"'Lena!" Lis screamed. 

Her friend did not reply. She lay utterly mottionless. Lis's next words caught in her throat and she fell silent. Her body felt cold. She felt the first tears run down her face. And then, she rushed back, ignoring Radek's and Gottfryd's yells. She struck Klaudius in the face over and over again, her body moving on its own. She sceamed "how dare you do that to Lena! You filth! You've always treated the gazina like trash! And now, you've killed my friend!" 

Klaudius caught her arms and tightened his fingers, fracturing bone. Pain flooded Lis's body and she fell to the ground, her arms still trapped in his iron grip. She heard Gottfryd's footsteps as he ran back but before he could reach her, a voice yelled "father! Stop!" 

It was Andre. Gottfryd halted, glancing back. Andre stood alongside Crozius. Klaudius took one look at Crozius and said "what are you doing son? Why are you here?" 

Crozius said nothing. He then turned his attention to Andre. "Why are you telling me to stop? This vermin was likely a perpetrator of the explosions just now. Do you mean to defend the actions of a enemy of state?" 

"She's not an enemy of state. She's just an unfortunate child," Andre replied. "She's not one of the perpetrators responsible. Please, let her go." 

"And how do you know she's not a perpetrator?" 

"She's been a servant for mine for months. I know that such an act is not within her character." 

"Lies! You've never had the stomach to take on gadzina as servants. You view them as equal to us, when they are nothing more than animals that have learned how to speak!" 

"Please, let her go." 

"I expected better even of you Andre. I expected you to be a loyal son, not a supporter of those who wish to do us harm." 

Andre gritted his teeth and muttered "you've never viewed me that way. You've always seen me as an irredeemable failure." 

"Your actions now mark you as one. Do you plan to defend this creature or do you plan to support your father? I hope you make the right choice." 

Andre braced himself, then yelled "you're no father of mine!" He wrenched his sleeve back and revealed his wooden hand. "What father does this to his own child just for disagreeing for his worldview? You've never loved me, did you? Only mother has, and she's gone!" 

"You will retract your words." 

"No, for they are the truth!" 

Andre rushed towards Lis just as Gottfryd leapt and struck Klaudius in the head with a kick. He released his grip on Lis. Andre helped her to her feet and they dashed out of the parliamentary building. They could hear orders of "get them!" behind their backs. Andre glanced back to see swarms of chimeras take to the skies. There were hundreds of chimeras, appearing like a swarm of mosquitoes barreling down upon them. 

"What now?" asked Radek. 

"We head for the airship!" Andre shouted back just as Gottfryd's men appeared beside them. 

"The airship's all the way to the city's edge!" yelled Radek. "We'll never make it there in time!" 

It was then that Lis asked "what time is it?" 

"It's almost noon," Andre replied. "Why?"

"Then follow me!" she yelled. 

"Why are you heading deeper into the city?" 

She didn't reply. Andre cursed under his breath and ran after her. Radek quickly followed him alongside Gottfryd and his men. They hurtled deeper into the city as the chimeras slowly closed the distance between them. Andre glanced back and could make out each individual hair on the lead chimera's coat. He quickened his pace. It was then that Lis leapt over a wooden fence. He followed and was surprised at what lay below him. 

It was a train! The red locomotive belched black smoke as it hurtled forwards. Lis landed on the tan roof of the second car. Andre landed beside her. Stunned, he said "how did you know this would happen?" 

"I've spent much of my life in Malbrink. I guess I've learned a thing or two about train schedules." 

Relielved, Andre looked back and watched as the chimeras struggled to keep pace but where unable to catch the train. Slowly, the chimeras shrunk until they were little more than dark dots lining the pale blue sky. Andre leapt off the train as soon as the last buildings gave way to green grassy fields. He ran at the head of the group as he shrunk the distance to the airship. He careened through the door and dashed into the cockpit. He hurriedly pulled a lever to start the engines. 

The airship rumbled as the engine roared to life. And yet, the airship did not take off. Andre muttered "come on! Come on!" 

The ariship stubbornly remained on the ground. The engines were just beginning to work and they would not provide adequate power for a while yet. Radek glanced out of the window and saw the chimeras drawing ever closer. He ducked his head back into the airship and said "um, Andre, any second would be great now!" 

"I'm trying but the airship needs time before she takes off!" 

