Dmitri wasn’t on the beach anymore. He wasn’t standing anymore. Actually, Dmitri was lying down in a bed. He must have been asleep or something. It felt like only a second ago he had been at his beach… with a harpoon in his shoulder. Dmitri felt at his shoulder, expecting to find a large hole, but his shoulder was fine. Looking around the room didn’t have any answers. Dmitri couldn’t see any bandages or other things that might suggest he was with or near a healer. Dmitri wasn’t even wearing any bandages, and he noticed, not wearing anything. His clothes were nowhere to be seen.
Well, I can’t just lay here forever, and I’m a little cold, Dmitri thought. He got up from the bed, keeping the white linen wrapped around him. The room was very plain, with gray walls that were smooth. There was light coming from a sphere hanging from the middle of the ceiling. Dmitri had heard of there being different kind of spheres used for luxuries like light, but he had never seen one before in person. He must be somewhere rich. Although, the furniture in here is plain and spare, so if this is a spare room or a servant’s room, then it’s definitely a rich person’s house to have a light sphere in this room.
A knock came from the door, and the handle started to turn. Dmitri looked around the room, trying to find something that might help him look dignified. It would be better to give a dignified thank you to whoever saved him than to have to struggle protecting his dignity while expressing his gratitude. I guess I’m not going to find anything to help, I just need to thank the guy that saved me, Dmitri thought. The door slowly creaked open, and a woman stepped in. She was shorter than Dmitri, although Dmitri was tall, she wore gray slippers, a gray skirt just passed her knees, with a gray blouse and blazer. Although, she wore a plain metallic mask that hid most of her face except for a slot revealing her left eye, a deep blue color. Her silver hair was pulled back behind her and looked like it might be shoulder length. She actually looked around Dmitri’s age. And she was a young woman, looking at him. Dmitri could feel the heat rushing into his face.
“My master requested that you be sent to him as soon as you regained consciousness,” the masked girl said. She stood in the doorway, looking at Dmitri, waiting.
“Umm, I… need some clothes…eh, well, umm… what’s your name?” Dmitri felt like he hadn’t stammered too badly. The girl remained motionless, staring at him blankly.
“The master requests your presence now, please follow me, your sheet will be sufficient,” the masked girl turned and walked out the door. Dmitri almost tripped on the sheet as he pulled it tighter around himself, doing his best to make the sheet look presentable.
Outside of the door was a corridor with a few other doors. The walls were also similar to what he saw in the room, except there were sphere lights placed at regular intervals all the way up and down the hall. “It is not far, the master is in his workshop around the corner,” the masked girl said as Dmitri was looking around at the hallway. She was walking at a brisk pace, and Dmitri had to hurry to keep up with her while he struggled to keep the blanket around him.
When Dmitri came around the corner, a large metal door blocked the way. The girl walked to the door and placed her hand on a panel in the center. The panel lit up bright green, and then the door split with the same green light and opened outward into the hallway. The room inside was filled with green light, making it seem darker than the hallway, filled with the clear light spheres. It took a moment for Dmitri’s eyes to adjust. The room was large, maybe the size of his old town’s inn. Tables and shelves were everywhere, lined with papers and glass containers with a myriad of strange things in them, from glowing liquids to organic masses. There was even a large tank of water with three Coppers swimming inside of it. Long glass tubes snaked their way in and out of the walls, and there were more light spheres in the room that were glowing green or white.
The masked girl walked straight into the labyrinthine mess, walking in a straight line towards the center of the room. She appeared to be walking over the floor. Dmitri took a step forward, and his foot stopped before touching the floor he could see. There was a clear material above the floor, protecting it for whatever reason.
“Shara, has my guest come to,” a familiar voice asked. Dmitri walked forward, looking around a tall bookshelf. Sherran was standing at the edge of a large circular hole, which seemed to be in the very middle of the room. “Ah, there you are, my little fisher boy.” He had a wide smile on his face, revealing perfect white teeth. Sherran had his hair pulled back in a ponytail with a bright red ribbon, and he was wearing close cut white pants and long sleeve shirt. He looks more like a man like this, Dmitri thought. “I hadn’t expected you to visit me so soon, I would have prepared myself more suitably for you if I had only known.” Sherran walked over to Dmitri and placed his hands on Dmitri’s shoulders. “Although, I just don’t know what to do with you now,” Sherran said. Dmitri was probably better off with this strange man deciding his fate than with the hunters from his village who had already decided to end it. “Shara tells me that your coming had more to do with a harpoon protruding from your shoulder than you figuring out my little riddle.” Sherran let go of Dmitri and stepped back.
“Thank you very much for saving me,” Dmitri said, “I am deeply in your debt for having saved my life.” Dmitri had said his thanks, now he only needed to wait for whatever would happen next.
