Salamede POV

It was a brisk morning as I woke from my bed. Eli’s mess of silver hair was splayed across the pillow to my left. Over his muscular form, I saw the green hand of my sister-wife laying on his hip. Pulling myself out of the bed and going to the cabinet on the right, I took out some leather pants and a sturdy grey top. I took a moment to consider using the new shower Eli had lovingly crafted for us, but I decided I’d let them sleep in. The small window above our bed allowed just enough shimmering light through the water to guide me along my way out of the room.

With the installation of the window and some furniture in place, our little corner of the base now felt like a home as opposed to a well-made cave. Quietly moving across our stone floor, I went out into the hallway leading to the meeting room. Coming into the wide room, I went left towards the main hallway. The wide entryway had more guests than it used to as Kantor’s group settled in. He had also informed us about a few more holdouts with starving Keltons who would be willing to join our cause and weren’t quite as bloodthirsty as most of the people inhabiting the icy wastes, so I suppose expanding the hallway was going to be in order soon.

Taking a right to the living area, I walked into the chaos that greeted every family first thing in the morning. Children were running about as mothers tried to wrangle their broods with the men heading off to do the day's work after a quick shower. Still, it was a lot quieter here than the mass of movements would lead most to assume, as we Keltons often used spirit connections to talk between ourselves. Content to wait for a space to open in one of the shower/bathrooms that made up the first floor, I stood off to the right behind a poor mother trying to get a squawking infant prepared for the shower by getting them out of some dirty clothes. It took only a moment before those passing by recognized me and sent me quick spirit connections.

‘Oh. My apologies, great lady. Please tell you’re husband about how wonderful his hold is on my behalf.’ An older man said as he walked by.

‘Thank you, for making a mess of everything and bringing Eli away from his rightful home.’

‘Esteemed wife of the quad mage. I’m honored to meet you.’ One younger slip of a woman squeaked before shuffling off.

‘It’s a good thing you snaked your way into his heart when he was too emotionally weak to defend himself, else he’d never be in this frozen wasteland.’

I didn’t bother distinguishing between what words came from my heart and which ones came from my fellow Keltons. I stood there in last night's work clothes of a white shirt and brown pants, my face blank. It was another minute before the mother realized who she was holding up.

“My apologies. Please, don’t let us bother you. Most grand mistress.”

She pulled away with her small boy scooting along with her.

“It’s fine,” I said audibly before moving past them, wanting to make sure everyone knew I bore no ill-will.

The stories I heard concerning the wives of the various hold's leaders from the women in the group weren’t pretty. Most were apparently quite brutal in maintaining their social status amongst the other women and regulating their husband's partners. Combined with our already foul tempers, something I had seen and intervened in these past few days, it made for some downright bloody fighting that even the men out on the field would shirk back from. More than one woman here had been on the receiving end of one man’s attention that the head wife did not pre-approve for adding to his pool of women, leading them to choose certain death in a ditch or eventually find its embrace out on the snowy plains.

Although, the eagerness some of them had when they insisted that their bodies would be available for Eli’s use at his earliest convenience didn’t leave the impression that they would hesitate to use their sexuality towards their ends.

Moving into the bathroom, I shut the iron door behind me. There was a mana lamp in the middle of the ceiling that gave a golden glow over the sink to the right, a toilet in the middle, and the glass shower off to the left, all done up in regular grey stone and wooden fixtures. Putting my clothes on the sink, I went into the shower and started rubbing myself down with a bar of soap.

When I had first told the Keltons how Eli came to be here and his goal, most people would have thought I was a goddess of sensual pleasure with how the men looked at me and the hints of jealousy in the women’s faces. I gathered they thought I was going to be rather smug and gloating about how my charms and looks turned such a powerful man's head and captured his heart so thoroughly. Especially when I was showing them all of his fantastic inventions, not the least of which was the ‘miracle’ heater that required no wood or coal.

I’d imagine they’d be quite shocked to know that as I showed them how to work the machines and wooden slabs that we would use to make them, I had to push through the lessons so that the polite smile and informative talks wouldn’t crack, revealing the crushing disgrace within. All of these wonderful inventions could bring unmatched luxury to even the lowest peasant and they weren’t going to be used for my community back home or anywhere else for a long time. Because. . . .

There were times when the sheer enormity of my failure hit me. When Eli brought out some new wonder, I felt tremendous pride at my husband's accomplishment, but what quickly followed was shame over how so many people couldn’t enjoy it because Eli chose to be with me over his siring duty. All because I was too much of a self-centered monster to let him go. Yeah, Eli said it didn’t matter. That no matter what, he was never going to spread his seed out as they demanded.

But it was being with me that set up the events that lead us here. Maybe if he was single, the government wouldn’t have gone after him so fiercely, maybe if . . .

Realizing that I was having a rather emotional moment with the wooden flower that served as a showerhead, I quickly turned the handles below it to wash off the bubbles. Changing into the new clothes, I headed out and towards the kitchen. In the back-left kitchen were mother, the blue snake woman Lokan, and a few of the other Kelton women helping get the morning's breakfast ready. I would normally be helping them, but when I had tried to make some bread with them yesterday, mother took me to the side.

The people talked freely with her around, likely due to her unassuming manner and slight stature, and I was regarded as some high and important person in the eyes of the Kelton women here, and a matter of respect and intrigue among the men. It would not do to see the high lady of the place covered in flour. There was going to come a disagreement sooner or later, and I needed to have the full measure of my position to deal with it. As would Gula, though making ships was high-minded enough to not draw any bad opinions.

Taking a bowl of the ever-present oatmeal, I sat down on the left side of the cafeteria. Before my bum had hit the seat, a small group of Kelton women immediately surrounded me. They were younger and all closer to their early twenty’s. The rags they came here in had been replaced with proper dresses of varying colors and the younger members of our newest arrivals put their newfound energy to use learning the various crafts, practicing weapons in the back of the hangar, and some put it towards snatching the prize of our age.

‘Has master Eli been doing well?’ One black-furred woman sitting opposite of me said with her head in her hands. The rest looked at me with anticipation clear on their faces as I felt a spirit connection coming from each of them.

‘Very well’

They all leaned a bit forward.

‘And what did he say?’

I sighed but shook my head in denial.

‘He gave me the same answer he gave the Coalition. No.’

There were some disappointed pouts around the table but I could only shrug. I don’t know what in his story made them think he would suddenly make a triple-sized bed for nighttime fun with several previously unknown women, but they still insisted on having me ask.

‘Are we so… unappealing in his eyes? I’m sure a few more days of good food and warm beds would see us become comfortable company.’ One brown-haired woman to my left asked.

‘His word is final,’ Was all I could say.

Truth is, I didn’t even ask directly. Just a quick ‘if the women ask if you’re interested?’ on the way to the kitchen followed by a firm refusal. After the swamps, I would like to think I have the decency to not pressure or tease the man on the subject anymore. No matter how good these women would look with a silver-furred pup on their hips. In fact, I think a pup on each hip would be. . .

Giving myself a mental slap on the back of the head, I coughed before getting up with my empty bowl.

‘Sorry, ladies. He’s only interested in how skilled you are with your hands and how well you can use them to mold steel and copper. We need as many people installing plumbing and working the furnaces as we can get. To that end, I’ll see you in a few hours. Once I’m done with my work, we’re going to be installing the furnace section of the new ship.’

With a wave of disappointed nods, I put my dishes by the new sink on the right of the buffet bar. Getting on with the main task of the day, I went towards the hangar. Being the same massive, neck-straining structure it always had been, my job was to make a suitable hospital to house the injured who came off the ships. The location was going to be on the right side of the bay, staying out of the way of the furnace and workshop but still close enough to make the difference when every second counted.

I spent the rest of the morning putting healing enchantments into the spare beds that had been made. The first crop yield was probably going to be a week from now, something my eyes had trouble believing as the sprouts of the carrots, potatoes, and onions seemed to breach the soil overnight. Being far outside our expectations, the machinery to make the hangar open and finish the second ship had been delayed as we worked to finish the safety measures for the farmworkers.

