It weaved in and out of the enemy fleet, bounding from ship to ship like a dragonfly, until it found what it was seeking. It coiled its body around a single vessel, then slowly, it turned its blazing eyes towards me. At that moment I was sure that the creature, hallucination or not, was a vision tempered only for my eyes and that the ship it had nested upon was the target we all had been looking for. It tilted its head and whisked its tail, beckoning me to come.
"Kass?" I said calmly. "I think I know what to do now."
"Then you’d best do it."
She must have known what I was thinking. I’d barely begun to gesture to her when suddenly, the ship jolted into motion, gaining speed again as it flew headlong into the awaiting mass of enemy steel and cannon. This time, we were moving much faster than before, committing our humble ship to maneuvers I never thought was possible. We turned the waves behind us lifting the stern and riding its slope until the steam engines could no longer keep up. Our own ships drifted farther and farther behind us while those before us loomed steadily closer.
"Boy, what are you doing?" the captain stammered over the voice tube. "Stop this ship and turn us around at once."
"Tell your men to abandon ship," I replied.
"What? You shame yourself too much boy. Stop at once or I will have you removed."
"It's too late to stop. If you and your men don't abandon ship right now, then you’ll all die."
"This is a ship of the Imperial Air Navy, not your toy. Guards, apprehend the boy and girl. Place them under arrest."
A sudden clattering sound echoed from the voice tube, followed by broken yells and shouts, as if the bridge were suddenly caught up in a struggle. Then the captain was heard groaning in a way that sounded as though he’d fallen ill. After a long, suspicious silence, the first officer's voice was heard.
"How did you get out? Striking the captain, an officer of the military; such an act will surely condemn you to death. Go ahead, pierce me with your sword. Add to the disgrace you've caused." A shallow thump was heard. "N-no don't. I didn't really mean it. Please, let me get up. I'll do what you say."
After another short moment of silence, the first officer's shaken voice stuttered throughout the ship. "All hands, abandon ship. I repeat. All hands, abandon ship."
The alarm bell chimed as the rumblings of hundreds of footsteps rattled the thin walls of the room. My second sight made transparent the decks behind me and I watched as a flourish of dozens upon dozens of parachutes began trailing behind us, littering the sky like cherry blossoms.
"Ren Tzu, is that you?" I asked.
And yet, still another short silence passed before there was an answer.
"Yes. Do not worry, I did not kill anyone. The captain was simply knocked out. I will see to it that everyone leaves. Do what you must."
"Did you ever doubt him?" Kassashimei asked.
I rattled the beads on my wrist. "How could I? I have your luck with me don't I?"
A ship of the empire relied upon the strong arms and backs of dozens, sometimes hundreds of men. Yet, for all its guns, its engines, its boilers, its steel plates and decks, its stalwart, imposing form had been left to its fate at the hands of a single boy and girl. Though steam and smoke still poured from its vents and the boilers were still fashioning heat from fired coals and cycling engines to the very peak of their designs, it was all unnecessary. We’d become little more than a colossal, metal spear thrown by unseen waves and guided by the determined whims of my silver eyes.
Flashes in the distance signaled another volley. One after another they came, only to be swept aside by the desperate motions of my arms. It seemed strange to be so well attuned to the girl behind me who observed my every gesture. Her will was upon my fingertips and palms and yet, the ether changed and moved as if it knew my slightest thought. Even the need to bring about subtle changes in the currents brought a surprisingly quick response. That fierce and forlorn moment that Kassashimei and I shared brought her ever closer to me. . .it made her a part of me.
The fiery-eyed dragon, illusion or not, still remained wrapped around the unsuspecting ship. It’s gaze was unrelenting as it slithered its massive form about, as if growing impatient.
