Salvage ~ V1: Nuts and Bolts (Steampunk/ Gaslamp Romantasy ~ FxM, MxM)

Chapter 32: A Likely Theory

"I read over your documentation last night," Kazia said to Master Giao.

They had wheeled the portal out into a clear space of the laboratory and stood studying it.

"If I understand, the user doesn't have to be adept at casting portals –obviously, since I cannot- but these elements laced into this wiring around the frame will amplify and direct any ethereal energy in the user?"

"Yes," Master Giao confirmed.

"Could a layperson use this then?"

"It's possible. If the affinity were strong enough, it should only take a bit of ethereal energy to be amplified by the Artifact."

"So, although I was not actively directing any energy when it took me, it probably sparked off of my latent energy."

"A likely theory."

"Well," Kazia said, "when it happened, I had been examining Lord Meratha's Artifact, and had gotten some of the potion on my hand. His potion contains Blood of the Maker, so my theory is that the blood is the key, the blood... of the subject in question.

I don't suppose you would have a sample of your wife's blood. It's not the sort of thing one just has, usually"

"I do, of a kind," Master Giao said. "It is only a very little. Our people have a coming of age ceremony in which one is nicked with a silver dagger, the warrior's first blooding. The dagger is kept as a relic and I have hers in my possession.

I had thought to use it in the portal for Blood of One the Maker Loves, but I didn't think it would work. It is many decades old, and I didn't want to destroy it for nothing."

"I understand," Kazia said. "Well, I'll test my theory and we'll verify that it is the blood. If it works again, then we'll try all the ingredients of the potion isolated to rule them out. I do think the blood is most likely though."

"So you're just going to go through and," Master Giao made a dropping motion with both hands, "plop down in front of him?"

"Mistress Amelys is conspiring with us. She is occupying him in the bailey so I that don't appear in his private rooms again."

"I must say, Lady Kazia, that you are surprisingly nonplussed about this. Not many would be."

"Lord Meratha is simply a given in my experiment, Master Giao," Kazia replied coolly. "If the portal takes me to him, I will use that to discover how it will take you to your wife."

"Mmm."

"Let's give it a try."

Kazia removed the cartridge from the watch part of the transmitter and smeared a bit of the potion on a fingertip. She went to the portal and hovered her hand near it.

"And..." she grasped the frame.

Nothing happened.

She looked at Master Giao.

"Perhaps it is broken again?" he asked.

Kazia grasped the frame with both hands.

She did not tell Master Giao what she was doing as she mentally felt down into the portal's works.

She hadn't examined it closely before it took her to Kelvaran's room, but compared to the schematics in the documentation, all seemed as it should be now. Nothing seemed damaged or amiss.

"We've moved it," she said. "Let's take it back where it was."

They wheeled the portal back into the corner and replaced it next to the transmitter.