Working on healing enchantments had been my sole domain these past few days and I put them into dozens of leather patches destined for worker and soldier outfits. The healing beds now called to me as I used the enchanted boards to grow the wood and plant fibers to provide some cushioning. It was going to be an open-air station with ten beds in two rows along the wall. As I was putting the finishing touches on the right side of the back row, Gula came over from the workshop.

“The furnace is ready. How did the balloon making go?” She asked, her face having a few black flecks of ashes on it, as did the white shirt and brown pants.

“Typical thing. More holes than cloth at first, but we eventually got the sheets to fit what Eli wrote down. Some more testing this afternoon when we get the furnace in place and our project will be complete.”

Gula nodded as she looked over the beds.

“Looks like you’ve done a good job. Between this and the patches for the suits, I’d say you’ve done more magic than any Kelton in decades.”

I snorted as I put a gold triangle into its slot on one of the pillows.

“I’m sure if you counted gathering the magical resources needed to be able to do magic, I’ve been on the lazier end of mages. My ancestors would probably have something to say about me using such a convenient shortcut. To say nothing of how much effort Eli has put into my growth and instruction.”

“Bah!” My sister-wife handwaved dismissively, “If the dead have any complaints about our husband's unfair assistance, they can bring it up in the gathering room. Which is what I came here to tell you. Eli has called a gathering for you, me, Kantor, Baloo, and the two boys.”

Raising my eyebrows to her, she could only shrug her shoulders in response to the obvious question. I got off my knees and followed behind her out of the hangar.

“What’s with the ash? The furnaces don’t use coal or wood.”

Her snort rang out as we came into the workshop and moved past some of the people being instructed by one Frojan and the blue snake woman Lokan on the left.

“Aye. But when a clumsy student accidentally drops a handful of plant fibers into them, they still spew black specks everywhere all the same.”

A pitying smile was all I could give her as we approached the door. Opening the iron entry, the room with its wide stone columns on the sides and mana lamps dotted around the walls was the same as always, though the occupation of several seats around the table was something new.

I sat in the chair immediately to my left, as it was the one directly to the right of Eli. The silver-haired man quickly got his kiss in, followed by another for Gula as she took the seat to his left. Eventually, Baloo sat beside Gula while Kantor, wearing a now repaired brown cloak and pants, sat at my right. It was another minute before the two boys wearing grey shirts and leather pants came in. The table was wide enough to accommodate a good dozen seats, but the two brothers thought sitting anywhere that wasn’t besides Kantor would be like sitting in opposition to Eli. The black-haired lightning mage sat down beside the black and grey-furred Kelton, sweat playing across his slight chin from his day's labor while his red-headed brother laid back with a bored look in his oceanic eyes.

A cough from Eli drew everyone’s gaze.

“Welcome to the first official meeting here. The first of many. While the bones of our second ship are getting put together, our newest members are going to help us speed things up. I was thinking of using two ships to retrieve a weakened group out on the wastes, from there getting more information on the surrounding areas. But, they ended up coming to us and we can now skip to setting up an information-gathering network.

Nothing so dangerous and complicated as spying on heads of state, I want something like getting a feel for our neighbor's moods, seeing what tavern talk could lead us to our intended future residents, that sort of thing. I don’t want us spending all our time building up our food stocks to take in a bunch of starving people, only to find we have a day to come up with a plan to free a group of Orc mating humans and their families from a mass execution or a mobile hospital and people to play scavengers to filch the injured from various battlefields. Even so, I’d imagine starving masses will be the bulk of our first arriving groups. You said there are several groups of Keltons out in the wastes who would be interested in living here?” His purple and gold-flecked eyes turned towards the black-furred Kelton.

Kantor nodded with a smile that pulled at the fur over his smooth cheekbones.

“I’d say we’d have a harder time keeping them away if I told them how well we’ve been eating. I don’t pretend to know everything about this base and its workings, but I thought you were going to wait until we got the second ship up and running before going out into the world.”

“The ships still a ways off from being completed and we shouldn’t blindly fly our ships around without a better picture of the local situation or any parties who might spot us at a bad moment if we can avoid it. We are only going for the most desperate and destitute groups out there and I’d like to have a list of suitable candidates before we send the ships out a week or two from now.”

Everyone got confused looks before the big green Frojan spoke up in the deep base typical of his kind.

“I thought the furnace was almost done. It shouldn’t be that hard assembling it in the ship”

Eli shook his head with a rueful smile.

“If everything just worked the first time it was designed and made, engineers everywhere would weep with joy and walk to their jobs with a dance in their step. I imagine testing and fixing the issues in construction will take as long if not longer than making the hull and components.”

There were some skeptical looks around the table, with Gula having some particularly puckered lips.

“However long the ship takes, I’d say after an hour or two or stonework, we can easily house a good hundred or more new members even with Kantor's group.” the quad scion said, looking to the man in question with a nod “I suppose it would be too hopeful to expect all the new Keltons to understand the gear workings, furnace procedures, and farming techniques.”

The Kelton man bit his lower lip as he looked down, his white eyes shifting as he mentally went over his various members before he turned back up.

“It varies. A few seemed to understand as much as the blue Enten woman and Frojan who’ve been teaching us. Some. . . you might as well be speaking gibberish for all they can understand. I think a few won’t ever find a good footing in the workshop or furnaces. Most, though, get bits and pieces of it, even if we don’t understand why the gear needs to be put where it is or why touching the copper wires after a certain point is bad.”

Eli strummed his fingers on the wooden table with an understanding nod.

“That’s about what I expected. While whatever issues the new ship has get sorted out, there has to be a local settlement that would be a good place to start our little gossip gathering operations. A day or two of listening to the local chatter should be good enough.”

“As… what? I assume whoever went would have to ply some sort of craft to avoid people asking questions.” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Something that won’t draw eyes and let us go anywhere we could want to. With a possible angle of getting us into contact with some humans. Any suggestions?” Eli asked with a look to my right. After a moment of thinking, Kantor’s rough voice rang out again.

“A trader. That’s always a good reason to be somewhere you typically shouldn’t be. The best place to start would be the Messineens. They’re the southernmost clan. They’re also the richest with a small wall and a constant flow of humans looking to barter for fish or the occasional haul of a Kispin.”

The inquiring looks from those around the table prompted Kantor to elaborate further.

“Huge shelled creature that scours the bottom of the sea for what I would assume to be fish or other shelled brethren. Only saw one when I was a kid visiting the place in years gone far too quickly. The strongest of the bunch wear the shells of their dead parents and when the dead rise at this time of year, their clothes provide growing muscles to help keep them protected from predators. More than a few clans were made from catching just one of them and using their shells to provide free meals in winter as their bodies continually provide fresh meat.”

“That sounds...” Gula spent a second struggling for the word. “Appetizing?”

Kantor shrugged. “I’ll admit to questioning the taste of the first one who tried it. But if it fills your gut, stays down, and doesn’t kill you. . . well, I can’t say I wouldn’t have tried it when I was out on the ice sheets. However unappealing it sounds, it must have some kind of good flavor considering its meat is only to be eaten by the clan head and his kin. I came close to trying some when I lead a small group in my clan before it fell.

But, more importantly, a Kispin often acquires a lot of magical strength as they mature and feed. That brings the trade of their various parts into what is considered the realm of magical resources. The beasts are the main reason the humans pay any amount of attention to this region.”

I felt the electric sensation of a spirit connection on my shoulder before Eli’s words reverberated in my head.

‘Besides being a Kelton, you’re the only one who wouldn’t possibly be recognized. The last thing we need is to explain how an impovershied wastelander now has guards following them around. Think you’re up for a trip to the south? It may take a few days or just a few hours depending on what happens.’

‘Sure. Since I’m a mage, I’ll also be the safest out of any of the Keltons.’ I replied without hesitation.

“Salamede can work with that. But the Keltons are only a part of this equation.” Eli declared as he turned to the only other humans here. “We need to get into contact with some Orcs. I read that they’re always found around human settlements in some of the books I got a hold of, but they were referring to decades past.”

Gula’s ears perked up as she shifted forward a bit. Jeff nodded while Andrew gave no indication of approval or disagreement.

