In the m, Mahya and I first sat at the puter to find a pce where we could take off in the balloon. Quickly, we discovered we were optimists.

  The first problem we faced was finding a pce to take off. We couldn’t unch from SF because of the crowded city and strict flying rules. We sidered Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley as alternatives, both about 60 to 90 minutes from San Francisco, depending on traffic.

  Sed, a hot-air balloon flew much slower thahought. The distance from San Francisco to Las Vegas is approximately 420 miles. In a hot-air balloon, travel times are highly variable and depe oher ditions, wind speeds, and dires. Typically, hot-air balloons travel at speeds ranging from 5 to 15 miles per hiven these speeds:

  Best-case sario (15 mph): It would take around 28 hours of tinuous flight.Average sario (10 mph): It would take around 42 hours of tinuous flight.Worst-case sario (5 mph): It would take around 84 hours of tinuous flight.We looked for a route with optimized nding zones, veransportation options, and nearby hotels so we could cut the journey into ses. After a long deliberation, our route looked like this:

  ? San Franciserced

  Distance: 130 milesDire: Southeast (SE)Bearing: 135 degreesEstimated Flight Time: 8-12 hours? Merced to Visalia

  Distance: 90 milesDire: South-southeast (SSE)Bearing: 150 degreesEstimated Flight Time: 6-9 hours? Visalia to Bakersfield

  Distance: 90 milesDire: South-southeast (SSE)Bearing: 150 degreesEstimated Flight Time: 6-9 hours? Bakersfield to Barstow

  Distance: 130 milesDire: East-southeast (ESE)Bearing: 110 degreesEstimated Flight Time: 8-12 hours? Barstow to Las Vegas

  Distance: 155 milesDire: East-northeast (ENE)Bearing: 70 degreesEstimated Flight Time: 10-15 hoursLanding site: Jean, Nevada, 25 miles from LVWe studied Google Earth and aerial maps the pces we were supposed to nd in.

  The third problem was that we could cast invisibility on ourselves but not the balloon, so there were goveral agencies we had to tact.

  Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)tact: We had to inform the FAA a approval. The FAA siders a hot-air balloon an aircraft and requires their pliah regutions.Requirements:Flight Pn: We had to file a flight pailing our route, stops, aimated departure and arrival times.Pilot Certification: That was not a problem. Both of us jured the needed local certificates.Airworthiness: The hot-air balloon had to have a valid airworthiness certificate. Again, not a problem with juring.Local AuthoritiesCity and ty Permits: We had to tact the local authorities in San Franerced, Visalia, Bakersfield, Barstow, and Las Vegas for any specific permits or notifications required for ung and nding within city or ty limits.Air Traffitrol (ATC)Flight Coordination: We had to coordih ATC for specific airspace regutions, especially when flying near busy airports or trolled airspasuranceLiability Ce: We needed adequate insurance ce for the trip, c potential liabilities and damages.Balloon Insurance: Specifisurance for the hot-air balloon and its passengers. Those two we also jured.By this point, I was ready to give up on the idea and just rent a car, but Mahya was insistent. She was determio make the trip in the balloon, and no matter what I said about dealing with goveral agencies, she wouldn’t budge. I knew what we would have to deal with and was ready to make my way to Vegas alone, but I gave up quickly on the idea—you didn’t abandon your friends, even if they were stubborn, illogical mules, that dug their heels in and wouldn’t budge in the face of pure logic.

  The legal shit took us two days te with a lot of phone calls and going all over SF to various offices. By the time we had all the dotation ready, I was a nervous wreck, and Mahya was even worse. At some point, she remarked she would choose the elves over Earth’s goveral authorities every siime, and she wasn’t joking. I wao remi was her choice, but stopped myself—I hated “I told you so’s”—o do it to others.

  Al didn’t help the situation. He set we called him back too early a pining until I s him, “If you think fug is more important than your friends, you fuck right off and not e back.”

  His eyes widened, mouth hanging open like he couldn’t believe what he just heard. Then his brows pulled together, jaw and fists ched. After a beat, his shoulders dropped, and his gaze softened, like the world’s weight hit him. Suddenly, something clicked. His expression cleared, aepped forward, hand outstretched. “I apologise. How I be of assistance?” he asked, sounding sincere.

  There was hope for him yet.

  “Just help with Rue. I ’t keep telling him to lower the TV so I hear the phone versations.”

  He nodded, and a mier, the TV volume went down a notch.

