The sun had risen well above the horizon before Reyn decided they were in serious trouble.

    As expected, the airship's trapped crew wasn't going to just sit around. Two of the helm gauges were fluctuating wildly, and another had simply dropped to zero with no sign it would rise again. The sabotage was accompanied by a dramatic drop in airspeed, and the exhaust pipes along the sides of the hull poured out far less steam than before. The engines were shutting down, and about the only thing keeping the airship moving forward was an easterly wind filling the sails.

    "At least they didn't shut down the lift gyros," Josy muttered. She stood behind Reyn and no longer wore her osteoform. Since using discarded weaponry to bar the hatches leading below, she'd been pacing the deck like a caged tiger. It was making Reyn anxious just to look at her.

    "I presume that will be their next move," Reyn said. "What of our pursuers?"

    "Oh, now that we're slowing down, they'll be right on top of us any minute." Josy walked to the stern railing and crossed her arms. "Them and a whole lotta other ones."

    Reyn dared to look and wished she hadn't.

    They'd been coming into sight for the past hour. Many airships. An entire fleet.

    An armada, Reyn amended. Ji Min hadn't exaggerated the number of airships the Jade Empire possessed. There could be no less than twenty vessels joining in on the pursuit, and Reyn doubted this show of force constituted everything the Glorious Emperor had at his disposal. If anything, Reyn suspected Ji Min undersold just how many airships the Jade Empire could send to invade the Five Kingdoms.

    If Josy's count of the number of mooring towers the Jade Empire was preparing to build was accurate, the Glorious Emperor planned on deploying upwards of a hundred such vessels. Such a force, armed with daepo, would overwhelm the Sky Corps and the defenses of any city in the world within a day.

    Reyn watched the pursuing airships and felt the onset of despair.

    "Those cannons will make short work of us once they're in range," Josy said.

    "Cannons? You mean the daepo?"

    Josy nodded. "Yeah. The concept isn't new. Comnur deployed cannons as early as three hundred fifty, back before the kingdom was annexed and splintered. They just stopped using them because spellcraft made cannons obsolete. Admittedly, theirs are a lot more powerful than anything Comnur had."

    "Comnur again," Reyn said quietly. "Where the Nalthorio who first theorized the Eidolon was from."

    Josy chewed her lip. "About the same time period, too. Doubt it's a coincidence."

    "That's how you deduced what the weapons were. You recognized them as handheld cannons."

    "Of a sort."

    Reyn planted her hands on her hips. "You acted as if you knew nothing about Comnurian history when Krayson was explaining everything."

    Josy shrugged. "I'm not an expert, but I paid attention when the tutors talked. Besides, Krayson was talking about dusty, old wizards. Blasty iron tubes were much more interesting when I was little."

    Reyn's face scrunched up. She didn't buy that explanation. Not one bit. She was beginning to foster a strong suspicion that Josy made a habit of affecting ignorance. Reyn meant to confront her with those accusations, but Josy had already moved on to a different subject.

    "So blustering slow," Josy grumbled. "If this was a Sky Corps boat, we'd be in sight of the Dragon's Roost Mountains by now."

    Reyn let out a breath and looked ahead. "I am not surprised. The emperor was intent on using us to acquire high-grade steam engines. With our treaty effectively cancelled, he is forced to utilize what he already has."

    Josy grunted. "I'm no expert, and I haven't had a good look at what this girl's packing, but I bet they're using Althandi models. The engines we make can run a train well enough, but if you want airship-grade, you go through Nadia or Irdruin."

    Wrinkling her nose in dissatisfaction, Reyn tapped a finger against a gauge that just dropped to zero. "At the moment, I would take the engine off a steam carriage. I believe we have just lost our last boiler."

    Josy left the railing to come to Reyn's side. "Can we make it to the ruins?"

    Reyn shrugged helplessly.

    "You never stop filling me with confidence, Legs."

    "To be perfectly clear, I would rather we had another choice than going... to that place." She nodded in indication ahead.

