Sajani Tails

Author's Note: This is a rough draft for a scene that was rejected in Benayle's Gambit. The publisher felt like the scene was unnecessary and repetitive with other parts of the story. He also considered a bit too clear about events that were happening in the background, as well as too definitive on Sajani's future. While she does play a large role in the Campaign of Steel and Lighning, the success of the world does not hang in the balance. Any one of those issues could easily be edited out, but combined made the scene unnecessary. Part of the scene has been pulled to prevent spoilers. I won't miss the scene either. It came out kind of cheesy.

Council of Aspects

      The chamber was, on its own, a flurry of motion and soft sound. The room was round and had outer walls covered with glass. Beyond the clear surface was a myriad of gears whose varying speeds made the wall almost seem like a living creature—breathing in and out and flowing constantly. From the ceiling hung a glorious chandelier, the thousands of glass prisms contained within each had their own source of arcane light. Around the room spanned a circular desk with spaces for at least a dozen to sit, which left a space two meters wide on one end to allow entry into a central area. This open space was down one step from the desk and had slightly green marble.

      A large set of double doors, handle-less and plain black walnut, moved of their own accord to allow two people to enter. The others in the chamber, a discordant group of sexes and races, looked up from what they were doing and glanced neutrally at the newcomers. The one in the lead was a harimou wearing light silks of turquoise and blue bordered by a plethora of sapphires and emeralds. Her fur was a soft yellow with spots that appeared dark blue—not normal for her race. Her blonde hair was topped by a phylactery made of gold chain with a single large teardrop teal sapphire between her pale blue eyes.

      Right behind her was a (description of Khan).

      They took their seat as the kindly looking human man at the head of the desk (did something). He was wearing a plain suit in dark brown and had his brown hair tied back in a ponytail. “Lady Svarna, Lord Khan,” there was a slight measure of disapproval to his voice.

      Before the pair could answer a lady vykati sitting right near him, wearing a purple harness and shorts, flung her silver hair behind her with a flourish and said, with a lilt to her voice, “Hush now. Shahamuri. They’re here exactly when they intended, I’m sure. It’s impossible for any of us…”

      Shahamuri cleared his throat. A sly smile crossed his face as he said, “And your husband, Randi, obviously chose not to come at all.”

      The golden furred vykati only laughed, almost like a giggle, and replied, “You didn’t invite him, and I don’t blame you.”

      “At any rate,” the dignified human continued, “I’ll call this meeting to order and turn the time over to my wife, Eheroi, for our one item of business.”

      Next to him a matronly human with black hair tied back in a tight bun stood and looked about her. She was dressed in a black skirt with a pink long sleeved and fluffy shirt. Her voice came out crisp and certain. “While it’s a simple matter,” she began, “for any of us to know the actions and whereabouts of the others, I’ve called this meeting as a means of ensuring accountability.” Eheroi looked out over her audience and sighed. “The destruction of one of our worlds is now set in motion and will have a huge impact on the world of Terah. The agency of her people must be allowed to remain in force, and we all know the only way to accomplish that. Lord Komal and Lady Indira, you played the first part of this plan.”

      The pair rose, the male was in human form, wearing a black suit, his brown hair greased heavily so it looked almost like a book with a rounded cover had been placed on his head. The other was a brown vykati, wearing the standard street clothes of that race in a vibrant red. Lord Komal began, “I required some help from Lord Mahindra.” He gave a brief nod in Randi’s direction. “With his help, I was able to find a Rhidayan general crazy enough to attempt this.” He began to take his seat, but not before quipping, “Crazy or not, if someone hadn’t cheated, I would have been victorious.”

      Lady Indira made a motion like she was going to slap the other Aspect of war across the back of the head, but a look of disgust crossed her face just before she reached his hair. Instead of hitting him, she stopped her hand short and pulled back, shaking it as she hung her tongue out. “Cheated huh? Don’t listen to that idiot…”

      Komal started to rise, but a quick glance from Shahamuri left him with a scowl on his face as he returned to his seat.

