“Uh... Tomáš. Rád vás poznávám. Ale vážně, byl v tom zrcadle kůň, nebo se mám objednat k psychiatrovi?” The young man, now named, waved towards the mirror behind me, the one where I had seen my sister. He walked up and prodded it, but nothing happened, Alec giving a small chuckle.

“Yes, it’s a mirror. First time seeing one?”

“Considering your overall visage, I guess it actually is the first one to cross your path as well.” I couldn’t help but giggle at the shocked frown that appeared on Alec’s face, and he not so subtly positioned himself between myself and Tomáš.

“So, you can speak English, huh?”

“Would I be working in a tourist attraction if I couldn’t? That would make it rather difficult for me, don’t you think?”

“...good point. Now, what exactly did you see?” Alec’s hand began to slip into his jacket again, but I placed mine on his arm and stopped him. Stepping to his side, I wanted to know as well, before I told him anything. “Well?”

“Nothing, if you are holding what I think you are.”

“Oh good, I don’t have to bribe you. That’s where I keep my wallet.”

“Zatraceně! Ale raději tohle než přijít o život. Who would believe me anyway?” Alec glanced at me, then shrugged, turning towards the way we came. I stepped next to Tomáš and lay my hand on the mirror, where I could see myself smiling sadly.

“To, cos viděl, Tomáši, jsou jeskyně hluboko pod Canterlotem, hlavním městem země jménem Equestria... mé země.” I turned around and waved at Alec, who was pulling silly faces at himself in the mirrors. His foal like antics made me giggle, which was what I needed after today. “Chci se jen dostat domů a Alec mi v tom pomáhá. Můžu ti věřit?”

“Nejsem z těch, kdo prozradí tajemství. Počkej…” He tapped Alec’s shoulder and pointed to one of the hallways. “There are curved mirrors down that way. They will present silly faces to you with much less effort from your side.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m not that attractive. I know. Luna, we need to figure out somewhere to stay. Preferably with power and internet access.” I had no idea what this ‘internet’ thing he was on about, but understood that it was something we might possibly need. I turned to my new friend, hoping he might know of somewhere.

“Nevěděl bys o nějakém nenápadném místě, Tomáši?”

“Myslíš takovém, kde se vás nebudou ptát na jména? Hotely nepřicházejí v úvahu... Hm, spolubydlící jsou pryč, můžete zůstat u mě na koleji. A říkej mi Tome, Tomáši mi říká jen... vlastně vůbec nikdo.”

“Díky, Tome. Bez nás už by bylo zavřeno, že? Počkáme na tebe venku.” I gave him a nod and walked over to Alec and taking his hand, my other one in front of me, we made our way to the exit. Once outside neither of us broke the physical contact, and we stopped just down from the door. “Alec, I just wan… wait, I’m not speaking that other language!”

“Maybe it was just temporary, who knows? Point is we need to figure out our next move, and I spotted some equipment in the boot we could use, hence the need for net access.” There was this ‘net’ again, and I am not ashamed to admit that fishing was the first thing into my mind. A door closing and loud thudding drew our attention, where Tomáš was closing up.

I waved him over and we walked towards the car, Alec using the remote in his hand to open it. “Wow, what stunts were you performing with this? Smashing into a police car? This car could use some repairs.”

“No, some locals wanted to be speed bumps. Just get in and tell me where to go.” I giggled at the pair, a dynamic more commonly seen between life long friends, and climbed into the back seat. They would need to be in the front, after all.

Spotting an empty space, I pulled in and switched off the engine, looking up at the building. It looked like a block of apartments, which it pretty much was, and would make a perfect refuge for now. All three of us got out and I moved to the boot, grabbing our bags, as well as the briefcase I saw in there. I nodded to Tomáš and let him lead, Luna following and myself at the back.

