Coldmaker(93)

Shilah gestured to the mess of Cold scattered about the floor. ‘You’re saying you did that?’

‘Watch,’ I said, flabbergasted, the golden hue of the Frost having faded back to normal. ‘Do it with me.’

Shilah’s hand was still around my wrist, and I guided our arms towards the Frost, the tips of my fingers still wet. As soon as I connected with the Cold, the phenomenon started up again. Sizzling energy coursed through my entire body, making me somehow stiff and relaxed at the same time, and I could feel the golden glow in my bones, and in my hair. Shilah’s grip was like a vice around my wrist, and I looked into her face while Cold continued to crash all around us, violently rolling our way, and I watched the budding golden light reflected in her hazel irises. Her mouth was agape as well, and her back went the straightest I’d ever seen it go, and somehow I could feel the energy swapping between our bodies, exploring our tips and centres and perhaps even deeper.

I wrenched my fingers off the Frost before the commotion around us got so bad that we woke the whole Tavor Manor, holding my trembling hand in front of her face. The Cold all around us had stopped rolling, some of it having tucked between our feet and nestled against our legs.

‘Tears,’ I said again.

Shilah released her grip and swung a hand around the back of my neck, swinging our heads together. Our lips collided a little too hard and our teeth struck, but unlike me she knew was she was doing, and gently pulled back her lips so we could properly fit before grabbing me tighter. My mouth was dry from shock but Shilah didn’t seem to care, pressing her soft lips against me with the kind of passion I’d never known, firm yet gentle, tasting of fruit and sweat and a hundred different things that sent exploding powders firing across my mind, brushing out any thoughts except the exact sensations of the moment.

She let go too soon and fitted a hand over each of my cheeks, looking me deep in the eyes. ‘Spout.’

‘Yes,’ I said, trying not to pant.

She laughed a crisp laugh, her gentle fingers moving up and caressing the corners of my eyes. ‘No. Spout.’

I felt like my chest was so full it was going to burst. A new Idea dropped into my mind like Cold falling from the heavens. ‘I think I know what we need to make.’





Chapter Thirty-One


The Coldmaker was an accident.

I’d never thought it was even a remote possibility. My logic was that if a Frost touched by Jadan tears attracted Cold, then maybe I might be able to tinker something that could find Cold. Shilah had agreed that this was the best next step, and together we’d experimented for the rest of the night, figuring out the strength and duration of the phenomenon, and if anything could amplify the pull. We also hoped that such a machine might help us clear up the Desert theory, perhaps finding its opposite buried somewhere in the Northern sands, where the Opened Eye was sitting on Shilah’s map.

I often found myself preoccupied with vivid memories of Shilah’s lips, but I tried to focus as best as I could.

The hope – as unlikely as it may have been – was that if I somehow figured out the secret of flight, I could take the Coldfinder into the air; which would allow me to collect greater amounts from the sky each night, dragging the Cold towards me, instead of having to fly to each individual piece.

At least that was the intention as Shilah helped me prod and tinker and brainstorm. We’d taken the Frost into the most soundproof room of the tinkershop to experiment further. We brought in the clay pots of Cold Charge to see if they might affect the Frost’s pull, and if there was any materials that perhaps negated the power. A successful raid of the Manor kitchens brought back ten onions, which I cut up in order to extract a full vial of my tears, at one point slipping and slicing into my knuckle.

I never expected to stumble on what we did.

So, when shuffling sounds came from Leroi’s study the next morning, Shilah and I burst in with our accidental invention, unable to keep the smiles off our faces. We found Leroi hunched over his desk looking at his decanter, which now held a branch with fuzzy red buds at the end.

‘Leroi, you’re back!’ I exclaimed.

The tinkerer looked up at me, his face full of sorrow. ‘I had to go away.’

‘Alder,’ Shilah said with a coy grin, pointing at the branch.

Leroi’s face grew unreadable. ‘Yes,’ he said hesitantly.

‘I’m glad you’re back! We have something to show you.’ I was practically dancing on my toes, so eager was I to reveal what we’d made.

Leroi looked at the machine I was carrying, his eyes narrowing at the Opened Eye I’d etched into the metal casing.

Despite the little sleep I’d had, and the anxiety I felt thinking about Abb, I couldn’t help but beam. The invention in my hands was by far grander than anything I’d ever dreamed of creating.

‘Shilah, would you mind grabbing the glass and water?’ I asked, trying to keep calm.

Shilah nodded, rushing out of the study and into the tinkershop.

I set the Coldmaker gently down on Leroi’s desk, my heartbeat racing in anticipation. The machine was compact enough to carry in my arms, but came with decent heft. I’d used brass for the walls of the container itself, golden and gleaming; and I’d welded strong iron for the catch-point so it wouldn’t bend out of place. The lid acted like a Belisk Puzzle-Box, only opening with the right combination of secret sliding levers; which meant only the worthy could look inside and discover its secrets.