    For the last couple of hours, the Imperial City had been growing on the horizon. They were now close enough that Reyn could pick out individual buildings within the ruins. While most structures were surprisingly intact after six centuries of being abandoned to the elements, a great number had collapsed into rubble.

    One, however, was unmistakable. The palace of the Dragon Emperors dominated the central district of the city. The palace alone was larger than some modern cities Reyn could name. If her ability to guess size at a distance was at all accurate, Reyn would say the palace was even larger than the Glorious Emperor's. As elaborate palaces went, the Palace of Towers was starting to seem downright understated in comparison to the ones Reyn was becoming familiar with.

    "It bothers me that I am starting to admire your house's restraint," Reyn murmured.

    "Weird, hearing that from a sort-of Aleesh."

    "Do not get me wrong," Reyn interjected hurriedly. "I take profound issue with the manner in which your uncle forces compliance to his rule. I abhor Althandor's history of conquest and annexation. Imperialism is among the greatest evils in the world, and Althandor is the worst perpetrator since Shoen." Reyn stared ahead and moderated her tone. "However... King Cathis is not without his virtues."

    Josy chuckled. "I gotta hear this."

    Blushing, Reyn went on. "He has continued House Algara's tradition of championing personal freedoms. Arranged marriages are a dying practice. Fey are eligible for citizenship within all the Five Kingdoms. Anyone, from the nobility to the beggars, have the right to seek education; they can even claim their title and rise in status. The dratted trains run on time, even. And... he cares for his people. That is more rare and of greater worth than most realize."

    Josy cocked her head to the side.

    "The Highest King is short-sighted and something of an unstable prat," Reyn said. "He has instituted policies I can only describe as monstrous, but in the end, I would much rather the Five Kingdoms be ruled by House Algara than the Ku Dynasty."

    "The demon you know, eh?" Josy asked.

    "In light of recent developments, I would choose a different idiom than that one."

    "Hey, it coming from an ex-Courtesan, I'll take it as the highest praise."

    The comment rubbed Reyn the wrong way. So much so, that it inspired her to action she'd chastised the Dragon Empress for on a number of occasions. Reyn stuck her tongue out at her.

    Josy laughed and walked away. She didn't go far before heading to the starboard railing and leaning over the side. "So, Legs... What exactly do you think the chances are that you can land this boat?"

    An incredulous laugh was the only reply Reyn was able to give.

    "Fair enough. No mooring towers in the Imperial City anyway, and from what I remember, putting down without one is... dicey."

    "What would you propose, then?" Reyn asked.

    "Well... there does seem to be something of a body of water down there. Water landing might not be out of the question."

    "What?" Reyn squawked. She locked the wheel on course and left the helm to rush to Josy's side. There was no chance in Hell of her leaning out as far as Josy was, but Reyn forced herself to peek her head overboard.

    Sure enough, Josy's observation was proven correct. There was a large collection of water, perhaps two or three hundred paces across, about a league ahead on the outskirts of the Imperial City. The surrounding sand gave way to sparse greenery, an oasis in the middle of the desert.

    "It must come from a wellspring," Reyn said.

    "Not many of them all the way out here," Josy observed. "Makes sense, though. Shan Alee was an arid region even before the death curse, so they probably built the capital around what water sources were available. The crystal fountains all over the empire still function in some places. There's probably enough working fountains left in the city that they've spilled over and formed that reservoir."

    Reyn looked at Josy sidelong but didn't say anything. She really had been misjudging the duchess since their first meeting. Josy hid it well, but she was more intelligent than she let on. Reyn wondered why she'd intentionally hide it.

    They say still waters run deep, Reyn mused, but you are proof that turbulent waters are often deeper.

    "Hey, there's arkathons down there," Josy said excitedly, pointing at a collection of ponderous animals gathered on the shore of this unexpected reservoir. The reptilian beasts were the size of a well-fed cow, with faces as lovely as a warthog's. "You ever eat arkathon? It's great."

