—----—---

  ~Five minutes later

  —--------------------------

  Flipping the hourglass got monotonous quickly as I was using the miniature version for longer than thirty minutes.

  I was looking forward to not only being near Cerys but having an hourglass I would only need to flip once every day or so.

  I wondered if I should have even cared about my mother's health. For all I knew, she could have been manipulating me to play right into the palm of their designs for me. She certainly hasn't had very much evidence to the contrary. Only a few confusing inconsistencies lately. But I detected a familial bond from her through all that rough, abusive treatment she has been putting me through these past few days especially. I was just so unsure. Just a day ago, she was threatening to kill an entire noble house she herself helped raise. But in-between the dehumanizing and threats, there was something more I couldn't quite place. Was it hope? I still couldn't quite tell, even with me replaying all that had happened in relation to her between now and the last seventy-two hours.

  I shrugged, seeing the sky finally peeking through the meter wide exit, putting my speculation away for now.

  I spread my magical will past the doorway and focused.

  Cerys was still there, her magical signature was calmed, but still a tad chaotic. I either couldn't sense Agent Seer, most likely choosing to erase his presence with whatever method he used, or he wasn't there.

  As I burst through the opening, moving at a speed that made the winds slap into my face, I looked around with my physical eyes, taking in the area with an observant gaze while floating still for a sec.

  Agent Seer was already staring at me, next to him was Cerys, still sitting in the hourglass turned floating chair, a relieved look on her face when she saw me floating there.

  I approached them, at a slower pace now, still looking around with skepticism. I was waiting for something to happen. Anything. The old seer’s promise had run out as I exited the mobile cog, so I must be extra cautious.

  The seer was the first to talk, with an urgency and seriousness that made me listen carefully, when I got into earshot range. “You two must leave,” He stated, “in thirty seconds, a dart-wasp class transport will appear.” He took a breath, “you must board it with Cerys and never look back once you do.” My mind whirled, picking apart the instructions and focusing on the implications that something was coming.

  Something so powerful, that even a slight observation of it may be harmful.

  My only knowledge of such a being would be an anti-matter dragon or something of a similar power. One that would melt or harm the consciousness or magical source of lesser beings.

  I nodded, sensing the vital importance of carrying out said instructions.

  “Three, two, one, now.” He counted down.

  With a pop of displaced air, the sleek, single cog winged fighter-transport popped into view ten meters in front of Cerys and I. My focus was on the transport, I manipulated the chair and I into the opened side fuselage. The damage on the craft was not lost in my observations. There were cracks on the magi-metal carapace; in those cracks, lead projectiles were embedded. Hundreds of them. All deformed as though they impacted the craft at supreme speeds. One of the pilots in the craft was either dying or just now dead. Judging by the blood splatter on the wind shield at the front and the pool of blood running off into the cabin where a house Severance space mage sat, focusing on a cog glowing with a pale, grey magical will in his hands. The maine next to him, holding a magi-bluss, put at low ready, shouted, “get in, master mages!” As Cerys stepped off onto the cabin, I made the chair into a multitude of different parts. With my electrical magic energy, I welded the parts into the damaged craft at the places where the structural integrity of the craft was most compromised. The excess metals, I flaked off and brought to my right hand.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  With a clank, I landed into the cabin, closed the door forcefully and commanded “All occupants accounted for, disembark.” The spacial mage then rattled off, “spacial wormhole opening in three, two, one, entered.” He then focused even heavier on the cog in his hands that glowed even brighter with the grey magical energy. My stomach dropped heavily as the ambient gravity shifted and the light around the ship turned to lines. I ignored the feeling of vertigo as my mind swirled with many tasks to check off, the first one being the most important; someone’s life.

  The light dimmed, the overhead magi-light glowed its soft illuminate light. “Where is the blood coming from?” I demanded with a sure voice. The marine’s dull green eyes moved past me. My sight moved up the aisle, it landed on a man who had been hit once in the top left shoulder from right to left through, I moved toward him. I kneeled down, checked his pulse and felt nothing, his blue eyes glassy and unresponsive. One of the metal shards was glowing as I sent an extremely weakened pulse of electrical magical energy in order to hopefully reset his heart without turning him into smouldering ash. I retracted the electrical charge from the metal shard and inserted it quickly into the entrance wound, held it for five seconds, then took it out quickly, watching for any skin that may have come with it, none was on it. His bleeding stopped and he jolted up, his right hand shot up and moved toward my throat as his fight or flight response flared. I caught and held his wrist with my left as I pushed him down with my right hand, putting pressure on his right leg with my left that tried to come up to bash the temple of my head with the knee.

