The Ether Witch Volume 2

Bes glanced over her shoulder nervously as she watched the Daxarian family that had saved them enjoy their lunch.

She and Hamil had opted to eat separately under the guise of giving the family some alone time, but really Bes was desperate to speak more privately with her friend.

"Where do you think they got it?" she whispered hastily to Hamil, who lounged at her side with his eyes closed and his face turned toward the sky.

He didn't even crack open an eye, which pricked Bes's already delicate nerves.

"Who knows? They said the pirates are becoming a real problem, and we know not all of our Lobahlan ships make it back," Hamil speculated lazily.

Bes twisted her mouth as her index finger tapped the back of her other hand nervously.

"What exactly is it you are afraid of…?" Hamil asked, making Bes look back at him and discover that he had partially opened an eye to glance at her.

"You know magically interfering with time is against Lobahlan laws!"

"Yes. And we are not in Lobahl. They can make their own mistakes."

Bes shot him an incredulous look. "You can't be stupid enough to think that if they make a big enough mistake that Lobahl won't be affected."

Realizing he was not going to continue quietly enjoying his leisurely time in the sun, Hamil pulled his feet off the other chair he had been using as a foot rest, leaned his elbow on their luncheon table where their empty plates sat, and stared flatly at Bes.

"We have two choices. Tell them. Or don't. We've most likely already said too much, and telling them would probably mean they have a lot of questions," he pointed out with uncharacteristic seriousness.

Bes shifted in her seat so that she could face Hamil better. "What if there is someone in Lobahl making that stuff?"

"You heard them! The first witch and devil are out and about! One of them probably had something to do with it. But you never know! Maybe they've figured out how to make magical tools as well in the other kingdoms."

Bes scoffed dismissively. "Their government and kingdoms sound practically archaic. And they themselves seemed clueless. I doubt they've gotten that far."

Hamil sighed. "So what do you want to do, oh righteous-one?"

Bes rolled her eyes at him. "First, I want to take a closer look at that watch and find out if it even works."

"Mhm, and how do you think you'll be retrieving their watch… from their room… in a locked drawer?" Hamil smiled tauntingly.

Scowling, Bes responded curtly with, "I figured we could sneak in or use the children as a diversion of sorts."

"And what will you tell them when you get caught, and these people from a barbaric kingdom decide to toss you overboard?"

"You're going to help me, Hamil," Bes announced with an implicit warning lacing her tone. "We're in this mess because of you, and I want to know exactly what is the situation with that magic tool if we are stuck on a boat with it for another week or two."

"Goddess. Do you hear yourself? We're on this boat only for another week or two! Why are you worrying? These ants are not coming into our home!"

Bes squirmed. "What if as soon as we get to Daxaria they do something terrible to us? What if we are imprisoned? Or they want to kill us? Or—"

"Why in the world would they want to kill us in their own kingdom, when they could just as easily cut our throats and dump us overboard with no one the wiser?"

Bes clamped her mouth shut.

Hamil leaned back, a coy shine in his eyes. "You know what I think?"

"The fact that you are thinking at all is a big enough of a surprise."

Hamil ignored her barb. "I think you are loving the thrill of these new people and the mystery and danger. I think you desperately want to get involved. Maybe you think you can enlighten these heathens, and become their savior. Be a hero."

Bes leaned back, incensed. "I do not!"

Hamil guffawed and turned his attention over to the Ashowan family just in time to see the little boy launching a forkful of his lunch at the girl named Penelope who shouted in protest. Lady Eli was quick to reprimand Luca who barely smothered a mischievous grin. The one called Lord Tam reached over with a napkin to Penelope.

"I'm honestly just wanting to ask them a lot of questions about the Sun Queen," Hamil mused with a half grin still tugging up his face.

"I'm still not quite clear on whether she was always royal, or if she married into the family," Bes remarked with an eyebrow raised as she, too, observed the family.

Hamil tilted his head in agreement. "True. We don't know if she was the daughter of the previous king, or if her husband was." He sighed. "See? It's a good thing we took a little detour on our adventure! Look how much we are learning! I understand about protecting our kingdom, but we should be more aware of what's happening in the rest of the world."

Bes didn't object.

After another long span of time passed where they watched the family without comment, Hamil let out a soft moan, and turned to look at his companion. "Alright. I'll help you take a look at the watch. But only because I'm curious about it. Maybe they call it something different and so it has different functions…"

Bes smiled, unable to hide her excitement as she swiveled around in her seat. "Maybe we suggest to the children we play hide and seek, or… Or we make them show us something that they find interesting, or—"

"I seem to recall the lovely Lady Eli mentioning that they kept it in a drawer, and I imagine it'd be one of the drawers beside their bed."

