Quillblade (7 page)

‘C-captain?' Lenis's voice came reverberating through the speech tube and drew Missy's consciousness back to the bridge. ‘We need to land soon. Aeris is nearing her breaking point and it's going to take most of her remaining strength to bring us down.'

‘Thank you, Master Clemens.' Captain Shishi turned to the navigator. ‘Have you found us a safe place to land the airship, Mister Jackson?'

Nothing in the captain's tone gave his thoughts away, and Missy was still unable to penetrate the fog in his mind.

The navigator shrugged. ‘Here's as good a place as any.'

‘Take us down, Master Clemens. Hold her steady, Miss Shin.'

‘Yes, sir,' Lenis and Shin replied together.

‘Prepare to land!'

The force of their descent sent fresh waves of pain to Missy's head. She winced as the familiar rushing motion sent her stomach into her throat. She was confident her brother knew what he was doing but that didn't stop her worrying that they were descending just a little too fast.

With a boom the
Hiryû
settled to the ground. Even though Missy had expected the lurching halt, she still had to brace herself against her desk to keep from falling over. Except for the captain and the first officer, the others had not fared so well. The older crewmembers were huddled in a corner, helping each other to right themselves. As Missy went to help Shin to her feet, her steps were uneven, as though the deck were still moving beneath her feet. She smiled wryly at the other woman as she grabbed her arm.

Niji hauled herself to her feet. ‘If we'd been at sea I'd say you've still got your sea legs.'

Missy grimaced. ‘It's a shame we won't be stationary long enough to get used to it.' They both laughed, a little nervously.

The captain was speaking with the cook. ‘Mister Hiroshi, perhaps you could prepare a late meal for us. I think we have delayed dinner long enough.'

‘At once, Captain.' Hiroshi left the bridge.

‘Shall we all retire to the galley?'

As the rest of the crew filed below decks, Missy lagged
behind so she could make the detour to the engine room. As she had expected, she found Lenis caring for Aeris. The poor thing looked completely worn out, her whole body quivering.

‘Is she all right?' Missy bent to touch her cheek.

Lenis's brow furrowed as he stroked the creature's fur. ‘She will be. She's a lot stronger than she looks.'

Missy sat next to Lenis on his bunk, their legs and shoulders touching, and massaged her aching temples. ‘What do you think of all this?'

Lenis coaxed Aeris to drink from a small dish of water. ‘I don't like any of it. Stealing the airship, fighting with the Warlord. And that sword of yours! Where did you get it?'

‘Lord Tenjin gave it to me.' Missy pulled the Quillblade out and handed it to her brother. He held the limp feather away from him between two fingers.

‘Why did he do that?'

‘He didn't say. You're not jealous, are you?'

‘No, of course not,' he said quickly. ‘It's dangerous, Missy.'

‘Of course it is.' She took the Quillblade back and hid it under her clothes. ‘It's supposed to be some sort of sword.'

‘What do
you
want with a sword?'

‘It's something I've never had before.' Her response sounded lame, even to her. ‘It's a symbol of this freedom, this “Way” the captain promised us when we stole the
Hiryû.
You know a slave can't hold a weapon. Well, here I am, holding one.'

‘You're still a slave, Missy,' Lenis whispered. ‘You shouldn't forget that.'

She sighed. ‘I wish you could just enjoy things, you know?'

‘Be careful with it, all right? I don't like what it did to you.'

‘What do you mean?'

‘When you were holding it, it took something away from you.'

‘Only my fear. Isn't that a good thing?'

‘It's yours,' he said stubbornly. ‘You shouldn't have to give it up.'

Missy reached out and ruffled his hair, half worried and half bemused by her brother's words. She didn't mind giving up her fear in the least, but Lenis knew about emotions like she knew about telepathy. If he was warning her about something, she knew better than to take it lightly.

Lenis lowered his head to rub his cheek against Aeris's fur. ‘What do you think the captain will do with us?'

‘What do you mean?'

He looked up at her and frowned. ‘Ignis.'

‘Oh, that. I don't know, probably nothing. You saved us, didn't you?'

‘Missy –'

‘Look,' she said, putting her arm around him, ‘I sort of did the same thing back at Itsû.' He pulled away from her, and she rushed on. ‘I don't think they realise what
communicators and engineers can really do, so they don't realise we're ... different. Bestia power's still new in Shinzô. Most of the Shinzôn crew have never even been on an airship before.'

