Without the overcharged engine powering it, the Behemoth’s speed was reduced dramatically. With Jadis there to push the damaged aircraft along, it never came to a full stop, but the landbound enemies that swarmed the area had become a much greater concern. Fortunately, with Noll and Severina acting as guard dogs, the Behemoth’s safety was, while not guaranteed, greatly increased.
“Keep the tarp—Oh shit!” Terrance cursed as he dodged a rock that had been hurled by a simulacrum Demon. “Damn bastards! Can’t any of you be like Alex!?”
“I don’t think Demons like Alex are a common thing,” Villum said as he held the tarp in place for Terrance to secure with hammer and nails. “Otherwise, more of them would be trying to clean our windows or bake us cakes like she does, instead of trying to scoop out our innards, yeah?”
“Yes, I understand that, Vill,” Terrance shouted back over the wind as he hammered away. “I’m just expressing my immense frustration that so many of the blighters are actively trying to kill me at the moment!”
Jadis couldn’t hear the response, if there was any, before a loud bang echoed from above.
“G—good cover, Humbert.”
“Hmph.”
As always, safety was relative.
It was an interesting experience, being able to hear what was going on from relatively close up but only being able to see what was happening from hundreds of feet above. With the loss of the engine, the only form of propulsion that the Behemoth had was Jadis. To keep them airborne, both her Dys and Syd selves were on either side of the vessel’s cabin, lifting and pushing. The massive wagon was too heavy even for two of Jadis’ double-sized bodies to fly with at great speed, but she was keeping them about fifty feet off the ground, and they were going at a decent pace. Jadis guessed maybe thirty miles an hour. With her Jay self observing from above, she was able to generally steer around the worst clumps of hostile Demons, though there really was no avoiding them completely.
Mire hounds raced along the ground, chasing after the floating wagon like packs of angry dogs, while dead heads and simulacrum tossed attacks at them as they passed by. Noll and Severina were constantly speeding through the miasma, cutting down or disabling the most dangerous enemies that got in their way, but there was only so much the two could do. Attacks were getting through, which was why Thea and Humbert were doing their level best to protect those who were performing emergency repairs on the surface of the Behemoth’s balloon by covering them with their shields.
“How are you doing down there?”
“Better, thank you,” Syd answered Sorcha’s question without turning her head to look up at the goblin. “The stamina spell helped a lot. How are things inside?”
“Thais and Cora are keeping us healed,” Sorcha replied. The wall on the right side of the Behemoth had been opened slightly, just enough so that someone of the goblin’s size could stick their head out. “We’re all starting to run low on magic, though. Powering the lift enchantments on this thing are no joke. No wonder it needs so much eleria.”
“Alright, I’ll see what I can do about getting Alex and—” Syd hesitated for a moment. “And my other self down here. We’re almost to the sea now, though, and that should help with the Demon attacks and the miasma.”
Jadis hadn’t told anyone on the Behemoth about Hope just yet. She hadn’t been trying to hide her birth, but in all the chaos of the airship rescue, she had focused on the danger rather than explanations. Now that they were finally coming to a point of safety, Jadis was starting to look forward to everyone’s reactions. A small part of her wanted to tell Sorcha and the others right away, but a bigger part wanted to see their expressions directly.
First, though, they needed to get the Behemoth out of range of enemy Demons. And to do that, they needed the airship balloon fixed so that they could get proper lift going. Hence why half the passengers were crawling around on the front of the ship, hammering away.
Not all of them, though.
“I really fucked up, didn’t I,” Bridget was saying with her head sticking out of the left side window. “I mean, I just wanted to get to you in case you were caught up in an ambush or some shite like that, but now you’re the one rescuing us and—bloody twigs and berries, I should have kept everyone in Glanum.”
“It’s not your fault,” Dys called out to her orc lover. “I can’t blame you for doing the same thing I did. We both rushed off after that bastard without a real plan.”
“Yeah, you did!” Bridget responded, though there was no heat in her voice. “You arsehole! Don’t run off like that ever again! Aila will kill you if you do, and then me for letting it happen!”
“She wouldn’t blame you,” Dys said without rejecting the initial premise of her own demise. “I’m the one who forced you and everyone else to come chasing after me. I can’t say it would have been better if I had grabbed you all and carried you with me, though. That fight around Kastoria was a close one.”
