Looking out over the city from their carriage, Dellen spoke aloud a thought that had been on his mind for days. “I keep getting flashes of memory, hints of things I’ve done. It’s helpful, but once I’m out of the moment, I feel… Incomplete. I can’t help but hope that you’re wrong, that I’m going to get my memories back.”

Speaking in an atypically gentle tone, Gilgamesh said, “I’m sorry, but even when you forge your mind, you won’t recall all you’ve lost. I’ve been watching you. If I had to guess, what you’ve kept are your aptitudes. You seem to be able to learn faster than most, probably because you’re re-learning skills that you’d once mastered.”

“What about remembering my life here? What I wanted to do, who my friends were?” Dellen’s hands had come up in the air before him, gesturing at himself and everything around them. “Anything that would make this feel more normal?”

“I don’t think you’ll get any of that,” Gilgamesh said. “If you’re lucky, old friends will seek you out.”

Dellen blew out a disappointed but unsurprised sigh.

The carriage touched down on the Aetheric Cultivator’s airship; Dellen pushed down his discontent with the conversation and followed the path he remembered to Tristan’s workshop.

Upon entering, Dellen immediately noticed that Tristan appeared tired but also looked satisfied. The frame was positioned in the centre of the room, with a few scuffs visible where it would have made contact upon landing.

“Tristan, it looks like the testing has gone well,” Dellen said, clasping him on the shoulder. “You’ve done an excellent job.”

Tristan grinned wearily, nodding in agreement. “Thank you, the frame held up better than I expected. We’re almost ready to move forward.”

Dellen’s eyes shifted to the front of the frame, where they needed to attach harnesses to secure him during their upcoming journey. “Now we need to figure out the best way to attach us. It needs to be sturdy enough to hold me but comfortable enough not to impede your flying.”

Tristan rubbed his chin, examining the frame’s design. “I agree; comfort is crucial. I planned to use a wide, padded leather strap to distribute weight evenly across your chest. We can attach it to the frame using strong metal buckles, making it unlikely to come loose during our journey.”

Dellen nodded. “That sounds like a solid plan. How do we go about making it?”

Tristan walked over to a workbench and laid out a bundle of leather straps, revealing a well-crafted harness. The straps were thick and wide, providing the necessary support, and the interior was padded for comfort. He picked up a few tools and gestured for Dellen to come closer.

“Let’s get you fitted,” Tristan said, his voice full of confidence. “We'll need to adjust the length of the straps to ensure a snug, secure fit. Once we have the correct measurements, we can attach the harness to the frame using the metal buckles we discussed earlier."

Dellen stepped forward, allowing Tristan to drape the harness over his shoulders and across his chest. Tristan adjusted the straps, ensuring they were neither too tight nor too loose. As he worked, he occasionally asked Dellen to raise his arms or twist his torso to ensure the harness allowed a full range of motion.

After some time, Tristan made the necessary adjustments and returned to inspect his handiwork. The harness fit Dellen comfortably and securely, with the padded interior providing a cushion against the frame’s weight.

"Alright, Dellen, this should work well for you," Tristan said with a satisfied nod. "Now, let's attach the harness to the frame and see how it feels when everything is connected."

Dellen and Tristan carefully connected the harness to the frame, ensuring the metal buckles were fastened. With the harness in place, Tristan climbed into the frame and fastened himself in.

"How does it feel?" Tristan asked, observing Dellen as they moved around the workshop, testing the mobility and support of the combined harness and frame.

Dellen grinned, feeling surprisingly comfortable and secure in the contraption. "It feels great. You've done an amazing job. I think we're ready to head beneath the city."

“Not so fast,” Tristan said. “First, we need to test combined flight like this over low ground.”

“I take back what I said before.” Gilgamesh said, “He’s sane; you’re crazy.”

“Let’s practice flying over the Northcote Estate,” Dellen said. “Crashing into some flower beds has to be safer than falling onto metal.”

“Agreed,” Tristan said. “I can fly to your estates, however, you’ll need to take a carriage back.”

Dellen’s eyes flicked to the frame and back to Tristan’s face. He nodded and said, “Follow my carriage; we can meet on the estate’s roof.”

Half an hour later, Dellen landed on the roof of the Northcote Estate, and exited his carriage.

This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

He looked up and saw Tristan not far behind, steam trailing behind him, frame glinting in the sun. Stretching out behind him was the Northcote Estate. Normally, Dellen focused on the city beyond, but today, he looked at his family’s land, eyes roving over the gardens. Tall hedges, mature trees, manicured lawns, and flowers organized in colorful regiments. He couldn’t help but worry that they were going to do some damage to the greenery or, worse, to himself.

Tristan landed on the roof with only the faintest of clanks.

“How was the flight over?” Dellen asked.

“Not bad.” Tristan said, “Not bad at all. I’m hoping this flight test is just a sensible precaution.”

He helped Dellen fit himself into the straps for the harness, double-checking that all of the connections were secure and the harness was adjusted correctly.

Once they were securely tethered, Tristan said, “Ready to move on to the next phase of testing?”

“Yes.”

Tristan handed him a pair of goggles that matched his own. “Put these on.”

Dellen examined the googles, a sturdy brass frame surrounded two circular amber-tinted glass lenses. A thick leather strap ran from one end of the brass to another. “Thank you.”

“I thought you might appreciate these during our flight; they’ll protect your eyes and make it easier to see when we’re moving at high speed.”

