about the machine, crawling inside and beginning to heat the air for the balloon. Kewyn went in after him, preparing for her first flight.
My stomach had returned to its jumping about nervously. Staring up at the Spire, it felt like it was something living creatures were not meant to venture to. It was more a tower than a mountain, with sheer sides and a summit that pierced the clouds. I felt vaguely ill.
Kewyn eventually beckoned for us to come aboard. My heart hammered almost loud enough to cover the noise of the engine as I climbed in the door.
The ship was surprisingly spacious inside. It was all wooden but for the four padded seats and the bow, which had been reinforced with metal. I took one of the chairs that lined the side of the ship, facing inward.
“Surprisingly plush for a one-man operation,” Rio noted quietly as he sat down across from me.
The kin situated himself beside me, hardly seeming to look at the amazing creation around him.
I was surprised to see that the ship was not just one room – there was a doorway to a separate room at the back of the hull. The walls around us had been heavily reinforced for the hazards of flight, and I was a little comforted by the presence of a strap to hold me into my seat. Yet, despite all these safety precautions and my confidence in Aenlilea and Kewyn, I was convinced that I was going to throw up or panic as soon as we lifted into the air.
“You all set?” Aenlilea asked as he walked toward the door to leave.
I saw the lines outside straining to hold the ship down. As Kewyn began to heat up the engine, I felt the rumbling all around us. I swallowed heavily, gripping the cushion of the seat to keep from ripping the belt off and jumping out of the ship.
“Ready,” Kewyn said, her voice confident but her face pale. Her father walked up to her and gripped her shoulders. She smiled up at him and I saw his chin quiver before he pulled her into a hug. The blonde patted her father on the back. “I’ll see you later, okay?”
“Yup,” he said thickly before he jumped out the door onto the trolley. “Don’t forget to take the lines off, and the steering’ll be a bit squirrelly once you get up there –“
“Dad, I’ll be fine,” Kewyn said as she strapped herself into the pilot’s chair