Read Edda for Free Online Page A

It was a strange juxtaposition, the workmanlike satchel, full of pockets and iron implements, hung across a body covered by the exceptionally fine needlework of a dress decorated in pearls. But Princess could wear what she pleased as long as she kept Lord Scanthax secure with her scripts.
    If she could make some progress on the scripting of the new gun, that would balance the very negative view that Lord Scanthax was certain to take of Penelope’s extraordinarily dangerous and unrestrained attempt to leave her apartments. They had to march a considerable distance along quiet carpeted corridors, but their pace was swift. Walking just ahead of Princess, Ambassador felt energized, and she seemed willing to keep up with him, no matter how much he depleted his stamina reserve.
    Historically, Penelope did her work in a wizard’s laboratory that filled the top floor of the eastern round tower. There was no particular need for such an environment; she could work anywhere. But as a child the room had helped her to conceive of herself as the heroine of a story in which her magic saved the kingdom. By now it was a habit for Penelope to work in the laboratory, even though the room remained a little childish in decor. It had frogs and ravens in cages, brightly colored potions bubbling over flames and releasing spicy fragrances into the room, elaborately drawn pentacles on the floor, rune-engraved wands and daggers lying on a big scarred table, and signs of burn marks around the edges of tapestries whose scenes depicted wondrous and fabulous monsters.
    It also had a computer, and as soon as Ambassador opened the gargoyle-carved doors to the chamber, Penelope stepped through and went over to sit before a large viewing screen.
    “Play the recordings of this weapon in action, please.” The seat that faced the screen had two demon skulls built into its arms; Princess rested her hands on these as she waited expectantly for the clips. Surprised by the speed with which Penelope was turning her attention to the gun, Ambassador needed a guilty moment to work the computer and access the files they needed. A few seconds after he found them, a projector shone its beam onto the screen and they watched a converted archer unit fire bright green bolts of energy from the gun, destroying a variety of targets—including a heavily armored tank—until the weapon ceased to work, presumably having expended all its charges.
    “Interesting.” Penelope had a remote control device in her hand and was flicking back through the recordings, examining certain moments again in slow motion. “Much more powerful than anything we have, don’t you think?”
    “Oh, quite. Hence the concerns of Lord Scanthax. An army using these would destroy us easily.” Ambassador paused, reluctant to interrupt her study, but he had to know. “Do you think you can script us these guns?”
    “Well, yes, in the sense that I can script anything, given time. But how it generates such energy safely is quite a mystery. This could take a while.”
    “A while?”
    “A year, say.”
    “A year!” Ambassador’s voice came out shrill and shocked, even to his own ears.
    “Just kidding.” Princess looked away from the screen and gave him a smile. “I don’t know how long, I’m afraid, but let’s make a start, shall we?”
    It was fascinating and frustrating to watch Penelope work. Moving to sit up at the large, scarred wooden table, she pushed all the clutter of the magician’s workshop to the side and conjured up a lump of matter out of nowhere, approximately the size of the gun.
    The humans who had created Edda had been surprised and more than a little alarmed when some of their creations—the more powerful lords and ladies—over the course of the centuries, emerged as fully conscious lifeforms. As a precaution against the potential danger represented by these aggressive beings, the humans made it impossible for anyone without living human DNA to access the tools that allowed