‘That’s for sure.’ Dusk replied. ‘You need it in your everyday life. If you have more time, instead, suggestion is a powerful tool especially when your host is asleep. Unlike us, all creatures lower their guard while they rest, even the undead.
‘During their slumber, their mind is helpless and whatever you tell them, they’ll mistake it for their own thoughts. Over time, the seed of doubt you plant will turn into a strong belief that you can nurture or prune as it develops.
‘Another way to bend your host’s will is to amplify and suppress their feelings while they are awake. This way…’
Kelia was supposed to study the power core of the Wayfinder while Dusk instructed Solus but she was too shocked to do anything but listen.
She was pretty sure that Dusk hadn’t done anything like that to her. They rarely fused their minds and when they did it was always limited to a specific topic. Also, she didn’t remember any dream that had changed her way of thinking.
The few she recalled, were just nonsense.
‘If I don’t stop overhearing their conversation, I’m not going to sleep for weeks.’ Kelia shuddered, moving her focus on her breathing technique and from there, on the enchantments surrounding them.
Away from Lith’s wagon, there was less information about the power core but also fewer cloaking runes. Kelia took notes of everything she could grasp past the Royal Forgemasters’ workings as they reached the last car of the Wayfinder and then moved back.
‘Shit! Gravity magic, Dimensional Magic, Light Mastery, several unknown Forgemastering spells, and many more belonging to every single element aside from Spirit Magic.’ Kelia couldn’t read the enchantments due to the cloaking runes but she could still recognize the different energy flows.
‘This thing is more than a masterpiece. Unless we get our hands on a copy of the blueprints, reverse engineering the Wayfinder will be a long and difficult process. The worst part is that without a Light Master, the Empire won’t be capable of making any improvements, only to replicate it as is.
‘Unless we strike a deal with the Eclipsed Lands and Dawn gives us a hand.’ A light smile appeared on Kelia’s face.
She was proud of herself for being able to garner so much during the walk and also of her ability to plan ahead.
‘Maybe Dusk is right. Maybe I’m more than a lump of flesh carrying a powerful artifact.’
***
The rest of the day passed uneventfully and so did the first part of the night.
“What the heck is going on? Why are we stopping?” Lith stood up and moved to the secret panel behind which the power core of the Wayfinder was secured.
The Royal Forgemasters had placed it in the safest place on Mogar. Inside Lith’s compartment, under the crib where the babies slept.
Lith needed to input a code even to move the crib away and reveal the panel.
Then another to open it and a third code to deactivate the safety measure. Otherwise the moment he attempted to study the power core, the artifact would have reacted with extreme prejudice.
“Is everything okay?” Kamila sat up on the bed, checking on Elysia and Valeron first.
‘I know that Tyris must be here somewhere but I can’t relax until I’m sure they are alright.’ The peaceful breathing of the babies and a touch of Abyssal Gaze reassured her of the babies’ condition and warned her that they were about to get peckish in ten minutes or so.
“Peachy.” Lith replied. “I have no idea how the Royal Forgemasters did it, but we have just reached half the autonomy.”
“Is it that amazing?” Kamila activated the holographic panel of the external wall.
The images revealed that the Wayfinder had reached an island and had arranged the wagons in a circle.
“Are you kidding me?” Lith joined her looking at their surroundings. “We’ve traveled non-stop until now, moving at hundreds of kilometers per hour. Any artifact I know would be drained by now.”
The locomotives at both ends of the Train locked with each other, closing the circuit of the arrays. The runes covering the chassis of the Wayfinder spread outward, forming a barrier of solid energy.
The arrays also spread on the inside, sealing most kinds of magic in the space encompassed by the wagons. At the same time, the doors of the carriages blinked green, signaling their occupants that they were free to get out and stretch their legs.
“My bet is that they replaced most of the crystals as soon as they run out of power but we consume them faster than they recharge. If I’m right and we are on the last batch, moving forward would mean going on half a tank in case of attack.”
“It makes sense.” Kamila assembled a portable stroller and put the babies in after covering them with a blanket. “Even if we manage to escape, it would be pointless if the barriers drain the energy we need to float and the Wayfinder sinks.”
A knock on their door drew their attention.
“Guys, we’re going out for a walk.” Orion’s voice said. “Do you want to join us?”
“One moment!” Lith instinctively rubbed Solus’ ring as she came out in her human form.
She couldn’t sleep in her bed due to her weight and once she lost consciousness gravity fusion would fade. Solus had returned to the ring to rest and recover the energy she had lost during the day.
Kamila wasn’t happy sharing her bed and having no privacy, but she cared about Solus too much to leave her on Garlen just for that.
“Where are we, exactly?” Solus asked.
“A bit shorter of the halfway point.” Orion replied. “We had to take a short detour to reach the island of Vura. We are not going to stop here all night. Just until all systems recharge.”
Lith took his communication amulet out of his pocket, finding the runes on its surface to be still there but not available.
“Sorry.” Orion shrugged. “We still can’t allow using dimensional magic. It’s too risky.”
Even elemental magic failed Lith. The soldiers were making a bonfire in the clearing in the middle of the circle with stones, charcoal, and a spark from a flint.
The troops from the Kingdom, the Council, and the Empire stared at each other awkwardly for a while before mingling in front of the campfire. Liquor and hot beverages were being served from the meal carts, helping to break the ice.
“It’s too bad you shared this technology with the Kingdom, Verhen. It would have made you a fine Ruler of the Flames.” Raagu, the human representative stepped out of her wagon.
She was holding a large suitcase in her right hand and a black cat in the crook of her arm.
“And then what?” Lith asked. “I would still be exiled in the Desert, Thrud would still be on a rampage, and the Council would have quarreled about what to do with Trains for decades. And that assuming we won the war.”
“Sounds accurate.” She sighed, unlocking the seals on the suitcase before opening it.
A bunch of dirty bones and tattered robes rolled on the ground.
