Metal Mage 11

by Eric Vall

  “We’ve worked together a lot since I learned this,” I explained. “There’s been several times when I was deeply in tune with our element and joined a circuit with you, which would make my presence more recognizable than if you were working with someone else. You’re very close to accomplishing this exact thing, though. Out of all of the magic in the soil, yours is the most distinct to me, and that’s a good sign. What about the rest of you? Can you notice the difference?”

  The mages closed their eyes and focused more intently, and I amplified my own powers to help them out a bit. Then a couple of them nodded.

  “I think so?” a Terra Mage muttered. “Something seems off about the circuit.”

  “Yeah, that’s me,” I replied, “and the reason you can sense the difference is because right now, I’m not influencing the ground with you guys. I’m connected to your circuit, but my efforts are actually going toward reading the outline of your knees against the dirt. I can sense your weight, and if I closed my eyes, and all of you walked off, I could track each of you anywhere you went.”

  The Terra Mages immediately looked over at me, and I couldn’t help chuckling.

  “That’s what I want you guys to work toward,” I told them, “and it starts with understanding that the divide between you and your element doesn’t exist. You’re not controlling it. You were born with these powers, and they’re a part of you. Which means you’re a part of your element, too. The longer you spend exploring your element, but not trying to influence it, the clearer this becomes. You can actually feel the difference in your veins first, which is what Pindor was just talking about before I came up here. Easing further into that sensation deepens the connection until it’s ingrained in your mind. This makes it possible to transfer your consciousness into the soil and stone, and then you can read through it.”

  “Gods,” a Terra Mage muttered. “That sounds amazing.”

  “It is,” I assured him. “So, focus on my presence in the soil for a moment. I’m going to stay connected with your circuit, and I want you to try to follow where I’m going, the same way you can share a collective design and bring it to fruition. Follow the circuit where I go.”

  “What about the ceiling?” Pindor reminded me.

  “I’ll hold the ceiling up,” I said, “you just focus.”

  The mages nodded and closed their eyes, and once I was sure they were all ready, I used my powers to support the ground above the shelter. Then I sent a trickle of my magic beneath the clearing, and while I slowly sifted through the soil, I sensed the other mages following my lead.

  I read the footsteps of the residents walking around and the shape of the buildings in the market, and then I followed a group of mages on their way to the library. Once they crossed the threshold, I sent my magic straight into the stone floor of the building instead, and I continued tracking the group up two flights of stairs before I eased back and returned my attention to the clearing.

  Then something familiar caught my attention, and as I clung to this sensation with everything I had, I realized I was sensing magery through the ground. It was only my second time testing this ability out, but it was already easier to fall in sync with, and after a moment, I even knew who it was.

  Mina had her powers sparked while she left the pub, and I grinned as Pindor’s presence in the circuit heightened the moment I registered this.

  “You can tell who it is, can’t you?” I muttered.

  “Holy shit,” Pindor managed, and I chuckled as I called my powers back to the soil beneath me.

  When I opened my eyes, the crew of Terra Mages were looking at me with dumbstruck expressions, but Pindor’s brow was furrowed.

  “How did I know it was her?” he asked. “The others were only footsteps, but I knew it was Mina the second you traced her. I could sense her magic like she was standing right next to me.”

  “Because I realized it was Mina,” I replied. “She must have been playing with a few flames. Someone taught me recently that I could use the ability to read through the soil in order to sense the use of magery nearby. The frame of mind is slightly different, because it’s not a direct, physical presence on top of the soil. I’m still getting the hang of it, but Mina’s powers are something I’m familiar with, so when I noticed her magery and tried to attach to its presence, that recognition transferred to you through the circuit.”

  Pindor stared. “What … ”

  He didn’t develop the thought any further, though. The kid sat there in silence right along with the others, and they kind of looked like they’d decided to take hallucinogens for the first time, and it was just starting to kick in.

  “I know,” I chuckled. “It’s been fucking blowing my mind, but I don’t want you to worry about jumping right to that level. I’m explaining this stuff because I’ve gotten the impression things like this are treated like elite knowledge within the Order, and we’re expected to work our way toward these abilities at someone else’s pace, if they even tell us about them. Personally, though, I find nothing helps me learn faster than knowing the extent of the possibilities. So, now that you know, the first step toward reaching this point is just embracing the fact that you can embody your element if you try. Put all of your effort into building that connection until it’s second nature, because after that, everything becomes possible. What I just did, you’ll be able to do any time you want on your own, and it could save lives. I’ve used this hundreds of times to anticipate an incoming attack, track a fleeing enemy, or even to make sure the people I care about are okay. So, while I finish up down there, keep practicing this, alright?”

  “But … where do we start?” a Terra Mage asked.

  “Just relax,” I replied. “Focus on the makeup of the soil and all of the variances in the substrate that you’re feeling, and then gradually ease your focus deeper into this awareness as you get more comfortable with it. Take your time, because the more in tune you get, the easier you’ll learn to use this to your advantage. And Pindor, do exactly what you were doing the other day. I’m pretty sure you’ll have this down by nightfall.”

