by Eric Vall
“No,” I cut in quickly, and Deya blushed to her pink roots. “The cushions are for sitting on.”
Shoshanne suppressed her next giggle, and I rolled my eyes.
“Just … cushions, alright?” I said. “About eight or ten depending on the size.”
“This sounds fun,” Deya said with a little bounce. “What else?”
I raised my brows. “Well … three mirrors. Smallish ones, about this big.” I gave them a general size to go off of, and the two woman nodded along, so I continued. “Maybe keep your eyes out for a nice piece of glass no one would notice missing right away. Just scope it out. I’ll take a look later.”
I felt a little like a mobster shelling out orders for the thieving women, but Deya’s lips curled in a way I very much liked the look of, so I didn’t mind too much.
The beautiful elf sent Shoshanne a giddy look, and the two women looped their arms together and trotted toward the house with the wolf close behind.
I admired the view for a moment before I headed back into the workshop to get back to work.
The sun was midway toward the horizon, and the Triorlin berry had sifted through my veins with a silvery burst of fresh energy. I pulled a lump of steel over and slid the front axles back into sight so I could duplicate them each.
It wasn’t traditional for muscle cars, but since there weren’t paved roads where I would be driving, I wanted the Mustang to have all wheel drive so the constant velocity axles could be used on the rear wheels as well. The work went faster now that I already had the measurements for the parts in my mind, and I managed to form and assemble both rear axles within half an hour. Then I moved on to the differentials.
The front and rear axles would all have to mount into two differentials in order to ensure the wheels could spin independently of each other on turns.
I hopped up to grab the jug and pulled a fresh sheet of parchment over, and then I sketched out the full chassis with the modifications I’d be making thanks to the channeling gem.
With front wheel drive, the differentials would receive power from two drive shafts that came from the transmission, but the gem was my transmission, and front wheel drive wouldn’t cut it in Nalnora. So, I only needed to make sure the wheels themselves could handle whatever power the gem could deliver.
The modified design had a single drive shaft I’d need to mount to the steering column without affecting the rotation of the steering wheel, since Bobbie’s gem would be embedded here. If they connected properly, this would not only allow for independent rotation of the two pieces, but the power of the gem could channel directly through the metalwork of the drive shaft, which connected into the differentials and regulated the wheels.
I decided on a limited slip differential to be sure the off-road driving in Nalnora wouldn’t leave us stuck with our tires just spinning. Plus, the mechanism would mean I didn’t have to constantly maintain the terrain with my Terra Magic. I’d only have to make some adjustments when needed.
I began by forming four beveled gears for the interior of the differentials first. The beveled grooves of the gears allowed them to sit at perpendicular angles in order to connect in a rectangular shape and rotate smoothly with one another. The two side gears would connect to the axles, while the spider gears at the top and bottom would help initiate the locking of the two axles so they could turn as one if needed.
In the middle of this rectangle, I needed a spring to provide constant tension between the gears, so I found a large lump of steel from Bobbie’s sidecar, because I’d eventually need some spring steel for the suspension as well.
I was pleased to find I’d gotten better at easing into my elements on a deeper level. My focus dispersed within the makeup of the steel within a few minutes, and I breathed deeply as I allowed myself to bond with the material. Then I adjusted the composition like I’d done when I formed the magazine bows for House Fehryn, and thanks to the Triorlin berry, I wasn’t even fatigued when I’d finally finished altering the entire chunk of steel into a more pliable spring steel.
I grinned and split a small chunk off, and then I flattened the spring steel into a plate before I reshaped it into a squashed S shape. I still needed a pressure ring for the assembled rectangular mechanism to sit inside of though, so I took some unaltered steel and formed this portion next. Once the gears and the spring were secured in place within the pressure ring, I used a tendril of magic to make sure they rotated smoothly together before I started on the housing compartment this mechanism would sit inside of.
A dull ache began to pound behind my eyes, and I realized I’d been squinting through the fading light of sunset in the dim workshop. I rubbed my eyes and dug around the edges of the table until I finally found some flint to light the torches on the walls of the workshop. With the whole room flickering in amber light, I took a long swig and cracked a few kinks out of my neck as I returned to the worktable.
The housing compartment took no time to form, and the same went for the pinion gear that would be controlled by the spin of the drive shaft. This gear’s bevel was necessarily angular since it would run perpendicularly against a large ring gear outside of the housing compartment.
I ran into trouble trying to form the two gears so they rotated smoothly, but I found if I closed my eyes and allowed my magic to turn the two, I could feel the misalignments more clearly, and also adjust the metal during a slower rotation.
I let out a low whistle when I’d finished aligning the two gears and had to remind myself not to get lost on a tangent of the endless possibilities there were for a Metal Mage. The way my abilities had evolved genuinely blew my mind, and I admired the two angular gears for a moment before I finally moved on to assembling the differential completely.
Just as I’d mounted the ring gear on one side and formed a flat disk to bolt flush against the back, I remembered I needed two clutch packs inside the housing compartment to provide the right amount of pressure if the differential needed to lock. The entire mechanism was pointless without them. If any of the wheels spun out, the power would drain there without transferring to the tire with higher traction, and we’d be stuck.
