"This is a joke, right?" Claire asked, her eyes shifting between the two of them.

The amused expression never left Alek's face.

Claire groaned.

It wasn't a joke.

He seriously wanted to take a hot air balloon up into a thunderstorm.

"Isn't it wonderful? I built it myself," Alek stated proudly.

Claire wasn't sure wonderful was the word she would have used to describe the contraption that had come into view.

Not under the current circumstances anyhow.

It was a large basket, roughly five feet wide and six feet long. In its center was a seat suspended from the rigging and all around the seat were a series of cords, pedals and toggles Claire assumed were required in the function of the balloon.

Tethered to each corner by ropes as thick as her arm was a large net that held a series of balloons of varying sizes, all of which were in the process of inflating.

"You do realize how lightning works, don't you?" Claire asked as a flash of hot blue light sizzled across the sky above.

"Yes," Alek replied as he began walking around the perimeter of the basket, checking the ropes. "Do you?"

"Yes, of course," Claire replied, doing little to mask her annoyance.

"Perfect, we're both aware of the basic function of lightning," Alek announced, stopping in front of her. He placed both hands on her shoulders and stared down into her eyes. "Claire, do you think that I would do anything that would knowingly put you in harms way? Draz, perhaps, but you?"

"No," Claire replied after a few moments.

"Trust me," he said.

With a great deal of reluctance, Claire finally conceded, though she was unable to shake the anxiety that had settled like a heavy lump of iron in the pit of her stomach.

"The balloons will be ready to go in a few minutes," Alek explained, pushing wet, curling strands of hair from his eyes. "I'll get in first and help you, Claire, Draz will get in last, just in case."

"In case of what?" Draz asked with a scowl. "Is my life really that expendable?"

Alek nodded before turning his attention to the netted balloons which were now towering over them, a black opaque shape against the darkness.

"At least he's honest," Draz grumbled, shaking his head.

"Looks like we're just about ready to go," Alek announced.

"Good, because we have company," Draz called out from his place by the stairs. Fire rippled between his fingers. "Shades. A lot of them. I can close the door, but it won't buy us much time."

"Damn it," Alek growled, his expression growing dark, "time to go." He grabbed hold of Claire's hand and began pulling her towards the basket.

"Wait, what about everyone else?" Claire asked, her heart racing. "We can't just leave them here."

"Your concern is admirable, Claire," Alek replied as they neared the side of the basket, "but misplaced." Without asking, he wrapped both hands around her waist. "Arabella and the others were able to escape by other means. My father wouldn't hurt Arabella or Ms. Avery. They'll be on a train heading north within the hour. You need only worry about your own well being."

Without further explanation, and with no warning, he lifted Claire clean off her feet and sat her on the edge of the basket. She made a grab for the nearest rope to steady herself. "In you go," he declared, assisting her in getting both her legs over the edge.

"Draz," Alek called as pulled himself over the edge and dropped into the basket beside her. He moved from corner to corner and began to untether the ropes holding the basket in place. This caused it to rock, which in turn caused Claire to stumble one way and the next before getting her feet under her. "I don't want to have to leave you here, but I will."

"I'd rather you didn't, if it's all the same to you," Draz called back making no apparent effort to leave his current position. He had closed and latched the door, but it seemed like he was waiting for something.

"Then you have ten seconds to get into the basket," Alek replied as he released the third line. Each time the wind kicked up, the balloon and basket would bounce and sway. "I suggest you don't dally."

"Give me fifteen, I promise you won't regret it," Draz replied, a wicked smile suddenly made visible by the flames that flickered to life against his palm. Claire marveled at how the fire seemed to grow larger despite the rain that still fell in thick, icy sheets all around them.

Clinging to the edge of the basket to keep from being tossed around, Claire caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She stared hard into the rain, trying to determine if something was there, or if her eyes were just playing tricks on her.

A moment later, an all too familiar chittering sound rose over the sound of the falling rain before ebbing away only to rise once more.

"Alek," Claire managed. "Do you hear that?"

"Yes," he said. "Draz, get into the damn basket now."

"Aye, aye, captain, on my way," Draz called back before slamming his palm into the ground. Fire erupted outward in all directions, long whip like tendrils racing across the rain soaked floor of the tower room. As they neared the edges of the roof, they curved inward again, crossing over one another and creating a criss cross pattern that began to rise and spin in place.

Draz leaped back towards the basket just as the first of the shades burst through doorway sending the splinters of wood flying in all directions. With the door no longer barring entry onto the roof, they poured through the open space, crawling over one another in their haste.

