A Rib Cage

Prolouge

Enna wrapped her black cloak tighter around her shoulders and shivered due to the cool light rain falling from the clouds above. Her three siblings, Alva, Robin, and Willow, stood still as statues around her. The rocking of the dock was beginning to make her feel sick, so instead she kept her eyes trained on the two figures that were conversing on the deck of a small skimmer. Their father was tall and broad-shouldered and carried an air of authority with him. He wore a short, lightweight cloak near to black in color, as well as a black jumpsuit beneath the folds of his shroud. The other was short, wide, and had bulky defined biceps. Enna could see that he hunched over a bit, and it was hard not to stare at his two tattoos. Although he wore no cloak or warming garment, he seemed fine and unaffected by the cold. His gristly chin bobbed up and down as he spoke rather loudly in a strong and irregular accent, probably one of that from Erod, an island off the coast of Marannha.

"They're safe wit' me I assure ya, Sir, ya won't fi'd no better c'pt'n in all the world sir. I give ya me honor that the'll make it to Grand stat'n on time fer their train," The captain assured, his tattoos of a ship and a mermaid bobbing up and down as he spoke. Enna drew in closer to Willow who clutched her hand comfortingly. Enna just wished she could return to solid ground soon.

"I trust you will," returned the deep voice of Enna's father. It somehow reassured her. She let go of Willow's hand, but she found it once again held tightly by her sister. She's just as afraid as I am, Enna thought, brushing her long dark hair out of her face as a strong wind swept over the bay.

Alva leaned over towards Robin to whisper something and they both broke into bouts of laughter.

"Shhh!" Willow hissed, "I'm trying to make out what they're saying!"

"They're saying that we're supposed to be going secretly to the Crawler."

"And I'm saying that if you don't shut up I'm going to rearrange you're face!" Willow whisper/shouted.

Enna was starting to feel a headache coming on. "Please... Stop... It...," she choked, "I think I'm going to be sick..."

"If you think it's bad here, wait 'til you get on the boat," joked Alva.

A silence fell over the group. The only sounds to be heard were the sloshing of water against the dock and the indistinct chatter of their father and the sailor. Enna doubled over and retched over the side of the dock. Regaining her composure, she realized she felt much better. Willow checked to see if Enna was okay. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Enna's father disembarked the skimmer and pulled Enna into a tight embrace, then the rest of the kids in turn.

"Be good for Captain Jones and his wife. You'll only be with them until tomorrow afternoon, so it shouldn't be too hard. I will be traveling with the rest of the army, and I will see you at Grand Anglador Station across the Funnel Sea. I want to let you know now that I won't be staying with you in the Crawler. I think you're old enough to conduct yourselves like young ladies and gentlemen, I love you very much, but this is for the best. The robot looks like a spider and you'll be staying in the abdomen on floor 8, the highest floor, which makes it the safest place."

"So that's why it's called the Crawler," Willow mused. Enna watched her father make his way down the pier, squinting through the rain. Alva and Robin drew in protectively around her as he disappeared into the mist. Enna knew that the general disapproved of her coming, after all, she was only eight, but Willow had persuaded him to let her come. Enna was glad. She felt much safer knowing what her father was doing when he was at war. She felt like she owed him the job of defending him. A long silence stretched out over the bay. Enna took a long look at the skyline of Mar, the city where she lived and, she swallowed, might never see again. The army colors of black and matte white had expanded to a trend and the towering skyscrapers shone boldly through the rain in those colors. Enna felt Alva's cloak brush against her as he turned to face the ship. A loud and impatient voice cut through the silence, making Enna wheel around.

Willow was already hanging from the rail of the ship's deck. "Well come on already! I can still see the skyline from here just as well and we better get going... I'm starving and our dinner's getting cold!" She shouted.

"You ruined our moment of silence," Enna teased, but she followed Robin and Alva across the pier and onto The Hurricane without looking back.

Tomorrow they would reach the train that would take them to the crawler that would take them across the desert in search of the lost colonies in Far Land. That was the last thought Enna had as the softly rocking boat lulled her to sleep.