Chapter 87: At the Dawn 2
Elania zoomed toward Contia, the sight of the city flooding her with relief. Despite the victory in the fight with the black-feather, she hadn’t been able to escape the feeling of something worse crawling up her back the rest of the journey.
This was the last time she was going on a scouting mission. At least for a while.
As she approached, airships were in the process of lifting off from their various bays, joining a growing formation in the sky. Their bronze-wood hulls gleamed in the sunlight. She hadn’t seen so many Contian airships mobilized at once, but the spectacle was overshadowed by the sheer number of the Monevoian ships on the way.
There was no way the small formation was enough to challenge the enemy fleet; they’d have to pick their fights carefully.
A flash of purple rocketed out of the city, and Elania recognized Arlois flying towards her. She matched Elania’s course, their wings beating in unison as they drew closer.
“Elania!” Arlois shouted. “We need to land at the central island. Follow me!”
Elania nodded, shouting back, “Okay!” She adjusted her course, following Arlois as they bypassed the Purple Tower and headed towards Contia’s central spire.
As they approached the spire, a frown creased Elania’s brow.
She hadn’t visited the Celestial Engine or the central spire since their first arrival in Contia. She knew it was where the Towers controlled the island. There were soldiers manning defensive emplacements and cannons on every balcony, and the arcane field around it shimmered with a resonance hinting at its potency.
Well, that only made sense. It was the island’s most critical location. Losing the Celestial Engine would send the entire city crashing to its doom.
Arlois landed on a balcony, and Elania followed suit, her wings folding behind her as she touched down. “I counted the enemy airships,” Elania began.
Arlois held up a hand. “Wait until we’re with the others,” she said. “You only need to say it once.”
Elania nodded, following Arlois as they stepped inside to an elevator.
Arlois turned to her, an amused flicker in her eyes. “Mind your feathers,” she said, gesturing to the door.
Elania quickly folded her wings tightly against her back, the feathers rustling as she tucked them in.
The elevator doors closed, and they began to descend, the sensation of rapid movement making Elania’s stomach flutter. That felt sort of silly, since the same thing in a dive wouldn’t have bothered her. But something about being in a plummeting box did.
As the elevator doors slid open, Elania found herself in a fortified room of stone and bronze.
Control panels and artifice workings lined the walls, and the space buzzed with activity. Artificers and soldiers sat at benches, their faces illuminated by the glow of arcane screens and the flicker of magical energy.
It reminded her of a warship CIC. Actually, that was precisely what it was. Maybe not exactly as a modern naval warship’s, but close enough in form and function to be the same. They were just dealing with magic… or, well, artifice?
It seemed a lot more advanced than everything else she had seen, like the control room for the Celestial Engine back in Neftasu before it had been destroyed.
The output of their new detector was plastered on the ceiling. The wave of Monevoian warships advanced toward the city, just as she had seen.
Yolani’s eyes brightened as she spotted Elania, a smile spreading across her face. Elania returned the smile, waving back as she approached the table.
Arlois nodded to Elania. “You can give your report now.”
“Where are Elysia and Lyra?” Elania asked, glancing around the room.
“Lyra is helping the people into shelters and bunkers, fortifying them,” Arlois replied. “Elysia is reinforcing the island’s cohesion and braces. We need to ensure that if we take damage, parts won’t crash or break off from the city.”
Elania nodded, turning her attention to the others. “I counted 239 enemy ships. Most of them are three-balloon battleships, but there are also a bunch of barge-shaped ones carrying troops.” She pulled her clipboard from her flight pack, placing it on the table.
Grim expressions settled on the faces of those gathered as they absorbed the information.
“Good work gathering this,” Arlois said.
Yolani’s eyes met Elania’s, concern etched on her face. “Were you attacked?”
Elania nodded, her expression darkening. “How’d you know?”
“We spotted two heat trails coming toward the city,” Ember said. “Then they stopped, and there was only one.”
“A black-feathered demi-divine attacked me after I finished scouting,” Elania explained.
Arlois frowned. “We told you not to engage.”
“I didn’t really have a choice,” Elania replied.