Sherran’s eyes gleamed, “My dear boy, I am very tempted to have you pay that debt to me.” Sherran sighed, “But I can hardly collect on what doesn’t belong to me. You saved your own life.”
“I’m still grateful to you, Sherran,” Dmitri said, “I just barely escaped death thanks to that envelope.” For better or for worse, it seems like my lot is cast, Dmitri thought.
Sherran smiled, “Well, boy, tell me your name.”
“My name is Dmitri, I was a fisherman,” Dmitri said.
Sherran put his index and middle fingers to his lips, “hmm, I just might have something for you. Do you want to work for me? I won’t pay you, but you will receive room and board. Truthfully, I won’t ask much from you either.”
That doesn’t sound bad. Sherran is definitely a weird person, but he has been nice to me so far. I should probably answer him right now, even if I do have so many questions still, Dmitri thought. “That sounds good to me,” Dmitri said.
“Excellent, I’ll enjoy seeing you around here more,” Sherran seemed very happy. “Shara, I want you to now be Dmitri’s assistant. Dmitri be kind to her, she is my only daughter from all of this. Shara, please tell Dorvyn he will attend me from now on. Run along now, you two,” Sheran said as he turned back towards the hole in the ground.
“The master has dismissed us, it would be best for us to leave him to his experiments,” the masked girl, Shara, said. She turned Dmitri around by his shoulders and pushed on his back, rapidly taking him out of the room. After the doors closed behind them, Shara said, “The master’s workshop can be dangerous when he loses focus.”
“What is dangerous?” Dmitri asked.
“He is working with magic, magic is dangerous,” Shara said nonchalantly. Dmitri had never heard of people using magic before except for when his mom had wanted to scare him into behaving as a child. Magic is a fairy tale, isn’t it?
“You look confused, magic is life here. Aren’t there artificers where you come from?” Shara asked.
“Yes, but what does that have to do with magic?” Dmitri asked.
“They use magic to construct those items, and the things those items accomplish is magic, like those fishing spheres you had,” Shara sounded like she was lecturing a child. It was making Dmitri feel annoyed. “Furthermore, don’t you realize that just using a fishing sphere is a form of magic?”
“Wait just a second now. I know I’ve been saved, but I don’t appreciate being talked down too,” Dmitri said, unable to continue holding in his feelings.
“I offended you?” Shara asked. She sounded slightly worried. “I’m sorry. This is always how the master speaks to us. He is almost always teaching us.” She sounded hurt, and she was looking down. Dmitri could imagine that deep blue eye becoming watery.
“I’m sorry I lost my temper,” Dmitri said. Shara lifted her head to look at Dmitri. Her eye was watery.
“It didn’t bother me at all,” Shara said, her voice back to its normal, neutral composure. She turned away from Dmitri and walked down the hall, “follow me back to your room, it should be ready by now.”
“OK,” Dmitri said, following her at his own pace the short distance to the room they had just left from not long ago. It should be ready for what, Dmitri wondered.
Shara opened the door and immediately entered the room. Dmitri wasn’t far behind her, but immediately stepped back. The room had completely changed. It was bigger now, similarly colored, but there was what looked like a well in the far corner from the door, the bed was bigger and looked much more luxurious with red and yellow striped sheets. There was also a large desk placed next to the bed and a dresser. The dresser seemed to have a number of items on it, like quills and papers. The entire back wall blocked by glass with just enough space to walk around the well. Inside the glass was the Blue, swimming up and down. Dmitri thought the Blue looked excited to see him.
“Guest of the master-” a very tall masked man in a gray uniform similar to Shara’s, with black hair and dark eyes began to speak, but Shara interrupted him.
“This is Lord Dmitri, he will be working for the master now,” Shara said. The big man nodded to Shara. “And Dorvyn, you will be assisting the master now.” Dorvyn nodded again.
“Umm, just Dmitri please,” Dmitri said. Being called lord or another title would just feel uncomfortable.
“As you wish, Dmitri,” Dorvyn continued, “we had some things prepared for your duties. Our master anticipated what needs he could. If you feel you want anything changed please let me or Shara know. The dresser is a Tailing Dresser, hold your hand to the door for a few seconds, picture firmly what you want, and it will flash green inside. You should be able to get almost any clothes you want out of it. Please remember to only try to picture clothes from it, it could cause feedback, seriously injuring you if you try to make it do something else. We have also prepared a desk with writing supplies, and a suitable habitat for the pet you brought with you. You can find the sphere you carried it with in the trunk by your bed.” Dorvyn stopped to take a breath, “and with that, if you’ll please excuse me, I’ll allow Shara to handle the rest.” Dorvyn bowed to Dmitri and made his way out of the room, closing the door behind him.
“Wow,” Dmitri said, while looking around the room. This was all his.
“I know, he can be long winded, and after all that, he forgot to mention the bathroom,” Shara said. From what Dmitri could see of her eye, she seemed to be smiling.
