"W-why did they attack?" someone was screaming. "They never showed any interest in us before!"

"Who are they? Who's attacking?" Fel, lacking Mindy's advantages, was completely in the dark.

"Reporting to Sira Fel!" the bright-eyed maid stumbled across the corridor as the s.h.i.+p swerved and tilted. "A swarm of dragons are attacking us! It's the one that we spotted this afternoon."

"We knew about them?" Fel stared. "Then why didn't we evade or strike first?!"

"But they didn't seem to pay any attention to us! They were just flying past at low alt.i.tude, and we've been pa.s.sing by Wilds like that everywhere, and none of them even came close…"

It was like how a naval s.h.i.+p might ignore a school of sharks swimming past deep underwater. Mindy understood it. This was the Wildlands, and there were powerful Wilds in large numbers everywhere. This group just happened to have a flight path that pa.s.sed by underneath. Clearly n.o.body expected them to suddenly attack.

After all, why would they? The knights' fleet was no easy pickings. They were strong, and they weren't bothering each other, so why would there be any sudden hostilities? Each group was just flying along, minding their own business…

BOOM! A particularly loud explosion added to more screams suddenly led to a whole lot more shaking all across the airs.h.i.+p.

"Did someone do something to provoke them?" Fel spluttered.

Did they? Mindy almost snorted. Hearing Darian's Psionic broadcast was all the information she needed. [Darian, what are you doing?]

Darian's reply was curt. [None of your business.]

[What?!] Mindy protested. [I'm on the airs.h.i.+p your dragons are attacking!]

[So? It's not like you're in any danger.] Darian shot back. [Fire wouldn't harm you.]

That… was true. Mindy had to admit it. But she did still feel a bit vexed that he appeared completely unworried about her well-being in this situation. [Look, I appreciate that you're trying to rescue me, but…]

[Rescue you? This has nothing to do with that.] Darian refuted. [We're just teaching these intruders a lesson.]

Screams echoed throughout the s.h.i.+p.

[But I don't think they're going to survive long enough to learn it.] Mindy protested.

[Somebody else will.]

[But they're humans, Darian! You're human too! Don't forget that!] Mindy cut in. [There's no need to kill them all. Just chasing them away is enough!]

[Haven't you heard? This is war.] Darian's voice was cold. [This isn't about race or species. This is about territory, and this territory is ours.]

Mindy grimaced. Darian was getting more aggressive and more and more sophisticated as he continued learning from Doom.

She darted up on to the deck and did a quick count.

Goodness! The force attacking the knight's fleet was far beyond her expectations.

Darian had come with twenty dragons! TWEN! TY! DRAGONS!

Just one of them was enough to burn an escort Frigate to nothing. The biggest dragon out here was Tor'ndras herself, a Tier 7 Elder Dragon at least thrice the length of the Galleon, if not as fat. There were a handful of Tier 6 Senior Dragons literally ripping the envelopes of the airs.h.i.+ps apart with their bare claws. A dozen Tier 5 Adult Dragons were bombarding the gondolas with streams of dragon fire. The smallest one in sight was Har'es-dras, still a Tier 4 Juvenile, and one strange-looking dragon seemingly made of s.h.i.+mmering blue light…

That's Darian! Mindy realized the reason none of the knights discovered a human in the swarm was because Darian was using a dragon-form silhouette.

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So that meant… they'd have no idea who was really attacking them. The way Darian was disguised, n.o.body would ever think a human was involved. As far as anyone could see, this was an attack by Wilds…

But then there was George. [Mindy, I'm coming to save you!!] His Psionic voice was decisive, throwing caution to the winds.

[NO!!!] Mindy blasted back urgently. [Don't screw this up! Back off!]

[But…]

[NO BUTS! Get out of here before you make an unnecessary mess! We've got everything under control!]

[But that's a battle zone out there! There are knights and dragons and airs.h.i.+ps fighting all over the place!]

[Just trust me and GO!]

BOOM! The knights' airs.h.i.+p caught fire.