The outer door was open, but he had to use a keycard to open the inner one, and he held the door open as we entered. I was a bit surprised not to see any form of security at the door, but if you couldn’t get in without a card, it couldn’t have been a problem. I got a bit worried as we got closer to the stairs, but breathed a sigh of relief as we went past it. After a few twists and turns we stopped at one of the doors in the corner of the building, and I put the bags down as Tomáš opened the door. “We’re alone, right?”

Both of them turned to me with a frown, but I just shrugged and dropped the bags to the floor, turning to Tomáš and waiting for an answer. “Holiday is starting in few days, no one stays here for the final lectures. In fact, no one will show up until well past New year. No spies will come for you at night, Alec.”

Sure, what I did next can be considered rude, but my paranoia levels were still slightly high. “Well, I hope you don’t mind if I check.” I pulled out my pistol and barged past, systematically searching each room. Once satisfied, I put the gun away and nodded to Luna, grabbing the bags and dragging them in.

“How many coins fit in that wallet?”

“They’ll pay the ferryman fifteen times.” I got it out again and inspected it, noticing the markings on the side. “Huh, this gun just came home. Anyway, where can I set up? The sooner I get this online, the sooner we let you get on with your life.”

“Use my table, I’ll log you on. While you get what you need, I’ll change the sheets for you.”

“Thanks.” I grabbed the small briefcase and placed it on the desk, grinning like an idiot as I saw there were no locks on it, cracking it open. Inside housed a built in laptop, with something rolled up in the lid. Switching the computer on, I grabbed the dark green package and opened it out, instantly recognising a weapon cleaning kit, as well as a manual for the pistol. “Listen, we haven’t eaten much today, and I can pay for anything that you’ll let us have.”

“I would be a horrible host if I took money from my guests. I have some beef and potatoes, it will be ready in half an hour.”

“Uh… yeah. Listen, what you saw through that portal? That’s her natural form, and as far as I know, horses don’t eat meat.”

“Oh, err I guess I have enough ingredients for a nice salad too. You don’t object to meat though, do you?” I gave small chuckle as I slid the magazine out of the pistol and set it on the side, unfolding the manual.

“No, meat’s fine for me.” We both turned as Luna appeared in the doorway, and I suddenly realised I had lost track of her. She didn’t seem to mind, and it was clear she had been into her bag and got a change of clothes, hanging in her arms. I also noticed that it was night clothes she had selected… and a short one at that. “Luna, what’s up?”

“I was just wondering, Tom, if I could get a shower?”

He retrieved pair of towels from the storage space inside the bed and handed them to Luna. “It’s the door to the right from the entrance door. Key is in the lock and you will find the shower gel in the corner of the shower. Shampoo as well if you wish.” As Luna retreated in the indicated direction, Tomáš turned to me and grinned. “So… separate beds, or should I push them together?”

I had the pistol stripped and on the desk by this point, looking past him towards the hall. “We’re not together, but she likes to snuggle, so together please.” The laptop was taking a long time to boot up, which gave plenty of time to change the room and begin weapon cleaning. I glanced around to see Tomáš still grinning at me. “What?”

“Oh nothing, just hoping your other gun is bigger than the one you’re holding. For her sake.”

“...just get dinner prepared.”

“Sir, yes sir!” He mock-saluted and marched to the kitchen, still grinning like a Cheshire cat. I shook my head and grabbed the next part, wiping it down as the laptop screen flashed, heading right to the desktop screen. Spotting an ethernet cable, and shrugging, I removed it from Tomáš’ notebook and plugged it into mine. It was a pretty good piece of kit, as I saw the notification area say it had found a network, then ‘security bypassed’. Well, at least I wouldn’t have to worry about forgetting the password.

There was only one folder on it, which I opened to find two files, both profiles of myself and Luna. Mine of course went pretty deep, whilst Luna’s just had her basic stats and name. I closed them down and opened the hard drive section, seeing… nothing. Why would they have a laptop with nothing on...

‘Alec, is that you?’

