Gula POV
Wind blew through my hair, sending black strands over my vision of the mist surrounding the ship. Leaning on the railing of the wooden mansion kept afloat by means that I wasn't entirely sure of, for a second my mind wandered to the unseen drop below despite the many reasons to not do so. Any pretension of being a bird was undone by the solid wooden floor beneath my feet and the tubes with wooden shields dotting the railing. Still, to be so high up....
Large, familiar hands seized my hips and pulled my back into a well-known chest. The moment of reflection was fully gone, yet I couldn't mourn its passing.
"Trying to hide from me?" Eli teased into my left ear, sending a tingle up my spine.
"Never." I groaned in a low tone, failing to keep how good his hands felt out of my voice.
Those large hands went up and down my belly before working my back and shoulders, retracing some of the steps they had taken the night before. Most of those steps would be blocked by my brown pants and grey shirt, but Eli made do with what was available to him. After a minute under his care, I finally decided to turn around.
My arms wrapped around his head, trapping some of the grey hair between my arms and his white shirt, a squeeze that his lower section of brown pants was trying to imitate. Green eyes demanded immediate attention. My green. Just seeing him, that handsome face and strong chin, left plainly visible with the face covering pushed to the side, made my heart pound despite our activity last night.
"I should thank Jeff. It's been too long since we've been together." He mused with a smile.
If his hands hadn't been running up my spine, I might have had mental room to be upset.
"You can thank him after he's finished having his fit."
Eli nodded, pulling me in for a deep kiss.
We kept to our corner of the ship, ignored by the world and my mother at the helm near the center, where a black shaft of iron sent heated air into the white balloon above. Hunger eventually moved us to lunch. Just past midday, as we were lounging at the tables in one of the lower decks of wood for the meal of jerky, beef stew, and light beer, a younger brown kelton lad came running down the stairs.
"We've spotted the ship!"
Eli and I immediately got up while the rest of the crew stayed at their meals, with the quad mage working his brown face covering into place as we moved through the ship. Once we were through the hatch near the center of the ship's deck, we stood in front of mother's wide navigator chair. She was a burly woman with long brown hair now freed of the cornrows she typically favored. The brown strands rested on a black coat and a grey wool shirt. Her red eyes went to me, sending a snort through her ridged nose while rubbing her square chin with her left hand. Actions that didn't prevent her right hand from lifting the wooden block with metal mesh on the sides and a copper pole sticking out of the top on her lap up to her ear.
"He's told them he wants a day out of the big toad's spirit connection and to look over his magical resources without anyone around. The last one means none would dare interrupt, so we shouldn't be pressed for time." She said patiently, even as she blew a huff past her slight tusks.
I nodded to her, feeling Eli's hand on my left shoulder as he stood on my right. The grip was ignored by mother while she pressed the button on the radio's side.
"They're here, Jeff. Finished."
"Good. Finished." The lightning mage's voice filled the air as it came through metal mesh. Mother handed the wooden box over to me, nodding to both of us before turning back to her wheel and bramble of levers.
"So," I said into the metal mesh near my mouth. Almost instantly, I realized I forgot to press the button. Almost. When I moved the finger in place, the radio crackled to life.
"How exactly did you get with the Thousand Screams Toad? And does he know about Eli's big plan? Finished."
I forced down any irritated words working up my throat. He was the victor in the first volley, denying that would only make me look petty.
"To the best of our knowledge, no. We-"
"You don't know?" Jeff's irritated voice demanded through the metal mesh.
Eli, clearly sensing I was about to say something counterproductive, handwaved from my right for me to hand over the radio. When I did, the quad mage coughed before speaking.
"Eli here. We can't say for certain if he can read lips with his spirit connection or not. For now, we're assuming he can, which is why we had to wait until we could all talk outside his domain. A talk about us killing the trade route with that queen of yours, from what I've been told. Finished."
"At least Gula's connection with it. Maybe have the humans take over. Finished."
"As far as….the queen, I forgot her name, is concerned, she's only working with an orc. We didn't cajole her into working with us, did we?"
He gave me a quick look for confirmation. I shook my head.
"Gula says she didn't. So, from what I can tell, she approached us of her own free will without any outside nudging. Which means she knows who she was working with. How, exactly, are we supposed to sever this relationship? Finished."
"Just say you can't continue. Hand it off to another ship that spawned out of nowhere. Pache didn't sign up to work with an orc who was working to undo the magical world. You've got to get her out of this mess."
