“Did my accent give it away?”
“No, the fact that you’re walking barefoot through a field that’s just been dunged.”
Storgen looked down at his muddy feet and realized most of it wasn’t mud. “Well, that explains a lot.”
Storgen glanced over to the small shrine along the side of the river, little more than a one-room shack. “I’m here to help you upgrade your temple.”
Cornett chuckled. “Oh, that’s very generous of you.”
“I’ve always liked local guardians. They’re more down-to earth than the big corporate deities.”
“We have to be. We don’t have enough followers to work miracles, so it’s either work or fade away.”
“I respect that, which is why I’m here. I need an in-betweener for a business transaction between me and the Alchemy Tower.”
“Aren’t the monsters from the Tower the ones that are after you?”
“They don’t want me, they want my blood for their stupid machine. I’ve been gone a while, I’m sure they’ve run out by now. I need you to sell some to them for me.”
“Interesting. Why not just contact them yourself?”
“Because they’d just nab me and drag me back to the tower. I can’t figure a way to make a safe transaction on my own, so I need a fence.”
“That’s quite an unusual thing to ask of a lesser deity. A bit unsavory, actually. I’m guessing this is quite a sum if you are this desperate.”
“Twelve and a half million.”
Cornett whistled.
“Yeah. Now, that’s my take. You can sell it for more than that if you want, heck you can sell it for double that if you think you can get away with it, I just need the twelve and a half million. Anything beyond that you can keep.”
“Well, that seems like a very generous offer.”
“I know, right?”
“Let me ask you something.”
“Sure, anything?”
The River Guardian leaned in close. “Are you out of your bloody mind?”
“Eh?”
“Why would I do any of that when I can just turn you in for your bounty? I can earn twelve and a half million right now without having to do any work at all.”
Storgen opened his mouth, then closed it up again. “To be honest, I was hoping that wouldn’t occur to you.”
Cornett slapped his knees. “I’m a god, boy, what makes you think it wouldn’t occur to me?”
“Let’s just say I’ve known some pretty airheaded gods.”
“You mean Ambera?”
“I didn’t want to name-drop.”
“And you think I’m like her?”
“No. You have a beard.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Well, because I know you’re not like those bigger gods.”
“There’s no such thing as big or small gods,” he corrected, “only big and small assignments.”
“Right, and you were given this assignment because you know the pride of earning something yourself.”
“I was?”
“Right. You don’t want to be given something for nothing, you understand the solemn pride that comes from hard work and accomplishment.”
Cornett looked at his dirty and chipped fingernails. “Do I?”
“Sure you do. When you finally build your own temple, you want to look at it with pride, knowing that dolance had no part in its construction. You want to know you have it because you deserve it.”
Cornett bobbed his head as he considered Storgen’s words. “It’s possible. It’s also possible that I might be ready to sleep on a really nice mattress instead of the floor.”
“Yes, I suppose that is possible.”
The River Guardian stroked his long white beard and looked Storgen over thoughtfully. “So, let me get this straight. You came here, completely unsure of whether or not I would agree to your proposal or just hand you over to the Tower?”
“I figured I had about a fifty/fifty chance.”
“And you just gambled everything you have on that? Don’t you have any sense at all?”
Storgen shrugged. “I’ve had worse odds.”
A deep smile began to sprout beneath Cornett’s white whiskers. “What’s her name?”
“Her name?”
“Yes, her name, boy. Only a woman makes a man this crazy.”
Storgen smiled back. “Her name is Agaprei Sonata, and she needs my help.”
* * *
The enormous forges of Ferranus breathed like a living thing, hot, wavy breath exhaling out of corridors shaped like gaping mouths, molten metal flowing like blood through ancient channels, sparks raining from a thousand sources, a storm of welding sparks. And at the center of it all, was Ekdíkisi tou Sirend, Sirend’s Revenge, the largest warship ever created. Thousands of human skulls scuttled across its dark surface on mechanical legs like spiders, sealing each seam as the thick veridian armor plates were hoisted into place by teams of wretched slaves.
A hooded Forge Priest thoughtfully sat atop the barrel of a completed deck gun, playing his bone flute as his charges hefted and strained against the winch ropes to raise up the next of the brass shells that fed the weapon. This one was giving them more difficulty than the rest, and as their pace slowed, he played his notes louder, the human femur from which the instrument was carved glowing with hairline runes. The music burned the men’s skin, and amid their screams they redoubled their efforts, hoisting the shell over the incomplete gunwhale and guiding it to its resting place among the others.
The forge priest nodded in approval and played the song of respite, fresh water rising up into waiting braziers from the storage tanks far below. The slaves crowded around like animals, careful not to spill a single drop as they dipped their scarred and calloused hands into the water and drank as fast as they could.
Nothing wasted. Every second counted, for every second belonged to Ferranus.
The air above the brass shell they had just lifted stirred ever so slightly, as if a figure stepped free, a glassy silhouette that moved swiftly behind a stack of ration crates. A moment later, an exact copy of the hooded forge priest stepped out from behind the crates and down the stairs.
