Soulhome (The Weirkey Chronicles Book 1)

by Sarah Lin

  The three of them headed out into the city, Nauda taking the lead. Theo was happy to let her, especially since her staff worked to part the crowds ahead of them - it didn't seem to carry any particular status, but its presence suggested that they were on official business and not to be invited to any celebration. Fiyu followed close behind Nauda but looked back toward him until he followed closer, their combined presence forming a slight protective barrier from the crowds.

  It seemed Nauda knew a more efficient route, including a quick ride on one of the gondolas, because they reached the restricted market in record time. Once there, the crowds offered much more privacy, which meant that merchants typically only clasped arms instead of embracing customers. More importantly, they could finally begin searching among the sublime material merchants.

  Finally he had access to materials that weren't so blandly benign. Bright leaves that burned at the touch, spikes of living stone that burrowed into flesh, fruit that could be both medicine and poison. His instinct was to grab everything that might potentially be useful, but given his lack of funds, he restricted himself to materials that would be perfect for himself or Fiyu.

  They could have searched more efficiently splitting up, but that didn't seem to be an option. It took him some time to reach their first real find: a pitch black gum that the merchant said came from a distant shaded wood. Since it was less bright and life-aspected, Fiyu could use it as adhesive in her soulhome.

  Their second find came from Fiyu herself, who was overjoyed to discover a fine black sand that could be melted into glass. He hadn't known that she had the technique, but that would certainly make their process easier. She eagerly ran her fingers through it, but then looked back to them.

  "This would be perfect. Can we...?"

  "I don't know about that." The merchant leaned forward and regarded them sternly - he was a soulcrafter himself with a polished soulhome, though not one as focused on combat. "This is an Archcrafter material, so it might be too much for base soulcrafters. It certainly wouldn't be cheap."

  "This is hardly Archcrafter tier." Theo sneered down at the sand, even though he judged it to be roughly on the border between the two. "Don't try to cheat us."

  "Just what are you accusing me of? Do you think I don't know how to do my job?"

  "We're certain that you are a wonderful merchant." Nauda stepped in and gave him a beautifully innocent smile. "Surely a man of your skill and experience would always use that for the benefit of his customers. But perhaps you can offer a small discount for a poor traveler trying to return to her home?"

  With Theo playing the gruff outsider and Nauda wheedling from the other side, they negotiated the merchant down from an exorbitant price to one that was merely painful. Fiyu seemed to grow bored and wandered to another stall, but as soon as the transaction was complete, she carried her sack of sand with a broad smile on her face. Unguarded as she seemed at times, she was capable of social deception as well. For that matter, he was surprised at how easily Nauda had lied throughout the negotiation.

  They headed on, Fiyu mostly content and Theo now focusing more on his own needs. All she needed now was a sublime fabric to serve as a curtain of sorts, and he actually saw one that might work, but he kept quiet as he searched. He needed a source of fire so intense it was dangerous in order to serve as the core of his light defenses... and hopefully his offenses, in time. Even if he hoped the noonstone would work out, there was no guarantee.

  Though the restricted market must sell such things, he wasn't able to find one on their path. The best he found that he could afford was a sublime material called magnigem: a plate of something that looked like quartz, but was so heavy he could barely lift it. Instead of generating cantae, it resisted the power effectively. Such a substance could have made an even better chest than the solarstone, or perhaps an altar for whatever his most dangerous sublime material was.

  That took him a little away from the others, which increased Fiyu's distress. Nauda was distracted for once, staring at a panel of crystal at a nearby stall. Every time it shifted even slightly, all the fires and lanterns reflected into a kaleidoscope of color. A beautiful sight for those who were interested in that sort of thing, and Nauda clearly was.

  "This is a work of raw beauty..." Nauda stared at it with undisguised awe. "I almost want to buy it just to have in my soulhome, even if it doesn't serve any purpose. Fiyu, isn't this beautiful?"

  "I am not sure." Fiyu hesitantly shifted her mask up slightly, revealing a glimpse of a silver eye before she winced and retreated back into her hood. "There are many colors, but..."

