by Frank Morin
The resulting piece would reflect her will, and would serve Obrion, not Craigroy.
73
A Perfect Excuse
Merkland still looked battered, the famous white walls, normally pristine and sparkling in the noonday sun, scarred and scorched, but Connor spotted signs of rebuilding everywhere. Merkland had bent but not broken under the weight of the queen’s summoned horde.
“I think I’ve got control,” Verena said as Connor pushed the disabled Swift over the city, aiming for the huge square in front of the palace.
Connor released his grip, and the Swift banked slightly. He accelerated to fly right next to Verena’s cockpit. She had kept the shielding lowered, and some of her hair had pulled free of the band she was using to keep it back. Connor had decided he really loved how she looked with her hair that deep, black color that she’d awakened with after her coma. She looked adorable with her brows furrowed, biting at her lip the way she did when concentration.
Verena glanced over and said, “I reattached the control rods enough to manage landing on my own, but they still need work.”
She had reduced her tap rate to make sure she didn’t accidentally break anything else, but every few seconds her skin faded to gray momentarily, and she couldn’t stop grinning. Connor loved that they could finally share the wonder of granite and that she was enjoying it so much.
Hamish had already landed, so everyone knew they were coming. A crowd of their close friends waited in the plaza. Rory and Anika stood together, surrounded by a gaggle of other women that seemed always to press in around Anika, chattering about the thousand details of the upcoming wedding. Tomas and Cameron stood nearby, along with Ivor, General Wolfram, and Kilian. Connor figured that if Aifric joined them, she’d probably appear right behind him with a dagger before he could see her. Evander would just ascend through the paving stones.
Of course Shona was already there, one finger tapping at her thigh. She rushed to meet Connor and Verena, so close to their landing site that Verena nearly touched down on her head. Connor wasn’t actively tapping chert, but he still clearly sensed her temptation to shift over a bit and clobber Shona, or ignite the Puking Dooms and vaporize Shona’s recently-restored hair.
Luckily she did neither, but of course she did tap granite right when Shona opened her mouth to speak. Verena’s skin faded to gray and her body hardened. She was already in excellent shape, so the transformation did not change her as much as it did some people, but everyone noticed it.
Shona in particular. She was standing closest, and she gasped, eyes wide. The depth of the hurt he saw in her eyes shocked him.
“How dare you steal my honor?” she cried.
That was actually a pretty nice way to say it. There was no love lost between Shona and Verena, and she could’ve easily used the moment to insult Verena again. The fact that she didn’t gave Connor a little hope that they could resolve the issue without violence.
He should have known better.
Verena assumed a surprised look. “Connor has given no honor of yours to anyone. The honor of loaning a power stone is his alone.”
Their other friends gathered closer, eager to see, and Connor was startled when Rory frowned and said, “Should have waited, lad.”
Several of the others looked displeased by what he’d done too. That rattled Connor. He’d expected them all to react with joy that he’d managed to loan a power at all. They’d been hunting that ability for months.
“The honor of receiving that loaned power first was mine,” Shona said angrily.
Connor glanced at Kilian, who shrugged and nodded. He couldn’t believe it, but felt a new worry growing within him. He hadn’t intended any insult, but had only wanted to explore his new abilities.
Shona looked to Connor with anguish in her eyes. “How could you?”
His good humor withered under Shona’s glare, pained by her open hurt. She did have a point, but how could he admit that in front of everyone? He didn’t want Shona angry with him but neither would he ever be party to slighting Verena, especially not in public, especially not in front of Shona.
So he said, “No slight was intended, Shona. I just realized as I was talking with Verena that I can’t loan a tertiary power to someone who has no secondary.”
That surprised them.
“How did you—” Ivor started at the same time Wolfram exclaimed, “Of course!”
Kilian spoke over both of them. “How did you come to that conclusion?”
“Think about it. The queen helped Shona gain a secondary power. It was only after that when Harley loaned her quartzite.”
Kilian nodded slowly. “That makes sense, but it’s not exactly conclusive, is it?”
Connor shrugged. “Ever since my ascension I have a far greater sensitivity to affinities and the power sources that fuel them. It just makes sense that loaning powers has to follow the same rules as gaining new affinities, doesn’t it?”
“Perhaps,” was all Kilian said, his expression thoughtful, and Connor wondered if he suspected there was more he wasn’t saying.
Everyone knew he was speaking with the elements, but Water had warned him about sharing too much about them. He’d been mostly ignoring that counsel, but the crowd around them was growing, so he couldn’t risk it, not without understanding the consequences better.
“That may be an important discovery, but it does not change the fact that you then tested your theory with Verena instead of waiting to give me an opportunity first,” Shona reiterated angrily.
“You can still test receiving a tertiary power first,” Verena offered, completely calm in the face of Shona’s wrath.
Connor made a point to not even think about tapping chert. He didn’t want their thoughts screaming into his mind and distracting him. He appreciated Verena’s attempt to smooth things over, but Shona did not.
She glared at Verena and shook her head. “That’s not nearly good enough. This is an intentional slight on my honor, one which I cannot allow to go unanswered as a high lady wronged in my own realm.”
