I gestured to the open boxes. “We’d better close these up. Quick.”
Darshanna frowned at me and said “But why? We’re air pirates, why not get ourselves new gear!? It’s clear that the suppliers aren’t the good guys, we’re clearly in the right here! Besides, they won’t miss just a few pieces!”
I paused, chewing my lower lip uncertainly. The magic staffs in the crate were undeniably appealing. And Eshaan would definitely appreciate a new top-quality sword… but somehow it just didn’t sit right with me. It was stealing, even if it was stealing from a villain! But those arguments wouldn’t fly with Darshanna.
“Well.” I thought rapidly. “But these weapons are supposed to be going somewhere. Going to Spyre. And when they get there, someone will check! And we’re supposedly in charge of the shipment, so we’re sure to be questioned, or at least people who look just like us will be sought for questioning. It seems like an awful risk to take!” I pushed a {Persuade} as hard as I dared.
Darshanna faltered, looking longingly at the weapons in the crate.
“Darshanna, I think someone is coming for these weapons. I suspect we’re going to have to fight.”
Darshanna clutched the gun and looked around alertly. “Where? How many? Did you hear them?!”
“No, I mean… I think…” I sighed. “It’s just a seer thing.”
“But that’s all the more reason to take the weapons! If the ship is going to be attacked, we should definitely be prepared!” She argued.
“But what if I’m wrong? And even if I’m not, we still are due at Spyre in less than a day, the loss will be counted!”
There was a thunderous BOOM from above us, and the whole ship lurched sideways, throwing me against the cliffs of weapon crates. I sighed. “Or we could just have that fight now.” I muttered to myself.
Darshanna brightened up, clutching her shiny new rifle. “It’s too late to discuss it now! We should set up an ambush, since they’re here for the weapons!”
“Won’t they disable the engines first?” I raised my eyebrows at her.
She nodded. “Well yeah, of course that’s standard practice of an air pirate. Hey wait!” She visibly brightened. “If these are air pirates, they’re the good guys!”
My mouth fell open and I stared at her, several pieces suddenly falling into place. “Oh spirits above, you read trashy adventure romance novels.” I blurted.
Darshanna looked at me with a wounded expression on her face. “What does my taste in reading matter?!” She said angrily.
Daniyel interposed himself between us. “If I might, ladies, we have been given the opportunity to make a tactical choice. Stay and ambush, or meet the raiders elsewhere.”
I scowled. “Alright, yes. You’re right.” I said to him. “You’re the one with real experience, I’m just a jumped-up village girl. Where do we go?” I had to admit, it felt kind of nice to just let someone else make the choice.
I owe Eshaan and apology. It really is much easier. I thought ruefully.
Daniyel looked around briefly, then nodded. “We should risk your seer sight, it has been correct more often than it has been wrong. We will lay our trap here, in the canyons of the hold.” He said it like a decision, but I caught the way he looked at Darshanna, asking for permission.
She briefly looked unsure, but then clutched her rifle again and nodded firmly. “Here is good. Let’s get started.”
We rapidly laid out a plan of ambush, setting up crates to fall and create choke points. Daniyel rummaged in the crates for his chosen weapon and found them, pulling on runed gauntlets that glowed faintly. I shook my head and clutched my old staff when Darshanna pushed a new one towards me.
“No thank you.” I said primly. “I’ve gotten this far with this one, and Soriya just upgraded it. I’ll be fine.” I hope. I added mentally.
I’d never heard of an ambush being laid in a jrpg before… well, not by the heroes anyway! I hoped this wasn’t a mistake, but I knew I’d taken them in…
“What, what levels are you at?” I said suddenly.
“Now? Why do you ask us this now?” Daniyel said with a frown.
“Well-” I started.
The hatch in the ceiling of the cargo hold exploded, raining metal debris down on us and rapelling ropes slithered down from overhead. Looking up, I could see the bright spotlights of another airship, small and sleek and somehow vicious looking, a sleek dart of bronzegold with shimmering blue engines.
Overhead, the shriek of a dying man reached us, followed by the tumbling body of a crewman kicked over the edge of the hatch. It landed on the crates with a sickening wet meat thud and the cracking of bones. I swallowed hard against the sudden urge to throw up as the body suddenly dissolved into bright motes of light.
Ok. Definitely not the romantic kind of air pirates then. I thought grimly. I glanced over at Darshanna in her hiding spot. Her face had gone pale, and the knuckles gripping her rifle were white with strain.
