The Canard Case (The Artifactor Series Book 4)

by Honor Raconteur

  “You think I enjoy being kidnapped? Tell those three idiots that.”

  Master looked this way and that. “Where are they?”

  “Hiding, probably. Aran already scared them last night.” Sevana waved a hand, setting this problem aside. “Master, I have everything written down for you. Why don’t you read my notes, catch up on the situation, and let me unload what you brought with you. We don’t have time.”

  “You have a workspace set up?”

  “Of course, this way.” She took him by the elbow and drew him in the right direction. “I haven’t had a chance to notify anyone on the mainland, but that needs to be done—”

  Master held up a hand, forestalling her. “I did that on the trip up here. Everyone knows what’s happening and is preparing for the worst, just in case.”

  Relieved, she nodded, and because it was inevitable, gave him the highlights of the situation as they walked. He didn’t have the patience to just read her notes—Master had questions he wanted immediate answers to. On the way, she signaled the village matron that had taken charge of her to bring food, as she knew good and well that Master had skipped meals to get here as fast as he had. No one thought well on an empty stomach and Sevana needed Master to think, and think well right now.

  Once she had him settled in the workspace, she doubled back to the village entrance for the traveling carriage and brought it down the streets. The narrow, switchback streets. Seriously, even with space as a premium on this isle, did the people have to cram everything together? The docks were half the size of the village and they only had six! Cramming everything to be right on top of the other made for ridiculously tight quarters and, in Sevana’s opinion, there was no need for it. They could afford to make the streets two feet wider without hurting anything.

  There wasn’t much room to park it in front of her building, but she managed to squeeze it along the side, and from there unload it. Master had brought far more than she had requested, and some of what she saw made her scratch her head in confusion. Still, he was the one that had experience with volcanoes, not her. Maybe he knew something she didn’t.

  With the last of it stacked along the wall, Sevana joined Master at the table. He was on the last page, where her most recent measurements were recorded. He glanced up at her and tapped a finger against the pages. “I’m not seeing a factor that would explain these flare-ups. If they were natural causes, I would expect all the numbers to rise instead of returning to normal.”

  “I didn’t actually note this down, but our theory is that the phoenix trapped inside the volcano is setting it off every time she tosses or turns in her sleep.”

  “Ahhh. Yes. Yes, that is very possible. I’m not sure what we can do about that from here.”

  “Aran left earlier for dragon lands. He’s going to barter for their help, have one of them talk to her in dreams and see if we can get her to lie perfectly still.”

  Master pursed his lips together in a silent whistle. “With him asking, he’ll likely get at least one dragon to agree. That was good thinking, sweetling. Now, your notes are good, it gives me a foundation of what the situation is, but it doesn’t tell me much about our possible solution. You’ve thought of one?”

  Sevana grimaced. “I’m not sure how viable it is. This is my first volcano after all.”

  “Well, the first volcano is always the hardest,” Master drawled.

  She glared at him sideways. “Was that an attempt to be funny?”

  “Heaven forbid.” Master chuckled at his own joke. Not having her laugh didn’t faze him. “I can’t proclaim myself an expert, but I do believe this is the third one I’ve faced. With the others, we had plenty of warning, and were able to evacuate until it was over. Then, of course, I helped with the cleanup of the area so we could move them all back in. It took several months. In this case…” he trailed off with a frown. “I don’t think there’d be anything left of the isle if we let it run its course. Even with magical help, it might take decades before this place is habitable again.”

  “Which is their fear. There’s no way to keep it from blowing, though, that’s not possible. Trying to cap it or drain it will be futile at best.” Sevana felt grateful she was speaking with someone who understood the forces involved and didn’t have to go into the details of why. Again. Repeating that tedious explanation twice would have made her patience snap. “I think our best bet is to let it explode, but manage it so that the effects are mitigated. My thought was this: we have three deities, a Fae, and two Artifactors here. Can’t we somehow combine all of our powers and use them as a joint force?”

  Master sat back in his chair, staring blindly up at the ceiling. “Use all powers involved as a joint force. Mitigate the damage by containing it. You’re talking of creating a shield large enough to cover the volcano, to keep the ash from spreading.”

  “I know,” she said patiently.

  “And you’re also talking about another shield, one that will keep the lava from covering the isle.”

  “I know.”

  “And still another shield that will keep it from spreading throughout the sea. If it turns this entire area into acidic water, it will destroy all life, and it will defeat the purpose of preserving the isle. These people are fishermen. Without the sea life, they’ll starve. Not to mention you have to protect the Unda clan that is right next door.”

  “I know.” Sevana was tired of repeating those words.

  Master’s eyes came down to meet hers. “That’s a tall order, sweetling.”

  “We have three deities, two Artifactors, and a Fae,” she reminded him.

  “And if we didn’t have at least that much magical and divine power, I’d say it was impossible to do what you’re suggesting.” Master frowned up at the ceiling again, thoughts whirling. Sevana recognized the signs of when he was calculating things at high speeds. “I don’t know whether we’ll want to divide this into three separate shields or if it might be better to try to make one big one.”