  "You don't need to agree with me, everyone finds different things beautiful." Turning away from the glass, Nauda regarded Fiyu thoughtfully. "Since you use senses other than your eyes, I suppose colors wouldn't be striking to you. And I suppose paintings would just be flat, and statues just shapes. But surely you must have a sense for beauty..."

  "That." Fiyu pointed to a stall two rows over, one that was difficult for them to see over the crowds. Since this was apparently their next priority, Nauda headed toward it and Theo followed along, restraining any irritation. More time to search for materials, then.

  When they drew close, it was revealed to be a statuette sitting on the table, portraying an old woman weaving at a loom. The wrinkles on her hands and face were wrought in stunning detail, but what was most striking was how natural the fabric looked, despite being made of stone. Completely useless as a sublime material, but Theo could admit that it was a work of art.

  "And what do you like about it?" Nauda asked. Fiyu extended a hand without touching it, her fingers tracing the statuette's lines in the air.

  "The details are even more intricate up close... and it creates the appearance of something soft out of something hard. That illusion is the most beautiful part."

  "Most Ichili art is a bit more abstract, isn't it?" It wasn't really a question, but Theo decided not to sit out the entire conversation. "I remember these spheres that look smooth on the outside, but the interior is a maze of paths and shapes."

  "Spheres of artistry!" Fiyu smiled as if the memory itself brought her joy. "Yes, there's so much intricacy within, and it strikes you differently from different sides. The best of them you can pore over many nights, always finding something new that escaped you before."

  "They sound lovely." Nauda smiled in response, but her eyes were shifting toward him with a cooler gaze. "Exactly how have you spent so much time on Ichil, Jake?"

  For some reason, in that moment the false name annoyed him. He wasn't about to reveal his previous visit, but he decided to offer some truth. So as they continued through the markets, he told them about how he had fallen through a door into a pitch black part of Ichil, studied under a traveling soulcrafter, and eventually helped save a community in one of the deep caverns of glowing mushrooms.

  Both of them must have understood that he had been a soulcrafter in the past based on the gaps in his story, but they refrained from pressing him about it. That was worth something, he supposed. As frustrating as some aspects of his second life in the Nine had been, he'd come across worthwhile allies, at least for the moment.

  In the end, they found the last material Fiyu needed without any more trouble and started on the return path. Just when it seemed like the entire trip might go smoothly, he heard sounds of a scuffle ahead. Nauda hurried to look, then sighed and reversed direction, pushing them back along an alternate path.

  "It seems that the Fithans are causing trouble again." Nauda gestured to the side. "They're being thrown out of the warmthgiver district, so if we step through it, we should be able to avoid them."

  "They seem very argumentative," Fiyu said, craning her neck to examine the conflict. Theo could see over the crowds more easily and saw that it was nothing too serious: just a few drunks bickering with one another, nothing that local Farmguards couldn't handle.

  "It has been an increasing problem. Some want to remove them from the school, but I don't know if t
hat would be an even larger problem."

  "You don't understand, they're being polite." Theo glanced back one more time as they shifted onto a warmly lit street. "The standards for behavior in their home... well, Fithe is a world at war. Uh, do you even have that word? I hope it translated correctly."

  Fiyu nodded quietly and said, "I know of war." Meanwhile, Nauda gave him that odd gaze he couldn't quite interpret before she spoke.

  "The word doesn't exist in the local language, so what I heard was something like 'bloodargument'. But war is not unknown on Tatian, and other languages have the word, or at least had it once. Regardless, it doesn't excuse their behavior."

  "That's not what I meant," Theo said. "It's just a cultural mismatch, or at least that's what I'm guessing. On Fithe, someone who acted as warm and friendly as most do on Tatian would be mocking or insulting. Being here is probably deeply uncomfortable for them, and we should be glad that no one has gotten killed. Honor duels are commonplace in many parts of Fithe."

