by R N Skye
Ava thought for a few moments then went through the screens of information once again. Seeing no reason not to she eventually responded to the instructor, “yes, but please make sure that the foot notes are placed applicably near the context they support.”
“Please place the instructor near the notebook or place the notebook near the instructor, then open to the first blank page.”
Ava complied by placing the note book open to the first page on the desk next to her instructor device. “Ok, ready,” said Ava.
“The printing will follow the same format as your previous notebook of only placing text on the right hand page. Is that satisfactory?”
“Yes please.”
Without warning a hair thin beam of green light lanced from a mirrored sphere that had appeared above her device and began a rapid dance across the first blank page. In the same precise manner that the glyphs had appeared on the screen they began to appear on the page. Within seconds the first page was full. With a flash, a yellow light engulfed the book and the page turned to the next blank page and the process continued.
After watching the instructor copy the notes for a few moments Ava deciding that it would take a while, returning to her maps she reactivated the portal viewer and once again zeroed in on the forest filled crater that intersected the monorail path. Zooming in she saw that to one side there seemed to be a hillside made of craggy cliffs and rock. In the center of the cliffs a waterfall cascaded over a forty cubit drop into a frothy pool below then flowing into the vale to disappear among the thick foliage. It was a very beautiful and tranquil looking scene. Every once in a while a flash of vibrant colors would dart past her view as she watched a rainbow winged bird gambol with dazzling speed among the trees. Pulling her thoughts from the amazing sights, several thoughts occurred to her; first, how to get around the crater valley, and two, how far apart did the disks that were already in place exist? Recalling the gorge that the overland crossed on the route to Valee Station, she wondered again if instead she could calculate a route over the crater valley.
Changing the view to the route to Valee Station she followed it rapidly to the ravine. As she scrolled the view in tightly to where the monorail crossed she could see no signs of any artifacts or more accurately, any magical glyph devices that resembled the monorail conveyance disks that her instructor had shown her. Widening her view she soon found what appeared to be a stone walkway to a miniature platform near the edge of the gorge. Deciding that there had to be something in the area she used the portal to open onto the platform and stepped through to take a closer look.
Portal travel was something that, even after all of gateways that Shane had installed, still was a wonder for Ava. The fact that one could suddenly be hundreds of miles away in an instant made her feel exultant. It always made her smile; feeling as if she was experiencing something wondrous and fantastic. The fact that this was a portal of her own choosing and implementation increased the feeling even more than usual. With a chuckle and a burst of adrenaline the she couldn’t resist she laughed out loud.
As she took in the scenery of the plains and the platform she walked to the edge where a rusted iron balustrade supported a brass rail providing a view of the gorge and the river below. Ava shouted a loud ‘Woohoo’ to the empty surroundings; the only indication of an audience was the raising of the heads of several long horn deer, a few shaggy bison and a pair of mammoths, that momentarily looked up from their grazing of the golden-brown fall grass.
On the rail was an activation glyph that she gingerly touched but there was no response. Looking closely she saw that the glyphs were dull and without lumen. Reaching out with her lumen she attempted to activate the glyphs but they refused to respond. Ava followed the glyph structure carefully and saw that over time something had worn away some of the glyph lines from the brass. Reaching into her pack Ava retrieved her scribe and carefully studied the worn glyphs for a moment then re-etched them with her scribe. Putting her scribe away she once again attempted to imbue the glyphs with lumen; this time with success. Touching the activation glyph again she was rewarded with a small image of animated glyphs and a voice that she now recognized as Ancient Luion. Please speak Infin,” she asked.
The voice changed this time in something she could understand, “This platform is closed, please seek reactivation from the World Singer or inquire at the nearest records center.” With a mental sigh she grimaced at the fact that she would need to get with Soaris or check with the Records center to activate the mini station at the gorge.
