Squallbreak Chapter 1

Ewan Decimus Squallbreak
I looked closely at the girl before me. Her eyes appeared to pierce my soul. Well when I say girl I’d best be more specific. It was clear that she was likely to be around eighteen, but could be in reality twenty one. Now I know what you are thinking, nice young lady, piercing eyes, probably wearing red lipstick, with clothes that highlight her voluptuous figure, consisting of a large chest and long slim legs, very attractive. Well you’d be partially right. She was very attractive, being a similar age to me, yet she had an unpainted face, with a moderate chest size, her limbs were long and slender, but her height was petite. What was most attractive about her, were her sharp eyes, which shifted from being a light jade to an emerald green, as well as her short scruffy mop of black hair.
Now it is possible that whilst I was beginning my description of the scene, you were looking forward to a popular stereotype of what this young lady should look like. But then, I have no reason to lie to you either way.
So here I am sitting opposite a woman with piercing green eyes, scruffy black hair and wearing a uniform. Not I might add a sharp uniform of one of the law enforcement or military agencies: nor was it the elegant uniforms of a barrister or of a shop worker: it could even have been the unruly look that loosely translates as a uniform of one of the gangs which roam the streets of this city. No this was a thick leather boiler suit, which covered a green work shirt, the only presentable part of the uniform. The logo on the shirt and on the boiler suit revealed that she was part of one of the steam companies. The logo more commonly had a wheel motif on either side, but this variation had wings. One of the air branches of the WLM company. It was quite common for me to see the largely male crews pass along the platform. This is probably the point where I should explain where I am. As you may be able to tell, the place I’m in is above a railway station, smoke frequently billows through the windows. But it is not and office. It is an office for quite a few people, going by the name of ‘The Bridge’ public house, situated as a bridge over the lines.
I sipped my pint, the girl followed suit. I finally broke the silence which had been hanging between the two of us. “So Riona was it? What was it you need to see me about?”
Riona lowered her pint.

Riona Victoria Skyblaze
Currently I am sitting in a large smoky bar overlooking the main railway station of the city. Opposite me is a scruffily dressed man; likely to be a student, especially from the short but poorly kept beard which just surrounds his muzzle. It has taken nearly three days to talk to someone from this section of the university. The others were busy with research or unavailable. I even started my search in this pub, before visiting those connected to the department in question, sent pillar to post. When I finally got word of this individual, I was told that he would be at his office. When I found he had no office I tracked him down to his residence, where there was no answer. Only when a passer by told me the location of his office did I finally find him. Once I met him he politely bought me a pint after I introduced myself. Since then he has looked at me in adoration.
We both took a brief drink of our pints, before he asked, “So Riona was it? What was it you need to see me about?”
I paused briefly before replying. “You really are a difficult person to track down Mr Squallbreak. I couldn’t find anyone else in the university’s History department with your peculiar specialism. Very few know focus on occultism when there are other departments with that knowledge.”
“It’s not a specialism really, just an interest.”
“But you do have a baccalaureate with that as a specialism.”
“But that was just one of many areas of study. You could hardly call it a specialism. The tutors gave a good comprehensive selection of study.”
“Yet it is the beings of the mist which interest you, as well as the growth in those able to manipulate it.”
He looked at me, with an expression of thoughtfulness and crossness. “Yes. I am interested in that subject. Is this line of questioning actually going anywhere?”
I decided to drop the subject, sighing in resignation. I reached down into the satchel I had brought with me and passed him the reason for my meeting.
“I hoped you could help me with something.”