      Indira continued, “The mother of the pirate queen had no need to cheat. She fought well enough to deserve the hero status her daughter needed to keep moving the right direction. Mohi played her part in the battle.”

      A female dwarf rose from her place at the desk. Her entire body was shrouded in a dark mist and so her features were barely visible. “The copper mother” the voice came out as a whisper, but all seemed to hear, “was among the dead.”

      As she returned to her seat, Randi rose, “It was difficult,” she said, “to get Indira’s priestess to not interfere, but I managed to get the copper wolf linked up with the kind of friends she needed.” The Aspect spit. “Scum all of them. Worshipers in name only.”

      As Randi took her seat, Eheroi rose and looked around the room, “That put everything in place behind the scenes.” She made a nod in the direction of her husband. “We ensured that all the prior arrangements... were made…”

      The Aspect’s statement brought a noticeable amount of unrest to the room. Svarna sighed deeply and several others showed signs of deep concern.

      “There was no other way,” Etheroi said firmly. “It had to happen the way that Gajini suggested. No other person…”

      The named Aspect rose quickly and interrupted her. He was in the same form he had when he’d appeared to Sajani—a vykati with brown fur and white markings, although now he was dressed in dark blue suit with a white lace shirt. “Do not!” he started loudly, “fault me for that.” His wife, Ramisi, raised a hand to motion him back to his seat, but he pushed it from him. “Even with as low a seat as his family held, its effects will be felt for over a century! You asked for a noble vykati... I had no idea…”

      At this point Ramisi stood quickly and placed a heavy hand on her husband’s shoulder. She was in the form of a white vykati with brown markings and a short crop of white hair on her head. The white formal dress she was wearing seemed out of place with how forceful she was acting. She didn’t say anything, just motioned for Gajini to return to his seat and gave him a hard stare. Both slowly returned to their places.

      Shahamuri eyed both warily and then said softly, “No one faults you, honorable Gajini. The choices of those invading Terah have forced our hands. One person, no matter how high-born, completely outweighs the damage that stands to be done. That world’s cycle is more than a millennium away. If action wasn’t taken, it would end in less than a century.”

      Svarma’s voice drifted softly across the chamber. Her head was bowed and the usual rumble to her voice was gone. “We can mourn the loss, while still acknowledging the necessity.”

      Silence prevailed for a long while. None present had the motivation to say more, but duty won out in the end. Eheroi pressed her hand firmly down on the desk before her. “We did what had to be done. You gave her the warning we discussed, Gajini and Ramisi?”

      Gajini crossed his arms before him and gave a stubborn look that plainly announced he had no intention of answering that question. His wife spoke for him. Her tone was neutral in that it contained no emotion, but as such, it also advertised her true feelings regarding what she’d been asked to do. “We gave such warning as we could. Dreams are difficult to guide without taking direct control, but we managed to get our point across and placed the question you suggested into her mind.”

      Etheroi nodded slowly, “Speaking of direct control of dreams. Randi and Rahajah?”

      The golden vykati didn’t even rise from slouching on her chair, instead she just put a hand on the arm of the huge harimou next to her and nodded. The cat rose, giving of an air of complete confidence. His fur was black and spotted with a short black main on his head. He was dressed in silk robes of a regal purple. “My gift was given and had the effect we required.” There was a low rumble to his deep voice.  “No matter what choices she makes from here, her path is set. She will be able to stop the destruction of Terah.” The cat returned to his seat and offered a kind smile to Randi.

      Once he was seated the doors flew up and two vykati came running on all fours into the room. One was gold and one was silver. They howled loudly and circled the inside part of the room once before rising and letting out a feral howl.

      Their entrance didn’t seem to phase the other occupants of the room. All seemed to think their sudden appearance to be perfectly normal. The lead wolf, the gold male growled softly and made a motion towards his mate, “Ferocity and I did as you asked. The nation of Vharkylia will have the strength needed for the coming scourge.” The silver wolf merely nodded her agreement.

