Quillblade (3 page)

The temperature seemed to drop several degrees all at once, and Missy shivered. Someone had come up to stand next to her without her noticing. She didn't want to turn and stare, so she tried to take in as much of the man as she could
out of the corner of her eye. He was of average height, with straight black hair pulled back severely from his brow and tied in a tail. He was dressed in black Shinzôn robes and, after a quick scan of the rest of the crew, Missy realised that this must be Yûrei no Gôshi Yami, the infamous cursed swordsman the captain had mentioned. Another shiver crept up her spine as she averted her eyes. Why was he standing next to
her?

‘Good, we are all here.' Captain Shishi's soft voice cut through her thoughts. His accent was heavy, but he spoke the common tongue with a surety that showed a good education. He stood now at the other entrance to the bridge with a Shinzôn woman behind him. Her stance was erect but her face was etched with deep wrinkles. ‘We are going to steal the
Hiryû.
'

Missy saw the ripple of surprise that ran through the rest of the crew at the captain's words.

Arthur, standing on the other set of steps, was the first to speak. ‘What is this, Captain Shishi? If it is some jest it is in poor taste.'

‘I am quite serious, Lord Knyght.' The captain turned towards the first officer. ‘I have spent more than half of my life as a
shugyosha,
what you would call a wandering swordsman. I have tested my strength against many foes, both human and Demon, and during this time I have come across a truth. We are, each of us, destined to discover the way, the true Way that holds the essence of each of us within it.'

Most of the crew showed no reaction to the captain's words this time. Were they as confused by them as Missy was?

An Ellian accent suddenly rang out. ‘What is this nonsense?'

Missy turned to look at the woman in the tan-coloured trousers and loose-fitting, wide-cuffed shirt.
That would be Andrea Florona,
she thought,
the airship's lookout.
The woman's wavy, auburn hair fell well past her shoulders, but what drew Missy's attention were the daggers at her belt and the automated crossbow strapped to her back.

‘In life there are infinite possibilities, Miss Florona. Innumerable pathways along which we may travel. Most have their courses chosen for them. What I am offering you – all of you – is a chance to find your own Way. I cannot promise that Way will be easy, but it will be yours. You are, of course, free to disembark now.' The captain pointed amidships where the gangplank leading down to the airdock was hidden by one of the holds. ‘Though I suggest you do so immediately. Once I give the order to launch I will assume that those of you still on board wish to accompany us.'

‘I cannot allow this.' Arthur's hand went to the hilt of his sword. If he had been caught off guard by the captain's announcement, he had quickly regained his composure. ‘I was commissioned by the Warlord himself. This airship is not yours to take. It will mean civil war, and there will be repercussions beyond Shinzô's borders.'

The crewmembers came suddenly to life, as if the suggestion of violence had prompted them into action. The Shinzôn crewmembers arrayed themselves in front of the captain. Andrea and Kenji stood with the first officer. None of them had drawn any weapons, but even without Lenis's empathic abilities Missy could feel the tension in the air. The twins hung back, as did the cursed swordsman Gôshi Yami.

‘I should expect no less from the legendary Arthur Knyght!' The captain gave a bark of laughter. ‘Lord Shôgo's time as Warlord grows short, Lord Knyght. The other great clans of Shinzô are allying against him. Given the circumstances surrounding your exile from Kyst, it seems strange that you would allow him to use the
Hiryû
to cling to power that is not rightfully his.'

Missy looked from the captain to the first officer, wondering how the captain's words fitted in with the discussion she and her brother had overheard last night. Then, the captain had seemed almost to support the Warlord. He was a rebel, sure, but the theft had seemed about something else, something beyond politics. If only she'd followed the two conspirators up to the bridge to continue eavesdropping!

Arthur's face was as uncompromising as ever, and his back was rigid, but the corners of his eyes had turned down slightly. Missy risked a peek into his mind. Something the captain had said registered with him, causing a number of images to flit through his mind all at once. Missy managed to catch a glimpse of two distinct memories: Arthur piloting an airship at the head of a Kystian armada, and a group of men
seated around a circular table inside a hall. The images were gone before she could work out what they meant.

‘You will use the airship against him, then?' the Kystian asked.

The captain shook his head. ‘Not at all. I am not interested in Shinzôn politics. Events of far greater consequence are occurring throughout the world, events that affect us all. I believe you will find them as troubling as I do.'

