Moonshadow (32 page)

When they reached the gateway leading to the quay, Diana was a bit confused not to find any sign of a dock. In fact, the small pillared building that Darien was leading them to was in the center of a tiny park nowhere near the edge of the landmass.

“Where’s the ship?” she asked Darien as they entered into the building.

“We have to descend to the lower levels to board the vessel,” Darien replied. “The dock is below us.”

“Well, I guess that makes sense. We don’t have to take a staircase all the way down to the water, do we?” The thought alone made her newly-heeled feet hurt.

“Not exactly,” Darien replied with a playful smirk.

After descending a flight of steps, that couldn’t have taken them anywhere near the lakeside, they emerged from a short corridor into a humongous cavern that could have very well been the equivalent size of the city above ground. Beyond the craggy rocks and hanging stalactites, Diana could see the blue of the afternoon sky in the distance. She immediately felt a rush of moist, hot air blow across her face as she realized the entire cave was filled with swirling wisps of steam, making it feel quite a bit like the inside of a factory’s boiler room.

Silhouetted by the blue sky, the vessel they would soon be embarking upon sat just at the edge of the enormous cave. Almost as long as the cavern mouth itself, the large wooden ship had a very sleek appearance, in spite of its massive size, with metal, fish-like, fins at its sides. Situated above the fins and attached to the upper decks of the ship, six pillared stone towers topped with red ceramic tiles stood high above the complex of structures that sat on the deck.

Diana’s eyes went wide when she noticed the large spinning propellers that capped each tower and realization quickly followed.

The ship was floating.

As they neared the vessel, Diana could only look on in astonishment and Darien smiled at her sense of wonder and excitement. 

She was going to journey across the ocean on an airship.
Best. Winter Break. Ever.

Chapter 15

Twisting serpent eyes the unwary mouse,

The lion’s sharp teeth bite at the careless hart.

Though I began this journey as hunter,

Have I become the unsuspecting prey?

As she leaned over the cold metal railing of the aft viewing garden, Diana watched on as the flock of white gulls passed just below the ship in a V, barely visible through the gray vapors of the clouds. The setting sun had almost finished bathing the sky with its beautiful shades of oranges, reds, and pinks and it was now growing dark—supper would begin very shortly.

Diana left the railing and sky-gazing behind to return to the bench where she had left her book. Emily would likely be coming to find her very soon, and Diana wanted to finish the rest of her drills before her new friend arrived to walk with her to the dining hall.

As much as Diana had quickly grown to enjoy Emily’s company, she’d rather be eating with Darien in the Grand Dining Room and the other “Haw-Haw Toffs.” At least she had a friend, though. This journey would be terribly lonely for Diana if not for Emily.

It had now been several days since they set out from Lay’Volas. At first, Diana had been mesmerized by the entire experience as Darien took her on a tour of the ship to show her all the amenities. On the upper decks one could find many places to spend leisure time, including viewing gardens, health spas, and a gymnasium for engaging in recreational activities of a more sporting nature. Diana had been more than delighted to find a magnificent library on board as well; it even had a small section of books written in human languages. The upper desks were beautifully decorated, using a wide array of colorful marbles to line the walls and corridors, and many of floors contained exquisite mosaics depicting scenes from Naphalei legend. The most magnificent mosaics decorated the floors within the six towers, each containing a shrine to one of the Fallen.  The flying vessel was a veritable cruise ship, sailing across the clouds in the skies above, rather than the oceans below.

After the initial tour Diana had demanded to be shown how the ship actually worked, fully expecting some sort of complex magical engine full of arcane energy, or a circle of magi engaged in an elaborate ritual. In truth, the whole business was much less complicated. The ship was powered by simple steam—though generated by an engine drawing on intense fire magic. According to Darien, humans could produce comparative amounts of steam energy, but only with nuclear reactors. The notion made Diana glad her people went the way of fossil fuels to power their cars and airplanes. She had also resisted the strong urge to comment on the very Steampunk nature of Naphalei technology.

Diana shivered, feeling the bitter chill of the air, and wrapped her woolen shawl around her shoulders for warmth. The viewing gardens were heated by tall magical lamps, but it wasn’t nearly enough to keep Diana from getting a chill every so often. Taking the grammar book into her hand, Diana sighed heavily.
I wonder what Lord Stoneheart is up to right now.

