We head back upstream shortly after that. I let Liza control the boat for a bit and, while that helped, she still has issues not being connected with the Earth. So, I enclosed the cabin again and put on Finding Nemo and Dory back to back.

"Why couldn't you have shown this last night?" She grumbles a little but quickly gets caught up in the story.

Apricot has already seen these, but doesn't mind watching them again. Amelia on the other hand decides to pick my brain while using her new Air Magic to block our conversation from the others.

"Did you get it all out of your system?" She asks while putting her arm around my waist.

"Yeah." I sigh. "It wasn't just that people are greedy assholes that set me off. It's more that, as Marquis, I'm now responsible for upholding the law in Arcadia. I'm going to need to set up a guard, and eventually I'm going to have to sentence someone to death."

"I know that you don't like it." She says while leaning her head against my shoulder. "But, that's the way the world works, just try not to think about it for now. That's not the only thing that's bugging you though." She's far too good at reading me. "You've had a little crease in your brow since Hedgecoast was mentioned yesterday."

"Nnh." I rub the spot she's talking about and think seriously about shape shifting my face so it doesn't do that anymore. "I don't like how isolated they are." I confess. "No-one wants to live next to the big bad desert, not even across the river from it."

"Ahh." She exhales in understanding. "And, you've been working out how to push back the Deadlands."

"Got it in one." I kiss her on the forehead. "We've got all this prime farmland just going to waste, at least on the east side of the Janwick. The storm flooded everything with as much Magic as it did water, but everything on the other side of the river has already drained away. And, I have no idea where it all went."

"And you're just itching to go off and find out." She plays her fingernails up my arm.

"Yes." I huff. "But, I'd have to go alone. I'm afraid of what might happen to Apricot if you two came with." No way am I taking either of them into a place that sucks up magic like a sponge. "Don't object." I cut her off before she can open her mouth. "Even if I give each of you a ton of Mana Gems, there's still the risk that whatever is pulling the magic away could latch onto your bond."

"Oh." She says softly once I give her the chance to speak.

"Yeah, it may be a slim, or even non-existent chance, but not one I'm willing to take." As I say that, Apricot leans over me and pats Amelia on the knee.

"It's okay baby. I don't like sand anyways. It's all coarse, and rough, and irritating. And it gets everywhere." She smirks at Amelia's groan and goes back to watching Nemo.

"Never should have showed her the prequels." I shake my head, and stroke Amelia's hair.

"At least she finally quit saying 'I know' everytime I said 'I love you'." She takes a deep breath before blowing it out through her nose. "So, what are you going to do?"

"After we hit the mines, I'd like to take a couple days to study the desert." I start going over my ideas. "I need to see if it's just in the sands, or if there's a field or something that extends over the area. If it's just the sand, then I'll scoop it all away and build a wall. But, something tells me it's not going to be that easy."

"Something tells me you're right." She sighs. "But, let's have that be future Sorrel's problem. Right now, how about you just relax and watch the silly fish."

"That sounds like a plan I can get behind." I lean back and put my arms around them, and we all watch some silly fish try to find their way home.

***

"Dry land." Liza cries out and leaps for the pier as soon as we stop.

"Remind me to bring you along when I test out some aircraft." I joke and can see her pale for a moment before pretending she didn't hear me.

"You're mean." Apricot says that, but she smiles at me like she approves.

I just smile back and start removing the outboards from the boat so I can dismantle it. The Baron arrives with Captain Baca in tow just as I'm storing the last motor and right before I start to decompose the boat.

"Good morning Marquis Rumex." He greets me and they both bow. "I trust everything went well in Hedgecoast."

"Quite well." I answer with a nod. "The village is fine, and we got to see a couple elementals up close. I also took the opportunity to set up phone relays, and left Aura with one. All in all, it was a fairly productive little detour." I hand him a slip of paper with her number.

"That will be useful, thank you." He looks at the now empty pier. "Speaking of useful..."

"You want some boats?" I should have realized they'd want some.

"Yes, please." Captain Baca steps forward. "I knew about your cars, but never thought the same Runes could be used for water craft."

"Well, take your pick." I project one-eighth scale models of the outboard boats I know. "I can do internal engines too, but these will be easier to remove and replace if necessary." Baca nods absentmindedly when I say that, but his focus is on the boats.

