Shortly after the tense breakfast came to an end, the air in the dining hall still carried the weight of the unspoken implications and silent battles we had fought. Lady Beatrice wiped her lips with an immaculate linen napkin and turned her eyes toward me, the veneer of civility concealing a voracious curiosity.
"Shade, my young man, you made some rather bold claims about your command over that formidable machine," the matriarch said, her voice echoing softly against the stone walls of the hall. "I believe it would be of the utmost value for all of us to understand the true extent of the military power that now rests on Fou Holfort's lands. I would like to see the Airship in operation. What do you say?"
I maintained my calm expression, the usual slight diplomatic smile perfectly fitted onto my face. I knew this would happen. It was the logical step for a woman who wanted to assess the true value of her new military acquisition.
