The Ether Witch Volume 2

Tam sat on the deck of the ship in the cool morning air. The sun had barely finished cresting the horizon, and revealed that it was going to be yet another stunning day.

The wind was brisk, and so Tam had donned a thick, Daxarian style navy blue wool sweater that he pulled over his tunic.

He hadn't often worn such a garment—it was a style that usually graced the wardrobes of the lower ranked sailors—but Tam was finding that he rather enjoyed the feel of the item. He wondered idly why Jiho had thought to pack it for him, but wasn't one to complain.

Wrapping his hand around the warm, white porcelain cup of coffee on the small round table, Tam felt the chill of the sea air be chased from his fingertips thanks to its warmth, bringing a flush of goosebumps to his arms. A particularly strong gust of air tousled his hair, casting a spray of strands to land in Tam's eyes, forcing him to try and rake a hand through it to pull it back away as he sipped his coffee.

I might have to look into tying back some of this now…

"Good morning, Lord Tamlin!"

The jubilant voice almost made Tam flinch.

He'd been enjoying a rare moment of peace alone on deck while Eli still slept and the children had gone to request some breakfast from the ship's cook so that they could eat on deck with him.

Turning slowly, Tam watched as Hamil stepped spryly over to him. The young man's hands were clasped behind his back, and that morning he wore a long mint green coat, with loose white pants and a matching shirt.

Bes walked behind him in a far more demure manner.

She wore a brilliant blue dress that was a similar color to what Hamil had been wearing when they'd first met.

"Mind if we join you this fine morning?" Hamil asked brightly.

Tam lowered his head and gestured toward the two chairs that had originally been set up for Luca and Penelope.

Hamil proceeded to drop himself into the chair while flaring out his coat dramatically.

Tam raised an eyebrow and stood to offer his hand to Bes so that he could help the young woman sit.

Her eyebrows rose in surprise, but she then smiled at him in appreciation.

"Thank you," she said while settling herself down. "It is good to see that it is only Hamil who is without manners in this world."

The young man ignored her jibe as he peered around at the crew members changing shifts.

"Don't you just love the way the cold, fresh wind chases away that damp smell in the morning? That paired with the salty air and you just get this smell…" Hamil paused to inhale deeply, his eyes closed. "You really can't get it anywhere else than the open sea."

Tam nodded distantly, but moved his attention back to Bes. "Do either of you have any family in Daxaria you might be able to stay with while you arrange for another vessel to take you back home?"

Bes's shoulders rounded almost imperceptibly.

Tam could see the thread of guilt tugging at her conscience.

"We… We do not. We had been intending to visit the vineyards of Troivack, then circle back around the north and east coast of Lobahl, but a storm blew us off course, and then Hamil… Hamil suggested we sail around the west of Troivack to get back on course, only we weren't as prepared for the extra time it would add to our journey and—"

"And here we are!" Hamil finished cheerfully.

Tam could feel the disgruntlement simmering off of Bes.

Clearing his throat, he took his time taking another mouthful of coffee, and decided not to probe more on the matter.

"Is that coffee you're drinking?" Hamil asked interestedly.

Tam hesitated in lowering his cup, then nodded.

"Ah! Splendid! I've often wondered how the beans fare when they have to travel so distantly." Hamil raised a hand, and Tam noted that one of the Lobahlan aides that had come from the Lobahlan ship who stood nearby, bowed to his employer then disappeared below deck, presumably to fetch more coffee.

"Is coffee common in Lobahl?" Tam kept his tone mild. The Lobahlans he had met were always skittish about revealing anything about their kingdom.

Hamil snorted, but a sharp look from Bes had the young man clearing his throat.

"Yes, we have coffee," Hamil responded while giving a cheeky look at Bes.

Tam's brows lowered. It would seem there was more to that answer than they were going to let on.

Hamil smiled charmingly. "Would you mind telling us about Daxaria, Lord Tamlin? We hear all sorts of interesting tales. Of course we aren't sure how much is true and how much is made up for the sake of a good story."

Tam set down his cup as a light spray of sea water wafted up and over them. "That's a broad question. Mind narrowing it down?"

Interestingly, it was Bes who shifted forward in her seat, curiosity bright in her eyes. "Is it true that witches used to be hunted there?"

Tam nodded slowly.