‘What about Lord Knyght, and Kenji? They've both been on lots of airships, so they probably know all about Bestia Keepers, too.'

Missy felt her chest constrict and the Quillblade quivered. She pushed her panic down. ‘I'm sure everything will be fine, little brother. Somehow. Are you coming to dinner?'

‘I'd better stay with Aeris.'

‘All right.' Missy stood. ‘I'll bring you both something to eat.'

‘Something with a little meat for Aeris,' Lenis said, ‘but only a little. I think she needs some iron, but I don't want her overdoing it.'

Missy nodded and left her brother sitting on his bunk.

As soon as Lenis closed his eyes a brilliant blue blazed across the insides of his eyelids and he felt soft rain falling on his face.

Again.

A small point of darkness in the depths of the azure glow expanded and resolved itself into the form of a dragon. It hung in the space before him, a featureless shadow.

I AM APSILLA. LADY OF RAIN AND BLUE DRAGON OF THE EAST. YOU MUST SAVE MY DAUGHTER.

‘Gesshoku airdock sighted.' The lookout's voice came through the speech tube.

Lenis turned to the engine. ‘A proper berth tonight, my lady.'

It had been a long, tense day. At any moment, Lenis had been expecting a summons from the captain to explain his actions, but no such summons came. Missy's assurances that everything was going to be all right did little to assuage his fears. A part of Lenis was convinced Gesshoku would be his last port of call with the
Hiryû,
but he was hopeful. Gesshoku was a small town bordering the Wastelands in Tsuki domain. The Yûgure clan ruled there, and they were enemies of Lord Shôgo. If Captain Shishi did sell the twins, whoever bought them would be unlikely to give them to the Warlord, and there was also a chance that there wouldn't be anyone who could afford them, or anyone the captain could buy to replace
them. He did need them to run the airship, after all. Lenis tried to think only in terms of ‘us' and ‘we'. He couldn't face the thought of being separated from Missy. They had always been sold as a pair. Always.

Lenis sighed and rubbed at red-rimmed eyes. It was bad enough having to worry about being sold all day; he was also functioning on almost no sleep. The dragon dream had haunted him all night, giving him no real rest.

The docking procedure went smoothly and Lenis removed a grateful Aeris from the engine block. He turned some valves to release some of the pent-up air in the system and then took Aeris to her hutch. Without power, the metal of the engine block began to cool rapidly. Lenis left the machines to settle and went to the galley. Hiroshi was again behind his enormous pot.

‘Morning, lad! Come for some grub for the little ones?'

‘Yes, Master Hiroshi.' Lenis was taken aback by the cook's enthusiastic greeting but was pleased he had put out six dishes filled with thick stew. He could smell beef, but a closer inspection showed him there was only a little in each dish. ‘Thank you.'

‘Rations are a bit short, I'm afraid. We can restock down in Gesshoku, and probably find a decent bath, too! And call me “Hiroshi”, boy. I'm no man's master. I gave that up a long time ago, let me tell you.'

‘Oh?'

‘That's a long story! But you go feed your pets and maybe we'll have a chat once the others head down to the village.'

Lenis half nodded, half bowed and made his way to the engine room with the dishes balanced in his arms. On his way past the crew quarters he peered into his sister's cabin.

Missy was busy brushing her new trousers, a gift from Andrea, the woman who kept yelling things down the speech tube. Last night after they had all eaten, the captain had ordered that the crew weren't to wear their Shôgo uniforms any longer, and the lookout had offered Missy some of her old clothes when it was pointed out that the twins only had clothes in the Warlord's black and red.

‘Going ashore?'

Missy smiled at him and bowed in the Ellian fashion. The trousers had been tailored to fit Andrea and hung at Missy's hips. The cuffs had been turned up and the shirt that went with the outfit was loose. ‘The captain wants me to go in case Lord Knyght needs me to translate anything.'

‘Captain Shishi isn't going?'

‘There's no real reason for us to leave the airship except to stock up on our provisions, and Arthur knows more about that sort of thing than the captain. Between you and me, though, I think Arthur wants to take a look around the village. He wasn't too happy about stealing the
Hiryû
until the captain said something about the Warlord being overthrown. I think Arthur wants to get an idea of how Shinzô works, or something. He's been thinking of Kyst a lot, and he's been making comparisons between the captain and some people he knew back home.'

