Chapter 128

Salamede Pov

The shuffling of papers on the stone desk failed at its near hour-long task. I had been perusing them in the golden glow of the mana light across from me. That source of light lay near the door leading into the main forum of Kreshton city. Named after the blood of my famed clan, the jewel of the Kelton species that only grew more audacious each day, and pain in my back.

The mural of swords over rocks and snails on the right was the same as ever and the bedroom behind my position was much the same as it had ever been. The biggest change was inside me and manifested in a frenzied scouring. A search for one item whose purpose had been forgotten mere seconds into the search. Instead, the pages were being moved about in an attempt to not think.

Battle had finally come.

While the unseen mess at the base had been quenched before my arrival, the visit with my mother had come and gone too quickly. As did the days after coming back. All the plans had been made, the crafts spun from magic, and steel forged. Sending them off had been a solemn affair as I had come to know many of them personally. Even so, about half of the troops were newcomers who had no magic but still insisted on showing their worth to this new home. That and cladding a young man in more steel than he had ever seen probably made them feel invincible. Something Kantor had trained out of them with varying degrees of success.

The young and middle-aged, magical and mundane, those who knew the true purpose of this place and those who thought they knew, all had sailed off on a big fleet in the late morning hour with the radio and an eye in the sky to guide them through. Leaving their mothers, wives, sisters, and I to nervously await their return. Something I had suffered through by completing backlogged paperwork and sifting through the candidates for running the warehouses. Not even that managed to pull the mind away.

There were always tales of poor leaders who sacrificed their people's lives without a care. The prospect of growing so cold was a haunting, and I’m ashamed to admit, alluring prospect. Because if this was going to happen for every battle then I would go mad in mere months, forget years or decades.

My pointless ambling continued for a few more minutes before I got back to actual work. Meals of seared fish were consumed and the bed, as it always did, eventually called with its promise of oblivion. After a shower and change, the seat held a firm grip on me for most of the morning despite my blue dress's efforts to ride up my backside. I was adjusting the resulting crinkles in the fabric and golden triangles radiating out from the collar when a small Kelton boy with brown fur, a blue shirt, and cream pants came in. His demeanor was harried and the spirit connection was made without the typical ask for permission.

‘Kantor returns with victory!’

I let a small smile spread across my lips.

‘I’ll have to meet him in the conference room beside the forum. Call Joeseen as well. He’ll want to hear how his ships fared.’

The lad gave me a small sideways head bob before closing the wooden door behind him.

I pushed out of the seat and went around the desk. Leather shoes smacked on the white fur covering the floor as the door took only a second to reach. Once I was through it, the wide open space that served as the center of government and diplomacy revealed itself with rays of sun from the window slits. On the sides were stone benches rising along the walls. These further emphasized the yellow sun painted in the middle though its twin on the dome above was less immediately obvious from this viewpoint.

Steel Kelton men came up behind me as I walked across the empty expanse. As I neared the iron slabs serving as the main entrance to the dome, I took a left and went through a plain-looking door along the wall. Inside was the rectangular room with a wooden table and accompanying chairs. I strolled up to the farthest seat at the head of the table and settled in with two guards on either side.

Unsurprisingly, Joeseen was the first back as his location was far more reliable. The old Kelton man with near-white fur that complemented his blue robes embroidered with lighter blue waves moved in as much vigor as age would allow. He gave me a sideways nod of his stubby brown horns as he sat to my left. Wrinkled fingers rubbed his pronounced chin as his white eyes looked me up and down. It took only a second before the expected buzz of a spirit connection came across my shoulder.

‘Has the malady subsided? It's been remarked that you haven’t been moving like you’re one of the undead.’

I gave him a small smile.

‘The aches have subsided these last few days. I think its formation is mostly complete.’

‘And it hasn’t come out?’

A shrug was all I could give him. My next words were interrupted by a hard swing of the door. Through it came the bulky, black-furred Kelton man playing my father. The shiny metal helmet molded perfectly around his curled brown horns while only slightly obstructing his smooth cheekbones. Despite the piece's great craftsmanship, what my eyes immediately went to was the chest plate sporting new dents. A look at the arm and leg guards also revealed a few scuffs and streaks. I made a spirit connection with him as he moved up and sat to my right.

‘I thought you weren’t a general who leads in the front.’

A small huff was his first answer.

‘Sometimes the front comes to you. A few mages used their magic to create water and push away the boiling sea around them as they approached my ship. I can’t say I know exactly what they were thinking, but my guess is they saw our wooden hulls and thought they’d make short work of them in a surprise attack.

Those who managed to get close enough were either shocked at how strong our hulls were or the return volley of flame and stone. Whichever took them by surprise the most, it cost them their lives and me a trip to the armory. It goes without saying the ships performed mostly as promised. Keeping them in position was a bit harder than advertised but their bones are solid.’

Joeseen got a small smile of satisfaction while I sported a bit lip. An ambush on our side certainly meant casualties. Kantor gave me a single look up and down before taking a deep breath.

‘We lost twelve. Three in the surprise attack and the others at various points in the battle. All but two were the new arrivals, if that makes a difference.’

A sour frown stole over my face.

‘They were our people, even if they didn’t have magic.’

Surprisingly, it was Joeseens voice that spoke into my mind.

‘You ask the impossible, my lady. No matter what advantage or ability, taking an island involves hundreds of fighters. You can't have magic shields up at all times and an arrow through the eye renders all healing worthless.’

‘I know.’ I refuted with little conviction. ‘I only ask that those inevitable deaths be minimized as much as possible. I expect a report on the lessons to be learned from the battle. Speaking of which, lets….’

I stopped as the words ‘taking an island’ from Joeseen were finally processed.

‘I thought we were just knocking out the docks.’ I asked the two with a pointed look at the admiral.

My gaze followed his pointed look towards Kantor. Rather than contrition or denial, the faint hint of a smile played across his mouth.

‘The prime command you gave me was to minimize casualties. What causes fewer deaths on our side than catapulting stone-summoning crafts to crush the enemy? We intended to merely batter the pirates into staying away as we destroyed their docks but they must have taken it as an act demanding submission. When they came out with white flags…. Well, what prevents deaths more than ending the fight for good?’

A stab of suspicion came as sharply as its metal sibling. The faint memory of our meeting with the Crasden envoy presented itself. My perusing of the event left me pondering over Kantor’s question concerning the healing houses’ claim to the island. These two men’s bristling at the suggestion of our inability to meet the pirates head-on was also noteworthy.

The suggestion of this being the plan all along conflicted with his actions being the best way to minimize our risks. That was forgoing the fact that taking the island would probably save more lives in the long run as opposed to merely hindering its operations.

