Page 67 of Sea of Stars

Herovinci rushed off the quarterdeck, slid down a ladder to the galley, snaked through a maze of barrels and wood piles, and then finally climbed down another ladder to the crow's nest, beneath the keel of the airship. He should have taken more care to grab each rung, but he was too excited to bother.

"Any sign yet?" asked Herovinci, but no one was there to respond. Where is she? he wondered. Lucia should have been keeping watch from the crow's nest, especially when they were so close to Edge Island. Had she fallen overboard? Herovinci hoped not. He never had much luck with women, but he thought he might have a chance with Lucia. If the journey was successful, maybe she would see past his patchy beard and soft belly. Maybe she would see the brilliance that lay beneath.

Herovinci scanned the crow's nest to gather more information about Lucia's disappearance. The spyglass was secured in its leather case, indicating that Lucia had intentionally left her post rather than falling to her death.

Herovinci snatched the spyglass out of the case and put it to his eye. He searched the ocean below for the tiny island. Nothing. He looked off the other side of the crow's nest. Still nothing. And then he saw it. A small strip of land, little more than an uninhabited mound of sand and rock, was rapidly approaching. Edge Island.

"Land ho!" shouted Herovinci.

If he had blinked he might have missed it, but for a moment, the air in front of him rippled and stretched as if the bow of the airship was a needle and the air was a sheet of fabric. A split second later, everything was back to normal. The needle had pierced the fabric.

How odd, thought Herovinci. A trick of the light? A rush of excitement causing him to hallucinate? When he got back to Techence he'd search the library for mentions of similar phenomena, but for now, there was one thing on his mind: he had done it. He had done what his peers claimed to be impossible. He had proven that the world doesn't end with Edge Island. There was still more to do - he was going to fly around the entire world - but first he wanted to celebrate with his brother, Enzo.

He climbed back up into the hold and again navigated through the cargo to the engine room at the stern of the ship. He loved the engine room. He breathed in the sweet smell of oil and let the clanking of the gears wash over him. The movement in the engine room was a beautifully choreographed dance of finely tuned machinery. It was what transformed the airship from a few balloons and a wooden frame into the greatest invention mankind had ever seen.

"Where's Enzo?" Herovinci asked the engineer.

The enormous man snapped a log in half and tossed it into the fire before turning his attention to his captain. "In your quarters," he grunted with a half-hearted salute.

What's he doing in my quarters? wondered Herovinci. There were a number of possibilities, but Herovinci hoped that it was because Enzo was preparing a celebration. He could picture him uncorking a fresh bottle of the very finest Barcovan wine and raising it in Herovinci's honor.

Herovinci rushed up to the deck and burst into his quarters with a triumphant smile on his face. But that smile faded when he saw what Enzo was doing. He was celebrating all right, but not with wine. He was celebrating with Lucia. She had been given the role of lookout, but really she had been included with the crew so that she might sell new fashions to ladies at the stops they had made during their flight east across Pentavia. One example of those fashions, a ruffled white dress with a leather corset, had been hastily thrown on Herovinci's desk.

Herovinci's heart sunk. Of course that's how Enzo would celebrate.

The Turbine brothers were both brilliant, but the similarities ended there. Where Enzo was tall and muscular and charismatic, Herovinci was short and weak and awkward. Enzo had earned top marks in every class at the University of Techence. Herovinci had been threatened with expulsion multiple times. No one seemed to recognize his intellect. He was always looked at as the Prime Minister's son, or Enzo's little brother. Or that annoying pest who interrupted lectures to ask questions about flight and elements and how the world worked. But this was his chance to prove them all wrong. This was his chance to explore the world. To change the way men travel. To etch his name in the history books and have a statue of himself erected in Philosopher's Square. This was his chance to show everyone that he, not his brother, deserved to be the next Prime Minister of Techence.

Or was it? When they set sail, he thought this might also be his chance to woo Lucia, and that hadn't exactly worked out.

Herovinci cleared his throat.

Enzo turned to look at him while Lucia let out a mortified squeal.

"I'll be waiting on the quarterdeck," said Herovinci. He turned to leave. "By the way, we passed Edge Island."

"Hero!" called Enzo as Herovinci slammed the door shut.

Herovinci returned to the quarterdeck and pulled the lapels of his long leather coat up around his neck. The wind stung almost as much as seeing Enzo with Lucia.

Enzo appeared on the deck a minute later. Every sailor on deck gave a crisp salute. Herovinci wasn't surprised. The sailors saluted Herovinci because they had to. They saluted Enzo because they wanted to. A decade ago, it would have bothered Herovinci. But by now he was used to it. Or at least, he told himself he was.

"You did it," said Enzo, clapping him on the back. "I knew you would."

Herovinci turned away. "Some way to celebrate. Did you even see the island?"

"Of course I did!" said Enzo. "And about Lucia. You know how women are. She was just excited about passing the island. I happened to be the nearest man for her to celebrate with. I'm sure she would have done the same with you." Enzo flashed Herovinci a dimpled grin.

He wasn't sure if Enzo was serious or not. Was it really that easy for him with women? "Well, you do deserve some credit for this expedition. It wouldn't have been possible without you."

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Enzo shook his head. "No. This airship is your design. You're the captain. This was all you, brother."

Herovinci smiled and took the compliment, but both men knew what Enzo meant. Yes, the airship was Herovinci's design, and he had planned the journey, but it was only possible because Enzo convinced their father, Prime Minister Christo Turbine, to fund the expedition. The lure of discovery wasn't enough for the ministry of Techence. The only way the ministry agreed was when this journey was presented as an opportunity to showcase the technological superiority of Techence and get the bloodthirsty lords of Pentavia excited about the newest toy they might be able to purchase to use to slaughter each other.

"I didn't want to bother you with this until we passed Edge Island," said Enzo, "but earlier today we discovered that some of the wood wasn't loaded."

"How much?" asked Herovinci.

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