Mapmaker, p.4
Mapmaker, page 4
Fiona smiled. “Relax, Desi. It’s good to see you too. Darian,” she nodded at her one-time opponent. “Talindra advised Princess Lona and myself to get below deck when they were testing the rocket device. I believe that caution was prudent, however unnecessary.”
“You are going to the Gewellyn Council?” Desara asked. Fiona nodded. “Is there anything that we can do to assist you, Lady Fiona, Princess Lona?”
Fiona smiled disarmingly. “How about not having any more races between the StarFire and the Aeronaut until we have been deposited at Gewellyn City?”
“I didn’t know that we were racing,” the Commodore replied, “or I certainly would’ve had my crew,” she stopped. “As you wish, my Lady.” Desara turned back to Talindra. “I would appreciate having the opportunity to look at the rocket device before I go back to my ship.”
“Of course,” Talindra smiled. “Lieutenant?”
“Talindra, if I may have a word with my brother for a few moments?”
“Of course, your Highness. Commodore, follow me. The rocket booster is in the rear of the ship, directly under Lieutenant Clark’s quarters.” The two of them moved toward the stern, accompanied by Darian.
“What was that all about?” Tessa looked from Fiona to Nathaniel.
“It’s not as much about me as it is about Menta Kai, and her daughter, Lona. There were some things that went on after Weggar was driven from Gewellyn that were, shall we say, a bit uncomfortable for Desara, Darian, and Snee. Talindra was there; she can tell you about it. Suffice it to say that it’s not completely stars under the bridge.”
“What did you want to talk about, Fi?” Natty asked.
Fiona smiled warmly and kissed her brother on the cheek. “Nothing. I just didn’t want Desi pumping you for information. Just remember, big brother, don’t refer to her as Admiral. That somewhere in your future.” Nathaniel nodded.
“I’m going to go down to my mapping table on the enclosed deck, if that’s okay with everyone? Seeing nods from the others, Tessa added, “Lona, come with me?”
Her best friend broke into a big smile. “Of course!” And the two of them headed down to the deck below.
“Join me for cup of tea, Natty?”
“I’d prefer coffee, but if tea is what you have, of course.” The brother and sister descended to the galley.
“Your mother and Nathaniel are very close, aren’t they?” Tessa asked Lona.
Lona nodded. “Abby, too. Amil Kai thinks it’s because the three of them are kind of out of place in time, Mama Fi and Abilynn from the past, and Nathaniel from the future. He did say that from the time he was little until he went to school, to the Naval Academy, he spent a lot of time with Fiona, and also Tia Shannon.”
“Your mothers and aunts seem to dote on him quite a bit.”
“That’s also true. I guess they were all pretty protective of him while he was growing up, or they will be, or whatever. I’m not exactly sure what’s going to happen when Natty is born thirty or so years from now. He did say that he doesn’t remember his older self being around his younger self growing up. Maybe he goes back to his own time before he’s actually born.”
“That would be a shame,” Tessa commented, half to herself. “I mean, he’s an excellent officer.”
Lona grinned. “Tessie, I’m your best friend. I know you’re attracted to him and believe me I’m trying to do everything I can to make it happen, but Amil told me let it go.”
“She’s right, of course, but he looks so much like your grandfather, who is a very handsome man. And he is such a gentleman. He holds my chair for me at dinner, opens doors for me. He’s even gotten Tror and Kipper doing the same thing with Lindy and Esse. It’s very romantic.”
“On another topic,” Lona said, hoping to move her friend off the subject of Nathaniel, “how are we going to work my doing embellishments after I get off of the airship in Gewellyn City?”
Tessa pursed her lips. “Where’s Zedra?”
“Up on deck. She’s probably keeping an eye on Desara and Darian since they are strangers.”
“Good. Lona, let me ask you this; I know that your duties as High Princess and your education require time, however there are things that I need you to help me with to get these ready.” She indicated the map table. “Are you going to be staying in Gewellyn with Tanya Joy, going back to Aerielands Castle or back to Caer Aerie?”
“Most likely, a combination of the three. Why did you want to know where Zedra was?”
“Because I’m trying to figure out where you can fly to in order to help me with the maps.”
