time for the next chapter.

At the airport exit, the car turned into the freight entrance and cruised down to the non-commercial terminal. Vanessa looked over at Quest who smiled back at her and shook his head. She watched as they circled the terminal and then drove casually through the gates into what turned out to be row after row of hangers for smaller planes.

            “We aren’t leaving on a 747?” Vanessa heard herself ask.

            “No, we are leaving via a Peter, Paul and Mary song.” Quest answered.

            “Actually, I was think Carol King but that’s okay.” She quipped back.

            The car pulled to a stop in front of a non-descript hanger at the far end of the row. The hanger did not inspire confidence as it was a bit run-down and had an unused look. Vanessa’s spirits sank. She climbed out of the car and shook her head as she studied the peeling paint and dirt on the side of the building. She had the distinct impression of an old house in the country filled with old furniture covered in drop clothes. She looked back at Quest who said something to the driver who nodded blankly and tipped his hat to her before rolling up his window and driving away into the coming dusk.

            “This is it?” She asked partly to fill the sudden silence, and half in hope that she was not going to regret this.

            “It is just a hanger, it is not the plane.” Quest said

            Vanessa thought the blush was going to burn off what little makeup she had put on at her parent’s house.

            Quest grinned suddenly and tossed her the backpack. She caught it smoothly and slung it over her shoulder in time to catch the other bag. She made a face and turned as Quest gathered up the last bag and gestured to the door which swung open on approach as if commanded to. She glanced once at Quest before ducking into the darkness of the interior.

            Vanessa gathered her thoughts and pushed aside her doubts as she stood inside the door finding only darkness therein. As Quest closed the door behind them shutting out the last of the daylight, she felt a shift in the room. The first was the vast emptiness of the space. The second was that from the looks of the outside of the hangar there should have been holes in the roof letting in quantities of sunlight. The last was a growing awareness that a light was emanating from within the hangar but not from a light in the ceiling but rather just above the floor.

            Her eyes adjusted to the darkness and the new light began to surround her and she found herself standing in a huge empty hanger surprisingly free of debris or anything that had just filled her imagination moments before. The interior was completely clean; no dust disturbed the floor of the hangar. She knew at once that she and Quest were not alone in the building and that these others had made the building to appear unnoticeable because of what it housed. Definitely got the “nothing to see here” impression.

            It was then she felt a presence, something large, very large was in the room. It was like walking into the Aquarium and finding herself face to face with the sperm whale housed there and having it considering you and you alone. She looked into the dark gloom and felt it look back at her. The shivers began at the base of her spine. The sense of overwhelming intelligence and power swept over her even as the enormous construct of steel plates and rivets came into focus. It wasn’t 747 Jet big but the presence of the plane felt bigger than anything she had ever encountered up until that moment in the darkened hangar.

            It was without a doubt the most impressive collaboration of wings, propellers, wheels and sheet sheeting she could imagine on a plane. It was like something that had flown out of an old war movie. There were glass and steel turrets on the top and bottom and rear and front of the massive plane. There were four large engines with even larger propellers astride them. All of it rested upon massive wheels like large feet. In her mind’s eye she might as well have been gazing upon a dragon from myth and legend.

            Her eyes focused on it metallic hide and on it she saw the interwoven picture of the very dragon she had just imagined mixing with a the flowing feminine form of a woman and the hunt. The colors of hunter green, spread out in a mixed of steel blue and gray scales cut with red and gold tiger stripes along its fuselage. The front of the airplane was a massive cyclopean arrangement of a central cockpit like a multifaceted eye surrounded a bulbous head. All it lacked was shooting fire and billowing smoke.

            “That comes later.” Quest said pausing beside her. She realized that they had been walking up to the dragon-like plane the entire time as she had gazed at it in wonder and horror. She became aware of a thin man walking up to them. She spared a glance at him as he reached out and took her bags. It didn’t register that he was abnormal until Quest held out three fingers and said something completely foreign to him. He held out three fingers and touched them to Quests and responded in kind, the language sounded like a song.

