The Plank

Stormfleet's punishment.

Flying frantically the black bird dodged side to side predicatively to avoid the lightning strikes within the roiling cloud of the never-ending storm. One flash and the lightning is reflected back on the black orbs of its eyes which dart around gleaming information during the brief flashes of light. A second and the bird identifies another of its kind flying in the opposite direction, they both adjust course, and darkness returns. A third flash and a skyfish is spotted up ahead moving to the side. The bird alters its course again, instinctively knowing how the fish will move even through the dark. Come the next flash and the bird has its next meal firmly in its beak.

* * *

A clattering sound at the window's bars pulled the simple cell's single inhabitant from his dreams. He rolled over and debated if he should even open his eyes, not to mention get out of bed.
What would I do even if I got up? Spend another day pacing from one wall to another? the frustrated man thought to himself.
From the window came again the annoying sound, this time rousing the man from his frayed sheets.
"What do you want?! Another come to taunt Erevard Baxkaltus?! To laugh at him through the bars and watch him and his dreams waste away?!" he screamed.
The bird in the window stopped eating for a moment and turned its head to observe man but quickly decided he was no threat. The bird opened its mouth and some its pure-black viscous saliva poured out onto the windowsill before it went back to eating its fish.
"Look at me. Reduced to talking to a creepy bird. I can't believe I miss that Luun and her annoying bird."
Turning back to the wall, Erevard kneeled down, picked up his spoon, and added another mark to the wall. He stood back up with a long sigh.
"Seven sleeps already. Every minute feels like an hour and yet every day passes like leaves on the wind."
Erevard heard footsteps coming down the hallway and walked to the center of his cell. As the footsteps grew closer he turned to face the bars, ran his hands through his hair to reduce the mess a bit, and stood up tall. He was nothing if not stubborn and he couldn't let his captors think he was breaking.
"Awake already, eh Erevard?"
"My time is too valuable to waste afterall."
"Don't spend too much of that time, it runs out before you add another notch to that wall."
"Finally time for my audience with the Stormqueen I take it."
"Get your last words ready." the pirate said with a sarcastic solemnity and slid a meal into Erevard's cell.
"I have no words for the person who killed my crew."
"According to the code, everyone is allowed to speak before they walk that plank."
Erevard remained silent, staring at the pirate in front of him.
"Have it your way." the pirate said before walking out of sight and on down the hall from which a voice then echoed. "Oh yeah, eat up. Everyone deserves one last meal."
Erevard took the bowl containing the simple meal and walked over to his bed. No, this isn't my bed. Don't start thinking you belong here. he thought to himself as he sat down.
He had never really considered death before not even in the time after his capture until this moment and now that he was thinking about what he would do, Erevard had no options left. If I were to attack the guards or struggle, surely they would throw me off this plank themselves.
Slowly Erevard reached out for his spoon and slower still brought some of the gruel to his lips. When the taste reached his tongue he almost chuckled. Fruit in my final meal. These Stormfleet pirates are certainly strange, I've seen worse endings for prisoners back in Burim.
The prisoner ate his meal at a snail's pace savoring it. Not the final meal I would have planned. Certainly not the banquet I wished to offer my family upon my return. What will they think of me when I have just disappeared into the skies? Will my parents mourn or die still expecting a reunion that will never come? What will my siblings do without me? If only we had been able to avoid the storm. If it wasn't for these pirates I would be able to see them again.

