Dawn light struck the damp gravel of the path, casting long shadows from the clustered village huts. Anna pulled the cottage door shut behind her, the click sharp in the cool air. She stood stiffly, one hand clamped tight against the bandages wrapping her ribs, breath hissing between her teeth against the pulse of fire there. Wind, carrying the scent of salt and wet stone, whipped strands of blonde hair across her face. Ahead, the path wound upward toward the plateau edge, towards the workshop.
<i>Dataslate. Tools.</i> Each step upward on the slick, uneven gravel pulled sharp beneath her ribs, jarring her frame. She kept her head bowed, eyes fixed on the path, on the dark shape of the workshop rising against the brightening sky. The sounds of the village—a distant turbine groan, the heavy crash of waves—were a muted backdrop. <i>Reach the door. Get the parts.</i> She pushed onward up the slope, free hand sometimes touching the damp cliff face beside the path.
The village path stretched ahead, winding upward towards the plateau edge. Packed earth showed dark, damp patches from the night''s rain, catching the gold light. Wind swept unimpeded here, pulling at her clothes, whistling around the corners of nearby huts. She took a breath against the cold bite in the air. Started the climb. Each step was a placement on the uneven gravel, pulling sharp beneath her ribs. Her head stayed bowed, eyes fixed on the footing—loose stones, patches of slick mud glimmering faintly gold. The distant, rhythmic groan of the turbines high on the plateau edge carried down on the wind, a sound meshing with the heavy crash... hiss... of waves against the cliff base far below. She kept moving, one step, then the next, up the winding slope.
Anna''s boot slipped on loose shale. Her hand shot out, palm scraping against the rough bark of a stunted plateau shrub. The movement pulled sharp across her bandaged ribs; air hissed inward between her teeth. She paused, bracing her weight heavily against the rough shrub trunk, head bowed, breath coming in short gasps. Fire pulsed beneath the bandages. Wind tugged strands of blonde hair loose from her braid, whipping them cold against her cheek. Below, the village huts clustered small, gray roofs indistinct in the flat morning light. Her other hand pressed flat against the damp cliff rock beside the path, seeking balance.
She pushed away from the shrub, resuming the slow, uneven ascent. Each step upward on the winding path pulled against the ache. The workshop door showed closer—a dark rectangle of warped wood and rusted tin against the gray stone of the cliff face. Soot stained the wood dark near the threshold. The tarnished gear-wing handle glinted dully. She reached the workshop door, stopping, one hand braced hard against the cold stone frame beside it.
She stopped scant inches from the door. Wind howled here, unobstructed, whistling around the shed''s corners, rattling a loose piece of tin roofing overhead. Clatter... clatter. The air smelled sharp—old char, cold metal, a chemical undertone. Her gaze fixed on the handle. Iron. Cold. <i>His hand turning that handle... gold light on steel shavings... hum of the generator...</i>
The smell of smoke filled her nostrils, sharp. The fleeting sensory fragment vanished. Only the wind''s moan remained. Her uninjured hand lifted. A tremor started faint in her fingers, vibrated up her forearm. The hand hovered near the handle. Knuckles showed white where she gripped the cloth wrapped around her injured side. <i>Notes. Calibration specs. Rotor balance.</i> Silence pressed out from the closed door.
<i>Purifier needs them. East Iris.</i> Breath hitched. Her fingers stretched further. Brushed the cold, pitted metal of the handle. Retracted. Her eyes squeezed shut. Wind tore at her torn jacket. A deeper tremor ran through her frame. <i>Can''t.</i> Her jaw tightened. <i>Too quiet.</i> Kassia''s footsteps scuffed on the path behind her. A quiet sound. Anna didn''t turn. Kassia stopped a pace back.
Silence stretched, holding only wind and waves. Anna drew a breath. Ragged. It pulled fire across her ribs again. She opened her eyes. Fixed them on the gear etched into the handle. <i>For them.</i> Her gaze held steady on the metal gear. <i>Need the notes.</i> Her trembling hand reached again. Fingers scraped against rust. Closed around the cold iron. Turned.