            “I am Severin.” The man said and bowed at the waist to her.

            “Vanessa.” She said in response noting his slender but muscled frame, his long nose, narrow face, sharp features and pointed ears. Her mind raced and the only word that came to mind was elf. She blinked and he nodded slowly. “You’re an- I mean are you an elf?”

            He sighed at the word and shook his head. She didn’t feel disappointed but giddy she had just met her first non-human being it didn’t really matter what he was as much as he was.

            “I prefer that you call me a Elohim.” He said.

            “Elohim are like what this world has described as elves.” Quest said. “Yes, you share many similarities” he continued even as Severin shook his head.

            “Don’t listen to him, my Queen, he makes such broad generalizations.”

            She must have looked shocked, because Severin stopped smiling and looked a bit embarrassed.

            “I am sorry.” He said and bowed again but this time he did not rise back up. “I meant no offense.”

            She licked her suddenly dry lips and spoke shakily. “No offense taken. It’s just that I…” she trailed off not sure what she should say, she looked over at Quest who was laughing. Damn him.

            “Severin, my friend, it is thus- Vanessa has never been addressed as Queen- she is unfamiliar with the title.”

            Severin immediately straightened and nodded. He smiled as well. He held out his hand and she took it. He was at once very soft to touch and quite cool. “you will get used to it in time.”

            “She had better and soon.” Came a new voice from the direction of the plane.

            Vanessa looked up at the airplane and watched as woman came into view, she was older than herself but not by more than ten years or so. Brunette with her hair pulled back into a tight pony-tail and green eyes. Her face was oval and quite lovely. She would be what Vanessa would term a rough beauty, probably hard and soft in all the right places. She at once envied her on that level. The woman was dressed in jeans, army boots, a flight shirt complete with mirrored shades and a WWII bomber leather jacket rolled up at the sleeves.

            “Captain.” Severin spoke and left after a nod from the woman.

            Vanessa made herself look back at the plane as the “captain” walked around to stand at her side opposite to Quest. She felt rather than saw the woman inspect her. After a moment she nodded and tried to grunt but caught a glance from Quest and broke down into laughter. Vanessa immediately relaxed. After a moment, she too looked over at the plane and sighed contentedly.

            “She’s impressive.” The Captain said.

            “Well, not my first choice of words but I would probably say more.” Vanessa began.

            “She may not look like much.” Quest said putting his arm around her shoulders. “But she’ll do the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs.”

            “What?” Vanessa made the mistake of asking.

            “She’s the fastest ship in the Galaxy, even outran a star destroyer or two.” Quest continued unabated.

            “What?”

            “Don’t mind him.” The Captain said. “Star Wars.”

            “What?”

            “It’s always Star Wars with him. It’s like one of his favorite movies of all time and he has to quote it every time he brings in the new guy- or girl.”

            “Oh.” She said and looked at Quest who winked down at her. She didn’t really get it. She should have watched that movie instead of Lord of the Rings. She cursed silently, she had been sure that she was going to end up in Middle Earth not some Galaxy far away- wasn’t that how that movie logo went?

            “Your education, my young apprentice is sadly lacking.” He said with as much of a straight face as he could hold.

            “Fine. I admit it, I never thought to see that movie!” She harrumphed.

            “You, my dear child, have missed much indeed.” Quest intoned and gave her a slight hug. “And it’s the second best movie in my list of excellent movies made on this planet.”

            Vanessa looked up at him and then over at the Captain, who stopped laughing and rolled her eyes.

Severin came back and looked at them for a moment. He sighed and held out his hand to quest who obliged him with the other bag. Severin shook his head.

            “I can see where this is all going.” He said.

            “What?” Vanessa asked and felt a pit of dread appear in her stomach.

            “This is the beginning of the endless stream of Movie and Book quotes from these two.” Severin said as he slung this bag over his shoulder.

            “Oh, is that bad?” She asked and smiled at Severin who started to make the universal “don’t go there” hand gesture.

