Chapter 30: Eureka!

Wil couldn’t get back soon enough. After the second time nearly clipping someone, Wil poured more power into the Thunderhawk and skipped the roads entirely, soaring two dozen feet above farms and backyards, and then later Main Street itself. The wind blew through his hair, so fast that even his racing heart had trouble keeping up.

Logically, he knew his discovery wasn’t going anywhere, but after weeks of spinning his wheels with nothing to show for it, he needed to share it with the rest of the team. The brewery came into view, along with all the normal bunch of customers. At Wil’s approach, those hanging out in front of the open barn doors waved at him.

He halfheartedly waved back and parked in front of the house. The Thunderhawk had no sooner sank to the ground before Wil jumped off and ran into the house. Darlene and Thomas sat at the cluttered kitchen table. Loose papers with diagrams and lists of materials were everywhere, in the stage of chaos that came before Darlene set everything right.

“Wow, where’s the fire?” Darlene asked, not getting up.

“You okay?” Thomas asked. He did stand up.

“I did it,” Wil said. The words felt like victory, so he shouted them loud and proud. “I did it! I was at Mr. Carrey’s farm, and I did it!”

“That’s great,” said Darlene. “What did you do?”

“I made the leyline do something!” Wil paused. “And I also kind of destroyed his house a bit in the process.”

“How?” Thomas looked as intrigued as he did horrified. “Did it explode?”

“Sort of. It rained beans!” Wil looked around the room. “Where’s Bram?”

“Dealing with customers,” answered Darlene. “What do you mean it rained beans?”

“I’ll explain later. You guys get one of the batteries and a prototype and bring it outside. I’m going to change the leyline into something usable!”

That got their attention. Darlene hoisted herself up with a little assistance from Thomas. The Cloverton wizard looked skeptical but calculating, as he often did when presented with complicated new information.

“On it,” said Thomas. He offered his arm to Darlene. She eyed him before taking it. They headed for the door. Wil rushed out first, letting the flimsy screen door slam. He’d apologize later.

Outside, more people had gathered outside of the barn. They’d become used to the experiments and time spent away from the brewery and apothecary Bram had set up. They weren’t happy about it, but there was nothing to be done about it. Now, with Wil rushing in, many of them knew they were about to be kicked out again.

“C’mon McKenzie,” skinny Lonnie MacDougal groaned on seeing him. “Can’t we have today to drink?”

“How would you like year-round cold beer without having to buy ice?” Wil asked.

Lonnie’s eyes lit up. “That sounds pretty nice,” he said.

“Then clear out and let us work, you damned lush!” Wil closed the distance and playfully shoved the other man. “You’re going to love what we’re working on.”

Bram came out of the barn. When working on their project, he was found in the same battered pair of faded overalls and holes in them. In his role as brewer and proprietor, he looked almost a proper gentleman in a casual suit and bowtie. He’d started dressing better since Thomas had come around, more like the wizard than himself.

“What’s going on?” Bram asked, throwing an arm around Wil and leading him away from the barn. “Am I going to have to close? This is really not a good time for it.” He looked over his shoulder at the dozens of faces peering out of the barn and area around it.

“It’d probably be safer if they went home,” Wil admitted, “but so long as those three wizards aren’t around, why not have an audience? They can all bear witness to our success. We’re going to make history.”

Bram looked more nervous than excited. “Then maybe we should get them a safe distance…” He released Wil and went back to the barn. “Alright everyone, out for a moment. Wil’s about to throw some earth around and we don’t want anyone getting hurt.”

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A murmur of discontent passed through the crowd.

Bram sighed. “Free drinks if we succeed!”

They tripped over each other to get out of the barn and up the drive where they usually watched when they weren’t allowed to drink. He waved for them to keep moving as he rounded up the last of the stragglers.

In the meantime, Thomas and Darlene (mostly Thomas) dragged up a couple of their illusion boxes, the box Bram designed to freeze things, and a faricite battery. Darlene sat in the chair they left out for her, waiting patiently as Wil grabbed his staff and got to work.

After telling Thomas to watch the leyline closely, Wil centered himself in the field. After a few weeks of playing around with it, the entire property was an uneven mess, with clumps of grass and plants scattered all over the loose, disturbed soil. The leyline itself was stretched out across the property. He didn’t move it yet.

