"I'm not learning their harmonics. I can't observe their harmonics without doing other sorcery near them to measure and map the effect they have on a known background. But, yes, it sounds like there are too many mortals for me to personally de-age. I don't know what your standards for isolation are."

"Preferably large enough that we can build things and grow food and far enough away from any fairies that we can see them coming and generally not risk anyone being vasallized on either side... Climate wouldn't matter necessarily, though under an ocean would be difficult."

"The oceans are less populated than the continents, but not overwhelmingly so. Unfortunately, I'm not sure you will be able to tell how populated an area is from the air, and you probably want to be several continents away from the Queen, which means well away from anyplace I could confidently map for you."

"We can have a sealed dome to stop anything food-like getting in. And ways to suddenly evacuate and destroy our things once we leave, if necessary. It'd save so many people to have ten thousand mortals who know how to sorcerously heal aging. There are always risks, the question is whether the risks are worth it."

"It sounds it - the dome would have to prevent a sorcerer from just stepping through, though. I can walk through walls."

"I can do some experiments, see what might interfere with sorcery. This isn't something I'm planning to do tomorrow, after all, I've got about 60 years before I have to find you again or learn to de-age myself. Would you mind trying to be undetectable while near my ship? You're new at this compared to the queen's sorcerors, yes, but any information is better than no information."

"I can go invisible, inaudible, and unsmellable, but not insubstantial, harmonically neutral, or weightless."

"My ship has a large number of ways to detect things. You'll learn about most of them if you read the entire library I gave you. It can detect weight, it can detect any heat you give off, it can detect the patterns of air left when you fly, it can detect subtle changes in the air you breathe out, it can detect you by the fact that there's not as much air in the space you're occupying than around you... And so on and so forth. I want to make a list of what stuff I have that can find a sorcerer when she's trying to hide."

Nick makes interested sounds. When she moves he turns to follow. "Hm. I don't have everything I wanted to try me. I can tell you're somewhere here-ish..." He waves at her general area, "But not quite exactly where you are. Would you mind following me to the ship? Just stay here if so." He goes back to the ship.

She follows.

And once they're within a few hundred feet of the ship Nick reports, "Now I can tell where you are. That's interesting. Thank you, by the by, and do you want some of these sensors for yourself?"

She reappears. "Sure."

He pulls something off his belt. "This is the one that could tell the general area where you were. It's hard to explain how it works, but it detects all nearby objects in a small sphere. You use it by holding it and wanting to, it gives you an entirely new sense. The power cell will last, oh, a year. But I'll give you a few of em and maybe you can duplicate it with sorcery. I've got a few more scanners for you, just not with me right now."

Promise take the object and tucks it into her sash.

And Nick goes back into the ship. A few more days pass uneventfully. The card-game-playing mortals invite her to join them for a few of the easier games that don't require talking.

"I can hear again now," she says. "But sure, I'll play."

"Not too much longer. A few more hours."

"I can deafen myself again if it's hard to watch out for that. I didn't get enough to be a problem."

"Oh, so that's why you were deaf. That's probably for the best... I just know someone's going to forget. Sorry."

"That's actually not why, but yeah." She shuts her eyes; there are two faint pops. There.

And she de-ages all the card-players and bids them goodbye.