SKY OF PAPER: AN ASIAN STEAMPUNK FANTASY

CHAPTER 68

As a young man, I never truly understood the bond between a father and son. Especially since I'd only ever known my childhood growing up with just my mother and sister. But it was only after I married and became blessed with my own son, did I truly come know the meaning of fatherhood. Watching him grow into a man gave me a hope, a sense of pride greater than any I'd possessed for myself. If only my own father could have seen what I'd become, to carry on as I had; not just in my childhood, but throughout my entire life, he would have most certainly been proud to witness the honor and dignity I'd brought to our family and our name.

The General, with his empire fading, had only his son left to him. It was the last remaining thing he had worth hoping for; and even then, with all he shared with me that evening, it was evident that he was ready to let him go. I wondered if he was just simply satisfied with the fact that he was brought home safe, that his son was now out of harm's way. Maybe that was all he ever really needed.

Later that night, long after the bells sounded the hour of the rat, Kassashimei shook me from my sleep. My eyes snapped wide open, but I could hardly see her in the darkness of our quarters. Just as I was about to ask what she wanted, she interrupted and looked about suspiciously.

"The drums are about to sound."

"The drums? What for?"

And then, just as she had predicted, the walls shook and the air moved as the sound of the war drums could be heard beating from high up in the ship's tower. I sat up as Ren Tzu opened the hatch. He stood over us, one hand gripping more tightly than usual at the hilt of his sword, a sign that the moment had come.

There was no time for anything, no time to even pack our belongings. As my guardian lead us through the corridors, we had only the clothes we wore, the beads wrapped about my wrist and my tamma. We climbed to the upper decks where we heard the drum beats grow louder and louder. Men shouted and scurried about while bells and commands chimed from every voice tube. My apprehension grew, anxious about what was coming. The wind screeched and howled as we exited the hatch to the main deck. The moon and the deck lanterns were the only beacons to be found in the cold, pitch-black of night. It was there that the General met us as he made his way to the command bridge. He wore a brown cloak that fluttered wildly in the wind and his face was largely hidden by the murky darkness and the shadow cast by the brim of his cap.

We stopped immediately and bowed. The General paused for a brief moment before taking the cloak off his shoulders and pressing it firmly in my arms.

"So that there's something left to bury," he said grimly. His staff lined up behind him, then quickly filed into the hatchway, which led into the command tower.

As I looked down at the cloak, I noticed a brass seal pinned to the cloth. Across its gold-colored face, was portrayed a picture of a crane, its wings outstretched, encased in a circle of budding, everbloom branches. It was the seal of General Fung's family.

"We must go to the sky boats," Ren Tzu said, leading us on.

I immediately stood fast as my gaze lifted from the regal bit of cloth in my arms. After a few steps, Kassashimei and Ren Tzu paused and looked over their shoulders at me.

"I want to stay," I said, shouting over the wind. "I'm not leaving. The both of you should go."

"Do you have any idea how stupid you sound right now?" Kassashimei said. "There's a battle coming in case you didn't know and the General wants us to leave. So that is exactly what we're going to do."

"I don't care. Whether from my sickness or from fighting, I'm going to die no matter what I do. I would rather it be here."

"You think your sister would've wanted you to give up like this?" she stammered.