Airship construction was a lot simpler than it looked.
That assessment was wrong, Jadis acknowledged a moment or two later. The magic and skills that existed on Oros made airship construction look far simpler than it actually was. In truth, there was a tremendous amount of work that went into the production of a magical airship. Everything from the finely worked wooden frame to the alchemically treated cloth to the magic engine and enchantments that powered the flying vehicle; all of it required specialized resources and skilled craftsmen and craftswomen who were capable of utilizing those resources to create a dirigible worthy of the sky. Back on Earth, Jadis had no doubt that similarly sized creations would take many months, if not years, to complete. On Oros, however, the timescale was far more forgiving.
“The Svana was completed last week,” Jay explained as she watched several workers, including Sorcha’s father, maneuver two large pieces of an airship cabin together. “I’m sure you saw her leave the capital.”
The Svana was a Leviathan class airship, the second of her kind, and had been made for Eir’s father, Einer Aedraheill. Jadis had let the Margrave choose the ship’s name, and he had immediately decided to name her after his wife. Einer had immediately put the vessel to use and had loaded it with trade goods and sent it southward, to his home territory. Jadis could already see that introducing airships to the empire was going to have a massive impact on the nation, not just from a military perspective, but for the economy as well. It normally took a week for shipments to travel the same distance that the Svana would be traversing in just a day.
“We’ve already completed two of your ordered Behemoth class airships,” Jay continued. “And you can expect the rest to come along at about the same schedule. However, if you are interested in changing any of your orders to Leviathan class airships, I’m open to negotiating new terms and prices.”
“Sabina has made amazing progress in such a short amount of time,” Prince Kestil commented after taking a sip of the sweetened lemonade Oats had made for him. “Already the first design has been expanded and improved upon. Tremendous work, truly.”
“Thank you,” Jay replied politely. “I’ll tell her you said so.”
“I am beginning to feel cheated,” Prince Hraustrekr stated plainly, both hands clasped behind his back as he watched the work yard with a hawk’s gaze. “You sold me the smaller model when you were already working on the larger.”
“Behemoth class ships are still useful for fast transport of personnel or supplies that don’t require a lot of cargo space,” Jay countered calmly. “They just don’t have the capacity of a Leviathan. You’re getting exactly what was advertised. But like I said, if you want the bigger model, we can discuss.”
“Is that your Behemoth there?” Kestil indicated one area of the work yard before Hraustrekr could growl out anything dickish. “I understand that it was damaged during the debacle in Glanum. I didn’t think it was quite that damaged, though.”
Jay’s eyes slid across the scene, taking in the progress that had been made thus far. The original wagon had been taken apart, the balloon having been removed entirely and the large wheels taken off. The side panel had also been removed, and the back of the wagon was still open thanks to the hole Jadis had made when she had removed the engine.
“Since the engine was… lost, Sabina is taking the opportunity to do some significant remodeling to the Behemoth. If things work out the way she thinks they will, we’ll probably have to come up with a new ship designation.”
“What differences will there be?”
Jay smirked, not turning her gaze to look at the younger of the two princes.
“That’s something you’ll have to wait to see. I wouldn’t want to spoil anything, especially since Sabina is largely in the theoretical stages for that design.”
Thanks to Violetta getting her class and her father and brothers joining her at the compound, Sabina was able to produce an incredible amount of smithing and enchantments. However, even the boundlessly energetic smith had her limits, and she did need to sleep from time to time. Side projects like the Behemoth Mark II, as they had all dubbed the redesign for the time being, took a backseat to more pressing matters, like getting everything ready for the trip to Volto.
“When will this new airship be completed?” Hraustrekr asked as he motioned with one hand towards the vessel that Sorcha’s father and others were currently locking together. “It is still all timbers and holes.”
“The work goes fast at this point,” Jadis responded lightly. “We have good carpenters and craftsmen here. This one should be done by the start of next week.”
“I will buy it,” Hraustrekr stated immediately, almost as though he was trying to make sure he got his words out before Kestil, though the second prince was still calmly sipping his drink. “Twice the price of the Behemoth model you have sold me.”
“Sorry, this one is spoken for,” Jay shook her head with a smile that did not reach her eyes. “The second half of my mercenary company will be following us to Volto on this vessel, after we ride ahead.”
The mention of Volto caused the first prince’s frosty features to turn glacial. Jadis could hear the creaking of his jaw bones as the elf clenched his teeth. Jadis didn’t know how dentistry worked on Oros, but she pitied whoever had to take care of the prince’s oral health.
“We can work on a new ship for you after, though,” Jay said after a short pause she used to appreciate the elder prince’s anger. “Or just the enchantments, if you prefer to make the actual vessel yourself.”
