The Lookout

Continuing from Missing Link

200 years prior...

Jacob and his son Kaleb occupied a lookout on a small island some ways north from the city of Ciya Latur. The small family had left city life behind, moving into the lighthouse just outside of the island's little village.

Once again, Kaleb was bored. That afternoon, he'd complained that there was nothing to do in their tiny village, which struck Jacob as a fair point.

“Why don't I show you some of what I do, son?”

“What, again?” the boy complained.

“You're old enough to ask questions now, to understand a bit more of the world around you. Come up to the lookout with me, it's an easy job and you might have to take it over some day.”

“Alright.” Kaleb sighed.

Jacob rapidly polished the lens of the telescope whilst Kaleb squinted over the edge, trying to see what he could with his naked eye and the wind blowing into his face, dancing through his blonde locks.

“Come on, have a look. Most of the job is to look out for delivery ships, unknown vessels, sea serpents and the like, and sometimes I do some bird spotting.” he said, picking up his bird-spotters guide and thumbing through it. Kaleb rolled his eyes.

“We can see a lot from here, though...” Jacob tilted the telescope to the West and handed it over to his son.

“Huh.” Kaleb said. “I can see Montgomery fort and the forests from here. It's actually a pretty clear view dad.”

“Pretty impressive, huh.”

“Can you see through peoples windows?”

“Never mind that, you can see most of the continent from here. You can't quite see Booversham on the other side, but you can make out Scoops farm to the south-west, and Ciya Latur to the south.”

Kaleb tilted the telescope to the south.

“Oh yeah! Cool, I can see Chad's house from here...and our old house! It's tiny but that's it for sure!” Kalebs spirits had lifted. “What else can we see dad?”

“Ok give me a minute, I can adjust it to see further...” Jacob adjusted the lens. “...ok, look north.”

“I can see the ocean...wait, I see a big castle of some sort.”

“Yeah, that's the next continent, the Land of Fantasy Cliches. What you're looking at must be the Peninsula of Hack Writers.”

Kaleb was confused. “Hack Writers, what does that mean?”

“I've never been there myself, but rumours say it's home to a number of fiction writers and authors of different skill levels. They gather together to hone their craft, sell their work, and complain about the world at large.”

“So...literally just writers?”

“Indeed.”

“That's kinda dumb. Fantasy cliches?”

“I know. Yep, knights, wizards, orcs and so on. You can't see most of the continent from here, but there are cities for fighters, mages, and a fortress for the king. Further north there are dungeons, thieves and all kinds of nasties. In fact, I think this telescope came straight from Mage City!” Jacob beamed with pride, pointing out a sticker on the side.

“Ok, that's pretty cool. We should go there one day. What else is there, dad?”

“To the north-east, way off in the distance, you might be able to see Scifiland. You can see the city of Spaceships'n'Ting, where spaceships are built.”

“What? Spaceships? Why do we never see anything like that ourselves? You're just pulling my leg now.”

“It would take too long to explain, maybe we can go there one day too.”

“Alright, what about the east?” Kaleb said, tilting the telescope to the south-east. “All I can see is a tiny island with a castle, everything else is shrouded by mist.”

Jacob chuckled. “That must be 'Go Away' island. No-one knows much about it. It looks man-made and seems to be occupied by a few wild animals and a single reclusive man. It's protected by strong currents and harsh winds, anyone who's even come close has been yelled at to 'Go Away', hence the name.”

“It's a weird world we live in.” Kaleb shrugged this off. “So, what's past the mist?”

Jacob furrowed his brow and scratched his chin, having often wondered this himself.

“There are other parts of the world through and around the mist, but within it lie the Lands of the Dark Unknown. The greatest mystery of our world. Some ships are driven away by fierce storms, others pass through the mist and find nothing but endless sea. Others have landed to find fertile soils and great treasures, yet more have become stranded on hostile wastelands filled with monsters and barely escaped with their lives. No voyage, on visiting the same continent at the same co-ordinates, has found the same place twice.”

“Wow. It's like a mirage, then? What have people found there?”

“In some senses, yes. People have fo...”

Jacob was interrupted by a deep, sharp moaning howl as though from the belly of the sky itself, the rush and displacement of great bodies of air, the beating of powerful wings. Kaleb snapped the telescope to the direction of the sounds.

“What in the world was that?!” Kaleb?”

“It's...coming from the Lands of the Dark Unknown...”

Blending with dark clouds in the distance, before exploding forth from them like a great warhead, an elegant bulk of destructive black steel and fire. It crashed through the air as though breaking through it. The two of them threw themselves to the ground, watching the Dragon shoot past in an arrogant blaze of raw flame.

As it raged into the distance, silence returned, the peace bringing with it enough comfort for Kaleb to speak first.

“Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“What kind of bird was that?”