“What’s a bathroom?” Dmitri asked. He had never heard of a bathroom. Sounds like a room for bathing.
“Umm, it’s a room with a bath and a toilet. You use the bath to bathe, and you use the toilet to… relieve yourself,” Shara said. Clearly it wasn’t a topic she wanted to discuss, Dmitri thought. He would just have to figure it out on his own later. “If you were wondering,” Shara began, “you can put your fishing sphere to the glass, which would allow your pet to enter or leave the sphere. The aquarium wall is also biologically adjusted to provide for your pet’s care.”
“Thank you Shara,” Dmitri said. “Now, how do I get some food?”
Shara walked over to the desk. “There is a drawer here that can be used to summon up some food from the kitchens. Simply write a note of what you want, and a chef will make it to the best of their ability. It only takes a few moments to reach you,” Shara said. She looked at Dmitri with a worried look, her exposed brow crinkled, “I'm sorry, I hope I’m not explaining too much again.”
“Oh no, I’m sorry, please don’t worry about that. Everything here is just so different and new for me. Thank you for explaining all of this to me Shara,” Dmitri said. I hope she doesn’t keep apologizing to me, I wonder why she’s like that, Dmitri thought. She seemed fragile to Dmitri, but she didn’t seem to want that to be too obvious or that’s how Dmitri saw her.
“OK then,” Shara said, “I’ll need to take my leave for a while, until I come back, make yourself comfortable and familiarize yourself with the room.
“Alright, I guess I’ll just wait here then,” Dmitri said while taking a seat in front of the desk. He was feeling hungry and something warm to eat would be perfect right now.
“Oh, and do not wander far from the hall, you may be under my master’s protection, but there is a lot more to this place and you will need everything explained to you first,” Shara said. She walked up to Dmitri, waiting for his answer.
“OK, I got it. I’ll wait here safely,” Dmitri said while examining the quills and papers at the desk. “What is this place anyways?” Dmitri asked.
“An island,” Shara said as she walked out the door, closing it behind her.
“An island,” Dmitri could feel pins and needles through his body. Islands were said to be rogue nations, neither part of the Union nor part of the Lin Empire. From what Dmitri’s father said when schooling him, islands are small and relatively weak, so they don’t impact politics much, but it is a fact that all islands are rogue. Just to be living inside a small piece of land deep inside the Ethereal Seas, surrounded by waters of death had never seemed sane to Dmitri. He had only believed that the rogue islands were some kind of old wives tale or just an old fisherman’s story. His father died by falling into the sea. Dmitri’s father just fell in, and that was it, he was gone and never seen again. How could the people here trust that the whole island won’t just be swallowed up in the Ethereal Sea and vanish? Weren’t there stories of that happening to ships? It could probably happen to a small land mass then.
Dmitri got up from the desk. He had suddenly lost his appetite. Placing his hands on the glass wall, he stared at his own reflection. Was he really safe from death now, or had he just traded an immediate death for one slow to approach him? Dmitri had been so comfortable before, and now everything was just spiraling.
While the room felt like it was spinning to Dmitri, a tapping sound distracted him. Dmitri walked towards the door, steadied himself and opened the door. No one was there. Dmitri closed the door again. He could still hear a faint tapping sound. What is that, Dmitri thought. Where is it coming from? Dmitri cocked his head the direction he thought it was coming from, slowly taking steps towards it. Step by step Dmitri followed the sound, until he knocked his ear into the glass hard enough to make it feel numb. While rubbing his ear, Dmitri looked at the glass. The Blue was at his head level, staring straight into Dmitri’s eyes. There was something there in its sharp blue eyes. If Dmitri didn’t know better, he’d think that it was trying to get his attention, to comfort him. But that would be impossible. Guardian or whatever it was, a fish is a fish, Dmitri thought. But Dmitri stood there for a few minutes, looking back at the fish and feeling better.
There was a loud knocking on the door, waking Dmitri up. Dmitri picked himself up off the bed, his head feeling heavy. “Did you sleep with the lights on, Lord Dmitri?” Shara asked, taking on a tone that made Dmitri grit his teeth.
“Please, just Dmitri is fine. Lord, master, or most titles just aren’t me. Good morning to you too,” Dmitri didn’t feel happy to be lectured first thing after waking up from sleeping. Although, Dmitri couldn’t tell if he had napped or slept for an entire night. Dmitri looked over at the aquarium, the Blue was floating there calmly. Shara had stopped walking, her eye seemed to be glaring through the slot on her mask. Shara had her hair down in tales on each side of her shoulders this time.
“The lights can be controlled with this panel here, by the door. Slide your hand down the panel to dim the lights and turn them off, like this,” Shara slid her hand down the panel, and the room went dark, except for some plants glowing in the aquarium. “And just slide your hand up to turn them on,” Shara said, once Dmitri could see her, her hand was at the top of the square by the door. “I’m afraid I’ll be the one teaching you almost everything, won’t I?” Shara mumbled to herself. Dmitri had heard her, but decided against a quick retort.