  “Stand down, pilot,” my eyes glanced at his identity tag on the seat, which already had the chain of small gears snapped apart, caked in drying blood, “Sampson, I am your pickup, sir Erec Dohiedron, you are safe from now on but not out of the grasp of the great work just yet.”

  His eyes showed recognition at my colors pinned onto my parade dress, then panic of realization, likely the understanding that he just tried to not only assault nobility but kill his savior.

  He then fell back into unconsciousness, going limp in my hold.

  I gently let him down, stood up and glanced around at my surroundings making sure I was still in ordinary time, the small hourglass still dropping the grains of sand one by one, second by second. Good, I made progress, I thought.

  I then turned to the marine, who now had stepped back, let the magi-bluss hang on his plated torso and snapped into the salute I’ve been so accustomed to giving. “For the imperial will!” He stood ready for orders.

  “For the eternal service, at ease, marine.” I returned.

  He went into parade rest, his eyes full of appreciation and vigor.

  “What is your name, marine, where are we going, what attacked you, is it still alive?” I questioned in rapid succession.

  The marine reported, “sir, Ridley, sir, we are on approach to Volos air base, we were ambushed by a wormhole capable craft, sir, it was turned to dust mid strafing run by the dart-wasps’ tail cannon, sir.” He said proudly, likely being the one who made the shot.

  “Any more wounded, do you have medical equipment or a healer for said wounded?” I continued.

  “Regretably, no sir, we are at less than half crew, only given the command and no ready-up time, sir!” He once again reported without error.

  I was slightly skeptical, but pushed it to the side since he could have already shot me a few times by now. There were no signs of boarding and no signs of internal combat. The soldier also was a textbook commoner turned garrison if I ever saw one.

  “Dismissed, watch Pilot Sampson for me, alert me to any changes.” I ordered, then moved over to the spacial mage. The spacial mage looked mostly fine, sweating slightly, but unwounded and still full of power. “Can you take us to Ahadia instead of Voloss air base?” I questioned. The mage’s eyes moved along the cog, as though it had the answers he needed.

  “Yes sir, as long as the craft stays in the shape you put it in, it will make it, I have the power required.” He responded. Turning the cog a few degrees and pouring some more spacial attuned magical energy into it.

  “Make it so, fast as you deem safe, we have wounded aboard.” I ordered, moving to the cockpit. I floated above the blood pool, then entered said space.

  I looked upon the admirable but clearly shocked pilot. A woman, her eyes were focused ahead, but blood shot and her mouth was a grim frown. Her uniform was stained with drying blood, not hers from what I could tell. Most likely from Sampson.

  “Report your status, Pilot.” I commanded.

  “Breathing, sir, unlike my co-pilot, sir!” She said with grim finality.

  “Unless Marine Ridley is shirking his duty, Pilot Sampson is breathing and will make a recovery, given he is brought to a healer as soon as possible.” I surmised.

  She let out a shaky, relieved breath, a single tear in her left eye stymied by a blink. “Thank you, sir, do you have instructions for me, sir?” The now more relaxed but still alert pilot asked.

  “We have changed course, we are moving to the Ahadian air base instead of the Voloss air base.” I stated. “Hold in there, it won't be much longer, I will do everything in my power to have Pilot Sampson in that seat next to you, after it is thoroughly cleaned, of course.” I joked. My left hand made it to my heart as I finished the promise.

  She smirked, with her right hand, saluted, then went back to piloting with both hands on the cog.

  I then went to check on Cerys, at the same time shouted to the Spacial mage, “estimated time to arrival?” I questioned.

  “Five minutes, sir.” He responded.

  I nodded, then sat down a chair away from Cerys.

  She looked into my static electricity-silver eyes, I looked into her sparking, emerald eyes.

  “You’re covered in blood,” she remarked in a joking manner.

  “Shame, I was hoping for another princess carry, princess.” I inwardly cringed at my horrible pickup line.

  Her smile widened, this time full and not restrained like earlier. A slight blush appeared on her cheeks, nose and ears.

  The marine, a few meters away, still diligently watching over the fallen pilot stifled a snort too late.