It must have all been transparent to Ashrak, who clapped him on the back, turning him as they began to walk toward the galley. “Don’t worry about that, Aiden. Honestly, I doubt you’ll ever see the island of Riften or any of the other duchies in the near future. We’ll be back in Terek before you know it.”
Chapter 5
The next few days passed uneventfully, and for Aiden, they also passed with a great deal of frustration. He had worked with the helmet a few more times and while there was clearly more that the suit could do, he couldn’t understand what the information was trying to tell him. He could almost taste how close he was, but the fundamental understanding wasn’t there and they dared not ask Professor Reivus who had been busy passing out new drinking flagon’s to the crew of the entire ship.
On the third day, he decided making a full suit of armor wasn’t going to work. But maybe, he thought, trying to make a small part of it might.
“So let me get this straight,“ Gavin said, sitting in the same comfortable couch next to Aiden’s chair he’d been in on the first day, “you want to make a shirt like the cloth so it resists cutting and damage only, right? Why not try to incorporate that blue flash thing into it?”
“I just don’t understand the blue flash thing correctly. I don’t know what it is even though I saw it in action. Also, the more things I try to make it do, the more ideas I have to hold in my head. Honestly, I can only do so much. What would happen if I tried to do ten things, and forgot two of them? I think I can make the cloth stiffen to an attack but I have to make sure it knows to go back to being soft as well. If I have too much to keep track of, I’m afraid my mind will wander and I’ll be thinking of how it folds in the closet. Gavin, can you imagine someone hitting you, and then it tries to fold itself with you in it? Not good.”
The three others in the room looked at each other and grimaced at the uncomfortable image it conjured up. Even Glowby turned a faint shade of green and settled toward the floor. “That’s probably a good idea to keep it simple, Aiden,” Chari said. “It’s practice after all so best not to try to kill yourself. We’re not surrounded by pirates this time.”
Aiden nodded, seeing the agreement in his friend's faces before closing his eyes. This time, he wanted to gather the idea into his head before he ever approached that strange, filmy barrier between himself and the glimmer steel. He would make a tunic since that was such a common piece of clothing. Of all of them, the one that Gavin was wearing today sprung into his mind as it was sensible but still looked good. White with a beige and auburn trim. He mentally rolled his eyes at himself, wondering why he cared about the style but finally ended up just shrugging and going with the design.
The next part was trickier. He wanted to retain the feel of the shirt itself, thinking soft and comfortable thoughts while meshing it with the idea of hard and unyielding. The idea of being hard and unyielding had to be triggered by any application of force, and only around the point of impact. The images and impressions he conjured up in his mind reflected this and when he felt as if he’d gotten it right, he moved onto the next stage.
Now, he needed to push into the Anderealm to acquire the needed glimmer steel. That was the name of the dream realm he’d been visiting, never having known what it was called until Professor Reivus had taught it to him just a few months earlier. The Glimmer Men, and in turn the Mourning Lords themselves, had been the only ones who ever had access to the Anderealm after the Cataclysm, so the information had been lost to time. The Professor had been shocked that Aiden had visited there, but despite its danger, he’d told Aiden some of what he’d known.
It was, for all intents and purposes, a different dimension from the one most people were aware of. Instead of being completely separate, they bled into and even depended on each other for existence in some sort of symbiotic state. Professor Revius had told him the Anderealm existed prior to ours in some sort of weird cosmological order, which is why glimmer steel was pulled from it to create things here rather than vice versa. In a particularly unflattering description, he’d told Aiden that our realm was more akin to potting soil; something which glimmer steel needed in order to grab hold of in order to maintain itself.
The Professor admitted there were more questions than answers, though. Even at the time of the ancients, there was so much not understood. It disturbed Aiden to learn when he and Ashrak had visited Duke Feldar and the Mourning Lord in the Duke’s study, it should have been impossible to see them; a curiosity that clearly bothered the Professor.
A nudge woke him from his contemplation and back to the task at hand. Glowby had needed to guide him less and less since he’d been practicing with silverware so often, but every once in a while it was needed and Aiden appreciated the reminder. Refocusing himself, he pulled the idea of the shirt back into clarity and moved his mind toward the barrier, opening it and ushering the glimmer steel toward his creation.
He took his time, knowing the complexity of what he was trying was considerably greater than a butter knife. Even so, the task only took about an hour to form and then crystallize before him. A marked improvement over his earliest creations. When he was finally done, he gently guided the remaining, unused glimmer steel back through the insistent barrier. He’d learned very early it needed to be controlled or he’d have a considerable headache when he finished. As it was, it still resulted in a mildly annoying ache.
When he opened his eyes, a very real yet unassuming tunic floated in front of him and above his lap. The shirt was almost exactly the same as the one Gavin was wearing, and he noticed Chari and Ashrak look back and forth between the two before grinning.
“Well, we know who gets to test it, don’t we?” Ashrak quipped, chuckling softly as Aiden reached out and let the tunic fall into his hands. That was another odd thing about making glimmer steel. It would float there until he touched it. It was almost like a jeweler’s mark that signified the item could now belong in this reality. Once he pulled it from its formation place, it would behave normally. He’d tested it once, letting a set of spoons hang in the air for several minutes until Reivus had gotten angry and told him it wasn’t a toy.
