Lakshmi was as good as her word. A series of hair raising maneuvers through narrow canyons and over mountain peaks, and the imperial cutter was lost in a haze behind us.

“Hah! I told you we’d lose them!” crowed Lakshmi from the cockpit.

“What are your plans for dealing with the engine trail?” Daniyel asked calmly.

Lakshmi waved her hand dismissively. “The vapor dissipates after an hour or so!”

“You do not believe they will continue pursuit for an hour?” Inquired Daniyel with implacable patience.

“Urm. Well, you know… the Sparrowhawk is much too fast! We’ll build up an hour’s lead time and they won’t be able to catch up!”

Camaxtli said “By my calculations, that will take four days, three hours, and two minutes. At maximum speed, the Sparrowhawk will reach the shore of the western continent in three days, 8 hours, and 15 minutes. Assuming we are still aiming to reach the Sylvan civilization in the southernmost jungles.”

We exchanged a look. I crossed my arms and said grimly “Am I going to have to sink another airship?!” I felt sick to my stomach.

We traded looks. There was a boom and a sudden rocking.

Lakshmi said “They’re shooting at us!” with an aggrieved tone.

Eshaan wryly commented “You’re surprised by this?”

“Well… no. Not really.” She said.

Camaxtli looked up and said “It appears that we will have an opportunity to test the shielding system.”

“I’m interested in this shielding system. You teased it back at your city, Camaxtli, but you never showed us how it works.” said Soriya.

“Oh! Well, Camaxtli? Will you?” Lakshmi said, then swore as another boom echoed outside, and the Sparrowhawk shook even more fiercely. “And… maybe hurry?” She said through gritted teeth.

Camaxtli nodded calmly. “Of course.”

He moved towards one of the bulkheads and then began moving packages and bales with mechanical efficiency. Shortly, an inset pedestal and glowing yellow-orange orb was revealed.

Camaxtli stepped back and gestured to the orb. “This is the spell distribution interface. Casting a protective ward through this orb will spread it across the ship.” He said.

Soriya peered closely at the orb. “What happens if it’s hit with an attack spell?” She said curiously.

“It explodes, and then the airship’s mana circuits will cause a chain reaction, likely sinking the airship.”

Daniyel stepped forward and gently pulled Soriya away. “So let us not consider this course of action.” He said calmly.

Soirya gave him a disgusted glare. “I wasn’t going to!” She protested.

“No, of course not.” Daniyel nodded reasonably.

I pushed past the two and pulled out my staff. “Right so, I just… cast the spell at it?”

“That is correct.” Camaxtli said.

I nodded, and started my chant for {Barrier}, feeling very strange. The {Barrier} spell wouldn’t normally shield a thing. I’d had to use Tower to shield the Pelican before, after all.

And of course Tower is not a spell. I thought to myself.

The {Barrier} spell hit the orb and was pulled inwards, vanishing from sight. I could feel it take hold, a very strange sensation, quite unlike warding a living creature at all, but very definitely real. The mana draw was intense, but well within my limits.

Through the portholes, we saw a soft silvery white light flicker into existence. There was another boom, and I could feel the impact on the shields, my mana taking a hit as the explosion and shrapnel sprayed across the shield. The ship, however, continued on smoothly without any impact.

My eyes widened. I just warded an airship! I thought in awe. My {Barrier} took a hit from an airship cannon, and didn’t fall?! How much damage can my spell stop?! I gulped. And if it’s that powerful, how much damage were those spider things in the deep levels of the Hecate ruins doing?!

They had repeatedly managed to punch through my shield and deal damage, after all!

“Well, now we have options.” said Soriya with satisfaction. “I suspect that if you cast {Holy White} in front of them, the light should be enough to blind them.”

Lakshmi perked up. “That’s right! And the æther disruption from your spell will totally cause turbulence for the cutter!”

I frowned. “Lakshmi, an airship crashing into the side of a mountain is just as lethal as doing a direct Tower strike. If you’re trying to offer me a plan that doesn’t involve killing people…?”