"Great! So we know where they'd keep it!"

"Both those drawers had locks. Like I mentioned before," Hamil reminded.

Bes's shoulders sagged.

Seeing this Hamil chortled. "You're so easily dissuaded. I can pick the lock. I'm just letting you know that that will delay us."

Bes perked back up, her smile lightening her entire face.

"Bok."

Hamil and Bes jumped aggressively when they realized that the strange chicken that everyone seemed to call 'Duchess', had silently appeared at some point during their discussion on the table…

And they jumped a second time, though slightly less clumsily, when they noticed the fluffy black cat from before sitting at their feet.

"Do you… Do you think this cat turns into that beast we saw earlier?" Bes asked in a whisper. "You know… The one that circled our ship."

The fluffy cat blinked slowly, and for whatever reason, it made Bes gulp.

"Yes. I do seem to remember the giant winged cat! Dawit would be salivating over that ancient beast hybrid," Hamil added offhandedly.

"Hamil! Focus! Is. This. That. Beast?" Bes didn't take her eyes off of the cat for an instant.

"I can't say. But this chicken… I don't know why, but its eyes are terrifying to me right now."

"BAKA!"

Bes gave a short shriek, and Hamil made a garbled shout of alarm, even though the chicken had only moved one step closer to them.

"Everything alright?"

For the third time, Hamil and Bes yelped and reared back in surprise, as Lord Tam had also mysteriously appeared without them noticing him.

He shot them questioning looks, his sights drifting to the chicken and cat only briefly before moving back to them.

Bes pressed her hand to her chest and took a steadying breath. "Y-yes, we… We're fine."

"Tell me… Is this a… a… pet chicken…?" Hamil ventured with a subtle tremor in his voice.

Lord Tam raised his brows and pressed his lips together as though trying not to laugh.

The chicken clucked quietly. How was it that a chicken could sound indignant?

"No. The… The chicken is not a pet. But the chicken is important. Do not hurt the chicken under any circumstances."

"W-why?" Bes croaked.

The Daxarian nobleman cleared his throat and rubbed his mouth. He seemed to really struggle against wanting to laugh, and Bes desperately wished she knew why.

"Well. If you hurt the chicken… War will probably be declared against Lobahl. So… Mind her. Watch where you step on deck."

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Bes's gaze darted nervously to the hen, who fluttered her wings, making her cringe back in her seat even more.

"A-a war? Over a chicken? Are you… You're teasing us, Lord Tam," Hamil tried to smile good-naturedly, but he also pointedly avoided looking at the chicken again.

Lord Tam shook his head somberly. "Not at all. Very bad things will come about if anything happens to that chicken."

He turned, as though meaning to walk away and let them stew on that ominous note, but Bes couldn't resist asking, "What about the cat?"

Lord Tam froze, then, looking over his shoulder, responded. "He's his own force of nature. I'd avoid annoying him. And maybe hide your shoes somewhere safe at night just to be sure."

Bes opened her mouth to demand an elaboration, but Lord Tam was already moving and had placed a sizable distance between them.

Silence filled the air, until Hamil slowly inclined himself over to Bes and said, "I really wish he would've taken the animals with him if he was going to be so frightening about them."

Bes moved her chin over toward Hamil, but she didn't dare take her eyes off the chicken again. "What if neither of them are that ancient beast hybrid… And that giant winged beast is somewhere else on this ship?"

Hamil's jaw flexed. Then, licking his lips, he whispered. "Let's maybe snoop a little below deck when we go hunting for that watch."

Bes would've said something along the lines of 'I told you so' in reference to her concerns for their safety, but she was beginning to find it a little troublesome remembering to breathe as she continued to be locked in an unfortunate stare down with the chicken that could allegedly start a war.

*

"Hamil, might I have a word?"

The Lobahlan turned around and did his best to cover the yawn he had just been finishing.

"How may I help you this afternoon, Lady Eli?" he smiled pleasantly as the noblewoman approached him while he made his way down the ship passageway. A post-lunch nap had been his objective.

Lady Eli did not smile back at him.

She wasn't the warmest of people, Hamil surmised.

"I… I was wondering if you might tell me a little more about that trinket that Penelope pulled out during Luca's birthday."

Hamil stiffened. "Erm. I'm sorry to say, my lady, I really don't know anything—"

"I'm scared."

The declaration was said with only a slight hitch in an otherwise level voice.

