Salamander

Chapter Eight: The Flying Ships

Chapter Eight

We didn’t even see the ships flying in the air until the crowd began to run up to the shoreline, screaming frantically and the men waving their hats in the air. But there they were, their color faded by the haze but clear as day: Five large boats made of both metal and wood were floating above the ocean, their sails, big as small hills, flapping in the breeze. “Woah,” Mariam breathed as we gaped at the amazing structures in the sky. They moved ever so slowly towards their destination – the palace. There were two ships at either side of one in the very middle, at least twice the size of the other four and far ahead, giving the entire procession the shape of a massive V. I guessed that the one in the front was the one that housed the prince, or the soon-to-be king, due to its detailed, ornate mosaiacs that depicted a grassy meadow with a golden crown in the middle. That mosaic was the same design that was on the palace flags, yet another thing I had learned in my three years of schooling.

            All five of the flying boats had large, bag-like objects attached to the stern and the bow, inflating like giant balloons under large fire pits that were maintained at the center of the ships’ decks. I guessed that that was the main mechanism that gave such massive structures the ability to become airborne, and the sails were the cause of their forward movement. The ship was also dotted with long, brass propellers that whirred at a speed so fast that they seemed to blend into brown, transparent discs. They probably aided the large inflated bags in keeping the ships to the sky.

            “I wonder how long it took to build those things,” I said in awe.

            “Years,” Madeline guessed.

            “Centuries,” Mariam guessed.

            Either way, the ships were magnificent pieces of craftsmanship; they weren’t machines or boats or buildings – they were pieces of art, even without the brilliant mosaic of the lead ship.

The sun was already beginning to set, casting the sky in an orange glow that shined across the mosaics of the flying ships. The moon became more vibrant in the fading light, the first stars of the night beginning to accompany the heavenly body. When I peeked over my shoulder I saw that the lanterns were bathing the beach in the same orange-red glow of the setting sun. When I looked up ahead, I saw a flock of seagulls fly about the ships and settle on the sterns and the masts of the sails. I suddenly wished I was one of those birds, not only because they were free of all worry, but that they were able to stowaway on those ships without getting reprimanded. I could only imagine what one of those boats must have looked like up close and without a bunch of haze that distorted them into little more than silhouettes. I was surprised that I could even see the mosaic from the immense distance put between me and the lead ship, but they were visible, vibrant as the full moon and proudly showing off the design of the kingdom’s flag.

            My eyes began to water. I brushed away the tears with my arm and silently cursed myself. Don’t cry, I scolded myself. I looked at Madeline out of the corner of my eye to see if she had noticed, but she was too mesmerized by the floating ships to be even slightly aware of her surroundings. There could have been a group of Collectors behind us and she wouldn’t have even known it. The thought scared me to the point where I had to force it out of my head and forget it even existed. I wonder how long the town has until the Collectors come? I thought. However, for the first time in my life, I wasn’t afraid of their annual appearance in the town, dragging along carts upon carts drawn by horses that would eventually house the kids chosen for the Draft. Then after that, they were supposedly transported to the palace where they would be trained as knights and be deported to America to fight in the War of Cybernetics.