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“Obsolete? Aw, I know y’all here in Camdaria like your new and shiny gadgets, but I come from folks who know how to appreciate the old and faithful in life.”
“And your passengers?”
“Ay, this is my cousin by marriage, Sal, ‘n’ his old lady Emory. Then my other cousin Morty and Miss Adelaide—she’s a family friend.”
“You’re cousins with shifters?” the guard continued dubiously.
“Aye, through marriage and bonds and all that stuff. Besides, cousin is more a state of familiarity than anything else, isn’t it?”
I had to admit that Aodin was pouring on the charm, but the guards didn’t seem amused. If anything, they seemed exhausted, with dirt and grime caked to their royally issued boots, and creases in their normally pristine uniforms.
One of the guards came around to the back, and I gave what I hoped was a jovial wave and changed my accent to match more of Aodin’s. He wasn’t doing an outright country voice, but there was a rural twang to it. I wondered if he’d glamoured himself to be something different than a fairy, as it was hard to imagine one of his types as a country bumpkin with a love for vintage machinery. Then again, he’d mentioned how things in Camdaria were different, so he was posing as a non-native cryptid.
“State your business,” he growled.
“I believe that was already explained to you, sweetheart,” Darla said, practically draping her upper body over the edge of the carriage. Her voice took on a strange tone, not anything like Aodin’s put-upon accent, but different from her own cadence. “We’re mighty tired, ya know. Why don’t you let us on through, so we don’t miss the birth of the newest wee Lanolyne, huh?”
What if it didn’t work? The other three guards were right by us. What if they noticed something was off? The whole thing seemed so risky.
“Are you trying to flirt with me?” the guard accused, seemingly indifferent to the psychic. But at that, Darla just laughed.
“Don’t think my wife would be happy to find out that I was. You’re a good-lookin’ chap, but I’m afraid you’re not my type. A bit too beefy, ya know?”
At that, the shifter relaxed, which made me wonder if he had his own husband back home waiting for him. “I’ve heard that before. Carry on, then.” With that, he gave her a nod, then returned to his comrades. I couldn’t quite make out what was said thanks to the constant grumble of the steam engine, but it was satisfactory because the group stepped back.
“On your way,” the original guard said, waving Aodin in.
“Thank you kindly. We’ll let you know how things go on our way back home!”
And with that, we were rolling into the city. It was smaller than the capital, obviously, and the walls were much shorter and older, even needing serious repair in some spots, but it was still so much bigger than anywhere else I’d lived. I looked around, trying not to look too awestruck, but still fairly impressed.
The roads were small, and I saw maybe three cars as we went along, and the architecture was different as well. Instead of being a fusion of older and newer buildings with vast differences in materials, most reminded me of the antique houses I’d see in history books.
“I thought this trading port would be fancier.”
“Well, it’s surprisingly expensive to live here,” Aodin said as we turned into a building that didn’t look like it had anything to do with the docks. “I think most consider this a retirement city for those with income. The truly rich stay in the capital, though.”
The rest of the city around us faded from view, the architecture replaced by the brown wood ceiling of the building we entered.
“Where is this?” Oren asked as he stood up and stretched. I didn’t think I’d ever seen him in casual clothes, so it was still jarring to see him in the loose outfit that’d been in one of the safe house caches.
“This is a warehouse that’s a straight shot from the docks. We can wait here until the boats arrive and are thoroughly inspected by the guards there, then sneak on.”
“You’re sure that’ll be enough?” I asked. “They seem serious and pretty thorough.”
“Trust me, these people are professionals with plenty of experience in sneaking past blockades. We have nothing to worry about.”
“You mean nothing to worry about except for the king of one of the two most powerful nations on the continent wanting us dead,” Darla said.
“Yeah.”
There wasn’t a ton of talking after that, with most of us trying to stay alert enough so we’d be ready if guards came pouring in, but not so alert that we ended up stringing ourselves out. It was a pretty delicate balance, and after some hours, I felt like I succeeded more than others, but eventually the time passed without anyone else coming in to blind side us as Aodin let out a happy sound.
“I see the ship,” he said, peeking his head up into the window for just a moment. “I would recognize it anywhere.”
I risked a glance as well, following the fairy’s finger to see what looked like an old-fashioned ship coming into port. It wasn’t quite an ancient pirate vessel like the ones in the history books, but it certainly was a modern yacht—somewhere just past the steam engine but before the discovery of oil completely revolutionized our world.
That happened before I was born, but I remember reading a lot about how many people fought against pursuing that strain of science. The older members of our coven told old tales around the hearth of how much more powerful magic used to be before that black, powerful substance began to be drained from the world.
