A few hours before dawn, the trio entered the shipyard. They stepped onto gravel, amid ship-shaped shadows.

Eva let Meladee lead. She held onto Camellia’s arm. Camellia hadn’t spoken and barely looked at them. Eva worried that Ah’nee’thit had really gotten to her new friend. It invoked long-damaged memories. Still, Camellia remained uninfected, and she allowed Eva to steer her in any direction. Camellia made no move to sprint back to Ah’nee’thit’s side or wander off. Two things Eva would have expected if Camellia was beyond hope.

They plodded towards Faustina till the little ship was in sight. Then, Meladee sprinted, and Eva swore in Lurrien. She pulled Camellia after.

Beside Faustina, Cernunnos waited. He could not board the ship due to Meladee’s locks and enchantments. Instead, he watched his surroundings and the approaching women. As Meladee trotted ahead to reach the man, Eva pulled Camellia at a less ideal pace. Eva saw Cernunnos shift nervously, and in the dim light, she just made out the man’s worried expression.

Above, the night sky spread. Distant galaxies glowed, and a few stray stars twinkled, except for a small patch where Eva knew the wormhole lay. Meladee, Eva, and Camellia hurtled through the darkness towards the ship.

As soon as they arrived, Cernunnos tried to get Meladee’s attention, but she ignored him, dispelled her enchantments, and unlocked Faustina. Cernunnos turned to Eva and Camellia.

“How did it go? I didn’t get much information from Cahir. I trapped him in a tavern closet since mid-morning. Camellia?” Cernunnos put a hand on Camellia’s shoulder and tried to catch her eyes.

She stared through him.

“Everybody on.” Meladee ran onto the ship and beckoned the others.

Eva helped Camellia stumble up the gangway. Then, she steered Camellia to the cockpit and plopped her into a seat. Eva took her own seat. She watched as Camellia pulled a notepad out of her bag and began to scribble. Meladee ran to the wheel and started takeoff procedures.

Cernunnos paused. He looked between Eva and Meladee. Then, he settled on Eva. “What happened?”

“We went into the temple and talked to the thing.”

“You talked to it?” Cernunnos spread his arms. “I thought you would just get in, get proof, and get out. Why did you entertain the monster for so long?”

“Camellia believed the conversation was worthwhile,” Eva said.

“Oh? Well, you shouldn’t have listened to her.” Cernunnos pointed at Eva. “But, maybe that’s what you’ve wanted all along. To get more information.”

Eva didn’t deny it.

“You did it at her expense.”

Eva looked down. “That was not my intention.” Eva never quite understood how it worked, but she felt what organics described as guilt, an emotion she could do without. She could do without all of them.

Cernunnos sighed. “What did it say? Did you get proof of its existence?”

Eva felt her eyes narrow. She watched Camellia draw. “It advised us to use extreme cold to weaken the larger creature in Lurren. No, we didn’t get any tangible proof, except for a blueprint, a spell, and some mediocre pictures I took with my tablet. As we speak, Camellia commits the weapons to paper.”

“A whole spell and blueprint? How simple are they?” Cernunnos strolled to the cushions and looked down.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

“Not at all, I assume. She seemed rather distressed by the event.” Eva nodded at Camellia. She stole a glance at Camellia’s papers and saw complex geometry.

Cernunnos watched Camellia sketch feverishly. Eva looked away. She didn’t want to see Camellia’s focused movements and wide eyes any longer.

Faustina lurched and rose. Cernunnos grabbed the cockpit wall and caught his balance.

“Bad pictures, huh? That’s all you have?” Cernunnos sighed. “Tell me. Whatever this Ah’nee’thit gave you – this weakness. Can this weakness kill it?”

“I don’t think so. It preferred to tell us its weakness rather than give up a piece of itself.” Eva kept her eyes down, except for a sidelong glance at Camellia. “Apparently, it’s very young, and Camellia feels sympathy towards it. That’s why we have no real proof.”