    Reyn wrinkled her nose. "Her Majesty has said otherwise."

    "You have to cook it first. Tastes like good and greasy beef."

    Reyn didn't find that as appetizing as Josy seemed to, but that was the furthest thing from her mind. With the appearance of the oasis, she saw a way for them to escape the Jade Empire's armada. Not a water landing. Gods, no. That would only end in disaster if Reyn was at the helm. This was just as risky, but it was at least something Reyn had done before. "I have an idea."

    Before she had a chance to explain herself, an explosion rocked the airship. Panicked shouts came from the men trapped belowdecks, and Reyn grabbed onto Josy to keep herself from being pitched over the railing.

    "Winds and storms, what now?" Josy shouted.

    Moments after the impact, a sound like thunder boomed. Looking back to the pursuing airships, Reyn saw that the lead vessel had pulled ahead from the rest of the armada, and the bow section was obscured by a thick cloud of white smoke.

    She swore under her breath. "They are better shots than I had hoped."

    Josy was scowling. "Head back to the helm. See if you can make us harder to hit."

    Reyn shook her head. "No, it does not matter. We will never outpace them, and going evasive will slow us even more. We have to get over that lake as soon as possible. Before we are shot out of the sky."

    "Why?" Josy asked. She paused and squinted, suspicious. "What's this idea of yours?"

    Reyn gave her a contrite look.

    Josy pulled back. "You can't be serious."

    A horrible sound buzzed through the air nearby. A cannon shot missed their airship by a mere few paces. A plume of dust rose from the ruins ahead. An ancient building was destroyed by the errant shot. The blast from the cannon boomed over them a moment later.

    "More will be coming into range any moment," Reyn said hurriedly. "Follow me once we are over the water."

    Josy looked over the side. "Nuh uh."

    "Duchess!"

    "Nuh uh. That's not how physics work. We gotta jump now!"

    Reyn looked down and saw nothing but solid ground directly below them. "Nuh uh."

    Josy started wrestling her onto the railing. "We time it so we reach the surface the same time the airship's over the water. If we jump when we're already over it, we'll hit the ground inside the city!"

    It bothered Reyn that she needed to be reminded of the basic laws of kinetics. Nonetheless, instincts that screamed at her to not throw herself into the open sky were difficult to ignore, particularly when a muscle-bound assassin was trying to force the issue.

    "Winds and storms, Legs. Stop squirming. This was your idea!"

    "And I regret it very much."

    The helm disintegrated into a shower of wooden splinters. Josy and Reyn snapped their heads to look, glanced towards the half-dozen airships maneuvering to present their broadside cannons, then looked at each other.

    "I would prefer being allowed a moment to prepare," Reyn said.

    "You're not alone in that," Josy replied. "On three?"

    Reyn swung her legs over the railing. She sat with her feet in the sky and staring wide-eyed at the desert below. "Three!"

    There had been a number of occasions over the past few months where Reyn was forced to fly. Universally, she'd despised every instance. Throughout the long plummet from the airship, she was afforded the chance to reflect on her previous aerial excursions, and she came to a most enlightening conclusion.

    Flying was infinitely preferable to falling.

    The robe she'd taken from the Jade Empire billowed around her and flapped wildly in the wind. It took several moments for Reyn to realize that the frantic howl in her ears wasn't entirely from the air rushing past her head. It was Josy, and she was screaming at the top of her lungs.

    "Enchant!"

    If they struck the water's surface at this velocity without self-enchantments in place, they'd fare about as well as if they landed on cobblestone. Reyn focused on her amulet, lighting the appropriate lines, and felt her body strengthen and grow more resilient. She included a water ward around herself, one she extended to include Josy as much as she could. It would repel the water's surface for a few moments and hopefully make their landing that much less dangerous.

    The ground was getting bigger, and Reyn started to panic at the thought they'd timed their jump incorrectly. When they were less than a hundred paces up, the sand gave way to green, which gave way to blue. At the last moment, Reyn let her human body fade away and assumed her true form. She took in a deep Breath.

