Somewhere far far away ... Part 3

Somewhere far far away ... Part 3 (a collaborative story) Somewhere far far away ... Part 1 (Chapters 1 to 4) Somewhere far far away ... Part 2 (Chapters 5 & 6) Table of Contents (so far!) Chapters 1 - 4 is in Somewhere far far away ... Part 1 Part 2 Chapter 5 & Chapter 6 Chapter 7 (by panos) : Everyone loves a very very handsome Wizard Comments Chapter 7 Chapter 7 images and text by panos The Wizard's chapter: “So,” says Nemanya. ‘Welcome aboard the Sky Torrent. We leave forthwith. We’re going to cruise on a wide arc, from the Desert of Set to the Ocean of Sorrows." She looks at me. "I must say, wizard, Cousin Henry sent you to me at a most fortunate time. I was hesitant to cruise those places without a magic-user but now my hands are free. You will be very handy if – or rather when, for it is a certainty – we come up against a sky-kraken.” "But of course…. Wait… WHAT?!! Sky-KRAKENS?! There are SKY-krakens, now?!!”’ Captain Nemanya looks at me, somewhat ironically. “Something the matter, wizard? You look pale all of a sudden? Is it something I said? Won’t you be able to stand up to one of those terrible, deadly sky-monsters?" Her face hardens, suddenly. “Are you …less skilled than you claim, perhaps?” I try to compose myself. This IS a shock… “Why, of course not, Captain!” I offer another smile. This one, unfortunately, is rather shaky. “Absolutely no problem at all! I was just…. Startled… you see, I have not travelled to these parts before … and uhh… I expressed my… zoological surprise for the existence of such…. Extraordinaire … creatures.” I finish lamely. The First rolls his eyes. – “I tell you Cap’n. The wizard is full of it.” Nemanya dismisses the matter. “We will simply see about it. Can’t idle any more. Immediate departure, First!" “Aye, aye Cap’n!’ He salutes and turns away already shouting orders. In the midst of hurried to -and - fro of sailors, Captain Nemanya tells us, “Time to get to know the ship.” Then she shouts: - “Xenya! Xenya!!” She looks around. "Where has that kid gotten to, now? I swear…” "Here, Captain! I’m here!!!’ Suddenly, I don’t quite understand where from, a child appears like a whirlwind beside us. A little girl, about ten, ginger short hair, blue slanting eyes, clever, freckly face – what you can discern of it under the oil and dirt smudges that cover it and her hands and her mechanic’s coveralls. She wears the ubiquitous air-sailor goggles (that look kind of funny on her) She spares a full of curiosity glance on us, then turns to Nemanya. "I was helping the lads with the gear-nets, Captain! And I told Chief Musten about the steam-gauges on engine no 7! And before that, I got up the balloon-watchpoint to clean the telescopes there, as you ordered, Captain! And..” Barely able to hide her smile, Captain Nemanya stops the girl’s torrent of words. “All right, Xenya! Good job!” The girl swells with pride at that. Nemanya points to us. “We have new crew here. Our new ship’s wizard and an – apparently – excellent mechanic. Take them to their cabins – the Mage’s cabin at deck 2 and the one beside it. And show the mechanic the engine room, introduce her to the mechanic-crew there.” The girl stands at attention. "Aye, aye, Captain!" cries the girl eagerly. Nemanya turns to us. “This is Xenya. She is my Third Mechanic.” "Wait, what?” I say, “THIS is one of your ‘five VERY good mechanics'?” I ask incredulously. “Yes, wizard. So, now I have five VERY good mechanics AND an excellent one. Now, go! I have an airship to get on its way.” She turns her back to us and starts shouting orders to nearby sailors. “Catherine,” I say to her in a low voice, "I think you may find yourself occupied with the engines MUCH sooner than I thought.” Cat gives me a nervous smile. At that moment, Melnya detaches herself from my shoulder and flies to the girl. “Hello, Xenya!!” she shouts. “My, what a beautiful little girl you are! And you look so clever and capable! You must be a GREAT mechanic! I am Melnya!” ‘Jeez’, I think, ‘doesn’t that bird ever stop?!’ The girl, Xenya lets out a squeal of pure childish joy. "Wow!! A beautiful magic bird!!!” she cries. “Yes, I am a magic bird!’ says Melnya. “Why, you think I am beautiful?! My, what a nice little girl you are, Xenya! Do you want to be friends with me?" “Yes! Yes!’ shouts Xenya, jumping up and down. “I want to!! Can I pet you, Melnya?!” “Of course!” says Melnya and nestles in the open palm of Xenya’s hand. The girl proceeds to pet the bird’s multicolored feathers, full of admiration. Catherine kneels on one knee in front of the girl. “Hello, Xenya!” Cat says to her. “I am Catherine! It appears we are to work together in the engine room. You want to be friends with me, too?" The girl gives Cat a very shy smile. “Hello, Cat, yes, I’d like that, very much.” “Great, Xenya! I’m so glad!” says Catherine. “You know, since we are to be friends, you can call me Cat!” "Cat. I like cats!” says Xenya. “Me too!” says Catherine. “And I, Xenya, am Takkis of Heliopolis, your ship’s new wizard!” I say in my kid-friendliest voice. Xenya gives me an expressionless glance and turns her back to me. “C’mon Cat” she says, “let’s get below decks as the Captain ordered.” She proceeds to walk, Catherine following. “Wow!’ I say. “That was VERY friendly – not to mention, well mannered, there, kiddo!” Cat looks at me from over her shoulder, shaping with her mouth the phrase ‘ She is very shy. ’ I shrug and follow. By the by, we step down to below-decks, walking in a corridor lighted with gaslamps. Piping and cabling are on the roof. Catherine and the little Very Good Third Mechanic maintain an unceasing chatter, Melnya fluttering around them. Me, I’m thinking of various and varied matters. I’m thinking about sky-krakens and I’m thinking about sky-KRAKENS. Oh, and I’m thinking about SKY-krakens, too. We are approaching a stairway going down the next-down deck. Three boys – older than Xenya, around 12-13 – are sprawled on the top stair, talking and laughing. At the sight of them, the girl catapults herself towards them, screaming her head off, “What are you doing, sitting here on your a$$es, the ship taking OFF, you pissy, lazy scurvy-dogs?! To your tasks at ONCE or the Captain will rip your HEADS off!! PISS OFF!!!!!!!!!” Despite being older and much bulkier than her, the three boys jump up and run off, panicky, passing by us, as if their butts are on fire. Me and Catherine stand still, startled to stillness by the sight. "Hey! That’s no way to talk, young lady!” I say automatically, deep-ingrained lessons from childhood taking charge. At once, Xenya turns toward me, her face livid. "Who you callin’ a ‘lady’ stupid wizard?!!!!!" she screams and instantly gives me such a kick straight to my right shin that I feel my foot is going to be hurled to the other side of the corridor. I hear a startled yelp from Cat as I instinctively grasp my struck foot with both my hands (even the one holding my staff). "Ouuchhh!!!” I holler painfully “What the Fffff…. What was that ffffor?!!’ I manage to change my phrase at the last moment. "THAT was for callin’ me a scurvy-LADY, stupid wizard!!” shouts the girl. “An’ when you wanna say ‘What the f@#k’, say ‘What the F@#K!!!” I swear I am instantly petrified at this, my jaw hitting the deck. Catherine yelps even louder, bringing the palm of one hand to her wide-open mouth. She turns to me. One look at me, standing there on one foot, grasping the other, eyes goggling, jaw hanging, is enough. Her face becomes red and she starts to laugh loudly, "ha-ha-ha-haaaa!!!” I turn to her, totally hurt. “Why, thank you VERY much, Catherine, for finding the sight of my almost-broken leg so hilarious!” Cat tries to take hold of herself, in vain. “Oh, come on, now, you big baby!’ she manages to say at last. “I tell you, I almost had multiple fractions, here!” I protest. "Serves you RIGHT, stupid wizard!” shouts the girl, her face bright-red from anger. "Oh, you…” I start angrily. “Hey!” protests Cat, wiping tears of mirth from her face. “She’s just a kid!’ “A kid that kicks like an adult Onocentaur!” I retort. "WHO you calling!…” starts Xenya at once, making me instinctively … hop undignifiedly two step backwards in fear of that ramming-prow foot of hers managing another crushing blow on me. “HEY!’ shouts Catherine, this time at the girl. “Stop it, Xenya! Now!!” Instantly, the girl stops, almost standing at attention. “I don’t like hearing you saying such words, Xenya,” says Cat sternly. “…sorry Cat…” murmurs the girl with a shamed, shy expression. Cat softens. She kneels in front of Xenya and she touches a strand of the girl’s blond hair that has fallen across her eyes, pushing it back. “Now,’ she says, “since we’re to be friends – and coworkers – let’s make a deal: no more bad words, okay?” “…Okay, Cat…. Sorry, I didn’t want you to get angry at me…” “On, no!” says Cat, caressing tenderly Xenya’s hair, “I did not get angry at you… But!! I got very sad! I get very sad when I hear pretty girls like you, friends and coworkers, talk like that” Here, I clear my throat. Loudly. Hiding a smile, Cat says, “AND kicking people! That, too!” Xenya mumbles something indistinct. “You don’t want to be making me sad, do you?” Xenya shakes her head negatively, looking at the deck. “Now,” says Cat, "apologize to the good wizard that you… kicked” (Barely hiding her smirk) At that, though, the girl explodes again. “No!!” she shouts “I won’t say sorry! HE started it!!! He called me a stupid LADY!! I’m no lady! I’m a… a.. a Very Good Third Mechanic!! And HE is a stupid wizard!!!” Catherine is somewhat taken aback, but stays friendly, as she insists, speaking softly. “He is not stupid, Xenya. He is my friend and he is a good wizard.’ “NO!!!!!!” almost screams the girl at that, startling Cat so much that she moves back slightly. “There are NO good wizards!!! There are only BAD wizards!! And stupid wizards!! And… and… bad, stupid wizards!!” “ALSO!” I interrupt, “there are Dirty-Mouthed-Little-Brats-A$$-Kicking-Wizards!!!” “Stop it!!” says Catherine to me, glaring at me. “She’s a kid!” “So, I’ll just stand here, getting kicked?!! Is that what you mean?” Not deigning to answer me, she turns back to Xenya. “What if I ask you not to kick him again? And not call my friend bad and stupid? As a friend? What do you say?” Hesitantly, the girl looks at her. “Okay, Cat. Because we are friends….” “Thank you!” says Cat, hugging briefly Xenya, something the girl accepts with obvious satisfaction. Cat straightens up. – “Now, how about we continue with the tasks the Captain gave us?" “Yes, Cat,” says Xenya. “This way” She leads the way down the stairway that brings us to the next-down deck. Here she pauses. “Come on, Cat. The Engine room is down this way.” She points to the left. “Cabins are there.” – pointing to the right – “Yours are fifth down the corridor and the one beside it.” She glares at me. “Stupid wizard can find it on his own!” I open my mouth but Catherine glares at me. ‘Shush!!! ’ she mouths at me. I close it again. Cat, Xenya and Melnya move to the right. Grumbling, "At least she left the 'Bad' part out." I turn my back and head the other way. I take care to favor my hit leg – which still HURTS, no matter what Cat thinks – when a change in the engines’ thrum is followed by a sudden lurch, probably because of the ship’s disengagement from its mooring-mast, startles me and makes put my whole weight on it. I let out a yelp, hurrying to put my other foot down. "Oooh!" I mumble, starting moving again. "I‘ll get you, little brat! Trust me. I’m a wizard." Chapter 8 by CaylaCatz will be added soon comments If you want to be notified every time a new chapter appears, please say so in the comments.