The Greystone Chronicles: Book One: Io Online Read online

  “I’m afraid you’ll have to ask Brick, sire. I don’t read dwarven at all. I would assume they either enhance the heat, or protect the forge from the stress of the heat. Maybe both?” Alexander responded.

  “The runes enhance the magic already inherent in the stone, sire.” Fitz had entered the smithy. “The boy correctly guessed the heat regulation and protection aspects. There are also runes that gather energy from the stone itself, and enhance the ability for whatever is heated within to absorb magic. It’s a sort of circle of power, sire. As dwarven smiths work at creating, say an enhanced sword, they will infuse that sword with their own magic. Some of that magic will be absorbed into the weapon. The rest would normally dissipate into the air. But this structure will absorb the leftover magic instead, and feed it into the forge, which will in turn make the next weapon forged absorb magic more easily. Also, the forge will be heated with dragon fire, which is pure magic. This forge will create better and better weapons over time as it absorbs more magic.” Fitz finished. Both the king and Alexander were stunned.

  “You bellowed for me, sire,” Fitz moved on.

  “What? Yes! I need you to cast a few mass teleports. Alexander and his friends are helping to rebuild the village of Whitehall. Oh, you tell him!” The king waved at Alexander and went back to examining the forge.

  As quickly as possible, Alexander brought Fitz up to speed. While he spoke, the king wandered off exploring. He returned a few minutes later, as Alexander was telling Fitz about the captain bringing guards and migrating citizens later in the day for teleport.

  The king handed a bottle of dwarven spirits to Fitz. He held one in his other hand, and had one sticking out of each of his coat pockets. “This is for AFTER you teleport the other group, understand?” he admonished the wizard.

  “There is one issue, sire,” Fitz began. “I don’t know the coordinates to Whitehall, and have never been there. I cannot teleport you there without one or the other.”

  “I’ve been there, and can picture it. Can you somehow read my mind and do it that way?” Alexander asked.

  The wizard chuckled. “No, boy. Magic has its limitations. Though I hear you’ve been pushing them lately!” Alexander looked embarrassed. “But you’ve given me an idea. Come here boy. You’ve learned some about portal magic. So this should be easy for you. Relatively.”

  Knowing what was coming, Alexander stepped forward. The wizard placed a hand on his head, and magic flashed through his brain once again. It wasn’t nearly as bad as the first time. Either Fitz was correct and the partial knowledge helped ease the impact of the new spell, or his brain was just getting used to the trauma.

  The wizard stepped back. “You now have the knowledge to cast a personal teleport, and a group teleport. Your range is limited to about 5 miles until you get stronger. Also, you should try to limit the number of sentient beings you try to move at once. Sentients are harder to transport, because the mind naturally fights against the concept of instantly moving great distances. The power of your spell has to overcome that disbelief. So to begin with, no more than 15 or 20 people. Otherwise the results could be… unpleasant. Understand?”

  “So, you’re saying that my first time ever casting this spell, I’m going to teleport our king and ten guards, and if I screw it up, we all die?”

  “No pressure,” said the king. He and Fitz both chuckled. The guards didn’t look the least bit amused.

  Fitz put a hand on his shoulder. “Relax, son. You’ll do fine. You have a remarkable gift for understanding and even modifying spells. The first time you tried to raise that obsidian block out back, you did better than most 2nd or 3rd year students. Which reminds me, you’ve improved your Earth Mover ability enough that I’ve unlocked the next level for you. You’ll find it takes less effort to accomplish the tasks you’re undertaking at the village.”

  The king spoke up. “Trust me, Alexander. Fitz would not allow you to teleport me if he didn’t have complete faith in you. The old goat is ornery, and disrespectful, but he loves me like a son and would not risk my life on a whim. You can do this. There’s no time like the present!”

  The king stood next to Alexander in the middle of the courtyard. Fitz tossed him a stone. “Place this in an open area and keep people away. I’ll be able to focus on it to teleport the next group.”

