Crimson wings beat against the winter wind. The people on the ground would see azure wings, thanks to the color distortions created by the Light Elemental. Felix spotted his enemy, a small crimson airplane from nine decades gone. With his enhanced vision, the craft was clearly visible against the clear blue sky, just south of Cliona's red crystal tree.
He was going to dogfight himself.
"An azure drake from Riln is attacking this very airshow!" the announcer bellowed.
Below, the park in Flood's End had been cleared to make room for a much longer runway. Six fighter jets of the latest design, painted with the colors and symbols of the Crimson Drakes, were parked just in front of the crowded bleachers. The tube-like aircraft, constructed almost entirely from aluminum, were capable of approaching the speed of sound. A great deal of force was required to move the control surfaces at high speeds, so pilots needed to use water magic to power a hydraulics system. The latest design of air-to-air missile, guided by Shadow Hunters, had long since replaced draconic flame as the primary method of attack.
The six pilots of the Crimson Drakes demo squadron were marching to their airplanes, to prepare for the airshow's main event. Felix wondered how many people in the crowd were even paying attention to the current performance.
The Golden Age airplane rushed past into a merge. Felix anticipated that he would not last very long, and indeed, he had barely managed half a turn before his opponent shot a stream of draconic flame just past his neck. From the ground, it would look like a direct hit.
Felix sembled into his human form, allowing the neck of the drake form to vanish first. This created the illusion that the fire had decapitated the drake. Then, he simply fell out of the sky. His long blue scarf trailed above, fluttering in the wind.
"The hero of the Battle of the Teeth has defeated the azure drake! The city of Flood's End is saved!"
The snow-clad forest flew up to meet Felix. Just before reaching the treetops, he began to decelerate using subtle storm sorcery. As gentle as a breeze, his back sank down into the soft, powdery snow. He relaxed, closed his eyes, and contemplated taking a nap.
"He's dead," Alice said.
Felix opened his eyes to see the too-intelligent face of that damned Pegasus staring down at him. "I'm not dead."
"Dead," Alice repeated. "I guess I need to find a new life partner."
Felix began to clamber to his feet, but his efforts were interrupted when Alice plucked him off the ground like a toddler. Even as he was settling into the saddle behind Alice, she took them both to the other side with a magenta flash. He tried to fight back a sudden sense of panic as the massive form of a Purple Dragon came into view. As still as a statue, nearly as big as the city itself, with a mean pair of forward-facing horns. Slowly, the enormous serpentine neck began to twist toward them. Mercy began to trot forward, and with a few flaps of her long white wings they flew above the trees.
"Retainer Felix," the Dragon growled. "My sister summons you. The Festival of Fates approaches, and she demands your presence."
"Prince Kai," Felix asked. "Will you lead us to the city of Skygarden?"
"I shall. Return to your mansion and await my return."
The rhythmic beating of Mercy's wings rocked Felix up and down in the saddle as they ascended. Alice pulled on the reins, causing them to stop a short distance from Prince Kai's huge jaws.
"Before I leave, answer this: why are you here in the north? Why are you so far from the desert? Do you no longer fight?"
"Princess Astrid's eugenics program has been too successful," Felix replied. "I can't compete with these young pilots. I required a constant escort, and more than one pilot died because of me. I was a burden, so I retired. I got a job at your museum. I help reenact dogfights from the Golden Age."
"Then your absence from this continent will not be noted," Prince Kai observed. "I must inform Retainer Shane of my sister's summons. Farewell."
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The stadium seating in the city of Skygarden was a significant step up in quality when compared to the bleachers in Flood's End park. Especially in the Royal Suite, at the very end of the boulevard opposite to the Interstitial Abyss, overlooking the parade terminus. Felix sat in a roomy chair, fully cushioned with memory foam from the Physical Realm, cased in paisley cloth. Shane shuffled past with a disgruntled look on his face. He plopped down in the seat to the right and sighed.
"Nice haircut," Felix said.
