Siphon (A Touch of Power Book 1)

by Jay Boyce

  She looked around and saw a small stream of people heading towards Priom Square. She merged into the foot traffic, following behind one group curiously. Once they reached the square, they made a beeline for one of the buildings she’d noticed before, but never entered: the colossal pointy church building. It was Sunday, so she figured it must be service day.

  Not sure if there was a dress code, she walked nearer and tried to get the lay of the land. The doors were thrown open in welcome, and she could vaguely hear some sort of heavenly choir type music.

  Unable to resist, she snuck into the church at the back of another group that was entering. She couldn’t help but whisper a soft “wow” as she entered. She had been expecting some giant chapel area, and it was there in the middle. What she hadn’t expected were the different alcoves filled with representations of what she knew to be the variations of magic.

  There was one alcove that was ringed by various braziers of different colored fire, one that held basins and bottles of water, one filled with all sorts of growing plants, etc. She almost laughed at the one she figured was light, due to the abundance of glowing globes. What made her grin though, was that one of Damian’s figurines, a masterful crane she’d lit up, was now presented beautifully as the centerpiece of the collection of globes.

  The entire back wall, however, was very different. It contained a giant mural, and this was where most of the people were heading to sit down in the pews. She chose a seat in the middle, glancing at her pocket watch to see that it was almost one o’clock. Peering around, she looked up as she tried to pinpoint where the soft music was still coming from. Finally, she spotted an alcove near the top where a small choir was humming the light, heavenly seeming chords. She was rather impressed that they were so committed to creating ambiance music.

  At one, the bell in the church tower tolled once and silence descended on the church as a man, who she guessed was in his thirties, walked to the front of the congregation. Even the singers had stopped. The man in front didn’t seem much like any of the clergymen she had seen before. He wasn’t dressed in any sort of monk’s habit or priest’s robe. He was just in…nice clothes. You could tell they were of good quality, but that was it. Slightly balding, he nevertheless seemed in good shape. His eyes were kind as they scanned the waiting audience.

  Taking a deep breath, his smooth baritone voice rang out over the congregation as he began, pointing to the far left of the mural. “In the beginning, the creators breathed life into the universe. Worlds without number were formed, and thus began Andara. Here, they created humans in their own likeness.” She was rather surprised at the beauty of the mural. Apparently they had some idea of astronomy because the pictures were remarkably similar to some pictures she’d seen from NASA. Two glowing figures stood there, a male and female, though they were painted indistinctly as figures of light.

  “Father Earth and Heavenly Mother ruled over their children peacefully. Their children grew strong and spread to cover the earth. However, there was rebellion in the hearts of men, and some sought dominion over their brothers and sisters. Their hubris knew no bounds, and bloodshed spread. In anger, Father Earth cursed them that their outer appearance would resemble the beasts within. The world fell into a period of darkness, and the places where humans could exist peacefully grew fewer in number as the new monsters took over the land.”

  Jade glanced around at the captive audience. She was sure they’d heard this story a lot if they told it every week, but it was rather fascinating. The man’s tone was compelling, drawing people into the story. She’d been totally engrossed until he took a moment to let them ponder the darkness. The mural depicted it frighteningly well, and it seemed to embody the full despair of the world.

  The man continued. “Yet, that was not the end. Our Heavenly Mother took pity on her faithful children and blessed them with knowledge. She gave them the ability to see their strengths and weaknesses. She convinced Father Earth that not all of his children should be cast out, and together, they blessed their children with the strength to resist the tides of darkness. Thus began the Age of Magic. Light spread once again across the kingdoms as safe havens were established by those blessed by Father Earth and Heavenly Mother.”

  He paused dramatically, then went on. “Kingdoms grew under the guidance of the blessed, and our mages led the way forward, but there were yet dark times ahead. The dark creatures grew crafty, and they began to steal the blessed for their evil ways. Having gleaned magic from the darkness, they once again began to encroach upon the light. The people cried to the heavens for help, and our parents took pity on us once more. From other worlds, they called the first travelers, brave warriors who united the people! They helped lead the armies of men with their new knowledge! With their help, the kingdoms once again became a haven of peace and prosperity.”