  With that, he closed his eyes and pulled up the new spell in his mind. Then he pictured the open area just outside the village gates, off to the side of the road. Inhaling deeply, he activated the spell.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Goblin Ain’t Easy

  When Alexander opened his eyes he, the king, and all ten guards stood safely in the field outside the village gate. As Alexander placed the beacon stone off to one side of the road, a shout went up from inside, and the mayor came forward, along with Brick and Sasha. The villagers all kept a respectful distance. None had ever met the king, and few had even seen him before.

  As the king strode up to the gate, still surrounded by his guards, the mayor dropped to one knee and bowed his head. The others all followed his lead. “Your Majesty! I apologize for the condition of our village. We were … not expecting a visit. And I’m afraid we have little to offer for refreshment,” the mayor said quietly.

  The king reached down and gripped the mayor by his shoulders, lifting him to his feet. He looked to the rest of the villagers. “Nonsense! Please rise, all of you. No more kneeling or bowing today, okay?”

  Looking back to the mayor, he continued, “It is I who must apologize. I am responsible for the lives of all my citizens. I failed to protect you when you were attacked by the goblins. That will not happen again!”

  The gathered villagers went from looking worried to hopeful smiles. Their King was here to help.

  “Later this evening, a caravan will arrive. It will include a dozen guards who will remain here and help defend the village. It may also include some potential new residents, as we have put out the word that Whitehall is being rebuilt, and has need of quality people. There will also be food and other supplies to help you get back on your feet! I know many of you lost family members in the attack. I offer you my most sincere condolences. I can only imagine what you’ve been through.”

  The king did something unheard of then. He moved through the crowd, shaking hands with each man, hugging mothers and children. To each one he gave small reassurances, “it will be okay, now”, or “things will get better”.

  Moving back to stand with the mayor, he said, “Please, all of you. I must discuss with Mayor Stanton how we can best help Whitehall to prosper again. Don’t let me keep you. I know you all have much work to do.” With that, the people dispersed.

  Seeing Thea and her dwarves standing off to the side of the crowd, he called out to her. “Lady Thea, would you join us, please?” he shot Alexander a glance with raised eyebrows.

  “Her grandfather is the king’s uncle,” Alexander whispered. He still didn’t know what her proper title would be.

  Alexander guided the king to the benches and table he’d raised near the inn for his conversation with Thomas. The mayor looked like he needed to sit. Alexander quickly extended the length of both benches and the table, then raised a high-backed chair at one end for the king.

  Taking a seat in the chair, the chuckling king waved for them to join him. Alexander, Brick, and Sasha sat on one bench, while the mayor and Thea took the other. The guards formed a perimeter as a respectful distance.

  “Lady Thea, I thank you for agreeing to join us, and for all your efforts of late. My compliments to you and to Master Brick on the creation of the dragon forge. I’ve just seen it, and I am truly impressed!” he bowed his head slightly to the blushing dwarfess. “I will be meeting with your uncle King Thalgrin in a few days. I hope our two nations will become close allies and friends.”

  Thea bowed her head, “Thank ye, Majesty. I am honored to meet ye. And I too hope for friendly relations between our kingdoms. I know me King feels the same.”

 
; With the formalities out of the way, the king moved on. “Young Alexander here explained to me about the quarry, and your desire to operate it. I hereby give my approval. Further, I authorize citizens of the Broken Mountain to travel and settle here in order to farm, craft, or establish businesses. I will leave it to Mayor Stanton to approve any new residents. As for the terms of the business dealings, Master Brick is my trade emissary, and is authorized to approve whatever terms you agree upon.”

  Both bowed their heads, “Thank you, Majesty.”

  “Now!” the king leaped up from his chair, surprising everyone. “If there is no more business, I’d like to look around. Lady Thea, Mayor Stanton, it has been a pleasure.”

