by Sam Ryan
“Do you know what happened to the king’s airship?” Sophia asked.
“Destroyed,” Madilyn said, shaking her head. “It looks like the entire crew was killed. Allora thinks that Stella did it herself as it looked like a lot of magic was involved and she doubted the Lightning Brigade would be so lethal.”
“She wanted to make sure there was no way for word to reach us.” Sophia sighed, shaking her head.
If Stella thought it necessary she would not hesitate to kill hundreds. That had always been something so frightening about her. For her, the ends would always justify the means and she was capable of some terrifying means.
“How is Jezebel handling all this?” Sophia asked.
“Don’t know,” Madilyn shrugged. “She’s still unconscious as far as I know. Queen Allora woke up first. Tara and Jezebel are still asleep as last I checked.”
“And Elena?” Sophia asked.
Madilyn chuckled as she gave her a smile and a shrug. “Don’t know. She was thrown out of the hanger when we crashed and we haven’t been able to find her yet.”
“I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Sophia said, not really all that worried.
“That’s what Queen Allora said.” Madilyn nodded. “She said that once she is able, she will make her way here.”
Sophia nodded, agreeing with that assessment. Depending on how badly she was injured it might take her a while to recover, but she could not have landed too far away and would find the wreckage quick enough once she did recover.
“Thank you by the way,” Madilyn said.
“For what?” Sophia frowned.
“I heard from the bridge crew what you and the others did,” Madilyn said.
“There was nothing noble about anything we did,” Sophia smiled. “It’s hard to be truly selfless when you yourself have nothing to lose.”
“I disagree,” Madilyn said. “In times like that it would have been easy for you not to do anything. You had nothing to worry about after all. You could have easily braced yourselves properly, gotten out with a few scrapes, and already be in Trevelia searching for Stella. But your first concern was trying to save everybody, and you probably never even thought about how much it would slow you down.”
Sophia could not find the words to respond. It was true that she had not really considered what would come after they crashed. At the time she had only been thinking about how to help everyone.
“So again,” Madilyn said, giving her the warmest of smiles. “Thank you.” She leaned over and gave Sophia a long kiss on the lips.
“I’m glad to see that you are alright,” Sophia said as Madilyn pulled slightly away but her face still lingered over Sophia’s. Strands of her long hair fell down and brushed against Sophia’s face. Reaching up, Sophia gently stroked the area around her wound. “Does it hurt?”
“Only when people touch it,” she said, flashing Sophia a smile.
“You hurt anywhere else?” Sophia asked, moving her hand down around Madilyn’s side, returning the smile.
“I’m fine,” she said, shaking her head.
“You sure,” Sophia said, biting down on her lower lip. “I think I should check you over just to be safe.” She let go of Madilyn’s hand then as she wrapped her arms around her waist, shifting her own body with anticipation.
“Really?” Madilyn laughed, though she did not seem to hate the idea. “We are in the middle of a crashed vessel and that is the first thing you want to do?”
“Well, we were kind of interrupted the last time,” Sophia said. “And until the others wake up, it’s not like we have anything better to do.”
Madilyn chewed on her lip as she fought with herself. Sophia decided to make the decision easy for her. She reached around, pulling Madilyn over and rolled on top of her. The blanket falling away in the process. Madilyn did not resist and when Sophia leaned in to kiss her, she closed her eyes and welcomed it.
“These seem to be fine,” Sophia said, pushing her hands under Madilyn’s shirt and grabbing her breasts. “And what about down here.” Sophia could hardly control herself as she slipped a hand between Madilyn’s legs.
Madilyn instinctively parted them for her, never taking her eyes off of Sophia and Sophia doing the same.
***
“Ball’s, fucking, whore!” Jezebel screamed into the empty sky. “I swear when I find that wanker, I am going to make her suffer for the rest of her miserable, eternal life.”
“Glad to see Jezebel is taking this well,” Tara said, glancing up from her knife she was cleaning to Jezebel throwing her tirade.
“She is just saying what we are all feeling.” Sophia sighed, leaning back into Madilyn’s embrace. The two of them were sitting on the edge, on top of the deck of the Iron Rose. Sophia sitting in Madilyn’s lap as Madilyn rested her chin on top of Sophia’s head.
It was highly improper for the two of them to be sitting together like they were, lovers or not. Had they been anywhere else, Sophia would not have forced it. But since there was virtually no one else around, Sophia had plopped herself down between her legs. Grabbing Madilyn’s arms, she wrapped them around her waist and held them in place.
Madilyn had let out an annoyed sigh but she did not argue or try to break away and after a few minutes accepted it as simply the way things would be.
“I think my feelings might be a little less colorful,” Tara said, returning to cleaning her dagger. She was sitting next to Sophia and Madilyn, her feet dangling off the edge.
“I’m better now,” Jezebel said, walking towards them. “I just needed to get that out of my system. Never has an Iron Rose been sunk. Not once in over seven hundred years. And then that whore!” Jezebel’s calm broke and she spun around to shout at the sky once more. “Came and ruined that!”