‘And how will you minimize casualties in the defense of this new acquisition?’ I offered in an attempt to justify unspoken irritation.

‘Our steward in the sky says their reinforcements turned back a few hours after our victory. One or more of the mages must have used their brains for more than spell casting and slipped between the night's waves.’

‘Well, now we only need to deal with the other humans who owned it before. I can’t imagine they’ll just let us keep the main defensive point of the entire north.’ I refuted while strumming fingers on wood.

Joeseen nodded as he leaned forward onto the table.

‘What has been taken can be given. A simple bit of negotiation and the island can be theirs with one payment or another.’

The roll of my eyes came too naturally for me to stop as I leaned back into my chair and stared at the mana lamp above.

‘Spirits! This rock is getting handed around like a babe in a village of grandmothers.’

I looked back down in time to see small smiles break out on the men’s faces. We established ourselves as a force and the spine of the pirate's efforts here had been shattered. All the north was now free of their tyranny and butchery. If Kantor and Joeseen had maneuvered the battle towards this end…. Who could could argue with the benefits?

Now we just had to inform our neighbors of their salvation.

‘We’ll have to retrieve Emerett and give him the good news.’

This time it was Kantor whose eyebrows raised in surprise.

‘Crasden’s already heard of our victory?’ He asked.

I shook my head as I adjusted the blue dress.

‘They sent their diplomat back here mere hours after your departure. For news of our performance and such. Something they’ll have plenty to bring back home with them. And I would prefer they get it from us instead of a gloating sailor.’

I then turned to the guard on my left.

“Call for the Crasden envoy Emerett and get the forum for me, Joeseen, and Kantor ready. I want the human to hear from us first.” I audibly said in a rough voice.

He did a slight bow with brown fur swaying before moving forward.

The two members of the council gave me sideways nods before we all got up and shuffled out of the room. It took a few minutes before the fluffy white couch was at the center of the painted sun in the forum and flanked by embroidered wooden chairs. As soon as I was laying among the pillows, Kantor plopped into the seat on the right while Joeseen more gently situated himself on the left. With nothing left to do, I nodded to the guards by the double iron doors.

Their pull on them let Emerett in. His steps were quick enough to send his blue robe with gold vertical lines fluttering along with his mop of red hair and those green eyes above a blue scarf looked both furious and harried. If those two aspects didn’t convey that this would be his second hearing of the battle at Passtoon’s Watch, his unwrapping of the scarf to reveal puckered lips above a sharp chin would.

“Greetings, Esteemed Council.” He stated with a sideways head bob that sent bits of sweat flying off smooth cheekbones.

Admiration for his self-control lasted only a second as I took a deep breath and dove in.

“Greetings in kind, envoy Emerett. I think it would do us both good to get to the point of your summons. Yes. The island is now under our control, leaving the pirates homeless in the north.” I responded, the typical roughness of the Kelton voice not producing winces on his face.

His swallow of spit was loud enough to carry across the room.

“If….”

Emerett looked between the three of us. At least by finding out from some passing soldier, he had time to mentally prepare. His heavy breathing slowed as he calmed himself to merely anxious.

“Such a thing would be quite a bit of news and should be delivered with all haste.” he intoned with a voice trying to be friendly “And lady Ashe will surely find Passtoon’s Watch to be in better hands. However, I would be neglecting my duties if the letter didn’t include visual confirmation.”

The unspoken question was answered with a cough from Kantor.

“There are many of us still on the island. Hundreds of slaves and prisoners. A ship bearing one or the other is arriving within the hour. Making space for you would be trivial if it's a day's visit.”

Another sideways head bob from Emerett further impressed me. Despite the situation, he had ingrained the local customs enough to keep them at hand even in situations such as this. He had also done in a week or so what had take me nearly thrice over. He likewise maintained decorum as I spoke further.

“Our ships should provide enough room for both our retinues. Reports and such are helpful but I think seeing things provides something no amount of writing can. As I’m sure you’ll agree.”

He returned the suggestion with a vigorous sideways nod.

“I will be waiting near the docks. If that is all that is required of me.”

I gave him a casual hand wave.

“That will be all,” I said in a rough voice.

With that, he turned around with a wrapping of his scarf and walked out the doors. My rise from the couch was less earnest but it was speedier than any casual movement.

“Kantor will accompany,” I announced to the room with a stretch and look upward. “Joeseen, focus on getting the former slaves into somewhere decent and the pirates somewhere mean. Neither will be staying but first impressions and all that.”

The old Kelton man huffed with his hoisting from the chair.

“That sounds like the guard's job.” He moaned.

In the corner of my vision, I saw Kantor raise an eyebrow but I cut off any future bickering.

“They won’t be going through the jobs system like the refugees but they still need somewhere out of the cold. Which was being handled by the dock staff.”

Joeseen tugged the fur of his chin before giving a deep sigh.

“I suppose cargo is cargo; cloth, iron, or slave.”

“Guest,” I cut in with a frown sour enough to match the infamous Kelton voice.

“Guest,” He agreed with arms raised in surrender. “They’ll be made good for a day or two. I suppose we’ll be shipping them off to Crasden soon enough anyway.”

I then swiveled towards Kantor. When he didn’t present any argument, I turned around to my abodes door which I half sprinted towards. I came back out sporting a thick green dress with a furry collar and gold triangles around the neck. Moving into the forum, the couch and chairs were gone.

The empty space felt oppressive as I had to cross the entire length with only my guard's metal feet on stone to provide sound. As the black iron doors leading outside came within arms reach, the men pulled them open for me. Outside was the red stone pavilion with rock benches for those waiting to be let in.

In the bright early day sun, I could see there were none of the usual supplicants loitering about waiting for their chance to speak to the relevant member of the council inside. I had instructed the guards to make it known that the members of the council were unavailable today and the day after as the aftermath of the battle for the island was the supreme focus.

Beyond the red and black flecked stone of the pavilion were uncountable domes representing a house or shop. From my ground-floor view, it was impossible to see the careful consideration that had been poured into the grey stone building's placement, but I had been present for most of their planning and knew where everything was without a second thought. Not even the bits of snow still clinging around the city's certain corners could undermine that.

Not that it required much thought to take the straight shot leading from here to the docks. The large road directly ahead, split with yellow lines was so unobstructed by buildings or traffic that I could see bits of the bay's natural rock beyond our harbor. The two towers guarding the only waterway entrance far off to the left were present no matter where you stood in the city.

The mayhem of the refugee's arrival had since settled down, but looking around I wouldn’t have thought the alleys and streets would have more occupants than the few stray souls. It was on my third step forward that a piercing blow of winter wind worked its way through my black fur. When I felt all the heat leave my skin, my first thought beyond frozen death was how we were supposed to be past the worst of the season.

