“It’s huge,” Kason said, his head swiveling to look in all directions. “When you said it was a large cavern . . . I never would have imagined something this big. You could put the entire township of Alavar in here and still have room to spare.”
“And that’s only the main cavern. There’s miles of tunnels off of here with more rooms than we’ve been able to explore, and Fil and I have been at it for weeks now.”
“What are those lights that are all over?” Kason asked.
“They were put here by the builders,” Eril replied, grinning. “I can’t take credit for them, except that when I figured out how to charge the gate, I read in the manual how it provided power for other things like the lights.”
“So everything here . . .” Kason trailed off.
“Is over twelve hundred years old and yet some of it still works. Impressive, isn’t it.”
“Aye, that it is. Indeed it truly is,” Kason said with awe.
§ § §
Eril spent the next hour showing them the damaged waterwheel as well as the Dynolyth and the gate. After that, they all went into the rooms he and Fil had prepared for them before he’d left. He showed them some of the more obvious chambers and then pleading fatigue, headed to his own bed.
Eril lay in his room, unable to sleep. His mind kept turning over Kason’s comments about Fil, and her hug. He realized that he had been deliberately avoiding thinking about her.
How did he really feel about her? He had no point of reference. He’d spent the last six years almost entirely away from girls or women. His mother died long enough back that he had trouble remembering more than a few things about her and his father. The pain of their loss had been one of the reasons why he so rarely let himself think of them.
Thinking back on them now, on their words and shared experiences, he now realized that the pain in those memories was mostly gone. He still missed them, but the ache that been his constant companion for the first two years after their deaths was gone. Now, he remembered the good times and the love both his parents had shown him and felt the loss, but not so much pain.
Eril remembered a time when they had just arrived in Alavar when a little girl had stuck her tongue out at him and run away when he’d tried to play with her. His mother had chuckled. Eril had been indignant, and his mother had comforted him and said, “Jashoc, don’t be upset. At your age, little girls mostly don’t want to play with boys. I’m happy you tried to play with her. Trust me, someday when you’re older, she won’t be sticking her tongue out at you. I know it seems forever to you, but in only five or six years, she’ll be looking at a fine young man like you and want you to pay attention to her. Give it time.”
When was that last time Eril had even thought of his birth name, his True Name?
The memory was bittersweet. His mother had been right. He remembered the young women who had hung around Kason’s smithy, admiring the apprentices and journeymen’s ‘work.’ The journeymen joked that the girls were all impressed by their muscles. Kason was always telling them to remember that most of those young women were more impressed by the money a good smith makes than just his body, though he allowed that some cared more for their muscles.
When Eril had first arrived at the smithy, the girls had entirely ignored him, except for the few who made snide comments about Master Kason allowing children to work in his forge. Some of the journeymen had made similar comments when Kason wasn’t around.
Those comments had largely stopped from the journeymen first, and then the girls, as Eril had both grown and looked more like a smith and also as his work had quickly gained notoriety.
A few of the younger girls hanging around the shop had tried to flirt with him towards the end of his apprenticeship. Eril had always ignored them. He didn’t want to be distracted, and they just made him uncomfortable.
So now, he was trying to figure out how he felt about Fil. She was the first girl he’d ever felt friendly towards. He was pretty sure that was because she didn’t act like most girls. She cared little for her appearance and dressed in practical clothes that let her engage in the hunting and tracking that she was so good at.
He knew her mother and sister both thought that Fil was hiding from the idea of finding a husband, which at nineteen they thought should be her focus in life. And he guessed that it might really have been true. Eril had initially been more comfortable being around her because she didn’t act particularly feminine. She’d seemed like someone he could treat no different than his male friends.
That seemed to be changing now.
That hug.
He’d enjoyed it, and he really had been happy to see her, happier than just meeting up with a ‘friend’ would warrant. But as soon as it happened, he’d felt embarrassed by it, and he was pretty sure Fil had felt the same.
Now Kason was telling him that Fil was romantically interested in him. Scars! Why did this have to be so hard? Could he afford to have anyone close to him? The demons and demon wizards were hunting him. What if they couldn’t find him, but found Fil or her family instead?
It hit him. That was what was really bothering him. He knew he was in constant danger. He had seen what that charzen had done to the soldiers, the idea of that happening to Fil or her family terrified him.
The idea of losing anyone close to him was physically painful to him. Not now, not after he had finally healed to the point he could think of his parents again without dissolving in grief.
He would have to do something to discourage Fil, for her own good. He would have to explain it to her.
Fil would understand. It was just too dangerous for her to get close to him. Too hazardous for anyone to know, or she could be used as leverage against him. Fil wasn’t like other girls, women, she would see the logic of it. Maybe someday, later, when the demons weren’t hunting for him, he could think of something like this, but right now, no. She would understand.
He hoped.
Chapter 54
Galancia, Espilona
The two charzen stood at the front of the assembled generals. The charzen had just dispatched a group of one hundred armed and armored prisoners in less than five minutes, while armed only with small table knives.
The senior charzen in the group, Shadow, spoke.