For a brief moment, they appeared more like one continuous entity than individual beings. The moment the spider like creatures crossed into the net of flames, they began screeching violently as the fire seemed to ensnare them before setting them ablaze.

It certainly proved enough to slow them down, but Claire didn't think it'd be enough to stop them all. A loud cracking sound drew Claire's attention towards the far end of the basket where the last rope kept them tethered to the rooftop.

The wooden mooring had begun to splinter. Claire suspected that under ideal conditions, the single rope would have been enough to keep the balloon in place. These, however, were not ideal conditions, and there was no telling how much longer the rope would hold.

All it would take was one more strong wind and the basket would be swept away by the storm.

The loud popping snap seemed louder than the thunder still rumbling overhead.

The sudden release caused them all to lose their balance as they were tossed to the other side of the basket. The balloon dipped a moment before the wind caught it and began to drag both balloon and basket away from the rooftop.

Claire threw herself to her feet and towards the opposite side of the basket.

Draz!" she shouted, her eyes frantically searching the rooftop for him. All she could see was the black mass of shades writhing against the backdrop of fire. For a moment she couldn't breathe, her heart felt as though it were being squeezed by a vice. Her cheeks had gone so numb from the barrage of rain that she couldn't feel the tears streaking across them.

The silence seemed to drag on and Claire feared the worst.

"What a rush," a voice called out from the darkness below the basket. "Any chance I could get a hand?"

Claire leaned over the edge of the basket and saw a rain soaked figure dangling from the rope.

Draz.

She wanted to hug him and punch him at the same time. How could he be so careless?

Alek was beside her before she had a chance to call out. Together they managed to pull Draz up close enough for him to reach the edge of the basket. Claire waited until he was safely inside before shouting at him.

"You're such an idiot! You could have gotten yourself killed! What were you thinking?" All the fear and anxiety that had been building up seemed to burst from her in a rush. Alek smirked and focused on trying to steer the balloon through the use of what looked to Claire like a bicycle.

She'd ask him about it later.

"Claire, it's fine, I'm fine," Draz protested, an odd mixture of amusement and embarrassment stealing over his face.

"It's fine? It's fine? It's not fine!" Claire continued. "Do you have any idea--"

"Claire-"

"Don't interrupt, Draz," Claire snapped.

"No, damn it, look out!"

Draz grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her away from the edge of the basket just as a inky black appendage came slashing downward. It embedded itself several inches into the wicker of the basket and was followed by a second appendage, and then a third. The basket rocked and Alek seemed to struggle with some ropes overhead to keep the balloons as steady as possible.

As the shade pulled itself upwards, Draz leaped towards it, hand raised, fire rippling through the air in his wake. The creature slashed at him with one claw tipped arm and slashed at the netting and balloons with another. Draz was able to avoid the attack, but the netting suffered minor damage, the ropes fraying and splitting apart where the claw had sliced through them.

All the movement caused the basket to rock again and Claire clung to the side of it to avoid being tossed about or thrown clear over the edge..

"Are you alright, Claire?" Alek called out, appearing torn between maintaining control of the balloons and aiding Draz.

"I'm fine," Claire shouted back.

It wasn't a lie.

She had no doubt that she'd be sporting some bruises when all of this was said and done, but otherwise she hadn't sustained any serious injuries. Nothing felt broken at the very least.

The shade made another swipe for Draz, but he ducked beneath the arm and lunged for its center. A loud, high pitched screaming sound filled the air as the creature went up in flames.

"Get it off the basket before it sets the whole damn thing on fire!" Alek shouted.

"How?!" Draz exclaimed, clearly growing panicked.

"The hatchet, there!" Alek said, motioning towards a box that was strapped to the floor by Claire's feet. She crouched down and quickly undid the latch. The box held not only the hatchet but some rations and a pistol.

Claire pulled the hatchet out and handed it to Draz who then used it to chop away at the appendage which had lodged itself into the side of the basket.

As she rose, Claire felt the basket shift again before she was jerked backwards with unexpected force. It took only the breadth of a heartbeat for Claire to realize that something was trying to pull her out of the basket -- and it was succeeding.

As she felt herself getting dragged over the lip of the basket, she scrambled to find something to grab hold of, but everything was slick and her fingers could find no purchase.

"Alek!" She screamed, the sound nearly getting swept away on the strong winds. Try as she did to hold on, she could feel her fingers slipping. Alek simply reacted, throwing himself towards her, but he wasn't quick enough. Their fingers met for a brief moment before Claire felt herself falling backwards into the darkness.