{"id":2081,"date":"2025-05-15T09:47:37","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T08:47:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/?p=2081"},"modified":"2025-04-08T09:50:25","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T08:50:25","slug":"aerestia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/15\/aerestia\/","title":{"rendered":"Aerestia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A short story I started a while ago and never finished…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pink balloon hadn\u2019t popped despite it being nearly ten thousand feet off the ground. A scientific impossibility and yet, a magical reality. Terry reached out for the string, but a huff of wind shot it wobbling out of his grasp and his fingers snapped on empty air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs I was saying<\/em>,\u201d continued the annoyed voice behind him. \u201cThe Kingdom will be hard-pressed to show any results this season if we can\u2019t manage the Lightning Leashes. The infrastructure is failing. If we can\u2019t find more copper by end of quarter, we\u2019ll have to send out more airships.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That, or fall to the earth, ten thousand feet below their once-great city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Terry frowned at his adviser. A squat man with a white neck beard, waxen skin, and pale blue eyes, Gerrit left little wiggle room for his clothing\u2013or optimism, for that matter. The gruff man\u2019s buttons strained at his middle, and again where they tugged at his excess neck folds. Gerrit wasn\u2019t old. He was ancient<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Terry\u2019s mind was still caught up with the rogue balloon, but he cleared his throat and forced a response he knew would appease Gerrit, at least for a time. \u201cI\u2019m perfectly aware of the consequences. I\u2019ll consider the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gerrit persisted. \u201cYou\u2019ve had time to consider. Years, Sire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYears spent in wise counsel and consideration.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd what does this wisdom suggest we do now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have the resources to send out more ships\u2026\u201d Terry had indeed thought about this for a while, mulling through their circumstances and the supposed dangers of the below<\/em> people. But the magic of his floating city waned more each year, enough that even the lightning wouldn\u2019t hold back the inevitable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Terry walked around his desk to stand over Gerrit. He glanced down at the shorter man, folding his hands behind him. \u201cWe send a message to the Land-dwellers and ask their mages for help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cReveal our existence to those dust-suckers?\u201d Gerrit spluttered, which quickly turned into a cough. Terry worried the old man might keel over then and there. He patted his adviser genially on the shoulder until he wheezed out, \u201cWe cannot risk exposing ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Terry sighed and turned back to the open window, at the spanning city glittering below, and the puffs of white clouds sailing past. \u201cWe can\u2019t afford not to,\u201d he finally said, a flicker of excitement lightening his deadened heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He didn\u2019t wait for his adviser\u2019s objections. Terry strode out of his office and down the stairs, Gerrit hobbling after him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll we need, Gerrit, is a crew worthy to take the Kingdom\u2019s plights to sea level,\u201d the young King of Aerestia declared. And I\u2019ll be going with them,<\/em> he thought with a private thrill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SUBSCRIBE TO MY SUBSTACK<\/a> TO GET ALL MY LATEST SHORT STORIES AND POEMS.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A short story I started a while ago and never finished… The pink balloon hadn\u2019t popped despite it being nearly ten thousand feet off the ground. A scientific impossibility and yet, a magical reality. Terry reached out for the string, but a huff of wind shot it wobbling out of his grasp and his fingers…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2082,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9,436],"tags":[15,438,395,242,80,439,440,437],"series":[],"class_list":["post-2081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fantasy","category-steampunk","tag-fantasy","tag-floating-city","tag-kingdom","tag-magic","tag-short-story","tag-sky-ship","tag-speculative-fiction","tag-steampunk"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Wordpress-Blog-Images-3.png","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"amazon":{"key":"amazon","url":"https:\/\/music.amazon.ca\/podcasts\/09c34bbc-b359-49af-a286-31830ed5634c\/short-stories","label":"Amazon","class":"amazon","icon":"amazon.png"},"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/short-stories\/id1621456328","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_play":{"key":"google_play","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/feed\/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbGV4aXN2ZWVuZW5kYWFsLmNvbS9mZWVkL3BvZGNhc3Qvc2hvcnQtc3Rvcmllcw","label":"Google Play","class":"google_play","icon":"google-play.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/feed\/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbGV4aXN2ZWVuZW5kYWFsLmNvbS9mZWVkL3BvZGNhc3Qvc2hvcnQtc3Rvcmllcw","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0lcQCRs52MfYlKs35lVX4K","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"itunes":{"key":"itunes","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/short-stories\/id1621456328","label":"iTunes","class":"itunes","icon":"itunes.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/feed\/podcast\/default-podcast","embedCode":"

Aerestia<\/a><\/blockquote>