Creeeeeak…
Amelia led Rhea and Mira out of the study and toward the castle stables. The War Wolf squad was already waiting for them; they had been tasked with escorting the trio to the Air Force base.
"Miss Amelia," Number Six said, offering a respectful salute. He was the one leading the team today.
Of the original eight members of the War Wolf squad, Chris had been promoted to Vice Chief of the Security Bureau. Most of the original members were now either high-ranking officers or training new special forces recruits. Only a few elite squads remained stationed at the castle, and Number Six's team was one of them.
"Let's go," Amelia said coldly, stepping into the carriage.
"Yes, ma'am," Number Six replied. He wasn't about to be anything less than perfectly professional.
Rhea and Mira stood frozen for a moment, staring at Amelia's back. They finally realized that Amelia was no longer the little girl they remembered; her status in Sedona City was formidable.
Once inside the carriage, Mira looked like she wanted to speak, but Rhea beat her to it. "Why are you doing this?"
"This place is better for everyone," Amelia replied, knowing her sister was referring to the exchange in the study.
"Have you considered the consequences?" Rhea asked, her voice icy. She felt humiliated today, being led around by the nose by her own little sister.
"What consequences?" Amelia turned sharply, her eyes locking onto Rhea's. "Lord Lucas wouldn't stoop to selling a few birdkin. He makes more money in a few days than those slaves are worth. You think he cares about five hundred gold?"
"You..." Rhea was speechless. She was never good with words to begin with.
"Are you going to let everyone stay on that mountain and wait to die?" Amelia looked away. She realized that learning to read and getting an education had its perks—at the very least, she could now out-argue her sister.
"..." Rhea turned her head away in a huff. She had no retort; after all, she hadn't found a way to feed their people either.
*
The carriage sped out of the city, and after thirty minutes and several security checkpoints, they reached a mountain peak. This was the Air Force base.
Today happened to be a training day. Soldiers were lined up on a specialized flight platform, waiting for Tony's command to leap off the cliff.
"Wait, what are they doing? What is that stuff on their backs?" Mira asked, staring in shock at the men standing on the edge of the abyss.
Rhea's brow furrowed. A terrifying possibility began to take shape in her mind.
"Ready! Number One, take off! Number Two, on deck!" Tony bellowed. "Five-second intervals!"
To the utter disbelief of Rhea and Mira, the soldiers sprinted toward the cliff edge and hurled themselves into the void.
"They're... they're committing suicide!" Mira gasped, her mouth hanging open.
"No... wait. They're flying?" Rhea's body trembled. Her eyes went wide as she watched the men catch the wind and glide gracefully into the sky.
"Amelia, what is this?!" Mira grabbed Amelia's shoulder. The sight of humans conquering the sky was a total paradigm shift.
"Those are hang gliders," Amelia explained calmly. "It's another of Lord Lucas's inventions. With those, anyone can fly."
It was the gliders that had ultimately convinced Amelia to bring her people here. The sky was no longer the exclusive domain of the birdkin.
"Is this why he sent us here?" Rhea asked, her face grim. She immediately saw the military implications. If these gliders became common, the birdkin's greatest advantage would vanish.
"These are for individual combat," Amelia said. She had taken classes at the base and understood the basics of aerial warfare. She often thought that if their people had known this—and hadn't cut off their own wings in desperation—they could have lived such different lives.
"Individual combat? What does that mean?" Rhea asked. She had finally dropped her arrogance. She was now looking at this weak human race with genuine fear and respect.
"You'll understand eventually, sister," Amelia said, not wanting to get into the technicalities she barely understood herself. "Come. Let's look at the other thing. This one is for heavy transport."
They followed Amelia into a large wooden structure. These buildings served as hangars for the hot air balloons. The roofs were retractable, allowing the balloons to rise directly from their moorings, saving time on setup.
Inside, a massive silk envelope began to inflate as workers stoked the burners. Rhea and Mira watched, mesmerized, as the giant bag grew larger and larger.
"Get in," Amelia said, stepping into the large wicker basket. It was big enough to hold seven or eight people comfortably.
"Ready? Cast off!" Amelia commanded, pulling the cord to the bellows.
Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
The flames roared, heat surged into the envelope, and the ground began to fall away. Within minutes, they were drifting hundred meters above the earth.
"This..." Rhea was stunned into silence. Today had shattered every truth she knew about the world.
"The sky doesn't belong only to us anymore," Amelia said, looking at her sister's trembling eyes. "And Lord Lucas is already building something even more powerful than this."
"I..." Rhea hesitated, then turned away and let out a long, defeated sigh. "I understand. I will bring the people."
Amelia felt a wave of relief wash over her. She had finally broken her stubborn sister's pride. Her people were finally coming home.
.
.
.
.
You can read advance chapters and view R-18 images of the characters on pat reon page.
pat reon.com/GreenBlue17
300 Power Stones for 1 extra chapter.
5 New reviews for 1 extra chapter.