10

I was in my lab staring at a hovering ball of molten gold. Maggie was watching too, pretending to work on her homework, but what I was doing was so cool I didn't say anything. Since I didn't want to check out the red temple, even though it turned out that they probably hadn't made the green substance, wildfire, my investigation into Tregar's death had stalled. I didn't really mind because I'd had somewhat of an epiphany regarding enchanting. I had previously been trying to give arbitrary items arbitrary abilities, which in retrospect, sparing a glance at the beat up cutlass, had been foolish. Instead now I was trying to imbue a permenant link between two items, using the expertise that my most used branch of magic had given me. The gold floating in front of me was my sixth try but I had had some encouraging success with the previous two. The item, or items, were simple conceptually speaking. One was a small block of iron that I had engraved runes into and filled with gold. The second, the gold that was even now drifting worrisomely close to my eyebrows was the to be the arrow of a compass. I hadn't let the gold solidify since I had pressed half into the runes and was now focussing on forcing the gold into the proper shape while holding the connection between the gold blobs in my mind. I would never have been able to do this before coming here, it was exceptionally delicate work, but the two years of enchanting failures had given me lots of practice. Even with that I was cheating. My water gauntlet project had been cannibalized to create a focus that would hold the liquid gold in the air, and I was using Soulfire to help apply my will. I had no idea how Klaus the Toymaker or Luccio had managed without the literal fires of creation aiding them but the shining white energy smoothly sank into the gold and shaped it into the thin arrow.

I breathed out in relief, the first time I'd tried the gold had splattered, luckily away from me. Cooling the gold was tricky, metals contracted as they cooled and my first rushed attempt had warped and broken when I went too quickly. It was only after talking to Koren about it that I had a better idea of what to do. This time was it though, I could almost feel the crystalline structures in the metal forming as I still forced my belief into the gold that the arrow and the runes were still the same piece of gold. Hardly daring to relax I let the arrow sink back to the surface of my workbench. It was still very hot, leaving scorch marks on the wood, but I picked it up with my gloved left hand. I let it rest flat in my palm and then moved my hand around the iron block. With no effort of will the arrow smoothly tracked, the sharp end constantly pointing at the rune covered cube. I had done it.

Maggie had hopped up to come look at the arrow with a distinctly unimpressed look. "So what, it can only point to the square and that's easy."

"Well my young apprentice, it may be easy for you and I, but this arrow will always point to the block, no matter who holds it." She still didn't look convinced, she had enough skill now to sense the magic I had used and she probably had expected something much grander as a result.

She stared at it a little longer, I dumped the now cool arrow in her hand and watched her toy with it before she looked up. "Jack Sparrow's compass was cooler" she pronounced handing it back, and walking to her desk. It was a blow, my own flesh and blood betrayed me.

"Wait, when did you even see that movie?"

The others at the Voyagers' Club were much more impressed. "It will truly give us the bearing of the block from anywhere?" A swarthy bearded man was holding the compass incredulously as he watched the arrow swing, unerringly pointing at the cube.

"As far as I know. Unless in the far corners of the world some other magic can block it." I had presented the compass and then passed it around the room for the members to play with. Unlike the press, which three more had ordered, everyone saw the utility. "I'm willing to sell them for time and cost, as long as you pledge that I have the right to read any books on magic, or examine any items you find and bring back." The captain and the onlookers nodded barely paying attention.

Another man in the back spoke up "With two of these and a chart you would never be lost, they are worth far more than your price."

"Well only you guys get the special offer, and once others see these I'll have more orders than I can fill." As it turned out almost everyone there wanted one, most two. Geometry was an old science here, even if it was only what the Greeks had managed using a straightedge and compass. They could see that having the two blocks in different places would let the user place themselves at the intersection of the two lines. I wasn't quite good enough at math to see intuitively how it would work, projecting lines from a spherical planet onto a map but I could overhear a group talking about trigonometry and the apparent distortions that would result from going further north. Answering a few more questions about when they'd be ready I made my way over to Johannes.

"You certainly make these meetings interesting Harry, your device was as well received as I expected." The fat man and I were friends by now, and I had invited him over to see the compass before tonight. "Have you thought further on how you're going to sell them?" It was a decent question. I'd intentionally kept a low profile in the city, certain groups knew of me, but now I'd be selling something revolutionary. I didn't want people to know where I kept my stock, or who I was, the compasses would be valuable enough that they'd attract thieves who might not be deterred by the guards on my island.

"I was half thinking about enlisting the Iron Bank." Johannes perked up at that. He managed several accounts I knew, but bringing this business in could push him up closer to the Keyholders. "I want to keep my name out of the spotlight, so if you're alright with it I'll announce to everyone here that if their friends want their own compasses to contact the bank."

"I'm not certain that would work, the Bank does not openly involve itself in commercial ventures." Seeing the look on my face he continued "However we can certainly help set up a location that will not be linked to you, you've mentioned before your desire to use your presses to publish books, perhaps you could use the same building for both. The Bank would be immensely happy to help finance something along those lines."

It wasn't quite what I wanted, a way to just shove all of the complicated parts onto someone else and just have fun with the magic but I did need to think more long term. I had another two centuries easily left in me and at some point I should start to plan for the future. In Chicago, before Maggie, I had slipped into a year to year pattern. In this world, with my only family sharing my same timeframe, I should use my lifespan as the gift it was. I didn't want to spend my whole life in medieval times and as Ebeneezer, my grandfather had said, nothing worthwhile ever comes without hard work. I was comfortable with my life but I knew I could do more. "Ok" I said "let's do it."

It wasn't quite that easy of course. The next day I met with Johannes and another banker to discuss the loans for the startup, both for the presses and the building. It went smoothly enough and the amounts were such that I felt I could pay them off eventually even if the business somehow went under. With the paperwork out of the way we went to look at possible locations. I followed Johannes's lead there and we eventually decided on the building of a bankrupt insurance agency, several ships they had covered had never returned, enough to drive them out of business. It was a solid two story building and had space upstairs for multiple presses. The compasses were to be stored in a bank vault before being sold to discourage thieves but there was plenty of room to display them, books or anything else I created. Johannes assured me he knew of several reliable and clever men who would be excited to work doing something new and I decided to trust him. We left my new office and wandered over to Koren's smithy to spend more money on presses than I'd spent on my house, my car, and my magic combined and parted ways with Johannes still jubilant.

I walked home from there, thinking about my next step. I felt that short of taking risks in the Red Temple or traveling to Asshai myself I had done almost all I could to learn about the magic here. Several members of the Voyagers had invited me to read their libraries in exchange for a compass, though all admitted that they weren't as large or as focussed as Tregar's. The response had made me think that selling the compasses was the right move even if I hoped that the publishing house I'd started would eventually do far more in the world. As I went up to eat dinner with Maggie I felt that for the first time here I had a smooth path leading forward.