The queen turned to her guard captain and began to issue orders to assist us in any way possible. I turned to my group and spotted Eshaan staring at the sylvani queen’s body once more. I pressed my lips firmly together and shook my head.

Alright. Time to admit I’m just a bit peeved. I stepped over to him and reached out, putting a fingertip under his chin, turning his face to me. I smiled sweetly, tipping my head to the side.

“Eshaan~” I said, as sweetly as I could manage. “Could you please not stare at the queen like that? It’s making me a bit upset.”

Eshaan turned bright red, and stammered “Wha- I- uh-!”

Daniyel and Soriya both burst into laughter, Daniyel slapping Eshaan across the shoulders so hard that Eshaan staggered.

“Best confess to it, lad. The look on her face could sink an airship!” He chortled.

I blinked in confusion. Surely my expression wasn’t scary? I was smiling and everything!

Soriya smirked, then patted Daniyel lightly on the bicep. “You stare too.” She said mildly.

Daniyel shrugged with a casual grace and nodded. “I do. These sylvani are very attractive. Almost as attractive as you, lady Witch.” He smiled at her calmly. “I know this, since they have rarely taken their eyes off you two. It might make a less secure man jealous.”

He turned back to Eshaan and patted him on the shoulders again. “Go on lad. She was honest with you, and deserves the same.” He advised gently.

Eshaan gave his nervous little chuckle, rubbing the back of his head. He looked up and me and his eyes were filled with sincerity.

He nodded. “Alright, it’s true, yes. I’m staring. But I mean… she’s really pretty!” he flushed and looked down. “But they’re all staring at you! It makes me…” He squirmed uncomfortably, took a deep breath and rushed on. “You’re so pretty, and you’re interested in a guy like me, and it’s not fair that they’re staring at you like that!”

I blinked in baffled confusion. “Eh? What? I’m this ‘Avatar’ they’re waiting for, that’s not-”

He cut me off. “Trust me Lily. They are not just staring at you because you’re ‘the Avatar’.” He paused, then gave a little smirk. “Unless ‘the Avatar’ is located in your hips or chest? If that’s so, then Soriya must be the Avatar too.”

I could feel a flush heating my cheeks, and fought to focus.

Well, I mean… Soriya kind of is…? I thought.

I looked to the others for backup, but they only nodded in agreement. I noticed that Soriya’s cheeks were rather pink as well.

“Eh? Eh?!” I stammered.

I could feel my blush getting even brighter. I mean, I knew I was pretty, I had access to a mirror after all, but it really just… hadn’t seemed all that important for…

Goodness, how long? I can’t seem to remember… but… does Eshaan really think I’m as pretty as the sylvani?! That’s so sweet of him! Chasing after that thought, a quieter thought. He thinks I’m as pretty as Soriya? Really?! But she’s much prettier than me!

I opened and closed my mouth a few times, at a loss for words.

Soriya nudged Eshaan with her elbow, grinning. “Smooth moves there. You’ve rendered her speechless and she’s blushing.”

Daniyel said “Perhaps not the best time-”

“No. Definitely the best time.” Eshaan said, and stepped forward taking my hands in his.

“Lily, I’ve wanted to say this for a while but… well you know how I am. You truly are beautiful, but even more than that… I can’t believe you’re actually interested in a guy like me. You’re so far out of my league I can’t believe you even look at me, but you kissed me back in Hecate. You’re quite possibly the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known.” He grinned and then kissed me on the forehead. “And you take me to the most interesting places.”

I was saved from melting down in terminal embarrassment by the soft cough of the queen and the guard captain. I jerked up, looking at them, feeling utterly mortified that I’d been so thoroughly caught out.

“Shall we escort you to the scout ship?” The captain said with a faint smile. “There are… private quarters onboard.”

I wanted to melt through the floor and die in fire.

The queen shot him a look. “Captain. Enough of that. They are heroes of legend, and have saved us. Let us ease their passage, rather than tease them to no good end.”

Lakshmi spoke up. “I haven’t given up my ship, you know! The Sparrowhawk is still mine! She still runs!”

The queen raised her eyebrows in surprise and then said “Very well. If you insist… I suppose we can tow it to one of our drydocks and service it.”

“No!” Lakshmi protested. “Just let us return to it and use it instead!”

The queen shook her head. “I’m afraid that’s quite out of the question, the holding labyrinths of the Arcana of Sky and Ice require the presence of a Sylvani ship to access. You would not be able to enter them with your metal vessel.

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Lakshmi threw her arms up and whirled in a circle of frustration. “Agh! I can’t believe this!” She spun again and pointed at me. “This is the fourth ship you’ve cost me!”

I recoiled from the vehemence in her voice.

Daniyel said softly, “The Sparrowhawk is not lost. We are merely borrowing a friendly vessel. A vessel with unique and unknown technologies.” He pressed.

Lakshmi scowled up at him fiercely, her mouth working as though she was chewing something bitter.

“I am… that is…” she stomped her foot angrily and crossed her arms. “I’m still counting this against your tally!” She pointed at me.

I pressed my lips together to hide a smile and then nodded gravely. “I understand. That’s more than fair.” I said to her. “My quest has led to quite a few surprises. For all of us.”

I turned back to the queen. “That said, would it be alright if we had a little rest before we headed off to the next arcanum? I think we deserve it.”

The queen smiled. “I think that can be arranged.”

In short order, we were shown to a pair of luxurious suites in the upper levels of the palace. As we passed the servants in the halls, the sylvani greeted us cheerfully, thanking us for freeing them. And, I was mortified to realize, staring at my body. Eshaan was right. Still, it felt good to receive praise, to know that I’d actually helped. Though I did wonder why I’d not leveled up. That worried me a bit. I hoped it wasn’t because there was another fight coming… but perhaps I should expect it. Still, this had been a very easy ‘encounter’ so far.

