Passage Ships

Passage Ship by Gege

We soared. The clouds floated closer above our heads than the ground sat far below our feet. Wind whipped across the deck, pushing us so hard we had to lean into it. Still, relief and then excitement took hold as the dangerous horde massing below became dots and then a mere shadow on the landscape.

Ropes tightened and creaked as the deck tilted. My sister put her arm around me.

"Hold onto the Railing." She said. Her worry had not turned to excitement. It oozed deep, spreading over the deck, there was something bigger happening that she wasn't going to take her eye off.

Calls bounced across the deck and up the rigging. The crew loosened and tighten ropes across the ship. I didn't know what they were doing but it seemed well orchestrated. A giant bellows stuck up from the middle of the ship and filled a bladder overhead with hot air. The two masts, each bent to one side, swivled on giant casters. I'd read about Wizard Passage Ships but never thought I be riding on one.

The name had been painted on her hull. I saw it when I was pulled aboard, The Union. That had to be the prince's idea. He was an agitator that believed the kingdoms could not only work together but share power. That's why my sister liked him. She had more money than him and was prettier but he was a hero.

He called out a course from a makeshift table set up near the front of the ship. My sister and I stood to the left of the table. I leaned as far as her arm would allow me to get a look at the interesting tools.

The prince smiled at my curiosity. "Signal, that's a sextant. With a few calculations and a little help from the sun it will tell you where you're standing, or flying, on the world. Then with the compass and a good map we can get where we want to go."

The prince made some notes on parchment sitting over the map then called out, "Ten degrees starboard Mr Killina."

The helmsman repeated, "Ten degrees starboard."

The helm didn't turn the rudder instead the casters and the masts spun with the helm. Every wooden board on the deck groaned as the masts shifted in the wind. Tiny strands of lightning weaved down the helm as it turned. The enchanted device made the pull on the helm managable for a person.

As my attention shifted to the helm, my sister whispered firmly, "No, don't ask to drive. Eyes ahead."

After a few minutes of quiet, my sister squeezed my shoulders, inhaled suddenly, and fought back tears. "I thought I lost you." Her slip of emotion dripped around her.

The prince stopped his calculations and looked at my sister as he spoke. "She's immune to the horde's curse?"

Her hands got tense on my shoulders. Her resolve solidified like armor. I felt it extend around me too. "No, she was just lucky." My sister didn't want too much said.

For a moment I imagined the world through her eyes. I realized the passage ship was a converted fishing ship not the sprawling flagships like the wizards used. The helmsman grimaced, his knuckles were bright white as he struggled to keep the ship on course. One of the crewmen on the deck tied and retied a rope, trying but not quite getting it right. The prince had crossed out four rows of numbers on the parchment. We were all lucky and just barely holding together, on the edge of a precipice.

"We could use a song."

My sister released her grip and turned me around. I flashed my eyes toward the crew. "We could use a song."

Her eyes bore into me, the question "How do you do that?" jumped at me even though her lips didn't move. She didn't want anyone to know about that either. Reading signs and auras can make you a target she said.

The one item my sister saved from the horde was her violin. She rarely took it off her back when we traveled. As she played, the bladder above reached its full size. The ropes tightened for the crew. The prince got his calculation right and the helmsman kept us on course. The Union steadied in the wind. My sister had talents too and always got us where we needed to be.