“Now, how about our other lucky patient?” Squatting down, he placed his hands on the young boy’s chest. He had been coughing lightly, but it was nowhere near the severity of what Aiden had endured as he looked up with bright eyes at the professor.
“Feeling okay, boy? You seem to be doing okay, but how do you feel? Hopefully not as bad as poor Aiden, I think he hit me in the eye with his lungs.” The boy just smiled as if he wanted to laugh but didn’t answer or make any other sounds of note. The older woman bent down, caressing his soft cheeks as her severe features softened just a tiny bit.
“You’ll have to forgive him, but he has been mute for his whole life. His parents died when he was just a few months old and has never spoken a word since. The doctors say there is nothing wrong with him, but,” she shrugged. “Perhaps words will come in time. Either way, he’ll always be loved.”
She sighed softly and caressed his forehead again. For a moment, she appeared even older than her already advanced age. “I was beside myself with fear when none of the servants or his nanny came out with him.” Her eyes narrowed, hardening dangerously as she remembered their failure. “His name is Baron Crean Wilthorn. I am his grandmother and warder until he reaches majority. I owe the young boy you just saved a very dear debt for saving my grandson’s life, and the last of my line.”
Professor Revius’s eyebrows wiggled like two fluffy caterpillars at that. “Well, the boy is brave, though I hesitate at this point to call him smart. Charging into a burning building like that. It’s amazing he didn’t come walking out with roof rafters stuck to his head. Still, it was heroic, and it did save a life, so I suppose I won’t be too cross with him.”
As they spoke, Gavin stepped forward and bowed. “You would be Dame Tenadine Wilthorn then? I had heard from my father that you were in town, but we have not met before. Lord Gavin Terek, at your service, and let me be the first to let you know the boy’s name. He is Aiden Finn, an orphan at the School of Breen.” Gavin glanced over his shoulder at the sleeping form. “I’ve only known him for a few days, but he certainly has shown himself to be someone curiously full of surprises. I’ve never seen anything like it, charging into a building like that.”
Dame Wilthorn considered Gavin for a moment before holding her hand out regally, letting him help her back to her feet. “Ah, you would be Duke Terek’s boy? Third or second? I know the first by the sight of him. He has his father’s spark and his mother’s sense of decorum.” She squinted at him, making him blink for a moment under that intense stare. Despite wearing a nightdress and the soot staining her face, her formidable examination left Gavin feeling she did not miss much.
“Ah… I would be third, Dame Wilthorn, and this is Professor Reivus who teaches Glimmer, healing, and some other subjects I am not familiar with at the School of Breen. The other that was here was Professor Onyxine though she’s gone back to help with the fire. She’s an engineer at the Hall of Stones. But these others are some of my fellow students; Lady Charissen Silvencor and Lord Markam Jex.”
Chari stood, giving a quick bow to Dame Wilthorn. “And…orphan Jessop. A friend of Aiden’s, and ours,” she emphasized the latter words, letting her eyes flick to Gavin before going back to Dame Wilthorn. Gavin blushed apologetically but gave Chari a small nod, acknowledging his small lapse. Jessop just blinked in panic as the old dame let her eyes fall on him. She looked all the world as if she was going to eat him with salt until she bowed to him, confusing poor Jessop all the more.
“Ah, well met, Jessop, it appears you are a loyal friend to young Aiden and deserve honor for it.” Only then did she bow to Gavin and the others, though going lower as she did so. The lesson was clear; treat those of lesser station as equal and those that are equal as betters. It was an oft-forgotten tenant that royals were supposed to live by.
She stopped and stood before continuing talking with Gavin. “Thank you again, and yes we are in town though I did not have plans to attend court. Truthfully I was here only to attend to some minor business before returning to our lands to the West. We were scheduled to leave tomorrow.” She paused, turning to Aiden who was resting peacefully on the blanket. “Now? Perhaps we will be here longer. I have things to attend to. Debts to repay, at the least.” She finished, giving some of her servants a dark look.
They all watched as an elegantly-decorated carriage came to a stop nearby. The four zerigeld attached to it standing quietly as their orange and yellow stripes came to life in the light of the fire. Their elegantly curved horns arched and danced with each pull of their stately heads. They were well-trained, but even so stamped and hissed at the fire being so close. A servant who was not in soot-stained clothing came running over to Dame Wilthorn, bowing low to her.
“Your Excellency, I’ve brought the team from the smaller house and have rented staff and a small manor for the time being. The landlord was rather difficult on such short notice, but it should prove satisfactory for you and the boy. We are ready whenever you wish to leave.” The man bowed again, standing quietly and patiently, the picture of attention.
Dame Wilthorn turned to Professor Reivus after acknowledging the man politely, her eyebrow raised. “Professor Reivus? Is the boy fit to travel?”
Professor Reivus nodded, then rustled around in his robe and pulled out something before handing it to the boy. “Oh, oh yes, yes indeed. A strong boy. He will be fine. Probably outlive the lot of us. Just don’t give him too much candy.” He winked dramatically at the boy, pushing the candy he’d just given him under his small shirt and making him grin.
