Chapter Text
They left the hovel just before sun-up like they had planned, taking whatever they could fit into their packs, including some leftover rations, Beta’s dream journal and her set of charcoal sticks. The air around them was still, like the earth itself was holding its breath, sending shivers down Aloy’s back as they crossed the gate in muffled, snow-ridden steps.
But as they made their way down the path to the old zipline that would take them to the base of the hill, Beta paused over Rost’s gravestone. Her demeanor had lifted since the previous night, but not by much.
“Hey Papa,” she spoke in a muted tone as she crouched down without waiting for Aloy to join her. “I don’t know if you can hear us, but Aloy and I have to go now. We’ve been made Seekers and we’re going to find our mother. But we don’t know when we’re coming back.”
Vapor clouded over Aloy’s lips as she listened, blinking back any remnants of sleep. They had already spent more tears than they ought to spare last night, their grief eking out in a tumult of whimpers and sobs and leaving dried throats and swollen eyes.
She caught Beta staring at her, searching like she always did. But there was no denying they both knew what Aloy was thinking.
In truth, other than Rost and her sister, Aloy had no other reason to return to the Sacred Lands. Exile weighed in her mind, but she ignored how chest squeezed when another, more troublesome thought wormed its way in.
She would be free to go wherever her heart wished, a dream come true. But if her sister ever chose to come back to the Embrace without her, Aloy would never see her again or visit Rost’s grave even if she wanted to. By some sick twist of irony, he had been buried in a place that only truly meant something in their childhood, faraway memories growing fainter as time went by.
No . She couldn’t dwell on these thoughts. What awaited them was an opportunity of a lifetime, and come what may, she would make the most of it.
Rost’s worn-out cape fluttered in the breeze as the sky turned a shade lighter. “Come on, Beta, we should go,” Aloy urged, only to wince when her voice came out harsher than intended. But to her surprise, her sister did not object. Beta tore herself away from the grave, adjusting her pack as she stood up.
“You’re right,” Beta replied, sighing deeply. “Lead the way.”
***
They were approaching Mother’s Heart again when they saw him waiting by the fork. Erend waved at them as they neared, picking himself up where he had been sitting by the painted stone. A massive hammer behind him tipped over and fell, its handle striking stone hard enough that he startled as he dusted his tassets off. With a sheepish grin, he grabbed his weapon, stuck it to his back and trudged his way to meet them.
“Erend!” Beta cried as they gathered on the fork. “What are you doing all the way out here? I thought you’d be helping out on the ship.”
The man with the muttonchop patted his thick, woven sleeves with thicker leather gloves, softening his expression when he met her sister’s gaze. “Ah, I volunteered. Said I’d personally escort you myself! The admiral had no problem with it.”
He offered an outstretched hand to Aloy, wearing a warm smile on his bushy face. “I don’t believe I formally introduced myself,” he quipped. “What with the circumstances at the time.”
Aloy kept her lips in a line, holding her firm fists to her sides while staring down at his hand. After what felt like minutes, the man began to pull back slowly. “A-ah. I’m Erend, Erend Vanguardsman,” he said, and then murmured, “Not much for greetings, huh?”
“I’m Aloy,” she replied back carefully, unsure if she should have taken his hand or not. “Beta’s sister. She’s told me a bit about you.”
“Oh, really?” Erend smirked at Beta. “I’m flattered! Guess I made an impression, huh?”
Her sister nodded placidly. But Aloy couldn’t deny the tiniest hint of blush that had crept up over her sister’s face when she met the man’s eyes. It unsettled her, how familiar they seemed with one another. Though she was glad that her sister was enjoying the new company, Aloy found she wasn’t too keen on the way Beta reacted to him when she’d been so perturbed by the admiral.
“Beta said you were Oseram,” Aloy pointed out before the other two could say anything else to each other, tilting her chin at his coat that hardly hid the steel belts and iron buckles that hung all over him. “What does that mean?”
Erend darted a hand out. “It means we’re good at three things: Arguing, working steel, and brewing,” he said, counting it off with his fingers when he turned back to Aloy. “We hail from a land called the Claim up northwest, past the Tideripper Gulf. I’d say you should come visit, but we’re mostly bald mountains and spewing volcanoes. Not the nicest place in the world.”
Beta visibly bit her lip like she was going to say something but had thought twice about it.
“Well, it’s the first time I’ve heard of you,” Aloy confessed, keeping an eye on her sister. But the description of his home intrigued her. She had never seen a volcano in her life. She would have to ask him about it later, but perhaps she could one day visit, despite the Oseram’s warnings.
He waved his free hand at her. “Ah, I don’t blame you. You Nora don’t strike me as the type to travel…or talk to outlanders for that matter, but you two are clearly exceptions.”
This again . Aloy frowned. “I’m not Nora,” she said curtly.
Erend raised his dark brows, eyes roving up and down her form as if he was having trouble believing her. Beta on the other hand, just shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose.
“I’m an outcast. Beta’s the Nora,” Aloy clarified with punctuated words, gesturing to her sister. “We’ve been made Seekers but I doubt that really matters to them.”
The Oseram stepped back, slowly, mouth twisting in a nervous curl. “H-hey, don’t let me get in the way of your tribe troubles,” he stammered. “I’m just here to fetch you.”
Aloy felt her sister’s hand on her shoulder. “Look, I just…”
“Nah, don’t worry about it. I have my fair share of issues with the other Oseram so I get it. Just, let’s try not to repeat what happened yesterday, okay?” He pointed a playful finger at her. “Wouldn’t want any ‘incidents’ with the crew members this time. The Tenakth can get pretty violent if you provoke them enough. Trust me.“
Aloy gulped. What had he meant by that? As she glanced away, she remembered what Kotallo had told her yesterday when he approached her back in the woods, about how he and his tribe were no strangers to great bloodshed, with a kind poise and calm artifice that conflicted with the new information she was receiving.
