The Fae Artifactor

by Honor Raconteur

  She should probably be offended by that, but Sevana unfortunately really didn’t have a leg to stand on.

  Another two weeks passed. With her magical core now settled, it was easier to tackle the rest of her body. The muscles, bones, tendons and other internal organs were all subtly changed to be stronger and less inclined to deteriorate than a human body. Her mind was changed a little as well, now able to better accept the input from the senses, and that was by far the most delicate part of the process. Ursilla did not rush that as she had everything else, instead putting a day in between each treatment until Sevana’s brain was entirely adapted over to Fae.

  Sevana was grateful for that, as that rash of treatments had left her with a throbbing migraine and she’d definitely needed time to recoup in between.

  Still, that aside, the daily treatments with Aran and Ursilla went much smoother than they had in the beginning, no longer leaving Sevana in a Gordian knot of weird side effects. She still tired after the treatments, and sometimes her body ran hot or cold, but that was all bearable compared to before.

  As she recovered, Loman dutifully tested and measured all of the tunnels, finding—to no one’s surprise—that all of the tunnels giving them trouble were two inches smaller than before. What with the trouble they’d already experienced, no one was willing to risk a repeat. Sevana went out herself with the crews, at least when she was physically up to it, and either examined the work that they did or put her new magic to use by helping them level and rebuild the tubes from scratch.

  It strangely felt natural to her to work with the Fae magic, more so than her human magic had been. As an Artifactor, Sevana had constantly struggled to make the magic do as she wished, and spent far more time working out the mathematical properties and logistics of something on paper than actually performing magic itself. Doing things now was simplicity itself in comparison—although she still did a fair share of calculating.

  A week before she was due to be done with her treatments, the tunnels were in operation again for the first time in two decades. The city under the waves had a grand party to celebrate it, re-blessing the station with a very elaborate ritual that Curano and Rane oversaw. Sevana attended part of it, but she wasn’t much for parties, and used an excuse of feeling tired to escape early.

  On the morning of the final day of her treatment, she rose and packed everything into her single bag. All of Master and Sarsen’s ‘gifts’ (bribes, more like it) had already been shipped ahead to Big, thankfully. The idea of lugging three crates full of things with her made Sevana glad she’d thought ahead and bought it all well before this point. With her things packed, she looked about the room, mentally going through a checklist. Only the final treatment was left. Really, there was very little of her that was human; the final treatment was more like a final pass to make sure nothing human remained. Ursilla thought her done. This was a ‘just in case’ measure and nothing more. Because of that, Sevana planned to return to Nopper’s Woods today.

  If she never saw another fish or clam, it would be too soon.

  Aran poked his head around the door. “Ursilla will be here in a moment. I vote we leave immediately after she’s done and have a late breakfast on land.”

  “It’s like you read minds,” Sevana agreed in relief. “I can’t take another bowl of fishy.”

  “Ditto.” A quick grin flashed over his face before he ducked away again.

  Bacon. Bacon was definitely on her agenda. And biscuits. Jam. Rubbing her hands together in anticipation, she took a good look around the room. Rane had generously outfitted her for her stay here, and Sevana wanted to keep everything given to her and not offend her hostess. She went around to all the rooms, making sure she hadn’t forgotten something, and did spy a few odds and ends that had to be stuck into the bag. Satisfied she’d gotten it all, she firmly pressed the last thing in to make sure the strap could come over and actually buckle into place. It took more than a little strength and determination to make that happen, as the strap strained to make it to the first hole and allow her to buckle it in place.

  “Sellion!” Ursilla called from the main room.

  Funny how more and more people called her by her Fae name as her transformation took place. It was as if the more she shed her human blood, the more they felt it appropriate to call her only as the Fae did. Sevana couldn’t entirely disagree with this attitude, as she no longer felt as herself. Her body felt stronger, lighter, and far more in tune with the world around her than she had as a human. Her senses were far sharper as well. The energies of the world lay visible to her eyes in a way that she’d never experienced before, even with the aid of all of her magical tools.

