Miss Thornbrook greeted them cheerfully when they returned to her office. Aurora was waiting with her, looking at a map.

“That Mr. Westlake was quite happy to be brought to First Trinity,” she shrugged, “Of course, before today, I had only ever brought children up to First Trinity, but I haven’t seen anyone dance fire on their fingers with such glee in a long time.” Miss Thornbrook looked almost lost in reverie before her attention returned to the room. “We have a lot to do now, though,” all of her dreamy inattention vanished, and her eyes were on Dellen’s like a bird of prey. “Ravenport is not where I would have looked first, but based off of your comments, I think that’s the most likely place to find your companions.”

Dellen grimaced, “I wouldn’t call them companions, they were from an order in Copperopolis who called themselves the Aetheric Cultivators.”

“And none of them had reached First Trinity?” Miss Thornbrook shook her head, “Incredible.” She tapped a map with her finger, “It would be easy enough to reach Ravenport in a day, the question is how to navigate the trouble of rescuing anyone.”

“What about just taking them back?” Eliza asked, “Wouldn’t people just listen to you?”

“For a time, absolutely, there are very few people between Evergale or Ravenport who I couldn’t bully if I needed to, power is a language all its own, but there is personal power and political power. I have a great deal of personal power but very little political power. I could walk into most dwellings and liberate the unforged, but there would be repercussions, as technically, my actions would likely be illegal.”

“Illegal to rescue people from slavery?” Eliza said, incredulous.

“Slavery is outlawed in Evergale, but our laws only extend to our walls, maybe to our fields. Ravenport is a darker place.”

“So, you’re saying that you’ll help us get to Ravenport, but you won’t free everyone,” Finnegan said.

“I’m saying that I’ll help you get to Ravenport and find out what happened to the people you know, if they’re there at all, and see if I can help any of the unforged without creating an incident.”

“How would you be able to help them?” Dellen asked.

“By buying them back or setting them free, issues will arise if any of them are owned by groups that are unlikely to sell them, say The Order of the Red Truth, or similar organizations.”

Dellen managed to keep the frown off his face, but just. “And if they are held by an organization like that?”

“I’ve found that it’s better not to borrow trouble unless you have to,” Miss Thornbrook said.

Dellen nodded, “What’s the quickest way to reach Ravenport?”

“Well, you already have a ship, I’d suggest we use your ship.”

Aurora looked up from what she was doing, “I was paid to bring you to Evergale and back to Copperopolis, not to fly you to Ravenport.”

“Miss Thornbrook also had you and your crew raised to First Trinity, surely that’s worth something.”

Aurora nodded at Miss Thornbrook in thanks before shaking her head, “Miss Thornbrook made it clear that she would have assisted any unforged in that manner. Charity is not charity if done with the expectation of payment.”

Dellen sighed, “I will pay you.”

“I knew we could come to an accommodation,” Aurora said with a smile, “Now let’s discuss figures.”

A brief discussion later, Dellen knew that he would be losing all of his profit from the watches they had already sold as well as the watches that were still aboard the Phoenix’s Flight to pay for their trip to and from Ravenport.

“That was ungenerous of her,” Eliza muttered after Aurora had left.

“She has a crew to pay and a ship to upkeep,” Dellen said, despite feeling as though he had been robbed and then robbed again.

“That’s generous of you.”

Dellen just sighed, “Come on, I need to go sell some watches.”

An hour later, Dellen had sold the rest of the watches, at steadily lower prices once the merchant had realized how many Dellen had and that Dellen was under a time constraint. He counted coins out to Aurora, who said to him in a serious voice, “Really, I should ask you for a few more as these won’t be easy to use in Copperopolis.”

Dellen debated the virtues of scorching her with lightning and having Stevens fly them to Ravenport.

Aurora must have seen something of his thoughts on his face, “Of course, I’m sure I’ll need coin for my time here as well.”

Gilgamesh laughed, “I think you might have scared her. Throwing the ball lightning around with Isabella looks a bit intimidating, you know.”

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Miss Thornbrook jumped aboard the Phoenix’s Flight, and Aurora grew more businesslike, “Stevens!” Her crew, Stevens, Bogsmith, and Westlake, all moved about the ship, preparing to cast off.

The engines spun up, and Dellen felt the light pressure of being pushed into the deck against the force of the ascent. He watched Evergale get bigger as they pulled away, and he could see more of it. Having been on one of the spinning rings and knowing how large it was on foot, the city felt grander.

Aurora spun them away from Evergale toward Ravenport. Dellen took a few minutes to orient himself, the ring had moved since they had landed, and it took time to work out which direction they had approached from, he realized that the land they had flown over was now partially obscured by the mountain.

“How long will it take to reach Ravenport?” He asked Aurora.

“Perhaps nine hours.”

“Faster if you feed Kinematic Aether into your engines.” Miss Thornbrook said.

Aurora looked at her controls and back at Miss Thornbrook, “The Phoenix’s Flight wasn’t built so that I or the crew could feed Aether from our Kinetic Cores into the engines.”

Miss Thornbrook nodded in understanding and walked to the port side of the deck, near the stern where one of the engines was mounted on the outside, and examined the mounting before walking starboard, repeating her inspection. “It’s your ship, would you be opposed if I instructed Mr. Stevens and Mr. Bogsmith on how to accelerate our trip?”

