Past the Bows

Haruki and the survivors of the Western Navies’ attack headed for an island nearest Bellfry, one of the largest landmasses within the Federacy—though this island wouldn’t be anywhere near the Federacy’s patrol routes.

Legrassi II was sunk in the attack, while the Legrassi III and I were damaged, but weren’t in any shape to do any long-haul sailing until their hulls were repaired. The total casualties were reduced to a minimum, but each now-missing man left a gap in their ranks that were hard to fill. An indelible mark.

After that attack, they towed the Kenichi Modern with the Legrassi I into the aforementioned abandoned island. A mix of bamboo and palm trees grew within its premises, and a cove on the island’s side proved effective in hiding the Redwing’s presence.

Haruki had just performed maintenance on the KM when he returned to a makeshift wooden hut between the cove and the forests of the island. Warren was standing guard aside, playing some kind of poker-looking card game with a fellow pirate.

“Haruki,” Warren said, glancing away from the cards on his hand. “How are things on your end?”

“No good,” he replied. “My plane’s outta gas, and my wings sustained quite a bit of damage. Honestly, I have no idea how I’ll be able to fly this thing again.”

“Guess it’s about time you joined us in earnest. Your life as a flying man is over.”

He sighed. Your life as a flying man is over? Unless he could find a way to refuel the Kenichi Modern, Warren was as good as right. Maybe it was time to become a seafarer instead.

With the KM’s limited fuel reserves, he knew his time of freedom in this new world would someday come to an end. He flew all this time, refusing to believe it. And if it did end, he wished it would have been on better terms.

Not like—this.

“I’ll think about it.”

“You don’t have many options here. Can’t go back to Ka-Ilyah now, especially not without the princess. The Federacy definitely won’t take you. Then there’s our homeland, which we know for sure wouldn’t take you in. Hell, they wouldn’t take us dwarven fellows back.”

“I know.” Whatever you say. Ignoring his argument, Haruki thumbed towards the door of the hut. “Can I see her?”

“Oh. You just missed her.”

“Missed her? Did she wander off, or…?”

Warren put down three cards from his hand, which somehow caused his opponent to spiral into defeat. “She’s a strong lass. Barely past a day and she’s already up and about.” He glanced in the direction opposite the hut and pointed with his lip. “She’s gon’ get fresh air on the beach. Thought you might’ve seen her already.”

“I didn’t. Probably missed her.” Haruki bowed. “Thanks, Warren.”

Warren seemed uninterested in Haruki’s decisions and focused back on his game, gathering up the cards for a second round. Haruki watched the two dwarves make their opening moves before heading back for the beach.

When he arrived at the end of the island, he noticed footsteps on the sand. They were human in size, barefoot, and definitely not left by dwarf—at least as he knew dwarves.

It could only be her.

He followed the footsteps until he found the very person who had left them.

Standing on the beach, red and fiery amongst the blue sky horizon, was Flare, staring far yonder.

After the battle, Warren and the rest of the pirates had managed to find her wounded but intact body floating on the surface of the water. It was nothing short of a miracle she survived—but perhaps sharing a Sky Link with Haruki had saved her. Her powerful attunement with her own flames made her resist the worst of the explosion. And then there was the pocket of wind magic that seemed to have kept her afloat just long enough for the Redwings to dredge up her almost lifeless body.

She turned to face Haruki when he approached. Bandages completely covered her left eye, and so did the rest of that side of her. Her hair, which was once tied into a ponytail that extended to her neck, had been cut, ending in burnt, cut stumps.

“You’re up quick,” Haruki remarked with a smile.

Flare simply stared back where she had been looking all this time.

Haruki sat beside her.

“That was cool. What you did back there,” Haruki said.

“We lost,” she replied, low and solemn. “The princess is gone. The Redwings are one ship down. And… Well, you’ve lost your woman. Same goes with your machine.”

“She wasn’t my woman, but…” Right. She wasn’t. But Anemone was still his responsibility. “Guess you’re right. We lost.”

“And I’m none the richer. Waited two years for this day.” She kicked a rock into the sea. “By the Divine, I waited two years to get screwed over. Fuck me for dreaming.” Surprisingly, she didn’t hurt herself kicking like that.

“Flare…”

“Curse my greed. If I hadn’t fallen into the Titanseye’s temptation, we probably wouldn’t be here. The Redwings would’ve been happier. I wouldn’t be…” Her fingers brushed the bandages over her left eye. “Everything would have been better.”

“I think Lias planned to kill you from the start.” Haruki shrugged absentmindedly. “The moment he knew Anemone and I were here, he’d probably already made that decision.”

“That would mean he and the girl outsmarted me from the get-go,” she said. “I’d rather believe it was my greed and hubris that got us almost killed, not that he played us for fools from the start.”

“Who’s to say? That’s just what I think.”

Flare plopped to the sand, sitting criss-cross. “Haruki. What’re you planning to do now?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“I will do what I do best—improvise. But that’s only because I know my way around. I’ve lived many long years in this world, but you…” She shot a glance at Haruki. “You don’t know much about us. I wouldn’t expect an otherworlder like you to have as many options.”

Haruki exhaled sharply. “I’m asking you because, for lack of creativity, I’m going where you are.”

“Hm. Fair,” she said. “Then you must know right away. I plan to have my revenge.”