Blinking, Hamil lowered his chin slowly. "Are you… Are you scared of the chicken?"

Lady Eli's eyebrows twitched. "No. This has nothing to do with the duchess. I'm scared of what that device does. My… My husband acquired it in Zinfera, but we have no idea what it is, and despite my cautioning him against taking it, he did."

Hamil carefully folded his arms as he listened. There was an odd way that Lady Eli spoke just then… Though she seemed to always talk in this direct, even manner. It reminded Hamil of some of his father's assistants or advisors.

"I see." He nodded along to make sure it seemed he was listening interestedly.

"So…" A tic of annoyance flit over her face. "I could tell you and Bes knew what it was, and what it might do, and I would appreciate you telling me if it is dangerous."

An unnatural look overcame the lady then. Her eyes were becoming squinty, and she breathed a little heavier through the nose. Was she trying to cry? Or was she trying not to cry?

Either answer made Hamil want to inch backward away from her. "Erm, well, as I said, I-I really don't know anything—"

Outright irritation flattened Eli's face. "Did you ever stop and think how you might also be in danger from the device? If you really don't know anything about it, why are you so calm?"

She advanced on Hamil, making him throw his hands up in the air and say. "It looked harmless enough to me! What power could a tiny brass watch do?"

"A watch?" Eli stilled.

Hamil cringed.

Damnit.

"What's a watch?"

"Well… erm… it… tells time."

"Like a sun dial?" Eli pressed, making Hamil retreat until he felt the wall of the ship's passageway behind himself.

"Y-yes, but it's more specific than that. It breaks down the ascension of the sun and the moon into increments. Hours. Minutes. Seconds."

Eli tilted her head interestedly. "I have heard people say 'give me a second', but they aren't aware of where it comes from."

"Yes," Hamil nodded. "That is a Lobahlan phrase. Usually they mean that they need more than a second but… you know."

Eli stared blankly back at him that indicated to Hamil she did not, in fact, know.

"So… Do you… feel… better? My lady? It's just a device that tells time."

"It sounds incredibly useful. To measure something so accurately. But would it not be null and void when the days grow shorter in winter?"

"Not at all, it helps us measure how long we need to last until spring comes again by offering a constant marker to reference when the days start getting longer and shorter—though I'm told Lobahl has different season lengths and temperatures compared to other kingdoms."

"Hm… Why are you and Bes nervous about the 'watch'." The lady wagged a finger at Hamil curiously, and he suddenly had the very unpleasant memory of being interrogated by his nanny growing up whenever he'd gotten into mischief.

"We aren't nervous!" Hamil heard himself declare a little too quickly.

He watched with sinking dread as Lady Eli's eyes narrowed.

She didn't say anything, merely stared at him.

But when he was not more forthcoming, she evidently decided he needed more persuading. "Need I remind you the purpose for this conversation? I want to know if this watch could be dangerous."

Hamil's heartbeat quickened. There was a predatory glint in Lady Eli's eyes that reminded Hamil of a large animal becoming irritated with its dinner. He would've taken on his beloved nanny at this point.

Why are these foreigners and their pets so damn scary?

"It's just… Some… People. In the past. Have made watches… magic."

"Yes, the first witch has a device that stops time by using mage crystals. Do you believe this watch can do the same?"

Hamil started silently begging the Goddess for divine intervention.

Bes was going to kill him…

"Eli?"

I'm saved!

Lord Tam appeared at his wife's side.

"I'm surprised you are here… having a chat… with Hamil."

Oh Goddess no…

The nobleman's dark eyes swiveled curiously over to him.

"I happened across Hamil's path," Eli informed her husband tightly.

Lord Tam did not take his eyes off Hamil. "Mhm. And what were you two talking about?"

Hamil widened his eyes and hoped that the lady would understand that she really shouldn't relay any of the private, Lobahlan information—

"He was telling me that the device we have might be dangerous as it seems similar to the first witch's. He called it a watch. It measures time in increments, though I'm not exactly sure the breakdown of time yet. He was about to tell me if he thought this watch can do the same."

Tam nodded slowly as he listened, but he did not look away from Hamil. He didn't even blink!

The Lobahlan could feel sweat building over his lip.

Lord Tam lifted his chin; his eyes became cast in shadow as a result."How about we all go into mine and Eli's cabin, and we have a bit of tea while we chat, hm?"

Hamil barely resisted a whimper.

He was starting to suspect he may have to part with a lot more knowledge than he had any authorization to…

And that meant that if Bes didn't kill him before they got home? Then his father most certainly would.a