“A far cry from the Spain you knew.”
“A few thousand years of alternate magical history will do that.” The first few days of the trip were spent cramped together in a small hold as they waited to clear Aristonian customs and be smuggled out of the kingdom. Jo had spent much of that time reading, per Takako’s suggestion. It passed the time and, after all, there was so much to catch up on. Be it her age or newfound interest, she found herself much more invested in this world than she had been in her high school history classes. It was like finding where she was always meant to be.
“They call those skywings.” Samson pointed. “The way the elves tell the tale, the early families were gifted the birds by the goddess.”TheGoddess. Jo remembered reading about that. Interestingly enough, the elves had evolved into a monotheistic religion. She couldn’t help but wonder what they’d think when they found a demigod on their doorstep. “These birds were made for them, to suit their long life spans. They live as long as a member of a certain lineage draws breath, acting both as spirit guardians . . . and convenient messengers.”
“I see.” Jo’s eyes continued to scan the cityscape. As the airship turned, they got a glimpse of the sea. “That’s . . .” Her words trailed off at the splendor of what she beheld.
At the edge of the city, stretching into the water, was an arc-shaped building. From either end, a walkway stretched, joining together to form a single road. This road, lined by giant sapphire statues that glinted as though they were moving in the sunlight, led across the strait—The Sapphire Strait, as it was known in this time—to what Jo knew as Africa, but was now the Luanian Empire. She was trying as much as possible to expunge the past names she knew in exchange for what was before her: a completely different world that just happened to share some similar continental shapes to the world she’d been born into.
“That’s the Sapphire Bridge,” Samson finished for her. “And the only way into the Luanian Empire. The other wards around the continent are virtually impenetrable.”
“How do they ward a whole continent?”
“The magic of the elves.” Samson shrugged. “They’ve been around centuries longer than the second oldest race—the fae.”
“And the fae are said to be an off-shoot of elves,” Jo recalled reading. Samson looked somewhat surprised that she knew the fact, so Jo added, playfully defensive, “Takako’s not the only one who can do a bit of research, Sam.”
His eyes wandered back out toward the city and the Sapphire Bridge, the massive structure quickly disappearing from view as the airship turned yet again. Samson rummaged through his pocket for one of his preferred cubes of wires and screws.
Jo watched as he fussed with it, eyes focused on something else entirely. She felt his magic radiating in unsettled waves, but Jo didn’t inquire. If he didn’t want to say, she wouldn’t force him to. Instead, she opted for another distraction.
“Where’s your workshop? Can we see it from here?”
Samson seemed startled, but quickly answered. “Not quite. It’s a bit off in that direction.” He raised a finger and pointed just diagonally beyond the bow of the airship. “It’s small, but we should all be able to fit.”
Their conversation was cut short by one of the smugglers poking his head out of the narrow door that led on deck. “We’re gonna be dockin’ soon. You should get under till we sort out customs.”
“Customs? Again?” Jo mused as they stepped into the equally narrow passageway through the ship.
“It’s nothing difficult. Should only take a moment on a vessel this small,” Samson assured her. “I’m sure the crew has done it a thousand times.”
Takako and Wayne were already curled up in the small cargo space positioned between cabins and the bridge—low in the hull of the ship. The few feet between them managed to look as wide as an arena as they sat squared off against each other like two fighters about to take the ring. Wayne curled his fingers into fists, where Takako gripped at the strap of the single-arrow quiver Samson had made her (a quiver that now never left her back).
“What did we miss?” Jo asked as she settled into her own space, Samson closing the hatch securely behind them.
Wayne opened his mouth to speak but Takako managed the first word.
“He wanted to pass us off as passengers and get off promptly. I insisted it was better to stick with the plan.”
“Crew. I said pass ourselves off as crew.”
“Takako is right.” Jo sighed softly. “They said we’d just have to wait until nightfall and then they’ll unload.”
“I am not made to be shoved in a corner. I travel first class or not at all,” Wayne huffed.
“Clearly not, Mr. Bigshot.” Jo enjoyed the way he contorted to avoid her gaze. The trip had been the hardest on him. At first, he’d seemed thrilled to exercise some of his less-than-savory connections to get out of Aristonia. But that also meant stepping out of the comfort zone he’d settled into; this was the first time Jo had ever met a version of Wayne not surrounded by luxury.
They passed the rest of the descent in silence, rocking back and forth with the other illicit goods as the ship slipped into port.Was it even called a port when dealing with airships?
Jo pulled her knees to her chest, rested her forearms on them, forehead on her forearms, and closed her eyes. She was now an ocean away from Snow. An ache sank into her chest, flowing through her limbs with every slow beat of her heart. It solidified in every corner of her body, weighing her down.
I’ll come for you soon, she wanted to say. But kept her mouth shut as the sounds of heavy boots ascending the gangplank rattled the side of the airship. Muffled voices could be heard over the sounds of feet shifting and boards creaking.
“. . . on behalf of the Elvish government, we’re going to need to see your papers.”
A sudden jerk of movement grabbed Jo’s attention.
Samson looked intently up at the floorboards, narrowing his eyes as if trying to peer through them. Jo wasn’t the only one who’d made note of the odd expression and uncharacteristic mannerism. Takako glanced between her and Wayne, who merely shrugged.
