“Please, Carol. Please see reason. You’re the only ones who we can trust with this.” Duchess Ahnarad’s cool voice sounded strained, but the woman was obviously trying to stay calm as she spoke to the over-anxious ruler of the Naiadens. “Anyone else, sooner or later, will take advantage of the situation.”
Carol leaned forward. As polite as she was, she seemed particularly agitated with this conversation. If what he heard was true, Aiden couldn’t blame her. The Island of Reid had cut itself off from the rest of the planet for thousands of years. They’d settled here and created an agrarian utopia that needed neither trade or money. To ask them to monitor any system involving merchants and coin would be betraying everything they believed. Even now, the brand new town of Jiada’s Turning was the only place outsiders were allowed to step foot on the island.
“Mother,” Gavin asked, sitting down at the table next to the elegant woman, “what is going on?”
Ahnarad looked at her son and then the rest of them, gesturing for them to take a seat. “I’m glad you all came. I knew this discussion was going to be difficult, and I wanted a different perspective.” She sighed and then looked back at Carol. “I hope you don’t mind me asking them here, but once we establish all of the Aidengates, whoever gets control will have an opportunity to abuse that control. I know that Valeran and I would not take advantage of this, but who knows about our children’s children? And what if Riften becomes the main controller of the gates? Well, I don’t think I need to say anything. They are already bad enough about their own trade.”
“That is exactly why we left that whole system behind, Ahnarad.” Carol sighed, leaning back in her chair. “I do understand why you are asking us, and in many ways, it is a good choice, but asking my people to become bankers or worse? That…I just can’t do it. It’s the worst form of hypocrisy.”
Duchess Ahnarad also sat back, looking with concern at Carol and then to Aiden and his friends. Glowby just flitted over to the regal woman. She wasn’t as tall or statuesque as any of the Naiadens, but she carried herself with an easy nobility. “Do you see our dilemma? You have traveled the island and have seen its people. I simply don’t have the experience with them to understand their point of view. Riften is my hometown and the thought of not having wealth is…foreign.”
Aiden, Chari, and Ashrak had taken seats next to Gavin though Markam had sat off to the side, preferring to keep out of the discussion. The friends all looked at each other, but it was Chari who finally spoke, her face a mask of determination.
“I think it would ruin them to ask them to become involved in trade and money. You know my family is a merchant family. I understand what you want, but I don’t think you can understand how beautiful their system is, Your Grace. I think they could do it. Probably better and with more honor than anyone else on our planet, but it would be wrong.”
Duchess Ahnarad threw her hands up and looked away in frustration. “Then what can we do? The next best people to handle it would be my own home Duchy of Riften. They would be efficient, but even I know how my people would become. They would control it, and they would eventually use it against every other Duchy out there. It’s part of why I left and married Valeran. I just don’t have the heart to be as ruthless as they need their Duchess to be.” She turned back to Carol. “I spoke to my sister before coming here this morning, and she unabashedly agreed with me on what her people would do. She wasn’t apologetic at all. You should have seen the glint in her eye.”
“Do they have to control the money part?” Aiden asked.
“What do you mean, Aiden?” Carol asked, perking up.
“I mean, what if you just controlled the gates and the areas around it?” Aiden asked, leaning forward and tapping the table. “Like gate guards into and out of a city? The Naiadens could use an area here as the crossing point, and control specific areas on the other sides of the gates where no trade would happen. Keep money completely out of it and just make sure people have free movement.”
Carol nodded, thinking about what Aiden was saying. “That could be possible.” She raised one of her eyebrows at Duchess Ahnarad. “We would have final say on what could or would not be allowed through which I am certain will cause some issues, but it is manageable. Would that be acceptable?”
Duchess Ahnarad shrugged. “As an official negotiator for Terek, and knowing every other Duchy, I can say we would probably wish to submit all manner of exceptions and arguments on what is to be allowed through.” She paused before continuing, tilting her head as her lips twisted up in a wry smile. “However, seeing as how the creator of the gates is here, it is his choice about who he puts in charge of them. I am certain any of us would be quick to bow to any rules you make if the option is not to have a gate at all.”
Carol smiled, her beautiful aquiline features finally softening as she looked over at Aiden. “Is that your will, Aiden? Will you allow us this task?”
Aiden nodded. He could think of no one he’d rather have in control of the gates then the Naiadens. Glowby buzzed about happily, seeming to approve of Aiden’s agreement as he bobbed up and down. Aiden was glad his friend was back though he did wonder where he went when he disappeared like that.
“There is one thing, Aiden,” Carol interrupted. “Can you please figure out a way to turn the gates on and off? I think that would be important for security, especially if we open a gate to Caitrel or Banum. They are at war right now on top of being ravaged by a plague.”
Duchess Ahnarad nodded. “That is a very good point. A way to open and close them would be good, and I have heard some terrible things about their sickness.” She paused as she turned back to Carol. “Forgive me, Carol. I don’t know all of your capabilities, but my husband has said you have considerable ways with healing. Do you think there is anything you could do about this plague before we send our troops through?”