“Well, it’s not going to be much farther than Gewellyn City, perhaps Gewellyn Port, if Zedra and either Abby or Tia Ali are with me.”
Tessa was clearly disappointed. “There’s always the Juncture.” Lona nodded. “Part of this journey will be in Eldaria, trying to determine how Eldaria, Gewellyn, and the Aerielands intersect. Your grandparents are going to be in Eldaria, so maybe you could travel with them?” Tessa asked optimistically.
“Very possibly, since Amil Kai will be there also.”
“Look at this,” Tessa said as she pointed to a map in progress. Lona eyed the creation and let out a low whistle. Tessa nodded. “This is all theoretical, but if I’m correct and the Nine Worlds are connected, whether it’s over the Juncture or over Ireland.”
“Or both,” Lona proposed.
“Or both,” Tessa agreed. “Then it’s going to change everything, everywhere. Do you think your mothers would agree to allowing you to stay on? I mean, you could be my roommate.”
Lona sighed. “In all honesty, Tessa, I doubt it, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask. The worst they could say is no.”
As Fiona and Nathaniel were enjoying the tea, and the coffee that Enesneth had made for Natty, they heard a strange sound from overhead like chains being dragged across the floor. A few minutes afterwards Talindra came down into the galley, poured herself a cup of tea, made a face at Natty’s coffee, and sat down with them.
“That was certainly interesting,” she observed, commenting over the brim of her teacup. “I don’t know if she wanted to see the boosters, as much as she wanted to obtain information. Information that I didn’t have.” She looked to Nathaniel.
“Which is exactly why I took my brother away before she could start quizzing him. Understand, Lindy, that I do like Desara and I’ve gotten over most of my reservations about Darian. Snee?” She shrugged. “Her sister, Deidre, is one of my closest friends and confidants, but in addition to being an exceptional commander and leader, she is also an excellent spy, rivaling Skye. What did you tell her?”
“I followed the rules, your Highness.” Fiona started to correct Talindra’s use of title, and then realized the point that the aviator was making, before Talindra even continued, “No lies, no fibs, no secrets. Well, almost no secrets.”
“What didn’t you tell her?” Natty asked.
Talindra have shrugged. “I deferred any questions that she asked about you. Basically, I told her that if she wanted information about Lieutenant Yalerius-Clark, she would need to either ask him, herself, or talk to the Great High Queen, his older sister.
“I’m not sure what she thinks she needs to find out,” Natty told them. “I spent six months with her, Darien, and Snee after she agreed to take me on at Clonifer.”
Fiona nodded at her brother’s answer, then looked at Talindra. “Did your answer seem to satisfy her?”
“It must have, because they returned to the StarFire without any further questions, and just the minimal departing pleasantries.” Lindy grinned. “She did, however, advise me not to use my rocket boosters in competition with the StarFire again.” Talindra shrugged. “We’ll see how that goes.”
Lona and Tessa entered the galley from the enclosed deck. “Amil, may we, no, may I talk to you for a few minutes?” Tessa jabbed Lona in the side with her elbow.
“She was correct the first time, Fiona. May we speak with you for a few minutes?”
“Do you want some privacy?” Nathaniel asked and started to stand up.
Lona shook her head. “Thank you but no. This involves you and Talindra as well.”
Fiona looked at her daughter and smiled. “You want to know if you can stay on the Aeronaut and help Tessa with the maps, correct?”
“How, how did you know, Mama?”
Fiona smiled. “Because Kai, Gwynlyn and I have already talked about it,” she replied.
“And they have already spoken with Nathaniel and I,” Talindra added. “We have agreed to take you on, with certain conditions.”
“Basically, Lona, it is the same conditions that existed when you traveled with Mum and Da in Eldaria. You will have additional responsibilities, in addition to helping Tessa with the cartography. You will have certain obligations, such as the Gewellyn Council meeting, that you must attend. And most importantly, you are one of the crew.” Fiona emphasized the last word. “Your crown stays in your cabin, reserved for any formal occasions you happen to have to attend, escorted by Prince Nathaniel.”
“And the same thing goes for your attitude,” Natty instructed. “Just like on the Discovery II, we have a chain of command. I am still your uncle, Captain Talindra is still your teacher, and Tessa is still your best friend, but on the Aeronaut, we are the officers.”