  Alexander had to learn how he did that. The king could say “go away” in the most gracious and diplomatic manner.

  Walking toward the partially completed inn, the king asked, “And how long did it take you to build this… inn, is it?”

  “Yes, sire. About an hour? I’m leaving the rest for the carpenters to finish in wood, so there won’t be as much weight pressuring the supports.”

  “I see.” The king stepped inside the door and paced about the first floor. He looked up through the open floors above at the support beams, and stepped partway down the stairs to inspect the cellar. “Very impressive. You clearly put some thought into this.”

  “I had help, sire. Brick here and a retired carpenter named Thomas gave me good advice.”

  Stepping back outside, the king strode toward the gate. “Well, then. Let’s see what you can do. We can’t have this gate standing wide open if demons invade, now can we?”

  Alexander stepped forward. He activated his mage sight, then his earth magic, and looked below the open gateway and surrounding walls. Seeing the same bedrock he found below the inn nearby, he went to work. He moved forward and stood in the gateway, the king and others following behind. Reaching into the earth, He pulled up a section of bedrock roughly 3 feet thick and 30 feet long. He pulled it until it rose 20 feet above the ground, approximately 20 feet out from the old wall. Then he pulled another next to it. Leaving a space about 20 feet wide for a gate, he pulled up two more sections on the other side. Behind the new walls, he began to construct two identical towers. One on each side of the gate. They were simple structures, tall boxes rising 40 feet high with a flat roof and a stairway winding up the inside. Next to the towers, built right up against the inside of the walls, he raised two barracks buildings. Each had a door facing the gateway. The building was 20 feet wide, filling the space between the old walls and the new. At the back of the building was an interior staircase that opened up onto the roof. A soldier could stand upon the roof and look over the top of the wall. He opened small windows along the interior facing walls, allowing light and air into the building. The windows could also be used to fire arrows if the need arose. Inside the building he raised three columns to support the ceiling. With those, and the short run of only 20 feet between walls, no beams were necessary. Then he hollowed out the stone under the staircase to create a bathroom.

  Finally, he raised two more large panels, each 10 feet wide and 15 feet tall, to be used as gates. He set them snug against the walls on either side and held them in place. “Brick, do you think you could manage hinges?” he asked.

  “Aye, we figured it out while working on the warehouse,” Brick responded. He stepped forward and laid his hands on the right hand door and the wall. After a moment, a set of three massive pins grew out of the back edge of the wall. At the same time, the corresponding female side of the hinges grew out of the door, wrapping around each of the pins in three places. The dwarf went and did the same for the left hand door, then stepped back. “Ye can cut it now,” he said.

  Alexander severed the connection at the base of each door panel, and lowered the rock below about half an inch. Then he molded massive handles on each door about four feet off the ground. “Majesty, would you like to do the honors?”

  The king stepped forward and grasped the handles. He leaned backward and pulled hard, expecting the resistance one would expect from several thousand pounds of rock. With a slight grinding noise, the doors swung open easily. Brick’s hinges worked perfectly. They’d need a little grease to reduce wear, but that was easily done.

  “Well done!” the king beamed at them as he closed the doors again. “I see now how you were able to complete that forge so quickly. You both have a tremendous gift.”

  Alexander noted that as the doors closed there was a slight gap where light shone through between them. He quickly modified the edges so that they would interlock as they closed. “I’ll leave it to our stone masons to figure out how they want to lock it, and we’ll finish that before dark,” he said.

  The group then followed the king into one of the new barracks buildings. He inspected the interior, then moved up onto the room. Walking back and forth, he looked over the wall. “Can I assume you intend to extend the stone all the way around?”

  “Yes, sire, that is the plan. It’ll take several days. I’ll continue the new wall roughly twenty feet outside the old, so that when I get tired I can just make a connecting section and stop for the night.”

