“Five, four… three, two… one!” Sofia breathed as we went in.

My heart stopped for a moment, everything else shaking around us. The entry was surprisingly smooth and short, though, prompting me to open my eyes so I wouldn’t miss a thing.

“There she is,” Derek breathed.

We were headed for one of the biggest of the five continents, an S-shaped piece of dry land covered in lush forests, rich fields of wheat, and broad mountain ranges. Rivers streamed across from north to south, and there were cities built along them. Dozens! Dozens of cities, many of which we hadn’t been able to properly observe through the lenses.

“Holy crap,” Esme managed, her jaw dropping.

“We’re headed for the southwestern shore,” Derek said.

“That’s where the coordinates take us, right?” Nethissis asked.

The interplanetary spell bubble began to fade, like a pretty summer’s dream, golden flakes flying away as the shuttle became active and subject to gravity. The engines grumbled softly, the batteries zinging behind us, as Derek and Sofia piloted us to our preset destination.

They checked the computer board occasionally, following its screen compass in order to guide us in the right direction. The shuttle made a sharp left turn and a daring drop, ripping a gasp from my throat as I gripped the plush armrests.

It was Esme’s turn to take my hand in hers and mouth an “It’s okay” at me. My cheeks burned, and so did my throat, but she was right. We’d get through this. We had to. A crash wasn’t going to kill me, but I was in no mood to get myself maimed so early in the game.

“Everybody, get ready,” Derek said. “We’re steady now, but we’ll be landing soon.”

From what I could see through the windshield, the terrain was smooth. The sunlight wasn’t too bright, either… It seemed odd, like a soft haze. It cast itself over the world, deepening the shadows and sharpening contrasts in ways I’d not thought possible. It was breath-taking.

We were flying over fields of wheat and flowers that reminded me of the English rapeseed cultures—patches of bright yellow blossoms that went on for miles. To our west, deep woods rose above the rolling hills, cradling all sorts of tales of their own. Behind them, a mountainous beast reigned over the land, with snowcaps and rocky ridges.

To our left, the ocean awaited, and on its golden shores a giant city bloomed, with tall towers and brick-colored roofs. As we descended, I could see its massive pier and the harbor, where strange ships were anchored, their veils glistening in metallic red and green as the wind blew against them. Narrow alleyways created a marvelous maze of passages across the entire city, with green squares and a group of majestic, palatial buildings smack in the middle, on higher ground, overlooking the others.

“I doubt there’s any air travel here,” Amal said, her voice barely audible. She, too, had found herself mesmerized by the view. “We would’ve been intercepted already, don’t you think?”

Sofia seemed inclined to agree, but she only offered a faint nod in response.

Derek, on the other hand, held on to some skepticism. “Maybe they don’t need airships or don’t use them as often. It all depends on how quickly they saw us coming,” he replied. “After all, what took hours for us meant days for them.”

That theory was quickly proven right as we got closer to the ground level. The ships we’d seen earlier in the docks weren’t regular vessels at all. They had bat-like wings pulled tight against the steel and hardwood bodies, and I was willing to bet they had engines at the back, and that they could easily take to the air once they left the bay.

“Oh, they definitely fly,” I said, pointing at the ships.

Their metallic structures glimmered in the sunlight, making them look like stylishly upgraded frigates with shiny sails and dark, expandable wings. I was already dying to ride in one. They looked like an insane amount of fun.

“They’d need more than that to communicate with their next-door neighbors, though,” Esme mused. As if Trexus-2 was simply eager to prove itself to her, our shuttle’s safety systems beeped angrily, as objects appeared on the radar screen, directly behind us.

The white dots moved quickly over the green glass. A split second later, we watched them zoom past us—smaller, catamaran-shaped vessels that flew as fast as Earth’s military planes. There were six, each of them painted white, with long glass panels on the top and the sides. The air rippled behind them, and green lights glimmered from their bottoms. They didn’t look like regular fixtures, but rather something akin to an alchemist’s fire… strange and unsettling.

“They’re using some kind of magic,” I whispered, sweat dripping from my temples.

