Chapter 2 #3
“Nytheris is here.” He tapped the black region. “It’s in the Deep Gallery, several weeks’ travel from the nearest stable portal if we push hard and don’t hit any complications. The realm’s portal shifts position, which means we’ll need to search for it. That’s where you come in.”
He looked at me, and I forced myself to meet his gaze.
“Rifts can sense portals more accurately than any instrument. Once we’re in the general area, you’ll guide us to the exact location. Can you do that?”
“I think so. I’ve never tried deliberately, but—“
“You’ll learn. We’ve got weeks to train you.
” He turned back to the map. “Once we’re through the portal, we’ll be in hostile territory.
Nytheris is fragmented into hundreds of floating islands in a void current.
Some are stable, some are drifting. We’ll need to navigate carefully to avoid collisions. ”
“What about the creatures?” Kora asked. “The stories say the realm is crawling with monsters.”
“The stories are accurate. Whatever happened when Nytheris collapsed, it twisted the wildlife. They’re aggressive, territorial, and they hunt in packs. We’ll need to stay armed and alert at all times.”
Jask stepped forward. “We’ll set a watch rotation once we’re in the realm. Everyone pulls their weight, no exceptions.”
“The codex is in the Reliquarium,” Cypher continued.
“The main island is called Calvaris. Getting there will require crossing several smaller islands and at least one major void current. Once we’re at the Reliquarium, we’ll need to navigate the ruins to reach the royal archive.
I’ve been there before, so I know the general layout, but things may have changed. ”
“How long will we be in Nytheris?” I asked.
“Hard to say. If everything goes perfectly? A week. More likely two or three, assuming we don’t run into major complications.” He rolled up the map. “Any questions?”
A dozen questions crowded my mind, but I shook my head. I’d learn the rest as we went.
“Then let’s get underway.” Cypher’s eyes swept across the crew. “Omri, fire up the engines. Zoya, plot our initial course. Everyone else, prepare for launch. We’ll enter the Gallery as soon as we’re clear of the dock.”
The crew scattered to their tasks immediately. Kora and I stood awkwardly, unsure what to do.
“You two, come with me,” Cypher said. “If you’re going to be useful, you need to understand how this ship works.”
We spent the next hour getting a crash course in wing ship operations.
Cypher showed us the helm, the engine room, the navigation station, and the weapon emplacements.
He explained the basics of void sailing, and how the wings caught Gallery currents, how to read the astrolabe, how to avoid void eddies and dead zones.
I realized, much against my will, that he was a good teacher. He broke down every arcane mechanism patiently. He treated us like adults who could learn or fail on their own merits, not children to be coddled. And still he never smiled. Every word, every gesture remained coolly professional.
At last he led us to the prow of the Night-Piercer. The dock blurred away beneath the engines, and ahead the Gateway Portal hung like a silver-blue pond set on its edge, quivering against the void on the other side.
“We’re about to enter the Gallery,” Cypher said. “Ever transitioned on a ship before?”
“Only on skiffs,” I confessed.
“It’s different on a wing, and much stronger. The first time can be disorienting.” He raised one eyebrow at me. “If you need a moment, step aside. No shame.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, suppressing a cutting remark.
The ship surged forward. Crew members donned their positions, hands steady on brass controls and levers. Cypher at the helm looked irritatingly calm, one hand guiding the helm with ease and comfort.
Then the portal swallowed us. Light inverted to darkness, sound collapsed into silence, and my lungs seized as though I’d been plunged underwater. For a breathless second I was tumbling through nothing.
And then we emerged.
The Gallery sprawled before us, endless black shot through with distant portals glowing like jewels.
It wasn’t the starry expanse of space that contained our sun, moons and stars.
This was a channel between worlds, a place of in-betweens.
Only the Night-Piercer’s crystal lamps kept the deck alive with warm, quivering light. Shadows writhed at the rail.
I felt it instantly, the currents beneath us, tugging at something buried in my bones, singing in a voice I’d tried to bury for three years.
“Juno?” Kora’s hand on my shoulder stirred me from my thoughts. “You okay?”
I realized I’d edged so close to the rail I could have tossed myself into that black maw. I drew back, sweat prickling down my spine. “I’m fine,” I lied.
I could feel it. The void was alive, its whispers promising freedom, power, release. Part of me ached to answer its call, to surrender.
Cypher’s eyes were on me when I glanced up. “You feel it,” he said quietly. “The currents.”
I swallowed. “Yes.”
“Good. We’ll need every ounce of that power.” He returned his attention to the helm. “Welcome to the Gallery, scavenger. From here out, there’s no turning back.”