Irwin lay on his odd bed with high edges that prevented him from rolling off in case the ship had to make a sudden move. He'd been on the deck for a long time, but now it was his time to rest. Rindiri and Daubutim were on deck together with the girls while he, Greldo, Bendi, and Zender could rest.
"Brinni is far up on the sail," Ambraz whispered beside his head. "So, what did you want to talk about?"
"Three things," Irwin whispered back as softly as he could. "Can you explain a bit more about how I'm going to be able to sense those portals, and is my heartcard stable enough to absorb cards to start filling it up? Also, I want you to start teaching me those Galadin music notes."
"I was wondering when you were going to bring that up," Ambraz muttered. "Alright, the easy thing first. Yes, you can start absorbing more cards, and I think it's not a bad idea to do that right now."
Irwin didn't need to hear that twice, and he took out the stack of cards that he had prepared back on Scour.
"Alright, now what?" he whispered, getting excited.
"Focus on your heartcard and place one of the cards before your chest," Ambraz said.
Irwin took the top card of the stack, glancing at the Topaz ranked card with the image of a burning dagger before holding it before his chest. At the same time, he began focusing on his heartcard.
Unlike with his hand cards, his heartcard almost seemed to jump forward like a hungry puppy, ready to do as he wanted. There was none of the difficulty in focusing on it to pull it to the foreground that he remembered from when he had tried to pull his old hand cards to the top of his hand.
The cabin suddenly lit up as a bright, fiery aura spread from his chest. Irwin glimpsed down to see a beautiful card hover before his chest. It had been months since he'd last seen it, but as he gazed at the tendrils of fire, he couldn't help but smile happily.
The handcards had always felt like some external thing, and even his first card, which had bound closely to him, had never felt like a true part of him. Not his heartcard, though. No, his Firesteel Elemental Vaelite Heart card felt as much part of him as his fingers or his nose.
Such a long name, he thought as he smiled at the image of a burning Heart that covered the center of the card. Vaelite Heart should do, he decided.
"Alright, enough of that. Stop teasing your own heartcard and give him the card," Ambraz snorted.
Irwin noticed that his Vaelite Heart was inching closer to his hand but couldn't seem to touch the burning dagger card.
"Sorry," he whispered as he moved his hand closer. As soon as the simple handcard touched the much larger heartcard, there was a jolt, and he felt a massive pulling sensation from his Vaelite Heart card. A moment later, the handcard was ripped from his grasp and sank into the heartcard, which burned bright for a few moments.
Irwin felt himself drawn into himself so fast there was no way to stop it, even if he had wanted to. A moment later, he hovered inside his own soul, or soulscape as Ambraz called it, above a massive empty lake. His Vaelite Heart card hung above the center, and tiny drops of bluish liquid dropped from it into the pool.
Irwin watched it for a while, and as he did, he felt a tiny bit of worry. He'd felt it before when he first saw the lake, but it was slightly stronger now. How was he ever going to fill this thing up? The card his heartcard had absorbed had been Topaz, and if he had to fill the lake up with nothing but those, he would need tens of thousands.
Perhaps I can get some ruby or higher rank cards to fill it up faster, he thought.
The force that had pulled him into his soulscape receded, and a moment later, he was back in the room.
"Not bad," Ambraz whispered. "Now, continue until they are all gone. I'll prepare some more lessons on sheet music."
Irwin nodded as he picked up the next card, one that showed a metal cooking pot hovering above a tiny fire.
I wonder if every card gives the same amount of energy, he thought as he held it before his still-present heartcard.
--
"Irwin, did you come up with a name yet?"
Irwin flinched as he stopped walking towards Rindiri. She was looking at him, showing no signs of being weary from having stood at the helm for over a day.
"No, I forgot," he said as he continued to stand beside her.
"Anything is better than none, even if only because we will need a name if we encounter any other explorer groups," Rindiri said as she shrugged. "Would you like some suggestions?"
Irwin shook his head as he stared out across the wide horizon.
Nothing that refers to smithing or Giard, he thought as he hummed. As he thought, he unconsciously began humming one of the simple melodies he'd learned the night before.
"The Nomadic Sonata?" he muttered before looking up at Rindiri.
She was staring at him, one eyebrow razed.
"I hadn't pictured you for being the musical one," she said. "That song was very nice. Was it from your world?"
