Tevun-Krus #68 - SkyPunk

The Sky is the Limit - A Short Story by @jinnis

The Sky is the Limit

By jinnis

"The sky is the limit!"

Darren mumbles the overused phrase under his breath and climbs the next flight of steps. For good measure, he adds a string of colourful curses. Why him? They could have sent an elder or an apprentice. But no, the choice fell on him, the guy with his feet and thoughts planted firmly on solid ground.

Darren is content with his life and not aspiring to reach the sky, like his peers. This quest sucks. He doubts the sky dwellers will invite him into their fancy halls. All his teachers fawned over their superiority, and now he is chosen to contact these angelic beings.

Frustrated, Darren kicks his sturdy boot against the rusty beam supporting the stairs and listens as the boom resounds through the structure. Instead of dissolving his anger, it reminds him he is over six thousand feet above the ground, climbing a fragile, man-made structure. His goal seems unattainable, and to top off his misery, he develops a major headache. Like an echo, a second boom travels along the girder past him, taking Darren by surprise.

The metallic sound loses itself in the cloudy expanses below, and nausea turns his stomach when he focuses on the distant ground. Heights never were his thing. He gags and holds onto the handrail until the vibration of the stairs shakes him out of his stupor. Thankful for the interruption, he looks up, reaching for his dagger.

On the landing above stands a figure, shrouded in tendrils of mist like an ethereal vision. A shiver runs down Darren's spine. When the wind dissolves the cloud the person gains reality. Hands planted on hips, legs splayed, clad in an assortment of unmatched, oversized and formless garments, the newcomer seems unfazed by Darren's display of a blade. A mane of unkempt black hair obscures everything of the face but a grin, showing two rows of pearly teeth.

"Look at that groundhog! What made you leave your burrow?"

The female voice is melodic, but the words sting. Darren straightens and pushes the dagger back into its leather sheath. No need to pick a fight if he can deliver his message and be done with his unwanted mission.

"The engineer sends a message of utmost importance for the sky council. Please listen."

"Me?"

The grin disappears and a grubby hand pushes the locks aside. Two inquisitive, brown eyes muster Darren from above. The girl might be in her late teens.

"Do you take me for a sky leader? Well, groundhogs are renowned for their tiny brains."

Darren suppresses the anger rising in his throat. His task is to deliver the engineer's message, then he is free to return home. Home, where the ground is solid, the people are friendly, and his fiancée awaits him. He has no business talking to an arrogant sky brat.

"I don't take you for anything. So, if you won't bring me to your leaders, let me pass. I don't have all week."

The girl doesn't budge and they engage in a staring match. Darren, not ready to give up first, is glad when a gust tousles his adversary's hair and hides her eyes. She steps aside.

"Fine, go visit their fancy halls. But don't claim I didn't warn you."

He frowns.

"Warn me? You didn't. What's the problem?"

"For you to find out, groundhog."

She moves aside, and he climbs past her, noticing she's almost a head shorter than him. Aren't sky people supposed to be tall? Perhaps she isn't a genuine sky girl, a reason more not to meddle with her and lose precious time. But before he reaches the next landing, the foreigner catches up.