The night sky over Thadheine was slightly overcast. Silvery clouds partially obscured the Cúplach, so that only one of the twin cerulean moons was visible. The fantasians flitting to and fro through the streets, tending to the crystal generators, were more beautiful in the dark of night, as they glowed with their own light, lending more vibrancy to their colors.
The plaza outside Aoife Memorial Theater was abuzz with conversation and energy, what Roland recognized as the “post-performance glow.” He was full of it himself, smiling, his emotions heightened, his steps lightened, in the wake of witnessing a truly marvelous artistic performance. He’d never seen the Catwood Company on stage, though he’d heard great things about their musicals. None of the lofty praise truly lived up to the real thing, now that he’d lived it. And he fully understood, now, Tsubasa’s ardent, passionate fandom.
“What was your favorite song, Tsubasa?” Erika asked.
“All of them!” Tsubasa cried, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.
“I liked ‘Breaking of the Circle,’ the Act One closer,” Enrique said, consulting his program.
“But it was so painful!” Erika said, clutching her program close to her chest. “To see Felix betrayed like that, by his closest friend — his cousin, no less! That was awful!”
“But that was the point,” Enrique said. “They made it so… real. The emotions were so intense, it was impossible to forget.” His wide eyes were aglow with wonder, reflecting the blue shine of a nearby crystal generator.
“What about favorite characters?” Tock asked.
“All of them!” Tsubasa cried, overcome with emotion.
“Felix!” Erika said brightly. “He was the hero, so I know it’s an obvious choice, but he was just so… so dashing! So courageous, and the way he was able to rally everyone together after all the losses he suffered, to put on a smile when he was at his lowest point, and to even rescue Garland from himself, to forgive him for his betrayal… he was incredible!”
“I liked Reginald,” Enrique said thoughtfully. “He always knew exactly what everyone else needed. He’s so selfless, and kind. And he had the best solo of Act Two.”
“Undeniably!” Tock said, beaming. “Reginald’s my favorite, too.” She looked up at Maxwell, something else in her eyes that Roland couldn’t place. “What about you, Maxwell?”
“I’m rather partial to Reginald, as well,” Maxwell said with a smile. “Roland? Muirrach?”
“Well, Felix was an obvious standout,” Roland said. “But if I were to pick someone other than the lead, Princess Chatelle had my favorite aria by a landslide. It was deeply moving.”
“I’ve never been much for playing favorites,” Muirrach said. “Not with characters, at any rate. But I was especially impressed with the climax. The effects were tremendous — I’ve never seen symphonic artes used on stage in such interwoven ways. The music created the visual effects… it’s fascinating thinking about how they made it all possible.” He shivered slightly, digging his hands a little deeper into the pockets of his overcoat. “Now, does anyone remember the way back to the inn?”
“I do!” Tsubasa cried through her hysterics. She held up her hand, heading to the front of the group. Wiping her eyes hard with her handkerchief, and then blowing her nose — loudly — into it, she then folded up the cloth and deposited it into a waste basket, then turned back to the others with a bright smile. “Well, that was dramatic!” She said, in a reasonable facsimile of her usual bright, cheerful self. Her voice was a bit rough from cheering and crying, but Roland didn’t see any reason to poke holes in her act. “I’m so glad you all enjoyed it so much, too! Thanks for indulging my obsessions. But you understand why I love their work so much now, don’t you?”
“Definitely!” Erika said. “I hope we can see another of their shows together, some day.”
“Oh, you bet we’ll make it happen,” Tsubasa said, grinning. She was walking backwards at the head of the group, leading the way while facing the others.
“Um, are you sure you can find the way when you aren’t even looking where you’re going?” Enrique asked.
“Sure can,” Tsubasa said. “I do this all the time. Just you watch. We turn left up here, and then right at the next intersection, and we’ll be there.”
Tsubasa kept on talking, high on the thrills the show had brought her, and Erika and Tock were nearly equally energized. Roland took it in with a smile, enjoying the colors and lights all around, and savoring the mix of the warmth in his heart and the cold of the night air. Winter was his favorite season in Albia, and in most parts of Northern Wonderia there was always at least a hint of winter in the air. Thadheine was no different, and Roland breathed deep the refreshing chill — and the scent of tea and hot cocoa brewing nearby.
Tock noticed as well, and begged for some cocoa, and soon they were all continuing on their way, warm drinks in hand, steam wafting into the air.
