Subterris encroached on the edges of the ring as if the sparkling concoction of buildings was ready to spill over into the depths of the Abyss at any moment. Various thin structures clung tediously to the jagged walls that soon disappeared into the mist that glowed faintly from the forest even further down. Ezra liked to imagine some of the light came from Deepburrow, but even he knew the lighthouses never turned their gaze upwards. The other side of the ring appeared as a distant haze. Ezra squinted to make out details on the other side, but the enormity of the Abyss stopped him from seeing much.

  Absent of his surroundings, Milo shuffled closer to the edge and leaned forward. Ezra’s heart froze until Wilfred grabbed Milo by the back of his shirt and yanked him away. Despite the sudden jerk, Milo continued to stare across the ring in awe. Shaking his head, Ezra stared off into the night, letting the cool wind run through his hair. Gravel shifted behind him and disturbed the silence as Ezra turned to see three men robed in white.

  Thomas—Hana had given them his name before they left—led two others, a dark-skinned man with a faint scar on the left of his temple and a blond man with a neatly trimmed beard. Though their expressions were serious, they both seemed more friendly than Thomas.

  “This is Ariq,” Thomas said as he motioned to the man with the scar on his left, “and this is Joel. They’ll be getting you across the ring.” Stepping even closer to the edge than Milo, Thomas surveyed the empty air. An airship passed near them, its engines whirling with a constant hum as it rose further into the Abyss. Once it was well above them, Thomas turned back. “Before we take flight, I need to go over a few things. First, at all times, you will remain tethered to us. Under no circumstances will you disconnect unless I explicitly say so.”

  Joel stepped forward with a rope and carabiner in one hand as he turned to show the loop sewn into his cloak. Thomas carried on. “Second, you will not utilize your skills when in the air. Each of us flies using a different skill, and I will not risk anything interfering with our skills. And lastly, you will stay silent and conceal any reflective materials until we are out of the airship yard. Due to short notice, I was not able to obtain clearance to fly from here. You are lucky to have such a generous benefactor in Miss Bai Lou.” Thomas’s glare settled on Wilfred and then Milo before he took a sharp turn towards the ring.

  Ariq positioned himself beside Ezra and handed him a belt and carabiner. “Adjust this until it fits snugly, then I’ll attach the rope to my cloak.” A warm grin assured Ezra this was going to be safe—at least as safe as flying across the Abyss could be—before Ariq added, “Don’t worry; our cloaks are sown in a special way so they can handle the force even if you happen to fall off.”

  Ezra nodded and went about securing the belt. Once he was done, Wilfred was already anchored to Thomas, and Milo didn’t seem to be far behind. Ariq guided him over to the edge, and Ezra took a deep breath as the world wobbled around him. Everything steadied as a hand touched his shoulder.

  “Everyone’s nervous on their first jump. As a sky-seeker, it's best to keep your eyes towards the top. After all, we do not jump to fall but to fly.” Ariq said as he stared across the vast Abyss.

  “As a kid, I was never scared of heights. Even a month ago, the thought of being up so high didn’t scare me.” Ezra nervously chuckled, “But I guess actually standing at the edge is different.”

  Milo edged closer to the drop beside him. “Yeah, it’s even better than I imagined. The air feels so fresh and free.”

  Wilfred lined up with the rest of them and kept his gaze focused on the other side. He was likely staring at Warehouse Fifteen, even though Ezra doubted he could see it, but perhaps Wilfred knew his target so well that out of the multitude of lights, he had picked the right one. Thomas flashed several hand signals to the other two Abyss Jumpers. Pointing to a gap in the struts of the airship docks, he twisted his hand up in a rapid motion before pulling Wilfred closer.

  “Hold on for this first part and don’t loosen your grip till we’re steady,” Thomas called over the quickening winds.

  Ariq tugged at the rope, and Ezra took it as a sign to hold onto the man’s back. Without audible warning, the ground disappeared, and Ezra’s vision tilted sideways. The rusted arches of the airship docks whipped past, and a terrible wind assaulted his face. Each gust stung his eyes. Right as Ezra got a sense of where he was, Ariq went into a roll and passed through a thin gap between airships. Bright light traced arcs around Ezra, and he tightened his grip, yet every force acting upon him seemed to tear him away from the only person controlling the flight.

  He could feel his fingers losing their strength and his face losing feeling just as Ariq’s roll turned upward as he forced himself into the sky. Finally taking a breath, the world began to settle around him. Ezra blinked several times and moved his fingers to make sure blood was still flowing.

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  “You alright back there?” Ariq asked.

  Ezra pulled more air into his lungs before answering. “I’ve never gone so fast. Is it always like this?”

