NIMBUS AND THE KNIGHTS OF CENFERUM

Chapter 17 part 2

After that, Nimbus slept again, the sleep was good because it had been a long time since he enjoyed the comfort of a bed. The night passed peacefully; Nimbus was truly tired and only woke up the next day. When he opened his eyes, Jaime was already awake and getting dressed for work. There were also several other crew members walking back and forth inside the room.

— Good morning, Nimbus, ready to go to work? — Jaime asked.

— Well... morning — Nimbus had swollen eyes from sleeping a lot, and waking up was a bit difficult.

— So, ready to go to engineering?

— How do you know I'm going there? — Nimbus asked, surprised that everyone already knew about it.

— Is it because you're in the engineering crew's accommodation? Besides, I saw you and Sir Lonios talking to Dr. Henry.

— I see, so it's obvious that I'm going there.

— Yes, indeed. If you want company, I'm going there too; my shift starts now.

— Sure. — Nimbus got ready quickly, remembered that carrying weapons inside the Brand was not allowed, took his sword, which he had hidden under the mattress before sleeping, and stored it in the chest at the foot of his bed. He saw a jumpsuit similar to the one Dr. Henry wore; he took it from there, changed clothes, and to be sure, locked the padlock and took the key with him. After getting ready, he went with Jaime to engineering, and along the way, the boy explained everything to Nimbus.

— This accommodation in front of ours is the other accommodation for the engineering staff, the one in the back is for the soldiers, and the one in front of this is for the general services personnel.

— General services? — Nimbus asked.

— Yes, carpenters, craftsmen, and some specific services.

They reached the door at the end of the corridor and entered engineering; the noise was still deafening. Several men walked back and forth, performing their tasks.

He said goodbye to Jaime and went in search of Dr. Henry. He found him talking to some men, apparently giving instructions. When he spotted him, Henry said goodbye to the men and walked towards Nimbus.

— Good morning, kid. I hope you've rested because today will be a long day — he spoke, and Nimbus could barely hear due to the noise.

— Yes, Dr. Henry — he remembered that the day before he didn't want to be called sir.

— Well, let's go then. — He started walking and signaled Nimbus to follow him with a hand gesture. They walked a bit and reached a room. There were several small lockers stacked on top of each other. The man approached one of them and said:

— Nimbus, this is your locker. Your belongings will be in there. Take a look.

Inside, hanging on a hanger, was a sleeveless leather apron, some T-shirts, a pair of boots, leather gloves, and two earplugs.

— Got it? Put on the apron and follow me. — He waited for Nimbus to get dressed and then led him.

Nimbus wondered what kind of work he would be doing. Would he be a mechanic's assistant and learn to fix the Brand? He was apprehensive. Walking a bit, the man took him to a place where Jaime was with the same uniform as Nimbus, all covered in oil, holding a broom and some dirty rags. Dr. Henry called the boy when they arrived.

— Jim, come here — immediately, Jaime stopped what he was doing and approached the two. At that moment, Nimbus noticed that the boy's nickname was Jim.