2
The Floating City
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James watched the horizon ahead, seeing how the distant warm light of the sun painted the dark purple sky and clouds, as well as the reflective waters of the sea. Despite its light, however, the sun hadn’t made its appearance yet, still minutes away from rising from the horizon.
James took in a breath of the freezing dawn air, his body shivering as he wrapped his linen cloak tighter. He hadn’t been able to sleep well throughout the night, especially with the repeat of the same dream from before. James hadn’t mentioned his strange dreams to anyone, not even Dahlia. He had initially thought the visions were nothing more than a result of poor sleep and constant stress.
‘No, you knew from the beginning those dreams meant something.’
The premonitions of his death, the weird voices, and that personal dream about his mother.
‘What could they mean, though? Fate? My mother? Ravens? It’s all so confusing…’
As James contemplated, something moved in his peripheral vision. There was some movement in the trees nearby, which prompted him to turn his head up to the branches. His tired eyes spotted a conspiracy of ravens there, most of them minding their business.
One, however, caught his attention. It was a white raven, its eyes an icy blue as it examined James with curiosity. It cocked its head before opening its wings and flying off, out of sight.
‘Why does it follow you?’ Faust asked. ‘It was watching us during our recovery, and it followed you around Yorktown.’
James shrugged, his eyes moving back to the upcoming sunrise. He recalled his mother’s words, the ones she had spoken during his dream and when she had been on her deathbed.
“The ravens will always be there. They will look out for you. No matter where you are.”
James shivered again, but not from the cold.
‘Best if we don’t think about it,’ he answered.
James was currently overseeing the cliff on the small, unimpressive mountain he was summoned to back on his first night at Valenfrost. It was also the same place Dahlia, and he had spread his father’s ashes, the same place where both of them had awkwardly held hands. James blushed at the memory.
‘Do you think you will ever gain the courage to ask her?’ Faust spoke out, an amused tone in his ethereal voice.
James groaned. He forgot that the spirit could feel his emotions and thoughts.
‘Shut the hell up,’ He shot at Faust. He turned on his heels, heading back to the hut to wake up his friends.
‘I’ve seen the way you look at her and the way she looks back,’ Faust teased some more.
‘What part of shut up do you not understand?’ James pulled on his thin hood, protecting himself from the snow as he grimaced.
‘Let me have my fun, will you? There isn’t much to do in this head in yours besides sit around and look at your past troubles with women,’ Faust responded boredly. That caused James to recoil in surprise.
‘Hey! What the hell, man?!’
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Felix sighed as he looked up at the gray clouds, watching how specks of snow fell from the heavens.
“At least it’s not raining,” he murmured to himself, remembering how the rainwater from last week froze most of the cobbled streets overnight. Felix yawned as he walked off with a rucksack in hand, wearing his woolen coat over his blue and black guard uniform.
He had hoped that James would find capable people to take with him on his ‘quest’ but didn’t expect him to bring along the marauder prisoner. He grimaced, wondering if letting her free after all of this was a good idea. Felix understandably didn’t trust her words, but knew that she was possibly the only navigator who would go on this mission.
Felix passed by the closed tavern, the small lantern out front flickering weakly. He stopped, turning his head to see Haggard fully dressed and geared as he sat outside by the front doors. He had his cape’s hood up, hiding his face. Felix could still tell he was asleep, however, as he heard the telltale snores from the man.
The guard sighed, lightly kicking the sleeping man’s foot.
“Snort–Huh?! Who…?”
The dazed man jumped, his head swiveling to look around his surroundings.
“Oh, Felix!” Haggard’s expression turned into an excited one as he stood up, towering over Felix by 15 centimeters. Felix looked up at the now awake Haggard, the hood from his cape falling back as he stood up to greet Felix, showcasing his tied-up black hair.
“Is James all ready? Everything is prepared, yes?” Haggard asked, like a kid ready to go out for a day at the market.
Felix shook his head. “No, I assume he’s still gathering Dahlia and Seamus. You and I are going to head to the jail cells to grab the marauder.” Felix raised the rucksack he was carrying in his right hand. “This is the gear I’ll be lending to her for the trip.” Felix had packed the marauder’s old leather armor and clothes since he didn’t feel like lending her any of the guard’s gear or clothes.
Haggard examined the rucksack, raising an eyebrow. “It looks tiny… Are you sure you packed her spear and shield?” He asked.
Felix blinked, confused at Haggard. “I’m not going to give her back her weapons, Haggard! It’s bad enough I’m giving her back her armor, but now you want to give her a weapon?” He couldn’t believe this man, even after everything.
“What?” Haggard asked. “What’s wrong with giving her the means of defending herself?”