“You have all had time to read the directive from Grand Ruler Jelnick. Do you have any questions?”
One of the senior generals, Krast, spoke up. “This same information has been conveyed to rulers in Nitholia?”
“As it stated in the materials,” Shadow said, with little patience, “they have also been informed through other agents. Both Nitholia and Espilona will strike together to make short work of Jull. When this is over, you will both have access to the best seaport on the eastern coast.”
Shadow gestured to the other charzen, “Cinder,” he nodded at him, “will be leaving shortly before the battle begins to join the Nitholian forces. My question is how soon can you have your forces ready to attack Jull?”
The gathered generals whispered amongst themselves, casting nervous glances at the bodies in the field, then General Krast spoke to the Charzen.
“To gather a force of this size and then march them to the boarder will take at least a month, two would be better, my Lords. We have never seriously thought that Jull could be taken without massive casualties. The pass is too easy to defend, and a sea attack is very uncertain with Jull’s significant navy.”
“The Grand Ruler is aware of all these issues, which is why you, together with Nitholia, will attack on three fronts simultaneously. Together you outnumber Jull’s defenders five to one, and that says nothing of what I and my brother charzen will be able to do. If the odds were only even, you would still be assured of victory with two charzen on your side.
“Once Jull is in your hands, you will see from Grand Ruler Jelnick how well he rewards those who support and serve him.”
The assembled generals all looked impressed as they saw these powerful charzen and the incredible way they had fought. Many
looked excited by the prospect of conquering their traditional foe, while others seemed more reserved, unsure of the price of this alliance.
Chapter 55
Primary Gate Complex, Argaland
The next day, Eril woke to the sound of knocking on his doorframe. He sat up muzzily to find Kason at the door. As usual, there was no easy way to tell what time it was, since there was no outside light. He felt like he’d hardly slept at all.
“Eril,” Kason said. “The boys and I are already up and have eaten, but we’ve no way to get the lights in the main cavern back on so we can do our assessment.”
“Sorry, Kason, I didn’t sleep well last night.”
“I figured as much,” Kason grunted. “I let you sleep as long as I could, but we can’t work until you’re up. Meet us in the cavern as soon as you’re able.”
Eril rolled out of bed and hastily got back into the previous day’s clothes. He stopped by the privy, which amazingly had running water, splashed some water on his face and walked stiffly to the main cavern.
Kason and the journeymen were waiting at the stair landing where the light from the corridor ended. Eril hastily found the rune panel on the wall and activated the runes that engaged the ceiling lights. Once again, the cavern burst into light. He then went down to the coal pit and added coal to the nearly extinguished blaze.
With that done, he walked over to Kason who was examining the water channel that ran down the center of the cavern. He pointed to the far end of the cavern.
“You can see that side channel, Kason, where the water would divert to where the top of the wheel should be.”
“Aye,” Kason replied. “And I expect that spot there,” he said pointing to a large metalwork construction on the right side of the cavern, with enormous metal gears still in place. “Is where the drive section of the water wheel connected.”
“That’s what I was thinking too,” Eril said. “I think this half tower, before it collapsed kept the wheel upright.”
The immense water wheel lay on its side, nearly intact except that several of the metal spokes of the wheel were bent
“Aye, I think yer right,” Kason said nodding. “And see off there to the left all those large stone chunks under the wheel and beyond. It looks like this support gave way, and the whole thing fell towards the left side of the cavern. The wheel looks in amazingly good shape considering that fall, and the many years it’s lain there.”
They continued exploring the floor of the cavern and climbed into the metal works to discover what the gears and other elements did. Finally, they looked into the workings of the Dynolyth.
Fil showed up after a few hours and pointed out to Eril all the new things she’d discovered in his absence. The major find was another smaller library. It too had had all of its books removed, but Eril wanted to look through it to see if it also might have some hidden books left behind.
He did not discuss anything about what had happened between him and Fil the day before, nor what he had determined that night. Instead, they both carried on as if nothing had changed, but he felt like they were both pretending. At some point, they would have to talk about it, but not now.
§ § §
That night Eril and Kason both used a communicator to discuss their preliminary findings with Master Silurian.
Kason said, “Silurian, it looks like getting the water wheel running again will require a bit ‘o work, but so far, from what I’m seeing it should not be too difficult. The support tower will need to be rebuilt, and the water wheel trued up before it can be put back in place. But if the gear works operate like I think, they should only require a bit ‘o cleaning and lubrication to get them to work properly.
“The two things that I am concerned about would be mounting the wheel again, once the tower’s rebuilt, and I really don’t know enough to say if that Dynolyth thing can be made to work.”
“What makes you think it isn’t functional?” Master Silurian asked.
“Again, I don’t really understand what it does,” Kason replied. “But the silver parts are heavily tarnished. They’ll all need to be cleaned and possibly re-plated. Anything copper has decayed beyond usability, so they’ll all need to be replaced. And many of those have glyphs and stuff on them, or I think they did. Last, the gold parts seem to be fine. Which is good because they look to have the most inscribed on them.
