There wasn’t another option, the risk of losing sight of him in the mist was too great. Dora was lumbering —I do notlumber —towards the nests with Stable Master Eustace. I took Fin’s hand, and we headed after the flight captain. The wall of the fortress came into view, or at least the bit right in front of us did. I looked up and there was no telling how high that wall went, but I got the impression that it ‘loomed’. We stepped in through a wooden door bound with thick black iron.
Flight Captain Shi closed the door behind us. The rattle wasn’t one of locking, but of a clasp that had grown difficult. Probably a rust issue in this environment. It was instantly warmer, by maybe as much as ten degrees in here. Not hot or even balmy, but warm enough for human habitation.
As he stepped past us to lead the way again, I noticed a stiffness about Shi. Not like a man gets stiff with aching joints, but just a level of tension throughout his body that suggested he was in control of himself and his environment. The impression was that he expected as much control from those around him. I glanced at Fin. Control and five-year-olds didn’t always mix that well.
We turned a corner. I was a little too aware of how sharp the granite was at that point. Another thing to watch out for with a five-year-old who loved to run amok.
“Rider Jimny!” Flight Captain Shi called out, and a shorter man in blue flinched, then turned to his captain and saluted.
“Flight Captain, sir.”
“Rider Jimny, this is Flight Sergeant Segast and his son, Fin.”
“Hi, Short Round.” Jimny waved at Fin and offered a wide smile. Then he looked at me and gave a salute that barely earned the name. “Sir.”
“Please take the Sergeant’s pack to his room while I acquaint him with the fortress,” Flight Captain Shi said. “Also take the boy’s coat before he trips over it.”
I knelt to help Fin. It was, after all, my coat, and his little arms struggled to get to the end of the sleeves. I passed the coat to Jimny as I stood and thanked him.
Shi was watching Fin. “Are you warm enough, boy?” Shi asked. “Or will you need another layer before we move on?”
“I’m good, sir,” Fin said. “It’s much warmer in here. Thank you, sir.”
Shi nodded and looked at Jimny. “They’re in four-twelve.”
Jimny saluted, waved again at Fin, and moved away.
“He doesn’t look old enough,” I mused.
“They often don’t,” Shi said. “Jimny is straight out of the College of Riders in Murmaberg. He has much to learn, but he’s keen.”
I wondered who he’d irritated enough to get rejected to this hole.
Shi led the way, long strides which he soon moderated. I guessed he heard the rapidity of Fin’s much shorter steps. Perhaps I should have picked Fin up, but I didn’t want it to look like I coddled my son. Even though, if given the chance, I probably would.
We saw the dining hall and kitchen, which were basically the same room. Storage and equipment rooms. The laundry. Shi introduced us to the Quartermaster, who took one look at Fin and tutted.
“You’re going to need a decent coat, boy, or you’ll get soaked out here. Not sure I have anything small enough.”
“Are there no other children here?” I asked.
“Three,” Quartermaster Ibrahim said. “They are eleven, twelve and fifteen.”
“Young Mister Segast will meet them tomorrow when he attends the schoolroom sharp at seven in the morning,” Flight Captain Shi said. “I will show you the schoolroom next.”
Which he did, plus many other rooms. I felt entirely lost after half an hour. This was so unlike Pasaocea where I had grown up and been posted into the Riders service. Thankfully, it was also much smaller, so there was less to remember.
“All the levels of the Fortress are interconnected,” Shi stated as he slowed by one particular door on the fourth level. “You’ll soon learn your way around.”
“Dragons!” Fin said as he suddenly ran to and leaned into an open passageway we had not passed.
“Yes,” Flight Captain Shi confirmed. “That is the route down to the dragon nests.” He looked from my son to me. “He can sense the dragons already?”
I nodded. “Yes, sir. Fin, come back please.”
Fin laughed. “Aurex is awfully pompous,” he said as he returned to my side.
I looked down at my son. “Who is Aurex?”