  “Usually, our takeoffs aren’t that rough, but Thomas wanted us out of there as quickly as possible.” Ariq kept his gaze focused on the journey ahead. The other two were in a tight formation, only a few paces in front. “The rest of the flight will be gentler, so expect to be on the other side in about an hour.”

  “Sounds good.” Ezra trailed off as he noticed the sights around. They continued in silence for a while, and he marveled at the city below.

  Even when arriving on the third layer, he never really realized the immensity of Subterris until now. Hundreds, no, thousands, of lights sparkled, growing dimmer as they flowed out from the ring. The haphazardly stacked buildings crowded together as if desperately climbing on top of each other to reach the top of the abyss. Turning his gaze upward, he saw an oval bead hanging in the center of the Abyss with four distinct walkways and many more cables connecting it to the walls.

  Ezra was sure Wilfred could tell him what it was, but even beyond the mysterious structure, a warm air drifted down like Elysia herself blowing life into the Abyss. He closed his eyes and let the air flow through his hair, on his skin, and into his lungs until the stress of flying faded. Going back to Deepburrow, when the world seemed so small and simple, he could still see Owen’s face and even before that his mother gazing at the same sky he did now. It was nice down there, but in moments like this, he wanted to empathize with his mother; yet another part wondered why she didn’t wait to make the journey with him.

  “When did you become an Abyss Jumper?” Ezra asked as he opened his eyes.

  Ariq tilted his head to the side and paused for a moment before responding. “Oh, about six years ago.”

  “What made you want to join?”

  “Hm,” Ariq pondered as he propelled himself forward, pushing off of invisible holds in the air. “On the fifth layer, I teamed up with a sect of Abyss Jumpers called Aquaridge. They helped me for the few months I was there and showed me the potential of skill.”

  “And what’s your skill?” Ezra remembered what Thomas had said about them each flying differently.

  “I change the density of objects around me. It took a bit to master enough to fly with it, but leaping through the floating lakes on the fifth layer taught me about localizing the ability at different points along my body.”

  Ezra’s eyes widened, trying to imagine what a floating lake would look like. There’s still so much to discover. “You said these Aquaridge people were just one sect of the Abyss Jumpers. I thought the Abyss Jumpers were just one big group.”

  “There are nearly three dozen sects,” Ariq replied. “On the third layer alone, there are about five different groups, but there is one sect every Abyss Jumper wants to join. The Cloud-Grazers.”

  “Why that one?”

  “Well, it’s the one Gideon Rauthman is a part of. You know the voyager that did the legendary leap from the seventh layer to Subterris ten years ago.” Excitement filled Ariq’s voice at the mention of Gideon’s name.

  “I’ve heard the name,” Ezra said, “but I didn’t know he did that! You’ve got to be insane to do that.

  “Insane but brilliant.” Ariq looked up as if Gideon was about to descend from the heavens.

  “Don’t tell my friend Milo.” Ezra pointed him out to Ariq. “The one that's about my age. If he knows there’s a record for abyss jumping, he’ll probably try and beat it.”

  Ariq let out a laugh but then quickly silenced it. “I don’t mean to doubt your friend. I just love the thought of witnessing someone make a jump like that. I won’t tell him, but if he’s interested in the Abyss Jumpers, I’m sure he’ll find out one day.”

  “I’m sure he will,” Ezra grumbled. For now, he would have to make sure Milo wasn’t jumping off of any extra-tall rooftops, thinking he had found a way to fly. “But if he ever does make a jump like that, I’ll let you know.”

  “Thanks,” Ariq smiled as Ezra realized how close the other side of the Abyss was getting.

  Within moments, Ariq, Thomas, and Joel were slowing down and beginning to descend to the nearest flat rooftop. Once they landed, Ezra unhooked from Ariq; he pulled out a gray disk. “We can link pockets if you want. You never know what could happen, and I’d rather not go running to Thomas if I need help crossing the Abyss.”

  Ezra glanced over to see Thomas glaring at Wilfred trying to unhook. “I’m telling you the damn thing is stuck,” Wilfred muttered as Thomas folded his arms in frustration.

  “Sure,” Ariq said, wiping the smile from his face as Thomas’s gaze turned toward them.

  Wilfred finally unlatched the carabiner as Milo was saying his final goodbyes to the other Abyss Jumper, Joel. The three men cloaked in white gathered at the edge of the roof, and Ariq turned back and waved goodbye.

  “May your journey be blessed by the infinite sky.” He called before leaping back into the Abyss.

  Ezra returned to Wilfred and Milo on the other side of the roof and stared out over the cityscape.

  “We may be ahead of schedule, but I’m not taking any risks,” Wilfred said. “And before either of you asks, we can take a break when we get to the warehouse. Not a moment sooner.”

  They both nodded. Marlaove was so close, but Ezra had a feeling it wouldn’t be that easy.