If Mack realized Jeffries acted a little off, he didn’t let on, just spoke to me. “I’ll need to actually measure it for the official reports. It doesn’t go over well with the bosses if I say stuff like: I eyeballed it and it looked fine.”
“Go ahead,” I encouraged him, not at all offended. As Mack moved ahead with a measuring stick, I decided to prod Jeffries a little. “Jeffries, is something wrong?”
“What?” He jerked a little, eyes skittering to mine and away again just as quickly. “No. No, nothing wrong. I’m just, ah, not sure about tunneling this way. I’m worried that there won’t be any structural support in there. It’ll lead to a tunnel collapse eventually.”
“I admit I hadn’t thought of that.” Perhaps that was the reason why he looked so unnerved? He could see with his mind’s eye what would happen? “I can alter the template so that I leave in structural support beams of stone as we go. Would that help?”
“Y-yes,” he agreed, then paused to clear his throat, looking only slightly mollified. “Yes, I think that would. Say, posts about a foot square every eight feet. Is that doable?”
“Certainly. Will that be enough, do you think?”
“No, we’ll have to go back in and add timber supports for the roof,” Jeffries denied quickly, “but it will certainly help and keep the tunnel from collapse long enough for us to get in there.”
“Then I’ll make sure to add them in at regular intervals. I’d rather a mountain didn’t fall on my head while I’m in there.” I gave him a wink, trying to put the man at ease, but it just bounced right off of him. Why was he so nervous? It only validated the paranoid theories of last night.
I was seriously calling Vee the first chance I got.
Mack came back to us, tucking the clipboard under his arm as he moved. “Perfect, Rena. Go ahead with this.”
“I will, but Jeffries has requested that I put support beams in every eight feet. Do I put those closer to the sides?”
“Yes. We need at least nine feet clearance in the center for the train to pass through,” Mack explained. “So two feet in on either side should be fine, but no more than that.”
It would only distribute the weight some. No wonder Jeffries said they’d have to go back in and add support beams for the ceiling. “Alright. Let me start, then.”
I only dug nine feet in, leaving in the support pillars, because I wanted them to take a look and tell me if any adjustments needed to be made. I couldn’t recreate stone, so I wanted to be sure everything was correct the first go ’round.
Mack and Jeffries both gave me approval, and now that I knew precisely what to do, I felt it time to give Dag a lesson. Turning, I found him reluctantly cleaning dishes with Bannen. I should probably rescue the situation anyway; all Dag really did was slosh water all over the place. “Dag!”
His head came up, a hopeful smile on his face. “Lesson time?”
“Yup. Come here.” I extended a hand and caught his shoulder once he was close enough, maneuvering him so that he stood directly in front of me. Leaning down a little, I put my head level with his. “Now. Open your eyes and really look beyond the surface. What do you see?”
“Lines and squiggles and numbers,” he dutifully responded. “But I don’t know what they mean.”
“Let’s take a line at a time,” I suggested patiently. “Now, you see that section right in front of you? The one with three lines, with three circles at the end, with a number of 64?”
“Yeah?”
“That’s metamorphic rock.” I ran him through each one, then pointed to others, asking him to identify them. He picked them up fairly quickly, and once he had them all down on this level, I destroyed it, working a little deeper into my new tunnel, then asked him what this set of schematics meant. I deconstructed only a couple feet at a time instead of the full distance I could, but this was good learning practice.
We worked our way steadily inside doing this, with Dag getting more comfortable with every layer, confidence growing as he pointed out what each section was made of. It helped too that he could see the results with his naked eye. If I ever possessed any doubt that he saw the world the way I did, this lesson put it to rest. Only our eyes could see like this.
Some fifty feet inside, Dag pointed to a section just out of the area we worked in, toward the center of the mountain. “What’s that? That weird glowy energy.”
It took me a moment to spot it, faint as it was through the layers of all the schematics. Then I did see it and instant recognition flooded through my system. I’d seen that energy too many times, battled it too many times, to not know it instantly.
Toh’sellor.
