Techromancy Scrolls: Soras (3 page)

I caught myself smiling, thinking about that fateful day when I first laid eyes on the most beautiful and inspiring sight. A Techno Knight of the realm, Lady Celeste, on her grand charger, as she passed by me in Cheap Quarter when she was heading off to do the morning patrol.

My life changed that day, into this almost surreal life I live now. I am no noble, but I play the part as a child would play dress up. But I can put all my insecurities aside, because my Lady, the love of my life, my Celeste, chose me. I have never been happier in all my life than when I am at her side.

I looked over as I felt her sit next to me and she ran her fingers through my long dark hair and asked in the soft tone she reserved for me, “What is it, Laney?”

I smiled warmly at her and leaned in to snuggle into her shoulder as she put an arm around me. I shrugged a little. “Just thinking about a girl I used to know, Laney Herder.”

She smiled at that and I added, “It seems almost like a lifetime ago.”

She pulled back slightly to study my face. “So you miss it?”

I rejected her insecurity with a compassionate smile. “Sometimes. Life was much simpler then. But here, now, with you... I wouldn't change a thing.”

She nodded and hugged me tighter to her for a moment. I knew that of all the people in Wexbury, Celeste would understand. She herself had come from common stock until she was bought by the Prime Techromancer from her Uncle. She had been thrust into the world of the nobles just as I had, but she had thrived and excelled in it.

She was now the commander of the mobile battalion for the realm, no other knight had risen so fast to the position. Her fighting prowess and ability to command in the field were unmatched. She was the hero of the Great Raid of York though she will never admit to it, instead she, and the other knights present, all swear to the bravery of Sir Edwin, who fell in that battle.

I didn't understand why she never took credit for her deeds until I found myself in the same situation after the battle of the Monolith. Wexbury goes through great effort not to expose our real strength, so that any enemy that dares to challenge us would have no idea as to what we can bring to bear.

That is why they have not revealed to the other realms that I am one of the six Adepts in the eleven realms. True, my power is almost laughably underpowered compared to even a Techno Knight, but they still do not want what I am to become public knowledge.

It has been much more difficult after I ignited a second time with the magics of the Mountain Gypsies. Or magiks as they say it, with a hard k. What the difference is, I do not know.

I waved my gloved hand through the air in front of us and watched the trail of white mist blur along, giving a ghostly effect, an afterimage. No one in the Keep knows how to instruct me in its use, so I do not know how to control it and turn it off. There has never been a recorded case of a Techromancer in any of the realms possessing the magics of the People before.

Celeste smiled then her eyes widened slightly. “That reminds me. The research into your family's background turned up something interesting that may explain your circumstances.”

I sat up a little straighter and turned to her. I got a little distracted by her flaming mane of red and her emerald eyes for a second before I shook myself out of it and asked in interest, “Do tell.”

She said, “One of the scholars came upon an old immigration record of a Rover named Nicholas who applied to become a citizen of Wexbury.”

A Rover? They were Mountain Gypsies, who left their clans to wander the eleven realms alone. It was rare for them to ever settle down in one place. My father's name was Nicholas. I whispered, “And mother told me that father was the one who taught her the language of the Mountain Gypsies.” I let that hang in the air.

Could it be true? That my father, Nicholas Herder, had been a gypsy? If that was true, I had gypsy blood in me, and that would explain how I can wield their magik. They called people with the gift, the Touched.

I locked eyes with her excitedly and asked, “Do you think?”

She smiled at my excitement, her eyes twinkling. “All of the pieces fit together nicely, I believe we have discovered why you can command not just the power of the Altii but of the Gypsies as well.”

I nodded and said absently, “I'll speak to mother about it. See if she can corroborate that.”

She stood and clasped both my hands and pulled me up gently to my feet. Her nightdress that I wore dropped down to my ankles. Which was a little embarrassing since it hit her around the knees when she wore it. I liked wearing her nightdresses because they smelled like her.

She said as she walked backward to the alcove that had our bed, “Come to bed. I miss my favorite pillow.”

I blushed and did her bidding. I'm not stupid you know. I grinned at myself.

***

The next morning I awoke, stretched and curled my toes, making a satisfied sound when Celeste's arm reflexively pulled me tighter into her as she slept. I looked back and caught the slight smile on her lips and smirked. “You aren't fooling anyone, woman. I know you're awake now.”

Her smile grew and she slid up in the bed to sit up. Unceremoniously dropping my head which had been on her chest, onto the mattress. I squeaked, she laughed.

We slid out of bed and as I almost drooled as I watched her stretch, I asked, “So what does one wear to an occasion like this? Armor or one of those dreaded dresses the nobles wear?”