“When we visited, there was a big political dance surrounding our visit as the . . . presidents sons.” The pain in Jeff’s voice was impossible to miss, but he soldiered on. “Given how crowded the cities are, you’d think they could easily root them out. But the problems only gotten worse as time has gone on. We weren’t given a reason why, rather our instructor emphasized that we should avoid that issue rather than ask about it.”

He made sure not to look at Gula when he said ‘problem’. The Orc, however, wasn’t offended. She seemed more intrigued than anything but remained silent as Eli continued sharing his thoughts.

“When Salamede comes back, do you think you could make our first foray into the human territories?”

The two brothers nodded.

“We’ll not give them any reason to knife us,” Andrew said with his arms crossed over his stomach. “But the regular ringers are a rather. . . surly lot, from what I’ve heard. I don’t suppose there’s any way to explain the Frojan coming as guards?” His oceanic eyes turned towards Kantor again.

“Not a chance,” The Kelton man replied with a shrug. “This far north, the humans can barely make it through the cold in our settlements when they come prospecting. The frogmen? Might as well just come out and tell everyone about this warm little corner of the world cause there’s no way they could make any trip this far north.”

“Cell,” Eli declared to the group. “He made a rather convincing piece of jewelry during my stay at the academy and I’m sure he won’t mind seeing more of the world as a hidden protector. Besides, depending on whether other humans use Kelton guards, you may not need too much personal protection.”

“I’m glad this was brought up,” Baloo’s voice boomed across the stone walls as he leaned forward and rested his left elbow on the table with a wave from his blue robe. “We’re tough. But this cold is beyond anything we’ve ever dealt with. Unless you want a fire mage using spells around us all day, every day, we’re going to need some clothes with magical heating.”

I sat up a bit before addressing the room.

“Mother likes making clothes. I’m sure she’d love to needle together something for you guys, though we’ll probably have to make cotton or hemp our next crop from the farms.”

“We could help with that by putting some enchantments on their robes or shirts,” Jeff volunteered, with another passive wave of nothing emanating from Andrew. Eli nodded, seemingly satisfied with the events of the meeting.

“I’ll be opening up the top of the hangar to let our main ship out and once Salamede and her group leave, we’re all getting a thorough course in testing safety and suit use. While she’s out there in the holds, I’m going to start using a longer-range communication system for better coordination and so Cell isn’t the only one who can signal for a ship. Which reminds me, Salamede, would you help me make a smaller ship for him when you get back? Traveling long distances on his own power would become exhausting.”

I nodded in agreement.

With that, our very first meeting here ended. As we got up from the table, I headed towards the door behind Eli to go get my working clothes. Frilly and soft dresses felt fantastic to wear, but I had little doubt what fate they’d meet out there among biting winds and rough roads. Eli left with the rest to start working out the testing, though Gula hung back to follow me to our room. We didn’t say a word as we walked down the hallway, but when we came into our bedroom, she finally coughed.

“This didn’t come up during the meeting, but I would appreciate it if you got some leather at whatever market they have. As great as this wooden armor is, leather moves with the skin and I'm not aware of any leather seeds we brought for Eli to grow with his magic.”

“Of course,” I said with a nod as I began taking some shirts and pants out of the cabinet to the left side of the room, the shimmering light above making wave patterns along it and the stone floor. Before the Orc could make a full turn to leave, I asked a question myself.

“Gula, while I’m gone, will you be tending to our duties as wives?” I asked as I folded one white shirt.

Her black hair and bang over her right eye swung with her nod.

“Of course. I’ll make sure he’s got someone to teach the simpler stuff while he works on the more complicated bits with the people who have a better grip on the procedures.”

A sigh and closed eyes were all I gave as a reply at first.

“Gula,” I replied with a firm tone like she was receiving her own lesson. “I was talking about making sure his pulp was properly drained.”

“I…Um.” She bit her lip as her gaze fell to the floor.

Rubbing my forehead, I pulled away from the pile of clothes and came up to her. Putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder, her gold irises in her black eyes turned back up.

“You’re my sister in marriage,” I said in as loving a tone as possible, “You helped me and Eli out when no one else would and you’re a good person- Uh! No.” I put a finger to her opening lips, “You are. And I want you to be happy. I want us all to be happy. That said, Eli is under a lot of pressure right now and he doesn’t need marriage troubles making his tasks more difficult. It would do him no good to be wondering if you find him attractive when he’s trying to make the things that may very well decide whether we all live or die.”

She scrunched her black eyebrows together.

“Of course I find him attractive.”

I puckered my lips before sighing.

“Does he know that? When you shy away from the bed when the time for love comes, are you certain he knows that in the deepest parts of his heart? We are Eli’s wives, Gula. There are a great many joys in that position. I don’t know how it is in the Human or Orc world, but for Kelton women, opening ourselves to a man we love, respect, and hold dear is one of the greatest pleasures there is. Feeling his raw need, seeing the beast within tear away any semblance of the civilized exterior, and knowing it was our body that caused it, there are few greater things in this world and I would not have you deny yourself that pleasure.”

Her lower jaw trembled as she bit her lower lip. There was a trace of tears in her left eye that hovered around the vertical scar.

“After I messed everything up, do I even deserve that happiness? After I ignored everything he said and led him to Borba? Does a woman like me deserve those pleasures?”

“It was not you who forced him back into the swamps after the fall of the Viper base. If either of us is found wanting, it is me.” My voice cracked from self-loathing near the end.

Something about my bitter tone must have gotten to her because Gula’s jaw stopped quivering. She moved a hand to wipe her moist eyes against her white sleeve.

“All right. I’ll see about trying to be a bit more. . . open.” She finally said as we pulled into a hug. My lower jaw clenched as the urge to tear flesh resurfaced but I decided I wasn’t going to let it ruin this tender moment.

“We all need to open ourselves to happiness and love, two things that are in short supply the world over,” I replied, trying to sound wiser than I felt as we pulled away from each other and I crossed the room to get my clothes back from the bed. As I looked over some of the clothes, I heard a snort from Gula.

Turning to look at her, I raised an eyebrow to her.

“You’re always comforting and guiding everyone. I had you as one of those types who was born a mother and it’s nice to see my instincts weren’t wrong.” She stated rather plainly before turning around and heading out of the door. Rolling my eyes, I got back to work. Picking out one big leather coat with white, fluffy cotton around the collar, I put it at the top of the bed before retrieving a large sack in the bottom of the cabinet. Stuffing the clothes in, I wrapped myself in the coat before heading out of the room.

Going down the hallway and through the meeting room to the workshop, I was stopped by Kantor as I came out of the door.

‘Lady Keshton,” He said reverently. It was another sign of deference the newcomers showed me, an inclination that only increased when I showed off a water spell to clean some dirt off one child's legs. I noticed how he made sure to hang ever so slightly behind me as we walked through the workshop. ‘I have volunteered to accompany you to the hold.’

‘Good. You seemed to be the most knowledgeable one here of the clans and the region.’

He nodded before giving taking a deep breath.

‘An ill-spent youth wandering between the settlements finally finding its purchase, Ma’m. But that isn’t why I’m here. I don’t mean to impugn on the chief’s wisdom, my lady. But I feel that I should ask. How does he intend for us to get towards the Messineen clan?’

I stopped to turn towards him. Looking him up and down, I tussled with the apparent answer to the question before outright saying it.

‘The obvious way, I’d imagine. A quick drop-off and a brisk walk to the settlement. I’m guessing there’s an issue with that?’

‘A very deadly one. Out-‘

I put up a hand to stop him.

‘Let’s not waste our time explaining something twice, just tell both at the same time. Why didn’t you bring this up in the meeting?’

He looked down with a bit lower lip, his chin smacking against his brown cloak top.

‘Would he be open to such. . . correction at gatherings? Most clan heads would make an example of anyone who would disagree with them so openly.’

I shook my head.

‘Well, Kantor, he’s going to be the first clan leader you’ve dealt with who wasn’t a fool. Next time, don’t keep potential problems to yourself.’

