Chapter 10

  Minot rolls on his back and spreads his limbs out. His body aches from the impact, but he is mostly fine. He takes a few deep breaths to calm down the adrenaline rush. Rui lies a few meters away and twitches a bit. Schalk rushes over to the two. He checks up on Rui and puts the cable on his belt, just in case. Iv has been ejected from Minot's jacket and is kneeling on the ground, one arm on the ground, the other pressed against her chest. She has not enjoyed the intense experience of free diving in the storm.

  “Oh, by the Great Oak and its amber seeds”, she prays through heavy breaths. “I haven't been so glad to touch the ground before in my life. I swear I'll be more appreciative of walking.”

  Minot exhales loudly and joyfully. He isn't bothered by the rain, the pain and how wet and cold he has gotten from the rescue. “Wooooh!”, he yells. “That felt like flying!”

  “Flying doesn’t feel like gettin’ sent straight to abyss with express delivery and same-day shippin’!”, Iv berates him. “One more stunt like this and I'll sink ya myself!”

  “Relax!”, he counters. “Let's get back inside before another gust of wind hits!”

  Iv crawls on all fours with rapid speeds to the door. Schalk is still in shock from the scene he has witnessed, but he follows protocol, opens the door and carries Rui inside. He looks back at Minot. Despite trying he can't get a word out and just indicates to go back down.

  Later in the captain's quarters Minot stands before Captain Loi Temperal. Schalk, Iv and Velophine are also present. He has just been informed on what has happened and how Minot saved Rui from being lost to the storm. Velophine has healed Minot and Rui's bruises. The sailor is now recovering in the medic room and his Rain Fever is being taken care of.

  After the events have been recounted the captain sits there for a moment in silence with no readable expression. His gaze moves to the people present, judging them and contemplating. The anticipation is putting more pressure on them than the storm ever could.

  “So”, Captain Loi begins. His voice could cut through glass, not to mention the people before him. “This salty greenhorn and his noisy fly convinced sailor Schalk to go on deck. For ‘fresh air’ and to ‘take a look at the cannon’ which our team of engineers take care of daily and have been doin’ for well over 20 years. Then they find sailor Rui with Rain Fever working on one of the harpoon cannons and save him from fallin’ off board by divin’ after him and catchin’ him.” He pauses there and looks at the group.

  Iv looks to the ground in shame and worry about the judgement. Schalk stands straight but hardly manages to keep eye contact. Velophine nervously sweats, thinking this stunt might cost her the mission and get them in trouble with the Empire. But Minot stands confident and returns the Captain's gaze without budging.

  “You're an explosive barrel waitin’ to be ignited, swab”, he speaks to Minot. "Your type can kill a whole squad and start a war.” The large captain stands up. His large figure almost eclipses the windows behind his desk. With slow and meaningful steps he walks around it and approaches Minot. “You jump without a thought, care or worry. Consequences ain't something you consider. You just act.” The captain stops in front of him, his towering height putting Minot in shadow. With unbroken eye contact they stand face to face. “Ya even have the guts to look me in the eye after that.”

  The rest of the group is very tense. A few seconds of silence fill the room. Minot stands his ground, but mentally he is preparing himself for the worst. He did force Schalk to put the lives of first timers in danger and also showed disrespect to the crew by assuming they know better how to fix the equipment than the crew. Still, he did save Rui.

  Captain Loi lifts his left hand. Sweat pearls form on everyone's forehead and run down their faces. They closely follow the movement of the hand, worrying it might either be a signal or a punch. Unexpectedly, he puts it gently on Minot's shoulder.

  “Ya're a right reckless sea dog, eager to test the patience of others, but ya know when to act for good. Without that brainless courage my crew'd have lost a good man.”

  The silence is deafening. Everyone stares at the captain in disbelief, but also relief. Velophine even risks to smile.

  Captain Loi's face doesn't change expression, but his words radiate gratitude in between the judgement. He follows up: “Several acts of idiocy you shit-for-brains have committed led to a man being saved. I'll let that slide this time.” Everyone's face brightens up. Iv almost breaks out in a victory dance, but she controls herself. Only Minot looks a bit surprised.

  “But!”, he cuts their internal celebration short with a louder and more serious voice. “A sea dog is a dog and needs to be put on a leash. Sailor Schalk!”

  “Aye, Cap'n!”

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  “Keep this dog under watch. I ain't gonna be so nice next time he jumps off board. If he does I'll throw him myself. Got it?”

  “Yes, Cap'n!”

  “Fairy!”

  “Aye, Captain Temperal!”

  “I appreciate your engineerin' knowledge and desire to help, but next time talk to a mechanic first. Got it?”

  “Aye, Captain!”

  “Miss Velophine!”

  “Y-yes, captain!”

  “You're the only one who acted right given the circumstances. Keep it up. And thanks for healing sailor Rui and this jumpy greenhorn.”

  “My p-pleasure, captain!”

  “And you!”

  Minot jumps a little.

  “The Storm's a fiery beast, respect it as such. Or else you'll find yaself slumberin’ in the Abyss.”

  Minot nods. “Aye, captain.“

  Captain Loi turns around and walks back to his desk. “Dismissed. I'll talk with sailor Rui later.”

  Everyone salutes in unison and leaves. A huge weight is lifted off their shoulders. So much so they feel they can fly now.

