Thanks to
@dwood15,
@Technetium43,
@fabledFreeboota,
@Assembler,
@themanwhowas,
@Wafflethorpe, and
@Rottenkiwi for betareading.
-x-x-x-
When I had made the Three, it had been in the safety of my own room, over the course of months, steadily making progress as I had the time to work on them. I worked on them a little each afternoon, gradually shaping the scraps into three gorgeous objects, as much treasures as tools, capable of working miracles.
It wasn't that way this time. This time, I was tired, sick at heart, and burning inside. This time there was no rest, no short periods of work followed by long rests, no ease to the labor. The metal I worked was finer, but the crafting itself was arduous and seemed almost unending.
But I wore Nenya—I wore it throughout the night and into the morning. From the moment I set foot in PRT Headquarters, I was at work in the forge. The workshop sang an old, forgotten song of hammer on anvil, and the music carried on from the last purple fading of twilight until the faint greying of the pre-dawn sky.
The Wards, as per Piggot's orders, stayed the night in the dorms at HQ, to keep them safe from Bakuda's bombing spree. The others had long since gone to bed—all but myself and Sophia. She stayed with me, silently watching me work, reclining in an armchair until eventually she, too, succumbed to the call of sleep.
Two by two, the burnished bands of the Seven emerged, and into each I set its proper stone.
The first to emerge, and the only one to be completed alone, rather than as part of a pair, was Cenya, greatest of the Seven, the Ring of Earth, the Ring of Dúrin. In its mithril band was set an emerald, bright green and incandescent with internal fire. Alone among the Seven, this Ring could compare in power and scope to the Three themselves.
The second and third emerged from the forge together. These were Laureya and Silmaya, the Rings of Gold and Silver, the Ring of Day and the Ring of Night, respectively. Into Laureya I placed an orb of purest polished gold against the mithril band, and against the golden band of Silmaya I placed a sphere of luminous mithril.
Then came the fourth and fifth of the Seven: Araya, the Ring of Dawn, and Histeya, the Ring of Dusk. Into Araya's gold I set a bright fire opal, transparent and radiant, and orange as the sunrise. Into Histeya's mithril I set an amethyst, dark and deep, colored in the deep violet of falling twilight.
At last came the final pair. Mirilya, the Ring of Jewels, and Ondoya, the Ring of Stone. Into the former's gold I set a white topaz, transparent and reflective. Into the latter's mithril I set an onyx, black and mysterious, and deep as night.
At last, when my labor was done, I sat back and sighed, dismissing hammer and anvil and simply staring down at the steel platter where rested a new line of Rings of Power.
Each Ring was slightly different, each possessed of unique attributes, but none were so singular as the Three, save perhaps for Cenya.
I stood up and stretched, letting out a faint moan as my vertebrae crackled like rice paper. I picked up the tablet and crossed the room, setting it down on the coffee table beside Sophia before touching her shoulder gently with one hand.
"Sophia," I murmured. "It's time."
She mumbled something inaudible and shifted to her side, curling into the armchair's cushions. Her eyes opened and sought mine.
"Taylor…?" she muttered.
"You fell asleep," I said. "They're ready, Sophia."
She blinked and stretched, almost catlike. Then she stopped and stared down at the seven glimmering Rings before her.
"Wow," she whispered, her eyes shining with the reflected glow.
I smiled slightly. "Help me wake the others," I said.
-x-x-x-
The workshop was dead silent. It was lit only by the dim lamps set in the corners of the room—I'd stopped Aegis from lighting the main fluorescents as he came in. The eight of us were standing around a round table in the center. Each of the other Wards was interchanging between watching me and looking down at the seven Rings on the table between us.
Narya was on my finger, now, and my presence filled the room—not overpowering, but captivating the other Wards, keeping them focused on me, and on my gifts.
"I've told you all about my modules," I said, looking from one Ward to another. "But now, at last, you see what they look like to
me." I slipped Narya off of my finger and held it out for inspection.
"This is Narya," I said. "The Ring of Fire, one of the Rings of Power, of the set of Three. Those Three are the modules I have been using. Tonight I forged a new set, a set of Seven Rings of Power, one for each of you."
