Fen looked up at the Horizon's Promise and took it all in. It was an older style of ship. In fact it was the only ship like it at the docks. Newer ships were much more shallow and narrow with sails sprouting in all directions. The Horizon was tall and broad. Its sails were a series of triangles; two large masts held the sails above the deck at an angle. A third sail stretched toward the bow. A final pair of sails was folded along either side of the ship.

The hull was stark white. Along the leading edge, electrum lined the hull all the way down to the bottom of the keel. Runes ran down the entire length and glowed a bright blue. Captain Maolen was already walking towards the ship. Fen ran to keep up.

“You couldn't have gotten here any later,” Maolen said as they boarded the ship. “I was about to leave when you showed up.”

The crew bustled along the deck in a rehearsed manner. Fen had no idea what they were doing other than moving ropes from one place to another, but each person had a place and a job, that much she could tell.

“I assume you have no experience,” Maolen continued as she walked along the deck. “Until you've gained some and are not a complete danger to yourself and everyone else onboard, you will be working with Murry.”

Fen followed close behind as they took a flight of stairs below deck. They stopped on the next level, though the stairs continued another flight down. The second level was lined with bunks on either side with different supplies tied down along the center in a row. Two men stopped from tying down a pile of sacks to watch as Maolen and Fen continued on to a door at the bow of the ship.

The next room was much smaller with two tables bolted to the floor along with a couple of benches. Beyond that was an open doorway. Fen could hear the clatter of metal inside. A thin, bald man moved boxes and pans across the room as they walked in.

“Every time we restock, you oafs move things around,” the man said with his back to the doorway. “I have a system and-”

The man stopped mid-sentence as he turned and saw the captain standing in the entry. The man hastily put down the box he was carrying and brushed off his apron as he began apologizing. Captain Moalen laughed at his blubbering. After a moment the man turned to Fen and nodded.

“Who's this?” he asked.

“Your new responsibility. Use her as you wish,” Captain Maolen said. “and make sure she doesn't fall off the ship.”

“First time on a ship?” the man asked. Fen nodded. “Well, I know better than to complain about an extra pair of hands no matter how soft. Thank you, Captain.”

Captain Maolen nodded and then left. She a shouted set of orders to the men back in the main room, but Fen couldn't hear what they were.

“Welcome to the crew and all that,” the man said. “Now, grab that stack of pots and bring them over here, and then move this box over there.”

Fen did as instructed as the man leaned against the wall watching her.

“My name is Fen,” she said.

“Didn't ask,” he said back with a shrug. He was rubbing his bare chin as he watched her. In fact, Fen didn't think he had a single hair on his head at all. He pointed to the other side of the room. “No, those boxes go over on that side.”

Fen picked up the box again and moved it. “So you're Murry?” she asked.

“Call me Nubs,” he said with a smile. “And put this box with the other one.”

“Nubs?” Fen moved the box and then another one. They were all full of jars and canned food.

“Yup,” he said holding up his left hand. The first two fingers were missing a knuckle. “Lost 'em down the throat of a skyshark. My advice is to make sure they are dead before you try gutting one.”

Fen wasn't sure how to respond so she worked quietly as Nubs directed which boxes should go where. It seemed to her that he had her move every box at least twice. As she leaned over to lift a lumpy sack of something, her necklace fell loose from under her shirt. It hit the floor with a distinct sound. Fen picked it up quickly and began tying it back around her neck.

“I'd be careful who you let see that pendant, girl,” Nubs said, narrowing his eyes. “Not many on this ship are a fan of the guild.”

“I'm not a part of the guild,” Fen said as she placed the necklace back under her shirt.

“No? Then how did you get one of those?” Nubs pointed at her chest with his two, shorter fingers. The missing tips somehow made the gesture more intimidating to Fen.

“It was my father's. He gave it to me.”

“What did you say your name was?”

“I'm Fen, Fen Blackwind.”

Nubs leaned closer to her, eyeing her.

“I would keep that name to yourself too if I were you,” he said.

“Wait! You know my father?” Fen's heart pounded in her chest as she took another step towards Nubs.

“Enough of this,” Nubs said, pushing her back and around. “We need these things in order before the captain sets off. Otherwise, it will take us twice as long to make dinner, and these boys are anything but patient.”

Fen opened her mouth, but Nubs grunted at her as he picked up a heavier box that she had trouble with earlier.

Before long, they had the room organized. Fen sat on a box, exhausted. From above, she heard shouting, and feet running about.

“First time on a ship, you said?” Nubs asked.

“Yeah,” Fen said.

“Follow me, and do exactly what I tell and when I tell you.”

Fen followed Nubs out of the storage room, kitchen, and bunk room. They climbed the stairs to the deck and Fen was greeted with what looked like chaos. Men swirled around the deck, tying ropes everywhere, yelling at each other, and moving with precision. One man tossed a rope in the air without hardly look as another arrived in time to catch it and tie it to the railing.

