Late that night, I laid quietly in my futon as I watched with some curiosity at Kassashimei, asleep in the bedding next to me. She was as vibrant as ever when she and I watched over the chienkuu ko earlier that evening. She’d repeatedly insulted the poor shyo mah who, in the dull moments of sitting absolutely still while watching the motions of her partner, kept dozing off. She prodded her in the back with one of her oddly decorated spirit sticks whenever there was any sign of the girl leaning over in a groggy daze. Kassashimei claimed that the stick was a water wand, that if handled properly, kept the rain at bay. In her vast, self-proclaimed charity, she thought it wise that they learn to fly the ship without the hindrance of a sudden midnight rainstorm. 

I smirked at the sight of another trinket in her hands. She took offense and frowned at me through most of the night. Still, in the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but wonder about the growing mystery that was my shyo mah. What secrets was she keeping from me? The Young Emperor’s words had only served to nurture my curiosity further. 

She seemed perfectly normal as she slept across from me. As peculiar as she was, there was no cause for me to believe she’d be turning into a cat or a bird and scamper or flutter away before my eyes. At some point, my thoughts drifted away and my curiosities gave way to dreary slumber.  

A week passed. 

A week of crossing nothing, but rolling grasslands that stretched to a hilly, unknown horizon. Only scattered trees and tiny streams marked the landscape below. Certainly it was beautiful, but I grew bored seeing the same, almost featureless world drifting below, day after day. Then, on the ninth day since leaving Castleberg, we came upon a vast forest. Ai explained that the locals called it, the Forest Among the Clouds. True to its name, the trees grew upon a broad, towering plateau that sent tree tops peeking through vast blankets of low-flying clouds. Hovering high above, I watched from the deck, at an immense vision sprawled far below that looked much like a land covered in snow with huddled green tree-top specks that seemed like humble bushes, dotting the pillowy-white ground. My mind wandered as I imagined setting down upon these clouds and treading upon them as if they were solid wisps of white earth. 

Beyond the forest, the clouds cleared and beneath their feathery shroud was revealed an enormous river, one which was as wide as several ships lined stern to bow. Dae Jung ordered us to descend to the water below. Much to my relief, as well as the other children, it was decided that rather than fly, we would sail the river to our next destination. For another week, the ship puffed along the water-bound currents using only its steam engines. All the while, the Boar and Ai sought to maintain our skills by training continuously both day and night.

Since Kassashimei and I had already proven our talents at flying, it was decided that we would learn other disciplines. We would train to become entertainers, just like Ami and Sa Shi. 

Little did we know that moving an unwieldy vessel across the sky was nothing like the delicate, graceful motions needed to make small objects of stone and wood dance. We practiced with flat, ceramic tiles at first, as their shape and weight made them easy to levitate. After a time, we moved on to narrow, wooden poles and learned to balance them on their tips. It was difficult at first, as we found ourselves grasping the craft all over again; but just like at the temple, our teachers were relentless. The Boar would teach us during the day, and while everyone slept, Ai would carry the training well into the depths of the evening. 

My sight had to be further refined in order to follow the tiniest details in the ether, which would allow my partner and I to flick and move various objects in a way that would make them seem alive. Much of these things were carried out at the end of the day as most performing chienkuu ko did their shows after sunset. 

It wasn’t until we arrived at our destination, that we were finally afforded a chance to rest. 

At first I thought we had sailed into the ocean, but soon realized the waters were much too calm. As the mouth of the river fell away I noticed, with great surprise, that we had entered an immense lake. At its very center floated a city as large as the Rui Nan capital itself, with towering buildings and branching docks of steel and wood. Clouds of steam rose like pillars from its center as if the Earth itself were breathing vapor into the sky. 

Kassashimei and I witnessed the distant spectacle through the glass dome of the ritual room. She seemed unimpressed. 

"The spirits don't like this place," she said ominously. "They say this city will be the end of all of us."

                                                             * * *

Today, the lake city of Watersbe is heralded as one of the greatest and most prosperous city states in the world. Built upon a lake connected to the Great Central River, which flowed to the Western Ocean, Watersbe's ports became the center of trade and commerce for all the countries on the main continent. Almost every ship, both of the air and of the water, had routes that eventually intersected the river as well as the vast expanse of water it commanded. The lake itself was like an unending harbor, with ships and towering masts that stretched from one shore to the other. At the peak of the trade seasons, every inch of water would be carpeted by a solid mass of wood, metal and a myriad number of docked hulls.  