      All rose as Etheroi said with resignation, “Then we have done all we can. May this world not fall as some others have.”

Author's Note: This is the preface to a chapter in Faux Scent. It isn't a spoiler of any kind. Anyone that's read any of the game material knows about the event that takes place here. General Sestus even makes reference to it in Chapter 2 of The Wolf's Pawn: "They've lived past the dying of a planet..." It came up in coversation elsewhere, so I thought I'd post it to make it easier to link.

      The elves’ world was dying.

      The ground under Lady Trafey trembled. The shaking must’ve knocked some wiring overhead loose, because there was a brief shower of sparks right before the lights in the massive chamber went out. Even when it was lit, there wasn’t much to see. Outside it looked like a huge block with three large sets of steel double doors on one end. No windows. Soldiers and tanks surrounded it. Inside was a foyer area and a long hallway. Less than a second after the lights went out, she could hear the backup generators start up. She’d used generators on her different dig sites, but nothing as massive as these must have been, judging by the amount of noise they made. The lights came back on after a moment.

      It’d apparently been her government’s intention to keep the fate of the world a secret, but technology complicates secrets greatly, and word was soon out and all over the television and radio. The planet’s life could now be measured in months at the most, if not weeks or days. Faced with media hysteria, the leadership revealed what they knew to their people and assured them that a method of evacuation had been secured. When word of the government’s validation of the rumor reached the general public, the result justified the government’s original intention. There was general panic and in the more populated places, mass looting. The military had already been called back, but it was nearly powerless before the mobs. The only thing they could’ve done would be to fire on their own. The commanding general forbid it, or they might have. Some of the politicians wouldn’t have minded.

      Lady Trafey was sure that she wasn’t the only one to notice that as the days went on, there were fewer and fewer soldiers to maintain order. If there was mass evacuation happening, then military had priority. The leader of the military hadn’t been heard from in weeks and the news outlets usually carried at least one update on the war daily. Not anymore.

      When the lights returned, it became apparent that the massive throng headed to the gigantic metal gateway that was to be their escape, had attempted to press through while there was no power and the technology only worked one way. Now the tide was turning, and a wave of terrified people was cresting close to her, trying to force their way back so they could go through properly. The wave of bodies stopped just short of her and the movement forward began again. For that to have happened without reaching her, some had to have been trampled, she thought. Her suspicion was gruesomely verified after only a few steps forward. Those images burned within her mind and she knew it’d be a long time before they’d be forgotten.

      The thundering whirl of the generators stopped after a moment, but the lights didn’t dim. They were back on grid power. A man next to her whom she had never met caught her gaze and their eyes locked on each other. Lady Trafey was sure her own eyes mirrored the fear she saw in his. Without a word of explanation, each placed their hand on the other’s shoulder. The silent agreement being that it’d be harder to trample two than it was to trample one.

      With the noise of the generators gone, it might’ve been possible to talk, but none dared. They all just pressed slowly forward. She supposed it was a wonder, and perhaps a small testament to the quality of the people with her, that there wasn’t a constant trampling to get to the gate. Her evacuation notice had come in the mail and gave a date and time and address. Transportation to the capital was to be at her own expense, but there was time enough to drive there if necessary. There were fewer and fewer flights available.

      She came to a place in the wide corridor where a swirling red light tinted her vision and made the visages of those around her appear to swim and fade in a dull and otherworldly pink. She had no idea why the light was there. The man next to her was also bothered by the shadows it cast. His grip on her shoulder tightened. After a moment, she realized that she’d done the same.

      As they took a few more steps forward, she understood the purpose of the light. It marked a side hallway. Looking down the corridor she saw a male and female elf talking. One she recognized as the famous elven physicist, Clain Tesser. Lady Trafey wasn’t positive, but she believed the woman was one she’d seen a few times before with him, perhaps an assistant. She couldn’t hear what Tesser was saying, his voice was too deep to hear over the low echoes that permeated the chamber, but she heard the woman say, “They’ll find you.” Tesser said a few more things and then the woman responded by saying. “You idiot! How could you? You’ve doomed us all.”

