At first glance, the airship port would not have struck any passers-by with awe. It was a huge open area several blocks wide and long. The entire area had been leveled and paved with flat stones, giving it a slightly empty feeling. But a closer inspection would reveal areas that had been stanchioned off with iron posts and thick rope, each large enough for an airship. The aisles between each landing space were lined with crates, carts, and piles of ship-building materials. One wide aisle ran down the middle of The Landing from north to south, giving access to each of the landing spaces. At the south side stood a small building that housed the port master’s office.

  As Xan took this all in, he also noticed that all of the landing spaces were empty except for one. An airship hovered just off the ground three spaces down on the right side. Xan had only seen airships from a distance, but there was no mistaking that iconic design.

  It had a flat bottom that allowed it to hover close to the ground. A retractable flight of stairs extended from the main deck down to the ground. Two masts rose up from the deck, each carrying rigging for two triangular sails, though the sails were furled at the moment. People were swarming over the deck and the rigging like a small colony of ants.

  He pointed the airship out to Taika, and she led the cart over to it. As they went, Shadow blinked onto Xan’s shoulder. She gave a happy trill as they got closer to the airship.

  “I know, girl. Looks a lot like home, huh?” he muttered as he reached up to pet her.

  Taika stopped the cart near the iron-and-rope stanchions that blocked off the airship’s landing space. Then she looked expectantly at Xan.

  “Well, now what?” she asked.

  “What do you mean, ‘now what?’” Xan parroted.

  Taika frowned at him impatiently. “You’re a sailor, right? And this was your idea. So how do we get on the airship?”

  “Well…” Xan looked around at all the people moving about. “First we have to find the captain. He’s the one we have to talk to about chartering the ship.”

  “Captain’s over there,” a gruff voice suddenly said.

  It belonged to a Rodentian woman who was sitting on top of a stack of crates just inside the airship landing space. Her back was turned to the cart, so all they could see were her round ears and long, hairless tail. She took a long draft from a thin reed of a pipe, then used it to gesture down the way while she breathed out. She pointed at an older human man wearing a blue coat who was currently in the middle of a heated discussion with another man dressed in fine livery.

  “But as you can see, he’s rather preoccupied at the moment. Best to stay away, unless you want your backside tanned and thrown into the stocks,” the Rodentian said before taking another puff.

  Xan blinked up at the Rodentian woman, surprised that such a rough voice could come out of such a small person. Taika, however, was not amused.

  “And who are you supposed to be?” she asked as she glared up at the woman.

  The Rodentian’s ears twitched. Then she swiveled around to face the cart, and Xan got a better look at her features. She couldn’t have been more than three feet tall, and like other Rodentians, she looked just like a mouse. What fur they could see was white splashed with brown. She wore woolen clothes that had been dyed a dark green, over which she wore a heavy cloak. An eye patch covered her left eye. A deep scar also ran over that eye and ended halfway down her snout. She crossed her legs, leaned back on one hand, and gave them an intrigued look.

  “Estella Caird, of Caird and Caird Shipbuilding Company. But you can call me Stell,” she said.

  Xan and Taika exchanged a look.

  “Well, Stell, do you know when the captain will be free? It’s rather urgent,” Xan said.

  “Not for a long while, not until Councilman Woods is done chewing him out. Why, you in a hurry to get somewhere?” Stell asked as she tapped some of the ash out of her pipe.

  Xan opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupting by a sudden hoot from inside the cart. A moment later Katar started having another coughing fit. Taika swiftly ducked through the flap behind her seat to attend to her father. A few moments later the coughing subsided. Xan sighed in relief, then turned to see Stell looking down at him with one eyebrow raised.

  “We are, as a matter of fact,” he said. “Her father is ill, and we need to get him to the Meridian Shrine as soon as possible.”

  “Hmm…” Stell mused as she took another draft of her pipe. “That might not be possible with this airship.”

  “Why’s that?” Xan asked.

  “Seems they hit a storm on the way down from the Highlands, and they sustained some damage. I’m waiting on my crew to come tell me how bad it is. Depending on what needs fixed, they might be stuck her for a few weeks. Speaking of which…”

  Stell looked back over her shoulder at the ship. A group of three people wearing green-dyed wools similar to hers had descended the stairs from the main deck and were making their way over.

  “A few weeks?!” Xan exclaimed softly. He felt mildly embarrassed when he heard his voice crack with anxiety.

  Stell now turned to face the incoming trio. Leading the way was another Rodentian who bore a striking resemblance to Stell, although she looked much younger and had two good eyes. Her fur was also white, but with splashes of both brown and black. Her right ear was nicked at an odd angle. Behind her strode a Canidan with gray fur, and a human man with a ruddy complexion. They all approached the stack of crates, and then the little Rodentian girl clambered up to sit next to Stell.

  “Well?” Stell asked expectantly.

