Fen watched the ships sail in and out of the port. All sizes and shapes, they rode the wind gracefully as they flew. The same wind blew through her dark hair as she sat on top of a nearby building, dangling her feet off the edge. Far enough away, it was a silent, mesmerizing dance. Every ship coming and going at just the right moment. Some floated in slowly from high above the city, while others seemed to rise from below, deep within the ravine that lay beside the port.

She could watch the ships for hours. She had been watching for hours. In a moment of self awareness, she looked up to see the sun lowering towards the horizon. Fen muttered a curse under her breath and began climbing from the wall. As she left the alley she had climbed down into, Fen could hear voices of others. Familiar voices.

Around the corner, two teenage boys had a younger boy sandy blonde hair pinned to the wall. The contents of a satchel lay scattered on the ground as a third boy, largest of the three, was carefully checking the bag for any hidden pockets. That would be Roe and the other two, his companions in delinquency, Bit and Tawn.

Not finding anything of value, Roe turned his attention to the boy. He spoke in a grumble, trying to make his voice sound deeper that it was.

“Well dressed kid like you,” he said. “Gotta have some money on him. Where is it?”

The boy whimpered a reply that Fen could hear, though it was clear Roe didn’t like the answer.

“Well the shoes look new at least. Should be some money in that.” Roe said rubbing his chin. “You two have your fun with him and take the shoes.”

Fen swallowed hard and took a step forward. Her heart was pounding in her ears and she could feel her cheeks flushing as she approached.

“Leave him alone!” She yelled. She hadn’t meant it to be that loud.

The four boys turned her direction, three confused and one hopeful.

“You going to stop us Fen?” Roe asked. They’d grown up together on the same block, but he had moved to another part of the city last year for his apprenticeship. Apparently it hadn’t lasted long, if he was back to ruffing up kids on the street.

Fen stepped up to him and look him in the eye. He had gotten much taller.

“Yes,” she said. “You three are going to leave now.”

“Or what you going to tell your mom?” He laughed. “Or maybe your dad. Where’s he?”

She punched him square in the nose. He knew better than to bring up her parents. Roe stepped back moaning and with a hand to his face. He glared at her with angry eyes as he pinched his nose to keep from bleeding.

Satisfied, Fen turned to the boy who was picking up last of his belongings and placing them in his satchel. She knelt and helped gather what was left.

“Are you alright?” She asked. He was maybe only nine or ten years old, and very finely dressed. What was he doing out by himself? Obviously from a wealthy family, what did he know about the streets?

“Yeah,” he shrugged. “Only a couple of bruises.”

He leaned in a whispered in her ear with a sly smile. “The money is in my shoes.”

Maybe he knows a little.

Fen didn’t have time to dwell on this thought as a hand spun her around. She cried out in pain as a hand slapped across her left cheek. Tears immediately formed in her eyes as she tried to get her bearings. Fen tasted blood on her lip. She could hear Roe laughing.

“It’s like I was saying earlier,” he said in a nasal voice to his companions. “You have to keep your women in line. Otherwise....”

He let the words hang there as he regarded Fen. She could feel her ears turning red as she stood. Her cheek throbbed with each heartbeat, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her touch it. Instead she kicked him in the groin and watched him crumple to the ground silently. The other two boys drew in sharp breaths of air and knelt to attend to their leader.

The younger boy followed after as Fen walked away.

“That was great!” The boy said excitedly.

“What are you doing out this late? You shouldn’t be here.”

“I was with my dad, down at the port. I spend the day with him. We lost track of time, and then a big ship flew in. He had to stay behind, but I’ve made the walk before. Never seen those guys though.”

“Yeah, they aren’t from this side of town,” Fen said. Why was he following her?

“Just bad luck today, I guess,” the boy said considering. “Good luck too, with you showing up.”

Fen grunted a reply. Her face still hurt, and it was getting dark quickly. Mei would be so angry.

The two walked in silence up the darkening road. Up ahead of them, they could see a man lighting street lamps. In his bag, small marble orbs were etched with the same six runes that were written on the inside of the lamp. Once positioned, the orbs would begin glowing a soft silver-blue light. It would last until morning, when the marble had completely disintegrated to dust. Another man would collect this in the morning, but Fen wasn’t sure what it was used for.

“Well, my home is two doors down this street,” the boy said breaking their silence at a junction. “Maybe I’ll see you around?”

“I doubt it,” Fen said not looking back. “Stay away from those guys next time.”

“Oh, I will,” Fen heard him say over her shoulder.

The road was lit the rest of the way as Fen walked home. She could see her sister waiting for her just outside the door of their building. She didn’t need to be close to know that Mei would be frowning.