After that the first day, Diana hadn’t been able to spend as much time with Darien as she would have liked. After the business in the Sanctuary, Darien steadily grew concerned about Barakas Lightmourne and feared he may try to seek revenge on them for being reprimanded by the Council. Even though he lost his position as Overseer, the man was still very powerful and well connected, having a web of informants cast throughout human and Naphalei reams to spread whispers of treason and treachery. Darien suspected Barakas had eyes and ears on the ship, and for that reason, demanded that they play the part of lord and servant to the letter. As Lord Endymion’s dutiful new Tanar retainer, Diana was forced to keep to herself unless her “master” came to call on her—which didn’t happen very often.

Most of Diana’s journey thus far had been spent among fellow human servants and other lower class passengers, such as indentured elves and the Clanless. Even so, she’d been having a pleasant time. Evening meals in the lower dining hall were a cheerful affair, in spite of the economic hardships of her fellows, with good food, good music, and good company. In fact, Diana was enjoying the journey much more so than Lord Stoneheart was—he’d been complaining incessantly during their few precious hours together before bed. It made it easier for Diana to leave his spacious cabin to return to her small servant’s quarters.

Her concentration was broken by the sound of someone approaching from the side and she turned to see a Naphalei woman nearing the metal railing. Growing rather bored with practice drills, Diana thought she might be ready to attempt another conversation. On further reflection, however, she decided against it. Diana didn’t need another dose of that particular embarrassment. The other night, after she had grown overconfident, Diana tried to tell a woman that the moon looked pretty. The woman had stared at her, horrified, and then quickly walked away. When Diana told Darien what she had said, he burst with laughter and told Diana she had made a pass at the woman. It had been her last—and only—attempt at conversation.

Though she might not be able to confidently talk to anyone yet, Diana’s reading comprehension was growing at a rapid pace, and she was typically able to understand most of the conversations spoken around her. Diana had always had a mind for languages. They just came naturally to her for some reason. After achieving a working comprehension of Akkadian, Diana was fairly confident she could learn just about any foreign tongue. Vanicar—the Naphalei language—had turned out to be infinitely easier to master than ancient Babylonian. It almost felt as if she were learning a language that she had once known in a dream or another life—it was as natural as learning to speak English as a child.

The rumble in Diana’s tummy caused her to forget all notions of language barriers and she turned around to look to see if Emily would be along any time soon.

As Diana had hoped, the spritely girl soon emerged from out of the long hallway. Tonight she wore a hunter-green dress with a light-brown bodice and matching underskirts. She also had her auburn hair in a low bun, with two long bangs draped to the sides of her face, drawing attention to her golden ear ornaments—a common fashion among thrall women. Clasped behind the outer ear, the pointed accessories invoked the image of a Naphalei’s ears.

The sight of Emily filled Diana with a fair amount of satisfaction.

“It’s about time,” Diana said to her friend. “I was about to come looking for you.”

“That ready for supper, are we?” Emily’s Scottish accent always made Diana smile.

“Yes, I’m starving,” Diana replied with intensity.

Emily laughed at her enthusiasm. “Do you do anything besides eat and read?”

“Not really,” Diana said with a playful smirk. “Those are my two favorite things.”

“Well that’s obvious. You had your nose in that grammar of yours when I first saw you—even as you were spooning slaw in your mouth.”

“And if you hadn’t sat across from me, and tapped on the spine with your fork until I put it down, I might have stayed happily engrossed in it.”

“It’s a good thing I did, Di” Emily said with a nod. “There’s a lot more to this crazy life if we human lasses stick together; you’ll learn that soon enough.”

“I already have, Em,” Diana said with a warm smile.

She’d only known her fellow thrall for a matter of days, but Diana had already grown rather fond of Emily. Apart from Lani, she was the quickest friend Diana had made in years. She hoped the two girls could meet one day; Diana couldn’t imagine the trouble they could get into together.

Originally from Inverness, in northern Scotland, Emily was only a couple of years older than Diana and had been enthralled at the age of six. Currently, Emily was employed as a lady’s maid to an Archon’s daughter. Since that first night, she and Diana had been regularly eating their meals together, and in her off hours, Emily would help Diana with her Vanicar studies. Diana had already learned much from Emily, including a bit about what life was like for humans in Naphalei lands. In return, Diana informed her new friend about current trends among the human youth in the outside world. Diana found it exceedingly strange to be explaining things like Facebook and YouTube to a girl roughly the same age as she was.

