Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

He could hear voices. Indistinct. Distant.

Blackness again.

Ainala's face appeared before him. Then her body. She was wearing a blue dress to her ankles. She walked slowly toward him, smiling sweetly.

“Mikol,” she said. “It's a. . .”

Something jostled his body, and Prince Mikol woke up. His eyes sprang open to see sunlight filtering through the foliage above. He realized the jostling was a cart, in which he lay.

He tried to sit up, but became instantly dizzy and went back down. Pain shot through his head and he put his hand to his temple.

“He's up!” came a small girl's voice. “This one is up, ma!”

The cart stopped moving. A woman's face appeared in front of him, smiling kindly.

“You hit your head, it seems,” she told him. “Don't move for a while.”

“Where-” he croaked.

“And don't speak. You have bruises all over your body. You were bleeding out of your right leg when he found you. We wrapped it, but we aren't sure if you'll keep it. The damage was pretty extensive.”

Prince Mikol moaned as he felt pain in that leg, all throughout his thigh.

“I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Galina. My husband found you in the woods. You aren't the only one we've found, either. But you are the first awake.”

Mikol slightly nodded, painful as it was.

“We are nearly to Keiko, my hometown. There will be a healer there to help you.”

Keiko. Prince Mikol realized that the sun was sitting low in the west. It was nearly dusk.

He remembered flying away from the ruins after receiving a warning from Imbert about the strange glowing figure rising from the ruins. The Lady Serendipity had made it about half a kilometer away when it was launched forward, toward the west. Men had been yelling and shouting when everything had gone black.

The cart jostled onward, causing Mikol much discomfort as they neared Keiko.

Holden had found a corner of the aership to hide. He was no longer crying, and his breathing had finally calmed. His pa was gone. He had tried, but failed. He remembered when his father taught him to first play a chord on the lute. Holden had been so excited that he had played that one chord all day until his pa had asked him to give the lute to his ma.

His ma. She did not know yet.

Holden knew he would have to tell her. Should he wait until they reached the academy? Or tell her over a missive?

He decided to wait to tell her in person, thinking that it would be better than over the bowl.

The hours passed on the way to Akademia Magia, Holden wandering the corridors of the ship, mourning his father. Tumus found him as they approached the academy, sitting with a blank look in the engine room. Instead of saying anything, he sat next to Holden for a few minutes.

He broke the silence. “We're approaching the school,” he said quietly. Then, after a moment. “Thank you for saving my sister.”

Holden nodded, but did not stand. Tumus stayed to help Imbert land the ship from the engine room.

They felt a bump when they landed.

“You're ma will want to see you first,” Tumus suggested. Holden stood and followed him to the door.

Imbert opened the door and lowered the ramp to the ground. Ainu, Sulgur, and the others they had left behind were standing in a group, waiting. Liseal was not there. Ainu ran forward as Holden came down the ramp. She embraced him.

“You're alive! Oh thank Jot,”

“Ma,” Holden said, bowing his head as she released him. “I. . . I couldn't. . . pa, he. . . .”

Comprehension dawned on her. She let out a sob, then held him tight. Ainala had followed Ainu, and when she heard what he said, she fell to her knees on the dirt. Imbert and the other three came from the ship.

Sulgur saw Tumus and started rushing at him. Borli stepped between them and stopped him.

“So he DID try to escape! Let me by. He will be imprisoned-”

“No,” Borli said firmly. “Head Maestro, come over here and I'll explain. But he should not be punished.” They walked away toward the academy.

Imbert walked to his sister-in-law and put his hand on her shoulder. She released Holden and embraced Imbert instead.

“Ainu, we tried. Holden was brave.”

Holden knelt down next to Ainala. Their siblings had come over now. Drogun understood what had happened when he saw his mother's tears.

“No,” he said shortly. “No!”

He turned around and ran past his younger brother and sister toward the academy.

“Dro!” Holden called to him, but his brother ignored him.

“Let him go,” Imbert advised. “We should get inside, though.”

That night the family stayed in visitor's quarters. Holden did not return to his dorm, not wanting to explain to his room mate where he had been. He and Ainu informed her two youngest what had happened to their pa as they all sat near the fireplace. She held them as they cried and she cried with them.

Liseal found Holden as he walked slowly across the courtyard. She ran to him and hugged him. As the sun was setting, they made their way to the rooftop. To Holden it felt like it had been months ago since they had last sat here, just enjoying one another's company. Holden explained in only a few sentences what had happened. Liseal held him tight as he told about his father's death. They stayed there until an hour after sunset, then got down from the roof.

Most of the family had a hard time sleeping that night. Despite having been up for almost two days, Holden found his mind racing, unable to sleep. When he did finally drift off, his dreams were about soldiers screaming as he pulled their magic from them and took it into himself. Then he saw Sucius's face laughing at him. Sucius's face turned into Tumus's, and Holden found himself punching him and putting a knife to his throat. Tumus laughed at him. The laugh continued for what seemed like forever, entering Holden's mind until he woke up. He looked at the window. The sky was starting to lighten.

Holden knew he would not get any more sleep, so he quietly got out of bed and left the room. He wandered through the hallways of the visitor dorms. As he turned a corner, he saw Tumus sitting at the end of the hall with his arms around his knees, crying silently.

Walking up to him and sitting down, Holden placed a hand on his friend's knee. He waited until Tumus spoke.

“I lost my father yesterday, too,” he said quietly. Holden thought that maybe his father was a soldier in the Chaelestan army. Then he remembered what Lyra had said. If she was Tumus's sister, that made his father Sucius.

Holden removed his hand from Tumus's knee. His emotions were in conflict. He felt some anger starting to well up, and he wanted to attack Tumus again. But he also felt some empathy, although they had not lost their father's in the same way. Holden's pa had died, but Tumus's had succumbed to power.

“Holden,” Tumus started. “Please, don't-”

“Tumus,” Holden interrupted. “You are not your father, he said calmly.

“Thanks,” Tumus said, truly grateful that he understood.

Lyra came from a room down the hall, dressed in a nightgown that was too big for her. She came over to them.

“Holden,” she said. “Thank you,” she managed to say with a heavy accent. Holden smiled at her.

“I taught her that because she wanted to tell you,” Tumus said.

Lyra sat next to Tumus and they leaned against each other, Lyra's head on his shoulder. Holden stood up and left them, continuing to wander and lost in his thoughts.

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

It appeared that most of the Chaelestan soldiers had been taken out by the aerships attacks, but those who remained alive must have been ordered to protect the ruins. They now formed a ring around the impact site, holding various weapons and instruments.

Holden had entered the ruins, which had once been a military fort over two hundred years before, and had sneaked between the walls toward the center. After a couple minutes, he noticed there were not as many soldiers around. He found mostly dead ones, and stole the lifeforces of the few he found still breathing.

Now he held still behind a crumbling wall, keeping out of sight of the soldiers that surrounded the center of the ruins. The meteor had crashed into the keep of the fort, the impact causing the walls to collapse outward from the center. The keep had sat upon a hill, so the wave had only knocked down the top portions of the walls of the rest of the fort. The wall Holden now crouched behind was only about three feet high. The keep walls had been completely knocked down and the stones buried over the years. The meteor itself had come to rest inside the tunnels beneath the keep, now only accessible from the sides of the hills.

Holden quickly looked around the wall and saw an entrance to the tunnels to the right. He pulled his head back before the soldiers saw him. Somehow, he had to get past them and into the tunnels. He figured he only had about an hour and a half left. Dawn was approaching soon.

He sat for a moment, considering what he could do to get past the soldiers. He could not rush them, or he would be cut down. He could not sneak by them, because there were too many. But maybe he could pretend to be one of them.