  Finally, FINALLY! Everything was arranged, and we were ready to take off at dawn the following m. I picked up the truck from the rental agend gave them the exact location in the Sonoma Valley where to pick it up. And there was a message from Sonak that after a one-day rest in Chicago, he boarded the train to LA. We were ready.

  After all the hassle, I wao clear my mind, so I suggested di Gary Danko restaurant. At dinner, Mahya apologized for her insistend admitted that it was illogical. Al apologized again for his behavior, and I apologized for snapping at both of them. We were good again, and I rexed a go. I hated feeling angry or annoyed.

  Navigating the balloon dowairs was impossible, no matter what we tried. So, Al went to the cierge to keep him busy so he wouldn’t notiything. Mahya stored the balloon, and at the lobby, I discreetly sent a mana dart at the lobby camera and fried it. Mahya took out the balloon, and we pretended like we brought it dowairs. Roger, the cierge, looked very impressed we ma. I handed him ara 100 to ease my guilt about the camera, shook his hand, and thanked him for everything. At st, we departed for the take-off location.

  As we went up, the wind pyfully messed up my hair, making it look like a crazy, swirling mess. Mahya and Al, their hair mysteriously ued by the wind, exged a bemused gnce. Mahya couldn’t resist teasing. “What’s the story with your hair? Did you stick your finger in a light socket?”

  Grinning, I replied without missing a beat, “It’s just the wind saying hello.” As if on cue, my hair flopped over my eyes like a wayward mop, elig more puzzled looks from them.

  They looked at me like I was a lunatic, Maya’s mouth twitg in an attempt to suppress a smile. She tilted her head, like she was trying to figure something out. “Remember you told me to hit you over the head if you start to behave like a crazy person?”

  “Yes, if I start talking to grass, not if the wind says hello. Those are two separate things. Talking to grass is a whole different level. The wind is just pyful,” I expined early, attempting to smooth down my unruly hair, whily seemed to defy my efforts further.

  “I am uo dis any distin,” Al said, sounding fused.

  “There’s a subtle nuance,” I assured them with mock seriousness.

  Mahya snorted, uo tain her ughter as she pyfully nudged my shoulder. “So, wind versations are acceptable, but grass whispering is off-limits?” she quipped, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

  “Exactly,” I affirmed with exaggerated nodding. “Wind is whimsy, grass is... well, just uling.”

  Al shook his head. “You possess a unique and distinctive form of peculiarity, are you aware of that fact?”

  “Why, thank you,” I replied, giving a moy hair flopping forward dramatically.

  They didn’t look vinced, but at least now they were ughing.

  “I thought you know a wizard?” I asked Al.

  “Yes. However, his expertise lies in strug buildings rather than unig with the elements.”

  “Well, each wizard has their specialty. I’m learning that this one is mine.”

  He harrumphed but said nothing.

  To prevent myself from h and crashing, I divided my mind and ected with the wind. I didn’t achieve Unity, but I fed a e. To increase the ces of her accepting, I prese as a game, since I knew she would probably refuse if I asked directly. I didn’t talk to her; she didn’t unicate in words but sensations, feelings, aions.

  The time before Rue learo talk was a great learning experien this way of unication. I sehe feeling of a game, of pying, of having fun and ughing, and the sensation of the balloon flying in a specific dire. To make sure, I sent a feeling of boredom and disi iher dires. And again, a sense of fun and exploration in the southeastern dire.

  She liked the game, and the balloon took off in the correct direuch faster than the promised 15 mph.

  I had read that, teically, sihe balloon is part of the air, nothing should affect it. After all, the balloon moves with the wind, not through it. But here’s the thing: I wasn’t sure if that same rule applied when enhang the speed. From what I uood, a balloon has no means of propulsion. It just drifts, pletely passive, with its speed retive to the air always at zero. But would adding more speed mess with that bance? I didn’t know. So, to be safe, I split my mind a third time, fog on ensuring the balloon could hahe added speed, and eled low maore into it.

  The third split was still difficult for me, but easier than in the past. I didn’t know how long we flew like this, as I entirely focused on the wind and the Restore spell, with the third part of my mind serving as a safeguard to keep me from losing myself pletely.

  I heard Mahya say, “Well, we won’t be nding in Merced. We just passed it.”

  I was so surprised I almost lost focus on the e, but the wind nudged me to keep pying, just enough to stay on task. It didn’t feel like we’d been flying for 12 hours, not even 8.

