Chapter 17
Ifrit pushed open the barn doors, then picked up a broom and swept snow away from the pair of rails that led down to the shore of the lake. Cid emerged from the barn and surveyed the scene. She gave a cheery wave to the miners who were coming off the night shift. Several of them wandered over.
"So, you're really launching that thing?" asked a grizzled old miner.
"Sure," she said. "I got Red to help me."
"Hi Red," said Nigel running over. "Is the boat safe?"
Ifrit shrugged. "At this point I don't care. I'm in a hurry."
"Well Miss Cid is happy you came back. She talks about you a lot," he said.
Ifrit kept his voice calm. "Really?"
Nigel looked concerned. "Why don't you stay? I mean when you get back."
Ifrit sighed. "I can't stay anywhere until I stop this."
"Stop what?" asked Nigel.
Ifrit gestured for him to be quiet when he saw Shiva appear. "Hi," he called out.
She ignored him and went over to the water's edge. By now the miners had joined in sweeping the tracks. Cid climbed onto the boat and tied ropes to the upper deck. One of the villagers came forward and handed Ifrit a plaque.
"What's this?" he asked.
"It's for the boat," said the miner. "We're christening it in honor of our beloved Queen."
Ifrit held it out. "H.M.S. Lete?"
"No, it should read Lethe," corrected the miner.
"I know but you spelled it wrong," said Ifrit.
"What?" The miner peered at it for a moment and shrugged. "Well, spelling was never my strong suit."
Ifrit groaned and put the plaque away. "Gee thanks."
The miners had taken hold of the ropes and began to pull. The boat shuddered and stayed stubbornly in place at first, but suddenly gave way with a shriek and began to slide slowly down the rails toward the water. In the full light it looked truly ungainly. Tall pipes jutted out of the boiler bolted to the stern. Several iron hatches were mounted on the upper deck. Cid proudly posed as the wind ruffled her coat. Finally the boat settled into the water with a sigh. Ifrit hopped over onto the deck and nearly slipped off. Shiva grabbed a rope and pulled herself up. As she reached the top Ifrit lowered his hand. She ignored it and pulled herself onto the deck. They regarded each other uncertainly.
"Hey, good luck!" called out Nigel.
Ifrit reluctantly turned toward the miners gathered by the shore. "Thanks everyone!"
Cid turned amazed as one of the hatches opened from the inside. "So we're finally underway?" asked Ramuh.
"Grandpa!" yelled Shiva, rushing over to embrace him. "I knew you'd be here!"
"I'm sorry that I let my anger toward Ballant blind me to more important things," he said sadly.
"It's okay old man," said Ifrit. "But let's go below before we freeze."
Soon they were crammed in the claustrophobic spaces below decks. The only illumination was from lamps hanging overhead. The ship has no windows except for the hatches, which were cracked open. Ifrit stood hunched over in the stern shoveling coal into the furnace that powered the boat. Cid was steering by watching through a small hatch in the bow. The boat groaned as the ice split ahead of it. Ramuh and Shiva sat side by side on a hammock.
"So how are we going to take on the entire Magic Academy?" asked Shiva.
"Well, for one thing, most of the Academy are students, who are no match for us in a fight." Said Ramuh. "Also most of the professors would be inexperienced in combat. Our only worry are the Mage Knights, particularly the Raj."
"So are you guys wizards too?" asked Cid.
Ramuh and Shiva exchanged glances. Ramuh called back to Ifrit. "Can she be trusted?"
"Would I be shoveling all this stinking coal if I didn't?" yelled back Ifrit.
"Do you need help?" asked Shiva.
"No, I'd freeze if I wasn't here. I'll be fine," said Ifrit.
Shiva looked back toward Cid. "We're Espers."
Cid half turned and gaped. "Really? You mean like super powerful Espers?"
Ramuh nodded. "Yes, we were banished from Jidoor because of that."
Cid whistled appreciatively. "Wow, that must have been a surprise, huh Red?"
"I'm an Esper too," said Ifrit brushing coal dust off his hands.
Cid let go of the wheel and stared at him. "What?"
"I'm an Esper," he said evenly.
Cid sat down heavily. Finally she looked up again. "What kind?" she asked.
"Fire," said Ifrit, shoveling coal again.
"No I mean what do you look like?" asked Cid.
Ifrit paused for a moment. "Hideous."
Cid turned back to the wheel and steered in silence. Shiva got up and walked over to Ifrit. She took out a cloth and wiped his brow. He backed away in surprise but she took his arm. "I don't think you're hideous," she said.
"Thanks," he replied.
"Just tell me one thing," she said softy.
"Sure," he replied nervously.
"What does she mean to you?" asked Shiva.
Ifrit looked wounded. "I like her Shiva, but I didn't stay with her. I would stay with you if you asked."
Shiva looked ashamed. "I'm sorry, it's hard for me to trust people."
Ifrit grimaced. "I understand. But could you do me a favor?"
"What?"
"You're hurting me," he said.
She let go of his arm.
