While captain and guild master toasted, the rest of the crew were preparing their rooms for the trip ahead. Below deck were eight rooms along a narrow hallway, indicating that the ship would be ready if the crew ever expanded. Aka supposed they would be good for extra storage if it was needed, and they would ask Keizeron if one of three spare rooms could be converted to a office for their work. They picked one of the vacant rooms directly under the captains quarters, close to the stern of the boat. It was small, but serviceable, and already contained their chest of possessions that Zero had brought down earlier. The automaton responded vacantly when Aka spoke to it, but he had lifted the chest with one hand while Aka had been struggling to carry it by themselves. Aka simply set their bag down on the bed and walked back to the door frame, waiting to see what rooms the rest of the crew picked for themselves.

  They had hoped to dissuade the rest of the crew from rooming next to them, but as they watched Sola gave them a friendly wave as he chose the room right across the hall. At least he seemed to be a competent sailor, but his scars unnerved Aka. It wasn't that they had never seen someone injured before, plenty of the people who worked for their parents company had all sorts of scars. There was something different about Sola’s scars in a way Aka didn’t understand. As if they hadn’t been made by a physical attack, but something more magical. They turned away from him as the other three picked their rooms. Mea chose the room closest to the stairs, most likely so they could be right next to the kitchen. Zero picked the room next to her, and had to duck to get into the door frame. The ship had clearly not been built with automatons in mind. Willow choose the room across from Mea, on the other side of the stairs. Satisfied the room next to theirs was left vacant, Aka went back into their room to finish unpacking before heading back up to the deck.

  While they passed Zero’s room they saw Mea had joined him, laughing as Zero tried to lay down in the bed that was clearly too small for him. He was laying the wrong way with his legs propped up against the wall. As far as Aka could remember, automatons didn't even need to sleep, they just needed to power down for a few hours to recharge and they didn't need to be laying down to do it.

  Once they emerged back into the sunlight Aka noticed Sola by the railing, looking back out over the town of Sahale. It was one of the largest towns on the continent, shadowed only by the size of the capital where the queen resided. Aka debated heading back down and spending the rest of their hour alone in their room, but if they wanted to make friends of any of their crew mates they couldn't do it shut away from the world. They weren't sure how long they were going to be on this boat, they didn't know if trying to make friends would even be worth it, but Sola had seemed so warm when they first met.

  “Are you from here?” Aka asked as they approached the older man. Sola jumped in alarm, and Aka smiled a wry smile. They had often been accused of being too quite, and they got a bit of satisfaction from sneaking up on people. Could be one of the reasons they were usually so unpopular in any station they worked. Aka had never been accused of being a people person. Sola quickly relaxed when he saw who it was, but Aka noticed that his left ear was also scarred. Was he partially deaf? They'd have to be more careful not to approach him from his blind side as to not startle him.

  Sola put his hand on the railing to steady himself, and turned to Aka, “no, I’m from Amon. But I’ve been around.” He replied. “What about you?”

  Aka knew a deflection when they heard it. Amon was known for being a wild place that harbored a number of criminals, so it was no wonder Sola had become a sailor. It was the easiest way to escape from your past, an endeavor Aka could relate to. “I'm from the north side of the port, but I've been traveling with my father for while now. We make maps."

  “Needed a change in pace?” Sola asked, crossing his arms as he leaned against the railing. None of them had been given a uniform yet, so he wore a simple linen shirt with light armor over it, and had a blue bandanna tied around his neck. He had a small pin on his shirt, emblazoned with a pair of wings. The symbol looked familiar, but Aka couldn’t quite place it. There were a lot of minor gods that lived in Amon, it was most likely a traveler's saint.

  “It wasn't me who wanted the change, but my parents. They thought I needed more experience than they could give me." Aka recounted bitterly. Well, it wasn't a complete lie, but it wasn't exactly the truth either. The faun had stolen a priceless necklace from a high value client, but Sola didn’t need to know that. Besides, a court never would have convicted, Aka’s parents just wanted them gone to save face and came up with a convenient excuse.

