by Frank Morin
“We were attacked tonight,” Connor said.
“You mean, I was attacked tonight,” Shona corrected. She gave a brief account of the short but vicious fight with the disgusting summoned creature trying to boil her from the inside out.
Rory grimaced and said, “We haven’t seen anything like that here. The other summoned creatures she sent seemed intent on distracting and harrying us. I’ve been worried she would begin the real assault soon.”
“So had we,” Connor said.
Hamish looked up from the control station and said, “We found Evander. We’re linking him in now.”
Another screen on the opposite wall came to life. Evander looked like he was standing in one of their other command centers. Connor wished he had been there to see the surprise on the technicians’ faces when Evander rose silently up through the floor or stepped through one of the viewscreen walls. He couldn’t imagine the big man doing something as mundane as using the door.
Jean asked, “Have you found anything?”
Evander shook his great head. “Ripples fade quickly in deep waters, but fishermen still ply the depths with experience and skill.”
Hearing those confusing sentences always comforted Connor in times of crisis. He really had no idea what Evander was saying. He often pondered the many different possible meanings at night before falling asleep. He was convinced it helped elevate his own Sentry speak.
“It’ll be good to have you back,” Rory said to Ivor and Shona. “The queen has been stomping out every hint of insurrection among our allies. None of them can make any moves until we win another victory.”
Ivor said, “That’s why the queen has to be preparing an overwhelming attack against Merkland. Our source in Donleavy suggested that she is adding Petralists to her army daily. Somehow she can share new gifts with those who only have a primary or secondary, like she did with Shona. And she’s even helping non-gifted to find primary affinities.”
Shona said, “We really need to figure out how she’s doing that, or even how Harley temporarily gifted quartzite to me that time.”
That was an understatement. They had tried unsuccessfully many times to replicate that amazing feat. They needed a breakthrough, or the queen could simply attack with so many Petralists they’d swarm over the fledgling revolution and the rest of the continent, no matter how clever their defenses.
Evander said, “My research has borne new fruits in that area.”
That got everyone’s attention. Evander speaking plain Obrioner always did. He must be referring to that vault that he had carried all the way from the Carraig. He guarded it jealously, but it housed all of the hints of deeper secrets that he had pilfered from the destruction of the ancient capital city of Stornoway. It hopefully included nuggets that might help them determine the queen’s weakness or learn more about her exotic powers.
Jean especially looked excited to hear about new discoveries in the vault. She was one of the few people Evander trusted to help him in the huge effort of combing through his notes to collate the information and look for clues that he might have missed.
Evander added, “New insights suggest additional tests to perform.”
Shona said, “I’d be happy to help. If I had access to a tertiary power, that summoned monster might not have destroyed my hair.”
Connor was glad she was thinking positive thoughts. She could have easily fallen into a fit of depression over the loss. It seemed suffering repeated forced baldness helped build resilience.
He was eager for new ideas about how to loan affinities. The possibilities were mind boggling. Think what they could do if they could swell their Petralist numbers, even temporarily.
Rory said, “That would indeed be excellent news, but don’t delay too long. We need all the reinforcements we can get. Last reports we received from Donleavy suggest the queen has been creating a lot more summoned creatures than we’ve seen. If she unleashes a swarm of them against us, they could do serious harm. Ivor, we need you to hold the river. Anton is peerless with earth. Together you’re our first line of defense.”
Ivor started to respond, but surprisingly Evander spoke up again. “Pearls appear in oysters lingering long under the seas, but sunlight reveals truths smothered by the blanket of night.”
Connor loved that one. Excellent Sentry speak included poetic images that helped share vague truths through contradictory comparison. Evander was an artist in that medium.
Most of the rest of the group frowned at the cryptic words, but Jean nodded eagerly. Somehow she always managed to interpret Evander’s meaning better than anyone. “You didn’t tell me you discovered more secrets about Merkland. We just unearthed that file the other day. I haven’t yet had a chance to read through it.”
Evander shrugged, but looked a little embarrassed that he had skipped ahead in the research. It was a wonder Jean found any time to spend in that vault.
Evander spoke slowly, as if using too many Obrioner words together was painful. “Indeed, I discovered a hint about Merkland’s Builder defenses.”
Both Verena and Hamish perked up. She asked, “Builder defenses? You mean more than the famous wall?”
He nodded. “My mother settled Merkland as her summer home. It was she who designed the great wall and laid the foundations for the city that the house of Dougal eventually inherited.”
Connor shared a startled look with Verena. He knew the famous Kirstin had been the first-ever Builder. They still held on to the slim hope that something she had done was the cause of the ancient king’s madness, the day his wife had to put him down. According to the stories Kilian shared with them, Kirstin might have inadvertently done something to drive him mad and push him to take elfonnel form.
No one knew the specifics, though. Queen Dreokt had wreaked terrible vengeance and launched the Great Purge. She had murdered all the Builders, including her own daughter, and destroyed most of their inventions and research. No wonder Merkland seemed to enjoy more of the ancient Builder inventions. Kirstin had lived there.
Shona looked just as startled. “I never knew.”
