The oblique lighting made the outlines of the runes stand out clearly and she moved around the room until she found what she was looking for. “This is the one. It’s not that complicated, but much is riding on this, so I wanted to be sure. Keep the torch close.”
She reached into her pocket for her engraver, touching the tip to a flat area on the cup and beginning the inscription. She looked back and forth at the rune several times before finishing, then blew the metal shavings free from the cup.
“Done.” She handed the engraver to Gabriel. “A souvenir for you.”
“Thank you?” He looked perplexed as he took the engraver from her.
“We leave now.”
“That’s it?”
“Yup. I have another vial to close things up.”
“What happens next?”
“I have some guesses, son, but I don’t know for sure. In any case, I’m leaving, and you’re staying in your little town. You’ll have a story to tell, eventually. Just keep this secret for a little while. Maybe a year.”
He nodded.
“Promise?” she asked.
“I promise.”
22
Losing
Mykel had risen at dawn to help the soldiers train. Eight men now surrounded him, each armed and in full attack. Sweat dotted his brow and with eyes closed and staff in hand, he dodged several of the strikes but took a hard hit to his head. It stung, despite having the protection rune up, but he was grateful that they were only using wood training sticks as the blows rained down. He flared health, and the bruises faded.
“Keep in formation,” Jahmai bellowed. “Don’t let the gifted escape the circle. And don’t pull your blows!”
They practiced eight at a time, learning techniques for fighting gifted opponents that Jahmai taught years ago at the military academy in Fairmont. This particular drill was for fighting a steelskin, one of the more common gifts found in clashes among infantry. And the least threatening. The goal was twofold. First, they must learn to prevent this type of gifted to fight one on one, but they must also deny them the ability to shield an advancing line of troops.
After all had practiced the formation, Jahmai called a break and stepped up to Mykel. “Thank you again, this is a fantastic opportunity,” he said. “Most steelskins can only go a few rounds before they need to break for days to heal. But you can keep going forever!”
Mykel half smiled. He couldn’t go on forever, but no need to tell Jahmai that. Better they think him invincible. “Happy to help. But I was wondering, how do you counter a racer?” Mykel asked.
Jahmai smiled. “That’s a tough one, those boogers give us fits. It often takes a racer to beat a racer. No other way around it.”
Mykel snorted. “I know. Nara and I encountered one recently. Even with the staff, it was difficult. Two racers might be the end of me.”
“Nah, you’re a different thing altogether. You’d take a racer, easy. Maybe two, with a bear thrown on top. Not that I’ve ever seen more than a few gifted together in any battle. But the way the Queen is pouring money into her army and all these extra announcements, who knows how many we’ll face? But they may be new. Untrained. At least, I hope that’s the case.”
“Not much of a comfort. Facing a bunch of scared, magic-wielding kids in battle?”
Jahmai shrugged. “Yeah. Tough circumstances.”
“I’m out for a while. Going to check on Nara.”
“It’s midday, anyway. I’ll call for chow.” Jahmai marched off.
Mykel stepped into the southernmost traveler cave they had used for shelter the past few nights, entering the darkness in the back. A passageway greeted him there, and he wondered how she would make a door. Maybe they’d just have to put a big rock in place to bar the entrance, but for now, it was open, smooth stone that led to a long tunnel. The passage was unlit and as he stepped into the darkness, losing the last bit of daylight that streamed in from the front of the cave, he closed his eyes and moved the staff back and forth a few times, activating the sight rune so that he could find his way in the darkness.
The tunnel floor rose on a slight incline, and, after perhaps a hundred paces, it widened. At first, it was only three feet wide, but it had now become twice that. As he moved forward, it opened further, ten feet wide, then twenty. A light at the end of the passageway grew as he approached, and he dismissed the sight rune. The wide tunnel opened into a grand cave with an open roof, light streaming down from above; the dome of the mountain was simply gone. Two more tunnel entrances could be seen, equally spaced and just as wide as the first, heading off to destinations unknown.
“What do you think so far?”
Mykel looked to see Nara sitting on the stone floor nearby. Cross-legged, she was fidgeting with two small stones, tossing them back and forth between her fingers.
“It’s amazing! So big. How long have you been at this?”
“I got up early, but I think I’m done for today.”
“Tell me about the tunnels.”
Nara hopped up and grabbed Mykel by the hand, pulling him back into the tunnel from which he had emerged. “You know how Jahmai said that when the soldiers fight, they like to field greater numbers in every skirmish?”
“Of course,” Mykel said. “That’s what small unit tactics are all about. Even if the opponent has a larger overall army, if you can move your troops in such a way to battle twenty against fifteen, or a hundred against eighty, you’ll always have an advantage.”
Nara nodded. “Exactly. I guess that’s essentially what a fortification helps with. It creates a number advantage. Walls and barriers delay attackers, allowing defenders to move and respond quickly.”
“Defenders can move quickly to a flank when the enemy attacks from a different direction. Maximizing their numbers.”
“Yes. When I picked this mountain, I thought of how it would be to defend this place. What if you and I weren’t here? How could they hold against a much larger force?”
