FireBound

Chapter 1

Everything was born from the flames of eternity.

Legends circulated around the isles. They travelled from tongue to tongue, from spices and grains to homes of unknown origin, but the ending always remained the same no matter what version of the story was told. That only the worthy were going to be graced with a place of eternal rest.

Well. What I knew for sure was that I was not going to ascend to that magical place of rest after this journey would come to an end.

It was the last voyage of the season. A year passed between classes, whatever free libraries that had not been burned down and the Sky Cruiser. Another year and I would have been free to choose where to serve for the rest of my life.

All I needed this time was to survive this last unsufferable voyage back to Arcane, ready to pack up my things to enjoy my last three months of summer freedom. But before that, I needed to escort to safety the man now demanding to switch places with the barrel man to try and get a better look from the crow's nest.

The ambassador I had the high honour of escorting this time was a funny-looking man. The first time we'd been introduced I'd struggled in maintaining a straight face. It'd happened a few moons ago- and if I hadn't been introduced beforehand to his looks I wouldn't have been able to distinguish him by a common patron in a port tavern.

But I guess that's the beauty behind our imperfections, we can try and fool people all we want all while try not to think of the aftermath in case of discovery.

He was all but a man of few words, and loved to dress to impress even if just to get a breath of fresh air while taking a stroll on deck.

If only he would do what the other ambassadors used to do- stay inside and not stick their nose around at all hours of the day. Both members of the Iron Brigade and the crew of The Liberty- the Sky Cruiser we were currently flying on.

We'd set sail two days ago. When the winds had been favourable and the sky a never-ending jewel shining both day and night. Captain Lercky had been right- not a single cumulonimbus had been spotted on route. That'd been the first thing he'd told me right after presentations; something about his left brow apparently held the feeling of knowing exactly when misfortune was going to fall onto his ship.

I kept aside from the crew when my shift was on, the reasons being to many and the time to explain too little for all.

I'd found my favourite spot on the Liberty after a day on board, with my back against the firewood planks, right next to the door that connected the cabins to the main dock where I could monitor the movements of the ambassadors without the need to follow him around like a lost puppy lusting after a bone. Had General Usbert caught wind of this behaviour, I would have been assigned to toilet cleaning for two weeks straight.

Good thing I was up here and not down there.

There was suddenly a flash of light, a rosy glow started spreading over the carpet of clouds under my feet. Dawn had started peeking from over the clouds as the Liberty soared into a new day.

Dawn meant the end of my shift, meaning all that was left for me now was to wait for the other one to wake up and reach me for dawn before going below deck in search of something to pass of as breakfast.

I slowly crept close to where the helm of the vessel sat, nodding to the chief mate as he acknowledged my presence with a curt gruff, eyes squaring me from top to toe before settling back on the horizon. I eagerly waited for my substitute just as much as he waited for Captain Lecky to wake up from his rumorous slumber and take back control of the ship.

Watching the sun rise over the clouds was most pleasing thing to watch while riding a Sky Cruiser, the colours overlapping, racing around like a starling of birds seeking higher grounds as a gentle breeze pushed them towards home.