"Caleb, are we just flying around aimlessly?" Kyron asks.

"No," I answer as I fly into a large cloud.

Flying above the clouds is kind of fun, especially since the clouds are just smooth on the top. It's mostly an even top (when ignoring the fact that clouds aren't flat), but there are some clouds that are similar to pillars, such as the one I just flew into. The main cloud layer is over five hundred feet thick, while some of the pillars are a thousand feet or more in height, most of them at least a hundred feet in width.

Our [Flight Wind]s aren't affecting the clouds at all, costing us more Mana to maintain the use of our own generated winds. That further supports the idea that whatever is causing the Endless Clouds over this region, it's magical in nature.

Not spirits, though – I'd have already been able to tell if spirits were the cause of the clouds.

"It really seems like it," Kyron says. "I'm certain you already flew into this cloud."

"No," I answer as we exit the cloud. "You were thinking of that one. It's a shame the little guy doesn't know where Eikrikodoz lives, other than just up here in the clouds. Otherwise… ah! Here we go!"

"What?" Kyron asks, and I soar toward another cloud pillar, this one about a hundred and fifty feet in width, but almost two thousand in height. "Caleb! What's going on?"

"If I'm right… here!"

I detect a change in my [Flight Wind] as it interacts with the clouds. A little bit higher, and we enter the home of Eikrikodoz. Considering the noticeable lack of an immense amount of whatever he considers treasure (sort of like Volzaminat and lava golem cores), I'm going to assume the spirit's vault is elsewhere.

We're in a small chamber made up of clouds that has white and grey furs on the floor, a large dark grey fur rug taking up the center of the floor. All of the furniture is made of clouds, and there are a few magic crystals attuned to water, air, or lightning decorating the walls. An orb of light floats near the roof of the room, providing enough light to make out everything without blinding us.

"Is he here?" Kyron asks as he examines the furs that I think are supposed to be a bed. "Or is he not home right now?"

"He's here," I answer. "I can sense the direct gaze of a spirit. Hi, Eikrikodoz! We've never met before, but I'm-"

"Caleb," a voice without a source speaks. "The Saint of Spirits. I was disappointed that I was taking a nap the last time you were in the area. Had I been awake, I'd have come to visit you."

Air motes, lightning motes, and water motes form all through the chamber, quickly gathering together before taking on the form of the Elder Spirit of this region, a transparent near-match for the statue at the fountain in the town below. His hair is the same grey as his clouds, his eyes bluish-green. Instead of stone, his bracelets and anklets are made of crystallized air that's set with water magic crystals, a single lightning magic crystal in each bracelet and anklet.

He floats over to the bed furs, confirming that they're what I thought, and plops himself onto them.

"Most spirits we've met," Kyron says. "Have this… intense aura of energy about them. Even those that are angry, or seeming calm, have mischief in their gaze. You seem… very calm. Unnaturally so, when compared to every other spirit I've ever met."

"I am brimming with energy," Eikrikodoz informs Kyron. "I am simply staying calm at the moment due to the occasion. The Saint of Spirits is here. For our first meeting, calmness is more appropriate."

"Some spirits have weird customs," I tell Kyron. "He's a storm spirit, though, so he won't be able to stay this calm for too long."

"I am an ancient spirit," Eikrikodoz states. "In the many millennia since I ascended from the state of being simply spirits into a higher spirit, I have learned how to control my energy levels. A force of nature I may be, but a disciplined one I can also be. When I choose."

"For a limited time."

"Mrow!"

"Hello, little one," Eikrikodoz greets the cat. "I didn't forget about you. Normally, I have to come down to your ship to see you."

"So you know him?" I ask.

"Yes," Eikrikodoz answers. "He came over on a ship down in a cove within my region. Quite the mysterious ship, I have yet to figure out how it works. There is spirit energy within him, and he can see and interact with spirits much as you can, Saint of Spirits."

"His breed of cat was created by a spirit from the eastern continents," I inform him. "His name is Akrazdionn."

"I though the touch was familiar," Eikrikodoz nods. "That explains it. I think it has been seventeen centuries since I last saw that ocean spirit. How is he doing?"

"I don't know," I answer. "I was dead for a thousand years, and hadn't seen him since I was nine before then. Once I take care of things here, I plan on going over and saying 'hi' to him, though."

"You know a spirit from the other side of the world?" Kyron asks.

