Lodestone Book One: The Sea of Storms

Chapter Six

Chapter 6

Shann looked tiny and distinctly uncomfortable clad in the flying cloak of a Keltar. It felt like she was being made to become the thing she most hated in all the world. This is necessary, she told herself. What was it Lyall had said? Once you understand the source of a tyrant’s power, you can use it against them. She adjusted the fit across her shoulders as best she could.

“It feels a bit heavy,” she commented.

Lyall stood opposite the girl, an identical cloak draped about his shoulders. “That’s the downward pressure from the lodestone layer pushing down on the bronze layer below it. Try retracting the bronze layer a bit.” She adjusted the control at her neck. “Better?”

She nodded.

“All right. The first thing you need to realise is that the flying cloak does not enable you to fly–at least, not in the same way as a mylar or any other bird. It would be more accurate to call it a ‘leaping’ or ‘jumping’ cloak. You remember the discs? Lodestones will push against all materials, but the push is greatest against other lodestones. There are naturally occurring lodestone deposits in the ground from meteorites which have been falling for millennia. We use the refined lodestone in the cloak to push against these deposits to gain lift.”

“How do I do that exactly?”

Lyall gestured with his hands. “You need to ‘feel’ for deposits. It’s something that will come naturally once you get the hang of it. Start by retracting your bronze layer very slowly, bit by bit. Stop the moment you feel anything unusual.”

Shann moved the control slowly with her fingers. She stopped. “There, like a slight pressure.”

“Good, now can you tell which direction it’s coming from?”

“Over there.” Shann pointed to the left.

“Come on.” Lyall set off in that direction. “Tell me when you feel it move under you.”

They set off across the broken savannah. After a little way, Shann held up her hand and they both halted. She turned to look up at him. “So if I can use my cloak to detect deposits, why doesn’t the Prophet mine loadstones that way?”

“Because it just isn’t exact enough. For example, the deposit you are detecting now. Can you tell where it is precisely? How large is it? How deep? Lodestone ore hardly looks any different from normal rock. You would need to dig and sort through tons of dirt by hand, and that would take a small army of Keltar. Can you imagine Keltar doing that?” He was smiling at her, and she forced a smile back.

“Anyhow, it isn’t necessary,” he continued. “In the Southern Desert the ore that falls from the sky is clearly visible on the surface. You don’t need Keltar to find it, just a herd of slaves who don’t mind dying from heat and exhaustion.”

Which is why we are here, she thought. “All right, so what do I do?”

“Try jumping up and at the same time, extending the upper lodestone layer of the cloak. Remember, you won’t travel straight up because there will always be some slight deviation from the vertical. Think of being pushed up by a fountain of water. Go on, give it a go.”

Shann bent her knees and leaped up, flaring the cloak as she did so. She sailed upwards, stifling a cry as she did so. Her legs bicycled in the air and she tipped over, landing a few steps away in a crumpled heap. She got to her hands and knees in time to see Lyall, hands on hips, throwing his head back in laughter. She frowned, angrier at herself than at him. I’m never going to get the hang of this.