The wind pushed against the rock shelf, a cold pressure. Anna sat on the overturned crate, arm wrapped across her middle, fingers digging into bandages. Fire pulsed beneath the cloth. Her other hand held the dataslate angled against the wind, screen flickering green, displaying purifier schematics. Salt spray misted the air, beading cold on skin, blurring the screen until she wiped it with a thumb.


    Kassia knelt beside the purifier''s skeletal frame, wrestling a heavy pipe fitting. Her boots slid on dark volcanic rock, slick from spray and drizzle. Metal grated against metal as she tried to align the pipe flange. Her breath came in sharp puffs, misting white. Muscles bunched in her shoulders. She leaned her weight into the wrench. The bolt turned a fraction, screeched, stopped. Kassia''s lips pressed thin.


    Anna leaned forward on the crate, peered at the connection point, then back at the dataslate. "Shim," she stated, her voice pulling tight. She pointed a gloved finger at the screen diagram. "Need a wedge... right there... compensate for the slope."


    The islanders watched from near the cliff path. A line of figures, hoods pulled up against drizzle, faces shadowed. They stood unmoving. Eyes tracked Kassia''s movements, flicked to Anna on the crate. A low murmur passed between two men near the back. One older man spat onto the rock. Zaltana stood apart from them, arms crossed, her stare fixed on Anna and Kassia.


    Kassia nodded, not looking up, already digging through the toolbox. Metal tools clinked. She pulled out a thin metal shim, slid it under the pipe flange. Applied pressure with the wrench. This time, the bolt turned. Click. Click. Click.


    Anna directed, referencing the dataslate, sometimes pushing herself upright using the crate''s edge, the movement stiff, pulling a sharp intake of breath. She''d check a seal Kassia had made, fingers probing the cold leather, before sinking back down onto the crate, hand returning to press against her injured side. The drizzle thickened, plastering strands of Anna''s blonde hair cold against her forehead and cheeks.


    Then, a rumble started beneath their feet. A vibration rising through solid rock. The crate beneath Anna shuddered. Loose gravel near Kassia''s boots rattled. Kassia froze mid-turn on a wrench, head snapping up, eyes wide. Anna gripped the edges of the crate, knuckles white. The vibration intensified – a pressure felt in the soles of their boots, the bones of their legs.


    Islanders near the path gasped. Several stumbled back from the cliff edge. Shouts erupted— "Ground shifts!" "Veyra!" Some pointed towards the vent, then looked back towards the purifier, faces showing lines of tension, mouths drawn tight.


    A loud HISS ripped the air from behind the purifier frame, near the back of the rock shelf. A fissure split wider. White steam erupted upward in a thick, roiling plume. It billowed, thick and opaque, smelling sharp, acrid – sulfur, hot minerals. The steam cloud spread fast, obscuring the back section of the shelf, swirling in the wind, condensing into heavy droplets that rained down onto the rock, making it gleam wet.


    Kassia scrambled back from the purifier frame, hand moving to the tool belt at her hip. Anna pushed herself upright beside the crate, bracing against it, eyes fixed on the hissing vent, the billowing steam. Her heart hammered against her ribs. The rock beneath felt solid again, the tremor fading, but the hiss continued.


    Zaltana pointed towards the purifier, then towards the steaming vent, her mouth moving, shouting words lost in the noise. The other islanders murmured louder, their eyes fixed on the vent, then back towards Anna and Kassia. Some shifted their weight, glancing towards the path leading away from the shelf.


    The main steam plume lessened after a minute, the eruption settling into a hiss from the widened fissure. Visibility returned, though tendrils of steam still curled, dissipated in the wind. The rock around the vent showed darker, wetter, glistening.


    "Hold steady!" Anna called out, her voice cutting through the hiss. "Check the base bolts – did that shift anything?" Her gaze swept the purifier frame, checking for misalignment, new cracks in the rock shelf.