I just stared at the little text box, which had popped up from nowhere, not sure what to do. It was obviously someone from the government, but I couldn’t discern who it was.

‘I know you’ve reached your current destination.

I’ll unlock the files for you, not sure if they will help though.

Seven-two.’

Well, that was who was on the other end then. The text box closed itself, and several folders appeared on the desktop. One held more detailed files that we had paper copies of, giving exact locations, time and date they appeared, and whether or not they were investigated. The next folder had their results, which showed they knew… fuck all, really, until Luna’s arrival.

That had a complete folder to itself. I pulled up the first file, a satellite image of the area, with different layers. There was a thermal one, sort of like a set of stills from a film, which showed a warm shape emerging from the wall; Luna. The second was something that seemed to be measuring radiation, which was also centred around Luna.

Flicking back to the other files, I noticed that the first anomaly appeared about two months before Luna, and had the same sort of radiation, but at a much lower amount. The next was the same with a slightly stronger amount, and I quickly figured out the pattern; it was a steady spiral, moving into where Luna appeared, the radiation building along with it.

The one in Prague seemed to be an anomaly on its own, not part of the pattern. There was also another one, and I looked up the coordinates on the attached mapping software. I couldn’t believe my eyes, we had a long way to go! Ignoring that for the time being, I opened the folder marked ‘stronger anomalies’, hardly surprised when one was centred on the hospital where they had taken Luna and my cabin where she took us. Well, at least that explained how they found us.

“Alec, what is our plan now?” I briefly glanced to the doorway, returned to the laptop, then spun around in the chair with my eyes wide. When I got the chance, I’d have to have a word with my mother about what was appropriate, as the rather low cut and short nightie Luna was now wearing was most certainly not appropriate.

“The dinner is ready, I hope you won’t mind eating at separate ta- Oh damn. Am I interrupting something? I will just return later.” I shook my head and turned back to the laptop, feeling my cheeks on fire. I could sense Luna was still looking at me, and I heard her step closer. She leant down on my shoulder and looked at the screen… but my gaze began to drift to her chest.

“Radiation? What’s radiation?” That was enough to snap me out of it, the fact Luna didn’t know what that was, yet it was displayed on the screen. “Wait! I read that! I can read your language!” In her excitement her arms wrapped around and pulled close the nearest object; me, my face being mashed into her rather soft chest. “Oh, isn’t this wonderful?”

“Dinnpphh!” I was allowed to pull back, taking a deep breath as my gaze remained on her chest. “D-dinner is ready. Have… you got a robe?” Her head cocked at me before she turned around and moved over to her bag. It didn’t help matters when she dropped to her knees and leant forward, her nightie riding up her ass… and showing me everything.

She thankfully found one and put it on, covering herself to her knees. She walked to wherever it was Tomáš had gone to, leaving me alone, which was a good thing as I needed to calm down. Easiest way was to do something mind numbing, so I turned back to the pistol and finished cleaning it, then put it back together. I was about to leave the room when Tomáš and Luna came back in, carrying plates. “Um, Alec? We’re eating in here.”

“Huh? Oh… okay. Thanks.” I took the plate from Luna and turned back to the computer, trying not to think of what I saw a few moments ago. Fuck… she has got a nice ass. It was harder than I thought.

I didn’t understand Alec’s behaviour since asking me to put the robe on, and he had hardly looked at me. As far as I knew I had not done anything to displease him, yet that is how it seemed. Tom had taken our meal dishes and given us our privacy, but Alec just continued looking at the screen of light. I wanted to confront the issue so stood from the bed where I rested and walked over, surprising him by sitting in his lap. “Luna, I’m kinda busy here.”

“I do not care. What is the problem?” He swallowed nervously, lifting his eyes up to meet mine, then they dropped down to my now exposed chest where they lingered. Surely he… did not think my form hideous? I mean, I had no idea what amounted to beauty on this world, but I did not look that bad… did I? “Is… there something wrong with the way I look?”