We spurned the ship on, driving it faster and further still until it seemed that every cannon had turned its attention towards us. The shells started to burst closer and closer as the shortening distance made it harder to deflect them. A sickening, metallic screech reverberated from some far-off compartments as shell fragments opened gashes in parts of the hull while I fought, all the while, every urge to cringe as explosions shook through every deck. The moment threatened to drive me mad, but there was still, in the back of my mind, a reckless hope that all the crewmen had already safely left the ship.
Like an arrow piercing its victim we careened past the edge of the opposing fleet and dove into its heart. The wave that carried us in, had grown large enough to cause the ships in our wake to scatter in disarray. Formations were broken as vessels turned to avoid crashing into one another.
We must have been too close for their cannons, for the shell bursts slowly subsided. But such respite was all-too short-lived. A hail of bullets rained down from above as flocks of creatures of metal and canvas swooped down upon us. Their crane-like wings glinted in the moonlight and fire from their guns bristled from their noses. Originally innovated by the westerners and touted as the future of aviation, these were the airplanes that were brought to war, employed by those that only saw their use in violence. Each had small propellers at their tails that made them zip and turn in ways that seemed almost unnatural. As small as they were, it was the horrid buzzing sound they made that brought a dreadful tightness to my chest. In the past, the few times I I’d seen them, they were simply paraded about and were made a spectacle before awe-inspired eyes. But to finally witness their cruelty, fighting and clawing like possessed ravens, instilled within me a feeling of surprise and fear I’d never expected.
The steady pings of their gunfire peppered the hull, scratching and tearing at the plates. A bullet or two must have found its way into one of the steam shafts rupturing one of the boilers, as the decks rumbled to an explosion that bellowed from the ship's aft.
Frustrated, I brought my arms down, then up, forcing a wall to ascend from the currents. Several of the unsuspecting planes flew into the unseen obstacle, causing them to spin wildly out of control. A few parachutes bloomed as pilots jumped from their doomed craft. But it was far from enough. Bullets soon gave way to steam-compressed rockets launched from under their wings. The ship screamed as bulkheads screeched and buckled from the fire of their murderous impacts.
Finally, I accepted that it was useless to fight them, as they were too numerous. Still, I had come too far, and the dragon's growing form loomed ever closer. I steadied myself on the bobbing, shaking deck glancing briefly at Kassashimei.
"It's almost over," I said solemnly.
She returned a final, approving nod.
I imagined that we must have been quite the sight to behold; a ship set ablaze against the moonlight, speeding to its target in its final death-throws. From the eyes of all those in General Fung's fleet, it was probably an admirable and brave thing to witness. But unfortunately, these were not the feelings I shared.
Never had I been more afraid. Guilt, sadness, anxiety, I fought with every ounce of courage I had to keep them from paralyzing me in those last few moments. The wave that Kassashimei and I had created grew large enough that it threatened to capsize every ship in its path, yet it carried us ever faster, almost outpacing the planes that struggled to keep up.
The dragon uncoiled and darted towards us. How I wanted to believe that it was just an illusion, but as it opened its jaws, I felt the spark of dread urging me to turn us another direction. Its mouth widened as if it was preparing to swallow the entire vessel. Still, I kept our course.
The deck shook again. More explosions, more rockets, more gunfire.
The opposing flagship grew close
enough that its immense hull filled the entire canopy. Every detail could be made out, including the cannons that it brought to bear. Staring down their barrels I knew that my end had come. There would be no time to deflect the shells, no time to stop the ship. Whether I lived or not, the flagship would be rammed and the bomb it carried would never land on Rui Nan soil.
How strange it was that Kassashimei never once protested. She too was going to die, and yet she had accepted this terrible thing that I was about to do. Though I had not seen Ren Tzu, I dearly hoped he’d abandoned ship with the others.
I wanted to turn around and face my shyo mah for the last time. I wanted to apologize to her. I even wanted to embrace her. But the dragon, its hungry mouth open, would not let me turn my gaze away.