“You lacked control,” he had said to her. That close, the sharp claws had peeked out from his sleeve.
“Right. Got it,” was all Aloy could mutter back as she began to fidget with her fingers.
“Should we be heading off?” Beta interjected, stepping slightly between them.
Erend blinked and then clapped his large hands. “Yeah! By the forge, what are we still doing here? Come on! You’re gonna love our ship!”
They followed him down the road, their walk brisk and full of energy as the morning light peeked from the clouds above. Patches of snow littered the ground, all of them melting under the sun’s heat.
Aloy hopped over a small puddle and adjusted her pack. “So just how many people are in the ship’s crew?” She asked as the Oseram plodded down the path, not caring if his studded boots were spattered with mud. “You make it sound like an entire village lives there.”
Erend let out a guffaw that echoed in the air. “Not quite. But, it’s a decent group. As I said before, they’re mostly made of Tenakth but we do have a few folk from other tribes.”
“You said they can get ‘pretty violent’,” Beta added. “What did you mean by that?”
“Exactly what I said,” the man answered as he hefted a large branch out of the way that must have fallen after he’d left the site. “They’re a tribe that tends to prefer blades over words. I mean, did you know? They used to drink the blood of their enemies!”
Beta shot a horrified grimace at Aloy, who could only shrug back at her in silence.
“But over time they’ve mellowed out,” Erend assured them quickly. “Especially once their Chief took over. But you’d have to ask the admiral about it. He’ll probably know more.”
Oh, I definitely will, Aloy thought, her lips folding into a small pout. She had never heard of anyone who preferred the taste for human blood and this completely unnerved her, even with Erend’s reassurances. She let out a shaky huff, tugging on her bottom lip.
It dawned on her then and there that she hardly knew anything about these people and yet she and Beta were joining them so willingly. And for what? A pang of guilt stirred in her chest and she gripped her pack more tightly as they circled around a pile of boulders that sat along the road.
But she refused to let thas budding fear stop her from achieving what she had set out to do, and so she cut it down, grunting as she did and not caring if Beta had noticed her slight movement.
“And you?” Aloy decided to ask as they passed a small branch of road that led to another one of the numerous hunting grounds that were scattered across the Embrace. “You’re awfully far away from home for someone who used to serve the Sun King. How did you end up with them?”
“Oh, you knew about that too, huh? Well, what happened after that is a long story. Probably better if we saved it for a drink or three . Let’s just say I ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time trying to do the right thing, and that the Tenakth Chief can be very persuasive when he wants to be.”
She would keep that in mind once it was her turn bothering the admiral with questions. If she could find a chance to speak to him, that is.
“Didn’t you say your sister was with the King too? Something about the Freebooters?” Beta asked before Aloy could voice out what was brewing in her head.
“I did, and you two will get to meet her once we arrive at the Sundom!” Erend said happily. “You’d like her, I think.”
More people to meet . Aloy wasn’t sure if she was looking forward to that, considering they’d be staying amongst a bunch of outlanders she hardly knew for an indefinite amount of time. But perhaps she could give the idea a chance. So far she hadn’t yet met another woman outsider after all.
By the time they reached the line of trees, Erend was practically skipping. Or stomping. Aloy couldn’t tell. That same pole she had seen several times before peeked out from the top of the canopy, and she knew they were getting close. Erend quickly pointed out what was called the “crow’s nest” jutting out from the top of the mast, where a flock of birds roosted along its edge.
He glanced over his shoulder, raising the corner of his lip again. “The admiral’s on board, overlooking final preparations. But we’ll be ready to go as soon as you take your place, Aloy.” He nudged his chin in her direction. “You’re the last piece, so they say.”
Aloy rolled her eyes as they slipped under several low-lying branches, all of them broken and cracked.
“Are we going to the crash site?” Beta asked as she maneuvered over an upturned tree root.
Erend kept his voice low. “Yeah. They damaged our airspitter and flight sails. It’s why we couldn’t move the ship for repair even if we wanted to.”
“Your what–now?” Aloy stuttered.
“Airspitter,” he repeated, more clearly. “Kind of a new Oseram invention. But I think it’s better to have someone else explain it all to you. I barely know how it works.”
“Hold on, I thought wind weavers were in charge of flying the ship,” Aloy pointed out, her brow folding as they drew nearer and nearer to the crash site. “Why do you need me if you have your own little contraption?”
“Wow, you two really know nothing about the outside world, huh?” Erend commented, fighting to keep his voice neutral as he stepped through another wall of shrubs. “Most ships require at least two wind weavers, because one’s magic alone isn’t enough to control the whole damn thing. You’d end up with an overworked navigator or worse, a crashed airship if you made one person do all the work.”
Aloy and Beta glanced at each other again. “Then how about your other wind weaver?” Aloy asked.
“Chekattah? Did he have a partner with him?”
“N-no,” Erend replied, before muttering under his breath, "at least not like that.” He waved a hand in the air. “Bah, you’ll see what I mean when you’re there. But keep in mind, the Wings of the Ten is one of a kind, hammer to steel.”
Aloy sighed, still not satisfied. But she would have to take his word for it. As they hobbled past a few more broken trees, sunlight burst over them, nearly blinding her as they walked out of the treeline and into the clearing. Dirt had been kicked up in multiple places, leaving little of the verdant forest floor that once covered this part of the hunting grounds. What a waste of life, Aloy couldn’t help but think when she saw Beta’s lips flatten grimly.
But all those thoughts ground to a halt when she looked up at the scene before her. Her jaw slackened as she sucked in a deep breath, hearing her sister gasp just as loudly next to her.
The Wings of the Ten sat proudly in stark contrast to the tidied destruction around it. It was a far cry from the distant ship Aloy recalled witnessing in her childhood, and she thought of that sacred chamber in All-Mother Mountain as she surveyed it from tip to tip. She had had no idea what to expect when she first caught that familiar pole that stood high at the center of the vessel. But as her eyes roved over wooden beams and planks that made up its whole body, held together by glinting metal frames, she decided that even the grandest Nora lodges held no candle to its design.