  It had been a rough road getting to this point, but now that Sevana was fully Fae in body and magic, she had to admit that it wasn’t unpleasant. Gaining her current status had been well worth the journey.

  Shouldering her pack, a small smile played around her mouth as she came to stand in front of Ursilla. The elderly Unda eyed her critically from head to toe and back again, dark eyes making an evaluating sweep before she gave a grudging nod. “I thought another treatment might be in order, but it seems that your Fae magic has awakened enough to do the job for me. There’s nothing left of your humanity.”

  “I disagree,” Sevana responded, smile becoming enigmatic. “I still retain a human’s knowledge, don’t I? And experience.”

  “Yes,” the Unda acknowledged, sharing that enigmatic smile. “You are the only one living to do so, I believe. It will be very interesting what you choose to do with that adult human knowledge as Fae.”

  Sevana snorted. “I would think that’s obvious.” When she got twin looks from both Aran and Ursilla, her tone went very dry. “Really, you two. I’m an Artifactor. Just because I’m Fae now doesn’t change that. I’ll need to practice with my Fae magic, maybe study for a year or so until I get a grasp on what I can do, but I’m perfectly sure that I can still work.”

  Ursilla spluttered, flabbergasted. “But you won’t need to!”

  “Just because I was down for the count, do you really think the work went away?” Sevana demanded of her, exasperated. “You think people stopped being cursed, that evil magicians ceased doing evil? Come now, Ursilla, you know that isn’t the case. I wasn’t popular as an Artifactor just because I was a prodigy, you know. I was popular because I was effective. People knew they could retain me and actually get the problem solved.”

  Aran tapped a thoughtful finger to his lips. “I know you said before that you would still want to go out and about the world, but I assumed you would be working on your own projects.”

  “And so I will. But I’ve always worked on my own projects while waiting for challenging cases to come to me.” Sevana shrugged, as she thought that obvious. “Nothing much has changed.”

  Aran’s eyebrows rose, although he seemed less surprised and more calculating. “You really think you can use Fae magic to create magical artifacts as you did before?”

  “Why not?” she challenged.

  Mouth curling up, he murmured, “Why not, indeed. I really shouldn’t underestimate your determination. If anyone can figure out how to do it, you can. Well, Ursilla, if you see no need for a further treatment, we’ll be on our way.”

  Ursilla did not say anything for a moment, her head cocked in question as she studied Sevana a moment longer. “Write to me,” she finally said—practically ordered. “Let me know how you are doing. I wish to see how you develop from here.”

  No doubt for the woman’s own records and curiosity, but Sevana didn’t mind that. She would feel the same way if their roles were reversed. “I will.”

  “Good luck,” Ursilla offered, stepping aside to let them pass her. “Artifactor.”

  Grinning at the woman, Sevana shouldered her pack once more. “Thank you, Ursilla. Truly, thank you for all your help.”

  “You are very welcome.” Ursilla watched from the doorway as they walked past her.

  Sevana had said most of her goodbyes
the day before, as she didn’t expect to be in this corner of the world again anytime soon. Loman had thanked her profusely, promising he’d call her first the next time they had a problem they couldn’t solve. Sevana laughingly promised to come, too, if that ever happened. Still, despite saying her goodbyes, she wasn’t in the least surprised to find Rane and Curano waiting for them. Someone had to take them safely to the surface, true enough, but this was hardly the task for a queen or king.

  Curano wore his loose-fitting kilt of dark purple and nothing else except twin gold bracelets around both ankles. The Unda king regarded her seriously with his dark blue eyes but did not speak. Sevana had learned in her time down here that he wasn’t much of a talker. He seemed to leave most of that up to his wife.

  Rane looked resplendent, as normal, in her choice of flowing dress, a pure white this time, her dark hair in an elaborate braid over one shoulder that was strung with pearls and shells. She had a slight pout on her face as they approached her. “You can stay longer, you know.”

