The Dunehei Chronicles | Book One: A Roseless Thorn

Chapter 2 Misery

Myrra stood on the docks, watching as the crew scampered about preparing the airship for lift-off. The morning sun blazed down upon her, wrapping her in its warm rays and making her white hair shine like a blazing star.

She was finally free of the dresses, of the makeup and fancy hair, of the perfect posturing and everything else that was required of her when she was in court. Right now, she felt more like herself than ever. Dressed in brown slacks that were tucked into her usual leather boots and a long brown coat that fell to her ankles, and underneath that, a dark green blouse. A captain's cap rested atop her head, the bill blocking the sun from blinding her, and around her neck hung a pair of flight goggles.

She tugged on a pair of fingerless, leather gloves, strapping them in place and flexing her fingers so her hands could get use to them. She had been expecting to take a horse and carriage to get to Idota, but after being promoted yesterday, she had been informed that she would be receiving her very own airship! A prototype at that, designed for speed as well as combat. Now, what would have been a weeklong journey, would only take a day or two.

They didn't have very many large airships, and as big as this one is, it would be considered on the smaller side. Building docks for these vessels was quite tedious and rather expensive. Large swaths of the forest needed to be cleared in order to build the landing platforms as well as to be big enough for the ships to land without harm.

Human airships still require large propellers, and on occasions, massive balloons, to keep them aloft. Elven airships, on the other hand, are much more refined. However, there are a few advantages the humans have over the elves. Like how their ships are able to actually land, while the elven airships have to remain floating, anchored to the ground by large rope tethers that usually span a foot or more in width.

Myrra's ship was sleek and streamlined, the massive arcane crystal that hangs from a framework of metal and wood being what keeps the ship afloat. It is because of the large, house-sized crystal, that the ship can be built out of much sturdier materials, like iron-wood and arcana infused metals. However, it is also the reason their ships could not land on the ground. Along with the crystal being the source of flight for the airship, it also acts as a power source for the ballista, canons, arcane missiles, and many other weapons that were hidden beneath the hull.

Myrra had captained several airships on numerous occasions, mainly when her diplomatic abilities were required far off in other countries, but never had she owned one herself. With the amount of magical weaponry the ship was bristling with, as well as the arcane crystal and magically infused metals that made up part of the hull, the air around the vessel was just buzzing with arcana. She half-wondered if perhaps this ship alone could win them the war before it even began.

"Myrra~!" Her thoughts are interrupted by a familiar bubbly voice calling out her name.

Turning around, she sees Avos, dressed in a simple white shirt and a pair of light-blue harem pants, running towards her. He weaved through the crowd of dockworkers and dodged around towering stacks of crates and supplies. Queen Evalon and royal protector Viessa trailed behind him, chatting to one another as the workers easily parted around them, bowing to her Majesty as she passed before getting back to work.

Before she knew what was happening, Myrra was almost toppled over by a blonde-haired, bubbly bullet.

"Oof!" Myrra gasps, staggering backwards as the short human, short compared to an elf that is, hugged her around the waist. The only reason she hadn't fallen over was because she had used a bit of arcana to steady her balance. Avos was sometimes too hyperactive.

"I'm going to miss you, Myrra," said Avos, looking up at her face with his big, expressive, blue eyes.

She laughed and patted him on the head, "I'm only going to be gone for a week at most."