Alkimiya - A Fantasy Mystery Series

THIRTEEN - Northern Docks

Character List thus far:

Noire Family: Zenetra (MC), Xuxa (missing sister), Xareen (murdered mother), Orton Abelard (father)

Team Yellowbird: Inspector Hatwig (alchemic team leader), Mimi Qhina (green hair), Carver Hailstrom (bald, former desk partner of Mimi), Garryk Onnan (field trainer, Guild Sympathizer), Tilde Thorpe (tornado tilde)

Crew of Sunray: Captain Inglehart, James Clay

Other Characters: Clemence Pocket (the menace), Mivan Murkwood (the house steward), Governor Gustav Ewald (the drunk politician running for Prime Minister), Adelric Fokle (the commissioner of the constabulary force), Oliver Derry (the silver-haired cadet-in-training who makes paper airships)

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Early the next morning, Zenetra loaded her duffle bag into the back seat of her roamer. She hadn't gotten much sleep. Groggily getting up at half-past three to make coffee, she drank several cups until Mr. Tedman woke.

Her tired gaze traveled to the quiet park. There was no red to be seen, but that didn't mean the man in the mask wasn't out there watching. Only the outer line of trees was visible, illuminated in part by the weak dispersion of light from the streetlamps.

Closing the roamer door as quietly as possible, Zenetra folded into the passenger seat of Obsidian.

Already fastened behind the steering wheel, Mr. Tedman pulled the latch to warm the interior of the roamer. "Do you have everything you need?" he asked as Zenetra closed the passenger door.

"I hope so."

Zenetra wore her uniform, her stiff constabulary winter jacket, and her expensive leather gloves that were lined with fur. Despite all that, she shivered. "To the Northern Docks, if you would, Mr. Tedman. I'll be flying on an airship named Sunray. Apparently, it's yellow with orange sails."

"A garish color scheme." Mr. Tedman's white whiskers curled upwards at the edges. "Let us not tell anyone I said that."

It was rare for Mr. Tedman to say something so ill-mannered. Zenetra glanced out of the window. Her amused reflection grinned back. "I heard nothing."

Dawn had yet to arrive as they drove down vacant streets. Tall lampposts cast glowing circles on the ground, speckling the way to the docks.

Zenetra had driven past the Northern Docks plenty of times and was always impressed by the layout of the area. She had wanted to throw on a disguise and explore the place on her own, but her father would not allow that and then she had become far too busy at the CF to fulfill such childhood dreams of adventure.

Grated metal walkways stretched over the beach and out above the water, allowing people to walk from pier to pier without setting foot on land. There were several large platforms for ships to anchor and unload. At each of these platforms stood a tower with a spiral stairwell that led up to a higher dais.

Docking towers were taller than the nine-storied constabulary force building and cast long, slender shadows across the Ghost Sea as the sun spilled over the horizon. Airships anchored to these docking towers hovered high in the air against a backdrop of purples and grays.

Both the height of the suspended airships and the massive vessels docked in the water made Zenetra's roamer seem ant-sized in comparison. An uneasy fluttering in her stomach made her want to purge all the coffee from her system. Heart rate quickening, palms sweaty within her fine leather gloves, she took steadying breaths to calm her nerves.