The Outskirts: The Sky Raiders (Jace x OC)

Part 11

By our sixth day of riding, I had grown fond of my mule. In spite of her burden, she and eleven other mules plodded tirelessly from dawn to sunset. Normal suns had crossed the sky everyday since the duskday, and today was no exception.
I found the ride lonely. I rode next to Cole, but we weren't aloud to talk. The men conversed when we were out of earshot, and the only addressed us with basic directions. We had to unpack, and brush the mules at night, and get them ready to travel in the morning.
The cold treatment wore on both of us. I had never felt like such an outcast. Maybe it was cruel for saying this, but I am glad that Cole was with me, so I wasn't alone. But after having been marked, and chained up, and caged, and ignored, I felt like less of a person. I was constantly fighting worries that my life was over, and I'm beginning to doubt whether I'd ever be happy again.
Today we started early, in a grey chill before sunrise. Durny explained that the Brink was dangerous at night, and that we would get to our destination before sunset.
As the day progressed, we rode on. I tried to enjoy the scenery. At least the land had grown more interesting, with ridges, hills, and ravines.
Grass and brush grew everywhere, along with numerous bushes and trees. I saw rabbits and squirrels, and occasionally glimpses fo deer and foxes.
I kept an eye on the sun as it began to sink.
Durny had made a point throughout the day by hurrying the mules, that he did not want to end up near the Brink after dark. The sun was less than an hour away from setting when Durny dropped back beside me and Cole.
"Come with me." The slaver said. He dismounted, and we did the same. We followed him as he led us on a trail and up a rise. Up ahead, the trail suddenly came to an abrupt cliff.
Durny nudged Cole and said. "You claim not to mind cliffs, why not try one out."
I swallowed my nerves as I walked toward the edge a few steps behind Cole.
At first, I saw a beautiful sunset, full of blues and pinks and oranges, on an endless horizon.
Cole gasped. "Look down."
I looked down and saw that the cliff didn't have a bottom. It's just kept going.
Down.
And down.
And down.
I had never seen anything like it.
Durny came up next to us and said. "Welcome to the Brink."
"Permission to speak?" I asked.
"Granted."
"Where's the bottom?"
Durny shrugged. "As far and anyone can tell, there isn't one. Expeditions have explored by climbing and flying. No one that has returned has seen where it bottoms out. It seems to go down infinitely."
"It's like the the end of the world." I said staring down at the emptiness.
"Exactly."
"The world can't just end." Cole said.
"This one does. In this direction at least." Durny said. He waved a hand to the right. "Go far enough that way and you'll reach the Eastern Cloud Wall. Can't go over it, can't slide under it, can't dodge around it. Those who have went through never came back. Same story with the Western Cloud Wall, if you follow the Brink in the other direction. What lies beyond or within the cloud walls? No one knows. They can't be breached by land or air. Notice anything else out there? Look closely."
I looked out past the Brink, and all I saw were sky, and clouds. I squinted.
"That cloud looks like a castle." I said pointing.
"That's because it is a castle."
"That's impossible," I said, crossing my arms.
"It's floating!"
Durny glanced at me. Looking amused. It just annoyed me more. "Once again, welcome to the Brink." He said. "You seem like someone who's all about logic and reason, am I right? Most of that, your going to have to put aside. We have many things here in the Outskirts that people from outside would believe is impossible."
"You've got to be kidding," Cole said. "This place might be weird, but it's not that weird."
I silently agreed with him.
Durny reached in his pocket and pulled out a spy glass, focusing it, before handing it to me.
I raised it up to my eye and gasped.
"It is a castle!" I handed the spy glass to Cole.
"No way." He said. "How is that possible?"
"Specifically," he said. "I have no idea. Generally, we're in Sambria. This part of the Outskirts is most susceptible to deliberate physical tampering. Some things I've seen shaped here make me wonder whether anything is impossible."
I was speechless
"We've heard of shaping," Cole said. "What is it?
Is it like magic?"
Durny harrumphed. "Any phenomenon we don't understand seems like magic. To a primitive culture, fire might seem like magic. This spy glass certainly would."
"So," Cole said, drawing out the word. "Shaping is science?"
"Not exactly. It's the ability to rearrange things and imbued them with new qualities."
"Wait," I said. "Secha said that I have shaping ability, does that mean I can do that stuff?"
"You have shaping abilities?" He said, surprised. "Yes," he said closing his eyes. "I can sense your power, but it's not just shaping, it's enchanting too." He opened his eyes. "Enchanting is like shaping, but they use it in Elloweer, which is the kingdom next to Sambria. You'll have to talk to Mira about it." He turned back to Cole. "Anyway, some people are very good at shaping. I have some talent myself. No matter how much shaping talent you have, it will be easier to shape material here in Sambria."
I gazed out at the sky. "So somebody shaped that castle?"
"Nobody knows who shapes the castles," Durny said thoughtfully. "They appear out of the Western Cloud Wall, and drift across into the Eastern Cloud Wall. Today is a quiet day. You can often see a dozen of more from one spot. While the castles migrate from one cloud wall to the other, we salvage what we can."
"Wait," I said in disbelief. "The Sky Raiders raid the castles?"
"Is that gonna be a problem for you, princess?
Because your going to have to get your pretty little hands dirty." Durny said, smirking.
I smirked. "Oh, I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty. Bring it."
Durny rolled his eyes. "Great. Come on, let's go meet your owner."