by Frank Morin
They burst into the guard room, surprising the guards who called out, asking for the cause of the alarm. Neither of them paused to answer, but raced for the narrow stairway up to the top. Only one of them could ascend at a time.
Verena sprinted, managing to pull slightly ahead, and started to grin. She would beat Shona after all.
Shona grabbed Verena’s leather satchel that was bouncing against her back and yanked with granite strength, pulling Verena backward. The move surprised her and she stumbled. Shona rushed past and called, “Be careful. The stones can be slippery.”
“You cheater,” Verena mumbled, fuming and chasing Shona, but now she was stuck behind on the narrow steps. Shona was going to win.
So as Verena raced up the steps after Shona, she plunged a hand into her satchel and extracted a piece of quartzite. Clutching it to her chest, she threw wide the release rate. Air blasted out of it and catapulted Verena forward. She hoped to soar right over Shona’s shoulder and reach the doorway to the open roof level first.
She missed.
And plowed into Shona’s back. Shona had released granite, and the impact blasted the air out of her lungs in a surprised, “Oof!”
Shona fell and Verena tumbled down on top of her. She tried to use the quartzite to pull herself off and away, but Shona grabbed her hands and together they whisked up the stairs and through the door, air blasting both of them in the face.
Verena cut the flow of air before the stone pulled them right over the outer edge of the wall, and the two of them dropped to the stone floor in a tangled heap.
Shona pushed Verena off, and they both scrambled to their feet at the same time. Verena was fuming, and Shona looked equally upset. Maybe this would offer the excuse they both had been seeking to finally issue a formal duel.
“You should have seen yourselves!” Connor chortled. He clapped Verena on the back, laughing so hard he seemed to be having trouble breathing. Hamish stood leaning against the outer parapet, also laughing.
She wanted to glare at Connor, but his laughter was infectious. When she glanced at Shona, she noted the disheveled hair and clothing twisted and wrinkled from their wild tumble up the stairs, and it really was funny. She probably looked as bad.
Verena started to laugh. Shona’s glare faded and she joined in. There really wasn’t any other choice without looking like a buffoon. Verena wished she’d chosen the buffoon option.
The laughter helped clear her head and remind her of the real mission.
Verena moved to the parapet overlooking the outer edge of the wall and the panoramic view across the southern end of the valley, with the Macantact river flowing south, the highway on the western bank, and farmlands on the east. The obsidian was set into the granite stone parapet, and it gleamed with reflected light, as if someone’s job was to polish it every day. The inscription was a little smaller than Verena had expected, barely the length of her forearm.
Hamish tapped it with a finger. “I win.”
Then his eyes widened, and he exclaimed, “This is it!”
Verena placed her hand on the inscription too and gasped, instantly sensing the power in the stone. It blazed in her mind like a torch.
Obsidian was mostly pretty useless to Builders, and for the most part she found it a fairly unremarkable stone. The sculpted pieces they had used for their remote activation were generally crafted quickly by Gisela, and were rough and unfinished. They were sculpted though, magnifying the innate power in the stones four or five times, enough to act as remote activation sources.
They served critical functions, but still seemed pretty bland. This stone was not.
For the first time she sensed incredible power, and far more potential than she had ever imagined. That piece of obsidian was sculpted by a master, concentrating its inner power at least a dozen times over. It was a master work, easily rivaling Ailsa’s best, and the subtle elegance of the script only served to highlight the incredible workmanship concealed within the stone.
As soon as she touched it, pinpoints of light blazed in her mind. Like she told Connor, when they activated other sculpted obsidian, the pieces it allowed them to connect to were like candles in a dark night, visible and easy to navigate to. While touching that engraving, the lights that she sensed were more like bonfires than candles. There were eight of them and they were spread around the city, nearly a mile out, coinciding with the junctures of the corners of the great city wall.
“Can you feel it?” Connor asked.
“It’s amazing!” Verena laughed and forced herself to release the stone for a second to wrap her arms around Connor. She kissed him enthusiastically on the lips. Kissing Connor was always great. Kissing him in front of Shona felt like a victory every time.
Shona refused to give her the satisfaction of scowling, but stepped past them and traced her fingers across the engraving. “So this is power grade stone too?”
“Hamish said, “More than that, it’s sculpted to perfection.”
Shona whistled softly. A fully sculpted stone was worth a fortune. Most high nobles only possessed a couple and considered themselves vastly wealthy when they did. High Lord Dougal had amassed a dozen of them, an unprecedented fortune, prior to the invasion of Granadure. He had planned to use them to push some of his Petralists through the first threshold and force them to raise an elfonnel. That would sacrifice the Petralists, but offered Dougal enough power to threaten the full might of Granadure. The plan had almost worked.
Verena again touched the stone, and again the eight bonfires ignited in her mind. She reached out to the first one and touched it.
Soapstone. The obsidian that she connected through was linked to an incredibly powerful piece of soapstone. From the vast rush of power that she sensed in it, she suspected it too was sculpted.
Hamish realized that a second later. In an awed tone he said, “Eight sculpted soapstone. That’s more than I imagined we’d find.”
