The Final Redemption by Michael Manning (little red riding hood ebook free .txt) 📕

I explain tomy son that eternity brings its own particular kind ofsuffering? “Let’s focus on thehow,” I saidinstead.

“Can’t you link it to a timer?” heasked.

I sighed, if only it were that simple.“No, the stasis field will render that meaningless. It would juststop and never begin again.”

“You already have it linked tosomething else that’s external,” he observed. “That’s what this is,right?” He pointed to a different portion of the rune structure Ihad drawn out. I hadn’t told him what that part was for, but hisobservant eyes had picked it out anyway.

“That specifies the person who willcontrol it,” I explained.

“Couldn’t you let them use a command,instead of having it restart itself?”

“They won’t want to reset it whilethey’re alive,” I told him.

“If the person dies won’t that createan open fault?” he asked.

He was referring to the fact that,because the enchantment was linked to a person, once they were goneit would create a break in the chain, invalidating the entirething. It was a basic part of the nature of enchanting, but Ihadn’t taught it to him yet. Once again, I was amazed at his quickinsight. “No,” I replied slowly. “That would be a problem, but ifyou look here, you’ll see that when that happens, it shifts thispart. That will close the circle again and activate this portion,which allows it to link to a new person.”

“Oh,” he said. “So can’t you have yourrepeat function tie into that? It sounds like it’s something youwant to happen at about that same time anyway, right?”

“Well, you can’t do that because…,” Istopped for a moment, thinking, “…because it would work perfectly.Sonofabitch!”

He grinned at me.

“You’ve earned your supper today,” Itold him.

“Does that mean you’ll let me see thatpart over there?” he asked.

The part ‘over there’ was covered by aheavy piece of parchment to hide it from casual observation. It wasthe essential part of what I thought of as the ‘god-enchantment’,the same one I had used to bind Moira Centyr. Eventually he wouldbe able to remember it, since the information was stored in theloshti, like so many other things, but for now I didn’t want him toknow something so potentially dangerous.

“I’m afraid not,” I answered, “but Ihave something else you can help me with.”

His eyes lit up. His enthusiasm wasendearing, and I couldn’t help but wonder how many more years Iwould have before working with me was no longer something he wouldlook forward to.

I took him aside and showed him theboxes I had been working on. So far I had completed only one, and Idemonstrated its use to him.

“That’s neat!” he exclaimed. “Whatwould you use it for, though?”

“Don’t worry about that,” I saidwaving my hands. “Do you think you can copy what I’ve done here?” Ishowed him the rune design I had sketched out on a long sheet ofparchment.

“Sure,” he agreedimmediately.

“Good,” I told him. “I need twenty-twomore just like it then.”

“Twenty-two?!”

“Practice makes perfect.”

He sighed loudly, “Dad,they won’t work if they aren’t perfect.”

I laughed, “So you onlyhave to get it perfect twenty-two times. The real question is, howmany practice tries will it take you to get it right twenty-twotimes.”

His jaw clenched in what might havebeen determination in an older man. In my young son it was simplyadorable. “We’ll just have to see won’t we?” he replied.

***

Gareth Gaelyn came to see me almostexactly a month after our conversation. I had thought he wouldvisit with his new wife, but she was conspicuouslyabsent.

Penny greeted him initially, and aftera brief interrogation regarding his first month of married life, Iwas able to intercede and whisk him away to my workshop. Thatearned me a frown, since I had been pretty anti-social myself overthe past month, and now I was monopolizing our guest.

“Does she know what you’re workingon?” asked Gareth once we were alone.

I shrugged, “Not really. I’m sureshe’s picked up some of the details from the children, sincethey’ve been helping me with parts of it, but I doubt she knows theheart of it.”

“Doubt? She either knows or shedoesn’t,” stated Gareth.

I laughed, “I say ‘doubt’ because,while I assume she doesn’t, she nevertheless surprises mesometimes. It’s best not to underestimate herintuition.”

“Would she approve?”

“Probably?” I said uncertainly. “Shewouldn’t be upset by it—I don’t think. One never knows with Pennywhen it comes to magic. Did you discuss my plan with yourwife?”

“I know she would not approve,” Garethsaid confidently. “You claim you can convince her, so I leave thatmatter to you. She visits here enough that you’ve surely had theopportunity already.”

“I’ll broach the topic when I’m readyfor her part. Would you like to see what we’ve done thusfar?”

The answer to that question wasobvious, and we spent the next hour discussing the enchantment Ihad been working on. I also showed him the boxes that Matthew and Ihad been making.

“That’s clever,” he noted. “Thatshould get around the time problem. I’m surprised I didn’t think ofthat myself after watching you use that enchantment not too longago.”

“Well, this is a much safer, moretraditional use,” I stated quickly.

The other archmage coughed, “Well,that much is plain to see. The real question is whether this newenchantment of yours will work properly. You still haven’t workedout all the wrinkles in it yet, have you?”

“That’s true,” I admitted, “but I feelclose to the solution. A week or two more and I’m confident I’llhave it reasoned out. I have a few questions for you,though.”

“Ask away,” he replied.

“You told me you’d be able to makethem living and breathing, but will they be able to grow? Can theyreproduce? If my regression structure works, what will the initialstate be?” I said, asking all my questions at once.

His face took on a pensive expressionfor a long minute before he answered, “Yes to the first, an egg tothe last, and as far as reproduction goes—I amuncertain.”

“Because of the lack of a wellspring?”I suggested.

“Exactly,” agreed Gareth. “Thatquestion may apply to Moira and me as well.”

Since Moira Centyr was an artificiallife, a magical sentience housed in a living body, it was unclearwhether she could have children. The necessary equipment was there,but since she didn’t possess a true wellspring of aythar, a ‘soul’,it was uncertain whether her