by Frank Morin
Eventually he slid his thoughts beneath the piles of broken mountain to the solid earth beneath. Or maybe not quite so solid. Even down there the ground was not spared from the brutal shaking of the serpentinite super bomb. The earth was already packed, so it couldn’t exactly collapse, but it felt rattled, like a pudding flung around a room in a sock.
Connor almost missed the first cavern. The heavy shielding was still in place. It was subtle, made of more than a dozen layers carefully woven together to gently deflect his senses away. He might not have picked up on it if not for the fact that part of the huge cavern had collapsed, which broke the seamless angles of the shield.
Once he understood what he was feeling, he pushed through the shielding. The cavern had started collapsing, and still felt unstable. Two Sappers were among the hundreds of refugees stranded down there. They were employing all their might in keeping the cavern intact, but had not yet managed to stabilize it. There was just so much weight pressing down on them. Connor doubted they would last much longer.
“I’ve got a cavern full of people!” he shouted happily.
Ennlin rushed over. “I haven’t sensed anyone yet.”
“It’s very deep.” He glanced at Mistress Four and added, “Excellent shields.”
“We’ve worked on them for centuries.” She looked proud of that and ecstatic that he’d found survivors, but he sensed she wasn’t happy he’d pierced the shielding so quickly.
“The cavern is unstable, though. They’re holding it together, but only barely. I’m going to see if I can help. Then I’ll open a passage.”
“Do you need help?” she asked.
“How many caverns were people hiding in?”
“Seven.”
“Better if you focus on finding the others. They may be in trouble too.”
He turned his attention back to the first cavern. He touched its floor and with a little concentrated effort, raised letters in Obrioner, writing a brief note to the people stranded down there.
“The queen is gone. I’m here to help.”
Hopefully they’d believe him and not fight his efforts. That might destabilize the area and seal their fates.
The earth above the cavern had collapsed under the weight of a huge pile of heavy stones that had fallen directly above it.
Moving that much weight would be difficult, but he didn’t have to move it all. He just had to deflect it. Like Kilian liked to say, it didn’t matter how much force he brought to bear, but how he applied it for best effect.
Focusing on the earth beneath those heavy stones, Connor compressed it, forming reinforced buttresses in long arcs over the cavern. He pulled earth up from below to compress into the new structures, creating a narrow void above the cavern. As the arches formed, they deflected the vast pressures down their lengths to either side.
As they assumed the incredible weight, their ends sank deeper on either side until that narrow void Connor had created was almost totally consumed. He reinforced the ends, fusing them into the earth, forming wide bases to distribute the weight.
Working with such heavy weights at such a distance strained his earth abilities, and he felt a sense of triumph when he managed it. Before his second ascension, he doubted he would have succeeded.
In his mind, Earth smiled approval, and seemed to want to speak, although Connor couldn’t hear any words. Unexpectedly, Water appeared beside Earth. He’d released his other tertiary affinities, and didn’t expect to see her again until he reestablished the connection.
She gave Connor a warm smile, but seemed annoyed with Earth. That was so strange. Usually she only got annoyed with Fire’s constant flirting. She and Earth weren’t opposites, so they usually coexisted fine, with neither any great show of affection or disaffection.
For his part, Earth folded his arms and glowered. He was good at that. Connor had no idea what they were arguing about, but didn’t like it.
“Cut it out,” he willed to them. “I don’t have time right now for drama. Can’t we all just get along?”
Earth gave Water a look that screamed, “This is your fault.”
She turned her back on him and smiled warmly at Connor again before striding purposefully out of his mind. She disappeared and his connection to soapstone again faded.
What was that all about?
Connor returned to work. He monitored his new supports for another minute. When he was convinced they’d hold, he scanned the cavern again. The two Sappers seemed to recognize what he’d done and had withdrawn their influence.
One of them drew on the floor of the cavern, “Who are you?”
He was tempted to reply that he was Blood of the Tallan, recently arrived with Kilian, but that might start a panic.
So he only said, “A friend. Mistress Four is with me. Let’s get you out of there.”
Then he concentrated on the ground nearby and began opening a winding stair down toward the cavern. Earth exploded out of the hole as he pulled it out of the way. Five minutes and seventeen gentle spirals down into the ground later, he reached the stairway the two Sappers had begun creating from their side.
Once the connection stabilize, he tapped limestone and formed points of light on every spiral, illuminating the long stair so they could navigate up.
A few minutes later, refugees began emerging from the stair. Led by one of the Sappers and two dozen soldiers, they formed a defensive perimeter around the hole.
Mistress Four called greetings to them, and Connor joined her. Together they approached the Sapper, a heavyset woman with lots of gray in her hair, but who still seemed as solid as the Jagdish mountains had been.
The Sapper bowed, banged her right fist to her chest, then moved it to her chin before dropping it. Student Eighteen had told them about that gesture on the flight over. It was a sign of respect that was more formal than the usual salutes.
Mistress Four beckoned the woman to rise, then hugged her. That seemed to surprise and please the other soldiers. Connor doubted they showed such emotion publicly very often, but he approved. They were survivors of a terrible catastrophe, and seeing hundreds of Mhortair emerge from that pile of rubble must have seemed miraculous.
