Heart Fortune

Flair makes the world go around, Zem said.

Jace wasn’t going to argue or lecture. Using muscle and a steady pressure, he pushed the lever all the way down. Nothing happened, not a creak, not a gurgle.

Glyssa joined him and they both stared at the tiny basin. “No water,” she said.

“No,” he said and waved for her to leave the room.

She did and he went back into the hallway, moved the box close to its original position.

“We probably wouldn’t want to drink water that sat stagnant in pipes for four centuries anyway,” she said.

“Not me,” he said.

She shivered. “The ship is always this cold?”

“As far as I know. I’d like to see the entryway,” Jace said.

Glyssa nodded and they turned back.

He reached out and took her hand, swung their arms, which had her smiling.

“Thank you for coming to save me.”

“I couldn’t do anything else.”

His chest tightened. “Thank you,” he said again, unable to find more words.

They reached the place where the ship had broken, and stood staring at the pile of rock and dirt. “Doesn’t look like anything we can handle ourselves,” Jace said.

Thirty-nine

Raz contacted them again. We only have two Flaired earth-moving machines, the best on the market, but they can’t tunnel so deep in time.

Before they died of thirst. Two to four days, max. “Figured that,” Jace muttered. He held Zem and stroked the bird.

Another mind stream from Raz, The greatest building machines are stored on Nuada’s Sword, the starship in Druida City. I don’t know if they are in working order or available. However, the people who could run those machines are Captain Ruis Elder and Dani Eve Elder.

“Nulls,” Glyssa said flatly. “They can’t get here on an airship, they would interfere with the Flaired flying spells.”

“Figured that, too,” Jace said.

Raz said delicately, I am sure you understand the problems in asking for help from Captain Elder and his daughter.

“Not to mention the Elecampanes still want to keep this project under their control,” Jace said, with no bitterness.

Glyssa lifted her brows.

“What? Not the Elecampanes’ fault that we got trapped in here,” Jace said.

“I think if we perish they will have significant problems,” Glyssa said. “People will blame them.” Glyssa shrugged. “Too late now.”

Jace’s grin was swift. “Let’s hope not.”

Not looking good, Zem grumbled.

Raz’s telepathic voice interrupted them. We will return to the camp. I am only a few septhours away with the airship. Del is . . . she’ll be back in a day. We can send images to you, Glyssa, pull you out, then you can help with Jace and the others.

Jace’s face set into impassivity. He said nothing, but his shuttered gaze met hers.

Perhaps that would work, but Glyssa doubted it. If it had been only her, she’d have risked it.

No, Raz, she sent firmly. You have a load of passengers there at the Deep Blue Sea, don’t tell me they all stayed in camp. Didn’t the cross-folk head off overland to somewhere else? From his lack of reply, she was right. You must stay for them. I am not sure how long we could survive down here. We have no water. We are reluctant to explore the ship and waste our energy. She took a breath and continued. You and I are not that close that I would trust our link. Not even if it were Laev and you. I’m sure there is only limited Flair available to you, I will not be the first one out and leave my loved ones.

She moved close to Jace, hugged him, looked down at Lepid, whose ears had quivered with fear. “We stay together.”

I WILL find a way to rescue you, though it beggars me! Laev T’Hawthorn shouted.

Lepid and Zem gasped, obviously hearing the GreatLord. Jace grimaced.

Glyssa bit her lips. How dire their situation was began sinking in. Her joy at finding Jace and Lepid completely gone. She swallowed and met Jace’s eyes. Shaking her head, she whispered, “All the greatest Flaired mages in Celta can’t save us.”

And she was surprised by a tender look and carefree smile. There is freedom in hopelessness, his thought that she believed she wasn’t supposed to catch.

“I know,” Jace said.

The last-ditch idea that had been cycling in the back of her mind jumped forward and off her tongue. “I think we should try to teleport home.”

Jace frowned. “Home?”

She sucked in a desperate breath. “Home. To Druida.”

His mouth actually dropped open. “What! Thousands of kilometers!”

Lifting her chin, she said, “I can teleport to Verde Valley from my home in Druida City. That’s—” She couldn’t recall the exact distance, hundreds of kilometers, though. “That’s not close.”

He appeared stunned.

Yes! Lepid wagged his tail. Let’s do that!

“Thousands. Of. Kilometers,” Jace said, shuddering. He dropped her hands.

She rubbed her arms. “What are our other options? Scavenging through the ship, hoping to find food and water. We’d just end up waiting on others, depending on others.”

His gray eyes deepened and his mouth turned down. “There is that.” But he turned and paced—not going far, not beyond her spell light. He glanced in the open doors.

I do not like it here, Zem said. It is too cold all the time. There is no sunlight. There is no wind. There are no trees.

Lepid took up the negative litany. There is no food. Not one little mousie or insect. There is no brook to lap at with fresh water.

“Yeah, yeah,” Jace said. His hands were clasped behind his back, his head down as he paced.

He looked fine, but fear crept along each nerve in Glyssa’s body, screaming for her to do something. She could be patient. She could wait. Truly. If she knew for certain she’d be saved, they’d be saved. But she didn’t. She only saw slow and painful death or a terrible risk.

Jace turned back, chin lowered. When he raised his head his face was grim and he flipped a gesture at the hallway with lost and forgotten items around them. “We could scavenge here, for sure, but might not find anything useful.”

“That’s right,” she said.

“And we all could last, what, maybe a full eightday?”

Instinctively at the thought of no water, she wet her lips. “Maybe. Maybe longer if we went into Flaired trances.” She didn’t think Lepid was able to hold a Flaired trance, too young and nervy.

“You really don’t believe any mages GreatLord Laev T’Hawthorn recruits to save us any way they could