The door groaned, a long sound of metal protesting. She pushed. Heavy wood resisted, wedged tight. She grunted, shoulder pressing. The door frame barely shifted. Kassia stepped up beside her, boots crunching gravel. "Let me," Kassia muttered. Her shoulder pressed beside Anna''s against the warped wood. Together, they shoved. Wood scraped harsh against the stone floor inside. The door groaned again, scraped wider, swung inward a few feet. Deep shadow showed within. Cold, stale air pushed outward, carrying the thick smell of dust and decay. Anna leaned against the doorframe, peering into the dimness. Dust motes hung suspended, unmoving. Shapes resolved: workbench piled high with debris, racks holding only shadows, the empty space where Cloudchaser''s engine block used to sit.
Her eyes scanned the workbench corner, beneath a fallen shelf piece. The dull glint of the dataslate screen showed through the gloom. She took another breath, braced herself against the doorframe with one hand, and stepped over the threshold, boot finding purchase on the dusty floor inside. The movement showed limited joint flex.
Cold air pressed inward, heavy. The sharp scent of char bit the back of her throat. She moved stiff toward the bench, each step dragging. Dust stirred around her boots. Her gaze stayed fixed forward, on the dull glint of the dataslate screen beneath shelf debris. Her vision remained tunneled on that spot. Reached the bench. Her knees bent; wood scraped splintered wood. A grunt escaped her lips. Her good hand reached beneath the shelf debris. Fingers closed around the dataslate''s cool, smooth casing. Pulled it free. Her eyes flicked sideways—a small wooden toolbox, lid ajar. Reached again. Fingers hooked the lid. Flipped it open.
Metal shapes inside—calibration wrench, micro-adjuster. Fingers closed around their dense weight. Slid them into her jacket pocket, metal knocking faint against other tools. Pushed herself upright, hand pressed flat on the bench edge, muscles straining. Turned. Moved back toward the rectangle of gray light spilling through the doorway. Her boots scuffed dust.
Stepped over the threshold. Cold wind hit her face. Pulled the heavy door shut. Wood scraped stone. A final THUD echoed across the plateau. She leaned her back against the rough exterior planks, head down. Air scraped shallow in her throat, each intake pulling beneath the bandages. Cold air clung to damp cloth. Kassia watched, head tilted, then gave a small nod, turning back down the path. Anna followed, the dataslate''s hard edges pressing against her hip inside the jacket pocket. The workshop door stood sealed behind her.
Wind whipped cold across the open platform near the purifier components. Loose sheets of salvaged metal roofing rattled overhead. Anna knelt beside the purifier''s skeletal iron frame. Damp wood planks pressed cold through her worn trousers. Her gaze fixed on a complex valve assembly. Her fingers—smudged black, knuckles raw—moved slow, threading a bolt into place. The dataslate lay propped against a pipe nearby, its screen glowing faint green, angled lines and numerical strings displayed.
Kassia worked opposite her, pushing a heavy gasket into position around a pump housing. Her brow showed tight lines; breath hissed between her teeth as she strained. "This fitting''s warped," Kassia muttered, knuckles showing white as she twisted a wrench. "Needs more torque..."
Anna glanced towards Kassia''s hands. She slid a thicker torque wrench across the tarp between them. Kassia snagged it, set her jaw, leaned into the tool. Metal groaned loud. The bolt turned; the gasket seated with a final click. Kassia slumped back on her heels, wiped sweat from her forehead with a greasy forearm. "Thanks," she breathed, shaking her head.
Around them, tools clanked sharp against metal. Boots scraped heavy on the wooden planks. Low voices exchanged quick words – "Hold this," "Tighten there," "Sealant tube." Miriam moved between stations, distributing gray sealant paste from a tin, her eyes fixed on each task. Ruvick''s voice directed two younger villagers positioning a filter drum nearby, his words low, steady. Milo knelt near Anna, sorting copper fittings into bins, his gaze directed only at the small metal pieces in his hands.
Tolvar arrived, mallet swinging loose at his side. Boots thudded heavy on the planks. He stopped near the main rotor assembly. His gaze moved slow over the interlocking gears Anna and Kassia had placed earlier. A low grunt sounded deep in his chest. "Thing looks..." He ran a thick finger over a weld joint Kassia had made, the metal slightly raised. "...weak." His finger stopped. "Think this brass''ll handle the pressure, Freedman?" His voice rasped, rough.