Irwin was about to say no, then hesitated. If all they had heard was true, it might not be from his world, but it was very likely from his people.
"It's an old song by my people," he said, and as he did, he felt a tiny sense of joy as he realized that was most likely very true.
"Well, I like it. The name, I mean! It's unlike any I've ever heard of a ship, but it's also a bit long. I would register it to the Giard's Rangers when we get a chance, but if you don't mind, I'll call her Sonata."
"Her?" Irwin asked as he blinked.
"My people refer to any ship as feminine," Rindiri said.
Right, Irwin thought, looking at the boards below his feet. He couldn't see himself thinking of a ship as anything more than an it, but he guessed it wasn't all that weird. He'd seen smiths that called their hammers by a name.
"Well, Sonata is fine," he said as he focused on the steering wheel. Yesterday, he had gotten a quick tutorial on how it worked. "So, anything I need to look out for?"
"No," Rindiri said as she stepped away to give him the helm. As she did, the glowing center of the steering wheel turned dull and wooden.
Irwin nodded as he put his hands on the steering wheel, and he felt his heartcard hummed slightly. A trickle of Soulforce flowed through his hands into the wheel, and a rough outlining of the map returned. Looking ahead, he stared in awe at the circular arrow that hung above the deck. It pointed to where they were going, perhaps slightly offset to the left.
Portside, he thought, recalling the names he'd been told for the sides of the ship.
"There will be only a few small course corrections needed," Rindiri said. "Just make sure you call someone as soon as the map starts deviating from what you see, and I'll come to recalibrate it."
Squeezing the wooden steering wheel slightly, Irwin nodded as he felt the vibrations through the hull in his palms. Zender was climbing across the far side of the smaller sail with his cloth, wiping away any of the dust he came across.
Seeing the arrow move slightly, Irwin calmly turned on the wheel until he felt the ship move and the arrow point straight again. Suddenly, he felt a wave of freedom wash over him, and he smiled as he looked ahead and around.
I could get used to this, he thought.
He recalled the myths his mother had told him about the ships that sailed across the Giard oceans long ago before the demons had overrun the rest of the world and the seas had become more dangerous than the abundance of food in them was worth. As he imagined sailing across a sea with nothing blocking his way besides land, he began humming again.
--
Days later, Irwin leaned on the railing, staring out across the quiet stretch of The Portal Gallery. Rindiri was still on the wheel, calibrating the map with her cards.
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She'd explained their workings to him, and he wondered if he could reforge one of the cards in his stack to do the same. Perhaps two and combine it?
It would have to use the sound resonation she uses or the superior one she told me about that used a combination of light and sound, he thought as he recalled the few cards he had that dealt with sound and light.
Both were only Amethyst, one no more than a simple glow bulb, while the sound one was meant to help someone shout very loudly. Although barely usable by Portal Gallery standards, they would have been useful back on Giard. If he could reforge them to Topaz or Emerald and combine them, he should be able to create a skill similar to the one Rindiri used.
I'm sure Zender would want them, he thought. It would be very useful if they had a second navigator, and with Rindiri here, she was bound to be willing to teach her own son.
Thinking about reforging cards and working on his smithing, Irwin closed his eyes and calmed as he focused on his heartcard and its tiny resonations. Slowly, the resonations calmed, and he spread his senses. He didn't feel anything as he did it, but Ambraz had told him that if he did this, he'd immediately know if there was a portal.
After a few minutes of nothing happening, Irwin sniffed and opened his eyes again.
He couldn't wait till they found a portal so he could work on his smithing!
"Dinner is almost ready!"
Irwin looked up to see Ib look out of the door. As their eyes met, she lowered her eyebrows, then headed back into the room and slammed the door shut.
I guess she's still angry that her mother made her the cook, Irwin thought.
He'd never expected that, nor that she was actually good at it. Although they only had masses of traveling rations, there were many different types, and Ib was able to combine them, cook them, and bake them until Irwin barely recognized the flavorless gunk he was used to.
The icy wind that flitted around his face turned colder than before, and he increased the heat of his internal flame some more.
I hope Ib is going to make that stew again, he thought as he felt his heartcard's energy slowly trickle away.