I rolled my eyes and decided not to blame the wine too much, and then I quickly created several round and thin discs and disassembled the housing compartment. I stacked the disks on either side of the pressure ring and carefully re-sealed the housing compartment around them, and with another tendril of magic, I tested it all out.
I intentionally sent too much of a spin to the spider gears on the top and bottom of the rectangular mechanism, and the beveled grooves pressed outward as they should. Then the pressure ring expanded and locked against the clutch packs perfectly. In this position, the axle rods would be forced to move with equal power regardless of the terrain if any traction was lost in any of the tires.
“Fuuuuck yeah,” I sighed and toasted to my own success.
My knees buzzed lightly from all the wine, and as I lifted the jug, I realized I’d polished off a third and was about to move on toward half if I wasn’t careful. Given that I was still slightly hung over from the last jug, I decided to follow my own advice and set the jug aside for now.
I straightened up with a loud yawn. The sky was black outside the windows, and I had a feeling it was getting pretty late, but I wanted to duplicate the second limited slip differential so I could begin assembling the full chassis tomorrow.
Somehow, I ended up pulling the jug of wine back out from under the table halfway through, but after what was probably an hour or so, I had the second differential assembled beside its twin. The wine fueled my determination, and I took up the axles I’d formed when I first got to the shop.
I used my magic to secure an inner joint of the axle rod into one side of the differential, and then did the same on the other side. Once I had all four axles mounted in the two differentials, I dropped the jug on the table with a heavy clunk and raised my arms for the win.
“Boom!”
The echo of my own voice caught me off guard, a
nd I remembered that no one else was around to share in the celebration.
“Godsdamnit,” I grumbled to the empty shop. “This was my point about Stan. Little metal man would’ve loved this, what the hell?”
I shook my head and decided I’d have to try and sneak Stan out of Cayla’s pocket sometime so I could let him in on the big surprise.
Just before I extinguished the flames of the torches, I took a last glance around the workshop, and pride swelled in my chest.
If I got an early start tomorrow, I could have the wheels mounted and the steering column formed by lunch, and as long as Deya didn’t have too much trouble stealing the other essentials, I might even have the whole thing assembled by the end of the day.
I grinned as I finally doused the torches, and then I tripped over everything I could have possibly tripped over as I blindly made my way to the iron door and headed out into the cool night air.
The tension in my back and arms eased with every step through the pitch-black grounds, and I breathed deep to take in the heavy scent of flowers that drifted on a light breeze. The air sifted through my hair like the soft stroke of a woman’s touch, and I felt almost happy as I strolled through the grounds of House Aelin.
Ahead of me, the main house stood silent with most of the colored windows blacked out, and I decided I’d use the side entrance Aeris led me through when he first brought me to the workshop.
I crept in through the doors of the courtyard and checked to be sure the chamber was deserted. The small table where Deya and the two sons had sat was empty, and only a small fire glowed in the far corner of the vast room. The sight of the table caused my irritation to flare for a moment, but it was easier to wind it back down this time. Brooding wouldn’t do any good in coming up with a plan to help Deya, and Shoshanne was right. I couldn’t fix everything by losing my mind.
So, I took a deep breath, pushed the notion of Aeris’ sons and the beautiful elf far from my mind, and headed for the hallway instead.
Most of the lanterns were already doused throughout the halls. The plush blue carpet looked almost black as I walked along, but some of the corners where one hall joined with another had miniature lanterns still burning. It was enough light to get around without knocking into the ornate tables that lined the halls, but not enough to make anything recognizable. I was completely lost after I’d wandered for nearly half an hour, and I’d managed to end up in the large domed chamber not once, but twice in that time.
“Godsdamnit,” I muttered under my breath. It might have been the wine, but the halls seemed to have turned into a maze, and I was half certain I’d passed the same broken window a couple times. Another four halls scrolled by as I entertained the idea of sleeping on the floor, but I picked a turn at random anyway and shuffled onward.
By the end of the next lengthy hall, I was finally sure I’d walked in a giant circle because the broken window was right there in front of me.
“Alright,” I sighed and flipped around.
Three dim blue halls stretched out around me, and I knew I’d already tried the one to my right. So, I headed down the nearly blackened hall to my left, and when I got to the end, I chuckled lightly and turned once more only to ram right into Deya.
“Shit,” I cursed. “Sorry.”
Then I stooped to help the beautiful elf stand up again. She looked genuinely surprised to see me while she quickly righted the folds of her dress and smoothed her long pink hair.
“What are you doing out here?” I whispered. “It’s the middle of the night.”
Deya sent me a mischievous smile, and I narrowed my eyes as she bent to snatch something up from the carpet. When she held it out to me, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“This is the one, huh?” I asked and took the book.
“Yes,” she assured me. “There’s hundreds of runes in there. It’s only a catalog of possible uses, but it’s somewhere to start.”
“Damn,” I mused. “This is more than perfect. Thank you.”
Deya shrugged nonchalantly.
“I’m serious,” I assured her as I flipped through the pages and eyed the endless Elvish text on the musty pages. “You have no idea how long I’ve been trying to find anything like this. It’s almost hilarious that you just waltzed in and took it.”