The other man ran his fingers through his dark blue hair, which had been trimmed down to a military-style buzz cut. "Rilnese nobility are supposed to have long hair!"
"Shane, I think your hair looks nice and masculine," Alice said.
"I don't think any of these Dragons care about Rilnese nobility," Felix added.
Glancing around, he could not find any whelps in the crowd. His own tiny row of seats, directly to the left of Princess Astrid's private box, seemed to have been created specifically to hold the only whelps in the whole city. Every single seat was occupied by a Dragon, all along the length of the boulevard.
"You are wondering how many Purple Dragons are here," Shane said.
"You read my mind," Felix said.
"I estimate that there are about fifty thousand Dragons seated here. And those are just the Dragons with high enough status to be invited to sit here! Can you imagine how many of them live in this city? It's a disaster!"
"What's so bad about it?" Alice asked.
"Dragons don't really age, right? They just keep growing older and older, making more and more babies. They are ecologically unstable! Eventually they will conquer the entire known universe. Every cubic foot of every Elemental Plane, every Little Planet in the Plane of Heaven, every square acre in the Physical Realm. Everything will become the dominion of the Purple Dragon Tribe!"
"That's the plan," Brigid said as she marched into the box. "I'm happy that you accepted my invitation to cut your hair, Retainer Shane. Now, all of you, stand up. Cross both hands on your heart and prepare for the arrival of the Queen."
Shane's Spirit, the girl-child named Riln, materialized in front of the empty seat to his right. With some anticipation, Felix glanced up to the huge ebony throne looming above the very apex of the boulevard. The purple crystal dais appeared to be large enough for two thrones, and Felix did not doubt there was a second throne in the Plane of Spirits.
Felix caught a glimpse of Princess Astrid as she glided into her seat in her box, followed by a few of her daughters and granddaughters. Across the span, Prince Kai solemnly marched into his own box flanked by a small harem of his preferred females. Soon the crowd was dead silent. The Queen appeared, clad in a tight-fitting mother-of-pearl dress. It was cut off above the knees, and it featured a prominent boob window which caught his attention. Her long purple hair tumbled down across one shoulder.
Demurely, she seated herself upon her throne. When she spoke, her voice filled the entire boulevard, repeated down the line by huge loudspeakers: "Welcome, citizens of Skygarden, and guests of the Royal Family! Welcome! To the Festival of Fates!"
An ear splitting roar shattered the sky, followed by a wave of cheers from the crowd. A sleek black fighter jet rocketed through the sky directly overhead, low enough for Felix to see every detail. It was shaped a bit like a huge arrowhead, with a massively oversized elevator and two tail fins. It looked horribly unstable to Felix. Indeed, with one sharp motion, the craft transitioned into a vertical climb, leaving a plume of purple smoke in its trail.
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Felix noticed that the leading edges of the delta-shaped wings shifted down and forward very slightly as it pitched up. A new type of control surface? His mind began racing. Yes, at high angles of attack, such a reshaping of the wing could allow pent-up air to escape through the small gap between that leading edge surface and the main wing. Genius!
The fighter jet continued to ascend, so high into the sky that it appeared to be just a tiny dot.
"Your continent has not developed the prerequisite technologies required to control that aircraft," Brigid said. "And you don't have access to cyan Colored Orbs either. So don't bother yourself trying to figure out how to replicate what Vaska has done."
"What are Colored Orbs?" Shane asked.
"A type of lesser Lightning Elemental," Brigid replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must return to Astrid's box. Please enjoy the Dance."
Alice was the first to take a seat, and Felix quickly followed. Drums began to play, followed by strings and vocals. The cheering from the crowd grew louder and louder, almost drowning out the music. Magenta, cyan, and yellow fireworks began exploding between the greenhouse-towers all around the city. High overhead, the fighter jet leveled off and began to depart.
