by Gross, Dave
On second thought, he decided, that would certainly take a miracle. The Convergence had remained hidden for hundreds of years. Surely they would not reveal themselves now only to open themselves up to attacks on their sanctuaries.
Yet it was Nemo’s duty to find them. This Aurora, for all her power, had made mistakes. She remained young and brash. For all of the advanced technology at her disposal, she could be defeated.
Chaplain Geary approached. Beside him, Lieutenant Benedict hobbled along on crutches.
Geary stepped aside to allow Benedict to approach. The young man saluted with a bandaged hand. “Reporting for duty, sir!”
Nemo eyed Geary. “Is this man even fit to leave the casualty tent?”
“There weren’t enough guards to keep him in his cot.”
Nemo stopped himself from chiding the chaplain for letting his patients run roughshod over him.
“General, I’m sorry to have missed the action,” said the young warcaster. After his recent experiences, Nemo supposed, it would no longer do to think of him as a journeyman.
While he knew he could defeat Aurora again, Nemo knew he might not be the next to face her. He could not be everywhere at once. What he could do was prepare the younger officers, the Finches and Benedicts. He could teach them what he had learned and trust them to carry on the fight with or without him.
“Don’t worry, Lieutenant. Something tells me you’ll have your chance,” said Nemo. “And perhaps sooner than you like.”
Aurora
Deep beneath the northern Wyrmwall Mountains, in the Temple of the Prime Harmonic, Aurora stood before Directrix.
They were within the iron mother’s receiving chamber, a sparsely furnished room lighted from beneath the grated floor. Upon the walls and domed ceiling, gears and axles turned in an endless recitation of equations, prayers to Cyriss—which incidentally provided a veil of sound against any who dared eavesdrop on the iron mother’s conversations.
The iron mother wore the Convergence’s most advanced clockwork vessel, a mirror-bright body of chromium, steel, and brass. While she lacked Aurora’s ability to fly, her gleaming cloak of blades made her daughter’s steel wings seem puny by comparison. Even the hulking mantle rising above her head reinforced the iron mother’s metaphorical and physical stature. Aurora saw the exponent servitors nestled within that mantle, like owls sleeping in their nest.
Aurora had lived too long in the shadow of her mother to see her grand attire for anything other than it was: pride. Even the visage Directrix had chosen resembled the Face of Cyriss, a choice that still had the optifex whispering of blasphemy two decades after she had adopted it.
Yet none dared speak such words above a whisper, for the Constellation had chosen Directrix to lead their battles in the Phase of Alignment, enacting a plan she herself had conceived.
“The fluxion directive wishes to congratulate you on the success of your mission,” said Directrix.”
Aurora bowed, pleased to hear such praise, and doubly pleased to hear it from Directrix. She wondered whether it pained the iron mother to laud her daughter for something other than excellent reports from the optifex who tutored her.
“The fluxion directive also wishes a further explanation for the inexcusable losses among the troops we entrusted to your care.”
“As I have explained—” Aurora began.
“As you have described,” Directrix corrected her. “If your report were satisfactory, it would require no further explanation.”
“My report was complete and accurate. If you think otherwise, I demand to know the reason.”
“You make no demands of me, Numen,” said Directrix. Her metal face revealed no ire, nor was there the slightest strain of anger in her modulated voice. “You make no demands of the fluxion directive, nor of the Constellation.”
“Yes, Iron Mother.”
Directrix studied her face. “I see that you wish to say something to me.”
Aurora wished it were not so obvious. She wanted a face like her mother’s, one that could perfectly conceal her thoughts. She wanted a voice that betrayed no emotion. She wanted a perfect physical vessel, and she wanted it on her own terms, not her mother’s.
“Iron Mother, you orchestrated the plan we all strive to fulfill. No one can deny your achievement. And you have guided the Convergence with great foresight and cunning. But the time for plotting is past. Now that we have revealed ourselves to the world, we need warriors to lead the way. We need to maintain our technological advantage. Already we have all the priests we require. What we need now are inventors and warriors.”