Shona gaped. “Eight?”
Verena nodded. It was an awesome treasure. Both Obrion and Granadure regulated production of sculpted stones and kept the numbers extremely low. Neither country wanted unsanctioned stones floating around where a powerful Petralist, ignorant of the dangers of elfonnel, might attempt to ascend.
She explained how they were arrayed around the city, and Connor asked, “What do you think they do?”
Hamish shrugged, so Verena said, “I’m not sure. There’s something about their positioning and the way they’re linked together, but I don’t understand yet. This seems to be another higher aspect of Builder powers that we don’t know.”
“We should take them up,” Shona said, glancing out over the countryside toward the first one, which was concealed in the river, a mile to the south.
Verena shook her head. “I think that would be a mistake. That might break the greater mechanical they’re forming, and we don’t know enough yet to know if we could restore it.”
Shona didn’t look happy about that, but she also didn’t want to potentially destroy a legendary Builder defensive mechanical. Those concealed sculpted stones offered the promise of salvation for her beloved city, and Verena doubted she would risk that just because she wanted to collect eight more sculpted stones.
“We need to tell Kilian about this, and see if he can shed any light on what she was trying to do here,” Connor said.
A Strider shot up the stairs and landed in front of them. He saluted. “Lady Shona, you are all summoned by General Rory to return immediately. He has received news, and he requires your presence.”
Verena exchanged a worried look with Connor, her enthusiasm fading to new worry.
Hamish grimaced. “That can’t be good. Let’s go.”
35
It’s Annoying to Have Motivated Enemies
Connor entered the conference room close on the heels of Shona, with Hamish and Verena right behind. Their friends already gathered around the table looked worried. Anika grinned at Verena, but that was the only happy sign Connor saw
. Several junior officers and other aides were rushing in and out, bringing papers and scrolls to Rory and Ivor, and getting new orders from them.
“What happened?” Shona demanded.
Rory gestured them to take seats. “I’m glad you came quickly. We have word from our asset in Donleavy.”
The conference table was packed, not only with their core team, but with several other high ranking officers, and even hawk-nosed Lord Nevan. Not everyone in the room new Ailsa’s identity, and Connor did not miss Rory’s choice of words. Ailsa’s position was critical to their cause, but incredibly dangerous. It was a miracle the queen had not yet discovered her true allegiance, but if she ever did Connor did not doubt Ailsa would die a gruesome death.
Or worse, she would be mind wiped and reeducated. The queen could pull far too much information about their activities in Obrion from her, including her vast network of spies, informants, and secret allies. Ailsa’s fall could strike a mortal wound to the revolution even before a single soldier took a step toward Merkland.
They seated themselves and Kilian said, “The report suggests the queen does believe at least Verena, Hamish, and Ivor are dead, and Connor captured and nullified. The sculpted scone attack also succeeded in terrifying her.”
Connor exchanged a victory fist bump with Hamish who said, “Told you sculpted scones would prevail.”
“They did no real damage, but terrified her like nothing anyone has seen since her awakening.”
“Is there a clue what she fears about Builders?” Verena asked, and Connor leaned forward eagerly. That vital bit of information would be worth more than all the armies they had massed for war.
Kilian dashed that hope by shaking his head. “Only vague clues. Our asset suggests they will keep digging. However, the sculpted scones attack also drove her into a towering fury. Generals Aonghus and Rosslyn were dispatched to join her main army massing at Crann.”
Hamish growled, “Aonghus.” His expression turned furious and his fists clenched the edge of the table. Connor shared his rage, and for a moment saw the horribly disfigured Jean lying outside the Army gate, burned almost beyond recognizing, on the brink of death.
“Crann’s not too far from here,” Connor said softly, his mind full of sweet images of gruesome revenge.
“We could get there tonight,” Hamish agreed with a truly malicious glint in his eyes.
“Table that idea,” Kilian said, his voice soft but somehow piercing. His eyes were glinting with points of ice, and Connor’s objection died in his throat as he meet Kilian’s steady gaze.
“But . . .” Hamish protested.
“The time for vengeance will come, but it’s not today. Don’t get distracted. Aonghus is not our problem right now. The army is, as is the fact that my mother left with one advisor to raise another worthy servant.”
The words were like a slap to the face. Connor looked to Verena, whose face had paled. Shona looked terrified. Hamish asked, “Another Harley?”
Connor tried to wrap his head around the grim news, Aonghus forgotten, along with the joy he’d been feeling from discovering the ancient super-mechanical.
General Wolfram said, “The good news is that it sounds like although she raised at least three elfonnel from slumber in locations across Obrion, she has so far failed to find one she considers worthy.”
Hamish dropped a smashpacked dessert he was preparing to pop into his mouth. “I really hate that woman. She has ruined my appetite more days than I can count.”
Verena snatched up the smashpacked cube and popped it into her mouth. “I wish the only thing we had to worry about was your appetite.”
Connor appreciated her attempt at humor, but wished he’d reacted faster. The dessert she’d just stolen looked like one of those Althing chocolate cakes.