“Why would you day that?” Dmitri asked. Shara dropped her head a little, hiding her eye from his view. Dmitri was quickly learning to see this as a sign of embarrassment.
“The master has summoned you,” Shara said, “have you managed to eat something?” She might have sounded concerned if she hadn’t just been glaring at him.
“Actually, I did manage to, and it was delicious,” but it had taken Dmitri a while to figure it out. He ended up placing little notes in every drawer. Unfortunately, he had written roast Copper on every note, and they had all disappeared. Dmitri would have to try a different food on each note next time, so that he could figure out which drawer actually worked. Better that than asking Shara for help, especially when she was treating him like a child.
“That’s very good,” Shara sounded genuinely happy for him. “Well, we should go see the master first before anything else. Please follow me, Dmitri,” Shara said while walking out the door.
Dmitri jumped up from bed and jumped into the blue canvass slacks and blue long sleeve collared shirt he had managed to get from the tailor wardrobe. Shara had seen enough of him in a state of undress. She seemed really odd wearing that mask all the time, but she was woman enough for Dmitri to be embarrassed. “Are you coming?” Shara’s voice asked from right outside the door. Dmitri just did a quick fisher’s knot with the black sash for the pants and slipped on the black slippers. Dmitri took a quick look at the reflection of himself in the mirror. He was a bit taller than most in his village, his father had been one of the biggest men in the village from what Dmitri could remember. Dmitri thought he looked too thin, especially in these clothes, matched precisely with his frame. His light brown hair lay back flat and close cut, and he had his mother’s hazel eyes.
Dmitri stepped out from the door cautiously. Shara just stared at him. Dmitri’s stomach began to twist, “it was the best I could do. And I don’t think this outfit is so bad,” Dmitri said.
“Oh, umm, it’s fine. I can show you some tips later if you like. We shouldn’t be keeping the master waiting like this,” Shara said and started off down the hall quick enough for Dmitri to need to hurry after her.
Upon entering Sherran’s workshop, Dmitri saw Sherran standing by the center of the hole in the ground again like last time. He was carefully observing something. Dorvyn was off to the side deeper into the workshop, standing ready. “Dmitri, I’m so glad you came. I hope your first conscience night here was to your liking,” Sherran said with a grin as Dmitri approached.
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“Yes, I had a nice meal and a restful sleep,” Dmitri said as he walked closer to Sherran. Dmitri wanted to see what was inside the hole, so he walked straight over to Sherran. When Dmitri was about four steps away from Sherran, Shara grabbed his arm.
“Be careful, magic is at work here, and you don’t know what kind of affects it will have,” Shara said. She had a tight grip on his arm. Dmitri didn’t think she would have had such a strong grip just by looking at her.
“It’s ok Shara. Come here and see for yourself Dmitri,” Sherran said, absently waving a hand over while keeping his eyes focused on the hole. Shara let go and stepped back, angling her mask down. He needed to ask her why they had to wear masks with their uniforms.
As Dmitri approached the hole he caught a familiar scent in the air. Mainlanders said this smell was like lightning, but Dmitri knew the smell from only one source, the Ethereal Sea. Dmitri stood next to Sherran and looked down. The hole went straight down. Chains from the ceiling dropped down into the waters, which sloshed back and forth against the walls of the well. “Are you fishing or something?” Dmitri asked.
“Yes, something like that,” Sherran said. Sherran turned to look at Dmitri, “oh, I love that outfit on you.” Dmitri could only laugh a little at that. “I don’t know if you know or not, but this is a rogue island. Specifically, this is The Ironman’s Nest, an island known for its strong defenses. Union, Empire, and pirate raiders have never breached the island in over twenty years. Which is one reason I moved my research here,” Sherran explained this all to Dmitri while studying Dmitri closely. “I’ll be sending you experimental spheres and buoys I make. Just use them like normal in the Ethereal Well in your room. Shara will document all of the results and send them to me,” Sherran said. The well in my room is a shaft to the Ethereal Sea? It’s a good thing I didn’t explore that part of the room yesterday, Dmitri thought.
“That sounds pretty good to me,” Dmitri said. He had been worried that Sherran would want something complicated or dangerous. But Dmitri liked fishing. Fishing is what he wanted to do. This was a great deal.
“I like that smile, Dmitri,” Sherran said, “don’t you think so too Shara?” Dmitri turned to look at Shara, but she had her mask angled down, as if she hadn’t moved since the last time he saw her.
Sherran sighed loudly, “that would be a good start, Dmitri. How about we have dinner tonight in my banquet hall, I hardly get to use it? I need to explain some things to you anyway. Shara, you’ll see to the preparations.”
“Yes, master,” Shara said and bowed slightly.
