Bliss

by Daniel Lawley

  "What now?" Orochi asked. Nothing happened then everything happened at once. The door slid downward, its enormous weight propelling it noisily into the floor of the waiting frame. A thunk echoing throughout the prison proper as it settled.

  "Oh ye of little faith!" She smiled at him. Orochi had always lorded his captainhood over her as one of his crew. Now it was her turn to hold some superiority. They had reached that place at least.

  "How do you suppose we deal with that?" He pointed toward the crowd of guards who had now appeared at the entrance. Red overcoats flapping in the wind as they trained their musket barrels upon the freedom seeking pirates.

  "Move!" She yelled, an edge of angst in her voice as she charged towards them. Her logic sound, he followed. Her recently stolen pistol knocking dead one gallant soul who looked likely to fire. As he made approach he trained the edge of his rusty cutlass toward another, slicing through his throat and causing a thick red pool to swell along the cobbled stone floor. To his left Bailey had already taken out three more than he. Aiming her pistol toward another she fired as the man, fumbling with musket catch, took the bullet between his eyes, tumbling dead to the ground. Not to be outdone he took the soldiers musket and speared a man on the bayonet, gargling upon the blood welling from his neck he slumped dead. Cutlass upon pike resounded upon the landing terrace. Sun setting in the deep orange Netan dusk. They made their way toward the edge.

  "Orochi, jump" she yelled. Was she that desperate? It was a drop of at least one thousand feet to certain death. A cold fear took hold as he wondered if perhaps his fears of falling had been prophetic. He sliced into another man, pushing his corpse over the edge.

  "Jump!" She repeated. Knocking a man down herself as she threw herself over the edge. He watched her tumble, his heart in his mouth as a sick and uneasy feeling took hold of him, his legs shaking as he imagined himself splattering with velocity after the deepest of plunges.

  A leap of faith. She'd come to see him rescued. It did not stand to reason she would invite them both to certain death. The landing would not remain clear for long. Already guards would be on route from all over the principality. He'd no agency in the matter. Swallowing his fear he threw himself over the lip, solid ground leaving him replaced with the sudden rush of air over his skin, a damp perspiration as he passed through the clouds, falling not far at all until landing upon the waiting deck of a ship, not his life, not his home, not his Stormkite, but given the circumstances she would suffice. His crew followed along with the priest. Behind them privateers followed. Ships had already begun to set sail, ready to pursue at a moments notice. He was ready. It was time to live or die, one thing he knew to be true, he'd be doing one of those by the time night had fallen.

  ~ Skirmsh~

  ~ Sixth of the Crop, Song of Sorrow~

  Fly brave ones,

  For the burning twins shall light the way

  - Unknown Netan priest, two minutes before Order initiation

  The landing had not been comfortable, he'd fallen painfully on the hard wood of the deck. Polished and treated it was a mercy at least that there were no splinters impaling him. Still he'd rather a small wooden splinter than the treacherous bite of a guard’s bayonet. Around him men fell and landed. Some on their feet, some not so lucky. He was certain that if they survived there would be more than a few broken limbs to tend to.

  She was bigger than the Kite had been. Uncomfortably large. Her shadow had loomed menacingly upon the clouds, a spectral mark of supremacy and mastery over the skies. Her proportions were imperiously more looming than the kite, her engines more powerful. He'd heard them whirring as he'd fallen, taking the leap of faith to her deck. Her enormous mast towered above him, her main sail the colour of sterling silver, shimmered in the dying light of the day. At her fore there stood the head of an enormous jackal, resplendent and menacing all at once. Despite the scale of her, the workings operated on similar principles. It was only a small task of following which ropes led to where before the crew, skeleton as they were, had gained control of this new vessel. Purloined from the navy and glorious in her handling. He'd lost his hat in the escape and wind brushed through his hair, cool and reassuring. He'd almost forgotten how wondrous the sensation was.

  There would be only so much chase she could give. Truthfully this was the most powerful vessel he'd captained, yet there would be no accounting for the sheer numbers held by the other side. Vessels of equal power and many more of them. They would need more than luck to pull them through, deft manoeuvres and a skilled pilot would win them their lives. Yet he wondered what kind of lives these would be. Forever running from a prince so twisted by his advisers that he sought the deaths of many in his land. This was the life of a pirate, the life he'd chosen. The stakes were higher than ever but the game remained the same. He was captain Afton Orochi and inside him the fire of the free man burned.

  “Orders Captain?” The voice of Tyde. She held her arm at an odd angle from the landing but she would suffice in relaying his messages. They were fighting for their lives.

  “Kill the power to the engines and kill the gas to the balloon” he snapped. They looked at him perplexed. “Do it now!” He growled, showing he meant what he'd been asking.

  They did not need to be told twice. The hum and vibration of the great ship’s main engine ceased and the balloon slackened. Her great leather balloon sail deflating somewhat. This was a risk, yet it was a risk he'd have to take. There would be no safety until they were clear or dead. If they died, at least it would be on their own terms.

