“Sworn to kill, huh? Sounds like there’s a story behind that,” I said, leaning on the railing as I inspected the dock ahead of us. Instead of wood, it was made of solid stone, with a set of stairs that looked like they were submerged beneath the water half the time.

Calbern inclined his head slightly in my direction. “It was before I met your mother. I’m not sure if you were aware, but before Evarl Aranor claimed his lands, there was another kingdom that held sway in the-”

“Whoa!” Bevel said, suddenly appearing between us, pushing up to the very front of the ship. “Are they waiting for us?”

Ahead, on the dock we were approaching, was a squad of guards, neatly lined up. They each held short spears with shining diamond like tips, the butt of which they held firmly against the stone dock. They were position at the top of stairs Xelinda was aiming us towards.

“It would appear so, Lady Bevel,” Calbern answered, his eyes shifting in my direction for a moment, giving me another slight nod.

Seemed that story would have to wait.

A minute later Celinda’s Grace slide into place next to the stairs. However, instead of disembarking to the stairs, the side slid away to reveal the same green ramp Xelinda and her father had descended when they first arrived in Verdant Point.

It easily stretched the thirty feet to the dock, creating a rough surface leading up.

Despite the guards who were obviously waiting for us, we let the other passengers disembark first.

There were more than a few awkward looks exchanged with the guards as they passed, but no issues arose. Well, one man tripped over himself when one of the guards shifted, but they were otherwise ignored. Once they were gone, it was our turn. Xelinda emerged from the cabin just in time to join us as we made our way up the ramp.

I led the way, Tamrie on my elbow to my right and Bevel a half-step behind on the other side. Tresla, Calbern and Xelinda followed, with Inertia towering over us, releasing a huff of steam with every step.

Despite all of us walking up the thin green fibrous ramp at once, it barely shifted under our weight, and that could likely be attributed to the ship rocking on the waves.

“Magus Dominus Perth?” an older woman with a grizzled face asked as we stepped onto the grey stone.

“That’s me,” I said, deciding not to waste time correcting them on the title.

“Commander She’erd. High Shaper Thozgar has sent my squad to guide you through the city. May the Fog never fade,” the woman said, clasping her hand holding the spear against her chest. The rest of She’erd’s squad followed her example, repeating her words and smacking their hands into their chests in a surprisingly harmonious show of discipline.

“May the fog never fade,” Tresla and Tamrie replied, matching the motion a second later while the latter subtly elbowed me.

Right, she’d mentioned this to me. A local custom for travelers returning safely. I’d just forgotten about it amongst everything else she’d shared with me about Spellford. I echoed her words only a beat late, Bevel speaking with me.

The guard formed up around us, the grizzled She’erd leading the way down the dock towards the water lifts.

As she did so, Calbern tapped my shoulder once. When our eyes met, he gave me a nod, then slipped off to the side, moving into the crowd of other passengers who were dealing with customs.

That was one plus side to having the personal attention from the High Shaper. No customs for us. Might be a little awkward if he had his guests get their luggage tossed.

Especially with the amount of tier-3 materials he was hoping to get out of me.

My attention quickly shifted to the nearby waterlifts. There seemed to be two distinct designs. The larger pair that took up the center of the dock looked to be suspended by nothing but magic. There wasn’t so much as a spindly little column running alongside them. As we got closer, I could see the edge of the a masterful set of enchantments worked into the dock itself.

Those larger lifts, or more accurately, the space where they ran, give me my first good look of the lower holds. They were similar to the upper holds in their layout, but even more crammed with life. Veritable forests of kelp swayed above them, though it was much more colorful than I’d expected from Tamrie’s stories. It was closer to the pictures I’d seen of the old coral reefs on Earth than a forest of seaweed.

I didn’t have much time to look before the guard approached one of the narrow waterlifts to the side. The smaller lifts were more like a transparent pneumatic tube, with only a person sized opening in the side of the otherwise solid material.

