Maker of Fire

Usruldes/Hessakos/Irhessa, Palace/6 Brewers’ Row

It had been a while since I last broke into the palace. It would make a nice warm-up for me, lest I get too rusty at breaking and entering. I was amazed there were no wards on the windows. I used my mind's hand to lift the latch and swing the window open. Emily was sitting up in bed watching, fascinated at what I was doing. I motioned her over to the window.

"Put this on the bed," I whispered as I gave her a sealed piece of parchment. She gave me a questioning look. "It's a note from Usruldes that we've gone on a little ride and will be back by dinner. It will stall a search being mounted for us, and we really should back by evening." She nodded and tossed the parchment on the bed.

"Now let me put this around you. Put your arms up." I cinched up the safety belt I made for her in a hurry around her upper chest at the level of her armpits. It was secured to a crenulation of the roof stonework. She probably didn't need it but it made me feel better.

"Now start climbing," I told her. "I'll be right behind you as soon as I close and lock the window." I was hanging by the line that I used to rappel to her window. I had her stand on my forearm to get her balance while climbing out the window.

She was a little slower climbing in the dark than she had been in the daylight, but she was a good climber. I was impressed by her skill. When she stood up on the edge of the roof, Cadrees picked her up with his beak and deposited her on the saddle. I was right behind but took a moment to coil and stow the climbing ropes.

"Next stop, Brewers' Row." Cadrees lifted off, following the roofline and then climbing. He circled to the south and then came in low over the rooftops till he wing-braked over my backyard lit up with light charms. My wife was waiting for us.

"Hello, I'm Oyyuth," she smiled at Emily. "I'm Hessakos' wife. Would you like a lift down?" Emily looked at the distance from Cadrees' back to the ground and then nodded yes. "I have a pile of clothes and shoes ready. It's all outgrown kid clothes and hand-me-downs but there should be something you can wear." She led Emily off while I got the saddle off Cadrees.

By the time I was done making Cadrees comfortable for the night, Emily already had an undertunic, overtunic, and long pants. She was sitting on a padded footstool with my oldest, Fedso'as, sitting on the floor and passing her shoes and boots to try on.

"Hey dad," Fedso'as meant to educate me, "this Coyn can't talk at all."

"Yes, I know, daughter," I reached down and tousled her hair. "Where's your mother?"

"Went to put the midget to bed."

"What did I tell you about that language?" I didn't like it when she called her little brother that.

"But he is a midget and he'll always be a midget to me. I'm always going to be bigger than him."

"You don't know that for sure," I tried reasoning with her. I should have known better.

"Even if he's a silverhair, I'll still be bigger because girls always have more magic power than boys," she said as if that was the end of the discussion. "The priestess said I'm going to be a silverhair with so much magic that I could join any shrine I want."

"That's not the reason I want you to stop saying that and you know it," I chided. "It's what you are on the inside that matters, not the physical advantages you were born with. By saying you'll always be bigger is really saying you'll always be better, despite your brother's inner worth. Worth is not what you're born with, it's what you make of yourself, isn't it?"

Fedso'as pouted and didn't answer.

"Isn't it?" I persisted. I had noticed my daughter had been thinking a bit too well of herself ever since she was admitted to study at the Shrine of Mugash right at the exam, which is unusual. I wanted to stop this line of thinking before it got out of hand, especially before she met her grandmother. I noticed my wife listening from the doorway.

"Fedso'as," I warned. "You are in danger of becoming conceited. That's my real point. Having a lot of magic doesn't make you a better person, it only makes you more powerful. It's not what you are, it's what you do that's important."

"But Dad, don't we use that power to heal the sick and take care of the Coyn? If we take care of them and all the flying mounts too, doesn't that make us superior? How can those with magic be caretakers without being superior?"

"And if someone who is less magical than you can take care of themselves without your help and protection, who then is superior?"

"Don't be silly, Dad," she looked like she was sure she would win this little argument. "For example, would this cute little Coyn ever be able to feed herself, or clothe herself or fight off predators without our help? She can't, right? We both provide for her and protect her. By the way, Dad, is she ours? She's cute."

"Pfffft," my wife tried and failed to contain a laugh. Emily smiled and shook her head.

Fedso'as turned her head and gave her mother an indignant look with all the dire drama that only a 12-year-old can command, "what's funny about this?

"You didn't introduce our house guest, dear?" I asked. I confess I was ready to enjoy what came next.

"I'll let you do the honors, Luv," she grinned back.

"My darling daughter," I was trying not to look smug and knew I was failing. "Take a look at our guest's left hand."

"What's wrong with her...," she stared. "Oh. You don't have an owner."

"Great One, this is my darling but clueless daughter, Fedso'as. She will be enrolled on cold season midday as a healer-in-training at the Shrine of Mugash, where you reside for now." At this point, my daughter's wide eyes and dropped jaw were quite a sight. "Fedso'as, this is the Blessed Emily, Revelator of Tiki." Emily smiled in a friendly way and waved at Fedso'as, as if cued. "Before the queen rescued her after a mishap, the Blessed Emily lived by herself in the wilderness on the other side of the lava plains and had done so for many years."

