Loc, Rivna, Tamar, Aldrog, Gidget, and Gideon are inside the Flying Broom's bridge. The bridge itself is fully windowed, giving view to the moving sky. Everyone is speaking to Rivna who is sitting down in the captain's chair. Gidget and Aldrog's faces are uncovered.
Loc: By the way, you can call me Loc. And I take it you have a name as well, don’t you?
Rivna hesitates.
Aldrog: Maybe she doesn’t have one.
Loc: Everyone has a name.
Tamar: She could have forgotten it.
Loc: Well then we’ll give you a name.
Gidget: Hey Loc just go easy on the poor thing. I mean she just woke up in an abandoned temple butt naked in the middle of nowhere, and now some strange people who just whisked her away on an airship are interrogating her.
Aldrog: Well when you put it that way it sounds like we kidnapped her.
Loc: We didn’t kidnap her. It was divine intervention.
Gidget: More like divine kidnapping.
Loc: Whatever you’re willing to call it she’s safer with us than with anyone else. Can you imagine if the Queen of Queens got to her first?
Tamar: Well if anything she’s about as strong as one of her daughters. I’ve never seen anyone give a princess that hard a time.
Aldrog: Yeah but where did that power come from? I’ve never seen a Tahlyan display anywhere near that level of strength before.
Gideon: That’s because she’s the Witch Tier.
Rivna looks alerted by Gideon’s words.
Loc: Well we're certainly not going to call her that. Regardless, would you like a tour of my ship? Since you’re going to be staying with us for a while you should at the very least know your way around.
Rivna: Stay here?
Gidget: That’s right sweetheart. As long as you follow the rules here you’ll be a certified member of the Flying Broom.
Aldrog: That’s right!
Rivna: Do you know where I—
Everyone pauses to listen to her carefully.
Rivna: Where I can find the Frost Plains?
Loc: The Frost Plains? You mean the Forbidden Wastes?
Rivna: No. It’s a small humble valley in the southern region of Quatace.
Everyone pauses as they look at each other.
Gideon: Um, the Frost Plains haven’t existed in over a thousand years, sweetie.
Rivna looks shocked.
Gideon: Most of the continent of Quatace is just desert now. That’s where we found you.
Loc: I’m sorry if that comes as a shock to you.
Aldrog whispers to Gidget.
Aldrog: Hey Gidget, if she didn’t know about that then how long do you figure she was cooped up in that temple for?
Gidget shrugs his shoulders. Rivna expresses a look of defeat.
Loc opens a metal door to the ship’s engine room. Krahmlyns, which are three feet tall anthropomorphic rodents that look similar to Gidget, fill the busy room. Rivna peers inside in fascination.
Loc: And over here is the engine room. Gidget and his crew are in charge of keeping her in tip top condition.
The Krahmlyns briefly wave before getting back to work.
Loc opens a door to a steampunk laboratory. Gideon, who is at a desk weltering a small device, briefly waves to them. Rivna peers inside inquisitively.
Loc: This here is where we craft nifty inventions to help us catch bounties and fulfill other odd jobs.
Loc opens a door to a large untidy kitchen.
Loc: This here is the kitchen.
Rivna peers inside with a slight look of dismay. There is a pause as Loc looks a bit bashful.
Loc: Pardon the mess. We're still looking for a chef right now.
Aldrog: Well right now Tamar is our best cook, but that isn’t saying much…
Tamar: What’s that supposed to mean Aldrog?!
Aldrog hesitates as Tamar rolls up her sleeve.
Loc: Uh, moving on…
Loc and Rivna walk along the ship’s main deck and view the beautiful cloudy sky. Gidget is with them.
Loc: She’s not much, but she’s home.
Gidget: And as they say there’s no place like home. Personally I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Even if the food can be a little iffy at times.
Loc chuckles.
Loc: I’m gonna tell Tamar you said that.
Gidget: Please don’t…
Rivna approaches the railing.
