They didn't get very far before running straight into a group of soldiers. Before Theo could react, Zenith let go of his hand and yanked out the sword in his shoulder.
Cay and Nevy joined him. Theo hurried to cast a strengthening spell on Zenith.
Pretty soon, a pile of soldiers decorated the floor. Yet some of them remained standing...hold on a minute. These weren't soldiers.
"Theo!" Sam cried, jumping up and down. "Good to see you!"
"Sam?" Theo blinked.
Not just her; Ryllis too, and Jin and Darian, all of them with their hands cuffed behind their backs. At least until Zenith started cutting them free.
"Thank you, Sir Zenith," Darian said, glancing at the glowing bandage on his chest. "Looks like Nevy's worked her magic."
"I wouldn't quite put it that way," Nevy said as she handed a sword to Darian. "It's only a small Levia patch, won't hold for long. You shouldn't overexert yourself, Sir."
"Understood." Zenith nodded solemnly. "But as long as I am able to fight for my liege and my crew, I will do so."
"Sam." For his part, Theo couldn't take his eyes off his friend. Though it had to have been less than an hour, it felt like a lifetime since he'd last seen her. "What are you doing here?"
"They were taking us to the brig," Ryllis grunted, idly twirling a stolen sword.
"Then the others – " Theo began.
"It's probably best to get back to the Blue Sky," Darian said. "We don't know where the others were taken. At least on our own territory, we'll have the advantage."
Her gaze landed on the Star of Miriel in Theo's hands. Now that he wasn't actively pumping power into it, it was no longer glowing, but its warm, reassuring Levia continued to pulse through his body.
"So you got it back," Darian said quietly.
"That's right." Theo nodded at Cay, who blinked. "I couldn't have done it without Cay."
Cay looked so taken aback Theo might've found it funny if it weren't for the circumstances. After all, none of this would have happened in the first place if he hadn't stolen the Star. But it was too late to change the past, and Theo couldn't deny that Cay's outrageous bluffing had given him enough time to take the Star back.
"Let's go," Darian said, already heading down the corridor. The others quickly followed.
Not a second too soon, because Theo heard footsteps thundering after them. The smoke distraction must've run its course.
At least Darian seemed to know where she was going. Rounding a corner, she flung open a door that led into a narrow staircase. As the group dashed up the stairs, Theo realized the soldiers had taken him down here earlier.
When mint green light flared behind him, he stumbled in surprise. Then fire bloomed in the dark stairwell, trailing from Ryllis' sword. She was slashing at the door, melting the edges and soldering it shut.
Furious pounding from the other side suggested she'd succeeded. Not that anybody was going to stick around to find out. Darian was already sprinting up the stairs, and Theo didn't waste any time running after her.
The Himmelsfestung might have proper staircases instead of ladders, but it was still a tight fit. From the bangs and crashes echoing behind him, it sounded like Zenith kept bumping into the walls. Theo's heart twisted, but he couldn't afford to look back.
Especially when footsteps thudded from above, vibrating through the stairs. Soldiers, and lots of them, from the sound of it. Theo barely had time to feel Zenith's Levia spark before his familiar shoved past him and lunged ahead.
"Zenith!" Theo yelled, but too late. Metal clanged through the air as Zenith met the soldiers' swords. A few soldiers fell, slumping across the stairs, yet more kept coming. When Zenith collapsed onto one knee, gasping for breath, Theo's heart froze.
Quick, a strengthening spell – but before he could cast it, Sam's Levia and Ryllis' fire flooded the stairwell again. The soldiers staggered back, trying to avoid the flames.
Theo didn't get a chance to breathe in relief – one of the soldiers, a huge, muscular demon, broke through Ryllis' flames like they were nothing at all and charged down the stairs. Straight toward Jin.
Ryllis dove in his way, but as the soldier swung his sword at Jin, a silver streak shot between his legs. The next thing Theo knew, a small fox lodged its teeth into the soldier's ankle.
The soldier kicked, roaring. Caught off-balance, he couldn't block as Ryllis and Darian dove toward him. Their swords slashed across his chest with a burst of black blood.
Theo had the presence of mind to press himself against the wall as the soldier tumbled past him. A tide of thuds and crashes followed him all the way down the stairs.
Only two more soldiers remained. They bravely rushed at the group, but Cay and Nevy took charge, cutting them down with ease.