“Thank you for visiting me Dmitri, but I must continue my work now,” Sherran said while turning to study the ethereal water again. Dmitri thought he could see some buoys bobbing vigorously in the water down the shaft. Something was ready.
Shara grabbed Dmitri by the shoulders, like last time, turned him around and led him back to his room. “The master will let you know about his work when he is ready, Dmitri, so please wait until then,” Shara said. Shara had an edge to her voice, something like fear or worry. “Do you know you think a lot?” Shara asked.
“I’m more used to being on my own I guess. After my father died, my village started up hunting sea beasts, and I just continued on fishing by myself. I guess I got used to spending my days on the shore, only speaking to people every now and then,” Dmitri said. He didn’t have much of a need to talk to others much. His mother never got over her husband’s death, most of the village had seen him as a nuisance, and Fedore was more of a business relationship. Dmitri was a legacy from his father the village didn’t want. “Things just ended up that way.”
“I too am not used to a lot of things, but I am learning. And I’m happy that my life is progressing the way it is. My brothers have not all been as fortunate as I have, and I hope to be able to help them one day. That’s why I do my best for the master and his research, so I hope you will do your best to help us too,” Shara said. She was intently looking at him through her mask like she was looking for something.
“I always do my best when fishing. It keeps me going. Umm, so I hope I’ll be helping you,” Dmitri said. Shara looked down, but Dmitri knew this time it wasn’t because of embarrassment. She was sad. Dmitri felt like he needed to do something, anything, so he stepped forward and hugged Shara. Shara immediately went stiff, but after a moment she relaxed and pressed into Dmitri’s embrace. She felt so small in his arms, and she was so warm. And even though it made Dmitri feel guilty, her hair smelled good too.
After a blissful moment, Shara pushed away. “I’ve got to go, I’m sorry about that,” Shara said. And before Dmitri could say anything, she had disappeared down the opposite end of the hall. Dmitri turned toward his room door and walked in.
“That was nice… and weird,” Dmitri said. Dmitri sat down on the bed and looked around the room. Noticing the well in the corner of the room, Dmitri remembered how Sharran said it was really an Ethereal Well, down into the Ethereal Sea. So that meant it was Ethereal Sea right below him. Things were turning out nicely here though. Dmitri was being asked to fish, and it was for some important experiment. Feeling important and useful felt pretty good, Dmitri thought. Dmitri walked over to the well and looked carefully at it. It had a steel cover over it, and it didn’t seem to have any handles or levers to open it. Then Dmitri remembered how Shara had taught him to use the light sphere, so he looked for a panel or square. Everything in this place seemed to have been made by an artificer. After searching for a few moments Dmitri found a small panel oriented towards the middle of the room below the rim of the well. Dmitri kneeled down to look closely at it. He placed his hand on the panel and it flashed blue. There was a quick swooshing sound, and then the room was filled with the scent of the Ethereal Sea. Dmitri stood up and looked down the well. It was a lot like the shaft in Sherran’s workshop, but Dmitri’s well was a lot smaller. The water level was a lot higher too, but the surface of the water was very calm, much like the water at Dmitri’s beach. If it wasn’t for the lack of a sky and cool breeze Dmitri thought he might be able to fool himself into thinking he was at his beach.
But things were different now. Dmitri needed to work to maintain his stability here. He could still love fishing, its simplicity and ability to provide, but he now had to meet Sherran’s expectations. And he’d be interacting with Shara on a regular basis, which Dmitri had to admit, wasn’t so bad. This was still a lot more than he had to deal with before. His mom was easy to just pass by, her time had stopped when his father died. And Fedore, with that permanent smile, was really just business. I hope Fedore is doing ok now, Dmitri thought. He had taken at least a little beating before taking the hunters to Dmitri. Fedore and Dmitri hadn’t really been friends, but Fedore hadn’t been such a bad guy. My family’s village is a thing of the past now, just like my father, Dmitri thought.
Dmitri was starting to get bored. All the artifice objects in his room were real marvels, but they were only for providing for his needs. Being restricted to this small patch of hallway and his room didn’t allow for much to see. The Blue was floating in a corner of the aquarium, probably sleeping. And then Dmitri remembered he had a fishing sphere, the one he had been holding the Blue the night he came to this place. Dmitri walked over to the wardrobe and opened the bottom drawer. The sphere was there, along with the clothes he had been wearing that night. The clothes had been sewn, but there were still blood stains all over the clothes. Dmitri felt his shoulder where the harpoon had pierced through him. The pain was over when he blacked out, but still, that had really hurt. It felt like the pain would flare back to life with the memory of it. Dmitri just needed to push it out of his mind.