“Inventors and warriors like you?”
“Exactly.”
“Your advances in aerogenesis are undeniably impressive,” said Directrix. “Yet you left the Prime Axiom, two battle engines, and countless troops behind in a clash with a clearly inferior force.”
“No one could have expected Sebastian Nemo to arrive so—”
“And I have received reports that you responded most recklessly to his appearance, not once but several times. How many lives could have been preserved if you had focused on your mission rather than a desire for personal glory?”
Aurora bristled, thinking of Septimus, but she said nothing.
“You still have much to learn, daughter. You are not yet tempered for war. More time among the optifex would season you.”
“All I need is transference to my own clockwork vessel,” said Aurora. “Dozens of others are receiving new vessels after the battle. Do I not deserve the same honor?”
“Remaining in the flesh is not a punishment, Aurora. It is an opportunity for an education you cannot experience otherwise. Learn everything you can while you have the chance.”
“I have learned enough. I am ready for transference. How many more times must I prove myself?”
“‘From those to whom much has been given, much is expected,’” the iron mother said with a tone of finality.
The words sounded like a quotation, but Aurora could not remember the source. More likely it was a phrase she had heard a hundred times as a child, from the mechanikal voice of a mother who had assumed her own clockwork vessel while Aurora was still too young to remember her face.
The subject was closed. “Perhaps this will please you,” Directrix said. “We have a new initiate who may be of some help in your work. I will allow it, if you wish.” With a gesture, she opened the chamber door. “Come,” she intoned.
An unfamiliar clockwork vessel entered the room. Fresh from Syntherion’s forge, its steel and chromium chassis gleamed even in the half-light of the receiving room. Like a Galvanizer, its many limbs bristled with saw blades, welders, adjustable spanners, and other repair tools. Yet it was also built for war, with shoulder-mounted swarm projectors and two heavy arms, each with a reductor’s retractable blade behind an articulated hand. It hovered like a Corollary or Assimilator—or like Syntherion himself, Aurora thought—gliding across the chamber toward Aurora.
Directrix addressed it. “You may speak.”
“I… I didn’t want it this way,” said the strange vessel. “I didn’t want to hurt anybody. I only promised to blow up some ’jacks. It was the kid. He tried to stop me.”
Even though they had talked for less than an hour, Aurora recognized the cadence of Margaret Jernigan’s voice.
She stared at the iron mother in shock. “The traitor? She hasn’t even been indoctrinated! How…?”
“She was approved for emergency transference,” Directrix said. “She was dying, and the fluxion directorate agreed with your assessment: in time she could prove a valuable addition to the optifex.”
Aurora could barely stomach the appalling irony of the situation, yet there was nothing more she could say or do to change it. She was powerless against the iron mother, and there was no one else she could blame for her latest humiliation.
Except perhaps for the man who had diminished her victory by forcing her to hurry the operation.
That was
how Aurora would redeem herself.
Whether it took months or years, she would face her foe across another battlefield. When she did, she would not bother with diplomacy or delaying tactics. She would prove herself worthy of transferring into the Convergence’s finest clockwork vessel in a manner no one, not even the iron mother, could dispute.
Aurora would find Sebastian Nemo, and she would kill him.
GLOSSARY
Animus Corpus Procedure: The process by which a person’s soul is extracted and preserved within an essence chamber, which can then be installed in a clockwork vessel.
Artis: The smallest of the three moons of Caen. See also Calder and Laris.
ascendants: Saint-like individuals who have followed in Morrow’s footsteps and ascended to serve his faith as beacons of enlightenment. Individual ascendants are frequently chosen as patrons by Morrowan worshipers.
Asphyxious, Lich Lord: One of the twelve supreme commanders of the forces of Cryx. He has been very active on the mainland leading Cryxian forces against other armies.
astronometric nexus: A large and technologically advanced structure employed by the Convergence to focus and align geomantic energies based on the positions of various celestial objects in the sky above Caen.
battlegroup: A warcaster and the warjacks he controls.
blackclad: The common name used to refer to a druid of the Circle Orboros, referring to their propensity to wear black cloaks and robes. Blackclads are masters of elemental magic and are rumored to be affiliated with the Devourer Wurm.