He sneaked away, back through the ruins until he found a corpse. The chain mail was a little bloody, but he figured it would just look like he had been injured. He felt bad robbing the dead, but knew the man no longer needed it anyway. After donning the gear, he walked back toward the center. The blood was near his hip, so he decided to limp as he walked.

Holden came in sight of the soldiers, but nobody came to his aid. He limped toward the tunnel entrance. Nobody stopped him until he reached the entrance way. Then one soldier asked him something in Chaelestan. Holden thought quickly, then pretended to cough violently, sitting down against the wall of the tunnel as if he had to rest, and waving the man away. The soldier gave him an exasperated look and turned around. Once he was out of sight, Holden stood back up and walked further into the tunnel.

The walls were paneled with wood slats. There were support beams every few feet. The lighting was low, with torches only every fifty feet or so. He could not hear any other sounds in the darkness except his own footsteps. He walked until it opened up into a chamber. There were a few guards standing and sitting around the walls, mostly injured. Holden started limping again and made his way across to the tunnel on the other side. He reached it without any problems and continued, this passage the same as the last.

There were other rooms, mostly with no occupants, some with weapons and supplies like food. He felt that he was wandering for about twenty minutes when he came to a very small chamber. Inside were cages or iron about three by three feet big. Inside them were bodies of prisoners, most of them dead. One man was still alive. He looked up wearily at Holden and let out a small sigh.

“More torture?” the man asked.

“Uh,” Holden hesitated. “No. I'm not actually a Chaelestan.”

“What?”

“I'm. . . I'm trying to stop them,” Holden said.

The man sat up and held onto the bars.

“Then will you release me?”

“Well, why did they lock you up?” Holden asked warily.

“Because. I leaked information to your people,” he admitted.

“I see. Then how do I let you out?”

“I don't actually know. The key, I guess, but who knows where that is?” the man said, sighing again.

Holden considered for a moment. Playing his flute would be too loud, and the Chaelestans had likely protected the lock from air magic anyway to keep the man in.

“Aren't there caches of weapons somewhere?” the man asked. “You could find something like a sword or a mace or something.”

“Good idea,” Holden said. “I'll be back in a few moments. There were weapons just in the last room.”

Five minutes later he returned with a great sword. He hefted it up and brought it down swiftly on the lock of the cage. It broke.

“Wonderful!” the man exclaimed. Holden removed the lock and let him out. He stretched out his hand in greeting.

“My name is Callius,” he said.

“Uh, Holden.”

They shook hands. A small whimper came from the corner.

“Is there another prisoner?” Holden asked.

“Not that I know of,” Callius replied slowly.

“Hello?” Holden said, walking cautiously toward the sound. “Are you a prisoner?”

He walked past a couple cages with corpses and some crates. In the far corner was a smaller cage, one that looked like it was meant for a dog. Inside was a young girl.

Holden knelt beside the cage.

“Hey,” he said gently. “Do you need help?”

She looked up at him with wide eyes and started crying.

“You look like a Chaelestan, Holden,” Callius said.

“Oh, right.” He removed the helm. “Hey, look up. I'm not Chaelestan. I'm Joenic. I'm here to stop them.”

The girl looked at him, then started babbling in another language. Callius knelt down and replied in the same language. Holden figured it was Chaelestan.

“She says her name is Lyra,” Callius said. “She wants her brother, but he was sent away. She says her father put her in here.”

“Her father?”

Lyra continued, and Callius interpreted.

“Her father is the steward of Chaelesta. He's the same man that put me in here, by the way. She says her brother is in the army and she wants to go to him.”

“Callius, I'll let her out, but do you think you could take her? Help her escape?”

Callius grunted. “Yeah, I think I can. But I'm not in that great of shape. We'll have to sneak or disguise ourselves like you did.”

“Do you know how to get to the center of the ruins?” Holden asked him.

He did, and he explained it to Holden.

“I don't know why you want to face Steward Sucius, but you're either brave or stupid,” Callius told him.

“Just desperate,” Holden said. He took the sword to the lock on Lyra's cage, then handed the sword to Callius.

“These things used to be light in my hands,” Callius said ruefully. “Now it feels as heavy as lifting a child Lyra's size.”

“Just make sure you get out safely somehow,” Holden said. He had a strange feeling of doubt, but knew he could not take them with him into certain death.

They opened a crate and found a few packages of dried meat, stocking up for whatever lay ahead. Then they said their farewells and went back down the tunnel. Holden went right, while Callius and Lyra went straight.

Holden now figured he only just under half an hour to find his father and stop the ritual. His plan was to set up the teleporter just outside the central chamber where the meteorite was. Then he would go in and confront the steward, confident that his own powers outmatched Sucius's. And if he managed to get his father released, he could help take out the enemy steward.

There were few soldiers this far in. He did find one that was sitting against the wall, or what was left of him. He was still alive and awake, though. Holden checked around to make sure nobody else was near, then crouched down next to him. The Chaelestan was missing an ear, half of his right arm below the elbow, and his right leg. They were bandaged, but he could see the man was nearly delirious from pain and loss of blood.

“Salve,” the man said.

Holden knew that word, at least. “Salve,” he replied.

The man whimpered in pain, then started laughing.

“Me occidere,” the man said. “Sodes. . .sodes.”

“I'm sorry, I do not understand,” Holden said. He figured the man was asking something, but he did not know what.

The man hesitated, then said “Dead. Me dead.” He pointed to Holden's dagger at his waist, then at his own neck.

Holden understood. “You want me to kill you?” he asked, taking the dagger and gesturing to the man's neck.

The soldier nodded.

Holden instead took out his last empty bauble and held it to the man's lips. The man did not object. He did not scream, but instead sighed as his lifeforce was taken. His head slumped to the side and Holden put the bauble away.

He reached the central chamber after only a few minutes more of walking. He could hear the sounds of moaning and crying, as well as a steady chanting. Rounding a corner in the tunnel, he saw a bright multicolored light ahead. Rounding the next corner quietly, he saw into the central chamber.

A man, who he supposed was Sucius, was standing next to the meteorite, hands outstretched over a prone figure. His father. The light was coming from balls of energy flowing out of Rembold and hovering a few feet in the air above him. Holden saw at least two other people standing to the side, one emitting red light and the other white. The moans were coming from them.

Holden crept back a few feet and took out the teleporters from his bag, as well as the bottle of Rage Tonic. He took a long swig, wanting to have as much anger and energy as he could against this man. Next, he placed the metal plates on the ground and put the engine between them. He attached the last lifeforce baubles and communicated quietly with Tumus for a moment, then went back to the corner. He said a silent prayer to Jot, then took out his flute. He turned the corner, facing Sucius, and started playing the same song he had used earlier, forming a javelin of air.

Sucius heard the flute and looked around. He saw Holden down the tunnel and let loose a roar. A wave of air knocked Holden to the ground before he could finish the song. His javelin vanished.

Lying on the ground, he remembered he had not activated the pendant at his neck. He also started to feel the effects of the tonic, becoming angry almost instantly. He pushed the button on the pendant and stood in time to see a bolt of electricity headed toward him. It hit his magic barrier and dissipated.

Holden ran forward, also roaring. It caused Sucius to fly through the air and land on his back. Holden put the flute to his lips and played a series of high pitched notes as he ran toward the meteorite where his father lay. Letting out a sharp staccato pitch, he caused chains binding the glowing red mage to break. The man fell to his knees as Sucius returned to his feet.

“You will die!” Sucius swore. He took a small hand drum from his pocket and played it. The earth beneath Holden's moving feet began to buckle. He jumped aside and rolled to the left, knocking into another mage, this one glowing blue.

Holden noticed the balls of light returning to his father's body. He was succeeding.

Playing the same quick tune, he released the mage next to him. Sucius was dealing with the other mage, who was a fire mage. He managed to chain him back up, then looked around in time to see water blasting toward him from the liquid mage that was now free.

