Frozen Prospects by Dean Murray Read Free Book Online Page A

Jasmin pointed at a series of
holes bored into the top of the walls, barely visible in the soft,
blue light provided by the sapphire. "Hot air rises, so these
allow the heated air to circulate out to various parts of the
village while the ones in the bottom allow cold air to come into the
room."
    Va'del
shook his head in astonishment. "It is amazing. If it is so
powerful, though, why doesn't it give off more light?"
    Jasmin
laughed, but it was an easy sound, not at all reproachful like the
Jas'per's braying, mocking laughter. "The creator of the Heart
Stone could have made it so that it gave off more light, but only at
the cost of reducing the amount of heat it provided."
    Va'del
momentarily got the feeling that Jasmin was going to say something
else, but she looked at their guide, and then seemed to think better
of it.
    "We'll
be fine to make it down to the mines on our own. I remember the
way, and am well acquainted with Master Miner Bac'tra."
    After
the guard had bowed and left, Jasmin turned to Va'del. "The
creator of the Heart Stone was a Guadel. In fact, she comes through
our lineage."
    Responding
to the look of confusion on the young man's face, Jasmin continued.
"There is very rarely any real family relationship between the
various people in a given Guadel lineage. Instead, those trained by
a specific Guadel are typically considered to be of that Guadel's
bloodline. Ironically enough, although we may be quite different in
appearance, generally speaking we choose to train people similar to
ourselves, and consequently the men of the bloodline will have the
same qualities, and seek out the same kinds of wives."
    Va'del
nodded despite being sure there were subtleties he wasn't grasping.
Encouraged, Jasmin finished her explanation as they left the heart
room. "We're of the bloodline of Stephens. It was one of his
three wives that created the Heart Stone after he died and she took
up residence in the Capital. It is said it took her more than
twenty years to finish it, despite being one of the most powerful
magic users of her day."
    Once
the pair arrived at the mine entrance, they were met by a short man
who was almost as heavily muscled as I'rone. Master Bac'tra greeted
Jasmin with a nod, listened as she introduced him to Va'del and then
looked him over with careful brown eyes. "You're a bit too
tall to really be a miner, at least the way we mine around here."
    I
wonder if that was part of why the master miner at home never
approached me about becoming an apprentice. He always seemed a
relatively decent fellow.
    For
all that the mines weren't as exciting as the heart room, Va'del
felt as though Bac'tra had casually poured weeks worth of knowledge
into his head. Different types of rocks, the way that seams tended
to come together, and the likeliest places to find gemstones were
all covered. It was enough to leave Va'del's mind spinning but
nothing stuck with him quite like Bac'tra's parting comment.
    "Once
we're done with an area half the work is complete towards turning it
to livable space for when the settlement grows. Space is never an
issue. It's always the food as is the limiting factor."
    ##
    The
mood when Va'del awoke was even more serious than normal among the
Guadel. When the young man finally questioned Jasmin she explained
as well as she was able. "The Headman here is for the most
part a good man. Usually he's scrupulously fair in his judgments,
but he's also got a temper. Add in the fact he's spoiled his son
more than he should have, and this may very well be one of those
instances in which the woman asking for us to review He'lo's
judgment is right."
    Va'del
shrugged as he ate a piece of dried fruit from their food stores.
"So the three of you will find against the son and that will be
the end of it."
    Betreec
overheard the explanation and shook her head. "Sometimes it's
not that easy. Tradition and law grant people the right to appeal
decisions to us, but that doesn't mean the rest of the villagers, or
the