Dmitri reached down, grabbed the sphere and re-tied some rope on it. It would be good to do some practice fishing with what he was used to before trying anything new. The waters here may fish a bit different than the beach at his old home. Dmitri wondered if it could throw off his technique. Dmitri felt a little excited walking back to the Ethereal Well, he might be able to catch some new kinds of fish. And Well fishing in the comfort of his room sounded really convenient, except for the part where ethereal water was deadly. Fishing in his room back at his mother’s house would have really ruined the perfection of having his own beach, and it would have made it harder to avoid the people always looking down on him in the village.
Dmitri held the sphere in his hands, picturing fish in his sphere. Coppers, Silvers, or a Gold would be good catches. A Gold wouldn’t be worth anything much here though, except for its rumored healing ability when eaten. Dmitri tried picturing a Blue in the sphere too. Is it even possible to catch something like the Blue? Dmitri needed to give the Blue a name, it really was turning into a pet for him. Dmitri tried to let the sphere drop into the water gently and coiled the end of the rope in his hand since he didn’t have a buoy for it. The sphere slipped down into the water and quickly disappeared from Dmitri’s view. Dmitri sat down with his back to the aquarium, with a little distance between him and the well.
After some time, a knock came from the door, and after a brief wait, Shara came in through the door. She had changed into a blue dress, matching the clothes Dmitri was wearing, with a black belt around her waist. The dress went down to her shins and was as high as her collar. It was a fitted dress, showing off her figure. Shara was also wearing blue gemstone earrings dangling from her ears with her hair pulled back into a ponytail. Shara just stood at the door after closing it behind her, looking at Dmitri. Those colors are good on her, or at least they’re better than the constant gray uniform.
“Is something wrong with how I’m dressed?” Shara asked. Dmitri hadn’t realized he had been staring until he noticed she was uncomfortable. It would probably be better to compliment her.
“Feel free to sit down, I was just fishing a little bit,” Dmitri said, “the dress actually looks very nice. I like it.” Shara moved to Dmitri’s desk, and turned the chair to face him. Dmitri felt heat rising in his cheeks.
“Thank you,” Shara said. He couldn’t see her face clearly because of that mask. Dmitri couldn’t handle the curiosity anymore.
“Shara, why are you always wearing that mask?” Dmitri asked.
“Oh, that’s just me,” Shara said. She got up, placed her hand on the right side of the tailor wardrobe, causing a pink flash, and opened it. Shara pulled a black shawl with black crystals on the trim out of the wardrobe. She opened the other side of the wardrobe, revealing a mirror on the door. Shara then proceeded to make herself busy adjusting the shawl to get it just right on her shoulders.
“That’s not really an answer,” Dmitri said. He wanted to push the issue more, but then his hand was getting pulled towards the well. He caught something. Dmitri jumped up and began pulling on the rope, noticing he had surprised Shara.
“You caught something?” Shara asked, while walking towards Dmitri.
“Yes, and it feels kind of heavy,” Dmitri said, pulling on the rope. The sphere came up from the well, the water sliding right off of it, like it was designed for, and Dmitri took it in both hands. Dmitri was disappointed to see three Coppers swimming in the sphere.
“Wow, you caught three live specimens at once,” Shara said, sounding genuinely surprised. “Is that considered a great catch?” she asked.
“Umm, not really, these are just some coppers. They’re very common,” Dmitri said. At least he now knew how much Shara knew about sphere fishing. Although, he wouldn’t be going out on a boat, so a knowledgeable partner wouldn’t be necessary for his safety. Well fishing seemed to be even safer than shore fishing and much safer than boat fishing. Dmitri was closely watching the sphere, brushing up against Dmitri.
“I think I should put them back now,” Dmitri said.
Shara’s attention snapped to Dmitri, “you can’t release these. These are probably the first fish ever caught here. They are important specimens.” Dmitri had only caught some Coppers, although he had caught three which was a nice pull, but her surprise seemed too much to him.
“Here, touch the sphere to the aquarium to release them into it,” Shara said. She was really excited. “We have success already and we haven’t even officially started the experiments.”
“But I don’t really want to put them in with Azure here,” Dmitri said, holding the sphere away from Shara.
“Azure? Is that the name of the fish in there?” Shara asked.
“Yes, I just made it up, but I’m not sure it would be best to be mixing in these new fish,” Dmitri said.
“That’s not a problem at all,” Shara said. She walked over to the far side of the aquarium, and slashed her hand across the surface of the wall. A flash followed her hand along the glass, and a divider appeared, separating a section from the rest of the aquarium. “Now quickly, put them in.” Dmitri walked over as Shara had instructed and put the sphere against the wall of the aquarium on the new sectioned off portion. The fish smoothly slipped into the aquarium from the sphere. “See, that was easy. We’ll worry about transporting them later because it’s almost time for the master’s dinner.”
“Already? It feels like I just left his laboratory,” Dmitri said, while walking over to the wardrobe to put the sphere back into the drawer. He had always lost track of time at the beach before, often only realizing to go back once it started getting dark.
“Yes, it has been some time since I left. Are you ok, Dmitri?” Shara asked. She sounded worried.
