The Stoneweaver

Chapter 1: Keystone

Skarn opened his eyes and removed his hand from the stone. The keystone was cracked, he was certain. You couldn't see the crack, but he knew it was there, hidden deep in the stone. It was only a matter of time before the crack spread and the entire keystone broke in two. If that happened, the Royal Gates of the City of Darem, wonder of the eastern world, made of pure dimsian, would crush whoever happened to be passing underneath.

Skarn put the small hammer he'd been holding into his smooth leather work belt and brushed the fine dust from his hands. He hadn't needed the hammer to detect the crack; holding it was simply a prop while he explored the stone with his Talent. He didn't want to be seen groping the arch for several minutes with his eyes closed. Questions would be asked.

No use telling the foreman about the crack; the man was incompetent. Skarn could imagine how the conversation would go. Skarn would explain the situation, showing the foreman how the slight depression on one side of the arch indicated that there was an unbalanced load. The foreman would stare dumbly at him; then, not able to see the crack, he'd yell at Skarn to stop slacking and get back to work.

Today might even be the man's first day on a stoneworking crew, thanks to the new labor lottery. And maybe his last. Tomorrow, it could be someone else in charge. The only thing guaranteed by the lottery was a stream of incompetent workers who produced an outpouring of shoddy work.

Skarn glanced through the massive Royal Gates—now open to admit merchant traffic and official business—and down the long tunnel into the Palace courtyard beyond. Just behind him, at the west end of the Market Square, the rest of his work team sat loafing, their tools strewn around them. It was their fourth break in as many hours.

The foreman wasn't looking his way; in fact, he was nowhere in sight. Probably at a tavern. Skarn hoped so. If the foreman saw him by the Gates, he might bust Skarn from the crew.

Skarn couldn't afford to lose this job, not when another one might be days or weeks away. He had waited in line for over fourteen hours just to cast his token into today's labor lottery. It was just luck that he got picked up on a stoneworking crew, where he could actually use his skills.

He should return to his team and continue the repairs back inside the Square. The superficial brick work on the pavement was a menial task for a master of his talent and experience, but it was work. And that meant a few coins for bread and maybe a vegetable or two for Seela and their children, Danae and little Brand.

And yet. If that keystone cracked, people could die. The tunnel would likely collapse. Anyone passing through would be crushed. Maybe the Queen, or a merchant on his way to Palace business, or even some child begging outside the Gates.

He should fix it.

But there was also a little voice inside his head—a voice he despised—saying that if the tunnel collapsed, it would require months of work. Dozens of skilled stoneweavers. The crown would have to suspend the idiotic lottery system. A master stoneweaver like Skarn could name his price. It would be enough work to get his family out of the overcrowded tenement in Tria that they shared with four other families.

And besides, what did he owe the Queen? She had approved the so-called "Edict of Equality" that had banished the use of Talents. Skarn and his family were suffering because of her. Why should he risk imprisonment to safeguard her, using the very Talent she had outlawed?

She had made her fate. Let her suffer the consequences.

Skarn pushed the unworthy thought aside. He couldn't let someone die, not if he could prevent it.

He glanced around, saw no one was looking, and stepped into the tunnel. He closed his eyes and summoned his Talent. He pressed his fingers hard against the tunnel wall. He couldn't reach the keystone itself—it was more than ten feet high—but the tunnel would do; his Talent would find a path to the keystone.