Ifrit pushed open the barn doors, then picked up a broom and swept snow away from the pair of rails that led down to the shore of the lake. Cid emerged from the barn and surveyed the scene. She gave a cheery wave to the miners who were coming off the night shift. Several of them wandered over.
"So, you're really launching that thing?" asked a grizzled old miner.
"Sure," she said. "I got Red to help me."
"Hi Red," said Nigel running over. "Is the boat safe?"
Ifrit shrugged. "At this point I don't care. I'm in a hurry."
"Well Miss Cid is happy you came back. She talks about you a lot," he said.
Ifrit kept his voice calm. "Really?"
Nigel looked concerned. "Why don't you stay? I mean when you get back."
Ifrit sighed. "I can't stay anywhere until I stop this."
"Stop what?" asked Nigel.
Ifrit gestured for him to be quiet when he saw Shiva appear. "Hi," he called out.
She ignored him and went over to the water's edge. By now the miners had joined in sweeping the tracks. Cid climbed onto the boat and tied ropes to the upper deck. One of the villagers came forward and handed Ifrit a plaque.
"What's this?" he asked.
"It's for the boat," said the miner. "We're christening it in honor of our beloved Queen."
Ifrit held it out. "H.M.S. Lete?"
"No, it should read Lethe," corrected the miner.
"I know but you spelled it wrong," said Ifrit.
"What?" The miner peered at it for a moment and shrugged. "Well, spelling was never my strong suit."
Ifrit groaned and put the plaque away. "Gee thanks."
The miners had taken hold of the ropes and began to pull. The boat shuddered and stayed stubbornly in place at first, but suddenly gave way with a shriek and began to slide slowly down the rails toward the water. In the full light it looked truly ungainly. Tall pipes jutted out of the boiler bolted to the stern. Several iron hatches were mounted on the upper deck. Cid proudly posed as the wind ruffled her coat. Finally the boat settled into the water with a sigh. Ifrit hopped over onto the deck and nearly slipped off. Shiva grabbed a rope and pulled herself up. As she reached the top Ifrit lowered his hand. She ignored it and pulled herself onto the deck. They regarded each other uncertainly.
"Hey, good luck!" called out Nigel.
Ifrit reluctantly turned toward the miners gathered by the shore. "Thanks everyone!"
Cid turned amazed as one of the hatches opened from the inside. "So we're finally underway?" asked Ramuh.
"Grandpa!" yelled Shiva, rushing over to embrace him. "I knew you'd be here!"
"I'm sorry that I let my anger toward Ballant blind me to more important things," he said sadly.
"It's okay old man," said Ifrit. "But let's go below before we freeze."
Soon they were crammed in the claustrophobic spaces below decks. The only illumination was from lamps hanging overhead. The ship has no windows except for the hatches, which were cracked open. Ifrit stood hunched over in the stern shoveling coal into the furnace that powered the boat. Cid was steering by watching through a small hatch in the bow. The boat groaned as the ice split ahead of it. Ramuh and Shiva sat side by side on a hammock.
"So how are we going to take on the entire Magic Academy?" asked Shiva.
"Well, for one thing, most of the Academy are students, who are no match for us in a fight." Said Ramuh. "Also most of the professors would be inexperienced in combat. Our only worry are the Mage Knights, particularly the Raj."
"So are you guys wizards too?" asked Cid.
Ramuh and Shiva exchanged glances. Ramuh called back to Ifrit. "Can she be trusted?"
"Would I be shoveling all this stinking coal if I didn't?" yelled back Ifrit.
"Do you need help?" asked Shiva.
"No, I'd freeze if I wasn't here. I'll be fine," said Ifrit.
Shiva looked back toward Cid. "We're Espers."
Cid half turned and gaped. "Really? You mean like super powerful Espers?"
Ramuh nodded. "Yes, we were banished from Jidoor because of that."
Cid whistled appreciatively. "Wow, that must have been a surprise, huh Red?"
"I'm an Esper too," said Ifrit brushing coal dust off his hands.
Cid let go of the wheel and stared at him. "What?"
"I'm an Esper," he said evenly.
Cid sat down heavily. Finally she looked up again. "What kind?" she asked.
"Fire," said Ifrit, shoveling coal again.
"No I mean what do you look like?" asked Cid.
Ifrit paused for a moment. "Hideous."
Cid turned back to the wheel and steered in silence. Shiva got up and walked over to Ifrit. She took out a cloth and wiped his brow. He backed away in surprise but she took his arm. "I don't think you're hideous," she said.
"Thanks," he replied.
"Just tell me one thing," she said softy.
"Sure," he replied nervously.
"What does she mean to you?" asked Shiva.
Ifrit looked wounded. "I like her Shiva, but I didn't stay with her. I would stay with you if you asked."
Shiva looked ashamed. "I'm sorry, it's hard for me to trust people."
Ifrit grimaced. "I understand. But could you do me a favor?"
"What?"
"You're hurting me," he said.
She let go of his arm.