The Queen's Quarry

by Frank Morin

  The engineering challenges were immense, but the various teams all saw it as the symbol of their entire rebuilding effort. They threw themselves into the project with remarkable zeal.

  “The Juggernaut armor is the one way we can feel empowered against the supernatural forces threatening our nation. Perhaps we can help save our home from getting destroyed again,” he explained.

  That made sense. No one liked to feel helpless, and the Juggernaut could produce a fundamental shift in the balance of power.

  “I’m impressed by how much you’ve all done. My biggest worry is how much power stone it will consume.”

  Bruno shrugged and switched to Obrioner. “It is very large. We will need mighty fire to make move.”

  His Obrioner was progressing a little slower than Jean’s Grandurian, but he was definitely making solid progress.

  She waved toward her desk where she’d just read a report from a different research team. “There has to be a way to harness the raw power more efficiently. These reports about pulleys and gears prove it’s possible to take a little force and make it bigger.”

  Bruno nodded, his expression thoughtful. “Pulleys and gears are good for some things, but would need different fuel to make the fires burn hotter.”

  Jean rose and paced away, hands itching for her pencil and notebook. The many concepts they were studying were fascinating, and she firmly believed that all of that focused knowledge had to produce important new breakthroughs, but hated the rushed pace. They needed months to study and experiment, but she felt driven to hurry. Hamish might need the Juggernaut any day.

  “What are you thinking?” Bruno asked.

  She blew out an exasperated breath. “I don’t like the idea of introducing new fuels, if we can avoid it. There has to be a way to improve performance, though. I know it. Pulleys and ropes would burn if we tried to use them to harness activated marble, but there has to be something. I mean, even a little fire produces a lot of force. We should be able to take that, control it, and magnify . . .”

  She trailed off as an idea struck. She gasped and gripped his enormous hands in hers. “I think I know how to make this work!”

  “How?”

  She tugged him to his feet and headed for the door, sweeping her coat off a peg without slowing. “Come on. We have to get to the workshop.”

  She wasn’t sure when she’d return to her office, and the thought of all of those reports piling up on her desk unread didn’t bother her at all.

  She had work to do.

  57

  Some Problems Are as Simple as They Appear

  Connor jumped out of the windrider as soon as it touched down outside of Emmerich. Even though he’d caught a ride from the border with a different Builder, he couldn’t help but think again about Hamish’s cryptic note. He wondered where Aifric had led him off to, and hoped they were all right.

  Villagers of Emmerich were still not accustomed to windriders, so locals flooded in from every side, gawking at the huge flying wagon. Children whooped and waved and swarmed up onto the wagon, despite the Builder’s calls to stay down. Their mothers tried to corral them, but also pleaded with the young pilot for just one ride for their little ones. He looked completely overwhelmed.

  Connor’s mother rushed up and wrapped him in one of her famous hugs. He really needed to get to Altkalen, but he hadn’t been able to resist the urge to detour east to see his family. Some crazy things were going on. He’d just kicked a revolution into high gear, Verena was still asleep, and his powers were not functioning properly. He needed a reminder about what was important. As he hugged his mother, his problems seemed less dire.

  “What’s wrong, son?” she asked as Connor’s siblings and Hamish’s family swarmed around him, clamoring for news and asking about Hamish and Jean.

  “I don’t have much time. I’ve got to get back to Altkalen.”

  He spent several minutes catching up with everyone, his heart full as he enjoyed the company of so many people he knew and loved. It seemed like his siblings as well as Hamish’s had all grown since he’d last seen them. He didn’t like that feeling of disconnect. It seemed wrong that he was missing so much of their lives, but he couldn’t see how to do things differently.

  Lord Wenzel was at the quarry with most of the men, but Hamish’s mother pointed north, toward the highest hill overlooking the town. “Stuart hurt his arm yesterday, but that’s not enough to interfere with his daily walk with Stefanie.”