  His voice was filled with almost maniacal devotion as he shouted, “And Heavenly Mother and Father Earth have continued to bless us with travelers whenever the kingdoms face great threats! Hand in hand, they lead and guide us forward! The heroes of the kingdom and our faithful rulers serve us and keep us safe! Even now, the threat has been growing outside our walls, but the heavens have heard our cries! A new traveler has arrived to bring salvation and a new era of peace and prosperity! We are not forgotten, for our parents look upon us still! Praise Father Earth and Heavenly Mother, for they have provided!”

  “Praise be to Father Earth and Heavenly Mother!” The congregation shot to their feet and echoed his shout, and Jade belatedly followed them to her feet, trying not to stand out.

  Dazed, she muttered, “Oh. Shit.”

  Chapter Thirty-Six – Path

  It seemed that this was the end of the little meeting, whatever it was, thankfully. The audience broke into little clumps of enthusiastic people who chattered excitedly about what the new traveler would be like. Jade watched them in a daze as most of them broke off to give some kind of offering, be it money to the front or something for one of the altars. She followed them to leave the pews, listening to their conversations as she tried to process everything she’d just heard.

  “Oooh, he was good! I got the chills! I wonder what the new traveler is like?”

  “Obviously, it’s a brave warrior like the others!”

  “Yeah, they’re going to help us get rid of the dark ones!”

  Jade shuddered, silently trying to get out of there as fast as she could without drawing attention to herself. She hadn’t gotten around to reading about the other travelers yet, but it seemed like that was exactly what she was going to be doing for the rest of the afternoon. People expected her to be a hero. HER?

  As she passed through the church doors and out into the sunlight, she heaved a silent sigh of relief as she squinted at the blinding light. Wandering towards the library, she tried to think if anyone had mentioned the fact that they expected her to save them. That would be a big fat no. So much for being able to be a peaceful merchant!

  Then again… In the last day, hadn’t that been what she was doing? She had found, or been found really, by two monsters which were apparently a huge threat. She’d formulated a plan that would hopefully change the death rate among mages here, which was probably a huge help since mages didn’t seem to be all that common. Was that not a step in the direction of saving them?

  Feeling a headache coming on, she stepped into the darker corridors of the library with a sigh. She reached the front desk, finding Eric himself there. A little startled, she managed a small smile for him. “Oh, hey Eric.”

  “Jade, you’re here!” He glanced behind her, seeming curious that there was no one with her and that she didn’t seem to be her bubbly self. “Did something happen at the gate?”

  She nodded slowly, deciding to use that as her excuse. “Yeah, I found a doppelganger among the men with my new mana sense.”

  Eric looked a little alarmed as he asked, “Did you get hurt?”

  She shook her head. “No, not me. Count Ammon did though. He’s fine
now, just needs a little rest. Oh, right. Countess Marcelle might send someone to look for me if they can’t figure out the light magic I recommended.” Eric looked bewildered, and she smiled. “It’s going to be a mesmer trap, hopefully.” He nodded as if he understood, and she could tell he was going to ask for more information later from someone else.

  Thinking of the last comment she’d processed in the church, she asked, “I heard someone mention some dark ones. What are they?”

  He looked a little wary now, and she met his hazel eyes with curiosity. If she was supposed to fight something, she wanted to know what they were asking her to get herself into. He seemed to be debating how much to tell her, then he sighed and seemed to come to a decision. “The dark ones are the fallen, the first beings that were turned to monsters. They’re the supreme rulers among monsters. They’re extremely powerful, for they have lived many centuries in the dark. We don’t have much more information, given that most people who’ve seen them are dead. Whenever the fallen come to the battlefield, not much is left behind. Nations fall, and monsters take over. They’re said to be beautiful beyond compare, with feathered black wings coming out of their backs.”

  Jade took a moment to consider. Why did it suddenly sound like they were describing Lucifer? Fallen son of the morning, an angel. If they had wings, did that mean that humans here were originally born with wings too? Whatever. That wasn’t the point. She asked quietly, “Do they come to the battlefield often?”