They had been traveling for roughly a week now, Rindiri navigating them through what he'd found was a chaotic maze of branches. The temperature had dropped so far that only he, Greldo, and Rindiri were even able to remain on deck for any amount of time. The others had to remain below deck except for the few times Irwin created a cover of warm steam that allowed them to walk around. Not that he could keep the steam up for too long as it cost a vast amount of energy to use while the ship was moving.
At least absorbing those cards filled up my Soulforce lake, he thought.
However, when he thought of the tiny puddle of what looked like beautiful glistening blue water that lay in the middle of his immense Soulforce lake, he grimaced.
No wonder so many people remain at Topaz rank heartcards, he thought.
Footsteps from behind made him look up to see Greldo walk towards him.
"We should be reaching the wide part tomorrow," Greldo said as he leaned beside him. "I really hope you are going to detect a portal because I really feel like running around some warm places."
"You're not the only one," Irwin said with a grin.
He looked up to see Rindiri calmly standing at the helm, a shimmer of heat surrounding her while her purple hair looked like it was made up of purple fire. Her eyes were focused on the distant horizon.
She has at least one soulcard, he thought, not for the first time.
She'd not answered him when he had asked her about her cards, only saying that she had only one ability suited for combat but that it was enough to fight off most things they could encounter.
"She can't hear us," Greldo whispered as he put his elbows on the railing beside Irwin.
Irwin nodded. "Did you find out if Bendi spoke the truth about his cards?"
"He did," Greldo said. "Or he's a better liar than I've ever met… which is possible, but I don't think so. From what I've seen, he doesn't have a soulcard, so that leaves the abilities we have seen."
"Okay. Well, none of the kids has anything more dangerous than Ib's emerald blade summon card," Irwin said. "When you get a chance, tell Daubutim to come up with a plan for cards that I could improve for them based on those he's seen. Seeing as they all might have to help us guard the ship, they at least need some cards."
"He still hasn't picked one for himself?" Greldo asked.
Irwin sighed sadly. "I've checked all the cards, and there's none that would give him his eye back as is. They need a lot of work, and our heavy friend-" he padded the pocket Ambraz was in, "- said it might be better to do some heavy hunting when we reach the first portal."
"If it's connected to any shardworlds," Greldo muttered.
"There's that," Irwin said.
They remained on the railing for a few more minutes before walking into the ship's galley, which was a tiny room with three tables nailed to the floor and four stools. There was a low wall separating it from the kitchen area.
As Irwin and Greldo walked inside, they saw Daubutim sitting at the table, talking with Zender.
Joining them, Irwin noticed Zender looked slightly upset, and he looked up.
"Captain, is it true that Daubutim can fight with all weapons?"
Irwin raised his eyebrow as he turned to Daubutim, who was frowning at Zender.
"Not all. Swords, daggers, clubs, hammers, spears, bows-" Daubutim began.
"Yes, yes," Zender said, looking both impressed and incredibly skeptical. "Just before they came, you named more weapons than I even knew existed, so perhaps not all weapons, but way too much! How is that possible? Do you have a Ruby card that teaches all weapons?"
Irwin grinned, shaking his head. "It's true that Daubutim can wield most weapons I know of, and he doesn't need a card for it," he said.
Zender looked at him, then at Greldo, who was grinning widely before turning back to Daubutim.
"So how? Were you born gifted with superior genetics?"
Irwin saw Daubutim's eyes turn dull for a moment, and he was about to speak up when his friend sighed.
"No. My father taught me," he said, looking at Zender.
"Really?" Zender said, almost shouting as he perked up. "So you know your father? That's really awesome! I-"
The door swung open, and Rindiri walked in, eyeing him with a raised eyebrow as if telling him to continue.
"-I don't know my father," Zender continued without missing a beat. Still, Irwin saw him look anywhere but at his mother.
Rindiri shrugged and walked into the galley, followed by Trinna and Brinn. Both looked slightly down, and Irwin guessed Rindiri had scolded them for something they had or hadn't done again. They sat down at the table beside theirs, Rindiri on the stool closest to Irwin and Greldo.
"Most other species don't procreate like we do, Zender. You know this. I taught you this a year ago," the navigator said as she stared at her son.
Zender's shoulders slumped slightly.
"I know, but I've never really had a chance to talk with anyone besides the others," he said. "The people at Sesnanser Port mostly ignored us."
"Well, if you have any questions, just ask," Irwin said as he saw Rindiri about to say something.
