Sky of Paper: An Asian Steam-Driven Fantasy Tale

by Matthew Seaver

  She pulled out her precious ritual sticks which she kept tucked away in her sleeves and threw them at my face. One of them struck me hard on the forehead before the wind carried it away. I yelped, then instinctively rubbed my face.

  "The General is a fool," she yelled. "He's throwing his life away and so are you."

  Ren Tzu steadied my shyo mah by placing a hand on her shoulder, then made his way towards me. His eyes remained transfixed upon mine.

  "Either you come with us," he said sternly, "or I will carry your unconscious body."

  Reluctantly, I followed as we made our way to the ship's aft where a sky boat had just landed, waiting for us to board.

  I looked back fondly at the flagship as we left it behind, its mighty hull slowly turning into the wind. In its wake billowed a great cone of steam and smoke belching from the rear vents that shielded its massive boilers. Signal flares in various colors were fired from every lead ship, commanding the others into formation.

  All around, amidst the shining blue and gray of the moon, shimmered metal hulls letting open their gun ports and large, fearsome turrets, all clattering and screeching as they turned to bare. The great ‘Imperial Dragons of the Air‘, as they were also called, were made ready to face the storm.

  "I'm sorry Kass," I uttered.

  "About what?"

  "About those ritual stick things, the ones you threw. I know they meant a lot to you."

  "They're just sticks Terr," she said as she gave me a playful shove. "I can always make more."

  I gave her a shallow smile as I held the cloak tightly against the cold, watching with anticipation, any sign of the enemy in the distance.

  "I don't see them," I said.

  "Of course you don't." Kassashimei tugged at my sleeve and pointed in a certain direction. "You're just not looking at it the right way."

  I concentrated and peered into the direction she was pointing, this time with my second sight. At first, all I saw were stars, and then, after a long, almost agonizing moment, the sky came alive. The stars began to move, causing disturbances in the ether. To my great surprise and horror, I began to realize that the distant lights were in fact ships, hundreds and hundreds of ships. Before us stood the air navies of over a dozen nations coming down upon us like a swarm of locusts, ravenous and vengeful.

  All at once I realized how insignificant our efforts were. Every notion of our invincibility, of my belief in our might wall of cannons and steel, quickly disappeared as I gazed out into the vastness of the sky, filled with the glimmering lights of our enemy.

  They were ugly ships; mechanical monstrosities, powered by horrid, cold technology and lifted through the sky by the crude manipulations of hot air and the disgusting crystalline minerals of rose phasia.

  At the time, I refused to accept that the clumsy contraptions could possibly be the future of our country‘s air travel, and that we, the divine children who turned the sky with the grace of our gifts and ferried the vessels of our country across the oceans and sky were becoming ghosts of a dying age. However, I knew that no matter how strong our zeal for our traditions were; we, as a nation remained alone, on the brink of defeat against the insatiable industry of the world.

  We landed upon a small warship.

  Judging by its bulky, wide decks and large metal cranes that stretched from its sides like branches, it was obvious that it had been converted from a merchant ship.

  The captain had been waiting for us, a fat, ungainly man that hobbled in his steps as he approached with his first officer trailing behind him. Just like the ship, it was evident that he was not a fighting man. His girth stretched his uniform and tugged at the buttons almost to their breaking point and the undersized cap he wore tilted awkwardly to one side. The anger on his face made his thick cheeks flush bright red.

  "What nonsense is this?" he said. "And why have the signal flares summoned my ship out of formation?"

  The boat officer presented a piece of paper to him, but summarized the message before he had a chance to read it. "Orders from the flagship sir. A pair of chienkuu ko and their guardian have been delivered into your care. You are to keep them safe and transport them back to Rui Nan."

  His first officer, a man just as portly as his superior, but much taller and with broader shoulders sneered at the document.

  "This ship and its crew," the first officer said, "pledged into the service of General Fung and the defense of our country, on the verge of firing our cannons in battle for the first time, and now we are to be nothing more than a passenger ship? You must have misread the order."