  “No, I really can’t,” Sevana denied, barely resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Rane had not entirely given up on the idea of keeping her, it seemed. “I have things to do up there, and if I delay any longer, I’ll have a drag-out fight with Aranhil about me living in Big. The man’s already threatened to move me out no matter what my opinion. I’d better nip that in the bud.”

  “But you will come back and see us,” Rane demanded, arms still crossed over her chest.

  “Yes, yes. I won’t go into South Woods yet. I still have things to do in the human world. And yes, before you ask, if I find any more orphans I’ll bring them to you.”

  That satisfied her. At least, it did the trick long enough for her to pull in an air bubble around them and finally escort them toward the surface. Curano only waved them off. He didn’t intend to see them all the way up, then? Just a farewell. That suited Sevana fine.

  Sevana felt mostly relieved to finally escape the dark depths of the ocean, but she couldn’t help but glance back once at the city that had sheltered her for nearly two months. It grew smaller and smaller in the distance as they left it, and for all that she was ready to go home, she felt a spark of gratitude to the place. It had done well by her, and Sevana would remember that.

  They breached the waves at last, and the air bubble around them dissipated with a pop, allowing a cool sea breeze to rush over them, rustling her hair and clothing. Sevana drew in her first clear breath of air with a smile on her face. The cold water still lapped around her ankles—they weren’t free of the water just yet—but the sun felt good against her skin. It was like a homecoming, being on the surface once more.

  Because she’d expected to come home today, she’d written both Master and Aranhil, informing them of such, and they timed it so they were on the shore waiting on her. Master she expected, and Aranhil, but not Kip, Bel, and Sarsen. For that matter, Grydon and Baby had been lounging on the beach sand until her appearance, and they promptly leapt up and tackled her with wagging tails and insistent head bumps until she got free of the water and was able to kneel down and give them a good scratch.

  “Well,” she said brightly to the waiting men. “This is quite the welcome party.”

  Bel went directly for her and scooped her up, hugging her hard. “I’m so glad you came through that in one piece.”

  “Yes, yes,” she said impatiently, trying to push him off. “There’s no call for hugs.”

  Laughing, he hugged her tighter. “And I’m glad to see that you haven’t changed, not really.” Stepping back, he looked her over, noticing the minute differences. Her ears had changed, elongating, eyes becoming more cat-like in the pupils, body slightly thicker with muscle. “You look healthier than ever. I’m glad.”

  “Not as much as we are,” Aran assured the human king. “Trust me on that. Aranhil, I’ve returned with your daughter.”

  It was a very formal phrasing and Aranhil inclined his head in acceptance. “You have, and have done well. We thank you. Rane, you have sheltered my daughter in her time of need. You have my thanks.”

  Rane gave him a pretty smile, head tilted in a falsely demure way. “You’re quite welcome. She is always welcome to come, for that matter.”

  The look Aranhil gave her neatly conveyed that he understood what she really meant by that and he wasn’t having it. Ignoring the jibe, he squeezed past Bel and got his own hug in, thankfully brief, before making a show of looking Sevana over. “You do look well, daughter. I’m very pleased by that.”

  Master, impatient with all of the others hogging her, came in from behind to give her a back hug. “You do look well, sweetling, but I’m avidly curious and have a million questions. What you wrote to me was too dry and factual, I need more details.”

  Catching Sarsen’s and Kip’s eyes, she asked dryly, “You two feel the same way, I take it?”

  “Of course.” Kip looked at her as if she had just asked a very stupid question.

  “Breakfast,” Sevana demanded of them all. “I need breakfast, and I’ll answer questions. Although, really, Aran knows more than I do in some ways. My eyes weren’t up to the task in the beginning.”

  “That’s fine.” Master gestured toward his land carriage sitting nearby─a larger version that was obviously meant to hold this many people. Well, that explained how they all got here, anyway. “I can think of a place nearby that serves a quite excellent breakfast. Would you care to join us, Rane?”

  “I cannot,” Rane said regretfully. Her tone did not match the mischief in her eyes. “But I thank you for the invitation. Sevana, Arandur, I hope to see you again soon. I wish you happiness in your courtship, and if you do decide to Handfast, do tell me. I want to attend the ceremony.”