He points out three designs and asks to see them full sized. "Maybe that one instead of this." He chooses a center-console to replace the cuddy cabin he first picked, both at around seven meters. "Hmm..."

"Why don't I just make both?" I say to get past his indecisiveness. "I've got the four motors from the speedboat; I can use two on the long pilothouse boat, and that leaves one for each of these. I'll need to make a lighter one for the little guy anyways." He picked the five meter utility boat first, probably because it's the most similar to the row boats they use here.

"Thank you." He bows to me again. "Do you have enough metal for ten of the smaller boat engines?"

"Yes, I had a feeling that all the mages would likely want to tag along, so steel to make engines in one of the few things I brought." I show him the block of metal that is only three outboards shy of being a full meter cubed.

"When do you plan to make the hit?" This question comes from the Baron.

"I was hoping to leave at dark, and return by sun up. It's not even noon yet, so there should be plenty of time to get the mages used to riding the dirt bikes. I just need to make them first." I chuckle and start crafting right then.

"Hahaha. Alright, I'll leave you to it then. Come on Hollen, you'll get your boats soon enough." He pats the captain on the shoulder and is about to leave when I speak up.

"You mean these boats?" I drop the illusion covering a baker's dozen of brand new hulls that are floating where I grew them while we were talking. "It'll take a few minutes to get the motors installed, and then you'll have to decide where to berth them so I can run the Mana conduit." Most of that time will just be growing the Mana Gems to power them, but I can build the bikes while I do that.

"You are such a show off." Amelia tousles my spiky red hair.

"Mhm." I mumble my agreement before asking her a question. "Hey, do you have any contacts here that might make a good tugboat captain? These won't make it all the way to Hedgecoast and back again without a Fire Mage. So, I should probably run conduit down there too, and well... There's no reason not to make money on it."

"Oh, yes!" She grabs me and pulls me down into a passionate kiss. "I knew I'd turn you into a proper merchant one of these days. Let me call daddy, he'll know who to contact." She taps her watch to bring out her phone before walking down the peer to make the call.

"Tugboat?" Pepi asks with an interested look on his face.

"Small boat with a big motor." I explain in simplest terms. "Use it to haul the big boats up the river, for a fee of course." I smile over at my merchant as she talks excitedly with her parents. "You've got these big docks, but I'm guessing you only rarely get the big ships, since they have to row, pole, or wait for the wind to head up river."

"Spring." He says with a nod. "The winds always come from the south in late spring, so that's when we get the big boats, as you say." A giddy smile fills his face for a moment before fading. "We need to end this stupid war as soon as possible."

"That's the plan." I say with a sigh. "It all depends on how stupid and stubborn King Berkie is."

"So, it's probably not going to end soon, then." He lets out a sad sigh.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." I say with a sly smile. What I don't say is that I've got a few plans to end this bullshit, but the rest of Varecia needs to learn that we can hold our own first.

"I think that Cendassa has no idea what they're in for." His good humor comes back.

"They really don't." Amelia laughs as she rejoins us. "Daddy gave me a list of names, but said that we should try Vincent Runyon first. He retired here last year after his ship sank in a freak storm."

"Good choice." Pepi speaks up. "I know the man, he's got a knack for choosing good people, and was smart enough to keep a nest egg just in case the worst happened. I heard he's sworn off the sea, but I know he still loves fishing on the river."

"Alright, do you want to go track him down? These won't take much longer, but I've still got a bunch of Mages to teach how to ride."

"Ooh, I'm going with you." Apricot jumps to my side. "That's going to be hilarious."

"That works." Amelia nods. "But you've got to promise to play back the highlights for me later."

"Good, I'm done here." Took me a bit longer to make the Gems than I thought, making me wonder if the Deadlands could be affecting Blackthorne, even from this distance. "Captain they're all yours." I hold out a box full of keys. "The big ones have keyhole next to the wheel, you just push the lever forwards to make it go faster. The little guys have a throttle on the handle just like the dirt bikes. Just take it easy until you get used to them." I show him a hologram of how to operate each craft, including the use of the safety strap on the small boats.

"Thank you Lord." He bows to me once again.

***