Caen: The world containing the Iron Kingdoms, Immoren, Zu, etc. Sometimes contrasted as the material world as opposed to the spiritual world of Urcaen.
Calbeck: A small Cygnaran town along the Dragon’s Tongue River between Point Bourne and Tarna.
Calder: The largest and brightest of Caen’s three moons. Its cycle is used as the basis for the duration of months for the calendars used in western Immoren. When people refer to the phases of the moon they are generally speaking about Calder. See Artis and Laris.
Caspia: Capital of Cygnar and called the “City of Walls.” The only human city not to fall to the Orgoth.
Church of Morrow: The organized religion of the god Morrow, the largest and most widespread faith in the Iron Kingdoms. This is the majority faith in the nations of Cygnar, Khador, Llael, and Ord. The Church of Morrow has considerable wealth and influence.
Circle Orboros: A secretive ancient order of druids that is the oldest continuous organization in human history. Although few in number, they wield great power. Capable of summoning the forces of storm, animating warriors of stone, and commanding the beasts of the wild, their will is rarely resisted.
calculating engine: An extremely sophisticated clockwork device employed by the Convergence that can perform complex operations and serves as the control center for devices like servitors. Unlike a cortex, calculating engines must be programmed with instructions and cannot deviate from them.
clockwork angels: The newest clockwork vessel utilized by the Convergence, invented by Aurora, Numen of Aerogenesis. Angels use a compact displacer drive that grants them the power of true flight and are employed for rapid hit-and-run strikes.
clockwork vessel: A machine made of extremely complex clockwork parts and powered by electrical impulses generated from an essence chamber that houses a soul. Such vessels serve as the machine body for many members of the Convergence. Immune to pain and repairable, specialized clockwork vessels have been engineered for numerous battlefield and support roles.
Convergence of Cyriss, or Convergence: The largest and most organized central religious organization devoted to the goddess Cyriss. This organization has been in existence for almost two hundred and fifty years and is devoted to a cause it refers to as the Great Work. The Convergence possesses advanced technology and has been slowly building an armed force in secret since its inception.
colossal: Massive predecessors to the modern steamjacks, these great machines were originally constructed during the Rebellion against the Orgoth. Recently several nations have begun to build new colossals to add to their military arsenals. Modern colossals are smaller than the ancient ones but draw upon centuries of advanced warjack development.
Corben, Ascendant: A Morrowan figure who ascended in 102 AR and is considered the patron of alchemy, astronomy, and the arcane. Most famous for curing the rip lung plague. Corben has a following among some peripheral Cyriss worshipers who still also revere Morrow.
cortex: The highly arcane mechanikal device that gives a steamjack its limited intelligence. Over time cortexes can learn from experience and develop personality quirks.
Corvis: The northeastern Cygnaran city occupying the conjunction of the Black River and the Dragon’s Tongue River. Also called the “City of Ghosts.”
Cryx: An island kingdom of necromancers, undead, and pirates off the southwest coast of Immoren and also known as the Nightmare Empire. Cryx and its ruler, Toruk the Dragonfather, have no problem sacrificing their soldiers to set up a greater victory elsewhere.
Cygnar: A southern kingdom ruled by King Leto Raelthorne and bearing the Cygnus on its flag. Generally considered the most prosperous and technologically advanced of the Iron Kingdoms.
Cyriss (goddess): The goddess of physical sciences such as mathematics, astronomy, physics, and engineering, also known as the Maiden of Gears. Cyriss is an enigmatic goddess who only communicates with her followers through complex encrypted messages.
Cyriss (planet): A planet discovered in 283 AR that orbits the sun far from Caen. Worshipers of the goddess Cyriss believe this planet to be inhabited by or an embodiment of the goddess.