My conscious mind rejected what my eyes told it. Toh’sellor was under tight layers of barriers in Westhaven, no trace of it could possibly be found here at the top of Z’gher’s border. My emotions went jittery as I faced a nightmare I thought well and buried.
Sards.
I could feel my emotions ramp up to jittering panic, threatening to overwhelm me. I forced myself to take a deep breath, touching each finger in turn to my thumb. Grey stone. Scent of smoke. Taste of tea lingering in my mouth. My panic eased as the grounding techniques helped center me, letting me think rationally again. I had a sneaking suspicion of what I saw, what it meant, but I was going with my gut reaction on this one.
Whirling, I grabbed Dag by the arm and pulled him to the entrance, yelling as I went: “EVERYONE OUT! OUT NOW!”
“Wh-what’s going on?” Dag demanded of me, although thankfully didn’t pull from my grip but admirably tried to keep up with my longer legs.
Bannen appeared like magic at my elbow, hand on sword, eyes sharp on my face. “What?”
“There’s remains of Toh’sellor’s energy here,” I answered succinctly, still urging people out, not that many had followed me in, thankfully.
Alarmed, he looked behind us, and of course was greeted with nothing more than blank stone. “You sure? Never mind, stupid question, of course you are. Old energy or new energy?”
“Don’t know. Fairly sure the former, but I want that verified.” I dearly wished I knew, but that would take more investigation. And I frankly didn’t want to do that until I had a proper shield around us and more mages than just me. We left the dimness of the tunnel abruptly into clear mountain air and sunshine, and I pushed everyone well clear of the entrance, calling out loudly as I did, “MACK!”
The foreman came at a run, looking more than a little worried, if confused at my obvious panic. Skidding to a stop in front of me, he asked urgently, “Tunnel collapse?”
“No, worse.” I took in a breath, forced myself to breathe before I had a breathing attack. I hadn’t had one in years but I certainly felt like having one now. “Mack, I saw traces of Toh’sellor’s energy in there.”
All color just drained out of his face. Zombies had more color. “T-t-toh’sellor?”
I caught his shoulder with my free hand, giving him a hard shake. “Mack. Mack, listen to me, this is very important. I need to contact the MISD. If I can’t reach them by TMC, then I’m going to give you a list of names, you telegram the director and tell him to send them to me at all speed.”
He nodded jerkily, as badly animated as a string puppet, eyes searching mine for reassurance. “But you can defeat it?”
“Certainly, I can, but I’m not actually convinced it’s in there. I think this is residual energy.” I believed every word I said, but at the same time, with something like an unknown quantity like Toh’sellor, you didn’t take chances with it. I wanted to investigate this properly. “But it’s dangerous just to come into contact with its energy. I’m only seeing residual energy at the moment, and I’m not about to take chances. I need a proper shield up around me before going back in there.”
“Of course, of course,” he hastily assured me. “Write out what you want me to send, I’ll go straight down and get the telegram out.”
I thought about it, thought about all of those practice sessions with Mary on how t
o connect with a magical device over long distances without frying said device, and grimaced. “Before we do that, I’m going to try my TMC. I might be able to connect to someone.”
A tug on my hand drew my attention down to Dag, who stared up at me with wide-eyed fear. Or was that excitement? He looked a little of both. “Toh’sellor’s here?”
“Was here, or is still here, that’s the question. It’s trapped under a lot of rock at the moment,” thankfully, “otherwise I’d be able to answer that question. The energy that you saw, that was part of it. Do I need to tell you that if you try to dig your way in, I’ll murder you?”
Hastily he shook his head, free hand up in surrender. “Promise I won’t.”
He’d better not, otherwise I really would strangle him. I was in no mood for little boy antics right now.
I walked away from them, a few feet to give me some privacy. A simple connection, for only a few minutes, that was all I needed. Hopefully I didn’t shatter the device. That happened about half the time when I initiated contact.
I couldn’t use enough creative magic to sustain this for long, especially not over this distance, but used what I had. Director Salvatore answered gruffly, “Renata, what is it?”