“No, not at all.” I let out the breath I did not realise I was holding, giving a small giggle as his arms came up around my back, Alec pulling me close. “See, that’s the problem. I’m trying to figure this out… and doing my best not to look at you. You’re… amazing.” I felt the heat in my cheeks as I began to blush, the door then cracking open.

“‘We’re not together’, he said. You seem awfully close for just being friends.” Alec just turned to Tom with a glare whilst I giggled, then got up from Alec’s lap. I took my robe off and pulled the blankets out of the way, then took my undergarment off. “Are you gonna take me home tonight? Oh, down beside that red firelight. Are you gonna let it all hang..”

"Sing the next line and my fist meets your face," Alec butted in Tom’s quite pleasant song. I turned around to find Tom seemingly giving the opposite wall his attention, and glanced in confusion at Alec, whose cheeks were blushing furiously as he stared even more intently at the screen.

"Worth it!"

“Luna… please put that back on.” Giving him a small frown, I pulled the garment back up and slipped the two straps over my shoulders, then slipped the robe back on. I looked at the two, and realised that rooms shared with basically strange people didn’t count as places to be naked for humans. “That’s… that’s better. Tomáš, not being rude, but we’ve been on the road all day. I was going to get one, but it looks like Luna wants an early night as well. You don’t mind, do you?”

“Sure, no problem. I’ll just take the coffee machine to the kitchenette so it doesn’t wake you up in the morning. What time do you want to get up by the way? I’ll set the alarm clock.” Alec glanced at the screen once more, then hit a button on the side and turned the light off, standing up.

“We need to be at the nearby airport by nine, so whatever time will have us there for then.” Making his way to the bed, Alec stripped to his underwear, then motioned to me to get in. I had to admit, I was surprised by how comfortable the mattress was, knowing that the beds in the dorms at the School For Gifted Unicorns were unforgiving. “Luna, you don’t need to wear the robe under the sheets.”

“Oh, okay.” I slipped out from it and then under the covers, Alec following and laying with his back to me, shifting a little to get comfortable. I sat up a little, smiling over to our host, who had been nothing but polite and kind to us. “Tom, thank you for my meal, it was delicious.” I nudged Alec, who glanced over his shoulder at me, and I nodded at Tom.

“Yeah, thanks. You can cook some damn good beef. Also, got another favour to ask, if you don’t mind.”

“Thanks for the praise, it’s not every day I get to cook for someone. And ask away, It’s too early for me to sleep anyway.”

“We need to get some supplies, but long lasting ones. So if possible, could you possibly get us a decent amount of tinned fruit and veg, along with some tinned meat? In my jacket you’ll find a credit card and pin, use that. Don’t worry about the cost, neither of us is paying for it.”

I couldn’t but notice a pained expression that passed Tom’s face, even though he tried to cover it to the best of his ability. “Yeah, sure. There is a store… nearby.” He went to a wardrobe and retrieved a big holdall. “If full, will this thing suffice? The only bigger thing I have is a suitcase.” Alec lifted his head up, and gave him a nod.

“Sure, that will be fine. Oh, and if you spot anything you need, don’t hesitate to buy it.”

“Ok, thanks. I shouldn’t be long. Turn on the lamp on the table, I’ll turn of the light.” Alec reached up and clicked the small light on, the one in the ceiling extinguishing. “Ties are in the wardrobe by the way.” With that he left the room, Alec’s boot hitting the entrance door a second later. Even I picked up on the teasing tone in Tom’s voice, giving a small giggle as I laid back down.

“If we didn’t need somewhere to stay…”

“I like him, so no, you can’t hurt him.” Alec just gave a sigh, rolling over to face me. He leaned up towards to light, his face coming closer to mine, as well as his body. With a muted click the light went out, and I couldn’t help it. I pressed forward, connecting my lips to his, wrapping my arms around his neck. At first he pulled back, but then I felt him press against me, his arms wrapping around my back.