With that, we left the work tables and various Keltons being instructed by the Frojan behind as we went into the wide-open space of the hangar. The giant man-made cave was rife with the banging of hammers and shouting of work crews. In the back was our first ship, but the focus of our attention was the new hull in front of it. It was nearly as long as a regular ship, but its front had a blade-like aspect, as opposed to the fat body of Eli’s first working and was a three or four feet smaller. The tubes along its side that provided thrust were also a bit smaller than the original ships, though, they were a bigger portion of the overall ship. Gula was on top of the deck, yelling at and directing a dozen or so Keltons around a pipe of steel coming out of the floor. They worked tirelessly around it while some went below deck with hands full of gears or sacks of copper spheres couched in dirt.

My sister-wife waved at me before taking a moment to realize why I was here. She pointed towards the back of the hangar before turning to inspect the work one Kelton man was doing around the steering wheel near the back of the ship. Walking between the two ships bathed in the golden glow of the mana lamps that dotted the stone ceiling, I found Eli on some stone steps near the back of the bay. I saw him taking in mana and noticed some of the stones around the sides shifting.

“Eli!” I called, my rough voice still catching his ear amongst the sounds of industry around us. His silver hair swayed with his turn to me. His eyes got a bit of lust in them when he first noticed me, as they always should, but he kept himself in check as Kantor stepped forward.

“Quad mage. There’s a problem.”

Eli took a deep breath in annoyance but moved from his position on the walls and came down the steps. When he got off the stairs, he walked up to us with a raised eyebrow. Kantor cleared his throat before he started speaking.

“It occurred to me that your ships wouldn’t fit in among other ships at port. If they even float. So, I assume you don’t mean to approach the settlement in the ship.”

“They’d be quickly marked as an item of interest, yes. A quick look around from Cell, followed by dropping a small party off on land with a quick walk up to the main gate was how we intended to go about it.”

“Well, that’s the problem,” Kantor said with a bit lip.

“Someone would spot us getting off the ship? We could use a mist to-“

Kantor shook his head of black fur and twirled brown horns.

“Not the ship. I’d imagine most would just assume it’s the hunger or some form of madness even if we set down right in front of them. It’s the walking that’s the problem.”

That made both our eyebrows shoot up.

“Hm,” Was all Eli said at first.

Feeling that was permission to continue, Kantor explained further.

“We’re not out here on the ice-covered fields because we like the colorful landscape. We stay here because it’s the only place where we won’t instantly be killed,”

“By what?” I asked.

“By. . . everything.” Kantor shrugged. “Half the bushes, trees, and weeds seem to have a taste for meat. The animals all shoot lightning, fire, or stone shards, and some are as large as houses or even hills. Even if we aren’t attacked, coming in through the forest will draw every eye to you and since most consider traveling on land to be either a death sentence or the domain of mages, we may as well come through blasting spells everywhere. I’m surprised my lady didn’t know.”

I bit my lip before looking down at my feet.

“Our tales mostly told of how we left, not how we lived. It was said going out into the forest without being attacked was remarkable when we first arrived in the coalition, but I thought it merely dangerous here, not impossible.”

Eli put a hand to his head as his face scrunched up in frustration.

“All the books I read were mostly concerned with the travels and dealings of mages. How the peasant got his stock to market never came up. Even under the worst circumstances, I’m assuming that the entire northern part of the continent isn’t left totally inaccessible to the rest of the world.”

“Aye,” Kantor nodded as he spoke. “Smaller boats move everyone over the seas and wider rivers. They typically leave late in the morning after the predators in the sea gave gotten their breakfast. It’s just about the only way to get anywhere for people without any magic to their names. I know a few spots where we could meet up for trading and travel to some of the southern clans. If we have something to offer in exchange, of course.”

“All right. It’ll take a few more steps, but we can still use the original plan. Salamede, get with Cell and start making some of the weapons. I want the one ship we know is ready to have some armaments out there in the wastes. Kantor, tell the brothers to get the wooden half-tubes for spewing molten stone ready to be installed below the ship. Durka will be flying you around, so go to her afterward and start laying out where she needs to go, where is safe to land, and anything else she needs to know.”

Nodding, I returned my coat to the room and got to work. The weapons for the ships were going to be three long tubes on each side of the decks. Working with Cell, he molded a half-cocoon of enhanced wood on the right side of our main ship. Sticking out of it was going to be a long tube of wood on a swivel that shot out needles of stone. Eli gave me a few ideas, such as making the needles spin and building up pressure in the back of the tube to release the spike into the air.

I had wanted to make something that launched water or air blades, but Eli showed me how quickly they veered off course from even a light breeze. The image of a water blade getting caught up in a strong wind and cutting the ropes holding the hull to the balloon had thoroughly dispelled any desire I had to change his designs. After a few minutes of working on the long tube the workshop provided me, I set out across the hangar to conduct the first test.

As I passed by, I noticed the two brothers were installing two long half tubes on the sides of the ship. Their craft was almost as long as the bow and dotted with a line of holes suggesting a hollow inside. Going down the hatch with my long tube slung over my shoulder, I came into the wide-open cave. A moment of nostalgia hit me as I remembered the spot on the far right that I had used for bathing. That long, long time ago of a few weeks. As I moved over the slippery rocks and got a lungful of air that was more salt than anything else, I eventually set down my labors a bit past the longboards along the wall that had the heating enchantments to keep everyone in this cave from instantly freezing when using it.

It was a bit longer than I was and the removable back had an earth enchantment that made the needle. But it was fastened with enough locks and straps around the seals to handle the pressures I would be testing. Eli had asked that I get the needle to shoot out as far and as fast as I could get it, and it was after a good hour of testing air pressure, stopping to warm up behind the heating boards, and having Cell remake the earth enchantment for the pad on the back of the needle that I got a stable stone needle to shoot out over the churning sea like an arrow.

Now I only had to do that five more times.

It was a long day’s labor, but I only just got the tubes and their mechanical swivels finished as the spiderweb of pain started lancing through my body. As I walked across the workshop and up to the door leading into the meeting room, the two other parts of my heart met me there. Between the adjustments to the old ship, putting together the new ship, and making the roof open up, sleep called to all of us. We collapsed on the bed without a word spoken. After a long night of well-earned sleep, I woke up to see my family had returned the favor this morning and let me sleep in.

Getting out of the warm bed with a long stretch, I took a quick shower in the addition to our bedroom. My heart was racing as the prospect of seeing the lands of my ancestors finally became real in my mind, something that had such a tight grip on my thoughts I barely paid attention to what I was doing as I twisted the knobs below the wooden tube that served as our showerhead. A quick rub of soap and blast of water was all the time I could spare before quickly stepping out and drying down with a white towel. My fur still having some drops of water, I left the bathroom and went back to the cabinet to don my fluffy coat with a white collar and sling the sack of clothes over my shoulder.

Heading out of the room, I walked down the hallway and towards the meeting room. The large room of stone with pillars along the sides was as empty as ever, but moving to the left, I could hear the sounds of a scuffle through the iron door. When I opened it and came into the hallway, a crowd of Keltons ambled around near the kitchen entrance to the left. They were all agitated and jostling around but the lack of screaming would make an outsider think things were more peaceful than they were.

“What is going on?” I asked audibly.

The ones closest to me all pulled back, but it was a second or two before Kantor came out of the kitchen. He quickly pushed through the crowd and did a light bow.

‘Sorry, lady Keshton. We were discussing which groups out on the wastes to retrieve first.’

The slight cut along his left arm and the occasional bloody nose among the crowd told of how calm the discussion was. Which it very well could have been by Kelton standards. I was an outsider among my kind. Sure I looked the same, talked the same, and had the same violent impulses but our upbringings couldn’t have been more different. Warm springs and good food had made it a lot easier for me to control the demon's call, but hunger made even the gentlest souls violent, and having to spend so much time around humans meant we had to reign in our impulses.

