A magic circle drawn on the front deck instantly caught my eye. I had no idea what the effect of it might be, but an alchemist must have drawn it. Mages like Commander G preferred to disguise their true nature, hiding themselves in the human world, so it seemed unlikely a mage would leave a magic circle around to announce their presence.
Alchemists tended to hide from human eyes as well, but given the need to pass on their knowledge, they were more likely to demonstrate their skills. Based on the circle’s sheer level of artistic detail, a highly trained alchemist must have created it.
I flew from the mast to the top of the bridge. Ships this size had open air lookout posts. I planned on speaking to the sailor on duty there.
As I descended, I saw someone running up the gangway. It was a naval officer wearing the pure white summer uniform.
I was surprised—I hadn’t expected to see a woman on board a ship.
Her posture was impeccable, yet she didn’t appear stiff. She looked directly at me. Her features were even, so it was likely she’d be considered beautiful, but she was also fairly advanced in years. The braided hair under her military hat was clearly white and fraying. I couldn’t tell her exact age, but I doubted she would object to being called old.
“I apologize for the sudden intrusion. I believe this is the cruiser that protects the Isle of Man. I am here on behalf of Commander G from the Empire of Japan. They call me Kirishima. My business is urgent, so I would like to request an audience with the captain.”
Though I was a familiar, my tongue was ill-shaped for human speech. I had acquired a skill that allowed me to communicate telepathically with others. Simply by focusing on them, my intent was expressed without the need for words.
Clearly understanding me, she replied, “No need. I am captain of the Princess of Wales, Lt. Rose Diana Gandly. I knew you would be coming.”
Magic power radiated from her, wrapping around her head and limbs like silk thread and giving off the occasional burst of discharge. I could sense no spirits, ghosts, or demons in the vicinity, so, based on that, I concluded she was neither a witch nor a mage. Rose was an alchemist, and a very good one. I had to keep a cool head about me or I’d be swallowed up.
“I thought I had disguised my aura as a familiar, but to be detected by one of your skill is hardly embarrassing.”
“No, I didn’t detect your approach with magic. Commander G phoned me. He said a sergeant named Kirishima was on his way and that I should have some food ready. He was quite a rude, ill-mannered sort of mage.”
Damn him. What phrasing! Like I was a child. “Allow me to apologize for my master’s uncouth ways. That I am extremely hungry, however, is true. If you are willing to provide, I will happily partake.”
Lt. Gandly held up her arm like a falcon trainer. Feathers hid my feet, but my talons were much longer and sharper than they looked. If I wasn’t careful, I could hurt her badly. I landed as slowly as I could, doing my best to make it easy for her to catch me.
“No need to be so careful. I’m used to handling familiars. Like so,” she said and snapped her fingers. A sinister shadow appeared, compressed itself to a single black dot, and the space around it warped and expanded. What emerged was an apparition that resembled a blackish-brown rabbit.
A gremlin sat on Gandly’s other hand. No doubt about it, this was the same one we’d seen on the Messerschmitt. I prepared to chant a spell that would harden my beak into obsidian, but the gremlin seemed to bear me no ill will, making no move to attack.
Lt. Gandly whispered something to it in a Celtic language I didn’t understand. The gremlin nodded, unfurled its long, wing-like ears, and flew away toward the sunset.
“I ordered it to search for a different visitor. It would just get in the way of our talk.”
“I have some questions for that gremlin, too,” I said.
“I’ll answer those questions. I’m afraid it understands neither English nor Japanese.”
She took me to the captain’s cabin, where I was finally able to eat.
I said I was fine with a rat or a mouse, but Lt. Gandly gave me smoked herring. She called them “kippers”—apparently the Isle of Man was famous for them. I’d have preferred the fish raw, but preserved foods had their own appeal. I soon cleaned the plate, which met with her approval.
“You have the best appetite on the entire Princess of Wales,” she said.
“I am an omnivore who will eat basically anything. My kind will even eat each other if it ensures our survival.”
I knew how ominous this sounded, but if I didn’t flash a little steel I was unlikely to get anything worthwhile out of her. Commander G hadn’t given me any specific instructions; he’d left the negotiations to my discretion. If she gained the advantage over me, I was done for.
