“Welcome aboard the Zephyr you two, now if you will kindly follow me to the lounge, we’ll be departing shortly.”
I started, realizing the attendant was talking to Trevor and I. “By all means sir, lead the way,” I said, distracted by the hive of activity around me as the vessel got ready to lift off. With a curt nod the man turned on his heels and began to make his way deeper into the ship.
Without so much as pausing to confirm Trevor and I were following the sailor began what was clearly an oft-repeated introduction. “Let me say once more, welcome aboard the Zephyr, one of the stalwarts of Her Majesty’s fleet. I am Lewis Malke, and I will be serving as the Passenger Liaison for this voyage. The Zephyr is a traditional cargo vessel, refurbished slightly to accommodate more passengers in service of the northern route, and boasts four MorningSun Model 3 magitech engines, making her the most powerful ship in the sky this side of the Fesle.”
“Mr. Malke, is there any chance we could get an opportunity to get a look at the engines while we’re aboard?” Magitech was rare in Wrenfall, and I was intrigued at what I could learn from a real life piece of enchantment.
“I’m afraid not,” Malke said, sounding anything but apologetic, “MorningSun considers the design of the engines proprietary”
Trevor shook his head in sympathy. “It’s fine Jae, I’m sure there will be plenty of opportunities to examine similar devices at Meithnil.”
“Yeah you’re right,” I sighed. “Pardon the interruption Sir, please continue.”
“Very well. As I was saying, the Zephyr traditionally carries cargo and supplies for the more northern settlements. We are currently expecting to make two further stops after Wrenfall before we begin our turn to the south.” He paused briefly as a soft chime sounded from previously hidden speakers. “Ah it seems we are ready to depart. If the two of you wouldn’t mind holding on to something, this can be a bit jarring for the uninitiated.”
Trevor and I grabbed on to the wall near a window, his eyes as wide as mine felt. A low rumble filled the air and the floor beneath my feet began to shake. Just as I was about to ask if this was normal, the ship lurched, and the view from the window started to slide away.
“Trevor, this is it,” I said breathlessly, “we’re finally on our way.”
We stared in silence as the only home we had ever known grew smaller and smaller.
Trevor began to point out familiar buildings as all of Wrenfall fell into view. “There’s my house, and there’s the God’s Beard. Jae, look at how tiny the schoolhouse seems from up here!”
I swallowed past the lump that had formed in my throat. “No turning back now is there?”
“No. no there isn’t,” he agreed. He paused and then continued, “Do you think Jessica will still like me when we see each other again?”
I laughed, the moment fully shattered. “I dunno Trevor, there’s always the risk she meets a handsome stranger on her skyship and falls madly in love.”
“Shit, you really think that’s possible?”
“No you moron, you’ll be fine. Now come on, it looks like that liaison guy isn’t going to
wait any longer.”
We caught up to Malke in the main lounge, the man cutting a taciturn figure in the dying evening light. The lounge spanned half the width of the ship and looked to have enough seats for about thirty passengers. Windows lined the wall, allowing for an unparalleled view of the forest below us. At the front of the room sat a small bar and a piano that looked like it hadn’t been touched in years.
“Ah, there you two are. Here are your cabin keys, meals will be held in the lounge, times are in the pamphlet, please take some time to familiarize with the emergency procedures, also in the pamphlet. Any questions?”
“Are there any restrictions on practicing magic on the ship sir?” I asked, reaching to take proffered keys and pamphlet, “My friend and I are on our way to the University and would like to keep our skills sharp.”
“That should be fine,” Malke said, already turning to leave, “nothing fire based, lightning
based, and do remember that you are liable for any damages you may cause.” With that he strode from the room.
I began to rifle through the booklet, thankful to see it included a rough map of the ship in addition to everything else. “Well, what do you say? Should we see where we’ll be living for the next few days?”
Trevor shrugged. “Don’t see why not. Seems like there's not much else to do until breakfast.”
With that reminder, the weight of the day began to sink in and we hurriedly made our way down the narrow passageways. Opening the door to our room, we were met with the sight of a narrow box, two beds stacked on top of one another on one side and a sad excuse for a table on the other. It would have to do.
“Dibs on the top bunk,” Trevor said, fighting his way through a yawn. “I’m too light of a sleeper to have you crawling over me.”
I didn’t have strong opinions and quickly acquiesced. Although I worried that I would be too nervous to fall asleep in the alien environment, that fear quickly proved to be unfounded and I was out before my head hit the pillow.
