36: Star Child: Dunes of Tolapo II

'I shouldn't have stayed up so late…" I thought as I trudged behind Jane and Iris to Baset's spire. Jane and Irks were several feet in front of me and they were only getting further with every passing minute.

"Chase pick up the pace. We'll be late to class!" Iris yelled back to me.

"I'm coming!" I shouted and broke out into a light jog. It only took me a few moments to catch up with the girls.

"Is it just me or are we being followed?" Jane asked pointing to the small group of students about ten yards behind us.

"We're being followed." Iris said then looked over her shoulder at the group. "It's the same group that followed us two days ago."

Before Jane and Iris told me they were being followed at the last class I never noticed that practically the whole campus was watching me and the people close to me. That group wasn't the only ones watching us. The same three carriages had passed us twice at intersections and any lecture hall we passed on the way it's steps were crammed full of people watching as we stored down the street. Now that it had been pointed put to me that I was being was being watched I noticed it everywhere and it honestly made me anxious.

When we reached Baset's spire we were greeted to a spectacle. There was a large crowed gathered in front of the spire doors with a detachment of guardsmen and their evos; a pack of thrads; holding them back. As we got closer we saw the cause of the disturbance. Baset. She was standing behind the guardsmen looking rather irate and pissed off at her 'adoring fans. Astrid, Alberto, and Damon were standing behind Baset. Damon and Alberto seemed to be relishing the attention of the screaming fans while Astrid had the same tired look that Baset had.

"Is class cancelled?" I yelled over the screaming fans. Everyone grew silent and turned to see my group. There were more than a few people that looked diseased to see me among the fans and a lot of people that were staring at my farm crystal.

"No we were waiting for you three to arrive when these…" Baset motioned to the fans gathered around her with a barely contained look of annoyance in her face. "…fans suddenly started appearing."

Baset tapped on one of the guardsmen shoulders and he broke away from the rest of the group and pushed his way through the mob before disappearing around the side of the spire. Baset snapped her fingers and the circle of guardsmen started to push the crowd back. When some refused to move they were shoved put of the way. Once a path away from the door was cleared Baset walked over to my group, with Damon, Astrid and Alberto in tow.

"I hope you are ready for a challenge?" Baset asked once she reached us.

"It doesn't really matter if I'm ready or not, since you made this stupid duel part of my grade." I griped.

"Stupid duel!" Astrid exclaimed.

"Yes! Stupid!" I snapped back.

"Chase please don't start!" Jane said placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Fine…" I grumbled.

A large shuttle drove around the side of the spire and came to a halt along side the group. Baset smiled and walked up to the shuttle door.

"Alright our ride is here! Everyone get on!" She ordered.

The driver opened the shuttle door and everyone piled in. Jane and Iris sat in the seat behind the driver while I took the seat behind them. Damon, Alberto, and Astrid a sat at separate seats further back in the shuttle. Baset took the seat beside Jane's and Iris' then nodded to the driver and we were off.

Everyone sat quietly in their seats, either staring out the window or fidgeting. I was looking at a few sheets of paper I had kept folded in my pocket. Each had a different spell sigil drawn on it. I made them the night before after Jane I discovered I could cast spells sigils that were written on paper.

After a ten minutes I started to get suspicious of where we were going when the collage gates started to come into view.

"Um…Baset…where are we going?" I asked. Everyone looked up from what they were doing and realized where we were tjen turned to Baset for her answer.

"To the airport of course." She replied as if it was the only possible answer.

"Airport!" I shouted. "Why the hell are we going there?"

"To fly obviously." She replied then smirked. Jane reached back and held a hand up, silently telling me to calm down.

"Lady Baset why are we heading to the airport? I thought we were going to the coliseum for Chase and Astrid's duel?" Jane asked.

"Whatever gave you that impression?" Baset chuffed.

"You said that you'd deal with the preparations. I assumed that meant you were going to request to have the coliseum for the duel." Astrid said.

"Never assume anything. Besides what I gave planned will be better than any fight in a coliseum." Baset replied.

"Can you tell us where we're going at least? I don't have my passport on me so I can't leave the country." I said.

"No but don't worry about such things for now. I'll tell you more when we get up in the air."

With that Baset turned and looked put the window. An obvious way of her saying she was done with the conversation. The rest of the ride to the airport was slow and uneventful thanks to us getting stuck in the morning rush hour. After passing through the more slummy part of the city I think everyone was relieved to see the airport.

I expected the shuttle to stop at the passenger drop off area and let us all out but it just rode on past that to a security gate on the side of the terminal.

The shuttle came to a halt and the guard worming the gate walked up and tapped on the driver's window. The driver rolled down the window and handed the guard a plastic card. The guard looked it over then nodded and walked around to open the gate.

The girls and I shared anxious glances as the shuttle rode across the tarmac to a nearby hanger. The shuttle stopped just shy of the hanger doors and the driver turned to Baset.

"We're here Lady Baset." The driver said.

