The rest of the preparations took two more days. In the morning of the third, Saia woke up to a series of voices in the corridor outside. She was about to expand her domain, thinking about the aggressors in the arena, when she heard Serit’s voice among them.

“There isn't a spare key, so if someone enters or you find the window open it means they broke in. Now excuse me a minute, please.”

Their steps approached Saia’s room. She got up from the bed, avoiding the ceiling light. She opened the door before they could knock and was met with their nervous smile.

“I showed the warehouse to the guards. Are you ready?”

Saia observed her statue from all sides to make sure she was wearing everything. Serit had bought her a pile of equipment at the market, a cheaper version of what they were wearing at that moment: a dark gray bodysuit adherent to the body, another one in a heavy white cloth, a long brown tunic made of three layers of feathers and plumes. The outfit was completed by a pair of boots and gloves stuffed with plumes that made handling anything close to impossible. She'd put on everything the night before, since she wouldn't have enough time from the moment she awakened to the departure.

"Yes."

"Goggles and scarf too?"

She briefly took them out of her bag.

"Good. I know you don't need them, but for a human they’re absolutely necessary.”

They descended the stairs to the warehouse. Saia took two of the bags, while Serit carried the remaining two with a lot more effort. Saia checked the contents and found clothes and tools.

"Where is the kernel?” she asked.

"In the laboratory. We can't risk having wind spirits finding out about it."

They left the warehouse and its small contingent of guards and set off toward the elevators. The cabin to the fifth level was the only one without a line waiting to enter. The two guards in front of it motioned for Serit to show them a document of sorts, so they took Héshe’s letter and handed it over. One of the guards lowered a lever and the grate slid aside, allowing Saia and Serit to enter. Saia observed the two elevators rooms of the second and third levels slowly crawl past them as the cabin ascended.

The elevator finally stopped in a different room, smaller than the other ones. Two new guards asked to see the authorization again before they were allowed to step off. While one of them gave Serit precise directions to follow to reach the departure spot, Saia gradually expanded her domain to include the elevator room and its surroundings.

The ring of the fifth level was bigger than all the other ones and sectioned into different areas by grates of metal. She saw a sunny area full of human-sized trees, basking in the sun but reluctant to expand higher due to the strong winds at the top. There were people working in an orchard nearby, carrying baskets and carts from one tree to another.

The section where they were standing had some serious-looking buildings in sturdy wood, and every single person she could see was a guard. She didn't find her shard, but she didn't expect to: they knew how far she could reach before she completely depleted her viss, it would be foolish for them to keep it so close.

Serit guided her out and to the left, along a faint path traced on the fertile soil of the fifth level. The ground raised until they were standing on a small hill of barren land, closer to the top of the wall but still protected from its violent winds. A group of people waited there, and she was surprised to see a human face among the gray shilvé ones. Long golden earrings shone from behind her cascade of black wavy hair when she turned her head. Her eyes widened in surprise in seeing Saia, a smile emerging from her lips.

“Welcome,” a man proclaimed with a naturally loud voice, capturing her attention.

He had already lowered the goggles onto his face, the scarf covering most of what they left exposed.

"I'm Atan, your guide for the duration of the trip. You must be engineer Serit and apprentice Saia.”

“We are.” Serit cast a doubtful glance at the rest of the group. “Where are the guards I requested?”

Atan pointed at a group of four shilvé, each holding the reins of two or more sprites. They were barely visible in the sun, so their harness and saddle seemed to be floating in mid-air. The bigger ones carried bags and satchels, except for Saia’s mount.

“Them?”

Serit shook their head, but didn’t elaborate further.

"Let me take your bags,” Atan said.

He took one from Serit and one from Saia without waiting for an answer. While he secured them on the back of a cargo sprite with the guards' help, the human woman stepped forward and raised a cupped hand, eyes fixed on Saia.

"I'm Runì,” she said. “I’ve been told there were two people travelling with us, I didn’t imagine there was another human. I’m a merchant from Oisilin.”

She looked at Saia intently, searching for a sign she recognized the name of the city, if it was even a city.

“What do you sell?” Saia asked to change the topic.

Runì made a dismissive motion with her hand.

"Cloths and paper, mostly. And some hunting weapons. What's your business in Iriméze?” she asked, finally recognizing Serit too with a glance and a quick greeting.

“She's my assistant,” they said. “I need to meet a fellow engineer and compare notes on a project commissioned by the representatives.”

Runì nodded, then looked at Saia again.

“Wind spirits are very weird about humans. I got used to it after years of business trips, but you might find it shocking.”

“Don't worry,” Runì interjected, taking the last two bags. “I’ll help you avoid blunders. If you have any doubts about how to behave, ask me without hesitation.”

He walked over to the sprites again. The merchant turned and pointed at the last member of the expedition, a young shilvé woman that looked barely twenty.

“My daughter and apprentice Ménon.”

She turned her head and quickly acknowledged them with a smile before returning to her task, which seemed to be checking off the contents of the bags from a list. Her face was elongated just like her mother's, but despite being half-human, she looked just like any other shilvé around her, with stone-gray skin and black hair full of delicate pink hues.

Runì’s eyes focused on a spot behind Saia and Serit.

“And what do they want, now?"

Saia had noticed three figures approaching from afar. She observed them better without turning her head.