"Yes," Eikrikodoz answers. "Some of us older spirits move around every now and then. I spent some time over on those continents before returning here seventeen centuries ago. Was thinking about leaving here, though. Some time ago, the people I provide protection to believed a fraud that he was you. That is a most heinous crime, and I swiftly killed the pretender and the other fake that was accompanying him. The residents did not repent, so I ceased my protections."

Finding that out was even easier than I expected, and I already expected to find out as soon as I asked.

"Most of the people alive there now," I tell him. "Weren't alive back then. I think it might be best to show some forgiveness and grant your protection once more, unless you're going to move or have other reasons not to. Or just don't want to."

"I don't mind granting it," he shrugs. "I just don't like it when people pretend to be beings as esteemed as you, nor when people believe it without any true proof, even when there is evidence provided to the contrary."

"So everything is good now?"

"Yes."

"How are things that easy for you?" Kyron asks. "Caleb, can I please get a straight answer for once about your connection to spirits and why they like you so much? Most of us can't even get them to show themselves to us unless we know the proper rituals or we've done something that can cause that specific spirit to reveal itself. They just show up for you! And you can ask them something and get answers!"

"Hm?" Ekrikodoz tilts his head a little in confusion. "Can't you tell?"

"Tell what?" Kyron asks.

"No, I never told him," I tell Eikrikodoz. "And only spirits can tell that particular thing."

"But it's so obvious?" The spirit is clearly confused now.

"Only to spirits," I snort. "Mortals can't tell at all."

"Tell what?" Kyron asks.

"That he's the most incredible mortal of all," Eikrikodoz says with a straight face.

"Well, I know that," Kyron says. "But how does that make spirits like him?"

"His level of incredible goes so far beyond mortal," Eikrikodoz says. "That he has ascended from a mortal state into a pseudo-spirit state, and did even as a child. Should Caleb choose to cast off this mortal form, he can become a sort of spirit, himself."

"Whoa," Kyron is amazed.

"You're really good at schooling your face," I tell Eikrikodoz.

"Thank you," he responds.

"Huh?" Kyron asks, and Eikirkodoz starts laughing. "Hey! You were teasing me!"

"Sorry," Eikrikodoz grins at him. "I couldn't resist. You know how some people are liked by cats, others are liked by dogs, some might be liked by flowers, others by birds?"

"Yeah," Kyron answers.

"Caleb is that sort of person," Eikrikodoz tells him. "But with spirits instead of animals. We just find him naturally likable. And then once we spend time with him, we find that he's really a pleasant person, so we tell other spirits we know, and that makes us like him even before meeting him."

"So you're like a dog?" I ask.

"As much as you are."

"So not very much," I shrug. "But I do like wolves."

"You're both mammals," Kyron says.

"Maybe," Eikrikodoz says. "But he's more like a cat."

"Mrow!"

"Hush, you!" I poke the cat in the side.

"Yeah, I know, right?" Eikrikodoz says. "I was surprised when I saw him here and realized that he was the great and powerful Caleb. He didn't look like what I'd expected at all."

Powerful? The only 'power' I had back then was convincing spirits to do things, and I'd promised Dad I wouldn't do it for more than minor things anymore, and never again for combat. Too many lesser spirits would join together for that, which would lead to another incident of me potentially wiping out a town. Or a city. Or a kingdom.

That's one of the reasons I was bent on gaining a Class – so I could do things by my own power. Even now, knowing I could just ask the spirits to cast the spells for me, I don't. I much prefer casting them, myself.

"Well, I was only eleven when I was here before," I tell him. "People change over time. Don't forget that people actually grow, especially during puberty."

"Yeah," he says. "But since you were from over there, I'd thought that you were a catkin."

"As you can see," I gesture to my ears. "I'm a human. Quite a few spirits who'd heard of where I'm from made that mistake."

"Yeah, I can see that," he says. "Didn't realize that there were humans there. I'd thought that everyone in the area where Akrazidonn lived were all catkin."

"That was also seven centuries before I was born," I tell him.

"Fair," he looks in the direction of the ocean. "I suppose since I'm protecting them now, I should go handle that personally, so that they know I am back to doing this."

"What's going on down there?" I ask.

"Kraken again," he begins to take on the form of a leviathan, a beast with blue-green scales, this particular one with lengthy, whitish-grey whiskers and legs that transition to the same bluish-green at the scales before reaching his body. "I like doing it like this when going directly."

