The Spirit of Wrath

Chapter Nine: The Siege

Narcissa had seen the airships of Zigilus many times when she and Alkela were young. Once Zarana had taken them as far as one of the landing pads. The colossal craft she was on was held aloft by massive canvas balloons and came in all sizes. Many could be seen ferrying officials off to the cities of Dinis with goods shipments. Others moved soldiers or work crews out to the roads.

Then there were the pleasure yachts, which moved at slow speeds. On them were ornate imagery of sensual desire, and the crews were every bit as desirable. Once, Narcissa had dreamed of being a courtesan on one of those.

The passengers were of all kinds, people from other lands and even worlds. You could see them drinking fine wines and playing games as they soared over the grounds. It was something called a vacation.

But no matter what ship you used, it never went beyond Dinis, and only the largest could go far beyond Zigilus. There were barriers in place, set by the gods, that prevented it. They began to fail once you reached a certain point and eventually crashed.

The farthest had been an expedition out to Macshore, led by a pilot named Carsus. Garacel had given him a light airship, one of the lightest, with a small crew and load. Yet, he made it there with one of the most formidable achievements.

However, the ship crashed, and he had to come back by boat.

For it, he had been rewarded handsomely. Later, he entered Zigildrazia's harem with high prestige and became a demon in his own right.

But this airship was gigantic and unadorned. There were hundreds of men stored upon it. And it was part of an entire fleet. Narcissa stood on the deck, admiring the landscape as it flowed beneath them. She looked up to where Garacel was approaching. "This ship is truly amazing, Master Garacel. How have we not conquered the world with these?"

"They have remarkable capabilities," said Garacel. "Unfortunately, they are limited to those areas where Her Radiance is most powerful."

"Why?" asked Narcissa.

"The other gods do not approve of all her inventions," said Garacel. "The airship was a fine idea, but it was not one the other gods wanted. They were concerned that the rapid speed it would allow mortals to travel could ruin all.

"So it is limited to the area around Zigilus.

"But in time, we will expand that area until Her Radiance's airships may fly across the world."

"I know that Illaryus taught me. I've seen long-distance airships, though. He was pulling into port in Zigilus," said Narcissa, a little irritated. "Though they were much smaller."

"This is true," said Garacel. "For the smaller craft can go farther afield. These ones', meant to hold armies, are vastly limited in what they may do. Were they to stray from them, they would fall from the heavens like lightning."

For a time, they continued on their journey. Then, the lands of long black grass began to fade away. In its place, the grass became green. The skies went from violet to red, and the trees went strange. At first, it was subtle, but they looked less carnivorous as time passed.

Soon, the lands became rocky, and the grass less green, more brownish. Cliffs began to rise beneath them, and tall mountains. They were coming to the Highlands of the Sword, the border between Calisha and Dinis.

At the last moment, Grakus arrived. He wore his armor, but his whips were coiled around one huge bicep. He bowed as Garacel looked at him. "Grakus, has all been made ready?"

"Indeed it has, Lord Garacel," said Grakus. "My warriors will go forth to meet the Kalthakians. And they will not refuse us battle."

"Why not stay behind their defenses?" asked Narcissa.