Laricot

Chapter 1

'Mylene, wake up!'

Mylene partially lifted her eyelids.

'Mylene, Mylene! You're going to be late!'

Mylene shot out of bed almost knocking Ronita off her feet.

'Slow down. I packed your luggage already!' Ronita said regaining her balance.

'Oh thank you Ronita. What about the rest of the sisters? Do they suspect anything?'

'Not a thing. And best we keep it that way! You should leave though.There won't be another Sky Vessel for another month if you miss this one.'
Ronita unlocked a small window above the bed. Mylene slung her bag over her shoulder

'How do I look?'

She was dressed in a cheaply made, brown, wool dress with a belt tightly strapped around her waist and a hood over her head.

'Like a merchants daughter! Nobody will think you're a slave looking like that!'

'Thank you Ronita, I shan't forget what you've done for me!'

She said as she hugged her friend goodbye.
'I'll miss you Mylene, safe journeying to you!'

Mylene lifted herself out the window and onto the street. It was dark, quiet and there was a cold sharp breeze in the air. The gas lamps on the street flickered as the breeze came through and dawn approached. Mylene found herself back in these familiar looking streets of BlewBurrow and the familiar stench in the air.

Out of desperation her mother sold her into slavery when Mylene was 10. Slavery was always a rich business in BlewBurrow. She  got sold to a man named Mister Brown. He was a very wealthy, rotund, politician.

She never used to see much of Mister Brown, he was always off on some political adventure. She worked as his house slave for 7 years until she was accused by Mister Brown's wife of stealing food. Mister Brown then sent her to a Sister House so she could be disciplined. All the sisters treated her badly, as could be expected with slaves, except one. A sister named Ronita Salagar always treated her with care and respect. When none of the sisters were around she'd always talked about the ocean. Ronita had once been a Sea Merchant long before the ages of Sky Trade. She had specialised in transporting Toil dust, a highly explosive powder that can only by mined in the mines of Balhuim. But after sky trade took off there was no one paying for Sea Trade anymore. Ronita's business collapsed and maintenance became too expensive for sea ships. She ended up studying to become a sister and got work in BlewBurrow. Ronita always said how much she saw herself in Mylene.

Mylene slung down her bag and started looking for some money. She needed 9 silver coins to be guaranteed safe passage out of BlewBurrow.
The sun was rising over the sea and the beams of light were hitting the bleak, pale looking buildings.
A cannon could be heard in the distance.
Bang... Bang... Bang...
Suddenly street stalls swung open and people started coming out of the bleak buildings.
The day had begun in BlewBurrow.
Mylene pushed her way through the crowd, she had to get to the docks by 2 past day break.

'S'cues me m'am, where would I find the sky docks?'

'If yea keep goin down this street and turn left at the bottom of the... Of the road. Then yea'll find it miss!' Said an elderly women selling spices.

Mylene thanked her and continued down the road. She got to the bottom of the road, turning left she saw the great sails of the "Philosopher" blowing in the wind and the crew loading cargo aboard. Mylene, looking astonished by the way the ship floated, walked over to the boarding platform and greeted a tall man who was guarding the boardwalk.
'Excuse me sir, where is this ships destination?'

'The great floating city of Groalcoam.'

She took out the silver coins from her bag.
'And how much for safe passage?'

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