Connor asked, “Are you surprised? With the decree of death to all Builders, I’m sure your ancestors did everything in their power to distance themselves from her memory.”
Evander opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated, his brows creasing. Connor bet he was swallowing the Sentry speak he’d planned to say. “I found a single reference to an additional defense. There is a secret buried in Merkland that may prove a mighty weapon in defending against the attack you fear.”
Rory looked thrilled. “Where is it, man? What is it? How do we find it?”
Evander shrugged. “The eager woodpecker bangs his head against many trees in search of a hole, but the dews distill upon the grasses only in the moments before dawn.”
Rory looked frustrated. Shona sighed and rolled her eyes.
Jean did not look concerned. “We’ll have to make a visit to Merkland soon and see if we can figure out how to unlock it. Verena, Hamish, one of you might have to join us. It might require a Builder.”
She was probably right, but Connor would encourage Hamish to make the trip. Better to keep Verena separated from Shona as much as possible. He doubted they’d easily find time for a trip, but if they could discover another powerful Builder relic it might give them another advantage. They desperately needed more of those.
Shona grumbled, “I hate the fact that our entire effort is spent on defense. The queen has every advantage. That’s not the way to win this war.”
Another good point, but Connor was not sure what she wanted. Attacking Donleavy would only get a lot of good people killed. They were not ready. Shona’s comment sparked a discussion anyway. Everyone liked her point, but no one had any idea how to do it.
Then Hamish snapped his fingers and laughed. “Oh, I’ve got just the thing.”
17
Sculpted Scones!
Verena wasn’t sure whether to feel eager or nervous about Hamish’s b
ig idea. He was grinning in that way he did when he had eaten himself to the point of self-destruction. That was often when he made truly inspired breakthroughs, but they were talking about attacking the dread queen. She would not allow him to risk precious lives on a half-cooked idea.
“Sculpted scones!” Hamish chortled, looking around as if expecting everyone to understand.
No one did. Verena said, “You can’t use that dumb codeword right now. We’re not in contact with anyone at the moment.”
“No, not that sculpted scone. I’m talking about making real sculpted scones, like we discussed before the Battle of Merkland.”
Connor grinned, but Verena rolled her eyes. “There was a reason we didn’t try that silly idea.”
Hamish looked crestfallen, but the door opened, interrupting his response. Kilian swept into the room, followed by Aifric. She had changed out of her gown and now wore close-fitting leathers. She carried no sword, but wore a pair of long knives on her belt, along with at least a dozen throwing knives of different shapes and sizes strapped everywhere. Her thick, brown hair was braided, and she looked every inch a Mhortair assassin.
“Did you find any other dangers?” Verena asked, her tension returning in a flood at Kilian’s grim expression. She’d felt wound up ever since those two had dropped the terrible news of Connor’s and Ivor’s mind bombs on her.
Kilian pulled off a pair of leather gloves and slapped them down onto the table. “Nothing more from my mother.”
Aifric added, “I didn’t find any evidence of a coordinated, broader attack either.”
Verena hoped she hadn’t killed or tortured those spies she’d been keeping an eye on. They needed at least one of them alive for the final piece of their plan to fool the queen into thinking her mind bomb plot had worked. She wanted to ask about them, but wasn’t sure if anyone else knew Aifric had left three spies alive. Mentioning it might lead to dangerous questions.
Hamish rubbed his hands together eagerly and said, “I’m glad you’re here. We were just talking about my plan to strike back.”
“You have a plan?” Kilian asked with a smile. “This I have to hear.”
He gestured Aifric to a seat, then sat beside her and leaned back, one leg draped over a nearby desk.
Hamish grinned. “It’s perfect. We hit the queen right where it hurts!”
“In her bakery?” Jean asked with a smirk.
“Haven’t you ever wanted to punch her in the gut?” Hamish demanded.
Of course they all nodded. Who hadn’t dreamed of beating on the terrifying monarch? While she was bound and gagged and bereft of affinity stones, of course.
“Before the Battle of Merkland, I suggested Connor use pastries instead of clay to summon a bunch of little creatures that we could send against Harley’s army.”
It had been typical Hamish foolery, and Verena had completely forgotten about it.
Connor said, “I think it’s possible to do summonings that way. After all the work we’ve done on autonomous summonings this winter, we could include some pretty advanced commands too. I just don’t see how it would accomplish anything.”
“She’s afraid of Builders. Let’s give her a reason to be terrified,” Hamish countered.
That was a good point. Verena couldn’t believe it, but she was actually warming to the idea.
“To what end?” Kilian asked. “Pastries can’t do much damage.”
Hamish’s eyes were sparkling with enthusiasm. He began pacing as he laid out his idea. “They can show the world that she’s not all powerful. We make a few dozen sculpted scones and send them into the kitchens to infiltrate one of her feasts. Everyone eats one. Maybe even the queen eats one. And we set them to wait until they’re in everyone’s gullets before they unleash fire, or whatever we fill them with.”
Connor grinned. “Actually, the queen demonstrated a higher form of summoning with that creature that attacked Shona.”
“Don’t remind me,” Shona muttered, touching her hat and Verena savored the sweet memory of seeing her hair freshly burned off again.
