"I heard you and Mommy arguing on the ship," she said quite calmly. "It was very loud."
"Ah," Hector said, his face heating up. "Well, ah, I didn't know you were awake, dearest. I hope we didn't wake you."
"No. I" Amaya shrugged and leaned into her father's leg. Not shy but...hiding something. "It's hard to sleep, up so high."
"Oh, little light, it's okay to be frightened," Hector began, but his daughter shook her head and clung tighter to his leg. "Oh dear."
Felix knelt, so he could look in her eyes. She did appear tired, now that he was looking for it. But he felt something else from her small Spirit, and it wasn't fear or timidity. "You weren't afraid."
Hector raised an eyebrow, but Amaya cautiously peeked her head out. She shook it, once.
"You were..." Felix let his Affinity expand, skimming across the timbre of their Spirits and others nearby. He grinned. "Curious. You wanted to see the Mana engine."
What else was there to be curious about on a Manaship? Felix had been eager to see one himself, the first time he'd piloted a ship.
"It's not fair that only Daddy's apprentices could see it! I'm big now," Amaya said with surprising force. She looked up at her father, and there was steel in her gaze. "Please? I want to know how it works, Daddy."
Felix couldn't keep the smile off his face as he stood and watched Hector melt. "The engines are dangerous, little light. Perhaps"
"Perhaps she could take a look at my Glyphworks," Felix suggested. The girl's eyes lit up and Hector shook his head, a grin plastered on his own face. "I know you want to anyway, right?"
"You've caught me. We climbed into your Temple when we heard where the Crafting Halls were located." He looked at the three sets of stairs, leading upward. "Up there?"
"Middle one. Big white door covered in sigils," Felix said. "I would've shown you eventually, but I foolishly thought everyone would want to settle in a bit." He laughed. "You're the second group to find their way up here."
"Oh? I suppose Coldfire stomped her way into the Forge, did she?" said another voice. Felix had sensed her, and those with her when he'd stretched his Affinity. "Typical. She never had any patience."
A woman with cold eyes and a severe face mounted the steps. She wore a woven gown over pants and a long-sleeved shirt, while at her waist was a thick, girdle-like belt absolutely filled with pockets and straps. Her long, dark hair was done up in a series of complicated braids to keep it out of her face, and a small pair of spectacles sat across her nose. Behind her were a score of young men and women of various Racesmostly Humanand a few he even recognized. Alchemy and inscription apprentices, the lot of them.
"Aenea. Welcome to my Crafting Halls," Felix said. "I see you've coming looking for my Lab."
"Indeed. I was informed that you were in the Temple, somewhere." She sniffed. "When your...assistant warned us away from the deeper tunnels, it informed us of your location."
"Oh, right, forgot to mention that," Hector said, sheepishly. "The Golem you have pointed us in your direction. Said we weren't allowed deeper into the Temple." He huffed a breath. "Must say, it gave me a fright. Never seen a talking Golem before. How'd you manage that?"
"I didn't," Felix said. "And he's right. You're not allowed," Felix said. He had a hard time not sounding like he was apologizing, but weeks of leading had given him practice. "Perhaps someday, but for now access to the Temple is restricted to myself and Karys."
"The...Golem. Of course," Hector said, mustering his good nature again. "It is your Stronghold, after all. Right, dearest?"
Aenea waved away the concern in Hector's voice. "Naturally. You are the Autarch after all."
Indeed. A cold woman, Aenea; she had never really liked him. Thankfully, his ability to learn quickly and his advanced version of Analyze had earned him some favor in the past. At least she's playing nice. She wants to see the Alchemical Lab as much as anyone. Felix smiled and felt everyone except Amaya shift, fear and eagerness warring against one another. Lucky for her, I need the help.
"How about I show you just what this place can do?" he said.
Zara leaned against the wall of her new home, willing the cool stone to drive the fatigue from her bones. That boy, Atar, had guided her to this particular house up against the cliff. Far from the elaborately carved stairs leading up toward the Temple proper. Isolated, one might say, with only the Frost Giants to one side and a bevy of Legion barracks on the other. The little fire mage had nothing to say to that point, but his Spirit had swayed more than a Zurian veildancer when she mentioned it.
He doesn't trust me, she realized. She hummed, drawing some of vibration from the dark granite behind her, pushing away a portion of her aches. Felix's grown guarded, and the feeling has spread among his team. Her skin felt hot to the touch and her skin clammy, but no Status Condition blinked in her personal display. Instead, it was her Aspects that plagued her; they were still recovering, Spirit most of all, and the push into the Foglands had not done the Sorcerer any favors.
Damned boy, making me chase him across the Continent. She took three measured breaths, letting her Skills and Chant work their magic. The Grand Harmony sang through her, soothing her fevered flesh with a hymn of solid stones, frozen winds, and water attuned Mana. Aquamarine power flooded her channels, cycling slowly. And he neglected to mention a blasted Spirit Tree.
Seated as she was on her simple bed and hay-stuffed mattress, Zara could see its branches overhead. They blocked the sky, darkening an otherwise bright afternoon, filling it with a false night. And false stars. She could see the Spirit Fruit, dangling hundreds of feet up, unguarded and utterly packed with potency. What changed? I need him to talk to me.
The sound of hollow knocking shook through her home's barren interior. Zara flexed her Perception and frowned. It was not who she expected. Not at all.
She stood and walked silently down the solid, shaped-stone stairs and paused at the front door. Gathered herself and waited. Just before the knocks sounded again, she pulled open the door, leaving Evie Aren with her fist upraised. Atar was next to her, his olive complexion ashen at her appearance. She simply let an arch smile tilt her mouth before walking away, toward what she assumed was a sitting room.
"Zara, we're here to"
"Come in if you're staying. And help me find a kettle in this place," she said. "I'd kill for some tea."
With a minor hum, she yanked the doors closed behind them.