“Good thing we caught your brother on the way to Gotic,” Meladee said from the wheel. “Who knew these Enchanted Textilers would want to see us right away.”

From her place in the alcove, Camellia nodded. She took a minute to remember the course of events. After they left the farm, Meladee had parked Faustina in a small field, along the road. They hoped to catch Chevril, Camellia’s brother, on his way to or from Gotic. During the day, Eva and Meladee finished their work, and had Camellia kept watch. Night fell, and a familiar horse approached. Camellia ran to the road to meet her brother, and surprised to see her, he stopped. One hurried explanation later, Chevril gave her an envelope. Camellia opened it and found a simple message: Gotic -the corner of Vis and Cosmar, 15th of Prima, ten till midnight.

Now, they traveled through a sunny afternoon, and it had been a full two days since they’d left the farm. Meladee steered the ship to the capital city, and prepared to land in the same shipyard that she and Camellia first met. Though it was a risk to park openly in the shipyard, Camellia argued that hiding in a random field near Gotic was more suspicious. To better hide the ship, Camellia also insisted that they change Faustina’s appearance. Much to Meladee’s distaste, Faustina’s face had been painted over, but Camellia promised to set it right. Faustina would only be without her eyes and mouth for a day or two, and Camellia cheered Meladee with thoughts of new expressions for the little ship. That night, they would walk into the city and meet the mages, but first they had to arrive and park.

Wind coursed around the ship, and around Camellia, the conversation continued.

“I was surprised you located a secret organization so quickly,” Eva congratulated.

Camellia nodded. “I made an educated guess. Considering how fast they arrived to the battle, I knew their guild house had to be close. They either saw the fight, or we tripped a magical warning system.”

Camellia stopped to consider the Enchanted Textilers. They made enchanted cloth, embroidered with casting circles and imbued with other spells. They shaped that cloth into rugs, blankets, clothes, and anything else made of fabric. Then, they shipped those items all over Tagtrum and Groaza. Some merchandise even made it to Ponk. Textiles, an innocent profession, and yet, there were problems with the guild.

Camellia voiced them. “Every few years, their shipping activities don’t match their accounts. The noise complaints are also highly suspicious. Still, I worried I picked the wrong guild. That would have been embarrassing.”

Eva nodded. “Meladee, can you explain your freeze weapon?” Eva pointed to a decorative egg. It rested between her and Camellia.

Camellia picked up the large egg and set it in her lap.

From the wheel, Meladee smiled. “I’d love to. I got that egg during a salvage operation in Northern Groaza. It was too old to belong to anyone, and we didn’t need it for business reasons. Captain liked me, so I got to keep it.”

Camellia ran her hand over the egg. Smooth, white ceramic made up the shell. Jeweled roses ran the length in neat rows. Between the rows, blue designs of trees and flowers adorned the ceramic: an ornate spectacle. Yet, some ancient artisan thought it needed more. White jewels bisected the egg and ringed its pinnacle and base.

“The egg opens at the seam.” Meladee said.

Camellia pointed at the white jewels around the center.

Mealdee nodded. “Once you open it, cold air spews out. I etched the ice blast casting circle on a medallion and put the medal inside. The spell is always active, so I etched containment spells on the egg’s interior – a lot of them. All we have to do is open that thing, and it will take everything within a mile to a winter wonderland.”

“It’s beautiful.” Camellia stroked the shell, careful not to open the egg.

She remembered the hour that Meladee finished the spell. In an eyeblink, Faustina and the spring thawed field had reentered winter’s grip.

Meladee smiled and shrugged. “Yeah, this little ice egg is almost as awesome as Faustina, but I can’t take credit for the casting circle. We have to thank Ah’nee’thit for that.”

Eva waited for Meladee to finish and stood to show off her creation. “A working freeze ray,” Eva announced. She held a large silver gun aloft. Eva had cobbled the huge weapon together from her fighter. The barrel ended in a point, and the grip was an old steering joystick. “It functions better than I expected.”

Eva did not offer the gun to Camellia, and Camellia didn’t ask to hold it. But, she admired Eva’s workmanship. 

“It’s beautiful in its way too,” Camellia said. “Scary but beautiful. I almost can’t believe you made it from spare parts.”

Eva smiled.

