The Laws Of Elios (Book 2) (14 page)

“Unbelievable,” commented Leo.  “I thought it was amazing when you were making artifacts.  Now you are beyond that.  Are you a
Lumen Master now?”

“A master
, no,” answered Shane thoughtfully as he concentrated on the table top and a dozen of the small flat blue magical feedback glyphs appeared.”  Sighing he took a deep breath and repeated the process and conjured even more.  Picking them up, he put them in a pouch.  “I have mastered some things but I’m afraid I will be a Lumen Mage for many years to come before I can claim mastery.”

“Well Doc,” Shane smiled, “what are your thoughts how can I get these deployed and not get those deploying them killed or letting the enemy know we are doing it.”

Leo paused and scratched his head as he always did when working out a puzzle.  “I don’t suppose that you have tried to see where the wristbands are manufactured and see if there is any way to attach the glyphs
before
they are deployed by the enemy have you?” queried the older mage.

“Leo, you’re a genius. 
That is just the thing I wasn’t thinking of.  I knew you would give me the kick in the pants I needed.  Once we can get enough Infin citizens protected we can go in and start sneaking up on those that are already wearing bands and work our way with those that we have already shielded.”  Shane jumped up.  I better get with Ari and Shew and get a plan set up.

“Oh, I meant to ask you,
” Shane said as he halted at the door. “How is Kaysee doing?   Is she getting close to learning the glyphs she needs to know to make her own scribe and instructor?”

Leo brightened at the opportunity to talk about Kaysee.  “She is doing fantastic.  I’ve told her to slow down a bit though.  All the work that we have been doing and all of her study seems to be taking a toll.  She hasn’t been getting a lot of sleep and has had a few nightmares.  Ava pulled her off of the
refugee runs; she thinks it might be the stress of seeing so many of those enduring some of the trauma she went through when Soaris rescued her.  It appears to be helping she does seem to be resting more and the bad dreams are less now that she is remaining in Yllyan.”

Shane paused frowning and pondered for a moment.  She wasn’t touched by any Allyant possessed was she?” he asked.

“Absolutely not; we would have known.   Ava or Laura has always been with her whenever she has been abroad on refugee missions.  I doubt that anyone would have been able to get close enough to harm her considering how protective your mother and Ava are towards her,” Leo said humorously.

Shane reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of
silver rings.  “Here, put this on he said without ceremony.  When you see Kaysee have her wear the other one.  This will protect you both from,” he paused,” from a lot of things,” he deferred.  “It will also let me know if either of you are in trouble.  Keep her in Coholo until she feels better and I have a chance to see if she may have had any accidental exposure.  Also could I get you to make a few more?”  Shane closed his eyes for a moment. “The glyphs are in your scribe under protection ring two.  If you have time, please make some for the rest of the mages here at the lab.”

“Will do,” acknowledged the professor. “Let me know if there is anything else.
  Also, would you let Ava know that I’m almost done with her monorail plates?  This is the final one and I should be done in an hour so.”

“As soon as I see her,” promised Shan with
a wave as he disappeared from view in an unseen flash of lumen.

Ari
was just sitting down at the galley table of the sloop with Shew; Nuekirk filling cups of freshly brewed roasters, when Shane appeared beside him causing Shew to spill the hot beverage on his hand.  “Blast it boy,” yowled the retired spy - followed by a stream of profanity, “if you don’t kill me from a heart attack you’re going to cause me to scald myself to death.”

“Watch your language in front of the kid,” scolded Ari as he slid over on the bench seat so that Shane could sit, “He doesn’t need to learn that kind of vocabulary at his age.”

“Humph,” gruffed the old man.  “That aint vocabulary, that’s the experience of seventy five years of sentence enhancers.  Someday he’s going to have to work with someone like
you
and he’ll thank me for it.  Besides he aint no kid anymore; he’s a big man now that he has a woman friend he’s been making eyes at and see’n when he doesn’t think I’m watching.”