“Come on,” Nubs said leading her towards a flight of stairs at the rear of the ship. Above, she could see Captain Maolen watching her men prepare the ship. She noticed them as they approached the stairs and nodded as they climbed.

“Afternoon Captain,” Nubs said with a nod. “First time on a ship, I figured she might as well see it properly.”

Fen avoided the Captain's gaze by looking out across the deck. From the extra height, it no longer seemed as frantic or chaotic.

“Very well,” Maolen said. “But don't make a habit of it. Serious work is being done and I don't need her getting in the way.”

“Of course, captain,” Nubs said. “Fen stand here and hold onto the rail.”

Fen did as instructed, walking to the port side of the ship and grabbing hold. She looked down as the last of the ropes were loosed from the dock and the walkway was removed. Below, she could see the canyon wall and the start of what was a very long way down.

“Are we ready, Boran?” Maolen asked turning to the man beside her.

He was stout and clean shaven. A stern look on his face as he watched the deck with narrow eyes. He was rigid and formal, more so standing next the captain, who seemed nearly too relaxed.

“Yes Captain,” is all he said.

“Very well, let's be off,” she said in return.

“Yes Captain,” he said taking in a breath. “Deck ready!”

He his voice carried like a whip, breaking through the noise and commotion below. The entire crew turned in unison towards Boran and shouted, “Ready!”

“Launch!” Boran shouted even louder than the last time.

Fen watched as Maolen placed her hand on a metal orb floating above a pedestal in front of her. Runes glowed along it in crisscrossed lines. She rotated it slightly, and the ship began to slowly drift from the dock. After a few moments they were a ship's breadth away and Maolen twisted the orb. The ship followed suit, turning away from the dock and towards the expansive canyon below and ahead of them.

“No headwind today, Captain,” Boran said from beside her.

“Good,” Maolen said with a smile. “Fen, it's a lucky first day for you. Boran, advise the crew.”

“Ready full sail!” Boran shouted.

The crew immediately sprang into action, loosening ropes and tying new ones down.

“Sails ready, Captain.”

“Let her go,” Maolen said as she rotated the ball forward.

The ship lurched upward suddenly, climbing higher. The crew loosed the main sails and extended the side sails. Fen felt the wind pick up behind her and watched the sails billow forward. The ship began picking up speed as it climbed higher and higher.

Fen looked behind as was shocked to see how far away the city had gotten. Aros seemed so much smaller now that she was seeing it from the middle of the canyon, a dark smudge along the rock wall. She gripped the rail tighter as she shifted her gaze downward. How had they gotten this high? She knew they were moving fast by how quickly the city was shrinking, but the ground below them seemed to be slowly moving behind them.

“Shouldn't there be more wind?” Fen asked looking to Nubs. She the sails were full, but her hair was barely moving.

Nubs pointed to the sphere in Captain Maolen's hands. “That thing there has something to do with it. There is electrum running throughout the ship. It lets us breathe, fly, calms the wind on deck, yet doesn't affect the sails. I don't understand any of it, but that orb is the key to it all.”

Fen watched as Maolen rotated the ball slightly in a different direction. A different pattern of runes began to glow and the ship turned slightly towards the west. It looked as though there were runes drawn on top of other runes that ran all along the orb. Maolen took a step back and looked to Boran.

“She's in your hands,” she said as she stepped aside for Boran. He nodded with a serious expression and stood rigidly beside the pedestal. He watched the crew below go about their business with a studying eye.

Maolen turned towards Fen and smiled. “First time is always something special.” The sun was high above them and her bright green eyes danced in the light.

“It's all incredible,” Fen said looking back again towards Aros.

“You seem to be taking to the altitude well enough. Better than most of these men anyway,” Maolen said as she began walking towards the stairs.

Nubs laughed and patted Fen on the shoulder to follow down the steps. “Half of these fools fell to the deck after peering over the edge the first time,” he said. “Now, back below. Nothing is worse than a bunch hungry fools stuck on a ship together.”

As they entered the galley, Nubs went to work. In fluid motions he pulled out pans and food from various crates. Fen watched as he gathered everything without a second guess. He nodded to himself with a pleased smile. The smile faded as he looked up at Fen.

“Don't just stand there, cut up everything in those two bags and put it all in that big pot.”

Fen jumped slightly before quickly moving to where she remembered storing the knives. She pulled one and turned towards the bags of food.

“Anxious to loose some fingers?” Nubs said placing his hand on her shoulder. He laughed as he took the knife from her and handed her a smaller one. Fen turned away from him, blushing as she set up her station.