I set Narya down in the center of table and met each Ward's eyes as I continued. "The Rings of Power are dangerous and powerful. They will give you strength, but they will also bind you to them. If you accept the burden of their bearing, your fates will be forever tied to theirs. These are not mere trinkets, tools and weapons like other tinkertech; these will tie themselves to your very soul, and their essence will become inextricable from yours, save by death."
There was a pause. I had their full attention. "If anyone doesn't want their share in this gift," I finished, "speak now."
There was dead silence as the seven Wards watched me without a hint of response. I smiled and, slipping Narya back onto my finger, I began.
"To you, Sam," I said, taking up one, "I give Ondoya, the Ring of Stone. It will give you clarity and certainty, of yourself and of others, and you will be as hard and incorruptible as stone."
I handed the onyx and mithril band to Sam, to Browbeat, and he cradled it in his hands, staring down at it with dark, hooded eyes.
"To you, Chris," I continued, taking up its twin, "I give Mirilya, the Ring of Jewels. Your works and your working will be as radiant and clear as cut gems. To you, and to others."
The gold and topaz Ring I gave to Kid Win, whose hands shook as he turned it over and over in his fingers.
"To you, Dean," I said then, taking up the next Ring, "I give Araya, the Ring of Dawn. It will allow your honest intent to shine into the hearts and minds of all who behold you."
The opal and gold I placed into his outstretched hand, and he held it up to his eye, looking through the hole in wonder.
"To you, Missy," I said, taking up Araya's sister Ring, "I give Histeya, the Ring of Dusk. All who see you will be in awe of your majesty, and be cowed by the scale you represent."
The Ring of mithril and amethyst I gently placed between her reaching fingers, and she ran her thumb over it, glancing between it, Gallant, and me.
"To you, Carlos," I said, "I give Laureya, the Ring of Gold, the Ring of the Sun. You will be as bright and as powerful as the fire itself—incandescent and forceful, impossible to deny."
The gold-on-silver band I dropped into his palm, which he brought up to his face. The light of the Ring reflected on his brown eyes, making them dance.
"To you, Dennis," I said, taking up the last paired Ring, "I give Silmaya, the Ring of Silver, the Ring of the Moon. You will be as calm and as gentle as moonlight, and will be the confidante and trustee of all those you care for."
The Ring, silver-on-gold, I held out to him, and he plucked it up between thumb and forefinger, rotating it to see the pale light flickering off the orb.
I turned to my final Ward, who was biting her lip, watching me raptly. "Sophia," I said, taking up the last of the Seven. "With this, I
bind you, you understand that? I give you this freely, and it is
yours to use—but there is only one Lord of the Rings; only one who can truly master their power. That which I give, I can yet take away."
"I understand," she said, meeting my gaze steadily. "I'm in this for the long haul, Ann—Taylor."
I smiled, and her lips twitched in response. "Then to you, Sophia," I said softly, "you, who have fought beside me; you, who have seen me at my worst and my best—to you, I give Cenya, the Ring of Earth, the Green Ring, the Emerald Ring, greatest of the Seven. It will give you dominion over all that lingers in darkness, both outside and
inside yourself. It will allow you to rule over the deepest, darkest pits—both the caverns that delve into the deep places of the world, and the shadowy crevices within your own heart where you do not dare to tread."
I took her left hand in mine and, my eyes unwavering from hers, I gently slipped the silver band onto her index finger. I saw her eyes widen the moment it was secure. Her body seemed to tense, her spirit flared and
sang with power. A green light seemed to shimmer within her, blazing forth from her eyes before growing dim—no, not dim,
controlled, as she took hold of it and brought it to heel.
Her faint, uncertain smile spread into a wild, unchained grin. "
Holy shit," she whispered.
I stepped away from her and looked around at the other Wards. One by one, they slipped their own Rings of Power onto their own fingers. One by one, their souls flared like stars in the night sky, shining forth with the brilliance of the sun and the moon, and singing like angels in the heavens.