Getting back on task took a moment but eventually Ava turned from the gorge and descended a stone stairway to the stone path that led away from the platform which she followed for a hundred or so cubits before it disappeared into nothing but the prairie. Puzzled she looked around for any indication of a monorail disk and found nothing. After several trips along the path she was still unable to find any sign of the Elios magic. Noticing the sun was sinking low she went back to the platform and was getting ready to open her portal back to the lab when she saw a light rapidly approaching from across the gorge. Watching the light growing closer and brighter she recognized it for what it was – the monorail.
As the monorail approached Ava was amazed at its speed. Soon it was near the gorge and just before it reached the edge a glowing golden single rail appeared from the other side of the gorge stretching across the void and terminating to a spot a hundred or so cubits past the platform. While the monorail glided across the expanse on the single rail of light she memorized as best as she could the location where the rail ended. None too soon a new rail formed and the monorail whisked past with a rush of wind. She seemed to feel the tingle of lumen as it went by disappearing into the distance.
With the last rays of the sun about to disappear she hurried back off of the platform and rushed to where she thought the rail had ended only to find open ground. Like a light coming on she recalled Shane telling her how he had hidden the towering obelisks that he had set up forming the border wall to repel the possible invasion from Infin. Closing her eyes she sought any signs of lumen. To her amazement the golden rail was still shimmering and nearly right in front of her where she had hoped to find the end of the rail that had spanned the gorge was a golden disk about a cubit in diameter. Crouching down on to her heels she could see the lumen of the device with her lumen sight but not the physical disk. Carefully she reached out to it and she could feel the cool metallic surface although it remained invisible. Studying the glyphs through their lumen she soon saw the cloaking glyphs but decided against deactivating it for fear of shutting down the entire route. Standing Ava smiled with a satisfied expression. She now knew how to trace the path of the monorail to Coh Y Nord. Pulling the portal device from her belt she soon stepped in from the rapidly darkening plains and back into her office.
Seeing her Instructor on her desk next to her now closed notebook she scooped up the notebook after a quick glance and walked to Leo’s office; hoping that he was still at work.
The door to Professor Wetz’s office was slightly ajar as she approached. Hearing conversation she knocked politely before entering. The office was transfigured from its prior disarray and was now the embodiment of organization. Leo was sitting at his desk with his instructor set up with a large screen and he was teaching glyphs to a fascinated Kaysee.
Ava looked around at the loaded book shelves and the immaculate cabinets and credenzas and couldn’t help wondering where all the paper had gone. “Wow! “She exclaimed, “This is quite the transformation. Did you discover a set of glyphs that organize offices?"
“I’m afraid the magic that controlled the chaos that once had hold of my office was more of your doing my dear Ava; after all it was you that provided me with such an amazing assistant. The true fact is that it was all the magical organization of Kay. She is incredible.”
Kaysee’s face reddened at the compliment as she brushed an errant wisp of hair that had fallen in front of her eyes; her hair tied up in a bun but
looking remarkably lovely in spite of the smudge or two that clearly told the tale of her day’s hard work. “I just put a few things away and dusted a little. Leo is quite organized, I just imagine he hasn’t had a lot of time for filing,” replied Kaysee.
“It looks amazing in here,” Ava answered as she plopped into a chair next to Kaysee. “Is it alright if I interrupt your training for a few minutes? I need to know how hard it will be to manufacture a few very, very, complex devices.”
Leo deactivated his instructor and it transformed into a large Wonstrowd “W” hanging on the wall. “Absolutely, what is it you need made?”
Ava pulled out the note book and tossed it on the desk in front of the professor causing it to slide, spinning to a stop in front of him. Kaysee leaned in to look as he picked it up and began scanning through the pages. “What is it?” He queried as he thumbed to another page, “Ah… the monorail.” He turned back a couple of pages read a bit then went back again. Pretty complex but I think we can manage. There are a few parts that I will probably have to defer to you and Shane as they will either require mastery or I’ll have to make a few machines to engineer some of these materials. This will really test our mettle but with Alicia, John, and Lance now training to be mages this will be a good practicum for them.”
