'I've waited a long time to say this.' Kenward raised his voice and said, 'Catrin, Pelivor, let's fly!'
Pelivor exerted his will with the same level of quiet confidence, and Catrin did what she could to emulate his control. Slowly she gathered air and forced it through the narrow chamber. A low howling sound grew in volume and pitch as the stream intensified. Soon it was accompanied by another sound that matched its intensity.
'Woo hoo!' Kenward bellowed as the ship moved forward faster than anyone could have imagined. The sails exceeded the speed of the wind and slowed the ship rather than speed it along, and Kenward shouted for the crew to trim them.
'You're doing it!' Pelivor shouted, sounding triumphant. 'I knew it would work!'
Catrin looked back from the stern, watching as a spray of water rolled behind them, curling in on itself, racing into the space that had held the ship only a moment before. Dragons still filled the skies behind them, but the battle was breaking up; feral and regent dragons alike retreated to the clouds. The sun sank below the horizon, clouds obscured the moon and comets, and darkness enshrouded them. Knowing it would be foolish to fly blind, Catrin eased their speed, and soon Pelivor lowered them back into the water.
'The landings are the hardest part,' he said as his shoulders heaved from the effort.
Though she knew she should rest, Catrin's body throbbed with excitement and anxiety. It was a heady mixture that she knew would prevent sleep.
'The seas only know how good it is to see you, Catrin,' Kenward said as he wrapped her in a warm blanket. He and Bryn guided Catrin and Pelivor into the galley, and Grubb appeared with food more substantial than the broth they had earlier. Catrin was grateful since flying ships, or even propelling them, gave her a mighty hunger, and hearty fish steaks were just what she needed. From the wonderful taste, she knew Grubb had not gone light on the herbs and seasoning.
'How did you learn to fly the ship?' Catrin asked Pelivor when he'd finished his meal. For the first time since she'd arrived, Catrin saw him flush, and he seemed slightly embarrassed.
'It took quite a bit of time and many tries, but Kenward kept explaining to me what you had done, at least to the best of his ability. Finally I started building models of the ship and I played with them in the wind.' This statement seemed to embarrass him, but Catrin admired his creativity. 'One day I found something that worked, and after countless failures, I found some success. Kenward, of course, wanted more, and I began practicing every day. Each time, I got a little better. And now. .' He shrugged.
'You've become a master,' Catrin finished for him.
'He doesn't drop us from the sky as often as he used to,' Kenward corrected. 'I almost had to throw him overboard for trying to fly us into low-lying clouds. Who knows what flying through clouds would be like? We'd be blind and we might even drown!'
Pelivor flushed and would not meet Catrin's eyes.
'It's wet, true, and very difficult to see, but you can breathe just fine,' Catrin said.
Kenward involuntarily spit out the wine he'd been drinking and broke into a fit of coughing. When he'd recovered, he said, 'When will I ever learn not to try to match wits or questionable behavior with you, m'lady?'
Catrin shook her head. Coming from him, that was no compliment.
'Did you really fly through the clouds?' Pelivor asked.
Catrin told the tale of her and Kyrien's flight from the Godfist. It was difficult to get through without crying, but she managed-just.
'We nearly made it to the Godfist,' Kenward said, 'but Bryn spotted dragons-the nasty-looking black ones-and we turned back. The devils gave chase, and it took everything Pelivor had to keep us in one piece. The greenish ones like Kyrien came not a day too soon. That was when I started dreaming about you being stuck on an island.'
'I'm glad you came,' Catrin said.
'None of this lot believed me,' Kenward said for what seemed the twelfth time, and Pelivor rolled his eyes. 'So why are we going back to the Firstland?'
'Well, every time I dreamed about you being on that island-sometimes even when I was wide awake, mind you-I'd always see us sailing back to the Firstland. I figured you'd know why.'
Catrin said nothing for a time, every part of her conflicted. Nothing mattered to her more than getting back to Sinjin and Prios, but she had no idea what had become of those within Dragonhold or even if the defenses had withstood the assault. If they still lived-Catrin's chest ached at that thought-her chances of getting inside were dismal. Letting their defenses down to admit her and Kyrien would open the doors for the hoard of demons, and Catrin did not want to put her loved ones in greater peril, yet staying away went against every instinct she possessed. She clenched the top rail of her chair and stared down at the table.
'Do you want to go back to the Godfist?' Kenward asked.
'Yes,' Catrin said.
Kenward sucked in a deep breath. 'I'm not sure we should do that.'
'Then why did you ask?' Catrin snapped. 'If you're just going to sail to the Firstland regardless, then don't bother asking me.'
'I'm sorry, Catrin. I just wanted to know what you desired while still advising you on the dangers-'
'I know, Kenward. I'm sorry. It's just. . Sinjin. How do I abandon my son? My husband? My people?'
'I don't know,' he said, her pain reflected in his eyes.
Not able to look at her companions, Catrin gripped her chair and looked down at its seat.
'I'll take you home if that is your wish, Catrin,' Kenward said.
Silence hung between them for a time. Catrin made no move to respond, and Kenward started to stand up from the table.
'I can't leave them behind,' she said. 'Even if it takes me to my death, I must go back.'
Kenward swallowed. 'I understand.'
'I don't want you to take me, though. I'll call for Kyrien, and he can take me home.'
'But how will you fly if you no longer have your saddle? You said that was the only thing that kept you on his back.'
'I don't know. We'll just have to find a way.'
'I don't know either, Cat, but I've seen dragons fight, and I don't think you want to be anywhere near when that happens. Maybe you should let me sail you home.'
Again silence.
A feeling crept over Catrin, but she pushed it away, not wanting to let anything alter her course. She was a mother; nothing could stand in her way, but that feeling, which fostered doubt, would not be ignored. Gripping the chair so hard that she thought she might snap it, a thought occurred to Catrin. 'Kenward, what is your cargo?'
'Spices, seeds, a variety of things for homesick Greatlanders living on the Godfist, and a pair of boilin' heavy stone thrones for your highness.'
'That's it. I can use one of the thrones to travel back to the Godfist.'
'Oh, no,' Kenward said. 'I'm not going through that again. The last time you tried that, you nearly died. And how do you think I'd feel with your dead carcass on my deck? No, sir. Not me. Nope. Besides, you can't get to those thrones. They're acting as ballasts and are underneath the rest of the cargo.'
'Surely we can manage to get one of them on deck,' Catrin said.
'No. It took ten men and a hoist to get them where they are, and even if we could move one up here, I wouldn't. That would make us top heavy, and we'd likely capsize. I'm sorry. No.'
'You owe me,' Kenward said hours later, looking more agitated than Catrin had ever seen him.
Shifting, she tried to find a way to get comfortable on the cold, hard stone. She reminded herself that the throne was designed not for comfort but to act as an anchor to her physical form, which would guide her back to her body.
'I can't believe I let you talk me into this. What was I thinking?'
Looking out at clear, blue sky, Catrin knew better than to smile. The hastily cut hole in Kenward's deck provided just enough of a view for her purposes. Bales of herbs had been stacked as strategically as possible to provide the proper acoustics and the separation of the two individual chants. Many of Kenward's crew, including Kenward himself, knew both sides of the chant from their harrowing voyage to the Firstland in search of Archmaster
