28 Lux 778 P.S.

Crescent Harbor, Vaimea

A chill breeze wafted over the harbor, sending loose sails guttering and wooden shutters creaking. The afternoon sun caused the western-most cliffs to cast their shadows down over the inhabitants below, bringing the temperature even lower along the shipyards. The cold would have been enough to send most people shivering as they went about their business.

Stell tried her best to ignore it.

She sat on top of the Caird & Caird office building, her feet braced against the top of one of the dormer windows as she leaned back against the tiled roof. She took a long draft of her pipe, held it in for a moment, then slowly let it out again. She briefly let the cloud of hazy smoke distract her before turning her attention back to the mouth of the harbor. The harbor gates sat wide open, and about half a dozen boats were making their way in and out through it. But none of them were the boat she was looking for.

Normally, she wouldn’t have allowed herself to be here. There was still plenty of work to be done, what with the repairs to Councilman Woods’ airship well underway, but today she had found it especially hard to focus. So she had sent her employees home early, promising that she would still compensate them a full day’s worth of pay. Then she had made her way back to the shipyard and out onto the roof, where she could enjoy her pipe in peace.

She took another long puff as she watched a small rowboat guide a large galleon through the harbor gates. For a moment she wondered at the absurdity of such a small craft towing such a huge ship behind it. Then the galleon finally made it all the way into the harbor, and Stell went back to watching the gates. Unconsciously, she began chewing on the end of her pipe while her right leg bounced up and down.

The dormer window to her right squeaked as it opened. Her records keeper, Isaac Bosch, leaned his head out and looked around.

“Chief? Are you still out here?” he called out before spotting Stell above the neighboring dormer window. Stell didn’t seem to hear him – her gaze remained fixed on the harbor gate. So Isaac called louder, “Chief! CHIEF!”

Stell started like her concentration had been broken. She took the pipe out of her mouth and called back down to him.

“Yes, Isaac, what is it?”

“Nothing, chief. It’s just a might cold out here. Why don’t you come in, and I’ll make us some tea?” Isaac offered.

“Thank you, Isaac, but I’m doing just fine,” Stell said, stubbornly folding her arms to shield herself from the breeze.

“You’ve been out there for a while, chief. Is everything alright?” Isaac asked.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“I told you, I’m fine,” Stell said, puffing furiously at her pipe.

With a shiver, Isaac withdrew from the window to draw his coat more tightly around himself. Then he leaned back out to call up to Stell again.

“Worried about Dee?” he asked.

Stell didn’t answer. Instead, she tapped some of the ashes out of her pipe.

“It has been over a week,” Isaac said, “and this is her first time leaving Vaimea on her own. You have every right to be worried.”

“Why would I be worried?” Stell said gruffly. “Dee is a smart girl. I’m sure she’s handling herself just fine.”

“Of course, chief,” Isaac said. Then he shivered again. “I’ll put on some tea for us. Don’t sit out here for too much longer, or you’ll catch a cold.”

As Isaac closed the window behind him, Stell harrumphed.

“Oh, please, it would take more than that to put me out of commission,” she muttered.

She watched the boats in the harbor for a while longer after that. There were fishing boats laden with today’s catch, merchant ships with hulls full of cargo, and even tiny schooners skimming about. But still, not one of them was the boat she was looking for.

A particularly biting gust blew through just then, causing Stell to shudder involuntarily. She took another puff of her pipe, only to realize that her snuff had already been burnt down to ash.

“Guess it’s time to head back inside,” she said, tapping her pipe on the edge of the roof to get the last bits of ash out.

Then she paused for a moment, realizing that she had voiced her thoughts out loud. She shook her head, annoyed and angry at herself. There was no one else here, who was she supposed to be talking to, the breeze? Sliding her pipe into her vest pocket, she stood up, taking one last look around the harbor.

Suddenly, she spotted something familiar – a skiff flying a green pennant from the top of its mast. On the pennant were two C’s etched in white. Her heart started pounding as she reached into another vest pocket for her spyglass. Putting it up to her eye, she focused on the boat’s occupants – a Verdan girl, a red-headed boy, and a small Rodentian.

With an exultant grin, she replaced the spyglass in her pocket and slid down the roof. She leapt through the dormer window and raced out of her office.

“Put on some more tea, Isaac! We’ve got company!” she called as she practically flew down the iron spiral staircase.

Isaac was in the middle of assembling the tea tray. He looked up in surprise.

“Chief? Who-?” he began to ask.

“Dee’s back!” Stell said. Without further explanation she yanked open the door and sprinted outside.

She reached the wharf right as the boat was docking. Dee had already jumped out of the boat and was securing a mooring line. Stell called out to her. At her voice, Dee looked up with the biggest smile on her face.

“Auntie Stell!” Dee cried, running to greet her. The two embraced, and Stell allowed herself to indulge in a moment of tenderness. Then she held Dee out at arm’s length to get a good look at her.

“Looks like you made it back in one piece,” Stell said.

Dee’s smile faltered. She nervously shuffled from one foot to the other.

“About that, Aunt Stell…” Dee said. Stell’s brow wrinkled with concern.

“What is it?” she asked, looking intently at Dee. But Dee refused to meet her gaze.

Stell looked up. Xan and Taika were stepping out of the boat now. She saw their somber faces, and suddenly realized that the boat was one occupant short. Her heart dropped as that revelation sank in. And then she saw the boat itself, clearly bearing signs of significant repair. As she surveyed the damage, her face began to harden. She marched over to the boat.

When he saw her approaching, Xan stopped in his tracks, watching her apprehensively. Taika, however, didn’t seem to notice Stell until she had stopped right in front of them.

“My condolences,” Stell said. Taika just nodded wordlessly. Then Stell looked up at Xan, and he flinched at her glare.

“Let’s go back to my office,” she said.