by Frank Morin
"Keep working on it," Kilian urged. "That might prove a critical breakthrough."
"How many soldiers do you expect we'll need to transport?"
Kilian shrugged. "When open warfare erupts, the flexibility of fielding an entire army just about anywhere could be a deciding factor."
They discussed some of the other inventions for a few minutes. All the healthbeds had been shipped to the front already, deployed to assist the Healers in treating wounded. Wallstones were simple to prepare, and Builder support squads were stationed at strategic locations, along with catapult teams. They could throw soapstone to flood areas and disrupt Sentries, or deploy additional projectiles that were being developed in other parts of the Builder compound, including some that burst into clouds of weakening powder to disable Boulder companies.
The newest inventions were pushing the limits, and it scared Verena sometimes to think of the potential for death and destruction. She didn't want to go to war, hated the need to focus so much of her creative efforts on killing.
What choice did she have? If she didn't find ways to stop the Obrioner advance, how many of her countrymen would die when she could have saved them? She always explored less lethal ways to deploy her stones, but those solutions were tricky, and she needed to be present on the battlefield to look for opportunities to deploy them.
"No sign of any more unclaimed," Kilian said before she could ask.
"Thank the Tallan," she whispered. She still awoke sometimes in the night, shaking with fear from the memory of those raging monsters that had nearly killed them in a narrow gulch in the border mountains. Kilian had somehow destroyed them, but he had never explained how he'd managed it. She was biding her time for the right moment to pry into the secret.
Kilian approached her worktable. "What's this?"
The table stood in the center of the large workroom. Against the distant back wall, she'd set up a continuous waterfall feature with a piece of activated soapstone. On the table, she had created a v-shaped open trench of wood, aimed toward that waterfall. Sitting in the trench was a piece of marble she'd carved down to a rough cone.
"I'm trying to figure out how to get accurate burning projectiles."
Verena touched the marble and opened the release rate wide on the rear side. Fire erupted from the back of the little cone and thrust it down the length of the plank. It shot off the end, aiming for the waterfall. It made it almost halfway before veering off course and crashing into the smooth, stone floor. It ricocheted away, completely missed the waterfall, and of course skittered right under a low, wooden cabinet.
Verena sighed and gestured at the now-smoking cabinet. "See?"
Chuckling, Kilian made a grasping gesture with one hand. Her waterfall leaped across the room, snaked under the cabinet, and withdrew the still-burning marble with a great deal of angry hissing steam. Verena grabbed the marble and snapped closed the release rate, shuttering its power and flames.
"Thanks. I still can't get a reliable flight path."
"Why use marble anyway?" Kilian asked. "Quartzite provides as much thrust and it's not so destructive."
"I want it to be destructive."
She led Kilian to her flying chair, resting on the support base she'd constructed to hold it when the thrusters weren't engaged. She'd added to it, and the flying craft was far more developed than the simple seat she'd started with. Although still very compact, she'd enclosed the entire seat and added armored plating to protect herself.
Hamish had taken to calling it the hummingbird. The name wasn't bad, but it didn't convey the proper tone. So Verena had named it the Swift. The little birds were almost as maneuverable as hummingbirds, and far faster. They were hunters, just like Verena, and she had stenciled the name along the back of her craft.
"Good choice," Kilian noted, glancing approvingly at the latest feature. "And now it's a swift with teeth."
Verena patted the long cylinder of one of her custom speedsling drums attached at the base of the craft, along either side. She had attached a rotating nozzle to direct the stream of hornets they fired, and could adjust aim independently using little quartzite thrusters.
"The next time we run into unclaimed, I won't have to drop you into danger to stop them," she promised. "We'll see if they can stand up to ten thousand angry hornets."
"You're convinced we'll see more?"
"Aren't you?"
He nodded. "It was no accident they appeared on the border. I have no doubt we'll see more of them. But if you've got all this armament now, why do you need fiery projectiles?"
Because she didn't feel safe, even with those speedslings on board. Those unclaimed had been terrifyingly hard to kill, and she felt driven to unleash the full might of all her Builder inventions on them. Some things just needed to be eradicated.
"The next time we face the unclaimed, there will likely be more than two of them, won't there?"
"I don't like calling them unclaimed," Kilian said. "If my suspicions are correct, Dougal has harnessed them somehow, which makes them worse than unclaimed."
"So let's call them rampagers," Verena suggested.
"I like it."
"And they're why I need more weapons. I was practicing with rotating flame jets attached to the Swift. Hamish dubbed them the Puking Dooms, but as much as he loved them, they produced too much back-force and interrupted my flight path."
"So you're searching for a smaller variation?"
"Exactly. If I can figure out how to aim them, I could launch a rain of marble projectiles over enemy forces or rampagers."
"It's a good idea," Kilian agreed thoughtfully as he paced around the Swift, studying the other enhancements she had made. Steel plating covered most of the exposed wood. The added weight had required upgraded quartzite blocks to maintain the same level of aerial nimbleness, but would protect better against slingers or archers.