As I went down the road with metal men in tow, an errant notion came to me. How could I not know how cold it was? Thick clothes and thicker walls, obviously. Still, it felt….bad. Losing such a fundamental connection to the wider world seemed wrong for a reason my tongue lacked the skill to explain.

Pondering over the feeling took so long I soon found myself in the harbor between its office and the docks. A forest of wood cranes to the left were as still as statues, their toil for the shoddy ships in their sections either finished or pushed off for another day. Cold minutes passed by while I stood around looking at the waves as they lapped against the giant red block all our lives rested on. Kelton hardiness was finally starting to fail when I spotted the cream sails of our ship approaching from the left.

As it sailed past me towards the special large closed-off section of harbor further to the right, my ears picked up the slam of a door behind me. Turning towards it revealed Emerett, clad in the dark blue robes and scarf with strands of red shifting in the faint breeze. Those green eyes weren’t meeting my gaze. Instead, he gave the ship floating by his full attention.

It was two floors, or three depending on the model, high above the water. Size, however, was its least notable feature. The boards were healthy looking, sails blew in the wind without blemish, and the catapults along the sides seemed large enough to be proper siege equipment. The men manning its deck and sails were likewise well supplied with both clothing and muscle. A stark contrast to the sickly things in the docks.

“No!”

Both our heads shot up towards a top window of the harbor office facing the bay. In it was a frantic Joeseen who looked like he wanted to strangle someone.

“The regular docks!” He yelled again so loudly that it almost covered up our kinds hoarse tone.

The ship responded with a sudden sideways shift. One of the crew on the deck tumbled down but the others managed to stay upright. Jets of water spewed out of the side facing the harbor, pushing it away in a deluge as it swung around. Cold couldn’t keep my palms from sweating as its trajectory made an almost full circle. However dangerous the maneuver, it slowed as it approached an open dock to the left. Defying my meager understanding of navigation, no crunch of planks or screams of pain accompanied its stop at the wooden finger behind two others holding smaller ships.

“A truly magnificent thing.” Emerett put in as he moved forward. Behind him came two men with steel chest plates that matched their helmets and brown beards that blended with the rest of their leather. “I can’t say I envy the Mist pirates that had to contend with such dexterous sailing on the sea.”

“Nor can I,” I replied with as much confidence as could be scrounged up. “It will take a few minutes for the disembark but we should be at the sight of all our pains in a few hours.”

He nodded as the smack of wood sounded off in the distance. Our group of six walked towards the ship and took long enough for the first group of new arrivals to start marching out onto proper stone. The crowd comprised of metal clad Keltons around two long lines of chained pirates. None were armed and wherever their weapons were, they probably laid with the jewelry and exuberant clothes that had so defined their kind. The deep tans of the south were not so easily removed. Even as disheveled as they were, the leather of their coats was of a markedly high quality and the flesh inside held enough fat to tell of good meals.

Vestiges of a life far removed from the one before me. Here and there were black eyes or a bloodied nose. A quick look at the guards revealed dried red on some of their metal fists. I was a bit incredulous at the pirates meriting such treatment but then I took in some of their expressions. Even now a few looked at our work with hints of derision while most had an annoyed expression. Fearlessness in the face of death was one explanation but the arrogance suggested hubris. Hubris that had been tampered down with metal backhands.

As they went around a corner at the main road, another metal clad Kelton came from that same lane. I immediately placed him as Kantor, both from his black fur and curled brown horns and the sideways head bob the other guards gave him. He came up to my left with the humans staying on the right.

“My lady, I was told the ship would be ready to go as soon as it unloaded the prisoners.” Kantor intoned with a look behind us.

“Let’s go see if the day can properly start, then,” I said while turning towards Emerett’s green eyes. He gave me a Kelton nod before moving to the pier.

We followed him along the wooden finger and continued from behind with his walk up the plank connecting the ship to the dock, which two sailors quickly pulled away once we arrived. On the right lay the doors leading below deck but the left held the captain's quarters and my residence for the trip. The Kelton sailors seeing to one task or another made room for my group's approach.

Perhaps realizing he had been too hasty in getting on another's ship before they did, Emerett was content to let my group go in front. I knocked on the door as soon as it was within arms reach. The response was running feet and the wooden slabs sudden swing inward.

In the doorway stood a Kelton man in a grey shirt, leather vest, and brown pants that matched his fur and curled horns.

“Lady,” The mid-20’s man intoned as he pulled back to allow my passage.

I was too busy looking at the wafts of steam mixing with the winter air to pay him much mind. Stepping inside felt like walking into a steaming pot. Directly ahead was a desk and chair in front of a window, a bed to the right, and a small table to the left. All crafted with rather plain wood but any further attention I could give the room was crowded out by how I was being boiled alive.

“Apologies, Passmede,” Kantor said with a quick run toward the desk. He went around its back and leaned down. “Captain Mentar likes it a bit hotter than others.”

The heat was still oppressive as I moved closer to the desk and saw my fake father pressing his finger into a white circle painted on the side of a head-sized cube of wood.

“A bit?” I asked with a turn around towards the man who had let us in as he stood off to the right with a still face. “The chefs don’t need to cook your food, do they? Just bring it in raw an hour before meal and it’ll be sizzling by the time you’re ready.”

His gaze continued its lifeless stance. Even Emerett and his human guards were starting to sweat. Though none of the humans complained, they stayed close to the open door. I moved back to join them as winter started working its way into the room.

“Anything interesting to report?” I asked the captain.

He looked back up to regard the group with a tense smile.

“The prisoners are a lot of trouble, whether pirate or slave. Most are former citizens of the Rodring Kingdom pressed into service and are now free again. Unsurprisingly, they don’t remember their time as the pirate's property with fondness. A few of them decided to slit throats and…. Despite the surrender, some of the pirates were still making a fuss about taking orders from ‘The spawn of goat fuckers’. Councilman Kantor put them in with the former slaves and the bloody pulp we got back calmed the moaners right down.

I have to say, despite being outnumbered on the island by humans, it's been going well. Though our definitions may not align.” He finished with that typical rough Kelton voice struggling toward the end.

“I hope our misalignment only extends to the definition of sufficiently warm,” I put in with a smile and turn towards Emerett. “We may keep a few of the pirates for interrogation handing them off to you. Aside from that, I don’t think we’ll be keeping your people.”

“I wouldn’t have suggested otherwise,” He put in with a small nod. His hand then went up to pull down the blue scarf as winter started bringing our section of the room down to livable. White lips were crushed between mollars for only a second. “The how of it is another discussion altogether. Tilvor, the plant mage you exchanged crafts with back in Crasden, is making a grand city and some arrangement can no doubt be made for the former slaves. We will have to consider some measures in case the pirates decide to try and retake Passtoon’s Watch.”