Compared to the world outside, Copperopolis was tiny, Dellen had not considered before that their airships might have been built differently, with less of an eye for rapid movement.

“Please, do,” Aurora said, watching Miss Thornbrook.

Stevens and Bogsmith dashed back without further instruction, clearly having listened to the exchange. Both looked excited as Miss Thornbrook showed them where to put their hands. She took Bogsmith over to the port side of the ship and repeated her instructions, as far as Dellen could see, both men were given identical tasks. “Now!”

Both engines roared, and The Phoenix’s Flight shot forward. Dellen grabbed the deck to brace himself and caught Eliza’s wrist before she fell. Finnegan hit the deck, and Aurora laughed and laughed.

“It’s not that funny,” Finnegan said to her, voice irritated.

“The engines,” she said, her voice unapologetic but more upbeat than Dellen had ever heard it before, “This is the fastest I have ever flown this ship.”

Miss Thornbrook strolled over to where Aurora stood at the wheel, hair streaming but otherwise unaffected by their new pace, “They won’t be able to maintain this pace for more than a few minutes, not at First Trinity, but it’s a good skill to know.”

“Can you help with that?” Aurora asked, referring to the engines.

“That’s not my specialty, and frankly, if I was charging for my time, you would not be able to afford me.”

“If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go below deck,” Dellen said.

“You can stay on deck, this isn’t a free ride,” Aurora said.

“Correct, I paid handsomely for this voyage,” Dellen replied before opening the hatch and walking below. He returned to the room where he, Eliza, and Finnegan bunked and collapsed.

“Tired from forging?” Gilgamesh asked.

“I always find forging invigorating, it’s intense, the burning, the pain, the power, the strange yet familiar feeling of your body changing, but for now, I just feel worn.”

“Get some rest, you have a few hours, and Miss Thornbrook is on deck, any trouble that she can’t manage would outright kill you.”

Dellen didn’t need to be told twice. He closed his eyes and fell asleep almost immediately. When he woke, Gilgamesh was with him. “Have you been watching me this entire time?”

“No, well yes, most of the time, we can see Ravenport. I was debating waking you.”

“No,” Eliza said.

“Sorry,” Dellen said, “I didn’t see you there. I was asking Gilgamesh. He said Ravenport is visible from the deck.”

Several expressions flickered across Eliza’s face, “Does he?”

Dellen stood, shrugged, and held out a hand, “Would you like to join me for your first sighting of Ravenport?”

Eliza gave him an uncertain look but followed him up to the deck.

“I don’t think she’s convinced that I exist yet,” Gilgamesh said.

The sun’s low position in the sky told Dellen that he’d slept for a few hours. Ravenport sprawled before them with a sense of rugged practicality, devoid of the enchanting spectacle of spinning rings or cogs. The landscape below showcased a bustling industrial hub nestled near the coast, its architecture marked by sturdy structures, chimneys puffing gray smoke, and crisscrossing networks of railways.

Built on higher ground, not quite on the water, the city nonetheless earned its name. From above, they could see the extensive airship harbor, filled with ships of various sizes, unloading cargo onto the docks. Warehouses and factories stretched along the outskirts of the harbor. The city streets were alive with activity, with people scurrying about.

Ravenport's charm lay not in ornate aesthetics but in the sheer magnitude of its operations. It was a city driven by industry, where the clanking of machinery and the hum of productivity replaced the ethereal beauty of Evergale. The view from the air painted a picture of a bustling, no-nonsense city focused on trade.

Dellen’s eyes searched for a tower in a field of green.

His gaze roved over the city until he found it: the tower of The Order of the Red Truth.

“Do you see that tower there? The one surrounded by green?” He asked Gilgamesh, his voice low.

Gilgamesh took a few seconds to find it, “What of it?”

“That’s where they kept me.”

It looked almost friendly, more bright and cheerful than other spaces in the city. It was certainly the largest contiguous region of green that Dellen could find. If anything, it looked like it should be the home of a wealthy merchant or the lord of the city rather than a cult.

“Where should I land?” Aurora asked Miss Thornbrook, “The main docks, or do you have somewhere else in mind?”

Miss Thornbrook scanned the city, “The main harbor is fine, however, try to be on the starboard side. It will shorten our walk to the auction house.”

Dellen’s memories of the day he was sold resurfaced. The auction house was the most sensible place to start their search but did not feel eager to re-enter its doors.

“Bogsmith, Stevens, you can stop now,” Aurora said.

The hum of the engines immediately dropped to a lower pitch, and the wind rushing toward them, while still strong, ebbed. The Phoenix's Flight descended gracefully, cutting through the air as it approached the starboard side of the airship harbor. The bustling activity of the docks grew louder, the sounds of shouting voices, clanging metal, and the distant churning of engines filling the air.

Aurora brought the airship toward a designated landing spot, guiding it to a smooth touchdown on the sturdy docking platform. Stevens, Westlake, and Bogsmith secured the vessel with a series of ropes and hooks, ensuring its stability as it settled onto the solid ground. The landing was met with a slight jolt, the ship's wooden deck gently vibrating under their feet.

“No time to waste. Let’s go find a dockmaster,” Miss Thornbrook said.