Kilian said, “The report suggests the elfonnel she raised had lost too much of their humanity and could not be restored.”
“She could still send those elfonnel against us, right?” Lady Briet asked. She looked as worried as the rest of them, even though she had never seen an elfonnel. She had read the reports, and obviously believed them, but the reality of elements come to life had to be experienced in order to feel the appropriate level of abject terror.
Kilian said, “It is possible, but unlikely. The elements are still rather unstable, particularly up here near the border. Elfonnel are very powerful, but extremely difficult to control once released. I doubt she would risk unleashing one here and potentially destabilizing the area like happened at the Carraig. My mother is ruthless, but she wants an intact kingdom to rule, not a wasteland. Besides, she alone is more dangerous than a handful of elfonnel.”
He was right. And of course those words made almost everyone turn to look at Connor, their expressions a mixture of desperate hope or outright fear. It was no secret that he would have to face the queen. Even though his powerful friends would fight at his side, his responsibility would be the greatest. They had to be wondering the same thing he was. Could he do it?
His fear whispered that she’d obliterate him. Then she’d kill Verena and everyone around the table. Then his family. Then lay waste to the rest of the continent.
No. Somehow he had to stop her. He focused on that determination to protect the ones he loved, and it helped displace some of his fear. He simply could not fail. No one had ever figured out how to destroy the queen, but he and his friends had to.
So he said, “That’s why I have to get the Jagdish right away.”
“That’s not the only reason,” Kilian added solemnly. “This latest report suggests that the queen plans to move personally against Jagdish too.”
Connor rocked back in his seat, as if the words had struck physical blows. Jagdish, the home of the Mhortair, was the one place he needed to reach before the queen. “How soon?”
Kilian shrugged. “She’s already on the move. I don’t know if she’s planning on attempting to raise any other servants, or if she’s abandoned that effort entirely.”
Verena grimaced. “I want to say I hope she abandons her attempt to raise another Harley, but if she does, she could already be heading for Jagdish.”
“And if she does find a new mighty Petralist to restore, that could fundamentally change the war,” General Rory said with a grimace.
“Either way, the threat is imminent. My mother can cover a lot of distance when she wants to,” Kilian said.
Aifric nodded. “She won’t wait long. No doubt she understands that by removing them, she removes Connor’s opportunity to ascend and become a real threat.”
Hamish dug a cream-filled pastry out of one of his pockets. “Then what are we waiting for? We have to get to Jagdish before she does.”
The pastry looked remarkably intact. He’d talked about experimenting with pocket-sized shielding. If he started doing that more often, Connor might actually consider accepting some of the sweets that he proffered from those pockets.
They had always assumed when the queen moved against Jagdish she would bring with her the army that had been marshaling in Raineach all winter. Moving with an army would slow her down dramatically.
Lady Briet must have been thinking along those lines because she said, “Our forces outside of Maninder were supposed to help intercept any invading army, but they can’t face the queen.”
She would wipe them out. Connor shuddered to think of the resulting slaughter if Queen Dreokt focused her wrath on that army and the helpless population of the great Ravinder city.
Kilian said, “I doubt she’ll deign to deal with a mundane Arishat League army. Even the Mhortair pose little real threat to her, but they dared attack her on her throne. She will raze Jagdish to rubble when she arrives.”
Student Eighteen looked sick with fear. “For so many reasons, my people are in grave danger.”
Hamish muttered, “I still can’t believe that attempt against her failed. They were so close.”
“I doubt they were as close as you thought,” Kilian said. “I kno
w they cut her into pieces, but that’s never stopped her before. I’ve seen her dismembered, burned, and crushed. She recovered from all of it. Those kind of wounds tend to just really irritate her.”
“How do we stop her?” Connor asked in a small voice. He possessed a strong healing affinity, but the thought of getting dismembered and trying to fight on made him feel sick.
“We can’t until you ascend,” Kilian said simply.
He knew that was true, but hearing it still made his mouth suddenly dry.
“You’ll get there in time. You have to,” Shona said, giving him an encouraging smile. “And at least if her army is marshaling to come against us here, they won’t have her with them.”
That offered a slim ray of hope. Ailsa had reported on how the queen had swelled her army with hundreds of new Petralists. Even without the queen, they would prove a daunting force.
General Wolfram added, “Knowing that Dreokt is on the move changes everything. Imagine the risk if we had no advanced warning?”
As usual, Wolfram was right. Ailsa’s work was vital, but Connor still felt terrified for his aunt. It sounded like she’d risked a lot to even get that much intelligence to them. He loved her brilliant mind, her daring courage, and her dedication to their cause despite the unprecedented risks she took. He just did not like to think about anyone else he cared about getting hurt.
Shona’s expression remained remarkably calm in the face of the news that her beloved city was finally going to face battle again. “Generals, we need to initiate our defensive plans at once.”
Ivor gestured at the papers on the table in front of him. “Our forces are well prepared. I believe we can stop the army, but not if we all travel to Jagdish.”
Verena said, “Many of those defenses need Builders to run them. Most of the Builders are still en route with the reinforcements.”