Holden stood next to the liquid mage and played the javelin song again, this time finishing it. The weapon of air flew toward Sucius.

The steward roared again, knocking the javelin aside. Before Holden or the other mage could do anything, Sucius pounded his fist to the ground. A column of earth shot upward below the two, causing Holden to go flying toward the wall. He hit his head and fell ten feet to the earth, everything going black.

He opened his eyes and saw Sucius back at the meteor, standing over his father. The liquid mage was again in chains. He realized he must have been knocked out, and that Sucius had figured he was dead. The tonic had worn off, so he no longer in a rage.

He sat still, trying to figure out what to do next as he watched the magic being drained from his father. He decided to start humming softly. The tune he chose was one his pa taught him. It was handed down from steward to steward. The Song of Dispel. If played or hummed right, it would negate all magic within a quarter mile radius of the steward. If performed incorrectly, it would kill everything, within that radius, the steward included.

He was about to hum the song when he felt a small hand on his right shoulder. He looked over and saw Lyra crouching down in the shadows next to him. She placed a finger to his lips. She saw his eyes dart to the tunnels, then back at her. She pointed with her thumb over her shoulder, then gestured to Holden's dagger, then made a motion of stabbing her stomach. Holden understood. Callius had been stabbed, so Lyra had run.

Holden gestured with his eyes toward Sucius, then raised his eyebrows at Lyra. She nodded sadly, her eyes downcast. This was her father, or rather the man that used to be her father.

Lyra pointed to his ankles. Chains bound his legs to the ground. Sucius must have chained him while he was out, just in case he was not dead.

Lyra pulled a gun from her side. It was an gun that held a bauble of metal magic, one of the most expensive baubles create. He gave her a questioning look, but she ignored it. She took the bauble from the gun and handed it to him with an expectant look.

Laughter came from Sucius. They both looked, but he was still performing the ritual. Holden noticed that the balls of energy were entering the steward's body, causing him to glow various shifting colors. One last bit of energy left Rembold's body, causing him to wake up and scream in agony as it tore through the flesh of his chest. He fell back to the surface of the meteorite and lay still, blood coming from his chest.

Holden wanted to cry out for his pa, but Lyra held her hand to his mouth. She saw the pain on his face, but understood that their only chance of survival was to not draw attention to themselves. Holden wanted to tear her hand away and run to his pa. He sat forward and held the bauble over the chains. The magic that had created the chains was taken into the bauble, and they disappeared.

Sucius took in the last bit of magic energy. The mages around the walls of the chamber all dropped to the floor, dead like Rembold. The Chaelestan steward dropped to his knees and laughed. His body was glowing white, emanating magic. He put his hands into the air toward the ceiling. Magical energy shot upward, blasting a hole that let in the rays of dawn.

Lyra gestured for Holden to follow and started slowly moving toward the tunnels. He did so, keeping his head toward Sucius. The steward was starting to rise off the ground.

A sudden wave on magical energy blasted from him in a ring. Holden and Lyra were already against the wall, so it only knocked their heads a few inches to hit the wood. The body of one of the mages hit right where Holden had just been. He thanked Jot in his mind for the fortune as they continued.

He wanted to grieve. He wanted to run to his father's body and mourn over it, but he now realized that he and Lyra would be the ones to use the teleporter.

Sucius reached the hole and released another wave of energy, laughing madly. This one caused the tunnels to start shaking. Holden and Lyra heard crashes from the tunnels and decided to run for it. Holden got ahead of Lyra as they reached the passage. Dirt was falling through the cracks and wood was splintering around them. Holden stopped at the teleporter, standing on a plate, and pointed to the other metal plate. Lyra stood on it and ducked as a board flew past her head. She looked at Holden in panicked confusion. He crouched down and flipped the switch with one hand while holding the engine with the other.

His vision seemed to go fuzzy and white for a few moments. During this time, he felt a sudden pain, but it passed quickly. Then, before his eyes, the bridge of the Tidalwind started to appear. The white fuzz vanished and he found himself crouching on a metal plate, his hand still touching the engine. Next to him stood Lyra on the other plate.

“Lyra?!” Tumus shouted, running toward the girl. He embraced her before she could react.

“Holden!” Borli exclaimed. “Where's your father?”

Holden went from crouching to kneeling and let out a long wail. Holding his face in his hands, he wept.

“He. . . didn't make it, then.” Imbert said haltingly from the captain's chair.

Holden felt his insides twisting and his heart trying to burst from his chest. He wanted to be angry, but all he felt was hollow. Imbert told Prince Mikol over the communicator that Holden was safe.

“Tumus,” Lyra said. She said a few words in Chaelestan, and Tumus nodded.

“Imbert, she says we need to move. Our fa-the steward of Chaelesta is releasing energy in waves. She thinks he's going to wipe out the aerships.”

Imbert nodded solemnly. He communicated this to Mikol and the aership started flying away from the meteor ruins.

Borli knelt next to Holden and put a hand on his shoulder. Holden barely felt it. He was lost in his grief, sobbing and moaning.

“I see the steward,” Imbert said, pointing. As the aership was turning, Borli, Lyra, and Tumus could see the small glowing person rising from the center of the ruins. A few seconds later they could not see him.

“Lyra says to hurry,” Tumus said.

The aership started flying away toward the northwest. They rose in elevation slowly. The change in elevation saved them.

The aership jolted forward a little, causing them all to lose balance. Tumus and Lyra ran to the window and looked out.

“The other aerships. . .,” Tumus said in shock. “They are. . .gone.”

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Tiredness. Heavy eyelids. Difficulty drawing breath. Rembold could not remember where he was. He opened his eyes with some effort and saw rock above him. Was he in a cave?

He tried to move his head, but could not. He had no control over his limbs. He looked as far as he could with his eyes. To his right was a bright red light, and he thought he could see a person in the light.

No sound. He realized he could not hear. He closed his eyes again and concentrated on his body. He could not feel any clothes, but he did feel rope straps around his wrists, midsection, head, legs, and feet.

Memories of battle came back to him. He remembered the hill, and Borli standing next to him. He remembered the Chaelestans coming up the hill. Then. . .

Captain Horr. Borli had said his name, and then Rembold had felt a sharp pain in his head. Horr had betrayed him. Had betrayed Neljan Joen.

Rembold could hear a slight chanting. His hearing was returning. He recognized the chanting as Chaelestan, though he could not understand it.

Panic started to flood his mind. He tried to breath deeply to calm himself, but could not manage it. He tried to think how to escape, but only thoughts of his family filled his mind. He thought of his last conversation with Ainu.

And it hit him. He could hum to get out of these bonds, using air magic just as he did to activate the missive bowl. He tried to hum quietly a few notes.

His voice did not work. Despair filled him this time. He knew this was the ritual that would steal his magic. Which meant he was at the mercy of his enemies. They were going to kill him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sun had set, but there was still some light. Prince Mikol led the fleet of aerships toward the meteor ruins, now only minutes away. Borli reported that the men were ready for battle on their ship, christened “Lady Serendipity.” Mikol nodded. He sent out a call on the short-range communicator and one by one received confirmations from all the other ships.

Lasy Serendipity held the prince's own guard. These were men he trusted and had been trained to protect royalty. They were some of the very best mages and warriors in the nation, just as Borli's team had been. There was a variety of magical abilities in the guard. Most had hand-to-hand combat training, as well as excellent swordsmanship. They used various tools to control their respective magics, ranging from musical instruments to weapons to potions and tonics. Some were adept healers, ready to give parts of their own lifeforces to heal and save their comrades.

In the other six ships, there were also a variety of mages. Most were military from the Royal Forces. A few were from a local militia. They carried guns of various magics, but were not as well trained as the prince's guard in fighting magic.

“Your Highness, the Chaelestan army has surrounded the meteor ruins. I see some campfires through the foliage,” reported the watchman over the communicator, “and they make a radius approximately one quarter of a mile from the ruins center.”

