“CAWWWW…CAWWWW!”

When you raise birds, alarm clocks are obsolete.

“Aggghh… damn it, how did he get inside the shiphouse?” Ruby groaned as she peeled her sweat-slicked back from a stack of papers.

Knives shrieked again, followed by a moderate thudding sound.

“He doesn’t like it when I sleep in…doesn’t usually peck on the door unless it’s urgent.”

“Maybe he doesn’t approve of you fucking a pirate twice in one hour.” Ruby laughed as she gave my rear a firm wake-up smack.

“I was already up! I complained weakly as I crawl-walked to the door.”

Showing Knives the inside of the room as I opened it. Ruby instinctively covered up.

“Hey! Shit…I’m almost naked, you know!”

“He’s completely naked.”

I gave Knives an upnod as I straightened up, asking him what was so urgent.

Knives gave his wings a hard flap because before ‘caw-ing’ even louder. The message of urgency was clear as I felt a strong pocket of air from the beat of his feathers.

“You gonna translate turkey talk for me?”

“It's something going on in town…the two we encountered before?”

Knives cried out again before jumping slightly.

“They’ve returned to the building we were outside…they are back for…her,” I relayed.

“Can you fucking tell me what the hell you're talking about?” Ruby’s voice pinched with frustration.

“They are gonna try and kidnap…my former teacher…”

“What!?”

I didn’t blame Ruby for her perplexed tone. But weird scenarios were becoming the norm in the last 72 hours.

“Get your clothes on, I’ll explain on the way!”

----------------------------------------

I was marching down the same street that me and Frank strolled when he told me his story. It was mostly empty and I was grateful. I didn’t know exactly what I was walking into but I wasn’t going anywhere without my shield. Every bystander I walked by gave the gleaming prize a couple glances, which made me clench the grip every time.

I had to keep glancing up at Knives once I turned into the residential area, he was flying slow so he could lead me back to the building we ate outside. Despite my in-depth knowledge of every street, alley, shortcut and hideout in Estoc, I was in an unfamiliar dock town. Karlsand’s streets didn’t make sense to me, and I didn’t want to be here long enough to change that.

Knives kept quiet as he beat his wings to give me the visual signal. He circled for a few seconds before perching on a roof, and I knew where I needed to be. I entered a crouched position and approached the front door slowly before realising how ridiculous I looked pretending to be a scout or a spy, and stood upright immediately. My shield was too damn big to hide and it was reflecting light at almost every angle, it wasn’t too heavy but it put a strain on my knees if I tried to creep. The front door was large and dark blue, as per Alvonion culture. Blue is the colour of educational establishments, though I was certain this was too small to be a school. By the time I reached for the doorknob, I already heard voices someway inside. Whoever was talking was upstairs, and to my relief the door was unlocked.

“...a degree which I put to use, Ma’am. It’s a useful trade in the skylands…”

I caught part of the muffled sentence as I tried to walk up the stairs slowly, It was most likely Lionel. I didn’t think I was silent enough to go unnoticed, but the manor I was in looked almost like a library, it’s possible it was a public house of some sort. Portraits of studious looking men adorned the walls, and the disturbingly soft carpet had the kind of pattern that would blanket a mayor’s office. There were a few doors on the first floor that might have given me more information if I stopped to open them, but I carried on up the stairs, and the talking got louder.

“...I couldn’t complete my contract, sadly the city was experiencing cuts across the academic sector…”

That was the voice. Even muffled through the ceiling I recognised it immediately. It was so clear, so musical. It held authority while being soft and silky. I remember asking her questions I knew the answer to, just so she would talk to me in that voice.

“...It’s out of my hands. It brings me no pleasure to say I must insist…”

I broke from my self-inflicted spell and shot up the stairs in a short jog. Hearing that smug shit Lionel insist on anything meant trouble was about to follow. My muscles tightened and I felt my forearm pulse against the inside of my shield. With a deep breath I pushed the door open with my free hand.

“But my work is…oh!”

The scene in front of me was both bizarre but menacing. 4 people were in immediate eyeshot, with the closest two being Lionel and Ms Nasaela, sitting on a small table opposite each other. The other two were sat further back in the room, on small wooden stalls with a shelf full of books behind them. One was the mace-toting half orc I met outside with knives, and the other was a hooded individual with a gangly build.

All 4 turned towards me as I made my clumsy entrance, panting after climbing more stairs than I thought there would be. Lionel’s expression was mild surprise for a split second but rested back into smug indifference. But I couldn’t muster enough interest to think about that prick’s face for more than a semi-second anyway. As was the case with my school years Ms Nasaela had all my attention.

The first thing that I noticed was how familiar her face was. I hadn’t seen this woman in a decade, but she matched the exact picture I had of her in my head. I was obviously aware how slowly Elves age in adulthood but she really didn’t look any different. Her long platinum blonde hair, her large blue-green eyes and her energetic smile was unchanged. She was wearing a light grey academic robe, but as loose and long as it was, it couldn’t hide all the curves of her body…just like I remember.