"Thank you Sal." Baset said as she stood up. "Everyone follow me."

We followed Baset and climbed off the shuttle and stood in front of the entrance to the hanger. Inside the hanger laid a Terraback, the Evo type that's single handedly responsible for connecting the world and commercial travel.

The terraback is a evo that's a cross between a turtle and a eagle that is severely modified for its size, strength, lighter weight. They basically looked like massive sea turtles but with wings instead fins and the tops of their shells were flat. There was a long cylindrical compartment strapped to its back and other attached to the gladiator style helmet in its head.

One of the ground crew that was tending to the terraback saw Baset and quickly ran over to speak with her. He skidded to a stop in front of her and saluted.

"How is she?" Baset asked without batting a eye.

"She's ready to fly ma'am, looks eager for it too!" He replied. "Let us get her put of the hanger and we'll let you all board."

"Do what you need too!" Baset replied.

The man nodded and ran back to talk with the rest of the crew and they all quickly burst into action. Using a crane lnside the hanger they lifted the terraback onto massive trolly took up to five steeds. The steeds pulled the terraback out of the hanger and onto the tarmac. Once outside and into the sun the Terrabacks wings started to glow as if absorbing sunlight. The ground crew wheeled over a large set of stairs and connected it to the compartment on the terraback's back then headed inside.

"It'll only take a few more minutes and then we'll be off." Baset told the class.

Soon enough the ground crew exited the compartment and hurried back into the hanger just as a an in a captain's outfit walked out of the hanger. The captain and the ground crew chatted for a moment then the captain walked over to Baset.

"Lady Basset. The ground crew says we're clear to board and I heard from air traffic control that our flight plan has been approved." The captain said. Baset smiled.

"That's great. Thank you for setting all this up in such short notice Armin."Baset replied.

"Of course! Anything for you Lady Baset. As soon as you're all safe and boarded I'll take the pilots chair." Captain Armin said. Baset nodded and turned to the class and pointed at the terraback.

"Time to board everyone! Don't dawdle!" Baset ordered.

Everyone did as they were told and climbed the stairs into the compartment. The inside was very nice and looked to be one of the luxury models with spacious leather seating, intricate bulkhead designs, and a futuristic monochrome color scheme. Heads and shoulders above the commercial model that I flew to Egypt on.

The girls each took a window seat with Iris taking the seat behind Jane. I sat in the seat next to Jane, we'll technically next to Jane. There was enough of a gap between each seat to actually add a third in each row.

Damon's group once again sat where ever there was space and as far away from their teammates as possible. Making it obvious that they couldn't stand each other. Everyone buckled in and waited for take off. Baset boarded the plane a few minutes later and took a seat at the front of the cabin.

The cart the terraback was on started to move towards the runway. Jane and Iris both squirmed giddily in their seats.

"We're taking off!" Jane cheered. I looked at her and Iris and asked.

"Is this your first time flying?"

"Yeah." Jane replied. "Iris and I have been living in Egypt now for a few years now and when we originally came over we took a warlord."

"I see." I said then smiled at both the girls. "Then you're both going to enjoy this!"

Jane and Iris watched out the window as the light shining off the terraback's wings turned golden and tinned balls of light danced around the base of the terraback's shell. The terraback started to hover off the trolley and with a gentle flap of its wings glide down the runway. With every flap of its wings it picked up speed and altitude, everyone felt the sudden acceleration and were pushed back into their seats until the cabin's inertia dampening sigils kicked in. Jane and Iris immediately went back to their windows and gasped as they watched us glide into the clouds. We ascended for a good long while, after about fifteen minutes I stopped looking over Jane's shoulder to see out the window and started studying my sigils again.

"This is the captain speaking. We've reached our causing altitude of thirty-nine thousand feet you are free to unbuckle your seat belts and walk around the cabin. The sky's are mostly clear with a nice tailwind and our girl is happy and enjoying the skies. We'll reach our destination of Sholi Airport in a estimated five hours. So just sit tight and enjoy the flight." Captain George said over for intercom.

"Sholi airport? Where is that?" I asked.

"A small Air field in Niger. In possibly one of the harshest areas of the Sahara desert." Baset replied.

"Niger!" Everyone shouted then shared panicked looks. Everyone looked on edge but Astrid looked positively terrified.

"The Devine kingdom of Niger? We're headed to that dustbowl?!" Damon exclaimed.

"That's on the other end of the continent! And I left my passport!" I shouted. Astrid stood up from her seat and rushed over Baset's .

"Lady Baset I can't go to Niger. Niger and England have been in a cold war for the last twenty years. If anyone in Niger finds out who I am I could be kidnapped." Astrid exclaimed.

"Oh no, what a tragedy." I said sarcastically. Astrid glared at me and stomped her foot.

"My father is a admiral in the royal navy as well as a earl! Do you know how big of a political bargaining chip I would be?"

"Well don't go advertising who you are and that shouldn't be a problem." Bastet said.

"Besides where were going getting captured by a foreign military will be the least of your problems…"