Ewan Decimus Squallbreak
Riona lifted a newspaper from her satchel and placed it in front of me with the front page laying face up in front of me. The main picture was of sketch of an airship surrounded by storm clouds.
“So what is it you want me to look at?”
She pointed to the headline relating to the airship.
Airline Devastated By Unidentified Raiders
On the 22nd of February the airship ‘the queen Sufeila’ came under attack whilst crossing the Caerlaich mountains. Upon landing yesterday it became clear of the scale of the incident. As investigators boarded the vessel the absence of any activity and overall silence was unnerving according to ms. Amiee Treestrom the Detective Sergeant leading the investigation. Of the 450 passengers and crew that were onboard the ‘Sufeila’, only twenty were found alive, along with the bodies of twenty others. The survivors gave descriptions of winged figures dragging away those on board. The Western Land Mass Company, owners of the ‘Queen Sufeila’ have subsequently placed all Vailiekin, Teufeii and Selkie staff under investigation.
I looked up at Riona. “So it is this incident with the airship you want me to look at. But as you said this is possible connected with the supernatural and the mystic races. Indeed it would be of an advantage to have a human look into this.”
I watched her nod slightly; the fringe of hair fell away briefly revealing a small tattoo on the forehead, disappearing into the hairline: a peroun mark. I smiled.
“It seems we both appear to be hiding our connections to the supernatural.”
Riona’s expression turned dark. The air around the table seemed to change to a tense and violent atmosphere amongst the jollity of the bar. I began to fear the wrath of this girl just from her emerald green eyes. The mark began to change with her mood.

Riona Victoria Skyblaze
“It seems we both appear to be hiding our connections to the supernatural.”
Upon hearing that, I began to fear for my life. This man of whom I had only known for less than half an hour had noticed that mark. I knew he would soon work out my other reasons for visiting him. If he was not trustworthy he may make turn me in after this meeting: the use of supernatural abilities is highly restricted within the larger nations, especially the three imperial nations of Leyoness, Vorsk and SuKanen.
I looked at Ewan angrily, who put his hands up in surrender.
“Sorry shouldn’t have pressed on that subject.” He looked up and stared deep into my eyes. “Don’t worry I won’t say anything. I still don’t know what it is you want with me.”
I looked at him quizzically; did I misjudge him?
“I believe the possibility of the event in that article is of interest to both of us; you are interested in how the supernatural and occult affect our world’s history. For me I am a fellow student of the university, the WLM Company employ me part time in administration. You have probably worked out that I am under investigation for being one of the mystic races.”
He nodded.
I breathed in, “What I’d like you to do is research what happened on the aircraft.”
“You’ve already shown me what happened.” he interrupted with a mischievous smile on his face, “I know what you mean. See if there has been any similar incident in the newspapers.”
“Precisely.”
“How long do we have?”
I lifted my pint, finishing it whilst pausing to think. “Probably a week in the archives. We will move our investigation elsewhere once we have some sort of a basis. I presume you will have more idea than me.”
“You want me to just muddle through.”
“Yes. I’ll check up with you in three days time, if all goes well.”
Ewan smiled “Good planning. But wouldn’t it be quicker if we worked together in the research, especially since a smart girl like you is also at the university. On that should you not be able to do the research yourself? Why do you need me?”
“I;” I stumbled, “I take a practical based art course. Fashion design: so you know.”
He smirked, laughing silently to himself, as he began to drink from his pint.

Ewan Decimus Squallbreak
I smiled to myself. This girl was a trainee fashion designer. Well I’ll try and get her assistance in the research. “Well, I guess you have lectures to go to and clothes to sew, but how about this. Any free time you have, we work on the research together. At the end of each day we compile notes and see what we have found. It would be quicker and we may be able to meet our one week deadline.”
“There may be a problem.”
“How, so?” I asked in slight puzzlement, before it hit me as she began to speak.
“I’m under investigation in connection with the incident. Me and twelve others in my office are believed to be the leak.”
I nodded, “so anything unusual will cause suspicion.”
“Yes.”
I looked thoughtfully into my beer, before finishing it and looking back at Riona. “Your round: lass.”