  Not sure if this would complicate or help, Sevana offered, “Cheng-Huang likes the idea of using the lava to help expand the isle. He hoped that we could create a channel for the lava to direct its flow to form a cap around the edge of the coastline.”

  “Oh? It’s not a bad thought. It certainly helps to have an area to direct it to. That might complicate our shield, though.” Master tapped his finger against her notes again. “I think the deciding factor will be if we can blend powers or not. That might be our restriction. Let’s work on that problem first.”

  It was a sensible suggestion and one that she could get behind. “Flip the page, that’s their power ratings and types.”

  Master’s eyes scanned through the page. “They’re remarkably similar in power ratings. All 8’s, eh? Although they’re different in type. Water, life, stone?”

  “Cheng-Huang is a building type of god,” she explained. “My box lens quantified his power as ‘stone’ as a sort of default. I don’t have the right tools to dig into a more accurate assessment. ‘Life’ I think was also a default for Chi-Lin. He’s over all of the wildlife of both land and sea.”

  “It’s a very interesting mix.” Master put the notebook aside on the table to tick points off on his fingers. “So between all three gods, we have a 24 power level. Add us two Artifactors in the mix, it’s another 12.”

  Sevana perked up at this. Actually, an Artifactor’s power was more like a 3, but given the right magnification, they could stretch it up to a 6. She had not factored that in because of course she didn’t have the right tool. “You brought something to magnify power with?”

  “I always do. It’s a precaution.”

  While that sounded good, she had her doubts. Uncertainly, she asked, “What if—” A cough took her by surprise, feeling like it was digging a well into her lungs. She covered her mouth, hacking and wheezing, tears springing to her eyes.

  Springing into action, Master dug into a pack, rooted around for a moment, and then pulled a glass vial free. Uns
topping it, he waved it in front of her nose.

  Sevana took in a deep breath, knowing well what was in that vial, and grateful he had some on him. Fine Mist Salts were the perfect remedy for coughing fits. The salts did the trick and she was able to drag in a full breath without hacking it back out again. “I’m glad you have some of that.”

  “How often is this happening?” he asked her quietly, eyes troubled.

  “First coughing fit since I came here,” Sevana admitted sourly. “Every time I think my body’s adapted, I get another coughing fit to prove me wrong.” And having one now, of all times, proved that her doubts were right on the money. She dragged the words into the open. “Are you sure you should factor me in?”

  Master studied her levelly, his expression giving nothing away except perhaps a hint of concern. “Your magic still giving you trouble?”

  “It’s still flaring out. And I’ve also had this weird development in the past several days where sometimes when I say an incantation, the magic hiccups for a second.”

  “We’ll focus on helping you after this,” Master promised her, voice somber. “This needs to be a priority.”

  Truly. If they didn’t figure her out soon, then she would be basically out of business. Sevana had managed so far just by using her wits and making others do the majority of the work for her, but she couldn’t survive like that forever. Jobs like this one would come up—they always did—and she wouldn’t be able to handle them. Rain and drought, but she didn’t even have the ability to call for help if she needed it!

  They had given her time, given her body a chance to adapt to her new magic to see if it would work itself out. Apparently that wasn’t going to happen.

  Master cleared his throat and moved on. “I’m assuming that Arandur will lend his power to this?”

  “He’s already said as much.”

  “You’re probably the only human alive that likely knows this answer…how powerful is a Fae by himself?”

  “A seven,” she responded promptly, almost gleefully. “The best part? They can alter their magical properties to fit the situation. Straight Fae magic is just that. Magical energy and nothing more. But if we need fire, or water, or whatever, then Aran can channel his magic along those elemental lines and give us what we need.”

  Master’s eyes lit up like a child that had been given five birthdays, all tied up in a bow at his feet. “You’ve seen him do this?”

  “Seen? I’ve had him do this for me twice now. Who do you think has been magically covering for me on the job for the past few months when you’re not available?”

  “That…is extremely handy, given this situation.”

  “It’s extremely handy given any situation.” And one of the reasons why Sevana had been so relieved when Aran had shown up. She desperately needed him.

  Master went back to ticking things off on his fingers. “So if we assume deities, Fae, and me, then our combined power is 37. That’s quite impressive.”

  “Impressive enough to contain the explosion of a volcano?”

  “That’s the question.” Master gave a sage nod.

  Not at all fooled by that expression, she drawled, “And how large of an explosion are we going to have, anyway? I’ve been trying to calculate that for days, but not having any prior experience or ways to research past explosions, all I’ve been able to do is guess.”

  “Oh? Let me see your calculations.” Master lifted the notebook he’d been handed, looking for another.

  Sevana knew a diversion when she saw one. In other words, he didn’t know either.

  Lovely. Just…lovely.

  Sevana and Master were debating numbers over dinner when another earthquake rumbled under their feet. As earthquakes went, this one was a tad more severe than the one that Sevana had experienced previously. She had to brace herself against the table and put a foot against the ground to avoid being dumped out of her chair.

  Master rode through the short quake with eyebrows raised. “This is the second quake?”

  “That I’ve felt since my arrival, yes.”

