Chapter 71: The Welcome Wagon
…
"Captain! May I speak with you?!"
The way Link lolled his head in response to Princess Zelda's voice was a definitive signal that it was not his desire. Yet, here he was, standing watch over his ship's descent from the main deck while pondering the Goddesses' sense of humor. "You let her out?" Link asked Leynne as Leynne escorted Zelda to Link's side.
"In jest oh in eahnest," Leynne replied, "I should not think it wise to 'dump' the Princess of Hyrule oveh the side of an aihship."
"Captain, you know I would not do such a disrespectful thing out of malice or jest," Zelda told him.
"Really?" Link asked in a flat tone. "I'm pretty sure I'm gonna lose my neck the moment your dad finds out you ditched the kingdom again."
"I have already left notice with my knights that I have taken temporary leave to facilitate the opening of dialogue between us and the Sorians," Zelda replied, giving him an equally irritated scowl. "It may upset my father, but I assure you that I will be held responsible."
Link nodded his head and asked, "And did you tell him whose ship you're running off in?"
"Naturally, I mentioned your discoveries."
Link looked at Leynne. "Wanna tell the crew we can't go back up?"
"I should hahdly doubt Heh Highness's sincerity," Leynne replied. "I know you've been somewhat beset by stowaways, but I cannot believe heh to be responsible enough to wahrant neglect."
"Responsible?" Link asked incredulously. Then he pointed at Zelda and snapped, "She started it!" Zelda attempted to shrug into hiding, but she could not stop the embarrassed grin forming on her face.
"Hey!" Leynne and Zelda turned around in response to a voice calling from the stairs. Link leaned to one side to see that Line had come onto the main deck. "Do we have Princess Zelda on-board again?!"
"Shut up, Line!" Link, Leynne, and Zelda shouted at him in unison. Leynne and Link promptly gave Zelda a confused glance.
"What'd I do now?!" Line hollered in indignation.
"Link," Leynne said. "Only a moment ago, you had desihed the princess's presence so that reintroduction with the Sorians would be moh comfohtable. It would seem that we have been given a small fohtune. It would be senseless to so brazenly criticize heh methods." As if to punctuate the statement, Zelda put on a self-satisfied smirk and rested her hands on her hips.
Link wanted to argue if only to satisfy his desire to be angry with a trend he had not dealt with for the past two years. In spite of himself, he let the glare on his face melt away in defeat. "Ugh…" he grunted as he covered his face. "Yeah, you're right…"
"Link?" Link glanced between his fingers to see Zelda trying to peer at his face. "I am sorry. If given the opportunity, I hope to make amends for it."
Link heaved a sigh. "Nah, forget it," he told her, his tone exhausted. "This makes things easier, and I shouldn't be complaining…"
…
It was not long after that when Leynne began the final phase of the Island Symphony's descent: releasing the Loft Steam from the ballast. Loft Steam was quite precious in the sky; only a few locations in the sky kingdom itself had access to it, likely brought to the sky by the technoworks just like other basic resources. Fortunately, this lighter-than-air gas was available with a little more reliability on the surface. The Island Symphony had had almost exclusive access to a vent that produced Loft Steam for two years, which was why Link and Leynne were so confident with allowing the ship to descend in the first place. Like decreasing engine heat to the ballast, releasing the Loft Steam was a delicate process. While letting Loft Steam out of the ballast, heat had to be reintroduced to the ballast so that the ship would still float over the land. Two years ago, they had had an ocean in case they could not get this right. Now, the unexplored continent below would be their "safety cushion" should the ship descend too fast. Of course, the ship was sound enough that it would not so easily fall apart under its own weight; it could effectively become an ocean-going vessel thanks to the design of surface dwellers who had not been familiar with the development methods of the sky kingdom's shipwrights. And Link was willing to bet that no other airship was as sea-worthy as the Island Symphony.
They ended the descent in a mountain range out of sight of the old kingdom. This was not a navigational error; before they had started descending, Leynne had Irleen and Janni find a point where the ship was nearly on top of where they would be descending. It had been only half an hour's trip east of Might Island, and they already knew they would be at the mercy of crosswinds on the way down. Leynne had expected this to help shorten their travel time if they wanted to avoid searching at night.
