A Student's Dream (Twisted Cogs Book 1) (34 page)

“
So noted,” Master De Luca said. “Now, next would be Elena and Ele Lucciano.”

She had been so interested in the others’ displays of their Storms that for a few minutes Elena had forgotten she would be going next. Trembling, she took a few hesitant steps forward, focusing all of her attention on trying to breathe.

“
M...my project was models of studios,” she almost whispered, “but only the Studio De Luca model is left.”

“
Pietro will run and fetch it while you explain,” Master De Luca nodded to the marble boy, who departed.

“
You um...you said I should be working on figuring out my Storm,” Elena felt sick, her stomach lurching. How had the others made it seem so easy? Her entire life depended on this moment, this speech, what was the trick to making it seem so casual? Although focusing on the importance of the moment really wasn’t helping her. What had she meant to say next?

“
So we devised a project that would do just that,” Ele broke in smoothly, “something useful, that demonstrated what we could accomplish while also letting us test the limits of our Storm.” Elena flashed him a look of relieved gratitude and tried to pick the thread of the explanation back up.

“
Uh, yes. So we used these models as tools to do that,” she accepted the model of the studio from Pietro as she spoke. “We used the models to discover that my Storm...it lets me build anything that already exists.”

“
That’s quite a powerful trait to have,” Master De Luca’s eyebrows shot up, “and you applied it to the models how?”

“
Since the studios all exist, I could create my own versions of them in my mind, which will let me know what they’re doing. I can know all of their plans and strategies.” As Elena spoke she felt her confidence increasing just a touch, enough that she could raise her head and speak more clearly. “With the studios modeled out like this, I could focus on the internal details.”

“
Hmmm.” De Luca was staring at the model in her hands. “If your Storm is to build things that already exist, why isn’t the model of the De Luca studio an exact replica of this studio?”

“
It’s...the model is just a tool, not what my project is. The models aren’t important.”

“
Ah, but nevertheless, the De Luca studio
is
something which exists, and thus the models’ quality is very important to your theory about your Storm. Unlike Caelators and Artifexes, a Faberi’s Storm will consistently and uniformly Touch anything they create. Why didn’t your Storm Touch this?”

“
I...” Elena stared down at the model in her hands. There was obviously an answer to De Luca’s question, but her brain seemed locked down and she couldn’t think, couldn’t even begin to figure out what that answer was. “Maybe it’s because I don’t know the details of the Studio well enough?” she ventured.

“
That excuse makes no sense, and you should know it,” Master De Luca said severely, “if your Storm needs the details to model a studio you live in, how can you map out the plans and designs of Studios you’ve never seen?”

When she was six years old, Elena and her mother had taken a trip to a lake near Carpi to spend a day at the lakeside. She had been a curious child, and had wandered into the water, struggling as the waves dragged her under for a few long seconds before her mother was able to pull her out. At this moment, she was reminded of the waves closing over her head, the claustrophobic feeling of being sucked under the surface.

“
Maybe...maybe I’m too close to this studio, so the details in my head get in the way of the Storm?” She managed to gasp.

“
Twice, that I know of, you’ve constructed lockpicks capable of circumventing quite expensive locks. One of them you ruined since you made the lockpick out of wood. Setting aside for a moment that I don’t believe there exists a lockpick made of wood that exactly fits that lock, can you explain how your Storm worked then, when you didn’t know the details of their inner workings, and you were close to them?”

There was nothing to say in response. A kind of quiet horror was welling up in her heart, and it was stopping all attempts she made to answer or figure out why Master De Luca was wrong. She was going to fail. A part of her wanted to take it bravely like Carlo, but judging from the burning behind her eyes she was about to burst into tears.

“Master De Luca," Vittoria interrupted, “I wonder if you might let Niccolo and I go retrieve a few things that are pertinent to this discussion?”

“Of course. I’m quite willing to consider all of the information available.”

“What are you doing?” Elena asked, but Vittoria and Niccolo were already halfway to the door, and neither heard her.

To Elena the length of time waiting for them to return simultaneously took less than a second and more than an hour. When they returned, they carried a small pouch and a wooden case. They stopped in the center, one on either side of Elena. Niccolo opened the pouch and displayed the knives that Elena had made for Frederica, while on her other side Vittoria opened the case which contained her brushes.

“I’ve heard of these tools that Elena made," Master De Luca nodded, “and I do appreciate the craftsmanship that went into them. Unfortunately, craftsmanship isn’t what we’re judging here.”

“You’re judging artistry, Master De Luca," Niccolo said, “Elena is a Fabera. Her artistry might not be flashy or showy, not something she can blow you away with in a single instance, but in the long run it stands to do more for this Studio than any of us. Frederica won’t have to buy knives again for years. Vittoria’s work is improved by the quality of these brushes.”

“It’s not fair to judge Elena’s work on its own, in a vacuum," Vittoria added, “her work improves the work of everyone in the studio who works with her. Her value to the studio can’t be measured in a single project, but rather in the vast amounts of help she’ll be able to offer over the years that she’s here.”

“I suppose just like I can’t judge a Caelator in the same way I judge a Saggitari, I should judge a Fabera on a more individual basis," Master De Luca mused, stroking his beard. “Very well. I’ll think on this. Lorenzo and Lore Malatesta, you’re next.”

“Thank you," Elena murmured to the pair as they returned to their places in the circle.

“Don’t mention it," Niccolo whispered back.

“Did he say ‘Lorenzo
Malatesta?”
Vittoria asked. Even with the tight feeling still in her chest, Elena’s head jerked up.