  Oh she did not. Sevana didn’t growl at her, although it came close.

  “Courtship?” several voices chorused at once, some of them incredulous, others delighted. To be precise, Aranhil, Master and Sarsen were delighted, Kip and Bel were incredulous.

  With a little wave of the fingers, Rane skipped back to the water’s edge and dove neatly into the waves.

  Sevana shared a speaking look with Aran. “Why do we like her, again?”

  Chuckling, Aran shrugged. He didn’t seem the least bothered that Rane had just stolen their thunder. “She has her moments. Yes, everyone, we’re courting. Have been for several weeks now. We wanted to tell you in person, and yes, that’s something else we will talk about over breakfast. Everyone into the carriage, now, we’re starving for proper food.”

  “Bacon,” Sevana chimed in, tone brisk and allowing no nonsense as she pushed her way through bodies toward the carriage. “Biscuits. I accept nothing less than that.”

  “Wait, Sevana,” Bel scurried to keep up with her, “are you and Arandur really going to Handfast?”

  “We’re courting; we haven’t talked about that yet.” Although Sevana had every intention of doing so. “Breakfast, Bel, focus.”

  “But what about being an Artifactor?” Sarsen asked at her other elbow, taking her sack from her to help secure it into the boot at the back. “Now that you’re Fae, you surely won’t—why are you looking at me like I just asked a stupid question?”

  “It is a stupid question,” she retorted tartly. “Really, you think I can just laze about South Woods for the next several centuries and be happy without something to intellectually challenge me? You, of all people, know what I’m like when I’m bored.”

  Sarsen’s eyes sharpened on hers. “But a Fae Artifactor?”

  “Why not?” she challenged, standing her ground.

  Looking entirely flummoxed by the idea, he stared at her for a long moment before, oddly, turning to Aran. “And what do you think of this?”

  “That I’m not stupid enough to tell her what she can and cannot do.” Arandur stared him down. “Since when has Sevana ever let the conventional cage her?”

  Deciding that Sarsen’s brain had been scrambled by the surprise—it had to have been, if he was asking stupi
d questions—she ignored him utterly and climbed in. When no one else immediately did so, she popped her head around the doorway and enunciated clearly: “Ba-con.”

  Chuckling, Master clambered inside. “Yes, yes, sweetling. We’ll feed you. It’ll take a half hour or so to reach the restaurant I’m thinking of. Why don’t you start answering a few questions as we go? Come on, everyone, don’t stand there waiting.”

  With no sense of decorum or rank, every man piled in, finding their own seats. Sevana was idly curious on how two kings managed to get here without any sort of entourage. Well, no, that might be a stupid question too. Master wouldn’t think anything of swinging by and casually kidnapping two monarchs. Nor would either of these men think anything of just climbing in to go pick her up from the Unda.

  It did please her, to have them here. She’d come through a milestone, and part of her wanted to share in the joy of that. She looked around at all of their faces, all of them so eagerly waiting to hear from her, and her heart strings tugged from happiness. “Well. Where shall I start?”

  Legend says that there was once a human Artifactor, a prodigy in her field. She was called upon by kings, by the Fae, by the gods themselves. She excelled in curse-breaking but used her talents in other ways, preventing disasters and rescuing the ones most desperate for help. One legend says that she even prevented Nanashi Isle from being destroyed by a volcano, although many believe that one to be something of an exaggeration.

  She was so loved by magic, so gifted in her talents, that even the Fae envied her. They took her as a daughter, changed her magic and form, making her Fae in truth. Some say that she even married another Fae, a dark-haired Tracker who followed her faithfully wherever she went.

  People have claimed to see her throughout the centuries. When kings are in trouble, when even the gods are beside themselves, they call upon her. The Fae Artifactor still comes and solves their problems, breaks their curses, unravels their mysteries. It’s said that even now, three hundred years after her rebirth as Fae, she still walks in the human world and works the mysteries of magic.