taniwhaJupiter tacked the outrigger over, and set the sail for the hanging valley. If the pursuing skyfort got there first they had no chance of getting to the temple before them.

The waterfall sent a spray down the high cliff so far that the water had turned to mist by the time it reached the bottom. The wind pulled the mist up the cliff face until it swirled like a wraith. The outrigger hit the dense air like a slap, the water had turned to ice in the cold air and it seemed they had sailed into a snow storm. Then they shot through the swirling white into clear air beyond the falls.

Jupiter looked behind. The full moon glowed through the mist and steam and he understood the name then. Naz’naska — Place of the Luminous Moon. A ring of light had formed, with spikes like a cross.

‘It’s beautiful,’ said Maggie.

Jupiter looked ahead. A long narrow lake filled the base of the valley with thick black trees lining the shore. And above them all tall black crags shot with streaks of snow and ice blasted onto them.

‘That must be the temple,’ said Maggie. ‘On the shore.’

Jupiter saw a tall spire that glowed from within as if had been made from gold and black. Its light reflected in a trail across the lake. He tacked again to follow the shimmering path as The Jupiter dropped closer to the water. The outrigger steadied as Maggie spun up the kheel.

Behind them the skyfort cut through the moon glow, a dark shadow upon the moon.

‘It’s not going to make it,’ said Maggie. ‘They’re sailing past.’

Jupiter looked back. Lines swing down from the huge hull, large anchor-like hooks at the ends.

‘They’re grappling the trees,’ he said.

The skyfort slewed around until it eclipsed the moon. The spikes of the moon’s halo now seemed to come from the black hull. They dropped their sails so only their shadowed silhouette remained only halfway down the lake.

Jupiter focussed on the light path aimed directly at the temple.

‘Slow the kheel Maggie. Easy as.’

He brought The Jupiter down onto the water until they broke the golden shimmer into a million shards.

‘Everyone, into the main hull,’ he commanded. ‘I’ll bring her onto the beach.’

He swung the Jupiter into the wind just as they met the shadows and ran the hull onto the sandy lake shore.

Jupiter Pulled his niho taniwha pendent out from where it had rested under his wetsuit and felted jacket. As he held the warm stone he willed some of his grandbam’s mana to keep him safe a while longer. The black mountain lake would be just the place for a taniwha monster to dwell.

He had always thought himself to be rational, believing only the evidence of his eyes, filtered through science and the facts taught at school.

In this moment though the strangeness of the past month overwhelmed him. He felt alive here, even as it seemed dreamlike as Maggie had believed. In this dream he had made friends and enemies, fought in battles, and mastered a flying sailboat. He stepped into the icy cold water, pushed down on the stern, and shoved The Jupiter further up the beach. He knew this to be as real as anything in his life, and yet could not balance this now with a rational life. He took a deep breath.

‘We’re all going to the temple,’ said Berg.

‘Someone should stay with The Jupiter,’ said Tamm. ‘It is our escape.’

‘Tamm,’ said Jupiter. ‘Can you fly her?’

Tamm held Zaj under her shoulder. She looked around now, awake and aware. ‘Dhakara. I have watched you, and studied how you turn the wind to your advantage. I can fly Zaj’quetza and Bergwash Bamrushi to safety.’

‘Then take her now. Leave me and Maggie.’

‘You have such confidence?’ said Tamm.

‘We will all go to the temple,’ Berg repeated. ‘There is sanctuary there. The zenvrikan priests who dwell there will give us protection and exact safe passage for us from the navy.’

‘None of this may hold true,’ said Tamm.’ The Air Lord and blackbirders go against all convention.’

‘I will not travel further with Zaj’quetza in this state,’ said Berg.

‘Jupiter, let’s get going,’ said Maggie. ‘They’re getting closer.’

‘I will take The Jupiter. Then watch for you,’ said Tamm. He climbed aboard.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

If the portal does not work, we’re screwed.

‘Time is running out,’ said Jupiter. ‘Take her out of sight Tamm. Keep her safe.’ He gripped his friend’s forearms. ’Thank you.’

‘And I you,’ Tamm replied. ‘For my freedom.’

The skyfort worked their way along the shore by grappling and pulling in their lines, until they could set more further forward, to repeat the process.

‘Come on then.’ Jupiter ran to catch up with Berg and Zaj, Maggie close beside him as fast as ever, up the gravel of the lake beach onto a paved path then to the threshold of the temple.

The temple lay close by, painted gold and silver and a shadowy black. A hooded figure stood in the light of the door. When he saw them they sang.

We await you this night

The edge of qhantava

The luminous moonlight

Welcome to Naz’naska

A deep bell bonged within the temple.

‘You knew we would come?’ said Maggie.

‘The holy priests know much that we cannot,’ said Berg. He helped Zaj inside.

Jupiter rolled his eyes. It was one thing to be awed by the magic of existence, another to believe you could see beyond reality to something deeper, no matter the temptation.

‘Do you know of the portal? A way between worlds,’ said Jupiter once they had crossed the temple threshold. ‘We have to get through. And before that skyfort arrives.’

It struck him then how much crazy he had begun to believe. He shrugged to himself.

‘Is it here?’ Maggie said.

‘No. You can not pass between worlds,’ the priest said.

‘So you know about the portal,’ said Jupiter. ‘Where is it?’

‘There is no way between worlds here. Legend says only nuvra may pass across.’