“Oh, don’t be like that,” Tara said, sheathing her knife behind her. “It’s not sunk, it’s crashed. Sunk implies that it will never sail again. You do some work on the engines, get your Relic back, and I’m sure you could get this thing off the ground again.”
“Assuming we ever get the Relic back,” Jezebel grumbled, placing her hands on her hips. “Not like we can just make a new one.”
“You know, talking about crashed airships,” Sophia spoke up. “I have been on a total of two airship in my entire life, not counting the Rabbit or Tortoise as they are just glorified rafts, and both of these airships have crashed. I think maybe that is a sign that I should keep my feet on the ground.”
“Don’t you ever call the Rabbit and the Tortoise glorified rafts again,” Jezebel warned, jabbing a finger in Sophia’s direction.
“Good, you’re all here,” came a voice from behind them.
They all turned to see Allora walking up behind them. Behind her were his Majesty and the Prime Representative, as well as their escorts. Both armed once more. Allora had been kind enough to fill his Majesty in on what they were and who Stella was. She had also done a lot to make sure that the Prime Representative was made perfectly aware what kind of opponent they were up against. It was likely that anything Stella had said or done up until this point had been a lie for her to manipulate him to her own ends.
Upon seeing them approach, Madilyn instantly uncoiled herself from around Sophia and shot to her feet, absently brushing any stray strand of hair out of her face.
“Your majesties.” Madilyn bowed her head.
“We’re still missing Elena,” Tara pointed out, turning so she was looking behind her at the new arrivals.
“She staggered in a few minutes ago,” Allora stated. “She is resting at the moment but she has said she will follow whatever we decide.”
“Sounds like her,” Tara said, turning back around.
“And what are we going to do?” Jezebel asked. “We have been ferrying my crew to New Albion for the past two days, but what are we going to do after that?”
“Could always head back to the Empire,” Sophia suggested. “Regather our strength. Maybe take one of your fancy warships and go after Stella.�
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“I will not allow a foreign warship to enter our lands,” the Representative stated.
Sophia was about to tell the man that she could care less what he would or would not allow but Allora spoke first.
“Parliament would never allow it either,” she stated.
Sophia frowned. “Who cares what parliament will allow? You’re the queen, not them.”
“It is not that simple,” Allora stated, giving her a look that told her to stop talking now.
“Yeah it is,” Sophia shot back, ignoring the warning. “I don’t know what is going on with you and your Empire but I think you need to remember that you are the one in charge.”
“That’s enough!” Allora snapped, and this time Sophia did shut her mouth. Taking a breath, Allora regained her composure.
“Regardless,” Tara said, raising her knee to her chest, so she could push herself up. “We have no idea how far Stella’s influence goes.” She reached behind her and brushed off her bum as she took a step towards the group. “She is obviously not above killing either of you two to get whatever it is she’s after.”
“And what is she after?” his Majesty asked. “What did she gain by all of this? Is she trying to start a war?”
“I honestly don’t think she cares about that,” Madilyn stated. They all looked over at her. “If I may,” she added, waiting for permission to continue speaking. “From what I have seen and from what Stella said, it sounds like her plan has always been focused around the Legendary Relics. I am guessing the reason she got involved with Trevelia instead of any other kingdom was because they were located on top of old Arcana Ruins.”
It made sense, Sophia had to admit. She pursed her lips together as she tried her best to work out what Stella was after. What would she want with the Legendary Relics?
“But it’s more than just the Relics,” Madilyn continued. “Representative Blake, you said that it was Stella who invented the new power that you used.”
“That is correct.” The older man nodded.
“The same power that was used to activate the Relic,” Madilyn said.
Sophia took a breath as she thought she was understanding what Madilyn was getting at.
“A technology I am assuming she got from the Eternal Empire,” Madilyn looked over at Allora for confirmation.
“Not quite,” Allora sighed. “It was Stella who first came up with the idea nearly a hundred years ago. I merely had the resources to dedicate into its development. She likely took her designs and brought them over to Trevelia after I had perfected the implementation.”
“So we know that she needs to power up the Legendary Relics, and in order to do that she invents a new kind of power to do so,” Madilyn said. “So what if we assume that everything she has invented to date is somehow connected to what she is planning.”
“That means she has been planning this for a very long time,” Sophia said.
“Sounds about right,” Jezebel said, crossing her arms. “This is all fine and dandy, but what do we plan on doing about it? If you want to know what she is trying to do so badly, all we have to do is find her and force her to tell us.”
“I agree with Jezebel,” Tara said, sticking her thumb out at the woman.
“We can’t take Stella head on” Allora stated.
“Why not?” Jezebel asked. “The only reason we were so afraid to do so before was because we thought they might actually have a way of killing us. We know that’s not true, so there is no reason to be cautious anymore.”
“This is still Stella we are talking about,” Sophia reminded. “She has been out playing us this entire time and I do not see that stopping anytime soon. She holds all the cards at the moment. She knows that we are coming and she likely has already devised countless ways to stop us.”
“I agree.” Allora clasped her hands together and turned towards his Majesty and the Prime Representative. “If I may, I think it would be best if we returned both of you to your proper lands. From there, our three nations can work together in dealing with Stella.”
“Agreed.” his Majesty nodded.
