Now when we had settled the trade, it was time to go back. I was excited because it only meant we were getting closer to going to Andahavn. I'd get closer to seeing Quinn again. I was nervous. And excited. Excited to finally go home after more than a year of being away. And nervous because this wasn't a happy homecoming. This was a declaration of war.

We'd blow up the harbour first with the help of Kabir battle ships. Then we'd fly in over the city, trying to keep the soldiers away, so the army from Kabir could take the city. It sounded so simple. But it wasn't. Everything had to happen at the right time, and if it didn't, then it'd all fall to pieces so fast.

"You alright?" Barr asked and joined me by the railing in front of the large windows on the bridge.

"Nervous most of all, I think."

"I am too. I am finally going to Quinn." He put his hands at the top of his stomach. "I can feel him here all the time. It is so odd. I am so connected to him, but he does not even know I exist." He blinked and dropped his hand down by his side again. "I am afraid, Al."

"Why?" I turned fully towards him, but he kept looking at the scenery flying past us.

"What if he rejects me? What if I cannot..." He stopped and bit down on his lip. "I uh... I really like Huck. And I am... Afraid I cannot leave. For Quinn. What if I need to leave Huck behind? This is my calling but... He is my friend."

I put my hand on his arm and gave it a soft squeeze. "I can understand those are hard choices."

He stepped forward and circled his arms around me, pressing me to his chest. I got a bit of a fright but then leaned into the hug. It was a nice hug.

"I think Huck is more than a friend," he whispered.

I pulled back and smiled up at the much taller spirit. "Yeah, I think we all had that hunch."

"Really?" His eyes widened. "Do you think he knows too?"

"Yeah, Barr, I think he knows too." I couldn't help but smile.

"I hope so. We were in bed together-"

"Okay! I think that's..." I waved my hands around. "Yep, more than enough information there, buddy. You're more than friends and Huck knows that too."

He laughed. "Are you embarrassed? Your cheeks are getting darker." He put his hands on my cheeks and squished my face. "Your face is all hot."

I laughed too and pushed him away, making him laugh harder.

"Why will you not hear what I have done with Huck?" he laughed and grabbed my arm with one hand, the other ruffling up my hair.

"Argh, Barr! Stop! It's like hearing what Quinn has done and I never wanna hear that." I tried to wrestle myself away, but it didn't go well at all. He looped his arm around my neck and pulled me close.

"I will tell you all the dirty details now."

"What are you doing?" Huck asked and put his hands on his hips, raising that half eyebrow he had on one side.

Barr immediately let go of me and smiled widely. "I am teasing Al."

"Teasing huh?" Huck asked and cracked a smile, though it seemed like he was trying to keep himself from smiling. "What is he teasing with?"

"I told Al we had been in bed together," Barr proudly announced.

"What?" Huck almost screeched. He stormed forward and grabbed Barr's hand, hauling him with him.

"Where are we going?"

"We're going to talk about privacy and what we do and don't tell other people, Barr!" Huck growled, leaving me grinning like an idiot.

It must've been odd to be so close with Barr. He didn't understand a lot of our social customs. How to be around people, but it was also refreshing. He was very honest. Brutally so. I did appreciate that about him even when I didn't really like what he had to say. He made me check myself and then he reminded me the world was also something that happened outside of this. Outside of me and my head. He reminded me of Quinn in all the best possible ways. Quinn was also always honest with me, even when I didn't want to hear the truth.

The alarm was blaring so hard it awoke me with a fright. I latched onto Dy, as the whole airship tilted sideways.

"What is happening?" I yelled, trying to tune out the alarm.

"No idea, but let's get up on the bridge," Dy yelled back and pulled on her clothes, handing me mine almost at the same time.

We tumbled out of our room to find Barr and Huck in the tiny hallway too.

"We need to get up on the bridge. This is the emergency alarm!" Huck yelled, holding onto Barr to not fall over. He wasn't wearing his prosthetic. And neither was I.

