It was a kindness that Captain Geneva had warned them. For the following weeks, the attacks kept coming; however, none of the attackers were from the Red Hand.

Navi was unbearably smug, but Jaehyun refused to admit defeat. “We haven’t heard any news from her counterattack. They may still not be on our side.”

Ifanta’s disguising magic came in handy, providing the ship with a cover. To ensure that she could make a believable alternate identity for the True North, she would take Casey with her to stroll the air docks. In this way, her strongest source of power had a good image of what to believe the ship had become. It worked and the ship avoided many of the attacks.

Dalkin was on the far side of Lambasca, so the alchemist would have to wait a little longer—at least until the Thunderdome competition started.

Jaehyun would never admit it, but the Thunderdome made him more nervous than he cared to admit. Representatives from the house of nobles were here to place bets, to cheer on their champions and to generally mingle. It was inevitable that he would run into familiar faces. He both anticipated it and dreaded it. The faces he knew that he would look for were those of his family. His father hated this pageantry, but his mother and sisters…they would be here. Every fiber of his being thrummed with the anticipation of seeing them. Would they recognize him? Would he have any opportunity to speak with them? How--?

“Jaehyun, we’ve veered off course by twelve degrees! What are you doing up there?” Navi’s voice crackled over the receiver, jolting him from his thoughts.

“Sorry. There was a large flock of geese,” he replied. “I thought it would be a shame to ruin the new paint job.” He corrected their heading.

There was a pause. “Good call, Captain. As you were.” She clicked off.

He sighed.

“But, there weren’t any geese,” Casey’s voice came from behind him. “Why did you lie, Captain? Or, were there magical geese?” The small girl came to stand beside him, peering at the clouds around them. “I don’t see anything.”

“Well, that was—I wasn’t--!” Jaehyun tried to come up with a viable excuse. He gave up his blustering. “You’re right. I just didn’t want to tell Navi that I was distracted.:

“Do you want me to fly the ship so you can take a nap, Captain?”

He laughed and tousled her hair. “That won’t be necessary, Casey. Thank you.” He thought for a moment. “Casey, you are good at sneaking around.”

The child solemnly nodded. “I had to be so the headmistress of the orphanage wouldn’t bother me so much. I’m pretty good at it.”

“Do you think you could help me deliver a letter to someone important?”

“I don’t know. Faffy won’t like it if I get in trouble.” Casey held up the eerie, ever-present bunny.

“It shouldn’t get you in trouble. It’s a letter to another little girl.” He glanced at Faffy. The red, button eyes stared back. “Maybe this request is too big. Forget I asked.”

Later that evening Navi broached the subject. “Who are you trying to get a message to?”

Jaehyun could not be surprised. Casey and Navi were thick as thieves. “I thought that maybe I could get a message to my mother. I haven’t seen her in almost a year. My father keeps strict watch on the family.”

Navi considered for a moment. “I bet you Ifanta would love to help you with that project. Ask her since she is our resident socialite. We can get a message—or messages—to your family.”

“Really?” It felt like great pressure was being lifted from his chest. How did that not occur to him sooner?

“Of course! She is a fairy masquerading as a human. If anyone can waltz their way into anything, it’s our fairy. Granted, she will ask for a price. Be ready for that. Fairies never do anything for free.”

___________________________

“Ifanta?” Jaehyun knocked on the fairy’s door. “May I have a word with you?”

“Just a second!” she called, sounding startled. He heard some rustling around the room before the door creaked open. Ifanta, dressed in a glamorous dressing gown peeked out. “Yes, Captain?”

“I needed your help with something when we reach Lambasca. May I come in for a moment?”

Ifanta jumped out of her door, shutting it quickly behind her. “Oh, no. I’m afraid my room is a bit of a mess at the moment.” She looked around the empty halls. “Why don’t we speak out here? No one should be here for a little while.”

“Certainly. I need help getting a letter to someone, but I can’t do it myself. Would you be willing to help me deliver it?”

Ifanta tapped her carefully painted lips with equally painted nails. “What’s in it for me?”

“What do you want? I am aware that fairies don’t work for free.” He wondered what she could possibly want that he could provide.

She thought carefully. “How about…I call in an undetermined favor at a later time?” She laughed prettily. “I can’t think of anything I want right now.”

“That’s fine!” Jaehyun agreed, not noticing the quick relief flash over the fairy’s face. He was too busy feeling relieved himself. “You take some time and think about it. Let me know.”

“Who is the letter going to?”

“…my mother and sisters. I’m forbidden from having contact with them.”

Ifanta’s face lit up. “Oh, this will be so much fun! No worries! You get your letters and watch the Lady Katarina at work.”

_____________________________

The glittering city of Lambasca rose from the plains in the distance, beset on five sides with elaborate guard towers. The capital city was known as the City of Twilight for its prominent lavender, silver and blue hues. Lambasca had five main levels created of massive, intersecting plates that spanned miles. The plates could be transversed via a sky car system. There were trolleys lines that crisscrossed the city’s streets. The city was powered by electricity and towered hundreds of meters in the air. Even from a distance, the architecture of the buildings appeared like sculpted desserts upon tea platters.

