“This is a lot scarier than I thought it would be.”
“Keep calm and aware of your surroundings,” Aila advised as she made a minor adjustment to the controls. “We don’t have to worry about hitting anything up here, for the most part, but you need to keep an eye on how far we are from the ground, as well as our stability. Use the plumb bob to make sure we don’t list to one side.”
“Right,” Alban nodded seriously as he focused on the hanging tool for a moment before turning his eyes back to the open sky. “I think we’re good.”
“We are,” the redhead nodded in confirmation. “Keep us on this course. There’s no need to do anything at the moment, but if a strong wind comes, you may need to adjust.”
“Yes ma’am,” the young orc acknowledged. “I should watch the clouds, right?”
“Those can help, but also watch the trees and the birds, too,” Aila pointed out. “We aren’t that high up, so those can be a better indicator of the wind around us.”
Jay listened quietly as her arcanist lover directed Bridget’s brother on how to pilot the airship. The young man was near his birthday and would be unlocking his primary class soon. When Jadis had told Bridget about the plan to bring Violetta along for the trip to help her get a better class, she had suggested bringing her brother as well. Alban had jumped at the idea when they had approached him, though not in the way they had expected. Since the orc was part of a family of mercenaries, Jadis had figured Alban would want to take the opportunity to gain a good combat class. Instead, he had asked if he could possibly learn more about piloting airships.
“How’s he doing?” Jay asked as she leaned her head into the cockpit.
“Alban is a good student,” Aila answered in her usual cool tone. “If he keeps this up, I think he may have a decent chance at gaining a class related to piloting airships.”
“You think so?” the young orc said with a lopsided grin.
“As long as you keep your eyes on the sky,” Aila warned.
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Good!” Jay grinned. “Keep up the good work, both of you. Severina’s checking on Tegwyn and the Behemoth, so I’ll update you in just a minute.”
Aila nodded in response to Jay’s words, but didn’t verbally answer as she instead focused on pointing out a change in the airflow to Alban. Not wanting to disturb the two any further, Jay stepped away from the cockpit and took a walk through the main cabin.
It really was a marvel to Jadis that she was walking through the airship. The Behemoth’s first real flight had literally only been a few weeks ago. As impressive as the transformed wagon was, it had still been incredibly cramped. Jadis had even had to keep one of her three bodies stuffed under a shelf, just to give everyone else room. Yet, here she was, not even a full month later, walking the cabin of an airship that was three times the size of their first ship. And it was all thanks to Sabina’s insane work ethic, ingenuity, genius, a large amount of magic, and a liberal dose of money.
Being rich really did help get things done.
“How are you doing?” Jay asked Noll as she passed the gruff old wolf. “Not feeling airsick?”
“I’m fine,” the gray-muzzled mercenary grumped as he sipped on a glass of some kind of strong liquor that smelled a little like vanilla. “This feels like cheating.”
“Cheating?” Jay laughed at the comment. “How’s that?”
“That’s Tira Lake down there,” Noll pointed out the window. “Two hundred miles. We’ve gone two hundred miles in four hours.”
“Yeah, but you could do that running, I bet,” Jay pointed out. “In fact, I bet you could get here faster on foot than we have by flying if you wanted to.”
“Of course I could,” Noll grumbled. “But I’d be running, not sitting around like a lump on a log, drinking.”
“Well, if you want to get out and jog the rest of the way, feel free,” Jay told her grumpy mentor. “However, as a great man once said, ‘cheating is the gift man gives himself.’ I don’t see anything wrong with taking advantage of the resources that we have.”
“What man?”
“Hm? Oh, just some grumpy old man from stories people in my old home village used to tell. He was very weak but had a lot of money so he usually got what he wanted. You would have hated him.”
“Sounds like it,” Noll growled as he turned his eyes back to the scenery passing by through the window.
When Jay looked out as well, she could see the Behemoth flying along next to them. They were a couple of hundred feet apart, but close enough that Jay could clearly make out Tegwyn and Cora in the pilot seats through the windows of the cockpit. She could also see that Severina was still perched on the far side of the airship, talking to them through an open hatch.
While Jadis had put the idea of long-range communication into Sabina’s head, so far, the genius enchanter hadn’t come up with any magic that replicated the effects of telecommunications back on Earth. She knew what radio waves were, in theory, but Jadis didn’t actually know how to make radio waves, since that had never been taught to her in school and it wasn’t one of the things she had researched on her own out of idle curiosity. She did understand how cable communications worked with electrical pulses, but that knowledge hadn’t been enough to kickstart any ideas in Sabina’s overactive mind. Not that Jadis could in any way fault the smith for not coming up with anything yet. The woman had been hard at work churning out a massive number of flight enchantments as well as the plans and components for the Leviathan, and other related projects. There was only so much one savant could do.