    Kassia moved towards the purifier''s base, her eyes moving between the hissing vent and the frame bolts. She knelt, ran gloved fingers over the connections. "Bolts are holding," she reported, her voice tight. "Rock feels... different." She looked up at Anna, then towards the islanders, lines showing around her mouth and eyes. "Let''s get this pump mounted. Fast."


    Anna nodded, pushing damp hair from her forehead. The air felt colder. Drizzle mixed with the vent''s damp steam. Zaltana''s fixed stare pressed across the distance. Anna took a shaky breath, turned back to the dataslate, focused her eyes on the next connection diagram, the pattern of pipes, the pressure readings. Wind howled around the rock shelf.


    Steam hissed from the widened fissure near the back of rock shelf. Tendrils curled, vanished quick in the wind. The air tasted sharp—sulfur, salt spray. Drizzle slicked the dark volcanic rock. Kassia positioned herself beside the heavy central pump housing, preparing to lift it onto mounting bolts near the fissure. Islanders watched from the path edge, hoods up, faces shadowed. Zaltana stood apart, arms crossed, her stare fixed on Anna.


    Anna sat on the overturned crate, dataslate balanced on her knees. Her hand pressed against her side, feeling the tight bandages beneath her jacket. Fire pulsed there. <i>Focus. Just the build.</i> The schematic showed lines, numbers.


    "Ready?" Kassia called out, voice tight against the wind and hiss. She braced her boots on the slick rock, hands gripping the pump housing''s cold metal ridges.


    Anna nodded, pointed towards the mounting bolts. "Alignment critical. Keep it level."


    Kassia took a breath, grunted, lifted. The housing scraped rock. Muscles corded in her neck. Wind gusted across the shelf. Kassia staggered sideways, boots losing traction.


    "Whoa! Losing it!" Kassia yelled. The pump housing tilted, metal edge grinding loud, sliding towards the shelf edge near the fissure.


    Anna reacted. Hand snatched the wooden crutch beside the crate. Pain flared white in her side as she twisted. Jammed the crutch tip hard onto the slick rock in the housing''s path. Braced the shaft against the crate edge, angling it. Shoulder hit wood. Arms locked.


    Wood groaned under pressure as the housing hit the angled crutch. SCRREEECH! Metal bit wood. The slide stopped inches from the edge. The crutch trembled, wood fibers creaking. Anna cried out, a sharp sound torn from her throat as jagged fire lanced through her ribs. Her vision blurred; black spots swam. Arms stayed locked.


    Kassia regained balance, threw her weight against the housing. Pulled it back from the edge, scraping it loud onto the mounting bolts. Kassia leaned against it, chest heaving, face pale. "Gods... Anna..." she gasped, looking back, eyes wide.


    Anna stayed braced, trembling, breath coming in gasps. The crutch remained wedged, wood scored where the housing hit. Slowly, she eased pressure, pulled the crutch free. It clattered onto the wet rock. Her arm shook. Fire pulsed hot beneath her ribs. She slumped back against the crate, head bowed, breath catching against a wave of dizziness.


    Zaltana strode forward, boots crunching gravel, stopping before Anna. Rain dripped from her oilskin hood. Her eyes, dark chips, fixed on Anna.


    "Fool!" Zaltana''s voice cut the wind. "Mainland clumsiness! Nearly lost the whole thing!" She stabbed a finger towards the pump housing, then at Anna. "Is this how you handle things? Like you handled my brother?" Her voice cracked. "Horik lies broken back on **Atheria** because of *you*! His strength wasted! He should be leading the boats! Mending the wall! Keeping us *safe*! Not laid up because your temper spilled over! You bring nothing but weakness!"


    Anna pushed herself upright, bracing one hand flat on the damp crate, the other pressed against her side. Muscles shook beneath her jacket. She stood, swaying on the slick rock, face pale, sweat beading despite the cold. Her grayish-blue eyes met Zaltana''s stare. As Zaltana stepped closer, Anna reached down, fingers closing around the scored crutch shaft. She positioned it under her arm, leaned onto it, finding better balance. Her gaze held Zaltana''s.