As understanding as I was to their inclinations, this was our home and the bits of blood on the floor made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

“I understand our passionate nature often requires. . . a certain release. So, I will overlook this little incident this one time. But make no mistake, if this happens again there will be severe punishments. We did not make this place just so it could get trashed in a brawl or develop weapons only to have you use them on each other. You’re all getting used to full bellies and warm beds and I will be patient for it to help cool your tempers. But patience always has its end.” I put up a finger like I was reprimanding a small child. “Now get to work. Eli is the one who will decide who gets pulled in first and you can make your case then.”

I pushed through the crowd as some of the women got rags to clean up the blood.

The open canteen had a few Keltons past the entrance but it was otherwise empty, save for my mother in the back near the buffet bar putting out some fresh bread. A simple nod was all she gave me as I took two loaves and sat down at one of the long tables with a hard smack of my bag hitting the floor. As my final bit of breakfast was washed down, my sister-wife came through the door.

“Hey, Salamede. We got some of your goods ready.” She yelled with a wave that shifted the sleeve of her white shirt and crinkled her brown slacks, though it would be more accurate to say Eli’s slacks. For a virgin woman, she was certainly fond of getting into Eli’s pants.

I sat there, bread half-chewed in my mouth, thinking over what she could be talking about. It was another second before I remembered what my disguise was. Quickly finishing my breakfast, I pulled up my sack of clothes and took off towards her. We walked side by side as the maids finished their clean-up of the hallway.

“What am I bringing along?” I asked her.

“Fish since we can’t readily explain vegetables coming from up north and we need all the metal we have,” She answered as she opened the door to the meeting room for me. A gesture I accepted with a gracious nod. “You do know how to gut, clean, and store them, right?”

I stopped dead and a slight groan escaped my lips before I could stop myself. Gula raised a black eyebrow that stretched the vertical scar over her left eye.

“Yes. I know more than I ever wanted to.”

She looked me up and down but said nothing further before I started moving again. Making our way around the table and through the door. The workshop was all abuzz as the workers were fitting together straps and metal armor pieces onto three Kelton men near the back left, one of whom was Kantor. As we came into the main hangar bay, I could see into the forge area where Eli was holding several shields of metal in mid-air with a spell as he worked the steel around some wooden handles. Gula, however, lead me further on towards our first ship.

It seemed a bit more intimidating now. I knew all too well what the three tubes along each side of the deck could do, and there wasn’t much imagination needed to see the fate of any soldiers caught under the molten stone rain that would spew from the long half tubes hugging the undersides of the ship. Still, as I climbed up the right side ladder, it felt like the same old home it had been for weeks.

Durka, Gula’s mother and a bulkier member of her species, was at the steering wheel near the back of the ship with one of the newcomers. Her two brown braids twirled with her practiced spinning of the wheel, something the early twenties, brown-furred Kelton lad was taking in with enthusiasm. Good, most approached the concept of flight with trepidation and we needed as many enthused souls as we could get. It was a half-hour of waiting around as the guard's armor and weapons were made ready, but when they walked up the ladder El’s trademark craftsmanship shined through even in that small amount of time.

Kantor and two buff Kelton men with brown fur stood on the right side of the deck. The three men were clad in shining steel armor that had leather padding under the plates with white plant fibers providing some cover and warmth between the joints. The suits weren’t the full body armor of the Coalitions troops, but out here their metal shoulder pads, leg guards, and steel helmets would be more than most had. Intimidating enough to scare off any thugs, but not embellished or lavish enough to draw undue interest.

“Feels weird, being in so much steel.” The man to the left said.

Kantor huffed as he hoisted his shield from its strap.

“Just make sure you don’t embarrass miss Gula with poor swordsmanship. I’d hate for her to have to put us through some of the practice she had.” The older Kelton said as he took out his sword with a metal ring. The other men took out their swords and started rehearsing the various forms Gula had taught them.

It wasn’t the graceful dance I had seen my sister-wife perform, but it’d scare off anyone wielding a club or pitchfork.

It was a few more minutes of waiting before the crates of salted fish arrived. With it, my husband.

“The ship will be in the air, waiting to render aid if need be. Though that will be for big attacks, otherwise, Cell will be your best protection. I also brought you these.” He said as he handed me two wooden braces. He used his spirit connection to start them, prompting a water blade to shoot out of one and a water shield to form around the other. It reminded me of the first pair he gave me, in what seemed like a lifetime ago.

I took his strong chin in my hand and kissed him. We dueled in forms far more practiced than the men’s swordsmanship, but our exercise ended sooner.

‘Keep Gula in good company. I fear that with us being closer to bringing in Orcs, she will be more eager to meet her kin. However that turns out.’ I said in a spirit connection as I hugged him. He nodded as he stop the enchantments and squeezed me back.

‘I do worry how they’ll take her not carrying my child yet. But I suppose we’ll just have to see how it goes.’ He agreed.

We both savored the moment, but eventually, the three crates of fish came up. Our time for departure had finally arrived and Eli pulled back with worry plain in his purple eyes.

‘Hey, don’t be like that.’ I reprimanded softly. ‘I’m only going to a settlement with an armed guard to listen to tavern talk and gauge moods. Now imagine what it’s like for me whenever you shoot off to go blast someone.’

‘I know. It’s needed and all that. Can’t stop me from worrying though.’ He said with a huff and a bit lip before sighing and pulling out a few silver coins to put in my coat pocket. ‘Stay safe love.’

We came together for one final kiss before he pulled back and went down the ladder. As I heard his steps, a whoosh of air came up the side of the ship followed by the black mass of Cell landing on the rail beside me. He sent his spirit connection out containing greetings and joy as he used metal magic to hoist a metal necklace towards me. Fitting it around my neck, he quickly fastened himself into the hole in the middle, near my collarbone. After a minute, a loud creaking sound rang out as a beam of light cut through the middle of the bay. A bitter wind and flecks of freezing seawater came down from the opening ceiling as the Frojan working the guns came up the ladders.

They were all well dressed in thick coats that my mage eyes occasionally saw mana get sucked into. Taking positions at the six gunnery stations behind the wide wooden shields, Durka nodded as she pulled on one of the levers next to the wheel, making sure to keep an eye on her protégé to her left as she did so. As I walked towards the front of the ship, the tube of steel in the middle of the deck blasted out heat into the mass of cloth resting on the steel frame above. The loud grinding continued as the retractable roof revealed the orange sky above.

Kantor and his two men yelped when the ships lisped to the right as we left the bay, but I was too busy waving Gula goodbye to pay attention. The green-skinned woman was on the deck of the newer ship, directing the work crew around the steering wheel, furnace parts, and putting in the metal frame to hold the balloon when the ship was idle. Rising into the sky, I saw her wave me back with a wide smile.

The string of curses coming from my fellow Keltons undid the wholesome image just a bit.

“You’ll get used to it,” One of the big brown Frojan close to them said with a hint of sympathy.

The two other men went below deck almost immediately while poor Kantor had to stay our among the clouds with me to direct us. As the mountain took up less of the view, the water spells on the hull of the ship activated. We must have looked like a plume of fog rising out of the mountainside but a few holes centered around the pilot would provide adequate vision in this world of swirling mist. As I moved back to that position, I saw my new home for what could be considered the first time.

In the forward and right side holes of the mist, I saw a windswept plain of rough concrete with pools of white water stretching on for what looked like miles. To the left and back was the ever-churning sea, the end of which would never be seen.

“I’m assuming straight ahead?” Durka shouted.

“Ye- Yes.” Kantor stammered out, looking over the plains from a view he probably assumed only the birds knew of.

The ship tipped upward as the thrusters engaged, pushing the expanse of windswept snow along as we slipped over the endless tundra below. The rock of the barnacles home was quickly left behind as the sea turned into land in a few minutes. Something my innate sense of time told me would still probably be a grueling row or walk. But my mind was too busy taking in the lands of my ancestors to work out the distances involved. It was captivating in its beauty of white rolling hills and slabs of ice making the start of the frozen ocean and proper land almost impossible to distinguish at this height. Accompanying its beauty was the complete lack of life anywhere to be seen among the plains bathed in the golden glow of the early morning sun. Not a speck of green or shuffle of any living thing could be seen at any spot of this vast place now fully open before me.

It was a lovely wasteland.