We broke apart, staying in each other’s embrace as we drifted off to slumber.

‘Pink fluffy unicorns dancing on rainbows. Pink fluffy unicorns dancing on rainbows. Pink fluffy unicorns...’ I groaned as I awoke partially, the strange but cheerful song making me smile softly, yet I had no idea why. My eyes slowly fluttered open, Alec no longer in front of me, but I felt his arm placed over my stomach, holding me close. I heard the sound of liquid pouring, followed by a thud on the table. I looked up to see Tom sat there, a cup with steam rising from it on the wood, and then the smell hit me. “Mmm, is that… coffee?”

“It said so on the package, but I wouldn’t believe them a single word. Want to find out for yourself?”

“Even the worst is the best when you have no other choice. Yes, I would try some, if you would be so kind.” I noticed he seemed stiff when standing, giving a small frown. “Did… you spend all night in that chair?”

“No, I fell off of it twice. But really, it wasn’t that bad. Milk? Sugar? Personally, I don’t add anything. Coffee is coffee is coffee. Don’t mind me, I hate mornings.” He left the room for a moment and returned with another cup, this one dark blue. I took the cup from him, nodding my thanks, and brought the hot drink to my lips. I tried not to, but I couldn’t help blanching a little at the taste; something you would never accept from a cheap knock off of Ponybucks gracing my tongue.

“Thank you, Tom, it is certainly… unique.”

“Ugh… would you keep it down? It’s too damn early to be this early.” I just giggled as Alec spoke, pulling me closer against his chest, before he suddenly gasped and sat up. He should be grateful not to have spilt my coffee. I watched as he slowly turned and frowned at Tom, looked down at me, then back to our host. “Don’t even think about it.”

“I’m not the one thinking about it here.”

“...shut up.” Alec climbed over me, grabbing a towel from his bag and heading towards the shower. I sat up and wrapped the covers around my shoulders, lifting my drink up. The taste wasn’t too bad the second time, but it still had nothing on that donut shop in Canterlot.

“So, Tom, what exactly is the time?”

“Half past six. I wanted to give you enough time to get ready, but didn’t expect you to be woken up by my alarm. My roommate usually stays asleep.” It felt strange, this was normally around the time I would go to sleep, not wake up, but I didn’t feel any the worse for it. I then noticed he had something in his hands, running his fingers over it. A quick glance up showed he had noticed me look at it.

“May I ask, what is that you have there?”

“Oh, sorry. I tend to play with it when I try to think.” He handed me a small silver pendant with tiger's eye embedded in the centre. “It’s my lucky charm. I have had it for quite some time and I believe it protects me someway. Do you like it?”

“It’s beautiful. I’m sure it will keep you safe.” I leant over, passing it back to him, but he pushed my hand back and closed my fingers around the pendant.

“No, it won’t. I wanted to get you something for Christmas and this will do nicely. You need such help more than I do anyway.”

“Thank you, Tom. Could you assist me with it?” He gave me a small nod, taking the jewel and opened the clasp, placing it around my neck. I turned to the side when I heard a door opening, Alec looking in with concern. Tom pulled away, the pendant now hanging around my neck, Alec entering and taking a closer look. “What do you think?”

“It’s a shiny rock. Tomáš, could we trouble you for some breakfast?”

“Why of course, oh pile of carbohydrates. Do scrambled eggs strike your fancy?” Alec looked a little taken back, but looked at me to see if I would agree. Whilst we didn’t eat meat, we did eat eggs, and I wouldn’t say no, so nodded at him. He then nodded to Tom, sitting next to me as our host left the room.

“Do you have to antagonize him?” I tried to be stern with Alec, but he just shrugged and moved to the desk, picking up individual items from his weapon. “If you are like this all the time, how have you made any friends?”

