by CM Raymond
He waved his left hand. “Come here.” Hannah obliged and stood over him, looking at the controls. “The rest makes sense. Would have to my dad. Everything is precisely where it should be.” Reaching between his legs he grabbed the stick that directed the ship up and down and laterally. He forced a grin. “Precisely where it should be. And this,” he grabbed a lever with his right hand, “is the accelerator. Again, perfectly positioned. I can go through all of these devices and configure a reason for their positioning. It’s damned brilliant, really.”
“But that…” Hannah pointed.
Gregory scrunched his nose and continued to stare at the dial up and off to the left. “Makes no sense. And look—” he waved a finger over the control panel immediately in front of him “—there’s still plenty of space.”
Hannah reached out and grabbed the knob. “What the hell? If it blows…”
“No!” Gregory screamed, his eyes wide.
“Chill. I would never. It’s just, either touch it or stop obsessing over it… actually, I could give you the same advice about Laurel.” She tried a grin on, but he didn’t respond. Placing her hand on his shoulder, she lowered her voice. “You’re doing great. Don’t worry. Zeke thinks we’re making great time, and if the Oracle is really all-knowing, then I’m sure she’ll tell you exactly what that thing does. Hell, it might open the glory hole.”
“Glory what?”
“Must be a Boulevard thing. Ask Parker to show you,” she said with a grin. “Listen, I came to see if everything else was OK with the ship.”
Finally, Gregory smiled uncomfortably. “Yeah. Everything is good. Almost too good. My father thought of everything, like that’s a surprise. He was the best freaking engineer Arcadia has ever seen.”
“Second best.”
“Thanks,” Gregory’s smile brightened.
“Oh, shit, no, I meant Maddie. I imagine she’s home sharpening her skills as we speak.”
He laughed fully. “I hate you.”
“I love you, too.” She gave him a little smack across the back of the head. “I’m glad the ship is in tip-top shape, but the crew is going nutso. Nobody’s used to being cooped up like this, and I think there might be a mutiny just so people can put their feet down on solid ground for ten paces or so.”
Gregory rubbed his hand against his teenage stubble. “Yeah… Laurel hasn’t been sleeping well. I think it is because she’s been detached from nature for so long. You know, it’s wearing her down.”
“And… you know this from firsthand experience?” Hannah said with a snicker.
He turned bright red and mumbled, “If only.”
“Someday, Gregory. Takes patience to win a lady.”
“What would you know about that?” Gregory laughed. “I think you’re right, though. Time on the ground could do everyone some good. But, do you need to check with Ezekiel about it?”
Hannah slid into the co-pilot’s seat and crossed her legs. “Of course. And you know what that means. Everything is on a tight schedule because of the Coming Darkness, whatever the hell that is. Probably no time to stop.”
Looking down at the controls, Gregory said, “Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast,” under his breath.
“What? Some kind of riddle?”
His head snapped up and turned in her direction. “Something my father always said when he was teaching me stuff. I always tried to get things done quickly. Messed them up more often than not. He’d always say that, over and over.” Gregory made his voice an octave deeper. “‘Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast, son. It’s the secret to life.’ Maybe he was right. If we just take a breath for a second, it would serve us well in the end.”
“I thought his motto was sacrifice everything for the sake of the crazy Chancellor.” Hannah grinned at her joke, but her friend cast his eyes at the floor. She cleared her throat. “Right. Sorry.”
“No biggie. And, you’re right. I won’t be like him, you know. I can disconnect.” But as he said this his eyes glanced at the knob up and to the left of where he was sitting.
Hannah stood and put her hand back on his shoulder. “I know. You’re not him. We need you, and this— she waved around the cockpit “—is yours now.”
“Thanks, Hannah.”
“Don’t mention it. Now I’m going to go meet with Zeke, right after I tell Laurel you’ve been watching her sleep.”
He smiled sheepishly. “If I did watch her sleep, it would probably keep me awake. I almost fell asleep here a second ago.”