Lenis glanced down the hall and stepped into Missy's cabin. ‘You've been reading his mind?'

Missy smoothed her hair and tied it back. ‘I've only been taking peeks. I want to know why Arthur came along when the captain gave him the choice to stay behind.'

Lenis thought about asking his sister if she had gleaned anything about their fate but decided he didn't want to encourage her. Besides, he could feel her excitement and didn't want to dampen it. Gesshoku would be the first place in Shinzôn either of them had seen up close. He forced some levity into his voice. ‘Arthur, now, is it?'

‘
Lord
Knyght.'

‘You just watch your manners, and if you have to look into his mind, do it gently. The last thing we need is to draw any more attention to ourselves.'

Missy groaned. ‘Don't you have Bestia to feed?'

‘Have fun for me.'

Missy stuck her tongue out at him.

Lenis returned to his room feeling even more despondent. Between his show of power and Missy's mental spying it wouldn't take long before they were both sold off.

He placed the dishes of food in the Bestia hutch and sat on his bunk to watch his charges eat. Aeris, as he had expected, ate with relish and then sat and cleaned herself. The others were more sedate, but he noticed both Terra and Atrum only picked at their food. He lifted them both and checked their ears, eyes and mouths before hugging them and settling them
back in their pens. ‘I think we could all do with some fresh air.'

If it weren't for the Bestia, Lenis would never have dared to address the captain directly, much less remind him of his new slave's impertinence. For their sake, though, he had to ask, so he picked up the speech tube.

‘Captain Shishi, sir, I think the Bestia need some exercise and fresh air.'

Lenis found himself unexpectedly wary when the captain replied, ‘By all means, Master Clemens, bring them on deck.'

Lenis thanked him and carried the Bestia, two by two, into the light. Aeris and Aqua found a shady spot under one of the holds and curled around each other to sleep. The others scampered across the deck. Ignis and Atrum took it in turns to chase each other along the railings, on top of the holds, and even around the outside of the crystal-domed bridge. In this game Ignis had an advantage, as he could nip at Atrum's much longer tail while Atrum had to make mad leaps to reach Ignis's. Lucis went so far as to climb into the crow's nest and was rewarded with a frightened shriek from Andrea. Terra stretched his long legs and began sniffing one of the holds.

Lenis's mood lifted considerably as he watched his Bestia enjoying themselves. He looked over the railing and was pleased to see that, although it boasted its own airdock, Gesshoku was a small village with few dwellings. The village's wooden buildings were scattered seemingly at random and
the streets were wide and made of compacted dirt, rather than stone or wooden slats. The sturdiest of the village's structures seemed to be the pigpens, and that was including the wall that surrounded the place. It seemed doubtful that the Shôgo's agents would find them here. It seemed even less likely that the captain would find anyone here willing to buy or replace the twins.

The reason for the small population of Gesshoku was apparent when Lenis looked to the west. The Wastelands that bordered Tsuki domain seemed to reach right up to the outskirts of the village. There had once been some sort of forest here, but the Wastelands had stripped the life from it. The greenish fog that drifted through the Wastelands had gathered into a great mass on this edge of the forest. Dead roots and branches poked out of the fog and seemed to claw at the healthy land. Tendrils of fluorescent taint spread through the Wastelands' greying soil and into the sparse grass that grew on the narrow field before the walls. Though Lenis knew it would take at least an hour to cross that thin stretch of still-healthy ground between Gesshoku and the corrupted forest, if the Demons decided to attack, that time would be the only warning the villagers would get. Lenis doubted their wall would hold against a full-on assault.

Lenis shuddered and turned to the captain, who was sitting on the steps leading up to the bridge. ‘Have the Demons ever attacked Gesshoku?' The question was out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

‘A few times,' came the reply. ‘Not often. This used to be a crucial outpost in the defence against the Demon hordes, but the Yûgure clan abandoned it about forty years ago when they bought their airships from the Puritans. This airdock allows them to ferry troops here quickly, so they no longer need to keep a substantial portion of their forces here. It frees their warriors for ... other things.'

Lenis suspected those other things involved rebellion against the Warlord. ‘I don't know how people can live so close to it.'