  The two were heading back toward town and altered course to join Connor and the crowd around the windrider. Stefanie seemed like a good, dependable girl, so he had no idea what she saw in Stuart.

  When they drew near, he was surprised to see Stuart looking grumpy and Stefanie frustrated. Not a good idea for Stuart to anger his girlfriend. As a Rumbler, she could throw him over a building.

  Stefanie seemed preoccupied, then surprised him by asking, “Have you ever heard of rocks that make a non-Petralist feel bad?”

  The image of all the rocks Hamish had accidentally swallowed as a child immediately came to mind. He glanced at Stuart, who was scowling. “Have you been eating rocks?”

  “No,” he said tersely.

  Stefanie said, “Nothing like that. Is only, Stuart insists our lookout rock makes him sad.”

  Her judgment in boyfriends might be suspect, but her Obrioner was getting pretty good.

  It was clear Stuart was smitten by the girl, so why would he ever tell her he was sad? He said, “There’s something weird about that spot. You’re supposed to have a special talent for rocks, Connor. Come take a look and see if you can prove I’m not making it up.”

  The last thing Connor wanted to do was spend lots of quality time with Stuart. They weren’t rivals any more, but they weren’t exactly friends, and he had a lot on his mind. He started to shake his head, but both of them looked so crestfallen, he stopped. Seeing them arguing over something so foolish reminded him of his own arguments with Verena. The topics had been more weighty, but they’d let their disagreements become dangerous wedges.

  He couldn’t imagine how a long-term relationship between Stuart and Stefanie might actually work out, but he still wanted to help ease the current, foolish tension. It seemed a waste for them to argue about a rock when there were so many more glaring faults of Stuart’s for Stefanie to focus on.

  “All right, but only if we make it quick. I don’t have much time.”

  “Thank you.” Stefanie hugged him enthusiastically, and he was grateful she didn’t tap granite. He’d been hugged almost to jelly by Princess Catriona more than once.

  They had a little time before lunch, so the three of them ascended the hill and Connor saw immediately why Stefanie liked it so much. He had always loved the lookout rock high above Lord Gavin’s plateau, with its fantastic view of Alasdair Valley.

  This hill did not command such a magnificent view, but it was the best around Emmerich. The town spread beneath them, a well-ordered, tidy community, with a number of new buildings under construction and several domed, temporary earthen shelters on the outskirts.

  Stefanie gestured to the large, rounded rock that they stood on. “Best place for view.”

  As soon as Stuart joined them on the rock, he glowered down at it. He did look sort of depressed. “Connor, can’t you feel it? It’s like this rock is trying to suck all the joy out of the world.”

  Connor didn’t feel anything. It was jut a big rock. Then again, he had spent enough time around Hamish and Verena to know that sometimes rocks were more than they seemed. He had no idea why Stuart would feel something that he didn’t. Stuart was no Builder.

  “I don’t feel it,” he admitted.

  Stuart looked disgusted and Stefanie angry so he added quickly, “But maybe there’s more to it than we think. I’ll take a piece with me to Jean. She can have one of the Builders check it out and see if there’s something wrong with it.”

  Stefanie did not want to damage her rock, but Stuart insisted it was a go
od idea. So she tapped granite and peeled back the frozen ground to snap off a jagged corner. When they replaced the earth, it concealed the damage.

  “I’ll make sure to let you know what we find.”

  That seemed to help, and the two of them walked hand in hand back down the hill. Stuart’s good humor improved as they walked.

  Connor convinced the Builder pilot to stay for lunch. Well, the sight of the feast being prepared by the village women, under the direction of Connor’s mother, convinced him. Blair had rushed to the quarry while Connor was up on the hill. He returned with their father and the other cutters. Connor hugged his dad, grateful that he could see him before flying north again.

  “How is your girl, Verena?”

  “She was still sleeping the last time I saw her, but she might be awake by now.” Speaking about her made him more anxious than ever to get back to her.

