Evelyn was tired of the orphan life she had been trapped in ever since her parents went missing while on a routine mission nearly a year ago. She was also tired of being told that her mom and dad would never return and to get used to a life without them. Evelyn could handle that from most people, but not from her little sister, who was starting to believe the rumors. Deep down, Evelyn knew she could find them. All she needed was an airship of her own. After a bit of eavesdropping, Evelyn may finally have the clue she has been desperately waiting for, the answer to her parents' disappearance.
Evelyn was tired of the orphan life she had been trapped in ever since her parents went missing while on a routine mission nearly a year ago. She was also tired of being told that her mom and dad would never return and to get used to a life without them. Evelyn could handle that from most people, but not from her little sister, who was starting to believe the rumors. Deep down, Evelyn knew she could find them. All she needed was an airship of her own. After a bit of eavesdropping, Evelyn may finally have the clue she has been desperately waiting for, the answer to her parents' disappearance.
Evelyn knew deep down to her core that her parents would come back, no matter what anyone else told her. Including her sister. The idea that they were gone forever was not something Evelyn would ever consider. She wouldnât let anyone, even those who believed her to be âdelusionalâ, change her belief. Their family would be reunified. They were alive. To Evelyn, that was fact.
Alone, Evelyn sat on the floor in the dim orange glow of the lamp on her bedside table. The low hum from the electrical light distracted her from her thoughts. She tried to focus on the slow swaying of her room. Usually, it wouldn't have been noticeableâbecause that back-and-forth motion of the station was always thereâbut she could feel the slight movement around her when she wanted to. This always helped calm her in times of stress. She had woken up early for no apparent reason, which she thought was the worst way to wake up. Leaning back against her bed, Evelyn gazed at the rusting metal ceiling, eyelids feeling the heaviness that came from the early morning hour. She let her mind drift off as she waited.
The bed across from her was empty; it remained neatly made, undisturbed as if the owner had not even returned the evening before. Evelyn had great anxiety whenever she woke up alone, not necessarily from being by herself but from not knowing where the second bedâs owner had been the entire night. Rarely did she leave a note if she left, nor did she notify Evelyn if she was going to be late returning. Regardless, this happened enough times that she knew not to stress, so she decided this morning she would not let it get to her too much.
Closing her eyes, Evelyn submerged herself into another one of her fantasies. These daydreams were sometimes the only escape from her own somewhat dreadful life. Nothing could burden her when she drifted away. Evelynâs imagination would often run wild with thoughts of past times and adventures in other fanciful places. However, these fleeting fancies would often get her into some awful trouble, as they happened quite frequently. The main critic was her little sister, Mily. Evelynâs sister was not one for lollygagging or fantasies. By the book her sister. Evelyn thought she could be quite dull from time to time.
As she swayed with her room, Evelyn decided the feeling she was having was similar to the way it felt to be a pirate or sailor from ancient times. A pirate that sailed the seven seas, rocking back and forth on the open ocean. Thinking about this made her laugh out into the darkness. It must have been drastically different from the modern-day pirates that she was familiar with. Evelyn always dreamed of going back and living during those times. Glorious times to be alive she thought. Her fantasies often included the characters she learned about in stories brought during the Rise, such as Treasure Island and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Ancient classics that no one read anymore. Evelyn would have spent all day in a library reading these books if that were still possible. Libraries were also an ancient idea.
Though they were scarce, Evelyn loved the feeling of the coarse paper and the distinct smell that came from printed texts. The stories about ancient times when pirates, knights, and automobiles traveled the solid Earth were Evelynâs favorite. Everything was digital nowadays, with no need for books on paper. Plus, Evelyn knew they wouldnât waste the trees on paper. Regardless, she could go to any of the information centers spread out around the city and download any book to her data slate. What she wouldn't give to go back to those days where she could hunt for buried pirate treasure or ride a massive horse into battle. These were things she had only read about in books. Since the Flood, they only existed in stories.
The door swung open and someone joined Evelyn in the small quarters. She assumed it was her sister as no one else came to their room; also, she was expecting her. The dim light of her lamp cast a narrow halo, but was unable to pierce through the darkness on the other side of the room, so Evelyn could only make out the outline of a person.
âWhat time is it?â Evelyn whispered into the darkness.