Its outer edges were marked with peculiar thorn-like arrangements, secured together and to the ship with dizzying loops of rope. Their sharply-tapered ends were reminiscent of the icicles that sometimes appeared along mountain cliffs during the coldest parts of winter. At the ship’s narrowest and frontmost point, a large blade-like structure reached out into the open air, its contours a recurring pattern of flat and jagged teeth.
Aloy inched even closer as she took in the bright colors that adorned the entire vessel and its embellishments, full of irregular patterns and symbols she had never seen before. But what ultimately drew her gaze were the two large fins that were currently folded in on themselves like bird wings, nearly engulfing half of the ship in her vision. These must be the flight sails Erend mentioned , Aloy surmised when her gaze trailed over some rough seams that betrayed its recent repair. The entire fabric was attached to an extension of that same metallic frame, consisting of multiple hinge joints, but how it connected with the ship, they could not tell from their vantage point.
“Incredible,” Aloy whispered, unable to tear her gaze away. “This is a Tenakth ship?”
Erend chuckled behind her. “Yep, that’s typical Tenakth architecture for you, combined with a little Oseram ingenuity. Very flashy, if you ask me,” he said proudly.
“This is amazing,” Beta echoed, stepping forward. “How did–? Where–?” She took in a long, calming breath. “All right. First of all, where will we stay?”
Erend drew up to their level and pointed to the back of the ship where a lodge-shaped upper deck was partially obscured by the folded sails. Only then did Aloy notice the other sheet behind it, stretched out like a fish’s tail, affixed to the rear end in such a way that reminded her of a bat’s wing. “See those windows? The captain’s–well admiral’s room is over there at the stern–the back of the ship. You fellas will probably be staying in the room next to his.”
Beta turned to regard him. “What about you?”
The Oseram man shrugged. “I’m assigned to the Marshals’ quarters, across the hall. What? You gonna miss me or something?” He teased, smirking again at Beta.
There was the redness in her sister’s cheeks again as she shot him an amused shake of her head. But Erend didn’t give either of the twins a chance to say anything as he was already trudging over to the ship. “Bah, come on,” he called out to them. “Don’t let me keep yapping before we get there. We’ll need to climb up this ladder.”
They caught up to him as he led them over to the ship, weaving through more piled-up soil, scraps of wood and metal, and carving tools that were obviously left behind by the Nora, based on their make.
“The tribespeople helped you out with the repairs?” Beta asked before Aloy could as they reached the base of the rope ladder. “I’m surprised they even got this close.”
Erend tugged on one hanging rope. “Nah, they just lent us their tools and told us where to get wood. I’m pretty sure they want us gone anyway. A couple of them even tried to threaten us to hurry up after we took the prisoners over.”
“I’m not surprised,” Aloy retorted under her breath.
The ship was even bigger up close. Erend rapped his knuckles against the wooden exterior, letting the vibrations travel along the planks. “Those Shadow Carja fellas ripped a hole straight into her before they disappeared. Poor Chekattah, he didn’t stand a chance,” he lamented. “But it’s all thanks to him that we even managed to land safely.”
Then, he nudged them over to the ladder. “Alright, you two, time to get moving or else I’ll be talking all day. I’ll catch up with you later.”
Aloy and Beta exchanged glances for a moment, but it was clear that the latter was hesitant to go up at first. Aloy reached out to take her wrist, squeezing it briefly. “I’ll go first,” she volunteered, and Beta gave her a thankful nod.
Wordlessly, they climbed. A light, cool breeze brushed past them as they did, the morning sun shining brilliantly over them. This close, Aloy saw that the metal inlays were actually arranged in intricate patterns that spanned the entire ship, like the intertwining vines of the Old World ruins up in the Spiritlands. She took a peek below her at Beta, who appeared to also be admiring the handiwork around them.
What other marvels awaited them past the Tainted Seas?
Once on deck, Aloy craned her head to watch the synchronized chaos of what she assumed were the crewmen with abject awe. No one lingered in the same place for more than a few seconds at a time. The people rushed to and fro, carrying who-knew-what, going in and out of doors that led deeper into the ship. Others were tugging on ropes, clambering up wooden beams, shouting at each other in words and phrases she could barely make out. Above them, birds circled wherever they could roost, squawking in the air like the men and women below them.
She hardly heard Beta and Erend climbing up after her, the latter’s studded boots thumping loudly on the wood. Was she going to be a part of all this? Just how many people were on this ship? She wondered with trepidation, thumbing an old fray on her tunic.
But no one else had noticed their sudden presence. No one except the admiral.
He was standing by the main mast, cane in hand, and with that infuriating smile on his face like a lit beacon in the darkness. He said nothing as he approached them, once again the clickety-clack of this cane drumming in her ears. He stopped just an arm’s length away. From Aloy, specifically.
“Look who’s arrived,” Erend announced in a booming voice that caught the attention of nearby crew members. “You’re welcome, Kotallo,”
The admiral nodded to him in thanks, then regarded the sisters. “Aloy, Beta. It is good to see you both. I am glad you accepted my invitation to join us.”
“You don’t have to be so formal,” the Oseram huffed in laughter, throwing an arm over the Admiral’s shoulders that had him stumbling on his feet. “Stop being such a stuck hammer.”
Shooting a slight glare that had Erend releasing him almost immediately, Kotallo cleared his throat and fixed his collar and silk tie. “I am aware,” he reminded him pointedly. “But as Admiral and duly-appointed Captain of this ship, I believe I am obliged to show some decorum.”
“Fine, fine, whatever you say, Admiral ,” Erend threw back, his hands in the air in a faux-placating motion. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go tidy things up before we head out. Meet you back out here, you two?”
