Leo just stared up at her, gape jawed as she dove from the rafter to a railing and slid down the rail on a spiral staircase on her feet and stepped lightly onto the floor by us. I prompted him, “You have something for us, Leo?”
He shook himself and stood at attention and shoved his handful of papers to me. “The latest flashes of requests, suggestions, and demands from the various realms, and a representative of the Mountain Gypsy conclave has sent word that they request an audience to discuss their contributions to the expedition.”
I sighed heavily as the weight of juggling so many personalities pressed down upon my shoulders again. “We'll look these over and we'll send for you when we have responses.” Then to Emily when Leo bowed and ran off I prompted, “Shall we get back to work? It is impossible to accommodate everyone's requests. We'd need an entire fleet just to carry the requested contingents from each Realm.”
She chuckled and said to me, “Heavy is the head that wears the crown.”
Hmm... that seemed to be the exact same thing Verna told me this morning when I whined about this when she and Kristof joined Celeste and me to breakfast. “Sucks to be you, now pass the pancakes, short stuff.” Different wording than Emily, but the same sentiment, well maybe not the pancakes part.
I sat at the nearest long table in the Library and started shuffling through the new requests, placing each on the appropriate stacks that just kept getting taller. Then froze when I saw the one I had been waiting for, the one that would allow us to deny most of the personnel requests.
If George were there just then, I'd have kissed the man. I held it up to Emily and Rain with both hands in victory as they joined me on the bench. Either George or Everly had read between the lines of my carefully worded request for as many airships as Sparo could spare for the expedition as every realm wished at least ten people to accompany us.
It was a silent plea for help, as we couldn't possibly send a contingency of over a hundred people to Sparo's first contact with the people of New Cali. It would look like some sort of invasion force. I read it out loud through my wide smile, “Great Mother Laney, as most of the airships are tasked to other priorities at this time, I regret to inform you that only the Crown's Own, the Highland herself is the only airship we can free up on such short notice.”
I smirked at the next. “Along with the Highland, we suggest two swift courier vessels as escort. The Kantu from New World Keep, and Templar Bexington has made the Outrider of Templar Hall available as the swiftest ship in the fleet.” Then I skimmed the rest. “Blah blah blah, King George, blah blah Highland... blah blah... Three Sisters conjunction... blah blah.”
Rain nodded in appreciation. “That wily old dog.”
I said, “Without mounts, and extra seating installed, the Highland can carry only twenty six. It was as large as the huge personnel transports, but was the most heavily armored vessel in the fleet as it carried the King and Queen. All that extra armor weighed a lot so the lift capacity for occupants was low. Well much greater than for the tiny vessels like the Kantu and Outrider 2, however just a small percentage of the newer heavy lift airships used at the end of the war.”
I looked to Emily and suggested, “Once we select diplomatic personnel, then a lottery for seats?” She nodded with an evil grin and I sighed, now we could finally really get to work planning. Time was getting short.
Chapter 5 – Embarking
We stood in the main courtyard in Highland Reach, the name interchangeable for Highland Keep. The members of our expedition gathered around us as the last of the supplies, trade goods, and even some duplicate reference tomes and scrolls. They were found in the basement of the Penny Library where many copies of of mostly educational or reference tomes were found along with a treasure trove of tomes that were old, even at the time of the Impact. All we could spare were loaded aboard, a loan to their Knowledge Seeker Sect.
What an eclectic group we were. Each of the fourteen realms had a scholar or noble to represent them except for Tiamant and Arcadia who couldn't afford anyone at this time as they are still rebuilding their realms from the ashes and integrating with the rest of Sparo. They trust in the wisdom of those we send to forge a new friendship with New Cali.
The People thought it redundant and possibly overwhelming for the New Calians on a first contact for members of every band and realm to show up on their doorsteps unannounced, and felt discretion was the order of the day, and instead entrusted their Great Mother and her family to speak for them.