Tsubasa’s directions turned out to be perfect, and she led them — walking backwards — to their inn, where they headed up to their suite and settled in a circle of cozy armchairs in the main sitting room. Tsubasa wanted to open the balcony doors, but everyone else was ready for a warm fire, so she relented.
“So,” said Tock, suddenly hesitant, not looking at anyone. “I, um… well.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a key. The key to the door of her and Maxwell’s ship. She twirled it through her fingers. “We, um… should probably check in on things. It… might be time to go.”
“Back on your adventures!” Erika said, smiling. “You still have a mission, after all, don’t you? New places to see, new people to help.”
Tock chuckled half-heartedly. “Yeah,” she said in a small voice. She took a deep breath, then let it out as she stood up. “Ready to check it out, Maxwell?”
Maxwell joined her. “Let’s see how she’s doing,” he said.
The others watched with great interest as Tock inserted the key into thin air, and the door materialized around it. Turning it once elicited a soft click of unlocking. Together, Tock and Maxwell turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.
It was the first glimpse any of the others had had of the ship that lay inside. No smoke billowed out from within, nor did any acrid smell herald damage and danger. Through the doorway was what appeared to be… well. Not at all what Roland expected of a ship that could traverse the Void, travel to worlds beyond his own, to places he could only dream of.
It looked rather like a sitting room, or a lounge. A study, perhaps. There was the warm glow of lamplight illuminating lacquered wooden walls. Bookshelves were full of varied tomes, and there were two desks, one of which was covered in an array of clockwork devices in various states of repair or assembly, and the other with ample writing utensils and notebooks, along with several pieces of half-finished leatherwork. In the center was a cozy seating arrangement of comfy armchairs and a sofa around a stone fire pit in the floor — which seemed a bit like a hazard, Roland thought, considering it was indoors. But then, this was clearly a ship of magic beyond his experience, so perhaps there was nothing to worry about.
“It smells all right,” Tock said, taking a few tentative sniffs.
“We won’t know just how far along its self-repairs are until we check the bridge and the engine room,” Maxwell said. He looked at Tock, concern clear in his eyes. “Shall we?”
“Oh, yeah, of course,” Tock said quickly. She took one step into the ship, and then turned back to the others. “Um… hey. You guys want to… see what she’s like? I promise we won’t abduct you or anything.” She gave another half-hearted chuckle.
“Do I want to see the inside of a ship that can traverse the Void?” Tsubasa asked, already halfway to the door. “Absolutely!”
“Let’s go, Enrique!” Erika said, but her brother needed no encouraging, already a step ahead of her.
Roland’s heartbeat sped up in his chest as he approached the door and entered the ship. Here was something no one he’d ever met would have ever seen or even imagined — and probably never would, either. Even a glimpse of how this was all possible, of what powered this phenomenon of engineering, would be more than his wildest dreams. Muirrach followed after him, and Maxwell politely ushered them through ahead of him, letting Tock lead the way.
“Well, this is the main area,” Tock said, gesturing around at the first room. “Maxwell calls it the study, but I like to call it the family room. Feels cozier that way.” She had a bit more pep as she showed each of their desks — Tock’s was the one covered in clockwork contraptions, while Maxwell’s had the notebooks and leatherwork — and talked up some of the books they had on hand, the titles of which were all completely new to Roland’s eyes and ears.
“Through there’s the bridge,” Tock said, gesturing to a doorway that Maxwell strode through. “But we’ll save that for last. I’ll take you guys downstairs.”
“You have stairs?” Erika asked, looking around.
Tock smirked. “Check it out,” she said. She reached up to the top shelf of one of the bookshelves, which she could just barely reach, and pushed in on the spine of one of the books in the middle, then one beside it, and another one three books down. They weren’t books at all, Roland realized — they were mechanical devices made to look like books, each with a different small panel on the spine that could be pressed like a button. When all three were pressed, part of the floor slid away and a wrought-iron railing emerged, revealing a metal spiral staircase descending into the unknown.
“Smells good downstairs, too, Maxwell!” Tock said. She smiled to the others. “Come on, let me show you the rest.”
