The moon was hidden behind a thick layer of clouds . Creeping through the faint mist, an airs.h.i.+p silently traversed the land . It moved along at a slow pace like through the darkness, faintly reflecting light like a distant star .

Only after the s.h.i.+p had taken off and was flying for a time did Cloudhawk let himself relax . From now on everything that he did would be top secret and no word would get back to Stormford . Even if he acted completely out of character no one would look at him twice . Lance’s family would be none the wiser .

Cloudhawk fiddled with a pair of Temple permits . These slips gave him and Idonea the right to apply for positions with the crusades . With the help of two major families, and the companions.h.i.+p of a Master Demonhunter’s daughter, he didn’t think there would be any trouble .

All that was left was to sneak into the fortress and blow it up from the inside!

When the priest took one step the devil took ten . No matter how water-tight they thought their forces were, there was always a chance the enemy could slip through . Cloudhawk pondered what was to come as he put his chip on his arms and leaned against the cabin table . His eyes slid over to Idonea .

She was seated by the porthole, shafts of errant moonlight playing off her features . She stared in quiet contemplation .

Idonea decided to join the army in a spur-of-the-moment decision . The girl had no idea what was really going on . How could she? What would her reaction be if she learned his true ident.i.ty? Cloudhawk noted that she was a few years younger that Asha . He felt no pride in deceiving the young girl .

As his mind wandered Idonea felt the eyes on her . She turned her head . “What are you staring at?”

His face was an emotionless mask, calm as ever . “You remind me of someone, that’s all . When she was about your age she also left on a journey to find her father . ”

She raised her eyebrows . “She lost her father, too?”

“Well, how do I put it . . . ” Cloudhawk thought for a moment . “I guess you could say so . ”

“Did she find him?”

“Many years later . But when she did he died before they could really reconnect . ”

“How did he die?”

“She killed him . ”

That was not the answer she was expecting . “How could that be? You’re telling tales . ”

“Heh, when you grow up you’ll realize that sometimes life is not so different from a tall tale . ”

“Hmph, listen to you acting like some wise old man . You aren’t much older than me!”

Selene had been around her age when she set off on her own into the wastelands . But besides the fact that both their fathers were Master Demonhunters, there weren’t many similarities between these women .

“Well, don’t pay much mind to the story . You’ll find your dad . ”

Idonea was quiet for a moment, then responded . “Thank you . ”

She just wanted some comfort . But what could he do? Tell her that he’d dumped her father on another world?

He was a rare sort of man, with amazing talent and a rare gift that he did not want to use in Cloudhawk’s service . It was a tricky problem . If Cloudhawk let him and Phoenix go, it would only be a matter of time before they caused more problems . Leaving them stranded on another planet was essentially a death sentence, just one that took a long time . He wasn’t sure how to solve this issue yet . He hoped with time he would .

Silence took the cabin once again . Neither knew what to talk about .

By the time dawn peaked over the horizon they felt the s.h.i.+p tremble . It meant the s.h.i.+p had docked . They’d arrived .

The eastern sky was gradually brightening . Their voyage had lasted about five hours . A straight shot at the speed of an average s.h.i.+p would have taken them out of the realm, but Cloudhawk looked around and saw that they were still in Stormford . They must have taken a circuitous route .

“Let’s go . ”

As man and wife and having applied to the army together, they expected to be placed in the same unit . Even the holy army wouldn’t separate them .

A military base was revealed when they stepped onto the deck of the s.h.i.+p . Idonea had never heard of this place, which was no surprise . It was secluded from the more populated parts of the realm and was a closely guarded secret . Most of the buildings were bunkers or extended underground so its surface footprint was kept un.o.btrusive . Inside, though, it was like a huge maze .

The docks were crowded with airs.h.i.+ps coming from all different directions . Scores of soldiers were pouring in to join thousands of their comrades already stationed here . They were all preparing to join the holy army and leave for Sky Fortress .

“Demonhunters! Please come this way with your identification ready!”

Cloudhawk brought Idonea down a long hallway . They were subjected to several checks until at last they reached an empty s.p.a.ce . Joining them were scores of others, all dressed as demonhunters . Many were in their middle years but there were a few fresh-faced youths . Cloudhawk and his young wife stood out among the crowd . He didn’t have a lot of time to look around before an Elysian officer stood before the group and made his voice heard .

“Transport s.h.i.+ps are on their way . Get ready to depart . ”

Over the next hour several more demonhunters arrived . Each of them were precious resources for the realm . Generally a good demonhunter was equivalent to a thousand soldiers . Gathered around them now were several hundred . It was an impressive lineup, and all this in just one transport .

All eyes rose skyward as a thunderous roar broke . A s.h.i.+ning airs.h.i.+p descended from the clouds and over the base . It had to be at least four times larger than a typical battles.h.i.+p with six visible pylons pouring energy . “You’ve got fifteen minutes to get on this s.h.i.+p!”

When the s.h.i.+p got low enough it opened several doors and people started to file inside . In short order the many soldiers were safely aboard . The doors shut and it lifted off . It took less than an hour for the s.h.i.+p to appear, take on its pa.s.sengers and leave again .

Obvious to all was the layer of energy that hung over the battles.h.i.+p . As it continued to rise at a surprising pace, no one felt any discomfort . In a short while until they broke above the clouds and moonlight flooded the decks . Its silvery blue glow painted the roiling clouds an ethereal hue .

It felt like they were on a vast, undulating sea . Still they rose . What little bits of the earth they could see beneath the clouds shrank away . The vessel’s arc carried it along until the sun appeared in the distance . Far behind them the mountain peaks of Stormford were disappearing . Below was an endless expanse of wasteland .

It was an entirely new scene for everyone aboard . Everyone except Cloudhawk .

Idonea watched it all with eyes wide as saucers . She’d thought Stormford stretched across the whole world . Now all of a sudden she realized how small her home was and how much there was out beyond the mountains!

They flew on . Six energy pylons hummed as it propelled the s.h.i.+p through the air .

As gravity gradually lost its hold the air grew thin . People walked around feeling strangely light as they reached a hundred kilometers over ground . Blue sky gave way to black s.p.a.ce and looking out at the horizon, once could see the curve of the planet .

The journey lasted most of a day .

At last there appeared a speck of light in the darkness . It expanded until everyone could clearly see the magnificent fleet of the holy army . Thousands of s.h.i.+ps were encompa.s.sed in a bubble of light, like fish caught in a net . They hung in place or shuttled back and forth in lazy patterns .

The docks were stuffed with vessels .  

Over a hundred Seraphs were employed to build a sprawling s.p.a.ceport out of nothing . Bridges of sterling white joined it all together in a staggering and impressive web . It was even more incredible when one realized it had all been done in the s.p.a.ce of a month .

In short, although the fortress was still under construction it was already a sprawling citadel . A sprawling armada was gathered, ready to launch when Skycloud rolled by below . The combined power gathered here was enough to wipe any target off the face of the planet .

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