Heir To The Nova (Book 3)

by T. Michael Ford

  “Ok? Why would I be ok? Every time I turn around, you two lovebirds pull something impossible out of your tail feathers to drive me crazy! Just after going through that portal, I practically wet myself over the biggest, deadest dragon I’ve ever seen. Again, there’s no way you should have been able to kill a beast like that, even with Maya’s fancy sword. By the way, thanks for not mentioning you left it halfway to the moon in a tree! I damn near killed poor Clara and Gemma dragging back a quarter of its hide. I walk back through the portal to find a celestial army which, again, came out of nowhere, manning the walls. I leave for a couple minutes until Elsa drags me back. We walk through and suddenly the side courtyards are equipped with siege engines, whose designs are functionally impossible, I might add; at least not built with any materials known to man or dwarf. What’s next, dancing warthogs?”

  With perfect timing, Conlan appeared behind us. “We’re ready for you, Master Darroth,” said the gold dwarf with a modest bow.

  Darroth and Elsa were both confused; but I just smiled, took away their tankards, and pushed them both along behind Conlan.

  “What’s all this about?” Darroth asked.

  “Conlan told me something interesting about Sky Raven earlier; and when I told him we had a master smith on hand, he insisted that this be taken care of as soon as possible. Consider it a gift if you will,” I chuckled.

  “That’s being overly modest, my King; this is no mere gift. But I have seen some of your work, Master Darroth; you will make fine use of it.”

  I just smiled at Darroth’s and Elsa’s confusion as we followed the dwarf leader deeper and deeper underground. Finally reaching the lowest level, Conlan opened a solid steel door leading into a large cavern. I had not been here before, but I had known of its existence for a while now. The only reason I hadn’t already started it up was that I had no idea how. Inside the cathedral-sized natural cave, we crossed a set of steel rails spiked into the leveled bedrock floor. My eyes travelled along their length in both directions. On one side, I could see a line of small heavy wagons with steel wheels waiting in rows loaded with ore. The lines disappeared into a dark shaft leading into the chamber to who knows where. Closer to where we were standing, the rails diverged and ran into stout bridges leading up to three of the largest smelters I could imagine. Each smelter looked like it could hold multiple wagonloads of ore at a time. Behind the smelters were two bays filled with charcoal.

  Above our heads were more of the steel rails, but these were attached to small rolling blocks with chains that held hooks and large metal vessels. Some of the ceiling rails ran into another larger chamber past the charcoal bays; and from what I could see, it appeared there were enormous iron frameworks constructed inside with piles of sand strategically placed in the corners.

  Darroth and Elsa were walking around in an open-mouthed daze. If I had to guess, I would bet this was a vision of what dwarf heaven would look like–to a smith anyway. Nia looked out from her perch on my shoulder and saw that there was nothing remotely green or living here. She muttered ‘yucky’ and retreated to her hidey-hole on my shoulder for a nap.

  “Welcome to the foundry,” Conlan said jovially. “These smelters and the forge in the next chamber are fueled by the mountain itself, much like the heated water up top. The original enchanters who built this place put up magical barriers and ventilation piping to keep us from cooking to death in our own skins. But you’ll find nothing gives you an even heat for your craft like magma!”

  “But even molten basalt isn’t hot enough for iron work,” Darroth protested weakly.

  “Ah, but they thought of that too. Special chambers concentrate the heat,” Conlan grinned. “You can even adjust the heat up or down based on your needs.”

  “But why would you need a foundry this big?” Elsa slipped in breathlessly, staring into the gold-hued dwarf’s face.

  “The gears and drives that run this place break or wear out periodically. Here, we can make replacements for even our largest parts on site, without having to wait weeks or months for them to be fashioned elsewhere, if that option is even available considering the vagaries of mortal life. Come on, let me show you the forge setup.”

