He didn’t even realize when his hand touched the stone because, for him, nothing seemed to happen at all. Suddenly he was lying on the ground, blinking and staring up at everyone’s faces circled above him.
Ashrak’s voice seemed to float in the air around them, far off and drifting. “So? Is little orphan boy dead? Melted or something? I told you, Gavin! I win!”
Gavin turned, his voice sounding more or less like it should rather than in a dark tunnel as Aiden’s hearing came back. “Shut up, Ashrak; he’s not dead. He doesn’t even look hurt. Aiden, can you hear me? Are you ok?” Aiden could feel the hands of Gavin and Markam lift him from the floor. It didn’t look like any huge explosion had happened, but he watched as Glowby hummed and buzzed above one of the tables, flashing excitedly. His hand tingled fiercely, and his body quivered.
Suddenly Chari was there, pushing her way angrily into the circle and swiping at Gavin’s arm. “What the hell did you just do?” She snarled before leaning down towards Aiden, her face full of concern. “What happened, Aiden? Are you ok? Come over here and sit down.”
Chari led him over to a chair, helping him to sit carefully. He was still trembling a bit, but for the most part didn’t feel like he hurt anywhere. That being said, he did feel odd; like all of him had been vibrated really hard for a second. Patting himself, he explored the feeling even as it began to fade away. “I… I think I’m ok. I don’t feel any pain anywhere. Ugh. That was interesting.” He ended softly, wondering if he should have said terrifying instead.
“But what happened? I didn’t see until you were laying on the floor.”
“Uh…,” he almost didn’t say it but figured she’d hear soon anyway. She didn’t look like she was going to be put off. “They wanted me to touch one of the stones, and try to make a plate.” Slowly he trailed off, the sudden realization that any of them could turn him in hitting with significant force. It would mean his death if they did. By the circle, what have I done? Aiden berated himself fiercely. I meant to just keep a low profile and stay away from them all, and then I do this? I am such an idiot!
Chari gasped, just staring at him for a long moment before glancing fearfully over her shoulder at Gavin. “Are you sure you touched it, Aiden? Why would you do that? You know the law… They could kill you for that.”
Aiden could only stare blankly. He had his reasons, but suddenly they didn’t seem to be so important anymore. Why had he done that? Why!? Any of them could just change their mind, and then he’d be dead. “I… I really don’t know. I mean. I wanted to. I knew I did, but I also knew it was stupid. I… am I going to die now?”
He heard the note in his voice, sounding lost and like someone much younger, but he was scared. Chari teared up, speaking softly. Her voice was quiet but certain. “No. No, we won’t let that happen.” She paused, raising her voice slightly. “Will we, Gavin?”
“No, we won’t,” Gavin said, worry in his voice as he realized what they had done to him. “Aiden, I promise we won’t let anything happen to you. No matter what, I give you my word.” Gavin paused, meeting Aiden and Chari’s gaze levelly before beckoning for them to come over to the table the rest of them were clustered around. “Aiden, I think you had better come over here.”
Aiden and Chari got up, walking tentatively over to the open side of the table. Sitting in the mold that he had used was exactly what he had pictured. It was even glowing slightly, just as it had looked in his head.
Ashrak reached out to it, picking it up out of the mold and turning it over in his hand. His eyes widening as his elegant fingers traced its surface. “It feels… amazing. Smooth. I don’t know how to describe it. It certainly doesn’t feel like the one that Professor Reivus let us touch. That one feels like if I dropped it, it would break, compared to this one.” He let Gavin take it out of his hands without argument.
Gavin didn’t comment, but just nodded at Ashrak. The twins took it next, examining it intensely while Serent even tapped his knuckles on it, making a clear bell-like sound which reverberated softly for a few moments. Serent and Jonders both gasped, as did Aiden. Glimmer steel constructs rarely made noise when touched. It was said that the more real they were, the more real attributes they would have. Only ancient constructs ever rang out like that.
“Why does it glow?” Ashrak asked, taking the plate and turning it over in his hands. “I’ve not seen a glimmer construct glow before.” All of the students turned to Aiden, looking at him as if he knew what the answer was. He could only shrug, not really having an answer. “Well, I pictured it glowing. I didn’t… I didn’t really have a clue any of this would work. It’s not like I planned this.”
Most of the students nodded in awe, including Ashrak. For a moment, Aiden saw Skeeve glaring at him, but he couldn’t understand why. Maybe he was jealous?
It was at that moment that the door to their room was roughly pushed open. Professor Onyxine and the other large, burly hall guard strode in quickly. Both of them had their swords out and looked ready to use them. Markam quickly stepped in front of Gavin, but after a quick inspection, Professor Onyxine lowered hers and addressed them all.
“My lords and ladies; please forgive me, but we must get you out of the building and into your quarters as soon as possible. Something…something unprecedented has happened.”
Gavin stepped forward, nodding to Markam before beginning to move towards the door. “What is it, are we under attack?”
