by M. Gregg Roe
“I’m ready,” Rosalind said, clutching the satchel to her chest as she walked up alongside.
Audrey teleported them both to the site, where it was both cooler and cloudier. Recent rains had brought some of the vegetation back to life, making the area look less desolate. Rosalind put her satchel down carefully and went to examine the nearest block, holding out both hands with a look of concentration.
The section of wall had grown both longer and taller. Audrey rationed her visits now, only going every few days and forcing herself to take breaks. But the urge was always there at the back of her mind.
“This is strange all right,” Rosalind said, running a hand over a pattern. “I’ve never sensed anything quite like it.”
“That’s what everyone says,” Audrey sighed. “What do you want to do first?”
Rosalind retrieved her satchel and extracted a cloth measuring tape. “I’ll start by taking measurements. Then I’ll begin recording the patterns on each block, including the ones visible on what you have already built. I brought along some chalk so we can mark the blocks we’ve already done. We will give each one a unique number.”
Audrey opened her mouth to ask why, then hesitated. The information would allow Rosalind to figure out how the blocks connected without actually assembling them. And after working it all out, the numbers would serve as a shortcut, reducing the time wasted searching for a matching block.
“I’ll find a block for you to join while you take your measurements,” Audrey told her. She was very curious as to how the woman would react.
When Audrey returned from her task, she looked down at Rosalind’s notebook. After sketching a block, she had added the dimensions of each edge. “The trapezoid shape is composed of three equilateral triangles,” Rosalind explained as she made another sketch. “That’s what makes it such an excellent design.”
It took Audrey a moment to understand, but then she saw it. That was what allowed the blocks to form straight sections or to be assembled into a hexagonal shape. It was clever.
“I’ve come up with a compact way to record the patterns,” Rosalind said, pointing at a line of numbers that meant nothing to Audrey.
“I want you to add this block first,” Audrey said, gesturing toward the one she had located. “I’ll show you where it goes.”
“Strength,” Rosalind intoned before trying to lift the block. It was a spell that did exactly what you would expect. Empowered by the spell, the petite half-elf picked up the block and maneuvered it to the spot on the third row up that Audrey designated. It snapped into place with the usual sound, and Rosalind’s blue eyes widened in surprise. “I see what you mean,” she said as her face flushed. “I want to do that again.”
Audrey found it reassuring that Rosalind had been affected in the same way. “Do you think it’s dangerous?” she asked.
Rosalind hesitated for a long while. “It appears that whoever is creating these blocks has no way to assemble them, so they provided a guide and made it pleasurable to join them together properly. It’s crude but effective. But now that I’ve experienced the sensation for myself, I understand your concern.”
“I’m going to continue building this,” Audrey said, wondering if she actually had a choice. “But I’ll come to you if I start feeling any ill effects.”
“That will do for now,” Rosalind said. “Let’s get to work recording the patterns. If we’re lucky, that will tell us something.”
Even working together, it took hours, requiring Audrey to fetch food and drink from her cottage. Counting the ones in the wall, there were currently 327 blocks, and more would no doubt magically appear overnight.
“I think there will eventually be triangular blocks for the floor and roof,” Rosalind said after putting her notebook away.
“Not more trapezoids?” Audrey asked, trying to picture it.
“It’s possible, but triangles would be simpler. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
There would also need to be windows and at least one door. “This is going to take a while, isn’t it?” Audrey asked hesitantly.
Rosalind shouldered her satchel. “Give me a few days to analyze this. But if this is an extensive structure, this might take years.”
Building castles the normal way was also a slow process, so it wasn’t really a surprise. And it emphasized that there was still plenty of time to prepare for whatever happened when the structure was complete.
After teleporting Rosalind to her room, Audrey returned to the site and stared at the blocks still waiting to be added. They called to her. “I’ll just do a couple,” she told herself as she walked up to the wall segment. But she only stopped when she realized how late it had gotten.
Audrey brought Rosalind back to her cottage so they could speak in private. Ferikellan didn’t appear to have noticed her side project yet, but that was probably because he was so focused on his own endeavors.
“I still can’t believe that you’ve had these powers for years,” Rosalind said as they seated themselves at the small dining table. “Do you teleport everywhere?”
“Only when acting as Guardian,” Audrey told her, even though that wasn’t strictly true. “What did you discover?”
Rosalind removed a piece of paper from her satchel and placed it on the table. It showed two wall sections connected to a hexagonal tower. But Audrey’s initial excitement soon gave way to puzzlement. “The tower is really that narrow?” she asked, staring at the neat sketch.
“I’m afraid so,” Rosalind replied. “It’s just six blocks per level, making it only a little over a yard across. I think the overall shape of the structure will be a hexagon, so there will be six towers.”
In Audrey’s experience, castle towers had stairs inside of them, or at least ladders. And they usually had narrow windows that doubled as arrow slits. But why should she expect this to be a normal castle?
“I made some assumptions about the overall size,” Rosalind said, pulling out another piece of paper. “We’re looking at over three-thousand blocks, not counting the floor and roof. Do you know the average number of blocks that appear each day?”
