by M. Gregg Roe
Satisfied that they had done everything possible, Ferikellan headed back to the keep. There, he tried to keep himself busy as he waited. He studied the notes on the new potion and wrote out a list of issues that warranted further exploration. He reviewed his lengthy list of future research topics. When he became hungry, he scrounged some food from the pantry and then ate on the roof while staring north at the Gray Forest.
When the sun had nearly set, Ferikellan laid down in his bed. The new potion had succeeded beyond their wildest dreams, but it had to wear off eventually. Thoroughly exhausted, he fell asleep almost instantly.
Someone was shaking his shoulder. Barely awake, Ferikellan muttered, “Let me be, Vurk.”
“It’s not Vurk. Move over.”
The sound of Rosalind’s voice filled him with joy. Although after dark, the moonlight was sufficient for him to see her standing to the left of his bed, clad in her nightgown. She must have bathed first, for he could smell the scent of her shampoo. He pulled the light blanket aside and slid over to make room. She climbed in and covered them both with the blanket.
“I was beginning to think I would have to live out the rest of my days in the Gray Forest,” she said, staring into his eyes. “Now that I’m out, I’m not sure I ever want to go back inside.”
He could hardly blame her. “What was the duration?” he asked.
“Right around two-thirds of a day. The tingling woke me up when it wore off, so they didn’t have to drag me out. I healed myself as soon as I was outside, but Marva still insisted on carrying me back here. I could have just flown, but I decided not to argue.”
He would have to thank both Marva and the others that had assisted.
She reached out and touched his bearded cheek. “I’m not being forward; I just need comforting after what I’ve been through. If you would rather I leave, I’ll go snuggle with Vurk.”
“You are welcome to stay,” he told her, feeling giddy. “And to snuggle. I was very worried.”
Her smile was gentle. “I know you’ve developed feelings for me. I’ve had flings with older men, but never one old enough to be my grandfather.”
Was it a rejection? “You make me feel young again,” he breathed, enchanted by the way the moonlight bathed her face.
“If this goes wrong, it might make it difficult for us to work together.” She leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the lips. “I’m willing to give it a try, but you’ll have to open up. I want to know about your childhood and your family.”
“I will tell you everything,” he said, mesmerized. “I am from—”
“Not now, silly.” She patted his cheek again. “Tell me things gradually, during a meal, or while we’re out on a walk. Right now, I just want to get some sleep. Turn over.”
He complied and was elated when she moved up against his back. It was something he had experienced before, but not often, and definitely not recently. The warmth of her body was intoxicating. But the stressful events of the day soon won out. Lulled by the gentle sound of her breathing, he sank into a deep slumber.
When Ferikellan awoke the next morning, somewhat later than usual, he was alone in his bed. Rosalind’s scent, however, still lingered. It looked to be a fine morning, slightly cool and with only a few puffy clouds to decorate the pure blue sky. Eager to see her again, and rather hungry, he rushed through his morning routine.
Rosalind smiled at him when he entered the dining room, but his greeting died unvoiced. The gworn standing in the corner wasn’t Vurk. He was younger, clean-shaven, and had longer hair. His expression was utterly serious as he remained motionless.
“This is Harbik,” she said, and the gworn nodded once. “He arrived early this morning. Now we each have our own assistant.”
“I see,” Ferikellan said, unable to hide his surprise. “It is nice to meet you, Harbik.”
“He doesn’t talk much,” she told him as he took his usual seat.
“Morning, boss,” Vurk said as he walked in carrying items in three of his four hands. He quickly set out Ferikellan’s breakfast. Rosalind resumed eating as he tucked in.
A second gworn would certainly be useful. The two could split the cooking and cleaning duties. At any given time, at least one of them should be available to assist in the laboratory. It was even possible that Vurk would stop complaining so often.
By mutual agreement, they performed no research that day. They strolled around the area, visited Birchbark and Fern, spoke of many things. He learned more about her and she of him. She invited him to share her bed that evening. Both anxious at the prospect and fatigued from all the walking, he demurred and was relieved when she showed no offense.
They resumed their potion research the following day. There were mysteries to be unraveled, and he was confident that the two of them were up to the task.
[ 21 ]
Communication Issues
After answering the knock on her front door, Audrey stared in surprise. It was Rosalind, red-faced and with her hair badly disheveled. Her shoulders sagged as she said, “Nabarun is dead,” in a tired voice. “Can I get something to drink?”
She had obviously flown to the Witch’s City to bring the news. “Of course,” Audrey said, ushering Rosalind in and to a chair. “Is apple cider okay?”
“Fine,” Rosalind answered as she sniffed the air. “Food would be nice, too. There was a fierce headwind.”
Dinner was almost ready, and there was more than enough for two. “Take a seat in the dining nook,” Audrey told her. “You can tell me what happened while I finish cooking.” By the time Rosalind complied, Audrey had the promised refreshment ready.
“It’s not a pleasant story,” Rosalind warned after taking a large sip. “But you need to know what happened.”
