Meladee steered Faustina over the Groazan ocean. The journey would take a little under a day, and to put Camellia’s mind at ease, Meladee had grudgingly promised to stay up the entire time. In solidarity, Camellia stayed awake too.

Inside the cockpit, Meladee stood at the helm. She eyed her instruments. When she got too tired to stand, she pulled a nearby stool under her. Camellia also sat in the cockpit. Opposite the helm, a curved couch provided a small seating area, and Camellia curled into the crook of the cushions. She tried to make conversation.

“So, you said you used to serve on an ice ship. What kind of work did you do?”

“The ship was called the Rime Breaker. It was a merchant and salvage ship equipped to take the northern passages and cut down on shipping time. I served as the inventory master,” Meladee glanced at Camellia and smiled. “Oh yeah. Real interesting stuff. Don’t worry, I also got to do some time at the helm and some really exciting magic. The Rime Breaker is a ship of sea mages. Magic is a good way to solve sailing problems and really necessary in the ice.” Meladee’s eyes glazed.

Camellia found the expression a bit odd, but she supposed Meladee remembered her time in the frozen north. She gave Meladee a moment and then asked, “Why did you decide to transition to an airship?”

Meladee thought about her answer, brow furrowed in concentration. “I was getting kind of tired of the close quarters, the water, and the cold. Everything about the ocean started to make me feel...trapped.” Meladee adjusted the wheel and continued, “Anytime we had shore leave, I took lessons on how to fly an airship. I don’t know why I picked the airship. I guess I just wanted to fly.”

“And, you bought this ship?” Camellia raised her eyebrows and shifted. She eased herself out of a comfortable slouch.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. Airships are a luxury for extremely rich retired captains, and I’m not one of them. I got a good deal on this ship. Plus, I didn’t buy it right away. It was about a year before I found Faustina. I’ve had her about seven months now.” Meladee smiled. “I like her. It’s a good change from the big ship. It’s just mine.”

Camellia smiled as well and admired the small ship. Above deck, it was a bit nippy, but the helm’s enclosure blocked the chill. An array of windows sheltered them from the wind and the bulk of the noise while allowing them a view of the sky. There was even a skylight above Camellia, and through it, she could see the stars and the wormhole.

 “What about you? What are you hiding from your AAH?” Meladee asked.

Camellia started. Had she told Meladee she was hiding? She guessed she had.

Camellia sighed. “I’m not in good standing with them for...reasons. I want to investigate something that they think isn’t worth the time, and I want to do it without someone telling me I must be wrong.” Camellia hugged her knees to her chest. A pause followed, and Camellia spoke aloud words that she hadn’t dared to share with family, only this…stranger. “Lately, my reputation is about as bad as it can be.”

She expected Meladee to recoil. She regretted the words and braced herself for the questions about her actions and what she’d done to deserve a spoiled reputation.

“Why not leave? Just do something different?”

“Because…” Camellia hesitated. She paused and looked at Meladee. She really looked. Meladee didn’t look back. The pilot kept her eyes ahead, glancing away only to view her instruments.

“Take your time,” Meladee said, with a hint of humor.

Camellia would. She thought about her situation. She could become an independent restorationist. She could love that life, but at the AAH, she could do those things and more. She could travel to new peoples and places. She could see the things she used to dream about. In the twenty-three years she’d spent with the AAH, she had seen many of those things already.

“I love this,” she admitted. “I don’t want to do anything different.” It’s my fault that things are this bad, an unspoken thought. Camellia relaxed her position and let her feet fall to the deck. She put her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands.

“I loved sailing too, but sometimes you’ve just got to let it go.” Meladee fiddled with her controls. “Nearest island of Tagtrum in about an hour by the way.”

Camellia studied Meladee. Meladee’s narrowed eyes stared back with what Camellia thought was a small degree of pity.

Finally, Meladee spoke, “What are you investigating exactly? If it’s interesting I might take you directly there.”  

Camellia perked up. “Really?”

“Yeah. I’m a patron of science…I guess.” Meladee shrugged.

Camellia leaned forward in her seat. “Recently, an archaeologist found a piece of space age technology. Everything we found before was over three thousand years old, but Ridvan – that was the archaeologist,” Camellia added. “He dated this artifact at one-hundred years. He thought someone sent it through the wormhole. There’s a symbol on the artifact, and I’ve seen it before on a crashed spacecraft in old Eudor. Even more interesting the dig sites for both the artifact and the ship are close together. I don’t know how Ridvan missed it.”

Meladee inhaled sharply. “Wait. Did you say someone is going to come through the wormhole?”

“No, I said the artifact might have come through in the last hundred years.”

Meladee gave Camellia a wide-eyed stared. “That means someone is already coming through the wormhole.”

“Well…” Camellia couldn’t argue the point. “Possibly. But remember, I’ve matched a symbol on the artifact to one on an old space vessel.”

