Amelia Thornheart Chapter 102: Experimentation

Alia stood on deck, her hands spread wide as she spun around. The westerly wind threw her golden hair about, making it flap and flutter in the open air. Giggling, Alia began to spin faster and faster, trying to keep her eyes locked onto her favourite thing in the world.

“Careful,” her favourite thing in the world said. “You’ll drill a hole through my deck if you keep that up.”

“Pfft.” Alia blew so golden hair from her mouth, slowing down to a stop. “It’s just nice to be outside and not have to worry about the weather!” Alia grinned at Serena while she did her best to fix her ssy hair.

Three days had passed since they left the Andalus Fortress. The majority of that ti was spent with all hands on deck. While the tricone had moved out of their path it had left no small number of fledgling tornadoes and troubleso winds in its wake. Alia had faithfully continued to act as an observer, making use of her enhanced eyes and access to the Shimr to help guide the Vengeance westward towards Ishaq.

She’d done so without her disguise of Lia Liona. After further discussion with Anathor, Serena had decided to give the ship a few days to make sure it had cald down after its dramatic reaction to her magic. Serena had also taken that ti to emphasise to the crew that nes and his n were not to know of her existence. Serena planned to let them out of their cages at so point, but first wanted to ensure Alia could return to her disguise first.

They were now sailing mid-sky at an elevation of eight klicks. It was higher than they would have preferred, but Sensors had identified a band of relatively calm weather and Serena had given the order to follow it. With good weather assured for the next day or two the crew was taking a much-needed break, especially as the Vengeance had just taken a dip in the lumina.

“It calms the ship,” Serena had explained to Alia before bringing the Vengeance into the supernatural foundation of the Known World. “I’m not willing to wait till Ishaq to begin experinting with how sensitive this ship is to your magic. We’ll conduct tests the mont we have a period of calm weather.”

And now, post-lumina-swimming, that period of calm weather was upon them. Alia and Serena stood on the Vengeance’s deck. Anathor was standing by, his attention split between them and the fourth deck. While he couldn’t see the ship’s true form, he could sense any changes in its behaviour quickly and notify them.

Serena tapped the deck with her foot. “Anathor! Are you ready?”

“Hmm…” ca the ethereal reply. Anathor always sounded distant when he wasn’t speaking through a dium, as if sothing was muffling his words. “Ready when you are, Captain.”

“Let’s start with so first-circle glamours. Hair and eye colour. Take it slow,” Serena warned. “Give the ship ti to adjust and Anathor ti to react. Do what you can to keep the aetherflow minimal. Let’s not grow too confident, too fast.”

“Mmm!” Alia nodded, beginning the slow construction of the formation inside her. Kanaxai magic was notorious for its delicate and complicated configuration. There were far more variables to control and, if it weren’t for Alia’s natural talent in manipulating aether, she was sure she wouldn’t be able to manage it.

A few seconds passed as her cycling aether slowly ford into the required structure. There was a hesitancy in her aetherflow, probably due to her concern that the ship might suddenly scream again. Nevertheless, Alia willed her aether to continue bending, folding, and twisting itself into what it needed to beco. As the final motions were complete, she announced to Serena that it was ready.

Her girlfriend looked downwards. “Anathor, anything?” she enquired.

“Nothing yet, Captain,” the Formless replied.

Seeing Serena give her a nod, Alia activated the formation. A strange cold sensation washed over her, vanishing as quickly as it began. She looked downwards to find that her golden, silky hair had now beco a mousy brown.

It was a nostalgic colour.

“Hmm,” Serena mused. “Eye colour is correct, but Lia Liona has darker hair. Did you an to make it such a light brown? It looks weird.”

“This was the colour of my hair before I arrived here, y’know?”

“It’s a wonderful colour. I love it.”

Alia giggled, which forced an apologetic smile from Serena. With a mont of concentration she adjusted the formation, changing her hair colour to Lia Liona’s dark brown.

