Chapter 79: False Dawn 3
Elania shifted in her council seat as Captain Gaston listed the casualties from the Neftasu Guard.
“Three men were caught in an improper position and injured during the flight,” he reported. “Several improperly packed barracks caused projectile injuries to two others when the city shifted.”
Okay, that wasn’t great, but relatively minor. “If that’s all, you don’t need to go into more detail—a summary is fine,” Elania said.
Gaston nodded. “In total, eleven men were injured, and no fatalities.”
Elania turned her attention to Naia, who stood up. “Things weren’t as fortunate for the civilians,” Naia said. “We’ve had to treat dozens of smaller injuries and broken bones due to mishaps during the flight.”
Yolani crossed her arms. “We should consider better accommodations for everyone when the city is moving quickly.”
Amara frowned, her brows knitting together. “It would be difficult to do so, considering how quickly such things can happen. It would require time to reach the special positions and infrastructure to allow the people to stay inside until the danger passed.”
“Will the city be attacked again soon?” Selia asked.
Elania surveyed the worried faces around the table, a similar expression etched on her own features.
“I won’t sugarcoat it. There’s a real possibility we could be attacked again.” She paused, letting her words sink in. “While we defeated the Lightbringers this time, there could be other threats.”
Galen sighed heavily. “Why did they chase us all the way across the continent after destroying our home?”
The Neftasu Council members turned their expectant gazes to Elania.
Yolani stood up. “We dealt a significant blow to the Lightbringers. It’s likely they want revenge for the damage we caused.”
Elania wasn’t entirely convinced that was their true motivation, but the councilors seemed to accept Yolani’s explanation.
Gaston cleared his throat. “We destroyed a vast amount of the Lightbringer's strength. Yolani is probably right—they want revenge on those who defied them.”
Theron shook his head. “Giving in to their zealotry would be impossible to tolerate.”
Selia nodded in agreement. “We had just begun to settle into our new lives and establish a sense of normalcy. Now everyone is scared again.”
Elania met their gazes. “It won’t be easy, but we’ll have to do everything in our power to comfort and protect our people. “
Elania listened attentively as Galen suggested emphasizing the importance of properly packing items and securing loose objects to prevent injuries during sudden city movements.
Captain Gaston nodded in agreement, stating that he had already implemented similar precautions within the Guard.
Amara chimed in, “We can prioritize working on containers and other solutions that would help facilitate safe packing for everyone.”
Elania nodded, satisfied with their initial plan. “It sounds like a good first step.”
Captain Montlas turned his attention to Elania and Yolani, his expression serious. “The damage to the Heart and Gold is minor, but we suffered a few casualties during the battle.”
He looked directly at Elania. “The worst danger was mitigated, thanks to you. It was a close call, and the Heart could have been lost with all hands if you hadn’t been there.”
Elania frowned and rubbed the side of her face. Despite the thanks offered to her, she could feel there was a slight undercurrent of something else. “Are you asking for hazard pay?”
Stolen novel; please report.
Montlas shook his head. “I considered asking for a battle fee, but the men and I are happy with the current arrangements.”
Yolani leaned forward. “Is the Ironfist considering moving on?”
Montlas’ expression turned contemplative before he answered. “Most of the men have started to grow roots here. While I’d prefer the company to remain independent, that doesn’t seem to be the direction the men wish to go. They’re attached to the airships and working with the Guard. There’s a strong sense of camaraderie and ‘us against them’ among all the Ironfist, Neftasu Guard, and refugees. I see no way to break from that.”
Elania studied him closely. “It sounds like you’d be happier if the company left.”
Montlas shook his head. “I think it would be safer for us, but safety isn’t the only thing that matters. Otherwise, every man would be a coward.”
A moment of quiet settled over the room as everyone contemplated his words.
Breaking the silence, Montlas turned to Yolani. “You’re needed for repairs on both ships, especially if we’re going to deploy tomorrow.”
Yolani nodded. “I’ll make my rounds to work on the ships this evening.”
The meeting eventually came to a close.