Lorenzo’s last name is Malatesta? Is he related Master Malatesta on the Street of Purple Artisans? Why is he here at De Luca’s studio?

Lorenzo stepped forward, already holding his project, a pair of silver balls that rested in his gloved hand.

“
Speaking of helpful Faberi, my project was actually inspired by something I saw Elena working on,” he began, “she had copied down some numbers for a bow she was working on, and right away I was struck by the ludicrously low maximum velocities she’d written down.”

“‘
Low’ being a relative term, of course,” Lore broke in, “we had been working with lodestones so long that we’d become blind to other areas of study, a danger for many Machinators.”

“
Lodestone interaction exceeds the physical limitations of a bow with such effortlessness that we realized what a contribution the technology could make to the art of archery.”

It’s not fair,
Elena thought, picking at a loose thread on her sleeve,
coming up with the words I had to say was like moving through molasses, but they can present things so effortlessly, because of course they can, they’re talking about lodestones.

“
There was some concern about creating a technology that would allow for more death and destruction, but there Elena came to our rescue for a second time,” Lorenzo continued, “it’s ironic, she first helped us when we had been too focused on lodestone theory to realize a real-world application, and then later helped us when we were too focused on archery to realize the application of the lodestones-”

“
An arrow’s deadliness is a function of that fact that it must be aerodynamic when powered by a single application of physical force,” Lore interrupted excitedly, “but no such constraints exist when application of force is held constant-”

“
Force-as-a-field removes all air-resistance from the equation!”

“
It removes all other forces from the equation! Like drag!”

“
Friction!”

“
Gravity! We could even use it to fly!”

“
Flight?” Lorenzo turned to his Echo, startled, “we never considered a
reversal
of gravity...”

“
But we could, couldn’t we?”

“
Why didn’t we think of that before? Application of similar frequencies to overcome gravitational pull...”

“
Dangerous if desynced for even the slightest instant,”

“
Yes but if we had stabilizers of some sort...Pietro could you grab me some paper?” Lorenzo asked.

“
Lorenzo, perhaps you should just show us your project,” Master De Luca put a hand on Pietro’s shoulder before he could leave.

“
Hmm? Oh, yes I suppose. This is a really interesting new idea though...” Somewhat distracted, Lorenzo lifted the small silver balls. The floated slowly into the air, then began circling him in slow orbits. With a series of small motions of his gloved hands, Lorenzo sent the silver balls bounding over each other, moving in tight circles, flying high in the air and then whistling towards the ground before stopping short inches away from his face. He made another motion and the balls resumed their lazy orbit around him.

“
That is...marvelous,” Master De Luca breathed.

“
Small resonance panels in these gloves allow for manipulation of magnetic fields which then siphon the lodestones into -”

“
I must admit to you, Lorenzo, you could explain until you were blue in the face and I wouldn’t understand
how
it works,” De Luca said, “but
that
it works is...frankly amazing.”

“
Master De Luca, do you think I could go back to the workshop? I want to work on this gravitational idea before I forget it...”

“
I suppose...but don’t you want to hear who stays in the studio?”

“
Hmm?” Lorenzo half turned on his way to the door, “oh, are people leaving the studio? I didn’t realize...well I’m sure someone will let me know.”

The assembled artists stared at Lorenzo as he walked to the door and entered the studio.

“
Ehm...next is Mella and Mell Rosso,” Bea said, bringing their attention back to the semi-circle. It was Mell who stepped forward first, with Mella a little ways behind.

“Our project is really just using the artistry we already knew we could do," he spoke quietly, confidently, a strange counterpoint to his Stormtouched who seemed to be doing her best to sink into the ground behind him. Elena couldn’t remember ever hearing him talk, but now that she heard him she didn’t really like his voice. It was confident, but there was something vaguely threatening about it. It reminded her of Slug. “We didn’t know it was typical to finish out a project in front of everyone. From what I understand, our success rate is one of the best among Artifexes, and we don’t like presenting incomplete work.” Mell shot a glance at Carlo.

“Do you need Pietro to fetch your project?” Bea asked.

“No need," Mell smiled and indicated Mella. She, at least, looked just as nervous and terrified as Elena felt, and was visibly trembling. From the hemline of her uniform, a small grey design suddenly snaked out into view across her chest, slid up her neck and encircled her eye in a crescent shape. “For this particular demonstration, Mella is the canvas.”

“That is quite unique," Master De Luca said thoughtfully. “For an Artifex that uses graphite, it’s quite unique indeed. I would’ve thought that skin would be too soft and pliant a surface to draw on with...what was it called, ‘pencils’?”

“That’s the best part, Master De Luca," Mell replied, “Mella, take off your shoe.”

His Stormtouched obeyed without question, slipping her right boot off and setting her bare foot on the ground. The design around her eye slipped down her body again, disappearing beneath her clothing for a few moments before reappearing on her foot. After a moment of hesitation, it moved from her foot to the bare marble of the floor, where it traveled to the center of the semi-circle and stilled.

“Very unique indeed," Master De Luca said. “It can travel from any surface to any other?”

“Every surface we’ve tested," Mell said.

“Most excellent," De Luca mused, and the design slipped back across the floor and onto Mella’s skin before she put her boot back on.

“
I think we’re next, Master De Luca. ‘Mocenigo’,” Leanarda said. Unlike most of the others, she had opted for a blouse and long skirt instead of the De Luca uniform, but it went well with her pale skin and dark hair.