by Eric Vall
Apparently, the two reached some sort of understanding, because Rhys gave a curt nod and worked to stand up, and he spit on the floor this time instead of on Dragir. He ignored me completely as he turned to leave, and I glanced at Dragir to find an amused smirk on his face.
Then he muttered something in Elvish while he eyed Rhys’ back, and the green-haired elf abruptly stopped in the arched doorway.
I could hear Rhys let out a low and raspy sigh, but he decided not to turn around or respond. He left without a word, and Dragir chuckled to himself as he casually returned to his work.
The two tables were still overturned in the center of the room, and Dragir’s left arm hung limp at his side while I stood blankly against the wall.
I cleared my throat. “You guys good?” I asked uneasily.
Dragir nodded and drew out another line on the parchment.
“Rhys is displeased,” he told me flatly.
I tried not to laugh. “Yeah, I noticed. We’re all still on the same page, though, right?”
“Of course,” Dragir said with a shrug, but then he winced. “Do you know how to put an arm back in its socket?”
“Yeah,” I replied, and I came around to his other side while he continued.
“Thirty from House Quyn plus Rhys’ army,” Dragir mumbled half to himself as he eyed the parchment on the table. “You and your women of course, with the six bazookas. Everything is arranged.”
“How many men does Rhys have?” I asked as I shifted his limp arm and tried to find the right position to get the humerus to realign. Once I’d found the angle, I nodded to Dragir, and the elf gritted his teeth.
“Eighty,” he muttered right before I pushed the bone back into the socket of his shoulder.
There was a dull pop, and the elf grimaced as he massaged his shoulder.
“Thank you. Now,” he continued, “one hundred soldiers recruited in only a day and a half does not put us in a good position. We will be grossly outnumbered by the time Rhys returns if the Master continues at this rate.”
I knew where he was headed with this, but I honestly wasn’t eager to meet another of the Elite leaders of Nalnora. Especially one powerful enough to form his own army of Wendigo. So, I scruffed my beard while Dragir mapped a few more degree lines.
“You really think this guy’s gonna help us out?” I finally asked.
Dragir brushed away a bit of blood from his eye that had run down from a gouge in his forehead. “The head of House Orrel is not a fool, at least,” he allowed, “and has certainly received word of what’s been taking place amongst the southern Houses by now. He could be made to see reason if you approach things carefully.”
I nodded. “You said he might be the guy to trust with the elven scrolls?”
“You will have to be the judge of that once you get there,” Dragir said, and he sat back to get an overall view of the rune he’d been working on. “I have only met him once when I was in my thirty-second year. He seemed less irritating than Aeris, and I know his library is more extensive than any of the other Elite. His House has not taken in new members in over four hundred years, either. They keep their powers well concealed these days, but when the Gorak Knights nearly destroyed the region, House Orrel and my grandfather reached an agreement to arm the Wendigo with our weapons, and the Knights were destroyed in less than three days.”
I let out a low whistle. “That’s the kind of power we need.”
Dragir smirked and gestured to the rune. “This is the kind of power we need,” he clarified.
“It’s done?” I asked eagerly.
“Yes, the trigger is complete,” he replied. “I will finish the rune for this portion of the pipe next, and then we only need two more on the rockets.”
“But how is this rune supposed to interact with the others?” I asked. “What keeps them in sync?”
“Ideally,” the elf explained, “the charge from this rune will agitate the charge of the rune on the pipe, but I need to test out a few different elements to see which reacts the way we need first … ”
I couldn’t help but sigh. “Do you have any copper?”
Dragir cocked a brow. “Of course, it is useless though. It isn’t strong enough for armor, nor dense enough for weaponry.”
I laughed. “Alright, but it’s the perfect conductor, and it’s exactly what you need if you want to sidestep testing a dozen elements out.”
“What are you talking about--”
“Wiring,” I cut in. “I am talking about wiring. With copper wire running from the trigger to the chamber, the rune would have a clear path to follow along, and no guesswork would be required.”
