Half-a-dozen ramps lined the western-most part of the harbor front. Each ramp was flanked by a building on either side – one that served as an office, and another that served as a warehouse. Behind each shipyard stood more of those cave-storehouses, all with their doors open to various degrees. Boats in various stages of construction sat at the top of each ramp, and dozens of workers hurried about their tasks, filling the air with hammering, sawing, and yelling.

Stell led them to the two ramps on the northern end of the shipyard. A two-storied office building with a pointed, tiled roof stood between the two ramps. A large, curved sign hung over the door, bearing the words “Caird & Caird Shipbuilding Co.” Two warehouses flanked the ramps.

A dozen workers were using ropes to haul a schooner up the right ramp. It was listing on its port side, revealing a gaping hole in the starboard-side hull. Xan whistled in awe as they drew closer.

“That’s a lot of damage,” he commented.

“It’s a bleedin’ headache, is what it is,” Stell said. “There’s five more of them waiting down at the wharf, and all of them have the same problem.”

“They all have big holes in the sides? What did that?” Taika asked.

“Damned fish-skins,” Stell spat, “Their raids have been getting more aggressive as of late, and Councilman Woods’ ships have had the misfortune of being the victims of the last few attacks. If this keeps up his entire fleet will be grounded, and he’ll expect me to fix it all.”

Xan nodded as he listened to Stell’s rant. She was talking about the Aquarians, the fish-like beast-men who lived at the bottom of the Heartless Expanse, Garadana’s central ocean. They were one of the main reasons why most sailors preferred to stick to the trade routes along the coasts of Ibora, Orune, and Rezan, instead of sailing straight across it.

“I thought the Aquarians were a solitary people,” Taika said.

“Not in my experience. I’ve seen plenty of ships over the years that were decimated by those marauding fish-skins, and you can bet for every ship I’ve seen there’s at least three more sunk to the bottom of the ocean,” Stell said.

“Is that so?” Taika asked. The question was directed at Stell, but her eyes were fixed on Xan, as if seeking confirmation. He made a gesture to indicate that he partially agreed with Stell. His personal experience with Aquarians was a lot more… complicated.

The cart drew level with the Caird & Caird office building. As soon as Taika stopped the cart, Stell hopped down. She put her fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly. Everyone in the shipyard who could afford to stop what they were doing, did so and turned to listen.

“JOEL! PER! GOHAR! REPORT TO MY OFFICE!” Stell barked in a yell loud enough to break through gale-force winds. Once again, Xan marveled that such a big voice could come out of such a small person.

The moment the order was relayed, work resumed in the shipyard. Stell turned back to Xan and Taika.

“You two come with me. You too, Dee!” she called.

“Awww,” Dee groaned. She had found one of Sage’s stray feathers and was using it to play with Shadow, but at Stell’s call she relented. She tossed the feather in the air one last time before jumping down from the cart. Shadow grabbed at the feather with a playful growl.

Xan hopped down from the cart as well. Taika, however, didn’t move. Her grip tightened imperceptibly on the reins.

“I’d rather stay here,” she said. Stell and Taika shared a look. Then Stell shrugged.

“Alright then. You can take the cart around the side, it’s less windy over there,” she said, pointing around the office building.

“Thank you,” Taika said. Then she clicked her tongue and led the cart around to where Stell had indicated.

“Well, come on then,” Stell said, waving Xan and Dee inside.

The ground floor of the office building was one large open room. An iron stove sat on the wall opposite the front door, its grill glowing red. A metal pipe that served as the chimney snaked its way up the wall and through the ceiling, presumably all the way to the roof. The walls to the left and right had one window each, flanked by tall bookcases full of books, ledgers, and sheaves of paper.

A long counter stood near the front of the room. A middle-aged human man sat at the counter, hunched over an open ledger. His black hair was pulled back into a pony-tail, and a set of small spectacles sat on the end of his nose. He glanced up as Stell opened the door.

“Mornin’ chief,” he said as he reached over to move some beads on a standing abacus. “I’ve almost got the payroll done.”

“Good work as always, Isaac. But it’ll have to wait. We’ve got visitors,” Stell said. Isaac looked up, seeming to notice Xan for the first time.

“I see,” he said, setting down his quill.

Stolen novel; please report.

“The foremen will be coming in too. Put on some tea, then join us. Make sure the two Verdans outside get some, too,” Stell said.

“Aye, chief,” Isaac said, standing up.

Then Stell moved to an iron spiral staircase to the right of the front door and started to climb. Dee looked over at Xan, gestured with her head for him to follow, then climbed up after Stell.

The staircase wound up to a landing on the second floor, which had a simple wooden door on the wall to their right. Stell pulled a ring of keys off of her belt and unlocked it, then pushed the door open.

Stell’s office was partially built into the roof, so the ceiling was pointed. Three dormer windows lined the left and right walls, providing a view down into both sides of the shipyard. A large arched window was also set into the far wall, giving a stunning view of the harbor. An inclined drawing table sat in front of this window, bearing the half-finished blueprint of a galleon. A wooden desk sat in front of the drawing table, strewn with papers and various drawing implements.

Stell took off her cloak and tossed it onto the back of her desk chair. Then she hopped up onto a stool near the harbor window. She stood there silently, hands behind her back, while Xan and Dee waited.