  Sola gave them a curious expression, as if he knew there was more to it than Aka was telling him, but he just nodded. "Well, I hope this job is what you need." Sola shrugged. He started like he was going to add something else, until a movement behind Aka caught his eye and he stopped. Sola leaned forward to look around them, and Aka turned to see what had distracted him.

  The deck behind them seemed to be forming bubbles, much to Aka’s alarm. They'd been sailing for a number of years and never encountered anything like it. While they deliberated what to do about the situation, Sola moved past them muttering something about aquans. He made his way back down the stairs, and Aka decided to follow him out of interest. By this point all three of their remaining crew mates were all stuffed into Zero's tiny room.

  The automaton was still crumbled up on the bed, with Mea sitting on his chest while Willow was on the floor, looking up at the aquan woman in wonder. She had pulled back one of her sleeves, and as Sola and Aka watched in wonder she created a stream of bubbles from her skin. They sizzled as they popped, showering the room in opalescent liquid that quickly evaporated. A few of the bubbles floated all the way to the ceiling and disappeared through the planks, obviously the source of the strange display they had seen above.

  “What are you doing?” Sola asked cheerfully, leaning against the door frame and almost completely blocking Aka’s view. Not only did he have a bulky frame, but he was easily over a foot taller than they were.

  “We were talking about our skills and Mea told us she could make bubbles! Isn’t that so fascinating?” Willow answered from where she sat on the floor. She leaned back to see the other two looking at her in confusion. “What?”

  “I don't think I'd call making bubbles a skill,” Aka responded, crossing their arms over their chest. At least Mea had picked the furthest room from them.

  “I can do it from my mouth too!” Mea exclaimed happily, completely ignoring Aka. She made her lips into an o shape, and blew out a large bubble. It floated lazily around the room until Zero reached up and poked it. It didn’t pop, but instead was pushed towards the door where Sola and Aka were standing.

  With an annoyed expression, Aka pulled out a dagger from the folds of their jacket and threw it at the bubble. It popped loudly as the dagger embedded itself in the wall behind Zero’s bed. The group stared for a moment, before turning to look at Aka. ((“Why would you do that? We’re just having some fun!”))

  “Nice throw!” Mea giggled, completely unphased by the violent display. “You might not think it’s practical, but they’ve been a great distraction in fights before. Also it’s just fun. You should try it some time,” She stuck her tongue out. Aka didn’t know aquan biology very well, but suddenly noticed the woman was having trouble focusing and her eyes looked red. Was she, high right now?

  Zero yanked the dagger from his wall, and looked it over. “Well crafted,” It wheezed, before holding the blade back out in Aka’s direction. Sola grabbed the blade instead, and handed it back to it’s rightful owner. Aka quietly sheathed the blade back into its spot in their jacket and turned to leave.

  Above them they heard a bell ringing, a call that their hour was up. Aka headed up the stairs, not bothering to wait to see if the rest of them were following. “They seem nice,” Willow commented dryly before they were out of earshot. So far so good on the whole 'making friends' thing.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Keizeron and the guild master were both on the deck as the crew emerged. They had only been below deck for a short amount of time but it had already warmed up considerably. Aka knew they should enjoy the weather while they could, it was only going to get colder the deeper into winter they got, and they would be heading north for their first mission.

  As the crew filed into a short line, Keizeron walked towards them. “I’m glad to have each of you on this ship. Whatever circumstances brought you here, I’m thankful that it happened. The blessings run should only take four days to complete, and then we already have our first official job as the Fortune’s Favor over to the east in Iwix. Now lets get this ship in the air, we have a long road ahead of us.”

  The crew made various noises of agreement as Keiz walked back towards Brankovic. He held out a hand, which the guild master took immediately. “I wish you the best. May Aria light your way,” Brankovic intoned.

  The captain nodded back to him in return, and then watched as his acquaintance walked down the gangplank and back onto the docks. Zero pulled the plank back up after him, and Sola made his way over to the tether, unhooking the ship from the ground. The ship swayed slightly in the breeze, as if realizing she was free from her bonds. Keizeron thought he heard a familiar giggle, but quickly shook his head. He took his postion at the helm, hoping the none of them noticed his momentary lapse in concentration.