Link was waiting on the forecastle with Gold on the helm and Janni and Irleen standing at the port bulwark. He was taking in the beauty of the surrounding mountains, a sight not possible from high in the sky, while awaiting word from Leynne that the ballast had been resealed. He had seen mountains before, the white mountains of the Snow Realm in the old kingdom, but he was impressed by the nearby mountains being covered in trees, almost as if he had not thought it possible that trees could grow on mountains so thick that they coat the mountains in forest. The ship had finally reached the surface with the sun about halfway through its journey to setting, still a high feature off the Island Symphony's stern.
He heard footsteps from nearby and turned to see Leynne ascend to the forecastle with Zelda in tow. Leynne immediately reported, "The ballast tanks have been sealed, and we should be secuh to travel."
Link nodded. He walked across the forecastle to where Irleen and Janni stood. "Is that the direction we have to go?" he asked them from behind.
"It's a little simpler than that," Irleen said. She pointed to a mountain in the distance, a single peak that appeared to be on the outer edge of the surrounding range. "They're right there."
Link stepped to her side so he could see the concentrating look on her face. "The mountain?" he asked as he glanced toward it. "They're on the mountain?"
"No," Janni spoke up, her expression a look of mild confusion. "Whatever's drawing us is coming from inside the mountain."
Link gave Janni a puzzled glance before gazing out at the mountain. It was hard to tell anything about it, being so distant. And, because it was so distant, it appeared as if the green mountain was covered in moss rather than trees. He could only shrug before turning around. "Mister Gold, engage the engine to full power and take us to port due north," he said as he approached the wheel.
"Engage engine full, turnin' tae port due north, aye aye," Gold replied as he twisted to work the instrument panel behind him.
"So, ah we close?" Leynne asked.
Link turned and gestured toward the mountain with a hand. "They say it's that mountain. It's… in that mountain."
"In the mountain?" Zelda repeated. "I do not understand."
Link offered her a shrug. "I don't think they get it, either," he told her. "Unless the Sorians have decided to live underground."
"All the crap we seen?" Gold spoke up as he began turning the wheel. "I'd dig a 'ole tae 'ide meself, too, sir."
"I find it hahd to believe that it is so simple," Leynne said. "We have seen theih affinity foh unusual ahchitectuh, and I am inclined to believe that what we see may simply be a front."
"Did we come this way before?" Link asked. "Do you know if… I don't know, did we pass this area before?"
"I'm afraid I haven't been able to propehly chaht ouh position," Leynne confessed. "I am inclined to guess that we may be fahtheh up the valley we had discovehed last yeah, although quite likely nowheh along the previous path that had been chahted foh us."
Link nodded and commented aloud, "I'd always wondered if we'd gotten a bad reading from that compass…"
"It would appeah so," Leynne told him.
"Well," Link said as he turned to look at Irleen and Janni only to realize they were already standing behind him. "With a pair of living compasses, I don't think we can miss now."
"Glad I came along for the ride," Janni commented with a flat look on her face.
"Wha—I didn't mean it like that," Link told her, mostly out of annoyance at her interpretation.
"Is it likely foh the Sorians to be hidden undehground?" Leynne asked them, squinting against the sunlight shining on his face. "Pehhaps out of feah that Cunimincus might still be alive?"
"It's kinda hard to say," Irleen replied. "I couldn't really imagine myself hiding underground for a very long time."
"I recall hearing some stuff from the miners before they became Obeetans," Janni spoke up. "When my father started affecting their minds, I would hear about them obsessing over their wings. As I recall, being in the dirt too long has a bad habit of ruining flight feathers."
A pause hung in the air until Irleen caught Leynne staring at her and shrugged. "I don't know; it sounds true enough," she told him.
"Could the mountain be a façade?" Leynne asked.
Irleen shook her head. "A façade doesn't show life. That mountain shows the same tree life as the surrounding mountains; it's real."
"So, what are we missing, then?" Link asked.
"Kyabtin?" The group turned to see Twali standing on the steps between the forecastle and the beakhead. "'Inbilunak 'inthawcya 'afi'il 'abothfi."
Leynne and Link exchanged looks. Then Leynne asked Twali, "Waba bisixak max?"
"Ay'a, Lyayn." Twali then removed her duoscope from around her neck and offered it toward them with a hand.
"What?" Irleen asked as Link strode forward to take the duoscope. "What's going on?"