Moving between incomplete turret clockworks and sizzling alchemic conduits, and shooing a skull spider away, he walked past a raven-haired artisan as she made the final adjustments to the housing for the ship’s compass, the delicate, alchemic gyros held ready by a waiting cyclops.
The forge priest dipped his hooded head in recognition, but they ignored him in favor of their work as he grabbed a pole and slid down the uninstalled stairwell. When their feet hit the floor below, they transformed to a perfect doppelganger for the raven-haired artisan. She looked harsh as she stepped past a row of guards, making sure they lowered their eyes in her presence, especially the tubby one at the end as she made her way towards the kardiá michánima, the heart of the machine.
The heavy door closed behind her and she pulled open an access panel. Searching through the bundles of cable and tubes, she found a tiny crimson duct and crimped it closed with her fingers.
~
The katharistís neroú was a very delicate and ancient device, one of only two in existence. The vaulted chamber was illuminated by the ethereal glow of alchemic circuits flowing like veins throughout. Layers of gears and cogs whirred on every side, like a living forest of moving metal, as the powerful pumps drew up hundreds gallons of seawater in mere moments, passing them into the gooey, lung-like cistern inscribed with ancient transformative sigils. The compressed miracle worked within, turning the salt water into clean drinking water. From there, the liquid was shuttled through clean brass pipes into waiting tanks. Then the water would be transferred to other ships to replenish their own internal supplies, while the condensed salt was sent to a hold for barter and sale.
The last of the heavy pressure doors opened with a hiss, and the forgemaster stepped in, metallic mandibles peeking out from beneath his molten hood, clicking appro
vingly as he followed every incantation and prayer, the alchemic components glowing in response. The fingernails of his pallid hands were long and made of copper, tracing over the surface of his living tome, the human skin that made up the pages wriggling, the spells branded into the quivering flesh that glowed with a ghastly light.
The outer pressure door opened with a hiss, and the tubby guard poked his head in. “My Lord, furnace number four reports a gas leak, but they cannot locate the source.”
The Forgemaster let out a long, shrill sound, approximating a sigh. “Do I have to do everything myself?”
He pushed the guard aside, nearly burning him with his molten cloak as he scuttled out thought the pressure doors.
“Close up, here!” he snarled before disappearing round a corner.
“Yes, my Lord.”
The tubby guard quickly slipped inside, rolling up his sleeve to review the complex drawing tattooed onto his forearm. He moved through the room quickly until he found the spot matching his diagram. Finding the right hose, he tapped his tattoo and the corresponding cannula hissed and popped open. He reached inside his armor and pulled out a glowing silver vial, pouring the sparkling contents within before sealing the cannula closed again.
The whole system reacted to the purity moving through it, sticky organs and quivering metal contracting violently as it spread. It moved into the cistern, and every vein in the room went red, then gradually shifted to purple, then returned to blue as the concentration became diluted enough.
The tubby guard rolled back his sleeve and stepped out, closing the inner pressure door, then sealing the outer doors as well.
* * *
Agaprei fought back the tears as she stood before the door to Fovos’ temporary sanctum. She fought to tie the sash about her waist. Each time she tried, one side ended up longer than the other. In frustration, she yanked it free, the thin gossamer fabric settling though the air and landing in Kaia’s hands.
Agaprei looked up in surprise. “You came?”
Kaia drew near and helped center the sash around her sister’s slim waist. “I’m your attendant. I should be here.”
Agaprei looked on her sister tenderly. “You were right. When they came for Storgen, I felt awful. I wanted to turn them away, but it was too late. I felt trapped, trapped by my own mistake. And when I saw he was gone, even though I knew it meant I would lose everything…I felt relieved.”
Kaia finished tying the bow, the two sides perfectly symmetrical. “Yeah, well, don’t go putting in the paperwork to have me made a saint just yet.”
“What do you mean?”
Her pointed ears drooped as linked her fingers behind her back. “I may have at one point…kinda borrowed some money from Mónos’ coffers…”
“I knew it!”
“I know.”
“I told you there was five thousand pennigs missing.”
“I know, I know.”
“You insisted I had made an accounting mistake. I ran the numbers three times!”
Kaia chuckled. “Yeah, I did.”
She looked up shyly. “Sorry.”
Agaprei smiled. “I’m sorry, too.”
The two sisters embraced warmly. “I’m glad you’re here, Kaia”
“Thanks.”
Agaprei released her and wiped a tear from her cheek. “Well, it’s time for me to go in and tell Fovos that I have failed him.”
“Do you think he will dismiss you from his service?”
“Oh, at the very least.” Agaprei took a moment to straighten her ceremonial robes as bravely as she could.
Kaia winced. “Should I even ask what he’ll do at the very most?”
Agaprei shook her head. “No, don’t ask.”
The two sisters stood before the ominous door, waiting for the inevitable. It felt like waiting for an execution.
“What did you spend the money on, anyway?” Agaprei asked, trying to distract herself.
“A jellyfish.”
“A jellyfish?”
“You know I’ve always wanted one.”
“To eat?”
“No! As a pet. You can’t eat jellyfish, dummy.”