Rivna: (What in The Will's name am I doing here with all of these bizarre people? A flying metal contraption that doubles as a dwelling place? And this odd species that stands before me. Is he of those rumored humans the village elders have whispered about? What manner of existence have I stumbled into? I have to find a way home, and soon.)
Loc looks at her quizzically. Rivna gives Loc a guilty look. She sits on the railing.
Rivna: Thank you, for all you’ve done.
She dives into the sky. Loc and Gidget run to the railing in shock.
Gidget: Did she just?!
Rivna falls headfirst through the seemingly endless sky. The clouds clear and to her astonishment she passes several large floating islands containing cities surrounded by many airships.
Rivna flips and lands on her feet in a windy desert. The impact creates a large crater. She pauses to look around before sighing.
Rivna: (The winds are silent.)
She spots an old small town in the distance and runs to it.
Solty Town is a quaint 1800s-esque town that’s mainly populated by Arcane, people with black eyes and hair; African-American ethnicity, like Loc. They’re all dressed in western 1800s attire. Rivna strolls in and surveys the town in great wonder. People freeze and point at her in dismay.
Rivna passes by a group of young Tahlyan men that are chained to a wagon. They wear rags as well as faces of hopelessness. An Arcane boy points at Rivna.
Arcane Boy: Mother look! Why is that Tahlyan running free?
Arcane Mother: Someone must have left their dag gone pet loose again.
Rivna nearly bumps into two chained little girls that are being violently pulled by an Arcane man. One girl is Tahlyan, the other Krahmlyn. The girls pause in marvel as they witness Rivna in her nice clean dress.
Arcane Man: The hell y’all gawking at, huh? C'mon you little demons!
He yanks on the chain and the Tahlyan girl yelps in pain.
Arcane Man: And quit making all that damn noise!
He glares at Rivna before leaving. Rivna turns and three Arcane women spit in her face as they walk by laughing.
Arcane Woman: You can tell she’s her master’s favorite wench with a dress like that.
Rivna grunts and leaps in front of them. She spits back and the women shriek in astonishment, halting the whole town.
Rifle fire is heard and Rivna is tazed and falls face first. A middle aged sheriff quickly runs in and handcuffs her. A young deputy holding a rifle runs to them.
Deputy Carl: I saw the whole thing, sheriff.
Sheriff Leslie: So did I.
Rivna squirms and grunts as the deputy puts his boot on her head.
Arcane Woman: Hang that damn demon!
Sheriff Leslie: Hold on Miss Loraine, we gotta find out who’s property she is first.
Arcane Woman: Y’all can find out after you hang her! That filthy Tahlyan just spat on me! Me! A woman! I swear to The Will if I start growing horns y’all.
Deputy Carl: I don’t know about horns but you might grow some pointy ears and fangs.
The women gasps.
Sheriff Leslie: That’s enough, Carl. If her master ain’t too fancy then she’ll get her capital punishment ma’am.
Rivna grunts again as small gray electrical volts discharge from her body, keeping her stiff. A loud bang is heard, covering everyone in smoke.
Aldrog in full armor flies out of the smoke and into the skies carrying Rivna.
Back on the Flying Broom’s deck Rivna is sipping from a cup with a blanket around her. Present is Loc, Aldrog, and Gidget.
Rivna: Forgive me for running off like that. This is truly a world I am unfamiliar with.
Gidget: Hey, you’re free to leave at any time. I just wished you told us beforehand that you can survive a fall like that. You nearly gave me heart attack back there.
Loc: The world may be shackled by the Queen of Queens' narrow views, but you’ll find freedom in the skies.
Rivna: It’s Rivna.
Loc looks slightly surprised.
Rivna: My name is Rivna.
Loc puts his hand out for her to shake with an earnest smile. Rivna grabs it.
Loc: Welcome aboard, Rivna.
Rivna gives him a beautiful warm feminine smile. Loc looks slightly mesmerized by her beauty.
Chapter End