Rory said, “Now, Lady Shona—”
“Don’t ‘Now Lady Shona’ me.”
General Wolfram said, “Let’s remain calm. You are correct, Lady Shona. You were slighted, but we cannot condone violence among ourselves.”
Shona scowled at Wolfram and started to argue. Verena interrupted. “I think the solution is obvious, isn’t it?”
She tapped her stone-hardened skin. “Some of you participate in fantastic bash fights every day. If Shona feels slighted, I propose we do the same.”
Definitely not the direction Connor wanted the conversation to go. The two girls had been eager to fight almost since the first moment they met. An eventual duel between the two of them had been one of the things Connor had feared the most.
Ivor started to protest too, but Shona waved him to silence, her expression turning eager. “I accept your proposed solution, Verena. What better way to test the effectiveness of a loaned granite affinity than trial by combat?”
Verena mimicked her predatory expression. “Research demands we make the attempt.”
“Research and honor,” Shona agreed with a grin.
Sure, granite did offer more protection than Verena would enjoy otherwise, but she couldn’t hope to face Shona in a one-on-one bash fight. Shona was one of the most skilled bash fighters in all of Obrion. She understood every nuance of her power and how to apply it in a fight. Verena had already demonstrated that she had no concept of her own strength or how to control it.
“This loaned power is so new, we shouldn’t jump straight into bash fighting,” Connor tried.
“Course you should,” Tomas said. He and Cameron had joined the group, drawn by the argument, probably hoping to get some bash fighting of their won.
Cameron nodded, his brutish face split in a wide grin. “Best way to test pretty much everything.”
Aifric added, “Sounds good to me. You cannot resolve an honor debt in a better way.”<
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Connor blinked. Where had she come from? He glanced around, but didn’t see the other Mhortair. He wondered where they were quartered, or if Wolfram had devised an assignment to keep them busy. That would have been wise.
He tried to protest again, but Shona gave him an imperious look and said, “It is decided, Connor.”
Verena placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Connor. I’ve got this.”
Even Kilian was grinning at the idea of the two girls bash fighting. Tomas and Cameron immediately started betting on the outcome. Of course they each choose a different champion. That way at least one of them would always be disappointed. Ivor and Aifric both quietly added their own bets, and Connor didn’t doubt everyone else would get drawn in too. He appreciated that they seemed to be giving both girls pretty even odds.
Kilian clapped Connor on the back and winked, eyes dancing with mirth. “We’ll keep an eye on things. I’m sure the ladies will stay in control.”
Both Shona and Verena nodded immediately, but continued watching each other like pedras preparing to fight over their territory. Connor had no doubt they would both commit everything to the duel.
“But I only loaned Verena a tiny bit of granite.”
“Well, you’d better loan me some more then,” she said matter-of-factly.
Shona added, “And since we’re so focused on research today, you’d better loan me a tertiary power while you’re at it.”
Anika, who did not seem to share Connor’s concerns said, “Is very good. Train together make us better friends.” She winked at Rory who couldn’t help grinning like a fool in return.
General Wolfram gestured toward the palace. “I suggest we retire to a more private venue to conduct our research.”
The entire group eagerly agreed and headed that way. Connor walked with Verena, who was grinning with anticipation. She said, “This is going to be so much fun.”
“Verena, don’t you think you should wait? Shona has years of training with granite. You’ve only had it for moments. You know she’ll have an advantage.” Bash fighting when they were both protected by granite was probably the safest way for them to finally work through their lingering resentment, but he didn’t want to watch Verena get pounded.
Verena shrugged. “As if I’d face her with only granite. She’ll have a tertiary power, so I’ll have mine too.”
“I don’t think it’s wise to try loaning you additional powers so soon.”
He did need to practice, but didn’t think that was the best way. He felt a heavy weight of anxiety to spend as much time practicing with his affinities and exploring the nuances of what he could now do, but using Verena as his test subject was not what he had in mind.
“No, silly. My tertiary powers are my mechanicals. Granite strength is Shona’s defining characteristic. Builder mechanicals are mine. Do you think I would ever duel without them?”
74
A Moment Worth Waiting For
Verena stepped into the officers’ training courtyard in the southern wing of the palace, feeling as excited as she had the first day she tried flying her little hovering chair that eventually became the Swift. That same sense of eager anticipation filled her, a sense that she was about to make history.
She was so grateful Connor had chosen to loan her a Petralist affinity. As a Builder, Verena was powerful, and confident in her own skills, but as much as she knew power stones, she had not truly understood how amazing it was to tap granite internally.
Connor had always described granite as an itchy crawly feeling under his skin, but that’s not how she felt it. For her, the feeling of granite sliding up her limbs and across her torso was a feeling of freedom that rivaled flight. She always kept herself in excellent condition, but no physical strength could match the wonder of granite. She might be new to it, but she felt a deep connection to it already.
On top of all of that, she would finally get a chance to pound Shona’s haughty face with the full approval of everyone, and not worry that she would break her own fist in the process.