She nudged my shoulder. “You are one of those nobles and you know it is social protocol to wear a dress when you are not wearing armor. Besides, you look adorable in dresses.”

I growled at her, which most likely sounded like a puppy with a sock to her. I was a simple farm girl inside still and was more comfortable in a tunic and trousers than dresses. Dresses were terrible for doing hard work in, and only hard work puts food on the table.

She thought a moment then said, “You will be doing this as Baroness Laney, not as Knight Laney, so I'm afraid a dress would be more appropriate.”

I sighed in defeat and trudged over to the armoire like I was heading to the stockade while she headed to the dresser instead. Then I turned shook a finger at her after I selected an emerald dress with a violet sash, the colors of the Keep. “You'll not get off so easy. If it is a dress for me, then I'll have Countess Celeste on my arm, not Knight Celeste.”

She scrunched her lips to one side of her face and I crinkled my nose at her in defiance until she giggled and put the trousers back in the drawer and stepped up beside me and reached for a dress while she teased, “Yes, my Lady.”

I sighed as I dropped my nightdress around my feet, and teased her by turning away and getting into my undergarments then slipping the dress on. Then I frowned, a dress meant I couldn't ride Goliath, we'd have to take a coach or wagon. I tied the sash at my waist in a bow as I plodded to the door of our quarters and poked my head out into the castle corridor as I brushed my hair out.

I looked over to the ever alert page boy, Gregory, at the end of the corridor and he came hustling over.

“My Lady?”

I smiled at him, he was always earnest and eager to please. I said, “Good morning Greg.”

He blushed, he did that with all the lady knights. Then I asked, “Could you please have the livery get Goliath hitched to a wagon for me? We'll need him after we eat, if you could have Cook send something up, we'll be breaking fast in our quarters this morning.”

He bowed his head. “My Lady.”

I laid a hand on his arm as he moved to run off. I know it isn't proper social protocol, but I am no real lady. I asked in worry as he turned to me, “Has there been word from the hospital? And for the hundredth time Greg, call me Laney.”

I knew how quickly word spread through the Wexbury grapevine, so knew he would know what I was asking. He nodded with a smile and said, “Yes my Lady, the Gypsy man is doing much better and they expect him to be awake anytime soon. The arrow missed anything important, he just lost a lot of blood, they were surprised he survived.”

I nodded and assured him, “Alexandru is made of sterner stuff than most.” Then I added, “Thank you.”

He bowed his head again then was off like a shot down the corridor.

I smiled to myself as I felt a weight lifted from my shoulders, knowing my friend would be ok. Then I popped back into my quarters to see what mischief I could get into while we waited for our morning meal. I still felt almost guilty having people serve us. I once tried going down to the large castle kitchens to prepare a meal myself and Corwin, matron of the kitchens, chased me out of her kitchen with a wooden spoon.

After a filling breakfast, Celeste offered her arm to me and I took it with a sigh. I still blushed every time she treated me like a Lady, like I mattered. She led me through the maze of hallways and back corridors that I knew like the back of my own hand now, and out into the livery courtyard.

I had to smile, mother was there with Prime Techromancer Donovan. I released Celeste's arm and hugged them both, the tall bald Techromancer having to bend down to get his hug. Celeste just grinned at that then tilted her head in greeting. “Lady Margret, father. Here to see us off?”

Then I looked around as mother said, “Perish the thought, Celeste. Did you think I would miss this accomplishment of my daughter's? We will be accompanying you.”

I asked, “Where's Jace?”

Donavan spoke, “He is yet at the hospital, waiting to get word to you the moment Alexandru awakens. He takes his job as messenger quite seriously.”

I smiled, my little brother was such a good boy, I was so very proud of how he has excelled in this new world of Lords and Ladies he had been thrust into because of me.

Then he added, “We mustn't tarry, some important people from the Keep are already waiting. There are people from other villages of the realm here to witness this grand experiment, to see if it would help their communities, and representatives from other keeps.”

Oh dear lord. I shook my head. “Or they may be here to witness a spectacular failure.”

He chuckled at my pessimism.

A stable boy pulled up beside us with a Wexbury wagon pulled by Goliath. He hopped down and placed some steps and offered a hand to my mother. Donovan held her other hand and they guided her into the wagon.

I was so happy that she had regained much of her old strength and vitality now that the new medicines kept the symptoms of her Wasting Syndrome at bay. She still tired easily, but that was a small price to pay for getting her life back.

The stable boy offered a hand to Celeste next and she gracefully accepted and mounted up into the wagon. Then I was offered a hand. I rolled my eyes and tousled the young man's hair and grinned at him when it flopped down over his eyes. “I think I've got this thank you.”

