SKY OF PAPER: AN ASIAN STEAMPUNK FANTASY

CHAPTER 39

Sleep came easily for me on the Empire's divine air ship. The whispered hum from the hull lulled me like the gentle patter of a rain shower. I was sleeping high above the world, and I wondered if there was any other place more fitting for me.

And yet, the only thing that drew me from such serenity, was the prickly annoyance of some insect crawling across my face. I swatted it away several times, but it wasn’t long before it stubbornly returned. I tried to ignore it as it tickled my cheeks and the tip of my nose, but after a while, I couldn’t stand it any longer and finally opened my eyes. To my surprise, I found it wasn’t an insect at all, but someone, who‘d teased me awake. I thought that it was Kassashimei up to her tricks again, but her dark form remained asleep in the bedding next to mine.

As my eyes adjusted, the blurry figure came into focus.

It was him. . . the Young Emperor himself.

His face was dimly lit from the lamps in the hallway, which also revealed two men at the door, both dressed in elaborate red garments and chest armor, the metallic glow of their spears rigid at their sides. He grinned in such a way that made me wonder if he’d been waiting for me to wake up for some time. As I sat up, he gave a quieting gesture, pressing his fingers against his lips, then beckoned me to follow him out the door.

Both he and I walked the main deck underneath a calm, dreary night sky. The clouds rushed by like plumes of gray cotton, blurred against a vibrant wind. The children who kept the ship aloft that night were certainly impressive, for even amidst the chaotic winds of the chilly northern air, their protective sphere imposed a serene stillness, undisturbed by nothing more than a whispered breeze. Like an invisible glass dome, the wind and the clouds parted seemingly unnoticed from the bow as the ship cut steadily through the sky.

Such an odd sight we were, the Young Emperor and I, still in our sleeping attire. But he hardly seemed to care.

"Did you know that I'm a good runner?" he said, then slapped the back of my shoulder baiting me to race him.

Before I could respond, he sprinted down the long, impressive length of the deck. I hesitated at first, then chased after him. I’d never imagined a ship large enough, that running along its deck would tire me after only going a third its length. Out of breath, I stumbled towards the Young Emperor who waited for me at the bow.

"I told you," he said triumphantly. "No one runs better than me.” He frowned at the two guards watching him from afar. “And you two don't need to worry about me. I don't have any matches on me this time, so I won‘t be setting anything on fire."

"Is that why they’re following you?" I asked, still panting.

"Dae Jung doesn't trust me anymore. It doesn’t matter though, because I don't trust him either. He's always spouting out nonsense about how things will surely get better and how our lives will be so much more prosperous on the main continent."

"If the emperor would forgive me for asking, but is that where we're going?"

He looked at me with wide eyes.

I paused and returned the same surprised expression, wondering if I‘d been too prudent with my questions. I considered apologizing, but he quickly interjected before I had a chance to speak.

"We’re not in front of Dae Jung nor the Imperial Court, so stop sounding so proper. I hate speaking in third person, and I know that you don't feel comfortable with being formal anymore than I do."

"My deepest apologies," I added. "Then how is it that I am to speak to the Young Emperor."

"See, there you go again. Stop it. Stop it this instance. My brothers and sisters call me Jiro. Now, repeat my name."