Meladee added, “Yeah, I especially love that it’s going to send polar air straight into the hearts of our enemies. How come you never made anything like it before? You had all the parts.”

“Apparently, Lurriens relied on the natural chill to keep the creature sluggish. Making anything like a freeze ray would have been simultaneously not powerful enough and a leap of the imagination. I don’t think Ah’nee’thit intends for us to use this on anyone but the creature’s thralls.” As she spoke, Eva examined the gun. “As clever as it is, it won’t kill the monster.”

Meladee sighed. “Guys, remember, we’re not going to kill the thing. Just get a ship. Then, we find someone who can kill it. Hopefully that Adalhard guy comes through. At least, Cahir won’t chase us around anymore.” Meladee’s hands flew over her board. She began landing procedures.

Camellia flinched. She thought of both Cahir and Adalhard.

“Sorry,” Meladee apologized, hopefully not realizing Adalhard had anything to do with it.

The group lapsed into silence, and Camellia fingered her own, private creation: a letter to Cerunnos. She planned to mail it in Gotic. Though she felt compelled, she wrote nothing to Adalhard.

 

Camellia led the trio from street lamp to street lamp. Ahead, a large clock sprouted from the sidewalk and showed the time as twenty minutes to midnight. In five minutes, they would reach the corner of Vis and Cosmar, a quiet place between a bank and a church.

Meladee and Eva walked behind Camellia. Eva held her thin barreled gun by her side, and Meladee, always armed, likely had a spell on her mind. Camellia carried a magic wind saber. One side of the blade displayed a row of magic circles; the other side gave pictorial directions to activate each circle, with a series of flourishes. Back at Faustina, she’d debated bringing the weapon along and had asked Eva and Meladee’s opinions.

You’ve had that all this time! Meladee had practically shrieked.

Eva had gaped.

Both declared she should bring it.

Bring it everywhere – from now on – those were Eva’s words on the matter.

Camellia knew she should follow them, but she hated to be armed. Camellia sighed, feeling the saber’s curvature along her back.

By the time they reached the bank, the spires of the church were long in sight. Camellia passed the bank’s stone facade and crossed the street to the church-side. They found themselves at the church’s back entrance and stopped by a stone bench and yew bush. Five minutes to wait.

“Why couldn’t we wait on that side?” Eva looked at the bank side of the street.

“I didn’t want anyone to think we’re bank robbers,” Camellia said.

“Oh.” Eva looked away from the bank.

Meladee added, “She’s right. This side is much better. Now, everyone will think we’re runaways or prostitutes.”

“I see,” Eva said, with no emotion.

The three women waited. Lost in their own heads.

 

Eva pondered exactly how to define a runaway. Would someone running from an unstoppable creature count? Eva didn’t think so, and even if Eva had been a runaway, she’d abandoned that plan the moment Camellia gave her hope for a weapon. Runaways were not capable of caring for themselves. Eva planned to take care of herself and everyone she left behind in Lurren.

 

Meladee secretly hoped no one would show up. She fought her instinct to leave and told herself that she had to go to Eva’s continent of terror if she truly wanted to escape this thing. The monster secretly lurked in her world since she’d been in the cradle. Unlike a ghost, this creature could be everywhere, and unfortunately for Meladee, she had to live somewhere on Iruedim.

 

Camellia silently prayed that no men would come to rescue them or commission their services. Her prayer finished, and she thought of Adalhard. Camellia had spent months in a cloud of grief, and in that place, Adalhard’s visit was a bright point. She thought Adalhard’s care genuine. Too genuine, maybe? He unthinkingly turned me in. Or, did he? Did Camellia need the help he offered? Did she need him to take action? Camellia couldn’t decide. She did know that her feelings for him just wouldn’t quit, but the complexity of the situation barred those pleasant fantasies she had entertained for three months. Camellia closed her eyes and dreamt of something simpler: what she might find outside the wormhole.

Camellia heard horse hooves and carriage wheels. Before she could open her eyes, Meladee hit her shoulder.

“It’s not bedtime,” Meladee warned.

The carriage stopped at the corner, and the door swung open. Two men stepped out: one raven-haired from Groaza and one brunette from Tagtrum. The men waited by the carriage, and a young woman, almost a girl, stepped out. She had deep brown hair and a complexion to match. She looked Tagtrumian, but except for a few pieces of jewelry, she wore the fashions of Groaza. As the young woman approached, Camellia watched her face and decided she was more girl than woman after all. The girl approached Meladee, Eva, and Camellia.