  “Wait, you want us to try this while we’re also supporting the ground for you?” Pindor clarified, and I could see a sheen of sweat gathering on his forehead.

  “It’s doable,” I assured him. “Go for it. I’ll be done with the ceiling soon.”

  The crew scrambled to get a hold on the ground with their magic again, and once I separated from their circuit, I returned to the shelter with a batch of iron drifting behind me.

  The Terra Mages broke into conversation about the endless possibilities while I started forming the ceiling of the shelter one section at a time, but eventually they fell silent while they focused on their element instead. I shifted the dirt above the joists out of my way as I went, and even though the Terra Mages’ hold on the ground became more tremulous during their attempts to multitask, it felt different now.

  I could tell all of them were gaining a clearer understanding of their powers already, and I was honestly impressed they managed to keep everything as steady as they did. Pindor was close to getting it after only twenty minutes or so, and I grinned at the thought of telling Haragh the kid mastered the ability before he did.

  I ended up finishing the ceiling before an Aer Mage arrived, and I decided to go ahead with my idea for an air filtration system based on what I knew about Shoshanne’s abilities. I couldn’t do this while Pindor’s crew were still holding the ground steady for me, though, so I headed back to the surface to find the Terra Mages all kneeling in deep concentration with their eyes shut tight.

  “How’s it going?” I asked, and two mages cracked the ground beneath them when my words startled them.

  Pindor jolted and instantly repaired the damage. “Sorry about that.”

  “Not a problem,” I chuckled. “I just came to see how you’re doing, and to let you know the ceiling has been secured, so you can break your circuit now.”

  “I don’t think I’m doing this right,”
one of the mages admitted. “My veins feel the same no matter how hard I focus.”

  “Try again, let me check,” I replied, and I sent my powers through the soil to the point where his fist met with the ground. From there, I could follow the presence of his magic, and I nodded as he did his best to connect more fully with the soil.

  “You’re on the right track,” I assured him. “I think multitasking is throwing you off. You’re in a circuit, and influencing the ground, and trying to seep into it all at once. That’s just not an easy place to start. Now that you’re done here, though, find a place where you can focus more directly without any distractions. Do nothing but explore your element, and you’ll get it eventually.”

  The mage nodded with relief as he and the others rose to their feet, and Pindor sent a few of them to continue their work on the channels.

  I dismissed the guy who needed more time to focus because I could tell he was hooked by the concept, and then I grinned at Pindor.

  “You’re already getting the hang of this,” I chuckled.

  “Not really,” the kid snorted. “Sitting around leading a circuit doesn’t prove anything about my ability to serve as a Defender.”

  “Actually, it does,” I corrected. “It’s leadership and attention to detail while coordinating the efforts of each crew member despite their varying skills.”

  Pindor stubbornly rolled his eyes, though, and damn it if he didn’t look just like me when he did it.

  “Look, I know this promotion is freaking you out,” I admitted, “but you have to trust in the process, alright? You’re good at this, so don’t overthink it. You’re a natural leader, and you’re improving at three times the rate of the other mages. That alone is enough to make me confident you’ll do fine. At the very least, Mina’s gonna flip when she hears you’re a Defender now. I recommend you coast on her enthusiasm. It’s an instant ego boost and half the reason I get anything accomplished.”

  “Hmm,” Pindor mused, and a lopsided grin came to his face. “That actually makes a lot of sense.”

  “Yeah, it does,” I chuckled. “Lean into it.”

  I clapped the kid on the shoulder before I headed back to the barbican, and when I glanced back, he looked like he was back in a hallucinogenic state as he furrowed his brow and walked at a snail’s pace.

  Then I summoned a few more chunks of iron before returning to the shelter, and I carved four five-inch holes in the upper portion of a wall. I began digging out long, slender tunnels that extended from each hole, and I continued them well beyond the boundaries of the marketplace. When I made it to the edge of the training fields, I dug upward until I broke through the surface, and once I cleared a few bits of debris out of each tunnel, I sparked my metal magic instead. Then I fed molten iron into the holes while I lined the tunnels all the way around and solidified the metal once more, and as the minutes ticked by, I inched my way closer to the outlet of the tunnels.

  It was slow work because I had to keep summoning my Terra powers in order to remove the bits of soil that came loose during the process, but I was buzzing off my brief training session, too. That might have had something to do with it.

  I was a little surprised to find I enjoyed teaching the mages so much, and realizing I had something I could offer them that would improve their abilities tenfold felt pretty good. Not only could I relate to the sheer awesomeness of realizing how many possibilities there were, but the more Terra Mages who reached this level of understanding, the better off we’d all be in this fight.

  If the mages did end up being sent out to their posts, then incoming troops would be easier to register ahead of time, and the job of tracking the Master’s minions to their portals wouldn’t fall solely to me anymore. We’d have the tactical advantage, and I was so caught up on this train of thought, I barely noticed I’d reached the other end of the tunnels.

  I smirked as I added a small iron grating at the surface where the pipes let out, and I was halfway through the process of replicating this arrangement on the opposite wall when a mage hollered down the stairwell.

  Shortly after, a guy who looked around my age popped his head into the room, and he had shaggy red hair to match a scrappy beard as he raised his brows at the sight of the iron chamber.