“Why don’t you just get her to make you some more of that kaffe?” Hannah asked. The druid’s potent brew could do wonders.
“Are you kidding me? After what happened last time? Sal got one whiff and almost tore the ship apart.”
“Yeah... that dragon sure does love his kaffe. I think we’d be safer taking our chance on the ground.”
****
Reaching the aft cabin at the back of the boat, Hannah lifted her fist but paused before knocking.
“Come in,” Ezekiel’s voice rasped from behind the oak door.
Hannah touched the knob and could have sworn she felt the tingle of magic in the metal. She pushed the door open to find Ezekiel, sitting crossed legged on the bed, hands resting in his lap. His face was softer than she had remembered, kinder.
Directing the battle at the tower had taken a lot out of him, and the final assault on the Academy almost finished him. Now, sitting in the comfortable little cabin in the back of the boat, he looked more like the old man who had whisked her away from the Boulevard a year earlier.
It might have been her imagination, but his hair even seemed darker.
She looked around the room, seeing how he had settled in with everything in its right place and even some decorations. “Cozy little nook you’ve made yourself here, Zeke. Never knew you had a flare for design.” She reached up and grabbed a porcelain owl from the top of a shelf. “Really?” she asked, raising a brow. “Cliche much?”
Ezekiel ignored her. “Grab a seat,” he said, waving toward the empty chair across from the bed.
“I’ve kind of been wondering why you get your little room to yourself when the rest of us are piled on top of each other.”
He nodded, and Hannah thought she saw the corners of his mouth turn up, if only slightly. “Well, if I were just sleeping and making dick jokes like the rest of you heathens, that would be fine. But most of my time in here is meditating. You may not know this about me, but I’m quite powerful. You don’t want me losing focus.”
“Hey, my dick jokes take a tremendous amount of concentration, too.” Hannah huffed sarcastically and then joined him for a laugh. “Keeping connected with Lilith?”
“Trying. We’re not close enough yet, at least I don’t think so. But soon we will be. I need to keep trying, and I cannot be interrupted. This work is harder than anything you’ve experienced.”
“Of course,” she said with a wave of her hand. “I can keep those heathens away from you. But everybody is kind of going ape shit around here.”
“Ape shit?”
“Yeah. You know, nucking futs.” From the look on his face, she could tell he wasn’t following. “Listen, we got on this boat over a week ago. All you told us is we’re going to Lilith and something about something called the Darkness something. See how that might be disconcerting?”
He gave a slight nod. “And…”
“And… well, I think they just need something.”
“And…”
“Damn it, Z. And… that’s why I’m here.”
The old man’s brow furrowed, which turned to a smile. “Ah! You want me to do something about it.”
“You know, Zeke, for the smartest damned person in Irth, you’re pretty thick sometimes.”
Ezekiel’s smile grew. “Well, I’m sure you’d like it if I stepped in, now wouldn’t you? But Hannah, I cannot always be the one giving direction. This is your team now, not mine. They need to follow you today, since I don’t know where I might be tom
orrow.”
She leaned back in her chair and put her feet up on the bed. “OK. So, you’re going to back whatever I tell them?”
“I trust you. Do what you know. What is your gut telling you?”
She uncrossed her feet and placed them on the floor. Leaning forward she said, “My gut’s telling me I’m hungry. Time for a meeting.”
CHAPTER THREE
Every seat in the makeshift mess hall was full for the first time since they had left Arcadia. Even Gregory, having slowed the ship and fastened the controls, showed up. They were all stuffing their faces, while Hannah looked on at her team.
Nothing about them looked special, especially when Karl spilled a line of soup down the front of his cloak, but they were hers… and they were among the most powerful people in all of Irth—as far as she had seen.
Once all were nearly done, she stood to speak. “I’ve come to a decision. It’s time for a little field trip, everyone.”
“A what?” Karl asked between bites of a hunk of venison bigger than Laurel’s squirrel.
