For a moment, Keldon swore that he saw Howard glare at him.

  “What do you mean?” asked Howard.

  His anger flared hearing Howard feign ignorance. Blood pumped in his ears. Inside, Keldon felt the flames of passion stoke his temper.

  This meddling brat dares to fool us with such trickery?!

  Was that whispers he just heard?

  “You used me to cut in line. You’re famous, like really famous, I’m guessing. You could have easily cut the line, and no one would have batted an eye, but you used me to cut the line and make yourself look good at the same time you son of a bitch!” said Keldon.

  As soon as the words left his mouth, the passion went cold.

  What was that?? Why did he just swear at Howard, thought Keldon. He wasn’t actually that mad at Howard.

  He felt a chill nip at the tips of his fingers. Did he just unconsciously call on Karyx? His shoulders grew tense as he hid his hand behind his back.

  Howard gave Keldon a stoic look, creating a stony tension between the two as Keldon struggled to maintain a straight face. He could feel Howard’s gaze pierce into his mind as if he could tear the arm off his own torso with a glare.

  The evening sky had finally begun to set as the sun dipped down below the horizon, shrouding Howard’s face in the darkness.

  Howard laughed from the shadows as the city lamps flickered on, casting yellow beams of light on Howard’s face.

  “Seems the country boy has eyes on the back of his head. You got me, I used you,” said Howard, giving Keldon an apologetic shrug.

  “I’m truly sorry, but I was in a hurry and needed an excuse to get access to the platforms without tarnishing my reputation. I hope you can understand,” said Howard.

  With his anger melted away, he didn’t feel like he had any more reason to hold it against Howard. In the end, Howard still helped him, even if his intentions weren’t the most honest.

  “Well, that’s okay, I guess. Just be straightforward with me next time though,”

  “Won’t happen again,” said Howard with a disarming smile. He reached out for a handshake.

  Keldon hesitated. The chills still prickled at his fingertips. He took a deep breath, reaching out to meet Howard’s hand for a handshake.

  “How many times has he used that move?” thought Keldon, looking at the creases at the corner of Howard’s eyes.

  “Cold hands, you must have been nervous. This will, however, stay between the two of us. Correct?” said Howard in a low voice.

  His massive fingers curled like iron around Keldon’s grip.

  “Yeah. No problem,” said Keldon.

  Howard released his grip.

  “Perfect. Just perfect,” said Howard.

  A foggy whistle echoed through the streets from the platform behind Howard. Those left still standing around the edges of the platform began to gather up their things, shuffling up a ramp that led into the gated sections of the floating landmass.

  “FINAL BOARDING CALL FOR THE CLOUD SECTOR!!” yelled a platform operator.

  Howard looked at Keldon, sweeping his arm out in an “after you” fashion as he waited for Keldon to move past him. Of course, with a disarming smile.

  Keldon took pause for a moment before giving Howard a cautious nod as he moved passed Howard yet not wanting to break line of sight. The metal ramp creaked under his weight as Howard and Keldon climbed ramp seven onto a sectioned off area, guarded by yellow thick rails.

  Wandering eyes drifted onto the backs of Keldon and Howard, no doubt curious as to what caused such a commotion down at the gates. However, Howard had already drawn up his hood, shielding his face from those watching. He reached into the inner pocket of his cloak, pulling out his silver punch card and handing it to Keldon.

  “For what it’s worth, my apology is sincere,” said Howard, handing Keldon the silver punch card.

  He turned the card over. The card was engraved with twisting sharp sigils in the form of a jaguar and had three holes already punched in, with seven slots remaining.

  “It’s fine, I don’t need a bribe to keep my mouth shut,” said Keldon. He handed Howard back the card, but Howard’s brow furrowed into a dark glare.

  “This is no trifling bribe. Take it or cast it off the edge yourself. No one refuses a gift from Howard Sovaros,”

  In Keldon’s hands, the card was light as a feather and as smooth as a freshly polished mirror. Yet, inside the core of the card gleamed a glowing black material.

  “If you’re sure.”

  “I am always sure.”

  “PLATFORM LIFTOFF IN FIVE…FOUR…THREE…TWO…ONE.”

  A deep whirr vibrated the soles of his feet as the metal ramps retracted into the base of the platform. The platform ascended from its nest of steel as gusts of wind burst from the rumbling engines.

  Keldon leaned over the rails to get a better look at the turbines that powered the platforms. But as he strained to see, Keldon accidently inhaled a cloud of dust as he stumbled back with a violent cough.

  The platform lurched into the air as Keldon struggled to find his footing, tripping over his cloak and slamming onto his back.

  Howard extended a hand to Keldon.

  Keldon clasped it into his own as Howard pulled him up to his feet. Keldon clung onto the nearest pole as he stared at his feet, planting them firmly on the ground. And for the first time, he finally got a true good view at the whole majesty that was Kharburn.

  When he had been stumbling through the streets, it as hard to noticed but up in the air, he saw a countless amount of city sectors within Kharburn. Down near the outskirts were modest neighborhoods that were a mixed brewing pot of cultures and housings. Curved tile rooves in one street corner with another residence having solid mud and mortar walls just next door.

  However, the next thing that caught his eye were enormous port docks far off in the distance. Ships with towering masts were docked portside by a bustling marketplace teeming with people of all kinds.

  “She’s beautiful, isn’t she,” said Howard, smiling as he leaned against the railing besides Keldon.

  Keldon looked up at Howard, and for the first time, saw him smile in earnest.

  “You really love this city huh?”

  “With all my heart,” said Howard.

  The sun beamed down on his cheeks, warming his body and cold fingertips as he breathed in a lungful of fresh crisp air.

  And then, just as Keldon thought it couldn’t get any better, they pushed above the cliff line that hung over Kharburn.

  “Woah…”

  Above the clifftop wasn’t more city sectors, but instead something so much wilder than Keldon had ever expected. A lush savanna covered the flatlands above the clifftops as herds of four-legged umberbeasts in the thousands roamed the prairies. Towering one-eyed beasts drank from the rivers that coursed through the land like life-giving veins as they poured off the cliffsides in roaring waterfalls.

  A flock of tiny wyverns with white and red feathers flew by Keldon’s head as they landed on a perch atop a giant tree, teeming with ripe citrus fruit eaten by six-armed purple monkeys down below.

  “The cloud sector welcomes you Keldon. Where you’re from, I assure you, you’ll find my neighborhood most comfortable.”

  The hovering platform soared over the herds of the great plains as Keldon gaped at the absurd variety of creatures in every shape and color.

  “How…” murmured Keldon. “This level of diversity shouldn’t be possible,”

  “The First Prime made all possible,” said Howard proudly. “Legend says that Kharburn was nothing more than two fields of wheat and a starving family before First Prime had arrived from yonder.”

  Keldon marveled at the roaming herds of crystal-horn wildebeasts when a golden spire out that pierced the clouds caught his eye.

  “What in the Gods is that?”

  Drifting white whales with angelic wings swam around the peak of a gleaming white tower that loomed over a ring of buildings and sports fields down below. The area around the base of the tower was alive and booming with swarms of colors and movement.

  As the hovering platform flew by, only then could Keldon make out that the moving swarms of colors were clusters of nobles and guards decorated in their house colors. Merchants eager to make easy Denier had set up food and drink stalls by the dozen as lines of servants balanced arms of hot meals and frosty beverages back to their masters.

  “Less people than usual. Seems entrance exams are finally wrapping up,” said Howard casually.

  The words froze Keldon’s blood stone-cold as he turned to Howard, fear prickling at the back of his neck.

  “Entrance exams?”