    With her arms outstretched in front of her, Reyn plunged into the shockingly cold reservoir. The water ward collapsed at once, but it did its job. Reyn glided through the water, her entry almost gentle. Now that she was in the water, Reyn's fears swapped from striking dry land to hitting the lakebed. She arched her back and kicked her tail, pulling up in her downward dive. She nearly let out her Breath in a sigh of relief once she came to a stop. The lake was significantly deeper than she thought. The dive had taken her nearly thirty paces beneath the surface, and the bottom was still a good distance beneath her.

    The water soaked into her silk robe, weighing her down. Her tail stuck out from under the hem, so she could at least swim with just minor hindrance.

    Reyn looked around her, seeking out signs of Josy. The water was marginally clear, but their plunge filled the water with bubbles. She couldn't see more than a few feet in front of her at the moment, and there was no way to know if Josy was hurt in the fall or not.

    A pulse of force reverberated through the water, and a massive cavitation of water flew by Reyn's head. Instinctively, Reyn kicked away from the cannon shot that struck the water, only to nearly be hit by a second. Then a third.

    Above, the glare of the sun coming through the surface darkened. The pursuing airships must have seen Josy and Reyn abandon their ship, or they'd seen the splashes. The armada began to settle overhead and opened fire on the lake.

    Josy...

    She swam downward, seeking out the duchess. Lines of bubbles peppered the water around her. The soldiers added their flintlock weapons to the bombardment, and it almost appeared that there wasn't an inch of water that was safe to swim through. She kept heading deeper, hoping Josy would do the same.

    Where is she?

    Reyn's thoughts were in a panic. No matter which way she turned, she saw nothing but cannonballs and lead shots streaking all around. The water pounded like the beat of a giant's heart with each impact, and it hammered against Reyn's sensitive aquatic ears like a mallet. Within moments, she couldn't think for the pain and fear.

    I've...

    Terrified, she swam, worried that each stroke of her tail only carried her further away from Josy. The cold water. The shadows overhead. The need to save someone who needed her, so soon after surviving when she should have died. When she'd needed to die.

    I've been here before.

    Far below the surface, deep enough to feel the press of the water above her, Reyn found her. She lit her amulet with etherlight to shine the way.

    Reyn saw how she struggled in the water with human legs, perhaps stunned from striking the water after falling from such a height. Her eyes were wide with fear and the certain knowledge that she was going to drown. Debilitating fear.

    Fear that a selkie could take away.

    Reyn sang, and the young woman ahead turned towards the sound, out of place beneath the waves. The fear left her eyes and were replaced with wonder. She watched Reyn swimming towards her through the water. Inhuman. Monstrous. A shifter, and all humans were told from their earliest days to fear the descendants of demons.

    But she wasn't afraid. She watched Reyn approach and was comforted.

    Reyn reached her and saw that singing away the fear wasn't enough. The surface was too far above them for a human to reach before taking water into her lungs.

    There was no other choice. Reyn gave her Breath.

     They clung to each other beneath the water, lips pressed together as Reyn gave over a small part of her primal life force. Reyn held on, telling herself that it was because she didn't want to lose track of the young woman she wanted to rescue, all the while knowing it was because she desperately needed to be held in return.   

    Further from danger and towards where the light couldn't reach, they sank deeper into the reservoir. Deep enough that the force of the bombardment spent its fury before it could reach them. Lead shots and cannonballs fell slowly around them like metal snow. It felt as if time had come to a standstill, and all Reyn knew was the warmth inside her and in her arms.

    Reyn opened her eyes, and for a moment, she'd forgotten who she had in her arms. The hair was short and black, not scarlet and braided. Her eyes were blue and like a beast, not pale turquoise and like the sky over the Southern Sea. A duchess and not a princess.

