Pan stood at the center of her small cargo bay, trying to make the beast appear again. Aria and Irini hid behind the observation panel, which was a makeshift shelter of extra hull plates. They weren’t really extra so much as badly needed if Alban ever wanted to see Pan’s progress.

Alban had caught them on their way to the cargo bay. He expressed some concern that Pan would bring Irini and Aria into the bay. He didn’t forbid it, but if Pan was being honest, he’d come close. He probably thought Aria would come to her senses and withdraw herself and Irini from the danger.

He thought wrong. Pan offered Aria the chance to turn back, and Aria just said she didn’t care much about the danger. What was a little danger when you were already broken?

A little dark, but Pan couldn’t agree more.

“Is it a nice beast?” Irini asked.

“I don’t know. I’ve just seen its eyes.” Pan had her own eyes closed, and she worked to visualize the ring of runes. She opened one eye to take a peek at her guests.

“I hope I can pet it.” Irini held her face close to the glass view port.

Pan smiled. “I don’t know, but chances aren’t good. It had sharp, red eyes.”

“Pan,” Aria complained. She almost sounded as if she wanted to retreat.

Pan looked through the glass. “I’ll pause and let you out.” She gestured to the sealed cargo bay doors behind her.

Aria straightened. “No, I’m staying. Go on.”

Pan reassumed her conjuring stance. It was nothing special, just eyes closed, ram rod straight, sometimes tracing symbols in the air.

The circus visualization hadn’t evoked the right feeling or atmosphere. This time, Pan thought she would try the feeling that a good pet might bring.

She’d always wanted a Porza for a pet. She loved them; everything but the smell. Pan imagined her very own Porza. She imagined petting it. The vision of the beast crawled in her lap, wiggled, and sharpened its claws lightly on her leg, as if it gave her a prickly hug. Pan smiled. She cracked one eyelid.

Nothing happened. Absolutely nothing. She didn’t even get wiggly, weak lines.

“Uh, this circle is kind of a no show,” Irini called.

“Yes, Irini. It is.” Pan could hear the frustration in her voice.

Aria’s words drifted from behind the shelter. “You said you almost got it to work last time. What did you think about then?”

“Taming a beast. I just tried warm, fuzzy pet feelings. That went about as well as you saw.” Pan crossed her arms. “I don’t know. How else do animals make you feel?” Pan looked at Irini and Aria.

Irini shrugged. Aria shook her head.

Pan looked back at the center of the room. “Maybe, I need to try a different approach. Something not emotional. I’ll aim for a physical feeling.” She glanced back at Aria and Irini. “Any ideas?”

“Fuzzy fur beneath your hands,” Irini said. “Little hearts pumping under your fingers.”

Pan kind of smiled. “Irini, what do you do with animals? What makes you think about their little pumping hearts?”

Aria gave Irini a narrow look.

Irini’s mouth drifted open. “Oh no. Not me. I don’t do anything to hurt little animals. I love them. I just used my golden thread, and it led to your fingers.” Irini held her hand against the glass. “Your hand.”

“You still came up with the pumping blood, but thanks. I’ll try that.” Pan closed her eyes and began again.

She pictured the runes. This time, she drew them in the air. Estimating where they should fall, she moved her hands in a circle. And, as she drew the symbols, Pan pretended to feel the touch of fur beneath her fingertips. She pretended to trace a path of blood, pumped by a quick tiny heart.

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Or, maybe the beast was a reptile. Pan wasn’t fond of snakes, but sharp, red eyes might sit nicely inside the face of one. Pan imagined scales beneath her fingers, but she moved back to the fur after a few short exercises. She rather liked to think that she could pick what kind of beast she called.

And, if she could pick, she wouldn’t want a tiny animal. She would want a great, powerful thing, something to do justice to her needs.

Pan slowed the heartbeat and traced a deeper, longer flow of blood.

And, the runes responded. Pan needed a noble beast, but maybe not too noble. Something a little vengeful might serve her needs best, considering the jobs that Alban suggested would be a part of her future, considering the idea that she would have to change her name or play the villain yet again.

They don’t want gold. That’s just something Aria wants. And me.

The runes grew strong. They held their shapes and lines. Pan kept her eyes open. She watched the circle’s center and saw dark fog forming. Inside the fog, she saw the red eyes. Pan’s heart thumped.

It fairly jumped when she got the call.

Alban’s voice boomed over the cargo bay speaker. “Space deer. I thought Irini might like to see them.”

Pan’s circle died.