Half of our guard stepped inside, not giving us a word of instruction before they zipped away. The rest stood behind us silently, as if expecting us to simply know what to do.

Good thing Tamrie already explained how they worked.

Behind us, Inertia let off a whistle hiss of laughter before releasing the word, “Fly.”

By the time I’d glanced over my shoulder, she’d launched herself upward in a surprisingly gentle takeoff. She beat her wings once, then again, then was soaring along the waterlift’s exterior, following it upward.

Giving her a mock salute, I turned back and stepped into the lift. It took a second before I was grabbed and whisked away. Seemed there was an enchantment that kept the water from interacting with a person for that first second. It was a subtle thing, but it also kept me from impacting the sides as the tube pulled me upward.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

Even the thin bubble of air around my face was subtle.

It was quite the feat of magical engineering, all to provide a slightly faster method of travel. After all, with the amount of enchanting that went into the waterlifts they could make ten regular lifts. Then again, the more I saw of Spellford, the more it seemed like ‘feat of magical engineering’ was a guiding principle.

It was nice to see that the benefits weren’t restricted to the rich, since the waterlifts were open to everyone. As were the parks, libraries and bunkers, according to Tamrie.

A far cry from most of the Hundred Kingdoms. Even in the City on the Water, we’d only been able to enjoy our visit so much because we’d been honored guests. Poorer visitors had to take much slower passenger barges I’d never even heard of until our trip down to Spellford. And that had only come up when Tresla had remarked on a nearby ship resembling one she’d rode when they’d visited.

My thoughts were drawn back to my immediate surroundings when the tube broke free of the nearest block, giving me a breathtaking view of the city.

It…

It really did take my breath away.

For several long seconds, I simply watched the spectacular view of Spellford passing by below.

Street performers using simple spells, children running and playing in the streets, vendors hawking food. All of it within the sort of gardens I’d only ever seen in my magazines. Tamrie had spoken of the parks, but she’d somehow neglected to mention how the greenery was everywhere else too.

Everywhere I looked, there were little beds of flowers or climbing vines or flags like the ones we’d seen them putting up below.

After a few seconds, I realized the lift had shifted to the side, our route now slowly circling upward, allowing us to take in the sights. Glancing to my side, I could just make out Tamrie’s form in the water a few feet behind me. She waved, and I couldn’t help but smile as I waved back.

As we reached the apex of the city, we were drawn in over a set of rings that seemed to connect the top layer of blocks. I counted seven other lifts like the one we were on, each of them leading to the same central location. The peak of a stacked pyramid, one built of white marble with golden veins running through the bricks.

The first of our guards was already stepping out of the waterlift and it wasn’t long before I joined her.

After stepping out, I couldn’t help but flick my sleeves, despite the fact I was as dry as when I’d stepped inside. Possibly drier.

“Right bracing, that was,” Tamrie said as she followed me out. “Been a while since I took the loop.”

Before I could ask her about ‘the loop’, Bevel popped out behind us. Her eyes were wide, a giant grin stretched across her face. “That was fraying awesome!”

“It was pretty cool,” I agreed, reaching over to ruffle her hair as we waited for Tresla and Xelinda to join us.

When only Tresla stepped out before the rest of the guards started arriving I remembered Xelinda had begged off joining the trade talks in favor of visiting her friends.

A roar of steam announced Inertia’s arrival from across the platform. Our guards took her landing in stride, She’erd beckoning us to follow without so much as a twitched eyebrow.

She’erd led us down beneath the pyramid, through an entrance made nearly invisible by a non-magical optical illusion.

It was so fascinating that Bevel and I both stopped to inspect it, starting to discuss how it worked, only to be cut off by a polite cough from Tamrie.

With a bit of color to our cheeks, we were escorted through a brightly lit corridor to a space that seemed to almost hang from the bottom of one of the rings. The floor beneath us was as transparent as the waterlift had been, and even with my ability to fly, I felt my throat tighten up at seeing the city laid out so clearly, so far beneath my feet.