Carol took a deep breath, looking at Ahnarad with a mixture of seriousness and sadness. “I had sent people there a year ago to identify it when the troubles started, but whatever it is we’ve not been able to find the cause of it yet. I don’t think it’s natural, to tell you the truth. It doesn’t affect the people or troops of Norpon at all. After what happened at Riften, this leads me to believe they may have some help from our friends, the Mourning Lords. It has been a frustration of mine.”
“Are you saying we may not be able to help Caitrel and Banum?” Ahnarad asked.
“Perhaps not your troops,” Carol said, her voice firming as she spoke, “But mine are going to go. The Exemplars have rather extraordinary bodies and can resist much more than one of you. Even if they fall prey to this sickness, we can just make new bodies for them.”
“You can make new bodies?” Ahnarad asked, shocked. “I thought you were just able to heal, like the medibeds.”
Carol laughed softly and shook her head. “No. Even our best body wears out in time if nothing happens to it. It usually takes about three to four-hundred years if we stay with the same body for that long. Most do not. Some of my people do not even have a human shape, choosing instead something else that they find beautiful. We can do far more than the medibeds ever could, though their design was based on some of my technologies from a very long time ago. Speaking of that,” she turned to Aiden, “I was wondering if I may take a sample from you, Aiden? Professor Reivus asked if I could work with him to determine if we can find out how you do what you do. Would that be okay? I promise it won’t hurt.”
Aiden looked nervously at his friends and Duchess Ahnarad but frowned, stopping himself. No, he thought, I need to make this decision on my own. Glowby floated over to him, his color a soothing lavender which gave Aiden the courage he needed. Still, he wanted to ask some questions. “Do you think you could make others that can do what I do?”
“Perhaps,” Carol said, “but I would not do so without careful consideration. What you can do is dangerous. We would talk about it before implementing anything like that. In many ways, that would be a far more important decision
than what we do with the gates.”
“Okay, yes, I think that would be a good idea,” Aiden said, nodding sadly. “I am only one person. I think we’ll need a lot more like me if we’re to beat the Mourning Lords and take back our world.”
“How would you feel about not being super special, Orphan Boy?” Ashrak asked.
“Um, pretty darn good, actually,” Aiden quipped back. “If not being special means I won’t be hunted down by spider people or have creepy Mourning Lords stalking me. I think that’s a good thing.”
His friends all nodded, and Ashrak leaned across to slap him on the shoulder. “Hah! Keep your armor on until then, Aiden. You never know when one might be lurking in the rafters.”
“Ashrak!” Chari said, smacking the tall noble on the shoulder. “Quit being a jerk! Aiden’s life is not a game. Ugh, I couldn’t imagine you having the ability to create things like Aiden. You’d probably spend your time making knives.”
“Aw, come on. What’s wrong with knives?” Ashrak said playfully. “One got us off of the pirate ship.”
“No, the skimmer got us off of the pirate ship,” Chari answered. “The knife only got us out of it. We’d be swimming otherwise, and Gavin would be dead.”
Ashrak pursed his lips thoughtfully before brightening. “Hah! What if I made a knife that could let you fly?”
Chari opened her mouth to answer but stopped, looking over at Aiden. “You know, that isn’t a bad idea. Not the knives, but could you make the shirts fly, Aiden?”
Aiden frowned in thought. Could he do that? He looked at his walking stick and remembered how Oya Dihya had said to just imagine what he wanted it to do. “I think…I might be able to do that. There are some things I’d like to talk to Professor Reivus about, but that would be neat. Having our shirts protect us and also let us fly. I wonder what else I could make them do.”
Carol Reid looked at Duchess Ahnarad before turning back to Aiden, a serious look on her face. “The ancients had suits and powered armor that could do many things. The only restriction was how to power them and the bulk of the equipment needed. You, Aiden, might be able to do far more than the Ancients could ever dream of, but please tread carefully. Much like your walking stick, you may stumble onto something that is too powerful.”
“He will have to wait for a few days. Professor Reivus went back to Terek with some plans to modify the smaller Skimmers. He said something about wanting to get back into practice and be helpful, but it would take about a week for him to complete work on the first skimmer to see if he still had his mojo, or whatever he called it.” Ahnarad looked at a smirking Carol. “What is a mojo?”
“Maybe I could talk to Count Viridian,” Aiden offered. “He was helpful with the com units.”
“And what would you need to speak to me about?” The tall Count said as he walked into the building, coming around the corner of the room accompanied by Duke Valeran. His deep, sonorous voice was rich and filled the room.
It was a beautiful voice to listen to, but it also made Aiden shudder. Count Viridian was a glimmer man. One of the human-like constructs the ancients had made to help them craft Glimmer Steel, along with many other more mundane tasks. According to Count Viridian and Professor Reivus, the Ancients had made many identical copies of them depending on the tasks required, so there had been many that looked and sounded the same. Count Viridian, despite how much he had helped guide the Duchy of Terek for the greater good, also happened to sound just like the Mourning Lord who had been hunting Aiden and causing the world so much trouble.