Riona Victoria Skyblaze
I rose slowly, picking up both of our empty glasses before I headed towards the bar. The whole place was filled with steam as a train passed underneath, soot settling on some of the tables like a flurry of black snowflakes. The bar was situated in the middle of the pub, so I was spared the choking steam with the thick smog filled city air, well to some extent. My flesh tingled around the peroun marks, which covered my body like a set of slowly multiplying scars: for that reason humans have it easy. They cannot sense the mist. Neither are they under any magical restrictions. I lifted the two glasses of beer and headed back towards Ewan. The air slowly mutated into a soup. Voices were carried across the room, whispering in a forgotten tongue not meant to be heard. I approached Ewan, who was wearing an expression of concern on his face.
“Such mournful sounds are the voices that the mist carries. The words are beauty in themselves; we can hear them because we are sensitive to them.”
I watched as Ewan willed sparks to appear, allowing them to dance across his palm.
“You’re a wych born.” I scrutinised after that display.
“And you Riona are a Vailiekin, correct?”
I sat down and looked at him crossly. “How could you tell?”
“Several clues: firstly your peroun mark, the design is similar to that of the fey, but I doubted that you were Sylvain or a Peri, the mark had some variation that showed some difference to them. What confirmed it for me was your back.”
“My, back?” I looked at him in shock. Surely he couldn’t have noticed my wings, I thought I had hidden them well with their mutable aura, which had reduced their size from their full twenty foot span.
“Yes. The back of your neck: to be more precise. You’ve either had your wings removed or have hidden them well. It was the small line of feathers which fades into your hairline. Other than that I had no clear idea.”
I allowed myself to smile. “You had no idea? So it was some chance deductions and a lucky guess.”
“correct.” He slowly lifted his pint, smiling smugly to himself.

Ewan Decimus Squallbreak
I drank from the pint Riona had placed in front of me, tasting the malts and hops along with the alcohol. The strange song of the supernatural souls resonated on the air, I could feel them tugging at my soul. I had decided to practice some manifestation whilst Riona was at the bar: it had been easy to summon sparks of electricity across my palm. Too easy: The air was saturated with Magi particles: Mana, Zeon whatever you wish to call it, the air was full of it in this smog. I removed my watch from its pocket before glancing at the timetable situated on the wall in the next cubicle from us. Two minutes to the next train. I looked back at Riona.
“What are you up to Mr. Squallbreak?” she asked with an annoyed expression on her face.
I smiled back. “Please, call me Ewan. I was just checking something. I believe; in two minutes, we may be in a bit of trouble. How well are you in destroying monsters?”
“I do have some magical training as expected. As for combat magic, it is not something I really studied beyond manifesting the odd ball of flame to scare off any attackers. Why?”
I glanced back at my watch; the time had passed quite quickly.
“Ninety seconds.”
The sound of the carriages below the pub began to creak and clatter as the train left the station. I glanced at Riona who had her gaze towards a figure now standing at the edge of our table. I looked up as a sword was pressed lightly on my throat. The young gentleman wore the blue uniform of HRH’s Kurt ‘Flameheart’ Ölston’s police force. He held a pistol at Riona’s head.
“Ms Skyblaze I do believe you were followed.” I glanced back at my watch, “eighty seconds.”
The officer scowled at me “I am placing the two of you under arrest in connection with the disappearance of the passengers and crew on the Queen Sufeilia. And would you please stop counting down?”
I moved the watch towards the officer, grabbing my pint with my other hand. “Seventy seconds left. You would not begrudge me finishing my pint would you? My throat is parched in this smog.”
He nodded as I reached for my pint. I lifted the half empty glass smoothly to my mouth, looking at the watch. “Approximately sixty seconds and counting.”
The officer turned to Riona “what’s wrong with him? Why is he counting?”
The girl shook her head. Around us the other customers began whispering amongst themselves.
I really am glad I spent more for the second hand, “fifty seconds.”
The train was picking up speed, four blasts a minute from the funnel, of which three were likely to fill the room. I drained the glass quickly in front of the officer. The first wave of smoke hit as the hand moved to the next ten, “forty.”
“What are you counting for? What is going to happen with the train?”
I signalled for Riona to stand before turning to the policeman. “Nothing will happen with the train. Absolutely: nothing. Now were you to ask what would happen to this bar then it would cause unnecessary panic, possibly leading to several more deaths and injuries as would be expected from what is about to happen. Just don’t go outside for a while. Step away from us and keep calm, they are attracted to fear, especially in the presence of supernatural beings and wych born.” I tried to keep track of the time remaining as another blast pillowed through the open windows. “Twenty-five seconds.”
“So what if you’re some freaks. That has no bearing on what will happen. You are both coming with me!” He growled in anger at the two of us.
The third blast ploughed through the window, coalescing together.
“You aren’t from Hull are you?” I asked calmly
“What has that got to do with it?” his voice full of fear as he noticed the shape forming out of the mist.
I glanced at Riona, her face contorted in pain. She slowly staggered forwards, her hand placed over the mark on her head. She collapsed to her knees, releasing a scream. The thing noticed her and began pummelling towards us, a fleshless being of fire and soot, searching for a suitable host. The songs on the air were now as beautiful and alluring as ever: but I knew they would never play for me, my own mark made sure of that.
“Remember the stories of monsters living in woods, or the sea, none of the mystic races but real monsters of death and hellfire. This is a manifestation of one.” I explained to the officer, averting my gaze slightly. He didn’t listen.
“The voices. Who is it singing? The voice is of such beauty. I must see you! Come! Oh you must have been sent by the gods such is your beauty.” The face of the man stared in fascination into the advancing cloud of pure magical power, a being of energy than form.
Riona stood slowly, the pain subsiding as we watched the mass collide with the police officer and envelop him in darkness. The rest of the customers peeked cautiously out from under their tables, wondering what was happening in the stand off. A scream reverberated around the room as it forced its way into his body, making a home for its existence. I watched as Riona lifted her arm, whispering into the mist.
‘Not yet.’ I thought as flame erupted into her palm.
It was then that the bells rang out across the town and all portals were closed with a continual banging sound. Twenty seconds too late.

