Page 56 of Guiding Reason
Col’s eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong with the agriculture?”
“Best as I understand it, all the harvesting and tending bots for the urban production inside the Grounds interfaced directly with the Op-AI which advised them when to harvest and plant and so forth. Now, they don’t know what to do. And the Municipal AI is too used to seeing everything to be of much help with most of this.”
Hyran shifted on his moldable. “If there are any shortages in the food people are used to, that’ll only make the situation worse. Have you talked to the Agri-Team?”
“Yes. But they told me that their specialty is crops grown outside the walls, not cohabitable or urban agriculture. They know how to plant and harvest, but not how to organize that on this scale, in this setting.”
More than anything, the Grounds cultivate stability. It’s crumbling. Everything the Grounds are and need to be is slipping away here unless we can stop it.
“I see,” Col said, handing his food to Hyran, then pulling out his screen.
Col rapidly noted down what Niyada had told him, made notes of who he needed to talk to, the Argentean Op-AI very much heading that list.
Niyada clicked her tongue, mildly chiding. “This is not how we should have celebrated our second meeting, Coldis, but I am happy you don’t have to leave the Grounds to see me or my spouses, whatever comfort there still remains here.”
Col looked up from his screen. “I’m Argentean. We leave the Grounds all the time. But I am glad to know you are heading the effort of stabilizing things here in Ferrea.”
Hyran leaned over his shoulder. “Don’t charm her too much. I’ll never hear the end of it.”
“That’s because you, my sweet baby boy, suck so very much at charming.”
“Uh.”
Col watched Hyran pouting at his mother, and all of a sudden, he saw the familial resemblance there, much like he always had in Maro and Sen.Something I never had with anyone.
With effort, Col smiled along with the two of them, forcing himself to forget Thistletown and his mother’s promise to meet there.It’s a fantasy. It wasn’t real, not even when I talked to her. I did get to talk to her, and she knows that I’m fine. That’s all that matters, all we’ll get.
As if he sensed something troubling his Conduit, Hyran started rubbing Col’s back, drawing warm circles around his spine. There was comfort there, new and strange still, but comfort all the same, and Col leaned back against that hand, letting Hyran take some of his weight.
21
HYRAN
Because Protector Niyada Mana was who she was, she told them to enjoy the food and the break room while she went to find Hyran’s other two mothers to take over the conversation while she went back to work. Hyran watched Col for any discomfort, but the Conduit showed none. Rather, the work ahead of them energized him.
Hyran’s other two mothers breezed in, if anything sixth rank protectors did could be called that. Lai, his haha, and Panosa, his mama, both looked tired even if their excitement hid it.
“Conduit Rasev asked to convey his well wishes to you,” Lai told Col after greetings and introductions.
They were all sitting in a loose circle now without Niyada. Hyran had only ever had one friend outside the Grounds, ayoung regular girl who lived next door to them. Whenever she had come over, his mothers had eagerly fawned over her, similar to this.
At the time, being young and stupid, Hyran had been embarrassed. Now he wondered whether they had tried to compensate for all the Guardians and Conduits he’d met at this very school who none of his mothers could ever meet, given they had to live outside the Grounds and had never even picked him up from school, had always come to the Western Entrance for that.
Hyran pushed the memories away to focus on the now, on Col.
“I will talk to Rasev soon, and I’ll instruct my office AI to ask him for his latest reports.”
Lai chuckled. “He’ll be glad to hear you’re better. He keeps saying how he can’t fathom how you managed to give orders while suffering from a concussion. I have to agree. I remember when we were called to the clinic after Hyran had his first accident practicing his speed.”
“Yes, that wasn’t fun,” Hyran said.
Panosa grunted. “If your children are going to be like that too, you two will have your hands full. Lai, we’ll have to take turns visiting them to help out.”
Col’s tawny skin looked richer when he blushed, the gray undertones of exhaustion nearly vanishing.I need to make him blush some more later on, when we are alone.
“Mama, please. Leave Col alone with that. And we are only just getting to know each other.”
She snorted. “I had only been living in Ferrea for a year when we had you, and we all pulled together then. Having you was a good thing, Hyran, best we ever did.”