My eyebrows furrowed at the curt demand. For the first time, I wondered if Eli could make the machine send a slap through the radio along with words. The quad mage, seeing my thoughts clearly enough, put his left hand around my backside and squeezed my bum. To my everlasting shame, some of the anger bled out.
"I would remind you, Jeff, that working with orcs, no matter their other relations, is a death sentence in the court of law. Something she had to be prepared for. Also, while I can't divulge the details, the Thousand Screams Toad knows who Gula is and we can't swap her out. Finished."
"And you'll help Pache if she gets the noose?" Jeff snorted dismissively through the radio.
No matter Eli's massage, that went far past the line. As I opened my mouth, the quad mage released the button on the side of the radio.
"You're the leader, Eli," I growled. "He can't talk to you like that!"
This time, not even his groping palm distracted me. Having lost that avenue, Eli gave me a slight smile as he shrugged.
"He's a man whose woman is in danger. That means the usual hierarchy gets flexible."
"When was that established?" I demanded, furrowing my eyebrows at him.
He pointed his head down at me, like he was instructing a toddler.
"At the beginning of life, when all the men got together and decided how to deal with the insanity you lot drive us to."
I rolled my eyes, fighting down a small laugh despite how I was otherwise feeling. That didn't stop Eli from staring at the radio, pondering over the problem Jeff was presenting. After a few seconds, he nodded to the piece of wood and metal before pressing the button to let him speak.
"All right," The quad mage finally said. "Let's run this through to its conclusion. Say for the argument we managed to switch out Gula with a human, someway, somehow. Doesn't that make it more likely that the queen's involvement with us will be discovered?
She knows exposing Gula would get her killed and is taking a lot of steps to hide that fact. Would she be as cautious if she were involved with someone she thought was just a regular human smuggler? No. Right now, she's got the mindset that slipping up would mean death, which is true whether she was working with Gula or another human we put in, but she wouldn't have that caution if it was a human on the other end."
Eli took his finger off the button to let the words digest for a second. When it was clear Jeff had no rebuttal, the quad mage pressed the button again.
"As for her getting hanged, don't you think having Gula involved in such a trial would make me more likely to intervene with some scheme? Having my wife be involved is the best protection for this entire….web of trade and lies."
More silence from the radio. When it finally crackled to life, the metal somehow perfectly relayed the hesitance and anxiety in his voice.
"I just hope she'll forgive me for all this one day."
"Hey," Eli offered in a conciliatory tone. "You're the best thing that ever happened to her. Don't forget that or let her.
….
How about this: On the big day, I'll be drawing up a list of people who I have grievance with. One of those is the Rodring kingdom for how their people attacked me at the academy and their pressure to get me out of the Coalition. All true. If you want, I will make sure to mention how you've demanded amnesty on their behalf, in compensation for your years of loyal service. She may not ever forgive you for making her call you the wrong name, but saving her people will help smooth the rough edges."
For all the annoyance of the conversation, seeing men scheme between each other felt instructive enough to make it worthwhile.
"That would go a far way…. Fine. What about Gula's demand for me to work on her ship? Finished."
I put out my hand for the radio, and Eli obliged. This time, I remembered to press the button on the side.
"Gula, here. When Sawoon brought back who was making the poison cloud travel possible, I have to admit I let ambition get ahead of sense. The next morning, I realized how impossible getting you on a ship with orcs would be to explain, to say nothing of the future problems it could cause. I had hoped to come up with some justification to go through with putting the enchantments before our conversation, but I couldn't. Finished."
"For the sake of my own curiosity," Jeff mused through the radio. "How did you meet Pache? Finished."
"We never did. All of our negotiations have been relayed through the big toad's spirit connection or other intermediaries. The why and hows of that are better left unsaid. Finished."
"Okay. And you didn't manufacture this arrangement between you and her before meeting? Finished."
It was only the prospect of bringing this meeting to a polite end that kept my voice even.
"I have a source of food, and she needed a lot of it to make up for the lost trade from the Coalition. Through the mutual attraction of coin and goods, I think we were always bound to meet. Perhaps not with the Thousand Screams Toad between us, but in one manner or another. Finished."
"All right. Is there anything you want done with another ship or work in the north? Finished."
Eli shook his head.
"Change nothing. It's going well enough as is; let's not draw any attention with sudden shifts in behavior."
I relayed as much to the lightning mage.
"Fine….Thanks for hearing me out. Finished."
"It's nice to know who the other side of the trade is. I think we've got to work out some sort of scheme between our two airships to keep informed on both ends."