Tsubasa, then Enrique, then Erika, were all hot on Tock’s heels, with Roland and Muirrach taking up the rear, giving those ahead of them a polite amount of space. The stairs led down into a long wooden corridor, with a large set of double-doors right across from the stairs that opened into a spacious dining hall with adjoining kitchen. “That’s no big deal, though,” Tock said, waving a hand at it before moving on, without even entering. She pointed left, then right, at two closed doors across from each other. On the left was a door with a lovely azure paintjob, and several clocks arranged on it underneath a large, clockwork T. On the right was a red door with Maxwell’s name on it in embossed brass letters. “Bedrooms,” Tock said, with a little more enthusiasm than the dining hall and kitchen, but didn’t open the doors. She headed on further, then opened the doors to the left and right, which each opened into spacious libraries, each with their own fireplaces (not fire pits in the center of the floor, which made Roland feel at ease) and plenty of comfy seating, as well as writing desks.
“Pretty amazing, huh?” Tock asked, beaming. “Two whole libraries — and the small personal collection upstairs — in one place! It doesn’t get much better than that, does it?”
“No,” Enrique said in hushed awe, treading reverently into the left-hand library.
“Yeah, but… couldn’t we see the engine?” Tsubasa asked, looking around. “Or the bridge? Or something about how this whole thing works? It just… doesn’t really feel like a ship.”
“Why not?” Tock asked, tilting her head, her hat teetering precariously. “A ship isn’t just a way to get places, right? If it’s gotta travel far, than it ought to feel like, well… a home. Don’t you think?”
“Huh,” Tsubasa said. “When you put it that way…” She smiled. “It’s a really nice home.”
“Isn’t it?” Tock asked, beaming. “All right. We can go check out the engine. If you’re all ready, of course.” She glanced into the library that Enrique had wandered into, where he’d already pulled four books into his arms, and was walking down the shelf, his eyes scanning the titles for an interesting fifth.
“Come on, you can’t take their books, and we can’t stay forever,” Erika said, giving Enrique’s arm a gentle tug. With a bit of coaxing, Enrique did give up the books, making sure to return them to their proper places. Then, together, they all headed down the hall to a door that very much looked like it belonged on a ship. It was a thick, metal door with a wheel handle in the center for sealing it to be watertight. Tock turned the wheel with an effort, and Roland could hear the series of metallic locking mechanisms disengaging. Once Tock turned the wheel a full counterclockwise revolution, there was a soft hiss, and then Tock pulled the door open.
Inside was an industrial labyrinth that made Roland and Tsubasa gasp in delight. Metal catwalks crisscrossing each other, various electronic monitoring and control consoles, a webwork of tubing and wiring and piping… and it all surrounded a beauty of an engine, a contraption of massive metallic cylinders, turning gears, spinning flywheels, firing pistons, and hissing exhaust vents.
“Ooh, she’s humming along nicely!” Tock said. She crossed the main catwalk halfway, stopping at the largest of the consoles. She flipped several switches and checked the display — with Roland and Tsubasa peering over her shoulders. Roland couldn’t make heads or tails of the images that came up on the display. There were a few bar graphs, and radial graphs, but he didn’t understand what each part of them was measuring or indicating. Then there were various symbols, rather like ancient runes, along with a diagram that looked like the engine itself, with different runes indicating different parts of it.
“How’s she look?” Tsubasa asked.
“Really good,” Tock said. “Excellent, actually. It seems the damage was more emotional than physical. The core’s axial tilt is two degrees off, but that’s easily fixed. Come on, I’ll show you.” She pulled up a conical device like the speaker of a telephone, and spoke into it. “Maxwell, I’m spinning down the engine so I can adjust the core’s tilt. Shouldn’t take more than a minute. How are things upstairs?”
Maxwell’s voice came through the speaker, grainy but perfectly audible. “The main console’s screen was cracked, so I’m replacing it. The primary control pipe burst, too, but it’s actually reparable. No replacements needed, there. I think all the smoke came from the motherboard double-overclocking.”
“Oof,” Tock said, grimacing. “We’d better apologize to her. Profusely. I was so sure we just needed an extra boost to escape the Fugue, though!”
“I agreed with you,” Maxwell said, and Roland could hear the smile in his voice. “Not to worry. I think she’ll forgive us. I’ll need to replace the primary circuit, but the others can just be cleaned off. I’ll have to shut her down for a few minutes, though.”
“A few minutes?” Tock asked, eyes wide. “Maxwell, you’ve become a real expert!”
Maxwell’s soft, humble chuckle came through the speaker. “Well, we’ve had to do enough emergency repairs at this point, I’d hope I could handle this much by now.”
“True enough,” Tock said, laughing. “All right, I’m spinning her down. We’ll come upstairs when I’m done here.”
