Free Maledictus Aether by Sydney Alykxander Walker

there a moment. We
watch one-another, the group of pirates and the Automechanoid
leaning against the Quarter Master to keep his balance, before the
men and women break out into cheers.
    “ I’ve never
seen a man willingly sign up for a lashing,” Fulke mutters beside
me, shaking his head. “You are very much like your father – too
brave for your own good.”
    I look at him, and notice his
smile.
    “ Then again,
that’s exactly what pirates want in a Captain.”
    At the sound of those words, I
return his smile.
    “ Thank you,
Fulke,” I say, my voice ringing with sincerity. He nods, the sound
of heavy footsteps approaching fast.
    “ Welcome to
the trade, Kennedy; we’re glad to have you on board,” he states, a
moment before a now-familiar man comes to a grinding halt by the
guardrail, one foot still on the gangplank.
    For a moment we stare at one-another, his expression
holding that same, infinite sadness that I do not understand,
before it seems to mo uld in
on itself and shift to one of open relief.
    “ He shouldn’t
be up, Fulke,” the pirate states sternly, and the Quarter Master
shrugs a shoulder, grinning.
    “ He’s quite
persuasive, when the need arises,” he states with a nonchalant
grin. “Besides, he’s been asleep for two days – give the man a
chance to take in a bit of sunlight.”
    The Captain rolls his eyes,
stepping forward so that there’s enough room to fit another man
between us – his bulk hiding the sun from my eyes and giving him a
halo of light, making me squint up at him regardless.
    “ Are you sure
you’re well enough?” He inquires, and cautiously I test my
shoulders, moving my arms around a little. It stings, but the
stitches will hold.
    I tell him as much, and he
nods, looking relieved.
    Captain Davis begins walking back to his quarters,
gesturing with a nod that we should follow. I remove my hold of
Fulke’s arm, walking on my own with a bit of di fficulty – but no more than you would expect,
really, the pain I feel now nothing compared to the initial
lashings.
    What I ha ve told
Fulke is true, as well – I would do it again in a
heartbeat.
    “ While you
were unconscious, I’ve gone into Aeon to run a few errands,” he
says, the Quarter Master shutting the door behind us as we enter,
effectively cutting us off from the rest of the world. The Captain
leads us to the couch my unconscious body occupied, where I
gingerly lower myself to give my aching lower back a
break.
    As I sit I hear the groan of
protest of metal, and I make a mental note to look into it later.
For now, I turn my undivided attention to the man that gave me a
grander purpose in life.
    “ I’ve spread
the word that there’s room on an airship for a crew, as well as
gotten the necessary hands and the majority of tools for building
your ship,” he continues, lowering himself onto the couch beside
me. Orin slithers down to my lap again, settling in comfortably and
quietly asking for me to pet him – which I do. “The final decision
of who will be your crew will fall to you, though most that have
come up thus far are seasoned flyers and trustworthy.”
    “ We a re building a
ship from scratch?” I inquire, leaning forward slightly. He nods,
and I cannot even hold back the smile that takes over my features,
stretching from ear to ear.
    “ You will be its designer, as you know airships better than
most on this Skyland, and
draw up a list of required material,” he informs me, and I bite my
lower lip, excited. My mind is already racing, drawing up ideas
from my past experience on the Charybdis and
the Calypso .
    “ Some of the material will need to be imported, will it?” I ask, and he nods again.
“So, how long does that usually take?”
    “ A few weeks;
about a month.”
    “ So... I woul d have
time to run a few errands?”
    He watches me closely,
frowning.
    “ Such as?” h e
questions, and I give the man a wry smile.
    “ I want to go visit someone landside,” I tell him, and I can
see