“I haven’t, they’re my colleagues.” A few things about his brash ponyality started to make more sense. Perhaps he could visit Equestria if… No, I must not think like that! WHEN we find a way to get me home, perhaps he could come for a visit. The weapon was back to its normal shape by this point, Alec closing the lid to the screen. “I just want to do my job, which I probably don’t have now. Not that I wouldn’t help you if I could go back a few nights.”

“I’m sorry. I’ve taken you from your family, your home.”

“And like I just said; I’d do it again. This was my choice, not yours.” My heart seemed to flutter then, he had already left once, but came back, which showed me he really did care. My small reverie was broken as Tom entered with two plates, each piled high with fluffy yellow egg and bearing a couple of slices of toast .

“Sorry it took so long. That kitchenette would be more suitable for a dollhouse.”

“You must have quite the talent to be able to make such a range of food with such a… restrictive area to work in.”

“Not really, I just got tired of eating yogurts and bread every single day.” I gave Tom a small smile as I set the plate onto my lap and went to dig in, when I noticed something missing, which Alec did also.

“Do you eat with your hands in this country?”

“Alec! He is our host, be polite!” He turned to look at me with his mouth open, but didn’t bother with what he was going to say when he saw my glare, instead giving a small sigh as he turned towards Tom.

“Sorry, didn’t mean any offence. Got any cutlery about?”

“In that napkin you are holding under that plate…” Both myself and Alec looked under the plates, and I was surprised I had not noticed the fabric there. Opening it did indeed reveal a knife and fork, so I eagerly set into my meal, Alec eating at a much more sedate pace. I glanced up, then raised an eyebrow at Tom, and swallowed my mouthful.

“Are you not eating?”

“I’ll get something later. Coffee is enough for now.” He retreated to the kitchen for a minute and returned with his hands behind his back. “You know, Alec, I got something for you too. Choosing how to pass it to you, whether hand to hand or smash it over your head, was a tough call, but here you are.”

Alec set his half eaten breakfast on the table and stood up, cracking his neck as he did so. “You didn’t have to do that, but thanks anyway.”

“Of course I didn’t, but I think you will appreciate it. You both.” He moved his hands so we could see them and presented a bottle of amber liquid and two square glasses. “I was considering absinth, but then realized you will see enough strange things even without green fairies joining in the fray.”

“Fairies? Are they the same as Breezies?” By the look both of them gave me, I was clearly wrong, and having finished my food during this exchange, cleared my throat and headed towards the bathroom to get changed. I only took around ten minutes, but when I emerged it was only Tom in the apartment. Our bags were missing as well. “Where is Alec?”

“He went to put the luggage in the car and check if the coast is clear. More coffee?”

“Yes, please. I would like to stay awake for more than a few hours at a time.” Giving me a nod, Tom moved back into the kitchenette, and I straightened out the bedding. During the period Alec had returned, giving one final look around to make sure we had not left anything behind. All that remained was the machine on the desk, which he turned off and closed up, then sat in the chair as Tom came back in with two cups, glancing at Alec.

“No thanks, coffee and I don’t agree.” He then picked up his plate and finished his half eaten meal, which must have been cold by now but he didn’t let it bother him. “I’ll be alright with juice or milk, if you have any spare?”

“There’s some milk. Do you want me to warm it up for you? Or maybe cocoa?”

“Nah, cold milk is fine, thanks.” Giving Alec a nod, Tom quickly moved to the kitchen, then returned with a glass of milk, passing it to Alec. Slowly sipping it down, he glanced at me curiously for a moment, then glanced at his wrist. “Tomáš, what time are we on? I haven’t adjusted my watch.”

“Ten past seven. You have enough time to get to the airport without rush.” Alec nodded, a few beeps coming from his wrist as he adjusted his watch, then looked at me.