Dellen slipped the goggles onto his face.

Tristan didn’t say anything, but the steam ejectors began to cycle up. A faint hissing sound filled the air, followed by a steady, rhythmic chugging as the ejectors converted Steam Aether to steam.

The air around Dellen went from comfortable and cool to muggy and warm. A haze of warm, wet air surrounded them. The temperature rose. Dellen could feel his flesh begin to scald. Then Tristan rose behind him, frame pulling up at the harness.

Over his shoulder, Dellen could see Tristan adjusting the ejectors for stability.

The ejectors spun faster, and together, he and Tristan shot up into the air.

Dellen breathed a sigh of relief when they escaped the steam.

“You get used to it,” Tristan said, yelling over the roar of the wind.

They swung hard to the left; Dellen’s hands found the straps of his harness and gripped tight, iron fingers locking into place.

“We’ll stay low for now.” Tristan said, “A fall from ten feet is much better than a fall from twenty or fifty.”

The frame still pumped out the same amount of steam, if not more, but it dispersed into the air around and behind them, leaving a hazy trail in their wake.

They bobbed in the air like a guest’s leg, fidgeting in a chair.

“Are we supposed to bob up and down like this?” Dellen asked.

“Yes.” Tristan said, “We’ll be more stable when moving faster. For now, I’m practicing the basics.”

They started with simple turns and swoops. Dellen practiced turning his weight with Tristan’s movements rather than against them. They began to develop a rhythm, working together to keep the frame under control.

They continued for half an hour until Tristan called for a break. “I’m at my limit for how long I want to operate the frame.” He said. “I need an hour to rest.” He brought them down to land on the grass, scoring a foot-long trench, perhaps an inch into the ground, revealing some topsoil.

“Of course,” Dellen said, unstrapping himself. “Take all the time you need. I have to collect some lights from a lab. Where do you want to take your rest?”

“Here is fine,” Tristan said, patting the ground. He lay down and closed his eyes.

Dellen stepped inside and found Stefan approaching him with a curious expression.

“I believe you have caused Stefan some concern,” Gilgamesh said.

“I saw you and your… Friend in the garden, my lord,” Stefan said, his eyes flicking to a window and back. “It appeared you were engaged in some sort of aerial activity. May I ask what you are up to?”

Dellen hesitated for a moment; he wasn’t about to tell Stefan his actual plans. “We’re testing a design that would allow people the chance to escape an airship crash if they had some warning.”

“Cutting it fine,” Gilgamesh said approvingly, “An excellent lie.”

Dellen felt a prickle of irritation.

Stefan nodded, his expression still curious but accepting Dellen’s explanation. “What an unorthodox idea.” He looked at the window again. “I am not certain that I would feel comfortable tethering myself to anything like that, my lord.”

“We’ll see what the Mercantile Guild thinks,” Dellen said.

Stefan nodded, “As you say, my lord.” He paused. “I’m glad to see you working on something that might help House Northcote.”

“Thank you, Stefan,” he gave the man a searching look, “Was there anything else?”

“No, my lord.”

Dellen left Stefan and walked to the kitchens. There, he found Maisy. “My lord,” she said, straightening up, “What brings you here?”

“Good afternoon Maisy; I have a guest in the gardens; he is wearing a flight frame and is recuperating on the ground. Could you take him some refreshments, please?”

“Of course, my lord.” She said, beaming with pleasure. “What did you have in mind?”

“Bread, cheese, meats, and some tea,” Dellen said.

“I’ll have it done at once,” Maisy said. “You, you, and you.” She said, pointing and snapping her fingers. “See to it.”

Dellen swallowed a laugh and left the kitchen for a family workshop.

He stepped into the workshop, a large, well-lit room filled with tools and materials. The walls were lined with shelves, mostly devoted to tomes but with a few devoted to partially constructed devices. Dellen ignored all of it.

“We need to spend more time in here,” Gilgamesh said. “We may yet find useful information or materials here.”

“You’re right,” Dellen said, “But now is not the time; I’m just here for the lamps.”

On a previous walk-through, he’d discovered a pair of portable lights attuned to Electrical Aether. A matching pair of compact cylindrical lights, designed to be easily carried or attached to a belt.

Each light was made from a combination of brass and copper, with glass lenses at the front that allowed the emitted light to be focused or diffused. An engraved pattern adorned the exterior, showing the crest of House Northcote, a hammer, and an anvil with a lightning bolt in the background. They felt ancient under his fingers.

The lights were powered by small Electrical Aether cells, or directly by an Aetherforged with an affinity for Electrical Aether. Dellen picked up both lights and tested them, sending beams of both concentrated and diffuse light across the room, twisting the brass at the aperture to make sure they were ready for use.

Returning to the gardens, Dellen found Tristan sitting on a bench beneath the shade of a large tree. A tray filled with sandwiches and two pots of tea sat beside him on a table.

Tristan looked up and offered him an appreciative smile. “Ah, thank you for this; it’s quite a treat. I’ve never had anyone bring me anything like this.” He gestured at the tray, his hand holding a half-eaten sandwich.”

“Think nothing of it,” Dellen said, setting the lamps on the table. He took a sandwich for himself, his stomach grumbled, and he realized how hungry he was.

They ate silently before Tristan finished his food with an unhappy sigh and said, “I suppose this is enough stalling. We should go for your under-the-city inspection.”