Chapter 65: Thrust 2
Elania wrapped her arms around Yolani, giving her a gentle squeeze for a moment before they took to the air. In less than a minute, they were soaring towards the wharfs.
Not long after, they landed on the deck of the Heart, right in front of Sergeant Harlock, who stared at them like it was just another Tuesday at work. “What’s the word?”
Yolani quickly explained the situation, and Harlock sprang into action, barking orders for the ship to prepare for departure. He sent a messenger to the Gold, ensuring they would be ready as well.
Nearby, several of the city warships began their undocking procedures, the crews moving with practiced efficiency.
Elania recalled the hours-long wait during their last disembarkation. It was a bit maddening to know how quickly things could move when the situation demanded it.
A red streak appeared over the Lightbringer ship. Ember’s wings flapped heavily, dropping ash on the vessel below. Yolani sucked in her breath. “They’re really encouraging them to leave.”
Elania nodded silently, her eyes fixed on the scene unfolding before them. She hadn’t ever bothered to read or learn about whatever the Lightbringers “believed” in, but the picture evoked an envisagement of what she’d consider Hell.
Lefarne and his entourage were hauled down the wharf by Silvers, their movements forceful and unyielding.
As they reached the jetty, the Silvers shoved them, ordering them to board their ship and depart immediately.
Soldiers on the Lightbringer ship stood armed, their weapons at the ready, while nearby Silvers and city emplacements were manned and aimed at the ship, poised for action.
“Things could pop off at any second,” Elania said.
Yolani shouted for the ship to activate the arcane workings.
Elania felt the hum of the invisible magic barriers surrounding the ship come to life, her [Enhanced Mana Sense] allowing her to perceive their shape.
Lefarne stumbled up the ramp to the Lightbringer ship, his men following close behind.
Elania maintained her position on the Heart, her eyes locked on the Lightbringer ship as it prepared to depart.
Soldiers on both sides stood armed and poised for action.
In under an hour, all the ships were in the sky, flying away from the city like a scattering of bees from a nest. Elania felt a sense of relief wash over her, knowing that no one had opened fire.
Yolani ordered the crew to keep a minimum one-mile separation from the Lightbringer ship for safety while still tailing it.
The other Contia airships followed suit at various altitudes and distances, but all were within visual sight for signals. The air was free of clouds, so there was little risk of getting lost.
Elania frowned as she shook the walkie-talkie device, only to be met with pure static.
Yolani noticed her frustration. “Those don’t work. The ships put out too much interference, especially with defense fields active,” she said as she pulled up an eye-piece and sighted the Lightbringers. “Plus, the Lightbringer ship is leaking badly.”
Elania blinked. “What?”
“The Lightbringer ship’s armaments and defenses are active but leaking small amounts of [Power]. That hints they are old, decaying, and poorly maintained,” Yolani replied. She handed Elania the bronze and glass eyepiece.
Elania held it up to her eye and realized it was a sort of telescope. The Lightbringer ship was clearly visible, and small, thin clouds of pink mist periodically puffed off the vessel and drifted in the air.
“Do you think all the Lightbringer ships will be in that shape, or did they give Lefarne the oldest rust bucket they could find because they didn’t care about him?” Elania asked.
“I can’t imagine such a ship in that state operating very well in a battle. If they are, we could wipe them all out with just the Heart and Gold,” Yolani said.
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Elania frowned, a thought crossing her mind. “Almost as if they wanted him to fail.”
Yolani gave her a worried look, the implications of Elania’s statement hanging heavy in the air. “Then… what kind of trap are we falling into?”
Elania frowned. She didn’t have an answer, so she stayed silent. Her eyes went to the horizon in front of the enemy ship. And they were the enemy; everything she knew pointed to that.
The ships buzzed toward Contia’s western border with Joria. The region was essentially depopulated, and untouched old-growth forests stretched as far as the eye could see, making it traversable only by airship.
The wind whipped past her face, carrying with it a sense of unease.
Yolani stood beside her, pulling her jacket’s neck closed and her short caplet around her arms. Eventually, she spoke. “We’re nearing the border.”
It wasn’t long after that when Harlock emerged from the control tower, stepping onto the castle balcony with them. “The Contia warships have raised a signal indicating unknown ships ahead.”
Elania looked up and to the left, where the high-positioned ships likely had a better view. She turned to Yolani. “Can you spot them?”
Yolani produced her telescope and peered through it, scanning the horizon.