  "No sir, the general is firm in his decision."

  We were lead down into the deepest parts of the ship. The faces of the crew as they scurried by, betrayed a fear that seemed even greater than mine. Everywhere I looked, bare pipes hung, rusted and loosely bolted and in some places steam leaked from poorly sealed cracks. There were rooms that lacked hatches and even some of the stairwells were missing a few steps.

  "Its no wonder everyone is scared," Kassashimei said. "This ship can barely stay afloat, let alone carry itself in a fight."

  "The captain and his officers seem brave enough," I whispered.

  "That is not bravery," Ren Tzu said quietly. "That is recklessness."

  The crewman escorting us stopped at a hatch at the end of a long corridor guarded by two armed men.

  "These are your quarters," he said, nodding to the guards who proceeded to open the hatch.

  As the room was revealed to us, both myself and Kassashimei became confused.

  "Strange accommodations," she said, "I think the captain might be a bit confused."

  Our guardian was quick to understand the meaning of the deception. Instinctively, he reached for his sword, but the guards and a large number of crewmen swiftly took his arms and pinned him against the deck. The first officer appeared from around a corner, the sneer we saw earlier still etched upon his face.

  "This is treason," Ren Tzu snapped.

  "For those that fight in his name," the first officer replied, "there can be no dishonor." He gestured to his men. "Pick him up. Take him away. And exercise caution with him. No doubt he can best any of you if given the chance. Make sure you give him none."

  As our guardian was lifted to his feet, he gave Kassashimei and I a long, final gaze, one that assured us not to worry, a silent unspoken statement which I knew to mean that he would come for us later. After he was gone, the first officer pressed his hands on our shoulders and pushed us past the hatchway into the next room. It was a place I was all too familiar with, a place I had come to know as my second home. We were in the ship's ritual room.

  Chapter 30

  Counting myself, there were six children in the room. The other two pairs of chienkuu ko were just as surprised by our presence as we were of them. All four of them had been piloting the ship until our arrival distracted them.

  "What do you think you're doing?" the first officer said to them. "We’re in battle. This is no time to dawdle. The lot of you had better fly this ship or else I’ll be throwing all of you overboard." He turned his gaze to Kassashimei and I. "And you two had best join them. With the six of you at the helm, surely we will be the very ship that’ll lead the charge."

  "No, we won't." Kassashimei's hissed. "The general, the very leader of our country, gave you an order to bring us home. Now take us home this instant."

  "Why you arrogant girl."

  His broad, massive body ambled towards her. Without a second thought I stepped between them and mirrored my gaze to his.

  "She’s my shyo mah," I said. "You don’t have the right to touch her."

  Though his expression remained ever threatening, I stood my ground, fighting the urge to flinch. "Both she and I are personal servants to the general as well as one of the trusted caretakers and pilots of the imperial court's private air fleet. Lay a hand on us, threaten us and I will not hesitate to jump into the ocean myself. Then you’ll have to return home and explain the insult you have
caused the court by failing to bring us back."

  Though I stretched the truth about our importance, I knew there was no negotiating with his pride. It was undeniable that both he and his captain were steadfast in their decision to fight.

  "Do you think your words carry any weight here?" he said. "Just because you fancy yourselves to be more important than me or anyone else on this ship?"

  "That's because we are," I said boldly. "Look at my eyes. You think anyone else has eyes like mine? They are a symbol of my skill, one which no one else can match. With these eyes and my shyo mah, we can turn the sky in ways you have never seen. There’s absolutely no one better than us-"

  "Good," he interjected. "Then you can prove it by flying this ship into the fight; and if we survive, we’ll bring you home."

  "No I won't."

  "Then you’re useless to us." He motioned to the crewmen behind him. "Take those two away."

  "I won't fight while these other children are here." My sudden outburst gave everyone pause, and for a moment, even I was surprised once I realized what I was saying. "My shyo mah and I will help fight your battle. But these other four will just get in the way. Put them on sky boats. Get them off this ship first."