“What happened to him?” Ember asked.
“I blew his head off,” Elania replied, her tone matter-of-fact.
Arlois frowned. “The Sun Emperor must have enlisted lesser demi-divine to assist him. Or, he created them himself.”
“He was barely higher level than me,” Elania said.
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
“He was probably young,” Ember mused.
Elania nodded.
“You were lucky you didn’t encounter someone stronger,” Arlois said.
Elania’s frown deepened, and she met Arlois’ gaze. “You’re the one who sent me on the mission.”
Yolani cleared her throat. “The Gold is loading up the mushroohums to evacuate them to Freyhoi now,” she said. “Elania, you’ll need to reinforce the containers before they leave.”
Elania nodded. “I know.”
Arlois frowned. “There’s not enough time for you to return to Freyhoi yourself and reinforce the mine for them.”
“I know that, but keeping them all in the arena could be disastrous,” Elania countered. “They will be able to survive in the containers for a while, and as long as we don’t lose, I can make it down to them to take care of the rest later.”
“If something happens to you, they’ll slowly die,” Arlois said.
Yolani stepped forward, placing a reassuring hand on Elania’s shoulder. “Nothing is going to happen to Elania,” she said, her eyes meeting Arlois’ with a fierce intensity.
Ember nodded in agreement, casting a sharp look at Arlois. “You’re being uncharacteristically defeatist.”
Arlois sighed, her shoulders sagging slightly. “I apologize.”
Yolani turned her attention to the map on the table, gesturing for Elania to join her. “We should go over the plan again for Elania,” she said, her finger tracing the lines of the city’s districts.
Elania stepped closer, her eyes scanning the map. “Has anything changed?” she asked, her gaze flicking between the others.
Arlois shook her head. “Not much.”
Yolani pointed to a section of the map, her finger tapping the Neftasu District. “I will guard the Neftasu District along with most of the Neftasu Guard.”
Arlois pointed to four quadrants of Contia, her finger moving from one to the next. “Each Tower will be responsible for their own sector,” she said. “It’s likely there will be attacks from every direction, including above and below.”
Ember nodded, her eyes narrowing as she studied the map. “Our airship fleet will wait until the enemy fleet enters range of the city. Then it will engage them from behind, hopefully with cover from the sun.”
Elania frowned. “What if the enemy has more demi-divines with their forces?”
Arlois’ expression darkened. “It will make things complicated.”
Ember nodded at Arlois, her expression serious. “It’s likely that any other demi-divines the Sun Emperor has enlisted are younger or weak, without [Regalia] or their own [Domain].”
Elania bit her lip. “I’m surprised there are so many,” she admitted. “I thought they were more rare.”
Arlois gave her a sharp look. “There are a lot,” she explained. “Mortal women can give birth to demi-divines as well.”
Elania tensed up. She had always assumed that demi-divines were… rare? At least a class above? The deference that she had seen given seemed out of place otherwise.
Ember added, “Most of those don’t have wings and can’t fly, though. But that’s not always the case.”
Yolani nodded. “The Magistry kept any from coming down into Neftasu.”
“Digging through a chunk of the planet isn’t really workable, and they had a tight hold on the choke point,” Arlois said.
Elania’s jaw clenched. “Not tight enough to prevent the Lightbringers from coming down,” she said.
“One of the hardest things to do when you are in power for a long time is not to become complacent,” Ember said.
Arlois nodded in agreement, her gaze distant. “Time warps things,” she murmured before looking at Elania. “You’ll understand when you have a couple of centuries under your belt—memory is a funny thing.”
Elania frowned, unsure what to think of Arlois’ words.
She pushed the thought aside and pointed to the map, her finger tapping the central spire. “Is my role the same as before?”
Arlois nodded. “You’ll be a flying wildcard, tasked with reinforcing any weak points and assisting anyone in trouble.”
“What about the Celestial Engine?” Elania asked.
“It will be in my zone of protection, and I will mostly stay at the central spire since the rest of the area is lightly populated,” Arlois explained.
Elania turned to Yolani. “What about the Heart?”