  His mother squeezed his shoulder encouragingly. “She’ll wake up son, and everything will be okay.”

  As Connor flew north in the windrider later, he hoped she was right.

  58

  A Moment Worth Savoring

  Their detour to Emmerich brought them far to the east of Faulenrost, and the Builder pilot did not want to add yet another detour to his already delayed trip. Connor wanted to visit with Jean, but he wanted to see Verena more, and he needed to speak with Kilian most.

  The pilot promised to deliver the wooden box of porphyry and the little piece of stone from Emmerich to Jean and her Builder teams in Faulenrost on his way back south the next morning. Connor decided that was probably the best compromise. Then he hunkered down against the wind as the young man coaxed every ounce of speed from the long wagon.

  Altkalen looked unchanged. The city and the plain to the south were devoid of snow, warmed by the thousands of hot springs bubbling just under the surface of the rocky soil. The snow-covered hills ringing the wide plain stood out in sharp contrast to the brilliant blue sky.

  As they swept over the enormous city, Connor focused only on the citadel where Verena slumbered. As soon as the windrider touched down, Connor leaped out, waved thanks to the pilot, and rushed inside.

  Kilian intercepted him in one of the long halls on the second level where several hallways intersected. Kilian wore a black leather vest over a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, despite the chill. He didn’t look happy.

  “Connor, I’m surprised to see you back so soon.”

  “I really need to speak with you.”

  “I figured you probably would. Come on.” He gestured for Connor to follow. As they detoured into a smaller hallway that led to the northern wing of the citadel, Kilian asked, “Did you have a good reason to leave the others in Althing?”

  “Several, actually.”

  Kilian raised an eyebrow in question, so Connor told him about the trip, Harley’s surprise attack, and his decision to ascend in order to stop her.

  Kilian pulled him to a stop, but before he could browbeat Connor for not listening to his advice, Connor insisted, “It was the only way. She would have destroyed Althing.”

  Kilian took a deep breath, one fist slowly clenching, then relaxing. He spoke in a resigned voice, “I know you felt justified. Perhaps you were. Time will tell. What happened to Harley?”

  Connor explained about the strange ending to the battle, then tried to describe the weird feeling of those two clashing sources of power that collided in his tertiary affinities and shorted them out.

  Kilian nodded slowly. “I had hoped to prepare you for that before you ascended. Harley’s reaction makes me wonder if she had ulterior motives for that invasion, but how could my mother have known you would be in Althing?”

  “She couldn’t have. We travel too fast.”

  Kilian considered that as he resumed their journey, and Connor followed close behind. “Perhaps she just recognized an opportunity your action presented.”

  “What opportunity?”

  “My mother wants your service. That’s clear, or she wouldn’t have left you free. She believes she can fetch you later, and now you’ve ascended successfully again. That suggests you might prove even more useful to her if she can win your loyalty.”

  “How could she imagine I’d ever willingly follow her?” Connor asked with a shudder. What would the world look like if she succeeded?

  “She can be very persuasive,” Kilian warned.

  “She’s also completely insane.”

  Kilian cracked a smile, and Connor felt relieved. A smiling Kilian was a lot less intimidating than the Kilian with fire blazing in his eyes. “So I’m not going crazy about my affinities being weird?”

  Kilian chuckled. “I didn’t say you’re not crazy. Most people would say you’re definitely crazy for choosing to ascend rather than turn and run like any sane person should have done in that situation.”

  “You know what I mean. I didn’t break my affinities?”

  “No, you didn’t. We need to talk in private.” When Connor hesitated, glancing in the direction of Verena’s room, Kilian added in a kind but firm tone. “The last report I received, she was still slumbering peacefully. You’ll have time to visit her later.”

  As they continued through the citadel toward Kilian’s apartment, Connor asked, “Is this whole ascension thing the reason I could control myself better when I transformed into a rampager again in Merkland?”

  Kilian stopped and spun toward him, looking shocked. “You can’t just casually drop a comment like that, Connor. What happened in Merkland?”