From within the Interstitial Abyss, the tips of huge purple wings appeared. Her horns were swept back in gentle waves, her eyes elegant and feminine, her neck and chest brimming with pride. The sunlight caught her purple scales with a blinding flash. Halfway down the boulevard, a few thousand feet in the air, Princess Greta began to flap her wings frantically. She twisted her neck back, pointed her gaping maw at the sky, and breathed.
Simultaneously, a subtle sheen of wind magic created a protected barrier around every box and seating section. The pillar of purple flame seemed to break the world. It was so bright and so loud that it drowned out all other sensations. A massive updraft of wind reshaped the weather, creating a pillar-shaped cloud that reached into the heavens. Lightning flashed, the sky darkened, and a torrential downpour smashed against the thin wind barriers. Water ran off in sheets.
Alice looked frightened, Shane was slack-jawed, and the Spirit of Riln nodded, clearly impressed with the pageantry.
With a burst of overwhelming sorcery from the Dragon in the sky, all of the rain instantly froze. Felix found himself under an icy roof, which immediately exploded upward in a puff of snow. The whole of the boulevard was transformed into a winter wonderland. Snow was swirling through the sky, drifting in piles across the flagstone street, forming ripples which resembled sand dunes. The trees were covered in a healthy layer of caked snow as well. However, the Dragon in the sky was gone. Instead, Princess Greta stood just below the dais, bowing before her great grandmother, Queen Anna.
The wind magic blocked all sound from the other sections, while amplifying the sound from the direction of the Princess. The haunting voice of Princess Nelly filled the air, and Greta began to dance. It was the same dance Felix had seen once before, nearly a century in the past. The two Dragons seemed to pass through each other, swap places across the two Elemental Planes, in maneuvers of increasing danger and complexity.
But the dance did not end as it had before. Instead, the two dancers swiftly began to drift down the boulevard, away from the Queen's throne, repeating the grand finale before every box and section down the street.
"I wonder what it looked like on the other side?" Shane asked.
"Let me go see," Riln said. She vanished for a few seconds, then returned. "There are giant spheres of lava floating in the sky."
Brigid stalked into the box once again. "Prince Kai has requested your presence in his box."
The Prince of the Purple Dragons was lounging on a huge bed-like cushion, surrounded by half-naked female Dragons. He drank an extremely dark wine from a golden crystal chalice, and gestured to a nearby table covered with delicacies and fine beverages.
"Welcome, Retainers and Spirits. What did you think of the Dance?"
"The dancing was lovely," Alice said.
"The sorcery was astonishing," Shane added.
"Indeed," Prince Kai said. "Back when Astrid and Elvira were dancing, the sorcery was much more impressive, but the dancing was less graceful. I enjoy the new format. The tone is less aggressive. It feels less like sorcerous power projection and more like entertainment."
Shane reeled back in shock. "What could Astrid have possibly done to make you say that?"
"Well, one time she created a planet in the sky, complete with its own micro-climates and seasonal patterns. She simulated the rise and fall of a fictional civilization, entirely through architecture, and then Elvira caused the planet to explode."
Shane looked dumbfounded. Felix figured the man was attempting to figure out how such a thing could be possible.
"Brigid said you needed us for something," Felix said.
"I invite you to join me later at my sister's hotel, on the island outside the city," Kai said. "I am afraid that she has mistreated you, and I hope to remedy the situation."
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Princess Astrid's private quarters were open and filled with light. Mother-of-pearl drapes framed the ocean-facing palladian windows. The few furnishings cast long shadows across a white marble floor. The Daughter-Heir herself sat behind Princess Greta on a huge sofa, fussing over the younger Dragon's hair. The two human women standing nearby instantly caught his attention. Felix recognized them from his journey to the city of Twin Fates.
Vaska tapped a pencil against a notebook page, which already contained a mess of incomprehensible scribbles. Ingrid stood behind Vaska, with her arms wrapped around Vaska's waist, and she appeared to be half asleep.
"So would you say that mutual grooming is an important part of your culture?" Vaska asked.