“Looking good?” she asked.

“Looking good,” Serena affird. “Anathor?”

“Still good here, Captain.”

“Right.” Serena nodded. “Shall we try a larger glamour? Sothing external? Maybe—”

“Horns!” Alia blurted out.

“...Sure.” Serena rolled her eyes. “Be careful.”

Alia began arranging the second-circle spell. Kanaxai spellwork—especially at the lower circles—didn’t require much aether. It was only when the First-Word got involved that the aether demand skyrocketed. That said, second-circle glamours still demanded five or six tis the amount her hair and eye-changing glamours did.

“A small disturbance…” Anathor spoke out suddenly. “No, continue Miss Thornheart,” he added as Alia stopped constructing her formation. “As long as we proceed carefully, we will have enough warning. Still… to think you two have such a strong connection, even when she’s in this form… The power of a shard really is limitless…”

While Anathor mumbled, a reassuring nod from Serena settled Alia’s nerves and she finished the formation. With a glance to double-check it was okay, she activated the second-circle glamour, once again feeling a strange cold sensation wash over her. Only this ti, there was a new feeling of unnatural weight on her forehead. It wasn’t a physical weight, but a magical one. It was perhaps a tiny fraction of how she felt when she adorned horns of lightning under Taranis.

“Any problems, Anathor?” Alia asked.

“There are subtle disturbances, but I wouldn’t call her agitated, Miss Thornheart.”

“Very well,” Serena said. “Looks like you’ll be able to return to being Miss Liona. Just don’t let anything slip if you end up talking to nes or his n. End the Kanaxai spellwork. I want to see how far we can get with wards.”

As it turned out, not very far.

It was to be expected; the strength of wardspells was directly proportional to the amount of aether put into them. An uncloaked Alia-level ward that wasn’t even projected from her body as a fieldspell was already using up far more aether than the second-circle glamours. It didn’t take long at all before Alia felt a twisting sensation form in her stomach—a sudden bout of anxiety that wasn’t entirely her own.

It ca from the ship. Thankfully, it was a less serious reaction to when she’d ford the Kanaxai First-Word. Alia was able to react even before Anathor shouted out his warning, quickly spooling down the newly constructed ward before the ship faced too much distress.

“Phew,” Alia said. “Close one.” She closed her eyes for a mont, focusing on her aether. “It’s strange how my existing wards, and even the wards I have active on Serena haven’t caused any problems.”

“Hmm…” Anathor humd. “It’s almost certainly the fact that they are both heavily cloaked. Even your aetherflow to the captain’s wards goes through the Shimr. If it didn’t, I expect it would cause chaos. Perhaps… try and flare an existing ward. Gently, now.”

“Sure!” Alia picked her lowest-level ward, Igni’s Barrier. It was a first-circle ward from the branch of demonic hellfire that provided excellent heat resistance and so physical defense. She expected it would co in handy in the South, especially if they had to cross the desert at any point.

With the ward identified, Alia ever so slightly flared it, feeling her aether rush to enhance its strength. With no response from the ship, she flared a little more, and then a little more…

“Too much!” Anathor cried suddenly.

“Got it!” Alia called out, tightening the expanded aetherflow. “Once the aether exceeds the ability of the cloak to hide it, there’s a reaction! The problem is that I need to cast the spell first before I cloak it!”

“Mmm,” Serena humd. “Could you cast an extrely weak ward, and then cloak it, then slowly increase the ward's strength while you refine the cloak?”

“Umm?” Alia tilted her head. “Maybe.”

That hope was quickly short-lived.

The issue was that the initial invocation of the cloak spell required enough aether to classify itself as a third-circle spell. CloakofSecrecy was the second spell Alia had cast in this world. Its first invocation was all those months ago, when she’d first arrived in Serena’s quarters. Despite her growth as a mage and aether user, she couldn’t get around its third-circle aether requirents. Before Alia had finished constructing the formation she had to stop as the knot of anxiety in her returned, quickly followed by Anathor’s panicked cries.

