“I will make sure that a proper messenger is sent to you.”
“Then I am content.” Nia Reign shared another wolfish smile with Sevana. “Good hunting, Sellion.”
“She will not escape,” Sevana promised her, nearly purring with dark promise. “On that, you can rest assured.”
If Sevana had not known better, she would have vowed that before becoming the Jade Emperor, the man was the Immortal Janitor or something along those lines. Never in her life did she see a cleanup as fast as this one. In two days, the village, docks, and rice fields were all clear. A good section of the coast was also clear, leaving half the isle in good condition, although it couldn’t be said to be back in its original shape. Most of the animals that had survived the explosion chose to congregate there, as it was the safest place for them to be. Chi-Lin was riding herd on them to make sure that any natural predators were kept in check. He also worked out some deal with the Unda to help him feed everyone from the sea. Most of the cleanup work was done by the Jade Emperor, as he did not rest for more than a few minutes before applying his considerable divine power onto the problem.
Master had him help with the breach, the section of sea impacted most by the break in the barrier, with Nia Reign’s blessing. Since it had spilled over from land and into sea, it took everyone’s combined effort to fix the situation. Now the lava was back where it was supposed to be, the acidic water filtered, and it was safe to walk through that area. Sevana knew that it would take years before the place was habitable, but at least it wasn’t dangerous anymore.
Early on the third day, she found the Jade Emperor poking and prodding at Jumping Clouds the same way that a child would a new toy. If memory served, the gods of this pantheon were used to riding palanquins during holidays and celebrations. From his perspective, perhaps Jumping Clouds looked like a massive palanquin? It had the same square shape, roof, and open windows to it that a smaller palanquin would.
Sensing her approach, the Jade Emperor turned and beckoned to her. “Is this yours? I have seen three devices like it but this one seems very different from the rest.”
“Of course it is,” she agreed, coming up to stand next to him. “It’s the original. I created this. Everyone else copied my design. It’s a flying ship, designed to carry cargo and passengers great distances.”
Intrigued, he asked, “How far can it fly?”
“It’s more a matter of how much magic it has to fly with. Other than that, it has no limit.”
“Truly?” He regarded the ship from prow to stern once again. “I have been contemplating on how to bring both you and Arandur with me. It would be cumbersome to hold you throughout the journey after all.”
A point that she had not considered until he brought it up. Now that he had, she started to worry about that too. Did she really want to be held by this god for days at a time? “You’re welcome to use Jumping Clouds. It’ll be a far more convenient way to travel, especially as we’re bringing two more people back with us.”
“That is so.” Beaming, he nearly bounced on his toes. “I accept your offer. While we travel, you must tell me more about human magic. I have had little interaction with it and I see now that my ignorance is to my people’s detriment. You have done much to help them, as have the other magicians you have called, and it would behoove me to gain a better understanding of such matters.”
A god willing to learn? Sevana had respect for people that could not only acknowledge their shortcomings but work to overcome them. “I have no problem teaching you, Jade Emperor.”
“I am glad. Then, I think we shall take this and leave soon. I believe that you and Arandur will want to pack provisions first?”
“Aran anticipated that you wanted to leave soon, so he’s seeing to our food now. Jade Emperor, if you could make sure the ship is clean? I’ll pack my tools and things and we should be able to get underway in the next hour.”
Blinking, the Jade Emperor regarded her with mild surprise. “So quickly? I thought preparations for journeys would take longer than that.”
“Not with us,” Sevana denied with a shrug. “Aran and I both are used to traveling, as our occupations demand a great deal of it, and half the time we’re leaving because of an emergency. We’ve learned how to pack the essentials quickly. I’ll meet you back here in an hour.”
Sevana was correct in that it took less than an hour for them all to meet back at Jumping Clouds. The bags of clothes, tools, and food were safely stowed before Sevana took the wheel. She had left the majority of her tools behind, as she didn’t need them anyway and the people here might. But she took what she thought she’d need, if her magic decided to cooperate.
Without a word to her, Aran touched the main control pad and inserted his magic, starting Jumping Clouds off. This interaction, so quietly done, still did not escape the Jade Emperor’s eyes. As they lifted up into the air, he watched their ascent for long moments before asking, “Is there a reason, Artifactor, that you do not use magic on your own machine?”
“I think you know there is,” she responded a little tartly. “You said they went in a north-easterly direction? Precisely where?”
Aran pointed for her, then bent over her back to guide the ship around until the compasses were pointing in the right direction. It was a gesture he had done often, as they’d spent so much time together that physical contact between them had become a comfortable thing, although for some strange reason it was not like that right now. She was hyperaware of every brush of him against her back and every breath he took. “Here,” he said against her temple. “Keep this bearing for now.”
Sevana was highly relieved when he leaned back again. She felt strangely flushed from that contact.
The Jade Emperor regarded him with respect. “I have underestimated a Fae’s eyes. I did not believe you could see their trail. It is several days’ old after all.”
“I’m a tracker,” Aran explained simply.
“Ah, now I understand.” Not to be put off, he inclined his head to Sevana. “Her magical core is fluctuating badly. I do not wish to pry, but considering where we are going, I do need to know.”