“Yes, I’m fine. I just lost track of time while fishing. It used to happen to me all the time back at my home,” Dmitri said. It felt wrong to him though that he called his old village home. Despite it being only a day he had spent here, on a rogue island, he felt very comfortable already, like he belonged here, and Dmitri had never belonged in the village.
“Come on, let’s get going already or we’ll be late,” Shara said, “the room isn’t exactly nearby.” Shara grabbed Dmitri’s hand and led him into the hall. She took him down the hall, the direction he hadn’t been before to where the hall ended. The hallway that intersected had a red carpet running along the floor, with light spheres as far as he could see. Shara turned left into the red hallway. “Do the colors in the hallways mean anything,” Dmitri asked.
Shara stopped to look at Dmitri, “they do. While the lab hallway has a white carpet. The main hallways of this section are red for master Sherran.” So the red carpeted areas are like his domain, Dmitri thought to himself. “I wonder if they might consider making the white one my blue-green,” Dmitri muttered to himself.
Shara pulled Dmitri along by his hand continuing the walk, Dmitri noticed these walls had murals painted onto them, depicting sea battles between large boats, much like the ones the hunters from his village had used. There was another one of a graying man in rich clothes, surrounded by chests of gold, holding a looking glass with his foot on a small sea beast.
After walking for a while, Dmitri couldn’t tell how long, Shara turned left again at an intersection, and stopped him in front of a large set of double doors. This hallway had gold trim running along the red carpet and short pedestals with various busts on them. “I hope we haven’t kept the master waiting,” Shara said, she let go of Dmitri’s hand and started adjusting her shawl. Shara fidgeted with her clothes a few moments more, took a breath, and opened the doors. Dmitri followed her inside. The room was a large hall, with a long banquet table running the length of the room. The floor was a crimson red, plush carpet, with gold tapestries running along the walls and columns in the room. Sherran and Dorvyn were already in the room. Sherran was seated at the head of the table with Dorvyn standing behind him, his back against the wall.
“Dmitri, I’ll take you up to the master and announce you, now follow me,” Shara said. She walked straight over to where Sherran was seated. As Dmitri got closer, it really was a long walk, he could see Sherran was seated with his head supported by his fingers, with his elbows on the table. Sherran had a very pleased smile on his face while he waited calmly. This feels very formal, I’ve never been to anything formal before, I just hope I don’t make a fool of myself, Dmitri thought. Dmitri noticed that Shara also had a blue ribbon tying her hair in the back. It was a simple style, but Dmitri liked it, the style looked put together. And Dmitri almost smacked his face into Shara because she suddenly stopped. There might have been a warning but Dmitri hadn’t noticed one. Shara took a quick look back at him, with the mask it was hard to tell, but that must be a glare. Dmitri took a quick step back from her.
“Master, it is my pleasure to announce that your guest has arrived,” Shara said in a loud, formal voice.
Sherran stood and gave Shara a wave of his hand to dismiss her and stood up. He was dressed in a robe again, like when they met. It was a bright white robe, with slashes of silver and light blue through it, and there was a dark blue length of cloth holding the robe in around his abdomen. “Dmitri, I’m so glad you’re here. Please, sit down,” Sherran said while gesturing at the chair to his right. Dmitri sat down as Sherran directed, Sherran sat at the head of the table. “I hope you’ve had enough time to acclimate to your new quarters.”
“Yes, I had some trouble at first because I’ve never seen so many artificed objects in one place before, but I’m getting used to it. They allow for things to be so much easier, though, I admit I have no idea what time or what day it is anymore,” Dmitri said, smiling at the last part. Sherran laughed at that.
“We use artifice time keeping devices, I’m sure you’ve heard of clocks before. We have smaller ones that don’t need winding around here. I’ll get one sent to your room, Shara will show you how to read it.” Sherran said. “I hope you enjoy the small feast I have prepared for you tonight.” Sherran raised his left hand in the air and snapped, two masked servants came from a side door behind a curtained off section. They were carrying large platters with steaming hunks of meat, garnished with greens, none of which Dmitri could identify. They placed one of each dish in front of both Sherran and Dmitri. Dmitri noticed that there wasn’t anything for Dorvyn or Shara, in fact, Dmitri didn’t see Shara anymore and took a quick glance around. Shara was standing against the wall behind him, much like Dorvyn was behind Sherran.
“Don’t worry about them,” Sherran said, “they’ve already eaten.” Sherran picked up a bright silver fork and began to selectively eat pieces of meats and greens from each of the plates. Sherran picked up his fork and tried some of the meat closest to him. It had a thick sauce on it with a bit of an earthy taste, while the meat was juicy and tender, it was delicious. Dmitri dug into the food, excited to try the different flavors arrayed before him. Out of the corner of his eye, Dmitri could see Sherran smiling at him, and the two ate in relative silence.