Several rough looking men with cruel expressions on their face peered over the edge of the hold from above.
“Aye lads, go get the the cargo and we’re away! We’ve got a payday to attend too!” Harsh laughter met this proclamation, with several of the other men proclaiming
“I still say it’s a pity about the crew, we could have held them to ransom.”
The one who spoke first casually backhanded the pirate with the butt of his rifle. “We’ve got our commission, and you’re not smart enough to be asking questions, Jenkins! Now get down there, and start securing the hold!” He spat into the hold below him. “Crew says there’s security down there, which was not what our charming patron promised, but luckily captain’s not so stupid as to believe everything they say.”
More grumbling, and group of four men started to rappel down the ropes towards us. I grimaced. The one on top was going to be a problem. To say he had the high ground was a bit of an understatement.
Five of them, three of us, two of us under leveled, and I just had to refuse a weapon upgrade. I berated myself angrily. And let’s not forget, if the crew isn’t held to ransom, that means the cargo ship is crashing right now because they’re all dead or unconscious. This night just keeps getting better and better.
“Let’s start off the show with a bang, then.” I muttered to myself, and closed my eyes, focusing on my staff for a summon.
“Forge, come to my call, I need your aid.” I whispered. The feeling of the dragon’s maw opening inside me, and the roaring power of heat and metal poured forth, draining my mana pool.
The dragon bellowed with the roar of a blast furnace. “I come, Child of Æther. If battle is sought, then these enemies will taste the heat of Forge!”
“Holy shit!” “What the hell!?” “What is that?!” “Nobody said this ship had dragons on it?!” the panicked screams of the boarding crew filled the air. Sharp cracks of a rifle sounded overhead, sending wood splinters flying through the air.
“Shut up, you lot! The mission hasn’t changed, kill them all, take the crates, scuttle the ship!” The pirate on overwatch shouted down at them, brandishing his weapon.
The pirates charged our little fortification, guns blazing. Crackling shards of wood flew through the air, cutting hair thin lines in my face. I could see Darshanna wince and raise her arm to shield her face, but Daniyel had no such hesitation.
Roaring, he burst out of the crates, slapping his fists together, the glowing runes around his gauntlet weapons activating.
Wow, those gloves he picked up are really good. I thought enviously. I really wish I wasn’t so soft hearted about stealing… my focus was drawn back into the fight by another stinging salvo of bullets and hail of splinters.
Right, fight first, survive second, whine about being a heroine to be determined.
Darshanna leveled her new rifle across her arm and took aim, firing with a sharp crack of sound, the bullet hit one of the raiders square in the shoulder. He grunted, but kept coming.
What the hell, is that even a thing?!
“Beware! They are higher level than the average thugs!” Daniyel shouted as he grappled with the raiders.
Holy shit… can I… I have superpowers?! I can take a bullet now?! Ok, it would still hurt, but that’s… so cool! I’m supergirl!
Forge brought me back to reality with a jolt. “I am ready, Child of Æther!” He roared. “Behold, the heat of creation!”
Fire erupted within the hold, focused on the pirates, flames shooting high enough to reach the pirate leader at the top of the hatch. They screamed, and twisted wildly trying to escape, but the licking tounges of red heat followed them, lashing them and leaving black stripes of burned flesh. The hold filled with the smell of burning meat, which made me gag as I realized it actually smelled good.
Forge burnt itself out in a flash of orange white heat and was gone. I panted quietly, feeling the heat of sunburn tingling on my face and arms.
I thought burned flesh was supposed to smell sickening…I cringed inside, and then realized, actually, I did feel sick. Sick because it smelled so good but I knew what it was.
Darshanna racked another shell into her rifle and snapped of a shot. There was a scream, and one of the pirates spun around, falling back against the crate. He didn’t burst into glowing motes of light, so these guys really were tough! I didn’t know how I felt about that, they were trying to kill us, and I still wasn’t happy with trying to murder them back. Did that make me stupid? Soft hearted? How did you deal with a world that wanted to end you?!
Daniyel wasn’t waiting for my moral qualms to matter, he rushed forward and picked up the fallen pirate, reared back, and punched him, leaving a glowing wake as his fist moved forward. The pirate flew backwards, just like an action movie, and slammed hard into the rear of the hold. The metal of the rear wall buckled, and bent outwards from the impact. The slow slide of the pirate to the floor was interrupted by the sparkle and shimmer of light as his body dissolved into motes of light, his equipment clattering to the floor.