    Josy broke the kiss and pulled back. Her eyes shone in the darkness, confused but unafraid. She glanced upwards, and the longing for air was plain on her face. They couldn't risk breaking the surface while the bombardment continued. Josy turned back towards Reyn and held her around the neck, pulling her in for another kiss. The Breath sustained her.

    They sank downwards until Josy's back rested on the lakebed. Reyn held her there in place so she couldn't drift away. Once Josy pulled off her gauntlets and slipped her hands beneath Reyn's robe, it was no longer in question whether their embrace was a mere sharing of Breath or something more.

    This place was too dangerous to remain. Even if the Jade Empire spent all their ammunition, they would eventually make certain their quarry was dead. Arcanists were rare in the west, but they would surely have sent some with the armada. Reyn needed to find a way to take Josy away from here.

    Pulling away from her was difficult. It was so tempting to stay and be held by her, but the risks were too great. Reyn picked up Josy's gauntlets and broke away. She kept hold of Josy's waist and carried her along as she kicked with her tail to send them darting across the bottom of the reservoir.   

    The fall and everything that followed left Reyn somewhat disoriented, and she'd lost track of what lay in which direction. She was now far enough away from the cannons striking the surface that they were no longer painful, and furthermore, the impacts provided her sensitive ears with the echoes she needed to get a picture of her surroundings.

    There was a structure beneath the reservoir, unexpected but not out of place once Reyn deduced its purpose. She carried Josy towards it, closer to the banks nearest to the Imperial City.

    The structure appeared ahead once it was lit by Reyn's etherlight. It was partially buried by sediment, a rectangular and spellwrought structure that extended deeper into the ground. A grate of steel bars blocked off a round opening, but a few runes lit in the proper sequence bent them aside enough for Reyn and Josy to pass through and inside.

    Once in, the water grew instantly warmer, and the shadows deepened. The opening beyond the grate continued in a long tunnel, angling upwards, and sunlight glimmered in the distance.

    The reservoir hadn't formed after the fall of Shan Alee. It was what remained of a larger lake, perhaps even an inland sea. Reyn and Josy swam through an ancient spillway for the Imperial City's canals. At least, that was Reyn's hope. She didn't relish the thought that she might've been dragging Josy through an old sewer.

    The water level within the tunnel started to drop. Reyn brought Josy to the surface. There was nothing but stone above them, but Reyn could see where the spillway came out under the open sky ahead. As she hoped, it led to a system of canals that crossed the city's westernmost district.

    The water was only waist deep within the canals, but Reyn didn't change forms or stand. She kept watch on the sky, but though she could still hear the engines and cannons of the armada, it was far away.

    Josy gasped for air once her head broke the surface. Panting, she clung to Reyn as she looked around at the ruins. From inside the canal, the dilapidated buildings loomed over them. Even after hundreds of years, the spellwrought sandstone shone like gold in the sun. Aleesh architecture was grand and ostentatious, and it seemed as if this part of the city was among the wealthier districts. As they swam deeper into the city, it became clear that this was where the highborn of Shan Alee kept their great manors.

    Water flowed down from over the lip of the canals. One of the crystal fountains Josy spoke of must've been nearby. Moving on, the water level began to sink lower until swimming was no longer an option.

    Exhausted from her experiences since the previous evening, Reyn didn't have it in her to stand, or even to change form. She crawled forward with Josy beneath her until there was just an inch of water over damp sand.

    Josy lay on her back and reached up to touch Reyn's face. She didn't speak or make a sound, just holding Reyn in her gaze.

    Reyn bent to kiss her, but she didn't give Breath. This was entirely for other needs. Josy lay back and accepted the kiss, but when Reyn caressed a hand down Josy's bare abdomen and further to between her legs, the duchess whimpered.

    That tiny sound, seemingly out of character for Josy Algara, gave Reyn pause. Something was wrong. She removed her hand and pulled back. Josy turned her head away.

    "My lady?"

    Josy covered her face with her hands.

    There was no elder magic in Reyn's blood, but she didn't need hydromancy to recognize Josy's manner. Careful, Reyn pulled herself away from Josy and leaned on a hand beside her.

