The Fae Artifactor

by Honor Raconteur

  Sevana let out a sigh of relief. “You’ve no idea how glad I am to hear that. Do I dare try to work magic?”

  “Not at this time,” Ursilla warned, her tone cautionary. “Your body is too unstable, and it would be hard on your magical core to attempt even basic spells. I know you’ve been practicing with Arandur, but let’s put that on hold for now. Perhaps turn your attentions elsewhere. There’s no harm in learning the magical theory at this point. In a week or so, once your body is more attuned with your core, we can revisit the idea of perhaps doing elementary magic.”

  More or less the answer she expected. Sevana nodded in acceptance. “Fine. Magical theory it is. How mad is Rane about me melting her guest house?”

  “Not at all. She was beside herself with worry, and checked on you several times this morning. I sat with her as she composed a message to Aranhil reporting what had happened with reassurances that you were recovering. Curano was actually impressed with the level of destruction. Aside from the guest house, you damaged four other neighboring houses as well.” Ursilla paused and added oh-so-casually, “A note from you would also be helpful in appeasing Aranhil, I think.”

  “In other words, please write him so he doesn’t try to charge down here himself,” Sevana translated dryly and without any effort. “Yes, yes, alright. Give me some paper and a pen, I’ll jot him a note. I’d like to send one to my master as well. I haven’t written him in the past week and he’s likely getting antsy. Or better yet, fetch me a mirror. No, on second thought, it would be better if they don’t see me like this. Let’s stick with letters.”

  Pleased with how agreeable she was being, Ursilla sailed off to go fetch things.

  Something about the exchange woke Aran up and he lurched half upright, propped on one elbow while struggling to keep his eyes open. They kept falling shut before he wrenched them wide again. “Sev?”

  Taking the hand reaching for her, she squeezed it gently. “I’m alright. Magic core’s stable. Go back to sleep.”

  At her reassurance, he grunted, a sleepy and pleased smile on his face as he collapsed back down on the bed. In two seconds, he went right back to snoring.

  Shaking her head, Sevana chuckled in low amusement. Had he really even been awake? Somehow, she doubted it. In fact, she made a personal bet with herself right there that she would have to repeat that conversation with him once he properly woke up again.

  Ursilla came back in with a portable writing desk, a curious look on her face. “Did I hear Arandur speaking?”

  “He was awake for about two seconds,” Sevana answered, extending both hands and taking the portable writing desk from her. “I assured him I was alright and he was back asleep in the next second. I swear to you, he won’t retain a word I said and we’ll have to repeat it when he wakes up again.”

  “No doubt,” Ursilla agreed peaceably, not all concerned about it. “I’m surprised he awoke at all.”

  “You and me both.” Sevana drew out paper and pen and settled herself to write a very brief note of assurance. She didn’t have the strength or mental stamina required to write a full on letter, and it likely wasn’t necessary anyway. Rane and Ursilla would have given a proper account. All Sevana needed to do was give assurances.

  Master’s letter was where she put the bulk of her words; he would need more information to go from, as hers was the only account he’d likely see. Sevana made a mental note to copy both her record and Aran’s to send along to him the next time she wrote. Master would be very grateful to see the details of her transformation and, truthfully, Sevana wanted a record of this in human hands. It had been the downfall of more than one race that they only kept records in their own cities, with their own experts. When that civilization fell, there was no one to pass their knowledge onto, and future generations had to re-learn it all the hard way. This might be the only occasion where a human could learn some of the secrets of the Fae, and if ever there was something to teach humanity about the Fae, it was certainly this.

  Sevana, of course, would not mention why she would make another copy of the record, or who she was sending it to, as no doubt many of the Unda and the Fae would have a very different opinion than hers on this subject. But it was her body, her transformation, and none of their business who she told about it.

  She also had no intention of asking permission.

