The guard looked at her with a bored expression then pointed past her with his spear. She looked that way only to see an empty area of the docks. Then she looked up. It was amazing, sometimes, what the eye could miss when it was simply unprepared to see it. The city of Wroat sprawled on both sides of the Howling River, and on the opposite side of the river, a series of six short towers faced the docks, each capped by a short bridge that ended in open air. Seren had always wondered what purpose the strange towers served, for she had never seen them in use. Now a long, sleek vessel hovered in the air beside one of the towers.
Karia Naille was an airship.
Airships were a relatively rare sight to begin with, at least in the poorer parts of Wroat. Only the phenomenally wealthy could afford such vehicles, and only expert artificers could maintain them.
“Do you know who owns that ship?” Seren asked, looking back at the guard. He had already continued his patrol and didn’t hear. Seren let him go. After last night, she reasoned she was better off not leaving a lasting impression on the Watch.
She crossed a nearby bridge and made her way to the tower’s base. Seren felt one final pang of paranoia, a fear that she was walking into danger. She looked up at the ship. Seren didn’t believe that Omax and Tristam planned to harm her. Her real fear was that, after this, there would be no turning back. Whatever Jamus, Marth, Dalan d’Cannith, and the others were involved in, it didn’t really involve her yet. She didn’t know enough to be a threat to any of them, and only Tristam and Omax even knew her last name. She could easily step away now, leave the city with the handful of coins she had left, and face whatever bleak and uncertain fate awaited her.
Was this why Jamus had told her nothing? To give her an easy way out in case he died? It would be just like him, she thought with a scowl. Jamus always underestimated her stubbornness. Seren pushed open the door of the sky tower and stepped inside.
She was surprised to find no crewmen inside the tower, no one on watch. She climbed the spiraling staircase and stepped out onto the top of the tower. There were no outer parapets, not even a rail to protect a person from falling off the gangplank. A cargo crane mounted on the bridge creaked and wobbled in the wind. Seren felt a sense of vertigo but didn’t stumble; she had no fear of heights.
This close to the ship, Seren could hear the crackling, rhythmic hum emanate from the faint ring of blue fire that surrounded the vessel. The flames hovered around Karia Naille, roughly twenty feet from the top of the deck and only a few feet from the bottom of the hull. A sleek elegant wooden strut rose from the top and bottom of the vessel, grasping the fire in a pair of crystalline hooks. The ring’s color shifted by the moment, flickering from blue to white to lavender. Seren had heard that airships were powered by elementals, strange creatures summoned from a world of harsh primal fire and bound into service. She had always found the stories somewhat sad. In her more indulgent moments, she even sympathized with them, forced to serve in a world they didn’t want to live in. If the burning ring sensed her sympathy it did not seem to care.
Bringing herself back to the matter at hand, Seren scanned her surroundings and again found no crewmen guarding the bridge between the tower and ship. The vessel was relatively small, with a door at each end of the deck leading to a cabin and presumably below decks. She saw no one on deck at all. The only sign of life she could detect was the rather curious odor of freshly baked pastry. She peered around uneasily, certain she must have missed something. Seren had never been on an airship before, but she knew they were very valuable. Why would this one be unguarded? Shouldn’t there at least be a crew? It seemed unlikely that there wouldn’t be someone around. This certainly wasn’t the best neighborhood to leave a valuable ship unguarded.
She stepped cautiously across the bridge, ignoring the howling winds that sliced at the high tower. Seren felt a sudden sense of unease as she prepared to step onto the deck. A wave of dizziness washed over her. The winds increased, whipping past her and raising a keening wail from the burning elemental ring. She stepped away and reached out to steady herself on the docking crane. Seren felt suddenly as if someone were watching her, someone not altogether pleased by her arrival.
“Hello?” she called out over the wind. There was no answer at first. “Is anyone here?”
There was a sudden sound of rushing air and Seren felt something heavy strike the bridge behind her. She turned around to see a reptilian beast the size of a small pony crouched on the top of the tower. Its flesh was a motley pattern of dark greens, with a pale blue underbelly. It held its long beak open just enough for her to see rows of sharp teeth and glared at her with dull black eyes. Most surprising of all was that it wore a leather harness on its back. The creature lowered its thin body and narrowed its eyes at Seren, releasing a birdlike shriek.
“He wants to know why you’re here,” said a voice from above her.
Seren looked up. A child dressed in wildly colorful outfit of leather and silk now crouched on top of the crane, pointing a small crossbow at her. No, not a child, a halfling. He regarded her with a confident mix of mischief and silent menace as he waited for her answer.
“My name is Seren Morisse,” she said calmly, trying not to let the halfling’s sudden appearance unnerve her. “I was invited here by Tristam Xain and Omax. This is Karia Naille, right?”
“Oh, so you’re not a thief, then,” the little man said, lowering his crossbow. He chuckled. “Or at least you’re a thief on our side?”
Seren could not help but smirk. “I’m not on anyone’s side,” she said. “I only came here for answers.”
“Funny place to look for them,” the halfling answered, hooking his weapon on his belt. “Glad to meet you, Seren. I’m Gerith. You’ve already met Blizzard.”
With that, the halfling flipped backward, off the crane and into the wind. Seren’s jaw dropped in surprise at the suicidal act, but in the same instant Blizzard shrieked and leapt off the tower as well. With a leathery snap it unfurled wide, batlike wings and dove down, past the bridge. A moment later it soared back up in a spiral. Gerith now clung to the harness on its back. The halfling laughed as the creature flew in a loop around the burning ring and landed gracefully on the ship’s railing. Gerith looked back at her eagerly, taking obvious joy at the surprise on her face. He flashed a wide smile, showing off the wide gap where he was missing some of his front teeth. Seren stood with her hands on her hips for a thoughtful moment then clapped politely, drawing more laughter from the halfling.
“Welcome to Karia Naille, Seren,” Gerith said, hopping from the saddle with a flourish as she stepped onto the deck. “I’ll tell everyone that you’re here. I know you said you wanted answers, but perhaps in the meantime, you’d settle for pie? Pie is usually better than answers. Pie doesn’t disappoint.” He winked.
Seren had been about to refuse, then realized how hungry she was. “Pie sounds good, Gerith,” she said.
The halfling nodded eagerly. “My chicken pie is the best,” he said, patting Blizzard on the beak before heading off toward the nearest hatch. “Back in the Plains, it’s said that great chefs make the best lovers, you know. That’s a very pretty dress, Seren.”
Seren looked at the halfling incredulously.
Gerith looked back at her, winked again, and vanished below deck.
Seren looked at Blizzard, but the creature was busy preening his wing. His master’s antics were clearly something that no longer concerned the creature, and since Gerith had approved of her presence, she was no longer a concern.