âAlmost dawn,â came a reply from the darkness.
Fumbling in the dark, Evelyn turned and moved her hand across the small table next to her bed. Unable to see, she knocked over many trinkets that she had strewn across the tabletop. After a moment, her fingers traced the outline of what she needed.
âFound them!â she exclaimed quietly.
Evelyn placed her glasses on her face, adjusting the strap in the back to ensure they didnât fall. She tried to be diligent when it came to safeguarding her glasses. After losing many pairs in the past, she understood what not having them would mean, and glasses were hard to come by. She couldnât risk anything damaging them.
Getting composed, Evelyn propped herself up, groaning as she slowly pulled herself up into a sitting position on her bed. After Evelyn focused her eyes, she was able to see her younger sister a little better as she sat on the bed across from Evelyn.
"Mily, what are you doing out so early?" asked Evelyn. Her name was Emilia, but she called her Mily, just like her parents had done when they were little.
Mily didn't reply immediately.
"I miss Mom and Dad," she finally replied, her voice raw like she had been crying. "I spent all night at my workstation just wishing they were here with us today."
Evelyn let her head and shoulders drop, giving way to a sorrowful sigh. She missed their parents, too. It had been over a year since their ship went missing while on their way to the Hermes Forests, there was no sign of them anywhere. Searches for the ship went on for months, but the fleet found nothing.
Every day for the first few months of the search, they would go to the docks and wait, hoping their parents would surprise them by sailing into the port. It never happened. Eventually, they went to the docks less and less; every day turned to every week, then every month. Evelyn would spend hours asking ship captains if they had any information regarding the search. No one ever knew anything about it.
As the year passed, Evelyn watched her sister's hope fade, slowly and then faster as time dragged on. Her hopeful stare at an incoming ship entering the harbor grew more into a look of disdain. Evelyn, on the other hand, kept believing that one day they would find their parents. No matter how long it would takeâas long as they believed, it would happen.
Mily would lie next to Evelyn on the most challenging nights, nights where they needed their parents the most, and recall stories of them. Sometimes this would help lift the lingering melancholy they both carried; sometimes, not even the stories would help. Today seemed to be one of those days, Evelyn thought.
Evelyn leaned forward in the dark toward the table next to her bed. Fumbling around again, she searched for the knob and slowly turned up the brightness of the lamp. The bulb flickered and cast a slightly brighter light, though it didnât fill the whole room. Evelyn could see her sister better now: She was sitting on her bed, clutching her knees to her chest. Evelyn moved to the other side of the room and sat down next to her sister, laying her head on her shoulder and let out a sigh.
âDo you remember how dad would always let us out of our lesson early?â Mily asked.
âMom would get really upset,â said Evelyn, smiling at the memory.
âWe would always secretly wish dad would hurry home and save us from the awful lessons.â
âThey werenât all bad,â said Evelyn with a slight chuckle.
âI still canât believe theyâre gone.â
Evelyn shifted slightly, trying to turn away from Mily.
âIâm sorry that I said that,â said Mily.
They sat in silence for a little while longer. Milyâs attempts at comforting Evelyn had become a more common morning ritual ever since their parentsâ disappearance. She knew her sister was strong, but Evelyn also knew that Mily shouldnât have been the comforter. Evelyn was her big sister. After this quick morning routine, they both would put on their stoic demeanor, the one for the rest of the world to see.
Evelyn looked out the small circular window above her bed, as she felt her sister stretch her arm over her shoulders. A glimmer of sunlight shone through, indicating that dawn was approaching, and they needed to get ready. Days were long for orphans in the city, with their lessons and then the work. Most children stayed with their parents and learned their trade, working with them, side by side. Not Evelyn and Mily. When their parents went missing, they joined the other orphans.
Evelyn looked at her sister and offered a weak smile. We have each other, she thought.
Mily removed her arm from Evelynâs shoulder and gave her a nudge with her elbow. The look on Milyâs face made Evelyn believe that she wasnât convinced by her attempt to lighten the mood. Another silent moment passed before Evelyn stood up and made her way to the small brass cabinet that held both of their belongings. They had little to their names, including clothes, which was one of the things that made the orphan life so difficult. Most of their belongings had been taken by the government, Evelyn was never sure why. Scattered across the top of the cabinet were many of Evelyn's trinkets that she had been saving. Evelyn enjoyed tinkering with all sorts of gadgets.
