Quinn
As everyone started moving back, I summoned my magic, and in my mind, I said, "Okey dokey, Vicky, you know what I want."
Indeed, my lady. I'm rather excited myself.
The circle glowed and the signs, symbols, and scripts turned, and materializing was a shiny vehicle with four wheels. It was an SUV, super large with eight seats. Suddenly, a chorus of shrill excitement rang out from the children.
"A car! It's a car!" Jonah said, pointing at the vehicle.
"A car! It's a real car like in the movies," Leo said, jumping up and down as if he had received the best birthday present ever.
"Is it indeed a car," Robert said. "Like in the movies."
"How interesting," Derek said, looking about the fancy vehicle.
Leaning against the side, I said, grinning, "All right. Anyone want a ride?"
"Me!" Jonah put up his hand. "I want to have a ride."
"Me, too," Leo said, putting up his hand eagerly.
"Me, three," Max said.
"Me, four," Josh said. "Please, me four. Please."
"If it's not too much of a hassle," Grandma Liz said. "I'd like to ride in this car thing, too, my lady."
I said, "Will you be all right, Grandma Liz? You won't get motion sickness?"
She waved my concern aside. "I'm fine with a carriage. I'm sure I'll be fine in this car thing."
"All right, hop in," I said as I opened the back door.
"Where should I sit?" Jonah asked.
"Kids go to the back." I leaned in and said, "The back is always the bumpiest."
"Really?" Jonah said. "Then I'm there." Red on his shoulder, he hopped in and made his way to the back, with Leo and Max following him, filling the three back seats. Josh got in next, followed by Grandma Liz, and then Hayden, filling the middle section. Closing the door, I turned to Grayson and said, "Hop in."
"Me, my lady?" Grayson said.
"Of course," I said. "You're the expert driver and will be on a mission soon, so it's best to get a feel for it." I opened the front passenger door, and he hesitantly got in.
On the other side, I got into the driver's seat and then put on my seat belt. Meanwhile, everyone inside was too busy marveling at the interior and poking their heads out since the windows were down. I cleared my throat and said, "Boys and girl, please put on your seat belts."
"Yes, seat belt," Jonah said. "It's unsafe to be riding in a car without wearing a seat belt."
A series of clicks could be heard as seat belts were put on, with Hayden helping Grandma Liz, since she didn't quite know how to put one on. Once they were done, I said, "Let's go driving." I pushed on the start button, turning on the engine, and the moment it did, everyone couldn't hold down their excitement. "Here we go!" I put the gear in drive and then pressed my foot on the accelerator, and the car moved forward.
I went slow at first, curving around the track, and then I pressed down on the accelerator even more, surging the car forward faster, and the boys at the back started screaming in thrill while Grandma Liz said, "Oh Lord, it's so fast."
I sped the car around the field, turning here and there, exhilaration filling me with a sense of fun. It had been ages since I had been driving, feeling the wind in my hair like this with the windows down. Indeed, this was pure joy.
"Woohoo!" I shouted.
The boys followed suit and said, "Woohoo!" while Red held on to Jonah's shoulder as he squeaked in delight, his eyes round and large.
I did another round around the track, and as I came close to the base, I saw more people running down from the lodge, clearly excited to see what the commotion was, and Aldric and the men at the conference room were among them. I waved at my stunned-looking husband, along with a delightful laughter, when he was close and the car passed him. I did another round before slowing down and coming to a stop. Once the engine was off, I said, "How was that?"
"That was amazing," Jonah said. "Can we go again?"
Her eyes large and bright and her cheeks crimson, Grandma Liz said, "That was fast. Can we go again, my lady?"
"We can but not yet," I said, seeing the thick crowd swarming the car like moths to a flame, touching the smooth metal and poking their heads in through the windows.
I opened the door and begged my way out. Finally free from the mob of intrigue, I walked toward Aldric, who could only stare at me, still looking damn stunned and speechless.
I grinned at him and said, pointing to the dirt road, "Road." Pointing to the SUV. "Modern carriage. Delivering the civilians from the dungeon to base camp solved. Next is traveling from here to the closest point of the mountain dungeon." I pointed up to the air. "We go by air. It should only take us at most three to four hours."
Aldric looked confused. "By air? Three to four hours?"
"I'm sure you've seen some of the children movies?"
"Mm-hmm." He nodded.
"Airplane," I said.
He widened his eyes as if he finally understood.
I said, "But not really an airplane. I think since we're in Eseron, something more fantasy-like would suit better, such as an airship."
"An airship," he said.
"Shall we make one?" I asked.
His eyes twinkling, he said, "Do you need to ask?"
I smiled. "I need permission from the lord of the land, after all."
He wrapped his powerful arms around me and then lifted me up in the air, chuckling. "Quinn, you're a genius!"
Oh my! It was definitely different being lifted into the air like a child, but not at all unpleasant. Rather, it was exhilarating. When he put me down again, he planted his lips on mine, kissing me passionately, and I savored the moment.
When he moved back, he said, "Now then, Lady Norsewood, how about that airship?"
I nodded, and turning on my heel, I headed toward the middle of the racetrack. Aldric strolled along by my side, and deciding to join us were Uncle Colt, Jacob, Mark, Allen, Juan, and Liam.
"What is that?" Juan asked. "How can it move like that? What about horses?"
"It's magic, Juan," I said. "Vicky made the engine, and it uses mana as fuel to run the car. It will be the same with the airship."
"Airship?" Juan asked. "What is an airship?"
Smirking, Uncle Colt said, "Looks like our most important problems will be solved just like that by our lassie."