  Mahya touched my shoulder and said, “Tell your friend to ge dire to the south-southeast, or we might end up in Fresno instead of Visalia.”

  I sent the wind a sense of wanting something new, nudging it toward a more exg dire. The wind eagerly responded, pyful as ever, and I felt it shift south-southeast. She ruffled my hair again pyfully, and I ughed out loud. She ehat and wao py more. Our speed picked up even more.

  After a while, Mahya touched my shoulder again. “Tell her to sloe’re losing altitude, and I o use the gas, but at this speed…” She g the balloon. “I’m not sure if that will mess with the fme or not.”

  “Why should it?” I asked, my teeth ched as I struggled to keep everything banced.

  “Well,” she started, looking a little unsure, “if your friend suddenly ges dire or speed, it might affect the fme. I mean, I don’t really know. It’s only my sed time, and the first was h. My skill says it’s fine, but it’s only level one, so… I ’t say for sure.” She shrugged, uainty written all over her face.

  I sent the wind a sense of slowing down, but she didn’t want to slow down. It wasn’t effortless, but I mao expin the o slow down usiions aions, expining the reason behind it. She still didn’t want to slow down. She was having too much fun. So, instead, she engulfed the whole balloon, lifted it, and increased the speed even more. I upped the mana output of the Restore spell. We were zooming at this point, and it was better to be safe than sorry.

  I heard Mahya say, “We passed Visalia.”

  “Dire?” I asked through gritted teeth.

  “We’re good. I’ll tell you when to ge.”

  I couldn’t gauge the passage of time while being lost in the wind, but after a while that felt longer, Mahya touched me again and said, “ge to east-southeast.”

  Repeating the same unication sequence as before, the wind ged our dire.

  “Altitude?” I mao ask.

  “I don’t know how you’re doing it, but we’re good. Great, actually.”

  After another unknown time, I noticed I no longer had any problem holding the three splits. Finally, I looked at my surroundings and saw it getting te, judging by the low sun.

  “How long have we been flying?” I asked.

  “Thirteen hours? Maybe? Something like this. With your eling, I don’t want to take out my phone.”

  I checked on Rue, and he was doing great. His paws were on the basket’s lip, and he held his face high into the wind. This dog eed demon.

  My mana was still good when I checked: 7,800/10,200.

  Probably the wind was helping me regee. I was sure I used muana for the Restore. Seeing as I was in plete trol of my faculties again and could think and fun with the three-lit, I split my mind the fourth time and almost bcked out from the mental strain. But this time, I was an old hand at this and k would be fine.

  I lifted my hand and eled Heat into the balloon.

  “Restore is more important right now,” Mahya said. “We are going really fast, and I don’t want the balloon to tear.”

  “I’m eling both.”

  “He is terrifying sometimes,” I heard Al say.

  “You’ll get used to it,” Mahya answered him with a ugh.

  I couldn’t focus on them anymore. The fourth split was giving me a killing headache. After an uermiime, I dropped the Heat spell a my mi.

  “Tell me when we he Heat spell again. I know the wind is carrying us, but I don’t want to take any ces if she gets tired of the game.”

  “Will do,” Mahya answered me.

  After another uermiime, I began to see more and more lights in the distance, and they became more colorful with every mile.

  “Mahya, check our location. I’ll stop the Restore so that it won’t fry the phone. I think I’m seeing Vegas.”

  “You are.”

  I couldn’t believe it. “How long have we been flying?”

  She took out her phone and said, “Twenty hours.”

  She taped a few keys on her phone and said, “Our speed is about 28-30 mph.”

  I eechless. We were doing double the optimum speed.

  I sent the wind powerful feelings of gratitude, love, and admiration and veyed to her that our destination is the lights, but not to reach them—just get close. I also asked her to please slow down gradually because the game was ing to its natural clusion.

  For a moment, she resisted; she wao keep pying. I sehe feeling that we would py again, but this game ended because this was the correct point where it was supposed to end. She accepted my desire; it wasn’t an agreement but an acceptand slowed us down. Again, she tousled my hair pyfully in every dire for a st farewell ao py elsewhere.

  “I don’t see Jean,” I said.

  “I think we passed it.” She looked at her phone. “Maybe we d in Sloan?”

  “We didn’t study its map. y?”

  She poi a small cluster of lights very close to Vegas. “I think it’s those lights.”

  She cast Wind Fuo direct the balloon, and ihan ten minutes, we began our dest into Son.

  That was one hell of an iing flight.