“Oh…Lionel. You didn’t mention that young Mr Kingsley would be joining this meeting,” she said in a mildly surprised but soft tone. “I take it you are working together? It’s wonderful to see, after how you two used to squabble.”

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Squabble…was putting it mildly, but it was so nice to hear her voice I didn’t protest.

“Not quite, Ms Wyntelle. We bumped into each other yesterday, but his presence is just as much a surprise to me as it is to you.” Lionel sipped from a cup so small, I’d had difficulty believing anything in it before shooting me a frozen glare. “What are you doing here Kingsley? This is a private meeting.”

I shook off the embarrassment I felt at my clumsy entrance and cleared my throat.

“I know all about this ‘meeting’ Lionel. You’re trying to take Ms Wyntelle back to the skylands with you,” I shot an outstretched finger towards him, which caused the half-orc to stir, but the hood remained motionless.

“Ah so you have been communicating then!” Wyntelle said with a warm smile. “Yes Casper, young Mr Angelott, was just telling me of the facilities that exist for Cartographers in the sky authority, it all sounds very impressive.”

“It is impressive, Ms Wyntelle. My father has invested a lot into keeping the academic facilities at the cutting edge. I don’t think someone with your skills should work with any less.”

“But Ms Nasaela-” I began before she responded, calmly and clearly.

“I don’t doubt the quality, your family’s reputation demands it. However, I am still an educator at heart even 75 years later, and my place is here. I run private lessons but I still have a duty to my students, you understand.”

“Ms Wyntelle. I think if you saw the building with your own eyes you would-” Lionel began.

“She gave you an answer, Lionel. Time for you to head back to the Skylands.”

“You seem to have confused this conversation with one you have any authority in, Casper. I’m sure you have some birds to attend to.”

“A little inspector bird told me you’ve been very busy in Karlsand, having back alley meetings with fugitives, one who happens to be the prime suspect in the murder at the docks.”

“You arrogant..”

“Oh, I heard about this incident! Terrible thing,” Nasaela said with a hand on her chest. “Ifrahn, was a kindly gentleman, I hope they catch who did it.”

“Lionel, you met with the Dwarf going by ‘Ellis Ruckard’ didn’t you?” I accused, feeling my confidence swell with every syllable.

“I’m an agent of the sky authority recruitment office and a junior ambassador, I meet with many people. Now I’m going to ask once for you to remove yourself from this meeting you’ve so rudely interrupted.”

“Oh no, young men. Please no fighting, you’ve grown past that!”

“I very rarely engage in fighting these days, Ms Wyntelle,” Lionel quipped in a voice that was more yawn than statement. “A rough business that one can delegate.”

With a flick of his hand the hooded person at the end of the room was up and closed the gap between us in a smooth, cat-like motion. I was unnerved to say the least.

“You have been asked nicely, stranger. The next won’t be an ask.” The hooded figure stated in a deep rasp that had an accent I’d place somewhere in Roh. He got close enough to reveal a face of dark Rohish complexion, and two grey eyes that looked bright enough to be carved from silver. Though his cloak was long the scabbards of two long daggers peeked from his belt. Everything about this man was telling me he had killed before, and was probably quite good at it.

“No Lionel! This is enough, tell your friend to sit down!” Nasaela said in a sterner voice that still maintained a heavenly tone.

“No, Ms Wyntelle. This friend of mine, Azlot, is paid to enforce my will. He will remove Casper from our meeting, and he will also ensure you accompany me to the Skylands immediately.” Lionel said firmly as he stood up, nodding to the half-orc, Retland who rose with him. “See, Kingsely? Friends are important.”

I took stock of the scene around me. The room was large, but as Lionel, Retland and Azlot stood up and began to approach, I might as well have been in a broom closet. I didn’t have much confidence even fighting one of them effectively, let alone three. Even if I could, Ms Nasaela was very close, and I would dare risk her being caught in a scuffle.

It was only when I glanced out of the window I felt the confidence rush back into me, like my lungs filling with a deep breath. Knives was beating his wings to hover directly into the window, casting a moderate shadow in the room with his large frame. Everyone was now looking at the massive dire hawk flapping menacingly outside, but I was the only one smiling.

“I agree, Lionel. Friends are very important.”

I felt a rumble at first, then the sound of a blistering impact shook me to my core, and added a thick chorus of ringing over the rest of the destructive noise. My eyeballs were almost as shaken as my eardrums, but I was still treated to a few clear scenes of Lionel and his cronies stumbling in shock. The problem was I was half shocked myself.

The ‘half’ here is important. Knives showing up to give me the signal was part of the plan I cooked up with Ruby. But the plan was for Ruby to bust through the door and sweep Ms Nasaela away to safety. But all I got was an eruption of force and noise, and I had no idea what caused it.

I didn’t have time to ponder as I felt the floor shift from under me. At first I thought I must have taken an unseen shot to the head, because I felt like the room was tipping over. But the room was actually tipping over. Whatever impacted the building we were in was causing a partial collapse beneath me. Lionel and Retland still didn’t have their footing but were grasping towards Ms Nasaela, who was floored by the commotion, awkwardly crouching over an upturned seat, but bizarrely still smiling. It was the smile that she would have when her students would start arguing, like she found human young people fascinating. It might have creeped out a few of my classmates, but I loved her smile.

