Golden Wind

I feel the desert winds blow across my face as I scan the sea of dunes. The sun overhead has risen to its zenith, and the land burns under its glare. I subtly adjust my hood to give my face more protection in the shadows.

I turn away from the railing and look across the deck once more. This ship, the Golden Wind, has been my home for the last six years. I first joined the crew before I had come of age, looking to escape a life I didn't want at home. I have since sailed the endless deserts upon this flying vessel time and again, faced one hardship after another, and become a man in the process. I have flown above the sands of dozens of lands time and again from port to port trying to make my livelihood as a trader. This ship has become my life.

I hate it. I escaped from one undesirable life only to get stuck with another. Not to worry, though. This is my last voyage. When we disembark at the next town, I won't be coming back on board. Even if I can't settle down there, I can just hop a caravan to the next town. Anything is better than staying on the Golden Wind for the rest of my life. Than having to spend the rest of my days aboard one of these miserable, flying sand ships.

"Abdel!"

I turn at the sound of my name and see Captain Matin approaching. "Yes, Captain?"

"It's your shift at the wheel," he snarls. I never liked the Captain. He has a face like sandstone, and a scowl that could frighten the most vicious guard dog into submission. He's always bellowing orders and nothing ever seems good enough for him. I learned in my first week how rabidly he defends his power. Best just not to argue.

I nod once and stride off to take my place at the wheel. The man I'm replacing is Arad. He's the closest I've ever had to a friend on this miserable voyage. He has surprisingly delicate features for a sand sailor. He always seems at peace with his surroundings, like he doesn't really know where he's going, only where he is now and he's content to be there. I respect and hate him at the same time for that.

I shake those thoughts from my head as Arad steps aside and I grasp the wheel in my calloused hands. I'm a competent navigator. Hardly the best by any stretch of the imagination, but I've proven myself dependable. Not everyone can pilot a Sharan flying sand ship. You need to be strong and in-tune with the winds. One mistake can capsize the whole vessel and send it and the crew crashing into the dunes below.

The very thought holds a macabre appeal in that it would bring me freedom from the Golden Wind. There is a strong wind coming in from the east. The full force of it will hit us very soon and I must brace myself to hold against it. If I were to let go or loose control... The image flashes before my eyes for an instant as I widen my stance and set my shoulders.

My shipmates shouting and screaming in distress and fear. The Golden Wind itself tipping to one side and lumbering like some dying beast into the sands. The deafening roar of the crash. The chaos of the aftermath as the crystal levitation engine explodes as I've often been warned it would in such an event. Free from this thrice bedamned ship. All I'd have to do is relax and let the wind carry us away...

The gale reaches the peak of its strength, but I hold fast against the strain from the wheel and keep the ship on course. It's a dangerous job, but I won't receive any thanks or praise. Especially since no one knew of my little fantasy just a moment ago. Besides, I don't really want this ship destroyed. A more suitable punishment would be to have it roam the desert forever. This ship and all of the miserable bastards who act as its crew. Forever sailing the dunes, burning under the sun and freezing under the moon. Never able to stop their journey and rest. That would be a proper fate for the Golden Wind.

Hours pass as I continue my shift. The heat of the day makes way to the frigid night. It is a new moon, but tomorrow it shall begin to wax again. It's said to be a good omen, to begin sailing under a waxing moon. A shame I don't believe in such superstitions. Were it good luck, I would have been free long ago.

At last, my shift ends and I can get some sleep. My hands are numb from the cold that has quickly set in. It used to frighten me. I used to worry about losing my hands when I worked during the nights. Now, the raw numbness is only a minor inconvenience.

As I settle into my cot, I hear the snores of my bunkmate above me. Anoush is graying with age. He has been on this ship even longer than Captain Matin. Some of the crew even say that Anoush was the original captain. I try to ignore those rumors. It's not a thought I particularly want flickering around in my head, because it always leads to thoughts of what me sharing a similar fate.

Instead of dwelling on this, I bury myself in the blanket and shove my frigid hands under my armpits to warm them faster. Tomorrow morning, we stop off at an oasis town to pick up more cargo. Exotic spices and jewels only found in these southern regions are our usual fair. From there, the Golden Wind will head to the west to deliver this cargo to the wealthy nobles who live in city-states along the coast of the Emerald Sea. I don't recall the name of this town we're stopping at, nor do I really care. The very fact that we arrive tomorrow fills me with enough comfort to go to sleep and wait for the morning sun.

I dream that night of what this town will look like. Will it be a rustic trading post like so many we've been to before? Or will it be a permanent settlement with paved roads and walls to protect against the sandstorms? Will the trade have made the place rich? Are the people there friendly? I won't know until I actually get there.

Before I know it, my lulling thoughts of a peaceful life at last are interrupted by voices and the warmth of the sun flooding through the window beside my bunk. I sit up slowly to see Arad standing beside my bunk with a grave look on his face as he slowly backs away, looking above me. "Arad? What's going on?" I groggily rub the sleep from my eyes and toss the blanket from my form, noticing that it has already become very warm in the room.

"It's Anoush," Arad replies.

I furrow my brow and climb out of my cot. I turn around to face the bunk, and there I see Anoush lying face up, his worn features a mask of absolute peace, and his chest still. His snores have been permanently silenced.

"He must have died in his sleep," Arad muses aloud. "I'll get the captain. We'll give Anoush a burial when we pull into town."

"How close are we?" I ask flatly.

"Just a few hours." With that, he leaves the room and strides down the hall, his soft boots making gentle thumps against the floorboards that seem to be in time with my own heartbeat.

"Just a few hours," I repeat to no one in particular. Just a few hours and I can disembark forever. I look at Anoush's lifeless face and at once bless and curse the poor bastard. He has found eternal peace, but he had to find it on the damnable ship.

Later that morning, we finally pull into the town. I still don't know its name, but it has a charm to it. The people are just starting to build the walls to protect them from the winds. The houses are multi-leveled, each one holding several families. They are all a beautiful white, reflecting away the heat of the sun and keeping those inside cool and shrouded in luxurious shade. The smell of spices and perfumes is everywhere. This town is beginning to come into its own, and may even become a city before I grow my first grey hair.

It is a shame that I won't be able to join Anoush here. I watch silently as Arad carries his bound body into town on a litter, taking him to the embalmers to prepare his body for a decent burial that none of us will be here to witness.

"Abdel!" Captain Matin barks.

I silently turn to face his visage that so reminds me of sandstone. "Yes, sir?"

"You'll take this first shift at the wheel when we leave," he orders in that gravelly voice that grates at my ears.

"Yes, sir," I answer flatly. No point in getting into argument with that wretched son of a jackal. He takes absolutely no disobedience from any of his men. Why should I be exempt?

I console myself, though, as I take the wheel and steer us west. Our next destination is the cities along the Emerald Sea coast. This is my final voyage with the Golden Wind, though it's all I've ever known. When it's over, I'll finally be free.