A bit of annoyance seeped into me as I moved towards the desk. We couldn’t tell them how we knew there weren’t any pirates around, so we had to accept the needless caution. I pushed down the frustration since there was no avoiding it. That left me to idle in the previous captains chair as Kantor and Emerett discussed various patrol routes for mutual protection while the future was left to my ponderings. The idle musings were cut short when my pretend father got to the thorniest issue. I couldn’t say for sure, but Kantor seemed to have the ghost of a smug smile as he stood to the left facing the human diplomat still standing near the door.

“Getting the bandits off the island will take a week or two depending on accommodations and such. Keeping them around any new construction will just cause trouble, so we’ll help move them off the island. We may need some help moving so many all at once.”

Green eyes hardened at that last bit. Sweat dripped on red eyebrows and this time I wouldn’t put the clear beads down to the sweltering heat that had only just begun to dissipate. His steps forward were as constrained as his pensive frown.

“The Passtoon’s Watch is a landmark first established by our founding sire. Lady Ashe will not accept having it under anyone’s stewardship save house Kraton.”

“Oh, she-”

I gave a sharp cough, drawing both men’s gazes. Whatever Kantor was going to say, the hand subtly moving to his sword foretold nothing good.

“This issue was brought up before, I believe. Was it not my father who asked about the island's ownership should the pirates fall?” I asked politely with a hand wave to the left.

Emerett closed his eyes and looked upward. No words came out of his mouth, though the twisting of his lips and flaring nose told of either a fervent prayer to the spirits or a long string of profanities being recited. When he looked back down to us, his skin looked a bit paler as the sweat now extended to smooth cheekbones. As the words came out, they were almost as hoarse as ours.

“My failure as a diplomat doesn’t change what Ashe will and will not accept. Surely this sordid affair ending in a war between Keltons and humans would be a loss for both our peoples.”

I nodded, this time in the human way.

“Indeed. We have scant means to fully fortify and man such a land. Starting a war over it isn’t something either of us wants. But the shield of the north wasn’t taken freely. And my people wouldn’t, and shouldn’t, accept giving it away for nothing.”

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Emerett let loose a low breath.

“Compensation will no doubt be generous. However, the sooner we inform my house of this fortuitous event, the better for all involved. As demanding as this request may be, I must ask that we leave from Passtoon’s Watch directly to Crasden.”

I looked back towards Kantor. He puckered his lips beneath black fur for a second before giving a Kelton nod.

“Dropping off some of the pirates made things a bit calmer. Sending a ship with some former slaves shouldn’t be a problem. I’d be worried about pirates but a bandits' first priority is survival. A long battle in waters patrolled by your people is something they’ll want to avoid. Not that going further north would be smart for them in the first place.”

Emerett nodded while looking both tired and hopeful.

“If you’ll excuse me, I think some fresh air is in order.”

The humans gave slight nods, with only the diplomat using the locally correct version, before shuffling out of the heated room. Mentar moved to close the door behind him. An electric buzz played across my face as soon as the wooden slab squeaked shut.

‘I wouldn’t have brought up our inability to hold it.’ Kantor's voice sounded off in my head.

A few words of rebuke came up my throat but were cut short by sense. It was probably not a good idea to make it seem like our grasp on the prize would fail given time. I closed my eyes before sideways nodding.

‘He’ll no doubt inform her of my clumsy tongue. But that doesn’t change the fact we almost put down the great threat to the north by ourselves.’

‘And sacrificed lives to do it.’ Kantor put in with a small smile.

‘For that reason alone, we should expect a good settlement. Enough to give their widows some good living for a while.’

He then turned towards the ship's captain and started talking with him in a separate spirit connection, no doubt discussing some aspect of troop deployments or patrols that I couldn’t hope to contribute to. A look behind me revealed only white cresting waves in the window beyond. Feeling irritated at having missed seeing the city disappear over a watery horizon, I could only get up and leave the room.

This was a chance to be lazy after weeks or months, who could keep track in these times, of constant grinding mental labor. The trip took the rest of the day and most of the second. I stayed below deck on a hammock and it was only the meals that managed to get me out of it. My feet weren’t feeling like they walked halfway across the continent and if it wasn’t for a lad coming down to inform me of our arrival, I could have stayed in the rope sling for weeks more.

Coming up the stairs took some doing as my legs readjusted to sustained use. When the guard ahead pushed open the door, a visage of blue sky and the occasional cloud presented itself from between the sails. I could only frown as I moved into the open air. The right had a number of sailors looking over the side and my eyes naturally followed the crowds direction.

A nearly intact pier of wood jutted out from a rocky mass of land. This solid stone portion was almost a straight line with wide bulges sticking out of the water for the buildings. A few of our ships were docked at its harbors' brown fingers. Here and there stood warehouses of wood or smaller structures that I would assume to be houses. These were so close to the ocean that I could make out some waves smacking the sides.

These details were only noted first because of the angle. At any other point on the sea, the giant square mass of stone on a hill further beyond would have demanded the first serving of attention. Between this thing serving as a village and harbor and the proper fort lay an open road of grey stone. It was bare save the sea on the sides of the rock. Any attackers making their way across would be easy picking for archers or catapults along the giant walls.

Any grandeur of the place was undone by the scars of changing rulers. All throughout the harbor bits of wall and ceiling were being replaced by Kelton mages with the earth element. The fort outshined the smaller buildings in this aspect as well. Along the left side of the giant stone box were bits free from the wear of wind and green moss marking them as new additions. The right was pocketed with deep gouges and the stubby bottom of a tower whose entire upper portion was no doubt being perused by the ocean's denizens.

It was a troubled place and a devastating sight for Emerett. The redhead looked like he had come home to a dead family and when we finally docked, his steps down the plank had a bit of an unsteady gait. Getting everyone onto the wood that didn’t move took less than a minute of walking mixed with sightseeing. I trekked along the dock before coming onto the island proper.

The destination wasn’t debated as we took the straight shot towards the fort. Every step on the grey stone road through the small village was announced with a splash of seawater. Some errant thought that salty seawater might damage my leather shoes must have shown on my face as we exited the village and went onto the empty expanse. That or Emerett was just that observant.

“Pirates have never been great at working tools that weren’t meant for sticking in another person.” He put in with a forced smile. “The foundation must have been badly damaged by the crabs for them to have replaced it with this shoddy work.”

I nodded as I took in the landscape on both sides. Our trail seemed to cut right through the waves, leaving me feeling like my feet were walking across open water. The feeling was enforced by the endless ocean filling all peripheral vision.

