by Keith Walter
“There’s nothing going on. We were just talking, and you know how she is.” Charles turned his eyes from Serin’s smiling reflection.
Serin ignored his dismissive plea, turning to her bond seriously. “How would that even work. I mean, she looks like us, but she’s really the ship, right?”
“Intimacy would be awkward, wouldn’t it?” Leslie pondered. “I mean, we’re all technically inside her right now.” She shared a surprised glance with Serin, both taken aback by the idea.
“For all that is good, would you both please shut up!” Charles cried out in exasperation. “First off, all the ship parts are just a ship. We’re not walking around her…nethers. Secondly, fey ships don’t have sex or make babies like we do. Her womanly form is just a manifestation.”
“That does make me feel better. I don’t want to think we’ve been kicking her insides every time we walked around,” Leslie replied, unfazed by Charles’s outburst.
Serin considered the information logically. “But her manifestation still feels, right? I mean, she’s a hugger, and she even burned her finger this morning making breakfast.” She looked to Charles, legitimately curious. “If her manifestation has all the right parts, couldn’t she still—”
“I swear to your god,” Charles interrupted, “if you keep talking, I am going to jump out this window.”
“You promise?” Serin replied in challenge. She smirked at Charles’s stone-faced reflection in the window. They stared in silence several seconds, neither willing to blink. Thankfully, Talmer’s head popped up from the staircase, drawing both from their battle.
“I see you have returned,” Talmer stated flatly, addressing those already on the bridge. He stepped around the stairway railing, keeping as much space as possible between himself and the others. Grace followed behind closely, coming to Talmer’s side, a light red dusting her cheeks and eyes lowered in embarrassment.
Charles noticed that Talmer took immediate notice of Serin and Leslie holding hands. He saw the flowing tattoo on the smaller woman’s wrist, and small pieces of a puzzle suddenly formed into a complete picture. He recoiled visibly, and spat out in disgust, “You are bonded.”
Leslie looked away from her accuser, suddenly shy. Serin tightened her grip on her partner and took a threatening step toward Talmer. “What of it?”
Talmer stood straight, apparently up to the challenge. “It is unnatural,” he replied. “You shame your family to take a bond that cannot carry on your lineage.”
“You’d know all about shame, wouldn’t you, eighth son?” At Talmer’s frown, Charles knew she’d pegged him. “I came from stock far better than those country bumpkin Volgeretts. I know they don’t number their sons and daughters based on birth order.”
“You know nothing of my family, woman.” Talmer’s power began to condense in his fists, a clear indication of a threat.
“And you don’t know a damn thing about us,” Serin shot back. Charles could see her gathering heat, though she must still be still weak from her earlier battle.
“Calm down, please,” Grace cried, stepping between the glaring fey. She glanced at Talmer first. “They are in love, truly. Is that not what is most important?”
The proud man clearly wanted to say no. Surely that’s what he’d been taught all his life. “I suppose,” he admitted tentatively, “progeny are not the only reason to bond. That does not excuse the insult to my family.”
“I thought,” Grace started, softly, “we could be a family.” She missed the shock on his face as she turned to Serin, adding, “All of us. We’re all each other have now. We can make our own family.” She turned back to Talmer, who had regained his composure. With determination, she stated, “And family shouldn’t fight.”
Talmer visibly considered the offer, “Fine,” he stated, retracting the magic from his fists. Glancing at the stern expression on Grace’s face, he addressed Serin, “I do not agree with your lifestyle, but I agree we will all benefit by working together. I will…refrain from mentioning this again.”
Serin reluctantly released her magic, “It’s not a lifestyle, it’s who we are.” She stared at the soft palm in front of her chest before locking eyes with Grace. “But I’m not going to fight with my family over it.”
Arms retracted and Grace suddenly seemed shy, unaccustomed to her own boldness. She rubbed her hands, offering a small smile to Serin and Talmer in turn. “Thank you.” She moved from between the fey and leaned against the back wall of the bridge. Talmer stepped back to her side, crossing his arms but remaining silent.
