Black Ice ✓ | Deathsworn #1

Chapter 19 ∞ Lovarda

We rode flying beasts close to six hours before we finally made a land on a seaside skyport. To be clearer, we rode on a ship on the back of flying beasts.

I was still clueless as to where we had gone, but I would say that this experience wasn't really bad. It was my first time riding this sort of thing and the cabin service had been spectacular considering we sat in the VIP section of the ship.

The design of the vehicle was simplistic yet sophisticated in its own right. It was the height of the current design and looked nothing like the aircrafts I had gotten used to in my past life. The interior was streamlined, space was maximized without seeming too crowded, and they made sure we were hosted in sections separated by a frosted glass screen doors. It had a very contemporary design comparable to my old world, however, there was that unique touch of this world's culture and providence that made anything from my past life's modern society pale shades in comparison.

It was quiet inside and was free of that noisy, high-pitched squealing of machines that was present in the airplanes I rode back in my old world. However, one would hear occasional heavy flaps of large wings from outside. It sounded like a thick cloth striking against the spirited breeze of the sea. I had to settle with looking out the windows to observe the creatures. We weren't allowed to go near them because they were, well, beasts.

These beasts weren't dragons though. Mistress Veronika told me those creatures were ultra-rare and were very hard to tame because of their reclusive and prideful nature. Not to mention there were really a few of them in the world. Dragons, should there be any, would hardly lay any eggs. They were fertile for only a small window in their lifetime. Meanwhile, these Skyhorses were quick to breed and very easy to subdue.

Still, I could not help but detest the distasteful name they've given the poor things. 'Skyhorse' was hardly creative.

I realized, however, that that was just from my own perspective. My brain automatically translated stuff that made it so that I understood everything—even certain names. The word 'Skyhorse' was translated from the Ovanolish tongue 'Seikelwern' which meant 'horse of the sky.' That meant other people were referring to these things as Seikelwern while I heard Skyhorse.

The beasts have a large wingspan of around thirty feet and came in all sorts of colors from black to red to yellow and blue. They didn't have snouts like horses. Rather, they had long pterodactyl beaks and rooster-like crowns on the top of their heads.

Mistress Veronika and I mostly had the same thoughts. Her native tongue was Ovanolish after all and I, technically, had native-like fluency on it as well. It made sense. Her people were the ones who first tamed the Skyhorse—a history I pretty much deduced on my own. The Ovanols were warriors and had seen this beast as a great creature to weaponize. They rode them into war until there was no need for any and they began to be used for everyday stuff like delivering goods and transporting people.

My mistress Veronika had been very astute and decided to the pass the time by reading a book and drinking her cup of tea. There was an entertainment unit in the cabin we were renting that resembled a television. I had to scratch my head as I looked towards it curiously, poking around to see if I could have it start.

"Mistress?"

"Mm?" she mumbled, lips rimming her cup as she tipped it to sip.

"What is this thing?"

She put down her cup on the table by her chair and looked up. "I apologize, Evy. I am not familiar with that new technology."

"A new technology, huh? So that's what it is," I muttered. I pulled a string from the corner and a young man came shortly after, knocking on the door briefly before opening it.