NIMBUS AND THE KNIGHTS OF CENFERUM

Chapter 11

Mistakes...

The day dawned, and Nimbus had swollen eyes from crying for much of the night. Early in the morning, Lonios called him for breakfast; however, Nimbus didn't get out of bed, only rising a few minutes later. They had clean clothes similar to those worn by the castle guards, albeit without the helmet and armor. Certainly, there was no time to buy squire clothes for him.

After dressing and fastening the belt of his sword at his waist, he went for a walk in the courtyard. It was easy to mistake him for one of the guards. When he noticed, Lonios was by his side.

— We are departing later this afternoon, Nimbus. If you want, you can join us and say goodbye at the port. There won't be the usual crowd as in Aldair, so it will be easy for you to get close. We will also leave without alarming the people. After all, the departure of two ships is not something spectacular. Furthermore, I have been assigned to the older ship, and Sir Flavius, Portos, and Araniz to the new one.

— I don't want to see that!

Nimbus ran away and returned to the castle, leaving Lonios alone in the courtyard. The boy raced up the stairs and went straight to the room, where he lay on the bed, cried, and fell asleep again. In this sleep, he lost track of time.

When he woke up, it was almost night. He remembered that the journey would be very dangerous, and perhaps he would never see his master again. He would never forgive himself if he couldn't say goodbye. By now, the two were very close, and Nimbus was beginning to see the old man as a family member, a friend, maybe even as a father.

He went down the stairs and found no knights. So, he asked one of the servants where everyone was.

— Sir, they left a few hours ago. I think they're about to depart.

Nimbus was too worried to notice that it was the first time someone addressed him as "sir," as if he were someone important.

He just ran to the courtyard, spoke with one of the stable boys, and requested a horse to go to the port. The stable boy hurried into the stable and soon emerged with a saddled horse. On the way, he had been tightening the saddle on the animal until he finished the work just before approaching Nimbus with a "Here you go, sir."

Without a word, Nimbus mounted the horse and raced towards the gate. Even before he exited, the guards of the Fort recognized him and opened the gate.

Nimbus galloped towards the docks, where the departure was likely to take place, urging the horse to its maximum speed and catching sight of the ships.

The first was a familiar one, the Brand, the only ship that had returned from the previous expedition. The other one was about twice as wide and tall as the Brand, with an uncharacteristic shape, resembling more a quadruped lying on the ground, with its rear raised.

The front part was divided into three sections, a main part like a box, where the command cabin was visible, with a box-shaped "leg" on each side housing the steering turbines. The rear part, also box-shaped but much taller than the front, had an observation post at the top, with two massive turbines on each side.

The boy felt relieved; since they had not yet departed, Nimbus could say goodbye to his master. Upon reaching the docks, he dismounted the horse and tied it up in the port stable, where other animals from the castle were also kept. Then, he headed for the dock and began searching for Lonios.

The activity was bustling, with hundreds of people moving back and forth, carrying various items. It was a chaotic scene, and some individuals seemed lost, unsure of what to do, quite different from the organization in Aldair.