Mykel’s eyes widened at the implication. “Ever-widening tunnels. Nara, you’re a genius.” He could have kissed her right then, and he would have, but she continued.
“No matter how many men they bring against us, they will only be able to trickle them in, and they will always fight in a more narrow area than our soldiers. The tunnels keep widening and even if they advance, they still have less room.”
“One enemy will always face two of ours. Two will always face three. We’ll always have the advantage.”
She grinned. “Yes, and if they want to attack from a different direction, they have to retreat in that same narrowing tunnel, then run around outside to attack from a different tunnel. Long delays.”
“What if they storm up the outside of the dome and shoot arrows down?”
“Well, they can jump to their deaths, or we could just shelter in the tunnels. Besides, I could handle them if they concentrate in one place like that.”
“Of course. This is great. I doubt many have thought to put a fortress under a mountain or had the ability to do so.” Mykel glanced up at the open dome. “Brings in lots of light, but lots of rain, too.”
“I have a plan for that. I’ll put a big pillar in the middle, and a huge, flat area up about fifty feet. It will block out some light, but the flat area will slope in the center and the rain will run down a central pipe. Not a pipe, really. Just a hole in the middle of the rock. It will come out the bottom and flow into a channel I’ll send off somewhere down there.” She pointed off to one side where there was nothing but a sheer rock wall. “Maybe I’ll make a pool for bathing. But it will be cold. Rainwater, you know.”
“Wow, you have it all planned out. Defenses, water... light.”
“Not exactly. Tunnels will still be dark. No light runes, or any way to maintain them. This is far from a Breshi cavern.”
“I don’t care. It’s what we need. I’ll say it again–you’re a genius.”
He moved toward her and her expression changed, grin fading. Wrappi
ng his arms around her and drawing her close, he leaned in to kiss her, but before he could, she put a hand over his lips.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, confused. “What did I do?”
“I don’t feel very lovable right now. I... I’m sorry.” She squeezed his hand, then broke from the embrace, turning to walk several paces away.
“What do you mean? You are saving the Great Land. You designed this incredible cave. The soldiers who follow us think you’re amazing.” He faltered a half second. “I think you’re amazing.”
Still facing away from him, she lifted her arms in exasperation. “This is all so rewarding, Mykel. Moving, crafting, building. The stone feels alive under my hands. Full of power and potential.” She turned around quickly, taking a rapid step toward him and twisting her hands together. “But it’s wrong.”
“What is it now?” He heard the coldness in his own tone. Hadn’t they already talked about this, again and again? When would she finally get it?
“Here’s the point,” she said, speaking quickly. “This is a fortress for killing. It’s designed to slaughter our enemies. They’d have little chance against us, and we could defend against much greater numbers.” She sighed, then began again, this time slower, and with softness in her voice. “I’m proud of my vision for fresh water and bathing areas. I even planned out chimneys for bonfires, so we don’t smoke ourselves out. But this place, it’s not about preserving life. It’s a place for welcoming death. Earth-shaping should be for building shelters for peaceful people. Families. Mothers. Men who carry their children about, not those who carry swords. I should travel around the Great Land healing. Guiding. Eliminating poverty and sickness. Being a light in this dark world. And there’s more.” She looked away. “I don’t feel the pain anymore.”
“What pain? The headaches?” he asked.
“No, I still have those. But flaring the earth rune reduces them, so it’s manageable. I’m talking about the pain I feel from others. When Derik was suffering in the back of that wagon, it didn’t bother me at all. The agony of his injury, bouncing along that terrible road day after day... I didn’t feel a thing. All of this fighting is changing me. I’m becoming like her. That’s what I was thinking about when you came in.” She nervously fiddled with a loose string that dangled from her sleeve.
How could he make her understand? How could he show her how different she was from Kayna? How different she was from all the other girls? How precious she was to him? He took a deep breath. “You’ll never be like her. And after she is dead, you can build all the homes you want. Guide rivers to where they are most needed. Heal injuries. Whatever you like. But you can’t right now. She would destroy everything you started.”
Nara said nothing but turned away, dropping her arms to her sides and looking up to the open dome of the cave. What else could he tell her? She wasn’t wrong. They shouldn’t have to do this. This cave shouldn’t need to exist. They were just two kids pretending to be generals in a game far too grand for them.
“Are you going to finish it?” he asked quietly.
“I don’t know,” she said, stepping towards one of the nearby walls. “I need to be alone. I’m sorry.”
The wall opened as she drew close, its stone peeling apart like the petals of a blooming flower. Nara didn’t even slow down as she walked into the opening. In reflex, Mykel reached towards her, vainly swiping the air in front of him, but it was too late. The entrance had closed behind her just as quickly as it had opened, and she was gone.
“Holy Dei,” he said, shocked at the ease with which she had just moved the earth. The ease with which she had left him.
Conflicting emotions raced through him, and he felt almost dizzy. Despite the epic struggle they were in, he had always looked at her as his young, vibrant friend. The girl he had known from childhood in their sweet little coastal village. But so much had happened since then. Nara was changing. She was becoming someone he did not know–a powerful figure destined for something far greater. All she had shared with him about Bylo’s study of scripture and how her own destiny was supposedly foretold by Dei now came to the front of his mind. She was not gifted, and she was not blessed. She was something else entirely. Something far greater.
