Chapter 214: Map & Compass

Back in Astrye, I chipped away at the mountain of work I had to do before Sey, Myrna, and Phol arrived that night. The small smiles we got when we started distributing the food were a cold reminder of what had happened. I had the trust of most of the people here, but I also had their fear. And a not-insignificant amount of anger.

Explaining the demesne thing to Razz took some time, but she’d get word out. Eventually, we’d mark a border, although folks could probably feel it if they left. I assured her whatever I was doing wouldn’t warm things up too much, or change people like my daughter’s magic.

Riding under all of it was a persistent undercurrent of fear. And anger. I couldn’t consider this attack by the Church of Dhias as anything other than unprovoked. I didn’t need the meager political education I’d gotten in Linthel to tell that High Priest Grants was sent precisely to ensure that there would be no compromise or quarter.

Now there was threat of an angel coming here, and not just any angel. Seyari’s absentee father. A being who stood by while his daughter was tricked into murdering innocents in the name of the god he claimed to serve. Ignorant or not, any presence in her life would’ve prevented the awful future that resulted.

Was it selfish of me that I considered her better off with me than with him? Yes. Was it equally awful that a small, guilty part of me was truly happy to have died as a human that night so I could have a chance at a life I couldn’t have even dreamed of? Obviously.

And on top of all of this, Duke Ludwig Reynard was stirring up shit. Were I even more naively charitable than before my death, I could consider his actions in response to a perceived threat to the Kingdom of Edath. But I couldn’t.

He clearly wanted Astrye. Someone with huge influence, wealth, and power wanted this small extra bit of land simply because he presumed he could take it. That, and the possibility of gold in the mountains. Astrye was littered with abandoned mines, and the civil war had taken down what little mining remained. There were half a dozen places we ought to try if there were ever a chance. If I wouldn’t also feel terrible doing it.

Just more bad feelings on top of anxiety. I need to get some air.

I could have just teleported outside, but the physical act of getting up and walking was what I really needed. But the moment I opened the door, I ran into Nelys.

They jumped a little and looked up at me. Were they crying?

My first thought of “I can’t deal with this” was immediately shoved down. For my friends, I would do as needed.

So instead, I gestured back inside the office with its merrily glowing fire. “Come in.”

Nelys nodded and slipped inside. I closed the door with my tail and walked over to the desk. Sitting behind it felt wrong in the moment, so I plopped down in front of the fire. Nelys joined me, tentacle skirt curling up around their legs as my tail encircled us.

“What’s up?” I asked.

They took a few moments to respond, drawing in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. “I want to—I need to go home, Renna.”

My heart clenched, and the apology was out of my mouth before I could stop it.

They just shook their head. “No, it was my decision to stay. And I’m glad I did. But if I don’t go now I worry that I won’t be able to. Or that it’ll be too late. If Envy, well, you know…”

My demesne. My flight speed—Nelys wasn’t fragile. A lot of thoughts shoved their way past all at once and it was my turn to stare into the fire for an awkwardly long time. No point in platitudes, or half promises. And there was no way in… whatever plane I ought to curse as a terrestrial demon, that I was about to ask them to undergo the incredible journey that took us here anxious and alone.

That left the only reasonable response. “Let’s go then.”

“Renna, I can’t ask you—”

“You didn’t. I volunteered.”

They smiled up at me. “Thanks. So when could we leave? It really needs to be soon.”

“Now. I’ll write a note. If I fly at full speed, I think we could get all the way back to my island in a day or so, and you lived close-ish to there, right?”

They nodded and stood up. “I don’t know if I could find it from the sky though.”

“Right. We… could ask some sailors in Port Princely, or maybe the Turquoise Coast?”

Obviously, Captain Torrez of the Lady of Liseu would know, but finding a specific boat on the ocean just wouldn’t work.

Nelys glanced at the mountain of papers and back at me. “Are you sure about this, Renna?”

Before they could blink, I’d swept them up in a hug. “Yes, I’m sure. You need this, and I’ve already had you stay here selfishly long.”