Riona Victoria Skyblaze
The searing pain drove through my head like the claws of a raven, ripping my mind apart with unbearable heat. I felt my legs give way as I collapsed to the floor, my head in my hands. I looked up at the police officer as the pain changed its form, the other marks slowly flaring up one after the other. The mist exploded around the man, slowly engulfing him in energy. All sound faded from my ears, all I could tell was what was in front of me. I felt my breath and pulled the feeling of my own essence from my chest. I inhaled slowly, moving the essence to my arm; drawing in more energy from the surrounding air, as the poor man’s body became distorted by magic, the true shape of the being began forcing its way out of his flesh into a physical form. He turned towards me, the fear in his eyes. I spoke two runes, my essence ignited into flame.
Then my hearing decided to return, just as the man gave out an ear-splitting scream which echoed around the large room. I cringed unable to shield my ears. The being stood before us: his body showed armour plating bulging against the uniform. His face was covered in a metallic mask, which moved slightly into a smile. The alarm went, echoes resounding around the entire railway quarter. He glanced at me before turning to Ewan, his eyes burning like coals. Ewan looked at me and shook his head, before turning towards the being.
“So come on. Who is it that sent you?”
“Chiyara requests your soul, Squallbreak!” It growled, motioning at Ewan
“I bet she does.” He sighed in reply, removing something from his jacket pocket and hiding it behind his back.
I watched the two facing each other. The being which had apparited before us was surrounded by a dense oppressive aura. I watched this stand-off patiently, seeing which would make the first move. Ewan rose slowly from his chair, eying the demon carefully. It suddenly tried to lunge forwards towards him; across the table. Ewan sidestepped it, bringing his hidden hand round and into the possessed policeman’s head. The officer was flung back almost as if he had been hit by something of inhuman strength, landing on the bar in the centre of the pub. He twitched, trying to rise, but it seemed as if he was restrained by invisible ropes. Squallbreak approached him, chanting something in a language that I do not recognise. Slowly, the form of the demon dissipated from the policeman’s body, leaving him with a tattered uniform. I slowly stood, following Ewan to where the man was slumped. There seemed to be a small piece of paper attached to the man’s head, right where Ewan had hit him. It glowed as he continued the chanting, a watermarked pattern, initially hidden from view appeared on its surface.
The chanting stopped as the mark completed itself, turning a deep red colour.
“Is it gone now?” I ventured, not familiar with the type of magic used.
“Nowhere near gone lass: I have only put it to sleep. The gentleman himself should be fine, as long as he does not invite the being out of its hiding place.” He replied with a sigh.
“Meaning?” I ventured cautiously
“Meaning that at some point in the next year or so, this poor chap will hear a sweet honeyed voice in his ear promising power beyond his wildest dreams. After that, it is more than likely that we will have a very angry demon trying to kill us; if not then he is likely to require further magical seals, something he will need to find out. Everything about him now is out of our hands.”
I glanced around the room, becoming aware of all the occupants staring at us.
Ewan rose slowly followed my gaze and sighed, “guess I’ve lost another office again.”
We left quickly and quietly from the pub. The police would have to deal with their now unconscious officer, it was as Ewan had said- it was out of our hands now.