She did feel bad for Shona. Connor hadn’t intentionally slighted her, but how else could Shona interpret his decision to test his ideas with Verena first? Verena would have felt guilty for stealing that honor from her if not for the fact that the accidental slight had finally given them the chance to fight.
All of their friends came to witness the historic duel, including Ilse and Evander. Ilse wore snug-fitting trousers on her muscular legs, as if to celebrate her recent healing, and Verena had hugged her, feeling a rush of emotion. Connor’s fleshcrafting ability was simply miraculous.
Luckily most of their friends seemed enthusiastic about the duel, and Tomas and Cameron were working a lively betting circle. She knew Connor worried, but he should thank her for coming up with such a great solution. She and Shona had needed a duel to help settle things between them for months, but they had both avoided it because they sensed that one of them would not walk away.
Now that they could both bash fight, chances were more even that neither of them would be critically injured. For a long time, Verena would have happily accepted responsibility for killing Shona, but life had gotten complicated. Shona had switched sides, had shown remarkable bravery, and had kept her word as far as Verena knew to not attempt to seduce Connor back to her. As much as Verena still resented her for all of the problems she had caused for them, she had to respect Shona’s dedication to changing.
She would still punch her and hopefully disfigure her face. Connor could heal her, after all.
Verena walked with Shona to the center of the courtyard, while the rest of their friends spread out along the wall to watch. The space was not huge, about fifty paces to each side, ringed by a ten-foot stone wall, with the ground covered with packed dirt. It was situated at the rear of the palace, not far from the southern sweep of the great wall. Towers of the palace reared high overhead, and Verena caught glimpses of faces pressed against the glass.
They hadn’t exactly kept this research bout a secret, and word had spread faster than Hamish finding the nearest eating hall at dinnertime. Far more soldiers than normal clustered along the high wall too, with an excellent view down into the courtyard. Verena loved the idea of hundreds of Shona’s subjects witnessing her get pummeled.
She also loved how Rumbler battle leathers felt. She had been tempted to wear her custom armor, but it did not shift properly for a Rumbler. Besides, this was the one time she was justified in wearing the signature battle plates. She had left her sword and daggers behind and wore small power stones strapped to her arms and in pouches hanging from a wide leather belt at her waist.
Shona had not protested her bringing mechanicals. She had tried to get Connor to loan her marble, but he had refused. She’d tried for soapstone next, but he had insisted that she had always said she wanted to try quartzite first. She couldn’t deny those words, so she had agreed. Verena appreciated Connor’s concern. Quartzite was perhaps the least effective battle stone, but Shona had insisted he loan her external quartzite instead of internal. Verena was not concerned. Let her tap whatever affinity she wanted, Verena would still curse-punch that face.
Shona looked just as eager. She moved with deadly grace, her recently regrown hair braided to keep it out of the way, projecting absolute confidence in her battle leathers. She hadn’t even bothered tapping granite yet, at least not enough to change her skin or transform her body into rock-hard, sculpted perfection.
The two of them stopped together, the smooth sand crunching slightly under their feet. They faced each other, just out of lunging range, and when they locked gazes, Shona mirrored Verena’s eager smile.
Kilian alone joined them in the center, acting as referee. He said simply, “This is a friendly match. Remember that.” He held Verena’s gaze until she nodded, then did the same to Shona. With the message given and received, he asked, “Any questions?”
They shook their heads in unison, so Kilian lifted his hands high and said simply,
“Then have fun.”
Despite his warning, Verena knew Shona understood as perfectly as she did what the match was really about. It was payback time.
Verena couldn’t help it. She rushed forward, crossing the distance to her foe in a flash, striking with a granite-hardened fist at Shona’s face. She would love to knock her opponent onto her backside in the first second of the match.
As if expecting the move, Shona smoothly pivoted aside, grabbed Verena’s wrist, and heaved.
Verena understood the move, had practiced it many times in her martial training, but was still unprepared for the brutal reality of Shona’s raw strength. Her arm was nearly torn out of the socket as Shona yanked her off her feet and hurled her toward the outer wall. Striking the wall at that speed might have cracked her, even max-tapping.
Battle fury swept aside a flicker of fear, replacing it with an intense, burning need to strike back at the woman who dared mistreat her so. Verena activated the quartzite stones on her upraised forearms and her waist. Air blasted out, slowing her to a halt just before she struck the wall. She grinned, feeling her confidence grow. She could do this!
She shuttered the stones, dropped to the earth, and turned back to face Shona.
Just in time for Shona to lunge at her, fist whipping toward her face. Shona had given chase, and clearly intended to finish her off as fast as Verena had hoped to do to her.
Verena activated blind coal on her left forearm.
Somehow Shona’s fist slipped past her face, just missing, and she stumbled forward into the wall. Verena was too close for a good punch, so she twisted and slammed her elbow into Shona’s cheek, intending to smash it against the wall again.
She had forgotten to increase her tap rate.
Granite was still so new that she had to focus to adjust the tap rate. Although she was tapping enough granite to avoid cracking her elbow against Shona’s stone-hardened cheekbone, she still felt a flash of pain and yelped. The blow knocked Shona’s head sideways, but it was not the satisfying smack Verena had hoped for.