‘We’re nuvra,’ said Jupiter. ‘We came at the last full moon, on qhantava, the Day of the Moon.’

‘Who else is witness to this?’

‘I am,’ said Berg. ‘When first I met these two I believed them to be just arrived nuvra. They had no tulanvarqa. And yet now they are imbued with lushvra. If there is a way between worlds, let them try.’

‘At every qhantava we zenvrikan — priests of the moon stand vigil over the way. But it is ritual. We hope and trust. But you will be disappointed. The story you heard about is just a retelling of legend.’

‘What do you mean?’ said Maggie. ‘Is there a way between worlds or not?’

‘We mean it in a meditative sense,’ the zenvrikan said.

‘Can we see it? This place you meditate.’

Without a word the zenvrikan priest led them into the temple. Berg stayed with Zaj within the temple. Glowglobes lit the centre of the space, under the spire, but the circular expanse around it lay dark and filled with shadowed figures. A low grumbling chant echoed beneath their steps upon the stone flagged floor.

As he and Maggie passed under the spire Jupiter looked up into the interior of the spire. A series of concentric rings formed at the edges of the spire stepped up higher and higher. But as they reached halfway up, the ring became a broken on one side until the ring diminished to nothing. Higher still the ring returned to full again almost like the phases of the moon. But he got the impression he saw not the phases of the moon, but the eclipsing of it.

The significance of the spire lay within, not like spires on religious structures on Earth that tried to reach to the heavens, instead it captured the heavens within the spire.

Jupiter fully expected the zenvrikan priest to stop at the base of the spire, instead though he led them past and along a path through dark beech trees lit by the silver light of the brightening moon. He heard a chuckling stream and when they came close sparks of light shimmered in the flowing waters.

‘Glow worms,’ said Jupiter. ‘Just like at home.’

A little further along the path he caught up with Maggie and the priest. The zenvrikan had stopped at a ramp that led into the ground.

‘To discover the heavens enter the earth,’ said the priest.

Maggie gasped. Jupiter leaned to her ear. ‘He means to go underground. Not to Earth.’

‘But I heard him say it.’

‘I know. Me too. But…’

A cry rose on the wind from behind. From the temple. They turned.

The skyfort had raised its sails and drove its bow right at the temple’s spire of light.

The zenvrikan priest turned away from the entrance, and moved to step past Jupiter.

‘Stop him, Jupiter. We’re so close.’

But Jupiter had turned to watch the skyfort. He heard it then, a gharumal. Somehow they had got one to the ground. And now it pulled the skyfort onto the temple spire.

‘This is our one chance.’

The priest ran towards the temple as the skyfort broke the top against the armored bow designed to smash against enemy skyforts.

Jupiter stepped to follow.

‘Jupiter, don’t go. The portal. It’s close by. It’s time.’

‘We have to help Berg and Zaj,’ Jupiter said. ‘We still have time yet.’

‘How do you know?’ Maggie wailed behind him as he ran after the priest.

The skyfort kept shoving. The wind had filled its sails and it muscled its way through the stonework of the spire sending blocks and glowglobes tumbling to the ground in seeming slow motion.

He caught up with the elderly priest.

‘Why do they do this?’ he wailed. ‘It is against all that it spiritual about this place.’

They reached the temple grounds and found the priests huddled together, Berg and Zaj amongst them. Warriors led the gharumal forward guiding the huge vessel. The momentum of his moving mass, impelled by the wind, had made short work of the temple spire. It now settled towards the ground, crushing the temple gardens with the imprint of its huge bulk.

‘Berg,’ said Jupiter. ‘I don’t think this there is any sanctuary here now.

‘I believe you are right,’ the manisaur said.

Jupiter looked to Zaj, and realized the manisaur by her side was Tamm. He caught Jupiter’s eye. ‘We can escape on The Jupiter. She is close by, and fast enough that we cannot be caught.’

‘Go then. Take her and Berg,’ Jupiter said. ‘Get them somewhere safe.’

‘And you?’

Jupiter felt torn. He would never have a life like this again. Flying in the sky, leading a crew, and making a difference in the world.

‘Jupiter,’ said Maggie. ‘It’s too late. Let them go. We can follow our own path to the place where the portal is meant to be. The moon is rising high now. We can find the way. Come with me. I don’t want to go alone.’

‘But don’t you see. We can’t ever go home. Not after all of this.’ Jupiter swept his hand towards the sight of the settling skyfort, the huge dinosaur-bird-gharumal, the tumbled and strewn blocks of the temple tower.

‘I can. I will.’

‘There’s more though Maggie. I told you there is only one way to travel through time. And that’s forwards, otherwise reality would break. I come from a time after you, so you cannot ever go back home.’

‘You never said this before.’

‘I sort of did. But I wanted to give you hope.’

‘I still want to go home. To Earth. I won’t mind so much if we go together. Don’t you see?’

Jupiter did. He caught the look in her eye, his guts clenched. He took a step towards her as she held out her hand.

A pack of thraqanonkra hunting beasts surrounded them. The group rushed together in a huddle. Berg and his daughter Zaj with Tamm close beside them. Maggie and Jupiter with the elderly priest. The creatures howled and yipped and warbled a guttural song of success.

Beyond the beasts, in the scattered light of the glowglobes, the Air Lord paced towards them with a pack of blackbirders providing an escort.

The Air Lord sang. But not in any language known on Eoth.

Jupiter stood straighter then and raised his arms above his shoulders.