More snapping and creaking sounds followed immediately, and then I had no confidence in the floor beneath me. Over the structural clamour I heard Knives shrieking out to me; somehow he was still flapping in the space where the window was, with the glass almost completely busted out. My brain came up with a very stupid plan that my instincts seemed to love because I was doing it before having even a chance to consider it. With one hand I’d reached out to Ms Nasaela which she immediately clasped. Feeling her soft skin on my hands might have slowed me to a stop, but my adrenaline was merciful.

“We gotta go, Miss, hang on!”

I choked out the hurried sentence as I witnessed Lionel and his cronies snatch at my former teacher, missing her by inches. I was worried I would have to drag her, but she was moving just as quickly as I was. Considering I was headed for the window, I wondered how long she would trust in my direction. But there was no turning back now.

“With me! Now jump!”

Propelled by whatever madness and desperation I had, I leapt out of the window stretching out my free hand as far as I could, Nasaela went airborne as I did and felt weightless for a second, and I acknowledged the delicate poetry of the situation for the second we were in our upward arc.

“Knives!”

My Direhawk’s claws snatched my freehand, as I begged him to. His massive talons came far too close to flaying my skin as they clasped, but the rough skin of his feet still leaving a harsh blister as he caught me. Knives was beating his wings as hard as he could, creating a suffocating stream of air as I craned up my neck to look at him. But he was somehow fighting off the dragging weight of me and Ms Nasaela, who was still thankfully in my other hand.

She was a slender woman, but weighed a lot less than you’d expect for her height. Which was good as a weightier ‘passenger’ would have torn me by the wingspan. Though it was still pretty uncomfortable.

“Oh my, young Mr Kingsley! You’ve tamed your hawk very well! But he seems to be strained!”

I could agree with her silky-voiced statement 1000 times over, but felt my heart hammer as Knives' cries grew more anguished and we began to descend. He wasn’t going to be holding us both much longer but we were still a little too high up to safely fall. However hanging on to him like this could seriously hurt him, lest he drop with us. So I had to make a judgement call.

“A little lower, Knives…we are still too high!”

Knives screeched as he tried to descend a little more before I looked down at my teacher with panicked eyes.

“We are going to have to drop now…please try to roll as you land!”

I said desperately, knowing that I really didn’t know much about falling .

Nasaela gave me something that looked like a nod and I let go of Knives. I tried to let go of her hand as I plummeted but she gripped me back. I thought it must be out of panic, but then I looked down, and saw a glow coming from her.

“Shano-ei!” She cried out, I knew the word was elvish, but didn’t know the translation.

Her voice was echoing like we were in a tunnel, and not falling to our probable injury outdoors. A wind tunnel to be sure, because the next thing I felt was a rush of air so strong it suffocated me like a punch to the lungs. But the most uncomfortable feeling was my body, it felt hollow and then weightless. I focused my eyes downwards to see while we were still falling, the plummet had ‘slowed’ down. The rush of air was a blanket against gravity, so when I hit the cobblestone street, I was left with bruised skin instead of broken bones. Nasaela had a softer landing…because she bounced off my back.

“Oooff!”

“Oh my, Casper. Are you hurt? I haven’t used that…ability in a while.”

Nasaela spoke as if she took a small stumble down the last step of a staircase, rising to a stand with incredible poise. I rolled from my prone position to a slightly less embarrassing seated one, and rubbed my shin as I tried to find my balance.

“That was…a spell Ms Wyntelle?”

Ms Nasaela’s skin was pale as one would expect from Ispar. But my question made her glow with a rosy blush which heated my chest. But before she could respond, a familiar voice answered for her.

“Sure as hell was, haven’t seen magic since I lost a sail to a half-assed fireball off the coast of Roh!”

Ruby Jack revealed herself from the alleway directly across from Nasaela’s building, her voice brimming with smug confidence. With some effort she shifted the weapon that caused the destruction into full view: a bronze cannon.

“A cannon!? You dragged a cannon from the ship? You were supposed to bust in the door! Knives at the window were the signal!”

My voice was tense and squeaky, still expelling the ‘magic’ air spell as I tried to voice my disapproval. We had a plan, and the plan wasn’t to blow apart the building while I was still in it. But there was so much genuine glee on her face I almost couldn’t hold my stern demeanour.

“I had a better plan, shake up any number of goons in the room knowing your turkey would pull you out!”

“Knives is a Direhawk, not an air balloon! And what about Ms Naesala? Who we literally come for?”

Ruby ran her eyes over Naesala, before offering an impressed whistle.

“Interesting choice of words there, chief. With a teacher like that, I don’t know how you got any school work done.”

My head flashed hot, and I was able to glance at Nasaela just long enough to see her elegant smile crease into a giggle. Ruby really did have a way with words, and she was proving it to my own detriment. But before my former educator could offer any thoughts of her own to the painfully embarrassing quip, her face became like stone, with eyes wide and held breath.

She suddenly had a blade to her throat.