Anna met his look over her shoulder. Her eyes stayed fixed on his. She did not rise. Her hand continued tightening the valve bolt. Click. Click. "Tested prototype," she replied, voice low, eyes dropping back to the bolt head. "Pressure held. Rotor design clears blockages." Click. The bolt seated firm. <i>Dad''s diagrams...</i> Her hand paused for a fraction of a second, then resumed tightening another bolt. "...Math works."
Tolvar scoffed low, the sound sharp. He turned away, walked towards a frame brace further down. Shook his head. Muffled words –"fancy math" – reached faintly over the wind before his mallet struck metal pins. Clank. Clank. Hard, even blows.
A short while later, work stopped at the main pump connection. Anna referenced the dataslate, lines appearing between her brows, her finger tracing a pipe angle on the screen. "Flow''s restricted here," she murmured, tapping the display. "Diagram shows three-degree offset... junction''s off."
Kassia leaned over, peering at the dataslate, then at the physical pipes. "Aye. Pump housing... salvaged casing... thicker than the spec. Shifts the angle." She tapped the junction showing the gap. "It''ll bind. Needs a shim."
Anna nodded, rubbing her temples brief with the back of her wrist, the movement pulling dried grime into streaks. "Right. Shim... polymer... resin..." Her gaze scanned the cluttered platform—piles of scrap, toolboxes.
Milo looked up from his sorting bin. He pushed to his feet. Boots scraped as he crossed to a crate near the platform edge. Metal clinked inside the crate. He bent low, hand disappearing inside. Straightened holding a thin, dark wedge of hard material. He hurried back, holding it out towards Anna. "Found this," he said, voice quiet. "Packing. Fits?" Anna took the wedge. Turned it over in her hand. Her thumb brushed its flat surface. Felt the thickness between her fingers.
Her eyes flicked from the wedge to the pipe junction gap, then back. A faint muscle pulled tight at the corner of her mouth for an instant. "Could work." She knelt again, the movement stiff, bracing one hand on the cold metal frame. Slid the shim into the gap between the pump housing and the pipe flange. Wood met metal, slid smooth into the space. Kassia moved beside her, wrench already in hand, applying clamps around the aligned joint. Kassia glanced at Milo, gave a single, sharp nod. "Good find," Kassia said, turning back to tighten the clamps.
Anna watched Kassia secure the joint, then pushed herself upright with a sharp intake of breath, hand pressed flat against the purifier frame, leaning there for a moment. Milo returned to his sorting bin, head bowed again over the fittings.
The build continued. Hours passed. Fewer sharp words sounded across the platform. A rhythm emerged: grunts of effort from those hauling heavier components, the steady clank of wrenches tightening bolts, the scrape of metal fittings being aligned. Tolvar worked at the frame supports, his movements heavy, methodical, mallet striking steady blows.
Milo moved between stations, holding a pipe steady for Kassia. He handed Anna a bolt as her hand reached towards that size, his gaze directed at the components, the tools, the task. Anna worked beside Kassia at the central pump and rotor assembly. Hands moved near each other, passing tools back and forth. Words minimal. Eyes tracked the pipes and gears taking shape between them under the gray, wind-whipped sky.
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The final brace clicked into place. Tolvar lowered his mallet. Kassia finished tightening the last clamp on the rotor housing, wrench ringing soft against metal. Anna secured the final bolt on the output valve assembly. Click. The clang of tools lessened. A quiet settled over the platform, broken only by the wind''s low moan and the distant crash of waves below the cliff base.
The purifier stood on the damp platform planks, iron frame bolted tight, new leather seals dark against rusted pipe joints. Faint condensation beaded on the metal surfaces. Anna stood before it, wiping her hands slow down the sides of her trousers, leaving dark streaks on the worn fabric. Her breathing sounded less shallow now, though her hand remained pressed against her bandaged side. Bandages showed white beneath her rolled sleeve where her arm rested against the purifier''s main tank.
Kassia moved around the machine, fingers pressing valve seals, tapping gauges. Quick, precise movements. Grease streaked her face. She straightened, met Anna''s gaze across the machine frame. A firm nod. "Seals tight. Pressure zero."
Anna nodded back. Turned towards two younger villagers beside filled canvas water buckets. "Alright. Top intake. Slow pour."
Buckets lifted. Water sloshed heavy. They tilted them over the intake funnel. Murky rainwater gurgled down into the tank. Gurgle... splash. The machine frame shifted slight under the weight. Anna watched the pressure gauge needle near the pump housing. It flickered. Climbed slow.