  After three days Sevana had finally recovered enough to become restless in her sickbed. Fortunately, she’d had enough busy work, what with copying the records and studying her new Fae magic, to keep her occupied while lying flat on her back. Still, it brought home to her the simple things that she missed. Normally if she were flat on her back like this, Baby and Grydon would curl up around her feet to keep her company. She missed furry bodies and thumping tails. She missed Big whispering to her.

  On the last day of strict bed rest, she found herself more restless than usual. Aran either realized this or expected it, as he sat right at her bedside and gently massaged her legs, arms, and hands, working some of the residual tension from the muscles. Sevana enjoyed the attention, no doubt, as his warm hands felt good on her cool skin and he certainly knew what to do with them. “I wish I could return the favor.”

  He gave her that small, pleased grin that flashed in his tanned skin. “You will when you have the strength to do it. Maybe when we’re home again.”

  “Home,” Sevana sighed with true longing. “I miss the most ridiculous things about home. Grass. Sunlight. The wind whispering through the trees. Not to mention my bed.”

  “Really?” Aran’s eyes crinkled up, head canted in teasing question. “That’s what you’re thinking about? Haven’t you realized the obvious?”

  “What obvious…” she trailed off as another thought occurred to her. “I’ll be Fae when I return. I want to punch myself, how stupid. I’ll be Fae! I can properly talk to Baby, Big, and Grydon, just as you do. Blast, why didn’t I think of that before?”

  Amused, he gave a rumbling chuckle. “I kept waiting for you to realize it. Of course, in your defense, you’ve had a great deal to manage and think about down here.”

  Sevana was still irked with herself. She should have realized all of that much sooner. “Poor Big has had to strain himself for years to speak to me. He’s basically shouting whenever he communicates. This will be such a blessing for both of us.”

  “Funny, how you think of Big and not Baby.”

  Snorting, she retorted dryly, “Please. It doesn’t take a mind reader to know what that oversized cat is thinking. I raised him; I know very well what he’s up to most of the time.”

  His thumbs moved gently along the palm of her hand, stretching and releasing the buildup of tension there. In the past few days, all she had been able to do was read or write, and as a consequence of that, her hands hadn’t been able to recover like the rest of her body. “I look forward to showing you the world again through your new senses. It’s so much richer than you think it is.”

  “I look forward to it,” Sevana answered honestly. “That, and re-learning magic. With all of the magic theory you and Ursilla have taught me in the past three days, it’s become clear to me that I’d jumped to a conclusion that I shouldn’t have. Master and I both did.”

  Pausing, he glanced up at her through his unfairly long, dark lashes. “What’s that?”

  “We both assumed that if I became Fae, I closed the chapter in my life where I was an Artifactor. But it’s really not at all true. Fae magic is elemental, yes, but you still have to understand power balance and compatibility, and everything else that an Artifactor takes into consideration when performing magic.” She warmed to her subject as excitement buzzed through her. “Rather, it’ll be easier for me now to see exactly what I’m working with. I won’t need to rely on instruments and gauges to tell me how powerful something is, I can literally just look at it and see for myself.”

  Aran paused again, watching her carefully, his anticipation seasoned with caution. “But human magic is different from Fae magic.�
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  With her free hand, she waved this off. “Yes, yes, I know. But don’t you see? Human magic is used to direct or combine other forces of power. Human magic is, to put it crudely, glue. Or direction. We use the powers of the world around us to do our bidding, and our instruments are only instruments to capture and direct that force. I won’t be able to make tools as I did before, true enough, but with Fae magic at my disposal, I can make things that are better. Superior in every sense of the word. And really, half the time my work isn’t making tools anyway. The past four years or so, I’ve been called upon to solve magical problems more often than not.”

  “And with your new magic, that will be even easier,” Aran finished for her, his smile reflecting her delight. “I see. That’s what you’re truly excited about. You have absolutely no intention of ever living solely in South Woods, do you?”

  “That sounds boring,” Sevana informed him cheerfully. “Let’s not.”