Each responded a little differently. Carlos staggered, as though suddenly struggling under a great load, before seeming to find new strength. Dennis relaxed, his face softening slightly, his eyes growing calm. Missy exhaled—something between a sigh and a hiss—and shuddered slightly, as though in a pleasantly cool wind. Dean's fists clenched and his face seemed to harden, taking on a solid edge reminiscent of great kings and knights of old. Chris stepped back, staring down at his open palms, wonder in his wide eyes and parted lips. Sam's jaw set and his gaze seemed to sharpen, steadying and growing more focused.
"Welcome to the fold, Ring-Bearers," I murmured, bringing my hands together and steepling my fingers, Narya shining in a blaze of fire on my finger.
"Is this a loan?" Missy asked, and her voice was hesitant, as if she wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer. "Are we going to have to give these… give these back once this mess with Bakuda is done?"
Suddenly, the air of wonder which suffused the room thickened with tension—and a hint of jealousy. Already the Wards were bound to their Rings, more tightly than I was to the Three—for I was the Ring-Maker, resilient to their call, while the other heroes were as moths drawn to a radiant flame.
It was my responsibility, then, to ensure they were not burned.
I shook my head in answer to the question. "Once you have borne a Ring of Power," I said quietly, "it will leave its mark upon you forever. I wouldn't take them from you unless I meant to make your lives a torture forevermore." I smiled slightly. "At this point, I've no intention of doing anything of the sort."
"Does that mean we have to keep them on all the time?" Sam asked.
"Not at all," I said. "I took mine off nightly, at first, although I've taken to wearing one of them to bed more often lately. You could almost certainly go days, months, or even years without wearing them. It likely wouldn't even be too hard, so long as you kept them with you—in a pocket, or on a chain around your neck. But parting with them fully will not be easy."
"They're addictive?" Missy asked sharply. "Is that what you meant when you said they were
binding? Could've put it like that."
"No more than any power is," I said simply, shaking my head. "Surely you couldn't drop your ability to warp space at a whim? Just stop using it forever?"
She grimaced and looked away.
"Let me be clear," I said. "The Rings of Power are
dangerous. Do
not use them lightly. But they are
yours, and will bend to your will. Do not use them lightly, but
use them, and use them well. They will give you what you desire, so long as you seek it actively and unerringly."
"So what do they do, exactly?" Sophia asked.
I chuckled and spread my hands. "I don't know, exactly," I said honestly. "That's as much up to you as to me. I don't even know what my Rings do, in full, let alone yours. I encourage you to experiment, learn about them. Think of it like learning how your powers worked. Be aware that they have a tendency to reveal abilities in the middle of a crisis."
"Like your superspeed," Sophia remembered.
I nodded. "And mastering, and enhanced senses, and strength. Nenya's barriers showed up when I had buckshot halfway to my face."
"Nenya?" Chris asked.
"You know it as Water."
"You showed us Narya," said Carlos, studying me. "The other two, Water and Air--they're also Rings?"
"The Three Rings of Power," I confirmed. "Narya, Nenya, and Vilya. Fire, Water, and Air." I produced the Jewelry Box and opened it with a murmured passphrase, and Nenya and Vilya both shone forth like stars. "I keep them in here," I said, "so that I can swap between them when I need to. I'll probably give two of them away at some point, but I don't know when."
I might even give away the third, one day—One day.
"So what do you want us to do with these?" Dean asked. "What, are we supposed to go after Bakuda now, against orders?"
"Of course not," I said dryly. "I won't deny
I might break ranks and go after her, and I might take people with me, if we hear anything about where she is. I think I've earned my pound of flesh there. But no, I'm not going to demand anyone disobey orders and jeopardize their position here. For now, these are just… a bit of assistance. An added boost to each of you, trying to close the gap between heroes and villains in this city. It's not enough… not yet." I smiled. "But I'm not done yet. Not by half."
"Can I help?" Sophia asked immediately.
I chuckled, smiling at her. "Not yet," I said. "Go back to sleep, all of you—I'm going to bed." I looked at the clock on the wall—it was almost five in the morning. "See you in a couple hours."
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