“So I got to the Carrey farm and saw the beanstalks tied into the leyline.” Wil said, loud enough for Bram and Darlene to hear. “And when I moved the stalks, the leyline moved. So I tried something, keeping in mind they were connected. I changed them into a specific shape. One that matches the one on the battery.”

Thomas inhaled sharply. “That’s it? That’s all we’ve been missing?”

“What?” Darlene looked between them with clear impatience. “Dumb it down for the nonmagical among us.”

“Runes,” Bram said. “You changed the leyline into a rune!”

Wil bowed his head, more pleased with himself by the second. “How did we not think of that, right? I put in the rune for ‘feed’ and --”

“Which one?” Bram and Thomas asked simultaneously, to Darlene’s snickering amusement.

“The command,” said Wil with a chuckle. “The ambiguous one that could either be eat or feed someone else. I did that, and all of a sudden the beanstalks got out of control, growing fast and raining beans down. They pummeled Carrey’s house before I could stop it.”

“That sounds like a great way of getting sued,” said Thomas. “But if we do, if this works, it shouldn't be a problem. Gods, if this works, then we’ll be the richest people in the country. What’re you waiting for, McKenzie? Show us!”

Without further ado, Wil took a deep breath and channeled power through his staff, then tapped into the leyline. After weeks of moving the earth around, it had become second nature to him. The earth rumbled, then dipped all around them. The plateau surged up and then twisted sideways, forming an arch in the land. The leyline moved with it, and Wil followed his instincts.

He had to stretch the leyline to its limit before it bent and formed the series of loops and spikes in a spiral that formed the Feed rune. When Wil opened his eyes and looked around, the fields were a series of rolling hills with a twenty foot valley that went on for two hundred feet. All around the house itself, rocks and dirt were pushed up like a protective guardian. But if Wil wasn’t mistaken, the rune was complete.

Thomas wasted no time in taking the freezebox and setting it in one of the untouched patches of grass remaining. Bram ran back to the house and came back with a glass of water, which he stuck in the box. He closed it up and turned the temperature down to as cold as it could get. And then, they waited.

“So,” said Darlene after a few minutes of waiting. “What exactly are we looking for here? We probably look a bit crazy to all our adoring fans.”

Sure enough, the people who hung around whispered to themselves. Weeks of Wil and Thomas reshaping the land, what could they have thought about it? No one had answered any questions, especially not after the wizards confronted them a few days back.

“Well, the freeze function drains the battery really quickly, so I guess it depends on how fast the battery drains, and if the leyline recharges it,” said Bram. He nudged the box with his foot. “The highest setting is called blizzard for a reason. It must take a lot of magical power to get that cold.”

Thomas cleared his throat. “You did a really great job with that,” he said. “In this case, I think the less efficient configuration you have works in our favor. It wears down faster, so now all we have to do is check. You want to do the honors, Stevenson?”

Bram looked surprised, but pleased. “I would, Master Elliot.” The giant knelt by the box and turned the dial back to neutral. He opened it up, and frigid air made him flinch back. Inside was a block of ice, with some shattered glass sticking out.

“Don’t mean to beat a dead horse here, but again, good job Bram.” Wil gave him silent applause. “You’re an asset.”

Bram flushed. “What about the battery?” he asked.

Wil reached out with his senses, and laughed.

“What’s so funny?” Darlene demanded.

“It’s full,” said Wil. “If it was drained at all, it’s already full again.”

Silence.

It was Bram, of course, who let out a victorious cry and jumped in the air. He broke into dance, Wil joined in, followed by a reluctant Thomas. Darlene called out a high pitched ‘WHOO’ and got to her feet. Their audience burst out into cheers and screams of their own. They may not have known what was going on, but Wil appreciated their enthusiasm and encouragement.

Darlene, as always, looked to the future. “Any land with a leyline can have magic powering their homes and businesses. We can make it happen. Wil, you’re saved!”

Wil felt lightheaded. With just under half their remaining time left, they had what they needed. All that remained was refining it and creating projects as proof. “Great job everyone! But we’ve got plenty more to find out. Like how far this can get from the leyline itself before it stops working. And then we’re going to need to get access to another leyline, to compare and contrast.”

Darlene groaned. “Relax Wil, and enjoy it with us for a second.”

He could do that.