      The slow movement of the crowd then brought her past the corridor, and she wasn’t able to hear any more of the conversation. She did, however, get a full view of the gateway. More than a hundred meters across and more than twice as high, it was made of plain, black metal and had numerous huge wires connected all the way up and down it. The amount of power it consumed was beyond her comprehension. There’d been a video playing on monitors all along the walls when she first entered that explained what was happening and a little about where they were going. When it mentioned a trans-dimensional gateway, she thought she’d be able to see her new world on the other side. The video only used a graphic to demonstrate.

      There was nothing otherworldly between the outer pillars of the gate and she could see the wall behind it. Moving forward would’ve been an exercise of total faith and trust, had the people that pressed through its opening not faded and disappeared as they did so. It did occur to her, after a few more steps, that it was possible that it was nothing more than a way to decrease the population, but the fact the military had been among the first to go made that seem unlikely. She still found herself gripping the shoulder next to her more tightly.

      Just before it became their turn to pass through the portal, the ground shook again, more violently than the last time, but without the lights going out. She thrust both arms around her companion’s neck at the same time he did the same to her. They stepped through and left a dying world behind.

      The hospital room was surprisingly home-like. There was a plain wooden dresser on the far side from the door and a bed pushed up so it sat centered on the one window. Rather than curtains, it had a sterile looking white blind. An umber wolf’s face peeked from under the bed’s covers, which fell over her almost the same as they would for a human. The lower leg seemed to have an extra bend, like the hind legs of a standard wolf. Although her head was bandaged heavily, with blood showing through in spots, she rested peacefully, her breathing slightly strained and even.

      Three wolf-like people, of a race known as vykati, entered the room. The first, a black she-wolf wearing the robes of a priestess spoke and broke the silence. “So, nothing to identify her at all?”

      An older gray male, wearing a white coat and pants, but no shirt answered. “That was quite a blow to the head. They said they were lucky to find her. One of the metal beams from the dirigible struck her down. She’s lucky to even be alive—one of the few cases where the safety spells worked. The best the healers on site could do was stabilize her and try to get her here.”

      The other male, with blue-gray fur added, “The other three survivors are recovering in our other rooms, but Dr. Nance wanted you to see her first.” He was speaking to the conscious she-wolf.

      “I don’t have the healing spells for all four…” the priestess started.

      Dr. Nance interrupted her. “They all need healing. This one though… she’ll be here for a while, even with your spells. Kalib and I bandaged her up as best as we could. The skull is fractured just above the right ethmoid and her parietal is in three pieces.” He sighed deeply. “She shouldn’t even be alive.”

      “I can’t heal a fracture,” the priestess began.

      The third visitor, presumably the Kalib that’d been mentioned before, interrupted with a note of deep sadness in his voice. “It might not matter.

      His statement caused a look of anger to cross the priestess’ face as she looked up at the doctor, who noticeably flinched. “Surely you aren’t considering just leaving her to die? I might not be able to heal the skull fractures, but I can eventually heal the rest. Between the two of us we can keep her alive. I’m sure of it.”

      Doctor Nance lowered his hands once the shorter wolf’s anger seemed to ebb. “With that strong of a blow to her skull, she might not be able to do anything when she gains consciousness. I’ve seen cases not nearly this bad where the patient ended up in a vegetative state once awake. It might be better if we save your few spells for the others.”

      The shorter female got right up in the doctor’s face and growled, “I’ll decide where my spells go, Dr. Nance, even if I have to challenge you for that right.”

      The gray wolf backed down immediately, a look of fear briefly crossing his face. “I’ll not challenge you. I was just advising.” The priestess seemed satisfied, so he turned to Kalib. “Keep an eye on our patient. If she regains consciousness, get her name and place of employment. We’ll use that information to notify her family if she can provide that much.” He nudged past the other two and exited quickly.