No pressure, it's fine, just heap another spoonful of responsibility on my shoulders, I'm sure this won't be the one to break my back. Ok, so maybe I was sort of relieved since I felt we were bringing too many people as well, and it was exciting that Emily noted the specific wording from the conclave, the Great Mother 'and her family'.
Celeste was already coming, but with fifteen seats freed up, and by the request of the conclave, Misty and Shanicia would be among the first people of Sparo to witness this new land that only their grandmother has ever seen.
So with Emily and Donovan going as her spouse, not the Prime Techromancer of Wexbury, it came down to twenty-one seats spoken for after I argued down the protection detail to just three. One of the Great Mother's Own, Jezelle of course, one royal guard, and Sarafine, to watch after the children.
Queen Everly insisted that three knights go with Bex in the Outrider for security, since the Outrider, Bex's pride and joy could be operated by one person instead of the four it took to run all the other courier ships in the fleet except the Wexbury ships.
So we had to hold a lottery for the five remaining seats. I was tempted to say that we bring more cultural gifts with less weight in passengers, but George, Everly, and Rain explained that the thrill of a lottery was a morale booster in the realms. Fine, whatever, be logical and intelligent about it.
I harrumphed at the second lottery for the security detail on the Outrider when it came up with three familiar names. My eye may have been twitching a bit when somehow Lady Verna, Sir Kristof, and Sir Tennison's names were 'drawn at random' by the King himself. Funny that, what are the odds they would all be from Wexbury, and all my personal friends who have been with me in almost every major engagement I have ever faced? There were games afoot.
It didn't sit well with Jace that his knight was going on a mission without him, but he was assigned to Lady Janice until Tennison's return. I saw the genius in that, it would give Squire Raul a role model of an exemplary Squire verging on knighthood that he could observe. And if that didn't work, Jace didn't suffer fools and Raul would get a more painful lesson than Misty had handed him. I really needed Tennison to work with Jace on his propensity for not starting things, but finishing them quite soundly.
Every time I bring it up people get nervous and mention that he models himself after another Knight. Why are they always looking at Celeste when they say that? And why does she always look so innocent when I look too?
Well whatever shenanigans were afoot, I was glad Tennison was coming, he was a moderating influence on Sarafine. She and he... and... well, and Karen Baker had some sort of love triangle I didn't quite understand going on. It was as if Elise's older sister and Tennison were... umm... sharing my Gypsy sister, but not each other? Celeste calls the two, tongue in cheek, Sarafine's sister wives. I guess that was as apt as any other descriptor.
We wound up with two lords, one from Treth and one from Far Reach, two Ladies, one from Solomon, and an old wizened elder from Hell's Gate for four of the seats. And the fifth was inspired, our neighbors to the south, Flatlash had opened the lottery up to all the citizens, noble or commoner. And that fifth seat was given to a blacksmith's daughter, Laura Smith, who was a journeyman at her father's forge.
She had more muscle than most women I knew except Verna and the knight from York who emulated her, Lady Gen. But this was a different kind of muscle, it was sinewy ropes of steel under her skin from swinging a hammer and wresting heavy metal around all day
. I found it very becoming on the young woman, and the knights around us seemed to appreciate her look as well.
I thought it inspired to have a tradesperson with us who could discuss and compare notes on the craft with the blacksmiths of New Cali. I almost decreed a re-draw of the lottery and only tradespeople be in included. But what is done is done and I'm sure that there will be weekly courier vessels traveling between Sparo and New Cali in no time, once we officially work out cultural and trade agreements with our new friends.
That is what happened with New Home and Arcadia to an extent, there are daily flights to their realms now and a roadway extending from the Ring has been cleared and completed to New Home just this year, where auto-wagons can make the trip in just over a day, stopping at the Oasis for the night. Roads will be constructed from there to Arcadia, and eventually to the devastated lands of Tiamant. There is so much open trade flowing between the realms now and cultural exchange I find it inspiring.