    "The pact..." Anna began, her voice trembling slightly, rough. "...was for water. We... honor it." She took a ragged breath, fire pulsing. Her gaze sharpened. "You talk about pain...? Where is <i>he</i>?" Her voice gained volume, rasping. "Rennon. The one with the scar. The one <i>attacked</i> me. Did he crawl back here?"


    Zaltana scoffed, a harsh sound. Spat onto the wet rock. "Rennon? That drifting scrap?" Her mouth tightened, defiance showing in her stance. "Who cares where that coward is! He''s not our blood! You''re the one standing here while Horik suffers!"


    Elara moved swift through the islanders near the path. Her face showed grim lines, water streaming from her braid. She stopped beside Zaltana, hand pressing brief on her arm, then faced Anna.


    "He''s not here." Elara stated, voice flat. "Never was ours. Showed up a month back. Maybe two." Her eyes moved over Anna. "Driftwood tech-head. Knew meltdown engines. Patched our generators after the last blow-up." Elara paused, glanced towards the hissing fissure, then back at Anna. "He rigged up a condenser near the steam vents too - crude thing, but pulled fresh water, claimed he was boosting output. Spent days fiddling with it before pushing Horik to seek mainland parts." She looked back at Anna, sharp. "Said your region had energy readings... unique salvage. Worth investigating."


    Anna stood rigid, leaning on the crutch. Knuckles white. <i>Energy readings... unique salvage... near home. A condenser... fiddling...</i> The words landed. <i>He wasn''t just looking for pump parts. He was hunting. And building something here? Testing? For what?</i> Her breath caught sharp. <i>The crystal.</i> Her focus narrowed onto the absent Rennon.


    Elara observed Anna''s stillness. "Enough," she snapped, her voice cutting, practical, aimed at both. "Ground shifts. Sick get worse. Finish the purifier. <i>Now</i>. Settle scores later." She gave Zaltana a hard look, then turned abruptly, gesturing towards the waiting islanders.


    Zaltana shot Anna one last look—her brow furrowed, mouth pulled into a tight line—then turned stiff, moving back towards the other islanders, shoulders hunched against the wind.


    Anna remained standing, leaning on the crutch. Rain plastered blonde hair to her skull. Fire throbbed beneath the bandages. Steam hissed. Wind howled. <i>Rennon. He knew. He came for it. And he was building something here.</i> The questions coiled cold inside her chest.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Rain lessened to a cold drizzle. Mist swirled around the purifier frame, clinging damp to metal and leather. The hissing from the fissure continued, a counterpoint to the wind''s low moan and the distant crash of waves. Kassia worked nearby, tightening bolts on the pump housing she had wrestled back into place, her movements precise, lines showing around her mouth. Islanders huddled near the path, murmuring low, shifting their weight, gazes moving between the purifier, the vent, and Anna. Zaltana stood apart from them, back turned partway, staring out towards the gray, restless sea.


    Anna stood braced on the crutch near the crate. Her body trembled; tremors ran through her arms and legs. Pain pulsed deep beneath her ribs. <i>He targeted us.</i> The thought, a cold point. <i>Rennon knew. Knew something was there. And he built here... condenser...</i> A tightness formed low in her stomach. <i>Keep focus. Just the build.</i> She blinked, focused her eyes on the schematic on the dataslate screen, lines swimming for a moment before clearing.


    Her gaze drifted downward. Mud splattered her boots, soaked the knees of her trousers. Her uninjured hand rested on the crutch handle, knuckles white. <i>Lia''s face... the kite... My fault. My rage.</i> The thought landed, a pressure settling in her chest, separate from the pulsing fire in her side.


    She shifted her weight on the crutch, the movement pulling a low hiss of breath between her teeth, fumbled inside her wet leather vest. Fingers brushed against the smooth wood of the small carved bird. Closed around. Pulled it free. It rested in her palm, simple lines dark against her grime-streaked skin.