  “It’s not looking good, Aunt Stell,” the little Rodentian said. “The main mast’s cracked amidships below deck. Luckily the keel is still sound, but there’s been some damage to the main deck where it started to tip over.”

  “I see,” Stell said, taking another draft of her pipe. “Any idea why that might have happened?”

  “The starboard-side shrouds frayed and snapped,” the young Rodentian said.

  Stell looked over at the Canidan. He held up the end of a coil of rope to show that it was severely frayed and unraveled.

  “Seems someone’s been slacking on their work,” he said with a hint of a growl.

  Stell shook her head at the evidence of shoddy workmanship. Then she turned back to the young Rodentian.

  “What do you recommend we do?” she asked.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  “Well…” The young Rodentian suddenly seemed a little unsure of herself, but she took a deep breath and pressed forward: “We’re going to have to do a full mast replacement. Then we can work on repairing the main deck and starboard rigging.”

  Stell looked at the human man this time, who nodded in agreement. Then she turned back to the young Rodentian and promptly put her in a headlock.

  “Well done, Dee!” Stell said as she rubbed the young Rodentian’s head with her knuckles.

  “Auntie, stop it!” Dee protested as she struggled to free herself. The two other men just chuckled at this display of affection.

  While this conversation was going on, Xan sat stunned. A few weeks? There was no way Katar was going to last that long! And there wasn’t another airship in port – who knew when the next one would show up. What could they do now?

  Taika returned a minute later. She looked up at Stell and her compatriots as they conversed.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “Uh… Seems like the ship got damaged in a storm and won’t be able to leave port for a while,” Xan said.

  “Of all the rotten luck,” Taika muttered.

  Just then Stell released Dee from her grip. She took one final puff of her pipe before dumping out the rest of the ashes.

  “Well, better go let the Councilman know. He’s not going to like having another ship out of commission. Joel, Per, head back down and start organizing a repair crew. I want this airship sky-worthy within the month,” she said, sliding the pipe into a pocket inside her vest.

  The human man nodded, and the Canidan touched a finger to his brow and said, “Right away, boss.”

  Then the two of them ducked under the stanchions and headed south out of The Landing. Meanwhile, Stell leapt down from the stack of crates, with Dee following close behind. The two of them made their way over to where Councilman Woods and the captain were still arguing.

  Taika sighed. “Well, did your grand idea come with a backup plan?” she asked Xan.

  Xan didn’t say anything for a moment. He wracked his brains, trying to figure out what to do. He didn’t know how busy this airship port was, but they could wait to charter the next airship when it came in. Then he shook his head. Katar’s current state made that option too risky. But if they couldn’t fly over land, the next fastest method of travel would probably be sailing up the coast. He did some quick figuring, and realized with dismay that that option wasn’t much better. A desperate idea formed in his mind, and he looked over to where Stell was talking with the Councilman.

  Taika had seen Xan shake his head and took it to be a negative response to her question. She started gathering up the reins and said, “Alright then, guess we’ll just stick with the original plan. If we head out now we can still make good ti- where are you going?”

  Xan was already halfway to Stell. He called back over his shoulder, “Getting us an airship!”

  With a groan of exasperation, Taika tied up the reins and hopped down after him.

  Xan reached the small group just as Stell finished giving her report. Councilman Woods was already red in the face from his ‘discussion’ with the captain, but after hearing what Stell said he began to turn purple.

  “Confound it, Caird! How do you expect me to run my business like this? I can’t have my lead airship grounded for a month!”

  Despite her size, Stell didn’t look the least bit intimidated by the Councilman’s wrath. She folded her arms and fixed her good eye on him.

  “We’re already tied up down at the shipyard as it is, or did you forget the half-a-dozen schooners you’ve already commissioned me to fix? Ships are made from trees, Councilman, they don’t grow on them,” she said.

  The Councilman’s eye twitched, and his hands started to shake with fury. He opened his mouth to unleash another tirade, but Xan interrupted them before he could even start.

  “Excuse me. Stell, there has to be a way to fix the airship faster, right?” Xan asked. Stell didn’t say anything, but she did fix him with stare that said, You too, huh?

  “Is he with you, Caird?” Councilman Woods asked angrily, gesturing at Xan with the tip of his cane.

  “No, sir,” Stell said, not looking away from Xan. “I only just met him a moment ago. I don’t even have the pleasure of knowing his name, since he didn’t have the courtesy to tell me after I introduced myself.”

  Xan felt his cheeks redden under his stubble.

  “My apologies. It’s Xan Rais,” he said. Stell snorted.

  “Xan Rais? As in ‘ray of sunshine’?”

  The young Rodentian, Dee, tried and failed to hide her giggle at this. Xan felt his cheeks redden further as a feeling of indignation started to creep into his chest. He forced it down, then forced a smile.