“In short, your Dynolyth will need much more work than the water wheel itself,” Kason concluded.
“Eril, do you agree?”
“Yes, Master. It is just as Kason says. The good thing is that all the damaged parts in the Dynolyth are clearly explained in the manual, so I’m pretty sure we can fix it.”
“Good, Eril. How well charged is the gate?”
“It is pretty good, Master. I’d say it’s ready to test and if I understand things, it can go to any functioning gate. It doesn’t have enough power to run the network of gates, but I think it can allow us to start moving people around as long as we keep the coal fire charging it up.”
“Excellent news, Eril. Let me know when you’re ready to test tomorrow. I want a chance to see this gate for myself, and I know Dorull has been practically dying to have the opportunity to see the Dynolyth in person, now that he’s read about it from the manual.
“Also, we got news today that the demon wizards may be getting ready to make their first public move. They’ve organized an army to take on Jull, since they are one of the few kingdoms in the east that doesn’t allow demon magic to be practiced. Both Nitholia and Espilona are controlled by demon wizards now and are contributing troops. We also have unconfirmed reports that the army from Espilona may have one or more charzen with them. I think you’re going to need to go out there and see if you can help with their defense. The demon wizards want the port at Jull city. The battle mage Turek is said to be leading their defenses. He hates demon wizards, but he also is no friend of mine, so you may have to work to persuade him to accept your help.
“As much as Turek dislikes me, he’s no fool. Once you show him you’re the genuine article with zdrell, I think he’ll accept you. Who knows, he might even be able to teach you a thing or two. He’s the oldest battle mage alive. You don’t live to old age in that profession without picking up some pretty powerful tricks.”
§ § §
The next day, Eril spent a nervous hour making final preparations and then activated the primary gate. The process went similarly to what had happened in castle Kord. The entire archway filled with a grey haze. As soon as Eril poked a stick into it, it cleared, and he could see into the gateway chamber in castle Salaways. Master Silurian stood there waiting.
Eril pushed the stick a little further, then withdrew it. Without waiting for further confirmation, he stepped through the gate and after the disconcerting pulling motion he’d experienced previously, he was standing in front of The Master.
“Good to see you, Eril. But that was a bit brash. Shouldn’t you have tested a bit more?”
“Yeah, probably, Master,” Eril looked down, then back up. “I just feel like I’ve worked with the gates enough now, I’m pretty confident that when they work, they work.”
“Then, if you’re so confident, lead the way back,” he said gesturing to the open gate behind Eril.
“Gladly,” Eril said. He turned and strode confidently back through the gate. It seemed if you went through faster, the stretching feeling lessened somewhat.
As soon as he got a couple steps beyond the gate, Eril turned and gestured for Master Silurian to follow him. With great dignity, the old wizard stepped through the gate. Eril could tell from the expression on his face that he too found the sensation of crossing the threshold disconcerting.
After stepping a few feet beyond the gate and recovering his composure, Master Silurian looked around with awe and satisfaction.
“It is every bit as impressive as you said, Eril.”
Just then, Master Kason stepped up beside them and eagerly began to point out the water whe
el and the Dynolyth. Eril was content to watch his old Master’s reactions as Kason continued talking, as though he’d been here longer than Eril.
Kason was pointing to the wheel and the base where the support tower would need to be rebuilt. “Everything here is so large, it makes the tasks more difficult. Even moving that wheel out of the way so the tower can be restored is going to be quite an undertaking.
“I’ve been thinking that since we’re in a cavern, we should be able to string long ropes from the ceiling and lift it that way, but it is going to be a much larger affair than I’ve ever seen, let alone attempted.”
“I agree this will require effort, Kason,” The Master said, looking sideways at Eril. “But I think you forget we have additional means to work here, eh Eril? Do you think you could lift that wheel and move it back over, both so Kason’s people can work on it and so we can get the tower rebuilt?”
Eril knew The Master was judging his reaction. He decided he would show the kind of confidence that he had been gaining these last few months. “Master, I’ve never tried moving anything that large before, but if I can move a loaded wagon at over a hundred miles an hour for hours at a time, I suppose I should be able to move the wheel once I get a feel for it.”
The Master smiled with a tight satisfied expression. Meanwhile, Kason was spluttering at the idea that Eril could possibly move something so huge. Both Eril and Silurian ignored his protests as they stared silently at one another. The old wizard nodded silently towards Eril and the wheel. Eril knew what was expected and turned around and started walking to where he would have a better vantage point to see both the wheel and floor of the cavern where it needed to go.
“Y’re both daft!” Kason shouted, red in the face, whether it was from trying to talk Eril out of the impossible or because neither he nor Silurian paid him any heed was difficult to tell.
Eril crossed the cavern and climbed the stairway of the metal works by the Dynolyth. When he was about halfway to the top, he judged he had a good enough view. He looked at the wheel and focused his sight. He was only wearing the power ring, but he judged that was enough and let his perceptions spread until he ‘got a feel’ for the entire wheel.
The Journeyman for Zdrell Page 31