She couldn't process what she was seeing, except for the fact that the three individuals were all riding a sprite and were completely dressed in blue. Only when they got closer to the group Saia realized that the bright blue that covered them wasn't cloth, but a thick layer of plumes. While the hands that were holding the reins still had a humanoid shape, the head was one of a bird.

Saia thought they didn't have eyes until she noticed the blindfold they were wearing, wrapped just above their beaks. They were long and curved, decorated with swirling patterns that seemed to have been carved with a needle all across the surface. A trident hung from each of their saddles, the handle divided in two and the points wrapped by pieces of cloth.

“We've been sent to escort engineer Serit and their assistant to Ifse,” the one in front of the group said with a deep voice. Saia was surprised to hear that it sounded completely human.

Serit nodded, visibly more relaxed.

"I was worried you wouldn't come."

The guide approached the three bird people.

"I'm Atan, I'll be leading the trip to Ifse and assist the participants. I wasn't informed there would be three additional guards with us."

"Me neither," one of the regular guards said, probably their captain.

With the blindfolds and beaks instead of a face, it was difficult to guess what the three newcomers were thinking. Saia checked their viss: she found a bit of fear mixed in with their apparent calm.

“We’re part of the hunting division," the one at the front said, then led his sprite in a wide curve around the group to join the other guards. The other two bird people followed him.

"Hunting division?" Saia asked.

"They're extra protection," Serit said. "Their eyes are extremely sensitive to the light, that's why they're blindfolded. They can still see well enough."

She wanted to ask more, but Atan was gesturing for the group to approach the sprites.

“You can mount on your assigned steed. Meanwhile, I'll give you some instructions about the trip.”

Saia observed the merchant and her apprentice. First, they got hold of the reins. The moment that happened, the sprites’ shapes became more defined and their contours stopped moving. The women then pushed one leg inside the flank of their mount, and the movements of its winds propelled them upwards until they were sitting on top of the saddle. They wobbled a bit, even if the sprites didn’t seem to be moving.

Saia approached her sprite and did her best to imitate them, but the upwards push was unexpectedly strong. She created a wind of her own not to fall over.

“The winds shouldn't be too strong today, but still remember to tie yourselves correctly.”

Serit had mounted too. They showed Saia how to knot the four ropes dangling from the saddle: two around the legs, two around the waist.

“We'll follow a loose upward spiral. If you feel the wind getting stronger, bend forward as much as you can and guide your sprite in a larger curve. Remember to keep the patterns in your clothes active at least at minimum capacity.”

Saia thought of the swirling purple string on the inside of each garment she was wearing. In her case it was an incredible waste of money, but they needed to keep up the appearances.

“How much should it take?” Runì asked.

“The city is right above us at this moment, so about three hours. Any more questions?”

He looked insistently at Saia, sensing she was the most inexperienced one. She shook her head, but everyone’s attention remained on her.

"Why a cargo sprite?" Runì asked.

Saia didn't know what to answer without revealing too much about herself.

“I’d ride something sturdier too, if a fall could kill me,” one of the guards answered in her place, eliciting laughter from the rest.

"Do they know about me?" Saia asked Serit, speaking straight into their ears.

They shook their head, then gave a long glance to the birdguards.

"I guess I'm too used to it," Runì said, giving Saia a conciliating smile.

"If you don't have any questions, I suggest we get started," Atan said, securing the ropes around his legs.

Saia repeated the movement of the reins she'd learnt from one of Serit’s story-bottles, observing everyone else's actions at the same time to better imitate them. Her sprite detached from the ground vertically, then stopped when Saia loosened her grip on the reins. She could see them across the sprite's muzzle, as if they were held in its mouth.

The guide adjusted the goggles on his face, wrapped the cloths tighter around his head and neck, then led the group toward the top of the fifth level. Saia put on her goggles too before following him.

The impact with the wind made her sprite stagger for an instant. She held the reins tight until it resumed advancing, body swirling faster.

The top of the wall was completely barren, a surface of rocks pressed into the hard ground. Saia didn't expect to see giant spikes of metal jutting out of the external border at regular intervals: they curved up and outward, showing a blunt angle to the sky all around.

“It's for the winds,” Serit explained, bent over the saddle and yelling.

“It's better to use sign language," Atan said.

"She doesn't know ours,” Serit yelled back.

They ascended more, following a loose spiral as the guide had anticipated. He was at the top, periodically checking down on the rest of the group through the translucent shape of his mount. After him came the merchant, her daughter, then two of the guards with the sprites that were carrying the cargo.

Saia and Serit advanced side by side, two regular guards in front of them, the three birdguards right behind. The last two guards closed the group, their captain among them.

The ground of the city started to get smaller underneath them, while the sky expanded in every direction. Saia tried her best to not look down, but it was hard considering she could see everything around her and the body of her mount was translucent. Then she realized it was her chance to get a glimpse of where she was in the world, to catch a landmark she could use to get back to the mountain once she escaped. She saw squares of green and yellow, sometimes blue as they flew over water. But the ground was too far and the clouds that surrounded Iriméze confused the contours.

She focused up then, where the cloud moved in herds. She saw glimpses of colors and a distant moving shape that reminded her of a swarm of jellyfish with a thousand tentacles and the core thick with colors.

“Ifse,” Serit said, still screaming above the winds, forgetting she could hear them clearly through her domain. “The city of cloth and paper.”