      As the black she-wolf began casting a short spell, Kalib smiled and said quietly, “You never know when to quit.” With a deep sigh, he turned and left the room, although it was obvious he meant that statement as a high compliment.

      The injured umber colored wolf dreamed.

      “Annalace!” an urgent voice called out. “Annalace! You’re going to be late for your fencing lessons and you know how Regalis-san feels about that.”

      Annalace did know. Being late usually meant extra drills and less tolerance for mistakes. If he was really upset Regalis-san would have her hold out her practice sword for an hour or so. That could hurt. The young wolf with umber colored fur hurried to put her wooden practice sword on her shoulder and straightened the tunic of her fencing outfit. Checking herself in the mirror, she put on her best smile, the one she used for her sixth-grade pictures earlier that year, grabbed her fencing mask and hurried downstairs to her waiting mother.

      There’d been a bit of a commotion at the gym entrance when the fencing match started, but her coach refused to tell her what it was about, just saying it wasn’t anything major or bad and she needed to focus. This was the final bout. The winner would be the district champion and go to the national finals.

      Annalace nodded at her opponent and started the salute. Sack pole was a favorite of hers from the time her instructor, Regalis-san, had introduced her to it. The opponents stood opposite each other with their backs to two poles measuring about two meters high. Attached to five rows of rings that ran up and down the pole were small cloth sacks filled with red powder. The object was to get as many cuts to your opponent’s pole without allowing the same to happen to yours.

      Annalace finished her salute and immediately started for the pole on the other side. Her opponent was ready for that and tried to take a round about route to hers. This one must have been watching her prior bouts or have actually listened to his couch’s advice. She stopped him with a wide cut where he managed to jump over her blade. Wow. This one was actually going to be a challenge. That didn’t happen often, and she was glad for the experience. The umber she-wolf brought her blade back across as he was landing, and she could see her opponent grimace as the mostly dull blade ran across his leather gear. That gave her just enough time to raise her sword over and behind her head. She saw a puff of red powder letting her know she’d hit her target. That seemed to infuriate the other wolf and he began to move aggressively toward her, slashing out with his blade.

      That was a mistake on his part. Were she in his position, she’d side-stepped and tryd to move her opponent away from the pole before pressing ahead. Instead it forced her to pass his pole where she got in two more hits as she passed. She didn’t have to try. Once past his pole the rounded bout area made it easy for her to slowly move towards her own pole, with her back to it.

      Her opponent obviously thought he had the advantage. There was a huge smile across his face as he continued forward with each parry and riposte. That meant he’d only watched this competition and knew nothing about her overall technique. A knowing smile crossed her face. He might be smaller and more agile, but this was going to be easier than she thought. Hopefully the national finals would be a little more challenging.

      Ten minutes later, the final score was 20-0, in her favor obviously. She and her opponent were drenched in sweat when the final buzzer sounded and the doors leading out of the bout floor opened. There was a flurry of activity. At first she suspected it was her fellow students coming to congratulate her, but as she looked up to the bleachers around her, she saw they were all pressing to the outer edge and not going anywhere near the stairs.

      Two soldiers, dressed in the gray and red uniforms of the Vharkylia National Army (known affectionately as the wolf pack) rushed to either side of the door and snapped to attention as a huge wolf with dark gray fur and vibrant red markings stepped slowly through the doorway and walked right up to the pair, who were still breathing hard from their bout.

      Not many of the wolf folk were taller than Annalace, but this one was by a good bit. He took the hand of the losing wolf first and shook it before turning to face her fully and bowing deeply. She didn’t have much interest in politics, but she’d heard of the unique markings of this wolf before, so he needed no introduction. “Annalace Xhav?” he said formally. “I am Lord General Abidee Fiss, the Minister of War and I’ve been following your sack pole career very closely. I hear you’re looking to join a paladin order when you graduate and given the skill I’ve seen tonight, I believe I’d like to make a few suggestions, if I may.”