Audrey stirred and seasoned the vegetable soup while Rosalind related her tale. It was sad what had happened, but she couldn’t fault anything that Rosalind or Ferikellan had done. And she couldn’t believe how long the potion had lasted. It was a major accomplishment.
After slicing the loaf of bread whose aroma now permeated the area, Audrey ladled out two bowls of soup. Fresh butter and more cider completed the meal. For the next few minutes, they ate in silence.
“That was delicious,” Rosalind said after finishing her second slice of bread. “I’d forgotten what a skilled cook you are.”
“I had good teachers,” Audrey told her, basking in the praise.
“So did I, but I’m still a lousy cook. I just don’t have the knack.”
It was time to address the issue that Rosalind had raised. “We definitely need some way for you to signal me. I can arrange for someone to observe the top of the keep a few times a day. You could put some kind of sign or indicator on the roof.”
Rosalind blinked, looking both surprised and sleepy. “That should work. Who will be watching the roof?”
“Some artificial creatures that work for me,” Audrey explained, knowing she would eventually have to tell Rosalind about them. “They can observe anywhere in the Realm.”
“But not inside buildings?”
Audrey found the woman’s worried expression amusing. “No, Rosalind. They can’t watch you bathing or changing clothes.”
Rosalind’s expression went briefly blank. “We need to come up with signals that won’t be affected by wind or rain. And all we really need are two signals. One will be a request for you to come when it’s convenient, while the other will mean we need you as soon as possible.”
“The roof of the keep has three corners,” Audrey mused. “Maybe use a brightly colored jug or urn?”
“That could work,” Rosalind agreed. “One corner would be no signal.”
After Audrey fetched paper and a stylus, they agreed on a plan and made two copies.
“Are you in constant communication with these creatures?” Rosalind asked.
“No, but they have a way to signal me.” Audrey could detect the crystalloid’s surveillance if it was sufficiently close. But that only worked
if the crystalloids knew where she was. It wasn’t an ideal system.
“Ferikellan and I have been discussing it,” Rosalind said. “A large air elemental might work to send a message, but neither of us can summon one. I can summon spirit elementals, and they’re incredibly fast, but they don’t have enough range.”
“What about magic items?” Audrey suggested. “I’ve got access to hundreds that Andoran collected.” Actually, it was probably thousands.
Rosalind perked up. “That sounds promising. Do you have any kind of list of what’s there?”
“Yes, and no.” Audrey quickly described the information store she had access to. “Unfortunately, the items are listed by the date that Andoran acquired them, not by type or function.” Even worse, some entries were incomplete or missing entirely.
“I would be happy to help you look through them,” Rosalind told her.
“We’ll go my next day off,” Audrey decided. “It might take a while.”
Rosalind nodded. “Before you take me home, I have some additional news.”
Audrey had mixed feelings about the appearance of a new gworn. The creatures were a mystery. How had Harbik known where to find Rosalind? And how had he traveled to Tritown? Oddly, the information store had no information on them. Andoran had been a skilled researcher, so why hadn’t he attracted gworn assistants of his own?
After teleporting Rosalind to her bedroom in the keep, Audrey returned and cleaned up the kitchen. Then she went to visit the crystalloids and told them the plan. From now on, they would check the roof of the keep regularly.
As the High Witch’s expression hardened, Audrey wondered if she had made a mistake. The woman had no authority outside the Witch’s City and its neighboring farm villages, and she was both arrogant and easily angered. Despite that, Audrey considered Ermizad to be a competent ruler.
“How far away does the structure lie?” Ermizad asked, seated opposite Audrey. Thick curtains covered the sitting room’s only window.
That was the problem with teleporting everywhere. On a whim, Audrey mentally requested a map of Andoran’s Realm and gaped at what appeared. The drawing was both detailed and beautifully labeled. Why had it never occurred to her to look for something like that earlier?
“About sixty miles,” Audrey estimated.
Ermizad nodded. “It seems unlikely to pose a threat, but I would still prefer that you abandon this project. What good can come of it?”
“If I stop,” Audrey said slowly, “then someone else might come along and build it. Or whoever is responsible might send people to do it. This way I have control.” At least she hoped she did.
“A cogent argument,” Ermizad commented. She smiled wryly. “I know well that I have no authority over you, Guardian.”
Audrey didn’t appreciate the jibe. “No, you don’t. You also don’t know the full extent of my powers.” There. Let the woman stew over that.
“Nor you mine,” Ermizad shot back with narrowed eyes. She gestured sharply. “I will do whatever is necessary to protect my city.”
“Like letting a demon take up residence here?” Audrey asked before she could stop herself.
Ermizad regarded her dourly. “That was a compromise,” she explained. “And perhaps I must compromise on this issue. What precautions do you have planned for when the castle is complete?”
Audrey briefly related her preliminary plan, including her intention to involve Birchbark.
“An excellent start,” Ermizad commended. “What of that odd creature that kidnapped my cousin Petra? It now serves you, does it not?”
“Crap,” Audrey said, gritting her teeth. “I forgot all about the Collector. It’s a construct, and there are other constructs that it can control.” And they had all been collecting dust for what? Three years, at least.