It took us getting almost near the huge wooden gate of the fort before the corner of my left eye presented something new. Pulling away from island was one of our ships. What drew my attention was the long, bright red legs being pulled with ropes behind it. Curiosity demanded an immediate answer but I decided it was better to ask such things when the proper inspection came. A few minutes later we were up to the nearly twelve feet high double doors of the fort.

The men working it were obviously not experienced with the fort's inner workings, so a minute of our lives was stolen as the two giant wooden slabs swung outward in fits and starts as unfamiliar levers and gears were worked from somewhere inside. When we crossed the threshold an empty yard of grey stone greeted us. Unlike the stone of those I had taken down a lifetime ago, this fort on the sea was all smooth magic work with windows and doors along the stairs snaking up and down the inner side of the fort's sides.

A web of shadows about an arm thick in each string held over the brickwork. My head tilt revealed long arches of shiny steel crisscrossing between the four walls. Some corner of my brain was being tickled when I looked at them and the answer as to why felt close. Metal gleaned like it was fresh from the forge despite the mold and worn stone surrounding its placements into the wider structure. But more than that, the sides were fuzzy. It….

It was covered in blades.

The realization made me jerk in place. I resisted what my eyes were sending for a second until the fuzziness around the arches solidified into thousands of small knives missing handles. The inner core was a long rod of bent metal with the blades attached through thin stems like tree leaves.

“An insistence of house Laperict.” Emerett offered with a smile to my right. “I’m told their city has entire walls made of such designs. Doesn’t rust from rain or salt air, as near as I can tell. This allows them quick use of their famed metal magic and is placed here in case they should need to come to our defense.”

I gave him a raised eyebrow. The smile he returned lacked warmth and there was none in those green eyes to compensate. That the real message was ‘We’re in charge and will keep a reminder around’ didn’t need to be spoken aloud.

“A weird-looking thing.” Kantor huffed with a tired sigh to the left “But it’s hardly an only child of strangeness. There’s this….”

Black fur shifted with his head shaking back and forth in concentration.

“Cultivation. Some cultivation room.” He finally announced

My eyebrows furrowed at the strange name.

“Ah,” Emerett put in with a happy tone as he came up behind me to stand to the right of Kantor. “A superstition among the pirates. If you want a fuller explanation, I will be glad to provide it.”

“Anything afterwards?” I asked my false sire.

He shook his head.

“Storage rooms, prisoners tucked in cells, and former slaves in cots. Nothing worth mentioning and certainly not traipsing all up and down this thing.”

Our human companion got a small frown at that.

“Sadly, Ashe will demand a complete inspection of all the rooms. At least, from me. I wouldn’t dare impose the requirement on Lady Passmede.”

The release of an irritated sigh escaped Kantor’s lips but he didn’t object.

“Let’s get my daughter to the only room worth looking at.”

He turned around and led us all up a flight of stairs. The trip took us along the walkway with the occasional pair of guards or a messenger boy pulling to the side at our approach. Light sea breeze wafted over the fort walls but the clear sky gave the place a more welcoming feeling than it probably deserved.

We walked up to the third floor and continued trekking until we reached one of the doors in the middle of the left wall. It was a plain thing and unlike some of its kin, left unguarded. I’d have worried about lax security if I didn’t know Kantor so well. He opened it without ceremony, with me going in first.

Inside was a square room sporting stone walls and wood floorboards. This contrasted with a few metal poles around the center holding candles whose life had since run its course. An open window directly ahead made up for their lack. Sunlight revealed blocks of copper on the left, compacted cubes of dirt to the right, and pales of water directly ahead. All of this was taken in with little interest.

What demanded the most attention was the weird symbol in the middle of the room surrounded by the candle stands. It was comprised of four parts; two circles with one black and the other white. Both had another inner circle in the middle of their opposite color. A dot of black in the white and a splotch of white surrounded by pitch. With the weird tapering from the larger portions, the two opposites came together to form a single whole circle.

“A cultivation ring.” Emerett put in as he approached from the right. “Just one of a myriad of beliefs those of the Mist indulge in.”

“Oh?” I asked with a quick look at the other materials lying about.

“Their workings are quite tangled but a question of my own is in order.” The human put in, a smug smile playing across his face. “Have you seen their ships?”

“Yes.” I offered with as much patience as I could give this detour.

“And you’ve seen the jutting spikes along their sides bearing flames, metal, and other such materials at the tips?”

A quick perusing of memory answered though it took a moment to consider how odd such fixtures were now that they could be examined without imminent danger. I merely nodded in the human way. If Emerett noticed my consideration for his kinds' preferences, he was too eager to continue for a comment on it.

“They believe that during cultivation, the presence of these materials interact in certain ways to allow the expansion of their golden meridian.”

I raised an eyebrow at the last word.

“An organ in the body that handles chi and balances the elements of water, ice, fire, metal, ground, plants…. And I believe a few others but they escape me.”

“Oh,” I said with a sense that a firmer grasp on the subject was at hand.

“Employing the presence of these elements with certain breathing techniques opens chi pathways and brings greater strength and allows the employment of several techniques to use the elements of ice, metal, and such.” Emerett expounded with a growing smile.

“But the metal element doesn’t allow the summoning of metal, only its manipulation,” I said.

The mans red hair started shaking before a small laugh finally escaped the smile. He wasn’t fully bent over, but the merriment was still greater than the question merited.

“A thousand apologies, great Lady,” Emerett implored as he forced the laugh down. “You have walked the same path everyone else does when I explain this.”

He tidied up the edges of his blue robe before standing straight.

“The elements they use are not the ones we mages employ.”

Any irritation I had with the outburst sank as curiosity pushed itself to the front of the mental line.

“But what are they working with when spells are used? If they aren’t using magic elements then how does this cultivation expand their mana pathways?”

“The latter will answer both,” He put in. The smile was back in full force as he continued grinning like a giddy child. “Put simply, chi pathways are an entirely separate vein system from the mana veins we employ. A case of mistaken identity almost always made by first-time listeners, so please don’t feel bad about making it.”

Any pretension I had of grasping this subject had been lost.

“How do they work with mana pathways? Surely one would interfere with the other at some point.”

Emerett gulped as he opened his mouth. His joy on this subject was so great he lost etiquette and used the human nod.

“They don’t interfere with each other because it’s all complete nonsense.”

I pulled my head back, eyebrows furrowing into an almost solid line. At that same moment, a full-bellied laugh exploded from my right. Kantor was as bent over as his breastplate would allow. The human and Kelton guards behind him even sported smiles. Something I felt growing on my face.

“That’s certainly one way to end the tale.” my fake father coughed up between chuckles. Emerett seemed to appreciate the interruption as he continued.