  "So you will do it then."

  "Yes."

  "Terr, why?" Kassashimei whispered.

  I didn’t answer her.

  She should have known by now that this was what I’d truly wanted. I’d been denied this moment twice, but I wouldn’t let it pass me again. It was my deepest hope that she’d understand.

  "Two pairs of chienkuu ko traded for one?" The bite in his voice dared me to answer.

  "We are worth ten pairs," Kassashimei said suddenly. "Did you even bother to look at his eyes? He is the silver moon and I am the sun. Our talents have earned the respect of everyone from merchants to royalty. No one is better than us."

  She gave me a start as she came forward and made sure that she was the one now standing between me and the first officer.

  "So the arrogant girl changes her mind," he said.

  Just as the officer's pride was challenged so was hers; and she was quick to answer his taunts. "Don't get me wrong. I couldn't care less about your battle or your honor. I only do this because my shyo mu wishes it and because I'm tired of your smug doubts."

  I suspected her words were more than enough to cause such an insult that he would certainly strike her, but to my surprise, he did not. With her back turned to me, I could only imagine the expression she gave him, one that somehow caused him to return what looked like the slightest glint of admiration, maybe even respect. Whether it was the look on her face or the inflection in her voice, it was enough to convince him. And then, just as I had requested, he ordered the other chienkuu ko taken to the sky boats.

  "Empty this room," I said, taking advantage of the stout man's assent. "Leave guards at the door if you must, but my shyo mah and I are to be left alone. We will navigate your ship with whatever commands you give us."

  "Do not fail us," the officer said, ushering everyone out of the room.

  With a pale, metallic thud, the hatch closed shut, leaving us entombed and left to our solitary fate.

  As a grandfather, my children, grandchildren, extended family and even my friends and colleagues had asked time and time again, that all-to-familiar question: what did I do in the last great war? My wife always caught me hesitating, so it was often left to her to answer for me. However, I don’t remember what she told them. Seeing as I was still a child during the war, she probably mentioned that I was still in school or working in some factory. But whatever it was, it was certainly no where near the truth. Who could ever believe that as a child, I had fought in the last great battle in the last great war?

  It was such a monumental thing to have been a part of, as it was just as terrible as it was incredible, and like many other events from my childhood, it was both an honor and a horror too great to share with anyone.

  The night sky was filled with the fire and roar of tens of thousands of cannons. Like tiny suns, the darkness lit up all around us and sputtered from the glow of countless drifting flames cast about by bursting shells. Like a great, towering wave the enemy rolled in upon us and our indomitable wall of ships turned to meet them. Like steadfast guardians our vessel and dozens of others remained at the flagship's side, covering its flanks.

  Scared and uncertain, every explosion that cracked and popped near the hull threatened to distract my focus, but I continued to watch my tamma and peer out upon the ether beyond the glass canopy.

  A signal bell chimed. New orders. One of the larger dials, which was attached to a helmsman's wheel on the bridge, had an arrow, and it pointed towards to the flagship. Obediently, Kassashimei and I turned the ship closer, fighting the urge to flinch at every fiery shell that zipped by. I was surprised that we had not taken damage, or at least any that I could sense or see. However, there was no mystery as to the reason. With such a distance from the enemy, every chienkuu ko could still alter the flight of the incoming shells just enough to cause them to miss. We had formed a wedge in the ether ahead of us and it was a combination of empty space and fierce currents that caused any flying object to become erratic, like a piece of paper in the wind.

  The night hid the enemy well, but our of second sight could spot them as clearly as if it were midday. On many of the lead ships, the more gifted of us stood at the captain's side, looking for the larger vessels that produced the biggest wakes and pointed out any particular targets of interest. With signal flares and radios they directed the others trailing behind them, carefully orchestrating the focus of the formation's cannons. It was a careful and intricate bond that we children shared with the fleet. Yet, as different as our duties were, all of us, in our own way, were warriors fighting for the honor and protection of our country.