            “Oh, only as bad as waging a land war in Asia.” The Captain said.

            “Now you have done it.” Severin said and shook his head at her before walking back under the plane.

            The captain gave Vanessa a crooked sardonic smile.

            “Et tu?’ Vanessa said and immediately liked the woman.

            “Yes, me too sister.”

            “Van, this is Captain Michelle O’Connor. The pilot of this much beloved hunk of junk, the Freya.”

            “Hello,” Vanessa said and held out her hand. “I am Vanessa Schumpert –“

            “The Heir apparent.” Michelle finished for her.

            “Oh, well I guess I must be.” Vanessa said and looked up at Quest.

            “Yes, She will be Queen.” Quest said giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

            “Oh.” Was all Vanessa could manage at that. She looked from Quest to Michelle.

            “Don’t let him fool you. Vanessa. You are already Queen in my book no matter what the Lords of the Landstraad have to say. You always were and always will be- but it is just a title and titles are what you make of them.”  Michelle said with a slight shrug.

            “Just wait.” Severin said from somewhere under the plane, his voice clear and musical. “Soon everyone will be bandying titles about.”

 Michelle grimaced and Quest laughed.

            “Go on and laugh. Lord Funspoiler.” Severin replied.

Vanessa shot him a surprised look.

            “Yes that is a real title our Mr. Quest has earned from the Elohim.” Michelle said.

            “You have several too.” Severine continued “Is that not right Lady O’Connor, Gaurdian of the Five Keys of Farreach?”

Michelle grimaced again and Quest laughed again.

            “Thank you, Lord Darkstrider.” She said making a thumb jerk in Severin’s direction. “he’s only the First Knight of Alanis Tree- or as I like to call him Lord Ruin the mood of the dood.”

            “Pax.” Quest said.

            “Pax.” Michelle and Severin responded each in turn.

            “Severin? Is the gear stowed?”

            “Yes, it is Quest Heromaker.” Severin said from his spot under the plane. Vanessa watched him climb into a hatch in the fuselage.

            “Are we ready to fly, Mike?” Quest asked without missing a beat.

            “Yes, we are ready to go wheels up as soon as you get the hangar bay doors open, Myle.” Michelle responded in turn. “Flynt is not back yet, neither is your Kat- I sent her over to file our flight plan- at her insistence but not without a divine promise to behave human first.”

            Quest sighed and made a showed of looking at a non-existent wrist-watch.

            “Flynt won’t be late- he never is. Kat begged- well as much as her kind does anyway.”

            “Let’s hope she learned from the last time you let her out into public.” Quest said.

            “The last time I let?” Michelle made a fist and shook it at him. “As I recall you and Flynt didn’t object and even said it might be a good idea so I went along never suspecting what would happen.”

            “True enough.” Quest held up his hands in surrender. He walked over and put his hands on Michelle’s shoulders. “But you should have stopped us.”

            “I should have stopped her.” Michelle said smiling up at him. “I should have kicked the two of you out the hatch when we got back to altitude for that “Good idea.”

            “It was a Good Idea.” A handsome man jogged up, very suave and very black. He was six foot three, and very lean and muscular. He was Will Smith meets Billy Dee Williams- Vanessa thought and did the math and decided he was better than both. “It was the wrong city though.”

            “This is our man Flynt, co-pilot and all around Scoundrel extraordinaire.” Quest said by way of introduction. “This is our lady of the moment, Vanessa.”

            “I remember her.” Flynt said and gave her the smolder. “Milady.”

            Vanessa was sure she was blushed all the way down to her toes.

            “Ok old man.” Michelle cut in. “You are old enough to be her grandfather.”

            “Age has never stopped me.”

            “I would like a final flight check, so would you please go wake the dragon?’

            “Aye Aye Sir!” Flynt saluted and gave Vanessa a wink and jogged over to the fuselage and opened the rear hatch.

            “Men.” Michelle said not without some admiration.

            “Men.” Vanessa agreed.

            They both looked at Quest suddenly and laughed.