  “How would you compare the two? Force wise?”

  “Well—” she started, only to be cut off by the abrupt appearance of Cheng-Huang in the only clear space left in their workroom.

  The god looked undeniably nervous, although he didn’t jump down their throats demanding an immediate fix. That much, at least, he realized wasn’t possible. “Artifactors.”

  “Cheng-Huang, my master, Tashjian Joles,” Sevana introduced, waving a hand between the two. “Master, Cheng-Huang, the Building God.”

  “Pleasure, Cheng-Huang.” Master threw up a staying hand. “And please, relax. I realize the earthquakes are unnerving, but it doesn’t mean the volcano is imminently going to explode. In my younger days, I saw an area experience earthquakes for nearly four months before the volcano actually blew. All they mean is that a great deal of magma is being shunted about under the crust of the earth and it’s making things shift from side to side. Unsettling, but not dangerous.”

  As long as they stayed at this minor level, that was correct. Sevana wasn’t so sure that they wouldn’t escalate, though. She took one look at Cheng-Huang’s face and decided not to say that out loud.

  “Months?” Cheng-Huang repeated doubtfully. “Even though we’ve had two of them within the space of two days?”

  “I don’t think it’ll be months in this case because the presence of the phoenix is speeding matters unnaturally along,” Master stated calmly. “But I don’t expect the volcano to go tomorrow either. It’s not exhibiting the right signs for that. I think we have at least another two weeks to sort this out.”

  That was a generous estimate. Sevana would bet they actually had less time than that. Again, not something she was going to say out loud. She did not need panicking gods hovering.

  “I’m glad you’re here,” Master continued, gesturing the god to take a seat. “Sevana tells me that you’re willing to build us a to-scale model of the volcano to experiment with? Excellent. We’re not quite ready for that yet. There’s a small experiment that I would like to run first.”

  Cheng-Huang promptly sat, his attention centered on Master. “What type?”

  Master put his chopsticks aside and fell into lecturing mode. “You are familiar with the human smelting process of metals? Good, good. You’ve seen how metals blend and sometimes become stronger because of it? Like steel.”

  “I have, of course.”

  “That makes this easier to explain. Magical properties are similar to blending metals in order to form a stronger whole. Unlike what one would think, however, doing an equal amount of each does not mean that that it will blend well. I cannot, say, put in fifty percent of my magical power in with fifty percent of yours and expect it to magically be in perfect harmony. The balance is usually off. Do you follow?”

  “I do, Artifactor, and have seen many occasions where that is the case.”

  “Excellent, it saves tedious explanations on my part. Now, I have never worked with divine power individually like this. It’s a complete first for me and Sevana. I would like to try different blends with just us two, to give me something of a baseline, so that I can start running simulations and calculations. Once I have an idea of what might work best, we’ll start adding in the others’ magical power.”

  Cheng-Huang nodded agreeably. “How do you wish to proceed?”

  “Since what we truly need to build are different types of magical barriers, let’s focus on that spell first. I assume that you have divine barriers you can erect?”

  “Of course, it is a basic for us.”

  “Good, good.” Master cast about, finally picking up a peach from the table, and set it on his open palm between them. “Cast your spell at seventy-five percent strength and then hold it open.”

  Cheng-Huang obediently cast a circular barrier that encased the peach on all sides. Sevana snatched her box lens up and held it to her eye so that she could properly read power levels as they did this
. In the magnifying glass of the lens, the power that wrapped around the peach was jade green, the consistency of it like a fine mist that had yet to form into a proper fog.

  Then Master’s power flowed into it, blood-red human magic in its pure form. Sevana expected a collision of magic, but instead the human magic seemed to adhere to the divine. Oh? Interesting reaction, and one that she noted carefully, as that was vital information to know.

  “We’ll close the barrier on the count of three,” Master ordered. “One, two, three.”

  In near unison, they both cemented the spell and the barrier snapped into place.

  Master lifted it closer to his eye, then without looking held his hand out to Sevana, snapping his fingers in silent command. She knew what he wanted and handed over her box lens without a fuss. Putting it to his eye, Master took a closer look at it and gave a dissatisfied hum. “No. It’s slightly unstable. I think the ratio if off.”

  Sevana plucked the peach out of his hand, put it on the ground, and reached for the heaviest tool she had at hand. It turned out to be a wrench and she swung it at the peach without hesitation. The barrier cracked under the force of it before disintegrating completely.

  Cheng-Huang winced. “I think that ratio is not correct.”

  “You could say that,” Master agreed mildly. He reached down to pick up the peach and examined it. “Although it did protect the peach, so arguably, the barrier did its job. Alright, let’s try this again. Sixty percent divine this time.”

  They repeated the process, this time with Master adding in more of his power than before. Sevana could tell seconds after the barrier was complete that this had not been the right direction to go. This barrier was weaker than the previous version and she could see visible arcs as the power fluctuated in the barrier. “No.”

  This time Cheng-Huang did the honors by flicking it hard with a finger, breaking the barrier like one would fragile glass.

  “Less human,” Master declared. “Cheng-Huang, eight-five percent, please.”