Coming to Power by T J Marquis

Author:T J Marquis [Marquis, T J]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-05-29T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

The Throne

There was seemingly nothing so simple as the ziri for the group to take as vehicular booty from their trek through the Maw. Everything else they’d seen was either a military vehicle - armed for battle, with a myriad of controls and incomprehensible labels - or the few remaining barges. Jon was tempted greatly to load a few crates of weapons onto one of the barges left behind by the Nulians, but knowing the bulk of their army was encamped just beyond the horizon gave him pause.

“Those things are the size of a football field,” he said as the party conferred on the platform at the Maw’s exit. It was a bright, blue morning, already hot enough to draw sweat in the shade. “If the Nulians are marching north, their scouts might see it coming down the mountainside and come after us. We shouldn’t waste time on a confrontation.”

No one else knew what football was, but they got the picture. The compact hoverbikes would be their best, and fastest bet, at getting ahead of the enemy’s march.

“I’m still wondering why they didn’t clean this place out completely,” Naphte said as the group prepared to mount up and head down the mountain.

“Well it looked like they were trying to make a second pass at it as they retreated,” Dahm said. “Maybe the plan was to bring the rest of the loot down in shipments.”

“So they might be back,” Bahabe said, “Unless they’re afraid of the guardian.” Her eyes were still dark, but Jon sensed the night’s sleep had done her some good.

Jon had related his encounter to everyone over breakfast that morning, and they were duly impressed by his descriptions of Jeremiah. They too wondered about the strange shadow creature the guardian had apparently been restraining. He’d thought perhaps it was the dark man that Jeremiah had described, but the guardian had spoken of the Nulians’ god as a distant thing. Still, the memory of the creature sent a chill up Jon’s spine.

As the others finished packing up their bedrolls, Jon caught sight of Dahm, studying the Path through the Maw. He was testing the surface with his fingers, and then he dipped them into it, as if it were liquid.

“Whoa,” Jon said.

Dahm glanced up. “I suppose it would be surprising, if you haven’t done it before. It’s a peculiar substance, almost like it’s living metal!”

“Sounds like a band name,” Jon said.

“What?” Dahm asked.

“Nevermind. So you’re going to make something out of it?”

“Well yes. All the places I’ve been, I’ve never seen the like of it. I thought it would be perfect for a new sword. I’m almost completely sure I can sample some, without breaking the integrity of the whole machine,” Dahm said.

He reached his hands in to the wrists, and scooped out the metal as if it were clay. Two small craters were left behind. He swiftly shaped the strange metal into a blade and simple hilt, grinned as he presented it to Jon, who was in awe of Dahm’s speed with the magic.

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