Chapter 18
The harmony of the engine’s crystals created a soft hum that soothed the last anxieties threatening to overwhelm a beautiful morning.
Blaze closed his eyes so he could focus on the sounds of his ship.
He strained to hear any note out of place, any sign that the engine was malfunctioning, but it was perfect.
Satisfied, he left the cabin and emerged onto the deck.
Durae stood with his hip cocked and his fingers drumming on the railing.
His white hair was in one long braid over his shoulder, and he played with the end of it.
Though he was without any accessory gems, no one would mistake his finely made tunic, billowy shirt, dark brown breeches, or leather heeled boots for a commoner’s garb.
Somehow, he made the look stylish rather than ridiculous.
Which was good because he’d gotten Blaze a coordinating outfit. He claimed it was adventurer’s garb. Even if Durae hadn’t done so much for him, Blaze would have worn the silly outfit. It made Durae happy, and every smile he shot Blaze’s way was worth it.
Especially since sometimes he had a very lustful look in his sapphire eyes when he smiled.
The tiny dock was empty, but the shoreline between it and the house was full.
Kidd and the whole crew from the cart stall were there.
Lady Mae and one of Durae’s fathers—Papa Hawthorn was what Blaze was supposed to call him—were with Uleyri and her fiancés.
Mack and the mess of elflings who had helped polish the ship up were grouped at one end of the crowd.
The most surprising attendee was Vespan, but apparently, he and Durae were good friends.
Blaze waved to the small crowd. His stomach flipped seven times in one direction and eighteen more in the other as he neared Durae.
The plan was to fly the ship to the Marketplace Pavilion and lower a rope ladder so interested parties could climb up.
Durae and his family were also prepared to use cosmomancy to lift or lower those who wouldn’t or couldn’t make the climb.
“Last chance to bail,” Blaze said quietly to Durae.
Rolling his eyes, Durae took his hand and squeezed once. “I told you, it’s going to work perfectly. And if for some reason it does not, you will need me to use magic to lessen our falls.”
“I would need you anyway.” Blaze kissed Durae’s cheek.
“Smooch later!” Kidd called out.
“Agreed!” Vespan added.
Blaze laughed and waved at the gathered elves one more time before heading to the controls.
He had managed a few small tests the night before, and the ship had done beautifully, but this was the first true flight.
Slowly releasing his breath, he engaged the flight controls.
The engine’s hum changed, the notes moving in synchronicity.
There was no reason to rush, so he allowed the craft to slowly rise rather than forcing it to go quickly.
The rose an inch. Then two. Then several. Soon, they were feet above the water with the soft sound of drips splattering onto the Glaesflod to announce the craft was genuinely flying. The crowd hooted and hollered. Even the refined Navisoras were boisterous.
And as much as the crowd’s cheers warmed Blaze’s heart, Durae’s delighted smile was all the praise Blaze truly wanted. The rest was nice, but the bright curiosity in Durae’s eyes as he leaned over to watch the ground grow more distant only intensified how lucky Blaze felt.
“Would anyone like a ride to the Innovation Awards?” Durae asked the crowd.
Another chorus of applause broke out. The question was a rhetorical one—they’d all decided who would ride over to the market before Blaze and Durae had stepped foot on board.
Everyone would eventually have a chance, but the first set was Mack, Uleyri, and Vespan.
The three climbed onto the ship before Blaze continued the ascent.
Once they were a few dozen feet in the air, he steered the ship toward the Marketplace Pavilion.
Mack was guiding Vespan around the ship and showing him the various genitalia subtly carved into it. They proudly declared, “I did this one myself.”
“You know if the veins stick out that prominently, there’s a problem, don’t you?” Vespan said.
“It’s artistic expression!”
Durae lingered at the railing. During the previous night’s test runs, his enthusiasm had distracted Blaze too much.
Though he didn’t have to actively cast a spell, he did need to keep an eye on the gauges and controls to ensure everything was running smoothly.
Seeing him happy threatened to steal Blaze’s attention, but he would rather cut off an ear than deny him this voyage.
At the bow of the ship, Blaze couldn’t race to the edge and see the amazed faces of the elves they flew over, but he heard the gasps and astonished shouts.
More than one called out to the gods. A few screamed in terror, but the ship arrived at its destination without incident.
Blaze set the controls so it would remain in place.
Only then did Durae excitedly run up to him and throw his arms around him.
Blaze hugged him tightly in return. Several kisses interrupted Blaze’s attempt to talk to Durae, but soon enough, Durae calmed.
Blaze stole one more long kiss before nuzzling his nose against Durae’s.
“I thought of a name for the ship. If you don’t like it, I can change it. ”
“Should I be worried?” Durae said.
“I heard you shout at Lord Gustus. My ship name would be similarly intimate,” Blaze muttered. “I want to call her the Sapphire Comet.”
Durae pressed up against Blaze. “There are many differences between Gustus and you. The first being, I love you. And I like that name. I’m very flattered by it.”