“Where are we going and for how long, Kantor?” Our pilot shouted, her strained voice meant it probably wasn’t her first time this last minute. This was a wonderful experience but it was probably more stressful than anything else when you were the one having to keep everyone in the air.

“Um . . . follow the coastline. The best spot for us to drop off will be the second biggest meeting ground. It’s around a deep ravine in the stone and helps keep out predators. More importantly, it will provide a lot of places for us to land and keep prying eyes too busy on keeping their feet from being torn up on the rocks.”

She nodded as she put the ship along the rough coastline. Kantor, having seen and lived on these lands his whole life, quickly lost interest in the scenery as he went back to practicing his amateur swordsmanship. I would probably grow tired of the countryside at some point, but for now, the lands told of in my childhood were before me and I wanted to take in as much of it as I could. After a good thirty minutes, we came up to deep rends in what was certainly stone. Kantor quickly retrieved his men as the ship started turning right. The two other guards were still nervous, but they seemed to calm down a bit as we all came up to the left side of the ship.

“A mole pack tore through here decades ago.” One of them said to my right.

My eyebrows raised as I took in what very well could have been a natural mountainscape if not for the sharp points. As we made our way around the side of the first stone peak, the mountain turned out to be almost cut in half. Continuing our flight, we saw it was true for most of the other mountains in this patch as well. Another odd aspect was these giant slabs of jutting earth also twisted and contorted in different directions, some even flowed right into each other. Seeing certain holes and rubs along the sides, I guessed the moles had to be between the size of houses and mansions.

Cell jumped from his spot in my necklace and his black spot zipped across the landscape until he was lost to my eyes. A good fifteen or so minutes later, he came back with the all-clear. Durka moved the ship closer to the mountain range and set the vessel down in between two long walls of torn stone at the topside of one of the peaks. Which was when we took a hard shift leftward with a gust of wind over the ship.

“Bastards Beard!” Our pilot cursed with the type of enthusiasm and energy that should never come from the person navigating the ship. The buff Orc pulled one lever and cut the furnace’s power off as her protégé stood still, taking in her every movement. A whooshing sound accompanied the air cushion enchantments below the ship firing. For my part, I gritted my teeth and started going over various air spells. The accompanying crunch of rocks set my heart racing as the bottom of the ship settled into position with a slight wobble before stilling. When the ship’s movement stopped completely, more than one Frojan sighed in relief while the Kelton men sucked in air with a giant gasp as their need to breathe finally reasserted itself.

“See? Nothing to worry about you babies.” Durka declared to the surrounding crew before turning to look at us with a swing of her brown twin braids “What time should we come back? Kantor said to follow the first ships leaving.” She asked as my group began moving to the ladder, though the wobbly legs of the men made the project slower than it usually was.

“Two days after our arrival to the hold. It shouldn’t be too much effort to see what the local dockworkers and merchants are whining about.” With that, I took my turn down the ladder.

As we made our way down the side of the ship, the Frojan on our side waved goodbye after setting our three chests down with the long piece of enchanted wood Eli used to quickly get on the ship in the swamps. Their task finished, the rocks creaked and moaned with the ship taking off again, this time without any incident as what now looked like a cloud of fog rolled up off the stone mountainside and went straight up to the clouds. Cell went to work cutting out a path for us to safely walk down. As the small cloud grew more and more distant, I tried to follow it with my eyes but the white cloud became a pillow of fluffy mist, then a dot, then nothing as far as my eye could see. Giving up on tracking its movements, I turned back to my group of guards behind me.

“So, Kantor. Tell me, are there any special hand gestures or phrases that need to be said in greeting or to conduct business.”

He huffed as the crunch of stone below us told of Cell’s efforts.

“Time spent on pleasantries is time that could be spent doing whatever you need to do to see the next sunrise. Just don’t tilt your head directly forward and you’ll be fine. Unless you do intend to challenge them.”

Turning around towards the empty valley below, I closed my eyes and moved my head skyward with a sour puckering of my lips. It was a small thing, but growing up in human territory had made the slight nod a staple of unspoken agreements. I suppose if that was all I had to watch for, it wasn’t too much to ask. After a few minutes, Cell came back with a mental map of the trail towards the end of the ravine.

The trail down the mountainside wasn’t too bad aside from the wind. Bits of snow would slap my face and the bits of my skin that weren’t covered by thick clothing. The steps were sturdy enough that I never worried about tipping over with the chest I was carrying and it was a half-hour before we came to the proper ground. I had been a bit worried about being spotted since we’d be so close to the main area for the traders, but looking up, the jutting walls of stone provided some comfort for future visits as I couldn’t see past the narrow slit of the sky open to me. As a minute of walking became several and several became another half-hour, the light chests felt like they were filled with lead.

It was only when the sounds of haggling and shoving began reverberating over the sharp mountainside that my tired arms found new life. We quickly moved through the stony passages until we came up to the gathering of the local Keltons. Along the sides of the market were sentries wearing black robes and brandishing bows as they patrolled along the stone ledges of the ravine walls and looked out towards the various passages in and out this abode. They, along with their spear-wielding brethren, kept order in the seething mass of bartering, shouting, and the occasional brawl that made up the only thing close to civilization I had seen out here aside from us.

It was a wide-open place with a half-moon of beach being the only docking area for the wide expanse of various boats in the water. The cold morning left foggy clouds coming out of every snout in the crowd of women haggling for fish or cloth from the merchants with their good sprawled out on blankets, men plying whatever craft a meager corner of the stone wall would let them, and children scurrying underfoot. Ice hugged the jutting masses of stone pinning the Keltons in, which when combined with the wind blowing in from the frigid sea, meant this place felt barely any warmer than the plains. Though the food mongers along the stone walls near the beach made sure the heat of their cooking fires was a central part of their dining experience as most had huge black pots and roaring fires at the center of their meager tents, around which various stools and customers sat.

“Miss, please move along.” One of the sentries to the right shouted.

He was a mid-twenties lad and his brown fur covered a strained smile. I had no doubt he’d like to use more colorful language, but my guards were clad in solid steel and he didn’t look eager to see how well his black robes would defend against their shining blades.

“All right,” I yelled back as I pushed forward. The crowd was of a similar opinion and did not attempt to get in our way as we pushed towards the beach. Along the way, I saw masses of children spread throughout the place. They were scrawny things kept busy moving sacks, cutting up hard red triangles that seemed to be a vegetable of some kind, and eating whatever scraps of food could be found. The ribs showing through most of their rags were gravely offensive to me and the stress their hungry forms evoked in my heart was greater than the landing of the ship.

Born a mother, indeed.

As we moved halfway through the crowd with Cell sending me a spirit connection filled with curiosity and wonder, one of the scrawny boys wearing a grey sack for a robe moved in front of us.

‘Ma’am I could help carry that chest, for some copper or bread. If it’d please you.’ He said in a spirit connection as his small brown horns barely reached up to my chest. My burden was nearly half as big as he was, but even if it was made to size, his lean stomach and thin arms would make such a job almost impossible.

‘Instead of that,’ I said as I fished around my coats pocket for a single coin from the fistful Eli had put in earlier ‘How about you show me where the best boat to get to the Messineen hold is,’ Pulling out a silver coin, his eyes went wide as I held the metal to his face. The poor boy was stunned for a moment before he did a gracious sideways nod and waved towards the beach area.

‘O-Of course. . .My lady. If you would follow me.’ He said like he had just gotten a new chance at life. Kantor huffed behind me as we followed our new guide.

‘The pup will eat better than the guards on that coin. That will put some attention on us.’ He warned.

My mind was running at full speed, trying to rationalize and put a pretense of logic on the emotionally motivated action I had just taken.

‘I will be visiting rather regularly and a single silver isn’t slinging out dragon hides to every passerby. If I can get some of the kids here to think of me more favorably, that will help us expand our recruitment pool. Especially from those with less motivation than most to betray us. Besides, unless the poor traders here have a habit of being guarded by men in steel, I’d say any facade of poverty would be a lost cause.’

A quick look back told me Kantor saw through my justification as he raised an eyebrow and rolled his eyes.

‘It’s Eli’s coin. I suppose I shouldn’t scold his wife about how she spends it.’