“You’re calling me a dummy?”
“I named her Blubber.”
“Why would a jellyfish cost that much?”
“It’s not the jellyfish, it’s the tank that costs a lot.”
“Well, where is this jellyfish you bought? How come I’ve never seen it?”
Kaia frowned. “No one told me they can’t eat fish food.”
“You fed it? You can’t feed a jellyfish fish food!”
“Well, then why are they called fish, then? That’s false advertising. I deserve a new jellyfish and a refund.”
Agaprei put her face in her hand. “You are so stupid…”
There was a scuffle down the hall, and Storgen came sprinting around the corner, a dozen guards following close behind.
Agaprei’s mouth fell open. “You.”
Storgen nearly collapsed under the weight of the bag he carried. “Sorry I’m late, feeling a little anemic right now.”
Kaia held up her hand as the guards caught up. “It’s all right, he’s with us.”
“But…”
“It’s okay, just go back to your posts.”
The guards hesitated, but when Agaprei nodded, they obeyed.
Storgen’s legs gave out and Agaprei had to prop him up. “Storgen, you came back?”
He looked relieved to see her. “Of course I came back.”
“But…you left.”
“Yes, and then I returned, with this.”
She nearly fell over from the weight of the bag when he handed it to her. “What is this?”
“Go ahead. Open it.”
When the cinch cord was loosened, the two sisters were met with a glimmering bag of sparkling gemstones. The light played off their skin in a kaleidoscope of color.
“Holy crap! This is a fortune.”
Looking pale, Storgen leaned against the wall. “Twelve and a half fortunes to be exact. Sorry, I didn’t have time to count it, but I’m pretty sure it’s all there. Whew, I need to sit down.”
Agaprei looked up in wonder. “You…brought the money I needed?”
“I would have been here sooner, but I had to dodge all the spiders. They’re watching every road.”
“Why would you do that?”
He looked at her happily. “To help you.”
Her amber eyes filled with consternation. “I’m sorry, but, there’s just no way I can accept this.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
She cinched the bag closed. “It’s too much, I couldn’t possibly…”
“Sis, what are you doing?” Kaia interrupted. “This is no time to punch a gift horse in the mouth.”
“I appreciate the offer, it is very kind, but I could never go into this kind of debt.”
Storgen furrowed his brow. “I…this isn’t a loan. I’m giving it to you.”
Agaprei politely handed the bag back to him. “You and I both know the world doesn’t work that way. No man gives a large sum without expecting something in return.”
“I’m not asking for anything. By the Fates…this is not the reaction I expected.”
“Maybe you believe that, but you’re not being honest with yourself. Deep down in your heart you are expecting something. You want me to feel grateful to you, you want me to feel indebted, you want me to fall for you and pledge my undying devotion. I’m sure on some level you’re not even aware of, you want me to offer myself as payment.”
“Is that seriously your opinion of me?”
“I know it’s hard to hear, but you can’t help but be what you are.”
“It’s hard to hear because it’s not true. I did this because I wanted you to be happy.”
“And that’s another thing, I don’t have any idea where in the world you got all of this money. If I were to accept stolen goods, I could be legally culpable.”
“What?
No, I didn’t steal it. I just sold something.”
“We had you locked in a cell. What do you have to sell?”
“You’d be surprised.”
Kaia noticed the bandages on his wrists. “Sis, he’s saving your bacon, why are you giving him the third degree?”
“Enough with the aphorisms. No man gives you something for nothing.”
Storgen passed the bag to Agaprei. “Until now.”
Agaprei handed it back. “Men always expect something.”
He tossed it to her. “I don’t expect anything, and that wasn’t an aphorism, it was an idiom.”
She tossed it back. “Oh, so now the homeless felon is giving me a language lesson? Then what do you want?”
He tossed it back harder. “All I want is to help you. My goodness, why are you so distrustful of me?”
Tired of this game, she let the bag fall to the ground. “I thank you for the offer, but I don’t need anyone’s help.”
“I know you don’t like getting help, and I respect that more than you know, but right now, you need it.”
“I’m not some invalid that needs saving. I don’t need help.”
Kaia scooped up the bag. “Yes, you do!”
“No, I don’t!”
A grumble within startled them all into silence, and the doors opened up into the room beyond, where the bubbling black form of Fovos slumped.
Agaprei immediately took a knee, grabbing Kaia’s sleeve and pulling her down as well. Storgen remained standing.
“Great Fovos, how may I serve thee?”
“Your time is expired,” he gurgled. “Have you performed the task I gave to you?”
“Ah…”
Agaprei snatched the bag out of Kaia’s hands. “Yes, yes I have.”
Kaia folded her arms.
Fovos bubbled in surprise. “Have you?”
She held out the bag proudly. “Yes, we can purchase the land and begin construction on your temple immediately.”
“And have you drawn up the blueprints?”
“Right here,” she said, pulling them out.
“When did you find the time to draw up blueprints?” Kaia wondered.
“Sleep is overrated,” she whispered back.
Fovos reached out with dripping, black skeletal fingers and looked the plans over dispassionately. “And the zoning permits?”
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