place of residence.

  I arrived after an embarrassing amount of wandering. She was bustling about the small ship with efficiency. “You must make the sun feel sluggish with all of that energy, my dearest caretaker,” I said with a laugh. I was gratified with a small eek of surprise before she turned a withering look on me.

  “You should know better than sneaking up on old women like that, Nil!” Her words didn’t match the broad smile on her face as she came and hugged me with more strength than a woman her age should have. Taking the basket from my hand, she unceremoniously sniffed at the food, and gave an approving pat to my arm. Leading the way, she took us to the back of her ship, and climbed up a small ladder.