Eli coughed, drawing my gaze to him.
"I've been working out something to that effect. Instant communication is a big advantage we aren't using to its full extent. In the coming months, I want to set up some equipment that will allow us to communicate with the Base from here."
If I had any idea how these regular radios worked, I would ask how their successors could achieve such a feat. I didn't, so I didn't.
"Something for the future," I mused into the metal mesh. "For now, I think we better get back to our false lives. Finished."
"Bye. Finished."
I handed the radio back to mother, who made a concentrated effort to not meet my gaze. Before I could ask what was wrong, she coughed.
"It's hard to tell with the bubble of mist around the ship, but it's getting late. How about you two stay for dinner?" Mother offered with a small smile as she kept her gaze on Eli.
Being her child, I had acquired enough knowledge of her tells and quirks to know this was her way of wanting to talk. As odd as it may have been to an outsider for two such important people to waste their afternoon, Eli gave me an agreeable look.
We moved to go below deck, working the hatch open before going down the steps. Since there wasn't anything to see outside besides swirling mist, all the kelton crew, save the current navigator, stayed below deck. A fact that was acutely felt when we came into the ship's canteen and found a good two dozen Keltons ambling about the tables. The world and furniture were made of wood, from the floor to the ceiling, with only two exceptions: The mana lamps above providing golden light and the big metal pot in the back being worked over a low flame spewing out of a leather strap. Behind the chef were three sticks hooked to the wall sporting blue tips, signifying their water-spewing enchantments in case of a fire.
Space was immediately made for us near the center of the three tables. Eli quickly sat near a corner as two mugs of water were laid down by one of the crew whose rotation made them tonight's server. Playing the usual game, I went to sit on his right. Before I got one foot over the table's bench, the quad mage grabbed my right arm and pulled me into his lap, a strict look in his green eyes that said there would be no argument. Giving in to his demand, I adjusted myself on his legs with a fussed look. Not too fussed, wouldn't want him to think it was genuine, but enough that observers knew I was only surrendering to his bestial need instead of my own desires.
One of a number of wifely pleasures I had come to appreciate.
"Right," Eli announced before coughing into his hand. "The first fortress. It was a dark night, made even darker by the vines we fashioned into suits."
The quad mage continued the story that had been started at last night's dinner. It was of our first meeting, with the needed backstory. I gave my bits where they were needed. As interesting as my perspectives might have been, I wasn't the one dodging necromancers or spewing magical wonders, so it was perfectly understandable that my portions were not as anticipated as the quad mage's. When my final part of the tale came and went, I turned to Eli and whispered in his left ear.
"I'm going to see mom."
He nodded, helping me off his lap. On the final shove onto my feet, Eli finished his help with a swat on my retreating butt. Chortles and smiles abounded from the goat face's looking on. But what was I to do? If the most powerful mage to possibly ever exist found my body so intoxicating that he couldn't control himself….I would just have to make do, wouldn't I? Part of making said do was me giving him a goodbye kiss. Once I pulled back with a pop, I started walking away, letting my mental map of the ship lead me back to the top deck.
Pushing open the hatch, I turned right to see mom still sitting in her chair, working levers to allow certain holes in the magic mist to open and grant vision beyond the ship. When those red eyes turned to me, I expected some gruff greeting or snort. Never, in a thousand years, would I have guessed the nervous gulp that came up her throat.
"Are you alone?" She asked, a tremble in her voice that I had never heard before.
I looked down, confirmed the lack of company, then turned back to her and nodded. As I ascended up the stairs and closed the hatch, I saw mother lean back into her chair. Her red eyes scoured the mist and its scant starlight for some answer before they closed. When those lower lips began to shake over the slight tusks, I took an involuntary step towards her. Before I could ask what was going on, she got her throat working first despite the obvious stress.
"I'm sorry." Her shaking voice forced out. "I did my best to protect to you from the world and the beasts, but I couldn't protect you from myself."
She leaned forward, sending her head into her hands as her elbows rested on her thighs. The support did nothing to stop the shakes wracking her frame.
"You're my baby girl." She sobbed from beneath her curtain of brown hair. "And I spent your whole life filling your head with horrid ideas of being a rapist. All because I wasn't enough of a woman to get a willing man. I'm so sorry."
I found myself standing still in…. fascination. I could physically feel the contents of my skull rearranging my relationship with the woman in front of me from pure mother figure to a fellow woman. This new view was occurring totally independent of any direction on my part, even as it happened inside my own mind. Considering how utterly unhelpful it was in the moment, perhaps it was for the best that she wasn't looking at me. After a few seconds of wonder at my internal workings, I decided to be mentally present in the conversation.