“I understand,” Lona responded.
Fiona smiled at her daughter. “There is one other duty that you need to be aware of, Great High Princess.” Lona looked at her curiously. “Because of your title, when necessary and requested by Talindra or Nathaniel, you are the Emissary of the Great High Queen. Do you think you can do that?”
“I can do that, Amil. Thank you and thank you Captain and Lieutenant.”
Talindra stood and held out her hand, which Lona took. “Welcome to the crew of the Aeronaut.”
Chapter five
The Crew Comes Together
She was a huntress, the best tracker in the family other than her father and Kipling, her oldest brother. Her sisters and her mother were gatherers, but she was a huntress. When he failed to come out of the Durglad, they knew what had happened. Father, Kipling, Tega, they knew. When he didn’t show up to talk to Father as he had said, she knew something was wrong. She was Silva of the Azure Havens, and she would follow the tracks. Wherever they went, wherever they led, she would follow as if her heart depended on it for as long as it took, and she would find him.
They had split into teams of two, Kip and Tega, and her and her father, Kenyan. Father knew where he had seen Nathaniel last, and between the two of them they followed the signs; a bent blade of grass, turned needles on a pine limb, a pebble pushed into the soft ground. They followed the sign to a place where the trail changed. It was still visible, but it was just different. Kenyan looked at his daughter, awaiting her decision.
“I shall go on, Father.” Kenyan nodded. “I must go on.”
“I know, Silva. Farewell, my beloved daughter. May you find what you are seeking. Hopefully, I will see you in another tomorrow.” He embraced and kissed her, holding her tight, and then released her to her future. She held his hand until the last possible second, and then she passed through the rift in time, and was gone.
“Lianeth, a moment?” Talia Nichanova reached out to her assistant. The Caer Aerie healer mind-spoke as good as any elf, and better than quite a few. Lianeth O’Donaughal, on the other hand, was originally from Ireland, a human and barely able to mind-speak from one room of the clinic to another. She poked her head into Talia’s office.
“Yes, my Lady?” Despite seven years of working with and training as a healer under Talia and her husband Taeral, Lianeth still considered her debt to Talia for saving her life from the Irish witch Tlachtga, as unpaid and treated her as the Princess of Gewellyn that she was, although Talia rarely exercised the title or its authority.
“Come in, please. Do you have a few minutes? There’s something I would like to discuss with you.”
“Is anything wrong, my Lady?”
Talia sighed and smiled. “Other than you’re still calling me your Ladyship, no, there’s nothing wrong. There is something I would like to propose to you; an opportunity that has come up that I believe you would be perfect for.”
A worried look planted itself on Lianeth’s face. “Are you sending me away, Lady Talia?”
“Not sending, Lia. Offering you a chance to go beyond these walls, to see some of the Nine Worlds outside of Ireland and the Aerielands. You can say no, but I sincerely hope that you will consider what I’m about to ask you. First of all, how do you feel you have done with the training you’ve received?”
Lianeth shrugged. “I am still less than adequate in therapeutic magic, but my skills as an herbalist and holistic healer seem to have progressed quite well. Lord Tae feels that my surgical skills are very good. However, I believe that I consider myself more of a nurse than a healer, my Lady.”
Talia nodded. “Do you think that you could operate, scratch that, manage in an environment without myself or Taeral directing you?” As she spoke, she noticed Ciliren Aguilera, the physician from 21st century First Earth standing in the office doorway, listening. Ciliren and her husband Philipe, doctors with Borderless Doctors, had come back to the Aerielands with Talia, Tessa, Skye McDonagh and Joseph Spotted Eagle, after Talia had gone back in time to her home world in to get vaccine in order to fight the Yellow Plague that Weggar the Horrible had released on southern Gewellyn.
“My Lady, I lack the education that you, Lord Taeral, or Doctors Ciliren and Philipe possess. I am grateful for the opportunities that you have given to me, and I am anxious to continue to learn. However, I am not sure of my ability to,” she paused searching for the right word, “die-ag-nose conditions, much of the time. What is it that you would like me to do?”
