A/N: Sorry the chapters are so short right now, I'm juggling a lot of stuff in my head at once. Still, I hope it's better than nothing!
Niklas stared at Simon in bewilderment. "You want me to what?" he asked in a voice used by someone who's just been asked to eat his own foot and dip his head in a barrel full of leeches.
Simon sighed. "I told you. Take the ropes and wrap them around the hull."
"And then the Captain is going to..." Niklas began.
"...turn himself into...his other shape, and we're going to wrap the ropes around him and he'll fly us all into the sky." Simon answered, giving him a tired look.
Niklas looked just as bewildered as before. "You're crazy. He's crazy. Nobody can-"
"Are you saying you doubt the Captain's abilities?"
Niklas flinched. "Well, no, I just..." his mouth hung open for a few seconds while he tried to find some suitable words. "Give me the ropes." he said, "but if we die from this, I'm going to kill you."
He grabbed the ropes from Simon's hands and jumped into the water muttering curses under his breath.
Lynx looked at the scene in front of her. It was a lot of rope. It was brown, thick, durable and all of it was securely tied around the Captain. It made him look more like a giant earthworm than a dragon. She giggled under her breath.
"What's so funny, Lynx?" Johan asked curiously, his deep voice rumbling like a thunderstorm.
"Oh, nothing, Captain..." she looked at him innocently. "I won't disturb you, I can see you're clearly wrapped up in something..." She giggled again.
"Don't be so hard on him, Lynx." Simon said from where he was securing the cannons. "He's still learning the ropes."
Johan looked at his laughing crewmates and huffed. "Very amusing. If you're both done, I suggest you get below deck with the others. This is going to be one hell of a ride."
As they went downstairs still smiling slightly, a loud creaking noise could be heard from all around them, and then, with the booming sound of beating wings, the ocean disappeared from beneath them.
"I don't like this." said Niklas, furrowing his brows and sticking his fork violently into a piece of fried fish. "No sea, no land, no nothing. It isn't natural, us flying around like some sort of giant bird. How long have we been up here like this, anyway?"
"We've been up for a few hours." Lynx answered from in front of the stove while shuffling some vegetables around in a large frying pan. "And if you don't treat my food with more care, I'll pluck your eyeballs out while you sleep." Simon laughed at this, finishing his plate of venison.
Niklas shivered. It wasn't the fact that she'd said what she'd said that had put him on edge. It was the way she made it sound as natural and simple as "If you step on a nail, your foot will hurt." he carved the rest of his fish very carefully.
As they were finishing dessert – some sort of green paste that tasted sweetly of lime and sugar – the whole kitchen rocked with impact, and a loud thud echoed through the ship. A few minutes later, Johan stepped through the door, brushing some dust from his robes. He had his hood pulled over his face, but he was grinning wildly. "Up you go, you lazy sandcrabs! We've reached our destination!"
As the crew walked back up on deck, they were met by an incredible sight. The ship had landed in what looked to be some sort of large pool. All around them were other ships, all bobbing quietly in their own watery confinements. Above them was the clearest sky anyone of them had ever seen. The ground looked to be made of a combination of dirt and wooden planks, but it stretched out as far as the eye could see. In the distance two-story houses stretched toward the sky, tightly crowding together with market stalls and tents of every kind.
Johan stretched his arms out towards their surroundings with a big grin on his face. "Everyone, welcome to the Market!"
Everyone but Simon stared around in astonishment.
"What the hell is this place?" Niklas asked, his voice filled with wonder.
"Well..." Johan said. "The Market is a-"
"The Market is a place of refuge for those who have no place else to go. It is a place where you can sell everything from scraps to jewelery, and always be certain of finding a buyer. It is a well-kept secret, and only those deemed worthy are told how to get here." The voice died down, and a figure stepped on board – apparently it had used it's own landwalk.
It turned out to be a middle-aged man clad in a simple brown uniform. He was followed by a dozen more men, who quickly surrounded the crew. Everyone instantly became cautious and was about to draw their weapons when the man spoke. "Johan D. Cilphaestrus?" the man asked in a deep voice. Johan nodded. "It is my pleasure to welcome you and your crew back to our humble island. Now, if you'd be so kind as to follow me, please. Right this way."
Johan nodded for the crew to keep up, and he fell in line behind the man. The other men surrounded them as they went.
"You've been here before?" Niklas asked Simon with a tone of surprise.
Simon smiled. "Yeah, years ago. Captain kept talking about the going to the sky, but I didn't think he'd find the place this soon. Then again, he is the Captain."
Niklas looked at him and slowly shook his head in confusion. "If you've already been here, then do you mind telling me what the hell is going on? Where are they taking us?"
A grin spread across Simon's face. "If I'm not completely mistaken, the men surrounding us are Royal Guards." he said.
"Which means..." he continued, still grinning, "we're going to see the Queen."