Dame Wilthorn’s mouth turned down only a small degree, not having missed any of it but not saying anything either. Instead, she simply held her hand out to the boy. “Come, Crean, let us go and get you settled into bed.”
The youngster got up and went obediently over to the older woman, giving Aiden a last mournful look before she took his hand and began leading him towards the carriage. Before she left, she turned and rested her eyes on Gavin. “I will be sending my factors around within a few days to discuss the orphan’s reward. Please let the headmaster of the school know? If you would be so kind? I am uncertain yet what I shall do, but I don’t want to have anyone taken by surprise.”
They all watched as the old woman led the young boy to the carriage and climbed in. The team that was pulling the carriage was all too eager to leave, and they disappeared quickly out of site and away from their still burning mansion.
Professor Reivus muttered to himself for a few minutes before quickly gesturing for the golden bucket that Chari was still holding. Chari handed it to him, noticing that there was a faint greenish cloud beginning to form within the bucket and above the black goop. Reivus glanced down before moving his head back quickly.
“Um…ah… I really do need to take care of… um…this. Oh yes, quite not good. Wouldn’t want to find this floating around, oh no.” He paused, peering at Chari. “You…did not breathe any of this did you? Do you smell mustard? Or mint? No? Well, that’s good. I’d hate to have to clean up that mess. Well, I must be off.”
Feeling her face go pale, she stepped back in alarm. Professor Reivus wasn’t known for being calm and collected, but something in his tone told her that he was completely correct about this. He quickly hobbled off towards the school at a far quicker pace than she thought him capable. Giving each other nervous glances, the friends watched the old man go before Gavin grimaced. “I don’t know why Father speaks so highly of him. Frankly, he just scares me.”
Suddenly, they heard a harsh whine from one of the skimmers working on the building. Its hook was attached to some point above the main hall but Instead of the cracking and popping that usually accompanied a pull by the skimmer, it didn’t look like this one was making any headway at all.
The skimmers were ancient glimmer tech from before the cataclysm. Relics too useful to be hidden away in a vault, they were the size of small water yachts with graceful lines and two decks surrounded by decorative panels reminiscent of sailing shi
ps. They looked to be made of wood, but it was, in fact, all glimmer steel. In Terek, they were used most commonly for patrols and transporting nobles across the dukedom, but during a fire, they were very useful as well.
The upper deck was open to the air, where several guardsmen had been working to throw hooks and chains, or drop water on particularly troublesome areas of the fire. Whatever magic was used to keep them aloft was lost to time, but they were powerful, and even the best-crafted wood building was usually no match for them.
Still, it was straining, and as they watched, the entire front half of the roof was attempting to slide off of the building. Too late, the skimmer tried to ease off of the tension against the heavy chain. The skimmers usually tried to pull off small, manageable bits but what came down was a third of the roof, a cascading tsunami of burning wood and other debris.
The water wagons and people near the fire itself were not far enough back to avoid this huge wave of flame. Even some of the fast-moving Chivnel were caught, their pitiful screams joining those more human ones that began to pierce the night air.
Gavin, Chari, and the others watched in awe as what appeared to be strangely wild and graceful horns emerged from out of the cascading wood. The various projections flashed like a strangely disjointed herd of zerigeld leaping over a fiery, moving field of fury. Whatever the stuff was, it seemed to catch the fading light of dusk, amplifying the glows of purples and reds within itself even as the mass crashed and moved over the scattering people.
“Is that…?” Chari began to say to Gavin before becoming quiet. Gavin just turned to her, his eyes wide and concerned. Neither wanted to say that it looked exactly like the glimmer steel plate that had been made in the workroom. It was all too apparent that Aiden had been the last one out of the burning building and they became numb with worry.
The screams of pain and urgent voices intruded back on their minds, pulling them out of their thoughts. The large pile of debris had collapsed onto several water wagons and their crews. Bits of burning shrapnel and other pieces had flown even further, crashing into others as they fled or worked nearby.
They heard Professor Onyxine began bellowing and calling for students, guards, and townspeople to move in and push debris off. They needed to go in and rescue anyone they could. Even as they watched, Oya Dihya grabbed some large burning piles, pushing them up and out of the way with sheer strength and water-soaked hand wraps. Some of the exposed people and chivnel were not moving but there was no way to tell if they were dead or just unconscious.
The friends began to move back to the fire as quickly as they could, calling to each other and working as a team. Gavin gave clear directions to the rest of them, helping them to keep an eye out for each other and giving encouragement where necessary. As she worked at pulling a small Chivnel out from under a branch, Chari ran her hand over the smoothly flowing material that seemed to be interlaced throughout the wood.
It was glimmer steel, smooth and cool to the touch just as she’d feared. This particular piece had been broad and had sheltered the small Chivnel under it even as two of its legs had been smashed. Pulling gently, she felt them detach but knew they would regenerate them in time. If it hadn’t been unconscious, it probably would have skittered out on its four remaining legs without difficulty and only been mildly inconvenienced.
