Chapter 40

Adam wasn’t joking when he said it would only take a couple of minutes. Unlike the panel by the external defences, the stones around the inside gate were broken, letting the elements have their way. What rust didn’t cover had worn away. The inner mechanisms made little sense to Flint. He knew at a glance that he would’ve never succeeded at repairing it alone. There weren’t just gears and chains but long-toothed bars and locking mechanisms too.

At first, Percy appeared apprehensive about Adam’s claims. He kept shooting him and Flint vile, twisted glares. Then Adam raised his right hand, and metallic wisps flowed down his arms and through his fingertips before forming finger-like tendrils and pulling out the mechanism piece by piece. Sweat beaded on Adam’s brow as he delicately dismantled the damaged parts while keeping the interior intact.

Quite a few of the parts crumbled into or broke into fragments as soon as he placed them on the floor. Then Adam started putting the brand new pieces back in. The oily sheen on them suggested Twylip had treated the metal using one of her creations. Flint hoped she would provide more soon for the front gate. The mechanism was much too stiff.

The silver tendrils worked even more delicately as they lifted the gears, shafts, and all the other parts off the ground. Percy waved a hand through the ethereal shape, but his interruption didn’t interrupt the essence’s flow. The old builder’s face reddened further. Adam assembled the mechanism within the wall, and the pieces clicked into place one by one. Adam turned the crank, but a clicking sounded within.

Percy chuckled, glancing at the others, but no one joined in. All eyes were focused on the light surrounding Adam’s left arm. He sighed and pressed a hand against the mechanism. A silver pulse spread from his palm. The energy disappeared into the mechanism before flowing back into Adam’s hand. He pointed at a spot within the panel.

“Can you tighten the stone around the shaft?” Adam asked. “I can’t have the gear slipping.”

“How do you know so much already?” Mr Mayor asked, furrowing his brow. “Isn’t this a new stone?”

“He’s joined a classer,” Flint said. “That comes with benefits.”

[Shape] solved Adam’s issue. When he turned the crank again, something clicked inside the wall. More gears disappeared into the panel, and then Adam manually slipped the chains around their teeth. Altogether, the process took ten minutes. When they tested the crank again, the gates moved.

“The magic of having a tinker,” Flint commented. “Once we secure a source of ore, I’m sure we can supply Lea’s Slumber with Adam’s creations.”

“I’ll build you a workshop twice the size of yours, Adam,” Mr Mayor said. “There is no metal here, and you know for a fact your father won’t allow any ore to leave the village.”

“No,” Adam said.

Mr Mayor and Percy broke into overlapping tirades, but Flint ignored the pair. Instead, he made blocks out of the surrounding rubble and patched the hole around the panel. A familiar hum tugged at him as soon as he patched the last hole. Much to his surprise, the fort shook too. The stones on the outer surface rippled before everything shifted. Then screams sounded from within the fort.

While everyone stood around in surprise, Maya flickered for a moment before disappearing. She appeared again at the fort’s entrance, and the surrounding air had a metallic smell to it. Flint chased after her as soon as he regained his wits and heard Adam’s lumbering footsteps behind him. He caught a glimpse of crackling energy around her limbs before she disappeared into the building.

When he entered the fort, the residents stood with their backs pressed to the external wall. The new residents appeared to have cleared the rubble in the central hallway, creating a clear path to the exit on the other side. However, a new obstacle had appeared in the middle of it. It was a new Heartstone. It rotated while rising out of the floor and into the ceiling above. Dust rained from above, but the surface appeared undamaged. The rainbow runes pulsed, casting their light on the faces of the frightened residents.

Even though Flint would’ve liked to tell the children that everything would be okay, there were no pressing matters. Maya informed him through the empathic link that the stones were shifting on the second floor. As soon as Mr Mayor and Percy entered the fort, they turned left and sprinted down the corridor. Flint hadn’t explored the structure yet, so he chased after them and found the stairs.

“Barricade, Percy!” Mr Mayor yelled without looking back. “We can’t let him get the artifact!”

Percy dropped down to his knees, and dark brown energy shot down his arms into the floor. Flint had never seen a [Building] ability like it. The ability shook the stones and sent cracks through them. He roared, channelling again. The stairs crumbled around him, destroying the first flight. The act didn’t hinder Maya. She leapt over Percy, and the sparks dancing around her arced off her body, grazing Percy. The old man grunted, shaking for a second before collapsing.

“Good girl!” Flint yelled after her as she disappeared into the floor above. He ignored Percy’s groaning form and used [Shape] to grow a large block out of the wall. It took a little scrambling, but he managed to get past the shattered stairs.

Several alarmed pairs of eyes awaited Flint. They spared him a moment before returning their attention to the Heartstone. My Mayor stood in front of it, slack-jawed. A large circular table sat in front of the glowing pillar. Runes covered the stone table, and a mound of sand sat atop it.

Mr Mayor spun on his heel, holding a short metal tube with a curving wooden handle. Flint froze when he recognised the weapon. It was a hand cannon. He’d only ever seen them at the hip of generals, lords and well-off merchants. Shop windows often featured them too, but they kept the firearms disassembled to discourage theft.

“I’m sorry, Flint,” Mr Mayor said. “The [City Planning Table] belongs to Lea’s Slumber. As the former champion’s only descendent only I have the right to use it.”