Sabina had been so hard at work, she had even increased her primary class by a level and hadn’t even told anyone for several days. She’d gone from level twenty-three to twenty-four in her Passionate Smith class, which meant she had reached CLR thirty-four. The two free attribute points Sabina had received had both been put into Focus, bringing that stat up to eighteen from sixteen. Jadis hadn’t been surprised that Sabina had forgotten to tell anyone, since the energetic enchanter had been running around working on airships at a breakneck pace. What had surprised her had been the fact that Sabina hadn’t gotten another level in her enchanter class. Considering all the enchantment work she was doing, Jadis figured that the half-elf should have gone up at least one level in her secondary class. When she had asked Aila about it, Aila had shrugged and said that it was sometimes hard to quantify experience points and how much an individual was gaining. Still, she figured that Sabina was probably just on the cusp of her next level and would be seeing the increase soon.
In any case, Sabina hadn’t been able to make any long-range communication devices just yet, so communication between the two airships was limited to visible hand signals, horn calls, or, Severina.
Leaving Noll to enjoy, or not enjoy, his drink in peace, Jay continued her walk down the center aisle. The cabin was roomy enough that she could walk freely without ducking her head or squeezing between the seats. None of that economy class bullshit for her airships. The many padded seats that faced both forward and back had tables between them, so the passengers could relax and eat while traveling in comfort. Of course, even with Jadis’ attempts at providing a luxurious experience, some of the passengers were more comfortable than others.
“I can’t believe I get to ride through the skies like this,” Violetta said with excitement as she knelt in her seat, her face glued to the window. “Everything looks so different when you look at it from so high! Is this how Seraphim see things all the time?”
“I don’t know,” Meli said from her seat across from the excited apprentice. “This is… strange. It’s like being on top of a mountain, but… moving…”
“Please don’t talk about it,” Sorcha said, her face greener than usual. “Ugh. I think I’m going to puke.”
“No, don’t do that,” Bridget said in her seat next to the goblin. “If you do that, I’ll puke too, and then it’ll be a real mess. This is a no-puke area, alright?”
“Here,” Eir said as she approached the ailing witch. “Put this damp cloth on your head. It should help you feel better.”
“Thank you,” Sorcha moaned pitifully. “I really hate flying—”
“Maeve, please stop pretending to be me,” a second Eir said as she walked up to the goblin with another damp cloth. “And please stop taking clothes from my bags.”
“I didn’t take your clothes,” the first Eir said as she flopped down in the empty seat across from a confused-looking Bridget. “I had these robes made to match yours.”
“That’s weird,” Bridget said. “You’re weird, you know that?”
“I’ve been told as much,” Maeve answered as she stared blankly back at the orc. “I’m not convinced.”
“Either way, stop pretending to be companions without permission,” Jay told the Fetch as she passed the group by. “If you want to look like me for now, I don’t mind.”
“How kind,” Maeve snarked as her body and voice changed to match Jadis. “Maybe I’ll have a sign commissioned that I can wear around my neck that says ‘imposter’ so everyone who sees me can just know right away.”
“Drama queen,” Jay said back as she continued down the aisle, checking to make sure everyone else was okay.
Aila, Eir, Kerr, Thea, Sabina, Bridget, Sorcha, and Alex were all safely tucked away on board the Leviathan. Technically, Severina was too, but the paladin was currently checking with the Behemoth, so Jadis supposed she couldn’t count her at that moment. Other than her lovers, the rest of the passengers on the airship were Noll, Meli, Violetta, Maeve, and Alban. If Jadis counted her selves, there were a total of seventeen passengers on the Leviathan. They could have fit way more, so the cabin felt roomy and uncrowded. Jadis hoped that since most of their large party were on the bigger ship, everyone on the Behemoth was doing well and weren’t feeling cramped.
Tegwyn, Cora, Nevan, Orla, Terrance, Humbert, and Villum were all aboard the Behemoth. Since those seven were supposed to act as a separate, secondary team, they needed to be able to fly in their own aircraft. None of them were particularly interested in piloting the airship, but at least Tegwyn and Cora were willing to learn. Jadis hoped that they would either be able to train Alban for the job or hire someone else who was more suited to the task.
“Hey, Sev’s coming,” Kerr announced from her lookout spot by the door.
“Got it,” Jay said as she turned and joined the archer.
Sliding open the sturdy, wood panel door, Jay stepped partially out onto the railed balcony on the side of the airship. There was plenty of room for her to walk out there without fear of falling over the edge, yet she didn’t go all the way. She wanted to make sure to give Severina plenty of room to land without straying too close to the whirring propeller of the magic engine. While it was far quieter than any gas or electrically powered engine, the magic motor was still just as powerful. She didn’t want to risk her lover getting a wing caught in the blades.
In the next few seconds, Severina landed on the balcony with graceful ease. Folding her feathered and metal wings in close to her body, she strode across the deck and entered the cabin after Jay made room for her. As Kerr pushed the sliding door closed, Jay locked the bar in place while Severina removed her helmet.
“They’re fine,” Sev said as she turned to look at Jay. “Tegwyn is doing acceptably well acting as a pilot; however, Cora has stated that she is reluctant to take control of the vessel. I do not believe that she will be able to serve as a backup pilot. I don’t doubt her character, just her hand’s steadiness when it comes to the position.”
