Envoy rides on an airship carrying refugees out of Babel, befriending an Eeee child by the name of Reeno Faestar. She learns that the Yodhrephath acting as an escort is away from the ship (for Reeno can't see her outside). Envoy's concerns about this are borne out when the crew start calling for passengers to come up top for a "ship transfer", even while the ship is moving at full speed, and Envoy can see no evidence through a crack in the hull of any other ship outside – and she sees a fleeing Eeee being shot down by a crossbow bolt. She warns the others, though her efforts are largely rewarded just by widespread panic in the crowded hold. A ship's guard comes down to see what the fuss is about, and lamely attempts to calm the passengers. When Envoy calls him on what's happening, and she's backed up by the others, he flees. Envoy goes after him, but finds she is outmatched when two other armed Eeee guards fight her. She retreats back down to the hold, and the guards slam down the hatch.

She finds some "ventilation shafts" that she suspects are meant for other purposes entirely – such as gassing the passengers – and she decides to take a chance, using her magic to shut off the ceramic pipes. This spell works a bit more powerfully than Envoy expects, as it seems the ship has passed close to a Forbidden Zone, and she has to cancel out her own spell before it goes entirely out of control.

Envoy uses her magic again, however, to make a hole for the fliers to escape the ship. The Yodhrephath, Xana, returns, and Envoy dissuades her from using a magical "bolt of wrath" to take down the airship. Envoy then rallies those remaining in the hold to take the ship – a Fnerf in the group wrenches the hatch open, and a veteran soldier leads the way to the upper deck. There, Envoy, recovered from her injuries (thanks to her amazing regenerative abilities), manages to overpower three Eeee crewmen in an impressive display, and the ship is taken over.

Eventually, the ship reaches the Free City of Zannara, where Envoy is a guest at the Faestar residence – home of a merchant family fleeing Babel. Priestess Xana is also a guest, and shows atrocious table manners – though not so atrocious as a Yodhblakat, Envoy observes. Envoy privately worries about what the College's reaction is going to be when the ship is brought back to Babel with such obvious Earth magic involved…