  Being the only one with any sailing experience Sola made his way to the ship’s lev stone. He waited for the captain’s cue, and when it came he set his hand on the stone, which pulsed a sky blue. The magic spread across the deck, resonating with the spell in the wood that kept the ship aloft. Slowly the ship gained altitude as Sola focused, the rest of the crew watched with fascination as they were finished with their own preparations. Seeing a ship take off for the first time was spectacular, but seeing it from the docks couldn’t compare to being on the vessel itself.

  Keiz carefully watched the crew for their reactions. Mea and Zero were watching over the railing, exclaiming cheerfully as the city of Sahale grew further away. Aka was closer to him at the helm, and while they were also looking over the railing Keizeron couldn't tell from their blank expression if they were sad or excited to see the city go. Willow was the only one staying away from the railing, and was instead watching Sola do his job. She looked curious, and he could tell she would be interested in learning about how the lev stone worked. A good sign, as a crew this small would need to learn multiple jobs in order to preform more smoothly.

  Once the ship was high in the air, far above the tallest mast of the galleon, Keiz gave the call to stop. Sola pulled his hand from the lev stone, and the Fortune’s Favor righted itself. Aka stepped away from the railing to be at Keizeron's side, giving him the first coordinates for their journey. With a push forward from the wheel the ship started into the waiting skies ahead.

  ~*~

  Eston the arcanologist paced nervously outside the double doors leading into the queens conference room. He kept his hands behind his back as he walked, muttering furiously to himself. It was simply unreasonable that he had ended up in this situation. He had been late on his dues to the guild one time, once! And now he had been sent to break the bad news to the queen. Oh he had been so stupid to listen to Professor Fadora who told him that it was no big deal, that it happened to everyone, and that he could just pay her back when he had the gold. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

  The door opened abruptly, and Eston snapped to attention as if good behavior could save him now. A tired looking solider stood behind the door, staring down at Eston with a completely apathetic expression. “Her majesty will see you now,” the knight announced, pushing the door completely open and stepping back to let the doomed researcher past him.

  Eston gulped down a breath of air and walked in. He had never been to the conference chambers before, or even inside the royal palace. It was highly uncommon for anyone below the nobel rank to be invited in, and the few exceptions were the highly talented or influential. No one had even been let in during the late kings funeral, which had resulted in all the nasty rumors that floated around Queen Odella to this day. Some called her the king slayer, though they never dared to do so in mixed company. The coin they paid to commoners who reported dissenters was far to generous for that. The smart ones simply said that he had died too young, and left it at that. The moniker came to mind as Eston walked through the grandiose room.

  Everything about the queens receiving chamber was meant to convey power, from the use of fire sconces on the wall as opposed to magic ones, down to the single window behind the queens throne casting her shadow over Eston as he approached. Her majesty was posed regally in her chair, her silver eyes boring into him with a bemused expression on her face. Even in her later years she looked sharp, her white and grey hair pulled back in an extravagant style. She wore a fine black dress, covered in blue lace vines that curled around her figure. She had on a fine jewel necklace that was probably worth more than all the money Eston had ever seen in his life. There was an attendant standing next to her, furiously scribbling something down in a note book, while a second journal floated next to her, aloft in a cloud of pink magic. Two guards stood behind her, spears held by their sides and looking down at him. Somehow, neither of the armed guards were near as intimidating as the elderly queen between them. They lacked the presence she had, and Eston would have rather spoken to either of them at that moment.

  “Go on,” Odella sighed as he approached and lowered his head in a deep bow. “I have many things to attend to today, so tell me what it is Fadora needed to tell me so urgently she interrupted my schedule.”

  Eston stayed in his deep bow for a few seconds longer than necessary before standing up straight and addressing the queen. He'd had the entire trip to the palace to think about what he would say, and his words came out in a badly rehearsed jumble. “I’m Eston Nicos from the Iwix magical academy. Fadora has had my division staying near the southwest coast to keep an eye on the skylands that have been starting to fall from the main continents grasp for a few years now. The three skylands we’ve lost so far have been inconsequential and far enough from the coast that nothing has been damaged. Last night we lost the biggest of the skylands yet, and it fell over a piece of the coast, breaking it off and bringing both below the cloud layer.”