  “Brace” he ordered. Those he recognised had been with him sometime held onto surfaces or tied themselves to railings with whatever belts or fastenings they possessed. Others followed suit. It happened suddenly, the ship, perfectly balanced and afloat fell from beneath them. It happened much quicker than he'd expected. The extra weight pulled her enlarged body downward faster. His eyes caught those of Tyde, within them he saw fear. A moment more and he'd make the order to restart the engines and send them to safety, just one moment longer, just one moment of free fall. The fear in her gaze gave way to terror as they descended. The temptation came over him to fall, to allow himself to simply descend forever and end it all. He'd never felt so free. They fell faster, finally he gave the order.

  “Power the engines” he commanded. It took a moment for the order to reach the men at the bellows who began to fill the balloon Then she hummed and sprung to life. Her engines purring and pushing them forth without much protest. Still they fell, yet the descent was slowing. Looking above he saw the balloon was inflating steadily, it had not yet filled. He wondered where the tipping point would be, when they began to float again. The lapse between the order and the fall had only been momentary. The balloon would need to be nearly full before she held her weight in the darkening sky.

  “Release” he told them. The velocity had slowed to a manageable rate for a human body. Of that he was sure. “Push forward, they won't be behind for long” he ordered. At his word, men about him buzzed as they puzzled the workings of their new surroundings. None quite believing they were still among the living.

  “Captain, shall I take inventory on the guns? They won't be far behind.” It was Tyde.

  “Aye, that's a fine idea. Take a squad of ten men and check the guns and ammunition. There's a chance we have nothing or there's a chance we've stolen the very tools of our liberation.”

  “Yes Captain” she spoke eagerly.

  “And Tyde” he spoke quietly.

  “Yes Captain?” She asked tenderly.

  “Do hurry back. There is no chance we will be alone for long, we need to know exactly what we are in possession of so that we may strategise.” He spoke plainly as a captain. No matter what may be passing between them personally he had a responsibility to the ship and crew, as he always had. She turned away and followed his lead.

  He could scarcely believe they had managed to accomplish that which they had. That somehow they had escaped the noose and stolen a vessel
by which to make their escape and further add insult to the injury they had inflicted upon the navy in the process.

  “All hands to stations!” Men about him did not hesitate to spring to action as they resumed roles long engraved into the weary bones they carried within them. The desire to survive, stronger than any desire any among them had felt they fell to the routines of lives they had known.

  “What now?” Came a voice from behind. It was the female priest, the girl. “The enemy of your enemy is your friend, for now.” She gave assurance.

  “Aye a truce it be then, for now. No point dying in enmity when we had a chance working together, even a grizzled ol’ dog such as myself can see that much” his voice sounded eloquent although he was plainly exhausted. “You have my word for now that no harm shall come to yourself nor your master while upon this here vessel under my captaincy” he sounded sincere enough, yet she had more to ask.

  “The boy?” She asked. Fear and hope equal parts within her. Hadn’t he always been an agent of Captain Orochi? and he may choose to make cruel example, yet what would that mean for her? She could barely bring herself to admit her feelings.

  “What of him?” Asked Orochi “Look for yourself” he pointed a long arm toward a set of ropes, which Jackson and a group of sailors had turned to, as they pulled the sail took more wind and their speed increased. “He's working with his crew, something admirable in a man with loyalties so torn” Orochi finished.

  “When we escape?” She pressed further.

  “Aye, when we escape” the captain conceded. “If we escape, young priestess. We shall see. It is certainly no crime for a boy to have his head turned by a pretty girl. Indeed his true crime may have been slaying your body and removing you from the world of the living, yet before my eyes I struggle to see evidence speaking to this turn of events, in fact quite the opposite. Of course he'll have to prove himself as a man of trust again after such minor misdemeanours. But a small demotion should see to that. You have my word that I shall not harm him either.” Orochi sounded irritated now. His intentions called to question, she understood.

  “I can help you know?” She informed him. “I had to be sure of whom I was aiding before it was given” she continued.

  “What do you mean?” The captain asked. He'd no time for an answer, a voice pulled him with urgency from the thought.

  “Ship on the horizon, portside and up” it replied.

  Pulling his telescope from his coat he looked. It was enormous, and it was not the only one. They were making their chase. The escaping pirates had a head start but the navy had the advantage in knowing how their vessels worked.

  “Get me Tyde, I need a report on the guns” he growled.

  “Aye Captain” called a sailor as he scurried below decks.