      The teenaged vykati with umber fur and wearing armor that’d been pieced together to fit a wolf, certainly stood out. There’re no paladin orders in Vharkylia. Very few vykati develop an interest in anything so formal, and the rigorous training, while well within the capabilities of many, wasn’t something that entered into the normal wolf psyche. Most found a weapon or two they liked and stayed with it. If they wanted to fight, they learned to fight. If they wanted to learn to heal and cast other spells, they entered the seminary, a druid den or the Arcaneum in Drtithen. Learning both weapons and magic seemed undesirable and unnecessary.

      Becoming a true holy knight required Annalace to leave her homeland and live among humans in Zenache. It’d taken awhile to find an order that’d accept a vykati. Acceptance, it turned out was a bit of a misnomer. Allowed her a place was more accurate. Very few of the staff and students were accepting of a wolf in their order.

      Today, the Order of Light was having a tournament. She stood in formation with her fellow students and watched as the participants from other schools and orders paraded by. She’d only seen a few other vykati and they were all with the Order of Equality, a rather aggressive holy order. Annalace hadn’t even applied with them and wouldn’t have if it was her last chance to become a knight. Equality was their basic tenant, and she could agree with that. She disagreed with the ‘at all costs’ part of their creed.

      Once everyone was in place, her headmaster, an elderly and patient man named Toowilth Phark, who was dressed in bright plate armor that had a bronze tint to it, took a place at the central podium to announce the different events. Her event, the sack pole, was first. It was supposed to be near the end, but one of her instructors had proudly informed the young vykati that it’d been moved up, specifically so the “wolf-thing” would be able hand out water and towels for the remainder of the tournament.

      For the first few weeks of training, things like that did bother her. While not at the top of all her classes, she was usually above average. In many cases, the taunts and insults were as much from jealousy as prejudice. The occasional jeers, outright insults, vocal stereotypes, and laughter that suddenly went silent when she entered a room couldn’t sway her from the path she’d chosen. She’d received ridicule from her own people when she told them where she planned on going once she finished school. After dealing with the more personal level of those insults, she felt capable of dealing with it in the current situation.

      Sack pole was a favorite event before she’d entered the order. The event was timed based on the category in which it was being competed. The one that could potentially be the shortest was called a point match. The first point won. There were also a thirty second, two-minute, and ten-minute category. Annalace usually fought in the ten-minute category, but the same instructor that assigned her to water and towel duty had switched her over to the thirty second match. If it was supposed to annoy her, it didn’t work. Ten-minute fights were challenging. Thirty second matches, aside from the small amount of luck that annoyingly surfaced periodically, were easy.

      As she was approaching the pit, the nasty instructor tried to insult her directly. Annalace supposed that some vykati might’ve been offended by the epithet, but considering that she was, in fact, a female dog, it didn’t bother her much. It did, along with the things he’d done earlier, make her want to break from her normal disposition and show off a little.

      The first opponent happened to be perfect for that. She was a human that stood a half meter shorter than she and was what might be called aerobically fit—there was obvious strength to her, but not a lot of muscle mass. The shorter height and lighter weight would play exactly into what Annalace planned.

      After the two saluted, she charged her opponent and surprised her by dodging the initial strike rather than parrying it. The wolf then grabbed the human by her outstretched wrist and thrust downward. The difference in height made the strike from her knee coming up to connect with the girl’s jaw that much more painful. As Annalace slammed her left elbow down on the human’s back, she reached out with her sword and cut a straight line down one set of rings, opening all of the sacks. One point for her.

      The opponent was stunned just enough to allow the wolf time to sidestep and cut a straight line down a second set of sacks. The human was capable, just caught off guard at the beginning. Bouts usually involved swordplay, although the tavern brawler approach Annalace was using was allowed. When the human tried to make a dash toward the wolf’s pole, the vykati used a low roundhouse kick to knock her off her feet. That allowed the third set to be cut.