The two men were silent for a moment, but somehow they were still communicating. Not telepathically – Missy would have known if they were telepathic – but
something
seemed to pass between them. Something Missy could almost, but not quite, decipher. What was
really
going on here? She tried reading the captain's thoughts, but they were hazy. The only thing Missy could see clearly in his mind was a squat stone building. What could
that
mean?

Arthur relaxed his stance. ‘I will hear you out, Captain. Though I trust you will allow those who do not –'

The wrinkled woman standing behind the captain interrupted. ‘The Warlord is on his way up the airdock, Captain. If we're going to do this, it has to be now.'

The captain turned to her. ‘Thank you, Miss Shin.'

Missy recognised the name. Miss Shin ... Gekkô no Niji Shin, the helmswoman.

The captain went on. ‘Please take the helm. Mister Jackson, if you are coming with us, we need a course to the southern tip of Heiligland.'

Heiligland! Why would the captain want to go there?

‘As long as I'm still getting paid I may as well come along,' Kenji Jackson drawled. He crossed the deck to stand with the captain.

‘Very well,' Captain Shishi said. ‘The rest of you may move to your posts or return to Itsû airdock. It appears we are to become thieves for a while!'

‘I think he actually means to go through with it.' Andrea shook her head and looked at the others. ‘Well, I'm not likely to get a better offer. It's hard enough for a foreigner to get a commission in this country, so I guess I'm in.' Andrea moved across the deck and started climbing up into the crow's nest.

Arthur stomped up the stairs and entered the crystal dome. It seemed he'd be staying too. Missy stared after him, wondering what had caused him to change his mind but too dazed to attempt another peek into his thoughts. She looked around at the rest of the crew, but they were all moving around the deck, either towards the bridge or below decks. None of them left the airship.

Missy turned to her brother. There was no need to discuss what they would do. They already knew they had no choice. Hand in hand, they walked up to the rear hatch before parting ways. Lenis went down into the bowels of the airship while Missy climbed up to the bridge, feeling exhilarated and yet exposed, as if the Warlord himself was sneaking up behind her at that very moment.

Lenis entered the engine room and immediately felt the Bestia's restlessness. They knew something was up. Each of them had a unique power that made the airship function. Aeris would be the first to be set to work today, powering the engine that filled the room. It was a solid lump of steel that took up most of the small space. Copper pipes, gauges, dials and levers sprouted from it in what to an untrained eye must have looked like a haphazard mess. But Lenis knew the way of it. From inside the engine block a Bestia could channel its power into the machines, bringing the airship to life. The levers and gauges allowed Lenis to monitor and direct that power. A series of pipes no wider than his finger sent the masses of pressurised air Aeris generated into the wing balloons on either side of the vessel, allowing it to rise or fall.

The pressurised air system was a relatively new invention that was slowly replacing the old combustion engines, which
relied on flame Bestia and steam. The
Hiryû
still kept a flame Bestia on board, Ignis, but he was used mostly to power the cannons. Lenis had met Ignis in the factory he used to work in back in Blue Lake. It was shortly after their meeting that the twins had been transferred to airship work, and Lenis had requested to take Ignis along. Once a bond had formed between a Bestia and its keeper, it was better to keep them together. Their owners could get a better price for them.

Lenis reached down and stroked Aeris's head. A sort of calm had settled over him. The captain wanted to steal the airship, but he clearly had no idea how one functioned. If the Warlord was already on his way up the airdock, there was no way the engines could be started in time for them to get away. The captain's ill-conceived plan would be over before it had even begun.

Suddenly, a wave of dizziness washed over Lenis, and he heard Aeris mew as his vision blurred. Blue light bathed the engine room and words echoed through his head. Words he had heard before.

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

The blue light grew brighter, and then began to fade. An afterimage floated across Lenis's vision. It was a dragon. His dream came back to him, sharp and clear, the same one he had been having for the past two nights. There was a Bestia out there calling for help. It wasn't a dream at all. It was real.