He grinned out from under his mop of hair as I stepped up into the wagon, followed by Donovan. When the stable boy started to mount, Celeste smiled at him and shook her head. “We have this thank you.”

He bowed deeply then placed the little steps into the back of the wagon and scurried off toward the livery.

I asked nervously as Celeste and I sat in the driver's seat while my mother and Donovan settled in behind us, “By 'important people' what do you mean?”

He chuckled at my nervousness then explained as Celeste and I fought over the reins. Goliath was not amused and just started toward the courtyard arch before Celeste made a triumphant sound when she got the reins from me.

The charismatic Prime Techromancer said with a humor-filled voice, “Oh, just the Duke and Duchess, some of our top scholars and Techromancers, Emily, Bernadine... and a few others.”

Celeste's mouth twitched up into a wry smile at the dreamy way her father said Emily's name. The Queen of the Scrolls; don't tell her I called her that; was the matron of the great library of the Techromancy Scrolls. The tiny woman was even shorter than me, and Donovan and her really had a thing for each other.

He never acted on his attraction because he felt Celeste would take exception as Emily was just five years her senior. However, nothing would make my Lady happier than if those two were to get together. She loved them both.

We all discussed the happenings of the prior day as we made our way to the Main Portcullis. We saluted the gate and wall guards as we passed through and onto the Ring, the cobblestone highway that was commissioned by Highland Keep long ago to ease travel between the keeps in the Lower Ten.

We reached a fairly new ten foot stone pillar with brass signposts at the top and a dragon weather vane at its apex. One sign pointed back and read “Wexbury” That was obvious since we were just a few hundred yards from the walls of the Keep, the one pointing the opposite direction read “Flatlash.” I grinned at the third, which read Gus Davis Ford, and in smaller letters below it “Treasure of the Realm.” Some prankster had hung a wooden sign below that that read, “The Dig.”

We had paused before we turned onto the new cobblestone road that was under construction by the Highland Keep masons. Prince George himself had commissioned the road when he learned that Wexbury had discovered a settlement from the Before Times. We were unearthing amazing things daily from the great Wizards of the Before there.

I followed Celeste's gaze to the farms and orchards between the Keep and the village of Wexbury Minor. I had to smile at the Auto-Wagons that were moving down the rows of apple trees, their beds were laden with hundreds of bushels of apples each.

They were horseless and were driven instead by powerful electric motors. After Bex had demonstrated that it was possible to build a horseless conveyance like the great Wizards of the Before, our scholars and Techromancers wasted no time in refining his design and adapting it for use in the fields. I was so proud of our scatterbrained tinker.

I hear they even have one in the fields that can plow multiple furrows at a time. Wexbury now has four Auto-Wagons with more under construction. They are modern marvels. I sometimes wonder if there is nothing we cannot accomplish in these modern times.

I heard mother whisper, “Amazing.”

Celeste had Goliath put the wagon back in motion toward the east. After we had traveled a mile, half the distance to the Dig, we left the cobbled road onto the wide dirt road. Tipping our heads in appreciation at the dozen workers in the Highland colors, laying new bricks. It would only take them another month to finish the final mile of the short road.

We paralleled the powerful Hawktail River until we slowed as we entered the Dig. There were dozens of workers carefully removing dirt from around the remains of a couple hundred of the horseless conveyances that were found near a large building that was unearthed just months ago.

That was the most amazing find. We found ten of the conveyances mostly intact, and scholars from all the realms had traveled here to examine them in detail before they were moved to Wexbury where our Techromancers were going to attempt to restore them.

I had to grin and wave back at the steward I had chosen to supervise the Dig and manage my lands, Yvette. She had been a maid in the castle who Celeste and I had taken a liking to. She had a level head and was much smarter than people gave her credit for. She had proven invaluable here on the lands that I was awarded when I became a Techno Knight ascendant.

She was covered in dirt. She wasn't afraid to do the hard work herself. She gave us one last grin then went back to instructing some workers as to what she needed to be done as she leaned on her shovel.

Donovan spoke up, “I was dubious at first when you chose a maid as your steward, Laney. But I am happy to say now that it was an inspired choice. Bernadine herself says that she wishes that other Lords and Ladies has such competent stewards. It makes her job so much easier.”

We moved around the excavation to the large outcropping over a section of the Hawktail that was swollen with one of the few rapids along the length of the river. There were so many people milling about there. I had to swallow.

We paralleled the cables that were thicker than my thumb, that were hung up fifteen feet above the ground on posts along the river. They ran all the way to the Keep and Celeste paused when the three great paddle wheels came into view.

They stood out against the terrain, painted a crimson red, looming twenty feet above the crowd of people milling about. I knew the lower portion of the wheels hanging over the overhang were submerged in the waters rushing through the gully below.