  “They weren’t kidding,” the Aer Mage muttered. “You’re really building a whole room down here.”

  “Yeah,” I chuckled, and I headed over to shake the guy’s hand. “I’m Mason Flynt.”

  “Toby Keen,” the man replied. “I was told you needed some help.”

  “That’s right. Once this place is sealed off, being able to breathe down here will become an issue, so I need an air filtration system. I want to avoid any setup that could be compromised if a Terra Mage altered the terrain but isn’t so obvious the people in here will be easily located. This is going to serve as a shelter for the residents who aren’t able to fight during attacks.”

  “An underground shelter made of metal,” Toby muttered to himself, and he looked around the place for a moment. “That’s a new one to me, but I like it. None of the mages would be able to alter it.”

  “Exactly,” I said with a grin.

  “Well,” the Aer Mage sighed, “I can’t create fresh air down here from nothing if it’s closed off.

  “You can instill a constant cross breeze, though,” I pointed out, and I gestured to the eight holes lining the walls. “I’ve used pipes to form inlets and outlets for the air to cycle through. Will that do?”

  “Pipes … ” Toby said as he scratched his beard. “Are these pipes for smoking out of? Because I don’t think smoke will help your situation down here.”

  “No,” I chuckled. “In this case, the word ‘pipe’ refers to using metal tubes like enclosed channels that run underground. You can use them to transfer water, air, that kind of thing. The other end of each pipe reaches the surface about twenty yards from here in either direction. That way, they don’t draw any suspicion to this particular area.”

  “Ah.” Toby nodded. “Then that should work fine, but you might need to find a means of draining water out of this room. If a rain comes, or a Flumen Mage shows up, my air stream won’t prevent these pipe things from filling with water.”

  “Good call,” I agreed. “I can fix that. I just need you to make sure the air flow in here will be constant.”

  “Yes, sir,” the Aer Mage replied, and he made his way over to the inlets I’d already finished.

  While Toby worked on summoning a steady stream of air through each pipe, I finished forming the last four and installing grates at the surface where they let out. Then I drilled six holes in the iron floor, and once I added gratings to these as well, I dug deep wells stretching fifteen feet into the ground beneath each one, so any water that seeped into the shelter would have a place to drain out from.

  Next, I lined two walls with benches, and I added countertops, shelving, and cabinets as well. The last detail I installed was a stout iron door at both ends of the stairwell, but the upper door laid flat along the floor of the barbican like a cellar entrance.

  Around the time I secured a drop bar beside the entrance so the door could be barricaded from the inside, Toby finished his work, and he shrugged as he came over.

  “That should do it,” the Aer Mage said. “I’ll come check on the place later today to make sure the breeze is still holding up, but I instilled circular wind patterns halfway through each of these tunnels on one side to draw the air in, and then reversed the airflow on the opposite side to propel it back out.”

  “That’s perfect,” I replied. “If you could check up on the place once in a while, I’d really appreciate it. The likelihood of more attacks taking place here is pretty high at the moment, and with the village expanding, I need this shelter to be constantly accessible when needed.”

  “I could do that,” Toby said with a grin. “I’m not assigned to a defense post yet because Defender Kurna said you and the other Defenders were still assessing the mages for promotions,
but if you want, I could help with the shelter. I could be a guard or something. Keep the air flow going and kill anyone who tries to come through that door.”

  “That’s not a bad idea,” I admitted as we headed for the stairs. “I’ll send someone to assess your abilities for the post today. Where can they find you?”

  “I’m usually at the library,” Toby said. “Either that or the training fields. I signed up for double sessions, so I spend three hours in the morning and three hours in the evening training.”

  “I’m glad to hear it,” I said as we came up into the tower. “I’ll be in touch, and thanks again.”

  Toby nodded. “Anytime, sir.”

  As I closed off the cellar door, I realized it was too noticeable against the stonework, so I summoned the last of the iron in the clearing. Then I used it to cover the entire floor of the tower entrance, and I did the same with the tower on the opposite side of the archway. Now, both towers looked identical, and the door blended seamlessly in the shadows behind the stairs.

  Unfortunately, this meant I was done with my project and out of distractions, so I made up my mind to go to the station next and unload the marble the dwarves had sent me.

  I was only a few paces beyond the barbican, though, when I heard Aurora shriek in the distance, and a split second later, I registered a familiar careless chuckle. I froze as I zeroed my attention in on the mansion, and when Nulena asked my women where I was, I decided the marble could fucking wait.

  Chapter 12

  I forced myself to slow down and appear a little composed before I got to the door. When I came into the entryway, though, I stopped beside Alfred as I registered the conversation taking place in my workshop.

  “Not always,” the Baroness was saying. “It’s less satisfying to kill some people if they can’t hear or see what’s coming. Sometimes, incapacitating their senses heightens their terror, and that can be enjoyable, but other times, I prefer for them to see and understand exactly what is about to happen to them. Then their screams are different. Less frantic. They see I have betrayed them, and they experience both fury and terror while knowing there is no escaping their fate now. It’s enjoyable.”