“What, you’re gonna attack the Federacy? With what you have?”

“I don’t care if I do it now, tomorrow, or five years from now when the Redwings have rebuilt enough. But I will have it.”

Haruki chucked. “That sounds perfect. I was thinking how I’d get Anemone back.”

“In that case, long-term revenge doesn’t sound like an option for you. You might want to get her back as soon as possible. Who knows what they plan to do with the princess?”

“True,” he said, then looked down. “But without my plane, I’m just… a regular guy.” He glanced at the Inverted City. “And that darn city isn’t any closer than it was when I started.”

Flare patted him on the back, then patted the bloody bandage on Haruki’s arm. “You’ve got two Sky Links on you. That’s rare—even for a native of this world. You’ll figure something out.”

“Yeah? Its best use was on the plane. Its power is wasted on me on foot. And…” Movement caught the side of Haruki’s vision. When he turned, he noticed a figure approaching in the direction opposite the Inverted City.

As it came closer, its shape became more familiar. An airship—no bigger than the vessel that escaped the sinking Cronqvist.

But when it drew close, it revealed itself unmarked. It bore no sigils of the Federacy. No signs that it belonged to anyone in particular. Clearly it did, since someone had to be flying it. But as for a faction—none.

Flare knit her brow. “An unaffiliated airship? Merchants? In these parts?”

“Is the Federacy coming to clean us up?”

“They could, but this island is outside of their patrol zones, so—”

A person stepped up to the airship’s mast and began waving a flag. A third of the flag was blue, but white dominated the rest of it. Much like the rest of the airship, the flag bore no discerning marks.

Flare’s shoulders relaxed. “A seaflag? They mean no harm…?”

“What does a seaflag mean?”

“A surrender. They’re expressing no desire for conflict.”

“Last time we believed someone, they shot us.”

“Even Lias wouldn’t be foolish enough to fight with a seaflag raised,” she said. “He is still a general who must abide by terms of engagement, or his very own men would be quick enough to turn on him.”

While Haruki offered to warn the others, Flare stayed put and let the airship come to them. She urged him to follow, of which he did. Getting ready for combat now wouldn’t change anything. If that airship wanted them dead—they’d be dead.

When the airship approached the island, it lowered into the sea and quietly approached at a steady pace, happily churning the water below it.

The blimp beached on the sands. After a moment, a rope was tossed down.

Two women disembarked.

The first to come down was Fianna, who landed with a quiet, graceful step and a curt bow.

Haruki rubbed his eyes. He recognized her, but couldn’t fathom why she was here, on an airship nonetheless. “Aren’t you… Anemone’s aide or something?”

“An elf…?” Flare tilted her head.

Fianna offered no answer—but simply waited for the second woman to come down.

Marina slid down the rope ladder with practiced ease. She went beside Fianna and greeted, “Haruki,” unsurprised. Then she turned to Flare, whose presence seemed to throw her back a step. “And Ms. Cavernheart? Glad to see you.”

Flare drew her blade and pointed it at Marina, a searing flame burning in her eyes. Her wordless threat stopped Marina’s advance.

Then she spoke. “You planned this.”

“I…” Marina’s face fell. Fianna nudged her, but from her pained reaction, Haruki thought the aide had pricked her with a knife or something. She might have. “I didn’t plan all of this to happen.”

“All of this?” Flare’s eyes narrowed. “So some part of this is still your doing?”

“I only intended to surrender the princess to you, for you to hand over to the Western Navies. You were to be rewarded handsomely.”

“They tried to give us an eternal reward, del Alfons. Explain that.”

“I rushed here the moment Lias told me he was going to kill you,” she said. “I followed some bread crumbs and it led here—to you. D-Don’t worry, it’s my private network. Not even the Commander of the Western Navies has access to it.”

Flare laughed mockingly. “You expect me to believe that?” She stomped forward, sword pointed at Marina. “You expect me to believe a Sapia like you isn’t still planning to gut me and the rest of my men? Here and now?”

Haruki stood between the women. “Flare. Wait.”

“H-Haruki? What? Step aside. She tried to kill you, for Divine’s sake!”

“Probably so,” he said, shooting a glance at Marina, then Fianna who was standing beside her. “And yet, she has Anemone’s aide with her. Something’s not adding up. Won’t you give her time to explain?”

“Just because she’s a Sapia like you, it doesn’t mean—”

“I’m a human. An otherworlder,” he insisted, expression straight and resolute. “Not a Sapia. I have no interest in protecting her just because she looks like me. No—let’s hear her out first.”

Marina inhaled deeply. “Haruki…”

Fianna bowed deep, she almost looked like her head was about to fall out of her neck. “Dear seafarer. I assure you, this Sapia means no harm. For now.”

Gritting her teeth but assuredly feeling outnumbered, Flare lowered her blade, but kept it unsheathed. Just in case. Understandable.

She stared at Haruki. If she wouldn’t listen to a Federacy noble or an elf, he hoped he’d listen to him, at least.

“Fine,” she said, sighing. “You have a single sentence to convince me, del Alfons.”

Marina stepped forward and cleared her throat. “Thank you, Ms. Cavernheart.”

She let a silence pass, before finally saying, with an unwavering expression:

“I intend to betray Lias del Romero. Will you help me?”