“How soon can you get started and how long for the first prototype,” asked Ava.
“I need a few hours of study and a couple of days with the instructor. This will be the most complicated device for me so far.” He reached into his desk and pulled out another notebook and began writing. “Kay, I’m going to need a medium sized lab. I would like to use Shane’s but if he has things set up in there find me the next biggest room. Ask Alicia what she has, also ask her, John and Lance to see if we can get together tonight before we close up for the night so we can plan the rest of the week.”
Kaysee looked at Ava and at the dark window with a frown. Ava stood laughing and walked to the window. “Leo can I ask you something,” she asked patiently.
“Sure, Ava what do you need,” he answered without looking up.
Ava rolled her eyes and then using mastery she levitated Leo, chair and all, from behind the desk to the window. “Leo, take a look out of the window and tell me what you see.”
With a sigh Leo looked out the window. “I can’t see anything, it’s too dark.”
Ava winked at Kaysee.
“Ha, ha, very funny, now kindly return me to my desk.” He began to float gently back to his desk. “When did it get dark, Am I the last one here again?”
Ava walked to the door, “Get with me tomorrow and see if you can give me an estimate on how long and what you need from Shane or me.” Turning to Kaysee she added,” Case, as Leo’s assistant I’m going to have to add the task of making sure he cuts back on his “All-Nighters” at the research center.
Leo, why don’t you have Kaysee give you a tour around Yllyan; since we have acquired a few more people I believe we now have a few nice cafés and restaurants open late enough still for you two to grab supper. As hard as she has worked I’m sure she is starved.” Stepping out she closed the door behind her.
Ava left Leo and Kaysee and went back to her office. Sitting down at her desk she looked at her “list”. Surprisingly she was slowly crossing off the many items that had been in need of her attention since she began preparing for the war. Alicia was now a glyph mage trainee and had taken over the medical device and healing magic research. Lance and John were planning on taking the test that Shane and Leo had devised to ascertain the readiness of a mage tech to become a glyph mage in the next day or two. In the meantime they had taken the lead in breaking in lesser experienced magetechs teaching them the expectation of the knowledge, focus, and dedication that it took to become a glyph mage.
Shane and Ari met regularly with the prime minister of Luion but mostly were gone doing who knew what and at the moment were in the midst of trying to locate her aunt and rescue her; the thought of them being in danger sent a chill down her spine. Shaking off her worry she reconciled herself to trusting that Ari’s talent for pulling off the impossible would keep Shane safe she tried to concentrate on other things.
Looking on the list Ava circled her goal to get the infrastructure restored on the continent of Coholo. She felt she was making large strides in that direction but she felt that it wasn’t getting done quickly enough. Tomorrow, she thought to herself. Tomorrow I’ll start looking to see what has to be replaced and if the city builder that the records center had hinted at will work. If her plans to restore Coh Y Nord, she would be on her way to restoring one of the most marvelous lands the world of Eliom had ever known. With a sigh Ava straightened her desk and summoned her instructor to her wrist as a bracelet and stood; without much thought now that she was starting to use glyph mastery she opened the portal to her parents’ home in Luion and turned off the lights as it closed behind her.
~~~~~
Ari, Leslie, and Shane stepped through the portal on to the wheelhouse deck of the sloop. Roger looked up from the viewer; he had been watching the entire rescue unfold from the monitor. “Welcome home Mademoiselle. It is such a relief to see you safe and sound,” he said emotionally as he stepped forward and gave her a warm hug and a traditional Luionese kiss on each cheek.
Leslie still a bit overwhelmed by the rapid rescue, the unexplained magic, and the dramatic change of venue smiled at Roger and immediately grasped to the first semblance of reality that she had experienced in several days. Reaching to her natural propriety as if it were a life line that would restore her sanity she held tightly to her social graces and calmly responded, “Roger, how delightful to see you again.” Then looking with a half-smile, half-frown and a raised eyebrow, she looked at Ari then Roger, “I should have known you two would know each other.”
