Winter 85, 513
Thin tails of smoke rose up and wagged from the camp's dying fire, reaching up higher than any person had ever been or could ever hope to be. At their infinite ends hung the untouchable sky, where stars burned on deep black ashes and twinkled proudly in the colorful shadow of the city. Still the lights could not rival the ghostly sliver of Leth's shining face, grinning down on the bay like a proud father. Each shone too bright and beautiful to sleep beneath; after many long minutes of reflecting in one Svefra's bright blue eyes, they finally saw her rustle out from beneath her furs and rise onto the cold white sand.
The coastal hearth served host to several sleeping bodies, all curled snugly together beside it, but most had retired to the inner hulls of boats posted nearby. Cassandra walked quietly, making sure she had not disturbed them before she tiptoed to the rolling waters at the shoreline and crawled into her boat.
Unlike most of her family, Cass was not tired in the slightest. She had taken on the bulk of the pod's mountaintop responsibilities, mingling with the natives and selling what little could be caught. The necessary assimilation included conforming to the city's sleeping schedule, which had its people waking at nearly all hours. Cassandra had slept two hours at noon and two hours at dusk, then she had made merry with her family into the night and slept another two hours at midnight. But she could no longer fathom lying still through 'til morning.
So she untied The Lioness from her post and pushed her away from shore. There was always something useful to be done at sea, whether it was fishing for the pod for simply practicing her hand with her relatively young casino. After paddling away from the other boats, Cassandra steadied the rudder and pulled up the sails. Her feet and hands were bare, all the better to do her work, and yet somehow she did not feel the cold. The shine of the city was fire enough to warm her, the comfort of a lonely evening being the only blanket she needed.
The bay opened to her accelerating vessel, parting graciously beneath the bow as the earthen arms of the misty mountains retreated around her. For many moments, she entertained that old idea that the horizon was running from her, that she pursued it like a criminal or a treasure or a long lost love. But eventually it became clear, as it always did, that the edge of the world could never be reached. The usual disappointment scratched her gut and colored the adventure in her eyes, but it was not with disdain that she loosed the rigging to slow the boat. Rather, as the sails flapped and the casino drifted on fading momentum, Cassandra's expression was replaced with a quieter one. Her gaze dipped to the cradle of the ocean.
There it lingered on the rocking black waves and starry grey brine, and in the undulating glass she saw her own glaring face, her dirty clothes, her unworthy hands. Then she hoisted the anchor from its post and tipped it overboard.
With a hard, reluctant splash, it descended into the depths. Cassandra watched the cord that held it run and snap over the railing, her body lethargic in the wake of her busy mind.
Thin tails of smoke rose up and wagged from the camp's dying fire, reaching up higher than any person had ever been or could ever hope to be. At their infinite ends hung the untouchable sky, where stars burned on deep black ashes and twinkled proudly in the colorful shadow of the city. Still the lights could not rival the ghostly sliver of Leth's shining face, grinning down on the bay like a proud father. Each shone too bright and beautiful to sleep beneath; after many long minutes of reflecting in one Svefra's bright blue eyes, they finally saw her rustle out from beneath her furs and rise onto the cold white sand.
The coastal hearth served host to several sleeping bodies, all curled snugly together beside it, but most had retired to the inner hulls of boats posted nearby. Cassandra walked quietly, making sure she had not disturbed them before she tiptoed to the rolling waters at the shoreline and crawled into her boat.
Unlike most of her family, Cass was not tired in the slightest. She had taken on the bulk of the pod's mountaintop responsibilities, mingling with the natives and selling what little could be caught. The necessary assimilation included conforming to the city's sleeping schedule, which had its people waking at nearly all hours. Cassandra had slept two hours at noon and two hours at dusk, then she had made merry with her family into the night and slept another two hours at midnight. But she could no longer fathom lying still through 'til morning.
So she untied The Lioness from her post and pushed her away from shore. There was always something useful to be done at sea, whether it was fishing for the pod for simply practicing her hand with her relatively young casino. After paddling away from the other boats, Cassandra steadied the rudder and pulled up the sails. Her feet and hands were bare, all the better to do her work, and yet somehow she did not feel the cold. The shine of the city was fire enough to warm her, the comfort of a lonely evening being the only blanket she needed.
The bay opened to her accelerating vessel, parting graciously beneath the bow as the earthen arms of the misty mountains retreated around her. For many moments, she entertained that old idea that the horizon was running from her, that she pursued it like a criminal or a treasure or a long lost love. But eventually it became clear, as it always did, that the edge of the world could never be reached. The usual disappointment scratched her gut and colored the adventure in her eyes, but it was not with disdain that she loosed the rigging to slow the boat. Rather, as the sails flapped and the casino drifted on fading momentum, Cassandra's expression was replaced with a quieter one. Her gaze dipped to the cradle of the ocean.
There it lingered on the rocking black waves and starry grey brine, and in the undulating glass she saw her own glaring face, her dirty clothes, her unworthy hands. Then she hoisted the anchor from its post and tipped it overboard.
With a hard, reluctant splash, it descended into the depths. Cassandra watched the cord that held it run and snap over the railing, her body lethargic in the wake of her busy mind.
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