The Wallmaker Made Me
A dozen horses approached the Wall from the northeast. To Tirelle, who had never seen the famous Wall before, it was quite an impressive sight. The Wall stood about eight feet high, and was still far from complete. It stretched as far as she could see, reaching through the forest like a ring encircling the land. A string of huts and forges had been set up along its considerable length, as if a village had sprung up beside the Wall – a village inhabited by the Wallmakers and their families.
The horsemen came to a stop, and Tirelle slid clumsily from the horse's back. She had ridden behind the King, having utterly refused to get on the back of one of those beasts unaccompanied. King Berillan and Abhorsen dismounted much more gracefully, and the three of them walked into the village.
Children were running barefoot through the dirt, playing tag or chasing mangy dogs, while the adults carried out their daily chores. Many of these people wore brown leather vests falling down to their knees, with a trowel embroidered on the left breast. These were the Wallmakers, men and women of all ages, and they were occupied in the most fascinating things. Several were working at forges, crafting weapons and armour. One Wallmaker sat at a loom weaving a cloth of Charter marks. Workbenches were set up in the sun with all sorts of strange weapons and toys lying upon them half-completed.
At their approach, the Wallmakers paused in their work. Several jumped up to bow or curtsey when they recognized the King.
A young man stepped towards them cautiously. Tirelle saw that he and several others had been clustered around a table, looking at complicated diagrams of the Wall. The trowels embroidered on all of their vests were silver, and Tirelle wondered if this indicated a higher rank. "May I help you, your Majesty?" he asked hesitantly.
"Yes", King Berillan smiled. "I am here to see the Wallmaker."
The young man bowed his head. "Of course." He beckoned them with a small motion, and turned to walk through the village. They made their way among the kilns and worktables, until finally coming to a wooden building considerably larger than the huts. The young Wallmaker opened the door and stood aside for them to enter.
Tirelle blinked as she stepped through the door, momentarily disoriented by the sudden brightness. The light was cast by dozens of Charter marks hovering near the ceiling.
The room they had entered was a workshop, holding an enormous workbench, and a forge at one end. It was filled with evidence of the Wallmaker's trade: every available surface was covered in tools, half-finished objects, and pieces of parchment with designs and Charter marks scribbled on them. There were shelves upon shelves of what looked like toys and sports equipment; one entire wall had been devoted to weapons of all kinds; on a stand in the corner was a beautiful set of gethre armour; and many scattered objects were unidentifiable, due to their partially-constructed state.
Two doors led off this main room, one into what Tirelle could see was a simple bedroom. The other door suddenly opened, and a woman strode through. She was tall and strong, with chocolate-brown skin, and wore her long leather vest over a simple woollen dress. The embroidered trowel was done in gold thread.
As the woman came closer, Tirelle noted that her face was slightly lined, her black hair streaked with grey, and her hands… her hands! Tirelle stared as she recognized those scarred and calloused palms from her dream. This was the woman who was to make the Abhorsen's sword!
The woman took them all in with a quick glance, before nodding at the young Wallmaker who hovered at the doorway. "Thank you, Felio." When he had left, she turned to her three visitors. "I am acquainted with your Majesty", she said with a faint smile, "But to whom else do I owe the honour?"
Berillan grinned back, and motioned at his companions. "This is Lady Tirelle, the Clayr of the Kingdom. And this is Lord Abhorsen."
The Wallmaker inclined her head. "Strong Charter Mages both", she noted. "My name is Ghidreth, and I am head of the Wallmakers guild. If someone speaks of the Wallmaker, they speak of me. Welcome to my forge."
She clapped her large hands, and four twisted pieces of metal lying on the ground unravelled and assembled themselves into chairs. They all sat down, Tirelle rather gingerly – what if the chair curled up on itself again? Ghidreth smiled at her apprehension, and turned to the King. "What may I do for you?"