"Why blue?" Kilian asked, touching the paint of the chest support.
"Blends in better with the sky. The steel glittered so bright in the sun, I'd lose all element of surprise."
"Mix in some white or gray," Kilian suggested. "That way you'll blend in better with clouds."
"Good idea."
"I wish we could develop a thousand of these," Kilian said, patting the Swift. "We could rule the skies and change the nature of battle entirely."
Verena grimaced. "A thousand of these would level cities."
"I'd settle for twenty."
"That we might be able to manage, but we don't have enough Builders, and most of them can barely fly the windriders. The Swift is beyond their capacity. So much of what we're doing is still so new. We haven't figured out all the possibilities yet, or how to train people to do everything we've developed."
Hamish had a knack for flight, but his approach was so different, he'd probably end up cutting her nimble craft into pieces before mastering its unique aerial abilities. Flying made sense to her in ways she couldn't explain. It still surprised her that most of the Builders struggled with concepts she had mastered intuitively. She didn't understand the underlying scientific principles clearly enough to teach others, but some day she would figure them out.
"Keep working at it," Kilian said. "Back in the age of discovery, Builders unlocked amazing secrets, and the world was poised on the brink of fundamental change."
Verena knew the history as well as anyone, but that wasn't saying much. For reasons lost to time, the queen of Obrion had decreed death to all Builders during the Great Purge, had destroyed their laboratories and burned their research. That event had been one of the blackest moments in history.
"You speak about those days like you were there." Kilian was far older than he pretended, but there was much about him that remained a mystery.
"Today holds more than enough evil. No need to dwell on the atrocities of ages past." He placed a hand on the Swift. "You have invested a great deal of effort into developing these new armaments."
"Thank you."
"But even though
I believe we have not seen the last of the rampagers, chances are relatively slim that you will encounter them again. What are you really worried about?"
Verena paused, taken aback by the depth of the question. Then she said softly. "I can't lose him again. Connor is in so much danger. I need to find a way to help him."
Kilian folded her gently into his arms and she leaned against him, grateful for his reassuring strength. It felt so good to share that awful fear with someone.
After a moment he kissed her forehead and retreated a step, holding her at arms' length. "Dying is not the greatest danger that Connor faces."
"I know." That truth haunted her every day. Verena hated Shona, but was it possible that her patronage really was protecting Connor from becoming one of those terrifying rage monsters? What if Shona's patronage failed? Worse, what if she learned of Connor's ongoing attempts to escape and withdrew it? What if, as a last resort, her influence could reach across the distance and snatch him away from Verena even after he made it to Granadure?
With a trembling voice, she whispered, "If Connor turns unclaimed after we get him out, what if I am the one who must destroy him?"
She wasn't sure she could do it. She couldn't explain how he had slipped into her heart, but after losing him once, she longed for nothing more than a chance to see him again. She hated to think that despite all her mighty mechanicals, she might still not be able to keep him safe.
Kilian shook his head slowly. "I would prefer having to put down Connor if he turned unclaimed rather than face the real danger that lurks in the shadows around him."
"You've mentioned that before," Verena said. "But what's worse than unclaimed?"
"It's not worth worrying about yet. The chances are slim, and only under very specific circumstances could my greatest fears be realized."
Verena took a deep breath, forcing herself to believe everything would somehow turn out all right. "You didn't come here just to admire the Swift.
"Correct." Kilian extracted from a deep coat pocket a small, wooden box. The ornate carvings covering every surface were worn, as if from decades of handling.
Intrigued, Verena drew closer as Kilian opened the little box and extracted a dark chunk of stone. It held an almost metallic luster, but it was definitely a rock, not a metal. Even though it was nearly black, it somehow managed a brownish reflection.
"What is this?" Verena breathed as she took the small stone from Kilian.
"A secret I alone have guarded for a very long time. This is blind coal."
Chapter 11
Verena rubbed her fingers across the smooth, hard surface, but it did not smudge her fingers. "This doesn't feel like coal."
"Geology masters know it as anthracite," Kilian said. "There is only one deposit, and that is known only to a select few."
Just as she did with every stone she handled, Verena felt for the invisible crack found in power stones, the fissure that she and other Builders could pry open to unlock its power.
This stone had one.
Verena gasped. "This is a new power stone!"
"One I hope will offer advantage in our upcoming conflict," Kilian said.
A new stone? Verena had never imagined finding new power stones. The ramifications were staggering. She was holding a piece of unknown potential in her hands.
So of course she had to taste it. Hamish preferred licking rocks, but although she agreed the taste of a stone was an important aspect of understanding it, she preferred not slobbering all over them like he did. She pressed it to her lips. It tasted like a half-melted icicle sliding across her tongue.
"What does it do?"
When he only raised an eyebrow, inviting her to find out, Verena cautiously pried open that crack that kept the stone's power locked inside. She should have waited, questioned Kilian more, and prepared for what might happen. Some power stones could be dangerous, especially if a Builder unlocked their powers without proper precautions.