  I could see that Conlan was playing the two of them like a travelling pot salesman, and it was working. Hand-in-hand, they followed him like overawed obedient children. We travelled through a huge arch with more of the ceiling tracks overhead and into another natural, but heavily modified, cavern. Dominating the space was a grand forge set easily three times bigger than the one in Xarparion, and that had been the largest I had ever seen. The huge cone was already active and belching out heat into tapered pipe chases big enough for a man to walk through without crouching. Underneath, the ring of workstations stretched all around it like a pinwheel, the coals glowing brightly just waiting for action. Everything I saw exuded ancient master design work and quality.

  “By the stars! Tell me I’m dreaming this, Elsa,” Darroth gasped, bringing Elsa’s hand up to his face and kissing it in disbelief. “The forge of the ancient masters! Or at least a damn good replica!”

  “Actually, they modeled theirs after this one,” Conlan smirked, and strode over to some massive cabinets set directly into the cut stone side walls. He threw open the doors dramatically, revealing a stunning array of forge tools, many of which I couldn’t even begin to tell their purpose, but they were all in perfect condition.

  Again Darroth’s mouth dropped open, and he stumbled forward and lovingly ran his fingers over some of the racked instruments. Even Elsa seemed mesmerized, and they weren’t even weapons.

  Sensing victory, Conlan moved in for the coup de grace. “Now, Master Darroth, we Helios seem to find ourselves without a master smith to make good use of this fine facility. If you would do us the great honor of being our forge master, we would be greatly indebted to you.”

  “Hell yes!” Darroth shouted gleefully. “Where else would a dwarf get to play with a forge setup like this without dying and going to heaven?” He stopped and got a thoughtful look on his face. Motioning Conlan over, he whispered, “Umm, taking this job doesn’t involve dying first, does it?”

  “It’s not an ironclad requirement; I think we can bend the rules a bit,” Conlan chuckled.

  “Then I’m your dwarf!”

  “Excellent, because we already have a long list of gears and other parts that need replacing right away.”

  ..................................................

  Maya

  Alex said he was going to spend the night with Darroth at his new job. That was fine from my standpoint; he probably needs some guy time anyway. And that means for me, it’s girl time! I’m still trying to acclimate myself to the concept of having real friends who I can laugh, cry and let my hair down with. It’s a new and exciting feeling; I even put on a dress.

  Ebony led our party through some of the underground passages that had been recently reopened by the siege dwarves. Even Winya had no idea these halls existed.

  “Well, I hope you are paying attention, Win,” I sent through our bond. “I would hate to be lost down here forever and miss the big battle.”

  Ebony must have heard Winya’s response, as she explained for the rest of the group. “Of course, Sky Raven wasn’t this place’s original name; even I don’t know that. But I do know this fortress has seen countless battles, most even before the existence of man. She’s old, but she’s a proud lady. She’s been battered and torn in the past, but never ever defeated!”

  We went through a number of long corridors, hatches, and chambers, finally finding one that opened up into a long rectangular room split lengthwise by a half wall. There were four rows of beds that ran the entire length of the space, barracks style. Each bed station had a wardrobe, armor locker, weapons rack, and even a small desk. It was a barracks alright by functionality, but it felt more like a high end inn in reality. Several off duty Iron Maidens were working with staff a number of beds farther down to stow away gear.

  Ebo
ny continued, “This is one of the ten dorm blocks we have. As you can see, our living quarters are actually very nice. The troops would normally be garrisoned here for hundreds of years at a stretch. Nebulia, you see, don’t age much at all. Each block can house a thousand armed and ready soldiers comfortably. But right now, we only have block two open because it’s the closest to the keep and there aren’t a thousand of us. The gear-cleaning and washrooms are to the left. To the right are the meeting rooms, map rooms where orders for patrols are posted, and even a comfortable lounge to unwind in after a long day. Sky Raven takes very good care of her soldiers.”

  I had the twins, Lin, Ryliss, and Julia along with me, and I had made a special point of inviting Alera, too. From what little I knew of the healer’s personal life, she didn’t have many close friends. Alera seemed to vacillate between being happy to being profoundly uncomfortable, but I hoped she would loosen up as the night progressed. The druid girls, of course, were bouncing off the walls in excitement. I don’t think Ryliss’s sketchbook and journal ever left her hands.