“Roger that,” said Maxwell.
Tock replaced the speaker, then pulled a large lever on the console. The hum of the engine spun up dramatically for a brief moment, then, with a soft whine, slowed down until things went nearly silent. “Come on, let me show you her core,” Tock said, eyes sparkling as she headed up to the engine.
There was a door on the opposite side of the engine that opened into a compartment that Roland could swear was bigger than the engine could possibly contain. It was like Wonderian pocket-space magic — allowing an object to hold more inside than the physical exterior should make possible — but on a grander scale than Roland had ever seen. They were all able to climb into the engine and gather around a gleaming, spherical azure crystal the size of one of the twins, a crystal that struck them all with a shared sense of awe and wonder. It floated in space, unattached to anything, its light bathing the chamber in beautiful blue tones.
“This is the heart of our ship,” Tock said proudly. “She’s what makes it all possible. And she’s slightly off-tilt. So I’m just going to give her a little nudge back into alignment.” She approached the crystal, but stopped a few feet from it. She dropped to one knee and bowed her head. Murmuring something under her breath, she waited.
And Roland and the others gasped softly. Because they all heard a voice, a voice that was not a voice, that was more than a voice. It was soft, but beautiful, and powerful, and made them all gaze at the crystal in wonder.
This was no simple ship, no vessel wrought with human hands, or imagined up by human engineers. This crystal was the heart of a living thing, a vessel born, not made, and it spoke to them in a language that they could only understand in part.
A language of the heart.
Tock rose and approached the crystal. With a careful, reverent touch, she held the crystal on each side and gently tilted it the slightest amount. Then she stepped away, knelt and bowed again, and turned away, leading the group out from the engine’s core compartment in silence.
Back at the console, Tock pulled the large lever. The engine spun back up, its hum more confident than before. Tock beamed, her eyes glittering with light — light of their own, Roland realized. Like there was magic living inside of this girl. Tock flipped a few switches, turned a pair of dials, and then turned back to the group with a warm, joyous smile. “You’re the first ones other than Maxwell and I who have heard her voice,” she said in a voice full of emotion. She took a breath, then nodded, her hat teetering back and forth, but not falling. “Right. Let’s go check on Maxwell, shall we?”
They left the engine room, and Tock closed and sealed the vault door tight, then they went back upstairs and, to Roland’s delight, set foot on the bridge at last.
It was… not at all what Roland expected from the bridge of a ship. There was a nice, big wheel like those used on large sailing vessels. But it was attached to a long mechanical console, with numerous display screens, and switches, and dials, and levers. There was a large window across the entire wall in front of them, but it showed… nothing. And otherwise, the bridge was kind of cramped, actually, like a narrow, dead-ended hallway retrofitted into a bridge. A bridge perfectly suited for two, Roland realized, but… well. It definitely wasn’t suited for their whole party, that was for sure.
“Nice work on the main display, Maxwell!” Tock said, gazing at his handiwork. She then opened up a panel underneath and looked inside. “Ooh, the pipe looks brand new! Better than new! Are you sure you didn’t just replace it?”
“No, it was reparable, like I said,” Maxwell said, fidgeting with his bow tie.
Tock rose, beaming at him. “You’re a wonder, Maxwell,” she said. And then she turned to Roland and company, and opened her mouth to speak…
And nothing came out. She stood there, poised to speak, for a long moment. Slowly, she closed her mouth. Her smile faded.
“I… guess this is…” she started in a small voice, then trailed off, bowing her head. “Goodbye. Already.” She added in a tiny voice, “It never gets easier, does it?”
“But you have a mission, right?” Tsubasa asked. “You’ve got places to be. Haverston Hall. That’s what it says on your sign, right? Never heard of it, but I guess that’s no wonder, huh?”
“Yeah,” Tock said glumly.
“I’m glad we got to meet you,” Erika said, walking up to Tock and holding out her hand. “Truly. And this isn’t goodbye. Not really. After all, your ship can go anywhere. So you can come back and visit us someday, can’t you?”
Tock stared at the outstretched hand, then at Erika’s face. Eyes that looked like they’d been on the verge of tears softened. Her smile didn’t return, but her frown faded. “That’s right,” she said softly. “Yeah. We… can.” She took Erika’s hand, and shook it once. “I’m glad I got to meet you, too, Erika. But…” She sniffled, then wiped at her eyes. “Oh, we can’t say our goodbyes in here, it’s all cramped! Let’s go back outside!”