His form begins to lengthen and expand as he starts to take on a full form, and he dives through the clouds. I wrap Kyron and myself in [Flight Wind]s and follow the spirit out of the clouds. The kraken is easy to spot, a giant squid that's breached the surface of the ocean and is approaching one of the ships a few miles off the coast. Its bluish-green skin is streaked through with brownish-grey, and large orbs of water have formed around its head. It's preparing a water-based attack, probably [Water Jet].

Eikrikodoz lets out a massive roar before his ethereal form descends even faster. In only two seconds, he reaches the kraken and slams into it, biting into its head. Blood sprays everywhere as the great sea beast lets out a roar of pain, flailing its tentacles. The orbs lose their form as they fall, no longer sustained by the kraken's magic.

Rearing his head up, Eikrikodoz throws the kraken up into the air, then flies up to it and expands in size further, becoming large enough to swallow the beast whole. Though the spirit's body is transparent, the kraken truly disappears within him, no longer visible. Consumed by the spirit, the beast is no more.

Eikrikodoz lets out another roar before returning to a more reasonable size of only about five feet thick and two hundred feet in length. He then flies over to us and wraps around us, joining us as we soar down to the town. As Kyron and I land by the fountain, Eikrikodoz returns to his human form.

This time, however, his halo is made of flowing water, air and earth crystals set into it, unaffected by the quicker flow of the water as they slowly rotate in a ring. His bracelets and anklets are the same as his halo as well.

He's tricking them into believing he's an ocean spirit instead of a storm spirit, and they'll probably just think that he was conversing with a sky spirit or something, and that's why he came from up there.

"When I heard that you and your husband were resurrected," Eikrikodoz says as townsfolk begin to gather here, drawn by the sight of the spirit flying overhead just moments ago. "I was quite surprised. To think I'd finally get to meet you, a thousand years after you sacrificed yourself to kill the Great Demon King. And it was nice to meet your husband, too, I guess."

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"Hey!" Kyron protests. "I'm just an afterthought?"

"I only care for Caleb," the spirit shrugs. "The Sage of Fire is much more interesting than the Saint of Frost. I mean, do you know how difficult it is to convince Volzaminat to erupt his volcano? I tried for four centuries once, and Caleb managed it in less than five minutes!"

"Why were you trying to convince him to erupt his volcano?" Kyron asks.

"Because I'd heard about how fast Caleb managed it."

"And it took you four centuries?"

"I gave up after four centuries."

"Huh," I say. "Well! Volzaminat's forgiven me for that! We actually ran a Dungeon together just last week."

"I heard he likes sneaking into them to observe mortals as they take them on," Eikrikodoz tells me. "I did it once, but found myself bored so I left. I was hoping I could get loot from killing things, but apparently, monsters killed by spirits don't drop any, which is disappointing."

"Yeah," I say. "Volzzy's disappointed by that, too."

"I know," he nods. "He was complaining about it last time we talked. Mind if I ask why you came to this area?"

"To investigate the Haunted Ship," I reach up and scratch the head of the cat, which is still on my shoulder. "I was hoping to see if I could find answers about it while here. When we came to the town to ask the people here, we learned about you having stopped protecting them from sea monsters, so I thought I'd go ask you about that first."

"Thanks for waking me from my nap," he yawns as he stretches for a few seconds. "I didn't intend on sleeping that long, but when you get as old as me, what's nearly seven decades for a nap? Feels like just yesterday, I was hearing about you talking a tornado into attacking a dragon."

He's making something up to give an explanation for the break to the locals. That way, they don't realize they pissed him off and just think that it was just him taking an extra-long naps. Spirits are known to do that from time to time, after all.

Every good lie has a bit of truth involved, and he decided to bring up an incident from a long time ago. Spirits have long memories, but I'm surprised he heard about that event.

"When did you do that?" Kyron asks.

"Before we died, so at least a thousand years ago."

"I mean when specifically," Kyron tells me. "I never heard about that. How do you even talk a tornado into attacking a dragon?"

"Don't ask questions."

"It was a wind spirit that preferred to manifest as a tornado that never ends," Eikrikodoz tells my husband. "And it was on the continent he's originally from. He was seven, I believe they told me?"

"It was a few weeks after my seventh birthday, yeah," I nod. "Dad was pretty annoyed with me for that, but it did give me an opportunity to raid the dragon's cave."