As the minutes stretched on, Xan began to feel a little awkward. He was about to say something to break the silence, when he saw Dee’s warning look. He cleared his throat instead, stretched his arms, then contented himself with watching the shipwrights through one of the dormer windows.

A moment later three people entered the office. Xan recognized Joel and Per, the human and Canidan who had been at The Landing with Stell and Dee. Joel had fresh sawdust in his hair, and Per was now wearing a tar-stained apron. The third person was a short Suidan woman with brown fur and a medium-length purple mohawk that flopped down over the right side of her head. She had old burn scars on her arms, and she smelled strongly of soot and metal.

Isaac was right behind the Suidan woman, and he entered carrying a tray with a teapot and seven cups. He closed the door after himself before setting the tray on Stell’s desk. Stell’s ear twitched like she was listening to him, but she didn’t turn around.

Isaac poured tea into the cups, then distributed them among those assembled. They all muttered their thanks before taking a drink. When he brought a cup over to Xan, he gave Xan a warm smile. Xan returned the smile and nodded his thanks. The he sipped at the tea. It warmed him from the inside-out, and he sighed happily.

Isaac gave Stell her tea last. She thanked him, took a drink, then finally turned around, still standing on the stool.

“Xan, these are my foremen: Joel Rask, Per Strand, and Gohar Karimi. And you’ve already met Isaac Bosch, my records keeper,” she said.

Each of the foremen nodded and waved at Xan in turn as they were introduced. Isaac even essayed a small bow. Xan returned the greetings, suddenly feeling awkward again.

“I’m Xan Rais,” he said, remembering when Stell had scolded him for not giving his name.

Stell hopped over from the stool at the window to the chair behind her desk, not even spilling a drop of tea. Then she set the cup down.

“I’ll get right to the point: Xan and his traveling companion, Taika, are in dire need of help. Taika’s father is on his deathbed, and he needs to get to the Meridian Shrine. We’re going to help them,” she said.

The foremen all shared a look. Then they straightened up like they were readying for action.

“What’s the plan, boss?” Per asked.

“It’s Dee’s plan, actually,” Stell said, looking down at her niece. “We’re going to rig a skiff with Terra Sang.”

There was a pause as everyone looked down at the small Rodentian. This time, however, Dee stood tall with a smile on her face. Then Gohar snorted a laugh.

“She’s just like her father, she is,” she said.

“Isaac, do we have a skiff available that can carry four people?” Stell quickly asked. Isaac’s brow furrowed as he thought.

“There’s a skiff down at the wharf that should suit,” he said.

“Wait a minute, why four?” Xan piped up. Stell fixed him with her good eye.

“Because being a sailor doesn’t mean you’ll know how to handle it in the air. You’ll need another experienced hand to help you fly it. Which is why I’m going with you.”

There was another pause, then everyone started talking at once. A whistle from Joel cut through the air, silencing everyone. Then he started signing with his hands. Xan watched for a moment, confused, before Dee whispered to him, “He’s a mute. That’s how he talks.”

Stell watched Joel while he signed. Then she responded: “The thought is appreciated, Joel, but someone has to go with them, and I need you all to stay behind and stay on top of the repairs. If we don’t get these schooners back in the water before the Jeweled Rain Festival, Councilman Woods is going to have my ears.”

“What if I go?” Dee interjected, stepping forward.

For the first time, Xan thought he saw a crack in Stell’s tough exterior. She looked down at her niece with a hint of tenderness and shook her head.

“Dee, that’s—”

“If I go, you can stay and oversee the repairs on the airship,” Dee pressed.

“I don’t—”

“You said it yourself, the Councilman wants the repairs done before the festival. Joel, Per, and Gohar can handle the schooners while you oversee the airship. Then he’ll have nothing to complain about.”

“Dee—”

“Auntie, please. Let me help you,” Dee said eagerly.

Stell stared down at Dee for a long moment. Then Isaac cleared his throat, and Stell glanced at him sideways.

“If I may, chief, if it’s her idea, then she should take responsibility for it,” he said.

Stell frowned, but she didn’t look angry. Really, she looked like she wanted desperately to disagree with him. Finally, she sighed.

“Fine, then. But I expect you to come back in one piece,” she said, pointing a finger at Dee. The young Rodentian smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

“That just leaves the problem of the Terra Sang,” Stell then said, turning to Gohar. “Do we have a Terra Sang in our reserves that’s big enough?”

Gohar tilted her head. “That’ll be a tall order, Stell. I might have to rip one out of the storehouse’s elevators.”

“Then do it. Bring it down to the wharf, and I’ll help you install it. The rest of you can return to your posts. But not a word about this to anyone, understand?” Stell said, looking at each of her employees in turn. They all nodded in silent agreement. “Dismissed.”

The foremen all took turns setting their cups down on the tray before leaving the room. Isaac moved to pick up the tray after them, but Stell waved a hand to let him know he could leave it. He then gave a small bow before leaving as well.

“It’ll take us an hour or two to get the Terra Sang installed,” Stell said as she moved around to the front of her desk. “That should give you and the Verdans time to stock up on any supplies you’ll need for the journey. Just let Isaac know when you’re ready, and he can lead you to the right skiff.”

“Yes ma’am. And thank you,” Xan said.

“Thank me later, kid,” Stell said.