* * *

Erevard stared out at the storm. It had come out of the Floor as if reaching out for their ship.
"Turn the ship Davetti!" Erevard screamed his eyes not leaving the approaching clouds of roiling darkness speckled with darting lightning.
"What do you think I'm doing?!" Davetti yelled back through the rain. "This storm seems hungry and were the nearest meal."
"Storms don't eat."
"I can't believe we left port over a season ago and you still haven't a sliver of humor in that body of yours."
"If we can't get around, what can we do?"
"When around doesn't work, there's only one way. Before the worst of it hits, help Ahriin tie down her kite."
Without any need to spend words responding, Erevard ran down the stairs to the lower deck and caught the rope Ahriin threw at him.
"He may not have learned to joke yet but at least he's learned to follow orders, eh Jii?" Davetti spoke to the bird on his shoulder. He was given a friendly squawk in response to which Davetti said. "I suppose you're right."
Erevard's fingers were cold from the storm rain and the wind and it made tying the rope much more difficult than usual but his recent years of labour had made him a lot better at it than he was when he was writing contracts and signing bills of lading. He finished his knot and looked up to the young girl across from him who nodded that she was done. The two scrambled across the wet wooden deck of the skyship in anticipation of the captain's next order but the ship was engulfed by the storm before the order came.
Unable to see more than an arm's length from himself or hear his crewmates, Erevard was stumbling in the dark trying to find anything that would let him know where exactly he was on the ship. A mast, a taffrail, anything. Instead he felt something wet slap him on the back. He turned and grabbed the wet object that had hit his back. This isn't the the type of rope that the Ivende uses. Erevard thought. Even through the sound of the storm he heard screams and the agitated melody of the captain's bird Jii. He pulled the rope but it seemed to be coming from directly above him and was held there by something. Another ship? But it can't be right above us. Unless... the storm.
"Pirates!" Erevard screamed.
"Too late!" screamed a voice from above him as someone slid down the rope.
One hard hit to the head later, Erevard found darkness deeper even than that of the storm.
Opening his eyes to a fuzzy scene before him, Erevard found that he couldn't have been out very long. It was light again, the ship must have left the storm. Judging by the pressure around him ankles and wrists, he was tied up, and the strange way he was being moved felt like he was suspended from something. As things came back into focus he saw something below him.
"The Ivende!" he screamed. "That means..."
As he dangled there watching the Ivende sink powerlessly into the Floor he realized he didn't get snagged on a rope and fall off his ship. The pirates had taken him.
Suddenly he was jerked upwards again and again until he was pulled through an opening in the wooden bottom of a skyship and set down onto the floor.
"What a shame to lose the ship." said a pirate Erevard could not see.
"At least we got some supplies." came another unseen but optimistic voice.
A dirty, wet, worn boot stepped into Erevard's field of view.
"And a new recruit." added the owner of the dirty, wet, worn, boot.

* * *

His reverie stolen by a rattling on the bars, Erevard opened his eyes to see a pair of dirty, wet, worn boots.
"Come on, get up Erevard, you still have some time. You could still join us. My crew could use an extra pair of hands."
Erevard sat up in his bed, knocking his empty bowl to the ground, and stared at the person outside his cell.
"Still not going to talk to me? You can say something or you can jump silently into the darkness below. It is up to you."
The silent glare intensified.
"Fine, die without a word then, let the winds sweep away all memory of you."
Erevard's unbroken gaze continued.
"Have it your way." said the frustrated pirate stomping the dirty, wet, worn boots off down the corridor.
The prisoner put his head back down onto the less-comfortable-than-he-would-like bed. "Let the winds erase me?"
As if in response to his question, the creepy bird - perhaps a different one, he couldn't tell - scared him with a squawk from the barred window again. Not wanting to see the ichor-spewing wingling Erevard rolled over to face the wall. Ahriin once said something about listening to the wind. Perhaps there is something to it after all. Despite his best efforts, Erevard couldn't seem to keep his thoughts away from his recent adventure and the people who were on it with him. He still remembered the first time they were all together on the ship, clearer than some memories of his own family.

* * *

"Whether you think that circumstance, fate, or some divine will has brought us thirteen together, brought us together it has. From here on out we will have only each other to rely on and our ability to get along will impact our ability to move along. Somewhere out there lies the first skyship. Sixty-seven years ago, the Harani left this very port for the first time, and not many years later she left it for the final time. She is still out there and we will find her."
The twelve other members of the crew cheered Captain Davetti's short speech - as did the bird, Jii, singing a melody from the captain's shoulder.
"That's enough cheering, let's get some wind in these sails! Retrieve the plank, ready the sails, and prepare yourselves!"
As the crew readied the Ivende for her maiden voyage Davetti called out, "Erevard, come over here."
"What can I do?" Erevard said with a heavy breath from running across the ship.
"Grab that rope and help me here." replied the captain as they began their work. "So, I didn't have a chance to get to know you like I did the rest of the crew. Why are you on this journey?"
"What?"
"Now I know your ears work, why are you here?"
"I want to find the Harani."
"Why do you want to find her?" the captain rolled his eyes. "If you don't have a good reason, you can still get off the ship, we're not gone yet and after we go, we may never return."
"I am aware this could be a one way trip but I have to do this for my family."
"You're still young Erevard, no matter what may be out there, I'm sure your family is better off with you here."
"I promised myself when I left the long city that I would not return until I could restore what we lost."
"Well, I'd love to hear about your life story but it seems we've run out of rope." the captain said lightheartedly and then continued seriously "Hold that determination kid, remember it when things get rough."
The captain briskly walked up to the quarterdeck, his footsteps thumping on the wooden deck of the skyship.