They struggled for a moment before going limp and hugging me back. “I won’t be gone forever.”

I let them breathe. “I know. Cliche or not, I’ll support you as a friend in whatever you do.”

“Thanks. And I think Liseu would be the best bet. I’ve been there before and I know some of Captain Torrez’s contacts. They could point us in the right direction.”

“Sounds good to me. Do you need to pack?”

“I should be fine with just one bag.” They squared their shoulders and looked up at me with a determined gaze. “I packed it already to make sure I’d leave! And once I get home, I’ll make sure my family is on your side.”

“Well since I can conjure clothes with my magic, don’t eat, and don’t sleep often, I’m ready too. Give me just a moment to write this note. Are there any goodbyes you want to make on the way out?”

They shook their head. “Taava and Joisse already know. And I’m worried we’ll end up leaving later than today or not at all if we do.”

“Good point. Sneak out then?”

“Please don’t. Leave a note and maybe tell Seyari.”

“I’ll leave a note.”

They bit their lip. “She’ll be mad, won’t she.”

“She’ll understand, probably. Plus, we’ll only be gone for a few days and with my demesne—which I am telling you all about on our flight over—I can tell if something is going wrong.”

“But you wouldn’t get back in time.”

I stopped with my hand on the doorhandle. “I think with my demesne and our allies here I might. And if we wait until it’s completely safe, then we’d never leave. Because I think it’s only going to get worse here.” I caught their expression darkening. “And you visiting home is of vital importance! If you really do want to help up there or down here, you’ll need to be at your best.”

“That’s a terrible excuse.”

“Don’t think a better one exists. Come on, I can see this is tearing you up. Let’s get you that family reunion, alright?”

They nodded, and I hated that I suddenly felt like I was forcing them. “What about the note?”

I looked down at the doorhandle. “Right. Give me just one minute.”

***

Five or so minutes later, we were off the upper balcony and away into the sky. In addition to the letter, I had to figure out a sort of harness for Nelys. It wouldn’t be comfortable to be held or do the holding for hours. And since I was unfortunately not well-shaped for riding on the back of, that meant an awkward-looking harness attached to my front and facing down at the ground. Made thankfully from my magic.

“If this is too awkward,” I shouted over the wind as I pushed my speed higher and higher, “we can try something else.”

“It’s fine!” Nelys shouted back.

I didn’t believe them, but I also wanted to move—at least to the point where I’d lose my bearings if we went faster. My mana wasn’t fully recovered, but what had once been massively draining was now nearly outpaced by my recovery rate.

Even at risk of being seen, I kept under the clouds. Linthel shot by below us, and I nearly missed the main road winding its way north. The blanket of snow forced me to slow down, but I recognized Gedon and the river next to it.

From there I kept north, following in only a few hours what had taken around two weeks when last I came through. Eventually, the ocean came into view, Lockmoth at its edge. Twilight was fading, and I realized immediately that we had a huge problem.

Forget finding Nelys’s home—how were we going to find Liseu?

I slowed, then started to circle just south of the city. The only way I could think to take would be a long loop following a forest path I seriously doubted I could find through the trees and snow. And that was where there was a path. Beyond that, it’d be mountains and then guesswork to find Baetnal.

Then more guesswork along the road east to Liseu. All this through an active warzone. Taking a ship to Liseu was out of the question—it’d be slower than flying. In theory, I could just follow the coast west and north, but I didn’t know how long that would take, or the actual shape of the coastline. Nor did I know what Liseu should look like—although Nelys probably had a good idea.

I looked down at my passenger. “We need a map.”

They looked back up at me. “A compass, too… and I wouldn’t mind a chance to stand for a bit.”

I banked to descend and Nelys shouted “Human disguise!”

Oh, right. What a bother. Enough people knew of me in the city that it would probably be fine. But descending from the sky with wings of fire probably wouldn’t be helped by also being visibly a demon.

Changing was as easy as ever, and just as awkwardly constricting. Technically, I’d spent the majority of my life with an amputated tail and two amputated arms and I’d gotten along fine. Couldn’t say how though. How do humans hold open a sack and also put things in or take things out? And how do they balance when they run without just feeling wrong?