“Tests and inquiries have been made to the exhaustion of several academies the world over. It’s all just….Lies. Not a word of any of it has ever produced a single grain of worth. That hasn’t stopped them from believing it with the same fervor that the sun will rise. The putrid fools.”

His satisfaction at putting down the pirates shined through with a pure smile for a second before a cough brought him down to merely pleased.

“As false as their beliefs are, their workings with swords are far more tangible. I will be starting my inspection from the bottom and working to the top. Punctuated with the occasional stop to discuss these events with some of our rescued citizens. If my explanation of bandit superstition is sufficient, of course.”

I gave him a sideways head bob.

“Amusing lies are still lies. Something I don’t like dwelling on. Kantor was present during the siege, so he can answer any questions you have.”

Both men gave me a Kelton nod as I walked out of the room. My entrance into the open air was met with a wave of both winter air and relief. After endless days of constant work, meetings, and thinking about what to do next, the prospect of having nothing to do was almost euphoric. For now, there were no meetings to attend or crafts to forge. I took in the surrounding stairs, the right of which Kantor and Emerett’s group were taking down save two of the Kelton guards who stayed behind with me but for my part the steps leading upward to the left called. Idle whimsy demanded a view of the ocean from the top of the fort.

A few scant minutes of maneuvering around others and taking the final steps up brought me onto a section of wall facing the ocean complete with a rather breathtaking view of endless waves. The spectacle here wasn’t as far up as being on the airship, but something about still being at ground level left it feeling more tangible. Endless white peaks rose and fell for as far as the eyes could venture. All mine, for a day or so.

A look down to see those waves crashing on the rocks instead revealed bright red sticking out of the sea and lying on the rocks. Their long bodies and backsides covered in shells resembling rocks had made it hard to identify the Mist Pirates famed companions at first but my failure to immediately spot them need never be spoken. Besides their color, the sheer size of the dead creatures was the most eye-catching aspect. The smallest of them was roughly the size of a carriage while most seemed able to match my old home in Diamond City. Another second was spent before turning around to one of the brown-furred guards minding me.

‘Were they moved here after the battle for the smell?’ I asked in a spirit connection.

‘No, Lady.’ The young man put in with a head shake. ‘If the weather were warm enough for them to rot, you’d probably have smelled them back at the dock. The slaves said feeding them wasn’t entirely safe from anywhere but this top section of the fort.

We got lucky on that account. Catapulted a volley or two of the fire crafts along this side and cooked them all in one go. Kantor has been putting the ships to work pulling them out to the ocean in case something dangerous comes looking for a meal but there’s just so many of them.’

Feeling a bit more understanding of why the pirates gave up so quickly, I returned to sightseeing. Another perusing of the dead allowed me to take in the rhythmic push and pull of countless red crab legs that matched the energy of the water they floated on.

Smacking waves against stone filled my ears as the open sea gave me the closest thing to peace I had felt in ages. The pains from my scion tool had recently subsided but now an ache of loneliness crept in. I could be surrounded by a thousand people at this moment, but none of them were my husband or the woman who had become something between a friend and a sister. Their absence was growing more acute with each week spent playing queen and a quick catching-up was in order.

I sat on one of the stools lining the wall to let sweet nothing pour over me. This lack of physical or mental activity continued for what felt like an hour before I spotted Emerett and Kantor walking up from the right. Despite perusing what had been a battlefield only days earlier, the two men seemed in light spirits with the redhead even having a small smile.

“The taking of our island was considerably gentler the second time around.” He announced as he walked up to me. “Your repairs will probably leave it in better condition than had we taken it. Lady Ashe, no matter her anger at me, will come to understand the benefits of these events.”

“Come to?” I asked with the typical roughness of our kinds voice carrying over the waves.

Emerett puckered his lips for a moment before taking a deep breath. The exhale produced more clouds than sound for only a second.

“Passion has many benefits. House Kraton has only recovered to its current position due to the zeal of our lady’s leadership. But the fire that cooks and warms can also burn those who use it.

Our great shield is not as cracked as I had feared, the thorn is pulled out, and we have a friendly power out here working with us. Ashe will be appreciative of your conquest if it is properly explained. And as soon as possible. They will no doubt be dispatching scouts to see what has happened here and any misunderstandings could be catastrophic for both our people.”

A very eloquent appeal. Not enough to hide the fact he was worried about saving his reputation more than anything else but it was still a good display of oral skill. I rose from the stool while fighting the urge to stretch.

“Another trip on the sea then,” I announced as I walked past the two men.

Our walk back to the ship was a dull affair with only the constant smack of waves to penetrate the otherwise dead air. It was only when we came back to the town that the sounds of constant work interrupted my empty head. The time of blissful nothingness had come and gone. I turned towards Kantor on my left as we approached the dock, the spirit connection pushing against his left shoulder.

‘Work some sightseeing between here and Crasden into the airships schedule.’

‘Not trusting the humans?’ he asked as we started up the ramp.

‘With everyone’s lives? No. Besides, Emerett is right. They’ll certainly dispatch a ship to see the island for themselves and I don’t want them coming in without our men being informed beforehand. The last thing we need is to send Emerett onshore with tales of a peaceful transfer then give them dead sailors courtesy of a bout of mistaken identity.’

When the last step was taken off land and onto the ship, our little group dispersed. I took a left into the captain's quarters while Emerett and his guards went right to go below deck. This time, the room wasn’t a boiling cauldron and I was allowed a peaceful slink into the chair. The momentary stretch across the desk was allowed for the blink of an eye before the electric buzz of a spirit connection pricked my left shoulder.

‘If we have the radio here, how will you talk with the chief? Unless Joeseen was playing my ears when he talked about the expansions.’ Kantor asked in my skull.

‘That is a project years in the making. We have the time to ask him when things aren’t so hectic.’

‘And informing him of the little mutiny at the Base?’

I couldn’t keep my hands from curling into fists at the memory.

‘Eli will be told as soon as the Intrepid is able to deliver said news. Everyone responsible is dead, so I won’t risk pulling our watcher in the clouds away for it.’

He gave me a Kelton nod that sent some of the sea spray on his black fur and steel helmet dripping downward. An errant thought came and was confirmed with a look down that revealed my blue dress's soaked hem. With our conversation finished, the spirit connection dissipated with his exit through the door.

Everything left to do was either waiting back in our lie of a city or being seen to by one member of my marriage or another. That left me another day of blissful nothing to look forward to. Something I took for all its worth.

Avoiding the morning frenzy meant even a full day of sailing didn’t get us back home in one run, forcing us to stay on one of the hundreds of spots along the coast. All planned and worked on by the crew as I leaned back into the chair and tried to keep down the constant worries that had crowded out peace for so long.