* * *

A sudden thunderous rumble of many footsteps on the wooden floor of the prison brought Erevard out of his memories. He stood up quickly and peeked through the bars as best he could. He saw a couple of pirates escorting a large group of people down the hall. For the briefest of moments Erevard hoped that maybe it was his crewmates. I hate myself for hoping they'd be stuck here too but at least they would be alive.
Erevard watched closely as the group was pushed passed his cell and on down but he didn't recognize any of the prisoners. Noticing his gaze one of the pirates stopped and looked at him.
"Almost time noble boy." the pirate laughed.
"Hey now, give him peace for his final breaths." joked the other pirate.
Erevard was angry now. Angry at himself for being caught. Angry at the pirates for what they did. Angry at the people who destroyed his family. Angry at his crew for dying so easily. Angry at the skies for everything.
"I may be walking off that plank but I get my last words and you're going to have to hear me out!"
"Oh, he actually speaks." replied the first pirate after a surprised pause.
"Well, make those last words count. If the storm doesn't get you, you'll be stuck regretting not saying something as you fall into the Void." said the second.
Erevard glared at the two. He hadn't felt this fired up since he left his home to find a way to restore his family's fortune and status. "Nothing will be left unspoken."
The two pirates turned to each other and back to Erevard before they spoke in unison "We look forward to it."
Left alone once more Erevard started formulating his final speech. What should I give to the winds that my thoughts may reach my family? It bothered Erevard that his thoughts wandered not to his family but to his adventures with his crew.

* * *

Erevard stood on a small rock, barely large enough for his two feet. He had grown up on Breharan, the largest skyisland known to exist, and visited many others on his travels but never had he seen so many islands and never any as small as this.
"Be careful everyone! You know we can't fly the Ivende over these rocks but we need to see if there is any evidence of the Harani's crew here."
Bracing himself, Erevard jumped to the next floating rock, only slightly larger than the one he had left. It wobbled when he landed and his arms shot out to the sides to balance himself. I knew this journey would take me to places unknown and find strange new things but I never expected I would be doing this.
As he found his balance he started to look around again, to find his next move, when a large shadow passed over the ground. He looked up and saw Ahriin flying around in her kite. If he was to be honest, he would say he was jealous. Watching her ride around on the wind reminded him of his father picking him up when he was little. Suddenly she pointed at something, one of the larger rocks not too far from Erevard's position. Preparing himself mentally, he began jumping between the rocks, stepping between them where they were close enough to do so.
He had gotten pretty close, pretty quickly, which he was proud of but the last gap was a little wider than most. Just one more. He bent his knees and got ready.
"Erevard wait!" came a young voice from above followed almost immediately by a gust of wind that surely would have thrown him into the gap and on down into the unending storm below.
"Waiting!" screamed Erevard so that his voice would reach Ahriin up above.
The wind picked up again, sending him - and the rock he was standing on - drifting slightly.
"Now!" yelled Ahriin.
With all his might Erevard leaped towards the larger rock, landing on his feet but falling forward into the grass and dirt. Most of the rocks were barren, he considered this lucky. He put his palm to the ground to help himself up but instead closed his fingers around a hard object he found. He rolled over and held the object up to the sky to get a good look at it. It was a simple item, a pin that would have held closed a cloak, rusted by years of neglect.
Erevard felt the rock rumble and looked around quickly. Ahriin was standing beside him, holding her kite against the wind.
"Thanks for the help Ahriin. I might have died without you. How did you know that strong wind was coming?"
"I just listen to the wind."
"But how?"
"I don't think I can describe it. I didn't know either, the Windspeaker who taught me said it was something you had to experience in order to understand it."
"I assume that was immensely unhelpful."
"Yeah. I actually failed my ceremony the first time. He was right though, it all came together at once and I suddenly understood the wind, as if it was speaking to me."
"And what does it have to say?"
"Lots of things. Mostly about movement, weather, and things like that... Sometimes though, it carries the words of others. Not the words themselves but it is as if emotions and intentions are picked up by the winds."
"I never noticed. That must be an incredible power to have."