"Milo," Anna said, voice low but carrying. "Primary crank."
Milo gripped the large hand-crank bolted low on the frame. Glanced at Anna. Saw her nod. Muscles bunched in his arms as he leaned into it, pushing downward. Gears inside groaned loud. Screeeech... CRUNCH. Metal teeth scraped harsh. He strained, knuckles showing white. The crank turned slow. Resisted. Turned slower. A rhythmic chunk... chunk... started deep within the pipes.
The pressure gauge needle jumped, vibrated. Anna''s eyes stayed fixed on it. Her lips pressed thin. Kassia leaned closer to the pump housing, head angled, listening intently to the sounds inside. Miriam and Ruvick, watching from paces back, took a step closer onto the platform planks. Tolvar, who had moved to lean against a distant mooring post, pushed off, taking a step onto the platform edge, arms still crossed, gaze fixed on the machine.
Water gurgled louder through the system. Pipes vibrated faint against the wooden planks. The chunk-chunk sound smoothed, lowered in pitch, became a steady hum. The rotor assembly spun behind the small glass port set into the side—brass glinting, turning smooth. Whirr... The pressure gauge needle climbed higher, held steady just below a red mark etched on the dial.
Silence fell across the platform again, heavier now. Wind sighed low through the metal roofing supports overhead. Waves crashed far below. The purifier hummed steady. Seconds stretched. Anna''s uninjured hand clenched into a fist at her side, unnoticed.
Drip. From the black output hose Milo held. Drip... drip. A thin trickle started. Splashed faint onto the bottom of the empty oil drum placed beneath it. Dark gray water. Silt swirled thick within it. Kassia frowned, brow furrowing deeper. Milo''s shoulders slumped slight. Tolvar grunted low near the edge of the platform.
"Wait," Anna said. Voice sharp, cutting the quiet. Her eyes remained locked on the gauge, the spinning rotor behind the glass. "Pressure''s holding. Rotor speed steady."
The trickle continued... gray... murky. More splashes into the growing puddle. Then, slow, the color shifted. Gray thinned. Water ran less opaque. Still held faint cloudiness, but the thick silt vanished. The trickle became a thin but steady stream into the drum. Splashing louder now. Splash... splash... Clearer water hit the drum.
A collective outward rush of air sounded from the villagers nearby. Kassia let out a sharp whoop, slapping the purifier frame hard with her open palm. BANG. The sound echoed flat. "Yes! Working!"
Milo grinned, face splitting wide. He lifted the hose slightly, water arcing clear into the drum. "Clear, Anna! It''s running clear!"
Miriam moved closer, a slow curve lifting the corners of her mouth, easing the lines around her eyes. Ruvick nodded once, slow, rubbing his chin. Tolvar walked fully onto the platform, peered into the drum, lips pressed tight. He gave a single nod before turning away again towards the path.
Anna let her own breath out, long, slow. Her shoulders lowered slightly, the muscles across her upper back loosening. She watched the clear stream pour into the drum. Watched the rotor spin smooth behind the glass port. Her hand, still pressed against the purifier frame, trembled faint. Kassia''s wide grin showed across the machine. A small curve pulled slow at Anna''s own lips.
Anna stepped back as the last drops collected in the drum. Clear water shimmered under the gray sky. She turned from the machine. The movement pulled stiff at her bandaged side; her breath hitched shallow. Miriam, Kassia, and Ruvick stood nearby on the damp planks. Milo coiled the black output hose, a low whistle escaping between his teeth.
"Ready," Anna stated. Voice low, breath control tight. "Pressure holds. Flow rate steady." She looked at Miriam, then Kassia. "Taking it tomorrow. First light. Kassia, co—?" The word cut off as she shifted her weight, another breath catching sharp.
Kassia stepped forward, wiping grease from her tool onto her trousers. "Need someone watching your back, looks like. Count me in."
Anna gave a slight dip of her chin, mouth pressed thin. She walked towards the mooring posts where Red Wing sat, steps slow, careful on the wet planks. Joren knelt beside its port engine housing, wrench clicking against a bolt head. Crimson paint showed faded, patched with duller metal plates. The airship frame displayed scored rivets, worn struts, but its lines looked solid under the flat light.