But as I said, now there we stood in the courtyard with the mammoth Highland airship that had a completely armored gondola under it. The gondola was much smaller than most, because of the sheer weight of all the armor.
The rulers of the realms all agreed our King and Queen must be protected at all costs if they insist on flying, especially after a war like the Avalon war. Avalon Purists have allied with the marauders and Rogue magic users in Sparo to commit terrorist attacks and assassination attempts on a regular basis.
They seem too organized, being spread out so far, we believe someone in Sparo is organizing them and I'll give you three guesses who that certain Rogue Duchess of Solomon might be. Aelwen had escaped capture in Avalon just before its fall, and she is out there somewhere with the only operational gunship of the secret fleet Avalon had been building before we destroyed them all.
There were hundreds of people crowding the courtyard, and the Aratreya were holding Carnival just outside the gates, so thousands more people gathered there to watch us embark on this historic peace mission to a faraway land.
We all stood tall, representing our people as I spoke out of the side of my mouth, “Shanny, the King better have his coin purse back before we depart.”
She froze from where she was crouched behind me using my cloak to obscure her as she was counting out a large cache of gold coins. Her wide innocent eyes didn't fool me, nor the toothy grin on her adorable face. Celeste simply cleared her throat while looking regal and heroic for the crowd.
Misty would normally catch her before she lifted too many things from people, but she and Ingr were still busy with their teary goodbyes to each other. Celeste was looking the same way as me as she said out the side of her mouth, “Good lord, we're only going to be gone for three weeks, you'd think we were leaving for a year the way they carry on.”
I bumped her and said through my practiced politician's smile, “Young love, I think it's cute, and dramatic, and oh so emotional.” It was so hard not to chuckle when someone in our contingent snorted.
I looked to the sky, hovering there with their large propellers whupping slowly were the Kantu and the Outrider. They had already been loaded, provisioned, and their crews loaded and they just waited to flank the Highland when she took to the skies.
I asked, George and Everly through my teeth as I waved at the crowd, “Remind me why we couldn't have just taken off in seclusion instead of all this pomp and circumstance?”
Everly didn't even try to hide our conversation as she just burst out laughing then said as she took my white silk gloved hand in hers. “George is too much of a showman to let this opportunity to have a party go to waste, dear.”
Then when George stood up straight, raising his chin, causing the royal trumpets to sound to silence the crowd, Everly said to me quickly, “Oh, we've decided to foster.”
The crowd silenced for the King to speak, and my blurted, “What!?” echoed in the silence and all eyes were on me for my outburst. My cheeks were on fire as I clamped my mouth shut, my eyes bulging at Ev. The dirty snake! She said it just then so I couldn't ask a million questions. This was huge! They had no children of their own and Everly loved children dearly. This was monumental, the King... the King would have an heir! George and Everly would be parents!
I grudgingly stood at attention in my hybrid elegant scoundrel armor, flaring at the overly amused and smug looking Queen. A hand grabbed the back of my head and my wife turned my head slightly from Everly to George as he began to speak. I bet Celeste was in on this too! Smiting list for all!
George, always the statesman, started speaking first to the Dukes and Duchesses who had traveled just to see us off on our grand adventure, then to the whole crowd. “Today we are gathered for an auspicious day for the people of Sparo, for Mountain Gypsy and Altii alike, for we stand united as one.”
He paced the space between him and his guard beseeching the crowd like a herald. “We send these people as our representatives in this moment of history, on a mission like none before it. A mission of peace and friendship to an exotic land far away. The land of Countess Emily of Wexbury herself.”
He shook his head, a serious look on his face. “Never before in the history of Sparo has such an event taken place, and we hope that this is only the beginning as we search for other lands and other peoples who may have survived and thrived after the Great Impact. Our world gets smaller as more is discovered, and mankind may soon cover this world as it once did, in a new era of peace and industry and trade.”