◆◆◆
Five minutes passed in silence until Barclay found his way to the bridge, minimally pleased everyone else was already there. Surveying the fey, he discerned distinct lines had been drawn. Talmer stood proud as ever, but refused to meet anyone’s eyes but Grace’s. Leslie stood close by Serin’s side, draping an arm over the shorter woman’s shoulders, conveniently blocking Serin’s view of Talmer. Charles stood with his back to everyone, staring out the window dispassionately.
“What’d I miss?” the captain asked without emotion. When Grace opened her mouth to reply, he shook his head. “That was rhetorical.” He waited for everyone to face him before continuing. “So here we are, together again. The Union knows we’re on the water and the Entregon isn’t far behind. If anything, we’ve taken a big step back. But there’s no use crying over what’s already happened. We need to figure out what to do next.”
Charles spoke up first. “You don’t have a plan.”
Barclay narrowed his eyes at the younger man. “I am open to ideas.”
“Running seems like a solid option,” Serin replied in all seriousness. “We have outrun them so far and they still don’t know what Grace can do. I say we just keep running, head out to the ocean and fake them out like we have been.
Charles strode across the bridge, drawing every eye along the way. He stopped over the GPS monitor. “This isn’t really GPS, right?” he asked suddenly. “This is your own ability to feel the world around us.” He waited for a small nod before continuing. “Can you pull up every fey signature you can feel?”
“Sure.” The monitor suddenly took on three-dimensional shape, and zoomed out. Yellow dots quickly littered the coast where Grace had picked everyone up. Small clusters of yellow dots appeared throughout the lake.
“Thank you. Now, can you also put on the nearest ports, portals, and strongholds?” Sections of land alighted blue for ports and white where local portals had been discovered. Red citadel shapes appeared where fey cities were hidden amongst the human populace. Charles stared intently at the map, trying to find a pattern.
While the rest of the bridge waited silently, Barclay moved to Charles’s side at the map and said in an almost-whisper, “Put the Entregon on, as well as our position.”
Leslie let out a gasp when the two ships appeared. Silence hung in the air as everyone took in how close the two ships were. The hologram of Grace still showed her as the luxury cruiser she was when they left Barclay’s docks. In contrast, the Entregon was represented as a red destroyer. Barclay reached out and touched the angry looking shape, pulling his finger back suddenly when a ring appeared on the map surrounding the destroyer.
Charles broke the silence. “What is that?”
Grace responded sadly, “Something I’ve played around with. My own awareness has different limits, depending on what I’m looking for. This map, for example, really just shows me the things that aren’t trying hard to hide themselves. For those things with serious camouflage, I’d have to be much closer to sense them. This is a bit of estimation, but that’s the closest we can get before the Entregon will be able to sense me.” When she noticed the shock on her companions’ faces, she added, “I don’t think she’ll be able to know where I am exactly, but she’ll know that I’m close.” She tapped the Entregon herself and two more closer rings appeared.
“And what about those?” Charles pressed.
Grace stared at the floor, answering
quietly. “If we cross into any of the other circles, it will only be a matter of time. The Entregon is faster than me. If she knows my exact location, she could easily disable me…” The words trailed off as the ships moved delicately on the map.
“Can we get to another port and hide like we did before?” Leslie asked.
Now it was Barclay’s turn to respond. “The Union will have every available city, port, and portal heavily guarded. Before they had to spread their forces over the entire coast. Now they just have to focus on a specific hundred-mile radius. And if we stop, the Entregon will be right on top of us.
Serin looked up from the map and pointed to the end of the lake. “What is this, some sort of river? Can we fit and keep running?”
Again Barclay shot the idea down. “That is Welland Canal. It is a human port, and actually where we were heading. It’s human run, so I thought we could slip through unnoticed.” He shook his head. “Now that the Union knows we’re on the water again, they’ll surely be waiting for anyone coming through. Not to mention, there’s a lot of stopping and starting. The Entregon could just follow us in and blow us out of the water.”