Mistress Four’s thoughts touched Connor’s. “Exactly. We will all remember this day for the duration of our lives. I wish to ensure we create some cherished memories to soften the edges of the tragedy.”
The Sapper looked close to tears by the show of outward affection. She gripped Mistress Four’s arms and said, “You are truly a master of earth. Saving this people was beyond our strength.”
“I did not save you,” she said and gestured toward Connor.
He waved. “Hi. I’m Connor.”
The woman bowed to him and gripped his hands in both of hers. Looking nearly overwhelmed with emotion, she said, “Thank you!”
“It was my pleasure. I’m happy you’re so willing to trust the Blood of the Tallan.”
She gasped, dropping his hands, looking confused. The other soldiers retreated a step, hands moving to weapons. Mistress Four sighed and gave Connor a long-suffering look exactly like what his mother might have.
She said, “I’ll explain later. He’s an ally.”
Hamish landed nearby with a rush of thrusters. He was carrying a large sack that Connor recognized from the stores they’d packed on the Hawk. It was full of smashpacked meals.
He made the bowing, fist-to-chest-then-chin move to Mistress Four and waved cheerily to the newly emerged citizens. “You must be starving. Here. Try these. Special recipes from a very old cookbook.”
The Sapper took the first smashpacked meal with clear reservations, but at Hamish’s urgings, she took a careful bite.
“No, put the whole thing in your mouth. So much better that way,” Hamish said, demonstrating by tossing two cubes into his own mouth.
The Sapper glanced at Mistress Four, who nodded approval. She followed Hamish’s example, and a moment later her eyes widened as the smashpacked meal began softening and expand
ing.
She whispered something in Havaen that made Kilian chuckle, then exclaimed in Obrioner, “What magic is this? An entire meal in one tiny cube?”
Hamish looked thrilled. “The son of the Matron of Evil herself has declared that I have an exceptional food affinity.”
He then started passing out smashpacked cubes to everyone. Soon word spread about how good they were, and people pressed in, eager to try the unique treat.
Hamish made a point of sharing dessert cubes with the many children. That seemed to rekindle their joy, and the first sounds of laughter echoed through the dark ruin. Somehow the situation felt less terrible.
Smiling, Connor joined Ennlin, who was standing near Commander Six and his companions. One of them, a bulky fellow who was clearly the Sapper, had his eyes closed, his expression intense.
Ennlin’s features shifted to Student Eighteen, and instantly her eyes filled with unshed tears. “We found another cavern, but it collapsed. Three hundred people crushed.”
Connor hugged her. “Let’s find the others.”
He plunged back into the hunt with her and together they scoured the area under the broken mountain. It took another half hour to find the other five caverns. Two were untouched by the disaster and they quickly opened stairways for the refugees to escape.
One was partially collapsed onto fifty more hapless victims, but Connor rescued the other two hundred survivors. The people emerged into the dust-filled rubble heap with exclamations of joy, and many tears. They’d been convinced they would all die down there.
The final two caverns were crushed flat. Hundreds more dead lay buried under tons of earth and stone.
In all, more than ninety percent of the population of Jagdish were killed, and their city totally destroyed. It was heartbreaking, and Connor found himself nearly overwhelmed by emotion.
If they hadn’t turned back to save Verena and the others in Merkland, they would have arrived hours earlier. Would that have been enough to turn the tide or help more people escape? Or would they have simply become more victims to the queen’s assault?
He’d felt convinced that helping Merkland was the right thing to do, but he’d arrived too late to save Jagdish. He felt more convinced than ever that Queen Dreokt needed to be destroyed, but how could they fight her now that she’d broken serpentinite?
He tried to focus on the joy of the hundreds who had survived, but it was hard. The survivors had some supplies and quickly set up a makeshift camp for the night.
Connor found Kilian leaning against the Hawk, expression unreadable as he surveyed the refugees.
“I hate that we arrived so late,” Connor said.
Kilian nodded. “I spoke with Mistress Four while you were saving the others. She also has affinity with serpentinite, as do at least three others of her people. None of them can reach it either.”
“Do they have any idea how your mother broke our connections?”
Kilian shook his head. “She said she has something for you. Mister One had entrusted it to one of the Sappers in that first group you rescued.”
“Do you know what it is?” Connor hoped it would help, but couldn’t see how. Mister One had said he had some kind of treasure to help, but Connor doubted he understood the full scope of the disaster before he died.
“I think we’re about to find out.” Kilian gestured to where Mistress Four was approaching with Commander Six and Student Eighteen. She was carrying a small, wrapped package in her hands.
55
Truths Revealed through a Well-cooked Steak
I’m sorry we couldn’t save more of your people,” Connor said when Mistress Four reached them.
“Without your help, more would have died,” she said. Behind her, the glow of a small campfire illuminated some children playing. It was refreshing to see how resilient children could be.
Kilian said, “We will avenge your people.”
“And we’ll help,” Commander Six promised.
“Your people need you,” Kilian said.