“Sir, can you call me back?”
“Yes. End it.”
Relieved, I dropped the spell and waited a heartbeat, then two, before the TMC went live with his voice. Praise be he didn’t give me any flak about that. He was good at working around people’s shortcomings.
“Well?” he prompted impatiently.
Deep breath. In. Out. “Sir, I’m up at Cloudland Mountain. I started tunneling this morning and just came across traces of Toh’sellor’s energy.”
Salvatore spewed out a string of curses that would make a sailor blush crimson. “That’s not funny, Agent!”
“Really wish I was joking, sir,” I responded, my heart still racing a mile a minute. “Sir, there’s still a lot of rock between me and that signature, and I can’t tell without a closer look if it’s active, recent, or just a residual amount. It’s very possible that Toh’sellor had sent a branch of itself up inside the mountain and residual energy is all that’s left of it.”
“Which theory are you going with?”
“Residual,” I confessed, my agitation rising so that I openly shifted from side to side. “I don’t want to take a closer look, though, not until I have Dah’lil up here to properly shield me.”
Salvatore took the first reassured breath I heard from him in this conversation. “I’m relieved to hear you had the sense to back off and call for help first. My agents live longer that way. No one’s in there now?”
“No, it’s clear, I got everyone out.” I may be severely overstepping my bounds but I rushed ahead anyway. “Sir, I want my team. I’m ninety-nine percent sure Toh’sellor isn’t in there anymore, but—”
“Renata Hach, if I hear you did go in without proper backup, I will put you on half-pay for the next century,” he informed me flatly, although the slightest timber in his tone suggested he was pleased with my demand. “I’ll call them. You set up a perimeter, sit tight, and make sure that everyone’s alive by the time help arrives. Clear?”
“Crystal, sir.” I still felt rattled, as I never thought to come across traces of Toh’sellor over here, but I was far easier with it now. Help was coming. Good, reliable, wonderful help. “Sir, one thing, if there is still a Toh’sellor in there, I know that it’s not nearly as large as the original. About the size of a shard, I would imagine, as it’s still contained by the mountain. If that is the case, permission to engage?”
“Engage and destroy,” he ordered firmly. “But if it’s any larger than that, tell me, I’ll send more reinforcements.”
I had absolutely no problem with that order. “Yes, sir.”
Salvatore paused the conversation long enough to bellow for the agents’ roster sheet. “Agents Franklocke Inc. are actually in Heaberlin right now. I expect they can portal to you by sunset. I’ll call them now and give them a briefing. If something goes wrong before that point, retreat to the nearest town—that’s Mountain Point, correct?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Retreat there at the train station and meet up. We absolutely cannot lose you.”
Half the reason why I willingly signed with the MISD was because this man really tried to be a good boss. I smiled and nodded. “Yes, sir. I’ll take no chances with anyone up here.”
“Good. Dah’lil Maksohm and Emily Garner are a little further out, but I’ll portal them to you as soon as I can.”
“Sir, one more thing. We’re experiencing strange opposition up here.”
“Define opposition, Agent.”
“Our room was broken into the first night we reached Mountain Point and the work papers were stolen. Just that, nothing else. The policemen here were not sympathetic, either. There’s a petition as well to stop the line from being built.” I hesitated, not sure whether to bring up legends or not, and chose not to. That was unsubstantiated rumor and nothing more at this point. “I’m not sure why, no one’s willing to talk about it, but I feel like I need those work papers. If things go truly sideways, I might need them.”
“You likely will. I’ll have another copy made and sent up with Chi and Vee. I don’t like the sound of this, Rena. It sounds like trouble’s brewing up there. I’ll investigate matters on this end, too. We shouldn’t be having this kind of trouble. Anything else?”
“Just that at the moment, sir.”
“That’s enough. Try not to escalate it. Salvatore, out.”