The women took one suite, and the men took the other. I happily headed into the bath, delighted to find that they used the same fire and water crystals as the baths back home. And the baths were enormous! Not as huge as the bathhouse in Breezewood, but wonderfully extravagant!

“Say, this is nice. We should guilt trip foreign dignitaries more often!” Said Soriya, leaning back in the bath and laying her head on the tiled edge.

“Strictly speaking, that is a poor way to repay your hosts.” murmured Lakshmi, her eyes closed. “As a royal princess, I really could not recommend it. Fortunately, I am the dread air pirate Lakshmi the Red, and think this is an excellent use of resources. It’s just a pity we can’t liberate a handsome captive prince while we’re here.”

I giggled. “I think Camaxtli might have a bit to say about that.”

Lakshmi’s eyes popped open and she glared at me. “Miss ‘everyone’s looking at me’ says what?!” She said archly.

I flushed brightly, and ducked my head underwater to avoid having to answer.

After the bath, cleaned and dressed in sylvani robes while the castle staff cleaned and patched our somewhat worn adventuring gear, we gathered in a small dining area.

I couldn’t help giggling quietly. The entire feast was vegetarian, and it was just so perfect to see Lakshmi mutter about barbarian savage customs, and Eshaan pick confusedly at his mushroom steak.

It was delicious, and the frown that Daniyel wore as he poked suspiciously at the green leafy vegetables with his fork was too funny.

Camaxtli finished his sparse meal, and set aside the plate, leaning forward.

“I feel I must apologize to you.” He addressed me. “I had… doubts. I continue to have… the data is clearly in agreement and this is causing difficulty with my… preconceptions. There should not have beem an Arcanum here. And yet we find ourselves with a solid lead to two more and you in possession of the prophesied Arcanum. You predicted this outcome. You predicted… many events that were unforeseeable, and yet you constantly remain surprised at lesser, entirely predictable, things.

“At no point has your behavior deviated from your stated intentions, and indeed the sylvani revelation that they engaged in open warfare to prevent this meddling with souls… explains a great deal.”

He bowed his head to me. “I apologize for considering the likelihood that you were mad.”

The table descended into an awkward silence. I reached over and patted his hand, which earned me a glare from Lakshmi.

“If it’s any consolation, I’ve wondered if I might be quite mad often enough. Is this all a dream? Am I trapped in a coma dying in a hostpital?” I shrugged. “I don’t know. I only have the experience of my senses to go on. I’m forced to proceed with the information I have at hand, nonsensical as it is.” I smiled at him. “A rather famous author once wrote ‘Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.’ If all the information you’re receiving tells you that the impossible has happened… where does that leave you?”

Camaxtli was silent, his eyes whirling in thought, then he nodded slowly. “I will… take it under advisement. This… foray into the world has been terrifying. It is not easy to discover that the answers to questions are ‘I don’t know’ and ‘It depends’ rather than simple, rational outcomes.”

Lakshmi reached across the table and squeezed Camaxtli’s hand. “I know, right?! That’s why it’s always better to be an air pirate if you can!”

Camaxtli was still for a long moment, and I felt my heart skip a beat when I saw the corners of his lips curve upward ever so faintly as he looked at her.

“There are… advantages. To this mode of thought.” He said to Lakshmi.

To my surprise, Eshaan suddenly spoke up. “Say Lily? I’ve been thinking. Do you think maybe the reason you keep having all those ghost encounters and things is related to that? Like, souls and stuff? You’re supposed to put it all in balance?”

I blinked at him, my mouth dropping open in surprise.

Lakshmi gave Eshaan a mock frown. “What’s this?! When does the post have thoughts?!”

He gave her a mild scowl. “Hey! I have thoughts! Lots of thoughts! All the thinking, going on up here!” He tapped his head.

I could feel my eyebrows climbing up to my hairline. I hurriedly schooled my features to stillness and asked “What do you mean, Eshaan?”

He turned back to me. “Well, if you’re from that well, and the machine is all about souls, but it’s broken or stuck or something, and that’s what’s making the Wake? Or something, that part was really confusing.” He waved his spoon vaguely, and I gave a little internal sigh.

So dumb. But so cute and so earnest.

“But basically-” he went on “-the System machine wants you to fix itself, but it uses soul glue to do that, so it made you extra soul glue-y, which means you get drawn into weird encounters with ghosts and stuff. And that’s all in the Wake!” He finally concluded.

Lakshmi burst out “That has to be the dumbest-!”

“He’s probably right.” Said Soriya, calmly. “It would explain why all these things keep happening to you.” I could see from the look in her eyes, she really meant to us.

I pushed the ever present worry that Soriya had not had enough of a presence in this prophecy to justify her ‘dark half’. I did not want to have to fight my best friend! I shuddered all over at the thought.

I already have to fight my shadowself and past memories, isn’t that enough, plot?!

Conversation turned to the prospective events of gaining access to a sylvani airship, and soon after, we retired to bed. Our clothes, now cleaned and mended, had been left neatly folded by our beds. A discreet note informed us that several improvements, compliments of the queen, had been woven into the fabric. Lakshmi was ecstatic over the new intricate designs that had been imprinted into her red leather duster, and I had to admit, the new form my robe took when it finished squirming into shape from the ‘runic poncho’ was a significant improvement in both style and ease of movement.

Still stuck in white and red robes though. Oh well.

The down featherbed provided one of the deepest and relaxing nights of sleep I’d had in… a very long time.