It was then that Gottfryd whispered something to his men. They ran out of the airship and exhaled. Swirls of light filled the air before them and fell into the grassy fields. Just as the first chimeras were a dozen metres from their location, the grasses leapt into the air. The blades of grass fused into strands that resembled ropes. The grass ropes tangled the limbs and wings of the chimeras. They struck the ground as their wings were forcibly folded against their flanks. They howled and snapped their jaws, tugging at the restraints. More chimeras drew closer and they too suffered the same fate. 

However, Gottfryd cursed when he saw Krakoran soldiers draw closer. The soldiers gripped crossbows and muskets as they drew ever closer to their location. Gottfryd looked back at the airship and was relieved to see her propellers whirling with great speed. The propellers revolved until the blades faced the sky. Gottfryd leapt back into the airship followed closely by his men. The last men entered just as the wheels of the airship left the ground. The airship climbed higher and higher into the skies as the sounds of gunfire and the twinging sounds of crossbows filled the ground below. 

Andre sighed in relief as the buildings became specks and the lowest clouds hovered beside the windows. And then, he turned to Lis and yelled "what was that!? Do you want to spark a war!?" 

Lis turned to him, stunned. She muttered "I couldn't help it! He murdered Lena! I, I couldn't stop myself!" 

"I know that, but you could have been caught! Is that what Lena would have wanted?" 

"No," Lis replied as she hung her head. 

"In any case, we've accomplished our objective and we escaped," Gottfryd replied. "That's all that matters for now. As for the matter of war, I doubt we can avoid one now." 

Andre cursed and returned his attention to the airship. He gently guided her over the forests and plains below as he charted a course towards Pyrdyke. He didn't relax until the airship landed beside the city. It was then that Radek said "what are our chances of winning a war?" 

"They are decent," Gottfryd replied. "The nobles outnumber us two to one, but we've got the advantage of defendable turf. Both Reichskor and Pyrdyke can be defended with relative ease. However, there's no telling what lengths the nobles will go through now to win the war. We've attacke them in the heart of their homeland. There's no doubt they want revenge." 

"You mean you're worried about them using the gadzina as soldiers just as they did before," said Andre. 

"Indeed," Gottfryd replied. 

"Is there any way to win without bloodshed?" 

Startled, Andre turned to the direction fo the voice. It was Crozius. He huddled by the entrance to the cockpit, looking confused. Andre asked "what are you doing here?" 

"I didn't want to stay with father," Crozius replied. "I don't like him either and I couldn't think of any other place to go." 

"I see." 

"And do you plan to join the Nocswehr?" asked Gottfryd. 

"I don't know sir," Crozius replied. "I just didn't want to stay in Krakor, that's all." 

"Well, you're here now. You don't have a choice but to join the Nocswehr," Andre replied. 

Crozius slowly nodded. "I don't know how I feel about fighting my own people." 

"We don't have a choice now," Radek replied. "And your people have done many wrongdoings to the gadzina. If we win the war, everyone will be able to live as equals as it should be." 

Lis nodded in agreement. Crozius did not reply. Andre approached his brother and whispered "I was reluctant to join the Nocswehr as well, but they are really not as bad as they are portrayed back in Krakor." 

"But won't they raze our cities and execute our people for what they've done to the gadzina?" 

"We don't wish to commit genocide," Gottfryd retorted. "We're not like the monsters you call leaders. Instead, we are going to replace the government with one that will treat everyone as equals and to try the higher ups for their crimes." 

Crozius nodded. "Thank you sir. That relieves me." 

"Besides, and I never thought I'd say this, but it wouldn't hurt to have you around brother," said Andre. 

"Right," said Crozius. 

"In any case, we must prepare for the coming of war," said Gottfryd. "I'm sure the nobles are rallying their forces at the moment. We must fortify the walls of Pyrdyke even further and send a messenger pigeon to Reichskor to warn them as well." 

He nodded to one of his men. The man leapt out of the door and dashed towards the pigeon coup. He hurriedly wrote a letter and tied it to the leg of one pigeon. The bird was released and flew towards the city of Reichskor. Gottfryd nodded at the man and Andre watched in silence. He pondered the concept of civil war and how it might be waged. The thought of the nobles using more gadzina as soldiers disgusted him, but he couldn't think of a means to avoid such an outcome. Instead, he reluctantly followed Gottfryd back to the mines.