Berillan looked at Tirelle, who cleared her throat nervously. "Quite recently I had a vision that concerns both you and Lord Abhorsen", she said slowly. "I discussed it with the King, and we decided the vision meant that you were to forge a sword for him."
The Wallmaker and Abhorsen stared at her at this revelation. The young man's hand unconsciously moved to the hilt of the rusty sword at his side, but he said nothing. Finally, Ghidreth leaned forward. "A Charter blade?" she asked.
As Tirelle nodded her head, she felt a prickling feeling come over her, and her tongue spoke of its own accord: "Abhorsen will pass his name and duty on down through his blood. His family will become crucial in maintaining the rule of the Charter. A sword is to be forged, a sword that will last for millennia, used by all Abhorsens to battle Free Magic and to slay those already Dead."
Tirelle blinked as the Sight faded from her. The King was staring at her, and Abhorsen looked to be in a state of shock. The Wallmaker, however, merely raised an elegant eyebrow. "I see", she said with remarkable calm, as if her guests frequently made prophecies in her home. "And I am to forge this sword?" Tirelle nodded mutely. Ghidreth smiled. "So let it be done."
The Wallmaker rummaged through the mess on the workbench, and eventually unearthed a blank piece of parchment and a quill pen. "Tell me everything you can about the sword", she said.
Tirelle tried to recall every detail of the dream, but stumbled due to her ignorance of weaponry. The King helped her, but Abhorsen soon grew bored with the whole thing, and got up to explore the room.
"Look at this!" he suddenly cried. He was examining a Druque board. "The pieces are stuck", he remarked.
The Wallmaker looked up from the parchment. "They move at your spoken command", she said smoothly. "It keeps the pieces from falling off the board when moved."
"I believe that is all I can recall", Tirelle said, motioning at the parchment.
Ghidreth nodded "It is enough." She glanced at Abhorsen. "Would you like to see my newest invention?"
The Wallmaker led her three visitors over to the other end of the bench, where a covered basket stood next to a wooden flute. She lifted the flute to her lips, and a haunting melody came out of it. Tirelle watched, transfixed, as the lid of the basket started to move. Finally it toppled away, and a shining snake rose up. It had scales of many different colours, and eyes of sapphire. The snake swayed in time to the music, seeming to obey the flute's command.
When it sank back into the basket, Abhorsen tentatively reached out and touched the snake. "It's made of metal!" he gasped.
"Yes, with inlay for the colours", confirmed Ghidreth. "Quite a simple construction, but it took me a good hour or so to link all of the scales together. Charter marks key it to the music of this flute, so that it doesn't crawl out of the basket whenever someone sings."
"Amazing", Tirelle breathed.
King Berillan nodded. "Most impressive. And utterly useless." But he was smiling.
Ghidreth grinned back at him playfully. "Not everything we make is as valuable as the Wall, your Majesty", she said. "We are working as hard as we can, but it will be finished after your time."
Berillan nodded in easy acceptance. "So long as it is finished."
"We need more Wallmakers", the woman said simply, placing the flute back down next to the basket. "I am thinking of sending out more recruiters, but there aren't that many Charter Mages with the particular gifts we require."
"You mean a talent for working spells on inanimate objects?" Abhorsen guessed.
Ghidreth bowed her head in accord. "Yes. Just as the King's power is in command, the Clayr's is in Sight, and yours is in banishing the Dead." She sighed, but then seemed to come to herself. "What am I chattering on about? You three must stay and dine with us, along with all of your guard. The Wallmakers will all be pleased to have you – we do not get many visitors."
She moved to the door, adding over her shoulder, "Tomorrow I will prepare to forge the weapon."
A/N: The Wallmakers are a guild of Charter Mages hired by subjects of the Kingdom to make magical constructions. The reason for their original founding, and their biggest project, is the Wall. It was commissioned by the King and his brother to keep both Free and Charter Magic out of Ancelstierre. A line of huts and forges are set up all along the length of the Wall, with the Wallmaker Ghidreth living at the easternmost end.