“Yeah, well, I think we can all just agree to blame that fucker who started this. Fuck that bastard up his piss hole with a pike.”
“Yes,” Dys agreed, her tone growing flinty. “The Playwright is going to get what’s coming to him.”
Talk of what exactly Jadis and her company were going to do to put an end to the Playwright would come later. Jadis could see that the Siren Sea was just ahead of the Behemoth, so her focus shifted to getting everyone situated, which meant more than just those who were already on board the airship.
It took some shouting, a little cajoling, and a smattering of shameless guilt tripping, but eventually Jadis was able to convince Noll to leap aboard the airship before they got over the water. The old wolf had been intent on continuing his rampage across the Demon infested landscape, but Jadis knew that even he had his limits. The vet needed a break, just as much as she did. Just before they exited the toxic fog and floated out over the sea, Noll begrudgingly crawled inside the Behemoth. Severina followed after him a few moments later, folding her wings tight to squeeze inside along with everyone else as those who had been working on the balloon repairs finished up their tasks. Power didn’t exactly surge through the airship, but the vessel gradually became lighter as more hot air filled the cavity and the force multiplying enchantments allowed the airship to lift higher from the ground than should be possible.
Soon, Jadis carried the airship well out of range of both miasma and demonic attacks. The Behemoth flew high over the Siren Sea across clear skies. As one, Jadis’ bodies let out a sigh of relief.
Or at least, she tried to. In truth, the adrenaline was still coursing through her veins, and she was feeling far too amped up and paranoid to relax. Jay’s eyes continually scanned the skies, looking for any sign of pursuit. She fully expected the fallen paladin, Vitus, to come rocketing towards them at any moment, leading a pack of wyverns and stymphalia. Or maybe another dragon, this one twice as large as the first, might dive at them from the skies above. Or maybe some sort of flying Demon Matriarch with laser eyes that pooped out exploding Demon eggs would rise over the horizon ahead of them, blocking their escape. Or—
Jay shook her head. She was being paranoid. The Playwright and his attacks had driven her to unhealthy levels of suspicion. She needed to be careful and keep her guard up, but she couldn’t function if she spent all of her waking moments worrying about the improbable possibilities of how the Playwright might attack her or her loved ones. She had to regain her balance. And that started with accepting that she had succeeded. She had saved Alex, her newborn child, and all of her companions. If the Playwright or his demonic allies had any cards left to play, they would have done so already. She had won.
Even if it felt like there was another shoe waiting to drop.
Pushing that ominous thought aside, Jay swooped down from her higher position to draw up parallel with the openable wall side of the Behemoth. After a brief moment of discussion to make sure no one accidentally fell out, Jadis slowed the airship to a safer speed before allowing the wall to open. Inside, she saw everyone crowded together within.
Jay’s eyes went to Meli first, looking to make sure that the Dryad was okay. While Thais wasn’t as strong a healer as Eir, she was still powerful and experienced, and it seemed that she had been able to patch the Dryad up perfectly well. Meli was sitting next to the Valbjorn, a sour expression on her face as she fingered the large swathe of hair branches that had been cut from her back. However, when she noticed Jay looking at her, she gave her a small smile.
Her eyes swept the rest of the cabin, making sure all were accounted for. Jadis’ hearts panged a bit as she remembered that Aila, Eir, and Kerr weren’t with them, but she consoled herself with the knowledge that they were safe on the Leviathan with Tegwyn and Maeve, and that they would be back soon. Everyone present looked healthy, which was all Jadis could hope to ask for under the circumstances.
Jadis had planned the coming moment to play out very differently in her imagination. She had pictured an Eir or maybe Bertha assisted delivery. Lots of hand wringing while waiting in another room. A presentation that involved lots of cheers and toasts and well wishes. Maybe a cake to be shared among all the family members who would have been gathered in their dining hall at home.
Instead, they were coasting along in the cramped confines of the Behemoth while several of her lovers were away, those who were present were tired and dirty, and Noll was in one corner wiping blood off of his sword.
Actually, the Noll part sounded about right in all of her predicted scenarios.
“Hey, before we get back to Glanum,” Jay said after taking a deep breath, “Alex wants to introduce you all to someone.”
As all eyes turned to the Demon cradled in Jay’s arms, Alex shifted forward to reveal the tiny bundle of joy that was wrapped up in her many tentacles.