"Joren," Anna said. She stopped beside him. Wind tugged strands of her blonde hair across her face, plastering them cold against her cheek.
He glanced up, eyes narrowed slightly against the wind. His gaze swept over her face, the bandages visible, her hand pressed low against her side. He straightened slow, rubbing his lower back with a grunt. Tucked the wrench into his belt loop. "Heard the noise stopped," he said. Voice gruff. "Thing runs?"
"It runs," Anna confirmed. "Flow''s clean. Need Red Wing. Dawn run. East Iris."
Joren ran a hand over Red Wing''s cool metal hull. "East Iris," he muttered. His eyes moved over Anna again—her stance, the slight tremor in her hand resting on the hull. "Flight-fit, Freedman? Rough run." His voice held its usual burr, the sound rougher now. "Taking this ship... near Horik''s..."
Anna met his gaze direct. "Kassia flies co. We skirt Veyra''s thermals. Path map shows clear. They need this purifier, Joren." Her voice stayed low, level. "We started it... Finish it."
He squinted out towards the gray sea, then back at her. Scratched his jaw, the rasp loud in a lull of the wind. "Saw Lia... saw her hand." He paused. "That man Rennon... scum. Horik?" He shook his head, gaze dropping brief to the planks. "Sending you back near them...?"
"It''s the need," Anna said, voice quiet. "Not the risk." She held his gaze steady. "Red Wing''s rated for the distance. Handles the weight."
He sighed, the sound rough, like shifting gravel. Looked at his airship again. Slapped its flank, the sound flat, solid. "Aye, she''s tough." He looked back at Anna. Lines tightened around his eyes. "Alright. Fuel''s full. Pre-flights done. Just..." He hesitated. "Comm open. Channel four. Veyra acts up, or... them... you call." He stabbed a thick finger towards the airship''s comm panel. "Hear me?"
Anna nodded. "Hear you, Joren. Thank you."
He grunted again, gaze flicking away. Turned back to his wrench work, knuckles moving on the bolt heads. "Bring her back," he muttered, voice low. "Both."
Anna stood a moment longer. Watched his hands move. Felt the wind push cold against her back. Then turned. Walked back towards the platform center where Kassia and Milo secured purifier components onto a hauling skid. Dawn departure. East Iris. The dataslate pressed hard edges against her hip inside the jacket pocket.
Gray light seeped across the platform planks, slick with overnight dew. Red Wing stood silhouetted against the brightening eastern sky, its crimson paint a deep maroon shape in the pre-dawn gloom. Condensation beaded cold on its metal hull panels. Anna moved around the airship, her steps slow, careful. She ran a gloved hand along a thick mooring line, fingers brushing the tension, the rope fibers rough against worn leather. Her breath puffed white in the chill air. Bandages beneath her jacket pulled tight with each shift of her weight.
Kassia worked nearby, tightening the last strap buckle securing the purifier components onto a cargo pallet. Click. The strap cinched down. Metal connectors scraped faint against metal loops on the pallet. Her hands moved over the straps in the dim light. Milo carried smaller bundles—canvas tool rolls, sealed canisters of sealant—placing them inside Red Wing''s aft storage compartment hatch. His face showed pale lines under the platform lamps; his hands placed each item onto the metal decking inside.
Miriam approached from the village path, carrying a thick blanket folded over one arm and a small, sealed provision pouch. She stopped beside Anna near Red Wing''s ramp. The scent of hot herb tea drifted faint from a flask visible in Miriam''s apron pocket.
"Packed extra wraps," Miriam said, her voice low against the wind. She held out the provision pouch. "Broth concentrate. Salve." Her eyes moved over Anna''s face—the skin pale where not bruised, lines visible around Anna''s mouth. "Wind shifts near Veyra, Anna. Go steady."
Anna took the pouch, tucked it into her jacket pocket. Faint warmth seeped through the cloth. "We''ll watch the scans," Anna replied, her own voice low, rough. "Kassia knows the routes." Her gaze stayed on the ramp leading up into Red Wing''s belly.
A small shape moved from the shadows near the cottage path. Lia walked towards them, steps slow, stopping briefly near the path edge. She held something small clutched in her good hand. Her bandaged, splinted hand remained still against her side. She stopped near Anna''s leg, looking up. Dark curls tangled across her forehead, framing a small face.