Lenis was moving before he realised it, before his vision had even cleared. A sense of urgency, stronger than anything that had ever driven him before, pushed him into action. Aeris was in his arms, and he placed her inside the engine block and closed the hatch. The Bestia's eyes began to glow, and Lenis fiddled with one of the channelling levers. A crackling sound came from the engine and sparks appeared at the tips of Aeris's fur. A lesser engineer would have started the engines at this point, but Lenis knew better. The power Aeris was shedding through her fur was only the overflow, a by-product of greater power building within. He'd have to hold off if he was going to get the engines started in time.

A moment later Aeris blinked and Lenis began turning the great crank that would prepare the engines for the influx of her power. As the engine and the Bestia began pulsating in rhythm with each other, Lenis pulled the ignition lever, Aeris released her power, and the engines of the
Hiryû
came to life.

Satisfied, Lenis ran an experienced eye over the gauges of the engine, opening and closing valves and shifting levers to ensure the energy levels were stable. In a few minutes, the airship would be ready to pull away from the airdock, but Lenis didn't know if they would be ready before the Warlord boarded his new vessel.

Missy felt the engines rumble to life. Through the crystal dome of the bridge she watched as the Warlord climbed the stairs of
the airdock. Each level of the six-storey structure could dock three airships, one on each side, while the fourth side was taken up by a broad, shallow stairway designed for carrying cargo between the levels. As the Warlord's airship, the
Hiryû
was docked at the highest point. The Warlord was taking his time climbing the stairs, but he was already on level four.

The Warlord was easy to spot. He was short, even by Shinzôn standards, and his dark hair was a wild mane bordering his face. A procession of nobles followed along behind him, and the airdock workers lined up on either side of the stairs as he passed, bowing to the ground. They were dressed uniformly in the drab working gear of the Shinzôn serving class, brown or tan robes tied over a white loincloth. The Warlord and his nobles all wore black robes fringed in red with the red dragon motif emblazoned on their backs.

Missy had been on airships most of her life, and she knew that their engines took a while to warm up before they could begin to move. As the Warlord approached the fifth level of the airdock, she wondered if her new captain knew that.

Captain Shishi appeared calm for a man who was about to commit treason. ‘Mister Jackson, please plot a course to Heiligland.'

Arthur was also tracking the Warlord's progress. ‘Why Heiligland, Captain? It seems to me, if we're looking for –'

‘We want to head towards Heiligland, Lord Knyght.'

Missy sensed a hidden meaning to the captain's answer,
but she couldn't work out what it was. Again, it seemed as though the captain and first officer were communicating in a way Missy couldn't follow. Lord Knyght didn't raise any further objections.

‘Miss Clemens,' the captain said, jolting Missy out of her reverie, ‘perhaps you should let the airdock crew know we are readying for take-off and are awaiting the Warlord's arrival with great eagerness.'

‘Yes, sir!' Missy concentrated, sending her awareness down to the airdock's office in the centre of the upper level. She relayed the captain's message through one of their Bestia and waited for the reply. ‘The Warlord will be with us shortly, Captain,' she translated.

‘I think we might have a problem, Captain.' Lord Knyght had turned his attention to their own deck. Following his gaze, Missy saw the cursed swordsman, Gôshi Yami, standing alone in the open space between the holds.

‘I will handle this, Lord Knyght,' the captain replied. ‘Please ready the airship for departure. The Warlord is indeed almost upon us.'

Missy looked again and saw that the Warlord had reached the fifth level. The captain made his way towards the deck and, unable to resist the urge to witness the exchange, Missy sent her awareness out after him.

‘Sir Yami,' Captain Shishi called from the top of the stairs leading to the bridge. ‘We have not been formally introduced. I am Captain Mayonaka Shishi of the
Uchû no Shinpan-ryû.
'

The cursed swordsman regarded the captain for a moment. ‘Mayonaka Shishi, son of Mayonaka Haruichi and heir to Uchû domain. Master of the Cosmic Sword of Judgement style,
Uchû no Shinpan-ryû.
The hereditary fighting style of the Mayonaka clan.'

‘You are well informed. And you are?'

‘Yûrei no Gôshi Yami.' The stranger crouched into a fighting stance, his hand going to his sword hilt. ‘Of the
Eien no Kage-ryû.
'

‘The Eternal Shadow style of the Yûrei clan?'

The two men faced each other. The one who called himself Gôshi Yami stood with one leg forward, his right hand resting on his sword hilt. The captain remained on top of the stairs with his arms crossed inside his sleeves. ‘Shôgo no Assen Chi has told me you are bound to this airship and its crew.'