It left her feeling drained, but it was easy enough to follow Yolani out of the building.
Yolani looked over at her and said, “I need to head to the wharf to check the ships.”
“I can come with you,” Elania said immediately.
Yolani hummed. “You’re awfully clingy today. But not having to walk there would be nice.”
Elania stepped up behind Yolani and caught her in a hug. “I’m clingy because I love you, and I realized how dangerous the battle was, even if we won.”
Yolani leaned back into her. “We’ve been in a lot of more dangerous situations than that.”
Elania hooked her chin on Yolani’s shoulder. “What if the Lightbringer warship had targeted the Gold instead of the Heart? It wiped out the larger airships in a single shot.”
“You would have stopped it, just like you did for the Heart,” Yolani offered.
Elania swallowed and squeezed Yolani tighter, her wings unfolding slowly. “It makes me feel afraid.”
Yolani twisted in the hug to face her and clipped her harness to Elania’s gear clasp. Green eyes gazed up at her earnestly. “I know, me too. But we can’t just run away. Plus, now you don’t have to worry about dropping me.”
Elania let out a scoff and then lifted them up into the sky.
As they flew, it was impossible to not notice the changed color of her feathers.
The others had laughed at her about it… and despite being told that the color change didn’t matter, a part of her felt as if she had become tainted somehow.
The pristine white had looked nicer, and she briefly considered how sleek black wings might appear.
The thought of having to kill people to pick a color left her in a sour mood.
“Are you really preening over your feathers instead of watching where we’re going?” Yolani asked, snapping Elania out of her thoughts.
“What?” Elania blurted out, realizing they had flown past their destination. Quickly, she turned them around and landed near the Heart and Gold’s bays.
The jetty buzzed with activity as men worked tirelessly, delivering supplies and ammunition while hauling away scraps.
“This might take a bit more [Divine Power] than usual, by the way,” Yolani said.
Elania nodded. “That shouldn’t be a problem. My regeneration has been increasing.”
“Still?” Yolani asked.
“It’s growing with time. So at least we have things with the Neftasuians going in the right direction.”
Yolani nodded and pointed to the Gold. “We’ll work on it first, since I already know what needs to be done.”
Elania followed her onto the ship, trailing behind as they descended the hatch leading downward.
Yolani looked at Elania with a hint of surprise. “Are you actually going to help me work on repairs?”
Elania smiled weakly. “I’d like to try.”
Yolani smiled back. “Sure, follow me. And don’t touch anything,” she said as she led the way down the ladder.
Elania followed Yolani into the ship's bowels, descending a cramped ramp.
Yolani gestured to the right wall. “This is the main fuselage of the primary engine. It runs through the ship.”
“Doesn’t that make it vulnerable?” Elania asked.
Yolani nodded. “It does, but the chamber needs to be the primary siphon point for [Power]. Running it through conduits is expensive, especially for defense fields and offensive weapons.”
“What about the swivels?” Elania asked, noting their distance from the engine.
“We generally run a conduit for anything on the hull,” Yolani explained. “We just limit it to a single straight line or with one ninety-degree bend if required. It’s the best balance between [Power] inefficiency and avoiding catastrophic damage.”
Elania nodded. “That makes sense then.”
They entered the engine compartment, a slightly larger but still cramped space. Engineers worked at various stations, checking valves and other components.
“This is the heart of the ship,” Yolani said.
“How does the [Power] source work?” Elania inquired.
Yolani sighed. “That’s the most expensive part of running airships. The Heart and Gold mostly run off your own [Power].”
Elania blinked. “What?”
Yolani led her to the “furnace,” which housed an array of glowing mana shards.
“I’ve been recharging them every flight with our conduit. Otherwise, we’d be paying a huge premium for the service,” she said. “[Power] isn’t cheap.”
Elania shifted uncomfortably. “I really haven’t kept track of anything you use because it would feel weird. I just want to gift you whatever you need or want.”
Yolani smiled. “Thank you. But it might be a good idea to keep a closer eye on it.”
Elania returned the smile. “That’s what I have you for, isn’t it?”