Barr tried to walk with the limping Huck next to him but gave up. He hoisted the smaller boy up into his arms and carried him down the hall. Dy and I followed, the sound of the alarm driving me almost nuts.

We stepped onto the bridge just as the airship tilted again. I fell hard on my hip, not being able to catch myself or hold onto something without my arm. Dy hurried to get me back on my feet and led me to the railing, encircling me in her arms, functioning much as a barrier between me and the railing. It was pitch dark outside. Except for when lightning slashed through the sky, lighting everything up for a hot second.

"Brace yourselves and stay by the railings!" Aleks yelled, clearly struggling with the steering wheel.

Barr followed Dy's example, keeping Huck's back plastered to his chest and pushing him up against the railing. I met Huck's eyes and I imagined we both looked the same right now. Pale and horrified.

This storm was going to kill us. I was sure of it. This was how we were going to die.

"We're not going to make it," Huck said with a shivering voice as the alarm finally stopped blaring and just left us with the sound of thunder and the storm.

"Yes, we are," Dy growled and pressed me closer. "You built this, yeah? Nothing you build breaks. You said that."

Huck bit down on his lip and glanced up at Barr. Barr was wearing a very concentrated expression, his black eyebrows furrowed and his eyes back to being completely black.

"Barr?" Huck said with a tiny voice.

"I am concentrating," Barr replied with a cold voice, his hands around the railing tightening. His skin changed slowly, starting from his hands and travelling up. Black spread and faded into dark blue by his elbows. A bead of sweat slid down his forehead.

His hands started shaking and he latched on to Dy, getting her to support Huck as he stepped back.

"Take Baby." Barr handed her over to Huck. "How far from land?" he asked, his arms spread out to the sides now.

"Not far," Aleks said, his eyes wide.

Barr nodded and then clenched his fists. The airship stopped jumping and evened out. The metal creaked all over us and the railings started bending.

"What's he doing?" Huck asked, horrified.

"He's taking control of the ship, I think," I replied, almost spell-bound by the sheer awesome display of power.

The ship groaned and so did Barr. He fell to his knees but kept his arms spread out to the sides and his eyes closed. Then his eyes opened, and they were no longer black. They were stark white and lighting up, like lightbulbs. Barr screeched like an animal and then the ship was going down. But not too fast.

"Help me!" he growled at Aleks and the captain hurried to turn back to the steering wheel.

"It's gonna be a rough landing!" Aleks said, fighting against the big round steering wheel, keeping it from turning.

Barr tipped forward, burrowing his hands in the floor, leaving big indents in the metal. And then he pulled up, pulling a big piece of the floor with him.

And then we landed. Hard. Dy lost her grip on the railing and was thrown forward. I held on to Huck, keeping him and myself from flying, but to no use. I had one arm and I wasn't nearly as strong as Dy. We were both thrown forward too and hit the front windows so hard, I lost consciousness.

I woke up to someone dabbing my forehead with something wet. I opened my eyes and looked up into Barr's completely black ones. And Baby sitting on top of his head.

"Hey, you are awake," he smiled tiredly and helped me sit up. We were still on the bridge, but the ship wasn't flying. And it wasn't completely dark out anymore. "You alright?"

"My head hurts," I muttered and put my hand on the side of my head. It felt sticky.

"You hurt it when you hit the glass." He pointed to Dy and Huck who sat next to us. Dy was occupied with Huck. He was crying hard. "His arm is weird now. Dy said it was dis..."

"It's dislocated and it's not the arm, it's his shoulder. Dammit, Barr, come help me!"

Barr rose to his feet and squatted down in front of Huck. He clasped the smaller boy's cheeks and brought his mouth to his, Barr pressing his lips to Huck's. And that's when Dy pulled hard on Huck's arm, the shoulder popping back in its socket.

"Fuck me!" Huck yelled and rolled his shoulder a bit.