  "Kass," I said, my eyes affixed to the spectacle before me. "I want to say. . . well. . . I'm sorry. You shouldn't be here. But here I am, putting you in danger, just because I-"

  "You're scared aren't you?" Her voice seemed as warm as my sister's. Surprised at her tone, I couldn’t help but remain hushed. "I know you are. None of us can help being scared sometimes, but don't talk as if we’re going to die, because we're not. After we're done here, the both of us are going home. I'm sure of it. We'll be there just in time for the summer festival, and then, just the two of us. . . we'll enjoy it together."

  "Kass, what are you talking about?" I turned towards her, but the abrupt howl of a distant explosion quickly diverted my attention.

  A shell had landed on the flagship and fire and metal spewed from its bulbous flank. We were close enough that I could see the debris spray out like fireworks.

  A shard glanced off the glass, cracking it.

  Another bell chimed, one which signaled the steam engines to push harder. Then the captain's voice rung out from the voice tube.

  "Boy, bring us ahead of the flagship. We’ll blaze a path and give them something else to shoot at."

  "We are the sun and moon Terr," Kassashimei said. "Let them know what that means."

  The currents ahead of us were fierce and wild, churned and beaten by the disturbances of so many ships. A great storm was gathering between our two fleets and the fire from every cannon, in addition to the ever shortening distance between the two creeping forces, made it grow steadily worse. It wasn’t long before I felt the deck below start to stagger and sway.

  I grunted, narrowing my eyes before casting several sweeps of my arms, clearing away the currents ahead of us and creating a river-like emptiness that drew a guiding path for us to follow. Like a sled traversing the curves of a mountain the bow of our ship dipped and we followed the snaking void, gaining speed as we went. Signal bells chimed twice, thrice over, and the dial with the arrow commanding our course diverted from one direction to another as if uncertain about the heading worth taking. Faster and faster our ship pushed on as Kassashimei and I continued to part the divide far ahead of the ship.

&n
bsp; "Take us deep," the voice tube commanded. "Scout us that enemy flagship. We must know which one carries the bomb."

  It wasn’t long before we were far ahead of our fleet, gazing into the vast, enemy swarm for the only single target that mattered: the flagship, the one with a weapon that threatened to lay waste to our homeland. All at once, a hail of cannon fire came raining down upon us. The capain's voice sounded from every deck for us to brace ourselves.

  "Kass, help me," I blurted.

  With a push of my arms and desperate turns of my body, Kassashimei and I tossed and swirled the growing storm around and in front of us. Shortly after the battle had started, that the sky began to fester with winds and scattered clouds. And now the disturbance in the ether brought about the low rumblings of thunder and the shock of lightning. We churned the growing chaos until it boiled, spreading it out as far as we could. The coming shells bounded instantly in every direction, glancing this way and that, confused by the sudden turmoil, until they scattered harmlessly away. The ship bobbed to and fro, caught up in the middle of the broiling sky. A triumphant roar amongst the crew bellowed from the tube.

  "You and that girl." the captain said. "Let us live a bit longer and we may yet see the end of this fight."

  The ship twisted a little more steeply as the restless heavens began to deform the sphere we’d created around the hull. My hands and arms signaled to my shyo mah, every dent, every misshapen point and bend I could find that would threaten to destroy its perfect shape and send us reeling into the ocean.

  Leveling us took all my concentration, and yet as I did so, I saw something emerging from within the ether. It drew itself from the currents like a chameleon changing the color of its skin. All at once, I knew. . . it was the creature from my dreams. From the very heart of the muddled, writhing sky came the dragon, uncurling its enormous serpentine body. With a snap of its tail, it ascended. It went higher and higher, leaving behind a trail of fire and smoke in its wake. I found myself compelled, filled with more wonder than fear. Was it a being still of my dreams? Was I hallucinating, or was it possible that others could see it, and they were gazing at it with the same surprise and bewilderment as I was?