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Chapter 2: Flight and emergency landing

After closing the cabin-door behind him, Saito looked around for a steward. He saw one who was serving an first-class passenger, and if he was not mistaken, it was even the one who had called the copilot for him. After the steward had served the passenger, he stepped closer to him and said in a muffled voice: "The pilots told me to ask a steward to show me the call button for the canopy -door..."

"Ah, so you should come back?" The steward muffled his voice even more so that none of the passengers who were initially seated could hear anything about it. "What was the emergency you were talking about? I have noticed that the turbines have been throttled. And we seem to be over land, not over sea. Does that have anything to do with it? "

"It has to do with it," Saito replied just as quietly. "But it would be of no use to me if I explain to you in detail what our circumstances are. We can't change that anyway. All of our lives are now in the hands of the pilots, and I can only hope that the explanation I gave the pilots will give them the opportunity to get us all back on the ground safely . "

"And you can't tell me what the emergency is?"

"Better not. Your curiosity is understandable, but if I tell you what I said to the pilots, you might be too worried - and the passengers would notice that too. With a panic on board, nobody would be served, as I said. "

"We don't have a bomb on board?" Whispered the steward.

Saito laughed. "Nothing like that, I can calm you down. But at the end of the flight there will be difficulties with the landing. I can tell you that much. "

"That doesn't sound good ... well, it doesn't matter. If there is nothing we can do about it, that's the way it is. Karma..."

"Exactly. Where is this call button now? "

After the steward Saito showed the button, he went back to row 38, where Louise was waiting impatiently for him.

"Well, did you tell them what happened to us and what we can expect?" Was their first question while Saito sat down in his seat.

"A rough overview for now, but it took longer than I expected. They couldn't believe me at first, of course, and I suspect they still don't quite do it ... The thing about magic ... of course they have their doubts, and it will only change if they see it with their own eyes. You know how long it took me to put up with it. Even though I saw enough of them in the academy! You nudged me with brutal force with my nose on it. "

"An obedient familiar has to be brought up," said Louise with a blunt expression - but there was a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.

"With the riding crop? All right, let's not do that. First I got ourselves on course."

"Where?"

"Of course after Tristain, what do you think? I don't know what has happened here since we left, but if they still remember us, we can ask for a few favors. "

"Well, our nobility titles will still apply. That applies lifelong, "said Louise thoughtfully. "But our land ownership will probably have fallen into expire. Land ownership of nobles without descendants falls back to the original lender, and that is the crown of Tristain. And when we left, it was like we had died. "

"So to Queen Henrietta."

"If she's still in government," answered Louise. "I really hope so, but, as  you said correctly, we don't know what has happened since then."

"We can only hope. Do you want Les Orniélle back? "

"It would be nice to have a home again," Louise said slowly. "But we could also find somewhere else to stay. Many owe us a lot, and I wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of that. "