Lia held out her good hand. Resting in her palm was the small, carved wooden bird. Its polished surface gleamed faintly even in the weak light. "For..." Lia began, her voice a whisper against the wind. She looked towards the dark shape of the airship, then back at Anna. "...him," she finished. Her gaze dropped to the bird in her hand. "Bird... friend?" Her eyes lifted back to Anna''s, wide.
Anna paused. Her gaze lowered from the airship ramp. Focused on the small wooden shape. Smooth curves. Polished grain. She looked down at Lia''s face – the wide eyes, the small hand held out steady. <i>For Horik... friend...</i> She knelt slow, the movement pulling a sharp intake of breath against her ribs. Pain flared beneath the bandages. Her gloved fingers, scraped but clean, closed around the wooden bird. It felt solid, smooth in her grip.
"I''ll see he gets it, Lia," Anna said, her voice softer, less strained than before. "Thank you." She tucked the bird into her inner vest pocket. Smooth wood pressed slight against her chest, over the bandages. She patted Lia''s shoulder once, briefly, with her good hand.
Lia gave a small nod, then stepped back, moving towards Miriam''s side, turning slightly away, clutching her bandaged hand. Kaelen and Sara emerged from the path''s shadows near the platform edge, stopping there. They watched, faces indistinct in the dimness. They didn''t approach.
Anna straightened, pushing upright using the nearby mooring post for leverage, the movement stiff. She looked at Kassia, who had finished securing the cargo. Kassia gave a thumbs-up gesture. "Set when you are."
nodded. She turned towards Red Wing''s open ramp. Took a breath. Gripped the cold handrail tight. Began the climb. Each step up the grooved metal ramp sent a jarring vibration through her legs, pulling sharply at her injured side. Her boots scraped metal. Kassia followed close behind, boots thudding lighter on the metal.
Anna reached the top of the ramp, steadying herself against the hatch frame. Miriam moved from the edge of the platform. She held the rough wooden crutch retrieved earlier from near the workshop path. Miriam stopped beside the ramp, holding the crutch out towards Anna, who paused in the hatchway. "Anna," Miriam said, her voice low, audible above the wind''s sigh. Lines showed deep around her eyes in the dim pre-dawn light. "Take this. East Iris... the ground there... If the pain worsens... use it. Don''t push past breaking." Her gaze met Anna''s.
Anna looked from Miriam''s face to the offered crutch. Her jaw muscle jumped. She gave a nod, taking the crutch. She turned, passing the crutch through the hatchway into the airship. Kassia, following up the ramp, took the crutch from Anna just inside the hatch, stowing it against the bulkhead near Anna''s station with a clunk of wood against metal.
Inside Red Wing''s cockpit. Smaller space than Cloudchaser''s deck. Anna settled into the pilot''s seat. Thin padding pressed against her back. Her hand found heavier levers, simpler dials, worn plastic grips on the controls. Kassia took the co-pilot seat, turning her attention to the glowing pre-flight check panels.
Anna strapped herself in. Buckles clicked loud in the confined space. She looked out the forward viewport. First light bled weak orange along the eastern horizon, silhouetting the jagged plateau cliffs. The village below showed dark shapes, a few lanterns flickering near the docks against the graying sea. Miriam and Lia stood near the platform edge, small figures against the growing light. Anna''s hand drifted to her vest pocket, fingers brushing the outline of the wooden bird.
Engine sequence initiated. A low whine built outside. Vibrations increased through the deck. Red Wing shuddered. Gauges flickered green across the panel. Kassia gave a final check scan, then a nod. "Systems green. Lift nominal."
Anna gripped the main throttle lever. Her hand closed around the lever. Pain pulsed beneath her ribs. Her gaze fixed forward, on the brightening slit of horizon between sea and clouds. "Engaging thrusters," she stated, voice level. Her hand moved the throttle forward. The lever slid under her push.
Red Wing''s engines roared, a deep growl pushing back the wind''s howl. The airship lifted from the platform. Dust swirled below in the rotor wash. The figures of Miriam and Lia shrank. Anna banked the ship out over the cliff edge, towards the open sea. Below, waves crashed white against dark rocks. Ahead, the path to East Iris stretched across the gray water, under a sky showing gathering storm clouds far to the north. The wooden bird pressed against her vest pocket. Red Wing flew onward into the dawn light.