The crowd parted as Goliath lumbered along, we stopped at the roped off area by the giant paddle wheels. The last time I saw the long, low structure, which housed the three huge copper wound generators that were as tall as I was, it was not quite finished. Now the roof, which had not been finished last week, was complete. A portion of it formed an overhang over a heavy iron cage that housed a large lever that was again, as tall as me.

We dismounted, and helped mother down then made our way toward the caged lever. Lord Everett was beside a tall, strong looking, muscled man with silvered hair, who wore robes in the colors of Highland Keep.

They were speaking with Emily and Bernadine. I glanced around to see most of our friends and family in the crowd, including most of the knights and squires in our tight knit group who were not out on patrol. I was getting more nervous. I might fail in front of most of the people we knew.

We walked up to Everett, the man I chose to engineer my project. When I was young, the man had been laughed out of the conclave of Techromancers for suggesting that his interpretation of the old writings of the Before was that the Great Wizards had powered their many machines and gadgets with the rivers. Everyone knew that water and electricity didn't mix. Even I, a barely educated serf, knew that.

But we learned the folly of our 'truth' when we discovered at the ruins of the Great Monolith, that his supposition had been true. Upon the liberation of Far Reach and Treth after the battle of the Monolith, the man was reinstated and given an apology from the realm and the other Techromancers.

I had figured that there wasn't anyone better suited to spearhead my pie in the sky idea than the man who had the vision and stood unwavering as his peers shunned him.

The tall and skinny thirty-four-year-old man with his eye lenses perched on his nose to helped his vision, turned to us with a big smile. And I dropped to the ground when I instantly recognized the powerful looking man beside him who turned around, my eyes on the ground as I bowed in supplication. My heart was threatening to beat right out of my chest as the world around me brightened. I could feel and taste all the metals around me start to quiver in the preparation of coming to me to orbit around me in a cyclone of power and steel. I calmed myself immediately before that happened. My lessons with Donovan had been helping me to control my power when I experienced heightened emotions... like fear. What was HE doing here?

Celeste, mother and Donovan had all taken a knee beside where I groveled on the ground. As she bowed her head, Celeste's unwavering voice said, “Prince George.”

The man was not what I had expected. The paintings were spot on but he didn't have that looming presence in the paintings that had the perspective of someone in the position I found myself in. He didn't have the stern look on his face that was famous throughout the realms.

Instead, the sixty-year-old man had excitement and intelligence glittering around in his ice blue eyes as he smiled and moved excitedly to us pulling each to their feet. He seemed to be bubbling over with enthusiasm as he said hastily, “Up, up, you all look silly down there.”

Then the heavy boots of the ruler of the eleven realms of the lands of Sparo came into view in front of me as he asked someone, “Is this her?”

I heard Everett reply, “Yes my Liege. This is Baroness Laney of Wexbury.”

The most powerful man in the habitable lands crouched in front of me, his hands draped over his knees aloofly as he grinned at me when I chanced to look up. He tilted his head and gave me a toothy grin, and said, “Hi.”

I lowered my eyes and said in a hoarse voice that was barely audible, “My Liege.” Dear Lord Laney, do not lose control of your bladder here.

The man gently reached out to grab one of my hands and said in a mirthful tenor, “Let's speak up here shall we Lady Laney? It is much easier that way.”

I almost gasped when he touched my hand, he had a huge magic potential, I have never felt that much power before except in Prime Techromancer Donovan. The ruler of the realms chuckled when I was standing before him and he joked, “Hmmm... not much taller this way are you?”

I shook my head with my eyes down. “No, my Liege.”

He chuckled and said, “You can look at me. I promise I don't bite. Princess Everly domesticated me long ago.”

I heard a titter from a woman who joined the group.

I looked up at the man and he seemed genuinely pleased and I glanced over and then bowed deeply when I saw Duke Fredrick and Duchess Lucia of Wexbury standing there with none other than Princess Everly on the Duke's arm.

I whispered, “My Lady.”

She was even more lovely than the paintings I have seen. She looked to be in her forties even though she was the same age as the Prince.

She tittered again and said, “Come now child, just call me Everly.”

I looked at her, I'm quite sure I was pale as a sheet. I stuttered, “I... I don't know if I can do that my Lady.”

I saw the measure of the woman in her eyes and could tell why she was chosen by Prince George. She was taking in everything about me, in turn taking my measure behind her smile. I couldn't tell if she approved. But then her smile reached her deep brown eyes and she waved her hand in the air and chuckled out, “Royal decree... it's done, now you have no choice, Laney.”

She was fun. I bowed my head slightly and tried to hide the grin that was threatening, “Yes... Everly.”