The Fae Artifactor

by Honor Raconteur

  “What is this, kidnap me month?” Sevana demanded of the Unda. “First idiot deities, then the Institute, now you lot. And do you have a death wish? You realize Aranhil has absolutely no sense of humor about me, right?”

  Rane, Queen of Living Waters, did not look worried about igniting her cousin’s ire. She lounged quite casually on the back of a sea turtle, idly stroking the beast’s neck and sending it into raptures. “It is fine. You needed rescuing; he’ll be lenient in view of that.”

  Sevana rubbed at her forehead, feeling a headache brewing. Rane had badgered her earlier, as she’d been unloading the kids, about a problem that only she could solve. Sevana had barely paid any attention to her, as she didn’t want another project until her magical core was straightened out. She’d promised to help later, if they couldn’t solve the problem on their own. She now had the heavy suspicion that Rane would use this situation to force Sevana to help her now. “When I was down here with the kids, you said you had a problem you wanted my help on. But as I told you then, there’s no way that I can help sort any problem you have right now.”

  “And yet you solved the issue with my cousin’s territory at Nanashi Isle in your state,” Rane argued somewhat mockingly. “This is no different.”

  Letting her head fall back, Sevana prayed for patience. It spectacularly failed to come. Had they really sent someone after her, rescued her, and then decided that while they had her, they might as well use her? That smelled, and it wasn’t fried chicken. She’d likely regret asking, but couldn’t seem to help herself. “And what, pray tell, is this aid that you need?”

  “We have a problematic issue with our transport system for you to solve,” Rane informed her.

  Ah, regret. You came so soon. “Rane, you do remember that my magical core is out of whack, right?”

  “I don’t require memory, I can see it clearly even now.” Rane sounded very unsympathetic to this situation, her hand waving negligently to indicate Sevana as a whole. “We’ll naturally fix that first. I believe the fault is with the Fae blood. It’s proven to be incompatible with your blood. We’ll do better to make you Unda.”

  Alarm shot through Sevana. Unda?! No. Most adamantly, emphatically no. She absolutely did not want to spend the rest of her life under the ocean. She did not like salty water, and raw fish made her gag. Her brain skipped through that flash of alarm and rationally pointed out that Rane’s statement had nothing to do with magical properties. The Unda’s blood quality wouldn’t be any different than a Fae’s. A variation of it, certainly—the properties wouldn’t completely align, otherwise the Fae would have gills and fins. Still, not magically different enough to make a difference in turning a human Other.

  With that rational, logical thought in her mind, Sevana calmed enough to say sarcastically, “Uh-huh. Tell you what, Rane. You run that logic by Aranhil and, if he agrees, I’m your girl.”

  The queen’s hand paused in stroking the turtle, lips pressing into a flat line. She clearly didn’t expect Sevana to argue that point. “You have no wish to join us?”

  “I’m already promised elsewhere.” Sevana was proud of herself for such a diplomatic answer. Who said she couldn’t play nice when she wanted to? Although if Rane pulled another stunt like this, she’d stop pulling her punches. Sevana might not have much in the way of control at the moment, but the one reliable thing her magic could do these days was make things explode.

  Rane openly pouted. “But I like you, Sevana.”

  “I’m flattered,” Sevana answered dryly. “Do you like me enough to start a war? ’Cause you’ll get one if you don’t call Aranhil soon and reassure him that I’m alright and with you.”

  A little miffed, Rane stared her down. Sevana met her eyes levelly. Strangely enough, even though the Unda were frankly terrifying, she felt no fear. Sevana was a proven ally of the Unda, a daughter of the Fae, and she knew Rane didn’t want to upset her. Or kill her. That gave Sevana a great deal of leeway. She was not above using it.

  Very grudgingly, Rane admitted, “I have attempted to send a message to Aranhil. I have not received a response.”

  Sevana’s hindbrain shot out the logistics and the time; when the obvious reason hit her, she winced. “Let me guess. He thinks I’m at the Cope Research Institute still and he’s already gone off to storm the place, hasn’t he?”

