Alycerain

The lights of the city sparkled in the distance, bright blue and razor sharp, but the highway was dark save for the headlights on the asphalt and the glowing red of the dash lights. You could hear the sound of waves lapping at rocky shores just below the rumble of the engine, but the bay was cloaked in blackness, invisible under the clouded sky. Wind streamed through your hair and caressed your skin, the low bass line of the music thrumming in your chest and coiling down your spine. Gilbert shifted gears, accelerating, his silvery hair tossed across his cheekbones. The smile he threw you was headily reckless. “Where are we going?R

“After them!” The sky was a bright, clear blue, and the silver trees swayed serenely. Your head pounded. “Now!” You turned your head slightly, eyes still half-closed. Captain Honda was pacing nearby, agitation etched on his face. There were only a few of his pirates around. You assumed the others had gone after Eliza and the others. You looked back up at the sky, partly biding your time, and partly trying to find the will to move. Your bones felt like stone. The crunch of grass under Honda's boots was too loud. The taste of death weighed heavy on your tongue. You felt like you might throw up. You focused on atte

Your wrists felt raw beneath the stiff rope binding them. You had been struggling with it for the last hour, attempting to loosen the rope enough to slip out, but the progress you had made had gotten you less than a centimeter of space. The cool metal edge of a gun was pressed into the side of your head;  a too-eager pirate walked beside you, finger uncomfortably near the trigger, leering when you stumbled. It was impossibly hot, sweat dripping down your back and making your clothes cling to you. You could just make out Gilbert walking several feet away, head bent against the beating sun. You thought that the others had to be behind you som

“Eliza!” you said, gripping her arms to stop yourself from crashing into her. She looked at you with wide eyes. “Honda, he's here. His men are already in the forest. We're too close, we have to go!” “What?” “Wake the others!” you said, breaking away to run towards the entrance. Eliza disappeared behind the thick curtain of lichen separating the main room from the room where the others still slept. Gilbert turned around at the sound of your heavy footsteps. “Captain Honda's on the island,” you said, catching your breath. Gilbert looked stunned. He followed you back through the rui

Gilbert stalked through the darkness, staying low in the tall grass. It had grown quiet, save for the occasional scratch of metal in the distance. He didn't see any more automatons. He didn't see anyone. The moon was in the sky; the shivering trees glowed with its light. Gilbert leaned back against a tree, catching his breath. He should have gone back for you.  He should have gone back for you. Gilbert scrubbed a hand over his face. You could be dead. You probably were dead. He hadn't seen the others since the two of you had rescued Punch. Was anyone still alive? He shook himself. The important thing now was to keep moving, find safety.

A branch whipped past your face as you ran, cutting a fine line on your cheek. Your legs burned with exertion. You knew Eliza was somewhere to your left, and you thought you could see Gilbert and Romano. You didn't see Punch. The sound of grinding metal was deafening. The crash of sound changed, coming from another direction; you ducked low just as a hulking, twisted automaton charged through the brush at your side. Regaining your footing, you made a sharp turn, running diagonally towards Eliza. The machines were everywhere. You could barely see in the heavy darkness. Then you heard it: a voice, tinny and barely audible above the din.

“Did you hear that?” Eliza asked under her breath. You looked out at the surrounding forest. The ocean was still visible beyond white tree trunks, and the tall green grass tumbling over the roots swept across your boots and swayed peacefully in the wind. “Keep on guard,” you said. The forest was light, and you could see through it for what seemed like miles, but there was an uneasy weight settling on your shoulders. Your band of pirates marched forward, Romano in the lead, Gilbert a few steps behind you. Punch tramped along beside Romano, hoisting a bag of supplies higher up on his back. You pulled out your compass.

“Can you see anything?” Eliza called. You moved your focusing lens, looking for anything, shape or shadow. But the dense mist surrounding the Skyshadow was impenetrable, keeping out even the midday sun. “No,” you called back, your voice seeming too loud in the fog. A hush lay over the ship, eerily still and deathly quiet. No one spoke unless they had to. You shivered and pulled your jacket closed, ducking your head down for a moment. It was freezing, and wet, the long tendrils of white-gray mist seeping into your clothes and creeping down the back of your neck. It had been almost an hour since the Skyshadow had sli

Pale, pre-dawn light slipped it's long fingers into your cabin through the half-covered window. Eliza sat beside you on the floor behind the bed, listening hard. Outside, Romano was speaking to a guard at the first of the stations built into the cliffs. Gilbert shifted, his eyes trained on the door from his spot behind the table. Eliza crept past you slowly, straining to hear through the wood. The guard said something and laughed, and then the Skyshadow was moving again. Eliza let out a breath of relief and nodded once. You let your head fall back against the wall. You had gotten past the first station. Now, only five more. – Gilbe

The street was cool and quiet, the sea breeze falling gently through the rows of canvas tents and old, sea-worn wood that made up the night market. You breathed deep, wincing at the still-healing wounds in your thigh, but the pain wasn't enough to detract from the gentle magic of the shadowy stalls, the peaceful stillness, the cool air running over your skin. Softly glowing colored lanterns hung from stall openings, splashing the small street with patches of light. You pulled a square of dark cloth over the lower half of your face. Distantly, you could hear the sounds of raucous celebration from the bars around the dockyard, all crammed ful