Ilus Rises: Chapter 18

Chapter 18:

“I think someone is bound to notice that,” Petor said as he studied the ‘island’ on the horizon. The midday’s heat was draining into afternoon, taking the heat and bringing a chill.

“I can talk through Mesurial but I can’t see through her. Explain for the rest of us could you?” Mya said. “All I see is smoke shooting up into the sky like a chimney. A really big chimney. Like the biggest one I’ve ever seen!”

“It looks like a crater in the middle of the ocean, volcanoes ring around the edges spewing ash while magma keeps falling into the sea throwing up steam. I—I think I see an opening. Bring us to the right.”

“Starboard,” Mya corrected.

The ship turned in the waves that had picked up as they closed with the location.

It rolled over them as lightning cracked above the crater-island.

“I’m guessing its definitely attached to the fire plane in someway. On account of the magma coming out of everywhere.” Petor said.

“Desari is warning to stay back, look from afar now and head in during the night,” Mya said.

“Okay.” Petor kept focused on the island. Steam shot out in several places. The water stirred up from all of the erruptions.

“Yeah the volcanoes don’t ring it all the way around, there’s openings through it. I see a river right into it.” Petor shook his head. “Well there’s two water ones and I spot at least three… there, is that?” Petor squinted.

“Words, together, sentence, Petor.” Mya said a few minutes later.

“Sorry, its, well there’s a fricking fortress getting built ontop of a fucking magma river.” He didn’t even try to hide his disbelief.

“You saw an island pissing water from another realm and a fire elemental dude that looked like a volcano fucked a wyvern. A lava house got you in a tizz.”

“Its on fucking lava Mya! Who does that?” Petor threw up his arms.

“Some people build houses out of ice!”

“Its not Magma!”

“I think its lava actually,” Mya sounded thoughtful.

“Huh?”

Petor lowered his spyglass as Mya didn’t say anything for a minute.

“Ah, so Desari said lava is the stuff that’s outside the earth, magma is the stuff inside,” Mya came back.

Petor opened his mouth, thought better of it and closed it. Fuck it. “Then the stuff in that fire elemental dude’s prison. Was that Magma?”

“Well it was under the earth, so I’d guess so. Hey Desari, was that magma in the fire elemental dude’s place?”

Petor heard the raised voice from the rear deck but none of the words. He kept studying fire island. Like a melted crown with different openings to the center, magm—lava flowing into the water.

“Don’t think she really cares,” Mya stage whispered after the voices calmed down on the rear deck. “Come on down, I think this’ll take some talking time. Maybe naps.”

“I’m up for some sleeping.” Petor got out of his crow’s nest and stretched. Didn’t sleep last night, then had the fight yesterday.

He cracked his back and felt the crunchy stretch of his limbs. He took in a breath, checking the island, barely a black smudge on the horizon, they were moving away from it, but circling.

Petor grabbed the worn wood and started dropping down. Their wind had slowed, the sea smoothing out instead.

A nap would be nice, get to put that hammock and pillow to work.

It wasn’t long before his boots landed on the deck. He’d become used to the rise and fall of the ship. The smells of tar, of wood and rope. The lingering gun smoke, constant saltiness.

Valter stepped out of the planning room’s doors—where the gem and the enchanted plates had been placed—and tilted his head in greeting.

“Mya tell you about the place?” Petor said as he reached for the stairs.

“She relayed your voice through the ship.” Valter followed.

“You know how she can do that?”

“No, I have not heard or seen something like it before.”

“Welcome you layabouts,” Mya said, turning the helm slightly.

Desari’s eyes were purple focused in the direction of the abyssal island, standing on the port side closest to it, instead of her usual position near the starboard navigation table.

White lines and structures appeared within her hand as she raised it. She opened her hands and blew on it.

The spell construct, shot off in across the water, condensed and then expanded till Petor couldn’t see it in the wind.

“What was that?” Petor asked.

Desari closed her eyes and blinked them open, back to their normal black.

“A wind spell, it will use that blast of wind to pass over the water and the island. The sound created will be captured like echolocation, and translated by an illusion spell to create a complete map of the island.”

“Interesting,” Valter said.

“Magic is only limited by the ways we know the world around us.”

Petor stifled a yawn and looked at the sun dipping lower.

“So we’re heading to the island after dark?” Petor asked.

“We need information. We don’t know if they are willing to talk or if they will attack first. Both are options,” Desari said.

“It’s clear that they intend to stay for a bit by the fort they’ve created in the middle of the island,” Mya added.

“How will we know if they’ll attack or not?” Petor asked.

“It will depend on their banners and markings. As long as it is not a new band or nation. I should know who they are. Based on that it will be easy to understand their intents, or at least how they operate.”

“Figure out who they are, if we’ll have to fight or talk our way through. It sounds like it is from the fire region based on the molten lava pouring into the sea,” Valter said.

“If they are peaceful we’ll have to jump back on the ship and come in to show we’re not a threat though. That coast is not going to be easy to get through,” Petor said.

“Let Mesurial and I worry about that, we’ll get you to shore.” Mya patted the helm. The sails snapped in pride.

“When speaking to people from the abyss, taking every advantage to show your stronger is the best course of action. If we can get onto their island unobserved, that will be one point in our favor. The closer we can get to whoever is in charge of the whole operation—it increases our bargaining power.”

“They respond better to a strong hand than a soft one. They’ll work to push every angle they can to come out ontop and win,” Mya said.

“You have dealt with them before?” Desari quirked an eyebrow.

“No, but I know their type.” Mya’s grin spread into a shark’s smile. “And I know how to break them over the bargaining table.”

Light flickered in Desari’s palm, she opened her hand and light unfurled into the island and surrounding water, frozen in a moment of time.

Mya crossed her arm and held her chin, advancing on the illusion. “Growing mountains under the water, steam explosions from where the lava meets it. We can do this.”

Mya moved around the illusion.

“We can come in this way,” She ran a finger across the map, a red line appeared where her finger passed. “The moon shouldn’t bee too bright tonight, the steam and the ejecta from the volcanos can help cover us.”

Mya took out her map book. “Could you get it the size of my page and drop it down on it?”

Desari lowered it onto the page, the information faithfully copied over but in a two dimensional model. Mya added in a compass marking and traced out several paths.

“Good, we can head out once it gets dark,” Desari said.

Mya closed up her book. “Sounds good,” She turned to Petor and covered her hand.

“Its gotta be magma though right though?” Mya asked behind her hand.

“In the dungeon? Yeah its gotta be! Right?” Petor turned to face her, throwing up his hands.

Mya didn’t say anything, looking over Petor’s shoulder.

He turned slowly into the full force Desari-glare.

She turned on her heel and stormed for the stairs in a huff of frustration.

“Is it?” Petor pitched up his voice.

Desari threw up her hands and grumbled something.

“What was that?” Mya called.

“Nothing! Idiots! I’m going to charge the gem!”

Petor and Mya shared a look and snickered. The ship rolled on the waves without Desari’s smoothing. Petor let his mana trickle through his link to Desari at the same rate he absorbed it.

“Inside the earth, that’s Lava right though?” Valter asked.

“Though it wasn’t outside the earth!” Mya started.

“On a serious note, how are we going to get right up the island? Sorry Mesurial, but you are a size,” Petor patted a nearby railing.

“Ah, well I have a plan for that. A little bit of magic really,” Mya grinned.