Beneath The Endless Sky

Poultry Does Not Define Your Valour

The five days to Drummond's spite passed in a haze of work, as their crew of four alternated between tasks and sleep. The facilities on this ship were far and away better than what Vincent had enjoyed on his last ship, and even as captain of his old Volantian sloop of war, The Hood. He was still warm, still rested, and his crew could enjoy hot meals between shifts.

It had thoroughly ruined him to what sailing used to be.

Vincent took one hand off the wheel, and leaned over to one of the the speaking tubes. "Mercy, we're about a half-hour out. Tuck in the sails, would you?"

"Aye, cap," Mercy called out, her voice fading as she spoke, as if she were already heading to her task.

"Cap, their harbour master is signalling us. We've been offered a berth at dock twenty-two," Leslie said.

"That's good, thank you Leslie," Vincent replied, as he scanned the land below.

There wasn't a whole lot to see on Drummond's Spite. Not that it wasn't a pretty sight, with hints of autumn in the idyllic, leafy foliage that swallowed the land between the scattered settlements. But the entire island was only eleven miles across, and from the hight the Ravens' Child was descending from, the shape of trees and farmsteads stuck out on the circular horizon of the entire isle.

With an island this small, it's pull would be so weak that people would have to hide in their homes during a powerful storm, or risk being pulled off the ground and into the sky.

It also meant that Vincent decided to run the descent to the harbour nose first, rather than let the island's pull bring them to the ground. "Anita," he called out to engineering. "Give me half-cruising speed, and prep for use of the swivel propellers to rotate the ship."

"Will do, skipper," Anita replied. "Hey, dibs on shore leave once we touch down. Been itching to see some place other than the Roost for a while now."

"Really?" Vincent blinked in surprise, but didn't let himself think about Anita's motivations. "We're not exactly here for sightseeing. But I don't mind the company."

Vincent turned his attention back to the ground he was now pushing the ship straight towards. He eased off the propellers slightly, and steered them into a straight shot down to the docks.

"Hey, cap, you don't think we're heading in a little fast? And a little too head-on like?" Leslie asked.

Vincent smirked, and turned one hand over to the controls for the swivel propellers. "You're clipped in, right Leslie?"

Ahead, Drummond's Spite began to devour the horizon as the Ravens' Child flew towards it. Vincent could begin to make out individual trees in the forest, or tell what kind of shingles were used to make the roof of a house. Still, he kept the engines running and the ship facing forward, plunging down to the ground.

From the harbour, a frantic series of blinking lights shone from a large mirror, as someone used the sun to signal him. "Slow down." Was the message, and Vincent wasn't sure if it was a threat or a plea. Either way, he ignored it, one hand on the propeller controls, and the other holding the ships course steady.

When Vincent could begin to make out the leaves on the trees, and the clothes on the people in the street, he flicked the four levers near his hand, and turned to the speaking tube. "All hands, prep for tilt. Eighty degree rise on the bow. Starting..."

Vincent flicked one more switch. "Now."

The propellers on the sides of the ship twisted about, and came to life with a howl. The island plummeted down towards the bottom of Vincent's window, as the ship's bow rose up. Seconds later, Vincent swung the propellers to face the island, and slowed their descent as they came down the last few yards.