They filed out of the bridge, and then left the ship entirely. But then Tock and Maxwell doubled back inside, and returned a moment later, each of them clearly hiding something behind their backs.
“A parting calls for gifts,” Tock said matter-of-factly. “So. I want you two,” she nodded to Roland and Tsubasa, “to be the keepers of this.”
She held out a fist-sized sphere on a silver chain. The sphere’s exterior was glass, with a panel that could open to what they could see inside — three clock faces layered over each other, with tiny, intricate clockwork connecting them. “I have what’s called Temporal Magic,” Tock said. “It’s kind of an extra sense, you might say — a sense for Time. I could tell when those mirrors in Aîrchal were peering into the past, but there’s more than that. This whole world… something’s gone askew. Time… it’s odd, here. And that’s saying something, considering where I come from.” She chuckled. “The point is… if ever you find yourself lost in time, where time doesn’t make sense, whether its backwards or upside-down or inside-out or all of that at once… wind this watch three times.” She pointed out the little knob on top. “It’ll ground you in real Time.”
“Thank you,” Roland said, taking the watch and gazing at it reverently. And musing over Tock’s words…
Something’s askew with time itself…
Why does that sound familiar?
“And for you, Erika, Enrique,” Maxwell said, holding out a pair of books to the twins. “We talked a lot about books and stories last night at camp, and I thought you might enjoy these.”
“A Layman’s Introduction to Time and Space,” Enrique said, gazing reverently at the book Maxwell gave him. “So your ship, it really does —”
“Yes,” Maxwell said, with a gentle smile. “Despite the title, you’ll find that’s quite the comprehensive tome you’re holding. I think you’ll enjoy it.”
“Thank you,” Enrique said, smiling.
“Grimm’s Fairy Tales,” Erika said, gazing at the book she was given. “These are… stories from your world?” She looked up at Maxwell, eyes wide with amazement.
“In a manner of speaking,” Maxwell said. “You have a wonderful imagination. I thought you might enjoy a collection of imaginative stories you won’t be able to find anywhere on your own world.”
“Thank you!” Erika said, beaming.
“I got you something, too, Muirrach,” Tock said.
“I really don’t need anything,” Muirrach said, waving his hand. “Please, let your gifts go to the others.”
“But this is specifically for you,” Tock said firmly. “And I won’t take no for an answer.” She held out a small pocket watch with a white cover on a silver chain. “I used to have a watch just like this. I gave it to someone important to me, so he’d remember me. And he did. But inside that watch…” She looked up at Muirrach, earnest hope and melancholy intermingled in her eyes. “We’ve both lost someone dear to us. I almost forgot about the one I lost. In my watch, I had a picture of her. And one day… I remembered her. Even though that should have never been possible, I did. I think that picture helped me. And I thought… well, maybe it won’t help you at all. But maybe it will.” She grasped Muirrach’s large hand and pressed the watch into his palm. “If you have a picture of him, think about putting it in here. For those we love but see no longer… remembering them is so important. No matter how painful it is.”
Muirrach stared at Tock, unreadable emotions storming in his big, bulbous eyes. Slowly, he nodded. “I accept,” he said softly.
“Good,” Tock said, smirking. She stepped back, and nodded to all of them. “Well, um… I guess…”
“This is goodbye,” Roland said. “But not forever. Just like Erika said.” He smiled.
“Right!” Tock said, with a hat-teetering nod. “We’ll see each other again. It may be a long, long time from now, but… well. It’s kind of hard to get into your world. You should see if you can find a way to fix that.”
Roland laughed, and held out his hand. “We will,” he said. He thought back to Aîrchal, to the broken crystals — the broken heart of the world — and the hope that had been born within him in that experience.
One by one, Tock and Maxwell shook each of their hands. And then Tock went down the line a second time for good measure, tears shining in her eyes.
Waving, she stood in the door to her ship for a long time. Then a hum started up, and Maxwell called from the bridge. Roland and the others looked one last time upon Tock’s beaming smile in the midst of tears…
And then she shut the door. The hum grew louder, and then, in a flash of light, the door was gone.
“Off to another world,” Tsubasa murmured. She wandered over to the balcony doors, opened them, and stepped out onto the balcony. The others followed, standing out in the frigid night air, gazing up at the sky. As if they could watch Tock and Maxwell leave, vanishing beyond the stars, beyond the bounds of their world, on a whole new adventure.