“Even if we can’t make use of your trendous aether reserves,” Serena began thoughtfully, “we’re lucky the existing wards hold and you can disguise yourself. I was worried I was going to have to smuggle you into Ishaq in a crate! Ha!” She laughed, prompting Alia to stick her tongue out.

“But,” Alia began once her tongue had returned to its rightful place, “are you sure you don’t want to try it with leaving the ship? I could jump, fall a kilotre or two and then use large-scale magic?” Even as she spoke, she saw Serena shake her head.

“Not risking it,” Serena said definitely. “You haven’t yet experienced what it’s like to be exposed to raw lumina interference. A sudden change in the weather or a minor mistake by you, and you might find yourself thinking you’re pushing against the aetherfield to float, but you’re actually propelling yourself to your doom. When the Vengeance went swimming earlier, we were protected by the ship. Rember the reports Sensors gave on the condition of the aetherscope? Total and complete noise. If it can do that to a well-built, reliable machine designed to operate in tough conditions, imagine what it’ll do to a human mind.” As if to emphasise her point, Serena reached out and tapped Alia’s head. Those taps quickly beco an affectionate ruffle.

“Hrmph, well…” Serena mumbled, quickly pulling her hand back and glancing towards the bridge. “Let’s keep you safe, understand? We know it’ll be fine once we dock in Ishaq and we travel into the city. After all, you cast nurous large-scale magics in Asamaywa, and the ship behaved in dock, didn’t it?”

“Right, right,” Alia nodded her agreent, buzzing slightly from her girlfriend's protectiveness. Sothing about her expression must have given the ga away, as Serena asked her what was wrong. “Nothing!” Alia replied. “I’m just thinking of all the presents I’m going to give you! And everyone else!”

“Well, aren’t I lucky?” Serena said before sighing. “Sha we’re not taking the route through Centralis. Christmas is a massive event there. They even have to close the skies due to the number of fireworks people let off. Unfortunately”—Serena gestured to the expanse beyond the ship’s railing—”we won’t have the luxury to enjoy the festivities to that extent. That said, I can’t wait to see what ridiculous things you’ve bought ,” she finished with a playful wink.

“They’re good presents, I promise!” Alia bounced on her feet. “Not ridiculous at all!”

Well, there was Serena’s final—extrely ridiculous—present. But that wasn’t sothing she could possibly give to Serena on the ship. In fact, it wasn’t sothing she could give Serena anywhere but in a private environnt. Perhaps she could make it a late present in Ishaq? It depended on what opportunities they would have to be alone for long enough for Serena to… enjoy it.

Regardless of the less than ideal location, the excitent of the upcoming religious holiday grew day by day. Alia found it a little strange to have such a fundantal religious connection to her old world. Christianity had been brought over to the Known World by the initial human caravans that migrated across the realms more than two thousand years ago, and they would have co from the very sa world Alia originated from.

What was unusual was that she rembered nothing regarding realm migrations in the history of her world. At the ti of Alia’s birth, her world was approaching the final centuries of the fourth millennium. Despite the nurous World Wars and periods of rebuilding humanity had needed to go through, they still maintained a relatively intact record of their history.

Yet, Alia had never heard even a whisper of realms or aether or anything like that.

Well, with the exception of the ga she played, of course.

Her thoughts were cut short by Anathor announcing, “Sensors picked up a lift engine, Captain. Small vessel, portside.”

Just as Alia rembered which way portside was on a ship and had turned her head to look south, Serena strode past and peered into mid-sky. With the additional information that the vessel was flying a full klick lower than them, they both quickly identified the vessel’s location.

