Chasing Sunlight

There was considerable excitement in Beacon and the lands of the Illuminated King over the apparition that had appeared at the turning of the season. But the inhabitants of those places were long accustomed to the strangeness that occasionally came from the east, such as the immense glacilium that had brought unseasonable cold before leaving again. The visitor had nearly been forgotten by the time an airship limped into port, battered and tattered, from an expedition to the far east.

The immense wealth of gold that the Endeavor brought with it generated far more interest than the lone inquisitor or the odd trio of women who disembarked. The passengers were nobody famous, but the sheer poundage of raw metal moving through customs made half of them minor celebrities — if only to those who wished to take advantage of the windfall.

It was said that Captain Montgomery spent a portion – a breathtaking amount to most, but only a fraction of the total – on the repair of the Endeavor. If the laborers complained that the ship’s spine or envelope felt strangely over-familiar to the touch and the ship’s cats watched them with an uncanny intelligence, that was simply attributed to the oddness of explorers and those who voyaged out into the dark. It was well known there had been an a member of the Inquisition aboard, so nothing too untoward could have occurred.

The young inquisitor in question vanished into Beacon’s tower. Most of those who saw the Illuminated King on a regular basis afterward – the court functionaries and nobles – remarked that his light seemed even brighter than before, his strength, if anything, greater. There was talk of pushing the boundaries of the kingdom further, of entering a new golden age.

Yet of the inquisitor himself there was no sign. Certain rumors, rapidly quashed by those within the inquisition, suggested that he was imprisoned, or hospitalized, somewhere deep inside Beacon’s tower, where none ventured save the Illuminated King’s closest confidants. Other, darker rumors suggested that the young man had been somehow consumed by the King, to empower his own monstrous life, but those were only circulated among malcontents and heretics. Such things were only spread to slander the ruler of humanity’s vigil against the darkness.

Among those same people, however, spread more credible news in the weeks and months following the return of the airship Endeavor. Certain members of the Reflected Council, those shadowy figures who ruled the underworld that existed even in the city of Beacon, went missing. All that was found of them was a copious amount of blood, and a small discarded husk like that of some exotic fruit.

Despite investigations by some very driven and bloodthirsty professionals, no culprit was ever established. Rather, those particular driven and bloodthirsty professionals as often as not vanished without ever being heard from again — resulting in a relatively peaceful stretch of time among criminal circles, as the underworld was deprived of its most feared enforcers. Such things were not well-known, however, and occasioned little stir outside of a certain select group.

Those incidents were relatively minor compared to the excitement among the collectors of curios and artifacts at the chance to acquire some of the last few trinkets from the doomed city of Tor Ilek. Though not within the borders of human civilization, it was known to the Exploration Society, and the strange nature of its architecture was a popular topic among those who dabbled in forbidden knowledge. With its destruction, the last few remnants, no matter how innocuous, became valuable commodities.

As nearly every airmen of the Endeavor became a very wealthy man, no few of them retired from that life, some to greater and some to lesser success. A number of them were predictably targeted by less savory individuals, especially a pair of robust fellows, one brawny and one wiry, who used their proceeds to jointly purchase their own airship. Most of the thieves and tricksters, however, found that the veteran airmen were no easy targets and, even when a few of the would-be thieves and brigands vanished save for the occasional scorched shadow, their difficulties went unmourned.

The combined occurrences led some who considered themselves to have more wit than they actually did to label the time after the return of the Endeavor the Winter of Blood. Others tried to label it the Winter of the Shadow, to some degree of mockery. All were in agreement that there was more than the usual excitement, even for a city as large as Beacon, but nothing outlandish enough to warrant more than the normal amount of gossip. By the time it became known that Captain Montgomery was outfitting the Endeavor for another expedition, the proposed trip was no more remarked than any other minor undertaking.

“A less auspicious departure this time,” Eleanor remarked to Captain Montgomery on the bridge of the Endeavor, as the airship left Beacon once again. Sarah and Marie stood behind her, each one with a cat draped over her shoulder; Dreyfus for Sarah and Penelope for Marie. They no longer presented themselves as maids, but still had ended up in Eleanor’s orbit.

“Considering what happened last time, I’m fine with that,” Montgomery replied, puffing on his pipe and keeping a sharp eye on his bridge crew. Most of them were new, if experienced, and had not yet fully settled into their berths. The reasons for Montgomery himself going out again were not clear – he surely had enough money for a lifetime – but perhaps he was simply struck by insatiable wanderlust.

“Well, we’re not going that far,” Eleanor said, looking at the maps she had acquired — some by legitimate methods, but most not. They stood next to the ones inherited from the Endeavor’s previous journey, and were most comprehensive maps of the east to be found. “Though I suppose Ukaresh is far enough.”

“Especially when we can’t get there anymore,” Montgomery said with a sigh.

“That’s why I needed these other maps,” Eleanor said cheerfully. “Only occult maps can get you to places that don’t exist.” She ran her fingers through her hair, combing it away from a face that was more youthful than it had been when she’d returned from the east. “Besides, now that I really understand the Green Garden, I ought to be able to find it myself, when we’re close enough.”

“East, then,” Montgomery said.

“Yes, Captain,” Eleanor agreed, looking out into the darkness. “East.”

END OF CHASING SUNLIGHT