Professor Onyxine eyed him for a few tense moments as the other students began moving towards the door. It almost seemed like she wasn’t going to say anything, but finally, she nodded even as she turned to escort them to safety. “We are not sure. It may or may not be an attack, but suddenly all of the glimmer stones and even the breeder stone….They’ve gone dark. They are completely tapped out. I’ve never seen this before, but we’re not going to take chances.”
The students and Aiden shared glances, but none of them said anything. All of them were thinking the same thing, and Aiden just felt sick. Still, they could do nothing but follow and go to their quarters. After they had exited the Hall of Stones, Aiden was separated from the rest and told to go to his bunk. He made his way there, dark thoughts swirling through his mind despite the almost ecstatic dancing of Glowby above him. He would have a difficult night’s sleep if he could sleep at all.
Chapter 3
By the time Aiden made his way to the orphan dormitory, he was regretting having not gotten any food. He couldn’t fix that now, what with the guards roaming through the campus and making sure students and workers made their way to their beds. Coupled with everything that had happened and his spiraling fear, he was in a particularly foul mood by the time he made his way into the large dormitory. Listening to several conversations from other orphans, he couldn’t help but notice that each explanation as to what was happening was more elaborate than the last.
Keeping his head down as he made his way through the mini-labyrinth of beds, chests, and other orphans, he chose to nod at, but not engage anyone as he passed. He did brighten a bit as he moved closer to his bunk, watching his friend Jessop sitting anxiously on the edge of his bed.
Glowby flitted over to Jessop, quickly circling his head several times before he got there. As he got closer, Aiden could tell his simple friend was agitated. “Aiden! Aiden, something happened. The guards, they made me come back. I couldn’t finish my duties, Aiden.” He pulled at one of Aiden’s sleeves before wringing his hands fearfully and kept glancing around, his eyes wide. It took a few moments before he turned back to Aiden with a pleading look on his usually happy face. “What’s going to happen?”
Aiden patted his arm, sitting down on Jessop’s bunk next to his panicked friend. Jessop tried to smile back, but it was a wan thing that looked like it would disappear at any moment.
Though of an age, Aiden had been paired with Jessop several years ago and told the simple boy probably wouldn’t ever leave the Orphan hall. He had been asked to keep an eye on him because Aiden was c
onsidered solid and kind, something that Jessop needed in his life. At first, Aiden had reluctantly agreed, not knowing what to expect but as time passed Jessop had returned Aiden’s kindness with unswerving loyalty and friendship.
Aiden patted Jessop’s arm knowing it would help his friend regain his composure. “Don’t worry, Jessop. It’s okay. What chores were you working on?”
“I was chopping wood. And hauling wood, too. I only got halfway done taking wood to the headmaster’s office when the guards came. They were nice, but they made me come back here. Said I had to stay and that the dorm would be locked up.” He began to wring his hands again as he was talking. “Aiden, what is the headmaster going to do? He’ll be cold or something, and then he’ll be mad. I don’t want him mad at me, Aiden.”
“Don’t worry; it’ll be ok. They won’t let him run out of wood. Besides, usually, they have you do that chore days before it would run out, right? The headmaster will be okay.”
Looking towards the back of the room where a large blackboard was mounted, Aiden searched for his name to make sure he had nothing going on first thing in the morning and then found Jessop’s. He knew that Jessop’s schedule was usually kept consistent so as not to confuse him but hadn’t been sure about his schedule. As he thought it would be, his time was free. “Listen, I don’t have anything scheduled for the morning, and neither do you. I’ll help you finish the wood and haul it over so no one will be bothered. Okay? I bet no one even notices before we are finished.”
Aiden grinned as his friend transparent emotions flashed across his face. “Thank you! Thank you, Aiden! We will get it done before anyone sees. Yes!” He bounced, clapping to himself a few times before giving Aiden a hug. Glowby followed suit at least with the bouncing, clearly pleased to see Jessop no longer in dismay.
“It is strange, isn’t it, to see all the guards out? I am glad they were nice to me,” he whispered into the sudden stillness. “I saw one kick a boy. The boy was arguing with them so probably deserved it. He should have known better because they wear armor and it probably hurt. I hope he went to his dorm. The guard was very upset with him.”
Aiden shrugged and shook his head. Even if it was tempting, he wasn’t going to discuss what had happened in the Hall of Stones. Jessop would just be confused by the whole mess, and he was horrible at keeping secrets. “It is strange, but I am sure everything is fine. I didn’t hear any shouting or anything on the way over, and the Chivnel were out doing their nightly cleaning of the grounds. You know, if there were anything the matter, they would be the first ones to disappear.”
Jessop nodded excitedly at the mention of the small insectoid gardeners and grounds keepers. Talking about and even visiting the shy, hard-working Chivnel was one of his favorite pastimes. Aiden knew that Jessop would sit on a favorite bench, overlooking the great bay and listen to them hum soft melodies while they worked.
Aiden had joined him occasionally but avoided attending too often. He knew it made them nervous when too many of the large races were about, and at just under a meter long, it took them time to become comfortable with anything bigger than themselves. Still, the myriad colors they displayed on both their fuzzy, moth-like bodies and multi-faceted eyes drew his curiosity. Jessop had some sit on the bench with him, talking about whatever it is they found important, and Aiden hoped one day to be worthy of that trust.