“This is… Hope… Our child….”
The stunned silence that filled the crowded airship cabin was broken after only three seconds when Sabina’s head popped up from behind Thais near the back. Taking a tool out from between her teeth, she shouted her confusion in what felt like an inappropriately loud voice.
“You hope you did what with Alex? Is she okay—oh! Oh my! Alex! Alex! Is that your baby!? You gave birth already!? Let me see!”
The smith crawled over others in her rush to get to Jay and Alex, causing a few of them to let out complaints and stir out of their stupor. As they all began to draw close, Sabina crowded in close to Alex and stared in excited wonder at Hope.
“By the gods, she’s so cute! Look at those eyes! And her smile! She’s beautiful! Oh, Alex, she’s amazing! What did you name her? Did you name her yet? Maybe you should name her Lyss because she’s so gorgeous!”
“Her name… Is Hope…” Alex replied patiently while letting the half-elf coo over the baby.
“Hope! I love it! I love her! She’s so wonderful! Congratulations Alex! And Jadis! You’re parents now!”
“We are parents now, aren’t we,” Jay’s mouth twisted into a trembling smile. “Shit, we are parents. Holy fuck.”
“Glad to see you’re not going to be one of those types who doesn’t swear around the little ones,” Sorcha commented as she stood on her toes to get a look at the baby. “That’d be boring for no reason. Oh! Her eyes are gorgeous!”
“A little restraint around impressionable youth is not a bad thing,” Severina murmured as her gaze focused unwaveringly on Hope. “I… don’t know what I was expecting. She is beautiful, Alex. Truly.”
“Look at that smile,” Bridget reached around Sabina to wiggle a finger under Hope’s chin. “Just like Jadis, but without teeth. She’s going to stop hearts once she gets a set of those grown in.”
“She is… perfect,” Thea spoke softly, her expression one of awed wonder. “I am so glad that she’s safe…”
“Safe and healthy,” Aelius said from where he peered at the infant from over Thea’s shoulder. He had taken his helmet off, and the look on his face was one of grandfatherly kindness. “My congratulations to both of you, Alex and Jadis. You have brought a beautiful soul into the world.”
The others all crowded around Alex as Jay released her and she slipped inside the cabin. Suddenly the cramped quarters didn’t matter so much as everyone wanted to get a look at the beautiful baby Succubus. The only one who didn’t was Noll, who sat in the doorway leading to the cockpit. Meeting Jay’s eyes, he gave her a rare smile and a nod of approval. No other words were needed.
“Let me take a look at the little cub,” Thais said as she scooped a smiling Hope out of Alex’s willing arms. “I’ve been midwife to more than a few babes in my time. Besides, I have some spells to check on a little one’s welfare. Let’s see how she’s doing.”
Jadis waited to hear the Valbjorn woman’s diagnosis with a surprising amount of anxiety welling up in her chests. It was startling just how protective she was feeling for her child, even though she knew that everything should be okay. There were impulses inside of her demanding that she snatch her baby from the other woman’s paws and never let her go again for the next few decades. Better judgement ruled, however, and Jadis restrained herself.
“She is as healthy as any child I have ever seen,” Thais finally announced with a smile on her ursine face. “Strong and vibrant! No unwelcome conditions and—oh, that’s strange.”
“What?” Jay asked, her relief shifting instantly to concern.
Several other voices in the Behemoth called out at the same time, equally as concerned for the tiny soul, though all silenced themselves to hear Thais’ explanation.
“I just… felt a strange sensation,” the priestess said as she stared in confusion at Hope. “And… Charos bless me, my magic reserves just went down two points!”
“Ah,” Jay let out a sigh as her tension eased. “She does that.”
“Does what?”
“Hope is hungry…” Alex explained as she took the baby back from Thais. “Again… She is… Greedy…”
“Did she just eat Thais’ magic!?” Sorcha exclaimed, her clever goblin mind apparently putting things together before anyone else.
When Jay nodded in confirmation, the cabin was filled with murmuring voices discussing the unexpected revelation. While there were many questions and comments floating around, one in particular caught Jadis’ attention.
“So…” Villum asked no one specifically, “does that mean the little tyke doesn’t need her diapers changed, or…?”
That, Jadis realized, was a very good question.
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