  Nauda frowned. "That is not an argument in favor of keeping them here..." Her words trailed off as they realized there was someone standing in their path.

  "So this is where you were." Trathis stood before them, glowering as if they weren't in his group. "I was looking for you, Nauda, but you were nowhere to be found. Is this how you make your money, whoring yourself in this district? Have you turned the Ichili into a whore too?"

  Theo was surprised for a moment, then immediately turned to Fiyu, afraid that she would react to the insult with violence. Instead her face was utterly blank, almost as if she hadn't even heard him. Combined with the mask covering her eyes, it was unnerving, and Trathis looked away from her to turn his irritation elsewhere.

  "I'm so sorry to have given you the wrong impression," Nauda's voice was downright syrupy now and she bowed low. "I am not a warmthgiver, but if your disposition has left you with a need for one, I am sure that we could find someone who would accept compensation."

  The combination of the blank stare and Nauda's sickening sweetness left Trathis hesitating. His scorn for them had rolled off the cuff, but now he seemed to be realizing that he'd insulted some of the strongest people in his own group. Theo decided to finish him off.

  "Aren't you going to call me a whore too? I'm feeling left out here, Trathis."

  "Look, I-" His words were interrupted as Nauda stepped in, touching his shoulder... and based on his wince, she squeezed harder than was necessary.

  "If you have need of my soulcrafting, I would gladly tell you all I know in a conversation tomorrow, during our normal meeting. Perhaps for tonight we should allow you to pursue your own financial endeavors."

  With that, she swept past him and the other two followed, leaving him shifting uncomfortably on the street. Trathis wasn't a particularly skilled soulcrafter and he'd clearly been in the wrong, but Theo still tucked away the incident in case it turned into a problem later. He wanted to ask questions, but Nauda seemed in a hurry until they returned to the school.

  There, once they were alone, she let out a giggle. "Did you see his face? That was well done, Jake. I'm not sure I understand why he was so offended, but well struck."

  "Different worlds have different assumptions about those things." Theo shrugged and decided he might as well ask now. "Is that even an insult here?"

  "Not generally, but the way he said it, his meaning was clear." Nauda shook her head, still smiling broadly, and turned to Fiyu. "I was more impressed by your composure, Fiyu. I guessed it might be more disrespectful on Ichil... is it not, or did you just not give him the pleasure of a reaction?"

  Fiyu looked between them blankly. "What is a 'sexmerchant'?"

  Nauda snorted before covering her mouth to smother a laugh. Unable to prevent a smile of his own, Theo couldn't resist teasing a little. "What do you think it is, Fiyu?"

  "Well... I have noticed that Tatians have sex rather frequently. Perhaps it is necessary to have merchants who specialize in the production and distribution of contraceptives, prophylactics, and sexual aids. I thought that this would be a respected profession, but perhaps it is considered lower class on Fithe?"

  After a moment of silence, Nauda began laughing so hard she nearly fell over, keeping herself standing only by leaning on Theo's shoulder. The utter sincerity with which the explanation had been offered got to him too, so he struggled to contain his laughter as he saw Fiyu look between them in confusion.

  "You are making fun of me," she pronounced somberly.

  "No... not at all..." Nauda tried and failed to get her laughter under control, so Theo took over.

  "I'm afraid your guess was wrong, Fiyu. Trathis meant something more insulting, but you don't need to worry: your response was perfect for preventing him from getting any satisfaction out of it."

  "Yes, we weren't mocking you at all." Nauda managed to straighten up, though she still had a broad smile on her face. "I can explain it to you, if you really want. Right now, I'm not tired at all. Would the two of you like to share a late night meal?"

  Fiyu lowered her head and turned away. "I am tired now. We will meet tomorrow morning and I hope that you can help me construct a defensive chamber."

  With that, she departed, despite Nauda's abortive attempt at an apology. Nauda's amusement died immediately and she turned to him, but it was clear that her offer wasn't available to him alone. Still, instead of leaving, she spoke quietly. "Did I offend her, do you think?"