“Hey,” Nuekirk sounded off, “How did you know we were seeing each other?  I was using everything you taught me whenever I went to see her.”

Both Shew and Stafford laughed at the inexperienced youth.  Ari beat Shew to the punch and said, “Kid you need to realize that Shew may have taught you everything you know, but he in no way close has taught you everything he knows.”  Turning to Shew, “Have you vetted her,” he asked with concern?

“She’s fine; a bit of a gold digger, but she is what she seems to be,” Shew said with a resigned look.

“Roasters, monsieur Shane?” asked Nuekirk respectfully hoping to change the subject.

“No thanks,” responded Shane as he chuckled at the banter between Shew and Ari
as he watched the boy return the pot to the stove.  Grab some yourself if you want.”  Turning to Ari he said, “You got here fast.  I thought you were going to be tied up at the navy yard for a while.”

“I was at a stopping point when you comm’d so I showed John what I wanted and he and Lance are going to finish up the scribing on the new patrol ships.  Since I wasn’t needed I came here.  I will need
to go back later and help with the nav and the propulsion controls but they won’t need me for a bit – probably not until tomorrow. 

So what kind of trouble have you got in store for us today?” asked Ari with a grin.

Shane smiled back, “Why do you always assume that everything I do causes trouble?” Shane asked with pretended effrontery.  Looking around he asked Shew.  “I am a little bit hungry; do you guys have any fruit?”

“
No,” Shew answered catching the hint. “But that reminds me, I was going send the kid after some apples and pears that they keep fresh in the root cellars at the Farmers Market later today,” answered the old man.

“No worries,” Shane replied.  “I don’t want to put anyone out.”

“You’re not putting anyone out.  The lad has been aching to get out of here all day.  Too much closed in space here for a boy his age anyway.  “Hey kid,” yelled Shew.  The teen had disappeared below decks.

“Coming,” responded a returned holler
, followed by a clambering of hurried feet.  “Yes, Mr. Shew,” he asked carefully as he reached the galley.

“I need you to run to the Farmers Market and grab some apples and pears,” Shew instructed.  We’ll be here a while so take your time.  I’ve kept you stuck here a lot lately - go stretch your legs.  A boy like you needs some fresh air.  Grab about a dozen each,” he added as he handed the lad a handful of Luion
coins.”

“It’s pretty busy sir I may be a while,” offered Nuekirk
in what he obviously hoped was an innocent observation.

“Do your best,” responded Shew.  Just make sure you are back here by nightfall.”

The lad bounded down the stairs and through the store room portal within seconds; as if he was trying to be gone before Shew could give him another assignment or change his mind about his curfew.”

Shane and Ari stared at one another for a moment then finally Shane nodded.  Ari got up and casually went below decks.

“What gives,” asked the old spy, looking from Shane and then back towards the stairway that Ari had just descended.

“Did you know that the kid has a pair of your vid artifacts set up in his room to record
our galley conversation?” commented Shane.

“That little son of a flea infested mongrel bit…”  The old man paused uncharacteristically amid his burst of profanity.  “I should have seen it coming,” he muttered.  “The little snit has been stealing everything
not tied down since he arrived.  I wonder who he is selling information to.”

Ari reentered the galley and dropped a couple of very small artifacts onto the table.  “He’s been selling his little secrets to a smuggler named Soaris.”  Both Shane and Ari burst out laughing.  The idiot has no
idea who Soaris really is.  He just thinks that he’s helping the most notorious smuggler ever known in the artifact trade.  Shane suspected him from the start because he had an arm band on voluntarily.  He figured the kids was either very amoral or he was under the control of the king.  Shane was ready to drop him into the ocean from twenty thousand cubits but I suggested we use him.  After a quick look at his lumen we could tell he wasn’t under any Allyant influence so we figured he was just a greedy urchin.”