Then suddenly, it disappeared into the ether, revealing the fire spouting from the flagship's cannons behind it. This was it. I looked down at the beads on my wrist and wondered if there was enough time for a short prayer. As I turned my attention upwards a horrifying sight awaited me. There was the dragon yet again, its head passing through the glass and into the ritual room. I could feel its breath upon my skin and the blazing red of its eyes staring into me. Its sudden presence filled me with such surprise that I flung my arms wildly about, all the while gasping and screaming. Kassashimei must have seen my movements as a signal, because the bow lifted abruptly. Such a hasty maneuver caused the cannon shells to miss the front of the ship entirely and instead, strike its belly far in the stern. Hardly a moment later, we collided with the flagship, not headlong as I had intended, but instead, swinging the ship's belly over its victim’s side.
The deck lurched. I toppled over, landing on my chest. I looked up but the dragon was gone. The bow tilted forward as the ship snapped in two. The room dipped sideways and Kassashimei and I cried out as we rolled down the length of the deck and slammed against the canopy. I held her close, trying to protect her as best I could.
The hatch on the other side flung open with a heavy metallic thud, revealing -to my amazement- our guardian. A bulky chute was strapped to his back. He leapt in our direction, fighting the debris that fell all around him. The deafening groan of collapsing metal pierced my ears, sending me screaming as I pressed my palms to the sides of my head. As his body slid into us he reached up and pulled away the hand that covered my ear.
He leaned in close before he spoke. "If you truly wish it, your life can end now."
This was what I’d wanted. This was the death I had chosen for myself. To perish adrift in the sky meant so much more to me than to fade away to some hapless sickness. The moment had finally come. Yet, I was completely terrified. I remember tears filling my eyes and a frightful pain tearing away at my chest and stomach. I thought I was ready. But the words that fell out of my mouth left me pleading for a chance to live.
"I don't want it to end."
Kassashimei caught my tamma as it rolled by.
"Then I guess I won't be throwing this away," she said with hesitant sarcasm. She handed me General Fung's cloak and I tied it tightly around my neck.
Ren Tzu gave a small nod, then took the hilt of his sword and struck repeatedly at a portion of the glass canopy that had been cracked by a piece of falling metal. The crack steadily grew as his rhythmic pounding chipped away shards that eventually left small holes in the glass.
"Both of you, hold on to me tight." With a final, powerful swing, the three of us fell through.
We descended through the air, the wind like a tempest against my face as I clung to my guardian. When the chute opened, the sudden jerk loosened my grip, but the strength of his arms kept me close.
A moment passed before the terror I felt subsided enough to allow me to look up and gaze upon the results of our impossible deed. The two halves of our ship had fallen away with the bow barely missing us as it tumbled into the ocean below. Meanwhile, the damaged flagship reeled from the blow it had received. I thought it to be in pieces as well, but to my bewilderment it remained steadfast and a good portion of it was intact. A fire was clearly blazing across a number of its decks as it turned away in the opposite direction of its escorts.
"It's retreating," Kassashimei said.
"I hope so," I replied.
Ren Tzu scanned the surrounding skies. "The others have not. The battle still remains."
His solemn observation was true. We drifted through the night air, helpless as we watched the two fleets clash amongst one another like ravenous packs of wolves. Scattered cannon fire lit up the darkness while the thunderous buzz of distant planes and the crack of their guns filled the air around us. Ships caught fire and tumbled out of formation. In the distance, I saw our own flagship catch the brunt of several volleys. The flash of light from the explosions lingered, revealing fatal gashes in its hull.
I had hoped that with the defeat of the enemy flagship, the other vessels would follow its retreat. But the battle would have no easy end. The enemy, even without their lead ship, knew that their numbers were still much greater than ours. The fighting would continue until every last one of us had been plucked from the sky.
Chapter 31
I remembered how quickly the storm came. The thunder, the gathering clouds and then torrents upon torrents of rain. The surge in the ether we’d caused -that I’d caused- brought such a fury upon the sky that the clashing ships found themselves not only fighting each other, but also nature itself.