In the past, he had feared losing her in a battle. At the palace with the king, on the road with the racer, or at the compound with the soldiers, there had been many risks taken. But a new fear crept into Mykel’s heart. It wasn’t a fear of her dying.
He was losing her in a very different way.
23
Report
They took him from his cage and strapped him to a table. Again. The red-haired demon held a hand on each side of his face, squeezing him like a vice so he couldn’t bite her. Her strength was incredible and as she squeezed, his head felt like it would cave in. She never spoke. And she never said why. She just hurt him.
The pain in his chest began again, deep down. It felt as if his soul was stretching and tearing. Sharp spikes of agony grew hot and then became an excruciating sensation of pulling, twisting. Then came dizziness. And panic. He felt weak but so angry. He wanted to bite her, to scratch her, or to put his fingers into her eye sockets and push until he ran out of strength. Screams and curses came forth from his mouth. Foul curses at her beautiful face. Furious screams at her long, red hair and the evil smile she wore. She used to be a friend, this demon, which confused him and made the pain worse because it made no sense. He searched through his memories, but they were scattered, distant, and he couldn’t find her name. Or even his own.
Dei save me.
But there was no Dei. Only the demon. And the pain.
As he suffered, he tried to think of the only blessing in his life. The angel in the dark who had held his hand like a mother and whispered words of comfort into his ear. The sweet lady who loved him.
It was morning and Ennis shuffled down the hallway toward the stairs. Although it was cool in the project buildings each morning, particularly in the cages below ground, it had warmed in recent days. Summer was coming. He clicked his tongue and picked his feet up as he reached the stairs that led to ground level. He’d visited all four of the project buildings and the armory this morning and would deliver a report to the queen. Her efforts were bearing fruit, and he was eager to tell her as much.
A driver sat atop the carriage outside, and Ennis climbed into the seat beside him. He didn’t know why she always sent a covered carriage. Perhaps she thought he didn’t care to be seen in public anymore, but that had changed. He was doing good things. Let them stare if they liked. Let them talk. He was proud of his work and he didn’t want to hide. Someday they would all know who he was, what he did for the Great Land, and they would honor his name.
The driver said nothing as he guided the two horses along the main city street toward Fairmont castle. They entered the grounds through a side gate and pulled up to a service entrance. Ennis climbed down from the carriage and shuffled into the building, taking a shortcut through the kitchen where he grabbed a bread roll and an apple. He gulped bites as he moved through a long hallway to the queen’s quarters, finally arriving at the small sitting room she used for meetings.
The room had no windows but was well-lit, several large candelabras providing the necessary illumination. A small fire crackled in a fireplace on one wall, lending ample heat. The walls bore a bright mural that depicted a lavish party, painted right on the stone blocks and stretching around the room. The mural was decorated with hundreds of guests who celebrated with food and wine and on one wall, some knelt before a figure that walked in from a large, arched entrance. The figure was difficult to make out, nothing but the outline of a woman in a gown, her black hair topped with a brilliant crown. The light emanated from her shape so brightly that details were lost and many of the partygoers held their hands up to shield their eyes from her brilliance.
“Hello, Ennis.”
He turned, startled. She was dressed in a short blue gown, black hair tied up in a bun. He bowed deepl
y. “A report, Your Majesty.”
“Go ahead.” Kayna moved to a nearby table to pour herself a cup of wine from a crystal decanter.
“The normal methods are moving forward as they always have. Sometimes we announce a gifted, but many die. The multiple piercings with the ceppit are productive but dangerous. Lost a racer to infection yesterday.”
“We expected as much. How many total this week?”
“We’ve announced more than a hundred in the last few days, but only one gifted aside from the racer. A knitter.”
“Bah. I need warriors.” She replaced the decanter and turned to take a seat in a luxuriously cushioned settee, angled in the corner. The few shadows there were in the room flickered across her face as she took a sip.
It was true. Knitters were of little use in combat, but when trained would prove useful at keeping the rest of the army healthy. At first, however, they were scared, useless children.
“The projects have been interesting. Three have died since you began your efforts, but several show promise.”
“The barbarian?”
“Yes, he’s doing well. He’s seen battle and has quite the will. Perhaps because he is older. There’s a girl who is also doing well.”
“And the young one. From Dimmitt.”
“He’s angry. Oh, so angry. After you stretch him, the watcher sees him leak. A lot. Far more than the others. But it fades after a few hours. Hopefully, we can make it permanent.”
“I loathe the wig, but it is working. He’s furious with her,” Kayna said. “I can see it in his eyes. He has grown so much and fights like a rabid dog. I have to flare strength to keep him still, and he isn’t even gifted.”
“Yet.”
“I hope you’re right, Ennis.”
“You’re doing everything perfectly, Majesty. He cries when you aren’t in the cell next to him. For hours. He says your name over and over. He’d do anything for you.”
Finding Kai Page 14