‘What wisdom forbids –'

‘Necessity dictates,' Lenis finished the captain's thought and stared glumly over the railing. The Wasteland miasma that was not quite a fog seemed to be growing denser the longer he stared at it. It was almost as if it were encroaching on the village, though Lenis knew that was only an illusion created by the strange gas.

A peal of laughter interrupted his thoughts and he looked across the deck to see Ignis and Atrum playing with Namei. Somehow the two Bestia had gotten hold of Namei's scarf, and she was trying to snatch it back while they fought over it. Lenis smiled as he went over to help, though he was more interested in watching their game than in returning Namei's scarf. The cabin girl was trying to look stern and scold the pair of Bestia, but she was laughing so hard it spoiled the effect. Lenis wondered if she'd spent much time with Bestia. He had to remind himself it was not just airships that were
relatively new here. Until the Puritans had come, the people of Shinzô had never thought to harness Bestia power, which had been discovered in Heiligland after Shinzô had sealed its borders.

‘Namei!' Hiroshi's bellow startled the Bestia into dropping the thick strip of fabric. They climbed up the side of one of the holds and disappeared from sight. ‘Come and help me with these pots!'

As the girl retied her scarf the cook hefted an armload of iron pots and pans onto the deck. Namei made a face at Lenis and disappeared below. She returned a moment later with a large tub of water. Lenis helped her carry it across to the rapidly growing pile of dirty dishes.

Namei leant over and whispered, ‘You'd better disappear before –'

‘Give us a hand, lad,' Hiroshi called. ‘It's a few less pots Namei has to deal with!'

Lenis made a face. ‘Too late.'

Namei giggled as Lenis called Ignis over to heat the water. When it was hot enough the two of them began scrubbing.

Hiroshi settled back on the deck. ‘I'll just take a quick breath or two before I make a start. Those pots were heavy.' He pulled a pipe out of his robes and jabbed some tobacco into it before lighting it and holding it to his lips. The cook breathed in deeply and then let out a long puff of smoke. ‘Ah, that's better. Now, I was going to tell you about the time
I
was somebody's master, wasn't I?'

Lenis looked up from his work. ‘Yes, sir.'

Hiroshi smiled around his pipe. ‘In my youth I was known throughout Shinzô as a great
shugyosha,
or what you would call a wandering warrior, or something like that. I was a master of the
Tantô no Subayai-ryû,
the agile dagger style. Now, this was at the beginning of the Divine Restoration, and both the Warlord's court at Itsû and the Emperor's divine court at Nochi were in need of heroes.'

‘And on whose side did you fight?' the captain asked him from his perch on the bridge's steps. ‘To support or to overthrow the Warlord?'

Hiroshi harrumphed, spewing smoke in all directions. ‘Things were very confusing in those days, Captain. This was before your time, of course.' He clenched his pipe between his teeth, took out a roll of knives and a sharpening stone and spread them on the deck before him. As he puffed smoke out of the side of his mouth he began sharpening his implements. ‘They were exciting days, I tell you! Battles lit by nothing more than a half-moon, if we were fortunate enough to get that, and nothing to eat but the grass under your feet. And there was none of this sailing around through the sky or getting about in an automated palanquin, let me tell you! You only went where your own two feet could carry you.

‘Of course, it wasn't all deprivation and misery. There were splendid feasts and many festivals, and everywhere I went I was known as Lord Hiroshi, or Master Hiroshi, or the Great Hiroshi, Master of the
Tantô no Subayai-ryû
and
the strongest warrior in the Chô clan! And the serving wenches, I tell you, boy, the wenches! Not that you'd know what to do with any of them, eh?' He rocked back on his heels and laughed as Lenis's cheeks reddened.

‘I should hope not,' Captain Shishi called across the deck.

Kenji the navigator was sitting a few steps below him, rolling a pair of dice around in one hand. ‘Come on, old man. Get on with it. What happened to you that you ended up an old cook?'

Hiroshi coughed. ‘Not so much of the old, Mister Jackson, if you don't mind. I'll tell you just what happened. I was travelling through Hoshi domain when I came across a little village, smaller than that one there,' he nodded over the railing, ‘called Ohitsujiza. It was the time of the Summer Festival. Now, the Demons chose that particular evening to raid over their borders, and raving mad they all were, too, I can tell you! The defenders fought bravely enough, but soon they all fell to the fangs and claws of the horrible beasts. That's when I entered the fight.'