Quillblade (22 page)

Yami nodded. ‘As do I.'

This surprised Lenis. He hadn't thought to ask what the swordsman thought of where they were going or what they were doing. He seemed content with whatever the captain decided, as long as the
Hiryû
wasn't put in direct danger. As if he had heard Lenis's thoughts, Yami continued, ‘We risk
much by going there. Some call Asheim the Birthplace of Demons.'

Namei gasped. ‘Their
birthplace?
'

‘Yes. The final battle of the Great War was fought around Asheim. That battleground became the Wastelands.'

Lenis interjected, ‘Wait. Are you saying the Wastelands under Asheim were the
first
Wastelands?
Ever?
'

Yami nodded and Lenis shuddered. He wasn't the only one to.

Missy was shaking her head. ‘But why would anyone keep living there?'

‘The Ostians fought hard to keep their capital during the Great War,' Yami told them, ‘and Asheim was an advanced city, even then. It would have been hard for them to abandon it. Besides, if the Demons ever did find a way to attack the city now, they would have to go through the poorer quarters first. As they were feeding on the destitute, the wealthy would have ample time to escape in their airships.'

‘That's terrible!' Missy cried.

Namei covered her mouth with her hands. ‘I think Sir Yami must be joking with us.'

Lenis didn't think so. It had been settlers from countries just like Ost that had brought the custom of slavery to Pure Land. He knew most Puritans wouldn't hesitate to feed their slaves to a Demon if it meant they could save their own lives. In fact, Lenis imagined if Wastelands ever did appear in Pure Land it would soon become quite common to keep the local Demon
population satisfied by throwing them a slave or two to munch on. He didn't see why the Ostians would be any different.

Yami turned back to stare past the dragon figurehead's shoulder. ‘I am only speculating, of course. The nobility of Ost may be more charitable than I have been led to believe. We will see for ourselves tomorrow.'

Lenis caught his first glimpse of Asheim as dawn lightened the sky the following day. At first he was reminded strongly of the World Tree of his dreams, reaching out of the horizon and into the heavens. As the light grew, however, he realised that there was nothing natural about the capital city of Ost.

From a distance it seemed as though someone had stacked one circular arena on top of another, giving a sense that the city was a single tower rising out of the deceptively picturesque dawn-tinged miasma of the Wastelands into the pink clouds of morning. As the
Hiryû
drew nearer, Lenis realised that this was not the case. At the very bottom of the city, he could just make out four towers supporting a large stone slab on which other towers had been built. These held up the next level of the city, and so on. Each level, including the one at the very top, was roughly the same size, which meant the Ostians could probably keep adding onto their tower city indefinitely, until they overbalanced one side or made it so heavy the sheer weight of the city pulled it back down to earth.

‘Lenis, the captain wants you in the engine room,' Namei called to him from the deck. ‘We need more altitude.'

‘More altitude?' Lenis took one last look at the city before reluctantly making his way back to his post.

Namei fell into step beside him. ‘He says we're going right to the top. We
are
in the Warlord's private airship, after all.'

‘You're kidding?' Lenis stopped. ‘We're going to pretend Lord Shôgo
sent
us here?'

Namei grinned. ‘We need to get into the royal vault to search for this manuscript, remember? Besides, we've already got the outfits, and the captain doesn't think the Warlord will have spread word that he lost his new airship. He cannot afford to admit to such weakness.'

Lenis stifled a groan and hurried on, unconvinced by Namei's logic. They reached the engine room just as Captain Shishi's voice came through the speech tube. ‘It appears we are to become Shinzôn officials for a while! Could everyone please act as though we are in the service of our great master, Lord Shôgo Ikaru?'

Namei did groan at that.

Lenis turned to her. ‘What's wrong? I thought you were looking forward to this.'

‘It's a good idea, but that doesn't mean I have to
like
putting on that uniform again.'

Lenis laughed. ‘Why not? You look good in it. I mean ... ah, never mind.'

Namei giggled and hurried out of the engine room. Lenis moved to adjust the mechanisms that controlled their altitude, wishing he could cool his burning cheeks.

Missy was busy long before they reached the airdocks of Asheim. The skies around the capital were full of airships. She hadn't seen so many gathered together in one place since she had left Pure Land, and it was her responsibility to make sure the
Hiryû
didn't crash into any of them. Between relaying messages from the airdock officials to Shin at the tiller, and keeping in constant contact with the other airships around them to make sure their flight path remained clear, Missy didn't have time to admire the city.

Getting through the traffic required concentration but was relatively easy. Maintaining their cover as Shôgo agents was much harder. Missy had to not think about why they were really coming to Asheim in case a stray image, like of the crew stealing the
Hiryû,
was picked up by an Ostian Bestia and faithfully relayed to its Keeper. Usually, receivers politely ignored unintentional message-images, but Missy doubted
they'd ignore something as blatant as treason. If she made a mistake now she could give them all away.

The constant mental effort of trying not to think of anything incriminating began to take its toll. Missy felt the sweat start to run down her face, and she was gripping her desk so hard her knuckles ached. Her message epitomised the rule of condensation. It contained only one image: Lord Shôgo's red dragon motif. That couldn't get her into too much trouble.

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 softened 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.'