Kilian didn't offer any caution though, so she assumed that meant the stone was unlikely to harm her. Even so, she only unlocked the release rate a fraction, tensed to snap it closed if something dangerous happened.
She felt only a strange pulsing radiate out from the stone, like slow vibrations against her skin. She looked up at Kilian, a question on her lips.
And she dropped the stone.
Without warning, it slipped through her fingers. She yelped and snatched for it with both hands, but fumbled and it slipped away again. Kilian caught it just above the floor. He held it gingerly as he lifted it carefully.
Verena asked, "I didn't just get clumsy all of a sudden, did I?"
Kilian shook his head, and immediately the stone slipped through his fingers.
Verena snatched for it, but fingers slid around it, unable to gain purchase. Before it fell free, she flickered out a tendril of her Builder sense and snapped the release rate closed.
She caught it without trouble after that.
"This is amazing," Verena said, studying the little stone. "I've never felt anything like it."
"It is a sedimentary stone," Kilian said. "And as you have noted, it possesses unique properties, including exceptional slipperiness."
"By the Tallan's blessed memory, a third sedimentary stone. Is this another of those secrets lost to the world since the Tallan Wars?"
"As always you're a quick study," he said with a smile. "As far as I know, I am the only person now living who has established affinity with it."
"What can you do with it?"
"I have not yet explored its full potential," Kilian said. "But it does perform at least one critical function."
"This is how you destroyed those rampagers," Verena exclaimed, seizing on a sudden thought.
"In part."
"A new power stone," Verena repeated, rubbing the hard, smooth surface of the blind coal. "What other secrets are you keeping from me?"
"There are indeed other stones still to be discovered or rediscovered," he admitted. "But we will excavate the ancient truths with care and with a measured tread."
"But. . ." She wanted to throttle him and force him to tell her everything.
"Let's not repeat the mistakes of the past, shall we?"
That gave her pause, but the thought of discovery always thrilled Verena and she only barely restrained herself from begging for more information.
"This is your new top priority," Kilian said. "You must investigate the properties of this stone and apply that nimble brain of yours. How can we use this to our advantage in the upcoming conflict?"
"What about my work with orders for existing mechanicals? We're already swamped."
"I've already issued orders. Dierk and the other Builders will carry the load as best they can. You and Hamish are relieved of other duties for now."
"You think this stone is that important?"
He nodded again. "So, what can you tell me about it?"
"It's slippery," Verena said, turning her thoughts to the new stone. She returned to her hidden food stash, grabbed one of her new peaches, and took a big bite. As much as she hated admitting Hamish was ever right, she'd found that eating did sometimes help her think.
As she savored the sweet, juicy pulp, she turned back to Kilian. "How extensive is the slippery property?"
"Let's find out."
Verena considered the stone as she devoured the peach. Then she cupped it in both hands and opened the release rate a tiny bit.
The stone fell right through her tightly clasped fingers. She hadn't separated them, and the stone contained no propulsion that drove it through her grip. It just fell slipped through and she couldn't stop it.
Verena poked it before it hit the ground, but her finger only slipped along its length. That was enough contact for her to snap off its power so she could grab it.
"That's very interesting," she said, considering the little stone.
She tucked it into a pocket of her jacket next and opened the release rate the same amount as before. The
stone remained in her pocket, but slipped back and forth, as if looking for escape. She reached in with a finger and opened the release rate further.
The stone popped out of her pocket. She tried to catch it and turn off its power, but she couldn't keep in contact long enough. It fell to the floor and slid across the workroom. Verena scrambled after, trying to wedge it against equipment long enough to turn it off, but it kept popping free.
After a moment, she turned a frustrated gaze on Kilian, who was silently chuckling. "Do you mind?"
Without making any visible gesture this time, Kilian stole the waters of her waterfall again, using them to surround the little stone and lift it into the air. It kept bobbing free, forcing him to constantly adjust the flow of water to keep it contained. Verena drove a finger through the water and turned off the stone's power.
"Aggressive slipperiness," she muttered, examining the stone's smooth, almost metallic sides.
Kilian chuckled again. "That's the first time I think I've ever heard that term."
"It fell through my hands, but popped out of my pocket, so it doesn't just pass through things, driven by gravity alone. It's more like it finds the path of least resistance. Is that consistent with your experience?"
"It behaves differently for Builders than for Petralists," he said. "But the basic principles are similar, yes."
"I'll need to do far more extensive testing," she muttered. "This property has tremendous potential, but not if we drop it every time we try to use it."
The basic approach of simply releasing the stone's power without direction as she had done in the previous tests would not work. She could craft more complex patterns, like invisible sculptures, that would contain and direct the force released from the stone in more precis ways.
So holding the stone on two sides, she again opened the release rate a little, but focused only through sides she was not touching. This time it did not jump out of her hands.
"So it is possible to control," she said. "But to what extent? And will the slippery property affect me as well, or only the stone itself?"