Gavin had a grim frown on his face that just deepened as she nodded at him. Once the fire was out and people had a chance to see the strange formation, it would raise many uncomfortable questions. She was fearful for Aiden, far more than she had been before. That stupid bet.
While she was looking at the young lord, something caught her eye over his shoulder. She finished pulling the Chivnel out of the way giving herself a better sightline at what she’d seen, making her squint. Two large figures were wrestling with someone over by the blankets. The struggle didn’t last long, with one taking a swing and sending the smaller form over backward.
She remembered that Jessop had stayed behind to be with Aiden, and whatever was happening it didn’t appear he was a match for it. The larger of the two flung Aiden over his shoulder before both turned and loped towards a large, dark alley behind them.
“Gavin, Look!” Chari cried out, her eyes wide in fright, “They’re taking Aiden!” Gavin spun, staring for only a second before he began charging towards the fleeing figures. “Markam! To me! They’re taking Aiden!”
Markam paused for only a split second before he also started running, confusion evident on his face since he had not seen Aiden taken, but not willing to hesitate when it came to Gavin’s safety. Chari was not far behind, trusting others to help the injured they had just freed from the fire. Quickly they passed Jessop who was rolling in the street, wailing even as he clutched his bloody face.
Entering the alley, they didn’t slow as they raced after the figures in the dim light far ahead of them. They followed the kidnappers who, even though moving quickly, were losing ground due to their burden. “What’s going on?” Markam yelled out, uncertain why they were chasing the men ahead of them. Gavin was in the lead and Chari was not far behind Markam, so she answered. “They’ve taken Aiden. We don’t know who they are, but they attacked Jessop and ran.”
Up ahead, Gavin sprinted around a corner that the men had turned into, followed quickly by a yelp and angry yelling. Markam was the next to round the corner with Chari not far behind. They found one of the darkly wrapped men trying to take swipes at Gavin with a long dagger, held off by the long stick that Gavin had grabbed from somewhere in the alley. Markam immediately grabbed an empty vegetable crate and tried to circle to the man’s left while Chari picked up another piece of wood and stepped forward, swinging at the man aggressively.
Whoever he was, the man was not some enraged thug but kept his distance and fought smartly against the three. He had well-cared for leathers, and the rest of him was cloaked in dark wrappings to disguise his features. Only his eyes were showing as they flickered back and forth, watchful but not fearful. The man held his blade expertly, backing slowly down the alley behind him while the three friends moved forward.
Gavin and Chari had range with their sticks, and with Markam’s assistance Gavin was sure they could subdue the man and get past but they couldn’t do it quickly. They had all been trained in combat but were still young, and he wasn’t going to risk that wicked dagger being sunk into one of his friends.
“Drop your weapon!” Markam barked, his voice full of authority past his youth. He kept screaming at the man, trying to rattle him. “I said drop your weapon, now!” The rogue was having none of it, just continuing to back up slowly with his feet spread and crouched. Gavin, Chari, and Markam were continuing to probe his defense, moving forward intermittently in hopes he would make a mistake but despite their best efforts, the man refused to over-reach himself.
Gavin scowled, watching what the man was doing. “Dammit, Markam! He’s distracting us while his friend gets away.” Markam narrowed his eyes, realizing the truth of the matter. All of them gathered themselves to charge, but it was too late.
They could hear the dry chuckle from the man as he heard what Gavin said. He didn’t speak but suddenly jumped forward, feigning an attack. The move caught Markam by surprise, making him jump backward to avoid the dagger and stumble over Chari’s foot, sending them both into a pile on the ground. Then the man turned and ran in a different direction from the one his partner had taken.
Gavin cursed, about to run after him but stopping as he realized that was a trick as well. His face was grim as Markam and Chari untangled themselves. Chari had tears in her eyes, but gritted her teeth and stared angrily into the darkness.
“He’s gone. Aiden is gone.”
None of them had noticed the form that had followed them, slipping to the side and continuing the chase rather than being entangled with the first assailant.
Chapter 8
Aiden came too with an uncomfortable bouncing sensation and harsh breathing in his ear. His eyes opened slowly, st
icky from the fire, sweat, and stress of his earlier ordeal and though he didn’t know it, blood-red from his earlier traumatic coughing. He couldn’t make sense of the confusing picture of cobblestones flashing by at first. Coupled with the uncomfortable sensation of being held over someone’s shoulders, he thought he was being carried away from the fire. However, as time passed and he wasn’t set down, his confusion turned to worry.
“Where am I?” He finally croaked, trying to raise his head and failing dismally. Even to him, his voice sounded like he was trying to speak through a hole in the ground. It hurt, too, like swallowing sand and he regretted it immediately.
Still, whoever was carrying him heard him and growled in a deep, male voice, “Shut it, kid. Don’t speak and may the Circle Stones help you if you scream. Got it?”
Aiden blinked. What was going on now? He was pretty sure this day would never end at this rate and Glowby who was following along behind them kind of bobbed in agreement, flickering through some soothing lavender colors for his benefit.
The Glimmer Steel Saga, Boxed Set, Books 1 - 4 Page 9