  The golden-hued warrior led us into another large area set up with a small fireplace in each wall, plush floor rugs, and numerous low comfy chairs and footrests for relaxing. “If you will excuse me, my Queen, I will change out of this armor and rejoin you soon. Please make yourselves comfortable.” She disappeared, and the group of us gravitated toward one of the fireplaces and dragged some of the seating in a large comfortable circle.

  “This place is so cool!” Jules gushed. The twins nodded excitedly, but they markedly claimed the chairs farthest away from the crackling fire.

  “As a scholar, I have no words for this place, this fortress,” Ryliss said in wonder. “By everything I know, most of it shouldn’t even exist; yet it does. It kind of makes me feel foolish and small, but excited to learn at the same time.”

  Getting comfortable in the chairs, I looked over at Alera. “So with all your experience with nebulia, have you ever heard of this place or Helios?”

  “Not really, my Queen.” The healer squirmed in her chair, and I shot her a look. She amended it to, “Not really, Maya. The nebulia live almost exclusively in the here and now, they have very little interest in past histories. If they need to access an account of a past battle for strategic purposes, it will just come to them automatically. That’s part of the reason their written word is so elusive, it isn’t used much. As far as Helios, I didn’t even know they existed until today, I’m sorry.”

  We chatted aimlessly for a few minutes. Ryliss proudly informed us that her Jag’uri kitten was now successfully weaned and was eating raw meat on its own. I smiled, thinking that bit of information would probably cause more terror than delight among the villagers and human guards in the fortress. But thus far, Naurakka had been a model citizen.

  Ebony and the one called Tammy came in a few minutes later. Both were wearing what I would describe as duty uniforms: leggings, long pullover knit shirt, and a wide leather belt.

  “Would it be acceptable if I joined you, my Queen?” Tammy asked with a slight, respectful bow. I was about to say yes, but Lin beat me to it.

  “Yes, please come sit with us,” the young druid smiled and patted one of the empty seats.

  I snorted, “Well, I guess you have to now. There’s no refusing Lin when she bats her eyes.” To prove my point, Lin did just that, with Jules and Ryliss leaning in close and copying the move.

  The two warriors laughed, with Ebony recovering first. “I believe you are right, my Queen, but first…” They walked back and retrieved four large baskets that staff had just delivered to the room. “Qleyse was concerned that you haven’t eaten enough today, my Queen; and judging by the weight of these baskets, I would say he sent enough for everyone.”

  Now that she mentioned it, I was hungry. And wizards and dragons can always eat. It was a happy group that scooted to the floor and turned the backs of the chairs around to use as backrests. We had a nice little picnic in the middle of the lounge of breads, cheeses, fruit, and fresh cider.

  Finally, after a short period of joking around, but mostly just hard-core eating, Ryliss burst out with the question that had many of us wondering, “Please, if it’s not impolite for me to ask, what are you?”

  Ebony gently set down her food. “I guess that’s a fair question. If you are thinking we are some form of undead, I can understand that, too. But we are not, at least in the animated corpse sense anyway. The shapes you see here are modeled after our original bodies, but those turned to dust centuries ago. Instead, the physical forms you see now are made from raw magic compressed to the point where it takes on actual mass. We still have some basic needs like sleep for some reason.” She picked up a slice of apple and popped it into her mouth, savored it, and continued, “We really don’t need to eat either, except as a social function, but it’s pleasurable and it makes us feel alive. The only down side is that magic, when compressed, tends to take on a gold color, so we all end up looking like this.”

  “Hey, I just gained eagle vision and sprouted owl wings. Believe me, golden skin is not all that strange,” I said, smiling to affirmative nods from the rest of the girls.

  “Your wings are exquisitely beautiful, my Queen. There is no shame in them, as there is no shame in what we Helios have become.”

  “Besides,” Tammy grinned, “she hasn’t even mentioned the fun part yet. The reason why our eyes glow is because our new bodies are actually powered by our souls. Kind of cool, huh?”

  “How does that work?” asked Lin as she nibbled on some hard cheese.

