67th day of the 10230th year since the passing of Kriene
Zander was sleeping quite peacefully when he felt a series of insistent taps on his head, growing increasingly irritating and starting to become painful as well.
Zander was sure a mark had been left on his forehead as he pulled his blanket over his head.
“I’m awake, stop it!” he said and his companion did stop, thankfully.
Zander slowly pulled the blanket down his face with his toes, slowly sitting up and sighing.
He felt colder than usual, he realised.
He slid the blanket back up, wrapping it around himself tightly as he leaned back against the headboard of his bed.
It was still dark outside as Zander got up and looked out his window, keeping his nightlight on as he did not want to switch on the relatively bright lights of his room.
With his blanket still wrapped around, he sat on the chair, idly observing the night sky.
The clouds seemed darker and denser than usual, as did the water.
It was then that Zander happened to cursorily glance at his computer screen, his eyes growing slightly wide from their drooping state and flashing back as he saw the time on the screen.
They were somehow well into the fifteenth hour.
Surely that had to be wrong.
But in case it wasn’t, Zander quickly ditched the blanket, tossing it back on his bed, going to his closet and grabbing a black full-sleeved sweatshirt and a pair of olive fleeced pajamas from it.
After those were put on, he felt more comfortable and with his ability to think properly returning, he quickly ran to the door, peeking out to check the corridor.
He found it to be quiet – eerily so but that was irrelevant -, and so he breathed a sigh of relief.
Surely the computer clock was wrong, he quickly went back to his closet to find his watch – a beautiful thing made of a jade-like stone.
His stomach dropped a little when found it showing that it was late morning as well.
Fucking how?
They had surely escaped the storm and even more than that, he had never slept more than ten hours in a row before in his life.
And what was weirder – he still felt like he could have slept more.
The corridor being quiet still made sense.
His driftfellows were probably up and about already.
He looked around for Felix but the pebbling had disappeared.
Hopefully he wasn’t sneaking about trying to make him trip or something.
But Zander had more pressing matters than to be paranoid about pranks.
They would be touching ground on the Buried Man soon and he was not at all prepared.
It was imperative that he get the ship’s bearings.
Automatic navigation became more dangerous the closer a ship got to fellow vessels, land and other hurdles.
He doubted that anyone – except maybe Callie – would check on the ship’s route and for any potential obstacles in such detail.
But they definitely would have woken him up.
Weird.
Zander quickly ran up the stairs and headed to the navigation room.
Even in his single-mindedness, Zander was being filled with sinister apprehension.
There was not a single person in sight – not on deck or the navigation room.
There was not an iota of sound emanating from the common areas either and his hands were trembling by the time he got hold of the controls.
The dim red light that had been beautifully exquisite now sent shivers down his spine and Zander quickly changed it to a bright yellow as he got his bearings.
Luckily they had not gotten off track and after a couple of adjustments to the course they were headed right for the harbour with their estimated time of arrival less than a hundred and fifty minutes from then.
Zander then headed downstairs, more gingerly than he had gone up, going first to the common area.
As he entered the area and was illuminated by its dim blue night-light, he found all five of its inhabitants sleeping, unmoving.
He went to each one of them and tried to shake them awake.
They hardly stirred, but Linny was a bit more responsive than the officials.
At that point, it came to Zander why Felix had been falling on his forehead repeatedly and he started shaking Linny a bit more violently and calling his name until the boy’s eyes fluttered open.
“Oh thank god!” exhaled Zander, his breathing a bit heavy.
He had gotten all worked up and finally there was some relief.
“What happened?” muttered the demon.
“It’s nearly fifteen.
I need you to get up and help me wake the others.”
“What’s nearly fifteen?”
“The time!” Zander’s volume raised a little and he gave him another shake.
“No one else is awake for some reason, we need to wake them.”
Linny lumbered awake then, yawning loudly which in turn induced one in Zander as well.
“Wake Welinger, I’ll do Mr.
Corroway.” But it was easier said than done.
His shaking could not stir them fully awake.
Short of slapping them awake or throwing them down from their couches, Zander was running out of ideas.
So when he saw Linny run toward the kitchen out of the corner of his eye, he abandoned his futile pursuit and ran after him, a whole slew of inspired ideas now coming into his head.