An hour or so after the morning wait, some shouting could be heard from beyond the wooden walls, with Kantor informing me that two of the Kraton ships were flagging us down and our human guest was going to explain the situation. When we got back under way, the windows revealed two ships sporting blue sails and gold-tinted sides trailing behind.

As I was pacing in the cabin with the mid-day sun shining from the windows, a sudden knock at the door shook my brain into full awareness.

“We approach the city, my lady.” A rough Kelton voice called out.

A look out the windows revealed the same two ships following like ducklings and more endless waves beyond. I had seen Crasden once before and had no desire to trudge through it again unless absolutely necessary.

“Send Emerett ashore with his guards. We don’t want them thinking their diplomat is saying anything with a knife pressed to his side, so we’ll wait for them to finish talking before coming ourselves.”

Steps moved away from the door. A turn in the seat to look through the windows revealed the two Kraton ships pulling forward to the unseen dock ahead. This was the last time I was likely to get anything resembling rest for weeks, so it was going to be enjoyed to the fullest. My arms stretched into the air as I leaned on the back of the chair. As I brought them back down, a stiffness came over my left shoulder.

That was all the warning I got before the long-suffered pressure came back like a thug in the night. A mountain rested on my chest, hiding somewhere among the empty air. For a moment, that unseen grip slacked. Thankfully, this hadn’t happened in the middle of negotiations. Some decorum could at least-

In the retreating pain, a new squeeze came up my legs. Whatever it was, it reignited the pressure on my chest. Any attempt to compare it to the previous episodes wasn’t given enough time as black curtains furled around the sides of my eyes. From the bottom of my feet to the ears, it felt like an ocean was pressing down on me. Joints and bones didn’t reflect what my body was telling me as they somehow refused to snap.

That was the last thought I could push through the pain before those black curtains pulled over my vision. The forgotten wish was tardy yet granted all the same as the desk went sideways with the room before it all went dark.

“Lady!”

A rough soreness was the first thing that responded to the voice.

“She’s alive!” Another voice said.

There was something odd about them, something that couldn’t be placed. Faint light filtered through the eyelids, which I promptly opened. The sum total of the world was revealed to be wooden panels, all bathed in the fiery light of a mana lamp to the…. Bottom?

Crasden, fainting, the voices being Kelton.

I shot up from the floor using only my upper half. The chair was knocked over to the left with me being between it and the desk. A look to the right revealed a worried-looking Kantor and Captain Mentar. They were were looking on from the doorway yet neither dared cross the threshold. One immediately noticeable aspect was the fact neither were staring at me. My gaze followed theirs to the right side of the desk.

Odd bits of red flesh and white sinew were splayed across the wood floor. Another second passed until the odd harp finally presented itself against the brown background. The sides were mud fur too dense to see the flesh beneath save the inner portion, which had sinewy muscles going up and down both sides. Between the two wings were long strings of glistening grey that looked more like the tough silver skin butchers cut off ribs. Where the sides met along the bottom were sharp, protruding bones that these uneducated eyes wanted to place as elbow joints.

The weirdest facet of the thing was the faint spirit connection playing across my head. Far fainter than any other and lacking any accompanying words, it felt more like a warm buzz than the zap after walking across carpet. A testing dip backward had the buzz move to track with the meaty impersonation of a musician's tool a little less tall than the length of my arm and half as wide.

My tool.

The realization sent a trembling right hand forward. A grasp on the right side revealed the warmth of flesh beneath the brown fur and cartilage just shy of bone hard. Bringing it a bit closer, the two wings extended with the elbow-like joints allowing it to stretch a bit more that its wooden cousins.

“It’s the lady’s familiar?” Mentar asked no one in particular.

The question prompted me to try reaching out to the faintly warm buzz with my spirit connection. No images or faint emotional impressions followed. What I got instead was a feeling of muscles needing to be stretched. In the harp. The thought to allow the movement came without prompting. Harp wings suddenly flexed apart while extending like arms.

Clanging metal announced the two men pulling back but I had no mental space to pay them any attention. Inside the harp I could feel it pulling in the ambient mana, storing it throughout the skin and muscles. Without thinking, I bid it to summon a spurt of water from its tip. A small spigot shot out of the designated spot. No mana sucking or mentally constructing various shapes from me, just the same pure magic beasts and Cell used.

“Kind of,” I finally answered the captain. “It uses magic like a familiar but there’s no emotion behind it. If I had to say…. The feeling is more like a limb that’s attached through a spirit connection.”

A second passed before the situation beyond this room suddenly forced its way past all the wonder.

“What happened while I was out?” I mused while staring at the harp.

Silence greeted the question for a moment before boots slapped across the floor until they were just beside me.

“The human leader wants us to meet her. It's been a few hours since we pulled in but whatever explanation Emerett had to give, it took a long time and their messenger just came with the summons ten minutes ago. That and a carriage.”

I nodded to the harp. I released a tired sigh as my left hand gripped the desk. Getting up took some doing but one wobbly rise brought me back onto my feet. The errant thought of conducting a negotiation after birthing my scion tool was daunting. Shaking hands gripped the fur covered cartilage for a second before I considered that this was the worst it would be.

That wasn’t even considering I won’t ever have to worry about such pains again. At least until Eli fixed his chips and we started our family. The relief of no longer having to worry about that mountain on my chest put life in my legs and a smile to match.

“Let’s not keep our partners on the sea waiting,” I announced.

Kantor and Mentar pulled to the sides to give me a clear shot onto the deck. Beyond the door were some sailors standing about as they tried to not make it look like they were dying to see what was going on in the cabin.

Cold winter air finally registered as I walked out onto the deck. A look to the right revealed the wooden dock where a fine carriage was waiting, though the driver was still in his black coat.Behind it was a few ship hulls being worked on and all the warehouses on the left.

My main point of interest was the plank of wood connecting the deck to land. An unsteady step followed a more certain one as I left the ship, scion tool in hand. Behind me trudged Kantor and two steel-clad guards. While I made it to the carriage first, my fake father insisted on opening it for me to climb in.

It was a bare thing with wooden benches on both sides and white curtains on all the windows. I sat on the right with a little fuss. Any attention I had to give was spent on my newest companion. While I had said it in haste, calling it a limb attached through a spirit connection was probably the most accurate description.

Sending a notion of flexing its muscles made it spread wide. Sinew strings flexed like their meaty cousins yet they held firm until the flexing harp stopped. What I got back through the odd connection was a sense similar to putting a forearm as far down as the elbow would allow.