By how tightly Tamrie gripped my arm, I wasn’t the only one who’d been caught by surprise.

Meanwhile, Bevel was hopping up and down a couple feet to my side, seemingly testing the strength.

Before we could get ourselves in any more trouble, the She’erd cleared her throat.

I nodded, following her to where a set of comfortable looking body sized cushions had been laid out were waiting. Of course, they were attached to the roof, so not exactly easily accessible.

Standing on that roof, in the center of the cushions, was a man in a relatively simple set of robes. He had an underrobe of simply sky blue, while the overrobe was a dark green with black trim. In his hand was a goblet of the same gold-marbled stone the pyramid above was made of.

I suspected the whole viewing area was a luxurious use of Granitas. Even as we approached, I considered how little it would take to create such a space. Less than we used in the smallest of our presses, if the enchanting was even half decent.

She’erd stopped next to a golden line in the transparent floor. Instead of saying anything, she reached her arm over the line holding out her spear. Letting go, it gently started to reorient itself.

And there went my thought about it being a simple enchantment. I had some ideas about how I might pull that effect off, but none of them were easy. Though that was for a freshly arisen Pegasus soul.

“Greetings, Magus Dominus Perth of Althon,” the man said, gesturing us forward before I had a chance to wonder what the etiquette was. “Please, come. The run is about to begin.”

“I presume you’re High Shaper Thozgar,” I said, my eyes flicking down despite myself, catching motion. When I did, I noticed that the floor below the cushions seemed to have a magnification enchantment on it, showing where a group of very fit young folk were floating atop their carved boards. The Surgers, I presumed. “It would seem we made it just in time.”

“Ah, forgive my rudeness,” Thozgar said, giving a slight bow of his head. “I’m accustomed to those I greet knowing who I am long in advance. That happens when your people insist on those gaudy statues.”

“Apology accepted,” I replied as I stepped over the line, Tamrie still at my side. It reoriented us while also shifting us forward. I almost overrode it with my new innate flying muscle, but managed to hold off. Once we were flipped, the room felt much more appropriate.

By how tightly Tamrie was squeezing my arm, she didn’t agree.

I rubbed a finger along the back of her hand and her grip relaxed a degree as she shot me a small smile.

Bevel was laughing out loud as she stepped up beside us. It occurred to me then, that perhaps bringing her to a meeting with a powerful political figure might not have been the most optimal move. But as I looked at the view above, I was glad she was going to be here to enjoy it with us.

“Please, have a seat, have a seat,” Thozgar said, gesturing to the nearby cushions. Only then did I notice that a large scarlet cushion with golden embroidery was already occupied.

A young blond woman with sharp green eyes watched us as we followed Thozgar’s zealous encouragement to take a seat. Once I’d settled in, I found my neck at the perfect angle to see through the transparent floor. “This is quite the setup. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you arranged this to impress us.”

Thozgar laughed, as did the young woman. “Ah, I’m afraid you’ve caught me. I delayed the run so you could be here to witness my people in action. After you’ve done so much for those you’ve taken in, it felt like the least I could do.”

The unabashed praise landed a bit like getting hit in the face by a stubborn oil filter that’d gotten stuck in place then suddenly popped loose. I reacted with about the same amount of grace as I had to that oil filter clocking me in the face. “I… that is…”

“Ah, see my dear, he is not one of those arrogant Magus Domini you so hate,” Thozgar said, smiling in the direction of the young woman.

“Just because he is not a complete clod, does not mean he would be a suitable partner, father,” the young woman, apparently Thozgar’s daughter, said.

“Ah, I simply said you should keep your mind open. You’re young, and he is quite promising. Already at Pegasus, and treats his people quite well,” Thozgar said, apparently having forgotten that we were standing right there. “He’d make an excellent husband.”

His daughter let out a light, bubbling laugh. One that I found quite pleasant.

With how tightly Tamrie was gripping my arm, I suspected she didn’t agree.