Dragir considered this for a moment. “That does sound easier,” he allowed. “If it works, I can create a channeling rune on the pipe that would simply translate from the trigger directly to the propellent.”
I grinned and nodded.
“Okay, we will try your wiring,” Dragir agreed.
“Thank you,” I sighed, and we both headed for the hallway. “It’ll help out a lot, I promise.”
“I will be back shortly with the copper,” Dragir replied, “but I do not know if runes have ever been used with this wiring. We will see if it works.”
I followed Dragir out to the cove, but as I considered the blood still dripping from his head, I had to ask.
“Hey,” I muttered as I nudged his arm. “What did you say to Rhys before he left?”
Dragir actually chuckled at the question. “I sent my regards to his wife, of course,” he told me, and the same smirk came to his face as he headed up the path along the cliff face.
He chuckled a few more times to himself as he went, and I was just beginning to wonder how well the elf knew Rhys’ wife, when Aurora trotted up behind me and jumped onto my back.
“Dragon babies!” she giggled. “I want one, come pick one out.”
I grinned and let the half-elf drag me off toward the far end of the cove.
“We’re not getting a dragon,” I told her firmly. “We already have Stan, Big Guy, and a giant wolf.”
“But they’re so cute!” Aurora insisted. “Deya said this is the first time they’ve given birth in thousands of years. How can you say no to that?”
“Because they’re sea dragons and we don’t live in the sea,” I pointed out. “There’s also the giant fangs thing, and the top predator status, and … ”
I trailed off as Aurora shushed me and began to step carefully along a pile of boulders.
Then we crouched down low and peered over the edge to find a secluded nest of seaweed with six eggs cracked open and strewn around.
“Oh shit,” I muttered. “Those things are fucking adorable.”
Six fragile fins jutted up from the nest, and they looked almost translucent in the sunlight that warmed the nimble bodies of the babies. Their long, slender tails curled around them and draped over their noses as they slept, and their tiny scales must have been smaller than a pebble. They were a creamy white with a distinct, pearly sheen all over their bodies, and I could see enough of their toes to tell they were webbed with thin pink skin on both the front and back legs. It also looked like they had extra webbing folded between their bodies and their elbows, and their top fins slowly changed into small spikes at the head and tail end.
A few of them twitched in their sleep, and when one opened its eyes just a sliver, Aurora let out a little sigh of adoration.
“The little pink eyes are my favorite part,” she moaned. “And that one has purple on its belly, look. Don’t you want one?”
“No,” I chuckled, and I worked to keep my voice as quiet as I could so I wouldn’t disturb the rest of them. “They’re cute, I’ll give you that, but you see those little fangs? They’re gonna end up being giant fangs that could crush both of us in a single snap.”
“That’s the best part,” the half-elf whispered. “They’re not full grown until they’re nine hundred years old!”
I sighed and shook my head.
; Aurora’s emerald eyes glittered as she rested her chin on the boulder to smile down at the little pod of sleepy dragons, and it was hard to say no when she had that look on her face.
But then I glanced back at the fangs already peeking out between their lips.
“We’re not taking a baby dragon,” I told the half-elf and left a kiss in her blue hair as I turned away.
Aurora groaned and reluctantly followed, but she looped her hand in mine as she worked on convincing me all the way back to the jetty.
“They’re loyal if you raise them yourself,” she insisted. “Deya’s ancestors lived peacefully with them all the years they resided in the caves, and Deya says--”
“Deya says you can steal a sea dragon?” I interrupted with a smirk, and Aurora bit her lip. “That’s what I thought.”
The half-elf fell into a pouty silence as we made our way along the rocky embankment toward the three women bathing in the sun, and I chuckled as I tucked her under my arm.
“You know I’d do anything in the world for you,” I assured her, “but I’m not stealing a dragon, and I think that’s reasonable.”