The cutter’s cannons unleashed on us again, several rapid strikes hitting the shield and taking small dips out of my mana pool. The Sparrowhawk continued to fly as smoothly as her namesake. I felt a small bubble of pleased pride welling up in my chest.

Lakshmi waved her hands again. “It’s totally doable! Just aim a little to the side, and it will destabilize the engines. They’ll be forced to slow down and pull up into the sky to avoid crashing into what they can’t see! There’s no mountains directly up!”

I pursed my lips and then nodded slowly. “I suppose… we could try that. It would be a very nice change of pace not to have to kill more people.”

No one voice any objections, so after a quick glance around the group I said “I suppose it’s worth a try. Is the rear observation bubble still completely filled with things?”

Lakshmi sighed and nodded. “Yeah. Sorry. It was clear, but then Cameron added all those extra supplies. What are we going to do with dried haggis?!” She said woefully.

“Eat it, presumably.” said Eshaan.

Soriya, Daniyel, and Lakhsmi all showed their disgust plainly, Lakshimi sticking out her tongue in revulsion.

“It’s not that bad!” I said defensively. “I can do a lot with the umami flavor!” I clapped my hands together. “Alright, I’ll go empty the rear bubble. Eshaan…?” I looked over at him, and caught the bitter look on his face.

I blinked, recoiling then suddenly realized. Oh right. I… I kind of insulted him. I swallowed and headed towards the rear, then looked over my shoulder to see if Eshaan was following. He was.

I don’t like being the one who apologizes all the time! I thought defiantly. I immediately felt a stab of guilt thinking that. Even if I’m in the wrong? Aren’t I supposed to admit when I’m wrong? Isn’t honesty important for a couple?

I ground my teeth together, as I pushed into the cramped rear observation bubble, spotting the cutter close behind us through the window.

Spirits, there’s a lot of junk in here! I can barely see out! I sucked on my teeth thoughtfully. Like it or not, I’m trying not to be the annoying… I gave a long sigh of surrender.

“Eshaan…” I said hesitantly. He looked at me solemnly. I screwed up my courage and pushed ahead.

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“I’m sorry, Eshaan.” I said.

At exactly the same moment Eshaan said “I’m sorry, Lily.”

I stopped, stunned, my mouth hanging open, seeing a reflection of my surprise in Eshaan’s.

Something bubbled up in me and I snorted, which devolved into a giggle, then started laughing so hard my stomach ached.

Eshaan resisted for a moment, then joined in.

I hated myself for engaging in such a silly trope thing, but it felt so incredibly good to just… laugh. And it was so stupid and so silly and it felt so good.

We finally stopped, and I wiped tears out of the corner of my eye. “Ok. Spirits how silly of me. I…” I took a deep breath. “You go first.”

Eshaan waved his hands. “No, no. You go first!”

I stared at him, frowning slightly. “Ok… well… I’m bad at this. So… if you say so.” I took a deep breath and plunged in.

“I insulted you when I implied you couldn’t defend me. I’m sorry. That was… selfish and rude of me. It’s not at all what I meant, and I know you’re incredibly strong! But whatever has ahold of our lives, if that’s a plot, or a groove, or the System or something else… I don’t know if you’re strong enough to beat that on your own. And I’m certain it can’t be beaten with just a sword and determination! But I insulted you.”

I looked down at the floor and scuffed my foot. “So I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insult your strength.” I finished.

Eshaan looked at me and then started to laugh, a broad grin spreading across his face. He stopped quickly, seeing the frown spreading across my face, waving his hands defensively again.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I just… that’s what I came to say to you!” He said. “You… you see the future! Or something very like it! And you don’t like it much, but you’ve been right a lot more than you’ve been wrong. So… I was insulting you too.” He reached over and squeezed my hand in his.

“So I’m sorry too. I know you don’t… really like everything, but you’re doing really well!” He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, his cheeks turning an adorable shade of red.

“By the Dragon that sounded stupid.” He muttered, before plunging on. “But the point is that I do believe in you! We all do!” He gestured back towards the crew area. I flushed pink, realizing that everyone could probably hear us.

I sighed and then went up on tiptoe to give Eshaan a quick kiss. It was so cute the way he blushed when I did that.