  “That would be my guess.” Rane gave her a bland smile. “Well. This should prove interesting.”

  “If by ‘interesting’ you mean ‘utter destruction,’ you will not be wrong.” Sevana sighed, already resigned. And it had been such a nice research facility, too. Hopefully they wouldn’t kill everyone and start an international war. Although she couldn’t hold out much hope for that, either. “Alright, Rane. I have the feeling we can only send flowers for a grave at this point. What’s done is done. I’ll send another message to them saying I’m fine and I’m here—” might as well head off another potential war if she could “—and then we’ll discuss just what your plan is for straightening my magic out.”

  “I have no plans of my own,” Rane demurred with that secretive, enigmatic smile that made Sevana’s blood skitter nervously like a dog circling a bath. “But I have called upon an expert of magic to examine you. I believe she will be able to fix matters.”

  Having done her own research on the experts, Sevana eyed her suspiciously. The Unda only had one person that she knew of, and no one had been willing to say the man’s name. Granted, that didn’t mean much, as Sevana barely knew anyone of the Unda, just who she’d met in the past couple of weeks. That they had a female expert as well as a male shouldn’t surprise her. “And who is she?”

  “Ursilla.”

  Sevana’s eyes went as wide as saucers in her face. Ursilla. The first Mother of the Unda? That Ursilla? The one who gave birth to all of the legends, the first Mother to go upon the shore, seduce human men, and all of that? Unable to check the words, Sevana blurted out, “She’s still alive?!”

  Rane clapped her hands in delight. “You know of her! Excellent, that speeds matters along.”

  “Of course I know of her, do you know how many legends she’s started among the humans? She’s famous, the first selkie ever spotted on land. Not that anyone knew she was actually an Unda at the time and just in her selkie form.” Sevana pinched the bridge of her nose, hard, letting the mild pain combat her rising emotions. She didn’t know whether she felt excited, panicked, or overwhelmed with the idea of coming face to face with a legend. A legend called solely for her benefit, no less.

  “She’ll be here in the next hour or so,” Rane informed her, as if grandmother was coming over for tea. “Go and write your message, then perhaps a change of clothes?”

  “Something to eat, too,” Sevana requested, resisting the urge to find a flat surface somewhere and bang her head against it. She felt that instinct often when around Rane. If she gave in now, she’d have no head left by the end of the week.

  At the idea of food, her stomach gave a petulant rumble. Part of her reaction was surely due to hunger, as she hadn’t eaten since…breakfast. Whenever breakfast was. Twelve hours ago? Fourteen? Sevana wasn’t entirely sure of the time. It was naturally dark here, this far under the ocean’s surface, which skewed her already addled sense of time.

  She did know that if she could eat something not raw, get cleaned up, and send a message to Aran before he had kittens, she’d survive the next few hours without killing someone. Blowing out a breath, she whirled and followed Taslim out.

  Ursilla of Living Waters was not at all what Sevana expected. Knowing the woman had to be several centuries old, she’d expected an aging and decrepit crone. And certainly, Ursilla showed her age, but she was far from decrepit. Her iron grey hair flowed gently around her head and down to her waist, the wrinkles about her dark eyes and generous mouth gentle and barely perceptible. She moved in human form, her skirts barely an inch off the floor, and the way she moved spoke of fluidity, as if she still walked in water.

  Per
haps she was no longer the seductress who took human men as husbands, but she still carried the charm and grace of her early years.

  In the hour that it took for Ursilla to arrive, Sevana had eaten, washed, dressed in some borrowed clothes, and written out a very hasty note to be sent to Aranhil. Now she was glad to be in a more amenable frame of mind, as this was definitely a woman that she didn’t want to tick off.

  Sevana rose to greet her, a part of her thrilled to meet a living legend, the rest of her unsure how this meeting would go. If anyone could figure her out, Ursilla would be the one, so Sevana hoped the woman could provide answers. But if she couldn’t—was there anyone in the world who could possibly match this Unda’s knowledge and experience? Asking this woman questions strangely felt like gambling, and Sevana didn’t care for it.

