It’s still dark, yet I’m already awake when I hear the sound of movement coming from the kitchen. Peering around the doorway, I see Nanna and Marina holding each other in the lamplight. Ma is standing nearby with her cane and the Fonecian is sitting at the table.

“You’ll write and let us know?” asks Nanna. “How it goes?”

“Of course.” Marina sniffs.

“But don’t write down where you are,” adds Ma quickly, “just in case.”

I step into the kitchen. “How will we know where to write to Marina?”

My sister grabs me in a hug. She already has her coat on and a sack full of her things at her feet.

“Ydra’s got it all worked out,” she says softly. “Now, we’ve got to go.”

“I can walk with you,” I say quickly, thinking of airships. “Before I go to work.”

“No, Leho,” says Marina, her eyes serious. “It’s not safe.”

The Fonecian picks up Marina’s sack and they head out through the building. Nanna turns away to hide her tears from me. Despite what Marina has said, I quickly follow after them. Their steps echo on the ladder, then I hear the grate of the manhole cover being pushed open from below. Silently I count to five, then go after them. Already they are hurrying along the dark, misty street. A fine rain is falling.

As I expected, they turn right onto Thessel Street. I don’t even need to be careful about being seen. Hand in hand, they don’t look back once. My mysterious sister has only just met this Fonecian, and here she is, putting her life in his hands. What if we never see Marina again?

On and on they go, until they’re walking through the industrial area where Marina took me. A grey light is in the sky now, so dawn isn’t far away, and a few worker Cerels are out on the streets.

Up ahead, my sister and the Fonecian turn down the unpaved road. At the end is the large open area with the enormous sheds. There are four airships tethered in the field today and my heart starts to beat faster. They really are going by airship, lucky Marina!

Marina and Ydra cross the open wasteland towards one of the sheds. Two men come out to meet them. I hang back behind a thorny bush, my head reeling. My sister is going away – and we don’t even know where she is going. Marina hasn’t told any of us, to keep us safe. And she’s going in an airship.