“Which of you wrote the note?” she asked.

“That was me,” Camellia admitted, with a small raise of her hand.

“I understand you have information you’d like to trade, but first tell me how you know about the creature.” The girl crossed her arms.

“Well, it’s been trying to recruit me. It sent its high priest to ask for my hand in marriage, and then, when we spoke, it tried to recruit me itself.”

“So, you were the ones inside the temple?” The girl snapped. Neat braids swung over her shoulders as she looked at the men.

“Yeah. It’s not that hard.” Meladee shrugged.

The girl glared but avoided their eyes. “It’s a protected religious site. We shouldn’t have to go to great lengths to guard it. That would be suspicious in itself.”

True, Camellia admitted silently. Then, she studied the girl. 

Around their late teens, Iruedians reached a long period in which their looks remained stable, youthful but not too fresh-faced. The more Camellia saw of this girl, the younger she estimated her age. The girl retained some of that freshness. Eighteen? Maybe twenty at most? Although Tagtrumians were often considered adults at the age of twelve, Camellia tempered her next response.

“It shouldn’t be a religious site at all,” Camellia said. “Unless you also worship Ah’nee’thit.”

“We don’t worship that thing! If you know and use its name, that’s a better indication of monster worship,” the girl accused.

Meladee raised her hand. “Really? Cause you sure as hell act like that thing’s sacred, keeping it in a temple of love.”

Before anyone else could speak, Eva stepped between the groups. “Quiet. We’re not here to argue about who’s most devoted to Ah’nee’thit.” Eva pointed at the three textilers. “You study the creature. You know about it. She...” Eva pointed at Camellia. “Thinks you have a spell to defend against its mind-altering capabilities. We want that spell. We will give you another in return. One that can weaken the creature.”

“We are not giving you anything,” the girl said. “And what can you know about the creature that we don’t?”

“She talked to it.” Again, Eva gestured to Camellia. “She is the thing’s high priestess as far as it’s concerned. It gave her this spell to fight the larger one in my homeland.”

Surprise briefly graced the faces of the girl and the two men.

No doubt, Eva caught that surprise. She continued, “Did I mention that? As big as a continent, 3000 years old, and unkillable. That’s my monster. You think you have your monster under control, just like my people did. I’m here to tell you – you don’t. The thing gathers followers behind your back. For now, you have it trapped, but its allies will free it.”

The girl glared at Eva, but a flicker of doubt crossed her face. “It’s not really my place to give you the spell. I’m here to find out what you know, and if you aren’t dangerous, I’m supposed to invite you back to our Gotic base.”

Camellia shook her head. “We won’t come to your base because we don’t want to take the chance of becoming your prisoners. All we want is the spell, and then, we’ll be gone. We won’t meddle with your affairs.” Camellia’s eyes flicked to the men. She hoped they weren’t as powerful as they looked, but she had Eva and Meladee beside her, as well as the night.

The girl frowned. “You already have meddled. You attracted both Tagtrum and Groaza’s attention straight to us,” she hissed. “They’re already questioning our right to keep the temple private. If Ponk gets involved, we might lose the whole thing!” Her voice was quiet but insistent.

“Yeah! Hoorary for that,” Meladee growled. She stepped closer.

Eva put a hand on Meladee’s arm and halted the mage’s progress forward, but she couldn’t stop Meladee’s mouth.

Meladee said, “Someone has to deal with that monster. You shouldn’t be keeping it as a plaything. It might already be too big to kill.”

Eva nodded. “It probably is too big to kill through any conventional means. If it escaped, your choices to deal with the creature would be limited, and those choices would affect everyone outside your guild.”

A long silence followed. The girl frowned and kept her gaze on the ground. The two men at her side waited, stone-faced.

Camellia exchanged a long look with Meladee and Eva. Then, Camellia asked, “What’s your name?”

“I’m not telling you my name,” the girl scoffed.

Camellia sighed. “Nevermind. We’ll give you our spell if you give us yours. An exchange of defensive spells shouldn’t be a problem for your superiors. You can’t bring us back. You might as well bring them something from this encounter.”