      The human’s sword was right before the lowest sack on the vykati’s pole when Annalace managed to parry downward hard and prevent it. The attempt to crawl forward and strike hadn’t been anticipated. It was something the wolf could appreciate though. Taking a step back towards her opponent’s pole, Annalace offered the human her left hand to help her get to her feet, which was gladly accepted. While still holding the human’s hand firmly, the wolf turned just enough to cut a fourth set of sacks with an upward stroke and the final set on the way back down.

      The bell rang. The bout was over.

      “Annalace Xhav,” the wolf with copper colored fur across the desk from her was wearing a gray and red military uniform and a slight smile that seemed surprising given the fame of its owner. Copper fur was extremely rare and there were few in the country who didn’t recognize this she-wolf immediately. If they hadn’t seen her or her mother before, then they were most likely blind or living in a deep den all their life. “I wish had more time to get to know you personally, but your reputation is impressive.”

      The umber wolf simply nodded.

      “I have an important meeting with our National Alpha that I can’t postpone, but I wanted to congratulate you personally. You will be receiving a new assignment.”

      That might explain a bit, but why did it require a meeting, even a short one with the newly appointed Minister of War?

      “You’ve been assigned to the be the royal guard to Queen Valisha.” The copper wolf rose slowly from her desk and held out her hand. Annalace rose and grasped it while leaning so the two could touch cheeks. The minister separated quickly and stepped away, lifting a few papers from her desk. “My adjunct, Lieutenant Bamalis will brief you on your new duties. Now if you’ll excuse me.”

      She’d just lowered her blade after slicing open the last of the powder, spraying a crimson mist over her and Gannack.

      He was a slight wolf with gray fur and a very mild disposition, and she loved him very much. Dropping to one knee, he began searching through his coat pocket.

      At first Annalace was worried that he’d been hurt, but once she saw the small box he pulled from his pocket and the ring it contained, she knew exactly what it meant.

      The explosion came from the back of the dirigible. Annalace would’ve woken to a much quieter interruption as would her fellow royal bodyguard, Ganack. The sound was far from the King and Queen’s room and the antechamber where the two servants were taking turns sleeping, but it put both on instant alert and scrambling to get to the vykati they were sworn to protect.

      Ganack was just in front of her and about to throw the hatches open when King Kalishad, from the other side, did it for him and stood amazingly regal looking in a gray robe. Queen Valisha was behind him in a red robe. While it was unlikely they’d been awake when the explosion happened, their appearances still managed to look like they’d just stepped in from being outside in a gentle breeze. Annalace had no idea what she must have looked like. Her sword and pistol were in her hands and she was sure her short black hair wasn’t parted and looking unwashed—not to mention her umber fur was probably matted from sleeping in the light harness and shorts she wore.

      She chided herself for worrying about such things during an urgent time and felt further reproach when she realized that Ganack was not only fully dressed, with his weapons in place, but also looked like he’d recently combed his hair and fur down.

      I’ve been too long in a job that worries about appearances, she thought. But she knew she’d never give up what she did. She loved the queen as a person and a ruler. Valisha was taking charge now as she would’ve at a major state function, a dinner party, or even just her own afternoon tea.

      “We should head to low deck,” she was saying. “I believe the lifeboats are there, and it’s where the contingency spells will be at their strongest.”

      “But do we know it’s safe?” the king asked.

      A second explosion rocked the rooms in reply.

      “We know things like that are not safe.”

      The king nodded once and started to head toward the exit, so did the queen. Their protectors took the cue, threw open the hatches before them, and checked their respective sides of the gangway. People could be heard crying and screaming, but the passageway outside their chambers was empty.

      Annalace could smell smoke, no vykati wouldn’t have, but the air around them was still clear. Her mind was racing trying to remember the layout of the dirigible. She’d spent hours studying it before they even left the capital and Ganack had spent longer. The trip to Zenache had flown them over Rhidayar—unfriendly territory. She’d been glad the flight there had been uneventful, but she hadn’t let her guard down at all for the return trip—the same trip that was supposed to bring them back to Drtithen just in time for the princess’s debutant.