Dmitri leaned back in his chair, his belly felt like it might burst open. “Do you have room for dessert?” Sherran asked. Dmitri felt his eyes pop. It was too much food for any one person or even two.
“I’m afraid I am positively stuffed,” Dmitri said smiling. “This was amazing.” Sherran clapped his hands, and the two masked servants came back out and started collecting the plates. There was still some food and bones left, it seemed like a waste, but then again, maybe they saved it for something else in the back.
“That was a very nice meal, and I enjoyed your company too. It can be hard to find amicable companions to dine with,” Sherran said. He was relaxed, sitting high in the chair with his hands resting on the arms. “If you’re feeling ready, I’d like to tell you about how things work here.”
Dmitri leaned forward in his chair, feeling a little uneasy. Dmitri tried to shake that feeling, especially since things had been going so well for him here he probably had no reason to be anxious about what Sherran had to say. “Sure, I’m ready,” Dmitri said.
“This island is run by a hard man that goes by the name of Binsho. Only rare men can claim an island, and it takes an especially strong man to hold such a secure position. Binsho is originally from the Lin Empire. He keeps a tight grip on all that goes around here. I have some leeway here despite most of his men thinking artificers are bad luck, but it is my artifice research that keeps them a dominant force,” Sherran stopped for a moment to drink a dark red liquid from his glass. “My success has given me high status here on the island. This whole wing is mine to do with as I please. But to be safe, I’m having you stay near the center of things because spies or some such things happen. They are disposed of when discovered. But I don’t want my precious guest harmed by an overzealous participant in my little game of cat and mouse.”
“Thank you,” Dmitri didn’t know what else to say, but Sherran was looking at him like he expected something. “It’s a lot of information, but I’m not sure what to do with it.”
Sherran nodded, “as I expected. It’s about politics, my boy. The more information you have, the better decisions you can make about your position and survival. For you, I can’t help but help you. You’re so naive, and I enjoy that part of your charm.” Sherran shifted forward in his seat, putting his elbows on the table and resting his head on the back of his hands. “But long term survival requires strength of some kind, and the question is what yours will be.”
“I’m good at fishing,” Dmitri offered, “I even caught three Coppers in my ethereal well before dinner tonight.”
“Did you know no one has caught fish here or in any other rogue island before?” Sherran asked.
“But that would be amazing, I mean, how can people not catch fish? It’s a natural thing,” Dmitri said. That just sounds unbelievable, Dmitri thought.
“But it’s not something so simple in the Ethereal. Importing fish and other animals can become expensive for an island that doesn’t grow and raise its own food. This is a strength, but not really much on its own. One man can only fish so much. No, this is not your true strength.” Sherran was such a knowledgeable person, and he was so confident with his knowledge. Dmitri felt like Sherran knew something more. “Anyways that is very good to know, Dmitri. I now have a good reason to let Binsho know about my new assistant and why I need him. He’ll see the value in that.” Sherran was speaking to himself more than telling Dmitri. Dmitri wasn’t sure if he should have found it unsettling or not that his stay was still not really official. The Union had declared all rogue islands and their inhabitants as pirates, not to be traded with. Although, the official title of the Union is The Union of Trader’s Nations, which meant banning the trade of anything created a black market for it. Traders will be traders, making money where it can be had.
“Believe it or not, Dmitri, fishing the Ethereal Seas, especially with spheres, is a form of magic. Everything about the Etherel Sea is magic, and human life is completely unsustainable without magic on, in, or near it. But that is my personal theory I developed in my research. I have to challenge common perception.”
“Is that why you are able to enter the ethereal water without dying?” Dmitri asked.
“Very astute, naive but intelligent. You have promise, Dmitri,” Sherran said. He was getting excited. “That’s why I’m sure you’ll be invaluable to my research. You’re already a huge help to me with the ability to still fish. Usually, just coming to a rogue island in the Ethereal Sea changes people in immeasurable ways. And all fishermen that have come before you lost whatever they had that allowed them to fish. This has been a persistent mystery plaguing the rogue islands because it would stand to make sense that fishing would be a major food staple. Although, some islands make do with beast hunting, farming, raising livestock, or a combination of these.” Sherran must be Union born to care about facts like that. He was clearly passionate about this information, but Dmitri was suddenly feeling very sleepy. Dmitri could barely keep his eyes open, even though it was interesting to listen to all the things Sherran was saying.
“Oh, the Koba must be affecting you,” Sherran said, “have you not eaten any before?”
“I’ve only eaten fish and a few different vegetables and fruits before,” Dmitri managed to mumble.
As his eyes were closing Dmitri could still hear Sherran, “Dorvyn, please help Shara get Dmitri to his room, and after that I want to know all about those Coppers.”
“Yes, master. I was there when he…” and Dmitri's eyes closed to the sounds of Shara's voice. Dmitri could feel his smile as sleep overtook him.