  “Ursilla,” Rane greeted happily, like a grandchild happy to see her grandmother. Reaching out with both hands, she placed a kiss on Ursilla’s cheeks, one then another, before pulling back with a grin. “You came so quickly.”

  “Of course I did,” Ursilla answered, her voice low and throaty, somewhat creaking with age. “I was curious and we owe this woman a favor, if nothing else. Well, Sellion of South Woods, come and greet me.”

  Despite her nerves, Sevana had to grin. Why did Ursilla remind her of Baby? Strange notion. It was something to do with the complete confidence she exhibited, the slightly smug tilt to her lips, the smooth carriage of her gait. It all looked definitively feline. Coming forward, she extended both hands, inclining her head to acknowledge this woman’s power and position. “Ursilla. You favor me by coming.”

  Ursilla’s dark eyes narrowed thoughtfully as they swept over her. “I choose to remain in good terms with both Aranhil and the woman who brings us children. If that means helping you with this snarled mess going on inside your magic core, so be it. Tell me, which idiot did this to you? Did he not know better?”

  Sevana blinked at her. Could she see Aran’s blood so clearly that she could tell it was a man’s? Or had someone at least given her the basics? Probably the latter. “He did, actually. It was a desperate situation. I was dying and he only had minutes to work with.”

  “Ah.” Ursilla drew the sound out in low, rolling tones, her expression suddenly empathetic and understanding. “That explains much of what I see. I see a Mother has attempted to mitigate it.”

  “Yes, for all the good that did. Aran was certain that only an expert could help, as nothing of South Woods’s lore spoke of a situation like mine. We were intent on visiting various people before someone—” Sevana cast Rane a dirty look “—took it into her head to intervene. You did get that message to Aran, I hope?”

  “We sent it,” Rane responded, entirely unapologetic and unconcerned as she lounged once again on her sea turtle’s back. “We have no way of knowing if it reached him.”

  If she caused a war, Sevana would smack her arrogant little head.

  Strangely, Ursilla also seemed unconcerned and waved this away with a flap of the hand. “Come, sit. I wish to examine you in depth.”

  That better not involve either teeth or pain. Sevana, despite her reservations, went along with it and sat on a low padded bench nearby, one leg tucked up under another. Ursilla sat in a similar position in front of her, both of her cool hands closing around Sevana’s. Her eyes went from head to crotch, then back again, clearly tracing something. Staying perfectly still, Sevana allowed her to look, carefully not holding her breath.

  After several long minutes, Ursilla grunted and released her hands. “I see the problem. Fae magic fights for dominance with your human magic. It is like two saltwater crocodiles fighting for the same territory. Neither can exist in the same space. When you try to work your magic, what happens?”

  “Either it doesn’t do anything at all, or it explodes with an overabundance of power,” Sevana answered forthrightly, fascinated to hear this answer. No one had explained it as such to her before, or even known why she wasn’t adapting to the Fae blood, but Ursilla could actually see it? “I can’t use spells that are sustained at all.”

  “Yes,” Ursilla nodded along, as if what Sevana explained made perfect sense to her. “It is because your magical core doesn’t know how to respond when you call to it. Do you want the human magic? The Fae? Sometimes it hesitates, not knowing how to answer you. Sometimes it sends both.”

  Sevana’s head whirled with this information, her own observations about her magic and experiences swirling about until it fell into place, all of the pieces now explained. It made perfect sense. “Ursilla. Are you guessing, or do you actually see this?”

  Impishly, the Unda smirked, and for a moment she looked centuries younger. “Oh, I have very good eyes. I can see it. I can also see the problems facing either solution. You have two ways open to you.”

  Blinking, Sevana regarded her in bemusement. How could she possibly have two? “I’m listening.”

  “First, we turn you wholly Fae, or as close as we can.” Holding up a hand, Ursilla warned, “This will not be a perfect metamorphosis. Your human body is too established for that, your human magic too tightly engrained with your blood. But we can change the majority of you over to Fae, and with that, your human magic will fade. You will exchange it for Fae magic.”

  The way she explained this gave Sevana the notion that it wasn’t her physical body that would fail to become fully Fae. Or at least, not just that. “I won’t be able to master Fae magic, will I.”