"Hey," I said as I placed a, hopefully, comforting hand on her right shoulder. "Look…."
What was I going to say? That it was all fine? In my heart, there was still a scar resting in the folds of my soul. Some evil lingering, waiting for that moment of weakness to surface.
"Look, mom." I finally said, despite my internal wrangling. "Meeting Eli wasn't something you could have anticipated. No one would have called you a good parent if you tried to sell a child this impossible life I'm currently living."
She finally turned up to meet my gaze. Her red eyes had proper tears falling down her cheeks.
"No one else called you daughter. You were my responsibility, my life to protect. But not mine to brand with that ugliness. I should have at least held off until you wanted child before exposing you to that side of things. Even if it was how I got you."
An awful question, one I never would have dared ask before, presented itself. One I almost forced down before another thought came to me. Mother had never cried in front of me or begged forgiveness, so maybe 'before' wasn't really important. Wrangling with it for a bit, I decided that if this conversation was finally going to be had, it should be had in full. Licking my lips, I formed the dreaded words.
"What was….Getting me….Like?"
She jolted in the chair. Red eyes met mine for a second, hard then softening to a far-off stare even as tears lingered unattended. Nothing was said for a second before she leaned back, sending her gaze up to the ceiling of mist surrounding the ship. When she took a deep breath, it was slowly released between her small tusks.
"At first, you aren't actually thinking. Your heads filled with a need so deep you're barely capable of speech. Need you know the man can relieve you of. When you get the pants down and the shaft in, the crying and screaming barely register.
Then, at the third or fourth thrust, you realize where you are. And the shame sets in. He doesn't want it. He's even trying to fight you off. He should want it, you should be enough for him to want it, but he doesn't and you aren't. What then? The buzz of need still sings, and you've already done the worst bit, so what do you do? You push ahead.
There's no love, tenderness, or affection, but after you've pinned them into a good position, something inside you finally relaxes. You're getting what you needed for possibly weeks or months. Eventually, you feel the warmth of his release. Life's purpose fills you, and the constant pressure in your blood eases. That moment of clarity when your mind is finally allowed to exist outside of your loins is also the same one when you realize what you've done. At that point, I always ran off, even if I wasn't fully dressed. Anything to not see their face."
My stomach churned while the hair on my arms and neck rose. Not just from the description of the act itself, but from its familiarity. When I helped Eli through his ordeal with Borba, the way mother talked about the man as if they were an external object fit perfectly with the orc mage's treatment of my husband. The way her face held nothing but wild lust, without even sparing him a glance or thought for what a spectacle she was putting him through.
By the objective measures, mother was worse than Borba, if for no other reason than sheer volume. After all, I used to have at least one sibling and it probably took more than one….go, for her to conceive. Borba, however, hadn't raised me or given me the last pieces of bread during lean times. Such favoritism might endanger any chance I have of becoming the world's dispenser of pure, unbiased justice. I wasn't vying for such a position, so I wrapped my mother in a hug.
She accepted it with a silent lean of her head into my arms.
After a good minute of hugging, I leaned down to meet those red eyes at their level. There were some cloudy tears still threatening to fall from her black spheres. Despite that, mother seemed a bit steadier now. An assessment that let me cut through the tension.
"You were doing what everyone around you and who raised you ever did. And they did it because it worked back in the swamps. We're not in the swamps."
I emphasized the point by swinging my arms wide to the surrounding mist, which didn't properly convey what I wanted.
"We're in a new land, with new ways of doing things. You can get a man who wants you among the sailors or the keltons."
Mother raised an eyebrow at the kelton suggestion before quickly lowering it as she puckered her lips in consideration. She didn't say anything for a long second before huffing.
"Here, the dirt is still dirt and the air is air. I've watched our people, and I can't see any difference between them and us, on a physical level, at least. Maybe their monthly aches give honey instead of blood. Or it's this Christian stuff. Could it make their breasts more supple to a man's gaze in ways we can't see?"
A smile was fought down, its source less her words and more my imagined reaction of the priests.
"But," Mother continued. "You're right. It's time I started breeding again."
I raised an eyebrow of my own at her.
"As the person who said the words, I don't think that's quite what was being suggested."
She snorted, giving me that indulgent look that said wisdom was about to be dispensed.