It still made Aiden shiver whenever he heard the man’s voice. Ever since Riften when the Mourning Lord had tried to get Aiden to kill himself, he would have nightmares about how one of Romald’s guards had paid with his life. The robe the Mourning Lord wore was not cloth; it was a creature that had defended the Mourning Lord and then eaten the guard afterward. The same creature had paralyzed him earlier, so Aiden had no choice but to listen as it devoured the unfortunate man.
Aiden had later learned from Professor Reivus that the creature was called an Uthanic Stalker. The old man was disturbed to learn one was on the planet and told Aiden that it was a genetically-altered symbiote created to be bodyguards for the less savory elements of the Ancient’s society.
“Aiden, did you hear me?” Duke Valeran said, snapping him out of his thoughts.
“Oh, sorry sir,” Aiden said, glancing at Count Viridian as both men sat. “I was distracted thinking about something.”
“It’s okay, son. A lot has happened in the past several months.” Valeran said kindly. “I think we can forgive you for being a little absent minded. Just don’t go all Professor Reivus on us please?”
Duchess Ahnarad rolled her eyes and then smacked her husband’s arm. A moment later, Chari did the same to Ashrak.
“Hey! What was that for?” Ashrak protested, looking at Chari with an injured expression. “I didn’t even say anything.”
Chari shrugged noncommittally, “I don’t know, but it felt like the right thing to do. I’m sure you’re going to do something soon, and I might not be around.”
Ashrak looked around helplessly as all of them laughed before Chari took pity on him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Ashrak just shrugged and took her hand, smiling.
“Dear? I wasn’t expecting you here today, much less with Count Viridian.” Duchess Ahnarad asked after everyone had finished chuckling. “Did something happen?”
The Duke quieted and nodded, looking around at all of them seriously. “Maybe, though I’m not sure of anything yet. I’ve started to get reports from the East Coast of Terek. Some of the fishing villages are reporting a severe drop in fish numbers. A few are even saying that fishermen have gone missing. I would think it was pirates, but they wouldn’t have any effect on the fish numbers.” He paused, turning to Aiden. “I came here to ask if you could make some more of those communicators. I want to ask Trelakor and his Dawad clan of Sea Folk to go out and see what is happening. There shouldn’t be anything his cutter fish can’t handle, but I’d like to be able to hear as soon as possible.”
Count Viridian chimed in then, leaning forward and laying his graceful, long fingers on the table. “I agree with the Duke that this could be something serious. It may be a disease, but that wouldn’t explain the loss of fishermen. I came to talk to Aiden to see if I couldn’t help him refine his communicators since Reivus is not available.”
“That would not be a bad idea,” Carol Reid said. “The ones that Aiden made are good in their own way but useless above a certain number. The more sets you make, the more confusing it will become.”
“I thought that could become a problem,” Gavin said, looking at the Naiaden leader. “But your people have another type that lets you not only talk to each other but somehow talk to everyone, right?”
Carol nodded, appraising the young man. “Yes, though it is similar to the one that is within Terek castle. It just uses slightly older technology that doesn’t involve glimmer steel, but the construction is similar. It will use what we call code to direct it, amongst other things. The question is how we teach Aiden about the concepts of handling large numbers of people wanting to talk without having to teach him all the code. It would take him years to learn it, otherwise.”
“That is what we are trying to determine as well. How do we take advantage of Aiden’s unique talents without wasting them?” Count Viridian agreed. “Unfortunately, I believe we need his skills now, rather than later. After the Mourning Lords’ blatant attempt to disrupt so many of the Duchies at the Riften Ducal Council, I do not believe we have too much time left.”
“When do you want to get together, sir?” Aiden asked the Count. “I have some other things I’d like to ask you about as well,” he paused, looking back and forth at his friends. “We were thinking about making my armored shirts so they could allow a person to fly, but there may be other things we hadn’t thought about.”
The Count raised one of his arched eyebrows. “Really
? That would be quite something to see. We can meet directly after this meeting if you wish Lord Wilthorn. The sooner, the better so we can send Trelakor on his errand.”
Duke Valeran slapped one of his hands on the table and looked over at Count Viridian. “Good, that’s settled then. Will you be staying on the island for a few days, Corenthus?”
“As long as my presence is acceptable to Carol Reid, I will be happy to stay for a few days. It has been a long time since I have been in a warm climate.” The Count said, looking over to see the Naiaden nod.
The stout Duke stood, holding his hand out to his wife. “We will head back to Terek, then. I need your help with some of the local merchants as well as your Sister in Riften. They are wondering when they can begin using the gates. Did you and Carol discuss it?”
Duchess Ahnarad nodded. “Just before you came in. I will come back and get the merchants in line, but the agreements have yet to be worked out.” She smirked. “I’m sure there will be a lot more screaming once the initial rules are released, but it will be for the best.” She stood and gave Carol a hug.
The Glimmer Steel Saga, Boxed Set, Books 1 - 4 Page 65