Daniyel turned back to the pirates, and slammed his fists together. “Who will be next? Will you all meet the gods, or will some of you show sense?”
His rather dramatic declamation was quite ruined as the dented wall behind him suddenly exploded outwards, sucking him towards it. As the noise and smoke cleared, an enormous smoking hole in the cargo bulkhead was revealed and beyond it an enormous crystal core pulsing with energy, bronze gold tubes and wires ringing it and running every which way, thrumming and sparkling with magical energy. I could feel the disruption in the mana now, it was like an itch in my teeth.
“Damn then all! They’ve ruined the sinking!” The air pirate above shouted down. “Kill them, or this whole plan is scuttled! This ship can’t make harbor!”
Daniyel remained irritatingly cool, as he turned to Darshanna. ”Captain, the core has been mined with high elemental charges, and I see no trace of the engineers that should be tending the engine core.”
Great, just what I needed. They either died from that explosion, or more likely, were already dead. I gritted my teeth. But this is why I asked for Darshanna. One genius engineer coming up. I turned to her, and saw her face ghost white, her hands trembling with fear.
I swallowed, feeling my own stomach drop into my feet. Now? Of all times, now?
I crawled over the crates to where Darshanna crouched, shivering. I dumped mana into my {Persuade} with reckless abandon, and grabbed the sides of Darshanna face between my hands and stared intently into her eyes. “Darshanna. There are elemental charges set to go off on the core, and the ship is falling out of the sky. You are the only one on this ship I trust to keep us airborne and alive. Go!”
Darshanna looked at me with a panicked expression, then I saw my {Persuade} take hold as I let go of her. Her eyes narrowed, her mouth firmed, and she gave one firm nod. “I won’t let my crew down.” She promised, and scrambled through the burning hole in the rear.
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I ran towards Daniyel, bullets splintering around me, feeling the sting as they came close enough to kiss.
If this was less dangerous, I’d feel quite cool, like I was in an action movie. I congratulated myself. I dove behind a crate whose top exploded into flinders just as I belly flopped onto the deck below it.
I looked up to see Daniyel’s expression, his stoic mask finally showing a flicker of real emotion, torn between running after his charge, and staying here to protect us, and continue to uphold the fiction.
I shook my head. Why am I the one that has to be the adult, I’m only seventeen! I shouted in my head. “Right, Gate! You’re up!”
The summons roared up from my soul, the purple black of his coils flickering as bullets spanged wildly into him.
“Child of Æther, you do bring me into the most interesting places.” It remarked dryly.
“Of all the places, I do not need my summons giving me sass!” I snapped at it, then glanced at Daniyel still frozen. I shook my head. Right. Let’s do this.
“What are you doing?!” I shouted at him. “Go after her! She’s your princess isn’t she?! Go, I’ll hold them here!”
I can’t believe I just said such a corny line. Spirits, I hope I’m right about this…
Daniyel looked at me, his eyes going wide then sharply narrowing, before giving me a single nod, freighted with meaning, then scrambled after Darshanna.
Above, the pirate commander screamed in rage. “What are you doing you fools! She’s just one girl, dragon or not! Kill her! Trevor, Masters, get down the engine hatches and stop that girl!”
I grinned, and said quietly “Now, Gate. Unleash.”
“Ah, at last you use my true powers. It will be my pleasure, Child of Æther.” My mana dropped to zero and the world erupted into a silence so profound it was a sound unto itself. A giant purple black ball of nothing appeared and shot into the sky, and where it touched nothing was left behind. I risked a look over the crates… or what was left of them. Scattered armaments and drops were left behind. My sigh of relief was broken by the sounds of multiple footsteps landing around me, and worse, behind me.
The engine room. They’re in the engine room. I thought grimly. The sound of Daniyel’s brawler style gauntlets activating confirmed it, followed by cries of surprise and pain and wet thuds.
I coughed wetly and spat out a little bit of blood. Apparently, I’d dipped a bit too deeply into my mana pool to summon Gate.
“Great.” I muttered to myself. “Now if only this were a shonen manga, then I’d be sure to win.” I grabbed a mana potion from my belt and knocked it back, feeling my head swim from the intense gush of raw energy. “Am I really going to do this?” I stared at my staff for a moment, before sound of bullets ricocheting off the bulkheads and deck around me answered for me. “Yes. Yes, I am. Come get some, you meadowlarks.”
I closed my eyes and called a name I’d not spoken for some time. “Tower, I call you. I…” I stumbled, then continued. “I request a judgement.”