After fiddling with some of the broken contraptions on her cabinet, procrastinating, Evelyn got dressed and prepared for her day. She turned to the mirror hanging on the wall behind her. The room they were in was terribly small, but the mirror that Evelyn and her sister found gave their place the feeling of space. Standing in front of the mirror, Evelyn ran her fingers over the tarnished sections building up on the mirror's brass frame; she felt the ridges under the pad of her finger. It looked as if the mirror might be cracking as well. A tinge of grief overcame her as she thought about what Mily had said, about how different it would be with their parents there with them. As the thought brought a sharpness to the back of her throat, a tightness to her eyes, she shook herself.
Snap out of it! Evelyn scolded herself.
Evelyn looked over her clothes to make sure everything was in order. As she looked at herself in the dingy mirror, she saw her sisterâs reflection pass by behind her to the small cabinet. At least she is up. After the long night, she thought Mily may have chosen to sleep.
They would both be wearing the same outfit given to all the orphans who couldn't provide for themselves. Evelyn examined herself in the mirror once more. Grey top with short sleeves, brown overalls with adjustable suspender straps, a matching waist belt, coal-black tights, and long leather boots that went just above her knee. She added a few other accessories to her outfit before finally placing her work goggles on top of her neatly done hair. Mily generally kept them around her neck. The final piece Evelyn added was a large metal bracelet she had made from scrap metal taken from the Duchess years ago. After adding those accessories to her outfit, she turned to her sister, who was already dressed. Mily wasn't too concerned about her outfit and usually rushed through getting ready for the day. Her hair was always a mess.. Evelyn watched her sister, stopping herself from commenting on the placement of her goggles.
Evelyn took one last look in the mirror; knowing it would be cold this early in the morning, she did her best to cover her olive skin and ensure that her long black hair covered her neck. At thirteen years old, she was a little shorter than others, except Mily, who was only twelve and a few inches shorter than her. Evelyn glanced at Mily one more time. If she were a little taller, we might have been identical, she thought. As it was, everyone always thought they were twins.
The girls were ready for the day; they looked at each other, shrugged, and walked to the door leading outside. Evelyn slowly opened the metal door, which creaked open with every push. Evelyn shivered as a gust of cool air caused trinkets around the entrance to stir. The door opened to a narrow metal walkway with a railing on the far side. As Evelyn exited the room, her foot caught the edge of the door frame, making her lurch forward. Stumbling out the door, she grabbed the railing. Eyes closed, Evelyn gave a large sigh of relief. Many times, she has taken this tumble from their room, and every time Evelyn thought, thank goodness for this rail, or I would be a goner. Mily rushed to her side, as always. Evelyn caught her breath and gave Mily a sideways look that made Mily smile. Both of them leaned forward on the rail and took in the magnificence of scenery in front of them, the sky as far as the eye could see and the billowy clouds below them stretched to the point where nothing below them was visible. Evelyn soaked in the sight of her floating city. Around her, the city seemed endless.
Mily prodded Evelyn in the side, breaking her from the trance she was in as she stared out into the sky world that was their home.
"We need to hurry if we want breakfast today," Mily said.
"We always make it. There's no rush," Evelyn replied. "I don't even know why you are in such a hurry to eat the slop theyâre serving."
"I hate being late," Mily said simply.
Turning around, Evelyn caught the image of the golden crown painted on their door. The same icon was used to identify their parentsâ ship. The Gust family has used the golden crown as their symbol for a decade, ever since their parents had been given their own ship. Evelyn painted it on the door herself, so their parents would find them when they came back home. In the months since she had completed it, the yellow paint had faded and needed to be reapplied; Evelynâs heart sank as she realized how much time had passed.
âYouâre going to make us late again,â Mily said, breaking Evelyn from her thoughts.
Evelyn let out a massive sigh and looked over the railing once more. She is right as always, she thought, but she wanted to stay a little longer. Evelyn loved taking in their view from Helios Station. Helios was their birthplace and the most incredible sky city in existence. The station was filled with the hustle and bustle of the people working, many whose sole job was to keep Helios Station afloat. All around the station, airships could be heard putting along in different directions. Evelyn loved seeing the airships passing overhead, especially when they landed at the ports. The combat ships that were built to protect the many cities in their nation intrigued her the most.