Deya must have overheard, because a silvery giggle drifted along the breeze, and the elf propped herself up to look back at us.
“I thought we went over this,” she chided. “The pod will kill you if you so much as go near their nest. How do you think you will succeed in keeping one for yourself?”
I stopped and stared at the half-elf who was strictly avoiding my gaze.
“Seriously?” I demanded. “You just brought me over there knowing damn well we’d get eaten?”
“They’re not here right now!” Aurora said, and she blushed as she tried to hide her smile. “I was being safe.”
I considered the careless glint in her eyes for a second, before I caught her around the waist and tossed her into the ocean.
Aurora gasped and flailed as she crashed into the waves, and the women on the rocks burst out laughing when she resurfaced spluttering.
“We need to reach an understanding about the decisions you make,” I called to her with a broad grin. “I know we do a lot of dangerous shit, but we’re going to avoid getting eaten by dragons at all costs, deal?”
Aurora glowered and I narrowed my eyes.
“No matter how cute they are,” I added.
“Fine,” she agreed haughtily, “but I’m still allowed to pet the big ones. That’s reasonable, too.”
Before she could blink, I dove straight for her, and Aurora shrieked and splashed to get out of range.
I still caught her by the silky frills around her hips, though, and the two of us dropped beneath the surface while I wrestled to get a firmer hold on the feisty half-elf.
Aurora managed to wriggle free, but instead of swimming away, she caught my hand and pulled me along with her into the cove as she smiled back at me through the water.
I couldn’t resist following the beautiful woman, and the cool water sifted around us in a soft shade of blue that was clear enough to see for quite a ways. There was a thick crop of seaweed swaying beneath us, and not far down, everything faded into blackness. Silver and green fish glinted past me on both sides, and the occasional eel drifted in and out of the shadows below.
Aurora turned to send me a huge grin while her blue hair flowed around her like a halo, and I pulled her into my arms to kiss her as we drifted up to the surface.
She was glowing when I opened my eyes again.
“Don’t be mad,” Aurora giggled as she spun me around, and my gut dropped.
The nest of sea dragons was only a couple of feet away from where she’d led us.
“The one on the right’s my favorite,” Aurora whispered.
“You little … ” I growled, and I dunked her far beneath the waves. Then I kicked hard to get us out of there before any of the pod could show up, and this time, the half-elf quickly swam out of my reach.
I tore after her while she wove to escape my grip, but eventually, I caught her by the ankle and didn’t let go.
Aurora was laughing her ass off when I dragged her to the rocky embankment, and I hauled her out of the water over my shoulder to be sure she couldn’t double back.
“I give up,” I sighed and dropped the squirming woman into Cayla’s lap. “Aurora’s gonna get killed by dragons this week, and we’re all gonna have to be okay with that.”
Cayla giggled and locked her arms around the dripping half-elf.
“I’ll keep a tight leash on her for you,” she assured me.
“Hmm,” Aurora mused. “You promise?”
I raised my brows to the pair of giggling women while I laid out on the rocks, and Shoshanne slipped her thighs beneath my head for me.
“How is the building going?” she asked as she swiped some water from my brow.
“Good so far,” I told the healer. “Dragir’s grabbing some copper, but I think we should be done with the first one by tonight. After that, it’s just replication and engraving the runes.”
Deya crawled over to curl up against my chest, and I laid an arm around her slender waist as she let out a soft sigh. Then her lips brushed lightly across my skin, and I glanced down.
The beautiful elf’s hair was a shade lighter after laying all morning in the sun, and a smattering of freckles had begun to dot her nose and cheeks. She smiled lazily up at me and Shoshanne, and the healer brushed a stray piece of pink hair from her face.
“You look happy here,” she told the beautiful elf.
A sweet smile came to Deya’s face. “I am,” she said. “I haven’t been to this place since my mother left. My father never allows anyone to come here, but I think Dragir has snuck away over the years. He knows the caves better than he would if he’d truly stayed away.”