I thought about landing outside the city, trying to walk in without making a scene. And I realized with more than a little amusement that the idea seemed pointless in the face of simply landing where I pleased. So far as I knew, I wasn’t breaking any laws, nor was I hurting a soul.

Out of pure convenience, I chose the Gelles Company building, though it was more than a little tempting to drop in on Drin and Tren unannounced at what was technically my (and Sey’s) house.

Of course, an unusually tall human landing from magical flight in the middle of the street with a smaller, betentacled human-adjacent person harnessed to the front of her was bound to draw looks. Perhaps it would become a bad habit, but I snapped my fingers when I changed my outfit to a set of comfortable, nondescript traveling clothes. The action just felt right.

Nelys wobbled for a step, grabbing for a hand that wasn’t there before setting for a fistful of my blouse to steady themself.

“You alright?” I asked, pointedly ignoring the commotion around us and the people who’d doubtless run off to give Guard Captain Lorton a bad night.

They took one shaky step, then a steady one. “Yep!”

“Great! Let’s get inside and get out before we have to deal with any paperwork. Firalex will probably have a map we can use—or they’ll know someone who does. Oh, and a compass!”

The two of us walked into the Gelles Company lobby. They insisted they were closed, I insisted they weren’t, and I was soon face-to-face with an irritated-looking Firalex in a small room just down the hall from the lobby. The table they sat at was small and rickety, their fiery orange hair was mussed, and their clothes were rumpled. I saw bags under their eyes, and I could taste some long-simmering anger. But we were in a hurry, so I held my tongue to just what needed to be said.

“Sorry for showing up late and out of nowhere.” I took a seat and winced when the chair creaked ominously.

They looked down at Nelys, then up at me. “I won’t ask about what’s happened there. Good thing?”

“Good thing!” Nelys chirped.

“Great.” Firalex sighed. “What do you want, Renna?” They sounded exasperated as they slumped back into their chair.

“A map of the coast from here to Liseu and also a compass.”

They grimaced and massaged their temples. “Compass I can do. Map will be harder.”

“I’m really sorry for the sudden intrusion.” I slouched in my chair; it groaned in protest. “If I could have waited for the morning—”

Firalex barked a laugh. “It’s not you, Renna. Well, mostly not you—this still sucks and I’d rather be catching up on work or sleeping. There’s just been a lot of shit lately.”

“Demons?” Nelys asked.

Firalex nodded. “Not just demons. Folks trying to repeat what Garvin did. Plus, we got the Black Claw tangled up in the smuggling business. We’re not the local guard, but we’ve more or less had our hand forced to deal with this.” They hissed through their teeth. “And Rodrick’s not happy about how it’s being handled. But! That’s nothing you need to get involved with. Plus, the Church here’s been cooperating wonderfully ever since Priest Herron had his change of heart.”

“Wait.” I stopped them with a hand. “Change of heart?” I remembered the man. Dhias how could I forget him? Called me all my worst nightmares to my face after I’d stopped the demon Garvin had summoned.

Firalex nodded. “Yeah. Long story short, he had to work with us to take down the rest of Garvin’s gang; this Cavenish demon-blooded girl and one of his own paladins brought him around. Now if only someone could do the same to Rodrick…”

I blinked, unsure how to take the news. Could that girl be… Regardless, this was great news! Or it would be if I hadn’t just made myself a permanent enemy of the Church. I felt a pit forming in my stomach—he’d go right back to how he was, wouldn’t he? It was hard to believe otherwise.

“Sorry,” Nelys mumbled. “But we really are in a hurry.”

“Right.” Firalex nodded. “No point in grousing over a stick in the mud boss who wants everything done his way. I’ll go fetch you the compass and see what I can do about a map. Wait right here.”

True to their word, they came back not two minutes later, holding a rolled-up map and a battered-looking compass. In the brief time the door was open, I heard what sounded like a busy lobby down the hall.

“The map’s a copy,” they said. “It’s not perfect, but it should work. And I forgot to ask—what brought you all the way back up here? The roads are getting dangerous, and it’s no short trip.”