  “Well, from what we understand, time spent in the crystal has changed us and altered our souls from the ground up. We have become lesser versions of what he is; in essence, almost limitless amounts of energy, although we’re just a candle and he’s the sun. That’s why Captain Winya is what she is now. If she had a normal soul, then she wouldn’t have the ability to control your armor or do half the things she does.”

  “Well, that explains a lot.”

  “Indeed.”

  “So looking into your eyes means we are looking into your soul?” said Julia.

  “Yes, and what do you see?”

  “…Warmth...”

  ..................................................

  Alex

  It was getting late or rather very early, and Nia and I were getting very tired. Even Elsa had fallen asleep curled up on a workbench with a blanket thrown over her. Darroth didn’t look like he was going to be stopping any time soon, though; and he was most definitely the happiest I have ever seen him. Nia and I had spent most of the night assisting him with cutouts, finding supplies, and organizing the new orders pouring in for repairs needed on the fortress. Several of Conlan’s men came down to act as forge assistants, so Darroth had a non-tiring staff pool. Qleyse had sent down food at one point so no one would starve, but the forge master’s plate still sat untouched on the workbench next to Elsa.

  But even with all the work and commotion, Nia and I still found some time to come up with a few new plans to work on for the week that would, hopefully, give us an edge against the demons. It was already well past bedtime and I was considering a soft cozy bed when Winya contacted me and asked for me to come to her. I don’t think Darroth was even listening when I said good bye; but hey, I tried.

  My pixie bodyguard was pretty tired from all the heat and smoke, so when we left the caverns, she just gratefully slid into her nook on my armored shoulder and rested. A few seconds later, the resting turned to soft snores; it had been a long day for everyone. I followed directions from Winya through a labyrinth of tunnels until we reached what appeared to be underground barracks, and nice ones at that.

  Still following instructions, I entered a room that looked to be an informal gathering area of some kind to find Ebony and Tammy sitting amidst a pile of empty picnic baskets. They both looked like they were going to jump to their feet and bow or something, but I gestured for them to stay put. It was quite a scene. My dark elf gir
l was sound asleep on the floor, sitting propped up against the back of a lounge chair. Under one arm, leaning against her, was Ryliss; and surprisingly, under the other arm was Alera, all snuggled in, both fast asleep.

  Lin was asleep, head on Tammy’s lap, and Julia was on Ebony as the two women gently stroked the girls’ hair. The silvers eyes were open, but unmoving.

  “They’ve been asleep for over an hour now, and we thought it might be good if we got them back into their own beds,” Ebony whispered. “But we weren’t sure if it was proper for us to lay hands on our Queen, so Captain Winya said to let you handle it.”

  I was smiling and Nia seemed very moved by the sight. “I understand. Come on, girls; let’s get them all to bed.”

  The twins got up and carefully picked up Alera and Ryliss without waking either of them or Maya. Tammy carefully slid out from under Lin and picked her up as well. “If it’s all the same to you, my King, I would be happy to carry this one.” Lin unconsciously snuggled deeper into the soldier’s arms.

  “And I, this one,” Ebony added, picking up Jules like she weighed nothing at all.

  I nodded my appreciation and moved to pick up Maya.

  “My King, I could have two of my troopers carry Alera and Ryliss to their quarters if you would prefer the Queen’s handmaidens to carry her.”

  “Not a chance,” I whispered. “This is the best part of my day.” With practiced ease, I scooped her up in my arms, resting her head on my shoulder.

  With a lot of direction from Winya, I finally made it out of the barracks catacombs and through a last door into the cold night air. The fortress was eerily silent, save for sentries moving about their routines. Looking up at our tower at the top of the keep, it was a dishearteningly long ways away and up.

  Unbidden, my wings unfurled with hardly a sound, and with a feeling that I was breaking some rule or other, I made my way to a broad street intersection and propelled myself up into the sky. Just a few beats had me rising well above the rooflines of the civilian shops, and a few more sent me just above the second curtain wall. The slight weight of the girl in my arms didn’t even register, but it was unnerving to see the four ballistae stations lock on and track my flight. Letting a little glow bleed out from my wings apparently convinced them of my harmlessness, and they swiveled back to watching out over the walls.