Talmer shook his head, suddenly finding himself out of breath. “Why us? Why would the Union go through all this trouble for a handful of petty criminals?” He licked his lips, trying to wipe away the dry feeling in his mouth. “It makes no sense. The Entregon, the gathering of their troops…” He pointed at the yellow clusters all over the map. “This is not how the authorities respond to a handful of lost fey.” His hands trembled, and he squeezed them into fists to hide his fear. “Something else must be going on here. There is something far more important that we are missing.”
Charles and Barclay exchanged glances. As much as it pained them to admit, they knew Talmer was right. Barclay could tell that Charles believed he was the cause of all this, but just as Charles opened his mouth to reply, an ear-piercing screech filled the air.
Grace stood in horror as all her companions doubled over in pain. She perceived the signal, but not the pain as her companions did. She focused her senses on the signal, and shuddered. It was a wide-area call, purposely broadcast on a wavelength normal fey could not handle. She was being hailed.
“My, my, my,” a smooth voice chided, breaking through the signal. “Grace. This is quite the surprise. Of all the ships foolish enough to obstruct me, I would have thought you might know better.” Grace dropped to a crouch, covering her ears with her hands, but the voice would not go away. “You are clever enough not to respond. You know that would give away your position. I almost wish to commend you, staying hidden as long as you have, but we both know how this ends.”
Grace could hear screams of those around her, and tears welled in her eyes. She racked her brain, trying to recall any spell them might keep that demon’s voice away.
“It seems once again you have gotten yourself into quite the predicament.” The voice softened, conveying a sincerity Grace knew better than to believe. “I am sure the ones on board have such a sad tale that your heart aches for them. But they are all not as they would seem. Among them is a terrible war criminal—a traitor—personally responsible for killing thousands of innocents. The Union is not the enemy, they are trying to protect their people by capturing that dog.”
A new idea came to mind, and Grace began tracing symbols on the floor. She pushed magic into each swipe, desperately trying to close the connection.
“I can feel you trying to shut me out,” the voice said, chuckling seductively. “I will make this brief. Our kind are not like the magical bags of flesh that infest the land. They are beneath us, and we need not become involved in their petty affairs. But I remember you have the unfortunate curse of feeling sympathy for those creatures. It is with that in mind that I offer you this most generous deal. Turn over the traitor, just the traitor, and I will ensure both your own amnesty in these events and the safety of the remaining creatures on board.”
Grace could see blood began to leak out of the ears of those on the ground. Her fingers traced faster and faster, becoming a blur.
“I will give you one night to think it over. Make the right choice here, Grace. I think you understand what happens if you make the wrong one.”
Grace slammed her left hand down the moment she completed the last symbol. A ring of light expanded from her palm, washing over the bridge like glowing waves. The screech was cut off instantly, and the air was suddenly filled with heavy, pained breathing. Grace stood and scanned the bodies around, each curled up, hands holding bloody ears. She clapped her hands and the floor began to glow a soothing green. She pushed healing waves over everyone on board.
Barclay was the first to recover, rolling to his stomach and standing slowly. She watched Charles follow seconds later and waited for the others to show signs of relief. Before the others could get up, Barclay turned to Grace seriously. “How bad is it?”
“The Entregon knows who and what I am,” she replied in monotone. Her eyes were locked in wide shock, her face nearly white, as she whispered, “If we have any hope of escaping, we must do it tonight. She’s given me tonight.”
“The portals are our only choice,” Charles chimed in. “If you can’t outrun the Entregon on the water, then we have to use one of them to put more distance between us.” He looked at Barclay, eyebrows raised sympathetically. “Maybe we can fool the guards into thinking we are a Union ship and sneak through.”
Barclay shook his head. “There is no way we will be able to fool the guards if the Entregon knows what we are. They will be specifically looking for the signs of a fey ship.”