“Well, I think the less time you spend with us, the lower the risk to yourself.” He looked thoughtful for a moment as he reached into his pocket, then grinned a little. “Oh, and when we get there, I’ve got a present for you as well. We’ll leave whenever you are ready.”

“Oh please. I’m a lawyer, nothing bad happens to lawyers.” Tom threw us a confident grin and walked toward the door. “Onward!” We followed him outside and I realised why Alec had kept a thick coat for me, even if it was a short walk to the car, the cold was still biting. I once more climbed in the back, and Alec wasted no time in leaving the area.

I remained silent throughout the journey, a feeling of contentment settling over me; I had seen my sister attempting to get me back, I had at least three friends on this world now, and one of them was going to stay with me until I returned home. And perhaps… he will be able to visit with me. So deep in my own thoughts was I that I missed we were slowing down, until the car came to a stop.

The building we had parked in front of bore no resemblance to anything I knew, and I was confused as to why we were there, but Alec said nothing as he removed our bags from the car. He then opened a panel at the front and pulled out a small black box… followed by slamming it on the floor and stamping on it. “Should’ve thought about checking for that first.” He waved me over and turned toward Tom, holding his hand up. “Well, this is where we part ways. Thanks for all your help.”

Tom took it and they shook, a gesture that was common in Equestria as well “Best of luck wherever you are heading. Take care of her. And Luna? Try to keep him in line. You seem to have a good influence on him.” Instead of a handshake, I stepped closer and wrapped my around him, then stood on my toes and kissed his cheek. I gave a small giggle as his expression went blank, then moved back from him.

“Thank you for all your help, Tom. Perhaps we will meet again, in another life.”

“Oh, and your present? Turn around.” He did as Alec instructed, head cocked as the only thing in his view was the car. “Use it or sell it, I don’t care. It’s yours now. Keys are in the ignition.” Alec stepped back and picked up our bags, then nodded towards the building. I was unsure leaving Tom in such a state was wise, but we did have to leave. Just as we entered the door, I heard the man we left there shout in his native language, Alec giving a small chuckle.

“DO HAJZLU S TEBOU, VŽDYŤ JÁ ANI NEUMÍM ŘÍDIT!”

“Even if I can’t understand him, I can understand his intent.” I gave a small giggle and lightly slapped his arm, the doors closing behind us. At this time of the morning, the airport was rather unpopulated a few members of staff and one man in a strange green suit, who spotted us and walked over.

“Alec and Luna?” He had a similar accent to Alec, although a bit more… snobbish, but my travelling companion just nodded. The other man took one of our bags and began to walk down the corridor, the staff that were clearly security seemingly ignoring us. “I have no idea who you are or what you’re doing, but orders are orders. I’ll secure your bags, if you’d like to climb on board.”

It was then I noticed the machine we were heading towards. It was a long sleek cylinder, with a small one on the side, with a large thing sticking out the side and the back; the whole setup reminding me of a bird. Alec gave a small chuckle as he set his bag down and took my hand, walking me around the other side and to an open hatch.

Inside were several seats, a couple of tables, and a small galley-like area. Having been aboard our airships, I easily recognised the cabin set up, although this was smaller than I was used to. The other man followed behind me and closed the hatch, then entered a door at the front. Alec gently eased me into a seat and put a belt around me, then took the one next to me for himself. After a few minutes there was a strange noise and the whole thing started to rumble, and my breaths started to speed up. “A-Alec?”

His hand instantly found mine, and I turned to see him smiling softly at me. “Relax, everything is fine. We’re just going to fly in comfort. You’re like my mother; she’s a nervous flier too.” I noticed his smile falter at mentioning his family, so squeezed his hand and closed my eyes, letting out a deep breath. He had not steered me wrong yet, and I doubted he ever would. Soon, this vehicle began moving, and I was ready for the next stage of my journey home.

Author's Note

Well, I managed to pump something out!

Massive thanks to my editor for helping with the translations! Google is good for words, but not sentences!