World Sphere - 144 - (Patreon)

Chapter 144

“Why is the Princess here, Isla?”  I sounded calm and probably should have predicted this.

The color from Isla’s face drained a little, “She…Loriel…I…they said you said…I…”

I held up my communication stone,  “You have one.  Ask me next time to confirm.”

Isla apologized and explained, “With the attack coming, they thought it was the most secure place was the best place for the Princess.  I thought…”  She stopped talking, “I will confirm with you next time.”

“No, I will tell her no when she arrives,” I said firmly.  We had something growing during the four-day trip, but after seeing how similar she was to Loriel, I think I had developed an aversion to women in power.  Isla nodded and resisted saying something.  I ordered, “Get my sister settled.  Give her a room and set her up with tutors from the capital.  I am going to recruit a magic teacher for her.”  Isla nodded and went to the adjacent suite, motioning two servants in the silvery gray uniforms to follow.  I walked up to the fourth floor to see it.

All the glass windows had been replaced on the fourth floor, and a single short stone balcony was facing the city.  This balcony was new, so I walked out on it.  It extended about ten feet, and it was not a balcony but a temporary skyship ramp.  Six large stores and mooring lines were present.  I guessed it was to allow guests to depart without having to walk up the stairs.  It did give a remarkable view, and I decided to keep it after the party.

Over one hundred and fifty feet of the Black Spire was still over me.  The sealed space was the private apartments of the Haikerum mage who had shattered the island.  His magics must be tied to a powerful aether stone to remain strong and active for so long.  When I had time, I would begin to explore the defenses.  Maybe Sana Velin might have a lead on someone who could break them?  I needed to talk with her anyway to convince her to train Freya in the basics of magic.

I admitted the massive open room was an ideal place to hold a function.  Only a few Wolfsguard bedrolls remained.  And heavy wooden tables and chairs were stacked against one wall.  They were probably delivered on a skyship.  I descended the tower and left the tower.  I was walking toward the farm to make sure Mera and Fera’s brother and wife were settled.  The cats noticed me and chased me.  “Freya!” I yelled, stopping her.  “Get settled in the tower with Isla.  There will be time to explore the estate later.”  A disappointed Freya went into the tower with Monty.

I passed a few grounds crew in silvery uniforms working on the grounds. They were clearing old paths in an expansive garden they were reclaiming. I guess that is what people of wealth did. They had extravagant things that only they enjoyed.

The farmhouse looked refinished on the outside, and I knocked, was shown around, and introduced the baby. I kept the cats outside as I toured the large building. The farmhouse had a dozen bedrooms, all with new floors and painted walls and ceilings. The twins’ brother wanted to show his fields, but I passed as I was pressed for time. The Wolfsguard worked the aether fields near the farmhouse, and the white barely fields were further afield. As long as he was working hard, I was happy with him.

The long walk to the Wolfsguard village was next. The apple orchard was being tended to by the crippled Wolfsguard. I  was getting close to being able to help them. I walked into the Wolfsguard town. The meeting hall and the general store were the only two buildings currently complete.

There were dozens of men working, though, and the stone mage was raising two buildings as I watched. Asher approached me, “High Mage, all goes well, and I did not think this endeavor would be fulfilled. I am happy I have been proved wrong. It is good you did not die in the lowlands as we had feared.”

“You say the sweetest things, Asher. I came to ask if there are any in your care who would join my Spire Guard? I need nine more to fulfill my obligation to the Triumvirate. I know we only talked about training the guards, but I am short on time, and an attack is imminent.”

“We heard the news of Black Mauraders. The boy you left with us is one of them,” he looked around but didn’t see him. “He has tried running four times since yesterday. Does he not know there is nowhere to go?” He laughed. “Two men are watching him and teaching him about picking apples.”

“So no one?” I asked, thinking he avoided the question on purpose.

“We can fill your roles. Twelve men and two women, some of the oldest among us but ready to serve with a weapon in their hand again. Do you want them to report to Pakkam?” Asher asked as we walked through the construction. Piles of dropped stones were everywhere.

“Yes, they can see Pakkam, and I thank them for coming to my call. There is a new ship docked at the Spire, the Sky Wraith. That is where they will serve. Barracks between the cradles are being built now,” I answered him.

I spent another hour talking with Asger about the orchards and the aether fields. The first harvest was being accelerated and would soon be up for sale to the alchemists. I told him to find my new alchemist, Otto, and see about pricing and uses. I had not checked on Otto but knew he and Lachlan were not getting along.

I walked back to the Black Spire, having put in an appearance. When I reached the Spire, I noticed Loriel Harbinger, the Heavan’s Descent, occupied the other cradle. I could see Loriel, Bylura, Princess Amelia, and her old attendant talking to Isla at the Black Spire entrance. I walked casually up to them, the cats darting into the gardens after something.