“Field trip. You know, get off the Unlawful for a bit. I expect most of you need to stretch your legs. And I realize if we stay here much longer, a lot of crazy shit is gonna go down. Not to mention, we could use any supplies you might be able to scavenge.” She turned to Laurel. “And I was hoping you might be able to find some herbs to add some spice to Karl’s grub.”
She nodded. “Amazing how a spicy rearick is able to make the blandest food I’ve ever tasted.”
“Tastes fine to me,” he grumbled through a full mouth.
Her eyes cut to Ezekiel who was watching her work her team. It struck her that none of them were looking to him for guidance. “Good. Well then. First thing tomorrow, you’ll all head down and see what you can come up with.”
Clearing his throat, Gregory said, “If it’s OK, I think I should stay here. Keep an eye on the ship.”
She looked him over. Just being outside of the cockpit made her friend look a bit more like himself, but she was nevertheless concerned. “You sure? A break could do you some good. Smooth is slow and… Dammit. Something like that.”
He grinned. “I’m fine. And if we’re just going to hover, I can get out of the cockpit for a while. I want to run some diagnostics on the core anyway. It will be a good break to have.”
“Right. Well, I’ll stay, too, in case you need assistance.”
“I’ll stay, too,” Parker blurted out. Everyone looked at him strangely. “You know, for assistance.”
Karl snorted. “Right. I’m sure it’s the Unlawful you’re wanting to tinker with.”
Everyone laughed, except for Hannah and Parker. Their cheeks went red, and they refused to make eye contact.
Hadley chimed in and broke the tension. “What about you, Ezekiel?”
The master magician pulled his pipe from his leather satchel and started to fill the bowl. He looked up at the mystic for a second before turning his attention back to his smoke. “I’m glad you asked.” He lit the pipe and drew a long drag. Exhaling, he sent smoke and the fine scent of his herbs from the Heights dancing in the closed space. “I should apologize for being absent thus far on the trip. I have had much to attend to.”
“Like what?” Hadley prodded.
A smile spread on Ezekiel’s face. The mystic knew more than the others, he assumed. “Like trying to get in touch with the Oracle.”
Karl nearly rolled his eyes out of his head. “Aye, wizard, about this Darkness you spoke of…”
Ezekiel held up a hand. “All in good time, friend. All in good time.”
“Scheisse, I was afraid ya’d say that. Alright then. I’m off to try to get some sleep on this damned rocking heap.” He glanced at Laurel and then to Hadley. “Looks like it’s the three of us. We leave at sunrise.”
Laurel smiled and quickly stood to follow, but Hadley stayed behind as the rest were heading out of the room.
I need to talk with you, he said in Hannah’s mind.
She gave him a nod and said goodbye to the others as they left, until finally, only she and Hadley remained.
“What is it?” she asked with some concern.
Hadley shook his head. “Nothing too big, it’s just…”
“Spit it out, weirdo.”
He turned back toward the door to make sure no one was lingering outside. Hadley, normally laid back and fun-loving, looked unusually grave. “Keep your eye on Ezekiel.”
She laughed. “No worries there. I’m always keeping one eye on the wiley old bastard. You just never know when he’s going to…”
“No,” Hadley interrupted. “I’m serious. What he’s doing—trying to contact Lilith as he is—well, it’s deadly.”
“Deadly? Come on, stop being so melodramatic. You sound like a bunch of noble girls in the Academy.”
“You don’t get it. Think of your own powers, your physical magic. When you do something, something big, you feel it. Like when you finished off Adrien, drawing on as much power as you could.”
“Yeah,” she said. “I was exhausted for days after finishing off that asshat. But I recovered.” She spread her hands out. “Here I am.”
“Bodies recover pretty quickly from using the magic inside, at least relatively. The mind is different. The more you work your body, the longer you have to rest, but as far as we know it will always recover, but there are stories about old mystics who…”
“What?”
Hadley rubbed his hand across his chest as though he could feel his words at the core of his being. “There have been mystics who have pushed their mental magic to the limit—and beyond. Some of them recover, but it still leaves traces, residue of the energy they’ve used. But there are others who have just gone raving mad.”