Aran, as usual, spoke the words that left a bitter aftertaste in Sevana’s mouth. “Sev nearly died several months ago. In order to save her, I put some of my blood into her, but in doing that it made her partly Fae. Her magic has been wildly out of control since.”
Eyebrows arched, the Jade Emperor pressed, “Was that the only effect?”
“No, strangely enough, it did do several other things none of us were anticipating. It’s increased her sense of sight, smell, and hearing by about thirty percent. It’s also seemed to have an anti-aging effect. It hasn’t halted her time, not like an immortal’s, but it has decreased it. We believe that if she were to remain in her current state, she would live a good three hundred years.” Candidly, Aran confided, “We don’t wish to leave her in this state, of course, it’s terribly inconvenient for her. But Sev is a unique case. We haven’t had someone like her in living memory. We’re thinking that we’ll have to do some serious study and experimentation to solve her magic problems. Either that or turn her wholly Fae.”
“I did not think you could do that to an adult…?” the Jade Emperor said slowly, thinking hard.
“We didn’t either, but honestly, our lore suggested that putting Fae blood into an adult would be like poison. It would either strengthen them or kill them. I was taking a huge gamble when I tried what I did. It’s why the results are so surprising. Not only did it save her, it also adapted to her, changed her into half-Fae. We’re now starting to question a great deal of our lore and teachings because of her.”
The Jade Emperor gave a sage nod. “I see why. Do keep me apprised of this, Arandur. I want to know the results.”
“Many do. I’ll add you onto the list,” Sevana drawled.
Looking about, the Jade Emperor found a swivel chair and perched himself comfortably. “We will hold this course for some time, I believe. While we fly, I
wish to learn more about your magic.”
Taking that as an open invitation, Sevana gave him a crash course on the basics of human magic. No surprise to anyone, the Jade Emperor was an avid student and his mind such that he retained anything told to him, so that she never had to repeat herself. Sometimes her explanations confused him, but Aran had gone through this same process, and he would rephrase it in a way more understandable.
This wasn’t something that could be taught in a single afternoon, but she’d covered the highlights before they agreed to break for dinner. At that point, Sevana realized that they had a slight problem to work out. “Gentlemen, how do we want to do this? We can land, as Jumping Clouds is sea worthy and won’t sink if we settle on the water for the night. Or we can take it in shifts and fly through the night. I have no preference.”
The Jade Emperor lifted a single finger to call attention to himself. “Sevana, are you able to see their trail for yourself?”
“Not in this failing light, no.” Even right now it was barely visible to her, only a faint glimmer in the air.
“Then I would need to stay up with you if we chose to fly through the night. Humans do not function well without sleep the next day, so I am not sure if this is a wise choice.”
“I wouldn’t need to stay up all night,” Sevana explained patiently. “Aran knows how to fly the ship and can do it on his own. Actually, what we’d be doing is splitting the shift in half, four hours each. I would need you to stay up with me to navigate but then we can rest when he takes over.”
Brows arched slightly, the Jade Emperor gave Aran an interested study. “You can pilot this on your own?”
“If you hang about her for the better part of a year,” Aran responded with an amused shrug, “you learn how to do all sorts of things. I learned how to pilot this first as it was more convenient that way.”
“He hasn’t gotten us lost or crashed us yet,” Sevana said cheerfully. “Which is more than I can say for some of my students.”
“In that case, I am amenable to flying through the night. Who shall take first watch?”
Sevana lifted a fist toward Aran, an open invitation to play, and he readily held out his own. They did a quick game of rock-paper-scissors, resulting in Aran’s win, so he chose the second watch. Sevana actually preferred that as she hated sleeping only to have to wake up and immediately work again. Her brain didn’t normally shift gears that readily.
After dinner, Aran grabbed a quilt and pillow from a back cupboard and rolled into it, almost instantly falling asleep. Sevana made sure he was settled before regaining the pilot’s seat and checking her instruments to verify they were still on course. “Tian-Mu’s not deviated from this direction all day. But as far as I’m aware, there’s nothing out here but ocean until you cross to the other end of Mander and reach the Kesley Islands.”
“I am not sure if she is heading toward them,” the Jade Emperor said slowly, stroking thoughtfully at his beard. “But I am concerned with her direction. She will have stumbled across both dragon and Unda territory if she does not deviate.”
And that worried Sevana. Neither one of those races was lax about uninvited guests to say the least. “Jade Emperor, if we have to cross them, then it would be best to stop and explain ourselves to them, gain permission to cross their lands. I do have a few contacts near here that might help if we need it.”
“That is good to know. I do not believe we will have that trouble, however. Tian-Mu is rash, but not stupid. She will surely avoid making more enemies this far from home.”
One would think, but this was the same woman that had set off a volcano in a fit of rage, so Sevana wasn’t holding her breath. She started making mental contingency plans for when things did go very wrong. She didn’t have any gold on board—which now seemed like a very gross oversight—so going into dragon territory would be more than difficult. Outright dangerous. She would consider it suicidal if not for that fact that a god and Fae were on board. If anyone could talk them through it, it would be these two.
