Caje Auchard, Where the Wind Takes You

Sam relaxed against the side railing of the airship, taking in the beautiful sight around him. The wood was cool against his arms, as was the wind billowing against his face. Among the vast expanse of blue sky flew the purest clouds and small fragments of the floating islands that he and many others called home. The sweet calm of the open air had lifted a heavy weight from Sam’s shoulders that even he was not aware of. So far, his journey was all he had hoped it to be, a new experience where he could start his new life.

He was not keen to return to the home he had left behind. It was a land of bitter frost and even colder people. Corruption ran rampant through the backwater island, a haven for cutthroats and vagabonds. No matter his past, he had paid a hefty sum, months of collective work’s wages to gain passage among the cargo ship. The captain was not the nicest, nor the most welcoming, but enough coin swayed even the most hardened of men.

Sam knew that the captain and his crew were into some sketchy business, but he didn’t mind as long as he got where he wanted to go. Out of the five main cities spread throughout the sky, Asmos was the largest island, the capital city bearing that same name. It was a prosperous port, home to many of the guilds and figureheads that held the tightest grip among the land. Sam had no real plan for when he arrived - just enough coin for food and water - hoping to figure something out when they landed.

He reached into the inside of his leather jacket, pulling out a photo of him and his older brother. Sam missed Max every day, but he didn’t let it control him. Sam had learned to let go, no matter how painful it was. The weight of the knife on his belt tugged at him, a gift from Max only days before he passed. Smiling at the weathered photo, he folded it up and returned it safely to its home. With no family waiting for him back home, he had decided to pack up and move on.

Sam was startled by the loud slam of a door, boots running across the hardwood floor. He turned to see a scrawny man being chased by the captain’s chief mate hot on his heels. The scrawny man looked distressed as he ran for the railing

opposite of Sam. His clothes were like the attire worn by the rest of the crew, but what could cause such discord among these men? The chief mate yelled for the man to stop with an outstretched hand, but he had already launched himself over the railing without hesitation. Sam’s stomach dropped like a ton of bricks as he ran to the side, leaning over the railing. He was beside the chief mate as both watched the man fall, his scream fading as he broke through the low hanging clouds and out of sight.

“Damn druggie. I told him to leave that blasted mushroom behind, but he must have snuck it aboard. Drove him half mad, raving about bugs eating him from his insides,” the man said with his head in his hands. He drove a heavy sigh out of his lungs and pushed himself up straight, looking Sam in the eyes.

“I need to go inform the Cap’, could you go throw out any more of the shit he packed. I can’t have any more of my boys throwing themselves overboard.”

Sam gave a nod as the man left, heading up the stairs to the captain’s quarters, leaving him to stand alone. Sam felt as if he couldn’t move after what he witnessed. He was no stranger to death, but he had hoped to leave most of it far behind him. Summoning what was left of his will, he moved down to the wooden stairs leading to the crew’s sleeping quarters. He slept with the men on the first floor, but he had never seen the scrawny man before, possibly a part of the night shift on the vessel. Sam had been told the night crew slept one floor lower, so he continued down the creaky steps.

The airship was not large compared to what Sam had seen before, but it was still nothing to scoff at as he reached the bottom floor, which also seemed to be part of the cargo hold. The hum of the engines was louder down here, a purr that gently shook the walls. He had never been down here in the few days he had been on the ship, so he took his time to properly search for the man’s belongings.

A strange thumping disrupted the constant hum of the engines, an erratic sound coming from a nearby room. It was muffled, leading him to believe it was just the inner machinations of the ship, but something rekindled his confusion. The faint sound of a voice accompanied the banging, still barely audible. Now his curiosity got the best of him, leading him to check the source of the strange sounds.

Sam entered a dark room, the air damp and musty, which was not uncommon among the ship. At the end of the small room was a metal box that reached the ceiling, and only stretched half the length of the walls, about as wide as his own wingspan. As he walked closer to the box, the banging became louder and the voice a little clearer, though not close enough to understand. His steps were soft and slow, his stomach fluttering as he put a hand to the door. The thumping stopped as he reached for the handle. With a tug he tried to open the door to no

avail, a mangled lock latched it shut. He unsheathed his knife and began to try his hand at picking its lock. Growing up in the slums still had some advantages, though Sam still had no wish to use his skills for thievery any longer.

With a satisfying click, the lock popped open, joy sprouting in his chest. He pulled the heavy door open, hoping to see who was trapped inside. Before he could get a good look though, the person inside lunged at him, knocking him to the floor. His knife was ripped from his hand and the cold bone was pressed firmly against his throat. Sam could feel trickles of blood from the cut, the bone of a great beast stronger than any metal blade. A woman in her early twenties with wild eyes held him to the ground, teeth bared. Despite the rage and dirt smeared across her face, her features were beautiful, one eye bright blue and the other bright green.

“Wait, I’m not here to hurt you. I heard the banging and came to see what was wrong,” Sam said cautiously, knowing one wrong move and his blood would spill along the wooden tiles.

Her features softened, but she kept the knife against his skin, “Bastards were going to sell me off, a thrall they called me. I’ll let you up but cross me and I’ll make you wish I slit your throat right here.”

Sam agreed and she helped him to his feet. She tossed the knife in the air, catching the blunt end of the blade and handed it back to Sam. He could see she was no stranger to weapons, nor combat as his whole body ached from her tackle.