  “Yes, ma’am. So, can it be done? My friend needs to get on an airship as soon as possible,” he pressed.

  Stell shook her head. “I’m afraid not, kid. Quality work takes time, and I’m not about to cut corners just because your friend has a little cold.”

  “A little cold?” Taika cried indignantly as she came up to the group. Her eyes flashed angrily at Stell. Xan quickly held up an arm to head her off.

  “What if we helped with the repairs?” he asked. “I’ve got some experience as a boatswain. And Taika is-”

  “A Verdan!” Councilman Woods said, suddenly looking impressed. He took a step towards Taika and started looking her up and down. Taika cringed under his gaze.

  “Are you, by chance, of the line of Tsunis, young lady?” he asked eagerly.

  “I’m of the line of Essos,” Taika replied curtly.

  “Ah,” Councilman Woods said. He took a step back, looking slightly less impressed.

  Stell was rubbing one of her temples with the tips of her fingers now. Her voice took on a slightly exasperated tone.

  “It’s not about whether I have the workers or not, kid. I could have my whole shipyard drop everything to work on this airship, and it would still take at least a week.”

  “No, no no no, we don’t have a week,” Xan said, desperation starting to edge into his voice. He didn’t see Taika looking him, her eyebrows furrowed questioningly.

  “You’re asking for a miracle, kid, and I’m not a miracle worker,” Stell said.

  “What if we rigged a skiff with Terra Sang?” Dee suddenly piped up.

  Everyone looked down at the young Rodentian. Her ears tilted back slightly as she realized how much attention she was drawing to herself. Then she saw Stell looking at her like she couldn’t believe Dee had dared to say something so ridiculous, and her ears dropped back even further.

  “I mean, it wouldn’t be as fast as a full-sized airship, but-”

  “Out of the question,” Stell snapped. Then she grabbed Dee by the shoulder, turned her around, and started marching away. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, Councilman, I’ve got a small fleet of yours down at the shipyard that needs my attention.”

  Councilman Woods grumbled to himself as Stell and Dee marched away. He dismissed the airship captain with a wave of his hand, then walked in the other direction towards a lavish carriage, leaving Xan and Taika alone. Xan stumbled over his words as the rest of the group went their separate ways. Taika grabbed him by the shoulder.

  “Xan, leave it,” she said.

  “But-”

  “Come on,” she said, pulling him back towards the cart.

  As they rounded the stack of crates and ducked under the iron-and-rope stanchions, they were greeted by a familiar gruff voice.

  “You’ve got a lot of nerve trying to pull a stunt like that, kid.”

  Stell was leaning against the crates, her arms folded. Dee stood just behind her with a confused look on her face.

  Once she had their attention, Stell switched her gaze to Taika. “You, girl. Your name is Taika, yes?”

  Taika’s eyes narrowed, but she nodded in confirmation. Stell gestured with her head towards the cart.

  “Your father, how bad is he?”

  Taika’s face softened a little. “He’s really bad,” she said quietly. Stell’s ears twitched.

  “Show me.”

  Taika moved to open the flap on the back of the cart. Stell hopped up and stepped inside. Katar was sleeping, wrapped up in the fur blanket. His complexion was noticeably paler. Beads of sweat were forming on his forehead. His breathing was shallower than before.

  Stell looked at Katar for a long moment. Finally, she sighed loudly and shook her head.

  “Curse my old, soft heart,” she said. Then she poked her head out of the cart. “Dee, get in.”

  “Why?” Dee asked, moving closer.

  “We’re going to help them.”

  “We are?” Dee cried in delight.

  “You are?” Xan and Taika both cried in disbelief.

  Stell gave the three of them a disgruntled look. “Well, not if we stand here gawking all day! Come on, now, get in!”

  Dee practically leapt into the back of cart. She was grinning from ear to ear as she took a seat on the cart bench. Xan and Taika exchanged a look, then climbed up onto the front seat.

  “Head towards the Steps,” Stell said, pointing to the road that exited The Landing towards the south-east. Taika set the horse into a slow trot.

  “Where are we going?” Taika asked.

  “Down to my shipyard,” Stell replied.

  “Why?” Taika asked.

  Stell rolled her eyes. “To get you a flying skiff, why else?”

  Xan heard Dee gasp, and when he looked back over his shoulder he saw the young Rodentian’s eyes widen in surprise.

  “But I thought you said-” Dee started saying.

  “I said what I said to get that pompous prick off my back. Knowing him, the moment I said yes, he’d want to order an entire fleet of skiffs just to corner the market. But really though—” and she looked back at Dee with pride, “it’s a brilliant idea.”

  “It is? I mean, yeah, of course it is,” Dee said. She sat up straighter in her seat, looking quite pleased with herself.

  Stell leaned forward, looking out the front of the cart. Xan was the only one who heard her mutter under her breath, “And it’s probably the only hope they’ve got.”