My mana drained to zero instantly, and I could feel a bit of my life force drain as well from the power Tower demanded.
She roared upwards and blossomed into white light, an impenetrable fortress shielding me and the gap behind me. At least for a moment. The bullets hammered hard on the shield, and I saw Tower bricks drawn in light splinter and spawl outwards.
Tower looked at me with her glowing white eyes. “Did you expect my walls to be strong, when you requested a judgement? One does not come with the other.”
“Great, just what I need, my summon is lecturing me on the price of power and morality.” I snapped at her. “I’m aware of the price, Tower.”
The dragon closed her eyes in a slow blink, then nodded to me. “I attempt to sympathize with a Keyholder. We all do, if you would ask.”
I closed my eyes and nodded. “Right, I’ll take that under advisement. In the meantime?”
“Yes of course Keyholder. I will do as you ask.” Tower began to glow, a slowly curling white light building inside her. The crate I was sheltering behind exploded in a shower of chips and wood, and several elemental crystals inside it detonated. I was flung backwards hard into the bulkhead, and coughed up considerably more blood than just an artistic smear merited. In point of fact, it felt like my ribs had been shattered and my hip cracked.
“Now we’ve got her! Fire! Fire!”
Bullets spanged off the metal around me, and several impacted me solidly in the shoulder, the chest, the gut.
Wonderful. I really do have superpowers. Spirits above, this hurts so badly. I take it back, I am not supergirl.
I looked up at the approaching pirates who grinned cruelly at me. “I am Lilyanna of Breezewood.” I took a breath that made my vision go red with agony. “Behind me are two of my most trusted friends who are going to ruin your plans. And you will not get through me.”
They grinned cruelly, raising their weapons. I closed my eyes, and breathed out. “Now, Tower.”
I felt my body scream in agony as more life was drained from it. And then world exploded with a sound so loud it was not sound at all, and a light so brilliant that everything went black. The ship rocked under me, and a pillar of pure light speared through the ship coring a hole through the decks above and below in an instant. It speared through the pirate skiff above us, which violently exploded into a shower of glittering bronze gold bits, and then smaller red and orange explosions as its elemental engines overloaded and detonated.
Smaller spears of light darted out of the pillar of devouring light darting through the chest of each pirate on the vessel, their bodies instantly dissolving into motes of sparkling light and the clatter of equipment hitting the deck.
The light went out, and with it all my strength seemed to leave me. I toppled forward, looking down into empty abyss of the hole that Tower had left in the airship’s deck, seeing tiny motes of light far, far below me.
Behind me, I felt/heard the sounds of a giant mana engine spinning up and the sounds of slowly building functional machinery.
“Oh good. She got the engines online.” I said.
<{Arcanist} Advanced to level 5. {Arcane Regeneration}, unlocked. {Orator} Advanced to level….> the world soul’s voice melted into haze and silence as I passed out.
I came to with the taste of fruit and the welcome burn of healing potion working its way through me, pulling my shattered bones and organs back into their proper locations. I coughed weakly, then said “Ow.”
I opened my eyes to see that my head was resting in Darshanna’s lap. She smiled hesitantly at me. “Sorry, I know you would have preferred Eshaan, but it’s just me.” I started to laugh, which turned into a choking cough of agony shooting through my entire torso. I whimpered and curled into a ball of hurt. “Ow.” I said again. “I didn’t know bad jokes could hurt like that.”
“You got banged up pretty bad.” She said. “You’re supposed to drink the healing potions, you know? Not have them broken all over you.” She patted my shoulder gently.
“Oh.” I groaned and struggled upright as the healing potion finished restoring the worst of my lost HP. “Is that why?” I said tiredly.
“Devdan and Priya are ok.” She continued. “So are most of the crew, though we’re flying at quarter speed. Oh, your hair’s back to pink too… I don’t know if that was the healing potions or the… whatever it was you did, though.”
I nodded wearily. “That’s good skypirating.” I said.
Darshanna was silent beside me, then she said bitterly “You don’t have to mock me, you know. Daniyel told me everything. How long have you known?”
I chewed my lower lip, debating if I should pretend or not, then decided against it. I’d kind of blown my cover by telling Daniyel.
“I suspected since I met you in Farna. I only knew for the past week. And I’m not mocking you. You can be a sky pirate and a princess.”
She was silent again, looking down at her fists clenched on her knees. Her knuckles were white with tension. “No… you can’t.” She got out, her throat tight. “That’s kind of the problem.”