"Just like we knew she would," Jacob said, chuckling.
Goodness, but they sounded so damn pleased, didn't they?
In the middle of the racetrack, I said, "Gentlemen, please move back. This airship will need a lot of space."
They stepped back, and once I gave them the signal that it should be enough, I crouched down and planted my hand on the dirt.
I said, "Are you excited, Vicky?"
Excited? I'm overjoyed. This is going to be fun. I could never imagine I'd become the captain of an airship.
I smirked. "I didn't know a skill could imagine."
You can mock me all you want, my lady. As a skill, I have no feelings, so your words don't affect me.
She sounded a bit miffed.
Since I'm the captain and it's my ship, I will make it grand and to my liking.
"With all the essentials, please," I said.
Indeed, with all the essentials. You have no need to worry, my lady.
"Then I'll leave it to you," I said. Immediately, an enormous magic circle appeared under me, and as it glowed and turned, I strolled over to the men. Once I stood beside Aldric, I, too, watched as our first ever aircraft started materializing.
"An airplane!" I heard Max shout from the distance. "It's an airplane!"
Within moments, the crowd surrounded the magic circle. Coming to stand in front of me, Jonah asked, "We're going to have an airplane?"
"An airship to be precise," I said. Since we had no runway for an airplane to take off, an airship with a balloon and propellers was the best option. Not to mention it looked... damn kick-ass. There was a series of oohs and aahs as all eyes were glued to the aircraft, and I chuckled. I couldn't believe Vicky would make it this sophisticated.
How do you like it? her voice came in my head.
"I love it," I said loudly, marveling at the smooth, shiny metal and the intricate designs. Damn, but it looked very much like a fantastical airship with all the bells and whistles an empire would own in a fantasy novel. Turning to Aldric, I asked, "What do you think."
He flicked his gaze to me and said, "It think it's miraculous."
"Miraculous, eh?" I said. "It is, isn't it?"
Juan raked his fingers through his hair, looking even more dazed than I had seen him, and he had already been quite dazed last night and this morning. Indeed, he was very much in culture shock.
He said, "I thought the lodge and the food were out of this world, and then there's that thing called a car that can move without a horse dragging it, and now this?" He shook his head. "What is this airship thing? And it's magnificent. Just look at the sheer size of it."
It was indeed vast and could fit more than six hundred easily.
"An airship can fly, Uncle," Jonah said excitedly. "We saw it in the movies."
"It can fly?" he asked. "How?"
"With magic and using mana as fuel," I said. "Let's test it out, shall we?"
"Yes, let's," Jonah and Leo said in unison, their eyes bright with expectation. Meanwhile, Max and Josh were jumping up and down in excitement.
"All aboard then," I said, chuckling as the door of the aircraft slid open and stairs folded out.
The boys ran off, shrieking in delight, Red along with them, and climbed the stairs up to the second level as we, as well as the crowd, followed. Inside, it was spacious and immaculate, with seats, walk space, and a viewing deck. While everyone explored the place, Jonah asked, "What's down below?"
He meant the floor underneath, and I said, "Storage for important gears and the space for the men to work. This is a military airship, after all."
He nodded in understanding and then asked, "Who's the driver?"
"You mean the captain, the pilot," I said. "It'll be Vicky."
Indeed, it will be me, Vicky stated as she appeared on the large screen on the wall at the head of the room. She even sported a dark-blue military steampunk-style pilot uniform, completed with a stylish jacket that hung over her shoulder and a military cap on her head. Everyone, this is Captain Vicky. We'll be taking off now and exploring a little of Norsewood.
The door closed, and a moment later, we felt a lift. Everyone rushed over to the floor-to-ceiling glass windows of the viewing deck to watch as the aircraft floated up into the air, and the children shrieked. "We're flying! We're flying!"
I, too, stood at the window and watched as the aircraft leisurely took us around the lodge and then a little farther, showcasing the land of Norsewood covered in snow. At the front of the lodge, more people came rushing out, and Maria, Elizabeth, Frances, Eden, and Sara were among them. They gazed up at us, and some of them were waving and laughing in excitement. Clearly, they knew this magnificent aircraft belonged to Norsewood. Standing behind me, with his arm around my waist, Aldric, too, gazed down at his land and the dots of people, stunned.
Next to us, Uncle Colt said, "I could never imagine a day would come when I could see our land from up above like a bird with my own eyes." He was sniffing with emotional tears, and Jacob patted him on the shoulder.
"You and me both, Colt," he said. "You and me both."
"First it's the car and now this airship can really fly," Juan said.
Liam, who had been quiet all this while, said, "It's amazing, isn't it? And the land is beautiful from up here."
I shifted my gaze to Liam and was about to express my agreement when I saw Juan looking at him, and a smile broke out on his face that pleasantly surprised me. He said, "It is."
Goodness but Juan did really have a gorgeous smile, but of course, not as gorgeous as Aldric's. Turning my gaze away from the two young men, I agreed that it was indeed amazing to see just how vast and beautiful Norsewood was covered in snow. I wondered just how marvelous it'd be in spring and summer, and I couldn't wait until then to fly again and admire the view.
Aldric kissed me on the forehead and then said, "Thank you. You've made it possible for us to save the people."
I nodded. "You're welcome." Then I thought to add, "By the way, your smile is gorgeous, so please smile more, at least to me."
His face was serious for a moment and then, to my delight, he flashed me one, along with twinkling eyes, too, and I couldn't help myself. I stood on tiptoes and greedily kissed him.