  Connor hesitated for a second, simply enjoying the moment. Kilian now understood how he felt. Maybe he would think twice before dropping earth-shattering secrets so casually.

  Then he told Kilian about the trip to Merkland and Craigroy’s trick with slipping porphyry into his food. He described his surprising new level of control, and his decision to start the revolution.

  “Rory and Ivor approved of that?”

  “Well, approve is kind of a strong word.”

  Kilian rubbed a hand through his hair, looking for a second like he wanted to rip at it instead. “That kind of rash action is not the way to begin a successful revolution.”

  “Maybe not, but I gave them twenty thousand new witnesses to the truth of porphyry to work with. That’s something they didn’t have before.”

  Kilian took a long slow breath. “Tell me the rest.”

  Connor explained how they had taken Merkland, ejected everyone who did not support the revolution, and imprisoned Craigroy. He finished with Rory’s request that Anika come south along with some reinforcements.

  They reached Kilian’s apartment and dropped into chairs in his sitting room next to a cold fire. Kilian flicked a hand in that direction and the cold wood burst into flames.

  “Usually I would hesitate to send Anika. Joining Rory at the head of a revolution would usually make me worry that they might do something rash. Since you’ve already taken care of that part, I see no danger in it. In fact, her presence might encourage Rory not to hesitate.”

  Connor was not so sure that was a good thing. He imagined Anika and Rory leveling an entire wing of the palace in their enthusiastic reunion.

  Kilian continued, “They will definitely need reinforcements. I’ll send Ilse and Lucas and the Crushers. They can help Rory organize his forces and prepare to defend Merkland. With the weather so bad, and with a little luck, they might get until spring to prepare.”

  “If your mother doesn’t decide to intervene personally, or send Harley against them.”

  “I’m working on ways to draw Harley out. I’m hoping to secure assistance from my nephew first, though.”

  “You’re recruiting Evander? Didn’t work out so well for Harley.”

  “He’s always tried to stay aloof from the conflict, but after defying Harley, he might finally see there’s no other alternative but to destroy my mother.”

  “When do you think he’ll make up his mind?”

  Kilian grimaced. “Probably
some point after I finally track him down. He’s gone to ground, and no one is better than Evander at staying concealed when he wants to.”

  Connor thought about that for a moment. “Where would you even start? The Carraig?”

  Kilian shook his head. “No, that area is too unstable. I received reports that a slate quarry in southern Obrion experienced an elfonnel event, and I sent messengers to try to establish contact with Evander there, but so far no success.”

  Connor was glad he wasn’t the one trying to establish contact with an elfonnel. He wondered who Kilian had sent.

  Kilian asked, “Where are Hamish and Student Eighteen?”

  That reminded Connor of his one piece of good news. “We resurrected Aifric!”

  Kilian blinked. “Really? How?”

  Connor explained briefly about the experience, but did not share a lot of details. Much of that experience was far too personal.

  Kilian said, “It’s good that you’ve already discovered your deeper ability with chert.”

  “Yeah. I can hear thoughts sometimes now.”

  “And you’ll have limited ability to influence those thoughts, although you won’t be able to wipe minds like my mother. That terrifying ability cannot be accessed until after the third threshold.”

  “That must be how I made such a good mirage in Raufarhofn,” Connor realized with a grin. He loved new affinities, and he loved discovering new aspects to existing affinities.

  “No doubt, you’re right. Thankfully my mother never bothered practicing with limestone. Why play with mirage when you can simply grab another’s mind and make them think whatever you want?”

  “It helped me turn the fight against Harley.”

  “Keep practicing. My mother won’t fear anything but the strongest elemental attacks, but that’s always been her greatest weakness. No one can defeat her with the elements alone, but through careful cooperation and using some of these more subtle aspects to your other affinities, we might stand a chance. But we’re getting side-tracked. I’m happy that Aifric is back, but where is she?”