“Ten or so,” Audrey mumbled as she tried to work it out. “It’s going to take a year?”
“More if it ends up being a complicated building,” Rosalind said. “It might have multiple tiers. I’m also not sure about the internal structure. There could be pillars or thick walls.”
“I was going to cut back on my teaching to focus on this,” Audrey told her, “but it sounds like I should wait.”
“That’s what I would advise.” Rosalind produced a third sheet of paper covered with dense writing. “This shows which other blocks each connects to. You could probably assemble all the blocks we numbered in less than an hour.”
In fact, Audrey had already assembled some of those. What Rosalind had come up with would save time, but joining so many blocks that quickly might not be wise. It would probably be better to keep doing it the slow way, with brief breaks forced by the need to find the next block.
“How would you feel about working for me long-term?” Audrey asked to change the subject. “I pay well.”
Rosalind smirked. “In platinum ingots?”
“I also have coins and other valuables,” Audrey told her seriously. “So what about it?”
“I accept,” Rosalind said, equally serious. “I’ve always dreamed of being free to perform research. It’s your decision, but I guarantee Ferikellan won’t be happy about this.” She sighed softly. “He’s spent too much of his life alone.”
Audrey hesitated as she considered the situation she would be creating. “I could have the ogres build you your own house,” she suggested.
Rosalind’s head shake was firm. “There is plenty of room in the keep, and we need to work together. Ferikellan will adjust in time. I’ll send a letter to my temple, but they really weren’t expecting me to return. I had already been thinking about relocating.”
Moving to Tritown had probably not been
in Rosalind’s plans, but the village could use a resident cleric. After nodding her understanding, Audrey said, “I’ll pay you whatever you think is fair.”
“That’s not a smart way to run a business,” Rosalind chided. “But you mentioned that you had everything that Andoran left behind.”
“Not everything,” Audrey confessed. “I still don’t know where he actually lived. It’s probably only accessible by teleportation.”
“That would be safest,” Rosalind agreed. “Let’s go to the castle site. I want you to add at least ten blocks.”
“While you watch and see what it does to me,” Audrey said, both excited and worried. “Okay, but you better hope that I can still teleport afterward. There’s nothing nearby.”
Rosalind shrugged. “I can use magic to fly.”
After the woman had gathered up her papers and stowed them, Audrey invoked the teleport.
Due to inclement weather, their first visit to the site was brief. Since the sky to the west looked clear, they opted to wait out the rain, filling the time by chatting over tea. That meant hearing all kinds of useless information about Rosalind’s many relatives, but Audrey didn’t mind. If anything, she was envious.
Audrey donned boots for their second attempt, but she ended up spending most of her time in the air. It was both faster and less messy. Perched on top of one of the newer blocks, Rosalind called out instructions. Some of the chalk marks were hard to read, but it was still faster than checking individual patterns. By the eleventh block, Audrey felt exhilarated, but not at all tired. The twenty-fourth block fit on the second layer of the narrow tower. After that, Rosalind called out for her to stop.
“I think I’m getting used to it,” Audrey told Rosalind after flying over. The sensation caused by the joining had dwindled with each additional block. She felt ready to do dozens more, maybe even all of them.
With a flat expression, Rosalind stood up on top of the block and held out her hands, palm outward. “Audrey, you are speaking too fast. You look on edge—jittery. Your face is flushed, and your eyes are glassy.” She lowered her hands. “But I’m not detecting anything abnormal. Sit down and relax.”
Audrey was feeling a little light-headed. And she couldn’t seem to stop her eyes from darting around. After seating herself on a nearby block, she closed her eyes and summoned up a peaceful image to occupy her thoughts. Even then, it was several minutes before her breathing and heart rate returned to normal. It worried her that she hadn’t even noticed how agitated she had become. The blocks were insidious.
“I think you’ll be fine after some rest,” Rosalind said, her voice sounding distant. “Do you have teaching this afternoon?”
“No.” It was one of her days off.
“Then I want you to rest at the keep, where I can monitor you. Do you feel up to teleporting us?”
“Of course,” Audrey replied. But when she stood, the ground suddenly tilted. She took the impact on her right side, but it still hurt. “Or maybe we should wait a little longer,” she mumbled as her vision narrowed.
“Recovery!” It was Rosalind’s voice, and it was so loud it hurt Audrey’s ears. “I don’t understand how you can be worse now. I’m channeling as much energy to you as I can manage. Do you feel it?”
“Yes,” Audrey said as clarity returned. Her entire right side was wet and no doubt muddy. “Thank you, Rosalind.”
“Maybe I should handle the construction next time,” Rosalind said, peering down with a look of relief.
“I think it was just too many too quickly.” Audrey sat up carefully before slowing rising to her feet. She desperately needed a bath and a change of clothes. Food and drink would also be welcome.
“And I think it’s reason enough to take a step back,” Rosalind said with surprising intensity. “Who else have you consulted about this?”
“Daragrim and Birchbark.” Audrey answered.
“I’m not sure that building any more of this is a good idea. Take some time off. Talk to people you trust. What are you going to do if the completed building starts spewing out invaders from outside Andoran’s Realm?”