“That’s why I’m having you guard her!”
“Well, what if I’m not around?”
“Stop making excuses, Haggard. I know you just want to spar with her.”
“Just once!”
“The answer is no!”
The two continue to argue on their way to the cells, both sides adamantly making excuses and reasons all the way to the marauder’s cell.
“Just shut it, alright? The answer is no and will always be no.” Felix ended the conversation, shutting Haggard up as he turned to the marauder. Helen was sitting by her cot, wearing her rags as she stared at the two with what looked like an amused look. Felix couldn’t tell through the darkness of the cell, the light of dawn barely reaching the small window. Still, he didn’t care.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
“Stay where you are,” he ordered.
The marauder sighed and raised her hands in surrender.
Felix reached for his cell keys, feeling for the one to open this cell. After some fidgeting and sorting, the guardsman opened the cell door, which creaked and groaned with age. He tossed the rucksack into the cell before quickly shutting the door, locking it in place.
“There are shackles in there, along with your clothes and armor. Equip those and stay by the wall until we come in and get you,” he called out to the prisoner. The woman in the cell sat up on her cot, her gaze moving to the rucksack Felix threw.
Helen slowly moved to the bag, cautiously opening it. Her blue eyes examined the contents before she looked back up at the two men.
“You think you can give me some privacy?” she asked.
Haggard immediately turned around, but Felix stood his ground.
“I’m not letting you out of my sight until you’re gone, marauder,” the guard responded coldly. He knew better than to turn his back on her. Chivalry be damned. Helen shrugged, a small grin on her lips.
“Careful, aren’t you?” She commented as she moved to stand. She changed out of her rags and into her clothes and armor, her gaze on the guardsman. Felix watched through the entire thing, his hand feeling for the short sword he kept on his side. He wouldn’t hesitate to end her if she tried anything.
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Dahlia sighed as she walked down the slope’s path, Seamus cursing the cold right next to her as he carried his rucksack. The shaman felt a little bad for having Seamus join them on their upcoming trip since the young man had been vocally against the idea.
Still, Seamus had reluctantly agreed to being their map reader. Dahlia looked behind her to see James right behind them, seemingly in thought, as his blue eyes gazed up at the sky.
Dahlia recalled that three days ago, the young man barely had enough energy to walk for over ten minutes without tiring himself or reopening one of his wounds. Yet here he was, tall and stoic as he walked down the slope, a small smile on his face. A frown then replaced it as he shivered.
“God, it’s fucking cold,” he cursed aloud, causing Dahlia to stifle a small laugh.
James’ dark blue tunic was visible underneath his leather armor, one piece of gear Felix had given to him the day of the raid. There was also the short sword James had been holding onto since his fateful day at Yorktown. Wrapped in cloth and tied to James’ belt, the blade swung from side to side.
Dahlia could also spot the round shield James had strapped behind his back and over his cloak. It was the same shield he had taken from Havor during their fight. The memory of that event brought shivers to Dahlia. The smell of burning flesh permeated her nostrils, almost making her sick. She shook it away, burying the memory as she focused on what was ahead.
‘Just don’t think about it,’ She thought to herself, taking a deep breath of the frigid air.
The trio soon arrived at Yorktown, the sun’s light now washing over the rooftops of the surviving buildings of the small town. The sight of the ashy ground and burnt buildings was grim, reminding the group of the dangers they had all endured.
Dahlia turned to her friends, whose faces were like hers. Seamus’ complaining had died down immediately once they had entered the town, his eyes staring at the wreckage.
“It never gets easier to see this damage,” Seamus commented.
Dahlia noticed that James’ stoic expression had faltered, his gaze on the burnt buildings.
“Never again,” he murmured, his voice barely audible to the shaman. The three soon moved on from the sight, silent as the freezing wind.
As they arrived at the harbor, the Lumen Knights were waiting for them with Felix, Haggard, a marauder woman, and two men in green tunics. Gryff turned his head to the three, apparently in the middle of a conversation with Felix.
“I see you’ve all gotten yourselves ready,” he commented. “I hope you all understand the importance of this journey.” The knight turned to the men in green tunics, making a gesture with his head. The men seemed to hesitate, but did their job moving to the marauder ship called Frostbite.
“I’ll be sending those two with you to keep watch and assist,” Gryff explained before he turned to James, stepping up to the young man. Dahlia could feel the air tense up as the spellcaster got closer, his hand reaching into his belt. Gryff then produced a small leather pouch, handing it to James.
“Those are sample vials. Collect any organic material or strange objects relating to that thing you killed. Crystals, skin, blood, anything that seems strange or unnatural. Just collect it and burn the bodies,” the knight explained. James nodded at the instructions, his hand taking the pouch from Gryff.
