rainbowfic | Nacre #5

Name: shadowsong26
Story: Something More of the Depths
'Verse: Feredar
Colors: Nacre #3. Locked door
Supplies and Materials: pastels (my current gen card B2 betrayal), brush (abjure), feathers (...bayt is sacred.)
Word Count: 935
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Mel Artwick, Taz Hantree
Warnings: None
Notes: Constructive criticism welcome, as always. This takes place shortly after And Miles to Go Before I Sleep.

The Glory was a great deal emptier than it had been the last several runs. There hadn't been many people at most of the stops, and she couldn't afford to wait and risk losing the ones she'd already rescued. This time, she had five earth-mages, who'd all gotten to checkpoints on their own, and now a water- and fire-mage who'd arrived at the last one together.

The fire-mage, in particular, was an object of some concern. His kind didn't handle water travel very well, and he had already been weakened by the rather soggy weather that had been happening for the past few weeks. Dallu, having grown up on a glacier, had taken him in hand, knowing the likeliest ways to keep him warm enough.

Taz herself was handling the water-mage. He was the first of her people that had been rescued from the city. There were one or two distantly related, through a variety of intermarriage and mingling before the Blood War's paranoia sealed most borders around the world, but this gentleman was fully an Islander water-mage, from among the Clans. Dallu might be able to work some information out of the fire-mage, assuming he was coherent or conscious at all on the Glory, but the water-mage would be incredibly helpful in that way. Or so she hoped.

"Afternoon," she said, wandering over to him once he'd gotten settled. "Taz Hantree. The Morning Glory lets me captain him."

"Mel Artwick," he replied. "Was with Captain Kit Artwick on the Scarlet Eagle 'til about six years ago."

She arched an eyebrow. "Oh?"

He flinched and looked away. "There was an...incident. Captain crossed a couple lines. I didn't make it back when the Eagle sailed out again. Headed for Feredar, figured even if he looked for me, I'd be lost with all the people."

Taz's eyes widened. It had to have been one hell of an incident, indeed, for him to break faith with his captain--and, more importantly, his ship. Water-mages never left their ships, unless they couldn't serve anymore and retired back to their clans, or were given another ship to captain, or their captain retired. Sometimes, there were special arrangements to transfer to another ship, but that was rare, and mages never just walked away. She dearly wanted to press the issue, find out exactly what had happened, but there were more important things to satisfy than idle curiosity. Besides, he wasn't from her clan, so his betrayal was less important than what he could tell her about the situation in Feredar.

"How'd you fall in with your fire-mage friend there?"

He relaxed, clearly grateful for her tact. "We were assigned to the same gate, destroyin' contraband. We got to talkin', and I figured I should make my way out with him, when I heard what you and the Glory were doin'."

"Big risk, especially with a kid his age."

Artwick gave her an odd look. "You don't know who he is?"

She blinked. "Should I?"

"Name of Isshiri ring any bells?"

Taz frowned a little, then her eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"How many one-legged boys named Isshiri might there be in the world?" he asked, dryly.

"That's..." She trailed off, perplexed. "We knew Amassa'd sent in an agent, to get a view on the situation before committin' himself to war, but we never expected..."

"He'd send a prince?" Artwick finished for her. He shrugged. "He's got the rank to be listened to, if what he has to say don't speak for itself. Though, given the way they were pushin' him, like to break his spirit, he got picked up for some truly flashy work. Most spies are a bit more...discreet."

"Most fire-mages aren't."

"Subtlety ain't exactly their strong point," he admitted. "But he's clever, curious, and all around a good man. In spite of bein' a mite reckless."

"He's seventeen," she pointed out dryly.

"True," he said, sighing.

She sighed. "I've got Dallu seein' to him. The trip's only two days, he should be all right. If you're worried."

"Of course I'm worried." He slumped against the rail. "He wasn't quite clear on the timin' of it, but he said he wouldn't last through much more of what they were puttin' him through. I don't know, he might already be damaged permanent."

Taz sucked in a breath. She hadn't been able to tell that just by looking at the boy, but, then again, he was the first fire-mage she'd seen up close and personal. They were different creatures than her own people. "Well, Dallu can at least keep the cold and the wet from hurtin' him further."

"I hope you're right," Artwick said, soberly.

An uncomfortable silence passed.

"Where will you go?" Taz asked, more to break it than for any other reason. Since he couldn't go back to his clan, or really stay in the Islands for any significant period of time. What could possibly have driven you to leave your ship?

He hesitated. "I'll...stay with him. At least 'til he goes back to the desert."

Taz gave him a sharp look, reading something more into his tone than he probably meant her to, but decided not to comment on it. She ran a hand through her hair. "Well, s'your business, if you want to go that way. As I said, we'll be comin' in in two days, more or less. Artwick's rules can't be that different from Hantree's, terms of behavior. If there's a difference, someone'll let you know."

He nodded. "Thank you, Captain."

She waved a hand at him, and sauntered away. This will end well. I'm sure of it.