“It attacked you with fire, but when I killed it, I released a second element.”
“That awesome threat voice,” Hamish agreed with a grin. “What if we filled our sculpted scones with similar things?”
“She’ll just laugh if we threaten her,” Jean pointed out.
“So we hit her in her pride,” Hamish replied.
Connor was grinning in total agreement. “Right. Everyone is so afraid of her, what if the death scream from our scones were just insults?”
Ivor rubbed his hands together and laughed. “I want in. We might not do much real damage, but we can unnerve her and shake her authority a little. It’s worth a try.”
“And of course we need to include some quickened stones so she knows it’s Builders hitting her, not just Connor and Kilian,” Hamish added.
Aifric glanced at Kilian, her expression guarded. “It’s not a bad idea, Hamish, but we have to be careful with timing. Declaring war on the queen from the Builders will enrage her.”
“Maybe make her do something stupid,” Connor suggested, sharing a grin with Hamish.
Verena agreed. They faced imminent war with the queen anyway. Why not hit her with an annoyance blow like she’d been sending against them? But she recognized Aifric’s concern. The rest of the group didn’t understand that they needed to trigger the mind bombs very soon. If they succeeded, they planned to use the queen’s own spies to send word back to her that the Builders were dead.
If she then suffered a Builder-sponsored attack when she thought them dead, the entire game would be up.
Evander chuckled, the deep sound like the moving of rocks in the surf. “Hot air rises from every flame, but fear can chill the bravest heart.”
“Yeah, let’s make her fear us,” Hamish agreed. Verena wasn’t sure that’s what he meant, but the enigmatic Sentry did not correct him.
Kilian finally spoke. “All right, Hamish. Let’s turn this sweetbread-induced idea into a concrete plan. If we can make it work and get the timing down right, I’d love to shove a burning pastry down my mother’s throat.”
While the group chatted excitedly about the idea, Aifric moved to Verena’s side and whispered in Student Eighteen’s voice, “We can’t wait any longer. I interrogated two of the queen’s spies. They knew nothing of tonight’s attack, nor anything about any impending assault. They only knew to watch for something important happening soon. After Connor’s incident tonight at the feast, we’ve decided to move forward with the plan tomorrow.”
It was time. The thought filled Verena with dread. They were going to risk Connor’s life. If they failed, he could very well kill them all. If they were forced to kill him and Ivor, they might be killing all hope for the revolution too. Verena doubted she could live with herself if she was forced to help destroy Connor.
The plan would work. She forced aside her fears and asked, “So there’s only one spy left?”
She loved most of the women who shared Aifric’s head, but Student Eighteen still unnerved her. Verena would fight and would even kill in battle, if needed. She wasn’t sure she could do the things Student Eighteen was called upon to do, but neither could she condemn those actions. The revolution needed her assassin skills if they were to survive. It was an ugly truth, but she couldn’t ignore it.
“One is enough for our needs.”
“I’ll tell Hamish.”
The plan she’d discussed with Aifric and Kilian required most of their inner circle of friends to learn the truth the night before they initiated the plan. Hamish and Kilian would separate Ivor, while Verena would lead Connor outside of the city with Aifric and Evander. They would trigger his mind bomb and Aifric would help him defeat it. Then they would meet the others and Connor could help them trigger, then save Ivor. Ilse would manage the city defenses if anything went wrong.
Verena glanced at Shona, who was speaking with Ivor, and hesitated. Shona was the only one who di
d not have a specific role to play in the dangerous plot. Should she tell her?
“I will inform the others. It will work,” Student Eighteen assured her.
“I don’t think we need to tell Shona,” Verena decided. Connor had believed Shona’s unexpected apology, and part of Verena wanted to believe it too, even though that made it harder to despise Shona.
She frowned at the thought of not being able to hate Shona with the same whole-hearted intensity. Shona was incredibly complex, but the attack by the queen’s messenger reinforced the fact that Shona was taking a terrible risk breaking with the dread queen.
Usually Verena liked encouraging people to change and to grow. She was a strong believer in everyone’s ability to rise above past mistakes, and usually she loved championing the cause of anyone who made the enormous effort to change their life.
Except, this time it was Shona.
Maybe Shona was being sincere, maybe she really had learned vital truths and was struggling to make amends. If so, Verena would have to find a way to reconcile their past animosity. Could they ever be friends? She couldn’t see how, especially since they hadn’t even dueled once yet.
For the moment, she didn’t have to solve that conundrum. Even if Shona was sincere, Verena just couldn’t take the risk of sharing the truth about the mind bombs. Shona’s presence might confuse Connor at a critical moment.
Student Eighteen said nothing about the choice, but only watched Verena for a couple seconds, one eyebrow raised. Was she trying to read Verena’s emotional state? She’d get a basket-load of stress and fear, but hopefully read her determination to do whatever it took to save Connor.
Student Eighteen finally nodded and moved away, but as she passed she placed a hand on Verena’s shoulder and pushed a sense of optimism. Verena accepted the gift and embraced it. Chert was a strange and dangerous affinity, but hopefully it could help them save the man she loved.