* * *

The song of a bird outside brought Erevard back to his cell. Just in time because one of the pirates stepped into view and unlocked the cell, gesturing for Erevard to leave. Erevard stood up, ran his hands through his hair, and started walking. The hallway seemed longer than it actually was and the walk slower. The other prisoners watched quietly as he passed by their cells but Erevard did not notice, he was too busy with his thoughts. No thought in particular, there were simply too many racing through his mind to pick any one of them, at least until he realized something. I've been thinking of the Ivende's journey and her crew more than my family. This really bothered Erevard who was only here in order to restore his family.
Eventually, the long hallway ended and Erevard was pushed outside. This was the first time he had a view of whatever place he was in and it was strange. The building was a simple wooden one and there were others connected by simple bridges. One of the buildings in the complicated mess of ramshackle construction appeared to be a skyship which had been built onto time and time again. This entire complex was within the Floor - the unending storm - but it seemed to be a sphere of calm within the chaos. How did they find this place? How did they build all this?
"Stop gawkin' and start walkin'." the pirate said as they pushed Erevard onward.
The walk lasted minutes and by the time Erevard was pushed forward into an open area surrounded by pirates, he wished he had more time to prepare his final remarks. He looked around at the pirates, poorly lit by their weak lanterns, and intermittently illuminated by flashes of lightning from the storm outside this small calm.
"Erevard Baxkaltus." a voice cut loudly through the din but despite the strength of the voice it didn't sound like it was yelling.
An imposing figure walked out onto a well-lit balcony overlooking the open area, wearing a wide-brimmed hat with a large red feather sticking out of it.
"You who have refused to join Stormfleet cannot be permitted to continue consuming our limited resources and will walk." the figure - presumably the Stormqueen - pointed at something behind Erevard.
When he turned to look he saw the crowd of pirates parting to reveal the plank. The pirates laughed a little when they saw the distress in Erevard's face. Until now he knew he was going to die but it didn't feel real until that moment.
"You are permitted to speak your words however few or great they may be in number and we shall listen and bear witness to them." spoke the Stormqueen in her song-like rhythm.
Erevard closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He heard the jeering of the pirates, the thunder of the storm, and the unsettling sound of the birds which, when he opened his eyes again, seemed to be gathering on the nearby rooftops to watch. He turned to look at the pirates and further still to look at the Stormqueen.
"I left my home, my family, who had lost everything to find a way to get it all back. Now they will continue their lives of squalor alone. I had dreamed of us one day eating together around a table, a good meal like we used to when I was young. I pictured my parents looking as they were before, the life in their eyes again and the faces full of colour." Erevard began, though this drew no sympathy from the pirates.
Erevard shifted his gaze back to the plank, an action which seemed to excite the pirates.
"People have called me single-minded..." he began. "They're right, at least they were. I always imagined that my last thoughts would be of my parents and siblings, of righting the wrongs done to us, but recent time has shown me otherwise. My thoughts have been focused on my recent journey and my companions on it. A journey that now will never see its end."
He took a few steps towards the plank. The pirates got a bit louder and so did the birds, as if they too were excited for what was to come next. He closed his eyes again and breathed and listened. The birds shrieked and the wind blew carrying the sound of another bird to his ears. He turned back to the pirates.
"The Harani may never be found and my crew is gone because of you. They were resourceful individuals and a strong team, not unlike yourselves." this was the first time the pirates agreed with him. "We always took care of each other and were able to get along despite our differences. They were a family to me."
He took a few more steps, standing on the plank now, listening to the jeering reaching its zenith. He closed his eyes and listened again. The bird was still there. Erevard opened his eyes - filled with more fire now - to speak one final time.
"I walk off this plank not the person I was when I left my home, not the person I was when I left Breharan, and not even the person that you captured. I realize now that I have become like them, an adventurer. Perhaps more importantly than that, I have learned to hear the wind." Erevard's final line was met with cheers from the pirates as he took one step onto nothing and fell out of sight.
The Stormqueen turned around quietly to head back inside when the pirates began screaming again. A piece of wood was rising up beside the platform, followed by Erevard smiling at the pirates, standing on a ship. The Stormqueen laughed louder than thunder almost knocking over many of her pirates but made no motion and gave no order to stop him. Jii flew past Erevard and toward the Captain. "Welcome back kid." to which Erevard nodded before turning back to the pirates.
"Goodbye." Erevard said with immense satisfaction, despite the pain he was in from falling onto the deck of the rising Ivende. "And, thanks for all the gruel."

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