The flying ships slowed down and performed a straight dive into the ocean waters, not far from the red-and-green ships. Their white silhouettes vanished beneath the shore, their rapid movements startling the ocean and moving the frigates, ever so slightly—like a playful nudge, at best.

“What do you think those were supposed to do?” Esme asked me. “Show of force?”

“I think they would’ve at least fired a weapon in the air or something. Right?” I replied. Our shuttle looked significantly more advanced, a boomerang-shaped vessel with an alloy frame and an intricate fusion of space tech and magic, but it was obvious that the people of Trexus-2 had learned a thing or two about flight, around the same time as, if not just a little bit later than, our Earth.

“Right. So, reconnaissance, then?” Derek suggested.

“Maybe, but those are definitely not reconnaissance.” Esme gasped, staring ahead.

Red flares were shot from the edge of the city, leaving a crimson smoke tail behind as they swooshed past our shuttle. They’d been fired accurately, forming a path for us to follow. From what I could see as Derek and Sofia decided to swing us between the red lines, the people of Trexus-2 had definitely seen and prepared for us.

“I’ll take that as an invitation to land,” Derek muttered, steering the shuttle downward.

We were led to a massive, stone-plated landing strip less than a mile from the harbor. It arched around the city’s edge. The closer it got, the better I could observe the architectural details. Needless to say, my breath had run short at the sight before us.

This place was superb. Its buildings were massive, with elegant brickwork and masonry, the façades painted beige and red, with sharp archways and enormous, sloped roofs. The windows were all shuttered, but wide open during the day. Flowers adorned every corner and junction, splashing red, green, and yellow wherever my eyes settled for a second or two.

Gnarly gargoyle-like sculptures held up the roofs, their jaws wide and fangs sharp against the upper winds. A palace rose in the distance, with pointy towers and wrought-iron balconies, a dark gray giant overlooking the entire city. Around it, sumptuous villas and building complexes stretched for several miles, with parks and streams and stone bridges forming an elegant pattern. I was instantly struck by the gothic feel of it all.

There was grandeur on the outside, the wisdom of ages infused into each brick and stone block. I could only imagine what awaited on the inside…

“Preparing for landing,” Derek announced, flipping another set of switches before he steered the shuttle in its hovering position.

My heart was already stuck in my throat, my mind buzzing with anxiety and anticipation. What would they be like? Were they welcoming us, or were we landing in a trap?

“If they wanted us dead, they probably would’ve fired something more potent than red flares at us,” Sofia said, noticing my strained expression. I felt the sweat trickling down my face. All the experience and preparation in the world wasn’t enough for what would come next. This feeling would never change, and both Esme and I knew it.

The thrill of the unknown would forever be the same, whenever we set foot in a new and foreign world. Amal took deep breaths, closing her eyes for a few moments, as the shuttle finally reached the landing strip.

“Okay. Time to introduce ourselves,” Derek said.

He sucked in a breath, gawking at something outside, his lips moving slowly. I followed his gaze and understood his hesitation. As soon as we’d landed, uniformed soldiers had poured onto the landing strip, forming a thick line just outside our shuttle.

They looked a lot like us, and it startled me. Human-like, with athletic figures and tastefully tailored military garb. They didn’t carry any weapons, though, and I couldn’t stop myself from taking it as a good sign.

“They’re not armed,” Sofia said.

“We shouldn’t be, either,” Derek replied, giving us a brief glance. “Leave the weapons here, for now. You all have access cards for the shuttle.”

I nodded, not disagreeing with the decision. Unlike Esme, I wasn’t a fan of weapons in general. I’d done more damage with my claws and fangs when I’d had to.

“What are they doing?” Esme asked, carefully analyzing the soldiers.

“I believe they’re waiting for us to come out,” Nethissis murmured, clutching her satchel.

Derek and Sofia were the first to remove their safety straps as the shuttle’s engines quieted down. Esme and I followed, along with Nethissis and Amal. We stopped in front of the shuttle’s ramp, Derek’s hand hesitating over the control button to his side.

He nodded. “All right. This is it.”

Esme gave me a faint smile, and I braced myself for whatever might come next.

“Ready?” Derek asked, looking at us.