‘Very wise,’ I agreed with a simple sideways nod.

The crowd parted for us and our newest companion. A cold wind blew through the camp and caused everyone to shirk from the cold, including the little boy. This time, however, I kept my heart in check and prevented myself from offering him my coat. Moving towards the sea, I saw more of the boats. They were long things with wide bottoms. Rowers were tending to each of the boats and more than one was laid up with massive sacks of cloth, fish, and whatever bits of goods the people of the ice plains could scrounge up. A few were even heading to the three ships that were waiting further out to sea.

Our guide took us along to the three longest boats. What I guessed was the first mate took on a smile as we approached. His blue jacket was a bit damp around the bottom as were his black pants and brown boots but his long sideburns of grey fur were a bit more well-maintained than most here.

‘Hello. What brings you to our vessel?’ he asked, looking at the wooden chests we carried.

‘Fish. The haul of a disappointing trip that may cover our costs but the price at the Messineens hold will be what it will be.’ I said, making sure to put a disappointed note in my voice.

Nodding in agreement he coughed into a leather-gloved hand.

‘A silver for the trip there’ He offered.

I licked my lips, pretending to think over the offer.

‘Does the silver cover food as well?’

‘Naturally,’ he said.

A moment of impulse almost made me lean my head forward, but I saved it with a twirl of my head.

‘Deal.’ I said, turning to my guide. I handed over the silver coin to him, which he took with a tear in his right eye.

‘May lady summer watch over you,’ he said before bounding off to the line food stalls further ahead of the beach.

One of the workers, a strong man wearing a leather vest and brown pants, took my chest and set it down under a seat I presumed to be our spot while I signed some papers. Kantor and his men chose to be the silent and dangerous types, handing their burdens off without a word spoken or gesture wasted before Kantor sat in front of me and the other two on each of my sides. The boat was one of the larger ones but it still dipped from the three men's armor. After some reshuffling of the other cargo and passengers, the time to take off quickly approached. With one last yell for disembarking passengers, the first-mate had the crew take to their oars and start rowing us out to sea.

The other passengers looked me over curiously, but the hunters, merchants, and other travelers were too focused on their own affairs to spend a lot of time on the rich trader woman. After a minute, we passed through the two sides of the stone walls and approached the open water. Just a few dozen feet past the entrance was some ships anchored to the seafloor below. The three vessels were long, drab things covered in algae and tar on the outside of what looked to be three stories worth of hull. Their main method of movement was the two masts each had in the middle, though the small holes in the sides said rowing was a rather permanent part of the crew's duties. Coming up to the side of the ship, a rope ladder was dropped down as workers began lifting chests, bags, and boxes into rope baskets for the crew to haul upward. Though one long slab of salted ribs in a white cloth wrap made for an awkward thing to strap on properly. We made our way up one by one before standing in a clump in the middle of the ship's seemingly chaotic deck. A situation that lasted only for a moment before a cabin boy directed us below deck through a staircase on the right.

Our little group of travelers headed down into the lower deck. It was a rather drab affair with the hammocks being put up wherever they would stay in place while some of the crew deposited our cargo further below deck. My mind wasn’t focused on the flickering candles or meager living space, though. I was too busy concentrating on the floorboard beneath my foot moving as I pressed on it with my foot. After a few seconds, we moved to a corner on the left of the staircase.

Flying in the airship was nerve-wracking, but you felt the solid construction everywhere you went. From the privy to the rails, there wasn’t so much as a loose splinter to be found. This. . . thing, however, seemed to be made up of wishes, hope, and prayer as much as it was wood and nails. Thick black goo was slapped in every crevice of the walls as the rocking back and forth was worse than anything I had felt in the sky. Sure, there was a lot less to go wrong out on the ocean, but as I made my way over to the three hammocks we sectioned off for ourselves, I counted no less than five boards that I wasn’t confident would hold my weight.

It was still fine for my fellow passengers. One hunter set his bow and fishing spear down beside our corner while two parents directed their three children to sit down in the hammocks further off to the right of the staircase. After a few more minutes of getting settled in, the first mate came back to stand in the middle of the room.

“All right!” He said audibly, the typical rough Kelton voice becoming even more strained as he yelled. “We are a typical crew for a typical ship. So, let’s make this a typical voyage. All right? No thieving, raping, or fighting. If you have any trouble with another passenger, come talk to me or fetch one of the crew. I have a list of who owns what so don’t try any funny business. It’s been a long time since I’ve had to whip a guest on the deck. That might sound fun, but it takes a lot of time and a lot of space and those are two things we don’t have a lot of. Keep your noses where they belong and we can all get to where we’re going with minimal beatings.”

With that, he did a sideways nod before turning back around to go up the steps.

‘Ah, there’s our famed hospitality. I had almost forgotten it after my stay in paradise.’ The guard to the right said in a spirit connection.

We all chuckled at that before the guards moved to sit on their haunches. I gathered they were setting up a routine for sleeping and keeping watch, something their time in the wastes always demanded. After a few minutes, there was the sound of unfurling cloth coming from above followed by a slight pullback as the ship started moving.

A few hours passed when the crew went to eat with the passengers on the middle floor of the ship. Two of the cabin boys handed out plates with that hard triangular vegetable I had seen in the market. Kantor must have seen the question on my face because he coughed as he sat in a hammock to my right.

‘It’s typically called dragon’s scale due to its hardness. They grow in the soil between the freezing ice and slightly warmer section where the Messineens stay. You can’t eat them without boiling them to soften the flesh.’

I put my mouth forward a bit and took a bite out of my meal. It was like biting into a ball of slimy cotton, with a few black seeds that needed to be spat up immediately.

‘Not the worst.’ Was the greatest compliment I could give it. The taste was like a baked potato with a bit of spinach thrown in, but the weirdness of how it felt in my mouth made it hard to concentrate on what my tongue was registering. Kantor nodded as he bit into his portion and took a mug from one of the passing cabin boys.

‘What do you know of the area?’ I asked Kantor and his two men.

The guard to the right of Kantor spoke first.

‘There are several smaller human settlements south of the Messineens. Scattered about for one task or another. Some mine the metals and stone churned up from mole packs, others hunt the seas for whatever fish won’t kill them. Others are more like outposts. To the north is more Kelton clans, all of one trade, strength, or tradition of one type or another.’

‘And where is this. . . Rainbows Piss? That is what Kantor called it.’

That got a few childish smiles out of the men. Kantor, as the man who was namd, decided to take charge.

‘That’s obviously not what they put on their maps. But its little acts of pettiness that make the day more bearable. We call it that because they’re south of the snail fields. The snail's waste often produces colors as varied as their plants and shells. Waste that often finds its way into the humans’ bay. I can’t say I know what the proper name of the place is, though.’

Feeling a bit of excitement at the prospect of seeing those fabled fields, I chugged down my mug of water. The rest of the day passed in boredom as we set in for the night. As the sky peeking out of the hole in the ceiling turned from orange to black, I decided to turn in early for the night. When I laid down in the rope hammock, one of the guards started a spirit connection with me and the others as he started his watch.

‘I forgot to ask. What would we be allowed to do as far as. . . protection goes?’

I blinked and thought about it for a moment. Personally, I had a lot of reservations about using the swords on any aggressors who weren’t outright killers, but I was in a strange land and a moment of hesitation could cost them their lives. I decided to go with the most tested and practical method of getting around moral dilemmas; blaming the husband.

‘I would like to talk things out in a peaceful and respectful manner. But Eli would be a lot more direct and I don’t think he’d be too happy if I got hurt. So, make people keep their distance and put those swords to use if you have to.’

Kantor was settling into the hammock below me but he stuck his head out with a raised eyebrow.

‘Oh? What would he do?’

I bit my lip before answering, remembering that we skipped over a lot of details in our explanation of Eli’s time in the Coalition.

‘The last group who threatened his people were smeared across stone roads. They were properly warned, though. So don’t lop heads off at the first sign of trouble.’

The other man on the hammock to the right joined his fellows in staring with questions in their gazes.

‘What warning was that?’ Kantor asked.

