They turned south-east and it took a long five days before they were able to see the entrance to the city of Lila. Surrounded by marshland, and on the spice road, the people of Lila were the ones to go out and rescue merchants and travellers who got caught in the waters. As they passed over the marshes, George spotted a figure in the water.

“There, look. There’s a figure!”

“Where are the rescuers?” Monti asked. “In times past, he would be warm and dry in the upper tiers of Lila by now.”

“We should find out what’s going on. If they are not taking care of those caught in the marshes, they may too have yielded to the disease of MA and are staying hidden. Brenna, George and Matthew, go and rescue the man and make sure that he’s alright. Monti and I will join you soon,” Arvin directed them before he and Monti headed towards the gates of Lila, while the others went to help the man caught in the marsh.

Monti and Arvin’s arrival in the city was better than the one they had not received in Saoulhul and much better than the one that Arvin had had in Auksand. A team of people came out to help them land and they greeted them, but Arvin was not in the mood to return the welcome.

“Why is there a man caught out in the marshes? Are you not the ones who are meant to be going out and helping those who get stuck in the waters?”

“Indeed, we are meant to be, but times have changed and our relationship with those travelling the spice road has become, faded,” One of them told Arvin.

“Does it not still exist? Do you not trade the goods that move along it?”

“Indeed we do, but you must understand that with the threat of MA, we have to be careful what dangerous situations we are willing to put our own people into. Being infected with MA puts our whole population at risk, and is that equal to the life of one person?”

“Yes!” Arvin shouted in frustration. “The threat of MA is nothing compared to the real danger that people find themselves in. You, of all the cities, should know this,” Arvin continued in a quieter, but equally as frustrated, voice.

“We do know this, and we understand your frustration, but if MA was to spread through our city, it would wreak havoc.”

“That still does not make you any less responsible for those that are trapped in the marshes only meters from your gates. They are in danger out there, especially in the winter and for generations, you have been helping them. You are becoming like Auksand and Saoulhul, scared of what might happen to your own safety when there are people in need, right outside of your gates,” Monti added in annoyance. Lila was one of the few cities where the aeronauts felt that they could speak their minds.

“We are aware of the risks both of outside and MA. We help those in danger when we can, but we do not when it is deemed to be too dangerous for ourselves.”

“And when is that?”

“When it is outside of our skill set. Aeronauts like yourselves used to visit us regularly and keep our knowledge update to date, in terms of survival and exploration. Now that the spice road has become quieter, we have become more withdrawn from the lives of rescuers and explorers, so we are losing those skills that allowed us to operate as we use to. Those in charge have increased the amount of red tape and regulations that we have to follow to reduce the risk of MA, and although most of us don’t approve of them, for now, we see the sense in it. The risk has increased for us because of our lack of knowledge, and although there are a few who still take our young people outside to learn, their skills are also limited. MA would not be such a risk if we had preserved the knowledge that you gave us.”

“So to rescue someone from the marsh is too difficult for you, because you have lost the knowledge?”

“Exactly.”

“It’s the most ridiculous thing that I’ve ever heard,” Monti told them. It did not mean that he did not agree, as someone without knowledge trying to achieve something that they are not equipped for, is reckless behaviour at its best. If MA was to get into Lila, people could think that they could achieve more than what they could, and so it would put them in danger of something going wrong.

“I believe that you’re further gone than Saoulhul. Your reasoning for being careful of MA and cautious is logical and well thought out, which scares me more than it comforts me. Still, it is good that you are weighing up the situation as a whole. That does not mean that I am no less ashamed of what you have become,” Arvin told them bitterly. “Now our friends have been helping the man who was stuck in the marshes, and we are to now go to help them,” Arvin said before he got back onto his gondola.

“I am glad at least, to see that you mean well,” Monti said to brighten the tone before they left. “You may have less knowledge than you once did before about the outside world, but at least you are not afraid of it.”

“Nor would we want to be,” The man replied before Monti and Arvin took off and left the city of Lila behind them.

Not long after they have become air-bound, Arvin saw the airships of George, Breanna and Matthew up ahead. Hanging from one of them was a cart and a very confused, scared horse. On George’s airship, Arvin saw a figure shivering.

“How’s he doing?” Arvin called as he came alongside George.

“He’s cold and hungry, but no damage has been done.”

“We need to warm him up, where is he heading?”

“North-east. He has had quite an awful journey and he now he just wishes to return home.”

“North-east is towards Seatle, so it is where we are already heading.”

“Indeed. There is a farming village just beyond the marshes and I’m not sure that he’s a fan of flying.”

“I’m not,” The man told them and moments later, a petrified neigh came from the horse.

“It appears that his horse is not a fan either,” Arvin said before he and George laughed and the merchant chuckled.

“Are you alright there Matthew?” Monti asked as he brought his airship alongside his brothers’.

“I’ve got a horse tied to the bottom of it, so it’s a little difficult to fly right now,” Matthew said as he tried to control his swinging gondola and keep himself on a straight course.

“Think of it as your punishment for being reckless.”

“Oh shut up,” Matthew told him.