Chapter Twenty-two – Pelagic portals
“I want to show you something,” said Andin.
“What’s that?” asked Sorrel.
“I could explain but I think you’ll prefer experiencing it firsthand.”
Fake excitedly asked, “Oh are you showing him the thing?” Fake closed his book and followed them, “He showed me this morning; chief you’re going to like this.”
The docks were loosely arranged by the ship size they could handle, with the smaller vessels towards the ends. The small racing sailboats bobbed against each other. “Are we taking those out? I’ve seen you sail Prince Andin; you’re awful,” said the chief.
Andin shook his head, “Just wait.” At the end of the docks was a small mastless hull covered in a tarp. Andin pulled the tarp off revealing a small craft littered with haphazard valves and piping.
Sorrel was dumbstruck, “What is it?”
Wide eyed, Fake answered, “It’s a speedboat.”
“I’d imagine it’d be difficult to go any speed at all without a sail…”
Andin hopped into the captain’s chair, “Its range and speed are limited only by the strength of its operator.” The prince’s hand caught fire and began heating the boilers. “It’s much easier on the operator compared to using water magic to push,” he explained.
“It’s powered by fire? You’ll tire before we make it out of the harbor…” said the chief unimpressed.
“Just get in,” answered Andin.
Sorrel and Fake strapped into the tiny vessel. Steam began to hiss from the piping. A series of globe valves controlled how much steam turned the flower shaped propeller. As the noise grew Andin shouted, “Don’t touch any of the piping, they’re quite hot.”
Fake untied the small craft from the dock and pushed them away. Andin let a small flow of steam bite onto the turbine turning the prop. It accelerated forward. Still going at a slow puddle the speedboat eased away from the docks towards the smooth water inside the harbor.
Sorrel maintained his placid disposition towards boat. Andin stared at him for a moment. The chief answered, “It’s clever but I don’t see how…” Mid-sentence Andin opened the flow valve completely. Steam rushed through the turbine wrenching the propeller hard against the water.
The boat shot forward and the chief screamed in surprise. Steam and spray rooster tailed from aft of the craft. Over the gale of wind Sorrel yelled, “By Vita’s grace this is fast!”
Fake yelled, “I knew you’d like it!”
Andin pointed at the two handles nearest the chief, “Grab those.” The chief complied, and the fire prince pulled hard on the steering lever. Linkages beneath their feet pulled the rudder and the speedboat cut a hard left turn into the water.
The furious ride ended when the speedboat caught the lip of a wave and crashed into the subsequent trough. Thoroughly battered Sorrel said, “Okay that’s enough.” Andin agreed; operating the boat was much more taxing than his steamcycle.
The speedboat tamed itself and gently rolled back to the docks. A small crowd had gathered to watch the little skiff tear about the harbor. When he pulled in Andin was inundated with questions. “A machine is only worthwhile if it does what magic alone can’t do,” he said to a curious shipbuilder.
“Same time next weekend?” asked Sorrel, eager for another run.
“I’ll try but it’s finals week so no promises,” answered Andin.
“I’ll be there,” said a cheery Fake who had no papers to grade or practical exams to administer.
“Just wait future history teacher; there will be many late night gradings if the Dean approves your request,” prodded Andin.
“Are we going back to the portal for the summer?” asked Fake.
“We certainly are.”
“Where do you think it will lead to?”
“All will speculate; none will know.”
In the privacy of their room Fake handed the glowing crystal to his friend. “It’s charged again,” said Fake.
“Thanks,” answered Andin. Fake locked the door and closed the curtains. Andin held the crystal in the palm of his hand waiting for his friend. “Hurry up,” urged the prince.
Fake ignored Andin and moved everything fragile far from the center of the room.
Andin still felt a little guilty about the damage he caused, “It was the first time, and we didn’t know what would happen.”
“I’m not taking any chances,” Fake gripped his damaged telescope and frowned.
Andin replayed the events following Fake’s first retrieval of the crystal. The crystal worked, it captured the portal energy. In the prince’s over excitement he released the energy inside the living room with no control, causing a large explosion. Fake’s telescope was among the many things in need of repair. Andin flicked open is chronometer, “It’s time.”
“Okay I’m ready,” said Fake.
The two held their hands flat as the crystal floated between them. “Just like last time; ease it out into a disc,” instructed Andin. The energy almost overwhelmed the two. They redirected the violence back towards itself into a ring.
An anticlimactic ‘pop’ marked the work complete. Before the two boys was their own private window looking into Fake’s Canvas. Andin clicked his chronometer, “The mortal portal stands for eight minutes and fifty-nine seconds – let’s see how ours fairs.”
Like the natural portals, the window was one-sided. “Is this how the mortal’s windows look?” asked Fake.
Andin nodded, “You can only look through the front face – they said they could rotate it with a little effort.” Andin raised his hands and sent a stream of fire and earth magic towards the edge of the disc pushing it. It turned in the dorm and within the canvas. The supplies of the stranded Pelagic landing party littered the ground.
Fake looked at Andin’s chronometer, “Six minutes.” The illusionist saw the barrels he had left through the portal and felt embarrassed.
“At least they aren’t completely out of place,” comforted Andin.
Before their eyes they saw another window opening in the plane. “Right on time,” said Andin coolly. He turned to Fake and said, “Okay put it up.” Fake’s jacket dissolved into a cover for their window.
Through their shroud they saw a second window open up from Ventisma. Their window was between either. The Pelagic operator greeted the Ventian. Fake and Andin could hear their conversation. Fake looked at Andin, “Ready?”
Fake and Andin both began yelling at the operators of the other windows. The two mortal messengers could hear nothing. Fake swirled the shroud making vibrant shapes and patterns, trying anything to draw their attention. Again, the messengers continued oblivious to the two eavesdroppers.
“Interesting, so it’s a one-way affair when an immortal makes it,” commented Andin.
“That could explain how you entered my plane but couldn’t leave,” deduced Fake.
Andin was stunned; it clicked so firmly in his mind, “Brilliant.”
Extending his moment of genius Fake proposed another idea, “I guess the next step is to bring your crystal to the natural portal and see if it reacts there when it closes.”
Again, the fire prince was speechless. He had always wondered why the crystal didn’t react as his father had suggested when he crossed the portal into Ventisma. It needs the whole cycle; the opening and the closure of the portal to energize it, thought Andin.
“We have to be there for the opening,” said Andin.
“Yes we do,” agreed Fake.