  "Give her time to think about it," Theo said. "She isn't accustomed to being around people this long and might have wanted to rest anyway."

  "But is it insulting to imply that she's naive?"

  "Don't worry about it. She asked us to help her tomorrow - she wouldn't have done that if she was really upset. For whatever it's worth, I think she enjoys your company. Just give her time."

  Nauda nodded thoughtfully and left him alone. Theo returned to his room slowly, trying to think about the soulcrafting they had planned for the next day but finding his thoughts scattering over pieces of his life that had been fragments for too long.

  Chapter 15

  Despite Nauda's concerns, in the morning they found Fiyu in the courtyard with a normal smile on her face. She sat in the most shaded corner, several sublime materials spread out before her. When they arrived, she gestured for both of them to sit across from her.

  "Please, let us begin. I hope it will not be so miserably bright when the sun rises."

  "I'm glad to be invited," Nauda said, "but am I truly necessary? I don't know anything about this defensive chamber you intend to create."

  "Your presence is required. In order to give precise instructions, Jake will need to observe my soulhome more closely than he can accomplish himself. Please, perform your linking technique." With that, she extended a finger with each hand to touch their arms and closed her eyes.

  Though Nauda hesitated and glanced at him, in the end she shrugged and drew them all inward. Soon they drifted within Fiyu's bleak soulhome, which had changed a little since he'd last seen it. The canvas wall had been replaced by dark stone, presumably refined from the pile remaining to the side. There wasn't much left, however, and Theo had to wonder what Fiyu would do when she ran out of sublime materials from her home.

  "This will be the first time I attempt to create something that is not part of my relative's blueprint." Fiyu emerged carrying the sublime materials they had acquired the previous night... except the sand had been melted down into a sheet of dark glass. Theo was a bit disappointed that he had missed the process, since he could always use more knowledge of glass for his solar blueprint. "I will require your assistance."

  "You've seemed extremely competent in all the advanced classes," Nauda said. "You clearly understand all of the fundamental soulcrafter techniques and others besides. Is developing this room likely to be so difficult?"

  That was a question for him, so Theo shook his head. "I don't think so. We need to start with a source of light... you mentioned that you had a fire to gener
ate cantae, or maybe you have something different for your light bolts technique?"

  Fiyu nodded and silently led them to one side of her outer wall, an area of magma without adornment. She extended a single finger and tapped one of the stones, which began to slide out smoothly as if there was no mortar binding it in place, revealing glowing lines of magma within. Advanced techniques like that, ones that demonstrated that soulcrafting wasn't truly just construction, were unusual for first tier soulcrafters. Even Theo hadn't attempted to redevelop any of those skills yet.

  As soon as the block of hardened magma came free, a blinding shaft of light pierced from the structure. Fiyu frowned in disapproval and stepped away, pulling up her hood. Squinting his eyes against it, Theo peered inside and saw that there was a crystal shining brilliantly, its power cascading off the walls, which seemed slightly reflective.

  So this was the source of Fiyu's light. For her, this level of blinding light was no warm campfire or sign of home, it was both a threat and a stunning attack. As such, it was easy for her to channel cantae into those searing bolts of light. Like everything else about her soulhome, it was well-crafted, both in her relative's design and her execution.

  "Will this be sufficient?" she asked. Theo leaned away, blinking the afterimages out of his eyes as he responded.

  "Yeah, this is good. We can probably do this without using up a full chamber after all. The important thing is that you're creating a barrier between yourself and environments that are painful to you. Do you have a chamber that would be better suited for that?"

  "I am... unsure." Fiyu tilted her head to the side, regarding both of them quietly. "To be truthful, I am confused about certain aspects of soulcrafting and our classes have not been helpful. I am capable of most techniques and my relative instructed me in the proper forms, but I do not understand why. I had hoped that you could offer me an exact blueprint, because I cannot improvise."

  "It's your soulhome, so it needs to be your decision." Theo stood back, rubbing his chin and trying to think about where to start. Nauda beat him to it, floating up to gesture toward the entire soulhome.