      The map of the dirigible came clearly to her mind: turn right from their rooms and then down a set of steps…ladder, she corrected herself to the proper nautical term. Then walk through the first passageway on the right and down another…ladder. That would take them to the main dining room at the bottom of the gondola. There were a few lifeboats there.

      Once down the first ladder, the pelt changed for the worse. The passageways were crowded with people and too narrow to allow them to just pass by, even by force. A few tried to politely acknowledge the importance of the people she was with, but they had their own lives to worry about.

      Just as Annalace was trying to decide the effectiveness of using her large size to force others down so she could tread over them, a hatch opened to her right and a relieved voice said to her, “Bring them here.” It was the steward, Zekary. She motioned urgently and the four ducked in quickly. The crew member left the hatch open for others to use and led them through the kitchens and into the main dining area.

      Located near the front of the dirigible, the room had a high ceiling and windows that curved around the bow of the gondola. In good weather, it allowed the diners to see miles in any direction. Being night and cloudy, the dim emergency lights reflected off them. They mirrored and amplified the panic of the passengers. The tables, having been bolted down, sat in their orderly positions arcing around a large dancefloor. Table clothes and place settings were all over the floor, with only a few having managed to stay somewhat in place. The area was crowded with people, most of them vykati, and it was beginning to fill with smoke.

      Crew members were busy. Some were unfolding the life-boats—platforms that’d magically descend slowly to the ground—while others were helping passengers get in place to descend. Annalace knew the use of these lifeboats meant the crew had no control over the ship’s elevation, or they would’ve attempted a forced landing. Magic and mechanics had to have failed on many levels.

      The steward motioned them to a platform that was already assembled. As they were approaching it another explosion rocked the ship, and a lightning-like crackle of arcane energy flowed over most of the surfaces in the room. The lights went out. Annalace felt the ship drop in elevation very quickly and watched in horror as the crowd and objects around her began to float as though weightless. It might have been beautiful and fascinating if it wasn’t so terrifying. This effect seemed to last for ages and then she happened to look out a nearby window and saw a snow-covered mountain peak come into view through the clouds. She felt a magical force surround her and keep her suspended as the rest of the people and things in the room went crashing to the floor.

      The smell of blood assaulted her nostrils and she tried to see the king and queen and if the same spell that protected her was protecting them. She found herself thinking, Why only me? Why did the spell only work on me? After that something most have fallen from above because the world went black.

      She opened her eyes to see a white wall and a clipboard hanging from the foot of the bed she was laying on. Aside from those, there was nothing to indicate where she was. She remembered nothing between the dirigible crashing and now. When she tried to move to see if she could reach the clipboard, pain shot through her ribs and head and she lay back down quickly. Deciding that small movements would be better, she reached carefully towards the part of her that hurt the most—her head. It was dry and bandaged, but even the slight pressure from her fingers caused pain.

      A gray blue vykati walking past her room noticed her and smiled as he entered. “Glad you’re awake,” he said cheerfully.

      “Where…?” she began. It hurt to speak.

      “Fara Hospital, in Mescant. Between our only doctor and only priestess, we’ve been slowly getting you fixed up.” The nurse spoke with a Vharkil accent, but there was no way the airship had been anywhere near that range. She’d never heard of any place called Mescant, but if it only had a single doctor and a single nurse, it couldn’t be much of a place.

      “Where…” she began again. It really did hurt to talk.

      “Just west of the Vhykar Forest.” Apparently, this was a common question.

      Gently patting her waist, she wasn’t surprised to find her sword and pistol missing. She wasn’t sure why she’d even looked. Habit, she thought grimly. Even in a safe place, the missing weapons made her feel exposed. There was no way she felt up to moving her head to see what she was wearing, but given everything she’d seen so far, she had a pretty good guess.

      “If you feel up to it,” the nurse said politely, “I’m supposed to ask you some questions.”