“I will make sure the Representative Council cuts off all support for Stella,” the Representative stated. “We will label her a traitor. This should, at the very least, hinder her movements while we ready ourselves.”
“A good plan.” Allora then turned to Jezebel. “I know we have asked a lot from you already, and I know you have sacrificed more than you have ever wanted.”
“It’s fine,” Jezebel assured, waving her comment off. “I’ll have Yates fly his Majesty to his kingdom and the rest of us can cram inside the Tortoise. The Empire is closer, so we will drop off Allora and the rest of you there and then I can fly the Minister back to his palace.”
“I am not a minister,” the Representative stated.
“I don’t care,” Jezebel said.
“Oh, that’s going to be a fun trip,” Sophia muttered. Though she did wonder why Jezebel was sending Yates with his Majesty instead of Clementine. It seemed rather odd as Clementine was, as far as Sophia could tell, the better and more experienced pilot of the two. But Sophia tried her best not to think too hard about it, figuring Jezebel had her reasons.
“Once Yates and Clem finish taking the remainder of the crew to New Albion, we can head out ourselves,” Jezebel said, dropping her arms to her side and heading off, apparently thinking this conversation was over.
“How long until that is done?” Sophia asked, tipping her head back so she was looking up at Allora.
“Should be sometime this evening,” Allora stated. “Let’s head out first thing in the morning.”
“Will the small airships be able to make such a long trip?” Tara asked.
“If we load them up with fuel from the Iron Rose they will,” Jezebel assured. “Though, we will have to be mindful until we can get back to the Empire and fuel up again.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Tara let out a bit of a groan as she stretched her arms over her head. “Guess I’ll go get something to eat then.”
“I can think of a few things I would like to eat,” Sophia smiled, giving Madilyn a glance. Madilyn did not say anything, quickly looking away from Sophia. But as embarrassed as she had been about the subtle suggestion, she did not seem to be opposed to the idea either.
Sophia was more than ready to use this time to the fullest. After all, it seemed like they were going to be spending the next few weeks or so crammed inside an airship. This was likely they last moment of privacy the two would get for a long while.
CHAPTER 15
Max could not help but blush as she watched Queen Allora step gingerly into the hot water of the Palace bath. She could not believe that she was actually bathing with royalty. It did not matter to her that everyone one else was there as well. It did not change the fact that she was able to see a woman like Queen Allora in the buff. And Allora was seeing her nude as well. A thought that made Max suddenly very self-conscious about her washboard chest and rather boyish featurs.
Once they had finally made it back to the Itona, they were all ready to take it easy for a while and a hot relaxing bath seemed like the perfect choice. The trip had been a long one, and after spending nearly two weeks crammed inside the Tortoise, Max was more than willing to take the Queen up on her offer to spend the rest of the day in relaxation.
The Tortoise was designed for transporting raiding parties, which meant it could easily hold all of them, along with the extra food and fuel that they would need. However, it was not meant for such long flights and it started to feel very small very quickly. Cramped spaces rarely bothered Max, as she was used to them being herself a sailor. But aboard a normal airship she could at least go out on deck and get some fresh air. Something that was impossible aboard the flying box that was the Tortoise.
“That feels good,” Sophia said, letting out a long, relaxed breath.
“Mind if I don’t leave until tomorrow,” Jezebel asked, leaning her head back against the edge of the bat
h, her eyes comfortably closed. She looked like she was ready to dose off.
“I am sure that Representative Blake would not mind a short rest before you depart,” Allora stated as she elegantly sat down on the edge of the bath. Even when she was at her most relaxed and exposed, she still looked and acted like a Queen.
“Out of the way!” Tara yelled, sprinting into the bath. She leapt into the air, grabbing her knees to her chest.
“Don’t you dare,” Allora shouted, but her warning was too late.
Tara landed in the water, causing a huge splash.
They all covered their faces to try and shield themselves. That was everyone except Allora who simply raised a hand and diverted the water away from her face.
“Curse it all, Tara,” Jezebel growled, undoing the bun of her nearly white, blond hair and trying to ring the water out of it. “This is going to take forever to dry now.”
“That’s why you should have short hair,” Tara said, standing up in the hip deep water. She was favoring one leg over the other, likely having hurt herself jumping into such shallow water. But if Max had learned anything about Immortals while watching their twisted broken bodies mend them-selves over the course of several days, it was that they healed very quickly.
“You give it a few pats with a towel,” Tara continued, pushing her wet hair back with her fingers. “And its dry in half an hour, tops. Max knows what I’m talking about.” Tara grinned as she pointed at Max and her now damp short black hair.
“I do this so my hair doesn’t get caught in machine parts,” Max said, shaking the water out of her hair. “Not that I don’t mind not having the hassle of long hair,” she added.
“Has Tara made her splash of an entrance yet?” Elena asked, stepping into the bath area, Clementine a few steps behind her.
“Ah,” Jezebel said. “That’s why you two were taking so long. Smart.” She nodded, tapping a finger to her temple.
“She warned me she might do something like that,” Clem said, holding a hair pin in her teeth as she pulled up her long black hair and tied it into a high bun.