“I knew the little bastard was a thief,” Shew repeated, “but I never saw the espionage coming.”

“Well he’s not the brightest crystal in the chandelier,” said Ari.  “It took a lot of prodding to get him to see the opportunity.  I’ve got him in a position that will make him highly targetable should Allion get a spy situated here in Lu Y Onton.  The kid can’t keep his mouth shut.  If I was going to insert an asset into this area I’d pick up on a loudmouth kid in a second and that’s who I’d first start using for info.  We’re just bringing you in on it because as his handler you need to start watching your back.”

“Worst case scenario,” added Shane reaching into his pocket and tossing a ring to Shew.  “The kid gets Allyant possessed and tries for someone close to either the two of us.  Put that on and keep it on and you’re safe and sound.”

“You know what really ticks me off,” Shew spat.  “That I missed it.  Worse, you,” he glared at Ari. “You not only caught it but you maneuvered him into another one of your plans and you’re playing with him like a toy.  Here I thought that you were going to retire from all that.”  Turning to Shane, “and you.  I remember when you were such a nice kid.  You were so polite and well behaved.  This guy,” he indicated Ari “is a bad influence.  You keep hanging around him and you’re going to pick up some bad habits.  More than likely you’ll end up like me and develop a talent for descriptive speaking to describe guys like him.”

After a brief chuckle Shane cleared his throat. 
“I have an answer for the wristband problem.” He added seriously.

“Really
,” Ari perked up, “what did you find out?”

“Actually it came from what I observed when I cleared out all of the Allyant presence from Valee.  I then took what we know so far about the wristbands and came up with this.”  Shane produced one of the small blue feedback glyphs.

“What the…” started Shew as he bent closer and squinted at the small blue circle.  “What in the world is that little thing?” asked the old man as he scowled at Ari.

“That is a glyph,” Shane said proudly.  “Harder than a dickens to make but it will neutralize an Allyant wristband and protect the user; allowing us to get them to safety or to be used safely by our agents in order to infiltrate.”

Shane then pulled a handful of wristbands from his pack, one of each type, and set them on the table.  The older man pulled back reflexively.

“Relax,” Shane said dismissively.  “These are no longer effective.  He held up a couple and showed the inside. See the blue dot?  These have been neutralized.  I thought that it might be helpful in your infiltration if you could blend in.  Just make sure you don’t get them mixed up with one that doesn’t have the dot.”

“How does it work?” asked Shew, unable to contain his curiosity.

Shane explained the function and the idea that Leo had suggested.  An hour later Ari and Shew had a plan to go get more information from up close.

Shew stood, “Guess I better get my darks on, I have a little work to do.”

“Ari, d
o you have those rings we made for Shew and the kid?” asked Shane.

Ari opened a pocket in a tool belt that he had taken to wearing lately. “Here you go, all done.”

Shane took the two brass looking rings from him and said, “Shew, before you head out I want you two to wear these along with the one I just gave you.  They will protect you from the Allyant magic as much as I can think of at the moment, but don’t count on it too much because there’s still a lot I don’t know.  Also there is a heal function on it so if either you or the kid get hurt just get somewhere safe and this should help you until you can get to help.  It also has camouflage ability.  Put it on your middle finger if you need to blend in.  Put it on your index finger for normal visibility.  Lastly if you get your back against the wall and there’s no way out or you need to get the kid out just touch both rings together and you will teleport to a safe location close to where a healers can be reached – just in case.

Shew took the rings and put one on and pocketed the other nodding, his face taking on the appearance of concentration and somberness that he expressed as he put
his mind into mission mode.

“One more thing Shew,” Shane added as the older man started to head below decks to get his gear. “Martha is all settled in at Valee, you’ll like the house.  She’s safe.  Soaris got her there last night.  I thought you might want to know.”

The old man pretended not to smile but
Shane thought he recognized a trace of relief in his eyes.  With a silent nod he disappeared down the stairs.