    She looked across the damp rock shelf towards Elara, who organized a small group of islanders rigging the heavy mooring rope Kassia had retrieved. "Elara." Anna''s voice came out low, rough, carrying over the wind.


    Elara paused, looked over her shoulder. Her facial muscles shifted under the shadow of her hood. She straightened, said a word to the islanders near her, then walked back across the slick rock towards Anna. Boots made squelching sounds. Elara stopped a few paces away, waiting, arms loose at her sides.


    Anna held out the wooden bird. Her hand shook, the tremor visible now. Raindrops beaded on the polished wood surface. "For Horik," Anna said, her voice low, strained. She met Elara''s direct gaze. "From Lia. The child..." Anna swallowed, the movement visible in her throat. " <i>I</i> hurt her hand." The words came out rough. "During the... fight. After Rennon attacked." Her gaze dropped to the bird in her hand, then lifted back to Elara''s face. "She made this. Asked me... to bring it." Anna held the bird forward. "Called it... ''friend''."


    Elara remained still for a long moment. Her dark eyes scanned Anna''s face—the pallor beneath the grime, the lines of pain around her eyes. Elara''s gaze dropped to the small wooden bird held out in Anna''s trembling hand. She stepped forward. Took the bird. Her fingers closed around the wood. She turned it over once, twice, thumb brushing the smooth curve of the wing. A muscle jumped in Elara''s jaw. Her gaze remained fixed on the bird for several more seconds.


    Then she looked up, meeting Anna''s eyes again. Elara tucked the wooden bird into an inner pocket of her patched jacket. Gave a nod. Turned and walked back towards the islanders working with the mooring rope, resuming her task alongside them. Her posture showed straight, shoulders back.


    Anna watched her go. Her hand, empty now, showed scraped knuckles in the wet air. She lowered her arm to rest her hand again on the crutch handle. Let out a breath she hadn''t realized she held. Air scraped raw in her throat. She turned her attention back to the half-finished purifier frame, blinking rain from her lashes. <i>One thing done. The bird delivered.</i> The damp air clung cold to the rock shelf.


    Rain eased back to a drizzle, coating the purifier frame in a slick sheen. Wind moaned across the rock shelf. The hiss from the fissure near the pump housing added an undertone. Kassia tightened the last clamp on the rotor housing, her wrench ringing against the metal casing. She straightened, lines of tension showing in her shoulders, wiping rain and sweat from her brow with a greasy forearm. Anna, kneeling beside the output valve assembly, secured the final bolt. Click. The sound was sharp as tools stopped moving.


    Silence settled over the platform, broken only by wind, waves, and the fissure''s hiss. Tools lay scattered on damp planks around the completed purifier. Iron frame bolted tight. New leather seals showed dark against rusted pipe joints. Condensation beaded on the metal surfaces, catching the dull gray light. Anna pushed herself upright, using the purifier frame for leverage, her breath catching as she put weight on her legs. She reached for the crutch lying on the damp crate beside her, fitted it under her arm, leaned onto it. Her hand stayed pressed against her bandaged side.


    Anna nodded towards two islanders standing near filled canvas water buckets. "Alright," she called out, her voice thin against the wind. "Top intake. Slow pour."


    Islanders shifted. Boots scraped rock. Buckets lifted, water sloshing heavy inside. They tilted canvas over the intake funnel bolted high on the purifier frame. Murky rainwater gurgled down into the tank. Gurgle... splash. The iron frame vibrated faint beneath Anna''s hand where it rested. Drizzle blurred the air. Anna watched the pressure gauge needle near the pump housing, eyes narrowed. The needle flickered, trembled upward slow.


    "Kassia," Anna said, her voice low. A tremor ran through the hand gripping her crutch handle, the wood smooth beneath her knuckles. "Primary crank."