“Sure!” Beta answered a bit too quickly for Aloy’s comfort. But before she could protest or suggest otherwise, Erend had gone off, leaving the three of them to stand on the deck by themselves. The boisterous activity around them had lessened quite considerably, with crew members idling at their posts, waiting for their next orders.
“In any case,” the admiral said with a tired but bemused sigh, “welcome to the Wings of the Ten . I presume Erend has already given you enough time to...take in our ship. I can give you a tour of the rest of it once time allows.”
Aloy liked the sound of that, she realized.
“But first,” he continued. “I’ll show you to your quarters where you can leave your things. You will be staying with our cartographer, Dekka. She’ll help you settle in.”
He promptly led them to what appeared to be the broadest part of the vessel, towards a door carved with menacing barbs that sat on level with the main deck. Goosebumps erupted from Aloy’s skin as he ushered them in, the shadow of the covered roof deck passing over them as they did. Once inside, he brought them up a short flight of stairs where another intricately patterned door beckoned on the other end. But they stopped about halfway through before she could get a closer look, and only then did Aloy spot the plain-colored door off to the side. Kotallo reached for the knob, and said, “This is where you will be staying. You have everything that you need, I hope?”
Aloy and Beta dipped their heads silently, and then the admiral turned the knob.
He let them enter first from one end of an elongated room. On the other side, several hammocks were lined up next to each other, most of them unoccupied, and facing a large cabinet. In the middle of the space, sat a circular table that appeared to be more in accord with Oseram design–if Erend’s outfit was any clue– than Tenakth. Long scrolls and open parchments were scattered on its surface, along with a variety of tools.
An elderly woman stood over one of the spread-out maps, lightly fanning her cheek with the broad end of a quill pen. She was dressed neatly in a fashion not unlike the Admiral. Except, much more bird-like. Her stark-white hair was pressed up like a feather crest and her coat bore a flamboyant mix of teal, white, and red, with even more feathers lining its tail.
“Chaplain, may I introduce you to our guests?” Kotallo requested as he followed them inside and shut the door. “They may need some help settling down in their new quarters.”
The old woman looked up from her work. “Ah, welcome, young ones,” she greeted, putting away the small, circular glass that had sat over her left eye and tucking it back into her pocket. She walked over to them, her lips curved only a little. “These are the mysterious magi of the Nora tribe, I take it?”
The admiral let out a chuckle behind closed lips. “Yes. I was hoping you could help them settle down? Perhaps answer some of their undoubtedly many questions they might have? At least until I return to retrieve Aloy and escort her down to the flight chamber.”
Flight chamber?
“Of course,” the woman replied with a fist on her chest, a familiar gesture to Aloy now. “Walk with the Ten, Admiral.”
Kotallo returned it as he disappeared behind the door, leaving the three women alone in the room. Aloy’s back and shoulders were starting to ache now from the weight of her pack, but she made no move to put them down when she saw the old woman’s eyes were hovering over them.
“So, Aloy and Beta, is it?” the woman asked, correctly pointing to each of them with a nudge of her chin.
Aloy and Beta nodded, but said nothing.
“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Dekka, I am the Chaplain of the Lowland clan, one of the three clans of the Tenatkh. But for now, I serve as this crew’s cartographer. I am in charge of charting our way and making maps of the surrounding lands.”
Beta stood forward. “Does this mean you’ll be working closely with Aloy then? My sister was asked to be a Navigator.”
“I have been informed of the plans, yes.” Dekka said gently. “But first, why don’t you go ahead and place your things over there and get settled in?” She gestured to the cabinet that sat obliquely against the corner of the far wall. “I’ll make tea.”
They spent the next several minutes organizing and reorganizing their belongings in an already- crowded cabinet and setting aside the rest of their dried food where other refreshments had been laid out. After they had picked their choice hammocks, Dekka invited them to sit in the plush chairs that had been arranged in a line against the windowed side of the quarters, where she handed them cups of tea. They fell into quiet conversation as they waited for the admiral to return, starting with the topic of magic.
“You’re one of us too?” Beta asked when Dekka revealed she had also been born as a seer magus.
“Yes, though my magic is not quite as dramatic as yours,” the chaplain clarified. “I am only able to sense energies , not auras, like a change in the air. I know how a person feels just by standing next to them, but not much else. But I also can detect wind trails, a rare trait among our kind. That is why I was assigned the role of cartographer.”
“What’s a wind trail?” Aloy leaned in, putting her tea down on the window sill behind her.
Dekka smiled and sipped from her cup. “A wind trail is like a current,” she explained. “Like an invisible path in the sky. No one knows why or how they exist. But we have been using them since their discovery and it has made sky travel all the more easier.”
“I thought Navigators made sky travel possible.”
“Yes, they have. But as a wind weaver, did you really expect to use your magic for the entire duration of the trip?” Dekka countered gently. “Without rest or sleep or food? Keep in mind these trips can take days to even months depending on many factors.”
Aloy sat back, tossing the woman’s incredibly sound logic in her head as warmth crept up her cheeks.
“Generally, the task of a Navigator is to guide the ship,” the chaplain explained, noting the silence. “Keep it on course along the trail. The Wings of the Ten is also outfitted with two large sails on either side to make the job easier on you. It’s not a common feature.”
“So that’s what the flight sails are for,” Aloy muttered. Then, louder to Dekka, “so who will be teaching me how to do all this?”
The old woman stared pensively at the window behind her, where the partial shape of All-Mother Mountain was visible through the transparent glass.
“Chekattah would have been a wonderful mentor for you, but alas…,” she said, trailing off. “Instead, Petra and I will help you through the initial takeoff, after which I will return to my duties. Do not worry. Thanks to her ingenuity, we do have a failsafe should anything go wrong, if that is of any encouragement.”
