The four of us exited the command tower and stepped out onto the deck. The sunlight and its refractions from the palace’s gem formations sent a strobing phantasmagoria of colors over everything. Blues, purples, greens, yellows, oranges, and reds swept across the deck rapidly in a mesmerizing display. I tore my eyes away from the ground and followed after Captain Kastel. He’d pulled his cap low on his head and started marching towards the front of the ship.

We passed a bunch of sailors who were rushing around tightening ropes or carrying crates. The whole deck was slanted due to the whirlpool and things they thought had been secure were sliding steadily to the left. We’d barely passed the first of the four great ballistae when I noticed a crowd shuffling off to the side. Curiosity got the better of me, and I jumped up to peek over their shoulders. I saw a pair of blonde drills bob around and instantly knew who it was.

“Take me to see Darni Voker right this instant!” yelled Priss as she shook an unlucky sailor side to side. She was wearing the same red romper as she had in Balistag, only she was drenched from head to toe. Tuet and Clance, also drenched, were standing on either side of her glaring at the sailors that were surrounding them. The brims of their hats were blocking their eyes and they had their hands on their swords like they were ready to cut down anyone that talked back to Priss. She released the sailor’s vest and pushed him aside. “Impossible! How do none of you know where she is? You have a flag of her for Loros’ sake!” I turned away and kept walking. Nothing good could come of talking with her at such a crucial moment.

“Hey, isn’t that her over there?” said Tuet.

“Yep, that’s her alright!” yapped Clance.

“Hah, I’ve found you, Darni Voker!” shouted Priss.

“Good for you!” I said without turning around. “I’m kind of busy, but we can talk after I get back!” I heard a few sailors grunt, then three sets of footsteps start up behind me.

“And where do you think you’re going in such a hurry?” she said. “Scared to battle with me? You should be! I’ve spent the duration of this voyage sharpening my skills like a blade. I’m not the same Priscillanna Afinsheer you so rudely disgraced in Balistag, Darni Voker!”

“Why would I fight you right now? We’re at the climax of our race!” I said over my shoulder. We were halfway to the front of the ship.

“Are you daft?” she increased her pace and walked alongside me angrily. “The race has ended in a tie! Both ships made it to the palace at the same time thanks to him!” She pointed at Captain Kastel’s back. He didn’t seem to notice.

“It’s not over until one of you reaches the palace, is it?” said Sherri. She was walking to my right and leaning forward so she could see Priss.

“That may be true, on a technicality,” said Priss. “But such a thing is impossible! What, do you expect me to sprout wings and fly up there like a bird?” She flapped her hands at her sides in a mocking gesture. “Preposterous! We’ve gone as far as humanly possible. Anything more would be positively foolish!”

“Then we must be the biggest fools in Zaftia, because we’re heading up there right now,” I said with a smile. “Don’t tell me you’re not itching to see what crazy business is going on inside of that thing?” I pointed up at the palace. I pitied Priss. We were in the presence of such a mystical, mythical thing and all she could do was seethe about our race.

Priss looked at me like I was the single least intelligent creature to ever cross her path. Like I’d turned into a pile of scum that she’d wipe off her boot. She shook her head side to side and sighed. “There’s a thin line between ambition and stupidity, Darni Voker, and I fear you’ve crossed it.”

“No, you’re just standing on the wrong side of that line, Miss Afinsheer,” said the captain gruffly. “Darni here has more ambition in her left foot than you’ve got in your whole body.” He turned and looked at her sidelong, his eyes slanted. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have a date with a certain palace.”

Priss froze, then sputtered with disbelief. She’d probably never been talked to in such a way. “H-How dare you! If you’re going up there then— then I’m coming with you!” she shouted. “I will not let Darni Voker outdo me! If she can reach the palace, then so can I!”

“You’re more than welcome to join us,” said the captain. “As long as you quit your belly aching. Your two dolts as well. A couple of able-bodied gents would be a real asset on this excursion.”

“You can’t be serious,” said Jedda. She looked Priss’ trio up and down before scowling. “You want to bring these chuckleheads along?”

“Who’re you calling a chucklehead?” barked Clance.

“She’s talking about us,” said Tuet. Clance punched him in the arm and called him a chucklehead.

“I understand your concerns Jedda, but we’re short on time and it doesn’t look like they’re going to let us be on our way. Besides, they might be able to distract a golem or two while we get away,” said Captain Kastel wryly.

“Golems? We’re going to be encountering golems?” asked Priss.

“What, are you scared or something? You still have time to back out,” I said mockingly.

“O-Of course not! I just . . . like to be informed,” she said. She turned away and crossed her arms. “So, how are we getting up there? I assume you have a plan?”

“Uh huh, the plan is to—” said Sherri before stopping mid-sentence. She looked down and pursed her lips, then looked at me with a furrowed brow. “What was the plan again?”

It felt like a glass pane shattered in my head. I’d been acting confident in front of Priss, but I was well aware that I had no idea what the plan was. Captain Kastel had been purposefully vague about it, but I trusted him enough to take his word that it’d work. Whatever THAT was, he put enough stock in it to get himself to the palace. That was good enough for me. What would I tell Priss though? I glanced at her sidelong and saw her squinting back at me. Tuet and Clance had leaned down next to her in anticipation of my response.