“Water?” he yelled at Linny.
“Water.” he confirmed as he brought out the biggest saucepan they had.
Zander was ready by the tap to open it just as the utensil was placed under.
“What do you think is happening?” he asked Linny.
“Fuck if I know.
I feel even happier now that I did not visit this damned place.”
“You think it’s the island?”
“I’m sure it has something to do with the necroneesos.
What else could it possibly be?”
“Knowing our luck,” said Zander sourly.
“one or many of a plethora of afflictions.”
“Ha.” said Linny without humor as Zander turned the tap off and the former carried the saucepan back into the common area.
“Who should we do first?” asked Linny.
Zander shrugged.
“Your choice, but let’s not throw all of it at once.
It’s cold enough as it is.
We’re not trying to kill them by hypothermia – at least not after we’ve gone through so much trouble to save them.”
“Sure.
I’ll focus on the face and chest then.
They should be relatively more sensitive to it there.” Linny said, making Alema his first target.
It worked well, and while she didn’t wake up shrieking, she did stir and rise pretty quickly – after which Zander caught her up while Linny chose his next victim and so they went about their tasks.
When the officials were done, they headed down to the drifters’ rooms, refilling the pan from the bathroom before heading back up the corridor to wake their friends.
There was a little extra water left by the time the last drifter – namely, Finley – was left and Zander took the pan from Linny to thoroughly splash him awake.
“Why’d you do that?” a disoriented Finley said as he sat awake.
“Long story sh-” started Zander only to be interrupted by Linny.
“It’s not that long.”
Zander sighed.
“Point is, we have crossed into the sixteenth hour but everyone was sleeping till like half hour ago.
Everything around us is dark and creepy.
Something is up with the island.
These conditions are nowhere near normal.”
Finley stayed silent for a few seconds as if to process it all and then blurted out.
“The Windriders!”
Zander wondered if the island’s effects included diminished intelligence.
“Did you understand what I just said?”
Finley looked at him as if he were stupid.
“We have to check in on them!!”
“Oh… right.
Yeah, sorry.” Zander said a bit sheepishly and then turned to Linny.
“You’ll check on the rest of them, right?
Get them to the common area, maybe they’ll feel more active once in company and above deck.”
“I’ll get some coffee and food in their systems too.” Linny said and walked out of the room.
Zander and Finley went up to their room.
The darkness had abated ever so slightly as the day advanced towards noon but it seemed that the price for this rebate had been heavy.
There was fog rolling in – its movement visible -, so much so that Zander could not see even a couple hundred yards ahead of the ship.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t respond.
“I still want to try.” he said quietly.
As expected, the communication to the Laughing Gale was unreciprocated.
“Told you.” Zander muttered.
“Now can we go down?”
Finley thought for a second before conceding.
“But we’ll check for their ship at the harbour.”
“Of course.” said Zander placatingly.
For a change, Zander was glad to hear the din of his fellow sailors as he entered the common area.
He did a quick mental count to find Venedir missing and asked about him to Linny, who said that he was in the kitchen making coffee.
Finley went to help him and Zander approached the government officials to see what they had to say about it all.
It turned out that they were as shocked as the farers were about their surroundings and their effects on them.
But at least Mr.
Corroway had an inkling of what might be going on.
“See, since the island literally oozes death and spirit magic, these could be some side effects from uncontrolled amounts of activity on the island.
Why that could be is something I promise you I have no clue about.”
“At least you promise.” said Gwenyth dryly, showing how much stock she kept in it through her countenance.
“Why couldn’t we have had a normal visit?
It’s always like this with you government officials.
Something bad always goes on around you all.” Though this was a provocative statement, none of the four seemed to have had their feelings stirred – another testament to their negotiation skills for getting easygoing officials.
“I would not be so quick to cast aspersions.” Alema said calmly and Venedir and Finley came in with three jugs of coffee and a lot of glasses.
“Let us get to the city and see what’s what.
We on our end will do our best to get you your money in a day or two.
We don’t wish to endanger you more than we already have.” she said kindly and the mood automatically lightened.
As time passed in coffee and breakfast, Zander kept a close track of where they were through intermittent trips to the navigation room.