“And what will I be doing?” Beta cut in, allowing Aloy time to take her cup and sip a bit of the tea, which though pleasantly bitter, had now gone lukewarm on her tongue.
Dekka looked at her. “You will be helping me with my tasks. The Ten know I could use another hand. I’m not getting any younger after all. As I understand it, you are an artist yourself?”
Beta nodded back with a sheepish smile. “I am. I’ve been drawing since I was a child.”
“Then I have no doubt you will do a wonderful job.”
Just then, there was a knock on the door. All three of them all stood up at once, right as it opened and a man with a top knot, dressed in a long coat and uptossed collar, peeked inside.
“My apologies for interrupting,” he said, without any hesitation, opening the door wider. “But the admiral had some urgent matters to deal with and apologizes for the inconvenience.”
“Marshal Fashav,” Dekka called out fondly. “Good morning.”
“Good morning, Chaplain,” he returned with a quick bow and a fist to his chest. “I hope you don’t mind but the admiral requested that you be the one to escort the wind weaver to the Engineering Room, in his place.”
Dekka placed her hands behind her back as she regarded the man. “Not at all. I’d be happy to do so. I just hope the admiral does not drown himself in the records again.”
“I’ll make sure he won’t. Walk with the Ten.” Fashav said, bowing again, before shutting the door once more, leaving the place in an airy silence.
The old woman turned to them. “Well, it seems plans have changed slightly. Beta, why don’t you make yourself at home, perhaps study the maps I’ve already made, and then join me on deck when you hear the whistle blow?”
Beta cast an uneasy glance at Aloy then regarded the chaplain. “All right. Will do.”
Keeping her hands behind her back, Dekka gave an approving nod. “Good. Aloy, to me. We will go to the Engineering Room now.”
Taking yet another deep breath, Aloy stepped behind Dekka as they headed down the hallway, only to U-turn into another flight of stairs leading deeper inside. Even here, multi-colored paintings of serrated design covered the ship’s interior, but soon they gave way to a dark and hollow area that seemed big enough to fit the entire population of a small settlement. It was filled with unlit lamps that hung over multiple tables and chairs, all of them empty.
“You should see this galley when it’s meal time,” Dekka said with a quiet laugh as she brought her to a corner, where a wooden ladder dropped through a small open hatch into a brightly-lit space below. “There’s not a day so far where an argument doesn’t break out between drunken airmen. But our boatswain always manages to put an end to them before the entire crew gets involved.”
Like the High Matriarchs, Aloy thought smugly, as she resolved to avoid eating here for the rest of the journey.
“That man back there. You called him Marshal Fashav,” she remarked to the chaplain, changing the subject. “What does that mean?”
Dekka raised an amused brow. “Marshals serve directly under the Chief’s command where they act as lawbringers and peacekeepers of the clan lands. Sometimes, a select few are assigned on trips such as these. For now, like I am this crew’s cartographer, Marshal Fashav is the admiral’s first-mate. His right hand. But you’ll be interested to know that he is a special case. Though I believe he’d want to tell you his story if you ask him.”
“Maybe. If I have time. Is the Admiral a Marshal too?” Aloy followed up.
The corner of Dekka’s lip quirked up. “In a way,” the chaplain answered. “The title of Admiral is given to a Marshal who has shown outstanding service and dedication to the Chief’s mission. Not many earn such an honor.”
“I see.” Aloy made sure to remember this for the lengthy conversation she planned on having with the admiral. There was still so much she didn’t know about him and yet she was practically putting her life in his hands by agreeing to be part of the crew. She didn’t catch the way Dekka peered at her for a brief second.
They climbed down the ladder and arrived in a room that smelled of coal, earth, and bitter leaves. But what had Aloy gaping were the collection of pipes that ran around their periphery, along the edges and corners of the room. They covered the entire space, some of which led further into the walls while others ended with steaming outlets. When Aloy turned around, the shuffle of her steps louder against the dense wooden floor, she saw a few work tables had been lined up against opposing sides of the room, a few of them featuring devices of all shapes and sizes, as well as a plethora of tools she’d never seen before. A wide hammock hung over at the furthest corner of the room. In front of them, an upright hatch stood closed amongst the sea of metal.
“Welcome to the Engineering Room,” Dekka said, gesturing around them, before leading Aloy closer to the hatch. She then tapped her knuckles three times on the metal. They waited for a few more seconds until they heard the telltale sound of a locking mechanism from behind. The hatch scraped against the floor as it opened fully, and then a feminine voice came shouting out from inside.
“Well, well, well, what do we have here? Aren’t you looking quite fresh from the forge?”
Before Aloy stood a woman whose age she could hardly distinguish at first glance, but she was certainly older to some degree. She kept her eyes on the woman's short, dark hair, to keep them from straying to the plunging neckline. The woman seemed at ease with herself, smiling at Aloy like a long-lost friend, even though she was covered in soot and oil.
“Aloy, this is Petra Forgewoman,” Dekka introduced with an upturned palm. “She is our resident Oseram engineer and inventor.”
“Glad to meet you!” Petra said before Aloy could so much as speak. She thrust a hand, which this time, Aloy took, only for her bones to rattle as the older woman gave her a hearty shake. “Ah, sorry. I forgot you wind weavers were light on your feet,” she jest.
Aloy nursed her wrist as she regarded the woman. “I’m Aloy. The, uh, Navigator.”
“Yes, I’m aware,” Petra remarked with a smugness that had Aloy leaning backwards unaware. “You caused quite a stir, you know? Scaring the nuts and bolts out of those Carja really got the admiral’s attention. And mine.”
“Uh, thanks?” Aloy let out a sheepish laugh,more blush clawing up her face when she sensed the woman’s eyes rove over her whole person. She took the pause to look at Dekka, who gave her another one of her gentle smiles.
“Will you need any assistance?” the elder woman asked the Oseram.