The girl looked at the men on either side of her. Neither offered advice.

“What is this? What are they even here for?” Meladee gestured to the two guys. “Your superiors too scared to come out here, so they sent you? And, all they gave you in the way of guidance was two big guys who don’t say anything. They should really take this thing more seriously.”

“They’re busy,” the girl said. Her words defended her superiors, but her dark expression lent weight to Meladee’s assertion. Finally, the girl agreed, “Alright, I’ll give you our telepathy blocking spell. There’s no harm in sharing a defensive spell like that. Then, you give us your spell. And, it better be useful to us.”

“A spell for a spell,” Meladee confirmed. “You first.”

The girl shook her head. “First, I want to know what I’m getting.”

Meladee huffed. “An extreme cold spell. The creature says that cold is its weakness.” Meladee glanced around the dark street corner.

The girl knit her brow. She almost looked at the men. “But, we’ve tested both cold and heat, and the creature doesn’t react in any special way. I mean, of course, it’s bothered but…we would be too.”

Meladee raised a hand. “Look, Ah’nee’thit made up the spell and said that it would be a problem for the big one.”

“Well,” Camellia said. “Ah’nee’thit thinks…” She stopped. She couldn’t say that Ah’nee’thit believed they would fail. That didn’t sell the spell. Camellia shut up.

“What?” The girl advanced. “Ah’nee’thit thinks what?”

Camellia stammered.

Eva came to the rescue. “We tested the spell on an infected individual. I’ve fought many like him, and that spell helped. I’ve seen the large creature myself, and I know the weapons Ah’nee’thit gave us will have an effect. The spell is useful. If I’d had something like that, I could have done so much more.”

Camellia exhaled. Eva’s words painted confidence across the girl’s face. The girl bit her lower lip, not quite ready to take the deal but so close.

“For god’s sakes, it’s a ten-ringed casting circle. Do you want it or not?” Meladee asked.

Finally, the blond Tagtrumian raised a hand and spoke, “You’re sure the creature invented a ten-ringed casting circle?”

“He speaks.” Meladee raised her hands to the sky. “Yeah, we’re damn sure.”

The girl turned to the men. “It’s learning from all those mages it snatched recently. Fast too.”

The other man, the Groazan, stated, “That historian who nosed around the temple a couple years ago might be to blame. He has a high rank in the AAH and a lot of contacts outside his guild. He’d be able to recruit some of the better mages.”

Camellia looked down. “That would be Cahir.” She raised her eyes and beheld the Textilers’ bewildered expressions. “He’s Ah’nee’thit’s high priest. My counterpart so to speak.”

Their eyes widened.

Camellia waved a hand, dismissing their concerns. “Don’t worry. He’s dead now.”

“Alright,” the girl said. “I’m ready. Give us the spell, and we’ll give you the protection magic.”

Meladee nodded her agreement, but she waited for them to produce their spell first.

The girl pulled a handkerchief from her bodice. Embroidered on the handkerchief was the telepathic protection spell. Camellia could just glimpse its five rings. Camellia looked at Meladee and saw a mixture of greed and gratitude on her friend’s face. Without hesitation, Meladee reached into her bag and pulled out the folded paper on which Camellia had drawn the spell.

“I only have one of these,” the girl nearly apologized. She tossed the handkerchief to Meladee.

Meladee handed her the paper. “Likewise.”

Both women examined their acquisitions.

Meladee said, “So, this is what you guys mean by enchanted textiles.”

The group fell quiet, and Camellia wondered how they should part ways. Everyone stood around awkwardly, even the men. Had no one been to a secret tryst before?

Suddenly, Camellia perked up. She thought she heard something inside the church. She looked at the building. Through one tall window, she saw shadows. They moved around and disappeared from view. A crash from the church startled the entire group. Camellia recognized the sound as a door thrown open. Whispers of angry minds and a hint of Ah’nee’thit’s reached Camellia’s mind.

“Cultists!” Camellia panicked quietly.

“Cultists,” the Groazan man spat. “We need to leave. You should too.”

Eva nodded and waved for Meladee and Camellia to go.

“Thank you,” the girl called quietly. She looked begrudgingly grateful.

Camellia met her eyes. “No, thank you. We really needed your help.”

The girl gave Camellia a short nod and raced after the men.