In the time of my child however, as our ship sailed into port, we came upon a city whose reputation was much darker, filled with deceit and dishonorable intentions. The government and those that enforced the law were bribed into corruption. Criminals and even pirates found refuge in its unsavory underbelly and trade of illegal goods often passed hands under the blind eyes of ignorant officials. 

Dae Jung decided that it would not be wise to remain in such a place too long. We would leave as soon as we had replenished our supplies. Nevertheless, rumors and the presence of our luxurious, exotic-looking ship quickly caught the attention of various city officials. There was no hiding the growing suspicion that the Young Emperor was residing within the city's docks. Hardly two days passed before we were invited to the mansion of the head of state, Premier Gorchiv.

At first, Dae Jung politely declined. 

But as Kassashimei and I concluded our training and landed our sky boat upon the deck one day, I took notice of a messenger who spoke in whispered tones to Dae Jung, both standing at the bow some distance away. Dae Jung was gazing at an official-looking document the messenger had evidently handed him and then suspiciously pointed to us in earnest while he explained his intentions. Dae Jung nodded. The messenger grinned and the two shook hands before they parted ways. 

Dae Jung summoned the Boar and the guard captain, both waiting nearby, and the three discussed fervently amongst one another as they went below deck.

As I disembarked the boat, Kassashimei tugged at my sleeve. She looked at me with obvious concern. 

"Don't worry," I said. "The Boar- I mean, Master Ichiro would never allow anything to happen to us." 

"You trust people too much," she replied ominously. 

The next day, the Premier's dispatch ferried us from the docks to his mansion onboard peculiar-looking steam gyro copters. They looked much like the planes I had seen in Rui Nan, except they were much larger and they had spinning blades above their fuselage that droned like a thousand rasping drums against the constant croaking and sputtering of their rattling engines. 

Kassashimei and I sat in the back along with Lai, Etsu and several other children; as well as Ren Tzu and a few other guardians. Towards the front sat the Young Emperor, Princess Xiangfeng, Dae Jung and the Boar. While the four of them occupied themselves by talking with the dispatch near the cockpit, Kassashimei and I huddled near the porthole, looking over the city below. 

The streets and roads zigzagged and curved without any predictable direction. Unlike the previous places we’d visited, there were no straight lines or orderly grids. Instead, the buildings were massed together in a cluttered mess of structures in various states of disrepair. In a few places there were large patches of shacks and metal tents, that at a passing glance, seemed to resemble garbage dumps. How strange it was that Watersbe was once a far cry from the pristine city it would eventually become in the coming decades.    

At the very center, towering high above the huddled buildings and misshapen shacks was the coal mill that provided electricity to the entire city. Sprouting like trees from its roof were dozens of smoke stacks puffing gray, mountain-like clouds into the air. 

Past the city's center, we came upon a wide, metal tower that must have been almost as tall as the mill itself. Like an insect to an outstretched flower, the gyro copter steadied itself upon the tower's roof. After landing, the dispatch guided us to a worn and rusted elevator. The machinery clanked and shimmied as it took us down.

At the tower's heart, we came into a cavernous reception hall. Scattered amongst the long tables filled with food and the servants who carried trays of wine and refreshments, were what seemed to be rich merchants and traders. Every detail I overheard from their conversations were matters of business and the prices of this and that, and what one might do to acquire so-and-so item at the modest trade of another. Some were in formal western-looking suits, while others were in more rustic attire, as their stout bodies were covered in rare animal furs and rough-worn leather. Still others seemed to have come from the eastern side of the continent, as they were dressed in richly decorated robes of silk. The entire western wall was made of glass, showcasing a breath-taking view of the lake as well as a teasing glimpse of the land beyond. The eastern wall, however, was without a single window, a cunning design, which hid the ugly, unnatural smoke clouds that emanated from the coal mill nearby. Large fur carpets dyed black and dark gray lay sprawled upon the dusty ground while upon the concrete and rusted steel walls hung portraits of men, all stoic, heavily bearded and proud. Their broad shoulders and piercing gazes seemed to distract from the musty, worn look of the room.  

The Premier and other important officials from the city would not be coming for some time, so the Young Emperor, Dae Jung and the princess waited, while Kassashimei and I, as well as the other children, did what was requested of us in our invitation: we performed.