"Surd save us! I am so sorry, Great One," Fedso'as made a deep obeisance. "Please forgive me, I spoke without thinking." Emily nudged her with a foot, rolled her eyes for dramatic effect, and motioned Fedso'as to get up.

"Fedso'as, Emily has no magic and never will have any magic," I took advantage of my daughter's flustered state to drive the lesson home. "But she is in every way your better, both in rank and accomplishments, and always will be. So, no more midget talk and no more bigger is better attitude. Understand?"

"Yes, Dad," she hung her head, aware of how big her mistake was.

"Emily, have you found shoes or boots yet?" She nodded at me.

"Good. We all need to go to bed now since Emily and I need to leave before dawn. Emily, we'll wake you when it's time. Let me show you where you can sleep tonight."

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Emily, at 6 Brewers’ Row/Valley of the Vanishing River

Hessakos and Oyyuth had a Coyn-scaled guest room which surprised me, complete with a Coyn-sized necessary in a side room. Oyyuth woke me while it was still dark out. She left me with some hot sweet tea and a meat roll.

By the time I staggered out to the back of the house, Hessakos had Cadrees ready including some supplies like bags for rocks, hammers, and chisels made of bronze, and traveling food. There were no stirrups on the saddle. Apparently, this is normal for eagles. There's a funny sort of seat belt arrangement which helps the rider stay on the eagle. Hessakos had added one for me in front of where he usually sits.

It was a bit chilly out when we got up in the air. Hessakos lent me a sheepskin cape that his son had outgrown, but it was big on me. I ended up belting it to keep it on. When we were flying, it was nice and warm. Is'syal is further north than Aybhas so our route was more to the west than to the north. Watching dawn break over the mountains behind us was lovely. Cadrees detoured a little so we could watch the sun come up.

I was surprised that Hessakos and Cadrees knew the river valleys and ranges north of the volcanic rift zone well. That's how I found out that Hessakos spent a couple of years just exploring when he was young so he knew the same landmarks I knew. Our first stop was along the river bottoms of the Vanishing River before it reached its sink. I found several yews that were good enough for bow staves. I was amazed at how quickly Hessakos cut them for me. What would have taken me half a morning, he did in a few breaths. We added four bow staves to the load Cadrees was carrying.

Our second stop was at the edge of the sink itself, where the swamp cedar trees grow. Hessakos cut enough straight cedar branches for four dozen arrows. I was guessing it was around the second bell. Then we climbed over the top of what I had named Tourmaline Mountain and Cadrees searched for a landing spot.

We landed at the crest of the ridge above the tree line because Cadrees needed a break. If I had been on my own, I would have gotten off the mountain immediately because I saw the signs that a storm was coming in from the west. I realized that with Cadrees we could get to the valley bottom in minutes so it was far less of a problem than when I was living alone. Still, we needed to stay aware of that line of clouds.

Hessakos made a clever little tablet with a strap that fit my hand, the strap went across my palm and the tablet rested against the back of my hand with the wax side up. The stylus was attached by a hefty string so it wouldn't get lost if I dropped it. When Cadrees had landed but before we got off, I wrote "storm" on the tablet and showed it to Hessakos.

"Is there somewhere we can shelter if we need to?" he asked. "Not that I'm saying we should stick around that long, but it's good to have a backup plan."

I wrote: "Magnetite vein, at the bottom. Might need to scare the snow bears away."

"Where is that, Emily, and what is magnetite? I heard the name a few times before but it means nothing to me."

I drew a map in the wax showing where we were on Tourmaline Mountain. The next peak to the north I called Box Top Mountain because it reminded me of the top of a breakfast cereal box. It hosted part of the metamorphic core complex rocks. The next peak I called the Capitol because its shape reminded me of the dome on the U.S. Capitol Building. The fourth peak was what I called Iron Mountain because that's where the magnetite vein was. I'm not sure if it was technically a vein or a dike or both, but that's the sort of thing geologists like to waste time arguing over. I just know that this near-vertical five-to-15 meter thick vein of magnetite ran from the treeline of the mountain to a topographic bench halfway down.

The place I got my magnetite was where the vein intersected the bench. I never bothered to map much of the geology but I was sure there was a big unconformity there. There were other mafic rocks present too, including some lovely black and green peridotite. It was also the place where I used my black powder to get the magnetite to cave downwards. Blowing up the bottom of the vein created an alcove which I thought both Cadrees and Hessakos could fit into.

"So, three peaks up and then follow the outcrop of black rock down to where the ground levels off," Hessakos looked over the map. "Let's check it out and then we can come back here to look for your mystery mineral. Cadrees, I'm going to mindcast this destination map for you. Got it yet?"

"I got it," the eagle replied. "Are you ready to fly?"

"Yep"

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