"Girl, I am a breeder. Starvation only just stopped me, but soul-rending horror and meager living couldn't. I have a womb and, by the spirits, I am going to use it. Especially with all of this food, good beds, and healing crafts for the slightest cut. Your younger sisters…. I can at least raise them right. Sorry for getting the bad mother with me, but these next few will have it better."
I felt our roles returning from fellow women to mother and daughter. That didn't stop me from opening my mouth to offer some objection. Something mother correctly guessed.
"I did." She grumbled, putting up a hand to stop me as she took a deep breath and met my eyes. "I gave you a poor start in the world. Better than what I got, but still, a poor start."
"You had it worse?" I asked, disbelief coming clear through before I could stop myself.
"Oh, yes!" Mother chuckled with a small smile. "Grandma, of all her many failings, was also a mean thing. Gave me a good smack now and then. One time, she got me in the right ear so hard I lost hearing in it for a few days."
My tongue seized along with my eyes. I continued staring at her in awkward silence for a few seconds before mother finally leaned forward to speak in a low tone, despite how unnecessary such secrecy was.
"Children make it better. Whatever bad you get growing up, even if you take away just some of those things from their turn, it feels like you've….Made it a bit right. Not totally, but a bit."
In my mind's eye, I saw a little version of Eli and me, skipping about the Base. A child who had known nothing but the canteen's constant feasts, steaming showers, and a loving father. Joy filled my heart at the prospect, and shame at the stab of jealousy that followed. I could only concede to the guilt that jealousy of such a childhood was deserved. The knowledge that I was going to give my children an unfathomably better life than what I had did….settle some of that gnawing ache in me whenever I thought about starving as a seven-year old or the constant shivering during winter.
"And when you have that girl in your arms, you'll want to kill Eli for making you wait so long." Mother cooed. "I can't even describe it."
I nodded in agreement. Instead of continuing to crouch off to the side, I got mom in another hug, one she matched this time. When we pulled apart and I was standing upright, I coughed in my right hand.
"We've got great futures ahead of us, but the present still has its demands. I better make sure Eli doesn't get worried."
Mother gave an agreeing snort as she started working the levers and steering wheel again. With our conversation finished, I went back down the hatch and into the lower decks. As I walked through the wooden hallways, I felt something still lingering in me from the conversation. If asked, I could say it was a need for assurance. Perhaps. The destination of the desire was far clearer.
As I came back into the ship's canteen, Eli was still regaling the men with our adventures. He spotted me when I got within a few feet of him. His arms were thrown open, stopping the story. I took the invitation and was soon fixed back in his lap. The quad mage detected my desire to remain silent, leaving him to relay the rest of the story as I leaned against his sturdy frame.
Proper night eventually came, and the crews dispersed for their beds. We followed their routine, walking through the wooden hallways until we came up to the one door that marked what had been our room on the trip from the Coalition. Eli stood in front of me, pushing the brown cloth over his face to the side, no doubt for a kiss. When my hands went to the buckle of his pants, those lips turned into a mischievous smile.
"We did quite well last night." He mused, clearly trying to maneuver asking me if I genuinely wanted it without outright stating the question.
For my part, I couldn't fully explain the desire in me if he asked. I knew how to get it, and that sex was the best path to it. Instead of trying to inform him of such things, I simply loosened his belt before hooking my thumbs around my own brown pants and pulling down. When it was clear I was about to expose my womanhood to the world, Eli grabbed my left shoulder with his right arm while his left hand opened the door.
What followed was the usual kissing and heat under a golden glow from a mana lamp to the right of the bed, enjoyable, but not tonight's main goal. I felt a bit guilty, trying to get to the end as quickly as possible. If the quad mage was dissatisfied with the speed of our struggle on the bed, he didn't speak of it. At his final shakes, he kept his bare face a few inches from mine, sending sweat onto my cheeks with the last shiver.
"I love you," Eli heaved out between his gulps for air.
My heart did its usual throb at the words, in that exertion couldn't. Tonight, however, I required even greater assurance. The instant I felt his legs adjust to lift, my hands and legs enveloped him.
"No!" I squeaked, looking up to him as the mana lamp on the right showed every bit of tired muscle in both of us.
I knew I could still get out from under him, despite our hip's position. Something that would have to change.
"Pin my hands and legs into the bed with yours," I commanded with more force than I had ever given in our couplings.
Eli didn't object to the order. In fact, he seemed almost eager as he pressed his knees into mine and meshed our hands into the white sheets. Still, it wasn't enough. I could tell that a decent struggle would free me. I puckered my lips, trying to figure out how to get this to work. The quad mage seemingly guessed my frustration.