“I haven’t told them the plan yet,” said the captain almost on queue. He stopped, as we’d reached the front of the deck, and grabbed hold of a pipe that rose from the ground. “We’re in position! Give em some slack and commence launch!”

“Aye aye, sir! Commencing reposition operation!” came Ufie’s voice. The ship rocked suddenly as both The Klazmitz’s sails and The Escallion’s raised wings closed completely. We rotated to the right, now facing the palace, and drifted along the whirlpool’s current. I had to grab hold of Priss, who grabbed hold of Tuet, who grabbed hold of Clance to steady myself. A spray of water came over the side of the ship and cast its shimmering droplets over us all. The lines binding The Klazmitz grew slack and it quickly drifted to the left before stopping as the lines grew taut again.

“Launch? What are we launching?” I asked. I looked around but didn’t see a raft or boat or anything. No, a sea vessel would just get caught in the whirlpool’s current. Were we going to take a gilder or something? The whirlpool reached down deep enough that we could probably make it to the palace’s lower structure. No, I didn’t see anything like that either.

Jedda, who had grabbed Sherri so she wouldn’t stumble over, took a long breath and sighed. “We’re launching . . . THAT.”

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“What in the name of Loros is THAT?” asked Priss. She pushed me away and brushed herself off.

“I’m glad you asked, Afinsheer! Gya ha ha!” cackled Captain Kastel. He climbed up onto the pointy part at the front of the ship and balanced on it, then pointed at the palace. “I hope this knocks your socks off girls! Witness this, The Escallion Grand Climax Binder!”

“The what!?” I asked in a panic.

I heard an ominous mechanical clicking from below and ran to the deck’s railing. I peered over and gasped. Huge metal spars swung out from the sides of the ship, the left of the pair barely grazing the side of the trailing Klazmitz. Fixed to of each was a thick rope, thicker than even those that bound The Klazmitz. A heavy wooden creaking so ominous I feared the ship would snap echoed as the rope was pulled back and the spars bent with tension. Down below, poking out from the ship’s nose, was a gigantic barbed metal spike. It was like a gargantuan ballista bolt! It made even a great ballista’s missile look like a needle in comparison.

“The whole ship is a ballista!?” asked Sherri. I couldn’t tell if she was ecstatic or terrified.

“You’ve been holding out on us, captain! How could you hide something so amazing?” I asked. I leaned further over the deck’s railing and yelped as I almost teetered over the edge. Never in my life had I imagined there could be a ballista so big! You could slay anything in one shot with such a weapon!

“You’re kidding! This must be a joke! You don’t intend to—” stammered Priss.

“That I do, Afinsheer! That I do! Hold on to your heads everyone! Fire!” bellowed the captain. Jedda dove on top of Sherri and me while shouting to get down. Tuet and Clance followed her example and tackled Priss.

KATHUNK SWOOSH SWISH SWISH SWISH

The ship lurched forward, deeper into the whirlpool, as the titanic bolt was flung with force that could part the seas. Something trailed behind it, then went taut as the bolt pierced the side of the palace’s hanging structure. I wiggled out from beneath Jedda and scrambled to my feet. It was— a bridge! The bolt had a rope bridge attached to it!

“Let’s hit the legs, folks! No telling how long the binder will stick!” said the captain. He jumped off the ship’s front and down onto the bridge below. I heard his rapid footsteps as he sprinted along.

“Wait, I need to prepare my heart first!” wailed Priss.

“There’s no time, boss!” said Clance as he popped to his feet. He lifted her from the ground, then helped Tuet up.

“That’s right, we need to hurry!” said Tuet. He picked Priss up and slung her over his shoulder, then vaulted over the rail and onto the bridge below just as she started flailing. Clance followed hot on his heels.

“Will you get off of me?” I grunted as I wiggled out from underneath Sherri and Jedda. I wasn’t about to let Priss and her grunts beat me to the palace. We were going to be the ones to uncover its mysteries, not them. I flipped up and vaulted over the rail, slamming down on the rope bridge below. I ran forward and heard Sherri and Jedda land behind me.

“Ah! Don’t leave me behind!” cried Sherri.

“Wasn’t planning on it!” I said over my shoulder. I was smiling so hard my face was hurting. A ballista-launched rope bridge! Why had I expected anything less from the guy who put wings on his ship?

CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK

My footsteps rang in my ears as I rushed over the thin wooden planks. The bridge was narrow, just barely wider than Captain Kastel, and ominously swayed side to side as The Escallion bobbed in the water. On either side were braided ropes that served as protective rails should you stumble. I glanced over the edge as I ran and saw the vortex of rushing waves below. Falling would mean a quick, watery demise. I shook my head and focused on the path in front of me.

“Is this thing even the palace? How is it floating? Who built it?” asked Priss as she wiggled on Tuet’s shoulder. “I’d like to have some idea what I’m getting into, if you don’t mind!”

“Looks like a big shell to me,” said Clance. He ducked beneath a left hook from Priss and stumbled forward before regaining his footing.