"Truly?" Hamil's eyes widened in awe. "How barbaric!"

Tam gave a passive shrug. "Those laws were changed over seventy years ago, so we aren't in danger any more."

"We…?" Bes trailed off as she stared quizzically at Tam. "Are you a witch, Lord Tamlin?"

It was Tam's turn for his mouth to quirk up in amusement. "Yes. I am."

"Fascinating! In Lobahl witches are usually in their own sect of government so—"

A supposed kick under the table had Hamil clamping his mouth shut as Bes gave a strained smile.

Sensing that the weakest to blabbing kingdom secrets was the young man, Tam redirected his attention to Hamil with a question he had been needing an answer to for quite some time.

"I actually had originally been planning on trying to speak to your kingdom's coven before I had some complications on my own journey," he began carefully, while ensuring he maintained a relaxed air about him.

Regardless of his efforts, Bes shifted back in her seat warily.

Tam pretended not to notice. "My nephews are the princes of Daxaria—"

"Truly?" Hamil interrupted with sparkling eyes. "My word! The sons of the Sun Queen are your nephews?"

Tam balked. "Sun… Queen? Are you referring to Kat—Katarina Reyes?" he corrected himself.

Both Hamil and Bes nodded excitedly.

"Huh…" Tam blinked and cleared his throat. He had never heard of that nickname for his sister. "Well, her eldest son, Prince Antony, is a witch."

"Oh, how exciting! What is his magic?" Hamil leaned his forearms on the table eagerly.

Tam kept his expression smooth as marble. "I'm not at liberty to say. My question," he persisted, the edge in his tone discouraging any more interruptions. "Was how Lobahl handled witches who were in line for the throne. The Daxarian coven is of the mind that witches should not be leading humans when they are meant to be a representative of nature."

Despite being the more cautious one, Bes seemed unable to help herself from contributing to the discussion.

"It never would become an issue in Lobahl because our 'king' is not exactly a king. He represents a sect of our government. Witches have their own sect with elected high councilors that sit on the ruling panel."

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Surprisingly, it was Hamil who started to shoot a nervous look at Bes, but unlike his travel companion, Hamil seemed hesitant to interrupt her.

"Wait… Everyone has called Lobahl a kingdom… is it not? Is it a country ruled by a democracy?" Tam couldn't stop his eagerness overtaking his tone. It was far too interesting a topic.

"Yes. The people vote in representatives from each sect, and they run for varying lengths of terms. In the event a witch is born to non-witch parents, however, they can still attend school and seek employment in the witch sect of their city but they can also choose to grow up in their parents' sect as well. If later they want work that involves using their ability, they have to—"

"Ahem." Hamil cleared his throat quietly.

Bes ducked her head, her embarrassment palpable.

Deciding that the best way to receive advice without seeming like he was pressuring them for answers, Tam took a slightly different approach when he spoke next.

"The Daxarian queen has already been ejected from the coven. That was the agreement for her to be allowed to rule beside her husband. However, for the next king to be a witch, the worry is that resentment will build in the citizens. So whether or not Prince Antony can inherit the throne has now been brought into question. Introducing a vote on the matter would open up a lot of scrutiny for His Highness. That said, I know the Zinferan emperor had no qualms naming a supposed witch as the next heir to the throne. So there is a great divide of opinion."

Surprisingly, after a beat of silence as the pair absorbed Tam's story, Hamil leaned forward to speak. "You are ridiculously honest about the private affairs of your monarchy to a pair of strangers."

Tam stared at the young man flatly, while out of the corner of his eye he noted Bes pressing her lips together and avoiding looking directly at either of them.

With a casual shrug, Tam responded with, "You are the runaway children of high ranking members of your land. And at present with the coming wars, one can't be too picky from whom they receive advice."

"How did you know we were runaways?" Bes squeaked.

Tam sent her an apologetic smile while Hamil shrunk back awkwardly. "Lobahlans don't often leave their land, and when they do, it's on a fully manned ship. I've only met perhaps four or five Lobahlans who were born there in my entire life. Then there was the way you introduced yourselves… I have something of an eye for rebellion thanks to my sister."

While their darker complexion made it difficult to tell, Tam had the keen sense that both Hamil and Bes were blushing.