  Once he started Eston found that he couldn’t stop. He just wanted the report to be done as quickly possible so he could leave before the queen had time to process just how disastrous the news he was giving her was. Unfortunately for him, the queen was as sharp as ever, and as he got to the last sentence she dug her nails into the arms of her chair. It was not the first time one of the main continents had gotten smaller over the centuries, but it was the first piece lost to falling damage from the smaller skylands that floated around them.

  “How big was the island?” The Queen asked after a moment. She had released her grip on the armrest and was fully sitting up now.

  Oh how he had hoped she wouldn’t ask that. “The island measured about half a mile wide, and quarter as long your majesty,” Eston responded. The attendant let out a startled squeak, and summoned a second pen to be writing in both of her notebooks at once. Her majesty exhaled sharply.

  “An entire half mile? You said you were stationed in the southwest? Were any of the trees damaged?” She asked furiously.

  The trees in the Slarowin forests were the only ones that could be used for airships as they were uniquely able to be infused with Aria’s blessing. While the forests were expansive enough to take the damage and recover, it would still put a dent in the queens most precious resource. Her gold. There was also the secondary threat it posed. The skylands had been losing magic at a rate that was getting faster by the year. It wasn’t possible at their current scope to see if the entire continent’s altitude remained the same, but it was now something they needed to consider.

  “Yes your majesty. A total of thirteen solovar willows are unaccounted for,” He was unable to meet her eyes as he said the number.

  The chamber was quite for a moment as the attendant leaned over and whispered something in the queens ear, holding out one of the books to display something she had written. Queen Odella read the note and nodded, before turning back to Eston with a grim expression. “What is being done to prevent this from accelerating. Think carefully mage,” She warned him.

  This was it. If Eston couldn't prove that he would be a valuable force in helping solve this issue moving forward, he would not be leaving these chambers at all. He had thought of many possible reasons while he waiting for his audience with the queen, and could only hope that the one he picked would be deemed worthy. Eston adjusted his collar and stood up straight as he addressed her majesty, “my team has been studying how the solovar trees absorb Aria’s blessing and believe we have found a way to mimic the spell with other materials. With my guidance, we may have the spell perfected within a months time.”

  The queen considered this as her assistant stopped writing and looked thoughtfully at Eston. “We’ve been looking for a way to copy the spell for years now when the phenomenon of the falling skylands started. Yet you believe you can have it done in just a month?” The Queen asked slowly.

  Eston paled. “With certainty your majesty,” he lied through his teeth.

  She smiled at that, and waved to her attendant. “Very well then. Eston Nikos is to be escorted back to the southwest coast to continue his research. I will also be sending the court mage Tortis to accompany him and keep a close eye on how things are progressing,” She commanded. He had done it, he had survived his meeting with the queen. Then she turned back to Eston, “and should the spell fail to be perfected in one months time, I would like his head brought back to me. You are dismissed Nikos. Do not fail me.”

  It took a fair amount of concentration to not faint on the spot. His head light, Eston nodded and quickly backed out of the room. He had survived for now, but with the queen’s mage to escort him, he could neither run nor hide to escape his fate. Eston quietly resigned himself to writing letters to his wife, to tell her not to mourn him for too long after his death. As the doors shut behind him, Eston was suddenly stuck with an idea. Thoughts of his death were pushed from his head as he scurried down the hall and dared to hope he may see the next month after all.

  As the door shut behind the scheming researcher the queen stood up from her throne and quietly left the chamber, her attendant and guards in tow. Her predecessor had warned her that this was coming sooner than they expected, but Odella had still hoped it wouldn’t be in her lifetime. As the continents connection to the lost goddess Aria weaned, so did the magic that kept them afloat for all these centuries. It was no longer a question of if the islands would fall, but when. The queen snapped her fingers at her assistant, who waited expectantly for a command.

  “Prepare an airship to the Iwix academy. And I will need captain Aster to report to me as soon as she returns from her current mission,” Odella said with a grimace. “It’s time to retrieve the pieces of the Senka Rod.”