Chapter Thirteen
“They’re really going to let us fly these things?” I ran a hand along the wicker basket of the partially filled hot air balloon.
“This field trip was announced at the start of the semester.” Sephi wore her ‘sporting’ attire this morning, a.k.a.
armor. Mostly leather in shades of charcoal and taupe, with a few metal plates.
And despite covering her nearly head to toe, if anything, it only enhanced her allure. “Why do you question it now?”
The assignment was simple in theory: map magic fields in the mountains west of Halamar.
We were to take instrument readings as we flew, converting our notes into a final report for the semester.
The exact date depended on weather. Prevailing winds light and in the correct direction.
Late enough in the year that most foliage had dropped, to better spot landmarks.
Enough visibility to see the terrain, and any aerial predators who might prioritize students’ nutritional value over their contributions to science.
“I knew about it,” I said. “I just didn’t think we’d be flying the balloons.”
“There are two controls, up and down. It is not especially complicated.”
“There has been a reassignment of balloons.” Aldyr stood next to the basket, hands stiffly at his sides.
“On whose authority?” said Sephi.
“The instructor left assignments prior to lift off. You are to be in number six, that is the red-and-white striped one.” He departed.
Sephi scowled at me. “This is preposterous. However, if it is indeed correct, then I shall see you this evening in Valyar Bay.”
I gave her forearm a little squeeze. “I’ll miss your company.”
“And I yours.” She took her pack and leapt to the ground.
I watched her trot off with a tinge of sadness. Though being in her presence for the four-hour flight while being too busy with our assignment to socialize would have been torture as well.
Most of the balloons had departed, forming a colorful little trail.
With the variability of the wind, each would travel a slightly different route, mapping the magic fields until we all ended up in the small coastal town of Valyar Bay.
And I definitely looked forward to the overnight stay in the supposedly charming little town.
I adjusted my own armor, a blend of leather, metal, and cloth a bit cruder and less form-fitting than hers.
Noting almost all of the balloons had now departed, a sinking feeling gnawed at me.
Who would be assigned to my balloon? Passing the course hinged on this assignment, and I couldn’t complete it alone.
Had they forgotten about me? Had Aldyr performed some surreptitious sabotage, arranging to strand me at the start?
I glanced at the now nearly empty field to see Sephi sprinting towards me, pointing skyward.
It took a few seconds to figure out what she wanted. I pulled the burner cord, igniting a couple short bursts of flame.
She pulled herself up and over the lip of the basket with a flourish of those long, elegant, leather-clad legs. “Go.”
“What happened?”
“No time to explain.” As she undid one of the two retaining lines, the basket lurched to one side. “Release the other one.” She ignited several sharp pops of flame.
Aldyr and one of his lackeys sprinted towards us, flailing their hands above their heads.
The last line tugged out of my grip as I released it, and the basket careened the other way, swinging like a pendulum as we drifted skyward.
I couldn’t make out Aldyr’s exact words, but the tone was clear.
“I welcome your company, but wouldn’t mind an explanation.”
She shrugged off her pack, traced a silk handkerchief across her brow, and blew out a long breath.
“Some ill-conceived setup from the count or his son, I am certain of it. Balloon six contained two of Aldyr’s lackeys, who I am quite certain would have spent the entire voyage extolling the virtues of House Greanderal, and educating me on proper decorum. ”
I shrugged. “As I said, I welcome your company.”
“And I yours. But we had best start our assignment. Failing geomagic will benefit neither of us.”
“Right.” I flipped out the chart table and took position atop a jump seat. “You’ve piloted a balloon before, so why don’t you do that. Our assigned survey altitude is 325 meters.”
“Very well, but once we settle in, you should take the controls for a bit. It is not especially complex and rather pleasant.”
I shot her a sidelong glance, pausing as a smile spread across my lips. “You’re a good friend, Sephi.”
She returned the smile. “Come. Two minutes until our first reading.”
Open field transitioned to forest, a blend of evergreens and deciduous, bare of leaves. A rugged wilderness teeming with all manner of creatures.
“Thirty seconds,” she said. “I have us at three-hundred.”
I glanced between the logbook and console of instruments, including a clock with a second hand. “I see it. I’ll count down.”
We were assigned either two or three to a balloon. Three students could share the work more easily, but were a tighter fit in the basket.
“Three-two-one-mark,” I said, noting time, altitude, and readings for ambient magic.
Sephi then called off our position based on the chart.
She gave the burner line a few short jerks, producing puffs of flame. With her standing and me sitting, she looked even taller than usual.
“Is there something wrong, Mister Thistlewood?”
“I thought you agreed to call me Theo.”
“In public, it was at my sole prerogative, I believe.”
“I see no one for half a kilometer in any direction.”
“We would do well to remain in form. And you have not answered my question. You were staring at me earlier.”
