The sun was barely visible through the thick veil of smog in the city's industrial area. Celia pressed her breathing mask tightly to her face to ensure she didn't inhale contaminated air. The apparatus should be tightly fitted to her face and provide a constant flow of clear air, but it was far too big for her ten-year-old face. Those sorts of gadgets were expensive, and her family couldn't afford to buy her a brand new one fitted to her size, so she had to do with a hand-down from her father. But the girl was so used to it that she barely noticed it was anything out of the ordinary.

Her small feet made quick work of treading the metal platforms. It was the least pleasant part of her route, and she wanted to pass it as soon as possible, as did everyone else passing through here. No one stayed here for pleasure. People were barely visible under their breathing masks and hats, putting collars of their trench and leather coats up to cover as much skin as possible, protecting themselves from the toxic fumes. From Celia's eye level, they all looked like some otherworldly creatures from the stories she loved.

The girl turned sharply into an empty alley with a dead end. She glanced at the brownish water sloshing through the metal grate and wetting her leather shoes. The sea level had risen again. They would have to move up all the factories again in a few months. She shook her head, making her brown braids jump on her narrow shoulders. Sometimes, she wondered what the world looked like before the Great Floods. All she knew was life dependent on the unforgiving rage of the sea.

Celia reached the end of the alley and looked up at a plant's brick wall where the half-corroded maintenance ladder hung just a few feet over her head. She let her breathing apparatus dangle freely on her neck and stretched her wrists. She ignored the sharp smell of sulphur and crawled up the pile of rotten wooden boxes. By some miracle, they held her weight. Not wanting to try her luck, she jumped and grabbed the lowest rail of the ladder, which shuddered under the sudden impact but held.

With a laugh, the girl swiftly made her way up to the plant's roof.  The air here was a little cleaner than down on the surface passageways. She took a big breath from her apparatus to be safe and strolled to the other side of the roof. What she was doing was dangerous and certainly illegal. If her parents knew she still used this shortcut, they would probably ground her for life. But Celia could never resist the exciting thrill of adventure.

Celia grinned when she spotted the metal line still tightly fixed on the pole going down to the docks over the roofs of lower buildings and surface routes. She could go to the port using common ways, like a good girl, but where would be fun in that? Iron Shore had plenty of shortcuts; if one was not scared of a bit of risk, one could traverse the vast metropolis in half a day.

The girl double-checked if her parcel was still secured tightly to her wide leather belt, and from one of many pockets, she fished out a narrow chain with a hard piece of leather in the middle. Without thinking, she stepped to the roof ledge, throwing her chain over the metal line. She wrapped one side securely over her right wrist and grabbed the other end tightly.

"Hey, kid! What do you think you're doing?!" a gruff voice shouted. "Get down from there before you fall to your death!"

"Sorry, no time!" Celia yelled, and without looking back, she jumped.

Sliding down the metal rope was the closest she ever got to flying. The wind rushed at her face, making her eyes tear up, and her braids lash behind her. Her feet dangled hundreds of feet from regular people, making them all small and insignificant. This ride made Celia feel alive like nothing else in the world.

But as with all beautiful things, the slide lasted only a few moments. The girl expertly chose a moment when she let go of one end of the chain, landed on a wooden pier, and rolled to lose momentum, stopping in a crouch. No one paid attention to her except for a few disgruntled seagulls fleeing in panic.

Celia straightened and dusted herself off, looking around curiously. At this time of the day, the docks should be brimming with traffic, but everything was oddly quiet. She patted the parcel on her belt, and when she made sure all was in order, she strolled towards fishing warehouses. She understood what had happened to everyone when she reached the docking bays.

Among all the dull, run-down fishing boats floated a marvel. Celia's eyes turned as wide as pocket watches.

An airship!

It was relatively small, no bigger than the doggers below. However, it was still a marvel─from the lacquered wooden bow and the whole body of a classic sailing ship through clunky-looking metal turbines to the vast, bulbous balloon holding the entire construction in the air. Celia was not the only one gaping at this technological wonder. People flocked the quays using any possible excuse to glimpse a functioning airship. Rumour had it that taking to the sky was their only way out from the slowly drowning world.

After all, how long could they keep building their cities upward before collapsing to the cruel sea? 

"Enough gawking. Move along, folks!" A stern voice rose over the crowd. "Come now. You're not paid for lazing around. Back to work!"

Grumbling under their breath, people reluctantly withdrew and dispersed, so Celia had no choice but to move along. She did manage to take a good look at the soldiers. They stood out like a sore thumb among the poor dock workers. Their black leather shoes were polished to shine, and their frock-like jackets were dyed crimson – a colour reserved for the government. Their top hats looked funny to Celia, and she wasn't sure why anyone would wear such a ridiculous and impractical hat. However, the crimson feathers looked quite elegant, even for her. Both men casually held big rifles. Their faces were hidden under the shaded goggles and breathing apparatuses, even though the sea breeze blew all the smog to other parts of the city.

