Gatewright by Blaisus J. M

Author:Blaisus, J. M. [Blaisus, J. M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Unknown
Published: 2016-08-10T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

The wake of his exit left an oppressive silence. Mood dampened, Riven and I hiked north and shortly encountered the Roanoke River, more of a large stream than an actual waterway. Riven jerked his head for me to keep up, and we marched alongside the sparkling water, following it upstream.

“Do you feel it?” he asked. “The magic?”

I shrugged. “No more than the last time I was here. Going through the gate is always unpleasant, but other than that, I can’t sense a thing.”

“Bizarre,” he murmured. We crossed the river where it flattened out to mere inches and just managed to keep our shoes dry. The foliage here was as barren as back on Earth, except for tiny splashes of color, small flowers that fought back against winter, or tiny birds that disappeared as soon as we spotted them.

Until now, I had been mostly concerned with surviving. Now, I couldn’t help but wonder if our attackers were connected to what might be a broken justice system. When we met the fey, they had told us the clans selected Queens by unanimous decision, which represented popular opinion. They said that free speech was available to all, regardless of rank or lineage. Oh, the lies they told, disguised as truths, those fair folk. We should have listened to our legends.

“How are gates usually made?” I asked at last. The question of the century, and the one I’d wished I could have written a thesis on. No one I’d spoken to ever had the slightest clue. I’d been holding on to my curiosity, carrying it close to my chest, and this was likely the best chance I would ever have at getting it answered. “What are hellstones?”

Riven thought for a long minute before answering. “Once, this was a secret of the royal families.” I waited for him to continue; a strategy I’d learned from Jack. He finally spoke, right before I burst with impatience. “I have determined that it does not violate my vow to conceal this from humans, as you are a gatewright.” I was not going to argue with him on that point. Maybe in every other situation, but for once, my new abilities had given me an advantage. “The Queens activate hellstones to create the portals. I don’t know the mechanics, other than that it does require a very powerful mage.” He grinned a little. “I’d love to test myself against one, some day.”

Hellstones sounded distinctly unpleasant. “Have you seen them? What do they look like?”

“Pocked, uneven,” he mused. “A mix of strange metals. An elohi could give you a better description.”

“Where do you find them?” I pressed. Did these stones exist, undiscovered, in our world?

“I would tell you if I knew,” he smiled wanly at me. “And the same as to why the gates have remained open… no one seems to understand it. Some suspect that the Great Mage cursed us for our carelessness. Some say the Queens are not strong enough to close them. Some say that the humans or an Exile did something to the stones.

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