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I awoke to the sound of Trevor snoring like a hibernating direcat. Well this is just fantastic, I thought, good thing the University dorms are suite style. If I had to wake up to this everyday for six years I would smother him in his sleep.
Slipping my way out of bed, I made my way to the washroom. The chill of the floor wormed its way up through my shoes as I noticed details that I had been too tired to see the night before. It was clear that the Zephyr was never meant to carry passengers. That hallway was sparsely decorated and what little there was was slapped on haphazardly. The lights were bare white magelights, not the works of art the skyships in my stories had. Yet despite the general air of age and hard use that permeated the vessel, she was clean and well maintained.
Having completed my morning ablutions I made my way forward, grabbing a simple breakfast as I settled in to continue my journey through Burbak’s Treatise on Mana Enhancement. I had barely made it a chapter in before I was interrupted by the rest of the passengers starting their day.
“Ah, another Meithnil hopeful I see.”
I looked up from my reading to see a whipcord thin man had taken the seat across from me. Charcoal skin and a clean shaven head, he certainly stood out in this corner of the Empire.
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“Why, yes,” I said, “what gave me away?”
At that he chuckled and gestured to my book. “I can’t think of any other reason why someone would suffer through Burbak’s miserable attempts at prose other than for First Year Mana Enhancement.”
“That’s not entirely fair, he has his moments.” I put down the book, since it was clear I wouldn’t be making further progress any time soon.
At that he waved his hand dismissively. “Oh the man was a genius mage,” he said, “it's just whenever he put ink to paper all that came out was sand.”
“You’re not too far off,” I sighed in defeat, “I can only ever read it in the morning or I risk falling asleep and wasting the day.”
“A trap many a freshman has fallen for I assure you. Or at least they did in my day.”
“Oh you’re a graduate of Meithnil? It’s a pleasure to meet you, any tips for this coming year?” It was rare that I got to speak to another mage. The only practitioner of the arts in Wrenfall was the school mistress and by her own admission she was a rank novice. Mages weren’t rare in the scope of the Empire, but a qualified mage commanded a high price so they tended to congregate in wealthier cities.
“Unfortunately I can’t call myself a full graduate; I chose to leave after my third year. Not all of us are cut out for the real high level wizardy,” he said, his cheery demeanor slipping for a moment, “that being said, focus on your fundamentals.”
“My fundamentals?”
“Yes, yes. Learning big fancy spells is great for impressing the peasants, but refining your mana enhancement and runecraft is what will really set you ahead of your classmates.”
I grimaced at the book propped on my lap. “I appreciate the advice, I’ll make sure to work on that this trip.”
“Ah you’ll find that more difficult then normal I’d imagine.” Seeing the confused look on my face he grinned,”Oh you don’t know do you? Well you’ll find out soon enough, no reason to spoil the surprise.” Sighing, he pushed himself to his feet. “You have a lovely rest of your morning, I’ll leave you to your reading.”
As I sank back into Burbak’s impressively dull instructions on how best to seed one’s bones with mana, I peered over the top of the textbook as the lounge slowly came to life. A band of soldiers, clearly bound for the northern outpost, shambled in, reaching for the ytr leaves laid out on the bar. I hadn’t seriously considered becoming a Spear, but I eagerly took the opportunity to observe the group.
They were a typical representation of the army. Weathered from years of service, they were well disciplined, carrying the classic short sword sidearm on their hip and the Empress's crest on shining spaulders. They chewed their ytr in silence, before one of the more grizzled soldiers broke off to ask a crew member a question.
There didn’t appear to be a Spear among them, which was disappointing. The elite battle mages were revered across Veladia. Striding across the front in their night-black robes, they were renowned for being able to turn the tide of battle with their mere presence. Stories were still told about the glassing of Helena City, the last time a full platoon of Spears was assembled.
In contrast, the soldiers on board the Zephyr were fully of the mundane variety. It made sense: the northern outpost primarily defended against the odd monster or to send word in the unlikely event that one of our more aggressive neighbors attempted a surprise invasion. If the fort had a single Spear attached I would be shocked.
The serene morning calm was broken as a boisterous group of men and women made their way into the lounge.
“I’m telling you,” an exceptionally well muscled man boomed, “this time is going to be different! I heard from a reliable source that the contracts in Glasspine are huge!”
