Farmathr returned two hours later. In his absence, we’d packed up, and made ready for another long ride, and Althyof had taught me the basics of enchanting, reviewing the runes I wanted to inscribe on Jane’s golden spear.
Farmathr looked at our preparations with a slight smile on his lips. “Everyone ready?” he asked, looking at each of us in turn. When he got to me, his face was pleasant, as if we’d never spoken about Helhaym. He led us across the long lobby into the darkened area on the far side. The lights on the high ceiling hadn’t fared as well on this side of the room, and shadows reigned. Farmathr strode through a set of wide doors and skipped down three flights of stairs.
“Are all the rooms this smooth?” asked Althyof.
“All the ones I’ve seen are,” said Farmathr.
“Masterful craftsmanship,” Althyof muttered.
“At least we will make better time on horseback,” said Mothi. “Though what the horses will eat is beyond me.”
Farmathr laughed. “Patience,” he said.
Mothi’s expression communicated how much he liked that answer with no room for doubt—or maybe it was being laughed at that offended him. The big Isir shook his head and glanced at me.
“We don’t like surprises overly much, Farmathr,” I said.
He looked my way, and his expression soured a little. “Fine, fine. We’re almost there, anyway. Your horses won’t eat more than the provisions you’ve brought with you, nor will we ride them. Isi built a wonder down here in the dark. A barge that rides the air and travels faster than a man can ride. It will take us far to the north before nightfall.”
“Is it safe after all this time?” asked Jane.
Farmathr shrugged. “The ‘lectrics and plasms can be wicked and deadly if let out to run, but they are both safe enough trapped in their tiny tubes, as they are in the tunnel we will use.”
“I meant the train, or whatever it is. Are the tracks maintained? Are the tunnels free of debris?”
Farmathr shrugged again. “They leave no tracks. Either the tunnels are clear, or they aren’t. They were the last time I rode the FTTN. We’ll know more when we see the platform, won’t we?”
The expression on my wife’s face matched Mothi’s, but she didn’t pursue it.
We followed him down a tunnel wide enough for us to all walk side by side, and out onto the universe’s biggest subway platform. The platform perched between two parallel tunnels. To the left, the tunnel ran north, while the tunnel to the right ran south. In the left-hand tunnel, a huge, rectangular platform furnished with conversation pits that matched those found in the lobby above, hung in midair. In the tunnel that ran to the south, the platform lay in its berth but canted to the side at a dangerous angle.
“You see?” Farmathr bubbled like a child, almost hopping from foot to foot in his excitement. “Isn’t it grand? Isn’t it magnificent?”
Jane’s gaze lingered on the northbound platform. “What happened there?”
“Oh, who knows,” snapped Farmathr. “It’s always been that way.”
Veethar looked down the southbound tunnel. “Where is the terminus of this platform?”
Farmathr shrugged—it was becoming his signature gesture. “Remember what I said about the ‘lectrics and the plasms? They run free on that side so I wouldn’t recommend exploring that tunnel.”
“Pity,” said Veethar.
“Come on,” said Farmathr. “Get aboard the platform, and let’s be on our way.”
Everyone looked at me—even Meuhlnir—and I wondered again when I was elected leader. “This isn’t up to me alone,” I said.
Mothi grinned and opened his mouth—no doubt to call me by a new nickname—but Sif elbowed him and made a face.
With a sigh, I stepped onto the platform, and the floor first flickered, then shone with a warm yellow light. Farmathr smiled and stepped on the platform after me. We loaded the horses aboard, dropped our packs, and everyone took a seat. “What now?” I asked.
Farmathr grinned and closed his eyes.
“Do we sit here and wait for something to happen or do we do something?”
Farmathr raised a lazy hand and flicked his fingers behind us. I followed his gesture and gasped. The platform was already moving, and the lights of the FTTN terminal were already far behind us.
“There’s no sound,” muttered Jane. “No engine, no electric motor, no wheels on a track.”
“No wind,” said Veethar.
“Isi is powerful,” muttered Farmathr. “Did I not mention it?”
“Was,” snapped Meuhlnir. “Isi passed from this realm thousands of years ago.”
“Did he?” asked Farmathr, sounding amused.
“Yes. Trapped beneath the surface by the Isir, he used the power of Nithukkr to bury himself in molten stone.”
“Did he?” repeated Farmathr. Meuhlnir scoffed and turned away from Farmathr, who seemed content to sit there with his eyes closed.
I glanced behind us; the FTTN terminal was no longer visible. “Whatever this platform is, it’s fast. I can’t see the terminal at all.” It didn’t even feel as if we were moving. In the dark tunnel, there was no way to measure our progress, and with no wind, there was no sense of speed.
I pulled my scroll case off my shoulder and considered it, tracing the gold inlay with my fingertips. The warm yellow light reflected from the floor of the platform through the gold tracery was soothing, relaxing.
“Put that damn thing away,” muttered Althyof. “If you need to play with the runes, let’s get back to the enchanting lesson.”
I got the spear and followed him to the back of the platform. He sat in one of the plush chairs, and I sat across from him.
“Is it as simple as carving the runes I’d otherwise cast during a trowba?”
“Is anything ever as simple as that?” asked the Tverkr with an arched eyebrow. “No, carving the runes is simply what binds the kaltrar to the physical object. The power comes from the three pillars of the art as we’ve discussed.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I may as well show you. Tell me what you wish this spear to be.”
“I want it to be a ranged weapon. Something Jane can hurl from above the battlefield.”
“So she doesn’t have to be within melee range, yes?”
“That’s it,” I said.
He nodded, and his eyes tracked forward to linger on Meuhlnir’s head. A sly grin spread across his face. “I know what to do.” He picked up the spear. “Here, let me show you.” He patted his pockets. “Do you happen to have a chisel?”
I was about to say no when I remembered the chisel Kuhntul had given me to change Kuthbyuhrn’s uhrluhk. I hadn’t thought about it since the cave, but I could almost hear her voice in my ear. Remember the chisel. Those had been her parting words before she flung me back into my body. I thought about it, and it appeared in my palm. I handed it to the master enchanter.
“It’s warm!” Althyof’s eyes widened. “Are you ever going to tell me about those damn dreams you had?”
In answer, I smiled as I imagined Kuhntul might.