When they were less than half a league away, he took full manual control, sailing the Opaline tide slowly and cautiously through the fog which had only grown thicker.
It was unnerving – it felt as if anything could jump out at him through the fog and even in the protected quarters of the nav room, he felt unsafe.
This feeling was alleviated as Callie and Sylviane joined him upstairs.
“We could be in the harbour right now and I wouldn’t know.” said the latter.
“We are.” said Zander.
“You’ll catch a flicker of the lighthouses if you pay close enough attention.
There are several ships within a kilometer of us right now, I’d wager.
I just need to catch a glimpse of a harbour structure…” There was a long pause then.
“There!” He exclaimed as he saw a pier of sorts and an empty spot next to it.
“I don’t think they’ve been expecting visitors lately.” Zander as he peeked out.
“There is no sound.”
“There have to be people at the harbour.
Since the fog is magical, maybe it has acoustic insulation properties as well.” ventured Callie.
“Great.” sighed Zander.
“Maybe we should go and inform Finley that finding the Laughing Gale is going to be a more arduous chore than anticipated.”
“Yeah… you both should totally get on that.” said Sylviane with a smile.
“After all, you are the ones who are most acquainted with the Windriders.” Her smile stretched into a grin and Zander huffed.
“Fine.
You two can anchor the ship then… and coordinate with everyone – get them dismounted.” he said with a smile as theirs faded.
Finley and Zander were quite quick in finishing packing their bags, by which time the ship was anchored and the gangway was in place.
The duo dismounted into a cloud and creaky floorboards beneath.
“I thought this city was well maintained.” muttered Finley as he gingerly led the way.
“Are you sure you don’t want to wait till we’re at our quarters to look for them?
They’re going to be in the fortress only, I’m sure.
It’s really hard to see out here.” Zander said.
“The fog’s easing up.
Maybe it’ll get clearer the closer we get to shore.
We can check the ships there first.
And then circle back to these parts if we don’t find theirs.”
Zander found that idea acceptable – at least the first phase of it – and followed Finley towards the docks, the air growing decreasingly diluted as they got closer to land.
“Let’s spread out.
It’ll get done quicker.” suggested Zander.
It still took them around fifteen minutes, Finley being the one to spot the ship.
There was no one on the vessel and so there was nothing to be done but to meet them in the government quarters, as they should have done in the very first place.
By the time the two returned to land, everyone was already there.
“Windriders made it as well.” Finley muttered sheepishly as he joined the drift.
The very first thing Zander noticed was that the moment he touched land, the fog was mostly gone.
The clouds that obstructed the view of the sky directly above had become a lighter black and were not so dense but they persisted in the entire expanse of sky that lay overarching the city – which felt more blessed than haunted in that moment.
“How will we get to the quarters?” asked Venedir as they started heading inland, crossing through what was an active port.
“Public transportation.” said Alema as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Sorry, what?” said Gwenyth.
“The government provides cheap and efficient transportation services in cities.” said Welinger.
“Jalakide is too big and chaotic to traverse on foot.
And even though our friends are like to have reached before us, our presence there is no less crucial.”
“I’m assuming the reason for your cruciality is undisclosable.” Callie said dryly and all four officials nodded.
“Great.
Then let’s go already.
Where’s this… public transportation?” said Sylviane.
The public transportation of Jalakide was a carefully engineered underground rail network that functioned like clockwork from the hours of Wairores to Wairodon.
Trains with six to eight coaches arrived every five minutes.
It was a place of immense activity which was not just restricted to transportation.
There were all kinds of shops and sellers, containing hawkers, artisans and craftsmen among others.
All in all, Zander was quite impressed, though he could see the oppression in it.
Travelling without any view of the outside world.
For those stuck in monotonous routine of ‘home to work to home’, this ‘social’ institution only dehumanized its passengers, herding them together and encouraging them to travel even longer distances the wider its network grew.
It could be seen as broadening one’s opportunity set in terms of the areas they could reach in a certain amount of time – but Zander willfully rejected that thought.
He could not help but condemn these people and their way of life, stuck with plugs in their ears, expressionless and without vibrancy, staring into the screens of their handheld computer devices without a look here or there.
