NOVEL WEB Extras #9 (pt.1)
"Then when you fire the casting media that sets it and hardens it," I explained as I held the small block of white material. "But at the same time the wax melts out. It leaves a space in the media where you can pour the metal in? But you lose the original wax sculpture. That's why it's called 'lost wax' casting."
Saoirse nodded, "That makes sense I guess. It still seems kind of sad though, you do all that work on that pretty blue sculpture only to destroy it."
I smiled, "Yeah, I agree. For me it's the most stressful part of the process. After spending hours, or even weeks working on something so intricate, once you put it in the casting media and fire it all that work is gone. It only exists as empty space, a little gap in the sand that you'll never actually see."
"That sounds kind of poetic mom," Elise commented. "But once you pour in the metal your sculpture's back. And it's like it transformed from wax into gold."
Saoirse grinned, "That makes it sound like magic. I wonder if you could just use magic then? Make it in wax then turn it into gold."
"There's probably some really good reasons why that won't work," I replied. "For one thing if mages could turn wax into gold, gold wouldn't be worth any more than wax."
"Huh," my little sister looked thoughtful as she contemplated that.
The three of us were in my new workshop. Mom let me set it up in the castle, but she made me put it with the other trade and craft shops on the far side of the courtyard, well away from the residential areas.
I just finished unpacking and setting up my furniture and tools and supplies and equipment. Obviously I wasn't going to find electricity here so my kiln and crucible weren't operating quite like the manufacturers intended anymore.
It wasn't that hard to modify some existing spells though, to let me create concentrated heat that was hot enough to do the job. The tricky bit was fine-tuning them to get the temperature right, and coming up with ways to measure time accurately enough to replace the built-in timers and thermostats.
Neither problem was insurmountable though. I found out how blacksmiths estimate heat by the colour of their metal or how fast spit evaporates off it, and cooks and bakers and witches have measured time for ages using songs and rhymes.
Now I had everything I needed to get back into my old hobby again, and I was kind of looking forward to it. I'd still do some part-time work for Áine as her diplomatic envoy, but as of three weeks ago Kelly and Keira and I left Earth and moved in here at my mother's castle. The three of us would still visit the human world from time to time, but Kelly closed up her practice and Keira resigned from her position at the museum.
Part of it was because we didn't like the increased scrutiny we were getting since the human government went public about our kind last year. Even though I wasn't the ambassador anymore, my work with the embassy meant I was revealed to the public as fae. That meant Kelly and Keira both got revealed as well.
And part of it was because Elise basically lived here full-time now, and I wanted to be closer to my daughter. After me and my wives were revealed as fae I got paranoid about Elise visiting Earth, and she was happier here anyways.
Finally, all three of us decided after spending most of our lives as residents of Earth we should try actually living on Otherworld for a while instead of just visiting.
I still owned the estate over there, but it was no longer my official residence. The embassy was still on my property too since it was a fairly safe secure location, and my mansion was a good place to house embassy staff. It was also convenient with the waypoint in the glade there.
Somehow the humans got it in their heads that was the only place on Earth fae could come and go from Otherworld, perhaps because that's the spot we used for official passage back and forth. And nobody was in any hurry to correct them on that. It was easier letting them think there was a single fixed transit point, that was already monitored and controlled.
"Where do you get this wax from?" Saoirse asked, bringing my thoughts back on topic. "I've never seen anything like it before."
I grimaced, "That might be a problem. I've brought a supply from Earth, and when I finally run out I could always pop back over there and get more I suppose. Jewellers don't use this technique here, so nobody's ever invented this kind of wax here. It's harder than candle wax, but stronger and less brittle than sealing wax. I've also thought about capturing it when it melts out during the firing process, then I could try and re-use it. The other issue is the casting media? It's not re-usable, and it's probably not available here either."
Elise asked, "So how do jewellers make stuff here?"
"I think they just work directly with the metals? They carve, shape, and form the metal directly into what they need. For really complex pieces they probably work on smaller parts, then weld it all together when it's done."
I added, "It's slower and more difficult, but the results can be better when it's done by someone really skilled. I learned that method too, but I like lost-wax because it's quicker and a little easier I think."
After another look around my workshop Saoirse finally asked, "Why do you bother doing it at all though? Mom's already got craftsmen and women who do all this stuff. And it's not like you're going to be selling the jewelry you make, right?"
She added, "Mom says it's not appropriate for nobility to learn crafts or trades. She says it's undignified."
I rolled my eyes, "It's called a 'hobby' Saoirse. Like how dad spends all his time looking at maps and atlases and reading books about geography? He's not a navigator or an explorer, and he's no cartographer either. He's never going to travel to distant lands. But he likes studying maps. I like making jewelry."