She frowned and leaned back in her stool. Then she looked at the kitchen part where Ib was still walking around, and a wide grin came to her face.
"Ib, where's the food," she shouted. "I'm hungry!"
"Yes, yes! It's coming," Ib shouted.
Irwin grinned. She had said yes, yes, almost exactly like Zender had.
Before he could make a joke about it, Ib walked out of the kitchen with two large bowls that steamed. She put one before him and the other before Greldo before looking at him with a raised eyebrow.
I'll never get used to this, Irwin thought as he took the spoon, dunked it in the bowl, and shoved the unreasonably hot food in his mouth. To him, it barely fazed him, and as he chewed and swallowed, he just looked at Ib, who was shaking her head.
"And I really made it as hot as it can go this time," she muttered before turning around and heading back to the kitchen.
A few minutes later, they were all sitting with bowls in front of them.
"I still think someone should be up there to keep an eye out," Ib muttered as she blew on her spoon before carefully taking a bite. She grimaced and glared at Irwin as if it was his fault, which he simply ignored.
"Greldo and Brinni can hear if anything comes anywhere close to us," he said. "And your mo- Rindiri," he quickly corrected himself. "- can sense anything within a hundred yards around us."
"Which you know, or are supposed to," Rindiri scolded Ib.
Ib didn't answer but continued eating, and for a short while, it was quiet.
Irwin finished first, as he always did, and he looked up to see Ib wave at the kitchen. "Yes, I made you more. I'm glad we brought so much food, or I'd have to be afraid you'd clean the galley out in a week."
A few moments later, with a second plate, Irwin continued eating. He was barely halfway through his plate when Rindiri suddenly put her spoon down halfway to her mouth and groaned. A look of pain and grief filled her face, and she leaned back.
"Mom… what's wrong?"
If he wasn't so worried about something outside, Irwin might have been surprised at how worried Ib sounded. But, as it was, all he wanted to know was an answer to that same question.
"It's… fine," Rindiri said as she took a deep breath before wiping some tears from her eyes. "I… I need a moment."
She rose and walked out of the cabin before anyone could really complain. Irwin hesitated for only a moment, then rose and looked at the others.
"Finish your meal. I'll go and talk with her."
Ib looked worried, but as they heard the door leading to the deck open and close, she sat back down, knowing she wouldn't even be able to head outside and check on Rindiri.
Irwin was about to turn around when he saw Zender stare at the table, tears running down his face.
"Zender?" Irwin asked softly.
The boy jerked, then looked up and began wiping his eyes.
"Do you know what's going on?" he asked.
Zender nodded, looking at his younger sisters, before glancing at Ib for only a moment. All of them were looking at him.
"I think one of our brothers or sisters died," he whispered. "The last time something like that happened, Mother acted just like this."
"What? How would you-" Ib began, only to stop as Zender cast her a glance that held more pain than Irwin thought a boy his age should know about.
"It was when you were working at that shopkeeper a few months ago," he said. "I had to help with… well, with something, and at some point Rindiri just slumped. Then she told me to follow her, and we went to a distant part of the docks. It's when Gwir died… but I know you won't remember who he was."
Ib's face paled, but she didn't say anything.
"I remember," Trinn said. "He was one of the genetic defects, right?"
"Don't call him that," Zender snapped as he stood up abruptly. "He was… was… very unlucky!"
Irwin sighed. "Stay here. I'll be back later," he said, looking at Greldo and then gesturing with his chin at Zender.
As he walked out of the room, he heard Zender continue to berate the others.
Back up on the deck, he saw Rindiri had retreated back to the helm, and she was staring off into the distance. As he closed in on her, she looked up, and he saw her eyes were red, tears streaming down her face. She only looked at him for a moment before turning back to stare ahead, doing nothing to remove the tears.
As he looked at her, Irwin realized she looked far older than she had the day before. Her wrinkles were more pronounced, and he thought he saw more gray in her purple hair.
"Zender told us something," he began slowly. "Are you… alright?"
He knew it was a lame thing to ask, but he couldn't come up with anything better, and he was pretty sure saying nothing would be worse.
"No," Rindiri said calmly. "Sesnanser was attacked."
"What? How do you know?" Irwin asked before he could stop himself.
"Because of the twenty children that were still alive, six just-" his face warped to rage and anger, and she fell quiet.
After a few moments, she took a deep breath.
"Seven of my remaining children just died."