“That’s fair,” Jay nodded. “We’ll talk it over when we land for the night. By your estimation, are we still on track to make it to Fort Constance before nightfall?”
“We are,” Severina nodded. “So long as we maintain our current speed. I will fly ahead to let them know of our approach once we are within half an hour’s time.”
“Sounds good,” Jay said, then clapped Severina on her armored shoulder. “It’s nice to have someone who can fly. Maybe Aila will have a spell for that after this trip!”
“Perhaps,” Severina answered, though her expression indicated she didn’t think it was likely. “Let me know if I am needed. For now, I will rest my eyes until we are closer to the fort.”
“Head to the back,” Jay pointed. “I’m back there with Alex and Thea, taking a nap. You can join us.”
Severina nodded once before heading off to join Jadis’ other selves. Sleeping in full armor wasn’t easy, but catching some rest when and where one could was a skill anyone who was actively on the road often enough would learn by necessity. Jadis was just glad she could let her other selves nap while her third self stayed alert.
As Severina walked away, Kerr got up from her seat nearby and sidled up to Jay’s side.
“Want to step out on the deck with me?” Kerr asked as she waggled her eyebrows suggestively. “Maybe we can join that ‘mile high’ club you were telling me about.”
“Definitely not doing that right now,” Jay laughed. “But I would be happy to step outside for a while with you. It’s really beautiful out there.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Kerr snorted as she waved dismissively. “The majesty of the gods’ creation and all that. Let’s just get out in the open so I can stretch my tail.”
A few moments later and the two of them were outside on the deck, enjoying the passing scenery. Jay doubted she made for a particularly comfortable seat when she was wearing her full armor, but Kerr still insisted on sitting in her lap. Not that Jay would ever object to a request like that from one of her lovers.
The landscape around them really was beautiful. Farmlands, forests, rivers, and lakes slowly passed them by as they made their way northwest. There were plenty of towns and villages visible, but none of the aspects of modern technology that Earth would have had to spoil the view. No telephone poles, parking lots, or billboards. Just idyllic-looking settlements surrounded by farms and nature.
Aside from the aesthetic beauty, the world passing below also reminded Jadis of just how large the Alfhilderunn Empire was. She had seen maps of the nation plenty of times, but without reference, she never truly understood how big the country was. Now that she was travelling such a long distance, while not in a coma, she had a better idea of the scale of things.
By her estimate, based on the distance they were traveling as compared to the maps she had referenced, the Central Continent was approximately the size of Europe, Africa, and Asia combined. And Alfhilderunn, the Empire, took up around two thirds of the landmass. It was, well and truly, a massive nation. Big enough that even at the speed that they were going in the sky, they wouldn’t be able to fly all the way to Glanum in a single day. They would instead be stopping overnight at a fort after about ten hours, so they could arrive in the distant city sometime in the late evening on the day after.
“This is nice,” Kerr sighed as she leaned back into Jay’s chest. “I was really starting to get antsy.”
“Yeah?” Jay said, one hand wrapped around her lover’s waist.
“Yeah. I know we had that trip to Cold Brook and Brightstone and all that, but that wasn’t really a trip. Not the way I take them. I feel like I’ll really be able to stretch my legs on this one.”
“Yeah, I think so too. It’s kind of weird to say, but I’m actually looking forward to seeing the front lines. I’ve got that itch to fight, kind of like you have to travel. Plus, I think we’ll actually make a big difference in the war.”
Kerr was quiet for a long moment after Jay’s comment. Eventually, she shifted around to straddle her waist so that she could look up into her eyes.
“Jadis, I know you have a lot of experience fighting Demons. You’ve seen a lot of shit, a lot of it very, very bad. I just… Look. I’ve been to the front lines. It’s not what you think it is.”
“I mean, I know there’s going to be a lot of destruction—”
“No, you really don’t,” Kerr insisted in a deadly serious voice. “You really, really don’t know. It’s going to be fucking bad. I just don’t want you to go into this thinking it’s going to be like Weigrun. The Demons didn’t really have a strong foothold there. There weren’t that many settlements for them to attack. They barely even did anything to the environment. The frontlines are going to be way worse than you’re imagining.”
“Okay,” Jay responded, her expression sober. “I believe you. I’ll temper my expectations. However, no matter how bad it might be, I know we’ll win.”
Kerr smiled as her face took on a look of fond adoration. Leaning up, she gave Jay a tender kiss that soon turned heated. When they separated, the light in Kerr’s eyes shone brightly.
“Yeah, you’re a big bad giant and you’ll crush all the nasty Demons under your big fat boots. I don’t doubt you for a second. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you when we get there.”
“I promise,” Jay said as she hugged Kerr to her chest. “Unless it would be funny to do so.”
“Asshole.”
As they shared a laugh, Jadis couldn’t help the twinge of worry that poked at the back of her mind. She knew the frontline of the demonic invasion was a dangerous place; just her past experience fighting Demons told her that much. However, maybe she really was underestimating the level of destruction they were about to walk into. If Kerr was concerned enough to talk so seriously, then perhaps she really did need to be worried.
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