About then, Aiden’s stomach let out a low growl that startled them both. Jessop immediately laughed and stared at his friend’s midsection. For his part, Glowby darted in and out of the offending body section teasingly, making a game of it. Aiden groaned and gave Glowby an evil eye but couldn’t remain angry at his playful friend. “Ugh, I wish I had gotten something to eat. Most likely with this lockdown, they’ll keep us in here until tomorrow.”
Jessop jumped up and ran over to his locker, pulling something out and coming back over. Smelling the fresh bread, Aiden’s stomach let out another rumble even as Jessop plopped down and unwrapped two loaves, laying them between them and smiled proudly. “I can fix that! I have bread. I got it before coming back. They were just closing the kitchen, but you know the cook likes me. She slipped me these before they closed the doors.”
It was Aiden’s turn to look relieved and thankful. Truthfully, Aiden sometimes wondered at the mystery that was Jessop. Some people may not understand, but the reality was that the happy, guileless boy got through life just fine and helped out Aiden far more than anyone could guess. He never once regretted agreeing to help watch out for Jessop, because honestly, it went the other way more often than he would have ever thought possible.
Both boys took their bread and settled into a gentle, companionable silence as they satisfied their hunger. Glowby drifted between them, moving through simple patterns and figure eights as they ate. Finishing his last bite, Aiden gave Jessop another hug before crawling up into his top bunk, feeling quite tired after the day’s activities.
As he drifted off to sleep, he reflected dreamily on everything that had occurred earlier that day. For some reason, it almost didn’t seem real and more like something that had happened years ago. It had happened, Aiden knew that, but for the time being his tired brain was willing to push the mystery off until tomorrow.
***
As time passed, however, his drifting took on a detached quality. One that left him feeling more awake, rather than less. Surely this was just one of those odd dreams that occurred to everyone, now and again, he thought as he began to see something moving out of the darkness around him.
He contemplated it as it drifted closer. He wasn’t sure who was doing the moving, but it began to resolve itself into the plate he had constructed earlier that day. The faint shimmer of it drew his eyes, feeling familiar like a well-worn pair of shoes. Strangely, it was resting on a small nightstand with a bed next to it though not one that looked familiar. The room itself was neat and well cared for, kept tidy by whoever was the occupant.
It occurred to him that he didn’t remember going through a doorway. There was one behind him, but he hadn’t felt a sense of passing through it. Shrugging, he put it down to being in a dream and that he didn’t have a basis for questioning dreams. He lived with an imaginary friend for all of his life, certainly going into an imaginary dream room without opening the door was not a great stretch.
Nodding to himself at his flawless logic, he turned back to the plate and began to study it. No one else was present that he could see, though the bed appeared to have been used recently. Reaching out, he let his fingers glide along the smoothness of the plate. He had touched glimmer steel before, created by various people to fulfill various purposes and none of them had felt like this. Those had all felt temporary; fragile, like he could almost break them with a hammer though he knew that was a false notion. Even poorly-made glimmer steel constructs were stronger than any metal he’d seen. Despite this, his plate didn’t feel fragile at all.
Glowby flickered into view and began to slowly circle the plate and Aiden as if studying them both. For his part, Aiden could almost feel something stirring within the construct like a living thing. There was also a strange depth, making him feel that if he just pushed somehow, the plate would lead him somewhere.
A faint, pulsing light finally brought Aiden out of his contemplation, making him look up at Glowby. He felt himself blinking as if waking but how could he awaken within a dream? I must be insane, he thought, frowning at his friend who had begun to float towards the door. Following slowly, he wondered if there might be a garcat serving tea in the other room.
Glowby led him through several halls, doors, and even some stairs before they reached a part of the Hall of Stone he had not seen before. Stopping in front of some sturdy steel doors, Aiden was surprised when they opened easily, letting him pass and into a small hallway that ended at another set of doors. Covered with unusual markings, Aiden had just bent down to examine them when they both slid silently into the wall, revealing the room beyond.
As he stepped into the lar
ge edifice, he couldn’t help but notice that the walls were covered in exacting designs and murals far more lifelike than he had ever seen before. Some depicted familiar scenes, like the ducal castle and skimmers, but others he could only guess at what their alien designs were trying to show him. Despite the elaborate imagery, his eyes were drawn to the large, velvet-lined tables that radiated out from the center of the room. Each contained innumerable gems, from the tiny thumbnail sized stones they had used in class earlier that day, to intricately-faceted gems the size of fists. The centerpiece was even more impressive, being a foot-long cat’s eye inset into a beautifully decorated metal frame of black-gold.
He had often heard of the beauty of the Stone Room that sat at the heart of all the engineers’ halls, so bright that special eye protection was required or one could risk blindness. However, this room was dim, lit only by several evenly-spaced wall sconces set along the walls. Something was terribly wrong.
The Glimmer Steel Saga, Boxed Set, Books 1 - 4 Page 4