Eva plucked the magic circle from Camellia’s stack of paper. The circle was astonishingly detailed, and still, Camellia snatched it back to add more. Eva craned her neck to see the blueprint but did not take the unfinished work.

“She had better be alright.” Cernunnos sat beside Camellia. He removed his hat and rubbed his forehead. “I thought you’d get some pictures. Good ones, at least a decent headshot. Maybe a few cult artifacts. Not have a chat with the thing.” Again, Cernunnos sighed. “I shouldn’t have told you where to find it. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“This outcome might be better. Maybe we can build off these weapons. Take the fight to the one in Lurren.” Eva almost couldn’t believe her own words. She never considered a fight before. How could they fight something the size of a continent with a spell and a gun?

Cernunnos pointed at Eva. “You mean ‘you’ can take the fight to the one in Lurren.” Cernunnos jabbed a thumb at Camellia. “She’s not going anywhere, and I doubt you’ll get assistance without proof. The goal was to separate Cahir from this thing, so it would leave Camellia alone. Get proof and send someone to kill it. You did not stay on task.”

Eva produced her tablet and handed it to Cernunnos. “Look at the pictures and tell me if they’re entirely unusable. They’re fuzzy. I neglected to think what one-hundred years of disuse would do to my equipment, and Camellia’s camera did no better.”

Cernunnos looked at the first picture. “The AAH will think we shot this in someone’s basement with a clay figure. I can’t even find the head.”

“It doesn’t have one.” Eva leaned across the cushions, invading Cernunnos’ space. “Camellia chose to make a deal with the creature. Not me. I can’t speak to it. I understand you want to keep your friend safe, but without some help, I can never do the same for the friends I left behind.”

Cernunnos sat straight and speechless.

Eva paused. With her next statement, she surprised herself again. “The goal should be to kill both creatures. Not run from them.” Eva sat back in her chair.

In silence, she and Cernunnos waited for Camellia to finish. Finally, Camellia handed the blueprint to Eva.

“What is it?” Cernunnos asked.

“A freeze gun.” Eva studied the drawing. She found the lines a little shaky but clear. They traced a long shape and labeled the parts in detail. “I think I could build it.” She slipped some paper from Camellia’s stack and set to work on a plan. “I could cannibalize material from my ship. I could also alter the design, and maybe convert a laser in Lurren.”

Cernunnos peered at the blueprint, but with Eva across the alcove, he could see little. Eva made no effort to fix the situation, and to his credit, Cernunnos didn’t ask. He turned his attention to Camellia and watched her draw with vampiric speed. She finished the magic circle and set it down. Cernunnos took it.

“Ten rings,” he said.

Eva glanced up from her work, uncertain if the number ten was significant in the realm of magic. She watched as Cernunnos rose from the seat and approached Meladee with the sketch.

“Have you ever seen a casting circle with ten rings?” he asked.

“Once. Inscribed on an axe. That was a great axe.” Meladee kept one hand by the controls and took the drawing. “Wow. That’s...a nightmare. I only know three four-ringed spells, and I don’t have any friends with which to perform this monstrosity.”

“So, how many mages to perform this spell?” Cernunnos tapped the sketch.

“If the mage is a genius and only plans to perform a handful of spells in his or her lifetime – one. Otherwise, you’d need two or three. Even then…” Meladee shook her head. “Most people would need a cheat sheet for their part of this spell. Maybe, I could inscribe it on an enchanted scroll, but I’d want a long nap after that.” Meladee drew a breath. She aimed her voice at the cushions but tempered her volume. “Guess she needed one too.”

Eva turned and looked down. Camellia lay asleep, curled to fit upon the narrow cushion.

Cernunnos strode to her side. “I’ll take her below. Go to the AAH headquarters. Presereme, Groaza. We’ll try to get help just the same.” Cernunnos hoisted Camellia over his shoulder. He carried her to the hatch and maneuvered his former pupil below deck.

With a nod to Eva, Meladee set course for the AAH.