I’m still not sure of this, and I really… don’t like just how much of a stereotype I’ve allowed myself to be. But I’m not dead. And I’m not going to have yet another stupid ‘confused romance’ subplot. I… I really do like Eshaan. I squeezed my fists together and nodded once firmly.

“Lets… try and throw some chaff at our pursuer. Ok?” I smiled a little sadly. “Maybe I can avoid having another fight with myself or you while I’m at it?”

Eshaan hugged me, and then said seriously “Lily, you are the glue that holds our group together. Everyone knows it. Maybe I’m the only one that says it, but… but it’s important. And you’re important. Not just to me! So… even if we have a hundred arguments, I’m… we’re all willing to stick around. Because we’re trying and we all support you as the leader.”

He rubbed the back of his head again then said “I’m really no good at these encouraging speeches, I knew a guy in the troopers who could talk your ear off, and make you feel good so fast… but listen, Lily.” He rested his hands on my shoulders and looked deep into my eyes. “You’ve tried to get out of this. You could leave but don’t. I think… you’re a heroine. You try to do what’s right, even if it’s scary. And none of us really know if what we’re doing is right… well, unless it’s Miss Soriya, she’s kind of scary that way… but you’ve looked for other paths. And you kept turning away from them. So… so if you can’t believe in yourself, then believe in me! Because I believe in you!”

My eyes got watery, and I smiled up at him. “Eshaan…” I let myself fall into his arms for a longer moment than I really should, soaking up the confidence, and feeling the warmth and strength of his body.

I pulled back, and sniffled, wiping my eyes dry again. “Dummy.” I said, punching him lightly on the chest. “Who said you were bad at this?” I sniffed again then nodded at him and pointed at the rear.

“Lets go clean out the mess Cameron left us.” I said.

We set to with a will, and shortly the rear observation bubble was clear enough that I could stand in it without bending all the way over and curling into a ball.

I looked out at the now much improved view, seeing the cutter slowly losing ground behind us. Even as I watched, its cannons fired once more, and explosions bloomed outside. My {Barrier} flared white and I felt the dip in my mana again.

“Alright. Plan ‘warning shot’ is a go.” I said softly, and then pulled out my staff, and started the chant for {Holy White}.

The mana flowed out of me, and I started to get worried. I couldn’t spare the time to look at my status, but I was running dangerously low, and every shot from the cutter took another bite from my shields. I could taste the ash and blood in my mouth like a faint memory, but as the last of the chant left my mouth, I could feel that I still had something left. I would not need to pay with my lifeforce after all.

A blinding mote of light appeared next to the cutter, and then exploded into a burning pillar of light, white so bright it transcended light and burned into the very notion of energy.

I glanced over to see that Eshaan was shading his eyes, looking away from the blinding whiteness and squinting paintfully.

I looked back to the burning pillar of light, seeing the faint shadow of the cutter wobbling wildly, lurching upwards erratically, staggering far behind us as it’s engines struggled to operate in the overcharged aether left behind by my radiant orbital strike.

I smiled faintly, feeling the relief blossom in my chest. Good. They did pull up. They didn’t crash! I sighed in satisfaction. I wonder why I can see into the core of the spell, but nobody… nobody but Soriya… huh. Another mystery of the System? I hope I can figure these out… lazy writing if there’s no explanation for these kinds of story threads.

I turned back to Eshaan as the light started to fade behind us. I let my {Barrier} drop with relief, cutting off the last of my mana before it vanished.

“I don’t know about you, but I could really go for a mana potion.” I said feelingly. “I don’t suppose you have one?” I smiled at him hopefully.

He smiled back, and held out a bottle to me. “Already got one out. I figured you’d be tapped.”

I grabbed the bottle from him and chugged in in one long swallow, letting out a sigh of relief as I felt the energy flow through me. “Thank you, Eshaan, that was exactly what I needed.”

He nodded. “So.” He paused and shrugged. “Western continent, huh?”

I nodded. “I think so, yes. And if Camaxtli is to be believed, about 3 days too.”