Dahlia watched as the spellcaster made eye contact with her, his ice-blue eyes staring into hers. Dahlia wasn’t a people person, nor could she really read people well, but the look of cold-bloodedness in those vacant windows nearly made her recoil in surprise. She blinked, unsure of what to make of the brief interaction as the knight walked off to his companion.
‘What kind of man is he?’
Dahlia shook off those feelings, her gaze moving to James as he walked up to Felix and Haggard, probably to ask about the marauder. Dahlia was about to join into the conversation, but noticed movement at the edge of her vision. She turned, seeing how someone ran from the town, panting as they reached the harbor.
Dahlia recognized the young woman known as Kate Rowan, whose breath came out in puffs of steam. She stopped at Seamus, catching her breath as the young man moved in to help her stand straight. Dahlia watched from a distance, smiling a little as she watched them talk inaudibly, Kate laughing a bit as she pulled out something from her belt. It was a sword, sheathed in a fine scabbard and glinting in the sparse morning light.
Seamus seemed to stare at the blade for a while, partially unsheathing it before he swapped it out with his other much more beaten down sword. Kate gladly took the worn-out blade, saying something to the young man. Seamus was visibly smiling for the first time in what seemed like forever. Dahlia watched with a smile of her own, seeing how the young woman said her farewells before heading off into Yorktown.
Dahlia stepped up to the young man, failing to hide her amused look as she watched Kate ran off.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say she liked you, Seamus Halvorson.”
The young man jumped at the sound of his full name, his head swiveling to make sure no one heard it.
“She doesn’t ‘like’ me. She’s just thankful for what I did,” Seamus explained.
“I heard from a reliable source that you two had spent the night together a couple of nights ago.” Dahlia pointed out, recalling what Haggard had told her.
Seamus reddened suddenly. “I was unfit to go back to the hut that night! Kate lent me her home near the tavern to sleep at, since one room in the tavern was occupied.” The young man added a bit of an accusatory tone at those last words, causing the shaman to raise an eyebrow.
“Dahlia! Seamus! Let’s get going!” James called out to Dahlia and Seamus, making them turn back. They saw the otherworldly man, the marauder, and Haggard heading towards Frostbite. Dahlia sighed, heading her way to the ship as she carried her rucksack.
“You planned our destination, right?” She asked Seamus, who nodded.
“Yes, we’ll be heading for Vindis first. See if we can get ourselves a crew to manage the ship while we explore the islands.” He reached for his belt with his free hand, his other carrying his rucksack. Seamus pulled out the map parchment. “This is a map knight Gryff made for me. He marked the coordinates we will need to head towards.” Seamus’ voice sounded a bit worried as he stared at the folded parchment.
Dahlia raised an eyebrow.
“What’s wrong?” She asked, just as they reached the ship.
“It’s nothing,” Seamus simply answered before he handed his rucksack to Haggard, who was already on deck.
Soon enough, everyone was on Frostbite, including the two men Gryff had provided. Seamus headed over to the marauder woman, talking to her and Haggard as he pulled out his map.
‘So that’s our navigator.’
Dahlia watched how Helen examined the map before she gestured at Haggard and Seamus to the hatch nearby.
“There should be a map table beneath the deck.” The shaman heard her say, before Haggard escorted her, with Seamus following close behind. Dahlia turned to James, who seemed a little nervous.
“Are you alright?” She asked. James turned to her, nodding.
“Just nerves,” he answered, giving Dahlia a reassuring smile.
After some time, Helen emerged from the deck with Haggard and Seamus, carrying what looked like a compass in hand as she spoke a little louder.
“Alright, let’s get moving, shall we?”
Before long, Dahlia felt the deck below her shift idly. Everyone moved to lower the sails and raise the anchor, the movements making her knees a little wobbly as she kept her balance. She hadn’t been at sea in so long, so it was some getting used to. Unfortunately for James, it seemed as if he had never been on a ship in his entire life, his hands grasping for dear life as he kept his balance. Still, the man kept his composure as the ship sailed.
The distant sunrise shone onto the black sails as it billowed and flapped underneath the freezing wind of Valenfrost. Dahlia looked out onto the sea, the sun’s light reflecting beautifully on the black waters. It was almost as if there was no danger out here, despite the marauders and leviathans that lurked in the seas of Valenfrost.
Dahlia turned back to her hometown, seeing how Felix waved from afar, the knights behind him turning their backs to head into the town. The shaman couldn’t help but wave back. She watched as Yorktown slowly grew distant over the next hour before it finally winked out into the horizon.