Mikol knew what they should do. He opened the communicator with the other aerships and told them to surround the ruins.

He waited ten minutes for the other ships to get in position. Once he had confirmation, he gave the command for them all to advance on the ruins. Seeing the visuals that showed they were ready, he gave the command for the fire mages to initiate the battle.

Balls and streams of fire began pouring out of the aerships toward the forest below. Mikol watched, Borli standing beside him, as the trees caught flame.

“Look there,” Borli said, pointing to their right. The Chaelestans were fighting back with their air magic, pushing the fire back toward the hovering aership.

“Podrug, get your earth mages to counter that wind!” Mikol said ove rthe communicator. A few seconds later, large stone started dropping from the ship, shooting toward the ground and creating small craters on impact.

The rest of the forest was catching.

“Air and water mages, go!” Mikol commanded.

From each ship, water began being directed toward the trees, containing the flames within the circle. Wind started blowing inward from every side, toward the ruins.

“Men, protect the ruins!” Mikol commanded his own ship.

They did so, creating a similar barrier to protect the meteor impact site from the blazing fires.

Mikol noticed a disturbance to the left. The wind was acting strangely, going in a circle.

“Their creating a vortex,” Borli observed.

The prince nodded, not sure what to do. He watched as the wind caught the fire, spinning upward towards the sky.

“Their going to send that vortex toward the ships!” Mikol realized. “Air mages, remove the oxygen from the area. Quickly!” he shouted over the line.

The fires started sputtering and dying. He watched as more vortexes appeared, creating flaming tornados. He watched in panic as one vortex started moving toward the ship two to his left, the Loda's Rebirth.

“Kilstigal! Get all your men to focus on taking out that vortex!” he ordered.

Guns started firing from Kilstigal's ship toward the trees. The water ones were directed at the vortex, while the electricity ones were shot toward the enemy below. More boulders were dropped from that ship toward the ground.

The fire in the forest was nearly dead now, as were the other vortexes, but that one tornado remained, moving slowly toward the aership.

“All water and air mages that can be spared, direct your attention to taking down that vortex!” Mikol directed.

But it seemed the Chaelestans were putting all their power into that one vortex, trying to make it reach the aership. The vortex was growing larger, leaves and debris getting caught up, then burned in the fire that was still blazing within it.

“Prince, it's nearly upon us!” came Kilstigal's panicking voice.

Mikol did not know what to do.

Holden had found some metal plates in a storage area of his uncle's aership. Using these, he had constructed two more teleportation plates. These were larger than his first ones, but still compact enough that he could fit them into his pack.

“We're drawing close to the ruins,” Imbert said from the controls. Holden looked up and saw how dark it had gotten while he worked.

Tumus approached the window and looked out. Imbert had finally removed his bonds and allowed the young man to wander around the bridge.

“So many trees,” Tumus commented. “This forest is enormous.”

“The largest in the world,” Imbert replied. “Holden, is your teleportation thing ready?”

Holden made sure he had enough baubles of each element for the teleportation of two people. He had considered how many he needed and had decided to double the amount he had used for the dog.

He took a moment to reexamine all four plates, both engines, and each bauble.

“Yes, it's ready. Except for the lifeforce baubles, of course.”

“And you know how to make those?”

“Yes.”

Ten minutes later, they could see fire blazing ahead of them.

“Forest fire?” Tumus asked.

“No. Battle,” Imbert responded.

They heard a voice come over the short-range communicator.

“Kilstigal! Get all your men to focus on taking out that vortex!” It was Prince Mikol.

The three of them watched as a huge vortex of fire swirled toward one of the aerships surrounding the meteor ruins. The forest fire died down.

“All water and air mages that can be spared, direct your attention to taking down that vortex!” came his voice again.

Another moment later came a panicking voice. “Prince, it's nearly upon us!”

This ship was the one closest to Imbert's Tidalwind. He drew his ship up to the rear of it just as the vortex hit the metal-plated balloon. The ship was buffeted about, and a few men fell out toward the ground.

“I've got to help them!” Holden shouted, then ran toward the port side windows. He opened one and started humming a folk tune that reminded him of a peaceful, calm spring day, when the wind did not blow and the world seemed still. He started singing it aloud without realizing it.

To a shaded place of green,

by a cool and calming stream,

Where the birds all sweetly sing,

I would go.

To be there all by my lone

to remember times now gone

and become as still as stone,

I would go.

I would go, to the green

to become as still as stone.

I would go, just to be,

just to feel that peace alone.

Alay-oh, alay-oh.

Alay-oh, all alone.

The wind died as he sang. Holden watched as the vortex broke connection with the ground and started ascending into the clouds. He did not waver in his singing. Finally, the flames were gone and all was still. No wind. He stopped singing.

Tumus was standing next to him when he pulled his head back from the window.

“That was. . . amazing.” he said in awe. “I've never seen air magic so powerful in all of Chaelesta.”

“Uh, thanks.”

“Imbert! Was that Holden singing? All my men could hear his voice,” Prince Mikol asked over the line.

“Yes, your highness,” Imbert replied.

“Well, he stopped the vortex for now. But we are already being attacked again in other ways. I am sending my men down there now to combat face-to-face. We will clear a path for Borli and Holden to get them into the ruins proper.”

“Holden,” Tumus said, pulling hims aside. “I'm not great with your machines, but if you show me how, I can make sure the teleporter is ready for you to bring you and your pa back.”

“Thank you, Tumus,” Holden said. He took a minute to show the younger boy how to turn on the engine and where to place the plates in proximity to it. He had already attached all necessary baubles except the lifeforce ones.

“As soon as I get some of those filled, I'll send them up to you with air magic through that window I was just at,” Holden told him. Tumus nodded. “Then just attach them here, where there are two empty slots for baubles on the engine.”

“Get your parachute on, Holden,” Imbert said. “Borli is meeting you directly below this aership in front of us, toward the aft.”

Holden put on his backpack on his front, then had Tumus help him strap the parachute to his back. He doouble checked his pockets to make sure he had all necessary items, then led Tumus to the rear of the ship.

“Once I jump out of this door, you close it a return to my uncle. And Tumus,” he said, smiling wryly, “Thank you. I'm glad to have a friend here, even if you did try to kill my head maestro.”

Tumus bowed his head for a moment. “Thanks for considering me as a friend.”

 “Here goes!” Holden opened the hatch and turned around to face Tumus. He waved, then fell backward out of the aership.

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Queen Solna stared in the looking glass at her own reflection. She wanted to cry, but dare not in case she could not stop. She had to tell Mikol, she knew, but she did not want to keep him from saving the steward.

“Twenty is too young to take the throne,” she whispered to herself. She could not stop looking in her own eyes. They were bloodshot. Only a few minutes before, she had broken out in a fever. “Jot, help us!” she plead.

Solna decided to go straight to her husband. His fever had broken at last, but had lost control of his bowels shortly thereafter. It was difficult for her to see him so broken and helpless. She was glad Mikol was not here to see it.

A few minutes later, she was standing alone beside the king's bed, looking into the glass box. His face was ashen and colorless. His breathing was coming in heavy gasps as he slept.

“My sweet Leijon,” she whispered. She finally let the tears release and broke down, falling to her knees. The wept for her husband, herself, and her nation that was now suffering from Verastava. News had reached her only an hour before that other cities and villages were reporting instances of the plague. It seemed the Chaelestans had made sure to infect as many people and places as they could.

“Jot,” she prayed aloud, “where are you? Why is this happening to our people? Can you not heal my husband?”

“Solna,” came Leijon's voice through a nearby communicator. It was weak and raspy. “My love, do not cry.”

“Leijon,” she said, wiping her eyes and looking up. The grabbed the communicator. “I have been infected, love. I will soon join you in this cage.”