“Well,” Alia said. “If they’re pirates they’re going to need a bigger ship, don’t you think?” She glanced at Serena, reassured to find that her calm, collected, and sotis embarrassed girlfriend didn’t look all that concerned. Alia looked back at the vessel. Barely big enough for a dozen n, it couldn’t be more than ten-tres long. It was absent any visible weaponry and its small silvery aetherscope seed like it wouldn’t be able to do much more than send and receive ssages.

Its rustic but functional appearance reminded her of the Houk-class vessels the citizens of the Asamaywa lowlands had taken to the air to catch as many falling moonstones as they could. The only difference was that instead of the Houks with their haphazardly welded buckets, this ship wore nets and nurous fishing lines.

“A fishing ship,” Serena said, frowning slightly. “It’s flying the colours of Kraken Kur, but it doesn’t make sense it’d co out this far.” Serena tapped the deck with her feet. “Anathor!”

“Hmm… Yes, Captain?”

“Tell Dagon to go get our resident Ishaqian Lord and bring him on deck.”

“Hmm… in chains, Captain?”

The edge of Serena’s mouth curled before she said, “No. Now Alia can create her disguise again, it’s about ti we give him so freedom. Wouldn’t want any Southern greatlords complaining about how a Samino Lord treats our Southern neighbours, would we?”

“Aye aye, Captain…” Anathor grumbled.

While they waited for Dagon to appear with the Vengeance’s prisoner lord, Alia carefully reconstructed her disguise. Feeling satisfied with the subtle weight of aether from her stubby horns, she waited patiently until Dagon brought the large Arakian demon onto deck.

“Don’t let him know you know he’s a lord,” Serena whispered.

Alia nodded. She barely had ti to take in his large, muscular body with dark skin and a bald head, before the demon spread his arms wide and yelled, “Freedom! Fresh air! I a… rebirthed!” He then yelled sothing into the sky that sounded like a prayer, but it was spoken in a strange language Alia had never heard before.

“Stop being dramatic,” Serena intoned, clicking her tongue. “You’ve been allowed to walk the cargo bay, haven’t you?”

“Not like this! Ah! To feel the wind in my horns again!” the large man shouted, reaching to the sky. Then, as his arms ca down, he finally spotted Alia. The Arakian frowned. “Who’s that?” he asked.

“Hello!” Alia waved, rising onto the balls of her feet. “I’m Lia! Nice to et you!”

“Ooo…” the Arakian cooed, approaching and peering down at her. “You’re not a sailor are you? Hmm… are you perhaps”—he sniffed the air—“a mage? But no… there’s a sense of the warrior about you, isn’t there?” The demon turned to Serena and said, “What is it with this ship and female warriors? Doesn’t the East care about making children at all?”

“One more comnt about my recruitnt practices, nes, and you’re back in that cell for another week,” Serena said coolly. “Don’t concern yourself with Lia or her role on this ship. It’s no concern of yours. What is a concern is this fishing vessel shadowing us.” Serena pointed down towards the small vessel in the distance. “What do you make of it? A small vessel like that, flying the colours of Kraken Kur, more than two hundred klicks into the passage? You know these skies, nes. You know the inhabitants. Tell what you think.”

“Let see, let see, my saddiyah,” nese intoned. He turned his attention away from Alia and peered out over the railing. “Where is…? Ah! Hmm…” The demon rubbed his chin. “It is difficult for . You will not throw off if I use aura to look… to look… to…” He trailed off, as if trying to find the right words. “To look more good?” he finished with a slight tilt of his head.

“To look better,” Serena clarified. “No, I don’t mind. Use your aura, nes Bastet.”

A few monts passed and the Arakian soon glowed with hues of vibrant orange. It was a well-established orange aura, far beyond what even the talented l was capable of. Perhaps if he flared he would co close, or even manage to break through, to yellow.

With his enhanced eyesight, nes seed to focus on the fishing vessel for all of two seconds before turning and locking eyes with Serena.

“Yes,” he said, nodding casually as if he’d just been asked to identify the sky.

“Pirates.”