"Theh is another vessel ahead of us," Leynne explained. "I would suhmise it to be anotheh aihship."
Both Irleen and Janni glanced forward, but it was only Irleen who asked, "From that mountain?"
Twali led Link across the beakhead to the bowsprit. She pointed, and Link placed the duoscope against his face. At first, he only saw the mountain ahead of the Island Symphony. He had to remove the duoscope to locate this other ship. Then he realized that there was a spot against the mountain that he had not noticed at first because the rigging was in his way. He leaned slightly and placed the duoscope against his eyes again. And he discovered that she was right. It was hard to notice because it looked to be at least a schooner without any headsails. If it was running on its engine, it would not need to open its sails for propulsion; like the Island Symphony, it would use its gaff-rigged sails to steer. With the wind as weak as it was now, both vessels had to travel on engine propulsion. The other vessel was too far away for Link to be able to make out a crew. However, he did notice a strange glint on one side of the vessel, reflecting the afternoon sun off to port. At this range and angle, if it had a banner, he could not—
He realized with horror that a hatch on the opposite side of the vessel from the mysterious glint opened up into a shadow. A front hatch in the hull could only mean one thing; forward guns.
"Aw, crap…" he uttered as he lowered the duoscope. He handed it back to Twali and said, "Fizuban taris."
"Ay'a, Kyabtin."
Link then hustled back onto the forecastle. "It's definitely another ship," he told the group around the helm.
"Must be coming out to meet us," Irleen suggested.
"With its forward guns armed?" Link asked.
Both Irleen and Leynne raised their eyebrows, and Gold, having been in the middle of checking the compass, looked up with a surprised expression. However, Janni was the one to vocalize (albeit with an air of humored sarcasm), "Uh oh."
"Ihleen, what ah the chances the Sorians would fih on an unidentified vessel?" Leynne quickly asked.
"I-I don't know!" Irleen replied.
"Is there any way to signal them?" Link asked.
"What, with your flare gun?" Irleen asked. "I don't know if they'd get the message."
"What about a color?" Link asked. "Like with that painting, remember? Something to show we're not hostile."
"So much for coming home…" Janni commented.
"Green!" Irleen snapped.
Link responded, "Green? Why?"
"It's a natural color; it might work."
"'Might'?" Gold spoke up. "I don't like 'might'."
"Leynne, load up," Link said as he pulled his flare gun from behind his belt. Leynne removed a similar gun from a side holster, and both of them searched for green smoke shells from their belts. Once both of them had loaded and closed the breaches on their guns, Link said to Leynne, "You get port, I'll take starboard."
"You guys really know how to ruin a good time," Janni told them.
Link and Leynne rushed to the bulwark on their respective sides and immediately fired the shells into the air. FZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz… The stream of greyish smoke eventually turned green as the chemicals inside the shells ignited a good distance from the ship. Link turned back to see that Leynne had fired at a high arc, and he wished he had done the same instead of firing level. In fact, Link opened the breach of his flare gun and, using the rigging knife he had been carrying for a while, pried the hot casing out so he could insert another shell. "Ow," he grunted when the back of one finger touched the casing. He held the gun above the bulwark and flung the casing into the open sky. After replacing the knife, he quickly located another green smoke shell and loaded it up. Leynne turned to watch him do this, and then he glanced at his own gun wondering if he should do the same despite not having a convenient item to remove the hot casing. Link did not acknowledge him, instead clapping the flare gun shut and aiming it higher into the air. FZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz…
When they returned to the helm, Leynne immediately asked, "Did you want me to fih anotheh as well?"
"No," Link answered. "I ju—I saw you shoot yours higher, and it seemed like that'd make easier for them to see." He turned to Irleen. "What do you think?"
"I think they're wondering if we need help," Irleen replied in a cynical tone. "And with this crew, I wouldn't call them wrong." Gold sniggered in response.
"Gold, slow us to half," Link ordered.
"Slowing tae 'alf, aye aye," Gold answered, turning to adjust the throttle.
"Janni," Irleen spoke up. "Let's circle the ship. If they see other Sorians, it might help."
Unfortunately for the crew, reducing speed only seemed to increase the anxiety. While Link was certain that the ship approaching them was a Sorian airship, he did not enjoy the prospect of being shot down by anyone in light of the ordeals they had just been put through. He hoped that Irleen and Janni flying circles over the ship would be a better indication of friendly intentions. It did not occur to him until about ten minutes later that, as a Sorian crew, the other ship were perceiving an airship composed of dead wood, something which Irleen had mentioned before as a sign of concern or disrespect among them.