The strange man relaxed his stance. ‘You are correct. By Lord Shôgo's command, I have sworn myself to the
Hiryû.
Do nothing to threaten this vessel or its crew and I will not cross swords with you.'

‘Very well. Please move below decks while we finish our preparations.'

Yami remained motionless for a moment. ‘You believe I will reveal your plans to Lord Shôgo.'

‘Is he not your master?'

‘I have already told you.' The swordsman turned to move towards the forward hatch. ‘The
Hiryû
is now my master.'

‘Captain!' Andrea was leaning half out of the crow's nest above them, her hands cupped around her mouth. ‘Lord Shôgo is almost at the sixth level!'

Captain Shishi hurried back to the bridge, and Missy brought her awareness with him.

Arthur turned towards the captain as he took his position next to the helmswoman. ‘Shall we wait until after the Warlord has launched the airship before we take action, Captain?'

‘That would be the sensible thing to do, Lord Knyght.' The captain smiled at the first officer. ‘But we leave immediately.' The corners of Arthur's mouth turned down, but he didn't contradict the captain. ‘Are the engines ready?'

The first officer picked up the speech tube. ‘Master Clemens, is the engine ready for launch?'

The sound of Lenis's echoed reply sounded hollow through the speech tube. ‘Just about, sir.'

‘How long?'

‘A couple of minutes at least, sir.'

The captain's smile faded. ‘Master Clemens,' he called, loud enough to be heard through the speech tube the first officer was holding, ‘tell me the moment the engines are ready.'

‘Yes, sir.'

They waited in silence, each member of the crew watching the Warlord's steady progress up the airdock. He had reached the stairs leading up to the sixth level. Missy risked a quick look around. Aside from Shin, Kenji, the captain and the first officer, there was an old Shinzôn man standing alone behind the
logbook podium. That would make him some sort of records keeper, Missy supposed. She ran the crew listings through her mind and came up with two possible names that would fit. He was either Chô no Jinsei Hiroshi or Kami Tenjin.

Missy looked back at the Warlord. He was halfway up the stairs to level six. The seconds seemed to drag by. Lord Shôgo's steady progress seemed somehow unreal. He
looked
as though he was moving slowly, but it seemed he could move ten steps in the blink of an eye. Missy realised she was holding her breath and let it out, the sound of expelled air loud in the quiet bridge, audible over the soft rumblings of the warming engines. The captain gave a bark of laughter.

The Warlord stepped onto the top level of the airdock. He would be on deck in less than a minute. He reached the airdock office, paused for a heartbeat to acknowledge the bows of the crew stationed there, and then moved on. He was six paces away from the gangplank leading up to the
Hiryû
's deck. Five. Four.

‘Ready!' Lenis shouted through the speech tube.

The captain grabbed the tiller and swung it hard. The
Hiryû
lurched violently to starboard, causing those gathered on the airdock to duck as the portside wing balloon swept over their heads. Missy barely kept her seat. The others were thrown around. Missy craned her neck to look behind them. She could see the look on the Warlord's face as he realised what Captain Shishi had done, what they had all done. He did not look happy.

The nobles who had accompanied him during his climb staggered back to their feet. None of them seemed to know what to do. Not so the airdock officials, who were trying very hard to get Missy's attention.

‘Captain,' she said, concentrating on their messages, ‘the officials want to know what's going on.'

‘Tell them we're stealing the airship, Miss Clemens.'

Missy took a deep breath and relayed the captain's response through the officials' Bestia. A moment later she saw someone run out of the office and approach the Warlord. The official bowed low to Lord Shôgo and then began waving towards the departing
Hiryû.
Missy saw the Warlord's mouth move, but she had no way of knowing what he said. She was about to attempt to read his mind when the official darted back to his office, and Missy concentrated instead on the chatter of Bestia communication between the other airships docked at Itsû.

They knew something was wrong. The launch had come too early, and they'd seen the gangplank fall. They wanted to know what they should do. The airdock official had reached his office and the order came through: pursue the
Hiryû.
Missy doubted the other captains could launch their airships fast enough to catch them. It would take them at least as long to start their engines as it had taken the
Hiryû.
Longer, if they were using old combustion engines. They might have just enough time to ...