All On Board

Estreau, Three Hundred Years Before

It was a beautiful island, the furthest from the Estreau mainland that was still claimed as being part of that continent. From a distance, it was pristine, the waters sparkling brightly, the land still green from trees, but as they drew closer, Thaelen sighed in heavy weariness.

Even here, a factory perched on the edge of coast and river drew water in and pumped it out dark with debris, a steady stream of grimy smoke was directed into the air by a tall chimney, and the city around the harbor and its docks was pressed tightly together, busy and crowded. Whilst there were trees, but he suspected that their lives would be short as the humans would need the wood to fuel their factories and homes, and the space to build upon.

The docks were not busy, with only one other ship bobbing on the waves, which was a good thing as Thaelen’s ship was so sizeable.

“There she is!” Sigrid waved excitedly from beside him, spotting the small form of Meguitte amongst th