She began cutting a bag full of potatoes and another of onions. It seemed simple enough, but before long Nubs was standing over her shoulder fixing the way she held the knife and the potato. Fen felt as though she was moving at a good pace, until she looked over to see the piles cut meat and vegetables in front of Nubs. He was scooping it into a pot in handfuls.

“You almost done over there?” he asked.

“Trying,” she said. “I'm not as fast as you.”

“You're right,” he said pushing her to the side. “You aren't.”

Fen watched as Nubs began cutting the onions faster than she thought possible. His knife moved in a blur and was just barely missing what was left of fingers. In moments, he was finished and pouring water into both pots.

“Clear off the table behind us,” he said.

Fen cleared the table as instructed. Inlaid into the wood were two square sheets of electrum. Runes ran along the edges and crossed in an X from the corners. Nubs lifted the pots over and placed one in the center of each square. In minutes the water was boiling and the room was filled with smell of cooking meat and vegetables.

Nubs sat down in a chair and sighed.

“Let it sit for a couple of hours and we'll be set,” he said. “Now, clean up that mess you made.”

Fen cleaned both of their stations while Nubs supervised. Once complete, she sat on a large box and watched the steam rising from the pots.

“Ever seen a cooking plate before,” Nubs asked.

“Never,” she said. “Before today, I hadn't seen much more than lamps and locks with electrum in them.”

“Open that box you are sitting on.”

Fen stepped down and lifted the top. A puff of cold air blew out. Inside were pieces of meat and a few vegetables.

“No idea how any of it works, but that box keeps everything cool inside. Crazy stuff. This ship has more electrum in it than some smaller ships have wood.”

“It must be worth a fortune,” Fen said sitting back down.

“More than that,” Nubs said nodding. “Only one like it left. Supposedly it's been in the Captains family for generations.”

Fen nodded and looked around the room again trying to imagine how old it really was. As she lost herself to thought, her hand drifted up to hold the pendant under her shirt. She lowered it when she noticed Nubs eyeing her.

“How long ago did he give that to you?” he asked.

Fen shrugged. “I was four or five when he left.”

“Haven't seen him since?”

“No.”

“And your mother let you join a crew?”

Fen looked back towards the steam rising. “She died a few years ago.”

“I see.”

“That's why I'm here, to find him. That way we can be a family again.” Fen ran her finger along the outline of the pages folded in her pocket.

Nubs sat quietly for a moment before standing.

“I hope you do find him. And if I've learned anything, it's that family is what you make it,” he said before walking out the door.

Fen could hear shouting up above as men worked. She sat alone in the galley with her thoughts, watching the steam twist and turn into different shapes as it rose. Fen pulled out the letter and read it. Her father was out there somewhere. She knew it. She could feel it.

“Oh, that smells good!” a voice said from the door.

Fen jumped, folding the letter back into her pocket. As she turned she was greeted by a tall man standing in the entry way. He had a dirty, brown cap on his head that he held with one hand as he leaned in. A shorter man leaned in beside him, enjoying the smell as well. The taller man had a pleasant smile to his face as he closed his eyes. The smaller man, however had a scar running across the bridge of his nose and down one cheek. It mangled his expression. The two men opened their eyes and looked to Fen.

“First meal of a trip is always the best,” the larger man said.

“Any chance you can save us the best piece of meat?” asked the smaller man.

Fen looked around unsure of what to say. Her shoulders dropped in relief as she heard Nubs voice.

“Hey! Off with you two,” Nubs shouted pushing past them. “You know the rules, first to arrive are the last to eat.”

The pleasant expression on the man's face was replaced with a frown. The second man's face would have been a similar frown if the scar hadn't distorted it. He looked from Nubs back to Fen.

“New girl?” he asked.

“Her name is Fen. The captain placed her under my charge.”

“Yes, the captain,” the man said the words with bitter look that only lasted a second. He turned to Fen and tipped his dirty cap to her. “Name is Ferrul. I'll show you around if you ever get tired of this one.”

“I'm Drigs,” the smaller one said. “A ship can be a lonely place. You need friends.”

“Not from you two loafers,” Nubs said pushing them back from the door. “Now off, and don't let me catch you in line before everyone else has had their turn.”

Nubs watched the two men until they climbed the stairs back up towards the deck. He turned back to the pots, muttering to himself. He tasted a spoon full from each and nodded to himself. Satisfied he turned towards Fen, shocked to see her standing still.

“What are you waiting for? This is almost done. Get the bowls.”

Fen took a few tries finding the bowls, Nubs watching her impatiently the entire time. She set them out on the other table across from the pots and looked back at Nubs.

“We'll give it another minute,” he said placing his spoon down. “Watch out for those two. They aren't the type of friends I'd be keen on making, if you understand me.”

Fen nodded as she pulled out a box of spoons and placed one in each bowl.

“Now, it's time for the rush,” Nubs said with a smile as he began quickly filling bowls.