    "You do not want this," she said.

    Still covering her face, Josy shook her head. "I'm sorry," she whispered, and it was so quiet that it was almost unrecognizable as speech.

    "Do not apologize," Reyn said. "I am sorry. I did not ask your consent."

    Josy wiped at her eyes and nose but she wasn't yet able to look at Reyn. "It's not that. I... thought I wanted..." She covered her face again, and her voice grew angry. "Winds take me. Why am I so messed up?"

    Reyn made soothing sounds, even used her Voice, but Josy was near to crying with frustration at herself. A selkie's Voice was no help. Josy had taken two doses of oren since the previous night, and she was effectively immune. Reyn recalled singing to sooth away her fear before and realized she should've known it would be ineffective. Reyn's mind had been elsewhere. It'd been in another time and place, when she dove into the sea to save someone different.

    Josy sat up and held her head in her hands. "I'm sorry. I thought I wanted to, but now that we're here... I can't."

    Reyn shifted and folded her tail beneath her. She was mindful to keep a span between them, but not far. "Some time ago, before entering the Jade Empire, you... said you didn't have the words to say what you feel. Has that changed?"

    Josy shook her head. "No... just... I don't think I like girls. Not like you like girls, I mean."

    Reyn blinked, then she shrugged. "Well, we cannot all be perfect."

    Josy shot her a look.

    Reyn winked at her. "Be thankful I am not my paramour. It does not take divine intervention to stop me."

    That served to break the tension. Josy snorted and looked away, shaking her head. "Blustering..."

    "I will not hold anything against you, my lady," Reyn said. "You are worried you have led me on, but I assure you, I feel it is quite the opposite."

    "I just wanted to..." Josy inhaled through her nose as if bracing herself. "You and Starra. I wanted to try... I guess... to be like the two of you."

    Reyn knitted her brow. "How so?"

    "You..." Josy swallowed. "You aren't afraid of yourselves."

    It took more self-control than Reyn believed she possessed to stop herself from denying it. Somehow, she managed to keep a neutral expression, all the while wondering when she ever gave such an impression.

    "Starra is also who I wish I could be," Reyn said, and she felt it was the truth.

    Josy sniffed and wiped at her eyes again. "You really love her."

    "I do," Reyn said.

    "You have her. Anyone with eyes can see she loves you back." Josy hugged her knees to her chest and leaned her forehead against them. "How could you want anything to do with me?"

    "This is not, I think, you asking why I would court you both?"

    "Polyamorous," Josy said. "I do get it. Mostly. That's not what I mean. How can I be worth your time?"

    "You are, my lady," Reyn said firmly. "The more I learned of you, the more I..."

    "I'm a freak!" Josy looked as if she wanted to curl up and shrink until she disappeared. "I killed more men than I can count before I was fifteen, because it was either kill them or let them make me their woman. My own father sent to me them, and when he got me back, he was happy with what they turned me into! And then I got sent to Ecclesia. I liked being under Garret's spell, because I didn't have to think about anything anymore. I still miss it, even after everything he made me do. What's wrong with me?"

    There was something terrible at work within Josy's heart, and it was a horror that was all too familiar. Reyn knew it for what it was, and she was confronted by the terrible sin she'd committed against this hurting young woman.

    "Forgive me," Reyn whispered. "I should have told you."

    Josy turned her head just enough to peek at her. It was enough for Reyn to see the tears running freely from her eyes. Josy's voice was tight and on the verge of breaking. "That Dashar's alive?"

    Reyn breathed in, and her eyes widened. The surprise passed a moment later, and she nodded in understanding. "Master Deveaux told you. Because he knew how much it would hurt you."

    "It's true, then?"

    "It is," Reyn said. "You did not kill your cousin."

    Josy sobbed. "Why didn't you tell me?"

    "He..." Reyn grimaced, feeling like anything she might say would be a poor excuse. "His Highness asked us to keep it from you and Princess Jin. We assume he had your best interests at heart."

