"So they have discovered aerodynamic stability," Fiona said. "After just one week? That is new. Usually they discover stability after they discover three axis control."

Kiera and Fiona walked through the halls of Spire Lin. Fiona wanted to introduce Kiera to somebody, but she didn't know who.

They walked out onto the upper platform of the Spire, where the airport was. Both Kiera and Fiona were instantly able to create environmental shields. Kiera had once tried to walk around outside without the shield and it was quite uncomfortable. The air at seventeen thousand feet was thinner and it was also extremely cold.

Fiona led Kiera to a tiny, tiny airplane. It had a high wing and a single propeller on the front. Fiona made Kiera climb into the left seat. The inside of the airplane was cramped and felt old. The seats were old leather died red, and the little glass gauges were all scratched up.

"As I said, questions are more important than answers. And I hope that your time in the Aviation Club has given you some questions," Fiona said. "Aerodynamic stability is the tendency for an aircraft to want to stay going straight in all axis of control. I am going to teach you how to fly now, this lesson will involve three axis control systems and regimes of flight. We need to pick up Princess Claire and bring her to the Spire, and I thought this would be a good opportunity for a flying lesson."

Fiona reached out and claimed the ether nearby and began to levitate the little airplane up into the ferryway. Kiera was becoming much better at sensing what Fiona was doing, and she was also beginning to sense just how weak Fiona was. Kiera could literally wipe the floor with Fiona's face and there would be nothing that she could do about it.

But there was also the Elder Saint. And if Kiera's theory was correct, then the Elder Saint was the old Annatiki Marunavi, the one that her grandmother had warned her about. The Bloodraker. Kiera did not want to meet the woman again. After her encounter in Spire Nydia, the Elder Saint had returned to her home at Spire Annatiki in the far west, which was fitting.

"Is the Elder Saint also the Bloodraker?" Kiera asked.

"Does your family remember nothing?" Fiona asked.

"I don't know what to say."

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"The propaganda campaign to rebrand the Bloodraker as the Elder Saint was the most expensive project that the oculomancers ever did." Fiona said. "We call it the Scouring, or it's long name, the Scouring of the Stacks. During the Scouring, almost every text that humanity has ever written needed to be corrected."

They floated up into an arc over Spire Lin and started moving toward Spire Erika, which was much closer than Kiera was accustomed. Fiona pointed to a red knob in between the two seats.

"This airplane does not have a kerosene turbine," Fiona said. "The mechanism is actually remarkably similar to the engine that is used on Quinn's little project. It has several small rectangles arranged in a radial pattern, and you simply push on them with force magic. Crysien blocks the force from one side, causing them to rotate rapidly. The power is transferred to a gearbox and then to the propeller. Kiera, please begin spinning the engine."

The propeller began to spin and the airplane was sucked forward. They fell out of the ferryway, one wing dropped and the world went mad.

"This is called a spin," Fiona said. "Down on the stick, rudder in the opposite direction to the spin."

The world span around them. Kiera didn't know which way was up.

"Down on the stick, rudder in the opposite direction to the spin. NOW!" Fiona repeated.

Kiera did as she was told. She slammed the stick all the way forward and smashed her leg against the rudder pedal. The madness ended.

"Pull up on the stick slowly," Fiona said. "Level off, and recover."

Kiera did so. After the plane was facing the horizon, it behaved very well. Moving the stick allowed Kiera to change direction or elevation. Everything was right.

"Aerodynamic stability does not matter one bit when you are falling out of the sky like a rock," Fiona said. "Three axis control and power is what matters. I hope that you can understand this question."

As they flew towards the ground they passed into the fog. Intellectually, Kiera knew that Fiona could see through the fog, but it still was uncomfortable. Quickly Kiera saw the boundary of the runway pass underneath and then the airplane hit the ground. Kiera slumped forward and almost fell asleep.

Claire Aden was a teenage girl, perhaps fourteen. She had the raven-black hair of the Aden Clan, just like Lucia, though it was cropped above her neck. She wore a black dress with silver and crimson filigree. "Honored ancestor," Claire said, bowing to Fiona.

Fiona walked up to the child.

"Do you understand what will happen to you if you become an oculomancer?" Fiona asked.

"My body will be poisoned and I cannot have a husband." Claire said.

"And you agree to this?" Fiona asked.

"Yes," Claire said.

"You are not lying," Fiona said. "Very well, fly with us."

"Princess Kiera!" Claire said. "Have you met my sister Lucia?"

"Me and Lucia got into a lot of trouble at the Monastery," Kiera said. "But Sasha kept us in line."

The child smiled.

"Are we going to the moon, honored ancestor?" Claire asked.

"Yeah" Fiona said. "We can get you your eyes faster because you are a Heritor. I also need to get Kiera a pair of eyes. A special trip is worth it, in this case."