    Kassia braced boots on slick volcanic rock. Rubbed palms together—a quick, scraping sound. Gripped the large hand-crank bolted low on the frame. Glanced once towards Anna; Anna dipped her chin slight. Muscles bunched visibly in Kassia''s arms and shoulders. She leaned into the crank, pushing downward. Gears inside groaned loud. Screeeech... CRUNCH. Metal teeth scraped harsh against metal. Kassia grunted, straining, knuckles showing white beneath the grime. The crank turned slow. Stopped. Turned slower. A rhythmic chunk... chunk... chunk... started deep within the pipes.


    The pressure gauge needle jumped, vibrated. Anna''s eyes stayed fixed on its movement. Kassia''s breath came in sharp, audible pants, misting white in the cool, damp air. Elara leaned closer to the pump housing, head tilted, eyes narrowed. Her hand rested near a valve connection.


    Water gurgled louder through the system. Pipes vibrated faint against the wooden support planks. The chunk-chunk sound smoothed, the pitch lowering, became a steady hum. Behind the small glass port set into the rotor housing side, brass surfaces caught the gray light, turning slow, then faster, blurring into a whir. The pressure gauge needle climbed higher, trembled near the halfway mark, held steady.


    Silence settled over the rock shelf again. The purifier hummed low. Wind sighed through the metal frame. Waves crashed distant. The fissure hissed faint. From the black output hose Kassia held aimed towards an empty oil drum, a sound started. Drip.


    Drip... drip.


    A thin trickle emerged from the hose end. Splashed faint onto the bottom of the dented metal drum. Dark gray water hit the metal. Silt particles swirled thick within the liquid, streaks of black mud clouding the flow. Low murmurs sounded from the islanders near the path edge. Figures shifted. One man shook his head, turned his back partly towards the purifier. Zaltana stood unmoving, arms crossed tight, her stare fixed on Anna. Kassia''s lips pressed into a thin line, her gaze locked on the murky trickle hitting the drum.


    "Wait," Anna stated, her voice sharp. Her eyes remained locked on the gauge needle, the spinning rotor blur behind the glass. "Pressure''s holding. Rotor speed steady."


    The trickle continued. Dark gray. Swirling silt. Splashing weak into the growing puddle inside the drum. Seconds stretched. Then, slow, the color shifted. Gray thinned. Water ran less opaque. Faint cloudiness remained. Thick black silt vanished. The trickle strengthened into a thin, steady stream. Splashing sounds grew louder inside the drum. Splash... splash... Clearer water hit the dark metal drum bottom, rings spreading outward. Another minute passed. The stream ran clear, reflecting the dull gray light.


    A collective rush of exhaled air sounded from the islanders near the path. Kassia let out a sharp breath, her shoulders lowering slight. She looked down at the clear water arcing into the drum, then shot Anna a wide, grime-streaked grin. Elara, still near the pump, nodded once, slow, her gaze moving from the clear stream back to the gauge. Lines around Elara''s eyes eased. Several islanders near the path stepped forward, murmuring louder, heads nodding. Muscles around some mouths and eyes relaxed.


    Anna let her own breath out, long, slow. Her shoulders lowered slightly. Muscles across her upper back loosened. She watched the clear stream pour steady into the drum. Watched the rotor spin smooth behind the glass port. Her hand, pressed against the purifier frame, trembled faint. She looked across the humming machine. Saw Kassia''s wide grin. A small curve pulled slow at Anna''s own lips.


    Her gaze lifted. Moved past the stirring islanders, past Elara who now scooped clear water from the drum into a cupped hand. Her eyes found Zaltana. The woman stood unmoving, arms still crossed, dark eyes fixed hard on Anna across the damp rock shelf. Zaltana''s lips remained pressed thin, brow level, gaze direct. The purifier hummed steady between them, water splashing clear into the drum. Anna met the hard stare, held it for a beat. Wind whipped strands of damp blonde hair across her face, stinging cold against her skin.


    Anna held Zaltana''s hard gaze for another heartbeat, the purifier''s steady hum a low thrum between them. Then Anna turned away, the movement stiff, pulling a faint tightness across her ribs beneath the bandages. Her boots scraped on the slick volcanic rock. She moved towards the edge of the rock shelf where Red Wing waited.