“So, they’ve been here before. Doesn’t change a thing, unless they’re nice. Are they Tagtrumian?”

Camellia laughed. She shook her head. “Definitely not. And, if you really think about it, the people who colonized Tagtrum weren’t Tagtrumian either. The country has had a lot of new influence from other groups.”

“Yeah, but we’re all nice. We’re one happy family.” Meladee knit her brow and watched the controls. Moments of silence followed. “Well, go on. What do you think about this whole wormhole, space thing?”

Camellia smiled, just a little. “I think the wormhole might have had some unlucky shifts these past three thousand years. Maybe, there hasn’t been anyone to come through for whatever reason, but if we have a new piece of technology, the wormhole may have shifted to a more active location. Maybe one that we’ve connected to before.” Camellia paused and considered Ridvan’s discovery. “Still, Ridvan might have got the date wrong. He’d have to be off by four thousand years.”

“What kind of ship is it? Do you know?”

Camellia shook her head. “I don’t ‘know’ the ship’s or the artifact’s origins.” Again, Camellia paused. She didn’t want to tell Meladee her suspicions. Her new friend seemed a bit concerned. Camellia took a deep breath and opted to take the plunge anyway. “But I’m starting to think the ship and artifact are Lurrien.”

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“Oh no.” Meladee’s eyes filled with horror, and she froze at the helm.

I shouldn’t have said a thing. Camellia felt detached from the moment. She’d made the wrong decision, but she didn’t feel the effects – shame, pity, or pain. She felt nothing but a vague curiosity. Camellia pondered why she felt so sure Ridvan’s assessment about the artifact’s age was right. She’d never met the man, and he had supposed the age of the artifact based on things he found around and below it. None of which were remotely space-aged. Maybe, Ridvan had faked it. Maybe, Camellia just worried her pilot for no good reason.

“Hey,” Meladee said. “I’ll take you straight to the site if you want. Even give you a ride back when you’re done. You just have to give me directions, and we’ll still need to stop at Mechta to make sure we stock up on supplies.”

“You don’t have to do that.” Camellia waved her hand.

“No, I insist. Let me take you right there, so you don’t freeze to death.”

“I’m an experienced traveler.”

“No, no. You could definitely use someone with you.”

Camellia could not deny the assertion. “I can’t pay you extra for staying with me.”

“Don’t worry, finding out whether or not an invasion is coming is payment enough for me.” Meladee looked down at her controls. “We’re almost at the Mechta shipyard by the way. We can sleep and stock enough food and supplies to stay up north for a while. Not that I’m gonna sleep. Ever again.”

Camellia tried not to smile. “You should get some sleep if there’s going to be an invasion.”

Meladee’s head shot up.

Camellia continued, “If the artifact is one-hundred years old, the invasion might be imminent.”

“What…you mean like…tomorrow?”

Camellia tried to keep a straight face, but she failed. “Maybe, it was cancelled.”

“Yeah, I hope it was cancelled.”

Meladee began adjustments to their course. She prepared for their landing, almost frantically.

Camellia kept the peace and scolded herself for the invasion comment. Entertaining, yes. Useful...definitely, if it gets me a ride directly to my destination. Friendly...no. Still, Camellia felt satisfied with their interchange and longed to continue the conversation. She waited until Meladee seemed settled again.

“Meladee?”

“Yeah?” Meladee glanced at Camellia.

“How accomplished are you at magic?”

“Pretty accomplished. Though, I’ve only used it to survive in the frozen north, so you probably shouldn’t take my word for it.” Meladee gave Camellia a solid look. “Why?”

“I was hoping you had some skill in writing magic, and you could tell me something I don’t know about magic circles.”

Camellia didn’t know why she should bring up another secret from her past: the Volanter Mirror. She’d never shown anyone, and it shouldn’t be a topic of casual conversation with a stranger.

Camellia knew that, but she went on, “I have a rather complicated set of magic symbols. They would be arranged in a circle, but I copied them out of pattern to prevent the spell from casting itself.”

“That would never happen. You have to write magic symbols with intention. That usually means a light draft first, and then, while you imbue the magic, you do a final trace. At least, that’s how you make a scroll or a magical item,” Meladee said. “Only difference between the two is how permanent they are.”

Camellia nodded. “I’ve observed that procedure before, but these symbols...are special. I didn’t want to take the chance.”

“Must be a terrifying spell.”

Again, Camellia nodded.

“What else did you want to know?”

“Give me a quick summary of spell composition. Pretend I don’t know anything.” Camellia waved her hand to emphasize that Meladee should start with the most rudimentary concepts. She wanted to get information but protect the secret.

“Okay…” Meladee considered her answer, took a deep breath, and began, “Most spells are in the form of magic circles, with concentric rings. The number of rings can make them more or less powerful. A single-ringed circle produces the weakest, shortest spells. Most spells have two or three rings. The hardest spells you can do on your own have four. Once you have a circle with five rings, you’ll probably need another mage. Now, if you’re making a magical item or scroll, you can make any number of rings. It just takes forever to inscribe a ten-ringed spell.” Meladee stopped and her brow knit. She added, “And, with ten rings, you better hope that’s some spell. That thing had better fly you halfway across the world in a buggy with flaming horses and their rad guitars.”