Loriel had her smile on, “Storme!! Everything looks so great!! You restored the Spire to glory in such a short time. I came to drop off Amelia and her things.”

“It will not be necessary. I have plans for all the suites in the Spire, and none are currently available. You really should have checked first.” I said politely.

Amelia had a hurt look on her face, “Surely you can squeeze me and my attendant in somewhere? You can even utilize my two guards while I am here and Gemma Hellvein as well.” I looked and recognized the air mage standing on the deck of the Harbinger.

Loriel stepped in, “You do need a few more guards to fulfill your quota. It is important that you are prepared with conflict seemingly inevitable.”

“I have some Wolfsguard from the estate coming out of requirement. I will exceed the threshold, Loriel. I have enough to keep track of without having to worry about the safety of the Princess.” I was still calm but taking a firm stance.

Loriel bit her lip, “It would be a sizable favor to the Triumvirate. What if we gave you another day’s of unfettered access to the Progenitor Dungeon?”

My rejection was caught in my throat. Princess Amelia was looking back and forth between me and Loriel, amused. It was clear Loriel had been caught as she had seemingly promised the Princess residence in the Black Spire.

“Two more days. So three days in total, fifth, sixth, and seventh day,” I started, and Loriel’s eyes hardened in consideration. She was weighing in her mind the benefit her trade alliance with the Principality of Marstom was bringing to Skyholme. I added, “And it will be in writing, and I also only extend a suite to the Princess until after the attack has passed.”

“I think that is most agreeable, don’t you, Loriel?” The Princess smiled broadly.  She was clearly thinking she had won me something in the little power struggle with Loriel.

“I can agree to that, High Mage,” Loriel said but didn’t look happy, which meant it was a win for me. Maybe she was faking her unhappiness; either way, I was counting it a win. Three days of dungeon access meant I could expand delve operations and possibly even export items. There was blood marble deeper in the dungeon that was highly valuable.

“Isla!” I called. “It looks like the Princess is staying after all. Make the needed arrangements to feed her two guards, mage, and attendant.”

“You will be having meals with me, will you not?” The Princess said, sounding hurt.

“Unfortunately, I am leaving for Llorth in the morning,” I replied with a false look of disappointment.

“Really? I always wanted to visit the dark elf city,” the Princess said excitedly. Before I can object, “I will even take care of my own safety,” she pointed at her two guards and Hemma.

I sensed I was not getting out of this. “What is the going rate for a round trip to Llorth on a skyship?”

The Princess was doing the math in her head, mumbling the milage aloud as she went, “So that would be 44 gold per passenger each way. We can just say fifty gold. So two hundred and fifty each way for five? Agreed?” she asked with a smile.

I considered, “I don’t know. The ships of Marstom would take nearly eight days to get there. I will get there in half a day. That should be worth more consideration. Maybe five hundred each way?”

The Princess smirked, “Llorth has a portal gate, and the cost is only a few gold. We can travel down to Goldreach and use the portal to get there faster than the Maelstrom.”

“Excellent!! So you can do that. I hope to see you in Llorth.” I said with my own smirk.

The Princess countered, “Five hundred gold each way is acceptable.” She produced five of her kingdom platinum and handed them to me. “I will get my crew ready and let Captain Volantis know I am traveling.” She left, and I was left with Loriel and Bylura.

“Are you going to move your ship? It was never supposed to land here, and I have been told it was stationed here during my extended absence.” I told the de facto ruler of Skyholme.

“It was necessary, and I moved it on notification of your return, Storme.” She was defensive but turned friendly, “You did a service bringing the Principality to Skyholme. The added defense and trade possibilities will be lucrative. But we do need to survive this threat from the Black Mauraders.”

A Harbinger ship appeared overhead, one of the newer ones. I looked up, “That would be a ship from Sebastian for me to work on Loriel. I believe you are parked in his spot.” With that, I left and boarded the Sky Wraith.

Pakkam was on deck and smiled at me, “Your shipbuilder is below deck. I think he is in love.”

“Who?” I asked, confused.

“He introduced himself as Rippon. He has never seen a ship like this before and is more than a little impressed. We are familiarizing ourselves with it. Another day or two, and I would say we will be ready for combat.” Pakkam bowed, scratching his new silvery uniform.

“Good, but this ship is not to attack, just defend the Spire and ferry the innocents from Skyhold Citadel. Remember that. I wanted to let you know to expect twelve older Wolfsguard from the Village to complete your crew,” I said, and Pakkam nodded.

I wanted to go to the Mage Academy to talk with Selina. I didn’t have time, though.  I whistled for the cats to come, and they followed me into the tower.  I found Talia getting the delvers situated on the second floor. We had fifteen delevers now. I told her the news about getting three days’ access to Progentier Dungeon, and she was not happy, “Storme! There are only fifteen of us. You should have spaced out our access so we had time to recover. We can not utilize a continuous three days.”