I scooted around to face her. “We’re not dead, so you disarmed the bomb, and fixed the engines. In the middle of a firefight with a rival gang of sky pirates. Sounds pretty sky piratey to me.”
She looked up at me, her cheeks streaked with quiet tears. “Stop mocking me!” she shouted angrily.
I leaned back, and sighed. I’ve done it wrong again. I should be gentler.
“I’m not mocking you, Darshanna.” I had no mana left, a {Persuade} was out of the question, but I needed her to believe me.
“The mockery you’re hearing is inside your head, not outside. Everyone who’s put you down, everyone who’s told you what you are and must be. Everyone who’s always told you to forget who you are, ignore what you want to do, burn what you love for the sake of who they want you to be. I’m just one of your crew.” I leaned over and hugged her tightly, ignoring the stab of pain from my ribs. “You said you were going to save your crew, and you did. You were right. Just like you said back home, you weren’t a burden.”
Darshanna’s tears turned into full fledged sobbing, and I held her while the storm of emotion worked its way out.
A thrum and throb of energy wash made me look up, to see a fleet of airships through the cavernous hole in the decking above me.
Darshanna wiped her eyes and said awkwardly. “Oh yeah. And the imperial fleet is here to rescue us.”
I sighed, and my shoulders slumped. “Of course it is.”
Like a flash of lightning, I knew what had to be coming. I rapidly reviewed my meager options. Run? Where? How? With what? Fight? No mana. No mana potions. Barely above half hp. Surrender?
“Spirits and void, I hate being kidnapped! I hate autoloss battles!” I spat. “We are on a timetable here; I can’t make Eshaan and Soriya come rescue me! I won’t let them!”
Darshanna looked at me with wide eyes. “What are you talking about?”
I pointed to the airfleet above me. “Commander Khine is up there, and when he sees me, he will arrest me and everyone around me. Then Eshaan and Soriya will have to travel all the way to Spyre on their own to rescue me, which completely negates the point of my whole trip!”
Darshanna looked up at the fleet then back at me as though I was insane. “There are thirteen imperial fleets, Lilyanna, the odds that Commander Khine is on one of those ships is-“
“Attention, cargo ship! Heave to, and prepare to receive boarders!” Commander Khine’s amplified voice rang out from the airships overhead.
Darshanna’s mouth dropped open as she stared at me.
“Any attempt to resist will be met with deadly force. I give you my word, if you surrender to the imperial forces, you will not be harmed!” The amplified message continued.
I gave Darshanna a flat look. “You were saying?” I said, in a tone as dry as dust.
“How… how do you do that!?”
“If you really want to know, I’ll have Soriya set up a lecture series to explain it, but for now… options? Because I’m tapped.” I sagged against a crate.
“I’ll… I’ll come up with something!” Darshanna’s lips firmed. “You’re part of my crew!”
I smiled weakly as I leaned my head back against a crate. “As long as I’m not part of the ship…” I murmured softly, letting my eyes close. Saints, I am so very tired.
Shortly thereafter, I heard the rapid tromp of trooper footsteps, followed by a barked order.
“Freeze where you are! Surrender yourselves to Imperial authority!”
Darshanna’s reply was bone dry and filled with condescension. “Yes, yes. We surrender. We’re such a threat.”
“On your feet!” One of the troopers ordered. I blearily opened my eyes to see a squad of 3 troopers in imperial armor with weapons drawn, regarding us warily. Darshanna slowly helped me up as one of the troopers slowly approached with handcuffs, and then fastened them around our wrists as though we were liable to explode at any second.
I suppose with a magitech world, that’s not actually impossible. Unless your mana pool is empty. I thought.
The troopers visibly relaxed when we offered no obvious resistance and even became slightly solicitous. “Apologies for the rough treatment, ladies. The empire can’t take chances with air pirate scum. It’s obvious you’re not part of that, but Commander Khine’s orders are strict. No exceptions.”
I perked up slightly, curious.
Darshanna said “Air pirates? Real air pirates? Inside the empire’s borders?” with a deeply skeptical tone.
The trooper glanced at me, then seemed to give a mental shrug, as if to say ‘well she’s harmless I suppose,’ then said “Yes ma’am. And Commander Khine has been patrolling the local airspace with the Home Fleet. When the air pirates set off that weapon of theirs, it drew us in immediately.”
Of course it did. I thought to myself. I was starting to feel a distinct sympathy for the spooky witch characters who always seemed to know exactly what the future held.
