Contributor: ToddGM

“They're gaining on us!” Helia cried. The gargantuan black and purple dirigible was indeed gaining on their small glider. Lavera pulled a daring aileron roll into a cloud bank, then turned quickly to the left. She glanced behind at the old wizard, checking his various instruments.

“Professor!” Lavera shouted. The old man looked up.

“They saw right through it!” He exclaimed. “They're still coming straight at us!” Lavera ground her teeth, performed a tight flip, and entered a barrel roll. The tiny glider cut through the clouds and they exited on the bottom right side. Professor Fleischer shook his head. “They're a little disoriented, but their scanners will pick us up before long. We need to go faster!” Lavera bit her lip. She knew the wizard was right. She glanced at a bright red switch on the dash labeled “Turbo.” She had no idea if it would even work. She had thrown it in last second, cobbled together with a few odds and ends from various other mechanisms. It may provide the boost they needed to outrun the Namestnik and his men, or it may send them plummeting to a fiery aether-fueled death. No, as much as they needed to escape – she couldn't risk it. Not yet. Lavera was suddenly aware that the cabin had grown oddly quiet.

“What's going on?” Lavera asked, glancing at Helia. The professor offered an explanation.

“They've stopped. The Namestnik's airship has stopped completely.” Lavera could hardly believe what the old man was saying.

Stopped?