Untitled Book Pt.1

The smell of freshly brewed coffee hung thick in the air as the morning sun poured through. The faint ticking of the nearby clock was the only thing heard as the fiery headed man sat there, staring at the recent scouting reports he had received. He let out an exhaustive sigh as he dropped the papers down onto the ornate mahogany desk, rapping his finger tips over and over as he mulls through his options.

“Well, this was not the news I was looking for, although there is a silver lining in all this.” The man says as he picks up the papers once more. “This was only supposed to be a quick trip through the frontier to establish a base camp but it seems it won't be that easy. At the very least, I can go in and chart out this area and return with a completed map for the royal expeditionary forces.” His words linger as he slowly turns to look out his window, shielding his eyes as he admires the vast expanse of wilderness his scouting ship hovered above.

He swiftly turns away and grabs his mug of coffee, taking a generous gulp, wanting to savor the mug he had before someone would inevitably interrupt him and the work of the day would begin. He lowers his free hand to the underside of his desk and presses a button, a mechanism releases the sliding compartment and he retrieves the yellowed rolled up paper. He rolls it out onto his desk and exhales.

The yellowed, stained map that rests on his map teases him, an unknown location that was left for him to find. He had inherited the map in his youth and now it was finally time for him to solve the riddle of this map. A knock on his door pulls him from his fixation on the map and he quickly tucks it back into the hidden compartment as his door slowly opens. Standing, he turns to meet the woman who stepped into his office.

“Perfect timing Sera, I recently finished looking at the reports, it seems you have had your hands full scouting, I do hope that your team has not run into any snags.” James says as he sets his nearly empty mug down and walks around the large desk to meet her. “Oh you know, same as always, heading into the unknown and preparing trails for you, avoiding dangerous wildlife, the usual.” Sera’s singsong voice noting a hint of sarcasm as she glances away, avoiding eye contact.

He rubs the bridge of his nose as he was about to speak before she cut him off. “Yes, everything has been going smoothly James, surprisingly smooth to be quite honest.” Sera says as she absent-mindedly picks off bits of sap from the protective shawl she wore, flicking it off onto his floor before smiling up at him. “Like I’ve said time and time again, I appreciate what you and your team does, Sera.” He was interrupted from speaking when the scout leader pressed her finger to his lips. “I’ve joined you so me and my team can get paid, what history we have will not interfere with our professional abilities.”

He exhales as the woman withdraws from his office, grabbing his mug and stepping out, locking his office behind him. He had made the attempt and Sera was having none of it, he just needed more time to amend things with her. He decides to head to the galley to see what was being served for breakfast when his stomach reminds him that he needs to eat as a hunger pang pulls him from his thoughts of Sera.

As James made his way to the galley he glanced over the railing, looking at the thick canopy of trees, flocks of colorful birds dotted the canopy like bright flowers blossoming among the tops of the trees. A brief smile crosses his features before he continues on, heading down into the belly of the ship.

James hands his mug over to be washed before grabbing breakfast and sitting down, glancing around at the crew as he eats, reminding himself that the little excursion wasn’t just about him finding answers for what was left to him, but for the crew and their families. He glances over as Sera and a few members of her team walk in and grab breakfast, watching her smile and laugh. He turns away and finishes, leaving to head back to his office.

“Alright, need to get some fresh air today, maybe I'll head out on foot today and get some work done.” He muses as he leans onto the railing, taking in the serene landscape. He was about to step away when he saw something rising up from within the canopy holding his attention. Several boulder-like formations pull free from the green sheet of treetop, floating and swaying in the wind as they stay anchored by thick roots and vine from the earth below. “Well, I be damned.”