"Of course," Prince Kai answered as he strode into the room. "When in our true form, we often brush the leading edges of our flight surfaces against the breast scales of nearby Dragons. Both males and females do this. It helps remove the splattered bugs and bird guts, which can impact aerodynamics."
Vaska nodded vigorously. "Yes, I see! Just like birds, frequent preening of the feathers helps ensure efficient flight dynamics. It makes sense that Dragons would evolve the same behavior. Fascinating!"
"Brother, must you use such vulgar imagery?" Astrid asked. "In front of my granddaughter? The hero of our Festival?"
"Forgive me, Princess Greta, for my vulgar words. Vaska, I must ask that you forgive me as well. I have business with my sister."
"I don't mind," Vaska said. She flipped to a clean page and then waited patiently for the conversation to start.
"What is this about?" Astrid asked. Vaska began scribbling away.
"Sister, I have brought your retainers. I believe that you are neglecting them."
"Felix, Shane, welcome. How long has it been? Ninety years? You both look young and healthy. Alice is allowing you to borrow her Life Elemental, yes?"
"Yes Princess," Alice said.
"So then what is the problem?" Astrid asked.
"Sister, you are neglecting your retainers. When is the last time you have checked in on their continent? The entrenched elites on both sides have strong incentives to keep the war going forever. Technology is advancing at an acceptable pace. The eugenics program is a resounding success. Neither of your retainers are required to continue the project. They are obviously both horrendously bored."
"Is it true? Are you bored?"
"Yes, Almighty Dragon," Shane said. "Prince Kai is correct. I have eaten at every restaurant and relaxed at every resort. I have run out of room in my libraries. I spend most of my time flying, but I have seen every rock, every valley, every river. Even the clouds begin to look the same."
"All my friends are dead," Felix said. "Neasa, Cliona, all the Paladins. Generation after generation of pilots that are more skilled than me, and not by a small amount. I have flown the new fighter jets, and they are very powerful, very beautiful machines, but I feel like something was lost when the Golden Age ended."
"Very well, brother. I will admit that you are correct, I was in the wrong to neglect my retainers. No doubt they long to prove that they are useful to me, yes? They seek praise and recognition from their Princess." She nodded thoughtfully. "What would you have me do, brother?"
"Give them a new task," Prince Kai said. "A difficult task, one that will challenge their faculties and allow them to explore new places."
"Oh, I know!" Vaska said. "Ingrid! Ingrid? Are you sleeping?"
"I'm tired," Ingrid moaned.
"Ingrid, these Retainers have some free time. We could use them."
Ingrid's eyes slowly opened. Felix always thought it was deeply strange to see those bright blue eyes contrast with her orange-red hair. Even if she technically was a Spirit, only a human Spirit could have such a mismatch between hair and eye color.
"Yes," Ingrid said. "Yes, that's a good idea. Princess Astrid, I would like to borrow your retainers for a time. There is something I want them to do in the Physical Realm. It may benefit HARPR Holdings as well."
"As you like," Astrid said. "If I have need of them, you will return them to me, yes?"
"Naturally," Ingrid replied.
"Retainer Felix," Astrid began. "Retainer Shane, Spirit Alice, Spirit Riln, I have new orders, on behalf of House Anna-Rhea. You are to report to my daughter Lucrezia. She is the manager of the House Anna-Rhea Physical Realm Holdings Company. You are to request a HARPR Holdings employee identification card. Then, you are to perform any tasks given to you by Ingrid and Vaska, so long as Lucrezia does not express disapproval."
They seemed to sense that her orders were complete, so they all bowed to her, almost at the same time.
Prince Kai gave them a warm smile. "I think you are going to find exploring the Physical Realm to be a unique experience."
"I'm looking forward to reading the books," Shane said.
"I can't wait to see the airplanes," Felix said.
"It's been a minute since I spoke with Lucrezia," Ingrid said.
"You guys have never met anyone quite like her before," Vaska added. "Lucrezia is a hacker, but I'm guessing you guys have never seen a computer before, have you?"