“Have you explored many of the chambers yet?” Shoshanne asked curiously.
“Not yet,” Deya admitted. “I like it out here too much.”
“There’s a mural in there with some of your ancestors on it,” I told her. “You might like it. Even the dragons are there.”
“Really?” Deya asked, and she sat up. “The same ones?”
“I was wondering about that,” I mused. “They’re much smaller, but there are eight of them.”
“It could be the same pod,” she said with a sparkling smile. “Dragir told me the eldest is over five thousand years old. She’s the one who leads them into shore every evening.”
“How can you tell how old they are?” Shoshane asked.
Deya shrugged. “I can’t, but Dragir can. He said he can tell by the number of scales she’s missing.”
The mention of scales sent my mind straight back to the mural. “Did your ancestors ever use rune magic with the dragons?”
Deya looked thoroughly confused by the question. “How does someone use rune magic with a wild animal?”
I shrugged. “I was just curious. I thought I saw--”
I was interrupted by Dragir calling from the mouth of the cave, and I craned my neck to see him motioning for me to follow as he held up a chunk of copper.
“That’s my cue,” I muttered, and I left a kiss on Deya’s cheek as I sat up. “I’ll be back as soon as we get this bazooka built, but then you’re all taking it for a test run, deal?”
The women heartily agreed, and Deya took my spot on Shoshanne’s lap as I headed for the hidden fortress.
I turned back and eyed Aurora before I’d gotten far, though.
“Short leash on that one,” I called out over the waves, and Cayla sent me a wink.
Dragir was stooped over his parchment when I arrived back in the small room, and I noticed he’d returned the iron tables to where they belonged. His lip was fully healed already, and his skull and nose had stopped bleeding as well. He also had a whole other rune sketched out and was just moving on to the third.
“Is that the channeling rune you were talking about?” I asked as I took the chunk of copper from the table.
“Yes,” he replied. “It is only a simple
sketch since I am unsure how this wiring works just yet.”
“It’s kind of like a road,” I told him, and I summoned my magic to my palms. “You set something on the road, and it travels along it to the other side.”
I split a sliver of copper from what Dragir had brought for me, and then I began to feed the copper through my fingers to form a slender piece of wire. I continued to add to this until I had a small spool wound around two of my fingers, and I set it aside as I turned to the bazooka.
“Where’s the rune for the trigger assembly going to be?” I asked.
Dragir looked closely while he thought it over. “I can fit it on the lever itself,” he decided. “That will make it most effective, I think.”
I nodded and pulled the bazooka over while I decided on the proper placement for the copper contact.
I only wanted the trigger to spark when it was fully engaged, so I shifted the trigger and marked where the contact point would be. Then I pulled a small bit of copper from the larger chunk and rolled it into a tiny ball to meld onto this point. Next, I soldered the end of the copper wire to the ball, and from there, I ran the wiring up to the base of the hand grip, and then directly along the pipe rather than to the shoulder stock.
I secured the wire in place with small copper brackets along the way before I picked up a rocket to insert it into the pipe, and I sent my magic through the steel to pinpoint the exact spot where the head rested within the chamber.
I marked this with a small notch on the outside of the pipe, and then I created another copper ball for this end of the circuit. I let the ball drift into the pipe with a nudge from my magic, and while I focused on the mark I’d made on the outer edge, a small pinhole appeared in the metal. Directly on the other side, I could see the glint of the copper appear, and I melded it into place before I cut the end of the wire from the spool and soldered the tip to the ball through the pinhole.
I cinched the length of the wire so it was snug against the pipe with no slack, and with a few more brackets securing it in place, I tested to be sure the rocket would have enough clearance to make it past the contact point.
I had to expand the width of the tube by two millimeters, but other than this, everything fit like a glove, and I grinned as I moved on to rigging the wiring for the rocket.