The ship was flying at a relatively low altitude over an area of plains north of the Everfree, having chosen to go around rather than over the accursed forest. There was just enough left of the day for light to peek through a gap in the troubled cloud cover and bathe the distant lakes and wild lands in subtle blues and soft shadows. Thunder rumbled above like the troubled sleep of an elderly god and gentle sheets of rain fell lightly on the ground, washing down the sides of the ship’s envelope and falling in sheets and rivulets to the ground below.