Jadis wasn’t denying Hraustrekr purely out of spite. The plan truly was for Tegwyn and his team to follow Jadis and her companions on the second airship after it was completed. Part of the deal Jadis had made with the Voltonian Ambassador, Quintus, was that Fortune’s Favored would use their ships to transport refugees who had ended up in the empire back to Volto. There were a lot of families who had been separated, and getting people back into their homeland where they would hopefully be able to reunite with those who had survived the initial demonic assault would bring a lot of comfort.
Keeping her thoughts focused on the princes, Jay addressed the other elf sharing the balcony with her.
“Speaking of, how are your new airships coming along, Prince Kestil?”
“Splendidly,” the elf replied with a smile that tugged to one side of his handsome face. “So well in fact that I see no reason to change my orders for the enchantments that will power them. I look forward to delivery and the days that come after, when all five will fly together.”
Jadis nodded along, unsurprised by Kestil’s comment. The second prince’s meticulous nature meant that he stayed in consistent communication with Fortune’s Favored and had timed his own airship production to coincide with what Sabina and her workshop were capable of outputting. Jadis had no doubt that the man was working with highly skilled enchanters to duplicate Sabina’s creations for himself, but that was fine. Anything that he might come up with would always be behind the mad creations that Sabina brought into the world, especially considering the other-worldly advice that Jadis was able to feed to the insatiable enchanter.
Ideally, Jadis needed to get an even bigger area for airship production. However, she had pretty much reached the limit of what she could accomplish inside the walls of Eldingholt. If she wanted a bigger production yard, property would have to be bought somewhere in the farmlands surrounding the capital. Aila and Eir were both investigating what might be possible, though expansion wasn’t a huge priority. The real bottleneck wasn’t space, but eleria.
All of the airships required large amounts of eleria to produce the enchantments that allowed for flight. Jadis had received a good amount of the precious gemstone as part of her deal with Kestil, but the supply was already running low. Buying more wasn’t just an issue of money, either. The supply of the magical gem was limited to begin with, and the war with the Demons reduced what was available even further. That was a big part of why Jadis had asked the two princes to meet with her at the compound. If Hraustrekr and Kestil were interested in getting bigger and better aircraft, then she would bargain with them to get more eleria.
“If the whole of your reason for inviting me here today was to gloat about your airships, then I see no reason why I should stay,” Prince Hraustrekr stated coldly, utterly frustrating Jadis’ plans for some kind of trade agreement with the man. “Send me a letter on what you are willing to sell your wares for, and I will have my accountants respond appropriately.”
As the first prince turned to leave, Jadis sighed internally.
“It’s not the only reason,” she did her best to keep the growl out of her voice. “There is another matter involving you both. Would you be willing to speak inside?”
As the first prince ungraciously nodded his assent, the second prince smiled charmingly.
“Of course. I do love what you have done with your new office, by the by. The desk platform is quite clever. And whoever painted that portrait of you and Lady Eir has a fascinatingly unique style.”
“Thank you,” Jay said as she led the two elves back into her top story office. “That portrait was a gift from Brush and Canvas.”
“The Demons,” Hraustrekr said flatly as he walked up the platform in front of Jadis’ desk to take one of the seats.
“Yes, the Demons,” Jay confirmed as she moved to her own chair. “The non-hostile Demons who just want to spend all of their time creating art.”
“Until they get it into their heads to start killing people and innocent citizens will pay the price.”
“You mean like how some people seem to get weird ideas about leaving innocent people to die when they could absolutely do something to help? That’s a price you don’t seem to be complaining about.”
“My responsibility is to my citizens, who you seem to have no qualms about endangering at all!”
“For someone who cares so much about his citizens, you sure have a stupid way of protecting them from the massive threat that is growing just outside of the empire’s borders!”
“You do not have the slightest mote of experience compared to mine when it comes to military strategy! Do not presume to lecture me on affairs where you are so apt to show your woeful ignorance!”
“I don’t have to be a general to know that letting my enemy mass their troops over an extended timeframe is as dumb as your yellow ass!”
“If you think my own men sit idly by, untrained and untested, you are even more dull witted than I previously assumed!”
“An ass like you can make all the assumptions that he wants; either way, you’re still wrong and still an ass!”
“Fulsome mooncalf!”
“Snot licker!”
“If you both don’t mind,” Prince Kestil interjected before the argument between Jay and Hraustrekr could devolve any further. “I do have a few other appointments today. If there was something further you wished to discuss, Jadis, I am all ears. If you are going to continue to hurl insults at my brother, I can return in a few hours, after the two of you have exhausted your vocabularies.”
Jay settled back in her chair, taking a deep breath to clear her mind and release the anger she had unintentionally let flare up. She noted that Prince Hraustrekr was also taking in slow, measured breaths. He was doing his best to recapture the detached expression he had worn for most of their short meeting thus far, but she could tell that he was embarrassed by his own outburst. Or possibly by the fact that he had just been chastised by his little brother. Either was possible.
“I’m certain that both of you know that I spoke with your father yesterday,” Jay began, her speech slow and calm. “And I wager that you probably have at least some of the details of what was said.”