“I’m planning to ask Mardan to command my forces,” Audrey said in answer to Ermizad’s next question.
“A wise choice,” Ermizad said, but it sounded condescending.
“Then I will. And I’ll keep you informed.”
“Thank you, Audrey. How are your two cousins? As precocious as ever?”
Relieved by the change of subject, Audrey replied in detail. She even remembered to ask Ermizad about her family.
The Collector would have been much less creepy if it hadn’t resembled a human male. From a distance it was fairly convincing—until you noticed the odd way it moved. Up close, the disguise was clear. Wrought from thin metal, its facial features were painted realistically, but immovable. The dark eyes neither moved nor blinked. Also made from metal, the long dark hair was all in one piece. Its black robes were more like metal armor than cloth, moving when it moved its limbs, but not looking quite right.
“Status,” Audrey ordered, frowning as she stood in front of the construct in a large chamber underneath the Gray Forest. It and others like it had been made by Andoran to collect things that might interest him, hence the name. But this was now the only one left.
“Operational,” it replied in a loud metallic voice that echoed off the walls and made her teeth hurt.
“Status of the other constructs?” she prompted. It had a semblance of intelligence but rarely volunteered information.
“Inoperative.”
That she knew, because she had been the one to deactivate them. They were now lying around the underground complex like so much scrap. But was it permanent?
“Can you make them operative?” she snapped.
“Affirmative.”
“And how long will it take?” she asked, resisting the urge to grit her teeth.
It was nearly a minute before the reply came, and it startled her. “Approximation. Seven-hundred-and-fourteen hours.”
Why was it answering in hours, of all things? And how was that an approximation? Gods, she hated talking to the thing.
“Proceed,” she ordered, and it promptly began to move, heading toward the small doorway to her left.
“And now I have to figure out how long that is,” she muttered. “I hope it’s not several years.”
Back home in her cottage, Audrey got out paper and a stylus but then had an idea. “How many days is seven-hundred-and-fourteen hours?” she asked the information store. The answer appeared instantly. “Just under a month. That’s not bad at all. Why didn’t you ever tell me you could do arithmetic?” Nothing further appeared.
“How much is two multiplied by itself twenty-five times?” Audrey asked, remembering what Daragrim had told her about the patterns on the blocks. The largest number she had ever seen appeared. “Over thirty-million,” she said, working it out. “There better not be that many blocks.”
Thrilled by her discovery, Audrey went over to tell Daragrim.
Rosalind looked like an overexcited little girl, and not just because of her height. She kept running from place to place, her progress easy to follow because she was clutching a glow-cube with both hands. But Audrey really couldn’t blame the woman. The contents of the large, egg-shaped cavern were astonishing. She had barely looked through any of it herself. It was just too intimidating.
“I wish Ferikellan could see this,” Rosalind said, walking up red-faced and breathing hard. “Are you sure it’s not safe for him?”
“The only male that could visit here safely was Andoran. The curse or enchantment or whatever even kills male animals.”
Rosalind smiled devilishly. “He’ll be so jealous. Can I take something back with me? Maybe a book or two?”
Audrey couldn’t read most of the books, but Rosalind probably had a spell that could translate them. “Books are fine, but some of the enchanted items are dangerous.”
“I’m more interested in the books, unless we find something we can use to communicate at a distance.”
That was what they were there to look for. Audrey pointed. “I’ll start there, on the right. You start in the back on the left. Call out if you find anything that might work.” Everything had some kind of descriptive label, but Audrey had additional
information on many of the items. And she could use the date on the label to locate it easily. She had given up just looking through the list. It was mind-numbing.
Looking through the shelves was tedious, and the cavern air was both cool and uncomfortably dry. That was why Audrey had brought along two flasks of water. She took a sip of hers from time to time as she moved along. “Bracelet of Brachiating?” she said, staring at the heavy brass item. She looked up the meaning and burst out laughing.
“Did you find something?” came Rosalind’s muffled voice from behind.
“Just something weird,” Audrey called back.
“There’s lots of weird stuff. There’s a ring that prevents its wearer from eating dairy products. Who would make something like that?”
Audrey asked Rosalind for the ring’s date of acquisition, but there was no additional information. Some people had difficulty digesting dairy products, but the ring seemed like overkill. Maybe it had been a practical joke aimed at someone who liked dairy products.
Rosalind found two silver loop earrings capable of locating each other, but their range was only about a dozen yards. Thinking they still might still be useful, Audrey told her to take them.
Audrey was reading the horrifying entry on a Necklace of Inexorable Decapitation when Rosalind excitedly yelled, “I think I found something!”
It took a minute for Audrey to work her way amongst the tall shelves to where Rosalind was standing. “Isothermal Cubes,” Audrey read, bending over because they were sitting on a low shelf. “What does that mean?” The two cubes, made of what looked like polished copper, were each about two inches across.
“It means they’re always the same temperature,” Rosalind explained. “I held one until it warmed up, and that made the other one warm. It’s a type of fire magic.”
“Just a minute.” Audrey consulted her information store. “It says the maximum range is unknown, and the maker is Rymac.” The name sounded familiar. “Do you know who that is?”