The first wave of relief came when the ship decided to rise and turn slightly so that their course would bring them above the Island Symphony's port side. As long as Link did not meet that altitude, it would keep them from looking like a threat while also preventing the Island Symphony from entering the firing line of what appeared to be about ten broadside guns.
Once the ship was close enough, Link could see that there were no seams to indicate a hull made of planks. Most of the outward architecture, swirls and branch-like fingers cupping the upper side of the hull, looked as if it had simply grown that way. Even the open gunports looked natural, wide slits in between thick limbs just under the bulwark. Link had the impression that, between the two, the other ship was much heavier.
A pair of shadows leapt over the side, startling the crew. The Sorian airmen, once they had opened their wings, made no spectacle of their purpose as they aimed for the middle of the main deck. Their touchdown sounded heavy, and they quickly drew shortswords while Lwamm and Ray froze in place near the port bulwark.
Link quickly pulled Irleen's translating gem from his pocket. "Irleen, Janni, let's go," he said as he started for the starboard staircase. Irleen and Janni followed, and Link carefully set the gem on the railing behind the forecastle before descending. He held up a hand toward Lwamm and Ray and hollered, "You two, just stay there." Lwamm started toward him, so he switched direction and held up both hands as he approached them while Irleen and Janni continued toward the Sorians. "Just wait there, Lwamm. Uh… toysokan! Toysokan!"
"Roctaaaa!" Irleen said in a cheerful voice, waving one hand.
Both Sorians, a pair of men wearing only work slacks and thick-soled slippers, slowly relaxed their stances. The taller of the two, a scrawny man with dark skin and navy-blue feathers trimmed short on his scalp, spoke up, "Áhan, klāttìn kònat ō. Kūl Rītò."
"Ōlùnnòt tác kákihōn," Irleen told him in what Link perceived to be a flat tone.
"Kūl wāt?" the dark-skinned Sorian asked.
Irleen glanced over her shoulder at Link. Then, with a large grin on her face, she answered, "Ōtàn Ħōnnatápnòhico natī Līnca Hōwàl kīnù Ħìrlīna táwa."
The Sorians stared expectantly at Janni. Janni gave Irleen an exhausted glance before responding, "Ōdàn Ħōnnadábnòhiço nadī Līnca Hōwàl kīnù Jànniħa táwa."
"Hīlīħán ħōntulk natī," the dark-skinned Sorian muttered. "Līnca Hōwàl wāt?"
Janni turned and signaled to Link. "Hey, come here," she said in a hushed voice.
Link stepped forward and stood in between Irleen and Janni. Both Sorians' eye widened in surprise. "Līnca ħōnkápohōwàl!" the light-skinned Sorian cried in delight, pointing at him.
Link blinked in confusion and asked Janni, "What'd he say?"
Janni grinned at him and told him, "They've heard of you, Boy-Captain." This prompted an irritated look from him.
At the same time, the dark-skinned Sorian was saying, "Lukħōtu tùwáhu pòt kil kacōpa ta. Ħàl Rītò īt…"
"Hálta Pálīt kláħòcat kīh," Irleen quickly said, turning to point to Princess Zelda as she descended from the forecastle.
"Átūca Hōwàl wipa," the dark-skinned Sorian told his companion. The light-skinned Sorian replaced his sword in a sheath on his belt and ran toward the port bulwark. He jumped over, and the crew saw him open his wings and begin flapping toward the other airship. The remaining Sorian clapped his hands before opening his arms wide, a large smile on his face. "Pāāā, kárìl ta. Ō tàhàta."
Irleen breathed a relieved sigh. "Kákihōn," she told him. "Luc cotā kōlħi."
"Ùħ, tùkti káátī ahà?"
Irleen traded a confused look with Janni. "Con?" Irleen asked back.
"Opìt nùnū nūc?"
"Pā, kaklokòtānòt klácīh ō," Irleen admitted while Janni grinned at her awkwardness.
"Oħ," the dark-skinned Sorian said. "Kláhát nùlt kàpcīpat."
"Hah!" Janni cawed in response.
Irleen heaved a sigh. "Katòħa ō tanì…"