"And," I added, "Making my own pieces from scratch lets me weave enchantments and magic right into them while I make them. It lets me make jewelry that has stronger and more complicated enchantments than if I just got jewelry from someone else and enchanted it afterwards."
My little sister admitted, "Ok that's pretty cool."
"So what are you going to make next?" Elise asked.
Before I could answer, Maeve stalked into the small room. She was holding some folded parchment in one hand, and she had a stern look on her face.
"Laoise told me I'd find you in here. I hope you're not trying to drag either Saoirse or Elise into this nonsense? Having one daughter pretending to be a craftsman is bad enough."
I sighed, but tried not to get too upset. After being out on my own for over sixty years, moving in with my parents did have some drawbacks.
I kept my voice calm as I replied, "I'm just showing them around mom, they were curious. And if my hobby annoys you, you're welcome to not visit. If you wanted me, you could have sent Laoise to get me."
My seneschal returned to Otherworld along with my wives and I. Owen was finally ready to retire so my mom needed a replacement, and Laoise seemed perfect for the job. She'd be working as Owen's second for another year or two, then the old guy would finally call it quits and Laoise would have the title.
Padraig on the other hand chose to remain on Earth as captain of the guard on my estate. That also put him in charge of the ambassador's security detail, and Padraig took those responsibilities very seriously. Even though he'd be considered young for such a prestigious position here, during his years on Earth he'd learned a great deal about human weapons so he was actually really well suited for that kind of role. He understood both fae and human threats, and he could help protect Lord Seamus from both.
My mother was still looking uptight and both Elise and Saoirse could tell our matriarch wasn't in the best of spirits, so the two of them quietly slipped away and left me alone with her.
"A courier arrived this morning from the palace with a letter for me," Maeve announced.
She unfolded one of the two letters she was holding and read it out, "The royal court is pleased to announce the birth of Princess Tara, daughter of Queen Áine, heir to the throne of Otherworld. By royal decree all clanns, families, and noble houses shall this Samhain toast and celebrate the arrival of our new princess."
Mom added, "The rest of the letter goes on with the sort of courtier-speak you find so tedious. At the end, beneath the queen's royal seal is a brief note in what I assume is the Queen's own writing, asking me to pass on the enclosed letter to you."
She held up the second parchment, which was folded up smaller and still sealed with a blob of wax.
"Well that's good news isn't it?" I asked. "The queen has a daughter, the royal family has an heir, Otherworld has a princess, and in a couple days we'll all have a happy Samhain. I bet that's made all the courtiers super happy. Why's it got you grumpy instead?"
She replied, "I'm sure the royal court is happy Áine has an heir, but I'm equally sure they'd have been happier if she had a husband first."
I rolled my eyes, "Our queen's not into guys mother. I thought you understood that by now. That can't be the only thing that you're uptight about."
She sighed and handed over the smaller letter, "I'm uptight because of the timing, Tegan. Neither you or the queen have bothered to hide the fact that she fancies you. She even named you as her consort! And it was just over two years ago you learned that The Dagda's curse was lifted. You left Earth because you didn't like the scrutiny you were getting from the humans. If anyone has any reason to suspect you were involved with Tara's birth, do you know how much scrutiny you'll find yourself under here?"
I had my best poker-face on by now, but rather than try to reply to her I broke the seal on the parchment then opened it up.
The first thing I noticed was a single hair, attached to the top of the page by a tiny dot of wax. The hair was small and fine, and its colour was a vibrant violet purple, just like my own.
Below, written in Queen Áine's own impeccably neat script the letter read,
'Dearest Tegan,
'I am pleased to announce that ten days ago I gave birth to my lovely daughter Tara. She is, according to the royal midwife, a strong child and in perfect health, despite being rather smaller than expected. She has your eyes and your hair, and I am very eager for you to visit at your earliest convenience so you may meet her.
'As anticipated, the courtiers are ecstatic that there is at last an heir to the throne. Though I must warn you, rumours and speculation already abound, as Tara's hair colour is rather unique to the Brádaigh family.
'At any rate, I believe we shall enjoy at least five decades of peace and happiness throughout the palace and the realm, before Saoirse and Elise begin to drag their cousin Tara into their plots and shenanigans. Beyond that, I expect things will start to get interesting.
'All my love, Áine'
"Well," my mother asked. "What did our queen have to say to you?"
I felt my lips curling into a slight grin as I replied, "She says the courtiers are happy, and she expects many years of peace throughout the realm."
Mom kept her eyes on me. After a moment she asked, "What else? Why the smirk, Tegan?"
I admitted, "Áine also said things were going to get interesting."