  “Not entirely,” Ursilla agreed, somewhat apologetically. “You will remain at the level of a child’s, perhaps a teenager’s ability. But your magic ability as a human was not that of a master either, correct? You are an Artifactor, not a Sorceress.”

  That…did put things into perspective, didn’t it? Sevana had never been powerful with her magic. It was her knowledge, her intuitive creativity, that had carved her path in the magical world. Said like that, the idea of becoming fully Fae didn’t seem such a bad choice. Although she’d have to study and figure out how magic worked all over again. Revisiting her student days did not excite her. “You said two options, though. What’s the second?”

  “I can strip most of the Fae blood from you, reset your human magic to a degree, but I warn you, child. You will not return to how you were. Your human magic will remain unruly and somewhat volatile. You’ll just have less trouble managing it.” Hesitating, Ursilla added slowly, “And I do not think it will do your physical form much good either. I have only encountered a case like yours twice. Neither of them were magicians, only magic touched, but when I stripped the Unda blood from them, their physical forms aged faster than a human’s should. You will not live out your intended lifespan.”

  Blowing out a steady stream of air, Sevana sat back and looked blankly toward the ceiling, thinking hard and fast. Was it really a choice at all? Die early with magic that still didn’t really cooperate, or become fully Fae and figure out magic all over again. While both options had cons, the pros of one far outweighed the other.

  Part of Sevana really did not like the idea of becoming Fae. She had so many ties and relations with the human world, and if she became fully Fae, she knew good and well that her new Fae family would not want her to live separate from them. They already worried about her being in Big now. In a sense, she’d be even more vulnerable in the next few years as she relearned magic from the beginning. It would take quite the fight to remain as she was, even for a few years longer, and Sevana did not look forward to it. Not one iota.

  And yet, that was truly her only objection. In every other aspect, becoming Fae filled her with anticipation. What would it be like, to see the world as they did? To talk to the elements as her Fae brothers and sisters? Would it not give her the opportunity to see the world not as she perceived it, but as it was? How many Artifactors had dreamed of doing just that?

  It would mean slowly losing her human ties, of seeing loved ones die ahead of her, but it would give her another family in return. Really, in the end, there was no
other decision to be made.

  As her eyes met Ursilla’s once more, she knew that the Unda had already known what decision Sevana would make, but she had patiently waited for Sevana to work it out for herself. Then again, anyone who had been alive for centuries would likely have quite the well of patience. “I think the only sane decision is to become fully Fae.”

  Rane clapped her hands and chortled with outright glee. “I knew you would! But surely, Ursilla, it would be safer to make her Unda.”

  “Rane,” Ursilla reproved mildly, like a grandmother scolding a child for asking for yet another cookie. “No.”

  Pouting, the Queen of Living Waters crossed her arms over her chest and looked deliberately elsewhere. “You can’t blame me for trying.”

  Ursilla didn’t openly roll her eyes, but the expression on her face said she did so on an internal level. Ignoring the pouting queen, she informed Sevana, “We will need the donor of your blood nearby in order to start your transformation. This will take several weeks, I believe. You must call for him.”

  “Well, as to that,” Sevana jerked a thumb towards Rane, “I’ve already tried. This one is going along with the letter instead of the spirit of the law. Arandur is the one who changed me.”

  Ursilla grumbled something under her breath that sounded like a very ancient curse, in probably something now considered a dead language. “We will send someone to meet him. Where is he likely to be?”

  “On my trail, looking for me,” Sevana answered with a sigh. “He likely thinks that I was kidnapped. Again.”

  Ursilla’s thin brows arched at the ‘again.’ “You are kidnapped often?”

  “This seems to be the month for it, for some reason. Anyway, he’s likely on the shoreline now, trying to get someone from the Unda to respond to him. Perhaps we should go up and talk to him?” Sevana suggested this casually, hoping that Ursilla would do the honors and neatly outmaneuver Rane at the same time. She knew very well that Rane did not want her back on shore where Aran or Aranhil could grab her.