Yolani smiled, her hand reaching out to give Elania’s a reassuring squeeze. “It’s repaired, fueled, and ready,” she said. “It will fight with the rest of the fleet while the rest of the Ironfist will be working with the Guard.”
Elania watched as Arlois let out a tense breath, her gaze shifting to each person in the room. “If you have any final preparations, make them now. The enemy will arrive within the next few hours. While the new detector will warn us if the enemy demi-divine attack early, it isn’t foolproof. They could come in low and slow, ahead of the airships.”
Elania nodded, her attention turning to Yolani. “We need to go to the estate and finish our preparations.”
Yolani nodded. “I have a few things for you, and I need to get my own weapons.”
As they turned to leave, Arlois placed a hand on Elania’s shoulder, a frown creasing her brow. “This is your last chance to reconsider. It’s still possible for you to get out.”
Elania brushed Arlois’ hand off, shooting her a sour look. “Thanks, ‘mom,’ but I’m not running away.”
A flicker of pain—or terror—crossed Arlois’ face, but she glanced away, nodding in acceptance.
Elania frowned. Maybe that had been a bit too sharp. “Sorry, but we’re not leaving. We don’t really have anywhere else to go.”
Yolani nodded silently with a frown. Arlois waved them on without another word.
As they flew towards the estate, Elania couldn’t help but notice the flurry of activity on the islands below. She spotted Lyra flying around, overseeing the preparations.
Crowds of people poured into the central island’s larger buildings, which were built into the face of the mountain.
“Do you think that’s safer than being on the outer islands?” Elania asked.
Yolani considered for a moment before replying. “A little bit, but if something bad happens, many more people could get hurt.”
“I need you to stay safe while protecting the district,” Elania said. “Or I won’t be able to focus on what I’m doing.”
“I will,” Yolani said. “But I’m not hiding, either.”
“I know,” Elania replied, hugging Yolani a little tighter as they neared their destination.
Shadow greeted them with a mewl from the bed as they landed on their balcony.
Elania turned to Yolani as they entered the bedroom, a question on her lips. “Clothes?”
Yolani shook her head, and Shadow followed them out of the room, padding silently behind them.
They crossed the hall and entered the workshop. Shadow watched from the hallway as Yolani approached a workbench. Elania gave him a quick head pat before following inside.
Yolani grabbed a wand and turned to Elania, running it over her harness. “I need to make this tougher, considering how often you get it damaged”
Elania grimaced. “Sorry, I’m just exposed to dangerous things.”
Yolani frowned, walking around Elania as she worked. The repair was quick.
“Let’s get that air tank off of you,” the other girl muttered. Elania lifted her arms over her head, and Yolani undid the straps. When she was done, she grabbed a belt with two sheathed daggers, attaching it to Elania’s waist.
“New weapons?” Elania asked, a bit surprised.
Yolani nodded. “Some melee weapons would be good for you since you already have the revolver. These should work if needed.”
A wry smile tugged at Elania’s lips. “I’ll end up a walking arsenal.”
Yolani opened a box filled with dozens of mana shards. She took Elania’s left forearm and turned her bracer around, her fingers deftly working on the device. “I didn’t have time to work on this much, but it’s simple to double the capacity to twenty-four shards.”
Elania’s eyes widened. “That’s a lot.”
“They aren’t the strongest, but we have plenty of the lower-quality ones,” Yolani explained, her gaze focused on the bracer. “Probably for the best, since you like dusting them.”
Elania smiled weakly. “You can’t argue with results.”
Yolani gave her a flat look that softened. “Do whatever it takes to stay safe. I’d rather have you than a million mana shards.”
Elania leaned in, placing a gentle kiss on the side of Yolani’s head. “The feeling is mutual,” she murmured.
Yolani moved to the wall, picking up a rifle that looked different from the ones Elania had seen before. Elania tilted her head, confused. “I have my revolver already.”
Yolani smiled, a glint of excitement in her eyes. “This isn’t for you.”
Elania blinked, inspecting the weapon more closely. A device was attached to the top of the musket, and the barrel was longer than expected. “Is that a scope?” she asked.
Yolani grinned widely, nodding. “It has tracking and homing.”