The airship glided to its terminus, a miracle of flight borne aloft by a great silvery balloon with a gondola slung beneath it, the envy of any seagoing ship. At the destination, the passengers alighted, buzzing with excitement and conversation as strangers thrown together for transit often are. It was said that the airship could carry more than two hundred souls, but even so it never felt crowded or overloaded; perhaps the great flow of air and the generally clear skies over the Lands Betwixt were partially to credit for that.

Many, if not most, of the passengers were accompanied by servants, who could be seen trailing behind their wards, impeccably dressed and seeing to their every need. This even applied to the scruffy youngster who found himself idling at the port side railing, looking out over the rolling Lands Betwixt.

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