  The king nodded. “I think we could recruit Fitz to help you, which should speed things up.” Then he walked toward the tower at the end of the building. He was facing a blank wall with a small window. “It would be helpful if the guards could access the tower here, as well as down below,” the king offered.

  He was right. Alexander quickly opened a doorway into the tower wall at the same level as the rooftop. Then he altered the stairwell inside, creating a wide landing at the doorway with room for soldiers going up and down or moving in and out to pass each other. Lastly, he raised a rail at the back of the landing to keep anyone from being knocked off. After more thought, he realized that 40 feet was a long way to climb with no landings. So he completely redid the stairway from the bottom up. He also added 3 columns at the top of the tower, and put a small domed roof over it to protect the guards from the weather. And he raised the front wall of the tower 4 feet to offer some cover from arrows and spells. With that, he needed a rest.

  “I’m sorry, sire. But I’ll have to fix the other one later. Fitz was right, I can do the work more easily now, but I still get tired.”

  The king walked down the newly revised tower stair and out the ground floor exit. They strolled up the village’s main street as the king observed the burned out buildings. Before long, they came to Theresa’s newly constructed house. It still had no door or window shutters, as Brick had been busy at the warehouse. The king walked over to inspect the building, and was surprised by little Danny rushing out through the doorway. The child ran right into the king’s legs, then fell backward onto his butt.

  “Your Majesty!” Theresa gasped in horror. “Please, forgive him.”

  “What have we here?” The king reached down and lifted the boy in his arms. “And what would your name be?”

  Scared by the horrified look on his mother’s face, the boy was very quiet. “Danny?”

  The king smiled at him. “And is this your house, Sir Danny the Rambunctious?”

  The boy nodded, still unsure.

  “Alexander, I take it this is your work?” he asked.

  “Yes sire. Theresa here lost her husband and her home in the fire. I built this for her and her family this morning.”

  “It seems you didn’t quite finish the job,” the king nodded toward the vacant doorway. “Have you recovered enough to conjure up a door?”

  “Of course, Sire.” Alexander and Brick worked quickly to create and hang the front and back doors, as well as shutters for the windows.

  While they worked, the king sat on the porch bench playing with Danny and chatting with a very nervous Theresa. When they’d finished, the king made a big show of inspecting the door, having Danny test it several times. Then he thanked Theresa for her hospitality, warned Danny to listen to his mother, and bid them goodbye.

  “Sire, while we
have a quiet moment, I wanted to thank you for coming here. You’ve given these people hope and inspiration.”

  “I appreciate the sentiment, Alexander, but I think you and your friends have given much more. As you seem to do everywhere you go,” the king replied.

  They continued on to the warehouse, which the king dutifully inspected, noting with a wink that the building had proper doors. Coming out of the building they found Max and Lainey standing at the supply tables, unloading the deer and rabbits they had brought in.

  By this time the captain and his group had arrived. The guards led the procession, followed by the promised wagonload of supplies. The captain directed the guards to help unload the wagon into the warehouse while he introduced the new arrivals.

  Before he even started, the king stepped forward to hug an elderly woman who had two grown daughters behind her. “Millicent. I’m so sorry. He is greatly missed by all of us.”

  Turning to the Alexander’s group, he said “it is my honor to introduce lady Millicent Holston. Wife to the recently departed Baker Holston.”

  They all bowed their heads and murmured condolences.

  “As a boy, I would get Fitz to help me ‘sneak’ out of the palace. I know now that everyone was aware of what we were doing, but for me it was high adventure! He’d dress me in rags and have me roll around in the garden so I looked like a peasant boy, and I’d do little errands for Master Holston in return for a pastry. Best I ever had. Millicent would wink and give me an extra one, payment for Fitz. She wasn’t fooled, and knew exactly who I was, but she never treated me differently than the other kids.”

  He turned to the mayor. “This woman is precious to me. Protect her and treat her well.” The mayor nodded fervently.