Masters of the Sky

Chapter 31 Obligations

"You're brilliant, Celia!" Gabriel swept her off her feet and turned around, kissing her brow. "Have I told you that already?"

"Yes, but I didn't hear it properly. You can say that again." She grinned. "Just ten times more."

"You are brilliant," he repeated and kissed her. It was a light and quick kiss, but it was enough to send a pleasurable shiver down her spine. She still found it bizarre that Gabriel had so much sway with her. She had many lovers but could always keep them at arm's length. But with him, it was different. It felt as if they always knew each other and had a bond that let them understand each other without words. It made her want to put down all her meticulously built defences and show him the real Celia.

Gabriel withdrew from the embrace and rushed to his desk, rustling through the papers. "This changes everything. Now that we have living proof of civilisation existing right behind those mountains, the other political parties won't be able to dismiss our reports as tall tales." He turned back to her with a grin. "That will accelerate our plans for months!"

Celia cocked her head. "Will it? I'm pretty sure those lazy sods from high tiers of Iron Shore would need more than one prisoner to get their shit together."

"It all depends on how we sell it to them." He walked back to her, wrapping his arm around her waist and waving his other hand. "Picture this. We return to Iron Shore, bearing life-changing news. The world behind those mountains is no longer a distant possibility. It is right there, and humans are already living there. True, they are different from us, but since we've got one of them, we can learn all there is to know about this exciting new world."

"If he talks, that is." Celia crossed her arms. "I don't think he speaks any language known to us. Did you have any luck communicating with him?"

"Not yet. But once we return to Iron Shore, we'll get help from professionals."

Celia didn't like the sound of that, but she was also aware that this was the inevitable fate of prisoners of war and the surest way to extract information. But there was something in that stranger that made her pity him. He looked so wild and free in the air that seeing those wings bound pained her.

She pushed the thought away. It was not her burden to carry. They would have to make tough choices if they wanted to leave this dying world. That was the way of the world.

"Do we need to return with you?" she asked instead. "We are making great progress with scouting the perimeter and learning about Sky Guardians. Leaving that again and going back to frequent parties sounds like a waste of time."

"I know you're itching to return to the air, but I need you with me." Gabriel turned so they were standing face to face now. "I'm just a politician. I can talk people into doing things, but my words alone, won't have enough punch in them. But you..." He gently caressed her cheek with the tips of his fingers. "You are the symbol of change, Celia. A privateer who took down the biggest cartel in the region took over the sky and now making her way straight for the new world." He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers with the most charming smile. "You and I, Celia. Together we are a powerhouse. We can convince people we found the best way forward, so they finally stop stalling and work towards a better future for our people."

Celia sighed theatrically. "Fine. But you'd better be quick about it. If I had to attend too many parties, I might shoot someone."

Gabriel snorted. "I'll keep that in mind."

***

The next couple of weeks passed in a blur. The expedition returned to the Iron Shore, and the governor and his people took over the prisoner, but Gabriel remained in the loop. However, there was not much progress with interrogation. The stranger either didn't understand their language more than they did him or was so foolishly stubborn that he refused to communicate no matter what professionals did to him.