He first wrapped his legs around the inside of my knees, then he looped his arms around my elbows, using his hardest muscles to press my joints' weak points. I felt vaguely happy. As reluctant as I was to possibly shatter the illusion, it still had to be tested if it was to be made real.
"I'm going to try and get free. Don't let me."
He nodded, smile coy and green eyes saying he had only a vague notion of what he was agreeing to.
With one last breath, I violently shook. Every muscle in my body was put to its greatest stress, yielding nothing. I gave a silent thanks to God that it was hopeless. We were stronger than human women, but about on par with their males. Eli, however, had a good head of height and all the attending weight over me. And on me. A quick inspection of our enmeshed joints said I hadn't managed so much as a hair's breadth of movement.
That nameless desire sang with rapturous joy. He truly loved me, had me in his power, and anything that happened from this point forward was because he desired it to be so. Obviously, his magic meant no struggle against him would ever succeed. Magic, however, wasn't this physical. This animal.
"Good?" Eli asked, sounding amused.
I looked away from our limbs to his face. The quad mage sported a smile that matched his tone.
"Lay on me. Fully." I ordered, not a thought in my head save how close I was to satisfaction.
He took a deep breath and did as he was bid. Any space between us pressed into nothing as even my chest squeezed against his. Ecstasy flooded my veins as every inch of my front green skin rubbed against his pink. Some thought about suffocating occurred to me before being snuffed out. If I died in such a manner, it would be a good end.
"Good?" Eli asked again, his voice now tinged with worry.
I first answered with a kiss and a loud pop.
"Perfection." I purred, feeling a smile come across my face.
Of course, this position left us both quite incapable of turning off the mana lamp. It didn't matter, as we almost immediately fell asleep.
The first thing I felt upon waking was pain in my lower back. Last night's events came to me, and I promptly told the pain to shut up. My body wanted Eli, a man several dozen pounds heavier than it, to use us as a pillow, and it would deal with the consequences without complaint. Before I could decide what to do next, I felt Eli's muscles contract.
His head was laying to my right, giving me a full view of his waking. First, his arms and legs tried to move. When he felt my limbs restricting his, his eyes shot open. Ready for danger, those green pools softened when they saw me. Seeing the love in them, knowing what just seeing me did for his mood, made my heart race. I could also see last night's memory come back to him.
"Did you get what you needed?" He asked with a sweet smile.
"More than. Thanks."
"I can let you go then?"
I nodded.
Getting untangled took a bit more effort than I thought it would. His arms and legs were apparently a little numb, making him struggle to work through both waking and this puzzle of flesh. That didn't make his lips any less appealing, leaving me to play with them as he worked our legs free.
"That's not helping." Eli scolded after my second kiss.
"I don't want to help." I moaned as I felt our lower halves pull apart.
Our upper halves were still pressed together, letting me feel his chest move with his laughter.
"You beautiful wretch." Eli scolded past the remaining chuckles.
He landed a kiss of his own before freeing our arms. My limbs were a bit sore, yet they survived mostly unscathed. Eli was struggling to move as we exited the bed. Seeing that it wasn't the pleasant limp after a hard night's play, I did my best to make it up to him with kisses and aid in the shower. Something about rubbing my body against him as we soaped up and washed seemed to help.
When we were in front of the bedroom door wearing matching white shirts and brown pants, Eli gave me one last playful swat on the butt before opening the door. I was feeling quite good. Whatever it was that bid Eli to pin me to the bed, getting its due left me feeling satisfied, back pain and all. Perhaps that was why, as Eli was holding the door open for me, I gave him a smack on the ass as I passed by into the hallway before deciding if it was a good idea.
The quad mage jumped in surprise, his eyebrows shooting up with the motion.
For a moment, my heart stopped. Did men not like that? Was it too far? A bumbling apology worked its way up my throat.
He shut the door behind him, a mischievous grin growing with the smack of wood on wood. Those hands then swung forward to seize my hips as green eyes fixed on me with lust. I got two seconds of looking around for anyone else in the hallway before we were pressed together in skin and lips. Through some miracle, we managed to only lose a few minutes before getting moving again. Despite, or because of, this being our last time together for a while, the way his right arm held me by the midsection felt better than usual.
That made it all the more bitter when we got above deck. Early morning sun beat down through the mist around the ship. A younger Kelton man rested at the navigator's chair while mother waited on the port side by some of the long poles that manipulated water. She wore a grey top and brown skirt that went below her knees, a sign of a day off if there ever was one.
