I rushed over to it, spreading it out and frowning. I’d written it while smashed out of my skull, and I’d never used a quill and inkpot combination before, tearing the parchment as much as marking it intentionally, so it wasn’t the easiest to read.
To do:
T…y....up…
Nottifcasuns!
Council
Rebuild t…er!
Find Tommy the twat!!
Explore!!!
I grinned as I reached the second-last one, upon seeing my old nickname for Tommy.
A memory of the first time I’d used it, when we were training during basic, and he’d lost his mind. Good times…
“Well, laddie?” Oren asked, and I blinked, lost in reverie.
“Sorry, mate,” I said, shrugging. “Righto, then. Yeah, we’ve got a few things to get sorted: first, and most important, breakfast! Then you and Cai are gonna help me get shit organized around here. We’ve got a fuckload to get done, and we are at war with an arsehole city lord. Add to that, our army would just about fit in this one damn room, so we’re going to need to find some new recruits. Last, and most important of all…I need a damn drink. It tastes like the ship’s cat took a shit in my mouth.”
I watched as Oren lifted the decanter and sniffed it before gesturing to a glass questioningly with it. “Oh, hell no, I meant water or something. Did you not get enough last night?”
I said, shuddering and moving back to the cabinet. I quickly checked the other decanters and bottles, finally finding one at the back that had no smell. Taking a tentative sip, I relaxed, tasting water. I turned around to find Oren savoring whatever was in the decanter and shivered again. The little sod must have a cast iron stomach if he was still able to drink after last night.
We finished our drinks, and I put the decanter back, suddenly aware that I probably shouldn’t have smashed the lock open to get at the good booze.
“Let’s go,” I said, somewhat gruffly. Gathering up my naginata but leaving my armor and most of my other weapons behind, I led the way out of the captain’s quarters to the main deck of the Airship, locking the door behind us and pocketing the key.
Despite the large windows in the cabin, I was still surprised by how bright it was outside, and the birds that flitted madly all around. I walked over to the edge and stood, resting my arms on a worn stone railing, and looking out at the world before me.
I drew in a deep breath as I took in the forested hills and valleys that surrounded the Great Tower of Dravith. For hundreds of miles to the east and north, it was surrounded by dense forests and fierce mountains until the land reached the coast, while to the south by southeast, the forests continued almost as far as the eye could see, broken only by a pair of great lakes and a few small rivers. At the very furthest visible distance from the top of the Tower, the twin cities of Himnel and Narkolt interrupted the horizon. They had been embroiled in their own war, which had begun long before I’d managed to piss off Himnel by claiming both the Great Tower and the continent as my birthright.
Considering the fact that just over six months ago, I’d been a barman and odd-job dude for a few nightclubs, it wasn’t bad going.
I looked down, my gaze drawn by children’s laughter rising on the winds, and I grinned down at the small figures. The warship, whose captain’s cabin I’d spent the night in, had a pair of massive cages on its deck.
When the ship had arrived, they had been holding dozens of people the crew had captured from a village on their way here. Now they held the ship’s crew, and the former prisoners and their children were roaming through my Tower.
The sight of a trio of young children, all toddlers, splashing and squealing in a pool on one of the lower floors balconies was a balm to my soul.
I watched their lively play for a long moment, smiling as I saw birds wheeling around, disturbed by the happy laughter that rose on the wind.
Yesterday, I’d led a group of former slaves to fight the warship’s compliment of soldiers, and while we’d won, it had been at a terrible cost. Three of those brave people had died, and my mood last night while drinking had been foul at first.
It had only lightened as the night went on, as Oren and the others introduced people who we’d freed. They had been destined for a life of slavery until we had intervened, and that felt good. I drew in another deep lungful, enjoying the clear, crisp air. Intoxicating scents rose from the gardens dotted around the Tower, supported by each balcony, but this one was teeming with plants and herbs. I could practically taste mint and lavender in the air, and after living in the polluted cities of Earth, I fucking loved it.
My stomach suddenly let out an almighty rumble, and I grimaced as an unwelcome thought filled my mind.
“Do we have enough food for everyone?” I asked, recalling all of us raiding the stores on the ship drunkenly last night, and the party we’d had.
I cursed myself for a fool as I realized I could have wasted a huge amount of food when we needed it.
“Food? Aye, well I’d expect so. No idea, really; I had enough supplies on ma ship fer a month, easy, but that were for ma crew an’ me, nothin’ special.” With that, Oren turned and waved toward the Tower, getting a wave in return as the cat-man, Cai, started heading over from where he’d been talking to someone. “The cat’d be the best one