Camellia laughed. “What about symbols?”

“Symbols...yeah, those go inside the rings. I usually have about 150 memorized at any given time. Aside from symbols, we also use pictures and words for shorthand. Pictures and words make a spell weaker, but if it’s a big one, it can be helpful not to visualize or write all those symbols.” Meladee paused and watched as Camellia frowned in thought. Meladee waved her hand and recaptured Camellia’s attention. “Oh, I almost forgot. We also need to remember where to put our lines. They create phrases out of the magic symbols and connect symbols on opposite sides of the circle. That’s where the star shapes inside circles come from.”

“Hmmm,” Camellia said. “I always wondered what purpose the stars served. So, the more elements you have in a spell, the more powerful it is.”

“Yeah, pretty much. It’s simple, unless you actually have to write a magic circle, in which case it’s complicated. Writing circles during battles or emergency situations is a practiced skill because you have to visualize them in the blink of an eye. That’s why so many people write their spells and memorize them beforehand.”

“What do you do?”

Meladee smiled. “A little bit of both.” She tapped her temple. “I’m pretty quick.”

“Now, we come to my ancient magic circle,” Camellia said. She leaned forward in her seat.

Meladee nodded and gestured for Camellia to go on.

“There aren’t any lines, no rings. Just eleven symbols in a circle pattern. The effects of the spell are very complex - or they seem to be,” Camellia said.

“What are the effects exactly?”

Camellia enjoyed the conversation, up till that point. She just realized that Meladee would ask for the spell’s purpose. Camellia didn’t want to pique Meladee’s interest to the point that the mage might try to steal, or worse, look at the mirror. So, Camellia struggled to find a vague explanation. “The spell creates a dream puzzle. Kind of like playing a game but all in your head.”

“No way that works,” Meladee scoffed. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“The spell is exactly as I described. It was written by the Volanters - the first Iruedians. In fact, their magic circles are the basis for every modern magic circle,” Camellia said.

Meladee narrowed her eyes. “Volanters? How come I’ve never heard of them?”

Camellia leaned back in her seat. She’d dug quite the hole. She blamed it on sleep deprivation and a bit on loneliness. She might as well dig it deeper. “Most modern mages believe Volanter spells are outdated. A lot of Volanter spells do use rings, symbols, and stars, but I have to admit that our versions seem better.”

“Okay, but you have a spell that works, and it isn’t like a normal...Volanter spell?” Meladee worked the controls.

Faustina pitched in her descent.

“It uses common Volanter symbols, but yes, otherwise abnormal.”

“Can I see it?” Meladee asked.

Ah yes, here it is – the dreaded question. This is your doing, Camellia. You brought this upon yourself. “I...you can see the symbols, but not the arrangement.”

“What?” Meladee chirped. “How can you tease me with ancient magic and just pull it away? Look, you can write out the arrangement for me. You don’t have to be paranoid because it’s impossible for an unimbued spell to do anything.”

“No, I really can’t risk that,” Camellia said.

“Is this spell attached to a magical item?” Meladee asked suddenly.

“Yes…”

“That might be where half the effect comes from. If you have a spell that simple, the object may have had magic imbued into when it was forged. You wouldn’t see any symbols or rings or lines. It’s a more complicated, raw form of magic, almost entirely useless for anything but magical item creation. And, if it makes you feel better, I can’t do it. I can’t imbue magic into metal or rock or whatever else you might want enchanted. I can only inscribe.” Meladee shrugged. “So, why not give me the arrangement?”

“I should never have brought it up,” Camellia moaned. She regretted her topic of conversation, but not the act of speaking to Meladee. “I can’t let you see the arrangement because it’s dangerous.”

“It’s…a dream puzzle,” Meladee drew out the final words to emphasize the silliness of the object.

Camellia shook her head. “I won’t show it to you, and anyway, it’s not important to my current study. Volanters have nothing to do with Lurriens. We should focus on the Lurriens and the spacecraft.”

“Oh god, Lurriens,” Meladee said. “That last thing Iruedim needs is part two of a Lurrien invasion.”

“Maybe, I’m mistaken, and the ship isn’t Lurrien. It might belong to a group that arrived just before them, and maybe, the wormhole shifted to that location for the second time - which is where the probe could have come from. Really, we’re very pessimistic to assume both artifacts are Lurrien.” Camellia soothed herself as much as she soothed Meladee.

Adalhard’s words echoed through her head. Hadn’t he said that Lurrien invasion was a strange worry?

“I hope so because I just got this damn ship.”

Both women fell silent. Camellia worried that Meladee schemed to see the mirror and wished that she had never brought it up.