Roger shook his head and said, “Alas dear Lady, I only knew monsieur Stafford as a grain broker until the war started. It was quite the shock to learn that one of my best friends and longest customers was also the head of the CSS.”
“Come on Leslie,” Ari said in an uncommonly gentle tone, “we need to get you some where comfortable, you are still in shock and you need a nice, quiet, and familiar set of surroundings. Shane can you open a portal to Gerard’s home please?”
Shane didn’t bother with his device but merely used mastery to open a gateway to his future in-laws. Leslie’s mouth opened but words failed to materialize as the image of her sister’s kitchen filled the far side of the wheelhouse. As Ari and Shane steered the rescued Leslie through the gateway Ari turned to Roger. “Stay here until Shew and the kid get back. Have the kid stay here and guard the boat then you and Shew head over to the capitol for our meeting with the Prime Minister’s war staff. We’ll get Leslie settled then meet you there.”
As the portal closed Leslie found herself in a familiar kitchen with a busy cook bustling over a stove top. She was just about to ask Shane and Ari what and how she had been whisked out of a dungeon and across the continent to her sister’s home in Lu Y Onton when her sister walked into the room.
“Leslie!” exclaimed Louisa, dropping the bag of fruit that she was carrying. “Are you okay?”
Leslie rushed and hugged her sister. “I’m fine,” then not realizing the emotional stress and the shock that Ari had recognized she staggered as she was suddenly light headed.
Ari was suddenly at her side to steady her. Shane pulled a chair out from the kitchen table that was next to a large bay window that over looked a garden. Ari skillfully steered her to the chair and she gratefully sat down. Turning to the Desmond’s cook he asked, “Mademoiselle, a cup of hot tea and a pastry s'il vous plaît, something with a lot of sugar if you have it.”
“Oui monsieur, right away,” responded the efficient cook with a concerned look. At the Desmond home you never knew what to expect these days. She thought to herself as she set a cup and saucer before Leslie who was now chatting rapidly to her attentive and worried yet relieved sister. Moments later she was
pouring a blended herbal tea and honey into the empty saucer followed by a plate with a large cinnamon pastry dripping with a sugary glaze.
Leslie, somewhat revived after she was halfway through the tea and the cinnamon roll, turned to Ari and Shane who were bent over picking up the fruit that Louisa had dropped. “Ok, what in the world is going on? I’ve seen some things in the last several days that are so far beyond real that I’m half expecting to wake up from a strange dream. The light show in that horrible cell and the - She was at a loss for words, unable to describe what she had heard and seen as Shane and Ari had removed the Allyant influence from her - whatever it was you did, and the sudden relocation to where ever it was that Roger was and now I’m herein Lu Y Onton hundreds of milos from Jehhet.
Placing an arm load of fruit on the counter Shane turned to Leslie. “Aunt Leslie, it’s good to see you again. I’m sorry we didn’t get to chat much on the boat,” at her blank look he added, “Where Roger was,” he explained. Continuing he said, “If you recall back when you , Ava, and I went to lunch when we first met I asked the question regarding what would the law be in regards to creating one’s own artifacts?” Leslie nodded. “As it turns out, I figured out how to do it.”
Leslie’s jaw dropped and she brought her delicate hands to her face in wonder. “This is incredible, this will change the world. No wonder we are at war, how did the king find out?”
Shane shrugged and Ari dropping the rest of the fruit into the sink interjected. “I don’t think he does. The war started over the smuggling and Allion’s desire to control the artifact trade. I had no idea that Shane could do what he did until we met up at the Ox the night after the Warball championship. If I didn’t know then Allion didn’t either. By the time we got back from trying to rescue Ava off of the island, he not only had created magic that hadn’t been seen in over two thousand years, he began teaching me how to do some of the same things.”