Often, Evelyn would leave her room and look out into the sky below and imagine herself taking one of the airships, descending into the clouds on an adventure to search for their parents. Mily by her side, as her first mate and herself as the captain of her own airship, just like those used in the Last Air War, just as their parents had told them in stories of their fantastic adventures. Given a chance, Evelyn had no doubt they could find their parents, succeeding where many had failed.
Another prodding was coming her way, but this time she avoided her sister's pointy finger.
"Okay, okay, okay," Evelyn muttered under her breath as she shooed Mily along.
âFinally,â Mily said with a slight smile.
Evelyn hooked Mily's arm with hers, and the two girls made their way down the walkway toward the dining hall, passing metal doors just like the one to their room. Evelyn enjoyed the walk to the dining hall; it allowed her time to enjoy the morning chill that came from the sky around them. Their destination was directly in front of them, which allowed Evelyn to drift off in thought, staring at the city around her. Though she hadnât seen many other stations, she couldnât believe that others were more beautiful than Helios Station.
Still linked with her sister, Evelyn gazed up and traced the roof of each building with her eyes as they passed by. She imagined herself running and jumping from roof to roof, getting chased by a mob of angry pirates. Eventually, Evelyn would leap onto a swinging ladder and be hoisted away by an airship that she captained, her jolly crew cheering her return. Mily gave her a tug, trying to get her to quicken her pace, breaking her from her daydream.
They must have already passed nearly twenty doors; there werenât many more before they reached the dining hall. Evelyn looked at the last few metal doors. The metal doors were painted with the various ship and family crests, some from children who lost their parents just like Mily and Evelyn. As they approached, Evelyn's stomach began to rumble; she must have been hungry. She was glad Mily pushed her to go as she finally felt quite famished by the time they reached the entrance. As they got closer, Mily let out an audible groan and gave Evelyn a disapproving look. The line for the dining hall was longer than usual. Evelyn avoided her sisterâs gaze.
While Mily was not happy that they had to wait in such a long line for breakfast, Evelyn was delighted that she could postpone the day just a little longer. The days as an âorphanâ were terribly long and exhausting. She longed for the lavish quarters like the ones they had been assigned before their parents disappeared. Often she would lounge the day away, telling the private tutors to arrive at a time that was more convenient to her lazy lifestyle. Even then, Evelyn loved to procrastinate and spend her time daydreaming about adventures. Even when their parents were around, the girls were not allowed to join them on their travels. Their assignments were fleet-related, and non-crew were not allowed on the ship. Helios Station was a great place, but Evelyn wanted to travel the skies in an airship of her own.
Noise from behind Evelyn broke her from her thoughts; she was holding up the line, and many hungry people behind her wanted to eat. Evelyn felt a tinge of embarrassment as everyone looked at her. The grumblings from those behind reached her. Evelyn looked at the floor, shying away from the vexed eyes. She fiddled with the goggles on her head and moved forward in the line. Evelyn wished her daydreams could be her reality.
âHurry up, Milton!â came a yell from behind them, directed at her sister.
Evelyn knew her sister was more than willing to engage in a shouting match with the dining hall patrons. She attempted to intervene before her sister replied, but she was too late.
âMy name is Mil-eeeeeeeee! And you know that, Rolf,â Mily yelled back at the boy, who happened to be a few years older than they were. Mily looked at Rolf and threw her hands in the air to urge the fight to continue. Evelyn saw her sisterâs gaze turn to her.
âCan you believe that guy?â asked Mily.
âJust forget about it,â Evelyn said, shying away from the question
âIâm tired of these kids always trying to bully us,â Mily replied.
âItâs not a big deal,â said Evelyn looking back to see a group of boys pointing in their direction and snickering. Evelyn pulled at her sister to continue forward. Mily jerked her arm away from Evelynâs grasp.
âCan you have my back, ever?â asked Mily.
âYouâre making too much out of this,â Evelyn said.
âWow,â Mily replied, shaking her head.
Evelyn didnât respond, but the argument fizzled out because they had a distraction. They had finally made it to the front of the line. The girls each grabbed a tray, Evelyn winced when she saw what was being served.