“Sell time slots then. Hire more delvers. You are in charge, Talia. Figure it out.” I said patiently. “Also, talk to your great-grandmother and see if she will train my sister in magic. Freya is not remarkable, but she works hard.”

Many emotions played on her face, but she finally answered, “I will talk with Sana and figure out glutinous dungeon time. You know we must still delve for honey in the Forst Vault to produce the mead.”

“Glad you have things in hand. If anyone is looking for me, I will be on the Navy Harbinger outside working on the rune refurbishment,” I said, patting her back.

I was familiar with the Harbingare as I had down her original runic work. This was The Graceful Eagle. The Harbinger had been heavily used since I did the initial work. The captain ordered his men off the ship, as was my preference, although it did not matter who knew how fast I could work.  The cats followed me around the ship but were bored as I worked.  It was just four hours until I finished and returned to the Spire, exhausted.

One of the attendants took me to my suite, which was nice to know where it was. It had three bedrooms, and Freya was set up in one of them. Bleiz was in the other. The Spire did not have plumbing but did have toilets with cleanliness runes on them. I fed and worked with the cats before finally laying down in the comfortable bed.

I had forgotten to set my runes, so the knock surprised me. My absolute time spell told me I had fallen asleep for an hour. An excited Freya was at the door, “Storme, this place is amazing! You have your own dungeon!” I thought humorously, I probably should have let Princess Amelia use that for her stay.

“Pakkam said he would work with me on my sword forms when Bleiz wasn’t around, and Talia said she was going to find a spell instructor for me!” She leaned in close, “I didn’t tell her I knew it was Sana Velin.” I messed up her hair. “Stop that! I came to get you for dinner.”

We went upstairs to the fourth floor, where the tables and twelve seatings had been set up. Isla, Talia, Sammie, Lana, Remy, Rippon, and Namira were eating. Princess Amelia was at the head of the table, patiently waiting for me before starting. Her older maid was standing behind her chair, looking disturbed at the lack of decorum. Freya did not wait either and started eating, and Beliz also appeared and sat.

I seated myself at the other end so I would have to stare at the Princess while I ate. The food was good but not inspired. I listened to everyone talk, and others came and sat, ate, and left as the meal progressed. Each time, the plates were cleared, and more food was brought out. I had to feed the delvers as part of their contract, so this must be how it was being worked out.

The Princess observed the entire time and only talked when spoken to. It was a little unnerving like I was under some type of microscope.  I saw the second Harbinger ship land as dinner progressed, so I planned to finish that before getting any extended rest. I wanted to leave as early as possible.

I excused myself, and Adiral and Kiara followed. Both were full of scraps being fed from the table. This Harbinger ship was The Favored Wind. It was another new Harbinger but one I had not completed myself. It took almost six hours to do that work as I had to correct several mistakes. Well, not mistakes, just lazy runic work. I was starting to think of artificing as more of an art form than a manufacturing process.

It was extremely early in the morning when I scooped up the sleeping cats. They were getting heavy. They scurried to the ground off the ship, and the Navy captain saluted me and boarded. His men were milled around the area, and if this was going to be a regular thing, then I should perhaps make someplace for them to rest. Maybe a tavern of the barracks that was being built for the Wolfsguard.  It could serve the same fare as the Shiny Platinum, but maybe a smaller menu.

The Maelstrom was by the entrance in the early morning, and I boarded. Bleiz appeared to my right. He must have been invisible the entire time I worked on the Harbinger. “Are we leaving?”

“Yes, go and wake Cilia and Leda. I guess the Princess, as well. I want to be on our way in an hour. I plan to get some sleep on the trip there.” Bleiz disappeared, and I checked the runes on the Maelstrom. The mithril would not degrade; just the platinum insulated the mithril on the runes.

I actually had to use all five coins and another twelve from my storage to do the runes. Seventeen hundred gold worth of platinum gone just like that. The Maelstrom was also seeing heavy use and could have flown for maybe six more months before needing to be replenished, but since I was working on the aether cannons soon, I needed the insulators in perfect order.

I made a list of everything I needed to be artificed:

1) Protective rings for Father, Mother, Freya, Pascal

2) Weapons for 42 Wolfsguard on the Sky Wraith

3) Feather Fall rings for all 52 Wolfsguard on the Sky Wraith

4) Weapons, rings, and protective items for Maya and the two guards across from my parents

5) Aether Disruptor Cannon

6) Aether Cannon

It was a long list and a lot of work to get done before the Black Mauraders arrived. But it was all necessary. The cannons were last on my list because both required adamantine. I just did not have a source of aether to spare to create it.

I heard Princess Amelia board with Gemma, his guards, and the attendant. Cilia and Leda were talking right behind them. Bleiz knocked on the door to my captain’s cabin. “Storme, should we go?”

“Tell Cilia and Leda best speed to Llorth. I will be resting,” I replied. I set my privacy screens and alarms and fell asleep.