  Orochi turned to the priestess “Whatever you were going to do, you have my leave, good luck” he turned away from her. Whatever it was he was unsure he wanted to know. He had bigger concerns, the fleet on the horizon was growing considerably and some vessels were breaking away to either flank. They would pincer them if they could, then blast with cannons. The beautiful ship consigned to nothing more than splintered wood, the crew blown to pieces or tumbling to the world below. The jaws of death snapped upon all their heels and it was his responsibility to guide them through. He caught one glimpse at the girl and the old man. They knelt toward the fore of the vessel. Deep in prayer. He wondered to which of the Three they prayed or all. Did it matter? They would need a damn sight more than a hope and a prayer to bring them to safety.

  A sudden gust took them. From where it had come he could not truly say. The skies had been clear of wind one moment and they relied upon the heavy ship's engines to propel them. Unknown to the crew he was certain they would not reach their capacity. Then suddenly they were pushed with intense velocity. It roiled about the air like a spirit in distress. It screamed and whistled in their ears and pushed against their skin with its cold fingers, icicles in the atmosphere about them, brushing and caressing them with the touch of a bitter winter. The discomfort grew as too did the speed. Some men yelled in protest, others simply gritted their teeth and pushed forward with their duties as best they could. Orochi covered his brow with his hand to shield his eyes from the increasing wind.

  “Captain, take the wheel” yelled a voice behind him. It was a young sailor, one picked up at their last plunder, inexperienced and frightened yet he bore the mark of a man born for the air. “I reckon you can control the direction and at this speed we're sure to outrun ‘em!”

  The boy's opinion was foolhardy yet it seemed somewhat appealing. Staring at the wheel it called to him like a long lost friend, it was certain to scorn and to bite against him. Yet something inside him pulled toward it. A hidden force. If the speed was there and if they had the courage there was a chance and it certainly beat being blown aimlessly by the sudden tide of the sky. He wondered how the wheel respond, would the ship protest his efforts? How would she handle? Would she sail as smoothly as the Kite had? He felt the wooden handles firmly in the palm of his hands. It was as if destiny called toward him. It was time to outrun these bastards.

  ~ The Stolen Airship~

  ~ Sixth of the Crop, Song of Sorrow~

  The Bliss upon them they shall ride and rise,

  Tired and weary, so much has never been at stake.

  - Volume 17 of the holy book

  She handled like a dream, this new vessel that was not the Kite, nor any other vessel he'd known. He'd worried unnecessarily due to her sheer size that he’d need to heft her wheel with every turn to cause her sail to move and catch the wind from a different direction. Yet she moved smoothly and without complaint. Her handles filling the palm of his hand naturally, comfortably. In an instant he loved her, he knew this much. She was everything she should have been and more. Everything he desired her to be.

  The sudden wind had continued in a tumult. The two priests continued at the front of the ship to pray to whatever god could cause this. He'd no idea, as a godless man he'd no need for one. Yet he found himself thanking his stars in this moment, for the existence of god-fearing men and all they brought to the world. Around the upper deck and below, men shivered, working through the cold to save their lives. While the wind had taken them, they had burned the main engines to propel themselves even faster. Where they were headed he'd no idea, yet it was for him to decide, with the palm of his hand and a little luck.

  “Guns ready Captain!” Tyde spoke at his side, her red bandana pulled low to her eyes as much as she could as to allow herself to see without facing directly into the freezing wind.

  “You took your time” he commented.

  “Ammunition was locked away, in the end we hacked the mechanism away with an axe, the men got happy pretty quickly when they saw the size of the ammunition. There's talk of blasting the admiral right from the sky!” She chuckled as she told him. It stung his heart somewhat to hear of this beautiful ship being damaged, yet what more could they have done?

  “Excellent work, tell the men to stand ready” he ordered.

  “We’re to fight then?”

  “Not necessarily, it’s a precaution and if it gives them hope to stand by the guns and be ready for the kill shot so be it, I'd wager we want to escape though, as we have been, due to the high probability of each ship chasing us to be just as heavily armed” he informed her. “Tell them no man is to fire without order, but they are to stand ready.”

  “Thank you Captain” she turned to report back. He caught himself admiring her as she went for what, he thought, could be the last time. If they survived this he would do something differently. He swore it to himself, and if he'd been a religious man, almost for a moment he felt he would swear it to the Three.

  “Captain!” It was the maiden priest, “Guide us down now.”

  “Aye” he agreed. This would be unexpected, it would certainly shock those in pursuit.

  Pushing hard on the wheel the ship tilted, using her size and velocity to shoot
toward the ground. The speed of her response almost frightened him. The wind increased with the speed of the fall. Fatal and beautiful. The wind did not distract him.

  She descended, her enormous weight pulling her down as the sky screamed and thunder crashed between vessels, momentarily illuminating the world brighter than anything he'd ever seen. The freezing wind pushed the sudden rainfall against their skin. Tiny pinprick liquid needles, stinging in the instant they struck. The drakes screamed in protest as the ship massed through the clouds. In a vessel of this size the men were in no danger. Yet it was unsettling to hear their shrieks, knowing their hungry mouths waited for anyone unfortunate enough to fall from the deck.