The girl raised her pace when one of the guards turned to her. He casually put his free hand on his belt, revealing a dark vest covered in metal pieces and another two pistols tucked into a leather harness coiled around his chest. Celia quickly turned her eyes to her feet. She might have been reckless, but she knew better than aggravating the guards.

Luckily, the men did not take any interest in a scrawny kid like her, and she was able to be on her way. She was so engrossed in daydreams about airships she almost missed her father.

"Celia? What are you doing here?" he called, bringing her back to earth.

"Daddy!" She ran to him with a huge smile and unbuckled a small parcel from her belt. "I brought you lunch!"

"You know it's not safe for you to traverse the city alone like that," the man replied sternly.

Celia'ssmile faltered. Something was wrong. Her father was strict at times, but he was also kind. He never failed to return a smile, especially hers.

"Are you angry with me, Daddy?" she asked with a slight tremble.

He sighed and ran a hand over his face. He seemed exhausted, and the dark circles marred his gaunt face. He gently put his big hand on the girl's shoulder. "No, love. I'm not angry with you. It's just an awful time."

"I can go if you want?"

"Nah, since you came all the way here, let's eat that lunch together."He wrapped his arm around the child's shoulder and walked her to the pier's edge, where they sat with their feet dangling over murky brown water. 

They ate stale bread and fish sandwiches, watching the waves lap on the wooden beams, almost touching their shoes. Celia stole a glance at her father. He took off his woollen hat, revealing thinned-out grey hair. Their life has always been challenging, but he seemed to be significantly down lately.

"Has something happened?" she asked tentatively.

The man kept chewing unenthusiastically for a moment, then sighed, put down his food, and turned to her. "I may as well tell you. Today's expedition was a failure. All the fishes we caught were already dead from the toxins in the water." He ran a hand ruffling his remaining hair and looked back at the water. "I don't see any way it can work out. We can't keep sailing further out. The waters are too turbulent there, and our boats wouldn't survive. I'm afraid we'll be out of work soon enough." His voice was breaking, and his hands trembled.

Celia thought for a moment, considering all those daunting challenges her father was fretting about. She patted his shoulder and smiled. "We have to find another place then."

Her father frowned. "What are you talking about? There is nowhere we can go. All the cities in Confederation are facing the same issues. We caused this"─he waved his hand around them at the city raised on the metal platforms and raging sea─" and now we are paying the price. There is nowhere to run."

"Yes, there is," the girl protested. "Over the mountains."

"There is no way over the mountains. Many people tried and died in the attempt. It's impossible."

"No, it's not! Artemus the Brave was there and came back to tell the tale."

"Celia." Her father sighed. "You know all those stories are made up, right? There was no such person as Artemus the Brave."

The girl's dark eyes widened in shock. "But all those stories! You said I could be an explorer like him if I worked hard. That I can fly the ship one day."

"What was I supposed to say?" his voice raised, brimming with frustration. "The best you can get in this stinking world is getting a job in a factory that will slowly drain all life out of you? Or that we all will probably be dead in a few years?"

Celia paled and moved away from him, clearly rattled, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"I... I'm sorry, love." Her father rubbed his brow. "Forgive me. I shouldn't have said that. It's just... I don't know what to do anymore."

"The airships." Celia's voice was weak, barely louder than the waves beneath their feet. "The airships are our way out. There is one anchored right here in the docks."

Her father scoffed. "This thing is just a toy of some rich brat. It can float with several people onboard on small distances, but it would never cross the sea or the mountains. The Engineers Guild tried everything already. They can't make bigger machines fly. And to take all our people over the mountains, we would need huge vessels."

"It's not impossible. Surely someone will find a way," Celia repeated stubbornly.

"Celia, love." His voice became soft, and there was a pain in his eyes when he looked at his heartbroken daughter. "I know you want to believe that. But sometimes, you must face the grim reality and prepare for the worst. It will do you more good than daydreaming about impossible things."

The girl jumped to her feet with her fist clenched and brows knitted. "There must be a way. If no one else finds it, I will. You'll see." She turned on her heel and ran away, ignoring her father's calls.

Before Celia knew it, she was already on the quay, staring longingly at the floating airship. To her surprise, two guards were busy dealing with an angry crowd of people who loudly shouted some demands the girl didn't quite understand. The critical fact was that nobody was guarding the ship now.

The portable rope ladder was rolled up on the ship's starboard, but the vessel was anchored to the pier with another line. The one that skinny little kid like her could easily scale. She glanced over her shoulder to ensure the guards were still busy and ran towards the ship without a second thought.