“Solna,” he said, looking at her with compassion and empathy. “All will be well. Our son lives, and he will reign well.”

“Our people. Our people are dying from this plague,” she sobbed.

Leijon sighed. “I know. Perhaps this is punishment.”

“For what? What could cause Tuho to punish our nation? What have we done to anger Him?”

“You know how few of the rising generation actually believe in Jot, Loda, or Tuho.” Leijon broke into a coughing fit for a few seconds. The healers had stopped trying to calm such fits. It calmed and he continued. “The youth walk with high heads and speak with closed lips. They refuse the beliefs of their parents.”

“I know, but is this reason enough to send something so horrible to us?” Solna asked desperately. “Surely they could forgive the insolence of youth.”

Liejon shook his head slowly. “You know as well as I the abominable things this generation does. Many have even decided to pervert their lifeforce magic and raise dead creatures as pets. Others use their magic for other horrible things.” He coughed again. “One young liquid mage was brought to my attention. He was caught controlling a woman by her blood, forcing her to be his slave.”

“Such immoral acts,” Solna said in despair. “And we have done nothing to stop it!”

“What could we do?” Leijon asked.

“I. . . I do not know.”

“They are able to choose. Now they are facing a consequence for their choices. It just so happens that the innocent are caught in the punishment.” Leijon closed his eyes and caught his breath.

A healer came through the door.

“Your majesty,” she said, bowing to Solna. “It has been brought to our attention that you also have been infected.”

“Yes.”

“Then I am sorry, but we must continue to follow protocol. You must be quarantined.”

Solna nodded. “Yes, though I am afraid it will not do much good. But I request that I be quarantined here in this room, with my husband.”

“As you wish, your majesty. We will prepare another glass quarantine for you.” The healer left. Solna turned back to Leijon.

“Love, it seems you won't have to wait long before I join you in Jot's realm.”

“Perhaps they will find a cure before you do,” Leijon said, smiling. Even so ill, she loved his smile.

While the box was being erected, she went into a special chamber down the hall. Inside were shrines to Jot and Loda. She spent the evening in the shrine, praying for a miracle or healing. As the evening wore on, she started praying that the pain would at least be lessened for those infected, even if they could not be cured. She also prayed for Mikol, asking for Jot's protection on him. She stopped praying when she heard the palace bell toll nine o'clock.

She did not know that, at that same moment, her son had engaged in combat.

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Drogun waited until his ma left the room before getting out from under the bed. She sat on it and wept until they landed at the academy. He wanted so bad to comfort her, but stayed put. He had an idea.

The ship jolted when it landed. She left and he followed shortly after. Ainu and her family met Head Maestro Sulgur and Holden on the landing pad. Ainu hugged Holden first, holding tightly and not wanting to let go. Sulgur pulled her aside to speak and Drogun took his chance. He ran up to his brother and hugged him, whispering in his ear.

“The Chaelestans took pa. Borli is mounting a rescue.”

“What? When?”

“He leaves in a few hours.”

“Thanks, Dro.”

They released and Holden was attacked by two other siblings. His youngest brother, Gontor, reached him first and threw his arms around his brother's abdomen. Rosel was a second behind. She grabbed him around the chest. The weight of his school bag made him nearly tip over. Ainala came last and waited for the youngest two to let go and run off. Then she embraced her step-brother quickly.

“Ma told me what happened with pa last night,” she said quietly. Her brown eyes were puffy and he could tell she had been crying.

“Ainala, Drogun just told me he was captured,” he replied softly. “The prince is going to rescue him.”

“Mikol?” Ainala said, shocked. “He would put his life on the line for our pa? And how does Drogun know he was taken?”

“Because I overheard ma just a few minutes ago talking to the prince and Borli, one of pa's guards,” Drogun said behind her. They looked at him and he came closer so Ainu would not hear.

“I want to go with them,” Holden said.

“No,” Ainala said sharply. “You are the next steward. It's stupid enough that Mikol is going when the king is sick. We're not going to risk losing the heir to the throne and the heir to the stewardship in one go.”

“If I die, Drogun is next,” Holden said. “Then Gontor after him.”

“Don't you say that!” Ainala said angrily.

“Hol,” Drogun said, “I think you could really help them. They could use somebody with your powers.”

“Don't encourage him, Dro!” Ainala said.

“No, he's right,” Holden said. “It's not like life as a steward is going to be any safer. Look at pa's life and all the times attempts have been made on it. Besides,” he added, thinking of something, “I may be able to help rescue pa with my senior project. I've been working on- get this- a teleporter.”

“Whoa!” Drogun exclaimed. His eyes lit up. “Can I see it? Does it work yet?”

“It works for small object right now, but that's because I'm missing some catalysts. If I had the right amounts of magic, I could teleport people.” He opened his backpack and showed Drogun the pieces he had inside: two expandable plates and one steam engine. “The other engine is in my room. I'm repairing it. And I'm missing the catalysts right now.”

“That is really neat, Holden, but I still do not think you should try to rescue pa. Leave it to Borli and Mikol,” Ainala said.

A man stepped out of the aership. He looked at Holden and smiled.

“Uncle Imbert!” Holden said. The man looked much like Rembold, but shorter. He had graying hair that still had streaks of brown. It was tied back in a short ponytail. He wore his aviator uniform which consisted of a white leather jack and boots with blue breeches.

“Hey, Holden,” he said, coming up to his nephew and embracing him. “How is the academy? Meet any pretty ladies?”

Holden's face turned bright red. “Huh, actually, yeah,” he said as Imbert released him.

“Really?” Ainala said, interested. “What's her name?”

“L-Liseal.” Holden felt an arm slip under his as he said it. He turned and Liseal smiled up at him.

“And here she is,” Imbert said. “That was timely, lass.”

Holden quickly introduced Liseal to his uncle and siblings. Ainu looked over and saw he son with his arm around Liseal and asked the head maestro for a moment. She approached the group.

“Holden,” she said. “Would you like to introduce us?”

“Hello. I'm Liseal,” she said before Holden could find his tongue. She put out her hand and Ainu shook it.

“Ainu. How long have you been together?”

Liseal looked at Holden. “Has it been thirteen or fourteen?”

“Days?” Ainala asked.

“Months,” Liseal replied.

“Months!”Ainu said, surprised. “Why haven't you said anything, Holden?”

“You know Holden, ma,” Drogun piped up. “He's always embarrassed about his love life. Remember when he was kissed on the lips by Tilda next door? He blushed for three days after that!”

Holden tried to whack his brother in the arm, but Drogun dodged and laughed.

“We should get inside somewhere and speak of matters,” Head Maestro Sulgur said, walking up to them.

They ended up on Imbert's aership, named the “Tidalwind.” Before they had all settled in, Holden pulled his uncle aside. He told of how Rembold was captured and asked if Imbert could take him to help the rescue.

“Holden, that's a really risky and really dumb idea,” Imbert said with a serious face. “But I understand your desire to help my brother. And it sounds like a lot of fun.” He smiled mischievously. “I'll do it, but we need to get these people off the ship, then fly away. And it must be soon if we want to reach the prince.”

They sat in the dining area of the ship, sending Drogun and the two youngest to another room while the adults talked. Sulgur spoke first about Tumus and his attempt to shoot him. Then Ainu filled them in on the condition of the king as far as she knew it.

“The other matter is that of my husband,” she said. She kept a brave face, but they could see the anguish as she spoke. “He has been captured by the Chaelestans, who plan to perform a ritual to steal his stewardship.” She ignored their reactions and continued. “The prince is mounting a rescue. But meantime, we need to keep my family safe. Sulgur, I know the school is also threatened, but I feel that we are safe here at least for a time.”

They spoke for a few more minutes until Imbert pointed out that it was nearly dinner time.

“Head Maestro, I hate to ask, but may we eat in the academy? I would rather not use the storage I have on board the ship.”