"I sometimes forget that you were always this bad," Kyron tells me. "Only you would talk a wind spirit into distracting a dragon so you can raid the dragon's hoard. What were you even taking from there, anyway?"

"One of his eggs," I answer. "Wanted a pet dragon. Dad grounded me and returned the egg with an apology and a warning that if it tried anything over the theft, he'd kill it. I tried to steal the egg again a few days later, and the dragon and his entire hoard and his eggs were gone. He apparently moved about two hundred miles away."

Kyron groans as he puts his head into his left hand.

"I know you mortals have short lives and shorter memories," Eikrikodoz looks to the people standing around. "So allow me to remind you of the requirement to keep my protection on the first five miles away from shore. On the first of every month, you must offer up ten quality sea beasts you've caught, as well as the ten best water-affinity items you've harvested from Dungeons over the past month. The beasts must be fresh. Place them in the water of this fountain here at sunrise, and I will collect them. If they are sufficient, you will be granted another month of protection."

The spirit then looks at me.

"As for the ship," he speaks in the language Kyron and I both know from a thousand years ago. "All I really know is that it came from the same continent as you and that this little guy came with it. I was napping when it arrived, so I didn't catch the arrival. What crew it had is unknown to me. Why it sails out to sea every now and then is also unknown to me. The how of that as well. I never looked too deep into it."

He must take naps fairly often.

"Didn't care?" I ask.

"That," he answers. "And the feeling of being observed while on it was kind of bothering me. I considered smiting it, but that gave me bad vibes, so I decided to just leave it be. Now, I just go down there to hang out with the cat."

"Bad vibes?" I ask.

"The moment I tried," he says. "The lesser spirits ambient to the area started warning me against it. They were almost panicked, and you know well how rare it is for them to have emotion. They're normal if I'm not trying to destroy the ship. It made me wonder if whoever constructed it created something to occur if it was destroyed."

"You mean a defensive measure to wipe out whatever was capable of taking out the crew and ship?" I ask, and he nods. "If the ambient spirits were panicked… then it would be something that could completely reshape the area."

That's why spirits are bothered by the spirit-killing spear – because ambient spirits avoid it, and the higher spirits can sense that.

"And with it being a ship that large," Eikrikodoz says. "It might be an even bigger effect than the death of that spirit had. Since whatever is going on isn't harmful, I decided it was okay to leave it be. Though I do get disturbed by that feeling of being watched… and the ship going out to sea. But playing cards and dice with this little guy is fun."

He reaches forward and scratches the cat under the chin.

"Mrow!"

"Alright," I say. "I guess I'll have to try and investigate further, then."

"The townsfolk here won't be of much help," Eikrikodoz tells me, speaking the local language once more. "They don't know anything I don't, and I don't really know anything about it that I haven't already shared. I can't even figure out how the ship's enchantments are powered, or how it moves. I've been in its hidden chambers, and I couldn't find anything that would enable that. There are no mana batteries, no mana crystals, nothing. I thought maybe there was a spirit bound into it, but I can't sense one. Whatever powers and controls that ship, it is a complete unknown to me."

"Okay," I say. "Thanks for the help, Eikrikodoz."

"You're welcome," he stretches again. "I'm leaving, now. Stop by if you're in the area again!"

He flashes me a V with his fingers, then bursts into his motes, which quickly fade from sight. The townsfolk are silent, a fair few of them in shock. I break that silence by asking some questions about the ship, and they're all pretty forthcoming about it. They even feed Kyron and me lunch as thanks for helping them out with the situation regarding the protection from the spirit.

I don't tell them that he may not actually be affecting the weather, though – Eikrikodoz would likely have mentioned it if he'd revoked his blessing with that as well. He also likely would have stopped giving them good weather in retaliation for believing in the fake me.

Eikrikodoz was right – the townsfolk don't really know much about the Haunted Ship. Due to the feeling of being observed while on it or in its cove and the fact that anyone who tries to steal it disappearing, the townsfolk avoid it entirely.

"Alright," I tell Kyron. "We've gotten all the information that we can. Let's head back to the ship. Do you agree with that, little guy?"

"Mrow!"

"You really like that one specific breed of cat, don't you?" Kyron asks. "I've never seen you interact with them like this."

"I do," I tell him. "And in hindsight, it may be because of the spirit energy that enabled them to come into existence. They're essentially a mortal-spirit hybrid when you think about it. Not really, but they're in-tune with spirits. So that probably does explain why I get along with them. Plus, they don't shed."