The lieutenant sipped her tea. “Humans are the lords of creation; owls the sages of the forest. We wouldn’t dream of mocking you. Not only do we eat each other, we engage in vicious wars against our own kind. Survival requires healthy appetites and lusts. My subordinates all eat like birds. No offense.”
“I eat more than most birds, to be certain. My lusts have not yet forsaken me either. Though they are no match for human men in either quantity or quality,” I said.
The lieutenant gave me a mischievous smirk and said, “There’s not a single man on this ship. The Princess of Wales does not allow men. All 318 souls on board are female.”
A ship crewed entirely by women? Astonishing. I could imagine why that would be necessary, but this was hardly the proper time to dwell on that, nor was the lieutenant the proper company.
“England has grown desperate enough to put women on battleships? You have my sympathies. However, I am here regarding your operations against the Germans. Perhaps your contributions to the war effort…”
The lieutenant sipped her tea, taking this in stride.
“Sergeant Kirishima,” she said. “If you stop beating around the bush, you may get more useful information out of me. First, how shall we address each other? I shall address you simply as ‘Sarge,’ so would you call me Rose?”
Her English was clipped enough that I could easily understand her, but there was clearly a trace of an accent. Cockney, I thought, much like the daruma-bearded mechanic I’d met in Southampton.
“I beg your pardon, but I value my life too much to call a ship captain and an elder by their first name.”
“What do ages matter to us? You’re over a hundred yourself,” she said.
If she knew that, then I had no choice but to accept her harrowing request.
“Very well. Rose, I am here to confirm that you’re the one sending gremlins into the war.”
“I have no intention of denying it. I’ve sent him out seventeen times today alone.”
“Why go so far? My master was quite irate. No war is worth bending the rules of the natural world.”
“England is too desperate to obey the rules of engagement. The fall of nations is nothing new, but we must avoid losing the alchemical knowledge and techniques we have built up over the years. For that, we must leave no stone unturned.”
“So the ends justify the means? Yet you fight to preserve your traditions rather than to save your country. I suppose an old alchemist has no more patriotism than mages and witches do,” I grumbled.
“We simply place a little more emphasis on imparting the knowledge we have gained. And the ends don’t justify all means. I’ve told the gremlin to only damage their planes, not kill them. That apparition hasn’t killed a single German pilot.”
“Killing the enemy isn’t the priority in any battlefield. Injuring or disabling is always preferable. If they survive, they must be treated, and that reduces the enemy’s ability to fight.”
“Correct. We just want them to run away. We want them to return to base and rant about the monster that attacked them. That was the only approach I could think of that would keep magic and alchemy from becoming the military’s plaything.”
“That sounds inherently contradictory.”
“How do you teach a stubborn child that fire is dangerous? Have them put out a match with their fingertips. It will burn them, but they’ll know better than to play with fire again.”
“So in this analogy, the Germans are the stubborn child, and you’re using the neighbors as your match?” I asked.
“What choice do I have? Berlin plans to put a neighbor far more powerful than a gremlin on the front lines. They’ve been working on it for years and have finally gotten to the point where they can transport it with their U-Boats.”
A possibility crossed my mind, and I felt all my feathers stand on end. A neighbor more powerful than a gremlin? What could that be?
“Rose, I understand your predicament. Yet I remain concerned. Your side has now used the neighbors first. Is that not just giving the Germans an excuse to use theirs?”
This old woman must have been very beautiful when she was young, but now her expression twisted into something rather unattractive.
“That’s my goal. The gremlins are nothing but bait. I’m going to draw them out, and once they’ve shown themselves, crush them completely. That’s why I put the Princess of Wales back to work,” she said.
This expression caught my attention. “This ship seems to be nearly as old as the two of us. And with only women on board, how much use will it be in a fight?”
“You think I have no plan? Give me a little more credit. This is the one ship in the Royal Navy officially classified as Special Alchemy Craft.”
She shook her head and continued. “There are plenty of skeptics on my side as well. The rest of the fleet calls this ship The Flying Dutchman.”