The future is coming on

Nyumba is now nothing more than a distant speck, a grain of dust upon the earth. As the gwiber owl ascends, soaring beyond the clouds we had glimpsed from the kingdom below, I cling to its back, sinking into the warmth of its downy feathers. Nadia leans partly against me, while Laila sits cross-legged, looking thoroughly bored.

The air grows ever thinner and colder the higher we rise. The brilliant blue of the ocean fades into a washed-out shade, almost indistinguishable from the sky.

«Are we sure this is the right way?» Laila mutters, stretching lazily. I glance sideways at her, unable to fully turn my head. She digs in her nose with a finger before sprawling back with a sigh. «Uuuuuugh… What a drag! I can’t wait to reach some place where I can collapse onto a soft bed and drink myself senseless.»

«Focus on the priority.» I tell her.

«Didn’t you hear? I just told you my priorities.» Nadia pats my shoulder with a smile. I sigh, resigning myself.

A sudden, deafening roar tears through the sky, making my whole body stiffen. I raise my gaze just in time to see the keel of a ship breaking through the clouds—yet it has no masts, no sails. Instead, a colossal airship balloon swells above it. The vessel glides alongside us, menacingly close, its twenty-two cannons trained directly upon us.

A voice, amplified as though through a megaphone, reaches us. «Surrender, or we will be forced to bring you down!»

“Judging by the single gundeck, this must be a frigate. The sheer number of cannons, and that balloon—it’s unmistakably nineteenth century… But what does it mean? I thought this world was late medieval. If I go with them, perhaps I’ll find some answers.” «WE SURRENDER.» I shout, slowly raising my hands. «Nadia, Laila, raise your hands too.» Laila groans, sits upright, and lifts her arms in reluctant obedience.

«Who are you?» the man calls.

«WE ARE REFUGEES.»

«Where do you come from?»

«FROM THE KINGDOM OF SPIS.»

Silence falls. A red beacon flashes intermittently, casting its light upward toward the clouds. After a pause, a faint answering glow flickers above. «Approach slowly, and keep your hands where we can see them.» We obey. As we draw close, a man in a double-breasted blue coat commands, «Do not bring that infernal beast any nearer. Cross to the frigate by the gangplank.» The sailors lower the plank. Laila and Nadia step aboard first. «Why don’t you come up?» the captain asks.

«Forgive me, sir, but I’ve a greatsword strapped to the creature’s back.»

He studies me for a moment. «Throw it.»

«… Are you sure?»

«Throw it.» With no room for hesitation, I unfasten the weapon and toss it over. A soldier seizes it, and I climb aboard. Once we are all across, Nadia dismisses her power—the gwiber owl vanishes in an instant. The captain raises a hand, and suddenly every sailor has a musket leveled at us. «What became of the beast?» he demands coldly.

«Relax,» Laila yawns, «it was just a creation of the girl. Completely harmless.»

He gave her a look of deep suspicion. «Shackle them. Keep your weapons trained. Kill them at the first move.» He turns toward the quarterdeck. «To your stations. We’re taking them to Tour Noire.»

«At once!» the crew bellows in unison. Iron cuffs are clamped around our wrists—cold, heavy, merciless—and we are shoved toward the center of the deck. The frigate tilts, diving back into the clouds.

°°°

I cannot tell how long we travel. Minutes? Hours? At last, the airship emerges like a great steel whale from the mists, and my breath catches in my throat.

Before us sprawls a vast archipelago suspended in twilight: a labyrinth of floating isles bathed in the glow of countless streetlamps, glittering like stars.

As the frigate drifts past them, I behold wonders. An island draped in glass domes, fountains, and lush gardens. Another, a fortress of iron bristling with cannons. Another still, a cathedral whose spires vanish into cloud. Bridges of wrought iron arc and weave between the isles, while flying carriages—buoyed by balloons or pulled by strange black beasts—dart in every direction. On the largest island rises a clocktower so immense it looms over the entire district, its chime resonant and deep. On another stands a tower like the Eiffel itself, crowned with a blazing beacon.

Our course takes us toward an island dominated by a grim, impenetrable fortress—its walls thick, forbidding, reminiscent of the Tower of London I once visited on a school trip.

The frigate moors to a pier suspended in the void. As the gangway locks into place, a row of guards in black uniforms and bowler hats await. They shove us off the ship with brutal haste, nearly making us stumble. We are herded into a vast stone chamber, its narrow windows nothing but slits for air. At its center, four men stand behind a desk, watching us with impassive eyes.

One, with a long white beard and eyes cold as ice, steps forward. «Gather their belongings into sacks, lock them away. Then take them to the common cell. Quickly, I’ve no time to waste.»

The captain interjects. «With respect, sir, the child displayed unusual powers.»

«What kind?» the old man asks.

«She summons creatures wrought of celestial flame.»

«Mmmmm…» His gaze fixes upon Nadia, stroking his beard. The little one stiffens, tugging anxiously at my sleeve. Laila and I exchange a troubled look. «Take her to maximum security.» Guards seize Nadia roughly. Her small body thrashes, struggling.

«Nadia!» I cry, trying to reach her—but a musket butt slams into my chest, forcing me back. Laila makes to intervene but is restrained. The cuffs bite into our wrists, scraping our skin. I force myself not to lash out, not to lose control.

The rattling of chains draws other guards. «What’s going on?» one asks, rushing over. In an instant, more muskets are aimed at us.

«Lay a finger on her and I’ll make you regret you were ever born!» I snarl.

Nadia froze. The tears in her eyes still. Slowly, she turn her face to us—her crimson eyes wide, but not with fear. She try to smile, though it twists into something fragile and painful. «Søren… Laila…» her voice was a whisper, thin as thread. «Don’t worry. It’s fine… It’ll be fine. Just do as they say.» Her eyes are no longer afraid. She even forces a strange, fragile smile.

Panting, I try to calm myself. The reinforcements retreat, and Nadia is led away. Watching her small figure, straining to be brave, vanish behind the iron door makes my teeth grind.

Guards drag Laila and me into another room, where we are ordered to strip. Our clothes are stuffed into separate sacks. We turn our backs to each other—or at least I do. Shame burns in me at the thought of seeing her undressed.

«Don’t peek, pervert.» Laila says.

«Why would I ever want to look at you?!» I shout, face burning. «If anything, you’re the pervert who should keep her eyes to herself!»

«True, you caught me.» she teases. Once finished, our sacks are taken away, and we’re shoved against a wall. «Face the other way.» she insists.

«Same to you, you heat-crazed cat.»

«Hey! How dare you—» Before she can finish, two torrents of freezing water blast down on us. The shock locks every muscle in my body, my teeth chattering uncontrollably. «What’s wrong? Too cold for you?» she mocks.

«Don’t be ridiculous. It’s so hot, I feel like I’m melting.»I retort through clenched teeth, suppressing my shivers. But it isn’t the water alone that makes me tremble—the thought that Nadia may be suffering the same treatment boils my blood.

Once the water stops, they toss us rough prison uniforms. Heavy, scratchy, tight in all the worst places—like at the elbows. Then we’re shoved into a cell, the iron bars slamming shut behind us with a thunderous clang.

Laila turns toward me with a sly grin. «You peeked, didn’t you?»

«What? No! What?! No!»