Gavin blinked at the other two, not understanding the testing remark until he took a closer look at the tunic and then down at his own. “Don’t tell Markam,” he said before holding his arm out toward Aiden and taking the shirt. Once he did, though, his eyes got very wide. “Oh, wow, Aiden, this shirt is soft. I’ve never felt anything like it.”
Chari immediately crowded close as did Ashrak, reaching out and making oohing and ahhing noises. When Aiden grabbed it, it hadn’t really registered on him because he was just happy he’d accomplished the task, but when he touched it again he could see what they were talking about. The shirt was soft. Much softer than the tunic Gavin was wearing though they looked identical. After a few minutes, Gavin quickly stood and stripped his own tunic off before pulling the new one over his head, sighing softly as he did so.
“Wow, it's like a cloud hugging you,” he almost purred. “I’ve never felt anything like it. It certainly doesn’t feel like something is supposed to protect you.”
Chari gave Ashrak a dark look, making sure he wasn’t going to pull a dagger to test it and caught him with his hand on the hilt. “Ugh! Ashrak, you and that dagger. I’m going to tell Gavin’s father to take it away from you. We don’t need to actually threaten his life, we just need to hit it with something that won’t actually kill him if it fails.”
“Actually,” Aiden chimed in, “I would prefer if he took it off. It shouldn’t actually need to be on someone when we test it. How about we wrap it around a pillow instead?”
They all agreed, and after Gavin had taken it off and wrapped it around a pillow they all stood, staring at it as it sat innocently on the small end table. Aiden asked if he could borrow Ashrak’s dagger and the taller boy quickly handed it over. He had been practically bouncing to test it out, but if anything went wrong, Aiden didn’t want Chari to have reason to be even angrie
r at the tall noble. It was his creation and he figured he could tell if it was working correctly or not.
He didn’t take the dagger out at first but simply pushed it lightly, sheath and all, against the material. As he’d hoped, nothing happened except the material moved exactly as cloth should. He had been worried it would tighten up at the slightest movement. Gavin had moved just fine with it on, so he hadn’t been overly worried but he had to be sure.
By the third push, he’d graduated up to a hard poke and the material reacted. Or rather, it didn’t react. It felt like poking a piece of granite.
On top of that, the pillow didn’t move at all, which was odd. The first two times as he poked it, it had shifted a small bit on the table, but this time, it was as if he’d not even touched it. Aiden poked it again, harder, with the same result and the third time he actually put his hand on another part of the pillow when he poked it. Just as he’d hoped, his hand depressed the soft fabric easily even while it resisted the attack where the dagger had impacted.
“Amazing,” Gavin breathed, picking up the pillow and slowly unwrapping the tunic from it. “Do you have any idea how impressive this is, Aiden?” As he spoke, Gavin had stepped a few meters from the rest of them and got into a crouch with the tunic lumped up over his shoulder.
“Okay, throw the pillow at me. I’m going to see what it feels like if the tunic is the thing doing the impacting.”
Chari picked it up, and then tossed it at him though she didn’t do it overly aggressively. It wasn’t a large room and none of them knew what to expect. When Gavin swung the material, it behaved exactly like any tunic until it met the pillow. Instead of what they were expecting, both objects simply stopped in mid-air and then fell. Gavin had a curious look on his face as he studied the material.
“What are you thinking, Gavin?” Aiden asked, curiously.
“I was thinking what would happen if we fell into the water with this on?” he said, still with a puzzled expression on his face. I’m still not sure what it would do, but I didn’t feel the impact with the pillow at all. This is very strange. Okay, I’m going to put it on and try some things out.”
They waited patiently and once he had the tunic back on he held his arm out. “Hold the sheath out, I’m going to push my arm against it.”
Aiden did as he was asked, and Gavin moved his arm against the end of the sheath. Lightly at first, but by the second time they could hear an odd, muffled tink sound as the shirt stopped the feigned attack. Aiden could feel the dagger shift slightly, but it was strangely dampened. They tried it a few more times with Gavin throwing his arm harder and harder against the blunt object but it didn’t seem to make a difference. Each time felt almost exactly the same no matter how hard Gavin swung his arms.
“I barely feel anything, Aiden,” Gavin said, looking at the point where the sheath had impacted his shirt. “There’s a very faint sensation, but other than that I almost don’t feel like it’s happening. How about you?”
“The same. It's like the shirt robs the attack of its force. I’ve never felt anything like it.”
Chari stepped forward, lightly punching Gavin in the arm and then grabbed the dagger from Aiden. She unsheathed it and looking at Ashrak as she did so. “This is how you do it lightly and safely, Ashrak.” Turning to Gavin, she got a prim look on her face before continuing. “Gavin? Are you ready? I’m going to lightly poke your shoulder.”
Aiden watched Ashrak roll his eyes but he didn’t make a comment. It was obvious he was still embarrassed about his behavior earlier and didn’t want to antagonize Chari. After Chari had stabbed at Gavin, even going as far as stepping back and putting her weight into it, it was clear the shirt was doing what it was supposed to do. Aiden wasn’t sure what the blue-flash did, but now he was wondering if they even needed it. The shirt was a miracle.