The TMC went still in my ear. I took it off, replacing it in my pocket. I closed my eyes for a long moment, pulling myself together, forcing myself to breathe evenly. When I opened them again, I found Bannen right in front of me, eyes steady on mine, complete faith reflected in them. I knew without words that he’d protect me. He knew without words I’d do the same for him.
Mack broke the moment by clearing his throat. “Uh, Rena? Is it really safe to stay here?”
“It is,” I assured him, turning and giving him my most professional expression. That mask hid a lot of my insecurities. “There’s no trace of energy out here. I barely saw it inside the tunnel. Trust me, Mack, the least sign otherwise and I will be kicking people onto the trail. We need to wait for my team. They helped me defeat multiple shards and Toh’sellor itself. They’re experts in this.”
That reassured him and he pulled himself up, squaring his shoulders. “Right. What can we do?”
“Get a tent pitched, something that a half-giant can sleep in. Vee’s tall. Help me get lanterns set all along the front of the tunnel. While we’re working, I’ll tell the crew what to look out for. Toh’sellor’s energy has peculiar effects on its surroundings, it’s impossible to miss for anything else. And remember—” at this, I looked down at Dag’s upturned face “—that we have another set of eyes we can count on. Dag, you’ve already spotted it once. Can you spot it again?”
Dag gave me a determined look, earnest and so terribly young at the same time. “You bet I can.”
I didn’t doubt that he would be sharply aware of everything inside that mountain now, if for no other reason than he wanted to see the monster for himself. “Good. You help me be on the lookout for this. Bannen,” turning to my familiar, I ordered, “I need something to mark a line with. I don’t want anyone crossing it until the team gets here. I’m not risking anyone because curiosity got the better of them.”
“You leave that to me,” he promised.
Rena had expected Vee and Chi first, but Maksohm and Emily arrived before them. A portal opened just at the trailhead and Maksohm stepped neatly through, a bag on one shoulder, a crate balanced on his other hip. Emily followed right behind him, a suitcase also in hand. He must have strained the weight allowance of a portal to its maximum to bring that much through, as neither of them looked light. They’d managed to portal up here in eight hours, which was impressive in its own right.
As soo
n as he stepped clear, I moved to take the crate, as balancing that on a hip with one hand had to be awkward. “Maksohm, Emily. You’re a welcome sight.”
“I bet I am,” he stated as he sat the bag down.
Emily asked knowingly, balancing her marmoset in the crook of her arm, “How’s Rena?”
“Rena’s fit to be tied.”
From behind me, I heard her light footsteps, her voice cross. “You bet I am. I can’t even get in there to get a good look. I’ll die of frustration at this rate. Dah’lil.” Rena reached over and gave him a firm hug. “Thank you for coming so fast.”
“I’m happy to come,” he assured her, assured us both as he hugged her back hard.
She stepped back from the hug in order to hug Emily, both girls holding on tight for a moment. Letting go, Rena gestured toward the mountain. “Our problem lies in there. How fully were you briefed?”
Maksohm frowned at the dim opening. “The very basics. Give me details.”
Obligingly, Rena did so, her hands rising in illustrative gestures as she talked. Emily stayed right next to them, listening intently. Knowing very well what mages were like when they put their heads together, I went with the more practical route and hefted the crate over to the new tent next to ours, slinging it inside and then retreating back for Maksohm’s bag. He handed it over with a nod of thanks, not breaking stride in the conversation.
Dag tagged along with me, tugging at my shirt as I moved. “Who is that?” he whispered loudly.
Seeing that Mack also hovered nearby uncertainly, I waved the man closer so I didn’t have to repeat myself. “Sorry, they’ll introduce him properly once Rena gets them fully briefed. Those three tend to focus on the problem first and foremost. That, gentlemen, is Special Agent Dah’lil Maksohm and Agent-Healer Emily Gardener, both mages with the MISD. Maksohm is the finest barrier specialist they have, and believe me, that’s saying something, as there’s many agents good at them. When we went around destroying shards of Toh’sellor, Maksohm shielded us against Toh’sellor’s energy and enabled us to get close enough for Rena to destroy it.”
Echoes Page 12