    Kassia pushed away from the purifier frame, stretching her back with a low groan. Grease streaked dark trails down her arms. She followed Anna, wiping hands on a rag pulled from her belt loop. Islanders near the path moved aside slow, murmuring low sounds. Eyes tracked Anna''s movement. Some heads dipped curt as she passed; others turned sharp away. The air smelled sharp – sulfur from the fissure, brine from the sea wind.


    They reached Red Wing''s lowered ramp. The airship''s crimson paint showed dulled, streaked with grime and salt spray. Its engines remained silent, the heavy frame settled solid onto the rocky ground. Anna stopped at the ramp''s base, leaning heavier now on the crutch. Her uninjured hand gripped the cold metal handrail.


    Elara approached them, striding across the damp rock from the purifier site. She stopped before Anna. Water still beaded on her dark braid. Her gaze met Anna''s, direct. "It runs," Elara stated, the words flat. She held out a rolled bundle of thick, waterproof canvas, secured with twine. "Extra seals. For the output hose. Can handle higher pressure." She pushed the bundle into Anna''s hand.


    Anna took the bundle, rough canvas cool beneath scraped knuckles. "Thanks," she replied, voice low. Held Elara''s gaze brief. Elara gave a single, sharp nod, turned, walked back towards the islanders gathering near the purifier.


    Anna tucked the bundle under her arm, turned towards the ramp. Kassia moved ahead, boots thudding on the metal grooves. Anna followed, pulling herself up slow, each step pulling fire low in her side. Pain pulsed steady, a dull throb beneath exhaustion.


    Inside Red Wing''s main hold. Dim light filtered through grimy viewports. The air smelled cold, metallic, faintly of stale rations. Purifier components sat lashed securely against one bulkhead. Kassia moved towards the cockpit hatch. Anna stopped near the center, leaning against a support strut. Closed her eyes brief. Air scraped shallow in her throat.


    "Ready?" Kassia called back from the cockpit entryway, her voice echoing slight in the metal space.


    Anna opened her eyes. "Yeah," she rasped. Pushed away from the strut. Started the slow walk forward, crutch tip clicking faint against the deck plates. "Get pre-flight started."


    Minutes passed. Outside, drizzle thickened again, pattering soft against Red Wing''s hull. Anna settled into the co-pilot seat. Kassia ran checks in the pilot''s position. Amber and green lights flickered across the control panel. Gauges glowed steady. Kassia''s fingers moved swift, flipping switches, tapping screens. Static hissed brief from the comm unit, settled into silence.


    Anna strapped herself in. Buckles clicked loud. She stared out the forward viewport. Rain streamed down the thick glass, blurring the view of the rock shelf. Figures moved dim through the haze – islanders collecting water, Elara directing, Zaltana a stiff silhouette standing apart near the cliff edge, watching.


    Engine sequence initiated. A low whine built outside, rising in pitch. Vibrations started low in the deck plates, grew stronger, humming up through the seat frame. Red Wing shuddered. Lights flickered brighter on the panel. Kassia gave a final check scan, then a nod towards Anna. "Systems green. Lift nominal."


    Anna reached for the main throttle lever. Her bandaged hand hesitated a fraction above the worn grip. Fingers closed around it. Pain pulsed dull beneath the cloth. She took a breath. Eased the throttle forward.


    Red Wing''s engines roared louder, a deep growl pushing back the wind. The airship lifted smooth from the rock shelf. Rain hammered the viewport as they ascended. Figures below shrank rapid, swallowed by mist. Anna banked the ship out over the cliff edge, towards the churning gray sea. East Iris fell away behind. The purifier''s steady hum faded, replaced by the howl of wind and engines. Ahead lay the turbulent path back towards her village. Clouds massed dark on the northern horizon. Anna held the throttle steady, eyes fixed forward on the gray horizon, the wooden bird a solid weight in her vest pocket.