She had built a spaceship.

Dan stared wide-eyed alongside the rest of the Court – well, most of them – at the sight of Zoe’s creation. The Light-Bender was actually glowing with pride. Finally able to escape his daze, Dan followed the others as tour gave them to tour of her unnamed craft. She short version, of course. They were in a hurry.

Zoe tapped the hull. The door lowered into a ramp. The group stepped inside.

“Welcome to my masterpiece.” Zoe’s arms were wide with pride as she showed off her creation. Dan had to duck so he wasn’t whacked in the face by her hand.

Dan was amazed by the amount of effort Zoe had put in it. He’d thought the storage and infirmary were impressive. Now they were standing in the cockpit. It was clear she’d built this for a long-term mission far from Lyriumia. Dan felt a pang of guilt in his chest.

Jay jumped forward, claiming a seat in front of one of the many console stations. He started pressing buttons until Zoe whacked the back of his head. Ema sat beside him, the two women scolding him.

Dan dared a look toward Kayla. She was shaking with what he could swear was jealousy. He nudged Carmin. She was talking with the Zer within seconds. The two women took up seats near the back. It looked like a support system. Dan exchanged glances with his wife. She gave him a thumbs up before turning back to Kayla.

Zoe was back to explaining absolutely everything about the system. She gestured toward Jay, pointing at each button and informing him of what they did. Jay was thrilled at the idea of being in charge of weaponry until Leo tapped Ema’s shoulder to take her seat. He smirked at Jay who growled.

Zoe continued around until she reached Carmin and Kayla. Kayla worked the life support systems Zoe had only installed “because of that mortal you’re keeping around.” There was so much disapproval in her tone that Dan had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. The Light-Bender moved the Carmin who was in charge of shields.

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Dan watched closely as Zoe avoided Ema, the Fae under Nikki’s watchful gaze. The Shifter was thrilled at the idea of not having a specific duty.

That happiness was short lived as she was place in charge of navigation. It was actually Ema’s job, but there was no way in the worlds Zoe would admit that.

Zoe dragged Dan to the post she had decided to take for herself. Steering. It was her ship so it only made sense. She pushed him into the seat beside her own. The comfort was incredible. Zoe really had planning to use this for a long trip.

The Light-Bender caught his gaze. “That is why I built it.”

“I really am sorry . . .” he started.

She shrugged. “Hey, if it blows up during launch, I’ll know I needed to put in better shielding.”

Dan laughed. “That is true.”

Leo called over his shoulder, “Everything ready to go?”

“Yep!” Zoe turned to Dan. “Want to give the order?”

His surprise became a grin. “All right, children, Buckle up and be sure to keep your hands and feet inside the spaceship at all times. Should we all be blown to a million pieces, I’ll see you in a day or so. Aside from you.” This was directed to Ema who flipped him off. “On my mark, this baby will fly.” Or explode.

Zoe leaned forward to speak into a small microphone. “Open it up Hathy.”

Outside the ship, Hathor stood with a group of her friends. They had come to see the group off. Hathor waved. She pressed a button close to her. The roof of the workshop opened to a clear sky.

“Last chance to change your mind,” Ema sung.

Dan sent her a withering glare. “Mark!”

The engine burst to life.

This ship hummed and hovered. Steadily it climbed. Once out of the workshop, Zoe took the ship above the forest. She angled it toward the sky. Carmin fiddled with shielding until she found what she deemed to be a good strength.

Slowly, Zoe swung the ship around, getting a feel for the controls. She murmured approval in the Erstonian language. At the same time, Carmin called out the shields were set. Ema punched in the coordinates for the planet, Nikki watching her closely. She nodded.

“Take us out,” Dan said,

The ship shot upward. The sudden momentum threw everyone back in their seats.

“Carmin!” Zoe growled.

“Hang on a sec!” the Dragonoid shot back, fingers flying across her controls. The ship stabilised, G-force inside the ship diminishing. Carmin whooped in triumph.

Zoe gunned the engine. Dan dug his hands into the armrests of the chair. They would either break free of the atmosphere or be blown up. And he was not in the mood today.

Three . . .

Two . . .

One.

The ship broke free, shooting into the black sky. Zoe yelped in success. Dan let out a breath of relief. Not exploding was a small victory, but he let them have it. It was an important first step in their mission.