  Shaking his head, he barked out a laugh. “Poor Aranhil. He’ll never get his wish, will he?”

  “Not getting everything he wants is good for him.”

  Rolling his eyes, Arandur placated her. “Yes, yes.”

  That night they led her to a new guest house with what few belongings had survived the magical maelstrom and let her recover some more in a private setting, which she appreciated. Not only because people stopped dropping by so frequently with gift baskets, but also because the skinship with Arandur resumed. He’d not been as physically affectionate with her during her medical stay, understandably enough, but Sevana had half-feared that he wouldn’t resume again. And that would be detrimental to her plans, as she didn’t know how to pick up that thread once it was dropped.

  But on the first night in the new guesthouse, he gave her a very sweet kiss goodnight on the cheek, which pleased Sevana enormously. Excellent. Plan Seduce Aran could commence without issue.

  By the fifth morning, she got up and felt immeasurably better. Her head no longer had that light feeling, as if she were on the verge of fainting. Only a vague feeling of soreness lingered in her muscles, and she had energy to actually get dressed and possibly work. Sevana stared down at her own magical core, evaluating it thoughtfully as she put the last comb in her hair. It looked far better than it had five days ago. In fact, the swirl of elemental magic was bright and strong, stable in a way that it hadn’t been for the past six months.

  A light tap on the door announced Aran’s presence and he leaned against the jamb, watching her. “How are you this morning?”

  “Well enough that I want to work.” She eyed him in return, not sure if she would have to argue that point or not. When he only cocked his head, expression reflecting hope back at her, the tension in her shoulders dropped. No argument, then? “You won’t try to stop me, I take it.”

  “You’re far more stable, magically speaking, than you have been in several months,” he observed logically. “At least now you can work magic without accidental explosions. You’ve been learning magical theory for the past few days, too, so I’m sure you’re itching to try out at least basic spells and get a firmer grip on how to do things. Just take it easy today, that’s all I ask. I don’t want you springing ahead like you’re fully recovered and then relapsing.”

  Sevana snorted. “I’m not that foolish. But I want to go speak with Loman. He might have had a breakthrough while I was stuck in a bed, and if nothing else, he was supposed to talk to the head engineer over at the Kesly Station and see if their problem overlapped with ours, and if the solution we figured out here worked for them. If I need to go over there and fix their station too, I want to know it now and be able to plan ahead.”

  Shrugging agreement, Aran lifted himself away from the wall. “Breakfast first, then let’s go.”

  Amenable to this, she followed him to the small kitchen table in the back of the guest house—nothing more than a wide board with two stools, really—and dished up the clam soup and flaky flatbread. Khan had left it for them this morning, along with fresh towels. Sevana was glad to still have their young host. The thought of breaking in someone new irritated her. The food was well-made, their cook a good one, but still… “If I never have seafood again after this, for as long as I live, it’ll be too soon.”

  “Tell me about it,” Arandur groaned in agreement, and Sevana noted that he did not have any of the soup, just the flatbread and tea for breakfast. “I’m very glad that you didn’t get suckered in by Rane and choose to turn Unda instead.”

  “You’re glad? I’m glad! I can’t imagine staying under the waves the rest of my life and having such a limited diet.” Shuddering in true horror, she forced herself to eat the first bite. It really wasn’t bad, it was just that she had eaten so many clam and fish dishes over the past three weeks that she could barely get herself to eat any of it. But she had to, the transformation process was very demanding on her physically, and keeping her body well fueled was essential. “I vote we have lunch in the market.”

  “Seconded. For that matter, you still have more shopping to do.”

  “I won’t have time for it this morning, though. Maybe later this afternoon.”

  Breakfast felt like torture, but she grimly powered through it, relieved when she could stack the empty dishes in the sink. They left for the station, which was a bit further of a walk, as the new guest house resided three streets away from the old one. Sevana noted the pedestrians they passed on the street, and their curious looks at her, but no doubt they’d all heard some garbled account of what had happened and were now satisfying their curiosity by getting a good look at the two who had melted a house.

