Under a Starless Sky

From the air, they saw the vastness of a submerged archipelago, primarily limestone that rivaled the Bahama Banks. The twist of sea dunes was as if Monet and Van Gogh had collaborated on the world. Much of it seemed barren, except for pockets where life exploded along these twist and turns, oases under the sea that quickly dropped to black water, and around small islands topped by grass and or shrubs. There were sea people ships. One of them looked as if it were beached. The people could wade in waters waist deep for miles. There were people in water around the ship and they seemed happy. TL took note of their position and assured Shen she would check back with them, but that there was no apparent signs of distress.

Shen left the deck and found his friends having a meal together. They stood as one.

“Don’t do that,” Shen said. “Sit”

They sat. It was uncomfortable. “May I join you? Or is this a private club meeting?”

“We’re in your house, brother,” Arne said.

“Is it private, or do you know everything?” Orton asked.

Arne was not happy about that, but it was out- and it was a reasonable inquiry.

“I do not know everything. At some level, the ship hears you, and I suppose I have the authority to follow that, but I don’t. Following that stuff to that degree makes people crazy sick. I will know you by our interaction, by your words directly to me, or make assumptions in your absence just like normal people would,” Shen said.

Shen wanted to ask if he had done something wrong. He didn’t. He stood for moment, considered leaving, but sat down at the table with them. Uffe set a beer in front of him. Shen thanked him. He drank from it, and finished it in one go, and set it down. He wiped his mouth.

“Oh, is that not the game we’re playing?” Shen asked.

Arne laughed. More beer was shared.

“So, you can be normal?” Yaffa asked.

“No,” Shen assured. “I can pretend for a moment.”

Loxy emerged. “Sorry to interrupt. Jon, you may want to see this.”

Jon excused himself. Arne and Torny followed them to the helm. The ship was hovering over the sea. The sea was dark black, except for one rise of a submarine mountain. A domed city was on top of the mountain. All of it submerged. TL manipulated the image and was able to give them a reasonable view inside. She took them in through a tunnel on the mountain, and up to a central, inner harbor. The city was easily the size of Paris, with paved streets and water way canals flowing from a central park and inner lake. The dome, with the inner lake and surrounding city sea scape, seemed like an eye- with accompany iris. He found himself comparing it to the ‘tech-eye’ the giantesses had.

“This city is old,” TL said. “There are clearly caretakers, given how the flora hasn’t taken over. That could be automated. I don’t see signs of inhabitants.”

“We promised to get our guests home,” Shen said.

“A whole city without people?” Arne said.

“We found many a ruins,” Torny said.

“We have found ruins, but this is different,” Arne said.

“Really, you don’t remember the last city paved with gold? The sirens nested on the rocks nearly killed you. And the next Siren occupied city nearly killed Jerica, you, Erico, and Shen,” Torny said. “This is how deep in the water? We can’t get there.”

“Yeah, we can,” Shen said.

“No!” Torny pointed at him. She turned back to Arne. “No, Arne. This is just another distraction. We are going home. That’s it.”

“Drop a probe,” Shen said. “Return to previous speed and heading.” He turned to Arne and Torny. “You will be home on schedule, as promised.”

“Thank you,” Arne said. “Coming

I am going to go take a nap,” Shen

the guests had departed. She laid in bed next to

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” Shen said.

wasn’t convincing,” TL

over into her, hugged her closer. “Is

of humans,” TL said. She

निर्मित

Isle of Dragons likely looked up. There was East side home on one of the water fall steps, its water supply now maintained artificially since the shift in the river. If there was any place passable by climbing it would have been here, but then one had to cross the gap’s lake. He called it the missing tooth lake. Snow melt kept the lake full. Even rain clouds had trouble passing the mountains, and they would resolve into the lake. The Calypso passed with ease, descended vertically down the other side and landed in the court yard. Breathing was noticeably impacted by the pass over, but still Shen

disembarked, the ship rose, became embedded in an orb of energy, and reduced in size. It came to TL’s

asked. “She’s still on the

alright,”

is the ship,” Shen

“This castle is huge,”

said we would never have guests,” TL said. “There’s an orchard outside

to hold off a giant,”

wild

“Come on, I’ll take you to the gate and get you

this, by

welcomed to stay,”

“You’re not afraid we’ll

“It’s just

“Or what you can,” TL

was trying to lift the Torch from the stone. He realized the amount of effort he was

it seemed discarded,”

way to retrieve the object. “What, you can’t…” His eyes widened. They bulged and

be

pull it. He simply took hold. His eyes shifted, going distant, then began tracking things around him that no one else

“Are you connecting with him?” Shen

“No,” TL said.

away,”

of sorcery is this?”

up,” Shen said. He turned to

cannot interrupt the process,” TL

coming with it-forming even as the sword was drawn up, sparking, turning the stone red with light around the edge that had sheathed it. The blade fully freed was perfectly suited for Arne, solid weight, balance, and the sheen rivaled that of a polished steel mirror. The sheath in the stone filled with liquid rock and solidified. A hilt formed on at the end of the torch. He sheathed the sword in a scabbard that was ‘suddenly’ hanging from his belt- and may have arrived there even as the sword was being teased from the stone. No one had noticed the truth of it, they just accepted its presence. Using tech, Shen could see that all of Arne’s

you all come from?”

“King Arne,”

So did his friends. TL took a knee. “Your majesty. We

Arne