Petra batted her hand in the air. “Oh! I don’t think so. But thank you for asking. I’m sure you have way more important things to do than spending all your time here in this dingy little place.”
“It’s far from dingy but it is your s,” Dekka reminded her, still grinning. “Take it easy on Aloy, won’t you? She’s never been outside the Sacred Lands.”
“Of course,” Petra replied, grabbing Aloy on the arm and tugging her closer as they waved goodbye to the old woman. “Talk to you on the other side!”
Once alone, she let go of her. Aloy crossed her arms, dusting off where Petra had held her ratty sleeve. “You know, I don’t need you people treating us like we’re fragile,” Aloy couldn’t help but comment. “Beta and I are well-trained huntresses.”
Petra quirked a well-trimmed brow. “I figured,” she remarked with an unbothered shrug. “You have that spark in you, little red. I bet Beta–your sister, right?--has one too. In fact you remind me a lot of myself when I was younger, all fired up and ready to leave the nest. But that’s best told over a cold drink.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Aloy replied as she scanned her surroundings while Petra guided her to the center of the room. The flight chamber was similarly covered with pipes and other curious implements like the other room outside. But this time, a spherical mechanism sat bolted in the middle of the floor, surrounded by levers and knobs of all shapes and sizes. Two massive pistons protruded from either side of the main compartment, their jointed attachments entering gaps in the wall on either side.
Petra rapped the mechanism’s casing with a closed fist. “This here is one of my greatest inventions,” she declared. “I call her the Oseram Airspitter! It’s meant to help out wind weavers on liftoff, but I’ve also outfitted her for this ship so you wind weavers don’t have to do all the work all the time. Unfortunately, the poor thing was damaged during the crash. Spent every waking moment getting her up and running again.”
“What does it do?” Aloy asked as she drew closer to it.
“Over here.” Petra pointed to a flower-shaped vent the size of Aloy’s face at the center of the mechanism. Encircling it were several more circular implements filled with markings. “You’ll be funneling wind into this thing until the pressure reaches its maximum point here.” To emphasize, Petra pointed to the right-most instrument. “Then once that’s done, I’ll pull some levers, adjust some settings, turn up the heat, and you’ll have your own little booster in no time!”
Aloy brought her hands up. “Hold on, are you saying this… thing …is going to shoot the ship into the air?”
Petra shrugged, smiling wryly. “Sort of. You’ll still be doing your job up top but this is just so you don’t have to have a second wind weaver with you on the ship. Think of it as your partner, but made of metal.”
Aloy grimaced at the thought of having a machine for a partner, remembering that battle she and her sister had fought a few months ago with that terrible Sawtooth.
“You seem uneasy, flame-hair,” Petra observed, planting a warm hand on the back of Aloy’s shoulder that sent more goosebumps up her neck. “Here, why don’t you give it a try?”
Aloy glanced around her again. The place had no windows, no openings that led to the outside world. It felt like a cage, the more she thought about it. Or even a prison. She couldn’t even smell the scent of winter-tree leaves she had grown so used to from here. “Are you sure?” she asked. “I don’t exactly want to suffocate you in here.”
Petra burst out a hearty laugh. “And you tell me you don’t like being treated like you’re fragile,” she retorted. “Don’t you worry, little spark! This place has vents that open up to the outside. We’re fine here! Just do what you need to do.”
“All right then, if you say so.”
Aloy positioned herself in front of the funnel, taking in a long breath to steady herself. She realized she hadn’t weaved in days, thinking back to the way the wind had resisted her back in All-Mother Mountain. But soon, the air brushed against her skin once more, before picking up and rushing around the room, nearly blowing Petra’s bandana off her head. The Oseram shouted something but Aloy could hardly pick it up with the wind howling in her ears.
She concentrated, squinting her eyes in an effort to focus the gale around them into a single sphere above her. Beads of sweat began to trickle down her temple, but soon enough, they were dried by the whipping force of the invisible globe that slowly formed above her. Then, reaching out with one hand, Aloy let it hover over her palm. She stretched out the other arm toward the funnel, willing a stream of wind to follow.
At first, the sphere trembled over her hand, as if it threatened to disperse or even explode. But after a few more seconds, with Aloy gritting her teeth, an invisible tendril grew out of it, winding its way over her arms and towards the vent in front of her. It slithered in, lead into the chamber. The current steadily flowed into the pipe. As it did, the gauges quivered, their needles inching up as the entire device filled with air.
“Easy does it, almost there!” Petra cried out in warning as she clutched onto one lever. “Brace yourself!”
But Aloy could barely hear her from the deafening roar around her. Despite its somewhat meager appearance, she had concentrated as much air as she could gather into a thin thread, her arms aching as she kept them raised. She didn’t catch the needle hitting the opposite end.
“Done!” Petra shoved the handle on the side of the airspitter, initiating a locking sequence from inside. The air suddenly ricocheted out the funnel in all directions, knocking Aloy off balance and onto her back. The pain racketed up her spine and she groaned on impact.
“Ah, fire and spit!” Petra said. “Should’ve given you a heads’ up before we got started. My bad.”
Aloy moaned, trying to shake off the disorienting feeling in her head as she got up back on her feet. She took a deep breath, realizing that the whole room had gone silent. “What happened?”
The Oseram woman beamed at her, giving her a once-over. “You filled up my airspitter, that’s what! Flame hair, I have never seen a wind weaver use that much power all at once. This usually takes up to about fifteen minutes! You did it in less than, what, five?” She lifted her wrist in such a way as if she was checking on something there for a brief moment.
Aloy rubbed her rear end and winced. That was going to bruise . “I–what are you saying?”
The woman threw a heavy arm around her shoulder. Aloy flinched when she poked her on the side of her arm. “I’m saying, you got potential there, girl! And if I’m not mistaken, you didn’t even have a teacher?”
Shaking her head from the dizziness, she looked confusingly at Petra with flattened lips. “No, I figured everything out myself.”