"Dogs shed."

"Yeah, but dogs and wolves aren't assholes like cats."

"They can be."

"Cats are evil."

"Mrow!"

"Except your breed," I scratch the cat's head. "Come on, Kyron."

We use [Flight Wind] to return to the ship, the feeling of being observed returning the moment we enter the cove. Kyron and I land on the deck of the ship, and I contemplate what to do next.

"You don't know what you want to do next, do you?"

"Well," I say. "There are several things that I could do to figure out what's going on with the ship. The problem is that what is the ship's deal actually affects what I do."

"What do you mean?"

"If it's some sort of magitech," I tell him. "Then it might be a bad idea to delve too deeply until we figure out the core center and disable the core's defensive measures. If it's a spirit, though, I'd probably have no issue pushing to discover the source of the enchantments. There's also the fact that there might be a difference if the ship is moving versus not moving. I'm currently attempting to read the flows, but I can't push too deeply-"

"Don't you push deeply all the time when reading the flows?" Kyron asks.

"No," I respond, and from his expression, realize that I'm scratching the back of my neck in thought and so drop my hand down. "Why do you find that cute?"

"Huh?"

"Me scratching the back of my neck," I tell him. "I don't consciously do it, and usually only realize it if you comment on it or if I see that expression. It took me awhile, but I've learned since awhile ago that it means you find me cute. It's the 'I find you cute' expression you use when I'm doing that."

"You're always cute," Kyron pulls me in for a kiss. "That just adds to it a bit. So how much are you not able to tell me?"

"Mrow!"

"Yeah, I know," I scratch the cat's head. "It's not really a case of me not being able to tell you, but rather, knowing how to say it."

"What do you mean?"

"When I 'read the flows'," I tell him. "There are different flows that I read. When I read the flow of battle using this ability granted by the knowledge of the Truth, it's… kind of difficult to explain. You know how everyone creates ripples in the universe just by existing?"

"And every action they take affects those ripples," Kyron says. "You're reading those ripples?"

"No," I answer. "Those are ripples in the flow of the universe. What I'm reading is the flow of a battle. There are no ripples there, and most battles have no effect on the greater flow. What I'm doing is more… argh! It's so hard to explain this."

"Mrow."

"Yeah," I say. "I guess there is an aspect that I'm not sure if I can reveal to Kyron or not. Guess I'll just give it a go and see if he's able to handle it. If the universe starts hurting him, I'll stop."

"Wait-"

"I'm essentially predicting the future."

"…what?"

"Tyzlevir can do it on a bigger scale," I tell him. "And with more accuracy. Basically, a battle has a certain 'flow' to it. Every person's fighting ability is recorded into a… let's say a universal informational storage space. Similar to a library. Tyzlevir can access it at will."

"And you can access it to a smaller degree," Kyron says.

"No," I shake my head. "I'm technically not accessing it at all. However, you have an effect on the world around you, the universe adjusting things based on what's stored in there."

"And in battle," Kyron says. "You're reading those changes to see how things might shift, then react accordingly."

"Yeah."

"Why does the universe make those changes?" Kyron asks. "What are those changes?"

"Erm… well, I actually can't tell you that," I tell him. "And not even because of pain or anything. I don't actually know."

"You… what?"

I shrug.

"Mrow!"

"Weird, right?" I ask the cat, then look at my husband again. "Basically, I can tell that there are changes going on, but I don't really know what the changes are. I can, however, figure out what those changes are because of. Specifically, the reason why the universe is making those shifts."

"That's why you can tell when gods are going to appear, isn't it?" Kyron asks. "Because you're sensing the shifts they make?"

"Yeah," I confirm. "The changes the universe makes in preparation for them are significant enough that I can sense it even without trying. Changes actually begin well in advance, too. If I push more deeply, I can use that to see what an opponent's moves will be two, three, four, even ten minutes in advance."

"I take it there's some degree of risk?" Kryon asks, and I walk over to the edge of the ship and look down at the waters below, conjuring some [Fire Orb]s to illuminate the cave. "Caleb?"

"Some, yeah," I answer. "So I can really only read the surfaces of these changes."

"What happens if you try reading too deeply?"

"I've never pushed that far," I answer. "My very knowledge of the Truth defies what should be allowed. While I can let loose in many ways… there are something I have to be careful with, or the universe might decide it's time to remove me. I want to live as long as I can, even if it's going to be shorter than it could be because I still want to go off and have fun and explore and experiment, and that just builds up the ripples I create."