"Look. This advice I'm asking for is most likely a moot point anyway with the current state of both Zinfera and Daxaria, but I want to do everything I can to help my nephew."

This bit of sentiment seemed to soften Bes, and even made Hamil relax a little.

"Well… I don't think Lobahl would be able to offer any sort of helpful advice—though neither Hamil nor I are witches. It sounds like the entire structure of our governments are too different," Bes explained with an apologetic smile.

Tam sighed. "Fair enough."

"Now… What was that you said about wars, plural?" Hamil asked while idly scratching his earlobe.

"Ah. The daughter of the Gods, Aradia, has managed to turn both the Coven of Giong and the Coven of Wittica against their crowns. There is a rebellion taking place to instate a temple that would act independently of the kingdoms."

Both Hamil and Bes sat up straighter.

Bes shot a wary look at her friend. "That sounds a little more similar to how Lobahl is organized…Which makes sense. The first witch and her brother, Muta, were the ones that formatted our government before the great battle—"

"SSSH!" Hamil shot a desperate look at Bes who cringed upon realizing just how much she had revealed.

"The battle that left most of Lobahl a desert?" Tam guessed while continuing to sound easygoing, though the new information about Lobahl had his scholarly mind salivating with questions.

Both Hamil and Bes's heads snapped round to stare at him.

It was during the silence that their manservant placed down a fresh, glass pot of coffee.

The trio waited until the servant was out of earshot once more.

"How is it you know of the battle?" Bes asked seriously.

Tam shrugged ambiguously. "I'm honestly surprised that neither of you are shocked to hear about the first witch not only being alive, but also what she is aiming to do."

It would seem the time for letting details slip about their land had finally passed, as neither of the Lobahlans deigned to answer.

Before the discussion could turn uncomfortable however, the sound of two quick sets of feet approaching drew everyone's attention.

Tam turned to find the expected sight Penelope and Luca barrelling toward him, their gazes homed on the Lobahlans with hungry curiosity.

"Ah…" was all Tam had to say before the children reached them.

"Morning, Dad!" Luca called with a smile.

Penelope stayed quiet as she eyed the Lobahlans intently.

"And who might these fine tuts be?" Hamil wondered with a theatrical wave of his arm.

"This is Luca," Tam rested a hand atop Luca's head briefly before reaching around him and tugging Penelope's sleeve. "And Penelope."

"I didn't know you were traveling with your children! How fun!" Hamil gushed while leaning closer toward the kids, making Penelope causally sidle closer to Luca. "Are you two twins?"

"No, I'm older," Penelope informed Hamil coolly.

"Well I'm eight now, so not much older!" Luca interjected cheerily.

Tam sat up in alarm. "Luca, we missed your birthday?"

"It's okay, Dad! We were busy and I never usually celebrate my birth—"

"We shall have a party!" Hamil crowed pointing his finger into the air as though he had just had the most brilliant of ideas. "Jort! Come! We must plan!"

The manservant from before rushed forward before Tam could get a word in edgewise. His attention was torn between wanting to check in with Luca and telling Hamil to give them some privacy, when Penelope spoke up.

"Oh, I almost forgot… Eli says you can be with her while she talks with the physician. They're in your cabin."

Tam's thoughts sputtered to a stop.

Apparently Eli wasn't going to be wasting any more time.

Taking a steadying breath, Tam clasped Luca's shoulders. "We are absolutely going to celebrate your birthday. Tonight. I'm so sorry I missed it."

"That's okay! You asked me to write it down, but I forgot, and I'm not even completely sure what day it was on anyway…"

Tam winced guiltily that he should have missed something so important.

"I'm going to go see Eli, and we're going to talk about how we're going to celebrate, alright?"

Luca beamed and nodded.

"You call your mother by her name?" Bes asked Penelope suddenly.

The child narrowed her eyes in response, and, in true Penelope fashion, answered with an abundance of attitude. "Mind your own business."

Tam dropped his chin at her rudeness. That was another parenting matter he'd have to take care of…

But it'd have to wait.

So, muscling up a contrite smile for the Lobahlans, he stood.

"Is everything alright with your wife, Lord Tamlin?" Bes tilted her chin up with an innocent concerned frowned.

Tam moved his hands to his pockets, already turning away from the table while saying, "Probably… I just have to go find out if I'm now three for three."