“Of course. We will go to my private dining room and eat there.” Sulgur looked at Holden and Liseal. “Though I would ask that you two eat in the mess hall, if that is all right.”

The group got up to leave and Holden pulled Liseal aside.

“I'm leaving with my uncle,” he whispered.

“Your sister told me,” she said. “You're a fool, but you're a fool I love.” She waited until Ainu was out of the room, then kissed him. They held each other for ten seconds, then he released. She ran to catch up to the group.

“Ready, kid?” Imbert asked.

“Uh, yeah,” Holden said, distracted.

“All right. I'll get the steam engine started. Come with me and I'll tell you what to do.”

They ran to the bridge of the aership, trying to get into the air before anyone noticed their absence. The bridge was a large room with great windows allowing a one hundred eighty degree view. Holden went right to the window where he could see the group walking away from the ship. Drogun and Ainala were carrying everyone's bags. He noticed his mother stop and look around.

“She's noticed we're missing!” Holden called to Imbert, who was at the control panel, flipping switches.

“Luckily we can get into the air, even if we cannot truly take off until you get to the engine room,” Imbert said.

“She is coming back to the ship!”

He felt the ship jostle and begin rising. The ground was slowly moving away.

“Get to the engine room and I'll direct you what to do!”

Holden ran out of the room. He had been on his uncle's ship as a passenger before and knew where the engine room was. When he entered, he felt the steam of the engine hit him.

“You there, kid?” came his uncle's voice over a communicator above him.

“Yeah!”

“Good! There are three levers I need you to pull when I say. The first is at the back of the room and is red.”

Holden waited for the cue, then pulled the lever. He heard the engine roar to life.

“Good! Get to the blue one just a few feet to the right.”

He waited again at the next lever, and pulled when told. The ship jolted again as it started getting higher. Next he felt it jerk forward.

“Now, get to the yellow one back by the door!”

Holden ran to the yellow one just as his uncle told him to pull it. He cranked the lever and the ship started picking up speed.

“Come back to the bridge!”

He rejoined his uncle a couple minutes later and looked out of the window. The clouds gliding by. He looked down and saw the forest below him.

“I love flying,” he said simply. He took in the view of the Giganski mountains to the north. Even at their cruising altitude, the mountains stretched far above them. Some people said they were the tallest mountains in the world.

“Holden,” Imbert said seriously. “We're flying into death. Please tell me you have at least some form of plan?”

“Yes,” he said, looking at his uncle, who sat at the console and kept his hand on a control stick. “I have a teleporter in my bag here, but I'm missing one of the portable steam engines. I also need some magic baubles for catalysts.”

Imbert was shaking his head. “A teleporter? You really are Rembold's son. I wonder if my kids would have been as bright as you if I'd married. Let me see that engine.”

Holden pulled it out and showed him. It was about the size of his head, with two pistons and a chamber where the water was stored.

“Portable engines are only ten years old, and you are already creating a teleporter with them. Remarkable.” Imbert inspected it, then gave it back. “I may have something like that that you could use.”

“Really?”

“It is currently running the ice box in the kitchen. You could remove it, though the food will spoil.”

“That's great. Thank you!” Holden said. “I still need catalysts, though.”

“We have on board baubles of energy, water, and various gases. What ones do you need?” asked his uncle.

“I have here the water and fire. I need an electricity one, an oxygen one, and one more.”

“We have the first two. What is the last one?”

Holden hesitated. “Well, it's not easy to find.”

Imbert gave him a look of curiosity.

“I need a lifeforce bauble.”

Imbert stared ahead at the clouds. Holden was not sure what his uncle was thinking. Lifeforce magic was used to heal. A bauble of such magic would require the death of someone.

“I see. And how much would you need?”

“That's just it. In order to teleport a person, I need the amount a person gives,” Holden said.

Imbert nodded. “And how much of the others?”

“The further the distance and larger the object, the more of each that I need. Every person and animal is made up of each kind of magic. The air we breath, the energy we create, the earth we come from and return to, and the water that sustains us. And, of course, the soul, which is the source of life itself.”

“Holden, using lifeforce magic in such a way is, well, immoral,” Imbert said simply.

Holden sighed.

“I know. I've had this idea for this device for years now, but that's what held me back.”

“And have you used this teleporter yet on anything?” Imbert asked cautiously.

“Oh, yeah! I've teleported a cat, a dog, and lots of inanimate things. The objects don't require lifeforce magic because they aren't living. The cat I was able to teleport because I found a dying badger in the forest. The dog, I found a nearly dead deer to use.”

Silence for a moment except the hum of the engines working. “And what do you plan to do with the teleporter?”

“I haven't thought it through much, since we just found out, but the basic idea is this. Get into the ruins where they have pa, give him the teleporter, then use it to get him out.”

“You can teleport two people with one device? And at the same time?”

Holden realized he had not tried teleporting two things at once, let alone two living things. And he did not have two other plates for another person to use.

“I guess I didn't fully think it through. I would need two more plates to stand on, one to send and one to receive. And I don't know about sending two people at once.”

Imbert looked at him with compassion.

“I know you're trying, kid. Go get that engine from the ice box and bring it here. We can do whatever experiments you need to make this thing work.”

Holden left for the kitchen. As he passed the living quarters, he heard a familiar jingling. He entered one of the rooms and saw a missive bowl on a table. He approached it and recognized it as his mother's.

“Holden! Are you there? Holden!” came his ma's voice. He peered over the edge of the bowl and into the liquid.

“Hey, ma,” he said shortly.

“HOLDEN!” she yelled. “How dare you leave with your uncle! Are you asking to get killed? Are you insane? What are you doing?”

“I'm going to rescue pa,” he said calmly.

“You're WHAT! No you are not! Turn that aership around and come back to the academy NOW!”

“Ma, I love you, but I'm not coming back yet. Pa needs help and I can help him.”

“Holden!” Ainu started crying. “I've already lost my husband. Don't make me lose my son! Please turn around!”

“Ma, don't cry. I'll be safe. I'll pray for Jot's protection. I'll make sure to protect myself against magic and anything that might hurt me.”

“Please, son. Come back,” she sobbed.

“I love you, ma. Don't worry, we'll rescue pa and be back to the academy by tomorrow morning. Just help protect the school, please.”

“Ainu,” came Sulgur's voice. “We have an emergency.” He appeared in the image. “Holden! Where are you headed in that ship?”

“He thinks he can rescue Rembold,” Ainu said, sniffling.

Sulgur looked at the young man. “I'm sure nothing said is going to dissuade you, Holden. Just know that I have confidence in your abilities. You are by far the most talented and gifted upcoming steward this nation has seen since magic was restored two hundred years ago.”

“You're not helping, maestro!” Ainu said angrily.

“But Holden, do not let your identity as Rembold's son be revealed. They will kill you if they know. Ainu, we must talk. I'm sorry.”

She looked at Holden.

“Please, Holden, please be careful and safe and don't do anything stupid. I love you,” she said.

“I love you, ma. I'll be all right.”

He emptied the liquid into the vial on the desk and left the room. He retrieved the engine, which took about twenty minutes to extricate from the ice box, then returned to Imbert.

“My ma sent a missive,” Holden explained. “She was pretty angry and sad.”

“Understandable,” Imbert replied.

Holden worked on the portable engine while Imbert flew southeast toward Suuri. He estimated they would arrive around ten that night. As he worked, Holden was thinking about recent events. He finished working on the engine and held it up to the other one to examine it. The engine from the ice box was slightly larger, but that would not make a difference.

“It would be nice to know what time Prince Mikol plans on leaving to rescue your father,” Imbert said. “Just so we'd know if we're going to catch them or not. I'd rather not land at the port if they have already left.”

“Well, my ma had been in contact with them through the missive bowl,” Holden remembered. “Which means they probably have my dad's bowl! I'll go get my ma's and we can use it.”