‘He flayed a man alive. Splayed him out on a table like a slab of meat and gave him a look to match.’

The guards puckered their lips while Kantor nodded.

‘And killing him didn’t send the message?’ The black-furred Kelton inquired with a raised eyebrow.

‘He’s still alive. Eli inserted healing stakes into his body so that he could survive the. . . procedure.’

‘Healing. . . stakes.’ The still armored guard numbly stated with a numb look.

‘Aye. Don’t be concerned that Eli will take you to task for going overboard to keep me safe. Though, I certainly will if you hurt a pup and could have prevented it. Good night.’

They were staring at me as I turned around and went to sleep in my coat.

A child crying was the next thing I heard. The next thing I felt was my back and neck letting me know what they thought of these sleeping arrangements. Pushing down the pain, I looked out over the other hammocks in the light of the early morning. Through the crowd and rope hammocks, I could see a mother was tending to a crying baby off to the right of the ship. Blinking away what could barely be considered sleep, I carefully got out of my hammock. When I stood up, I felt that something was wrong.

‘They dock the ship around nighttime. Keeps us out of the morning feeding frenzy.’ Kantor said in a spirit connection behind me. Realizing that the ship was still, I stretched in place. The expected breakfast arrived, and all ate their dried nuts and hot beans in silence. It was miserable compared to the food I had gotten used to, but when I remembered that showers weren’t a thing on this voyage, my mood became properly sour. Water spells helped me sneak in a bit of hygiene for me and the men, but if the trip went on for long, this place was going to become uninhabitable. Fortunately, the first-mate came down around mid-day.

“Congratulations. We have arrived at Zeedans Peak and we had a good time of it as well. We’ll start undocking soon so pick up anything in your spots that you don’t want to be left behind else it will be considered official ship property.”

Our voyage finally over, a few of the more lightly packed passengers left immediately while the families had to wrangle their broods into action. We immediately moved out between these two groups and out onto the decks. When my head turned towards the hold, I had two immediate reactions: awe and disgust.

The walls around the perimeter were rather tall, with long logs lashed together where the stone wasn’t molded into a crude defense. Even from this distance, I could see archers patrolling their tops. That same middling craftsmanship was applied to the docks. There were six piers, three of which on the left were taken up with larger ships while the other two ships in our fleet were on the right.

My disgust first came from my nose, as it was readily apparent that the dock's water was an open sewer. Then I noticed the houses. I had thought our homes back in the Coalition were drab before Eli came, but we apparently lived like kings. What I assumed was the chief's house was on the far right on a slight hill with thick beams of wood and large blocks of stone for a foundation. Around it was a sizable yard that had a wall and a gate around it.

The rest of the houses were ramshackle wooden hovels, stacked on top of each other like blocks. There was only a single street leading from the wall to the chief’s house and coming back around to the dock. The only other way I could see to move between the buildings was walking on the cramped blocks of staircases that seemed to have been haphazardly put wherever they could fit. On each step and bit of land was a Kelton going about their day, moving to a job or shop of any number of descriptions in a swarming mass of my kind.

The fact that such a lack of planning could be so apparent meant the place wasn’t well run or Eli’s mechanical analysis has started slipping into me.

My eyes followed the path down the dock and I couldn’t quite tell where I could step off the road into a tavern as stores were often thrown in amongst the houses. Looking to the right and left, I couldn’t see a single piece of land inside the walls that hadn’t been slapped with a house or shop. Even the land right up to the docks and its warehouses was taken up with the shabby wooden walls of some dwelling.

‘Follow us, lady.’ Kantor said behind me as our chests were pulled out of the lower deck and set on the pier in front of us. I took up my chest but my mind was too busy taking in the sounds of hundreds of footsteps and banging of pots from cooks stationed at various points in the forest of shabby boards.

The older black-furred man lead us down the dock to the main street. We kept to ourselves and that steel armor kept away potential pickpockets and trouble makers. For as crowded as this place was, the noise was surprisingly minimal with only the pound of hammers and sizzling of food making an impression in my ears aside from the constant patter of feet hitting dirt. Sure, we preferred the use of spirit connections when we were talking privately or in small groups. But having lived my whole life among humans, there was a certain level of chatter my mind was searching for and not finding.

As we walked, I looked over at the people. They were a bit more well-fed than the wastelanders and their clothes were shirts and pants as opposed to cloaks and robes fashioned from rags. The ever underfoot children spent some time playing as opposed to trying to scrape a meal together. Still, as one of the wealthiest holds of the Keltons, it was a meager place. The occasional Human was seen, haggling for some snail or moving wagons of food from various ships.

Kantor suddenly took a hard left into an alley. Following behind him, we eventually came up to a wide stall with various fish caked in salt.

‘What’ll the miss be having today?’ The pudgy fishmonger in a bloody white apron behind the bar of seafood asked with a raised eyebrow of grey fur.

‘I’ll be selling.’ I declared through the spirit connection as I opened my chest and my three guards quickly followed suit.

He leaned forward with a sniff.

‘Ah, properly preserved. Too many people don’t know how to handle their catch.’ He said as he reached under the counter and produced two silver coins. Keeping the surprise off my face, I took the coins and set the chests down as he began taking their contents. Back home, these fish would have gone for a few dozen coppers. Sure, the salt added some extra value, but as I started doing the math in my head a ball of worry dropped in my stomach.

I’d have slowly starved to death back home on the diet I could afford here, to say nothing of what rent prices could be. But I was a very wealthy merchant, so I kept the indignation at spending so much in the coming days off my face. The transaction completed, we moved off towards our real target of the day. Leaving the stall, we headed back towards the docks and stopped near the tavern that served the sailors. It was right up against the wood of the docks and as cramped as anything else here but the windows had glass and a few burly men near the entrance kept order.

As we came up, one disorderly patron was thrown headfirst into the mud by two such guards. We kept walking forward as they gave a respectful nod to us as we went inside. It was as cramped as the rest of the hold, with tables bursting with thirsty sailors as maids tried to squeeze past with trays of beers, bread, and soup. We quickly took a seat in a dark corner with the other sailors giving the steel-clad men a wide berth as the candlelight made their armor shine in the flickering golden flames stationed along the walls.

As I sat at a small table between Kantor and another one of the men, a maid with black fur and small curled horns in a grey dress came up.

‘ E’llo. What can we offer you today?’

‘A trio of wat-‘

Kantor shook his head and leaned into me.

‘Light beer. Ancestors only know what’s in the water here, but the process of making beer kills almost anything that would churn your stomach.’

I took a moment to acknowledge the ‘almost’ part of his sentence before continuing our order.

‘Three of your lightest beers and a serving of whatever stew is best around here.’

‘Three white beers with fish soups coming right up.’ She finished with a sideways nod before turning around and heading towards the kitchen. I saw her casually swat the groping palm of a sailor before getting up to the bar at the back of the tavern. After a few minutes of resting, our food eventually came. As I set down two silver coins, she reached into a breast pocket.

‘If I said to keep the change, would you be willing to tell me where I could go to find the latest news and gossip?’ I asked with a hand around a mug of white, frothy liquid. That gave her a wide smile as she palmed coins.

‘The harbor master Gigrand is more fond of talk than sailing and he gets the latest grumblings from the ship.’ From there she listed off a long list of warehouse directors and large vendors that had a lot of contact with the human settlements. Once she finished, I dismissed her with a handwave.

We ate in silence for a bit before finishing with a final swig of the white beer, whose ingredients I would bet consisted of the white flesh of the dragon's scale vegetable. As we sat around our empty mugs and bowls, I looked outside to see the sun shining down over the hold.

‘I’d say the harbor master sounds like the best option to start asking around. After that, we’ve got two days to get whatever information we can scrounge up,’ I declared to my group.

With nods all around, we got up. As we did so, I felt the need to use a latrine. Standing there in the middle of the tavern, it occurred to me how dependent I had gotten on the comforts my home back north had provided me. Unable to decide if I wanted to love Eli even more for the luxuries he had gifted me or curse him for making the fall so much harder, I resigned myself to several days of hardship before heading out into the main street.