âThe gravy looks so watered down and that biscuit looks stale,â Evelyn said.
âIâm still not used to the terrible food they serve us,â replied Mily.
Evelyn gave an awkward smile to the server then took her tray to a corner booth where they could eat away from everyone else, just as Mily preferred.
Evelyn watched Mily scoop the runny gravy from her plate, then watched it spill back down onto the biscuit she had.
âWhy do you always do that?â asked Evelyn.
âDo what?â Mily asked.
Evelyn made a face. âPlay with your food. You know Mom and Dad didnât let you do that.â
âWell, the food here is the worst. Mom and Dad would never let us eat stuff like this.â
âMily, this is our life for now. If we want to find our parents, we need to keep up our strength.â
âWeâre never returning to our old life,â Mily said under her breath, but Evelyn ignored it and continued to eat her food. Sheâs wrong about our parents, Evelyn thought. Even if she is right about the food.
As they choked down the food, they talked about the day's events and where they needed to be that day. First, the girls had to go to their classroom, where they learned the basics of air station operations, maintenance, and station history along with many of the other kids on Helios Station. After classes, they would be required to work a shift at the steam management office. Evelyn was not as much of fan of station work like her sister, but she loved hearing the stories in her history classes.
Evelyn was last to finish her food; it always took her longer to complete the unappealing âcuisineâ from the dining hall. With a sigh and a realization that their day was about to begin, Evelyn got up. She wove through the many tables of breakfast eaters with her sister. Evelyn watched Mily scanning the room for any troublemakers. Mily was a cautious person by nature and was always one to spot the dangers in all situationsâthough that never stopped her from pulling Evelyn into uneasy confrontations.
Finally, they reached the fresh air outside and made their way deeper into the city, where they gathered for their lessons. To Evelyn, the number of children on the station seemed to be a lot, but she knew better. Helios Station, despite being a large station, was still only home to only about twenty-thousand residents in all. Evelyn had heard of stations that housed hundreds of thousands of people. She couldnât fathom the sheer magnitude of a station like that. And anything that she couldnât imagine had to be amazing. One day, she would like to see that for herself.
Evelyn and Mily were fortunate. They were to have a real fleet captain as their instructor for the first time instead of the boring old codgers they usually were saddled with. Both of the girls reached the classroom. Evelyn grabbed Mily's wrist as they entered and pulled her to the front benches. Evelyn felt Mily pull away, but regardless she followed her to the front anyway. As they sat down on the cold metal bench, Mily scooted as close as she could to the wall and made Evelyn take the seat next to her because she wasn't going to risk a stranger sitting by her. As Evelyn turned to her sister to give her an "are you serious?" look, the lights dimmed, and a young man entered from a door near the front of the classroom. Evelynâs mouth fell open as she recognized the figure as he walked to the center of the room: Captain Kipp.
The Duchess and the Journey Under the Eternal Clouds by Jeremiah Brennan is an excitingly original tale of two orphaned sisters who embark on a journey to find their missing parents. Evelyn and her little sister Mily, after eavesdropping on a conversation between two military officials, sneak onto an airship on its way to look for their parents. The result is a book filled with adventure, danger, and all the imagination needed to create an enchanting story.Â
While this book has a bit of a slow start to it, once the sisters sneak onto the ship and set off on their adventure, it quickly hooks the attention of the reader. Through his description of the airships, ports, and the world surrounding the sisters, Brennan's story easily took me from my living room to this incredible world. I loved the steampunk aspect of everything and how this post-apocalyptic society survives on steam and solar energy.
The characters in this book were done well. Though the story is told mostly from Evelyn's perspective, I still found it easy to connect with Mily's character and enjoyed the interaction between them and others as the story progressed. The relationship between Evelyn and Mily felt natural, making it easy to want them to succeed on their journey.
As much as I enjoyed the story, I also loved the cover illustration and the artsy chapter headings. This gave the book a very beautiful feel and it would work very well as a graphic novel.
This book will intrigue and entertain readers of all ages. It's one I would highly recommend to young readers and those with a passion for steampunk and adventure. The only reason I gave it four stars instead of five was the slow start. After that, the story hooked my attention and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I look forward to reading more by Jeremiah Brennan.