The Oseram woman bobbed her head as she released her. “By the forge.” Then, she was already nudging her forward. “Well, don’t let me keep you here! You still have to go up topside!” She raised her hands before Aloy could protest or reply. “I’ll take care of the rest, you just head on up, fire spout.”
She pointed to a smaller and longer funnel that hung over them from the ceiling. “See this other tube? This will be our line of communication once you’re up there. You’ll know where you need to be when you spot a long, metal pipe just like this one sticking out in the middle of the floor. Just holler into it when you’re ready to go. Someone else will give me the signal while you concentrate on bringing the air under our sails!”
Aloy blinked owlishly at her. “T-thanks,” she stuttered as she took her first step toward the hatch. “I guess I’ll head on up there then.”
“Go,” Petra insisted, flicking both wrists at her. “We can talk about all this once we’re up in the air. I’ll see you on deck, flame-hair!”
Aloy nodded, a small smile forming on her face as she turned away and headed out the chamber and back into the engineering room. She eyed the ladder that led back up to the hallway and onto the deck. Taking a deep breath, she climbed back up, catching the sound of a whistle blow.
***
The crew members had resumed running around and barking orders at each other by the time Aloy stepped onto the deck. The chaplain and her sister stood by the center pole with their backs to her, along with Fashav, whose top knot was immediately recognizable.
But she jumped when the admiral cleared his throat next to her. He’d been lingering by the door, like he was waiting for her. The air stilled around him like before, which sent shivers down her back.
“Aloy, you’ve returned,” he remarked with a twinkle in his eye that had her swallowing the lump in her throat and her cheeks flushed. “Are you ready to set sail?” he asked.
She sucked in a breath, reaching up to try and clutch Rost’s pendant around her neck only to remember it was tucked inside her shirt. She tugged at her bottom lip but kept her gaze neutral.
“So what’s next?” She asked firmly, avoiding peering at him directly in the eye. “I ‘filled’ up the airspitter. Now what?”
Kotallo reached out, as if to touch her. But he only motioned toward the raised platform around the main mast. “That area is assigned to Navigators. You will be conducting your magic from there,” he instructed plainly.
Aloy sighed when she saw how she’d be standing right in the middle of everything. “This seems awfully like a performance,” she couldn’t help but mutter under her breath. She would be weaving in front of everyone , unlike those stolen nights back in the Spiritlands where she’d sneak out to practice her magic in privacy. She shuddered at the thought of having an audience.
“I know. But it is the only way to weave effectively, Aloy. At least, from practice,” the admiral said, attempting to console her. “I will be watching, but not up close.”
She did a double-take. “What do you mean?”
Kotallo’s face fell. She could see the wheels turning in his mind as he looked askance. The grip on his cane hardened. “My duties require me to position myself elsewhere,” he replied solemnly. “It is how it’s always been.”
Aloy’s frown deepened further. These cryptic comments were starting to bother her. There was so much talk about his duties, but she hardly knew what he did behind closed doors and no one else so far had deigned to elaborate. Still she found herself unable to argue. She wasn’t his ward, he wasn’t her guardian. He was the captain, he had his role. There was no time to pry right now.
And most of all, she absolutely should not care if Kotallo was there to watch.
So why was she still disappointed?
When their eyes met again, the shadow over him had faded. “Why don’t you and your sister stop by my quarters once we’re well on course?” he suggested with a slight bow of his head. “I’m sure you still have many questions.”
Aloy considered his invitation, licking her teeth behind her lips in thought. “Sure, if we managed to set sail,” she couldn’t help but remind him. “Don’t blame me if we end up crashing into All-Mother Mountain again.”
That got a laugh out of him. Well, barely one. He chuckled, and Aloy released a held breath when she heard it. It was a nice laugh , she mused, before sweeping the errant thought away.
“I have full confidence in your abilities, Aloy. I have no doubt you’ll steer us true.” His smile had widened considerably, still genteel at most, but she was glad his spirits appeared to have lifted. “Don’t let me delay you any further,” he said, tapping his cane on the floor of the deck once. “Head on over there. I will see you later.”
She thought twice about waving goodbye, her fingers twitching as Aloy made her way over to the platform where she caught the attention of Beta and Dekka. They moved aside to allow her passage as she stepped up to the platform. There was a railing in front of her, along with the pipe Petra had pointed out to her that extended from the floor. Marshal Fashav stood next to it, but he was busy shouting orders to the other crew members to have taken any immediate notice of her.
Dekka reached over and touched her shoulder. “You ready, Aloy?” she asked.
Aloy stole a glance at Beta for a moment, who nodded confidently at her. “I’m ready,” she answered.
Fashav snuck a glimpse at her over his shoulder before returning his attention to the rest of the deck and shouted. “All hands to stations!”
What came next was like a raging river curving into calm waters. Everyone around them scrambled up and down ropes, securing loose items and hauling things to their positions. Before long, everyone stood at the ready, some of them hanging onto the network of ropes that hung off the main mast while others had positioned themselves against the railing. A few had disappeared into the interior of the ship.
Fashav pushed a small switch on the pipe and then shouted into the funnel. “Navigator in position!”
“Airspitter set and primed!” came the Oseram woman’s immediate and sonorous reply.
Then Dekka drew closer to Aloy from behind and leaned close. “All right, wind weaver, this is where it begins. You will start by leading the current through the mainsail in front of you. Careful not to veer off into random directions.”
Aloy nodded in acknowledgement then took a deep breath, the breeze growing in strength around her just as she urged it. It began to flow around her, but she found difficulty in directing it forward. It was as if the wind itself was reluctant to obey. Or perhaps it was sensing the anxiety that shook her limbs.
“Steady, Aloy. Don’t be nervous.”