“You only had to ask,” Deya said.
I glanced up at the beautiful elf who studied me closely, and the sweet curl of her lip made my skin go warm all of a sudden. Just the sight of her distracted all of my senses, but I cleared my throat.
“I appreciate you doing this but … you really shouldn’t be wandering around alone,” I told her. I felt like a prick because I knew Qiran and Dragir had been telling her the same thing all her life. Still, I couldn’t help but worry for the beautiful elf.
“Walk me to my room,” Deya said, and her voice was soft like velvet as her violet eyes bore into mine.
I swallowed hard and nodded at the command.
Chapter 14
Deya and I took our time as we walked through the deserted halls of House Aelin, and I didn’t bother to pretend I could lead the way. The beautiful elf seemed to know where she was going anyways, so I clutched the book of runes in my grip and tried not to ask her a hundred questions I was dying to know the answers to.
With the entire house silent and dark, it was impossible not to notice Deya moved almost like a ghost. She didn’t make a sound, and she didn’t cast a shadow as we passed the few small lanterns either. If I hadn’t picked her up outside of House Pree, I’d be wondering if it was even possible to touch her, but I knew it was. She just wouldn’t weigh a damn thing if I did.
My curiosity finally got the better of me. “Do you feel the ground when you walk?” I asked. It was so surreal walking beside a woman entirely surrounded in rune magic.
Deya smirked. “Yes, I can feel it.”
I considered this. “Can you feel cold? Or heat?”
“Yes,” she giggled. “The runes I wear have their own purposes, but they do not separate me from the world.”
“Sorry to ask,” I chuckled. “I’ve only seen one pendent with runes on it, and it was nothing like yours. All the other runes have been brandings.”
“There are many ways of using rune magic,” Deya said with a shrug.
I considered this for a moment. “I wonder if they’re very different,” I mused. “The strength of a pendant versus the strength of a branding.”
Deya furrowed her brow. “It seems there’s a difference,” she said thoughtfully. “I don’t know about strength, but I think the experience must be different. Dragir put one on his leg, and he regrets it.”
I slowed to a stop. “Dragir branded himself with a rune?”
Deya blushed.
I narrowed my eyes as I smirked. “He knows a lot about rune magic, doesn’t he?”
“Don’t tell him I told you,” she muttered. “He doesn’t want you to know.”
“Why not?”
“Dragir doesn’t like to get involved,” she said with a shrug. “He wants to lead his army and focus on keeping our ancestor’s legacy alive. He wants to be left alone, essentially.”
“I could understand that,” I said, “but none of that’s gonna matter if the Master destroys all the Houses of Nalnora.”
Deya looked at me for a moment. “You said to Aeris that this might happen when you met with him. Why would you think this? The Houses have never fallen to anyone. Not even the Gorak Knights.”
I sighed and scruffed my beard. “I don’t just think it, I know this is his plan,” I clarified. “The Master came to the head of House Syru for his knowledge of rune magic. The leader said he admired his views and admitted he helped him. They were going to work together to bring the Houses to their knees, that’s what he said. Then the rest of the regions would be enslaved.”
Deya stared. “You’re sure about this?”
“He was pretty explicit, yeah,” I told her. “This Master isn’t a joke, Deya. I’ve been tracking him all
over the damn place. He nearly succeeded in having the King of Cedis murdered. He’s possessed giants, dragons, even my mages, and I know he recruited at least one elf to join his cause and branded some of his army as well. There isn’t a question about it. Whatever he learned from the head of House Syru will be used against us all. I need to stop him before he gets stronger.”
“Why must you be the one to stop him, though?” she asked. “Why do you feel it’s your duty?”
“It is my duty,” I said flat out. “Nemris wills it, so I can’t just walk away and let him destroy this world.”
Deya’s violet eyes narrowed slightly. “Nemris wills it?” she asked.
“Yes.” I nodded.
“It’s so strange that you talk of Nemris,” she pointed out. “Very few elves in Nalnora see strength in her wisdom. We are the only House like this. Then I met you, and I was filled with such a sense of familiarity. You reminded me of her immediately.”
I leaned in. “You know her?” I asked curiously.
“Know the goddess Nemris?” she laughed. “How does one know a goddess?”
“I don’t know,” I laughed and shrugged the notion off.
“I don’t understand you sometimes,” she sighed, “but I have worshipped Nemris all my life, if this is what you mean. I like to sit beside the fountain my mother built in her honor. The water calms me. I can watch the reflection of the stars on the surface for hours sometimes, and I feel like she is near, and that she is looking after me.”
I thought of the ethereal place between the realms where Nemris drifted amongst the stars. “I’m sure she is,” I told her.
“I can’t help but wonder if Nemris was the one to bring you to House Quyn,” she mused. “You’re a very singular person, with magic unlike many others. I find you fascinating.”
Deya blushed as if she hadn’t meant to say so much, and she abruptly turned to walk on.
I cleared my throat as I fell in step beside her. “So … this rune Dragir has on his leg,” I led, and Deya’s lip curled into a smile. “Do you know what it does?”