Sevana didn’t even want to consider how to cross into Unda territory. Even with her elevated company, it might be suicidal to approach them.
“Sevana, if I may ask, how did your relationship begin with the Fae?”
It was a question that many wanted to ask and few dared to. Sevana saw no reason not to relate the story, as it would while away the time. “I’m neighbors with South Woods. That was the very beginning of it. I respected their territory, they in turn respected mine, and it stayed that way for many years. Then one day I brought them a human orphan. I did it more for his sake than anything else, but they were extremely grateful to me, and I promised to bring other orphans as I found them. I average anywhere between fifteen to twenty a year, just children that I stumble across in my travels. There is nothing that the Fae cherish more than their children. It fostered an extremely close relationship between us.”
The Jade Emperor gave a silent ‘ahh’ of understanding. “That would account for it.”
“That’s mostly the basis. At the end of last year, however, a case fell into my lap that was rather heinous in nature. I discovered during the course of it that Fae ink had been used, and when I pursued the matter, I learned it had actually been stolen from North Woods. They were livid at the theft and grateful I had found the hole in their security. After the case was settled, and I was back on my feet, I went through South and North Woods’ security systems and made sure that human magic couldn’t defeat it. By that point, I’d become a daughter to them.” She’d said it so simply, but Sevana felt the weight of all those memories and experiences as she relayed the matter. Becoming part of the Fae had nearly cost her life. “You wondered earlier why Aran is so protective of me? Because I nearly died during that last case, all while helping the Fae nation, and they are now anxious to avoid such a situation again.”
“I do not think that is the only reason,” the Jade Emperor demurred with a distinct twinkle in his eyes. The setting sun still gave her enough light to see that there was an enigmatic smirk on his face.
Knowing what he meant, she shrugged. “He’s strangely fond of me as well, which I can’t explain, as I know well that I’m a bear to live with sometimes.”
Giving a noncommittal sound, the Jade Emperor let that be. “Arandur has mentioned perhaps the chance of you becoming truly Fae. Is this something you desire?”
“I have no idea,” she admitted with a troubled frown. “It wasn’t something I thought possible until I came here. He only recently mentioned the idea to me. I want to return home, do some research, and really think about it for a while. It would mean changing my entire lifestyle and I’m not sure if I’m willing to do that.”
“It is wise to take your time and ponder. Once changed, it would be impossible to reverse and return to being human.”
Which was exactly her worry. Actually, Sevana wasn’t sure if she preferred being human over the possibility of being Fae. The Fae body was far superior after all. It was the rest of it that she wasn’t sure what to think of. Her magic would change completely and all of her human ability in that department would disappear. She would be wholly Fae, magic included. Also, the Fae didn’t live apart from each other, not even those like Aran who worked outside of the territory. They always returned home as soon as they could. Aran coming to stay with her was far outside of the norms, and even in his case it was only because she was considered to be Fae. He wasn’t really living among humans per se.
Having lived most of her life traveling about the world at ease, would she be content always staying in the same area? Sevana highly doubted it. But if she became completely Fae, Aranhil would likely prohibit her from traveling about freely, for fear of her safety. It was not an idea that sat well with her.
“There’s many potential troubles to take into account and I’m not sure if the benefits will be worth it,” she said on a sigh. “But on the other hand, I might not have much of a choice if we can’t straighten my magic back out. If I can�
��t make a living as a human, I’ll have no choice but to become a Fae.”
“I do not think you will be forced into that. Your magic is unbalanced, not damaged. That much I can see.”
Well that was heartening to hear. Sevana glanced down at her instruments, checking the bearings and the map that was tracking their progress, and frowned. “Jade Emperor, we’re about an hour or so from entering Unda territory. Please tell me her course changed.”
“It has not.” The Jade Emperor stood and looked out, his features highlighted in the dying sunlight, making him look like a chiseled statue. “I fear we will have trouble ahead.”
Aran had only been asleep about three hours, but the situation demanded that she wake him up anyway. Sevana did no more than touch his shoulder and call his name before he was rolling upright, eyes wide open. His ability to wake up in an instant was one that she privately envied on a regular basis. “What is it?”
“We have a slight problem. And by slight I mean massive. Tian-Mu’s trail goes straight down into Unda territory.”
He let out a groan and flopped back down. “That is so not good.”
“If you have a trick up your sleeve on how to deal with this, I’d be very glad to hear it,” she said hopefully, smiling down at him.
Staring back at her, Aran drawled, “Did I ever mention to you that the Unda of this area are even more ruthless than their northern cousins?”
“…You’re just full of good news, aren’t you?”
“You started it.”
“It’s my fault we’re chasing after a stupid goddess with a mad-on? Who doesn’t have the sense of a fruit fly?”
Contemplating this, Aran agreed, “You’re right, we’ll blame it on the Jade Emperor.”
The Jade Emperor didn’t groan but he did heave a long, drawn out sigh. “I did not anticipate that she would blunder into another’s territory like this.”
The Canard Case (The Artifactor Series Book 4) Page 18