I gave Jeff a silent 'thank you' for bringing us together for these few nights, but they were now at their end. Kelton men waited by the poles, ready to use water ropes to lower us onto the land below. Eli released his hold on my side, letting me walk up to my mother. No words were exchanged; instead, we drew into a hug. As her arms came around my shoulders and mine around her chest, I noticed how soft it was, the usual rough handling replaced with delicate holding. Again, my mind told me this was a meeting of two women, rather than mother and daughter.
"Good luck up here." I offered as I pulled back.
"Down there is where the trouble is. If there's any luck to be had, you'd best take it." Mothers rebutted, her smile more sweet than I had ever seen.
"Maybe I'll find you a husband among the beastmen. They don't seem so bad once you get past the puss."
Her red eyes rolled, while the two keltons were content to merely grimace. Eli took the opportunity to give his mother-in-law a hug. Once that was finished, we both stepped forward between the two keltons working the fixed poles. At Eli's nod, a long block of water shot out of the end of the poles and rested around our waists. Without so much as a word of warning, we were pulled, not flown, pulled into the air and through the cloud of mist.
The mist parted, allowing us to see the rocky island we were being dropped onto. It was a bare thing of stone, its magical growth having long since run out. On its sides, the ocean was doing its butchery, but the middle was solid enough that Eli's boat with a wooden top was still safe. My feet met proper land with only a slight jolt.
Blue sky greeted me along with a strong whiff of salty sea for the first time in days. I turned around to see the cloud pulling away, any sounds from it lost to the thunder of waves hitting stone. Looking forward, I saw Eli, who was already slightly ahead of me, start to magically move the rock around his boat. Seeing as how my magical talents were nonexistent, I could only make sure to stay out of his way. The quad mage made a small rock slide deliver his boat down to the ocean's edge, stopping just short of hitting the water.
Getting on top of the vessel was made easier than my first time, as he made a quick set of stone stairs leading up to the top. Working the oval hatch made my back protest from last night's crushing. After reminding it that this is what it wanted, I pried open the boat's entrance and gently worked my way down.
Inside lay a chair fused into the center of the floor, at which rested a wheel and panel. I scooted to the right as Eli came down the hatch. Unseen magic was put to work and soon the boat had the usual back-and-forth of a vessel on the waves. When Eli worked himself into the navigator's chair, I promptly moved myself into my proper spot on his lap. A smile and a kiss later, he worked the panel. The sudden pull on my body said we were moving forward. As did time. I couldn't say how long I got to enjoy my husband's presence, only that when the boat came to a stop and Eli gave me a sad look, it had been far too short a trip.
He took my lips one last time. After a few seconds of enjoying Eli's invasion, he pulled back and squatted up to work the hatch open. The only good thing to say about the exchange on my end was the grace I managed to show in getting up and in dealing with the cube of water that suddenly appeared around my midsection. Looking around, I could see the wooden backside of my ship, and more importantly, the windows above that marked my room and destination.
With one final nod between each other, I was sent skyward with the softness of a leaf on a breeze. My arms were still free, allowing me to grasp the open sill when it came within reach. That would be enough, with the water magic helping lift me up, getting inside was practically effortless.
Immediately turning around, I expected to see the boat slipping below the waves, or at least the hatch to be closed. Eli was doing neither, instead, he stood still in the open hatch. Then I saw the smile on his face, both crude and bold. Apparently, it was very important that I be made aware of his leering at my backside for the entire ascent. I pointed a finger towards the horizon, trying not to smile as I did so.
His answer was a grand bow before sitting down and bringing the hatch to a close. I allowed the smile to finally bloom as water came up over the boat. It then turned back towards the open sea as a bulge that wouldn't merit note even at a direct sighting.
Now back in the only room that could be called mine and mine alone, I turned around on the wooden floor that matched wall and ceiling. The desk and leather chair were a few feet in front of me, while a wardrobe rested on the left. At the opposite end of the room lay the door. My main point of interest was the bed on the right and its plush red blanket and white sheets. Slipping off my shoes and lifting the soft folds of cloth, I made the decision that I had earned a bit of rest after such an arduous waking, disregarding who may or may not be at fault for said pains.
As I moved to slip beneath the blankets, I measured the proper southern heat. I couldn't say why it was colder so high up, only that it was. Now back at ground level and feeling the heat unblemished by airship flight or water magic covering me in a bubble, I decided to simply lay atop the bed rather than in it. Feeling the rocking of the ship, I drifted into something between sleep and wakefulness.