Kyron joins me here at the edge of the ship, leaning against the railing beside me. We're quiet as I let that sink in. It only takes my husband about a minute to speak again, though. He recovers quickly.

"So what you're trying to do here," Kyron says. "Is read the shifts that may be happening because of this ship? And that might let you know if it's a spirit?"

"Yeah," I sigh. "Unfortunately, I can't read that deeply. Already had to stop. Whoever constructed this ship, they knew about these very same flows."

"Really?"

"Yeah," I frown. "Which is weird, to be honest. What I've revealed to you would have been impossible if you weren't already partially ready to accept the portion of the Truth they relate to, but in order to actually-"

"Go back a moment," Kyron says. "I'm able to handle part of the Truth?"

"You're almost able to handle part of the Truth," I correct. "You wouldn't have been able to learn about this part of the flows flows otherwise."

"What about the cat?" Kyron asks. "He wasn't affected."

"You already knew this information, didn't you?" I ask the cat.

"Mrow!"

"He says he did," I answer. "Which kind of makes sense. Spirits know about these flows already, and he was created by a spirit."

"Spirits know about the flows?"

I hold up my right hand and call for as many lesser spirits as I can. The cavern becomes filled with motes as the lesser spirits reveal themselves, responding to this deeper call.

"Watch?" I tell him as I push off the railing and take a few steps back. "Notice anything?"

"No?"

Many of the lesser spirits go into a frenzy as I hold up my right hand, then a [Fireball] forms in the air above my palm. Most of the spirits around it are fire spirits, while there aren't any water spirits within a few feet of it now.

"How about now?" I ask.

"They reacted to your casting?"

"They reacted before my casting," I tell him. "Because the universe was having them shift to get out of the way of it. If a spirit is actually in the space when a spell is cast, it affects the spell."

"Empowers it if they're the same one, right?" Kyron asks.

"Yeah," I nod. "Basically, what's happening is that lesser spirits move in response to our movements. They move exactly as needed to avoid being bumped into. At all times, unless they're moving in a non-reactive manner."

"They're reacting to the shifts affected by your movements," Kyron realizes. "And so move out of your way. That's how you're able to convince them to do things! You're basically creating shifts, and the spirits are reacting!"

"Mrow."

Yeah, the cat's right – that's not quite what's happening, but it's a close enough explanation.

"Sort of," I nod. "My father's the one who taught me how to do that last part, but I didn't know about the shifts being the cause of it until I learned the Truth when I was six."

Kyron opens his mouth to say something, then frowns, then snorts.

"You're reading the flow of battle by asking the lesser spirits how they're going to move, aren't you?" Kyron asks. "Because they're basically mindless things that mostly only react to things. You see how the spirits are going to move around, which tells you what spell is going to be used or how an opponent is going to move or attack or react."

My husband is terrifyingly quick to figure things out.

"Yeah," I nod. "And the elemental affinities of a person by how the lesser spirits react to a person's presence. What I was trying to do here was see how the lesser spirits are acting. There are ways they react to spirits that don't match up with other things. If they reacted that way or in a way that seemed different from any other way I know, then I would suspect there being magitech going on."

I shake my head.

"As much as I try sensing things," I say. "I can't detect any changes. For all intents and purposes, this is just an empty ship. Yet we know it's not. Whoever created this ship, they knew that spirits react to things, so they designed the ship so that lesser spirits just remain ambient, unaffected by its shifts. They probably move to avoid its path, but that's it."

"That's unfair," Kyron says. "Wait. Wouldn't this mean there are lesser spirits in Dungeons, since you're able to do that in there, too?"

"A different type of spirit," I shake my head. "But yeah, basically. Anyway, whoever constructed this ship, they knew enough to prevent the spirits from revealing its secrets. More than you know now, but probably less than me."

"So what now?" Kyron asks.

"We poke around the ship until I see if I can get anything to react," I tell him. "Either spirits or the ship's defenses. If neither do, then I'll eventually figure out how to read the ship's enchantments."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Kyron asks. "What if you trigger something that's deadlier than what we can handle right now?"

"Mrow!" The cat agrees with Kyron.

"Don't worry," I lift a finger up and let the cat nuzzle it. "If something of that scale begins to happen, I'd know early enough to yank us out."

"Or I could just tell you guys!"