He left to get the missive bowl. He was walking down a hallway on the port side when he heard something clang in a room to his right. He paused and listened.

“Damn Joenic machines!” he heard someone say behind the door. He recognized that voice. Quietly, he turned around and walked back to the bridge.

“Imbert, we have somebody else on board,” he told his uncle.

“What?”

“A stowaway. And I think I know who it is. Tumus.”

“Tumus?”

“He is the Chaelestan student who tried to attack Head Maestro Sulgur this morning. He was detained, but he must have escaped and gotten on the ship,” Holden surmised.

“So he's dangerous. Great. I can't leave the controls, Holden. Do you think you can take him and detain him again?”

Holden considered how he might do that. He was sure Tumus did not know they were now aware of his presence. He could surprise him, if the Chaelestan boy was still in the same room.

“I might be able to.” He looked in his bag and found the fife from that morning. It would be a good back-up plan in case he could not take Tumus down quickly.

Being the oldest son of the steward, Holden had been given training in hand-to-hand combat until age fourteen. Although he no longer took lessons, he still trained on his own to keep himself in shape. He took a few minutes to warm up his body, stretching and doing some aerobics. His uncle glanced over at him every couple minutes. When Holden was about to leave, Imbert spoke.

“Chaelestans also have their own form of martial art,” he informed his nephew. “Whether this kid is trained or not, who knows, but be aware. Also, to help you, there is a drink in that ice box you took the engine from. The label says “Rage Tonic.” It will numb you to the pain and give you a boost of energy. It effects different people differently, so I don't know how much of an effect it will have on you. You could fly into a rage, or it could barely dull the pain.”

“You have Rage Tonic on board?” Holden asked his uncle. He knew what it was, but had never used it.

“Yeah. Only take about four ounces.”

Holden waited for some explanation, but could see his uncle was not going to give one, so he left. He walked silently toward the kitchen, pausing at the door again to listen for Tumus on the other side. He heard nothing. He continued and found the tonic. It was in a red bottle, but the liquid itself was blue. He took a sip. It tasted like strawberries initially, but left a horrible after taste in his mouth that was reminiscent of sour milk. He kept himself from gagging and drank more until he remembered to only drink four ounces. HE looked at the bottle. He had consumed twice that amount already.

“Uh oh.”

He checked the label. All he could see was a warning to not overdose. It gave no further instruction.

“Tuho's bow!” he cursed quietly. He felt a warm sensation spreading from his stomach. It seeped slowly through his limbs, making them feel warm and tingly.

He placed the bottle back in the ice box, then headed toward the room. He paused again at the door to listen. After waiting a minute, he heard a slight creak from inside. He prepared his mind, focusing on controlling his breathing. He could feel anger starting to boil inside him. Imbert's warning came to mind.

He swiftly opened the door and scanned the room. It was a passenger sleeping area, with bunk beds along both walls. The beds were bare of any blankets or pillows. There were brass alarm clocks on nightstands between the bunks.

Holden could not see Tumus anywhere, so he walked into the room.

The door slammed shut. He turned quickly and was kicked in the gut. He flew back a few feet, further into the room, and landed on his butt. Tumus launched toward him and pinned him on the floor. Holden's rage exploded and he roared, using his legs to lift Tumus over his own head and toward a bunk. Holden ended in a pushup position and pushed himself off the floor. Tumus had hit a cross bar of the bunk with his back and was gingerly getting to his feet.

Holden back up a few steps and they faced each other, both in stance. Holden took a step forward and feinted right, but Tumus saw it and kicked to his own right. He connected with Holden's thigh, then swung the other leg up and clocked him in the jaw. Holden barely felt the attacks and stayed upright. He grabbed Tumus's right arm, then turned his back to the boy and pulled. Tumus flew over Holden's back and landed in his own, the wind getting knocked out of him.

Holden pinned his opponent's arms and legs down with his own. Tumus looked at him with a steady gaze.

“Damn Chaelestan!” Holden spat, still unable to control his anger. “What are you doing on this ship?”

“Get off, brute!”

“Answer!”

“Or what?” Tumus asked snarkily. “You'll kill me?”

“Why not!”

Holden grabbed Tumus's throat. Tumus's face started turning red as he struggled to breath. His free arm was hitting Holden in the face, but he felt no pain. Tumus reached for something in his own pocket.

Holden saw the glint out of the corner of his eye. He let go of Tumus's throat and grabbed the other arm, keeping the knife from going into his side. He felt something warm on his left hand and glanced at it. Tumus was biting it and blood was covering it.

Holden brought his right knee up, releasing Tumus's left leg, and brought it down on the younger boy's stomach. Tumus went lax for a second, allowing Holden to twist the knife out of his hand and stand up.

Tumus groaned and slowly stood, clutching his stomach. He glared at Holden.

Holden held the knife, trying not to give in to the urge he had to throw it at Tumus's stupid face. Rage still boiled in his veins, but he controlled his breathing again.

“Tell me why you should live,” Holden threatened.

“Because,” Tumus said coolly, “despite your attempt to kill me, I could actually be of use to your country.”

“What?”

Tumus was still holding his stomach as he rolled his eyes.

“Have you ever been to Chaelesta? Do you know what it's like compared to Neljan Joen?”

Holden considered that for a moment. The academy had taught him little about other countries, but he did know that Chaelesta was currently a dictatorship. The king there was king in name only.

“I only know a little about Chaelesta,” Holden admitted. The rage was starting to subside. He did not put the knife down, still holding it toward Tumus.

“The people who brought me to the Akademia Magia were not my family. And they kept me away from other villages for a reason. I realize now that they wanted to keep me from seeing what kind of a difference there is between our two nations.” Tumus held his hands up and slowly moved toward a bed. He sat down. Holden stood up straight and put the knife down, but kept it in his hand.

“What difference?”

“Oh, I don't know. Maybe the fact that you have freedoms we only dream of?” Tumus said mockingly. “Seriously, does the academy not teach you about other places? Chaelesta is a dictatorship. The king is a horrible man, and so is the steward. Neljan Joen should never have given air magic to my country. Since that time there has been nothing but domination and slavery and horrible things. When they came to my family and told me they were taking me away to train me, I was afraid. But, I got used to the harsh way I was treated.

“But when I arrived to the academy, I was amazed. So many teenagers just being themselves, not afraid for their lives or their families. They had hopes for bright futures and there was so much opportunity and beauty. When head maestro showed me that music device, something started to doubt inside of me. I tried to snuff it out and accomplish my mission. Afterward, I realized I had lost an opportunity to be free of my evil country.”

“So you escaped and stowed away? Why not just tell Sulgur your change of heart?” Holden asked. He was still suspicious.

Tumus looked at him. “I wanted to escape, maybe make my way in one of the cities. My country thinks I'm at the academy, so they would come for me there. I was supposed to complete my mission within a week, then meet a party outside the academy to get me home. I didn't want to go home. They'd kill me for failing.”

Holden was not angry anymore. He pondered Tumus's words for a moment, then decided he would bring Tumus to Imbert.

“Tumus, I want to believe you, but I have to take precautions. May I bind your hands and bring you to my uncle?”

Tumus sighed. “I get it. I know. Fine.”

“And you won't attack me? I mean, I did just kick your butt.”

“Eh, considering I'm younger than you by two or three years, I think I did well.”

Holden conceded that point. He took his red belt and strapped together the young man's hands. He had Tumus walk in front of him as they walked back to the bridge.

“Uncle, I found our stowaway,” Holden said as they entered. Imbert looked around at them and saw Tumus. Holden brought him over to stand in front of his uncle.

“Looks like you guys went at it pretty hard,” Imbert observed. Tumus's neck was red and bruised in spots. Holden was starting to feel the pain in his jaw and gut. He was sure he had a bruise on his cheek. “But it seems Holden won?”