The crowd erupted into cheers. I almost had to cover my ears. Ok, I was smiling as I yelled to George over the deafening crowd, “Laying it on a little thick are we?”
He shrugged and indicated the crowd. “They need something to inspire them, something to unite them. This'll do.”
Everly must have been in perfect sync with my thoughts as she slapped the back of his head. “Showboat.”
He winked at her then took her hand and raised his other, causing the crowd to silence. Then the smug man looked at me. “Our Great Mother of Sparo, Templar Laney, Hero of the Realm has something to share before our representatives load up and begin Mission Friendship. Laney?”
What? Was this a joke? The crowd silenced, all eyes on me. Nobody told me I was supposed to speak. I swallowed and shot a death glare at the King I was going to assassinate myself for this, even if he was my friend. His toothy grin wasn't helping his future any.
My mind locked up. I knew that all the great leaders always said something heroic and inspiring before they left on missions of great importance. The heralds always used those iconic words in the songs they used to educate the populace on historical events.
Celeste bumped my hip and I found myself talking, “Oh, umm.” I pulled Anadele from her sheath and thrust her skyward Father Sol glinting off her magic imbued blade as I rasped out, “For Sparo!”
The crowd roared back, “For Sparo!”
Then I gave a crooked sheepish smile as I shrugged while sheathing my blade and said, “Now let's not fuck this up.” Laughter rolled through the crowd, and I felt my blush trying to consume me as I tugged my hood on and buried my face in Celeste's shoulder as Misty and Shan grabbed our hands.
Jezelle said from behind us as the crowd cheered as we turned for the airship, “Let's not fuck this up. I think I'll have that embroidered on a napkin.”
I whined at her as we passed by her and up the ramp into the Highland, “I think I liked you better when you never spoke.”
She curtsied with a smirk. “As you wish, Great Mother.”
I pouted to Celeste all the way to our seats in the forward cabin with the pilot and two of the five men it took to fly this beast, “She didn't seem concerned.”
“No she didn't. Nice speech.”
It was my turn to smirk. “You think so?”
“Just a little.”
“I hate you.”
“Tough, I love you.”
“Ok.”
I sighed and then made sure the
kids were sitting in their seats to prepare for takeoff. We've ridden in other airships of the fleet on many occasions, and none were as smooth and streamlined for comfort and outright speed as the Outrider.
With the captain yelling out constant orders to the crew, the ship shook and groaned as men in the bay area closed the door ramp, then manually retracted the two giant anchors. Then four of the eight giant propellers that drove the ship started slowly whupping as noisy electric valves clanged and helium gas hissed loudly, filling the huge sealed space of the lift envelope and the ship creaked and groaned as it struggled to defeat the pull of gravity and take to the air.
As we lurched up from the bonds of the earth and sideslipped until the propellers could get into sync by the manual controls at the captain's station, the other four propellers, used for forward thrust, started to whup slowly until we cleared the walls of the courtyard with the people cheering below, then they spun up to a roar for a minute until the bulk of the airship finally started a steady pace forward.
The main cabin was the only area of the ship that was insulated for sound, but the electric motors were so huge and loud that there was a constant hum even in there. Then the Outrider and the Kantu slipped slightly in front of us on either side. It was a formation meant to impose themselves in front of as much of the lift envelope of the Highland as possible in a defensive manner. There were still many of the Avalonian long guns and even one tank vehicle unaccounted for from their armories, and we lost one Duchess to a sniper assassination in the past two years.
I hated that even at peace, it felt as if we were at war. I longed for a day when all the peoples of our world could live in peace and harmony, celebrating the lives our peoples have built from the rubble of the world of the Great Wizards of the Before. I would see that day. It was why I did what I did, why I accepted the role of Great Mother. Because if not, then I carried the sins of those I have killed for nothing. I bore the proof that peace comes at a cost, that doing the right thing always comes at a cost. So good must come from it all, or what was the point?
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