“They will not be safe until the dread queen is dead. Our kill team will join you,” Commander Six insisted.
Mistress Four nodded. “Our people have enough soldiers to protect them.”
“Where will you go?” Connor asked.
“We will split into smaller groups and disperse among our other satellite communities for now,” she said. Connor was glad they had places to go.
Mistress Four added, “Right now we must focus on helping prepare you in every way possible to face her.”
She held up her small package. It was wrapped in soft, white leather, which she removed to reveal a beautiful sculpture. Connor recognized the snakelike pattern of serpentinite. The sculpture was simple, but finished in exquisite detail. It was shaped like a double-edged Mhortair dagger, which seemed extremely appropriate.
She presented it to him. Connor wasn’t sure what good it would do. Queen Dreokt had somehow broken serpentinite, but he wouldn’t refuse such a priceless gift, so he reverently accepted it.
Out of habit, he focused on the stone. It thrummed with a vast amount of power, and for a second he sensed a flicker of response. It faded away so fast, he wondered if he’d imagined it.
“It’s beautiful,” he said as he studied the sculpted dagger. The edges were even razor sharp. Made sense. Even a stone dagger could kill, and the Mhortair would never allow a weapon to become dull when it could be kept sharp.
Mistress Four was watching him carefully. “The third threshold has only ever been crossed by three people that we know of. It is an arduous task, and one not to be tempted lightly.”
“It should never be attempted again,” Commander Six muttered. He was glaring at the dagger in Connor’s hand and didn’t even try to conceal his thoughts when Connor tapped chert.
“You may be an ally, but all blood that rises through the third threshold becomes tainted.”
Connor met his glare and said, “I hear your people like to cook.”
That surprised him. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Do you believe that a tough cut of meat can only produce a tough steak?”
He scowled. “You make no sense.”
“Just answer the question,” Connor prodded.
Commander Six hooked his thumbs on his belt and said in an annoyed tone. “Of course not. Even tough meat can be tenderized if prepared properly.”
“Exactly. With all of your help, I hope to prepare properly so I don’t end up corrupted like Queen Dreokt.”
He stared at Connor like he’d lost his mind, but Mistress Four’s lips twitched into an almost smile. Kilian chuckled, and Aifric laughed. “Connor, you didn’t just compare ascending to cooking steak!”
He shrugged. “It’s been a weird day. I guess I’m hungry.”
Commander Six scowled. “Only a fool mocks a threshold.”
“And only a greater fool assumes defeat before they even arrive at the battlefield,” Connor retorted.
“Mistress Four has decided to allow you to proceed. I hope she’s right,” the warrior stated in an unfriendly tone.
“So do I,” Connor said with a smile.
“Peace,” Mistress Four said to Commander Six. He obediently retreated a step, but Connor could see he still had reservations. That was fine, as long as he didn’t act on them.
Mistress Four held up a small leather book. “This contains the few records we have compiled about ascending with serpentinite.”
“Wait, some of you have ascended with serpentinite, right?” Connor asked.
“No. Serpentinite is always the final threshold. It has no opposing elements as the others do. We have attempted to ascend with serpentinite, but none have succeeded. We do not possess the full range of affinities.”
That was disappointing, but not entirely surprising. Serpentinite was a strange stone. He had hoped the Mhortair had discovered other secrets about it. He wished he could still access the vital affinity. He bet she could teach him much ab
out using it.
He accepted the slender, leather book. “Thank you. I’ll study every word.”
She added, “I can say that successful ascension apparently culminates with the sound of a giant bell that will be heard for miles around.”
“Makes sense,” Aifric said.
Hopefully that would be the worst part about ascending. Connor liked bells. Maybe it would sound like a dinner bell. No one would complain about that.
He again studied the exquisite sculpture. He turned the dagger over in his hands, trying to find a connection to it. He felt something there, just barely out of reach. It was so frustrating!
That stone was the key to ascension, and that ascension offered their best hope of surviving the war and defeating the queen. How could he reach it?
He needed stronger connection. So he tapped pumice. Pumice was one of the stones that he regularly tapped to help him improve his connection with tertiary stones, so it couldn’t hurt.
As soon as he activated pumice, the sense of power in the stone magnified sharply. He sensed it flowing just past his mental fingers, like wind rushing past a thin door, but still it eluded his grasp.
The others began discussing logistics of the groups of refugees that would begin their long journeys in the morning, but Connor didn’t listen. He felt so close, and wanted to scream with frustration as the connection eluded him.
Connor purged granite. He hated pushing away his first-ever affinity, but he could only tap two primary affinities at the same time, and he needed obsidian.
Obsidian was the second stone that helped him strengthen connections with tertiary affinities. The final one was porphyry, which often helped the most. He didn’t have much porphyry left, but he’d use it if he had to.
He absorbed some obsidian through his thigh, and it rippled up to his heart like a breath of fresh air. As soon as he tapped it, Verena’s laughter sounded in his mind. He didn’t know why he heard her with obsidian, but he loved that he did. As usual, that sound helped him relax and strengthened his bond to obsidian.
When he focused on the serpentinite again, it was there, a vast power ready to answer his call!
