The Dragon Chase: A Tale of the Everburning City

Was There a Wall There? (Bonus Chapter of the 80k Giveaway)

"Cinders!" Amelain muttered, wrapping her hand over the pommel. "The author will have a fit if we spoil anything for him. Reeves, grab another message."

Amelian began unscrewing the pommel piece of her sword as Harold ruffled through his bag.

"Okay. Here's another one, priority white. From @NotLikeYouThink. As follows: Are there going to be more airships or are there only going to be the two?"

At this, Valen started to laugh. Amelian smiled, Mathias shook his head ruefully, and Gerald groaned.

"So, who's fielding this one?" Mia asked. "Can I?"

"Light it up, Mia," Amelian said.

"Thanks, ma'am. Short answer is yes, there will me more airships. Long answer is 'smoldering cinders of the end of the world, of burning course we're going to build more hellfire-seared airships'," Mia said.

"The Airships proved to be a decisive strategic advantage. A mobile gun platform alone is a critical advantage in engaging a Golem, and we wouldn't have survived the Dragon without them," Valen explained.

"You're all welcome, by the way," Tabitha added.

"It's on your statue," Mathias said.

"It is?" Tabitha said breathlessly, her voice quivering with-

"Knock that off!" Tabitha exclaimed, somehow pointing directly at the author despite the metaphysical impossibility of it.

"Last burning warning, you hack!"

Sorry.

"And you really owe Gimli an apology. Galadriel's gift was a beautiful thing to request, and reached across a chasm of racism and mistrust so large you could fit the entire City inside," Tabitha added.

"Perhaps I should find another question?" Harold Reeves said, as he reached into his satchel.

Thanks, Lieutenant Reeves.

"You might have made my promotion a little more dramatic, though. Seriously? My sword in a food crate?" Harold said.

"To be fair, that's how I got my sword during the Fifth," Emily Varnell said.

"Ah. So it's not just me?"

"It's fairly normal for ratified field promotions," Varnell reassured Harold.

"Okay. I'll stop being sullen about it, thank you ma'am. With my limited screen time, I was worried anything I did was an afterthought," Harold admitted.

"Emily! Glad you were brought into this," Valen said, waving over to where the old soldier leaned against the railings, near the bow of the ship.

"You made it into two books!" Natalina Casper exclaimed. "I'm not even The Dragon Chase! Which means I might still die before Burning Night is finished. And considering the other two POV characters died by the end of the other book, I don't like my odds."

"I die?" Adrian asked.

It's ambiguous. Deliberately.

"That doesn't bode well..." Adrian worried.

"Okay, so this one is from @Inkwellheart, priority blue. As follows: Gerald, will you marry me?" Harold asked.

"Lucille, knives down!" Gerald exclaimed, staggering backwards and pulling Adrian in front of him.

Tabitha and Mathias both started laughing.

"Is this part of the hashtag thing? Moderately fond of Gerald?" Amelian asked.