“How far along are you now?” Emily asked, gesturing to Diana’s book of grammar.

“I’m only two chapters from the end, actually.”

“That’s brilliant! It took me two years to learn that much.”

“Well, you didn’t have such a good teacher to help you,” Diana said, smiling as they began the long walk to the lower dining hall.

Diana had been making progress on her own—and with Darien’s help—but it was Emily who had become a real resource to her. Learning from someone who had gone through the same process proved much more useful than offensive grammar books.

“Aye, tis true Di,” Emily replied with playful smugness. “Maybe I should teach my own Uni class.”

Diana fought the urge to cringe; she had always hated being called Di. Regardless, she liked Emily, so she’d just been going along with it—for now.

“I’m not too sure the Naphalei would be very keen on that one, Em,” Diana told her friend. “That’d probably be reason enough for them to give you the Treatment.” She’d heard quite a few colorful phrases for killing someone over the years, but the slang for death-by-thrall ring just sounded unsettlingly creepy.

“Ain’t that the truth,” Emily said with a smirk. “Plus, I’m not so good with English anymore. I’ve been speakin’ like them blade-ears for so long, I don’t remember my own language half the time. It’s been nice just sittin’ round gabbin’ with you, Di—makes me feel like a wee one again. Most thralls are forbidden to talk in human speak by their betters, and even if they can, many don’t speak English.”

“I’m glad to have you around too, Em. I’ve only been a thrall for a few weeks and this is the first time I’ve left America. It would have been pretty hard without you.”

“Lord Stoneheart doesn’t seem all that bad,” Emily said with a mischievous smile. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you as well—and so has Lady Tylvanna. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her jealous of a human before. She’s had a few choice names for you while she’s been in her cups.”

Diana smiled wide with satisfaction at the notion of Emily’s mistress being jealous.

She had only come into contact with Lady Tylvanna Skywhisper twice, and she already hated the woman. Coincidently, Tylvanna had known Darien since childhood, and had been more than happy to see the young Lord Endymion again. As Darien explained it—rather uncomfortably—after Diana’s first encounter with Tylvanna, her Archon father had been a close friend of his own father’s and the two clan lords had schemed for their twins to marry each other and unite the families. Darien assured Diana that he’d never harbored any such intentions on his part, regardless of his father’s wishes, and that he’d hardy seen Tylvanna in two hundred years. From what Diana had witnessed, however, Lady Tylvanna certainly hadn’t forgotten her childhood intended. The white-haired elf skank was always fawning over Darien and it made Diana’s blood boil.

Nearing the dining hall, Diana and Emily turned the corner to find the corridor unusually congested with a mixed crowd. Along with the usual lower-class passengers, quite a few Toffs, who had likely never left the upper decks, were milling about and conversing intently with their attendants as several of the ships security officers asked them questions. 

Something was definitely wrong.

Diana could feel the terrified anxiety of many people in the crowd rushing off of them in waves, giving her a twisting knot of fear in the pit of her stomach.

“I wonder what all the fuss is on about,” Emily said when they couldn’t proceed much further down the corridor.

“There was an attack,” said a distressed human maid with a French accent directly in front of them.

“What sort of attack?” Diana asked, steadily growing anxious. “Was anyone hurt?” She stood on the tips of her toes for a better look but couldn’t see much of anything besides the mass of people.

The woman turned around to look at them with a deep concern in her pointed face that enhanced the crows-feet at her eyes.  “A human attendant was found dead in the custodial closet down the hall. Her body was drained.”

Emily gasped and Diana found her friend’s fear much more troubling than the mixed emotions of the crowd.

“
Melkafir
…” Emily said softly and the French woman nodded her agreement.

“What is
Melkafir
?” Diana asked, wanting desperately to know what had filled her typically strong-willed friend with such terror.

“The Forsaken,” the French woman answered, fright entering her eyes at her own words. “Creatures more monstrous than the vampires they inspired. They are Naphalei that have given themselves over to dark forces in exchange for power and immortality. They feed on the lifeblood of humans to sustain themselves.”

Diana recalled Darien’s comments the night he had revealed his true self to her. She’d only been joking about her vampire suspicions but Darien had been offended, calling the creatures apostates and abominations. Now one of these “Forsaken” was somewhere on the ship, stalking humans and feasting on their blood.