“He's older than me, give me a break,” Tumus said.

Imbert looked at him in surprise, then at Holden for an explanation.

“Tumus here stowed away not to escape the school alone, but to escape going back to his country. He doesn't want to go back to Chaelesta,” Holden said.

Imbert nodded. “I wouldn't want to go back, either, knowing how awful it is there. I can't imagine growing up there.”

“Don't ever try to imagine it,” Tumus said glumly.

“Anyway, what do we do with him, uncle? He tried to attack Sulgur, after all.”

“Only because my superiors forced me to!” Tumus objected.

Imbert was quiet for a moment. “What do you think, Holden? You know the whole situation better than I do.”

Holden leaned against the control console and looked at Tumus, pondering what he had said a few minutes earlier.

“Tumus, you said you realized what kind of things your country was keeping from you. You saw our academy and how the kids are happy and normal and free. So, what if I can guarantee that kind of life for you? What if I can ensure that you don't have to go back to Chaelesta? Or that you won't be punished for attacking the head maestro? Would you take that opportunity? Or would you prefer to return to your country and face the consequences of failing your mission?”

Tumus looked at him with a look that said 'are you stupid?' “Of course I don't want to go back! I'll do whatever I have to to stay here, even if I do get punished for trying to carry out my mission. Neljan Joen has so much more opportunity than Chaelesta ever had.” A look of concern passed over his face, but was gone just as fast as it appeared.

“Then what we need is to know how much you know about the Chaelestan plans against Neljan Joen,” Holden said. “If you give us as much information as you can, I will see to it that you are not punished for your crime.”

“And you have that power?” Tumus asked.

“I'm the steward's son. I know the royal family personally, as well as many of the dignitaries in our government. I will have your crimes remitted so you can live normally here,” Holden promised.

“That sounds great! I'll tell you whatever I can,” Tumus said, relief showing.

“Then we need to get to Prince Mikol as soon as we can,” Imbert said. “Oh! The bowl! Go fetch that, Holden. I'll keep an eye on Tumus.”

“Wait, you're not releasing me?” Tumus asked. “I said I'd tell you anything!”

“Just until we get to Suuri,” Imbert said. “Holden may trust you, but I just met you, and this is my aership.”

Holden retrieved the missive bowl and brought it onto the bridge. He set it on a console and poured in the liquid, then swirled it around. He pictured Prince Mikol's face. The song he hummed was one that had been popular about five years before, and one that Mikol had invited Holden to listen to live at a concert in Suuri.

An image formed on the surface of a ceiling that seemed strangely familiar. Holden looked up and realized why. It was the ceiling of an aership bridge.

Borli's face appeared.

“Hello? Oh! Holden?”

“Hey, Borli, you're with the prince, right?” Holden asked.

“Oh, yeah. He's at the controls, though. Are you on an aership?”

Holden nodded. “Uncle Imbert and I are headed to Suuri to catch up with you. We're going to help rescue my pa.”

“What? Holden,” Borli said, rubbing his face in concerned frustration. “We've already left for the ruins. And you shouldn't-”

“I know, I shouldn't be risking my life,” Holden said in exasperation. “Prince Mikol is, though. Besides, I know I'll be fine. I'm not helpless, you know.”

“But how would you help us?” Borli asked.

“Hey, Holden,” Imbert interrupted. “I'm correcting my course toward the meteor ruins. We'll meet them there.”

Holden nodded, then dove into his explanation of what he was planning to Borli, who listened quietly.

“Holden,” came the prince's voice, “Are you certain your teleporter will work?”

“I just need two more plates, and some lifeforce magic, but yes.”

“We are headed into battle,” Borli said morosely. “I am sure you can get plenty of lifeforce magic from the dying soldiers during the battle.”

Holden nodded, realizing how gruesome this was really going to be. “That would work. I'll need probably four lives in order to send myself and my pa all the way back to the aership. Two each.” Holden noticed Tumus, sitting on the floor with his back against a wall, staring at him with apprehension and a bit of fear. He supposed hearing such things was not just foreign to the other boy, but frightening as well.

“I just request that you do not take Joenic soldiers' lifeforces,” Prince Mikol said.

“I won't,” Holden promised.

“As for Tumus, let me speak to him for a moment in private,” Mikol said. Holden brought the bowl over to Tumus and placed it in front of him. He went back to the console and spoke to Imbert as the others talked.

Holden watched from across the room, the sounds of the engine drowning out the other conversation. He wondered about Tumus, trying to decide if the boy was really sincere in his desire to help.

“Uncle, what do you think of Tumus?”

Imbert looked at him, then back at the sky ahead.

“I think. . . I think he really wants to help. But I think his motives are for his own self-preservation and not because he wants to help our nation.”

Holden nodded slowly.

“But,” Imbert added, “knowing Chaelesta, he was probably coerced into doing this mission. It's likely the government has threatened his family or others if he did not carry this out.”

“Then, if he's deserted, wouldn't they harm them now?” Holden asked.

“Perhaps. But they probably won't know whether he succeeded until he doesn't meet them at the appointed time and place. That gives him some time.”

“Hopefully I'll be able to reach them before the week is up,” Tumus said. He was standing behind Holden, listening, the bowl in his bound hands. Holden took it from him.

Holden faced him. “So your government does have somebody you love hostage?”

“Yes. My little sister and my father.” Tumus's head dropped as he remembered his family. “They're going to kill them when I don't meet the escorts outside of the academy.”

Holden empathized with him.

“That's a week away, right?” he asked.

“Six days,” Tumus replied.

“Holden,” Prince Mikol said from the bowl. He had returned to view a few seconds before. “Can we talk in private now?”

Holden took the bowl to the other side of the bridge.

“I spoke with Tumus and got some of his story, as well as some information he wanted to share,” Mikol said. “I know he tried to kill Sulgur, but I do trust him. His motives are not all that selfish, actually. He knows that, since he failed his mission, he would either face the Chaelestan government, which would result in the death of him and his family, or face us. He said he how good Joenic people were to each other, and decided to put his trust in us. But he was afraid Sulgur would not treat him kindly, and so he fled out of panic. Really, he's just a scared kid. He's only fourteen.”

“If you think we can trust him, I trust you,” Holden said. “Does he know anything about the Chaelestan plot against our nation?”

“He does. Ask him, though. Perhaps he will 'remember' some details that he didn't with me, considering I'm royalty.

“Will you take the bowl and set it near Imbert? I'm going to tell him our strategy for the battle.”

Holden nodded and took the bowl to his uncle. Then he took Tumus aside.

“Tumus, I know you're concerned for your life and your family. Honestly, so am I,” Holden said, trying to connect with him. “My pa has been captured. I don't even know if he's still alive or not. For all I know, his powers could already be taken and he could be dead.”

Tumus was shaking his head. “No. He's not dead yet.”

“What?”

“On the journey to the academy, I overheard my commanding officer talking about the plan for the steward. He said the ritual takes a full day to complete.”

“Really? So, if they had to get him back to the ruins, then that gives us probably until sometime tomorrow morning,” Holden guessed. “Imbert!” He went over to his uncle and told him and the prince what Tumus had said.

“From where they attacked on the hill, it was about five hours back to the ruins by horse,” Borli said. “Which gives us until about dawn tomorrow morning to rescue him.”

Tumus spoke up. “You all realize you're flying aerships into an army of air mages, right? Maybe not the smartest idea.”

“We are aware, Tumus,” Prince Mikol said form the bowl. “We have strategies for that. Imbert, you know the strategy now. We are not waiting for you to arrive. We are engaging the enemy as soon as we see them.”

“If there's nothing else, Holden, we're going to say goodbye. I need to prepare for the battle,” Borli said.

Holden nodded, then poured the liquid back into the vial, breaking the connection.