“Do you try to make me worry on purpose, or is it just a happy accident for you?” Mei asked as Fen climbed the steps.

She was four years older, but Fen was almost as tall. Fen was tall for her age and especially for a girl. She also thought of Mei as much prettier, though this was a more recent comparison she had been making. She still wasn’t sure why she cared so much about it.

“It was an accident. I lost track of time, and then...” Fen trailed off, thinking it better not to mention Roe and the others. She tried to push through the doorway, but Mei caught her by the shoulders and looked Fen over. Mei’s eyes glanced at the small patch of dried blood on Fen’s lip. She frowned, looking back up into Fen’s eyes.

“What happened?” The anger was gone from Mei’s voice, but something about the concerned tone she used now bothered Fen.

“It was nothing,” Fen said struggling to be free of Mei’s grip. “I ran into Roe and his friends.”

“And he did this to you? Why?”

“I punched him in the nose.” Fen squared her shoulders as Mei dropped her hands.

“Fen...”

“I was trying to make him stop roughing up some kid, and then he started talking about our parents. He has no right!”

Mei nodded and followed Fen inside. They climbed the stairs to the top floor in silence. Mei closed the door behind them and locked it shut with a bolt.

“He may well have deserved it, but you have to pick your battles better,” Mei said sitting down at the small table. She lit a small gas lamp. Etched orbs were expensive.

The table was old and worn, but still stable. The legs were strong, though the top had a large crack in the center. Ridges from the wood grain were pronounced as the softer portions of wood had been worn away from years of plates and hands had moved across the surface. Mei traced these with her finger, absently, as she thought.

“I work with his mother down at the loom,” Mei continued. “She’ll want to know he is no longer serving under that master blacksmith.”

Fen shrugged and sat down across from her sister. She watched Mei’s fingers move along the wood.

“Have you given it any more thought?” Mei asked.

“I still don’t know,” Fen lied. Half lied, at least. How could she explain the desire that drew her to the port each evening?

“Your birthday is tomorrow, you’ll need to choose a vocation soon.”

“I know that,” Fen snapped.

“I know you do. I just want to help,” Mei said calmly. “It’s your decision, but I’ll talk to the loom masters tomorrow and see if they have room to take you on. Just an option.”

Fen gripped the leg of the table and squeezed hard. The words were so hard.

“I don’t want that,” Fen managed to say in a soft voice. It was difficult to keep the edge out of her voice.

“What do you want?”

“I want to sail,” Fen said. “I want to ride the wind. I want to travel to Sorol and Linara. I want to see the blue horizon in the east.”

“Oh, and maybe spear a few skywhales?” Mei added in with a laugh.

“I want to explore, like dad.”

Fen swallowed after the last words. She hadn’t planned on say the last part, as true as it was. Mei’s expression darkened for a moment before she recovered.

“He abandoned us,” Mei said. Her hand no longer traced the wood. “He left mom to work extra shifts at the tannery, so she could feed us. You were just a baby. She worked herself into an early grave, and you want to be like him?”

Mei wiped tears from her eyes and Fen stared at the table.

“That’s not what I mean,” Fen started.

“Dreams of adventure are fine for a child,” Mei interrupted. “You are turning fourteen, old enough to apprentice. In the real world, you must do what is required of you. Dreams can change, and sometimes it's for the better. You have to think of more than just yourself. I’ll talk to the masters at the loom, but you should think hard about what you really want to apprentice in.”

Fen opened her mouth to speak again, but Mei held up her hand stopping her.

“I’m not talking about this anymore tonight,” she said. “Think over what I’ve said.”

Mei turned the lamp to a lower setting that created a slight shadow across the opposite wall where their bunk beds were set up. She left Fen at the table and prepared for sleep.

Fen didn’t say anything more. Her sister would be up early to begin her shift at the loom. Instead, Fen stared at the small flame dancing behind the yellowed glass of the lamp and let her thoughts wander. She felt the small amount of heat radiating from the lamp and pulled the leather cord around her neck, retrieving a pendant that she kept beneath her shirt.

It was a small stone wrapped in electrum wire. The stone itself was a striking, light blue-green color, that seemed to glow with an inner light. Save for the back, which was polished smooth, the stone was in its uncut form. Her father had given it to her mother, and her mother had given it to her.

Fen held the stone up to the lamp and pressed it against the glass. The hairs on her hand stood on end and she could taste metal in her mouth. The stone vibrated a subtle rhythm. Three short pulses followed by a longer pulse.

The rhythm brought a memory to edge of Fen’s mind, though she had stopped trying to recall it a long time ago. Instead she let the repetition lull her towards sleep.