*Knock*
*Knock*
My eyes shot open, the previous balance having obviously tipped into sleep. I looked up through the wide window, saw that the sun was showing its peak of midday, then coughed to clear my throat.
"Come in," I called, having a vague idea of who it was.
Through the door came Geoff. A man nearing elderly with long strands of grey hair around a bald cap, strands untouched by his removal of a brown mask. His tan, leathery skin was becoming downright seared in the southern sun, though the smile above his sharp chin didn't indicate he objected to the conditions. Those green eyes went to me, amusement coming clear through as he closed the door behind him.
"Nice to see you again, captain. Sort that all out with Jeff?" He asked, walking towards the desk with a tray of soup, a plate of bread, and a mug of beer.
"Not a captain for much longer. And, yes we did." I mused with my rise from the bed.
"But a captain still." Geoff refuted.
For today, that was true.
"Any trouble without your still captain?" I asked as I moved the desk's seat back.
"We've had nothing but sun and waves. And not a single bit of that buzz up our bum cracks to disturb it."
I gave him a slight smile as I lowered myself into the chair.
"But no," Geoff continued. "Besides the green girls getting a little worried, nothing happened."
"Oh?" I asked, tearing a piece of bread with the raise of my right eyebrow.
"Their savior has been held up with sickness for several days, stuck in her cabin with no one seeing her save me. All before she's supposed to shove off for good."
A stab of guilt hit me alongside the taste of bread soaked in fish stew. The orphans had been taking it rather hard when it was announced that I would be handing the position of captain off to Beaton. Telling them the Beastmen were our sibling species obviously wasn't going to happen. One day, but not any time soon. That left me fobbing off a few lies about seizing new opportunities upstream in the beastmen lands. Whatever their distress, their stomachs were full and hammocks comfortable. Something I repeated to myself when I hugged a crying green girl after the announcement.
"I suppose it's time we got underway."
Geoff nodded before turning around and going out the door.
Lunch was quickly devoured. Seeing as Beaton was going to be taking over soon, I had little to do, save stare out the back window as the ship got underway. As the small island the ship had anchored at shrank, I mentally perused the needed materials for this shipping company/charity I was going to be setting up. It wasn't much, just me getting a few loads of wood or metal bars. Hopefully, not from the Base. Another thing coming along was….
I looked around. The piece of "jewelry" that held Cell eluded me for a few seconds before I spotted the necklace on the back-left post of the bed. It was iron in the links going around the neck. At its center rested a half ball of copper in a nest of silver leaves. The black oval that typically rested inside was nowhere to be seen. A few minutes of working through the wardrobe and under the bed produced nothing.
As I was preparing to get Geoff to start a secret search, the back window blew open, revealing the shifting mass of black shapes before the oval revealed itself with a landing on the desk. That shifting slit of colors in the middle of the crystal regarded me for a moment before Cell jumped onto my right shoulder. Through a spirit connection at the spot he landed, he sent me images of various fish in the sea and crabs on the reefs of the island we had just been anchored at.
'Weren't you supposed to be keeping watch on the ship?'
Images of looking up at me.
'Yes, you're here, now. Earlier, you were supposed to be right around the ship, keeping an eye out.'
The ship bobbed off in the distance as he looked up from between the waves. Something he did every five minutes or so besides the interruption to visit Eli as he was sailing away beneath the waves.
'That's…. not keeping watch. That's idle observation.' I stated slowly, trying to not get irritated.
A feeling of indifference and boredom came through. I puckered my lips, which did nothing to dissuade him from sending images of various nuts through the spirit connection.
'And did you perform your watch well enough to earn such a treat?'
More images of nuts. More. Then yet more.
Eli warned me that having a familiar was more like having a powerful toddler than a stoic beast at your side. The warning had proved devastatingly accurate. In Cell's defense, once we crossed the threshold of the Thousand Screams Toad's territory, he would have to stay nestled in that piece of jewelry for days. Feeling more like a harried mother than a powerful scion, I went to get Eli's familiar his treats.
It would take around midnight for us to arrive at the island just inside the protected territory. Usually, such late-night sailing would be ill-advised, even without the proximity to the morning feeding frenzy. The navigator now had enough experience in these waters that they could travel by stars alone. If that wasn't enough, we had since acquired light bowl….things from the faeries. These had inner mirrors and a bright mana lamp in the middle, which shot beams of light ahead or to the sides of the ship. An addition Beaton had been particularly enthused about when we went over the changes that had occurred since he had held the captain's chair.