Her heart beat in her chest. The sail in front of her rippled as the wind coursed roughly against it. Something clanked at either side of her, and for a moment she thought she had broken a piece of the ship, until Dekka informed her not to mind it. Aloy lifted one arm forward, opening her hand almost automatically as she silently begged for some semblance of control.
There was more resistance until the mainsail suddenly billowed and split into two. Aloy gasped at the sight. She had thought the mast carried only a singular sheet.
The ship lurched as a gale caught on the sail, strong enough that Aloy nearly stumbled. “Good,” Dekka cheered in a level voice. “That’s it. Now, while you maintain this current, try to carry the wind on each side of the ship and underneath. Can you do that?”
“How?” she asked, her voice growing anxious again. She had no idea what was underneath the ship other than what she could remember from earlier.
“Try to visualize the space around you and the ship even if you can’t see, and then concentrate it all into a single point ahead. This was Chekattah’s technique and I believe you can achieve it too.”
Aloy clenched her jaw and closed her eyes, taking deep breaths as she let the encouragement wash over her like a cold waterfall. If they believed she could send them flying, then she would. There was no turning back.
The wind whipped against whatever flailing objects caught in its gale. Aloy raised her other hand behind her, returning to the same position she had taken in the flight chamber and focused on the single point as she had been told.
Even as she stood a considerable distance from the back of the ship, Aloy felt some wind currents careening toward the sky while she tried to ease them ahead and up. Murmurs whispered through the air though she couldn’t make out any of the words. Then, after taking another deep breath and wrestling with what felt like the heavens themselves, the ship trembled upwards, just a fraction of a finger’s distance. But this seemed to be just enough because Fashav was grabbing the pipe again.
“Now!” He cried into the vent.
The entire ship moaned and then the patterns that Aloy had assumed were merely decorative all began to glow, covering the whole vessel in beautiful vine-like patterns that lit up like sunlight.
Aloy gasped as the clouds began to grow bigger overhead. Something boomed underneath them. The deck shook.
And then they were surging up into the sky.
Aloy could vaguely hear Dekka calling out to her against the mechanical clangor that followed. She had fallen on her knees, still trying to direct the current even as she braced through the pain. She pushed up to stand as tears formed to wet the dryness in her eyes. When she looked to either side of her, she saw that the flight sails had both unfurled and were beating in the air like the wings of a bird.
“Aloy, can you push the ship to starboard? Your right side! We are closing in on a wind trail. But be careful! I sense we’re heading into its most turbulent section!”
She barely registered Dekka’s instructions to her but followed as closely as possible. She willed the wind to concentrate on the opposite side, just as the main sail rotated slightly to the right. She kept pushing, groaning from the massive effort it took to maintain control. Her body began to ache, her arms sore.
Then, something or someone caressed her beginning from the back of her neck down to her arms. It could not have been Dekka, who held herself against the railing that circled the pole, or her sister, or anyone else for that matter. It was a weightless feeling in fact, like the wind itself had wrapped around her entire being. She wanted to scream as it squeezed her arms almost painfully in its grip. But she held on, clenching her jaw as she did.
The ship dragged as the frontmost portion of the ship passed into what felt like an invisible tunnel. Even from this distance, Aloy heard the air currents ripping ahead of her. She pushed on, letting the presence guide her limbs, ignoring the tremble of wood as more wind caught on the mainsail.
Then, they were swept into the current. Aloy grabbed the handhold in front of her and stiffened her body as they were carried into the tunnel like a broken branch in a blustery storm. At the same time, the presence that had wrapped itself around her dispersed, leaving only the gales whipping against her face and roaring in her ears.
Her grip on the winds was loosening again, like a fish slipping from her bare grasp.
“Aloy! You can stop now!” Dekka cried out from behind her. “Don’t overdo it!”
She gasped as she finally relinquished control. In doing so, waves of air exploded in all directions. Empty barrels tumbled on to the floor. A man who was hanging off a rope screamed as he held on for dear life. The ship threatened to leave the trail, but to all their relief, the mainsail tilted again and they were back and upright. The wind had calmed, leaving only the wind trail’s breeze that pushed them forward. The clouds hung lazily over them as they sailed under them.
Aloy opened herself up to the sensations around her, focusing on the ship’s undulating movements. With only a flick of her wrist, she could nudge it little by little to keep it on course, while the flight sails and mainsail did the rest of the work. There was a hissing noise and the flapping reduced to a leisurely pace.
The ship’s patterns still glowed, but its intensity had softened, leaving only the inlays barely visible under the sun. The rest of the crew had turned their attention to Aloy now, and she felt the desire to hide in her scarf again.
But then they began to clap, a cacophonous noise that rang in her ears. The birds above her that had somehow clung on to the ship against the frenzied gales were circling over them, squawking excitedly. A few of them landed primly on the railing with their multicolored feathers, long tails and short claws that stuck out of their wing tips.
Beta launched herself around her and pulled her into a tight hug. “You did it, Aloy! I can’t believe you did it! That was amazing!” she congratulated.
“That-that was incredible, Aloy,” Dekka added, placing a calloused hand on her shoulder. “Thank you. I have seen many wind weavers in my lifetime but…” she trailed off, pausing to consider her next words. “The power you’ve displayed today is unlike any other I’ve witnessed. There is much potential in you, Aloy.”
“T-thank you too,” Aloy nodded, still needing to catch her breath. Knowing there were other wind weavers out there had lifted a weight from her chest, one that had sat there almost all her life. But to be praised for having such strength in her magic? It stirred something in her, something new and thrilling that coursed through her limbs and whirled in her belly. She thought of Beta, who gave up her chance to be part of the tribe to travel across the world with her in search for their mother. She thought of the admiral, who had invited her to be here, who was probably tucked up somewhere wearing that smug smile on his face.
She thought of Rost, who trained her from childhood, taught her to survive, to watch out for her family. He might never understand what she and Beta have set out to do on this journey of theirs. But he loved them, in his own way, and she knew.
He’d be proud.