I wasn’t trying to be funny, yet everything seemed to be turning maddeningly comical around me. The demon noble was groveling at my feet, begging for my forgiveness, while a group of enraged spirit Senators punched and kicked him with their tiny feet. The demon noble didn’t look all that powerful, so it looked like the spirits were hurting him a little bit, but I couldn’t help but wonder why the spirits were so enraged they didn’t call in a fairy from outside to take care of the noble instead. Or were they sly politicians making a show of their anger in front of me without doing something that would truly endanger their alliance with the Izlandi Kingdom? I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt, even though I was sure the spirits did not usually operate so subtly.

After assuring the demon noble that I wasn’t offended, and thanking the spirits for their concern, I told them all to continue their meeting as if I wasn’t there. Of course, they insisted there was no way the meeting could go on without me, and began the tiresome process of sucking up to me and pushing against each other in a bid to get closer to my favor. Since this was exactly why I didn’t want to be involved in the first place, I figured I would make a show of leaving the tent while secretly casting invisibility magic and eavesdropping on the conversations from right outside the tent. Just as I tried to get up and do that, Kelser grabbed my shoulder and said something in my ear.

I nodded and clapped my hands together. I then repeated Kelser’s suggestion as if it was my own idea, and told the various unimportant leaders that I was grateful for their presence and wanted to host a great feast for the United Army tonight. I tasked them with making preparations for the feasts, which was of course, a not so subtle way of telling them that I wanted them gone so I could talk to the people who would actually be leading these armies. This meant that everybody but Kol, Taoc, Kelser, Kezler and I made for the exit after a few more nice words and pleasantries. We had to send Bain Rusta to take care of the demon noble who was still worried about repercussions for almost sitting on my knee. I made sure all of the spirit Senators left as well, since they were annoying and couldn’t shut up for long, which got me a few sad looks from the tiny spirits. A few of them even glared at the demon noble, who wilted and clung closer to Bain. The human elders had to leave to make sure the demons and spirits got along, and because they were tired after making such a long journey. In the end, I could tell Elder Kezler was also tired, and asked him to rest as well. The old man tried to insist that he was okay, but if even younger elders like Mal looked like they were about to collapse, an old man like Kezler was surely almost half asleep where he was standing.

Kelser said he could handle things here. Elder Kezler could rest easy tonight. Perhaps looking at the young man who hadn’t broken a sweat along the journey made Kezler realize something, and he quietly nodded. He closed the entrance to the tent and was the last person to leave. Outside, we could already hear the bustling sounds of people preparing for the feast. I heard Elder Kezler talking to the demon and fairy guards who were surrounding our tents. He seemed to be speaking their language quite fluently, which made me remember just how capable this old man was. He was telling them to make sure nobody got inside, and also made them stand just a little bit further from the walls of the tent. In my head, I thanked him for making it easier for me to cast a couple of spells around the tent. A little air magic to stop our words from drifting outside, and a little motion detection magic to make sure I would know if someone tried to get close.

And so, there were four. Queen Kol Izlandi, representing the demons of the Izlandi Kingdom. Senator Taoc Esprit, representing the fairies and spirits of the Lux Republic. Kelser Roja, speaking for the humans beyond the mountains. And me, Caspian Holm. Representing what? Elves? Reincarnated humans from another world? It didn’t matter. The four of us were here, representing this massive army that was about to invade another country and bring death and destruction to thousands of beings.

“It’s great to see the gang is back together again, eh?” I said as I put on an extremely cheerful expression.

“It is good to see you again,” said Kol, with a nod. “And I realized after our last meeting, that I forgot to thank you for rescuing our capital from that terrible spell. Our Kingdom is in your debt.” She bowed her head a little.

“Yes, forgive me, I forgot to show our appreciation. You saved our Republic. We would have been happy to sacrifice our lives for you regardless, but please let us know if there is anything we can do to repay you,” said Taoc, her words so quick I could barely understand her. She didn’t want to be too far behind the demon queen with her appreciation.

“Oh, it was nothing really, our interests aligned and you’re my friends, aren’t you? Friends help each other out, that’s just what friends do,” I said as I walked closer to the three of them. Kelser didn’t seem to know if he should say something as well, but I continued before he could. “I’ve always believed in being honest with my friends. I’d say stuff like hey, that guy isn’t worth the trouble, or don’t wear that shirt with those jeans. Well, these things might not matter as much in this world, but the point I’m trying to make is, that I’m the kind of guy who’d slap you in the face if you were about to do something crazy. The kind of friend that’s willing to rock the boat a little to help his friends. Does that make sense? I hope it makes sense. I feel like all I’m doing is rambling to keep you distracted so I can grab onto all of you with my magic hands and bring you close enough to me.”

Kol’s eyes widened. “Wait, close enough for what?”

Taoc saw me bend my knees and she let out a shout. “No, great elf, please don’t do what I think you are about to do!”

Kelser looked at the other two and was about to open his mouth but I closed it with magic hands. In fact, I closed all of their mouths with magic. I couldn’t have them biting their tongues by accident or anything, could I?

I’d made a thin incision in the top of the tent with a sharp piece of metal. I pried apart the hole with magic, used a bit of light magic to turn all of us invisible, and jumped into the sky with three frightened passengers.

---

I stopped on top of the clouds again, holding onto Kelser a little longer than the others. Kol and Taoc looked pale, but they collapsed onto the clouds without too much complaining after I let go. Although, they weren’t really on the cloud, and were hanging in the air with magic, but since this was their second time around, they weren’t as freaked out by the feeling. Kelser, on the other hand, was uncharacteristically terrified, and was clinging to my side like a koala on a eucalyptus tree. I didn’t think he was afraid of heights, but it could’ve been the speed of our ascent or the suddenness of our stop that had given him the jitters. Either way, he gathered his wits and slowed his breathing down, but refused to look down at the clouds. It also looked like he wanted to say something but didn’t have the breath to say it yet.

I let him fall to the clouds as well, which made him give a strange cry. He also tried to use magic hands to hold on to me from a distance, but I waved them away with hands of my own. Once Kelser was done panicking and the other two were also giving me disapproving looks, I clapped my hands together and took a few steps back.

“Sorry about the sudden change in location,” I said. “This meeting is a really important one and it just wouldn’t do if this world’s first party of heroes didn’t have clear heads. Here, breathe in deeply. Can you tell how fresh the air is? No soot from campfires, no scent of dirt or sweaty soldiers. And, best of all, you can’t see a single god damned bird!”