“We don’t know any more than you do!” said Jedda from behind. “Now stop your whining!”

“I am not whining!” said Priss indignantly. She frowned at me and pointed her finger. “This is all your fault, Darni Voker. If you’d just kept your mouth shut back in Balistag I could be sitting on my balcony drinking a steaming cup fralmint tea right now!”

“You drink that stuff?” I asked.

I stuck my tongue out at the thought of it. Fralmint was so bitter I couldn’t stand it. It’s one of those things fancy people liked to claim required a “refined palate” when in truth it was just nasty. It even looked unappetizing with its hairy grey leaves and twisty stalk. I’d been forced to drink it at dinner parties as a child and hated it ever since.

“That’s not the point! Though it’s not surprising that someone as uncouth as you lacks the refined palate needed to enjoy the nuanced flavor of fralmint,” she said smugly.

“Yeah, nuanced,” I grumbled.

The palace’s stone mass loomed overhead. I looked up at it and found myself staring at the colossal aquamarine formations that extended from it. They were perfect squares that ended in long points. I wondered if the view I was getting compared to the one Opposto had seen when Loros wrenched the lodestones from the world. After a while, I shifted my view to the palace’s hanging tower. I noticed it was covered in open, glassless windows. Some of them had vines, bushes, and branches hanging out of them. I guess the golems had let the gardens overgrow.

The captain stopped suddenly. “Something aint right,” he said. He looked over his shoulder, his expression serious. “Steady yourselves!”

The rest of us stopped and grabbed hold of the side ropes as the bridge bent to the right. I turned and looked over my shoulder, then went wide-eyed. The whirlpool had increased in speed and The Escallion was being dragged along its edge.

SNAP WHOOSH

The binders shackling The Klazmitz tore free from its hull and flapped behind the Escallion like wiry tentacles. The Klazmitz itself spun round and round as it sunk deeper into the whirlpool’s swirling abyss. It stayed upright for a moment, then fell on its side as the waves crashed against it. Its sails snapped, the cargo on the top deck slid off and disappeared, and the figurehead of Priss dipped beneath the seafoam. It was done for.

“No, no! Not The Klazmitz mark three! D-Do something you two!” cried Priss as she watched in horror.

“What do you expect us to do?” asked Tuet.

“Something! Anything!” screamed Priss.

“We’re running out of time!” called Captain Kastel. “Come on people, we’re almost there!”

We returned to sprinting, this time far more urgently than before. Had it already been ten minutes since we entered the fog wall? Was The Escallion going to get dragged down too? Would Ufie and the others be okay? My mind flashed with the smiling faces of the crew. Even Doctor Heize with his smug smirk was there. I silently begged Loros to keep them all safe.

“Just a little bit more!” yelled Captain Kastel.

The bridge buckled underfoot and dropped away. I grabbed hold of the planks as I fell and panted heavily as my heart thumped away in my chest. The bridge had become a ladder and my grip was the only thing between me and my end. My first thought was to make sure Sherri was still with me.

I glanced below and saw the green of her hair as she looked around in a panic. That immediately assuaged my greatest fear. I took a deep breath and I looked up. Clance was above me. I could hear Priss screaming and the captain telling everyone to keep their wits about them.

“Captain, look!” shouted Jedda.

I looked over my shoulder and saw The Escallion turn to ride the current. It extended its wings as the whirlpool increased in speed to a horrifying degree. It came round and round entering and exiting my view over and over as a blur of blue and white.

FWOOSH

Then it soared.

It rose from the water like an enormous wooden bird, its sails like feathers, and shot through the wall of fog like an arrow. It was gone in the blink of an eye.

I stared at its exit point, then shifted my view down below. The Klazmitz had capsized completely, its red-painted bottom just barely visible beneath the surface of the raging vortex. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, but I refused to linger on it. I couldn’t let myself get upset when we were so close to reaching the palace.

From there we climbed in silence. Hand over hand, foot over foot. Occasionally Priss would sniffle or Clance would swear under his breath, but otherwise the only thing to hear was the churning of the water below. I looked down between my legs and saw Sherri looking sullenly at the waves.

“How are you holding up?” I asked. I tried my best to sound happy, but I’m sure my melancholy was seeping through.

“I’m fine . . .,” she said. “Do you think everyone on The Escallion is okay?”

“I’m sure of it,” I said. “They managed to escape the whirlpool, after all.”

“I’d take more than a second trip through the sky to bring our ship down. It’s made of the stern stuff,” said Jedda flatly. “Ufie and the rest are probably screaming their heads off right now, but they’ll be fine once they calm down. The Klazmitz though—” she paused and frowned like she was searching for the right words, “let’s just hope Seren takes pity on that lot.”

Sherri and I both nodded in agreement. After climbing a bit more, I looked up at Priss, who was still hanging over Tuet’s shoulder. She was frowning and wiping tears from her eyes while staring off into the distance. Every time she was about to sob, she’d shake her head and put on a stern face. I took a deep breath and sighed. At least we were all in one piece.

We eventually reached the top and pulled each other up into the palace.