After a moment, she pointed and handed the scope to Elania.
Elania raised it to her eye, focusing on the distant shapes. The nearer Lightbringer ship stood out with a line of pink trailing behind it. Further, she could make out five or six full-sized airships along the horizon, their course perpendicular to their own.
“They’re Lightbringer airships,” Elania decided, lowering the telescope.
“Should we beat to quarters?” Harlock asked.
Elania shook her head. “No, let’s stay at full active. There’s no need to go to battle stations yet.”
She handed the telescope back to Yolani. The unknown ships loomed on the horizon like a gathering storm.
As they continued forward, a chill in the air ran down Elania’s spine. Actually…
She glanced over at Yolani. The other girl looked frozen. Was she standing out on the observation deck just because she was? Concern punched her in the gut, and Elania formed her [Demonic Aura] in a bubble around them, creating a pocket of warmer air.
Yolani rubbed her gloved hands together. “Why didn’t you do that from the start?”
Elania swallowed a self-deprecating remark.
“You need a scarf,” Elania finally replied.
Yolani nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. “That’s a good idea. We should go shopping for some new clothes and things once things calm down.”
Elania couldn’t help but grin as she glanced over at Yolani. Memories of their shopping trip in Neftasu flooded back to her. “That would be fun.”
Ahead of them, Lefarne’s airship began to turn.
Yolani raised her artifice scope, peering through it before letting out a hiss. “They’re bringing their weapons to active status.”
Elania’s eyes widened, and she shouted over her shoulder, “Sound battle stations!”
One of the watchmen sprinted into the control tower, and a moment later, the ship’s buzzer erupted. Crewmen rushed out of the interior, taking their positions at the deck weapons.
The Heart’s defensive fields snapped into place, and the air began to shimmer with arcane energy.
Elania and Yolani retreated from the balcony, entering the control room. The flight master barked an order, and the ship yawed sixty degrees to port. A spotter called out a signal flag from the city warships, indicating they were beating to quarters.
Elania turned to Yolani. “What the hell are the Lightbringers doing? Are they attacking?”
Yolani studied the horizon through her scope. “The other Lightbringer ships are keeping their distance, but they’re easily in view range.”
“Looks like they are coming around for us,” Harlock warned.
Lefarne’s ship completed its turn.
Elania watched as the enemy cut straight towards them.
A spotter called out, “The Gold is asking if they are cleared to fire!”
Elania shook her head. “Tell them to hold!”
Yolani frowned, then looked at her. “What are we going to do?”
“We aren’t going to be the first to open fire,” Elania said. “I think Lefarne’s visit has been an attempt to provoke Contia all along, and now that we’ve nearly sent him back, he’s going to try one more time to prove we’re the aggressors.”
Or impale himself like some sacrificial martyr. She left that bit unsaid.
Harlock looked between the two of them, then back at the enemy ship. “Letting them get the first shot could be disastrous.”
He was right; it was a serious risk. Elania nodded and went to the control room’s armored window slit. She placed a hand on the metal beside it and focused on her [Demonic Aura]. The arcane fields of the Heart were pumping their energy out into the air, and she added her own reinforcement to the mix.
She looked back at her companions. “I’m reinforcing the fields. Send for the Gold to stay clear until we are engaged.”
The signal went out. A minute later, the navigator called out, “The enemy is going for a collision course! I’m raising our altitude and adjusting direction to avoid it.”
The ship jolted as they veered left and pitched upward. The Heart had two balloons, unlike the three on the Lightbringer’s ship, and the extra maneuverability allowed them to slip away from the attempted ram.
That didn’t stop Lefarne’s vessel from trying to match their new course, but only a minute later, it turned into a stern chase with the enemy falling behind… and no hope of catching them.
“Energy spike! They are opening fire!” Yolani shouted as she lowered her artifice glass and grabbed a handhold. All throughout the bridge, everyone braced.
The anticipated projectiles never came.
Instead, a massive fireball engulfed the enemy airship, the explosion sending out a ringed shockwave of turbulence. They were far enough away that it simply rattled the ship slightly.
Elania blinked in disbelief. “What happened? Did one of the other ships open fire?”
Yolani shook her head, a frown creasing her forehead. “No, one of their weapons must have misfired, and then their magazines self-detonated.”
Elania stared out at the distant Lightbringer ships, a frigid chill running down her spine.
The explosion would make it appear as though she had destroyed the airship with a single blow, leaving no room for survivors.
Tiria had its martyr now.