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into a book. If she could not feel emotions then she had lost not only the ability to feel fear or revulsion, but also love and hope. She might have lived a thousand years, but not as a whole person.
    He heard familiar laughter from somewhere beyond the door and sighed. Closing the book, he slipped her into his satchel.
    The Academy had better take good care of you, Vella
, he thought.
You’ve been through too much to end your life unconscious and slowly deteriorating in a lost corner of the vault.

CHAPTER 4
    S ome time during their night in Palga the helpful breeze that had shooed them out of Mailand turned into a bossy gale. It shoved the aircart along with unnerving gusts that had them straddling the deck and holding on tightly as if it was some kind of untamed beast. They flew as low as possible in case they needed to make a hasty landing, but it meant they had to steer well clear of tall obstacles.
    The wind was blowing in the right direction, at least. Several times Kilraker had considered landing and waiting out the weather, but the advantage of having such a strong wind in their favour was that it reduced their journey from several weeks to less than one. And these gales could last a number of days.
    They dared not fly over the Northern Straights in such weather, however, so when they reached the city of Widport, the closest on the Western continent to the island of Leratia, they holed up until a steamship arrived. Once on board, Tyen, Miko and Neel took turns on guard duty watching over the aircart in the cargo hold for the three, gut-wrenching days it took to get to mainland Leratia.
    From there they boarded the recently extended East-to-West Railsled for a much more civilised final leg of the journey home. Though not as thrilling as air travel, railsled was still the fastest and most comfortable form of transport to be developed in the last century. It was also the most reliable, since the storms that were so dangerous to aircarts and ships did not stop a railsled.
    They pulled into the East-to-West Leratian station the next afternoon. As Kilraker supervised the removal of the aircart by crane from the freight sled to a waiting longcart, Tyen listened to the rain hammering on the glass-panelled roof high above and couldn’t decide if he was relieved or disappointed to be back. He longed for the simple comforts of the boarding room in the Academy, but once he arrived he ought to hand Vella over.
    Could he get away with delaying that moment? Since Palga he’d had few opportunities to talk to the book, and there was still so much he needed to teach her before he gave her up.
    If he did at all.
    He jumped as a hand slapped him on the shoulder.
    “Not as convenient as landing the aircart on the Academy lawn, but at least we’re all in one piece,” Kilraker said, smiling. “Good work back there, young Tyen Ironsmelter. You certainly earned your place on this expedition. I’d have you as co-driver any day. You’ve got a real knack for flying.”
    Tyen felt his face warm at the compliment. “Thank you, Professor.”
    “Now, I’ll ride back with the cart, but there’s no room for you three. Catch a three-seater to the Academy. I’ll have your bags sent to your rooms.” His smile widened into a grin. “See you in class, my fellow adventurers.”
    He tapped his hat to them in farewell, strode to the longcart and swung up next to the driver. As the vehicle moved away, Miko turned to Tyen and Neel and put a hand on each of their shoulders.
    “Can I owe you for the ride, my fellow adventurers? I’m broke.”
    Tyen shrugged and nodded. He could afford half the fare. Then his stomach sank as he saw that Neel was shaking his head.
    “Mother always insists I visit her as soon as I arrive back from any trip. I’ll see you at the Academy later.” Neel tugged his cap brim and headed for the station entrance.
    Miko sent Tyen a disbelieving look, but said nothing as they turned to follow. Neel could have easily lived