Zander looked around to see the looks on the faces of his driftfellows to gauge how they felt about it and could only see some variation of his own feelings mirrored in their countenance.
So distracted was Zander by all of these thoughts that he did not realise that they had entered a train without a ticket and he called to Alema, the official nearest to him.
“Do we not need to pay?”
She smiled and shook her head.
“Those part of the government and those on government business travel for free.”
Travelling for free – now that sounds like something I could get used to.
As he eventually stopped looking around in wonder and curiosity, he found himself eavesdropping on a conversation between Alema and Callie, the former telling the latter that they had boarded the train in a time of comparatively less traffic.
Zander was almost loath to think what periods of higher traffic would look like, seeing the train’s current state.
Given that a few people – some of their own group as well – were standing still, people would essentially be pressed up against each other – truly like herded cattle – in peak hours.
After a quarter hour in the train, Zander finally deigned to ask how much longer it would take for them to reach the fortress.
“We’ll have to change trains in about twenty minutes, from there we’ll need to go through a security checkpoint after which we’ll be able to board the train that takes us into the fortress.
From then it’s just a matter of five minutes.”
“I’m carrying a knife.
Will that be allowed through?” he asked.
“Yeah, that won’t be a problem.
Blades are not really the focus of those security checks.”
Zander was glad to hear that, though it was also a giveaway that there were much worse things in Jalakide.
The security check was a time consuming process, ironically the least tedious activity being checking the veracity of the government officials’ identification cards.
Their authenticity was enough to confirm theirs and they were given a set of identification cards themselves after submitting their biometric data and faring identification cards.
Once that was done, they all assembled, waiting for a train.
Corroway chose to address them.
“Your identification cards will allow you access to the lower levels – namely eight and seven – of the Keep.
They contain all that you could reasonably need or want from your stay here.
Feel free to traverse the city but do not venture very close to the walls or try to cross them.
Your identification cards also give you free and unrestricted access to the rail network – which will be your best friend in seeing as much of the city as can be possible in your limited time here.
You’ll have your money by tomorrow Wairodon and you can depart your quarters as early as Wairores on the sixty-ninth.
But your stay is authorised till the seventy-fourth, should you choose to grace us with your presence longer and let us show you a fuller extent of our hospitality.”
A day and a half – though their period of stay would most likely be extended – in Jalakide did not sound bad, even with whatever fucked up things were happening in and around the city.
The population had not seemed perturbed in the slightest – or maybe they were just ignorant of what was transpiring.
Though as Zander returned from his thoughts to the conversation his driftfellows were engaged in, he found that they were more eager to stay in that day: rendezvous with the Windriders and explore the lower levels.
They seemed to have already assumed that they were going to stay longer than just two days.
And so they would become more likely to get caught up in whatever shit that was going down.
Zander felt in that moment that he perfectly understood what Linny said of fate.
It drew one in – through externalities as well as one’s own forces of habit and nature.
What use was arguing or attempting escape in the face of such uncertainty, especially when there was nothing tangible to argue for prompt departure from the city.
It wasn’t like he did not feel compelled to stay either.
He wanted to spend some time with Therese, should that be made possible.
Knowing Finley, it would be hard to keep him away from Perisone but he wasn’t like that.
Neither was Therese.
She understood it, understood him.
There would be no tear-filled, heart-rending farewells for them.
Whatever they had might not have even continued beyond Kinamel – they certainly had treated it as such – were their drifts not tied together by their common assignment, and by Finley and Perisone’s actions.
Zander sat with Linny when they got into the train.
“You didn’t go with a disguise this time.” he muttered.
“No use for it.
There won’t be any farers here.
And our friends will take care of the matter with other people from your government.”
“Friends?” said Zander, arching an eyebrow.
“What?
They’re not that bad.”
“Still… friends might be an overstatement.
At least for me.
You have stayed with them more than I have so I cannot make assumptions about the extent of your camaraderie with them.”
“Make no mistake, my understanding of their ways is less than yours, but however secretive, they seem like good people.
Sometimes secrets are unavoidable or a force of habit and source of comfort.”
“I’m assuming Alaric’s friendship has been the one to afford you this insight.”
“It has helped in my arrival upon it, for sure.
It’s one of the reasons why one should have as diverse a circle of friends and acquaintances as possible.”
