Chapter 29 Part 4

I've got a few men on their rest break. I'm sure I could ask them to get what you ask. The first priority, though, is this barrier. Is this idea of yours going to help it somehow?"

"It ought to," replied Sal.

"In that case I'll get them," said Prilock as he turned to a short man who was not chanting. "Go get as many tile hooks as you can carry. If you see anyone who is off duty who is awake, ask them to help you bring some back. We need enough to reach about the top of our shield." The man sprinted off with an invigorated sense of purpose.

Prilock turned back to Sal. "So what are you hoping to do with these tile hooks anyway?"

Sal eyed the top of the barrier. With his chin angled upwards, one might have momentarily confused him for someone heroic. "We are going to build a lightning rod."

Prilock rubbed his fingers against the side of his cheek. "Then what?"

"Then maybe, if we are lucky, we can channel the energy that goes into the rod into the barrier. Instead of using your people and wearing them out, we can use some of the Metheon energy against themselves.

Prilock let a slight smirk cross his lips. "Think it'll work?"

"All I know is that it won't hurt to try."

The short man showed up with the rods and behind him ambled a few other villages that Sal recognized had been chanting earlier in the day. The short man dropped his load of rods, and then motioned to the other men to do the same. One of them was carrying what appeared to be some kind of steel rope or twine. Sal inferred that this must be what they had for the purpose of lashing the rods together.

"This is it," the short man said after the final villager dumped his load of items next to the rods.

"Good," said Sal. "Let's start lashing these things together."

After several volleys of electrical discharge, the men had a crudely lashed lightning rod. It wasn't the prettiest rod ever made, because the ends of the rods made it look as though the thing out to be climbed--especially since the next rod started where the last bent into a hook. Sal had wondered whether or not these additional bends would cause a loss of electrical charge. Yet, even if the rod only dissipated some of the energy, that was better than the chanters having to maintain it.

Once the rod was done, it was time to dig the hole for it. The men pitched in and were finished in no time at all. The next part, though, was the dangerous part.

Getting the pole into position would require a delicate sense of timing. If the idea didn't work, then the people putting the pole up had nothing to worry about. On the other hand, if it did work, those who had the pole in their hands had to face the very real possibility of electrocution. If electrocution was avoided, then what had to be taken into account was the heating of the pole by the current running through it. A severe burn might not be as deadly, but nobody would benefit from one.