“Some,” Kestil admitted. “Not all.”
“I do not spy on my father’s affairs,” Hraustrekr stated while glaring at his nonchalant brother. “But yes, I do know that he called you to see him.”
“I didn’t meet them, but I saw your wife and children while I was there,” Jay said with a little less ice in her tone. “It looked like they were all doing well. I’m glad for you.”
Hraustrekr looked slightly taken aback, though it only took a second before he recovered and nodded his head in acknowledgement.
“Thank you.”
“I thought you only had two kids, though,” Jay said, the question lingering in her mind since the visit. “But I saw three? A boy, a girl, and a toddler?”
“The toddler is not my child,” Hraustrekr stated flatly.
“Oh. Uh, well, he or she or whichever… I just assumed since they looked like a half-elf and they have silver hair just like Somerulf…”
“Kori is my child,” Kestil interjected as he slowly swirled the lemonade in its glass. “Despite the many nursemaids in my employ, Lynn often insists on caring for her.”
“Oh,” Jay blinked, processing the new information. “I didn’t know you were married.”
“I am not,” the elf smiled wanly at her. “Kori is a bastard. She has not been officially recognized, nor has her existence been made public. I would greatly appreciate it if you kept your knowledge of her to yourself.”
Seeing that she had not only managed to get an unexpected bomb dropped on her, but that she had also somehow walked right into the middle of a minefield, Jadis quickly pivoted away from the sensitive topic.
“Right. So, part of the reason why your father asked me to see him was because he wanted me to ask a specific question during my next oracle ritual with Destarious. Eir, Alex, and I completed the ritual last night and I got the answer. Since it involves both of you, I wanted to be upfront and deliver the information directly to the two of you, at the same time, so there’s no argument about favoritism or some other bull crap like that.”
Both princes looked intrigued. Jadis supposed it would be hard not to be. Messages coming directly from gods were a rare thing, even for royalty, and she was certain that if someone had come to her saying the same thing that she had, she would want to know what had been said by D as well. Sure, he was the god of chaos, but he was still a god.
Not wanting to drag things out any further, Jadis dove straight ahead.
“D told me to tell you, Hraustrekr, that he wants Kestil on the throne. Kestil, he told me to tell you that he wants Hraustrekr on the throne.”
The two stared at her, unblinking, for several uncounted seconds. Neither man moved, both completely silent. Mentally shrugging, Jay leaned back in her seat and let out a small huff.
“That’s the whole message.”
“That’s it?” Kestil was the first to find his voice. “Destarious told you to deliver that message to us?”
“Those instructions are completely contradictory to each other!” Hraustrekr nearly shouted as he gesticulated with both hands. “That is a pointless message! We can do nothing with it!”
“I do not often agree with my brother,” Kestil shook his head in amusement. “However, I am forced to in this case. Neither of us can use Destarious’ apparent blessing to further our claims to the throne. The message counteracts itself.”
“Yeah, I know,” Jay replied. “I’m pretty sure that’s the point, actually.”
When Kestil raised his eyebrow in question, she continued.
“Look, I’m not going to claim to know what’s going on in D’s mind. I’m pretty sure that’s impossible. However, I have had more face-to-face conversations with him than any other person on the planet. I feel like I understand him a little. My guess is that he told me to tell you both that he wants the other one on the throne because it literally does not matter.”
“It doesn’t matter?” Hraustrekr questioned her, his face flushed with anger. “I assure you, it very much does matter who sits on the throne! The future of the entire empire could be irrevocably altered for the worse if this cad became the emperor!”
While Kestil rolled his eyes, Jay pushed forward.
“Not from D’s perspective,” she said, laying both hands down on the desk in front of her. “The only thing that interests D is a good show. He wants chaos. He wants excitement. He wants things to go up in flames, just so he can watch the ants try to put out the fire. What I’m saying is, so far as the God of Chaos is concerned, it doesn’t matter which of you ends up being the emperor. The results are going to be extremely entertaining for him, either way.”
“And what, pray tell, do you suggest we do about such a dire prediction,” Kestil asked, his tone like poisoned honey.
“I don’t know,” Jadis said with full honesty. “I’ve got enough of my own problems. I don’t have the answers to yours.”
“Utterly useless waste of time,” the older prince snarled as he pushed back his chair and got to his feet. “This has been nothing more than an attempt to undermine my authority.”
Before Hraustrekr could take more than a step, Jay called out to him.
“I don’t have answers, but I’m willing to ask questions for you. You have my word that I will reserve one question for each of you to be used during the next oracle ritual. If either of you have a follow up to ask D about what he has said, I will ask and I will deliver his message back to you. That’s my offer.”
Both princes stared at Jay as she got to her feet, looming over them even with the platform that raised their height.
“The next ritual is in thirty-five days. Think it over and get back to me. Until then, I’ll be in Volto.”
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