  Ignoring them, she focused on the first stage of her Seduce Aran Plan. So far, he had always initiated their contact, and certainly Sevana had been agreeable to it, but she felt like things were too one-sided to continue. If she was to show interest, then surely that meant initiating something. It felt awkward, as she’d never done anything of this nature before, but even she had held hands with people.

  Young people, generally. But still.

  Braving it, she tentatively slid her hand into the one hanging loose at Aran’s side. His head snapped sharply around at the touch, but even through his surprise, Sevana read his delight. The broadest smile stretched across his face from ear to ear as his fingers closed around hers. Satisfied she’d succeeded, she smiled back and made sure to keep her hand in his right up until they reached the station.

  It felt odd, holding hands with someone who had a larger hand than hers. She’d always been the larger person, holding a child’s hand, and this role reversal brought a different emotional dynamic. Strangely, she felt as if she were being protected, instead of being the protector. An odd feeling, and Sevana didn’t know what to do with it, although she eventually settled and decided she didn’t mind it. Her hand felt very cold in comparison to his, and she strangely felt like apologizing for it, and might have if she’d been able to come up with words that didn’t make her sound utterly foolish, even in her own head.

  Aran didn’t seem to mind any of this, though, as he moved just that half step closer so that their shoulders brushed together, letting their hands swing a little back and forth, playfully. It settled the butterflies in her stomach and she grinned back up at him, determined to just enjoy the moment.

  Loman was loading into a pod as they approached, his back to her, and she broke the hold with Aran in order to skip ahead and stop him. “Wait, Loman!”

  The head engineer twisted about in his seat to see who hailed him. More than a touch surprised, he greeted, “Artifactor! You’re well enough to be up?”

  “Yes, thankfully. Any more bedrest and I’d have gone perfectly mad. I’m glad I caught you. What are you doing?”

  “Another test.” He gestured her in. “Come, join me. We’ve levelled out most of the tunnels, at least the main three here at the station, and we’re about to see if the pod will be sucked into another branch again, or if we’ve completely solved the issue.”

  Since
she wanted to see that for herself, Sevana obligingly got in, Aran sitting close enough to her that their thighs pressed together. As he settled, the top of the pod came up and latched into place with a hiss of displaced air. Sevana, as much as she had worked on the problems here, had never actually ridden in one of the tubes. Her senses roved around, taking in things as she hadn’t been able to before, as her human senses hadn’t been quite up to the task. Now, with her Fae-enhanced eyes and ears, she could discern things in much more detail.

  “Loman. I thought this pod was made of hardened glass,” she said slowly, looking all around them at the transparent walls, “but it’s not. It’s fused quartz, isn’t it?”

  Bobbing his head in agreement, he gave her a curious look. “Your eyes are well now, I take it?”

  “Yes, quite. My senses are in full working order—fortunately, as apparently I failed to ask an obvious question.” Reaching up with her fingertips, she lightly grazed the quartz, so perfectly formed into a circle, and instinctively reached into the rock. Aran had explained to her that the Fae did not see the world as a human did. That they were more in tune with their surroundings, able to communicate with every element in some form or fashion. That was never clearer to her than in this moment, when the quartz reached back. It couldn’t form words as a human could, it didn’t have that kind of intelligence. It left impressions upon her instead—of extreme heat, a long period of coolness in a dark place, then more heat and a shaping will, creating what was around her today. It couldn’t tell her much more than that, and she withdrew thoughtfully. “That was…something.”

  Aran beamed at her. “You’re a natural.”

  Snorting, she tried to hide how pleased she was at that praise. “I’ve seen you do it often enough. But I now understand the problem better. Fused quartz has the same hardness as a steel file. Nothing in this tunnel or along the sea bed will have sufficient strength to leave a mark on it.”