Zander nodded a little.
“Speaking of Alaric, do you know if and when he’ll be meeting you here?”
Linny shrugged.
“He should, though I’m not sure of when that would happen.
I hope it’s later rather than sooner.”
Zander shook his head.
“I hope elsewise.”
“Why’s that?
Tired of me already?” Linny smiled.
“No.
It’s just that this place is a ticking time bomb if our approach to the city was any indication.
You already have gotten in enough trouble on our account, I don’t want you to endanger yourself more – you are just a kid, even though you are stronger and more powerful than any of us.
None of this should be your burden.
Heck, it shouldn’t be our burden either, but here we are.”
“I think you’ve gotten me out of enough trouble that I can indulge in a fraction of that if it helps you.”
“Well, at least it’ll make for a good story for our kids.” Zander smiled a little.
Linny looked pleasantly surprised.
“You’ll tell your kids about me?”
“I’ll even tell your kids about you – how their father was a troublemaker, a damn good fighter… and a fiercely loyal friend.”
Linny smiled widely.
“And I’ll tell your kids how their father was the luckiest navigator in Apricity.”
Zander laughed.
“Indeed.
All credit to Felix…” he paused a little.
“Speaking of which,” Linny’s head turned back towards him.
“I think your companion – whoever they might be and whenever you both form that connection – will be very happy in you, and you in them.”
Linny beamed.
“You are one smooth talker, you.”
“I say the pleasant truths, is all.”
The lower levels of the government quarters were a sprawling but elegant lay of residential and commercial buildings, supplemented most beautifully by forested parks and gardens.
They formed the outer circle of structures of Jalakide’s fortress, most parts of which did not receive Wairo’s light – on days that they could, that is – to their fullest extent due to being surrounded by the fortress’ outer walls – more than a hundred feet tall – on one end and the walls separating them from the middle levels – twice as tall as the former – on the other.
Green and blue lighting was the norm for the fortress, it seemed – for all levels, uniformly.
It made for comfortable, cool lighting – going with the city’s darkened state and cold weather.
“The citizens seemed pretty calm about all this.” he observed to Faera, looking up at the sky.
“Black skies are not an abnormality, especially during monsoons, but the fog and the extended sleep – that merits special attention.
I am glad those symptoms have not hit the city.”
“Yet.” Zander said.
“Maybe.
I dare to be more optimistic.
But let’s see.”
“I’m assuming it’s too much to hope that you’ll keep us even fractionally apprised about any ongoings.”
“Your assumption is correct, young farer.
We can only facilitate your earliest possible departure so that you avoid any further trouble.”
That sufficed for Zander.
After talking to a warden of sorts, they were led to a steward – who gave them their keys, upon which the officials bid them a farewell.
It was likely the last time they would see each other and yet there wasn’t much emotion in it all.
Maybe that chasm between them would exist even if they had been more frank with them from the get-go.
It wasn’t easy to bridge their differences.
Linny’s goodbyes to them were the warmest and Zander saw that warmness reciprocated to varying extents.
It made him wonder whether they could have talked to the officials more or been more involved with them.
But thinking of it then – when they had already turned and were going away from their lives permanently – was of no use.
Finley was the first to speak when the officials were gone – turning to the steward as they resumed walking.
“There would have been another drift that came earlier today.
Would you be knowing anything about where they might be putting up?”
The steward smiled a little.
“Your rooms are adjacent.
The first drift expressly requested me to make that arrangement and as luck would have it, we had six rooms in a row free for the next ten days.”
“Do you by any chance remember how the girl who made this request looked like?” asked Sylviane with a grin and Finley blushed a light pink, the colour visible clearly on his pale skin.
The steward half-smiled and looked a little surprised.
“How did you know it was a girl?
Um… she was a few inches taller than you… she had brown skin… dark eyes… purple I think.
Oh!
And short blue hair till her shoulders.”
“We thought so.” said Venedir with a smile.
“She in particular really cares about the closeness of our drifts.” Though he should have watched his position when he said that because Finley was well within punching range and he hit quite hard considering the wince that escaped Venedir’s lips a couple seconds after he finished speaking.
“Worth it.” he managed to wheeze out.