Elegy of the Leaves

VI | The Winged Girl

Evan's very soul buzzed with excitement. He hadn't been able to sleep in the past day since they left port. The engines hummed, pushing soft vibrations into the souls of his feet. The air smelt almost sweet and all around him was nothing but a painted sky. The smears of clouds were the ship's only companions in the vast ocean of air.

Only every other moment would the ship stir from its otherwise smooth glide as the currents of air shifted around them. Leaves hustled aboard the deck, swiping mops back and forth, checking the cannons for any sign of unserviceability, inspecting the latches affixed to the rail of the deck, and other busy tasks.

Commandwing Vausse had assigned Claire to the helm, which came as no surprise. Any Leaf with half a mind would put Claire, their best pilot, at the helm in a time of war. However, he'd yet to give Evan an assignment. And as much as Evan enjoyed his leisure, he never had the want to spend his time in the air laying around.

He'd done his best to busy himself with maintaining his personal equipment, but one can only clean a pistol and sword that are brand new so many times. His cuirass, however, had never been shinier.

Still, in all his boredom, his head darted this way and that in awe that he was finally living the dream he'd spent so many days wishing to come true.

"Secondwing Montresser!" Vausse's voice cut through the air as if sound had no governance over it.

The words hit Evan like a bullet, and he went rigid. He turned ceremoniously and rendered a salute: "Commandwing Vausse, sir!"

"At ease." Vausse waived his hand. "There's no need to salute on deck, Montresser. It lets the enemy know who to kill first to send the ship into disarray."

"Sorry, sir." Evan's shoulders drooped.

"It's fine, just remember it next time. I have your assignment."

Evan's eyes grew wide, and he stood straighter.

"The reports from your instructors paint you as something of a mastermind, able to bend people toward your will."

"It's just a matter of figuring out what they want and making them think you can give them it, really."

"A skill not many people can employ well, Secondwing. Which is why I'm putting you in command of the prisoner. Yourself and four other Leaves will take shifts guarding her day and night. I'll leave you to determine the schedule, but I want you to see if you can learn more about her before we reach Arcadia. The sooner we can learn how she obtained the power she has and either replicate it or persuade her to help us, the faster we can end this war."

"You want me to interrogate her?"

"Yes, Secondwing, but be tactful about it. She's not our enemy, but she hasn't exactly been friendly to us either. In fact, she hasn't said a thing since you brought her to us, but she spoke to you during your exam, correct?"

"Well, sort of..." Evan thought back to his exam. His heart began racing as he remembered the feeling of falling, watching the airship grow smaller by the moment as he plummeted to his death.

Evan shook his head. "She didn't actually say anything. I just had a feeling within me that she was going to help us."

"So you pulled that stunt on a feeling?" One of Vausse's eyebrows lifted on his head.

Evan nodded. "I can't explain it, sir, but the feeling was as solid as the deck we stand upon now."

Vausse grunted, "Don't rely on any strokes of blind luck aboard my ship, understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Now, if you don't have any more questions, Manns is currently standing guard. Go relieve him and I'll get you the names of the rest of the men assigned to your detail."