POW! One of the many envelopes above containing lighter-than-air ga.s.ses burst under a dragon's claw.

"Fire!" a command was shouted. Gunshots rang out in chorus. Dragons roared in pain and fury.

Resounding roars replied from below, from above, from the left and from in front. Abruptly, dozens of large, angry Wilds rushed in from all sides.

[Mindy!] the Roc King was also arriving with the other Nine Kings.

[Here.] Mindy grimaced, knowing full well that this mess was only going to get messier, but there was really nothing she could do to stop it. [Bring in the chaos. Darian! The Flame Emperor's forces are here.]

[Good!] Darian really didn't seem to want to talk much right now. He was ripping into an escort frigate's forward batteries, all three decks of heavy magic cannons torn into and set aflame in moments.

The Nine Kings appeared from directly ahead, and they brought friends. Lots, and lots of friends.

"Holy statue of the Cardinal!" Fel's maid shouted. "So many Tier 6 and 7 Wilds…!"

"Wait till you get farther south! There's where the really strong ones are!" Mindy shouted back.

"It gets worse?!" Fel's maid gaped. "How could it get worse?!"

"Just now, it was twenty dragons. Now there's two hundred Wilds coming who are about as strong as them. What do you think is waiting farther south?" Mindy demanded.

Fel's maid paused. Then she wailed. "I'm not good at math!"

"Two thousand!" Fel smacked her over the head with a roasted chicken wing. "Ready our yacht! We're leaving!"

"On our own?!" the maid gasped.

Fel bopped her another one. "This s.h.i.+p isn't going to last much longer! We have to get to safety! Pack our dinner, and don't forget the clothes you left out to dry." She handed the chicken to the maid.

"Yes, Sira Fel!" the maid scurried off.

Mindy cleared her throat. "Well, then, Sira Fel, I bid you farewell…"

But Fel wouldn't have it. "You're coming with!"

***

They dashed down the corridors of the airs.h.i.+p as it tilted and swayed and shook every moment. Accompanied by the sounds of things breaking or exploding, Fel and Mindy stumbled their way to the rear through a great many confusing pa.s.sages and rooms that looked near identical to Mindy.

"All hands, abandon s.h.i.+p!" Jared's voice was shouting through some loudspeakers. "Abandon s.h.i.+p!"

"Come with me! We're getting out of here!" Fel called out to every crewmember and knight she crossed. Hearing the order to abandon s.h.i.+p and seeing that Fel seemed to know exactly what she was doing, they formed up behind her and pretty soon, there were dozens of people following Fel toward the s.h.i.+p's rear.

At last, they broke into a tight hangar where four smaller corvette-sized airs.h.i.+ps were waiting.

"Sira Fel!" two other uniformed maids bowed to Fel as they arrived from the third corvette.

"That's my yacht!" Fel darted for it, one hand on Mindy's collar, leaving greasy chicken stains over it.

"Fel!" Sir Fate arrived, with a pair of men-at-arms trailing.

"Greetings, Sir Fate." Aboard Fel's airs.h.i.+p, the twin maids bowed in unison.

"Bro! You're here! Good! You coming with me, or taking your own s.h.i.+p?" Fel asked.

"Uh… I'll take my own s.h.i.+p." He gestured, and his men darted to the second airs.h.i.+p berth to prepare his corvette.

"Well, then I'll see you in the skies. All aboard!" Fel barked to the crowd following her. "Prepare to shove off!"

"You managed to gather that many people?" Fate gaped. "Any more coming?"

"Wait for me!!" Fel's first maid showed up, loaded with two lunch boxes and a basket of laundry.

"You even had time to get your laundry?!" Fate gaped.

"Hurry up and get off this s.h.i.+p already!" Fel scrambled on board, and then ordered. "Shove off!"

"Heave!" several tag-along knights and crewmen took up poles and did as she bid while the airs.h.i.+p's engines hummed to life and Fel's Yacht glided out from the berth of Jared's flags.h.i.+p and out into the open air.