I could tell by the conflicted look on Darshanna’s face that she was deeply troubled by this. I said “I suppose air pirates are more of rogue adventurers in those novels?”
She nodded quietly.
“Hey, no talking now.” One of the troopers said roughly. “Jorkin, you know better than to fraternize with the prisoners!”
The one who’d been treating us kindly, Jorkin I supposed, grumbled but said “Yes, sergeant.” And that was the end of that.
A few steps down the corridor, and we met up with Daniyel and his guard squad as well. They clustered us together and marched us up to the top deck in a tight group. I wasn’t at all surprised that Daniyel had connived to find us so quickly, I was only surprised that he’d left Darshanna alone at all.
I’ll have to ask him about that. later. After we’re not prisoners anymore. Poor Soriya, she’s going to miss the invention competition after all. I thought.
I had expected to be put into a holding cell or made to wait while the rest of the crew was rounded up, but instead we were marched straight to a small airskiff, very much like the one that Darshanna had stolen and flown, directly to one of the capital ships. There we were directed to the bridge of the cruiser where Commander Khine was already interviewing five crew members. He finished just as we arrived.
“Very well, these men are harmless. Release them, corporal.”
“Very good sir” an adjunct said, and unfastened the men’s handcuffs.
He looked up at our little group, and his eyes went wide.
“You!” He pointed at me. “So you’re behind this!” He stalked over to me, grabbing me roughly by the chin and tilting my head up to look at him. “You won’t be getting away this time! Sergeant!” He addressed the troopers who had accompanied us. “Spellcollar, now!”
“Sir!” the trooper responded, and I felt a biting cold metal ring fasten around my neck. I supposed I’d feel more, if my mana wasn’t already bottomed out.
Commander Khine smiled grimly at me. “You’ll talk now.”
I debated making a star wars quote, but nobody would understand, so instead I went with. “Why Proctor Khine, how kind of you to personally seek me out to advise me on my class selection.”
He stared at me angrily, his eyes narrowing. “Joke all you wish, I will have the secrets of your little rebellion out of you.”
“Rebellion?! What are you- AH!” Darshanna cried out as our guards slammed a gun butt into the back of her head.
Commander Khine paced the deck, his hands behind him. “Indeed. It’s obvious now, I see it. This inexplicable cargo of weapons, silently delivered. The suspicious air activity in the Northern provinces. The trade disruptions to the Galgados shipments. It’s exactly as I suspected, there is a rebellion brewing. A well supplied one!”
He spun on me and leveled a finger. “And you are clearly part of it!”
I couldn’t help it, I giggled at him, he was more Vader than Vader! I immediately regretted it though.
His face purpled with rage and he grabbed me by the throat, lifting me off the deck by main force. I felt my throat close, and I immediately started to choke, struggling for air.
“Release her!” I heard Darshanna’s voice commanding behind me. Oh no, no Darshanna no! I wanted to yell, but I could barely breathe, I was going to die here!
Commander Khine turned to sneer. “You command nothing here, air pirate scum!”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Darshanna raise her cuffed hands to her face holding an odd medallion I’d never seen before. A rippling wave of color swept over her hair, turning the mass of dark brown with red streak into a vibrant shimmering mass of red. A sprinkling of freckles appeared across the bridge of her nose and cheeks. She stepped forward, her whole bearing radiating authority.
“By the order of Princess Lakshmi Maung, release her!” she declared. There was a quiet roar of pandemonium as ripples of shock and surprised conversation erupted around us.
By the spirits, she really can play her part when she wants to. I thought as my vision started to grey.
“By royal right, my right to command the imperial fleets supersedes yours, Commander!”
For once, Commander Khine seemed at a complete loss, his mouth gaping in surprise for the briefest of moments, before he recovered his smooth poise.
He lowered me to the deck and the pressure on my neck eased, but he did not release me. He offered a stiff bow to Darshan- no, to Princess Lakshmi.
Hm, pretty name, actually.
Clicking his heels together he bowed to her, still holding my neck. “My deepest apologies, your royal highness. But my orders concerning this girl come directly from your father himself. You’ll have to take it up with him. For now, my men will see to your every comfort. And your bodyguard, of course.” He gestured casually to where Daniyel had been silently standing.
He finally released my neck, and I fell to the deck, gasping for air, my chest heaving.
He pointed to me. “For now, put her in the brig. Full guards, maximum alert. Do not engage with her.” I was sized roughly by the arms, and my last sight of princess Lakshmi was her desperate eyes as she struggled to try and reach me against Daniyel's restraining grip.