“I thought Miss Lya was also her descendant.”

“She shed her name and heritage when she got married. I’m the only heir now.”

“This is a part of my life quest, Mr Mayor,” Flint said. “It’s foolish of you to stand in my way. That table is rightfully mine.”

“Well, once I activate it, only I will have access.” Mr Mayor walked backwards, feeling behind him with his free hand. When Maya growled, he swung the firearm around, pointing at her. “Tell her to stand down. I won’t hesitate, Flint. I promise you.”

An empathic nudge got Maya to relax. He couldn’t afford to let her make a rash movement. The hand cannons were known for their power. Flint was sure the pellet would have little trouble ripping through her.

Meanwhile, Mr Mayor reached the table and pressed a hand to it. Nothing changed. The runes didn’t light up, and no other stone shifted. Mr Mayor’s brow furrowed. He glanced over his shoulder at the sand-filled table, and Maya used the opportunity to pad a couple of steps forward.

“Get up here, Percy!” Mr Mayor yelled.

The old builder appeared a minute later, groaning and gasping for air. He gave Maya a wide berth, walking sideways to the table. “This is better than I expected, Mr Mayor,” Percy said, sounding like he hadn’t drunk water in days. “A [City Planning Table] can make us more powerful than any classer.”

“Activate it already, Percy. I can’t tell why it’s not working.”

Percy’s brows furrowed as he pressed his hands to the table. Much like with Mr Mayor, nothing happened. The two men hissed at one another, talking much too low for Flint to hear. Maya didn’t tell him much, so he had no choice but to stand still, hoping Mr Mayor wouldn’t squeeze the trigger.

While Percy circled the table, Mr Mayor’s face reddened. He kept his hand cannon raised but didn’t point it at either of them. Instead, it swayed as he focused more on the old builder than them. Flint communicated his plan to Maya and then made his move.

When Flint stomped his foot and dropped to the floor, Mr Mayor blindly swung the firearm. In his direction and fired. The projectile struck the wall not far above Flint’s head. Fragments of stone pelted the back of his head and neck, stinging his skin. Maya didn’t waste the opportunity. As Flint had requested, she didn’t kill Mr Mayor. She just knocked him to the ground and pressed her fangs to his neck.

“Drop the weapon, or she’ll rip your throat out,” Flint said, rubbing his neck. It came as no surprise when his fingers came away warm and red.

A puck trotted in and kicked Mr Mayor’s wrist. Flint didn’t feel sorry for the man when he heard the bone break. The firearm skittered out of Mr Mayor’s hand and stopped by his feet. Flint snatched up the weapon and pocketed it.

“I’m holding onto this.”

“No one is going to trade with you after this!” Mr Mayor’s voice shook as he spoke. Maya released him and returned to Flint’s side. She sat next to him, wagging her tail and sniffing at his bloody hand. “I’ll tell everyone you attacked me. No one will believe these fae witnesses of yours!”

“They’ll believe me, though,” Twylip said. Flint hadn’t heard her scale the steps. Adam stood next to her, carrying Miss Lya on his back.

“Shame on you, Gunther.” All fight disappeared from Mr Mayor’s eyes on hearing her words. “Your time as Mayor will be over when I tell the council.”

“Please, Miss Lya.” Mr Mayor’s shoulders drooped as he sat up. All of a sudden, he looked much older than his usual self. “I only wanted what’s best for the village.”

“You wanted what’s best for you,” Miss Lya said. “Everyone is sick of you acting selfishly and then declaring it being in the village’s best interests—”

“He forced me—”

“Shut up, Percy.” Miss Lya’s wrinkled faced had lost its usual loving air. Flint only saw cold anger in her now. “I don’t want your excuses. Just stay at the pub and drink yourself into a stupor, why don’t you? That was your favourite thing to do before Flint got here anyway.”

“Please, Miss Lya.” Mr Mayor stood up, dusting off his clothes. “The mayorship is all I have left. Don’t take it away from me.”

“You’re going to stop discouraging the young ones. Let them find work under Flint and make something of their lives. I expect you to take back everything you’ve said to keep people from trading with Twylip.”

Mr Mayor’s beady eyes glanced between Flint and the village elder. He nodded, diverting his gaze to the floor.

“Thank you, Miss Lya,” Flint said. He walked past Mr Mayor, approaching the [City Planning Table]. The rainbow-coloured runes lit up as soon as he touched the ancient machine. The sand mound swirled like a whirlpool before moulding itself into the fort and the slope, displaying everything down to the external walls and several feet beyond. “Does this mean I own the fort now?”

“That’s right, Flint,” Miss Lya said. “The Heartstone and [City Planning Table] recognises you as the guardian of the land and the one guiding it.”

Flint’s heart rate picked up as he studied the display. It showed everything. The sand rippled and flowed, marking the moat and displayed the broken trap slab by the outer gate too. Then letters formed in the sand.

Essence Stores full.

Renewable Resource Node Schematics available.

“Fix the stairs, Percy,” Miss Lya commanded, poking the old builder’s shin with her cane. “I’d like to get home before lunch.” When she hobbled away, Mr Mayor and Percy were forced to rip their eyes from the [City Planning Table] and follow.