Word: volant

volant

\ VOH-luhnt \  , adjective;

1. Moving lightly; nimble.

2. Engaged in or having the power of flight.

noun:

1. Also called volant piece. Armor.  A reinforcing piece for the brow of a helmet.

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   The ground sped by at a rapid pace a great distance below the small wooden craft.  The vehicle looked very similar to a normal boat, save for the two wings that curved in along the length of the hull.  It was a skyboat small enough to carry a small group of three or four people through the sky much faster than any land vehicle ever could.  This one was certainly getting the job done, or seemed to for those who were not as familiar with the mode of transportation.  Anyone who knew skyboats and their capabilities would know that this one was struggling to move at its current clip, one that was well below its top speed.  This fact was not lost on its passengers, but only one found the words to express himself on the matter.
    “Can’t you make this tub go any faster?”  Lars said, leaning over the edge, looking at the ground move under them.  He was the only member of the group not currently engaged in the flight of their vehicle, to the eternal frustration of the other two members.  
    “You know,”  said Caruss, who was currently at the helm of the skyboat, making sure that it kept its level flight, despite the complaints, “if you wanted to hurry this trip up, you could do something to help.  Like jump off the side.”  
    “I wasn’t talking to you.”
    “I know, but I’m the only one who can answer right now, so you get me.”  
    The third member of the group Grena, was currently sitting at the rear of the boat, holding up a string of beads used for casting, and a talisman made of feathers designed to help her in her task.  As the only member of the group capable of using magic, it fell to her to supply the power keeping the boat aloft.  The strain on her was visible.  Her brow was furrowed in intense concentration, and she was sweating rivers even with the cold wind blowing on them.  Her task also left her unable to do much else.
    The three of them had been hired out as bodyguards for some visiting dignitary.  They had jumped at the chance to do so, as their normal jobs took them to places the typically left them covered with more mud and dirt than farmers gain in a year, and fighting things that no benevolent deity would ever create.  The idea of fighting other humans for a change was like paradise.
    Then they learned that this particular dignitary had the odd habit of never setting foot on any country other than his own.  That meant that he would always be in his very large airship, and that the three would have to meet up with their new ward in mid air.  It took quite a bit of the joy out of the job, particularly for Grena, who was stuck in her current position out of necessity.  

“Great.”  Lars said, slumping back against the hull.  Nothing else was said for a bit, and with nothing to do, he started getting a bit fidgety.   

“Look, if you’re so bored, why don’t you do the job you were given.  You know, the one that you volunteered for?”  Caruss said, somehow able to detect his companions state of mind even without looking behind him.  The fact that he was able to do that gave Lars the creeps, even though the three had been together for so many years.  

“Why?  There’s nothing around for miles.  Besides, like anything would be attacking us in the sky.”  For this particular trip, he had taken the role of lookout.  Not only for the fact that they would be safe, but also because he had the best eyesight of the three.  

    “Humor me.”  Caruss said.  Lars grumbled, but he wasn’t about to argue with a man more than twice his size.  Particularly when said man was in the state of mind where he would use violence if further provoked.  He stood up, and got up on a platform near the center of the boat, giving him a better vantage point the the other two.  As he looked around, he kept muttering to himself about how useless a lookout was on a skyboat.  
    As if the world wanted to prove him wrong, something did appear in the distance.  It was very big, and moving towards them very quickly.  And it was definitely not the airship they were meeting up with.  As the thing got closer, he was able to tell what it was.  
    “Ok now we really NEED to be going faster.”  He said, starting to panic a bit.
    “I told you we can’t.”  Caruss said, trying his best to keep his ever rising temper under control.  
    “Yeah, but I think now we have some more motivation.”
    “Really.  And what kind of motivation would warrant such an impossible feat?”
    “That!”  Said Lars, pulling Caruss away from the controls and pointing out what was now very clear to both of them.  The very large, angry looking Roc that was bearing down on them at a distressing pace.  The two men looked at each other, their faces mimicking each other's fear.
    “Grena, we need more speed now!”  Caruss said.  Grena, unable to tell what was going on due to her concentration, could care less what they said.  There was no way she would be able to muster up the power needed to increase their speed.  The two of them continued to call out to her for more speed, as the giant bird continued to get closer.

“Grena, unless you want to be eaten by a Roc, I’d suggest you pick up the pace!” Lars called.  The skyboat buckled a bit as Grena lost some of her concentration.  Now aware of what they were seeing, she found herself getting her second wind.  Or at least the magical equivalent of one.  The skyboat lurched forwards at nearly twice its previous speed.  It wasn’t enough.  The Roc was nearly on top of them.  Lars rushed to draw his twin swords, even though he knew it wasn’t going to amount to much against something like that.  Caruss would be too busy trying to evade the birds surprisingly nimble talons, and Grena was too busy keeping in the air.  So, it fell to Lars to keep them alive.  All three of them could only think one thing at that moment:  ‘Oh god, we’re all gonna die.’

    The Roc rose up above them and dove, talons first.  Lars called out to Caruss, who turned the boat as quickly as it would go.  They managed to evade its attack but only just.  Again the Roc attacked, and again they managed to be somewhere else.  Caruss started moving the boat in random directions, hoping to confuse the bird.  Lars kept an eye on it, so that they could get out of the way.  The Roc eventually caught on that diving wouldn’t work, so it tried a different approach.  It moved level with the skyboat, and attempted to grab onto it with its beak.  The boat wasn’t able to rise or fall quickly enough, so this time it worked.  Lars took that chance to dig into it with his blades.  Although he couldn’t inflict any serious wounds, he could get it to let go.  He made an attempt on the birds eyes, but they were too far away for the short blades to reach.  But he was able to get some of the more sensitive parts of its face.  Its grip on the boat weakened just enough for Caruss to wrench them out of its grip.  The Roc eyed them for a bit, but thought better of attacking again.  It seemed like this decision had more to do with the fact that it had caught sight of more substantial prey than because of the effort it was taking to get the three on the boat.  Lars watched it descend towards a nearby field, well out of reach of the boat.
    He fell back onto the floor of the boat and looked up at the clouds hanging just above them.  They had never seemed like such a big deal to him, but now they certainly did.  He managed to let the others know that the danger had passed.  They’re pace again fell, this time even slower than it had been earlier.  No complaints were heard.
    It was more than an hour before they came to their destination.  The airship was a welcome sight.  Its massive form was closer to a large passenger cruise ship than anything else, with many wings coming from its side.  Floating above the top were a large group of balloons bigger than most houses.  Caruss brought the boat along the side of the ship, and found a place to land.  
    Lars and Caruss climbed wearily out of the boat, grateful the trip was over.  Grena simply groaned and collapsed on the spot.  They were greeted by a man even smaller than Lars, wearing fine clothes that screamed wealth more than anything else the trio had seen.  The man looked them over, and crossed his arms in front of him.
    “And just what took you three so long to get here?”  He said.  Lars and Caruss just looked at each other, not quite sure where to start.
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Hey look, recurring characters!  Personally, I like there three and will most likely be using them again in the future.  It's fun.  It's also a lot more challenging to keep a fantasy story so short than it is a more realistic one.  But hey, that's part of the reason I'm doing this, so yay!