87 From the sea to the river

The airship Kaleo hired from Deutero carried roughly forty people. They looked to be in bad shape, and gazed at everything around them with furtive eyes.

"Who are all these people?" Remian asked.

"They are refugees from Encles Island. The island has been hit by an earthquake and a tsunami and the has sunk almost entirely beneath the water." Kaleo said gravely. "What little land remains is not enough for even one house, much less their village. They need a new place to settle down, and I know of no better place than here."

"Nor I." Remian agreed. "But… forty people? That's all there is?"

"There are more." Kaleo assured him. "But getting them here is difficult. It is a long journey, and airships are costly."

"How many more do you have?"

"Two hundred." Kaleo cleared his throat. "I would have brought more this time around, but I needed the cargo space for trade in order to cover the cost."

That was the Kaleo Remian knew; wouldn't take a loss even to save people. As Kaleo would say, it was just business.

"You want them to settle in my lands, but why would I take them?" Remian decided to take a stance as hard as Kaleo's own. This is how you treat me? Let's see how you like a taste of your own medicine!

"We can work!" an old man from the crowd said suddenly. "We are an industrious and adaptable people! We can all work for you! You won't regret it!"

"And what guarantee do I have?" Remian asked.

"We'll swear it by the waves and Sel'ea-dras! Our entire generation, every grown man and woman will serve you for life! We only want to be treated as fairly as your own." The old man said, glancing at the side.

From the airport, they could see the children of the Harvest Sun running around playing. They were well-fed, and healthy, and they were laughing, without fear of anything or anyone around them. Already, the children on board the airship were staring at them with wide, envious eyes.

Kaleo cleared his throat again. "I… might have told them a thing or two about your workers here. Charlie might also have mentioned they were being freed… among other things."

Remian sighed. "Very well. Swear it on the grass and Kor'ag-dras and you can join us. There are no waves here, so Sel'ea-dras might have some trouble smiting you if you renege on your vow."

"We'll swear on both, and on any other dragons you want!"

***

Remian decided to settle the Encles Clan to the east of Kara-Goth, right in between the hills and the river. That was there the cliffs subsided and the river was accessible from the land. The Encles Clan were most appreciative about living near the water.

Their first project was their own housing. Toward that, they were going to get help from the workers who just finished the hangar. After their new village was set up, they were to turn around and help the workers complete a new wall to block off access from the south.

That wall was going to be a meter thick and three meters high to begin with. It needed to be strong enough to keep even the likes of DD and Spike out, but the first phase would have it just keep out Tier 3's and lower. The second phase would be meant to keep out the Tier 4's, and the wall would have to rise to six meters. The third phase should reinforce it with a frame and a second meter-thick layer on the other side, rising ten meters with enough space on top for carts. They'd build up guard towers along the wall with platforms wide and strong enough to mount heavy weapons like catapults of similar size to the XXL Ballista.

All of that was a huge amount of work, so yeah, the workers from the High Rock clan would definitely appreciate the help from the Encles clan. Remian only meant to rush the first phase, though. Afterward, the High Rock workers would return to Kara-Goth. The second phase and onward was going to be the long-term job of the Encles clan.

Meanwhile, Spike was going to be there to protect them as they took to the water. Fishing, aqua-farming everything from shellfish to kelp, various precious water-herbs… neither they nor Remian were entirely sure what Sea people could do with fresh water, but they were definitely keen to find out.

Spike complained about it, of course. He still wanted to go home. But with the Desert King's men all over the Black Ruins and their Sky Galleon keeping an eye out for them, going home was a really bad idea right now.

"Is that going to be okay with you?" Remian asked, eyeing the Encles people as he introduced Spike to them.

"It should be fine." The Elder of the Encles said cautiously. "Our young are taught that Sel'ea-dras protects us and watches out for us. They are taught that beneath the waves, there is a great and mighty creature keeping us safe. None of us ever saw her, but still, we taught our children such." He turned to Spike. "Now this is a guardian that we can see and touch. It will be much easier to teach our children."

[I still wanna go home.] Spike grumbled.

"What did he say?" the Encles Elder asked, still not quite sure that Remian was able to communicate with and command the Tier 5 Spiked-Back Lizard.

"He said, not to worry; he only eats naughty children." Remian told him, with a warning glance at Spike.

[Can I, really?] Spike asked.

[NO!]

***

It should be said that all of the Circling Ravens children knew enough about Mindy to get her presents that she liked.

That is, except for the formal dress than Mandy bought her sister, everybody else got Mindy books, posters and diagrams on airships. Three of them were books on airship engineering. One more was a book on currently popular and historical airships around the world. There were posters of airships at sunset, airships over scenic lakes, airships over great waterfalls…

Someone even gave her a blueprint of the old Wandering Egret frigates.

Did they even buy these things? Some of those looked like they'd been taken right off the walls and bookshelves of Charlie's house…

Speaking of Charlie, he was currently wishing he hadn't brought his family and Mandy along. Mandy in particular was giving him an earful about talking some sense into Mindy, and Remian, maybe Tim and George too while he was at it. If that wasn't enough, she even roped Beth in to say a 'few words' in support. It came to a point where Charlie outright yelled, "Stop trying to get me involved in your issues!" and stomped off the Wind Voyager.

Once out, he immediately started running before anyone could come after him.

Meanwhile, Mindy herself was still chattering easily with her friends on board. As the chatter continued, Mandy deliberately cut in and said, "Mindy, you have to come to Ashdale. There's so much you could learn there! It would be good for your future, trust me! It's not too late! Look at Jane, she's scored straight A's…"

"What does Jane's A's have anything to do with me?" Mindy asked, frowning. "There's nothing wrong with my future. I like it just the way it is."

"You're going to end up like one of Madam Rose's girls if you don't go to school!" Mandy snapped.

"Oh, and the Bad Monsters will come get me if I don't go to bed on time as well? I'm way past your fairy tales, sis." Mindy rolled her eyes.

"Don't you roll your eyes at me!"

"Or what? No supper? I'd sooner hire my own chef than rely on your cooking!"

One of them started screaming around that point. Mandy would insist later that it wasn't her who started it, but Mindy and every one of the Ravens children would contradict that statement in a heartbeat. As for the other people on board the airship, they would respectfully refrain from comment.

But once started, one shout led to another on both sides and eventually Mindy stomped off the airship.

There was an awkward silence for perhaps twenty seconds.

Eventually, Mandy went after her, with Jane and Kavitha dragged along for company. Even with her reluctance to leave the airship, she found herself setting foot on the dock of the airport, looking for a way to save her sister from an uncertain future. Step by step, concern and distress dragged her forward until at last, her foot set down upon the soil of the Frontier once again.

Despite her premonitions, nothing happened. The earth didn't open up and swallow her. A million Wilds didn't suddenly spring up from the ground to gnaw her to death. In fact, she recognized a few of the nearby Wilds; one of them was Red, the wolfcat who stayed at the Guild Hall…

For a moment there, she felt an odd flash of warmth, remembering a cosy scene of comfort and safety a long time ago. How long ago was it? A few weeks? It felt like years.

At that time, running around with the wolfcats was the safest she'd ever felt. But now, that very way of life was a threat to her sister's future. She could not just stand back and watch it happen! Mindy had to come to Ashdale! She had to!

As for where she was now… that wolfcat gave Mandy a pretty good reminder and an easy guess.

She made her way toward the Guild Hall.

That's where she saw Phoebe.