Devourer Wurm: An ancient and terrifying primal god of natural chaos, hunger, and predation that is described as the great ancient enemy of Menoth. Also called the Beast of Many Shapes, the Devourer is said to exist in every beast that hunts other living things as well as natural destructive phenomena such as lightning, earthquakes, floods, and wildfires. In some myths, the Wurm is seen as the male embodiment of nature, while Dhunia is the female embodiment. Viewed by Dhunian races as their divine father.
Dhunia: The primal goddess of fertility, the seasons, and nature and thought by her adherents to be embodied by Caen itself. Her worshipers are primarily by gobbers, ogrun, and trollkin but also include some wilderness races like the farrow. In some myths, Dhunia is seen as the female embodiment of nature, while the Devourer Wurm is the male embodiment. Viewed by Dhunian races as their divine mother.
Dragon’s Tongue River: A river stretching from Corvis to the Bay of Stone which separates Cygnar from Ord and is relied upon by a number of river towns such as Point Bourne, Tarna, and Five Fingers.
Enkheiridion: The book written by the Twins, Morrow and Thamar, and deemed the holy book of the Church of Morrow. The pages of the original Enkheiridion were written by these beings before they ascended to divinity over twenty-five hundred years ago.
enumerators: A priestly rank of some authority within the Convergence and other faiths of Cyriss. Enumerators typically oversee a division of a temple’s workers and/or projects and report to fluxions.
essence chamber: A mechanikal device that houses and protects the soul of a Convergence faithful. It also serves as an apparently inexhaustible power source for clockwork vessels.
Eye of the Wurm: The brightest celestial body in the night sky aside from Caen’s three moons, eventually determined to be a small planet near Caen but farther from the sun.
fluxion: The highest-ranking priest within a Cyrissist temple. Multiple fluxions are sometimes assembled as a directorate to form a decision-making body within the Convergence or other Cyrissist sects. Fluxions report to the iron mother.
Face of Cyriss: The abstract representation of the face of Cyriss that serves as the symbol of the machine goddess.
forge master: A high ranking non-priest engineer in the Convergence who oversees the fabrication and maintenance of all machinery at a specific temple complex.
Forge masters are often among the senior-most members of a temple, subordinate to its fluxion(s).
geomantic energy: A Convergence term for arcane energies flowing beneath the surface of Caen. Geomantic flows, referred to as ley lines by some other groups, exist throughout Caen and are concentrated in geographical features like rivers and mountain ranges. The Convergence uses geomantic energy to empower its temple and workshop facilities, and the network of energy flows play a key role in the Great Work.
geomantic translocation chamber: A Convergence machine that can transmit matter from one area to another utilizing the network of geomantic flows beneath Caen, allowing for extremely rapid transport of people and materials. This machinery requires tremendous stored power and therefore is activated infrequently and only for vital tasks.
gobber: A diminutive race of inquisitive, nimble, and entrepreneurial individuals that have adapted well to the cities of men. Most gobbers are around three feet tall. Gobbers are known to have undeniable aptitude for mechanikal devices and alchemy.
Great Work, The: The long-term goal of the Convergence: to bring Caen’s geomantic energies into perfect alignment and thereby allow the goddess Cyriss to physically manifest on Caen.
Haley, Victoria: A Cygnaran warcaster of prodigious power and talent who was formerly a journeyman apprentice to Sebastian Nemo.
Immoren: The continent containing the Iron Kingdoms, Ios, Rhul, the Skorne Empire, and the lands between them. Much of Immoren remains unexplored, and its inhabitants have had limited contact with other continents.
Ios: An isolationist nation east of Llael and north of the Bloodstone Marches. Ios was founded long before the nations of men by survivors of a destroyed empire called Lyoss.
Iron Kingdoms: Initially the four nations founded after the Orgoth Rebellion: Cygnar, Khador, Llael, and Ord. The Protectorate of Menoth, founded after the Cygnaran Civil War, became the fifth Iron Kingdom after declaring its independence from Cygnar. Most of Llael has since been conquered by Khador and the Protectorate.