Unlike the bare flesh beneath my blue dress, this new limb wasn’t feeling the winter chill despite the lack of clothes. As we were getting out of the carriage, I ran my fingers through the brown fur. It was the genuine article, or at least a fake too close for me to distinguish, but the flesh beneath had a weird aspect that I couldn’t quite reconcile. Every living thing I felt had some give to it when pressed down on. Aside from the skin itself, the flesh beneath the outer sides was all hard cartilage with not a drop of fat. Like all living things it surely had to eat. Even Cell had his usual snack of nuts. Did he need them? Or was it just-

The sudden jolt on the wooden floor pulled me back into the present.

Kantor was on my left while the two Kelton guards waited patiently behind me. To the right were three men with lion head helmets, metal armor etched with fur, and purple cloth along their arms. All barely noticed as the world was comprised of steel behind glass rushing downward which my knees informed me was ascent. Near the double wood doors directly ahead was a small lad wearing red shirts and pants done up with gold edges.

Any attention the humans had was given to the flesh harp in my hands. Wide brown and green eyes took in the impossibility but the men still had the awareness to have a hand hovering above a holstered blade. It took a few seconds more before the odd motion came to a gradual stop. The red-clothed lad moved to open the double doors revealing the top of a staircase directly across. Going through revealed a simple hallway of wooden walls and stone floors. I wasn’t given much time to take it in as the boy motioned me to take a right.

The long hallway with chandeliers along the ceiling ended in another double door though their steel presented a more menacing aspect. It was a grand thing made all the more curious by the lack of life between it and our group. An ominous feeling grew with each step bouncing off the stone walls and the paintings adorning them. Those metal slabs were soon within arms reach which the lion head guards moved to open.

When the inner room was revealed, the first thing I noticed was the woman sitting directly across a white marble table with gold edges. Her flowing red hair over a silky green dress had the sheen of health, as did those furrowed red eyebrows. Green eyes regarded me with open hostility while her palms rested on the chairs arms.

Glass walls showing the city below and the tiled floor of blue and gold filled in my peripheral vision but it was hard to look away from the woman showing sour lips below a small nose. Emerett stood off to the left side. Apparently unmolested despite not risking so much as a visible breath. The woman’s open hostility lasted for a second longer before jade irises moved to the prize in my arms. Curiosity battled for a moment longer before the hard edge of disdain in the woman’s body ebbed out with a placing of her hands in her lap. A motion that was accompanied by the lion guards moving to the sides of the table between us.

“I cannot profess great familiarity with the Kelton people, in spite of our shared home of the north,” She stated in a mild tone. “But I feel such crafts….or animals would have reached my ears at some point.”

“Such things wouldn’t have,” I responded, making the woman flinch from the typical rough Kelton voice. There was nothing for it, so I continued. “For I am the first scion of our people in generations.”

Those green eyes immediately shot to Emerett. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he met the gaze. Whatever was said between them, it was left to their spirit connection before the woman I presumed to be Ashe returned her gaze to me. Some tension left her shoulders but the smile still had a sour note.

“It seems bad luck wasn’t the pirate's true bane when facing your kind.” She intoned sweetly. “Emerett’s inspection and inquiries have shown your people to be rather free with your magic. Both in taking and repairing your prizes.”

I measured out every word to strike a balance between demanding and fealty. Not in the perfect proportion but the best I could come up with on the spot.

“Sadly, sometimes magic and effort aren’t the final words in taking a territory. If you want it back under house Kraton, some arrangement could be made.”

“Oh?” Ashe responded with a clenched jaw.

“The island is far out of our way and too close to those we want to avoid. It’s not our ancestral home nor are its occupants our people. Handing it back to those with more ties to it is for the best. Still, blood was lost in retaking the shield of the north. To say nothing of our own expenses in the venture. Is some compensation unreasonable?”

Something about that last word acted like a bucket of water on the fire inside her. Green-clothed arms crossed and, while her lips were still puckered, the long release of breath through a sharp nose seemed resigned. A moment of staring continued before she nodded in the human way.

“We’ve all suffered unreasonable people these past few months and we need not join them in their senselessness. Such an important service for the entire north is certainly deserving of some reward.”

Every shoulder in the room went down a good inch. If Ashe noticed, she didn’t let it slow her down.

“But I cannot say to know much about Kelton mages. Do you have the same abilities as a human healing scion?”

That she immediately focused on my personal abilities threw me off for a second.

“If you’re referring to the ability to heal limbs, then yes,” I said with a small smile.

“And would it offend if a demonstration was asked for?” She asked with the first sign of hesitation I had seen from her.

The first emotion was irritation at the turn in subject, but this conversation could well decide my people's fate, so I kept out any impertinent words.

“An entire arm would be a bit much. A finger, however, is easy enough.”

The woman’s red hair flowed with her nod to a lion guard on the left. He took a moment to get his right leather glove off. A tanned hand was revealed, though the finger beside his pinky was brown due to it being a wooden appendage. As he worked the straps keeping it attached to the rest of the hand, I started sucking in mana. Working joints and flesh back into existence took a good minute or so but soon a pale digit joined their tanned siblings.

The man gave me an appreciative human nod. I would have lingered on his gratitude if Ashe didn’t seem happier than the man who was just healed. Those puckered lips broke into a proper smile while she rose from the chair with a small bow.

“It seems better days are ahead for both our peoples. Unfortunately, to bring this to a proper close, we will need to get several architects there to assess the damage and see what the treasury will bear in compensation. Providing our best accommodations with meals for those guests who’ve done so much won’t break our coin purse, of course.”

Her second of staring at the guard on the right made the man’s brown eyes go wide. He stood still for a moment before turning back to me.

“If you would follow me,” He asked politely.

I returned a human nod to Ashe before following the man out of the room. As we left the room, a red-clothed messenger boy ran ahead of us. The hallway was wide enough that the lad got around us with all manners intact. At the opposite end of the crafted shaft were chairs by a window showing the wider city below but it was the staircase along the right that the boy dashed down.

As we filed into the elevator, I resumed perusing my familiar tool. Despite how important the trip here was, there was something about this harp of sinew and muscle I couldn’t pull my mind away from. The universe gave Eli all the time he needed to parse out his scion birthright yet I was allotted only a few minutes between walks. As unfair as it was, the injustice would only continue until I got to the sleeping quarters. Cooling my impatience allowed me to notice the weird look the brown eyes in the lion helmet were giving me as the double doors closed.

“Is something the matter?” I asked as politely as I could manage.

“You are to be given the royal quarters.” He stated simply as he fitted a metal tube in a panel on the left of the closed doors.

“An unusual thing?”

The lions head slowly went up and down as he worked the wooden dial.

“It risks offending the Laperict heads. A grey area, as far as convention go, but allowing others to occupy the rooms meant to hold the royal family is very risky. Our lady must see great worth in you.” He offered mildly. The tone of his last words conveyed ‘Ashe must be crazy to do this’ more than any compliment, but rules around royal etiquette were beyond my purview to comment on.