“I had no clue they were slavers. They told me they were just hauling cargo and let me ride along for a fee. How stupid I was,” Sam sighed, guilt clouding his mind.

She gave him a slight smile, “Don’t blame yourself. They hide in plain sight, hauling people too and from all the islands. Most don’t even know they exist.”

The sound of footsteps stopped their conversation, causing Sam to look to her with slight panic in his eyes. She put a finger to her lips, signaling him to follow her back into the metal box. He wanted to question that decision, but he thought otherwise as a figure began to enter the dark room. They got into the box and shut the door, hoping the man wouldn’t notice. She grabbed the knife from his sheath and pushed him behind her body, waiting at the door for the person to reach them.

A small slide on the door opened at eye level and a man peered through, something joyous dancing in his eyes.

“Quiet today aren’t ya’ missy,” the voice said, the sound of keys jingling behind the door. They saw the man look down at where the lock once was, now laying on the floor.

Before he could do anything else, the girl burst open the door, deftly plunging the knife deep into the slaver’s chest. A gasp escaped from his mouth as his life faded from his eyes. Blood pooled along the floor, the sickly-sweet smell of the

ichor invading his senses. She spat on the corpse as she stood, wiping the blood off on the thigh of her pants. The girl grabbed the slavers rapier and handed Sam his knife back. The key ring rang as she unhooked it from the dead man’s belt, adding it to her own.

“Jane by the way,” she said with a smile and an outstretched hand covered in blood.

Sam responded with his own name and shook her hand, ready for whatever was to come. They left sneakily from the dark room, doing their best to move without drawing anymore unwelcome attention their way. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, adjacent to a room of snoring men which he had completely missed, a loud bell rang from outside.

“Land ahead!” The voice shouted, muffled by the distance between them.

All of the day crew would already be on the higher levels, but Sam feared the sleeping men next to them. He peeked his head slowly through the doorway, fear flowing through his blood. The men still slept soundly, accustomed to the loud noises the flying life brought. Relief washed over him as none stirred to stop them and continued up to the top deck.

The wind greeted them as they exited the interior of the ship, sunshine pleasantly blocked by a dense formation of clouds. They wasted no time as he followed Jane to the helm of the ship which was protected by an awning that casted much needed shade. The captain had opted for a small drape in place of a door, giving them easy access to the ship’s controls.

Jane began to pull back the cloth that led to the helm but was met by the chief mate who looked deeply distraught. His eyes widened in surprise and he drew his rapier from his scabbard, recognizing the escaped captive. Before the man could attack , Jane swiftly cut across the man’s knees, buckling him over. She used his momentum to hoist him up and over the side of the ship, his screams fading just as the scrawny man’s had. Sam was in awe of her prowess but pushed it aside as they continued through to the captain.

A weathered man in his late fifties stood at the ship’s controls, the years of hauling cargo and people visually weighing him down. Sam felt no remorse for what may happen to a man who would do such things though. A slew of curses flew from the captain’s mouth as he noticed Sam and Jane approach him, drawing a six-cylinder revolver from his waist. A shot rang out making Sam’s ears ring and his head hurt. Pain radiated from his arm as the bullet grazed his flesh, blood seeping into his shirt. Jane disarmed the man before he could get another shot off, throwing him against the control panels.

The pain was constant, but he pulled himself from his daze quickly, the adrenaline kicking his brain into high gear. Sam checked his arm, the bullet only creating

a flesh wound, nothing that was immediately dangerous. He saw Jane and the captain struggling for control, one in which Jane was easily winning. Jane had her sword at the captain’s chest, almost finishing the job. The captain gave all he had, pushing the sword aside, jamming it deep into the controls of the ship, a flashing red light blinking in warning. As Jane used her elbow to knock the captain unconscious, Sam could hear the rumble of the right engine stop.

They rushed back out to the open air, Jane tucking the revolver into her waist as they looked over the side. Sam noticed that the engine had indeed stopped, sending the ship careening to the side. The ship flew over a large chunk of land, the city of Asmos barely within sight. A large body of water, however, was close beneath them as they steadily flew away from it.

“We have to jump. If we don’t, we go down with this ship. It’ll hurt, but we’re flying close enough to make it,” Jane said as she looked to Sam.

He knew she was right, but he was so scared he wasn’t sure if he could. He had braved many things in his life, but nothing of this caliber.

Jane took his hand and looked into his eyes. Hesitantly, Sam nodded, and they leaped over the side of the ship, their bodies plummeting to the ground. A small yell escaped Sam’s mouth as they crashed into the cold water, soaking him completely. With all his strength he swam to the surface, gasping for air as his head broke through like a newborn babe. He paddled to the shore, his heart threatening to beat right out of his chest.

“Woohoo!” Jane exclaimed right beside him as they stood waist deep in the water, finally able to stand. She tightly embraced Sam with a huge grin as the ship barely missed the edge of the island, falling through the air to unknown depths. They pulled apart and Sam returned the smile, excitement filling his body. Despite his horror, he had not had a good thrill like that in a long time.

“Well Sam, looks like our adventure is just beginning,” Jane said with a laugh.

They walked to the shore with arms around their shoulders and planned for their journey to Asmos. Drenched and exhausted, Sam expected there to be no shortage of excitement in the near future. Wasn’t that what he wished for though, a new adventure, a new life. He smiled at his new friend as he reveled in the idea of his unknown path and the wilds they would brave together.