Dy didn't reply to that but slipped her jumper off and made a sling for Huck's arm. She left him and came to me next.

"How's your head?" she asked softly and checked my scalp. "I think you need stitches."

"Of course, I do. I wonder how my skin even holds itself together at this point."

"Obviously it doesn't," she snorted and softly kissed my forehead. "But you're not nauseous, right?"

"No, my head just hurts... Actually..." I felt nauseous as hell all of a sudden. I needed to puke. Like right now.

As if Raakili had magical hearing or something, she turned up with a bucket and handed it to me right in time for me to puke in it.

"You have a concussion," Raakili said and patted my back. "Aleks does too, so you two will have to be on sleep watch. No sleeping for more than four hours at a time."

"Why?" I groaned and puked again.

"Just the way it is, Al," Dy said and helped me to my feet. Barr helped Huck up and supported him for maybe a metre before Huck stopped.

"I can't. I need my leg," he ground out between his teeth.

Barr sighed and lifted him up.

"I don't need to be carried!" Huck growled.

"But you like it," Barr shot back and smiled down at Huck. Huck frowned but didn't say anything to that.

"I think we should stay on the bridge for now, but move further up," Dy said to Barr.

He nodded. "Yes. I will get those soft big pillows we sleep on and bring them up here for Aleks, Huck and Al."

"I'll help you," Dy said and helped me sit down on the floor, leaning against the back wall. He put Huck down beside me and then they left us to get the 'big pillows'.

"I don't like it when he picks me up," Huck growled.

"I like it when Dy picks me up." I shrugged a shoulder. "You alright?"

"My shoulder hurts. My whole arm is fucked." He nodded down towards his arm, resting in the make-shift sling. "How's your head?"

"It's alright. Getting stitches when Dy comes back." I was still pressing the wet cloth to the wound. I wasn't sure if the bleeding had stopped or not, but I kept the cloth on my head just in case. "Is the airship alright?"

"No, but we're in Paamut. They've sent someone out for cars to come and get us, so we'll stay here until they come here." He sighed deeply and then glanced up at me. "What Barr did..."

"Pretty cool, huh?" I murmured and closed my eyes.

"Yeah. It's so easy to forget he's a spirit when he just looks like everyone else."

"You think? I think it's so obvious all the time. It's just the way he is. The questions he asks." I shrugged a little and opened my eyes.

"I guess he's a little..." He hesitated and grimaced.

"Yeah. But I don't think there's a mean bone in his body."

"No." Huck smiled. "He's so sweet. And kind. He asks a lot of questions, but I don't mind them. It's refreshing he just asks you know?"

"Sometimes. Some questions I'd rather not he asked," I snorted. He chuckled and nodded.

"Yeah, I guess." He looked up, watching Barr intently as he came dragging a mattress, alongside with Dy.

"I brought your leg," Barr said and handed it to Huck.

"Thank you," Huck murmured softly and moved aside, so Barr could put the mattress down. I moved too and Dy put hers down too.

"I also got you your arm." She handed it over and I put it on.

"My hero," I said with a bit of a goofy grin and she dumped down on the mattress, patting the spot next to her, inviting me to join her.

"Help me with this will you?" Huck asked and tried to roll his pantleg up, but it was hard to do with one hand. I should know.

"Of course," Barr said and rolled up the fabric. He took the leg from Huck and gently attached it. Huck leaned forward, cupping Barr's cheek and gave him a kiss. Barr widened his eyes and then he smiled like a little boy.

The boys decided to get some sleep and I thought that sounded like a grand idea. I was already exhausted again.

Dy cuddled up with me, promising me to wake me up in four hours. I latched on to her shirt, pressing my face to her chest. Her hand slipped into my hair, her fingers softly massaging my scalp. It was just too overwhelming. I was scared. So scared. It was like waking up after the explosion. Everything was disorientating and I was just so tired. Also tired of being scared.