Unfortunately, Estelle could not take in too much of the view as they were approaching the city too quickly with pursuers on their tail.

“I need more speed, Navi!” Jaehyun’s voice crackled over the radio.

“I can decrease the drag by partially engaging aquatics mode. It means that we will lose about eighteen degrees worth of flexibility in either direction, but we’ll gain speed.”

“Do it!”

Navi swore as the valve wheel refused to turn. “Joseph! Get this valve open.” The apprentice jogged to assist. “Casey, give me the pressure measurement!”

“350 psi!” The small girl called. “And rising!”

The stubborn valve finally opened, flooding the system. Navi ran past the two youngsters to throw the switch to engage True North’s aquatics mode. The ship rumbled as it transformed. The massive interlocking plates set on the rubbery seals joined together to become solid, inflexible walls.

“The pressure is as high as it can go, Captain. Tell the rest of the crew to cross their legs as the toilets are now out of commission.” Navi wiped at the sweat dripping into her eyes. It was sweltering down in the engine room.

“Roger that! Have everyone strap down for evasive maneuvers!” The three in engineering sat in their special seats and hooked themselves in not a moment too soon. The ship began a steep dive while the system roared like a beast escaping hell.

They were on the final approach to the city of Lambasca at this point with a day to spare. The problem was that there were twenty, private airships waiting for Thunderdome participants to arrive. They opened fire as soon as the True North came in range.

“Air Control, this is the True North, requesting docking and assistance,” Jaehyun had radioed out, beginning to take evasive actions.

“Acknowledged, True North. Your dock is reserved on the third ring of the city, East side, Lilac docks, number eighteen. Unfortunately, we cannot offer assistance. Landing is the first part of the Thunderdome. You must make your way into the city on your own. Once you pass the guard towers, you will not be allowed to use weaponry. Good luck to you!”

Jaehyun used True North’s flexibility to twist through the initial barrage. Bullets pinged off the hull. The new burst of speed allowed them to get through the guard tower perimeters. The other airships ceased their firing and instead crowded about the True North like remora fish to sharks.

“They are trying to force us from the air!” Estelle cried on the radio. “What are we going to do? We can’t shoot them!”

Jaehyun thought quickly. “Let’s take them on a tour of the city!”

“Are you out of your mind?” Lamond chimed in. “The streets aren’t big enough and they have sky rails--!”

“I know this city!” Jaehyun silenced the protests. “We’re going through. It’ll be the best way to lose them.”

There was a moment of silence as he juked out of the way of an overeager sky jockey. He noted the colors on the ship as a former acquaintance, Lord Adrianus. Several other noble houses were represented in the flock of aircraft. He grinned. This would be the ultimate revenge on his former colleagues.

“Show us what you can do, Mr. Ace Pilot,” Navi said, strapping herself back in. The ship dove hard as if in response. In a matter of seconds, they had cut past the docks on the fourth ring and were flying down a major thoroughfare. Most of their pursuers broke off their pursuit, but four ships stayed close behind. While the street was wide enough for their ship to pass, that did not mean onlookers were safe from the effects of their powerful engine.

“Navi, reduce power by twenty-five percent! And disable the aquatics system!”

Navi loosened her seatbelt—which doubled as a safety harness that kept her connected to the ceiling—and made her way back to the system monitors. She cut of the extra water supply, redirecting its flow to a reserve tank. She could feel the ship shudder slightly as the force of the pressure driving its engines was reduced.

Jaehyun could not help but admit how much fun he was having. Outside the ship, horseless carts veered out of the way of the airship. Onlookers screamed and pressed themselves against the buildings. They roared around a corner. Then Jaehyun roared around a corner. The ship had regained its flexibility and curved easily. Two of their pursuers overshot the corner and plummeted towards the streets, skidding so that they narrowly avoided hitting the sky rail. Two more to go.

Jaehyun pulled back on the throttle and the True North rose above the buildings on the fourth ring. The other two airships rose as well. The True North climbed steeply past the third ring and had just broached the second level when Jaehyun curved it back towards the ground and upped the speed. They sped back towards the third ring. The turn was too sharp for their pursuers who continued to climb past them and rejoin the waiting ships outside the city. They were clear.

Jaehyun followed the roads and pulled the True North into their assigned dock with flair that sent the dockhands running for cover. He heard the pulley system back in the hall activate as the three emerged from the engine room. Their boots clattered as they burst out onto the bridge for their first look at the capital. Somehow the other had gathered on the bridge as well.

“I can’t believe we’re here!” Joseph crowed. “It’s amazing!”

Navi grinned up at the pilot. “Nice flying, Mr. Ace Pilot!” The sincerity of her compliment made him flush.

He tugged his cap a little lower to help hide his face. “It’s what you hired me for, right?”

“Best money I ever spent,” she replied, hugging Casey to her.

Their radio crackled to life. “Excellent flying, True North. The rules do not allow for harm to come to the competitors once they successfully dock. You may take your ease before tomorrow’s race. Welcome to Lambasca! Air Control, out!”