“Ready to deploy the ladder if you two are done searching the abyss in each other’s eyes!” Mack declared.
Before Blaze could answer, Uleyri shrieked. Blaze and Durae separated. While Durae immediately headed to his sister, Blaze checked his controls. The gauges said that the engine was perfectly fine, and the background hum of the crystals confirmed that. Frowning, he said, “Everything’s fine?”
“It’s not!” Durae pointed up.
Blaze followed his line of sight.
The Soaring Raerae was rising higher and higher at an alarming rate. The hope that the vessel was empty vanished as Blaze realized that elves were crowded against the railing. From their distance, he couldn’t make out words, but the general shouts of voices were cries for help.
Vespan looked through a spyglass he brought along. “Great-grandmama! Blaze! We have to do something.”
“I can’t match them for speed,” Blaze said.
“Can you get under them?” Durae asked while Uleyri said at the same time, “Can you get close?”
Blaze was already shifting the gears to fly the ship. “I can try!”
“Gods, it’s moving fast,” Uleyri said.
“Not helping!” Mack declared. They tossed the rope ladder over the edge and hurried toward one of the ropes that Blaze had used to tie the Sapphire Comet to its dock. “Get these dangling!”
“Why?” Vespan asked.
“In case Uleyri and I can’t guide them to the deck.” Durae ran to the extra supplies in the cabin and emerged with another rope that he quickly tied to the other railing.
“I can help with that, I think!” Vespan said.
“Think or know?” Uleyri demanded. “Lives depend on this!”
“I’m very good at gusts of wind, but if your cosmomancy is too strong, I won’t be able to move anyone!” Vespan replied.
“Lighten our spell control if they’re falling too far out of range of the ship, understood,” Durae said. “Does anyone have a way of telling them we can catch them?”
As Blaze reached for the mechanism that would bolster his voice, Mack crossed to the center of the deck, twisted a ring on their finger, and then shouted up at the higher ship.
“Hey, noble twats and fuckers who decided taking a thief’s coin was worth more than their honor, we’re prepared to catch anyone who jumps to us! ”
“For a limited time,” Blaze said. “We can’t go much higher!”
“Limited-time offer!” Mack shouted.
Lady Narice was the first of the elves to jump. With a swirl of movement, Uleyri caught her in the air and yanked her toward the ship. She landed with a hard thud. Multiple elves were preparing to go at once.
“Change plans. Riri and Vespan, aim them at the deck. I’ll soften the landings,” Durae announced.
Gritting his teeth, Blaze had to focus on controlling the ship and leaving the rescue to everyone else.
The airship could handle the additional weight, but it was slowing their rise.
Lord Gustus’s ship was still ascending at the same high speed it’d rocketed off with.
Elves abandoned the broken ship, and Uleyri, Vespan, and Durae got them onto Blaze’s safely.
Mack hurried to help those who’d arrived out of the center of the deck so there was more landing space for the ones who came after.
Only three had to catch onto the ropes and be helped aboard.
The last to arrive was Durae’s father, Perro. He crashed onto the deck with a harder thud than the others. For a second, Blaze thought Durae might have finally shown an ounce of pettiness, but he saw the sweat pouring down Durae’s face and the drain of exhaustion in his eyes.
“That’s it,” Perro said with a gasp. He held his arm to his chest as he stood. “The others wouldn’t leave. Gustus convinced them he had it under control.”
Blaze gave the ship above him one more glance.
Whatever was happening to The Soaring Raerae, control was not part of it.
But that wasn’t a problem he could contain.
He had a ship full of people in a space barely big enough for them to stand.
Mack had hopped onto a much bigger elf’s shoulders, as had any other elfling that had come aboard.
“Attention, everyone!” Blaze said over the crowd.
The general murmurs quieted. “We’ll head down.
I want everyone to link arms with the people next to them—those on the outside, link to people on the inside.
We are beyond capacity, so I ask that you do not shift your weight as much as possible. I don’t want anyone falling off!”
The first bout of descent went a little too quickly, and the passengers gasped, screamed, or laughed in response.
After that, Blaze had the hang of how the ship moved with the extra weight on it and managed a reasonable downward ride.
Within ten minutes, they were floating above the Marketplace Pavilion again.
Lady Mae had organized several cosmomancers to assist with helping elves off the ship.
Adrenaline plummeted faster than Lord Gustus’s ship had taken off. Blaze sagged against the ship’s wheel until Durae came to stand beside him. Then he pulled Durae into his arms, Durae’s back to his front, and let Durae lean against him. Durae rested his head back on his shoulder.
“I think you’re going to win all the awards,” Durae murmured with a yawn. “No one can deny that you designed the airship now.”
“I don’t care if I win a single one.” Blaze kissed Durae’s temple. “All I need is you.”
Durae turned his arms and smiled brighter than a hundred stars. “What a strange turn of coincidence. All I need is you.”
And they kissed.