Kassashimei, Ren Tzu and I lay adrift in the swelling seas. I remembered the comforting embrace of my guardian as he kept us close, protecting us from the rising waves. Rescue boats from the mainland swarmed about, picking up survivors. The beam from their search lights swung like swords in the darkness until one of them pointed in our direction.
How pitiful I was, unable to swim, barely able to move, and worse still, I found myself suddenly weakened. The strangeness of it all left me wondering. Surely, guiding the ship as I did was an incredible act, but it was one that Kassashimei and I did together, and I could not see how it had left me in the state I was, paralyzed with fatigue. Stranger still, Kassashimei seemed fine as both she and my guardian struggled to keep me afloat. I strained to keep her shadowy face in view. She was watching over me without a single trace of panic or fear. There was only a warm mixture of concern and pride, like a mother reminiscing the noble deeds of her child. I managed a smile, which prompted her to press her forehead against mine.
She whispered, "it's time to go home."
The last few things I saw that night was a rescue boat steaming our way and a wave surging towards us. And when it crashed against our huddled bodies, Kassashimei and I were pressed under and it tore us away from Ren Tzu's grasp. I heard his muddled voice calling out to us as we sank into the depths.
There were blurry images.
The sounds of children.
The murmur and steady clatter of people going about their day. And then I heard the familiar melody of strings being plucked and played. I blinked away the haziness in my eyes to find myself lying in a single-room hut, looking out a doorless entrance at a young girl perched outside another hut across the way. An elderly man was teaching her to strum a shamisen. I strained to keep my eyes opened, but the afternoon light from the open doorway threatened to blind me.
There was a much older-looking woman in the corner, hunched over a boiling pot atop a small, iron stove. She noticed I was awake and shuffled towards me, then pulled a wet cloth from a water basin beside the bed and dabbed my forehead, all the while soothing me with mumbled words.
I opened mouth, but nothing came out. My vision grew hazy again, my eyelids heavy. Before my eyes closed again I caught a glimpse of another girl with a basket of vegetables stepping into the hut. She asked about me, and the old lady replied to her in a solemn tone. Then her face hovered curiously over mind.
It was Kassashimei; smiling.
When I regained consciousness again, I felt strong enough to sit up. I even dared a chance to pull myself out of bed and ambled slowly towards the door
way. As I came outside, I shielded my eyes from the piercing sun and braced myself against the wall, afraid that I would lose my footing at any moment. I found myself in a small village made of scattered straw and wood huts, all of which sat close to the sea. Several narrow piers lined the beach where a number of boats and draped netting lay tied. People walked by, politely glancing in my direction, all-the-while offering me the courtesy of a slight bow.
The old lady was sweeping at the bottom of the steps to the hut's entrance when she realized that I was out of bed. She started to mumble again and placed her wrinkled hands on my shoulders, gently ushering me back inside.
"Auntie it's okay." Kassashimei came around the side, the same smiling look adorning her face. "If he's well enough to come outside then I'm sure he can walk around with me for a while. Besides, it's a nice day today and he shouldn't be wasting it in bed."
The old lady gave a reluctant grunt then shooed me away before going inside.
"C'mon Terr, I want to show you something."
We proceeded down the beach. She walked in earnest, several paces ahead of me, casually swinging around a dead branch she found lying in the sand.
"Kass, where are we?" I asked , trying my best to keep up.
"We're in a place called Jade Village. It's on a tiny island close to the capital." She stopped and pointed her stick out across the water. "Look."
In the distance, the capital could be clearly seen. Its enormous docks and towering buildings smothered the horizon like an enormous canvas of steel and concrete. Further off, the peaks of Mount Ko Mei, where the Imperial Temple resided, lay shrouded in thick, white clouds.
"We were picked up by one of the village's fishing boats."
"And the old lady took care of us?"
Sky of Paper: An Asian Steam-Driven Fantasy Tale Page 58