“We flew.” I shrugged, standing up to take the items. Firalex seemed shorter than I remembered. “Long story short for that is that I can use my magic to make wings of flame.”

“You got taller too.”

I nodded. “And a lot stronger. Will you need these back?”

They tilted their head and laughed. “Giving anything to you is pretty much guaranteeing it’ll get burned, shredded, bashed, or all three. Keep them. Map’s a copy and Rodrick can’t risk trying to fire me right now. Compass is a cheap one—relatively.”

I handed the map and compass to Nelys, who unfurled the map with bright, excited eyes.

“Thanks, Firalex.”

“Sure thing. But if you’re headed back this way, I’d love it if you could stop in and maybe take care of some persistent problems.”

I winced. “I don’t think I’ll have the time.”

I wanted to help a friend, but the last time I’d left so suddenly wore heavy in my mind. Do only what’s necessary, then get home.

“Don’t sweat it then. Look at me—told you we didn’t need help then tried to push you into it anyway.” Firalex mimed smacking themself in the forehead. “Go. And so long as I’m here our doors are always open, okay? And write a letter to the people renting your house, will you? They’ve got no idea how to send you payments.”

Whoops. “I’ll send something to them—maybe stop in if I have time on the way back. Thanks again.”

They opened the door and gestured. “Go out the courtyard if you can take off from there. There’s a gaggle of frantic guardsmen in the lobby that I think are after you.”

“Sorry!”

They sighed. “Just go, damnit. It was good to see you again.”

I smiled. “You too.”

And with that, Nelys and I ran down the hallway, burst into the courtyard, and took off in a swirl of crimson fire. Pretty soon, they were harnessed to my front again, holding open a detailed-looking map inside an eddy created by my wind magic.

We shot off along the coast, past at least one fishing village I was pretty sure I recognized. When the road curved inland, we kept on the coast as it turned hillier and hillier, with grand, sweeping cliffs of dark stone that plunged into frothing waters. Seastacks dotted the landscape, and we passed a few islands with clusters of scraggly, windswept trees stuck on top.

As the mountains rose, the trees thinned, and once we passed them the forest disappeared, turning to scrub where the rain shadow was strong and there was no sea air to hold moisture.

And those weren’t the only features. In the mountains, the coast had dipped inland with finger-like bays, and we were able to fly over a peninsula that jutted out from the mountains. All told, we were confident as we headed northward along what was now the Turquoise Coast.

The land was largely dry, with fields and vineyards backing up against coastal hills and pockets of small trees where the land dipped out of the wind. More than once, we flew over a ship far below us, tiny dots against the midnight blue of the ocean at night. Above, stars glittered, not a cloud in sight.

One of my lower hands held the compass, and Nelys kept us on target as we flew slowly and low enough to keep our bearings. Just as the pre-dawn light was drowning out the stars, we could see Liseu ahead.

The city was massive, sprawling. It struck me immediately that I’d never seen a city so large except perhaps Ardath when I was a child. And this city might be larger still. Liseu covered dozens of low-lying islands in a sheltered bay, and yet more of the city hugged the mainland coast and ran down along the hilly sheltering peninsula to a lighthouse at the end that burned with magical fire.

Ships crowded the harbor, and clusters of buildings dotted the rolling hills inland, thinning as fallow winter fields interspersed the landscape. At this early hour, candle fires and magical lights still glowed in windows and lampposts, making the city twinkle like starlight. From the air, it looked nothing like the rotten center of villainy and ruthless mercantilism I’d been told of.

But I’d be the largest fool in the world if I of all people were taken in by looks alone.

“Where should we land?” I asked Nelys.

They pointed to one island in the north, opposite the peninsula and unevenly lit compared to its neighbors. “There! That’s where we’d dock.”

I nodded and banked down, changing to human form just in case. With open skies, someone was going to see us. And I’d rather explain once we were in the city than have to argue my way in from outside.

It was only when we drew closer that I saw a familiar ship sitting beside the last dock on the end.