“Hm. Long trip. I guess I shouldn’t expect voyages into unexplored lands to be quick little trips.”

I laughed. “No, I guess not!” I paused, then said “Say, we’re going to cross over the eastern coast before we head out over the White Sea… that’s where you’re from, right? Did you want to stop to visit your parents or something?”

Eshaan blinked in surprise, his mouth opening and closing a few times, before he finally shook his head. “No. No, I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

I jerked in surprise. “Really?! What’s wrong?”

Eshaan looked up and smiled wryly. “It’s nothing bad, not… not really. I really would like to see my parents… and it means a lot to me that you’d like to meet them too!”

I blinked in surprise. I didn’t say that… did I? Though… I suppose I’ll have to meet them eventually.. but…?

Eshaan continued on heedless of my thoughts. “It’s just… we’d have to hide the Sparrowhawk again, and the empire is… is a lot more determined than I thought. This is bigger than just you and me, or even Commander Khine. I don’t know where the winds of this story are carrying us, but I don’t… If something were to happen to my parents just because I wanted to see them… I couldn’t take it. It would kill me. So for now… it’s just better that I hold off. We’ll meet them when this is all over. It’s a promise. And you and my mom can have a bake off.”

I laughed and nodded to him. “Ok. It’s a promise then.”

I pretended my best to ignore the knowing looks Soriya shot my way, and the irritating smirk that crept across Lakshmi’s face.

Thank goodness Eshaan is too dense to notice! I thought, completely missing the way Daniyel and Eshaan traded quiet smiles and nods.

“Alright!” I said, turning around to address everyone. “It does look like Lakshmi’s plan worked!”

Soriya smiled quietly. “So the imperial slugs have been dealt with?”

I shot her a glare, while Eshaan protested “No! Lily didn’t hurt them at all! It worked just like Lakshmi said it would!”

“Hey!” Lakshmi protested. “You don’t need to sound so surprised! I give good advice!”

Camaxtli frowned and opened his mouth. Lakshmi couldn’t have seen him, but she swiveled her gaze and glared at him silently. Camaxtli closed his mouth. Lakshmi gave a satisfied nod and turned back to piloting.

“So… it sounds like we’ll be travelling for a few days.” I started again. “And while Gate can take us to a comfy or back to my house, or… really anywhere we’ve been, I don’t think I can open Gate while we’re moving, unless you want to lose another airship.”

I shrugged helplessly.

Lakshmi pursed her lips and nodded. “So what you’re saying is… sleep soundly, cause we’ll be flying all night.”

“It is not necessary for you to pilot the entire eighteen hours, Lakshmi.” Said Camaxtli. “In fact, that would be greatly contrary to our survival probabilities.”

The glare Lakshmi sent him could have melted lead, but Camaxtli remained unfazed.

“You’re well-being is critical to this endeavor, and it would not be wise to neglect it, simply in an attempt to prove me wrong.” He said calmly.

Daniyel’s eyes glittered suspiciously brightly, and he pressed his lips firmly together.

Lakshmi turned a frankly amusing shade of red and purple before finally settling back to her pale skin tone.

“Huph! Mutiny then!” She muttered. “I’ll put you all off at the nearest port!”

I coughed. “Airship captaining aside, we need to find a place to land for the night, before we head over the White Sea. Do you all want to go back to Breezewood, or should we find an inn somewhere else?”

“You’re even asking?” Soriya said. “I want to go home! I miss my bed! Plus, I bet you’re exhausted from casting {Holy White}! And I miss the town! Gate is the best thing to happen to adventuring since health potions!”

“Plus, the prices are exceedingly reasonable at the local inn.” Added Daniyel.

“And I find this ‘bathhouse’ of yours to be an exceptionally enjoyable experience.” added Camaxtli.

I gave a small smile and a nod. “Right. Then, I think we should ask our captain to find a small part of the eastern coast that doesn’t have too many visitors, and we’ll get a start across the ocean. Maybe make a little space too, since the bunks are currently overstocked with supplies?”

Everyone nodded in agreement, and the Sparrowhawk turned towards the setting sun, setting course for the western shore of the White Sea.