A tall, slender woman sighed in exasperation. “The same source that sent us hunting around Feulhold for months on end looking for a thunder roc egg?”
“No,” the man said, “I’m telling you Lucy, this one’s for real.”
I couldn’t help but listen in as they settled in for breakfast.
“I don’t get it,” another member of their group said, “why would Glasspine need to drop so much gold on extermination contracts?”
The man shrugged. “Don’t know, don’t particularly care. As long as we get paid I’ll slaughter as many beasties as they want.”
“Still Pieter,” the woman said icily, “it would be nice to know what we’re getting into for once. Gareth is still recovering from our last ill-informed escapade.”
‘My mana channels were raw for months,” the fourth adventurer said, rubbing his arms. “Another disaster like that and I might well have to retire.”
I winced at the thought. I had never experienced it myself, not having had reason to cast that much magic, but I had read about mana channel damage. If a mage repeatedly cast spellwork beyond what they had enhanced their body to handle, it could erode the path mana took through the body. It was supposed to be extraordinarily painful to recover from and in severe enough cases could cost a mage their ability to cast at all.
It was interesting to see a mage adventurer. Although stories were filled with wandering casters slaying beasts and discovering treasure, the army tended to snatch up anyone with an inclination for combat. The child in me loved the idea of joining a group like theirs but I never enjoyed the more rustic nature of the job.
----------------------------------------
Around mid morning, I passed Trevor in the hallway as I made my way back to the cabin. I smirked as he blearily returned my wave. He had never been a morning person and I was glad to see our adventure hadn’t changed anything.
Back in the room, I slumped onto the bed, screwing shut my eyes as I resumed my work on mana enhancement. I had made good progress so far, having extended my natural mana pool into my sternum. I took a deep breath in and started on my ribs. I immediately realized what the gentleman from breakfast was talking about. The ambient mana that mages used to drill matrices through the body was much thinner up here. I scowled, my plans to finish enhancing my ribs by the time we reached Meitnil thoroughly scuttled.
The familiar burn of mana enhancement suffused my body as I meditated. Slowly I stripped mana from the air to push the boundaries of my current pool. Although a wizard could decide where their initial cache of mana was located, I had followed the standard approach of rooting it in my skeleton. While it tended to be a slower path, it was relatively foolproof. Most texts heavily recommended that enhancements of organs and muscles be made only under the close supervision of trained healers.
The days that followed fell into a similar pattern, I took my meals in the lounge, either reading through a textbook or talking with Trevor. If I wasn’t in the lounge I was invariably back in the cabin, working on my mana enhancement. It was a couple days after the Zephyr turned southward, having dropped off the soldiers at the outpost, that the monotony of the journey was broken.
“I’m sick of the same damn walls. Once we’re done here I’m never taking a skyship again.”
I sighed, releasing my grasp of the mana around me. Trevor had been complaining of boredom ever since we stopped at Glasspine.
“Going to be difficult to see your parents then,” I pointed out, “not many other ways to get to Wrenfall.”
“Ugh. Just because you’re right doesn’t mean you have to point it out, Jae.”
We had been confined to the cabin due to a growing storm and he was going exceptionally stir crazy.
Before I could respond, the ship dropped ten feet and the rumble of the engines grew to a whine.
“Trevor, this storm is really something.” I peered out the window, taking in the lightning stabbing across the sky. “How long do you think we’ll be sailing through it?”
“I dunno,” he said, “few more hours maybe?”
The wind, which had been batting the ship around for most of the day, started to howl.
“Here’s hoping you’re right,” I said nervously, “I can’t focus with this noise.”
Trevor laughed. “I don’t know how you don’t get bored with how much you practice. I always knew you were dedicated, but living with you makes me feel like I should be working harder.”
“That’s because you should be.”
“Relax, Jae. We have years at Meithnil, I’m going to enjoy my last few days of freedom.”
My rebuttal died on my lips as the small porthole on the wall shattered, glass and rain billowing into the room.
“Shit!” I jumped back, shaking shards of window off my clothing. “Trevor, any suggestions?”
“Uh, I’ll go try to flag down a crew member.”
As Trevor descended from the top bunk, the Zephyr plunged another twenty feet, throwing him first to the ceiling then on to the floor. “Trevor! Are you alright? Oh man, you’re bleeding pretty heavily, here let me get you a towel.” Only once I had pressed a cloth to his head did I realize the ship had not recovered its list and in the hallway a klaxon was sounding.