Once they were done, Ryllis rounded on Jin, who was still in fox form. "Jin! What were you thinking?"
Jin waved his bushy tail. "I was helping!"
While Ryllis huffed at him, Theo ran over to Zenith's side. His familiar was still hunched over, trembling from head to toe, his face white as a sheet.
"Zenith." Theo gently shook Zenith's shoulder. "Are you okay?"
Zenith's eyelashes fluttered, but he didn't open his eyes. "Yes," he whispered. "Please...don't worry."
Before Theo could protest, Zenith brushed his hand aside and rose to his feet. He had to grip the wall for support, but he stumbled forward anyway. Each clanking step made Theo feel sick to the stomach.
"Wait!" Theo burst out, running up to Zenith and grabbing his free arm. Zenith started, but didn't protest when Theo draped the arm over his shoulder.
Zenith's weight drove the breath from his lungs, but Theo clenched his teeth and marched forward. The Star's power pulsed through his Levia, giving him strength. Together, they made their way up the stairs.
Thankfully, it didn't take long before they reached the exit. When they stumbled onto the deck, the icy night air hit Theo like a slap to the face. Yet he welcomed it after the stuffy, smoky stairwell.
Not that they were home free yet. More soldiers waited out here, rushing at them the instant they emerged. The next thing Theo knew, Zenith's weight vanished and his familiar charged into battle again, cape flaring behind him.
This time, Theo successfully cast the strengthening spell. He sighed in relief when pink light bloomed around Zenith, but even then Zenith's movements seemed slower and more awkward than usual. An elemental spell, then –
Bang. A hatch flew open across the deck, and out climbed a red-faced Ulrich, followed closely by Rain. When Theo's eyes landed on the scepter in Ulrich's hand, the Star's Levia gave a powerful pulse. It caught Theo by surprise, making him lurch.
And Ulrich noticed it too. Even across the raging chaos, his gaze locked onto Theo. The hatred blazing in his eye made Theo's blood run cold.
'I have to get his scepter,' Theo thought, his heartbeat thundering. But how? Even though he'd gotten the Star back and Ulrich's soldiers were no longer empowered, the Blue Sky crew was still outnumbered and worn out. Especially Zenith.
Even if Theo cast an elemental spell, would it be enough? Unless he used one of his dream-spells, maybe, like the one that had defeated Victor in the Liminal. With the Star of Miriel's help, he probably had enough Levia to cast it.
Or maybe – his heart thumped – he could help everyone, not just Zenith. What was stopping him from casting the same spell Ulrich had used earlier?
No way. Did he even remember it well enough to copy it? Well, he wouldn't know for certain until he tried….
But first he needed time to think. Easier said than done when people were fighting all around him. When a soldier came charging toward him, all the breath fled his lungs.
A flash of white robes, a clang of metal. Theo's eyes widened when Cay jumped in front of him, intercepting the soldier's blow.
For a stunned moment Theo watched Cay and the soldier grind their swords together, before sense slammed back into his head. He cast a strengthening spell on Cay, and that gave the sage the edge he needed to knock the soldier over. Before the soldier could get up, Cay stomped on his face. The soldier collapsed with a groan.
"Cay," Theo shouted, running to the sage. "I have an idea, but I'll need your help. Can you help me get back to the Blue Sky?"
Cay's mouth opened like he wanted to demand just what the hell Theo was smoking, but then he pressed his lips together and nodded. Theo didn't have time to feel relieved before Cay grabbed his wrist and took off toward the Himmelsfestung's ramp.
When soldiers lunged in their way, Theo cast a shield dome around the two of them. The soldiers' swords bounced uselessly off, but this shield wouldn't last forever. Even with the Star of Miriel's help, Theo could feel his Levia steadily draining away.
The glowing pink dome obscured Theo's vision, but Cay didn't stop running. Suddenly, he dragged Theo forward and shoved him, hard. Theo barely had time to scream before he went tumbling down a sharply sloping surface.
His concentration broken, the shield spell went up in scraps around him. The world rushed back in, the night sky spinning above his head and freezing wind rushing past his ears. When he finally landed, he hit a metal floor on his back.
For a moment he lay there stunned, staring at the ramp stretching above him. The sense hit him like a punch to the throat. Heart hammering, Theo hauled himself upright and reached for the Star of Miriel under his shirt.
Cay had gotten him back to the Blue Sky. Now Theo had to do his part.