Hannah’s eyes narrowed. “Not Ezekiel…”
“Maybe. He’s strong, but also desperate. We don’t know what is going on, but if he is in such a hurry to contact the Oracle, it seems he might push himself too far. We’re weeks away from her. I know they have a special kind of connection, but that sort of reach could change his mind forever.” He paused, letting his words hang for a moment. “I’m not trying to freak you out. All I’m saying is to keep an eye on him. Check in. And make sure he takes breaks between sessions, and no matter what, while he is focused, don’t disturb him...”
Hannah nodded. “Got it. Don’t want the old man to go all remnant on us.”
He tilted his head. “Yeah, remnant would be nothing compared to some of the tales of a few mystics we lost before my time. Anyway, I need to get ready for the trip. Just be watchful.”
After giving her arm a squeeze, Hadley left the room, leaving Hannah to wonder just how far the wizard would go to save Irth—and how far she would go.
****
A cool morning breeze blew across the deck as Parker watched the landing party get ready. Gregory landed the Unlawful in a clearing atop a small field, then joined them on the deck
Karl had already grabbed hold of the rope and was whistling as he climbed down to the ground below. Laurel was supposed to follow after, but she was lingering near Gregory.
Parker watched as the engineer awkwardly said goodbye to her.
“You sure you don’t want to come?” she asked, grabbing his hand. “Could be nice... walking through the woods together. I could use your help. What if I get lost?”
“Um, yeah. No. No. It’s better if I stay with the ship. Plus, I’m sure someone with your tracking skills will be just fine. Just keep an eye on where the sun is.”
Rolling her eyes, she dropped his hand and turned to leave. “Great advice.”
Just as she was about to jump over the side, Gregory blurted out. “Wait.”
“Yeah?” she asked hopefully.
“While you’re out there, um, you should look for some medicinal plants, too. Can never be too cautious.”
She sighed. “Yes, you can.” Then with a swift jump, she slid down the rope.
Hadley was last to go. “I respect
your decision to stay aboard the ship, Hannah. But don’t worry. I’ll give you the play by play.” He turned to look at Parker, but was still addressing her. “I’ll do my best to stay in your head the whole time.”
“That’s sweet, Had,” she said.
Parker rushed over, nearly pushing him down the rope. “OK, OK, time to go. Daylight's a wasting. Safe trip and everything. Don’t fall and hit your head on the way down!”
When they were alone, Hannah turned and looked at him funny. “What the hell was that all about? And why aren’t you going? You’ve been dying to get off this ship.”
Parker smiled sheepishly. “What? Can’t a guy help out his friend? I was just wishing him the best of luck. And besides, I’ve seen plenty of the world. Too much, maybe. I’d much rather stay here. You know, spend some time meditating or something.”
Hannah sighed and shook her head. “Meditating? You may have been the best con artist the Boulevard has ever seen, but you’re shockingly bad at lying. You know that?”
****
“Aye, feels damned good to have me feet on solid ground,” Karl said as he watched Parker and Hannah pull the ropes back up into the ship. The ship began to hum, then took off a minute later.
Karl stretched his arms back and drew in a deep breath of foreign air.
“Tell me about it,” Laurel quipped as she slipped off her shoes and felt the connection with the natural surroundings.
She knelt to the ground and ran her fingers through the long grass of the field they had just lowered into. Karl could hear her mumble something, and Devin, her squirrel, crawled out of her leather bag and rolled around in the grass.
The rearick shook his head, still unsure of what he thought of the druids. He thought the mystics were strange, holed up in the temple, gazing at their navels. But compared to the young woman talking to the grass and laughing with her pet, those mindnuts seemed perfectly sane. “Don’t get too comfortable there, princess wilderness. We got some work to do, after all!”
Laurel, smiling like a child, ignored him as she rolled over and closed her eyes in the tall grass. He snorted in response and turned to take in their surroundings.