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Authors: Brian Rathbone
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light streaking through them. Everyone had heard of shooting stars, and Riette had even seen one once, but never like this. Every fifth breath brought another streak, all moving in the same direction. Away from the lights of town, the stars were even brighter in the night sky, and that night, with Tuck holding her hand, the stars danced. Riette dreamed of fire in the skies.
* * *
Within the hallowed halls of Ri, the world's first city carved into a mountain, walked a stern-faced woman. Not far away stood a very different kind of hollow mountain. The contrast was an unwelcome reminder of past and, more important, present weaknesses. Without the advantage dragons afforded, the Heights would have fallen long ago. Casta Mett had no love for dragons, but she did appreciate their tactical advantages. The Zjhon were limited to mostly metal, wood, canvas . . . and magic. The last part kept Casta focused. Argus Kind had already assembled the greatest collection of magical artifacts ever known to exist, and sometimes he let her bathe in its power. Other times, he did not. Sent her to find her own replacement, she was allowed naught but the magic she brought into their relationship. Lord Kind said that was itself a kindness since he did not let anyone else retain magic. She was no ordinary soldier. She was Al'Zjhon. She did his bidding, and he needed her to be effective.
Fingering a worn artifact, she once again appreciated the power it granted. Agger, on the other hand, knew nothing of magic. His specialty was tracking people. Her specialty was tracking magic. The two did not always mix well. The boy he and Grunt had taken looked a little odd, with big ears and dark freckles, but not a lick of magic. Identifying other people who can use magic was not among her talents, but she had worked out a simple test using her artifact. When Agger and Grunt presented the boy to Argus, he used a similar test. Holding a sparkling bauble in one hand and Azzakkan's Eye mostly concealed in his other, he watched the boy's eyes. The boy followed the sparkling bauble and never even glanced at the other hand.
"I don't even know why I waste my time," Argus Kind said. "The only thing you two ever brought me was her." He pointed his thumb at Casta. "And my patience with her is wearing thin. Watch her closely. She's withholding information."
Few things were worse than having someone talk about you as if you weren't there, but having the king insinuate she was a traitor put her on more dangerous ground than she had anticipated.
Argus turned and regarded her. "Come on, then. Show me the trinket you've brought me to satisfy my appetite for power."
Again, she was caught off her guard. Fondling the small metal device she'd been holding for that exact purpose, she questioned whether to give it to him or not. He would have her searched, and she had no desire to go through that again. Instead, she essentially admitted her guilt by handing him the mechanical box.
"And let me guess. This won't actually be of any use to me in the war, but it is if great historical value."
It was true. It wasn't her fault not all artifacts were weapons. And magic was magic. The artifact she used to find magic made no distinction based on the purpose of any given artifact, only that it contained a certain amount of power. Such was the mechanical box.
"When the goddess returns to the skies," Casta said. "This machine will tell you how many comets will be in the sky on any given date and the size of the largest."
"I'm certain that will be quite useful in a couple thousand years, but it does me little good. Why did you bring me this?"
"I was drawn to it by the residual power it holds. I thought it would make a good addition to your collection."
"This is war. I need potent magic and a better way of finding it. No more useless trinkets. Bring something or someone useful, or don't come back, any of you."
His words stung. Even though she knew not to expect kindness from
* * *
Within the hallowed halls of Ri, the world's first city carved into a mountain, walked a stern-faced woman. Not far away stood a very different kind of hollow mountain. The contrast was an unwelcome reminder of past and, more important, present weaknesses. Without the advantage dragons afforded, the Heights would have fallen long ago. Casta Mett had no love for dragons, but she did appreciate their tactical advantages. The Zjhon were limited to mostly metal, wood, canvas . . . and magic. The last part kept Casta focused. Argus Kind had already assembled the greatest collection of magical artifacts ever known to exist, and sometimes he let her bathe in its power. Other times, he did not. Sent her to find her own replacement, she was allowed naught but the magic she brought into their relationship. Lord Kind said that was itself a kindness since he did not let anyone else retain magic. She was no ordinary soldier. She was Al'Zjhon. She did his bidding, and he needed her to be effective.
Fingering a worn artifact, she once again appreciated the power it granted. Agger, on the other hand, knew nothing of magic. His specialty was tracking people. Her specialty was tracking magic. The two did not always mix well. The boy he and Grunt had taken looked a little odd, with big ears and dark freckles, but not a lick of magic. Identifying other people who can use magic was not among her talents, but she had worked out a simple test using her artifact. When Agger and Grunt presented the boy to Argus, he used a similar test. Holding a sparkling bauble in one hand and Azzakkan's Eye mostly concealed in his other, he watched the boy's eyes. The boy followed the sparkling bauble and never even glanced at the other hand.
"I don't even know why I waste my time," Argus Kind said. "The only thing you two ever brought me was her." He pointed his thumb at Casta. "And my patience with her is wearing thin. Watch her closely. She's withholding information."
Few things were worse than having someone talk about you as if you weren't there, but having the king insinuate she was a traitor put her on more dangerous ground than she had anticipated.
Argus turned and regarded her. "Come on, then. Show me the trinket you've brought me to satisfy my appetite for power."
Again, she was caught off her guard. Fondling the small metal device she'd been holding for that exact purpose, she questioned whether to give it to him or not. He would have her searched, and she had no desire to go through that again. Instead, she essentially admitted her guilt by handing him the mechanical box.
"And let me guess. This won't actually be of any use to me in the war, but it is if great historical value."
It was true. It wasn't her fault not all artifacts were weapons. And magic was magic. The artifact she used to find magic made no distinction based on the purpose of any given artifact, only that it contained a certain amount of power. Such was the mechanical box.
"When the goddess returns to the skies," Casta said. "This machine will tell you how many comets will be in the sky on any given date and the size of the largest."
"I'm certain that will be quite useful in a couple thousand years, but it does me little good. Why did you bring me this?"
"I was drawn to it by the residual power it holds. I thought it would make a good addition to your collection."
"This is war. I need potent magic and a better way of finding it. No more useless trinkets. Bring something or someone useful, or don't come back, any of you."
His words stung. Even though she knew not to expect kindness from
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