Page 4

“Of course, Father. I just meant...I’m pursuing the problem and will have results by my next report.”

He hoped, anyway.

King Ereb did not respond right away, one hand stroking his jaw. “I hope you’re correct. I don’t need to tell you how important the Bifrost is. Without the runestones...and the energy of the Bifrost...the mountain would crush our people. Our way of life depends on the work you do at Imenborg.”

“I’m aware.” His voice dropped to a hushed whisper before he squared his shoulders and steadied his voice. “I promise I will have an answer for the vibrations by next month.”

King Ereb nodded. “I will await your report. In the meantime, I plan to send your brother to you, to assist.”

Jael’s heart sank to the pit of his stomach. “Eris? Isn’t he needed in Elysium?”

His father squeezed the bridge of his nose and waved a dismissing hand. “Not Eris. Kora. He needs to get out of Elysium for a while. So I’m sending him to you. To assist.”

Rock and bone.

“Assist? How exactly do you think Kora can assist? He can’t tell an obelisk from a latrine!” Jael regretted the words the moment he said them. He could get away with saying such things to Eris, but King Ereb would not appreciate the scathing sarcasm.

“Your brother can assist by getting out of Elysium. And I leave it to you to convince him that Imenborg is not to his liking. If anyone can dissuade him from this fool brained dream of his, it’s you, Jael.”

“I don’t have time to cater to Kora’s feckless dreams—”

“Make time. Because I need him back in the affairs office with his head filled with protocol and younglings, not runestones. This isn’t a request, Jael. Kora will join you at Imenborg. Let him get his hands dirty. Work him to the point of exhaustion. Pound some sense into him. I don’t care what you do as long as you change his mind. Then you may send him back.”

Jael’s hands curled into fists which he hid behind his back for fear his father would see. What could he say? He couldn’t refuse a direct order, not from his father. Not from the King of Agmon.

It seemed parenting would be added to his job description with no say-so from him.

“When is he to leave?”

“He packs his bags as we speak.”

Jael set his teeth and forced a smile. “Tell him not to pack much: he won’t be here long.”

King Ereb graced him with a rare smile. In fact, he seemed relieved to have the matter decided. “That depends on the success of your efforts. Keep your brother out of trouble, Jael.” With a curt nod, King Ereb stepped backward and severed the link between the obelisks.

Darkness mingled with silence as the obelisk went dormant. Jael left the hall and made his way down narrow stone corridors that wound through Imenborg. The corridors, lit only by amber runestones embedded at intervals on the floor, branched and intersected in what appeared to be random directions, but there was a pattern. It had taken him a dozen months to memorize the tunnels of Imenborg, to understand how they intersected and where they each led.

He came out of this particular corridor into a lengthy, low-ceilinged chamber filled with tables and benches that overflowed with boxes of tools and crates filled with runestones. Half a dozen workers scattered around the room, focused on their task of repairing the precious stones that sustained Agmon.

His second-in-command, a young apprentice with a book perpetually tucked under his arm, caught Jael’s eye as he approached. “I take it by your expression the meeting did not go well.” The young goblin rubbed a soft cloth against the dark runestone in his hand.

Jael stopped beside Math’s bench and locked his hands behind his back. “We’re to have company, Math,” he said, seeing no need to withhold the ill tidings.

“Indeed?” Math bent closer to his task, squinting in the faint light.

“Indeed.” Jael set his mouth in a firm line as he reached for the light stone on Math’s desk. He traced the rune for light against the smooth surface of the stone: three lines resembling the rays of the sun. The stone flickered more brightly in response to his touch, invoked by the magic of the deep earth. He set the stone back on the table beside Math. “My brother Kora should be here in a couple days. The length of his stay is...undetermined. I’m depending on you to help me keep him busy. He wishes to learn the business of runestones.”

Math’s eyebrows pulled together. “And what need does the future Minister of Goblinborn Affairs have for runekeeping?”

“None whatsoever.” Jael met his curious expression with a grim stare. “So let’s show him how tedious the task is and send him on his way.”

A ghost of a smile turned the apprentice’s mouth. “Understood. I shall find him the most abominable tasks.”

Jael felt the weight of the earth lift a wee bit. He couldn’t imagine doing his job without Math. The lad never complained and always supported his decisions without reservation.

“I’m off to walk the Bifrost line. If Kora arrives before I return...best of luck.”

Math’s smile widened. “Thanks for that, Your Highness. Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?”