    "Who else knew?"

    "Myself," Reyn said. "Lord Bannlyth, a small number of Onyx aviators, and Her Majesty. Prince Dashar allowed us to tell the empress. He said she would know the reason why, but she was as mystified as the rest of us." Reyn shook her head and gave Josy an apologetic look. "But it is no excuse. You deserved to know. I am sorry, my lady. I should have told you, regardless."

    Josy's shoulders sagged. "Dashar... Out of everything bad I've ever done, I regretted that the most."

    "I do not know if this will help," Reyn offered, "but I imagine that he plans to return to you once he is done in Drok Moran."

    Josy furrowed her brow. "Why'd he go there?"

    A thin sound came from Reyn's throat. She honestly had no idea of how Josy would react if she knew about Komali, and she was in quite a state as it was. Perhaps Josy would be better served with a half-truth.

    "Are you really thinking about how to lie to me?" Josy asked. "Really?"

    "A bit?" Reyn said with a wince. She exhaled heavily and decided she couldn't bring herself to keep secrets anymore. At least, not from Josy. "I believe he intends to find his wife."

    "Tarim?" Josy gasped. "She's... Hey now, Legs, how do you know where Tarim is?"

    "Ohh..." Reyn breathed. "Gods, inna snottin' load I's gonna dire ya."

    Josy snorted. "I got no clue what you're saying when you talk like that." She straightened out her legs and looked into the sky. "Tell me all about it later. I'm beat."

    "I will," Reyn promised. As Josy wiped away the last of her tears, Reyn lay a hand on her shoulder. "Because, I will be here at your side, my lady. I have no intention of leaving it."

    Josy chuckled. "Even if I don't let you rail me?"

    "Rail?" Reyn felt the need to steady herself. She would never get used to Josy's crass vernacular. "Of all the... My lady, I assure you, what I intended to do to you would have made your toes curl."

    "That's awfully big talk from a mermaid."

    Reyn wrinkled her nose.

    "Sorry. I mean a walrus."

    Reyn swatted her arm. "I take it all back. I am pleased you are not interested in women. You hear me? Pleased! Now I will not have to see that gloating look on Starra's face."

    "Lucky for me," Josy said while rubbing her arm. "I wonder if anyone could handle both of you."

    "You may have had me willing to court, but that does not mean you and Starra would..." Reyn trailed off and thought of what would've happened if she did return to Starra with Josy on her arm. The dratted vampire would almost certainly have started looking for a bed large enough for three. "Let us drop this."

    Josy smirked. "Somewhere out there, I bet there's someone just crazy enough to try."

    "Do not be absurd, Duchess." Reyn shifted to her human form and flicked strands of hair away from her face. "There is no such person."

    Josy smiled wanly and looked to the west. "Sounds like the cannons have stopped."

    "They will surely learn we eluded them before long," Reyn said. "We should go. If we can take cover within the city, they will eventually give up the search."

    Josy nodded and forced herself to her feet. Reyn grunted as she pushed herself up alongside her. They were both exhausted, and simply standing was stretching their limits. Between them, they had a few measures of ether, a single bottle of invested vex, and a complete lack of anything else.

    Reyn handed Josy her gauntlets. "My lady..."

    Josy pulled her gauntlets on over her hands. "Hmm?"

    "I am not the person to ask," Reyn said softly, her eyes on the ground between them. Slowly, she lifted her gaze to Josy's face. "I cannot say what is wrong. I do not know how best to help you heal. What I do know is that none of it is your fault. Whatever can be done for you, I... I will help as best I can."

    The suddenness with which Josy grabbed her took Reyn off-guard. Reyn's arms were pinned to her side by the hug, and she didn't think she could pry herself free if she wanted to.

    "Goes both ways, Legs. We're friends now. No getting out of it."

    Trembling, Reyn raised her hands as best she could and put them around Josy. She lay her head on the duchess' shoulder and managed not to cry.