“I was just thinking. Three-two-one-mark.” I noted the readings. “I was just thinking how good you look in armor.” Specifically, leather pants.
She put a hand on my shoulder, sliding it from a thin metal plate, to a patch of leather, to the base of my neck, where her gloved fingertips found bare skin. “Flattery is unnecessary. And I think you would look best in a long silk nightshirt.”
A breath caught in my throat. She didn’t just say that. “Might be impractical in a balloon gliding a few hundred meters above a wilderness crawling with creatures who’d like to take a bite out of us.”
“Perhaps.”
“Three-two-one-mark.”
She relayed coordinates. “In any case, I wouldn’t want any creatures to take a bite out of you.”
“Your concern is appreciated.”
She leaned down, putting lips next to my ear, her breath warming it as she spoke. “You are rather delicious looking, after all.”
I clenched the basket’s railing. This was going to be a long ride.
We continued for over an hour, exchanging little snippets of banter, smiles and gestures, and those innuendos Sephi was so very, very skilled at. The interruption every three minutes for scientific observations hardly gave me time for retorts.
My internal thoughts interrupted far more frequently for less-than-scientific observations.
How locks of her short hair flopped around her long ears in the wind.
How a subtle lift of an eyebrow betrayed a deeper meaning to an innocent comment.
How she managed to interject far less innocent comments.
And how amazing she looked in leather pants.
“Come,” she said. “It is high time you learned to pilot a balloon.”
I stood, folding the jump seat out of the way. “Are you going to make me sharpen my own tools first?”
Her subtle smile broadened. “I believe I can spare you that part. Usually we would begin with the pre-flight safety check, but as you have already done that—”
I shook my head. “The man in charge of the balloon didn’t mention anything about it.”
She frowned. “Then why is your name in the logbook?”
“Huh. It wasn’t me. Should we… double check?”
“It might be prudent.” She climbed the rigging to inspect the burner and fuel tank. “This is curious. I have not seen a burner configured like this… there is a clock affixed to it.”
“A clock?” I didn’t immediately make the connection.
“Mister… Thistlewood.” Sephi’s voice chilled, every delightful wisp of emotion evaporating. “I suspect this may be sabotage.”
“Let me look.”
I climbed the rigging next to her to find a metal box the size of a book. Inside, a clock face, a web of little levers, springs, and clockwork. “A time bomb? But I don’t see any explosives.”
“It is affixed to… Oh dear.”
“The fuel tank.”
“I am afraid it is rather more dire. It has pierced the tank in several places. If we attempt to remove it, the tank will leak.”
I completed the thought. “…spilling fuel all over the basket.”
“That is why they did not wish me…” She closed her eyes as a look of physical pain washed over her. “Mister… Theo. This is all my fault. They were after me, and I have brought—”
“Stop. We’ll figure it out later. First we have to…” I glanced down. It was a mistake. “Oooh, that’s a long way down.”
A picturesque view from the security of the basket turned terrifying while dangling from the rigging.
“Let’s land first, then see if we can do something about that mechanism without incinerating ourselves in the process.”
“A sound proposal.” She yanked the vent flap.
“Could we stop the clock?” I traced the array of fine levers and cables with an index finger, my other arm looped in a death grip through the rigging.
She glanced at me. “I regret that disarming bombs is a second-year class.”
I snorted. I needed it.
The scenery below drew closer, yet far too slowly for my tastes. How long did we have? A minute? An hour. It was presumably set to go off sometime during the voyage.
“When we land, we will have to tie off the mooring lines.” She clenched the basket railing. “Without our weight, the balloon will again ascend.”
I tied loops in the lines.
Details of the wilderness came into focus, individual twigs, stones… “Are we going to land before we hit that lake?”
She bit her lip. “I do not believe so.” She released the vent flap, and tugged the burner control. “It will not ignite. Further sabotage?”
“Uuugh. As if crash landing in a forest full of monsters isn’t bad enough, we find the one place…” I punched my palm in frustration. “This trip has been a bit of a disaster, hasn’t it?”
“It hasn’t been all bad.” She tipped her head. “The company was pleasant.”
I smiled. “Not was. Will be. We’ll get out of this. The lake is too small to support large predators, and we’ll hit close to the far shore… can you get out of your armor in a hurry?”
“If this is a proposal, your timing leaves much to be desired.”
I grumbled.
She lifted an eyebrow.
“I meant that swimming in armor would be…” My voice trailed off. “And you knew exactly what I meant.”
The silver-green waters sparkled in the sunlight a dozen meters below.
“The vent is closed, the burner won’t fire.” She took my hand. “I am afraid there is nothing more I can do. I am sorry to have dragged you into this.”
“For a snooty elven lady, you’re alright.” I put a hand atop hers and squeezed.
She smiled.
I smiled.
The fuel tank exploded.