“Fight them,” Audrey said in a near whisper. “Defend the Realm.” It was her duty as Guardian.
“Not allowing an invasion is a better defense,” Rosalind lectured, but in a gentle tone. “Just slow down. Let the blocks accumulate. There is no need for haste.”
“I will,” Audrey said, squaring her shoulders and finally feeling like herself. “Please tell Birchbark about this, and I’ll speak to Daragrim.”
“That’s a start,” Rosalind said, finally smiling. “Now please take me home.”
So the Triangular Keep was home already? That was encouraging. After complying, Audrey teleported directly to her own bathroom.
Even though it was the same size as her own, Daragrim’s cottage always felt roomier. Maybe it was the elf’s diminutive size, or something about the decor or arrangement of the furniture. Or maybe it meant that she just had too much junk crammed into her own cottage.
Audrey waited until after dinner to raise the issue, taking small sips of rice wine as she related what had happened earlier that day. Looking comfortable in the only elf-sized chair in his sitting room, Daragrim didn’t reply immediately. That meant that he was giving the matter serious thought.
“Even though I only taught her briefly,” he began, staring out through the large window, “I soon learned that Rosalind was something special. She questioned everything, but they were insightful questions. It may sound trite, but magic is in her blood. I am pleased that she is now in your employ.”
“So I should take her advice?” she asked. That was certainly what it sounded like.
“You should value her advice,” he corrected. “But this is a unique occurrence. The intent of those responsible remains unknown.”
He was saying that Rosalind’s instincts might be wrong. That was good, because Audrey wanted to finish building the castle, if only to see what it looked like.
“Do you have a plan should it prove to be a threat?” he asked.
“I have a preliminary one,” she answered slowly. “I’ll use some of the ogres along with a few powerful people, like Birchbark.”
“That is a reasonable plan,” he said, nodding in approval. “Will you be commanding them?”
That sounded like a terrible idea. “I’ll look for someone with experience. Maybe Gabriel?” She wanted it to be someone she knew and trusted.
“An apt choice, but his father has far more experience. Perhaps they both might play roles?”
Daragrim knew Mardan from back when they had both served on the city council. Audrey still had concerns about Mardan’s current living situation, but from what she had read, Zyrahi was also accustomed to commanding military forces. And how convenient that the demon had shown up at just the right time to help. It was definitely time to have a long talk with Aliva.
After some casual conversation, Audrey made the short walk back to her own cottage. She would take her time and listen to advice, but she wasn’t about to stop assembling the blocks. Her mind was made up.
[ 17 ]
Partial Success
As soon as Rosalind was out of earshot, Ferikellan whirled around, only to find that Vurk was no longer nearby. He spotted the gworn sitting beneath an ash tree some fifteen yards distant, picking his nose with a look of contentment. Cursing the tall grass, Ferikellan pushed through until he was standing in front of his traitorous assistant.
“Have a seat, boss,” Vurk said to him. “We’ve got three hours to kill.”
That was the probable duration of the potion that had just enabled Rosalind to safely enter the Gray Forest. She had assured them she would stay close to the boundary, but he really didn’t care at this point. The woman was driving him crazy. She was a plague, following him around, disturbing his concentration, nitpicking everything. But it was her secret side-project that most annoyed him.
“Who do you work for, Vurk?” Ferikellan snapped.
The gworn eyed him warily. “You, boss.”
“Then why have you been working for Rosalind without permission?”
Vurk shrugged. “I didn’t know I needed permission. She asked real nicely.”
“From now on, you will check with me first,” Ferikellan lectured. “I will also make it clear to Rosalind that you work for me.” But the thought of confronting her filled him with unease. The woman was intimidating in some respects.
“Whatever you say, boss.” Vurk plucked a blade of grass and held it up.
After removing his hat, Ferikellan seated himself in a less overgrown area. All he had wanted was a cleric to render assistance, not someone whose magical potential rivaled his own. He also feared that she wouldn’t leave after the experiment was complete. That would be a nightmare.
“Vurk!” he barked, still not satisfied.
“You don’t have to yell,” the gworn complained.
“I want to know what you have been doing for Rosalind,” he said sternly.
“She has me looking through these pages of numbers,” Vurk replied. “I marked ones that matched other ones.”
Some kind of puzzle? “What does this relate to?” Ferikellan asked, unable to suppress his curiosity.
“I’m not supposed to say.”
Furious, Ferikellan sprang to his feet and gritted his teeth. “I have had enough of your insolence. Remember who you work for.”
The gworn waved all four arms in surrender. “It’s some kind of construction project that she’s helping the Guardian with. That’s all I know.”
That sounded uninteresting. Maybe he was overreacting. He also needed to remember who he worked for. Audrey was ultimately in charge.
After sitting back down, Ferikellan made himself comfortable and soon dozed off.
In Ferikellan’s dream, a towering figure was yelling at him in a booming voice, but he couldn’t understand why or what was being said. He was about to inquire when reality intruded. The Guardian was standing in front of him, and she didn’t look at all happy.