It wasn’t more than an hour later when they left the cabin and ascended to the main deck. Gavin had gone to his room and put the shirt away, stating it wouldn’t be a good idea if Professor Revius could sense it, and by the time he’d gotten back to them it was clear the large skimmer was beginning to descend.
There was a large, distant landmass appearing on the edge of the ocean. It was clear this wasn’t some small stand of rock but a huge area, stretching across the horizon. Aiden began to doubt it was an island, but his attention was taken by the sight of a large ship below.
“Is that the ship we’re taking to the island?” he asked Chari.
The loud voice of Valeran boomed from behind them. “It is. The Gerevat, named after my ancestor who was foolish or brave enough to chance to try to make contact with the Naiadens.” He moved next to the railing, pointing down toward the ship that was slowly becoming clearer. “It's only half a day to get there, but it’s tradition to sail in and it's good for us not to rely on the Skywitch too often. It makes you lazy, not feeling the roll of the sea under you.”
For the most part, the friends all took the news with ambivalence though Markam looked as if he didn’t enjoy the thought. It only took them another twenty minutes to descend, ending up with them hovering next to the deck of the Gerevat. The waves weren’t bad today, so the Skywitch didn’t have much difficulty staying stable next to her sea-going companion as passengers and their luggage moved from one to the other.
The only tense moment came when despite all odds, Professor Reivus made his best attempt at diving into the ocean while not watching where his feet were going. Oya Dihya was there, however, and her large hands easily plucked the old man away from the edge of the crossing plank, not letting him go until he was safely on the deck of their destination.
While Aiden and Ashrak held back, uncertain what to do on the new ship, Gavin, Chari and Markam had gone over to talk to a tall man who had a striking resemblance to Gavin but was a few years older. Whereas Gavin was light, the other was dark haired and had the beginnings of a beard that, while neatly trimmed, looked to have the potential to grow as unruly as his father’s. That he was one of his brothers became obvious when he grabbed Gavin in a headlock and gave him a brief head rub while they both laughed.
Valeran was the last off as he said goodbye to Captain Rohansen. “Take care of the Skywitch. We’ll most likely be back to Terek in a month and a half, barring a storm. Nothing the Gerevat can’t handle, though, I’m sure. Short of a skimmer, she’s the best we have.”
The older, quiet man nodded before clasping arms with his liege and then Valeran crossed the plank. They all stood there watching the massive, graceful skimmer rise. Aiden wasn’t sure how the rest of them felt, but for him, it was an awesome sight seeing something so large dwindle into the sky.
Finally, when it was far enough away, Valeran turned toward three men who had been waiting patiently for his attention. All three were dressed well, wearing uniforms of red and black with gold piping. If Aiden were to guess, they looked like officers to him since their clothes were a cut above the rest of the crew, though they also wore uniforms of red and black. One of the men standing patiently was the person Aiden suspected of being Gavin’s brother as he was stifling a grin when his father looked his way.
“Captain Grell,” Valeran began. “Permission for myself and this ragged band of hooligans to come aboard? I’m not sure Oya Dihya is tall enough to carry us the rest of the way.”
The Captain grinned stiffly, chuckling before reaching out and grasping the Duke’s arm companionably. “Well, seeing as how your ride just left, I guess that lets me charge just about anything I want for passage. Are you up for scrubbing the deck, you old pirate?”
Valeran laughed, then shook his head. “That’s why I brought my boy. He and his friends are excellent scrubbers. Speaking of boys, how’s Kelman serving? Keeping your sailors in check, I hope?”
The Captain shrugged. “No mutinie yet, but there’s still a few days left in his service with me. Give him time, I’m sure he’ll have us all heaved over the side before all’s said and done.”
Both men had turned and were loo
king at Gavin’s brother who was trying to decide between grinning and being embarrassed, though his beard was doing a poor job of hiding his blush. Still, it was clear the Captain was watching him closely, wondering if he’d break discipline while his father was here.
When it didn’t happen, the man nodded, calling back. “Very good, Lieutenant Terek, can you please see about getting our guests bunked and stored? I’ll see to your father's comfort. There’s a bottle I acquired from a passing Setemite trade ship he’ll want to inspect for quality. Can’t let him out of doing his duty, can I?”
The young man nodded and stood straight. “Aye, Captain. I’ll have them situated in no time.” He waited until dismissed and then grinned once more at his father before gathering several crewmen. It wasn’t long before he had their luggage moved below deck and showed them all to their small, but clean, bunks.
The four boys would be staying in one of the rooms which he had been assured was one of the best they had. While tiny, it was efficient with berths that would fold down from the walls, and a small desk did the same when the beds were not in use. Chari would be staying with Professor Reivus, and Oya Dihya would be on her own though Aiden had no clue how the tall Naiaden would fit within the tiny hallways. He thought she would most likely stay above decks since he’d been told it was only a half day to get to the island and drop them off.
The Glimmer Steel Saga, Boxed Set, Books 1 - 4 Page 38