“You know that Talindra and Tror have been granted a leave of absence from the Borderland Rangers to man the Aeronaut, Talindra’s father’s airship with Tessa Chart?” Lianeth nodded. “Talindra has asked me to recommend a healer from the casualty hospital in Sailinto, where Taeral and I did our internship. I would like to recommend you to the Aeronaut as the crew’s healer, instead. I think you’ve done extremely well, and I would like to see you accept this appointment, maybe for a half year, longer if you would like, as they travel.”
“In all honesty, my Lady, I’m not sure that I’m ready for that. I mean, I know Lindy and her husband, and of course that marvelous Tessa, but as I said I am not sure that I am the right choice.”
“Talia,” Ciliren spoke from the doorway, “and Lianeth, if I might make a suggestion?” Talia smiled and nodded. “It appears that Philipe and I are going to be here for a time. He is still working with Sean Windmera down in Clonifer, trying to eradicate the plague. Even so, since our contract with Borderless Doctors is over, we have been talking about remaining here, maybe not at Caer Aerie, but somewhere in the Nine Worlds other than Terra.” Philipe was a human, but Ciliren was a rare Terran elf. “How would you and Talindra Aradove feel if I were to accompany Lianeth, continue her training particularly in the area of diagnostics, and at the same time it would give me a chance to see more of the worlds of elves, my people?”
“I think that’s an excellent idea,” she looked at Lianeth. “What do you think, Lia?”
“You would really do that, Doctor Ciliren?”
“Lia, I like working with you, and I believe you are very capable. I think that we can train you to the level of what we call a Nurse Practitioner back on Terra. Basically, you can do anything that a doctor, a healer, can do, just under the direction of someone like Talia, Taeral, or myself.”
“My Lady, if Doctor Ciliren is willing to do this, yes, I believe I would be interested in the position. How many others might be applying?”
“You have my recommendation, Lianeth. You’ve got the job. Now, how do the two of you feel about flying to Gewellyn Port on the backs of Great Eagles?” Lianeth paled at the thought.
“Lona?” The Princess turned and broke into a huge smile.
“Sinead!” She reached out and embraced her older sister, Sinead Brice. “Did you come to Gewellyn City from the Aerielands with Adda and Amil to see me off on my big adventure? I’m so excited, Sinead! I’m using all of the things you taught me about painting.”
“And so much more, from what Amil and your other two mothers brag to me about. Creator truly has blessed you, Lona Brice. I agree with them, but that’s not exactly why I’m here,” she said more slowly.
“Are you and Arel engaged? Am I going to have to come home for a wedding?” Sinead and her boyfriend, Arel Valmaer, had been a couple for almost two years, and everyone expected them to eventually wed.
Sinead held up her hands. “Yes, we are engaged. Arel spoke with Adda several months ago, but we are in no rush, so to answer your question, no we will not,” she stopped as if realizing the slip she had made. “Lona, Melin er, there is something I would like to ask you, High Princess.”
Lona looked up at her sister from under her eyebrows. “Yes?” feeling that the cat was already out of the bag.
Sinead took a deep breath. “I understand from Queen Kai Lee that the Aeronaut is looking for a cook. Do you know if they filled that position yet?”
Lona smiled. “To the best of my knowledge, Tessa and Talindra were going to wait until we got to Sailinto in South Gewellyn to look for a healer and possibly a cook. Why?” she asked innocently.
“Baby sister, I am not asking for you to use your influence, but I am very interested in the position. You know that I know how to cook and prepare all manner of foods. There are many other tasks I could perform on an airship, I think.”
“Before I answer, Sinead, did my mothers put you up to this, to keep an eye on me?”
Sinead shook her head. “No, Lona, they absolutely did not. This is my idea, and Adda and Amil have approved it. Menta Kai said that I should talk to you and you would bring it up to Captain Aradove, Talindra.”
“Do you remember the talk that Adda Connor gave to me before they allowed me to go to Eldaria with them that first time?” Sinead nodded. “What he said to me then, the same thing applies to you now. I know, I’m not even forty years old yet, but Amil Kai has trusted me to be her Emissary. I have to be able to make decisions based on my knowledge and experience.” Her sister nodded again.