  “You sure you're fine?”, Iv asks Minot skeptically. She flutters in front of his face, trying to do a check-up. Minot is visibly annoyed.

  “For the fifth time, yes I am!”, he barks. “I ain't feelin’ any different. The only thing I feel is the tornado your flutterin’ is creatin’.”

  Iv continues to pester him. “Nuh-uh! Ya've been hit by a lot of rain and ya ain't tellin’ me nothing happened!” She pokes his face and tries to look at his eyes.

  “Cut it off, you ass with wings!” The two squabble and argue for a bit while Velophine watches from a safe distance. She does find it remarkable that Minot looks fine despite quite the exposure he had to the rain. It was only the skin on his face and hands, but the rain almost definitely has hit him a lot while diving and swinging around. It wouldn't have been much, but any other would've started to show signs of the fever after all that. Maybe he's just more resistant. Or maybe…

  The howling continues outside. Rain pelts the ship and high-pitched sounds echo throughout the floors, carring their ominous presence inside. Being inside the Storm feels like diving into the belly of the beast. An ancient monster with an unquenchable thirst for life, or immortal spite towards what is bright and safe. And inside this beast some brave - or dangerously reckless - fishermen go hunt for bigger and more unreal looking prey. Like a rat eating a cockroach inside the cat's stomach.

  It has been almost two and a half hours. Other than Minot's rescue mission nothing of note has happened yet. But mostly because the passengers have grown accustomed to the wind's lashes and the rain's strikes. The atmosphere is gloomy and oppressive, claustrophobic even, despite the vast size of the storm. Still, the journey is manageable. Velophine decides to converse with Schalk and Hagen a bit while they are not actively working. Schalk has been a sailor on board the Cloudbreaker for 2 years, whereas Hagen for nearly 6. They talk about their travels and what they have experienced on different islands. Everyone has a story to tell about rude passengers, bossy clients and unreasonable associates. Something to pass the time.

  Before long the bell tolls again. They are close to their destination. Velophine moves to the leisure room to go get her newly found friends. They are inside playing cards. They are a bit smaller than normal playing cards so Iv can hold them better. Minot is clearly losing, indicated by the large pile of cards on her side.

  “Stupid bug-sized paperweight…”, Minot grumbles. “I bet my left nut you're cheating.”

  “Not much to win there”, she replies. “Unlike these cards, hehe.” She taps on her pile. “Looks like dinner's on you today and the whole week.” Minot grumbles incomprehensibly some more.

  Velophine joins them and sits on Iv's side. She informs them that they are soon at their destination. They nod, still concentrating on the game. The game goes on for a few rounds while Velophine watches. More wins for Iv, one win for Minot, and one rematch because Iv accuses him of fake shuffling. She is right.

  “Land ho!”, Schalk barges in loudly. The three passengers jump up from the sudden call, cards flying all over the room and landing on the floor. “The island is in sight! Wanna check it out? We'll arrive in 20 minutes.”

  Finally free from this torture of a game, Minot thinks and gets up. Iv flies up excitedly, knowing dinner is taken care of for a few days. A feeling of anxiety and anticipation washes over Velophine as she prepares herself to see the island. The four walk across the floor over to the viewing platform below deck. Some sailors are already there, a younger one is scrubbing the floor while a female one is checking the equipment for those that will go out. There are jackets, hats and gloves, all in Grey with black patterns decorating the lapels, backside and the ends of the sleeves. They are simple swirling patterns resembling splashing waves. These have been designed that way to represent the Cloudbreaker and it conquering both the sky and the sea.

  The sailor instructs everyone to wear the equipment now. Cinzite thread is sewn underneath the top layer and gives them quite the unexpected weight. The hat feels a bit uncomfortable but tolerable. Minot looks mighty pleased to look ‘fashionable’, as he puts it. He even poses.

  “What about me?”, Iv asks the woman.

  She lifts a small fairy-sized mantle off the table. Incredibly delighted, Iv rushes in to wear it. She, too, now looks fashionable. Seems like the sailor has sewn her a fitting protective suit. Velophine can't but smile at the carefreeness of the two, despite what they just had experienced and the situation they're in. Maybe it's their way of coping, or maybe they just simply are like that. With a soft sigh Velophine looks ahead, remembering her mission and what she hopes to achieve. With any luck the tablet would still be there. The Storm might not have fully eroded it after so many decades.

  Maybe no unwelcomed guest has got their hands on it first.

  “Where is it?”, Iv asks while hurrying towards the windows. She's scanning every cloud for the island. Minot steps closer, also looking.

  “12 o'clock, straight ahead”, Schalk informs them. “Look closely as we pass this dense patch of clouds.”

  After a few moments of bated breaths the view gets cleared. The ship passes the thick clouds and they enter some sort of small bubble inside the Storm. It looks like the inside of a marble ball the way the clouds flow around them. A few tendrils of clouds bleed inwards, as if whatever has created the bubble has open wounds. The patterns of differently shaded clouds mixing, flowing and reshaping have an eerie beauty to them. Some emit a somber glow. The wind has somewhat calmed and the rain is hitting the ship less frequently.

  “Land ho!”, Iv shouts while looking down, her hands pressed against the glass. Minot and Velophine also look down. There it is. At the center of this bizarre cloud bubble there floats a lonely island. On top is what seems to be ruins.