“I know they came in with you. So, the three of you had better come see some space deer.”

Pan sighed.

Irini trotted out from behind the shelter. “I think I’m going to go see the deer. They’re probably nicer than the thing you were conjuring anyway.”

Pan gave a noncommittal nod.

Aria exited the shelter too, but she didn’t run for the door. “Do you want to stay? Try again?”

Irini tried to open the door from the inside. She pulled on the wheel that would spin the mechanism. She even got her feet up on the door.

“Irini. I have to unlock it.” Pan strolled over and got her keycard out of its hiding place. She swiped the card, and things spun into motion.

Irini stepped back. “Are you guys coming?”

Pan looked at Aria.

“I’ll stay if you want,” Aria said.

Pan almost said yes, but she shook her head. “No, we should go. Alban will want you safe from the likes of me too. No doubt, Gavain will hear about this, and he’ll drag you around the ship in his shadow.”

Cool air wafted through the tall doors.

“Maybe, he should let me get into a little trouble. He might save himself some trouble,” Aria said.

Pan turned to search for Irini, expecting to see a look of shock on the younger arcane’s face. Irini had already fled in the direction of the bridge, eager to see some space deer.

Pan looked back to Aria. “He might be the problem you know.”

“He’s not. He’s had girlfriends who had to get abortions before,” Aria said. “And that was with countermeasures. He’s super virile.”

Pan released a quiet, long breath. She looked to the floor. “He won’t be happy to see you gone or injured. And, even if he was…I wouldn’t.” Pan looked Aria in the eyes. “If you got hurt because of one of my circles, I would spend every day of the rest of my life, wishing I had never brought you into this cargo bay, and you know what, I don’t think I’ll invite you back.”

Aria’s face seemed to move through several emotions. Pan caught a few – touched, annoyed, ashamed.

“Alright,” Aria said. “I don’t need to come back.”

“Maybe, I’ll just try for a different beast. Or demonstrate the time message. I should be relearning that anyway.” Pan touched Aria’s arm. “I didn’t mean what I said about not inviting you.”

“That’s alright. I know.”

Pan frowned. “I want to be as a good a friend to you, as you are to me, but I don’t know how.”

“I can see you trying,” Aria said.

“That’s not good enou…”

“We are still detecting life forms in the cargo bay. Whoever is hanging around inside had better come to see some space deer soon,” Alban’s voice threatened.

“Come on.” Pan stepped into the hall.

As Aria stepped clear of the doors, Pan used her keycard to relock them.

“Want to beat Irini to the bridge?” Pan asked.

“She has quite the head start.”

Pan glanced at a bracelet on her wrist. She drew a circle in the air. Runes lined the edge, but otherwise, it was like any portal she’d made in the past. It showed the bridge.

Aria half-smiled. “What’s on that bracelet?”

“Just images of places aboard the Ischyros.” Pan held up her wrist. “Lots of tiny pictures. If there were other portal makers, I could sell these.” Pan gestured Aria through the portal.

Aria stepped inside, and Pan followed. They ended up within feet of Alban, Sotir, and Gavain.

“Hello,” Sotir said.

Gavain smiled at Aria and wrapped an arm around her.

Alban gave them a frustrated look. “Where’s Irini?”

“She took the long way.” Pan gave her attention to the windshield.

The space deer danced across the view. The beautiful, once endangered creatures, inhabited a kind of preserve that formed an almost complete ellipse around Scaldin space. Pan liked to watch them.

“How did you guys beat me here?” Irini called from the back of the bridge.

Hagen, Kat, and Chara followed her onto the spoon like protrusion that led to Alban’s seat and controls.

“We took a portal,” Panphila said.

“Oh…I missed a portal.” Irini slumped. Her feet dragged, but she made it to the dais. “Why didn’t you tell me we were going to take a portal?”

“You ran away too fast,” Pan said. “By the way, you are very fast.”

“I ran all the way here.” Irini looked out the view. She locked her eyes on the space deer and didn’t look away.

Pan let her have her moment.

“Why are we calling them space deer?” Kat asked.

“Pan’s name for them.” Alban nodded at Pan. “It’s rubbed off on me.”

Kat nodded.

Ahead of the ship, the space deer scattered. Several ran towards the windshield. They hit the glass and bounded up and away. Others fled further afield.

“What scared them?” Alban asked.

No crewmate got a chance to answer. The ship lost its equilibrium, along with a moment of gravity. When gravity returned, Pan and everyone else got thrown to the deck.