“There is no time,” Grace said with unnatural calm. The crew felt the ship turn beneath their feet, deciding itself on the route forward. “We are going to the nearest portal.”
“You sure about that? The Union is going to have every portal in the area on high alert if not completely closed down.” Barclay frowned. “You’re talking about going to war.” He held out a hand tentatively. “I don’t mean offense here, but you don’t seem the type.”
Grace ran a hand through her hair, forcing calm over her features. “I vowed many years ago I would not become like my kin.” She eyed the captain, “So you are correct. I will not bring a war to our adversaries.” She fixed him with uncompromising eyes. “But that doesn’t mean they can stop me.”
She stared at Barclay, knowing he’d be reminded of the runes she’d created that he had barely held, of what it meant that she came from a family on speaking terms with the Entregon. She made sure to keep up a sweet appearance and demure attitude, but it would be foolish to underestimate her.
“All right then,” Barclay announced softly.
“Wait, this is suicide,” Talmer interrupted. He moved to Grace, reaching for her nearest hand only to feel the brunt of her stare. “Please, Grace, the Entregon spoke to you, did she not? Surely such an important figure would not simply sentence us to death! She… I mean…” For the first time, he stumbled on his words. “We must negotiate. Even the Entregon must be capable of seeing reason and justice.” Grace said nothing, turning her eyes away and knowing his world was crumbling.
There was no love lost in Serin’s voice when she interjected. “We have been facing this for the past two days, and for several before that as we were dragged around in that convoy. Did you think that a wave of your hand is going to undo all of that?” she spat at Talmer. “No, I’m guessing you thought once you got rid of the rest of us, you’d seduce Grace and she’d take care of you, save you from whatever got you here.” For as little as she knew of Talmer, Grace could see that Serin had lived the high-class life long enough to manage a good guess of his motives. Sure he may have truly cared for Grace, but the allure of that much power must have made his head spin with possibilities.
“I have had enough of your tongue, woman!” Talmer lashed out. “Even if you came from a family of name and prestige, it is clear they did well to be rid of you.”
Fire erupted from Serin’s hands, the
heat scorching the map table. Talmer was suddenly surrounded by wind, whipping so fast and tight its motion was visible to the naked eye. The two leapt at each other just as Grace removed her magic dampeners. In an instant, the full force of Grace’s power could be felt by everyone. The pressure was so great, everyone in the room but Charles and Grace collapsed to the floor. Serin and Talmer’s magic snuffed out like candles in hurricane winds.
Grace let her power flow for a minute before Charles whispered from behind, “I think you made your point.” The words startled her, and she pulled up her dampeners once again. As everyone struggled to their feet now for a second time, hot shame burned Grace’s features. As she neared the point of tears, she rushed out of the room, throwing a hoarse, “I’m sorry,” as she ran.
◆◆◆
Barclay was the first to speak to those remaining. “I think we all need to remember that we are literally in the same boat.” He eyed Serin and Talmer, both of whom seemed rattled by the experience. “It would be wise to keep in mind just where we’d be if we overstayed our welcome. I don’t care how you two feel about each other. I’m telling you right now, this is the last time the two of you try something that stupid. I don’t care who starts it, but if one of you pulls out their power again without my saying so, I’ll make sure not even Grace can save you.”
Talmer stared at the captain, seething, but not stupid enough to bring forth his wind again. Without a word, he strode to the stairs and disappeared. Serin seemed ashamed, pointedly refusing to look the captain in the eyes. Leslie moved to hold her bond, but Serin held her at arm’s length. The shorter woman finally met her bond’s eyes and whispered, “I’m sorry.” Leslie took her hand then and led her down the stairs.
Charles waited several empty seconds before musing, “Well, I suppose that could have gone better.” He couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
“It’s almost as if that damn demon had this in mind when it sent out that message,” Barclay murmured as he shook his head.