Scaling the rope was more challenging than she thought, but she was agile, and after her dreams were brutally shattered just a moment ago, she needed something to ground her. Something to make her believe in her dream again.

Something like boarding the airship herself.

By some miracle, no one spotted her on the way. Once she climbed over the starboard's railing, she crouched and crawled below deck, not risking looking over the bar. The ship was smaller than she imagined and eerily empty. With reverence, Celia ran her hand along the wooden wall as she stalked toward the stern.

The navigation cabin was small, with the whole front covered with big windows, providing a breathtaking view of the raised city. But it was not the sights that grabbed Celia's attention. She often imagined herself at the steering wheel of the airship, but the station here was different than on her father's fishing boat.

The ship's helm was still the same, made of beautiful, lacquered wood, so scarce these days. But it was accompanied by all sorts of levers, buttons and instruments that made Celia's head spin. The vessel was filled with a steady low rumble that only now she identified as a running engine.

She gingerly stepped towards the helm and reached out her trembling hand. But before her fingers touched wood, a buzzing blur of copper whizzed at her, forcing her to duck with a surprised scream.

"Intruder!" a high-pitched voice called behind her. "Hands up and turn around slowly so I can see you!"

Fear clutched at Celia's chest as she obeyed the command. But to her relief, she did not see an armed guard but a boy not much older than her. He looked as surprised as her, his clear blue eyes wide in disbelief. The copper blur zipped back to him and sat on the boy's shoulder, draped in an elegant leather jacket. Celia realised it was a metal bird crafted with such accuracy that it looked almost alive.

"Is that your bird?" she asked with marvel. "I've never seen anything like it."

The boy's face quickly changed from stern to proud. "Yes, it's the latest model. Father ordered it for my birthday. I believe it's the only such advanced metal creature in Iron Shore."

Celia lowered her hands, forgetting entirely about her precarious situation, her eyes shining when she stared at the little mechanical wonder. "It's beautiful. Can I touch it?"

"It is," the boy agreed, but then his eyes narrowed, and he straightened his back and looked down at her, even though he was barely half feet taller. "But you absolutely cannot touch it. You're an intruder. What are you doing on the ship, and how did you get here?" 

Celia shrugged. "I didn't mean any harm. Just wanted to take a look. I climbed on the anchor."

The boy raised a brow. "You climbed it? A scrawny little thing like you?"

She puffed out her chest and raised her chin proudly. "I'm here, am I not? Or do you need to put on your expensive goggles to see me, lordling?" Aggravating the boy was probably not the best idea, but she couldn't resist. He must have been the son of some important noble family, considering his flashy, well-made clothes, like a beautiful vest decorated with pieces of silver and a delicate golden chain from a watch dangling from his pocket. Not to mention the flying wonder on his shoulder. Celia could bet he would never scale a rope as she did.

"You know I can call the guards any second, and you will be in big trouble, right?"

She gulped. "I'd rather prefer you don't. I was leaving anyway."

The boy crossed his arms and moved to the middle of the doorway to block the way out. "And why would I let you go? You're trespassing."

"Because otherwise, you would have to admit that I sneaked behind your back," Celia tried. She knew she couldn't let guards see her. But the boy didn't look like a bully. Perhaps she could convince him not to raise the alarm. "Didn't you stay behind to guard the ship?"

"I..." he hesitated. Blue eyes studied her intently. "Why are you here?"

"I told you I wanted to take a look." She gazed at the helm with reverence. "One day, I will fly one of these over the mountains to the New World."

The boy laughed, and Celia frowned, turning back to him. "What's so funny?"

"You think you'll be flying an airship? A commoner would never get that job. It's for well-educated people like myself."

Celia's face flushed, and she clenched her fists. "Well, watch me, lordling! I'll work hard to get educated enough to get to one of those ships. And while you play with your fancy toys, I will cross the mountains and explore the New World like─"

"─Artemus the Brave," the boy finished for her, his blue eyes sparkling.

"You know of him?"

"Of course! Everyone knows the tales of Artemus the Brave. Which one is your favourite?"

But before Celia could answer, a little metal box on the boy's belt rang loudly. He fumbled with it for a moment and silenced it, but when he looked back at her, there was fear in his eyes. "It's Father. He's coming back to the ship. You must get out of here." He grabbed her hand and tugged her behind him. "Quickly, we've got just a few minutes before he arrives."

They dashed through the ship's underbelly back to the deck. The boy steered her towards the rope ladder, but she shook her head and pointed at the anchor.

"You can't be serious!"

Celia grinned. "Watch me." She removed a leathered chain from her pocket and carefully stepped onto the railing. She turned back to give the blue-eyed boy one last smile. "Thanks for letting me go, lordling."

"I can't wait to see you fly, little fish." He grinned back.

Celia made a mock salute, grabbed her chain in both hands and slid down.