  Eric frowned, then answered. “No, not often. Thankfully, Caoi has never had a fallen come here. But around thirty years ago, a kingdom to the west, Tareim, was destroyed. They say a dark one led the armies of monsters that did it.”

  She nodded pensively, then smiled at Eric. “Thanks for telling me all that. I was just a bit curious when I heard the term because it didn’t sound like they were talking about the mesmer.” She had learned to lie way too smoothly because Eric was now smiling back at her like she hadn’t just asked some really important questions.

  “No problem. Are you spending the afternoon reading today?”

  Nodding, she said, “Yeah, I figured it’s my last day to get some reading in, since classes start tomorrow.”

  “Oh right! I almost forgot again!” Digging around in his pockets, he finally pulled out another little metal card. She wasn’t quite sure what it was made of, but if she had to guess, it was silver inlaid with a copper crest. It was thicker than her library card, and as Eric handed it to her, she inspected it more closely. “This is your school pass. I kept forgetting to give it to you!” He smiled charmingly, seemingly a little embarrassed that it had slipped his mind so many times.

  She studied the roaring dragon crest. The dragon had wings spread as it was perched atop a mountain, fire coming out of its mouth. At the base of the mountain were a book, sword, and a shield. The detail was extraordinary, and she smiled at Eric as she asked, “Your work?”

  He grinned. “Yeah, but not my design. I just made this year’s batch. My great-great-great…a bunch more greats-grandfather was one of the founders of Dracona. He was a great metal mage, and since then, our family has always been led by the strongest metal mage of each generation.”

  Jade studied him curiously. “So are you the next family head? Since you’re the metal magic teacher?”

  He snorted, shaking his head. “Nope. My older brother Declan has that title, and I’m more than happy enough that it’s him and not me. I was thrilled to be able to read and explore metal magic, rather than go into the crafting weapons and armor side of things.”

  Jade grinned at him. “I can understand that.” Wasn’t that what she wanted? Rather than weapons of destruction, she wanted to create beautiful things that made life better.

  It seemed like fate might be pushing her down a different path though, if what the guy in the church said had any truth to it. It wasn’t that she wanted to fight, to go on a holy crusade against the mesmer or anything like that. She wanted to be able to live a peaceful, happy life, but sometimes you had to fight for what you believed in.

  If she thought about it, it made sense. Most peaceful eras on Earth had happened because someone was bigger and badder than everyone else, and they made everyone else back down because of their strength. That, in turn, led to times of peace. For every era, there was a battlefield. Whether it was guns or information, there were people who constantly worked hard to keep others safe. So maybe Jade would have to take up the role for a while.

  And maybe, just maybe… Her role would be different than the other travelers, although she still wasn’t positive yet on just what they’d done either. Maybe she could do both, or her inventions would be what led to a change in the tides. Maybe it was the little things like mesmer traps that would make the difference. Only time would tell.

  Smiling at Eric, she proposed, “Okay, I’m going to head up to my room and do some reading. You wanna get dinner with me later?” She had begun to like eating with other people, even if they were always amazed by how much she ate. It was way more fun than eating tasteless mush alone in her hospital bed, or being spoon fed that stupid mush when she didn’t have the energy to lift her fingers.

  “Yeah, I’d like that. Have fun reading, and let me know if you need anything.” Grinning, she nodded in acknowledgment and then headed off into the library, lighting up her hand to throw back the darkness.

  So, she had been transported to a world filled with monsters to fight. Sure, it had darkness. But there was also magic and light! There were people like Eric and Stephen, whom she’d started to think of as awesome older brothers. She had friends like Jessica, Kaylee, Raphael, Camille, Tisha, Lucas, Damian, Sharon and little Tina, Mike and Elisa, Will, and maybe even Jackson, Evan, and Adam. There were people like Christopher, Ammon, and Marcelle who were giving all they had to make people safe. There was King Derrick, Queen Ashanna, Victor, Hayden, and Hunter: the rest of a royal family that seemed super nice, though she didn’t really have much of an idea of what they actually did. There was even Jarom, whom she hadn’t seen since she met him. Absently, she wondered where he’d disappeared to.

  Still. As much as she might need to fight monsters, there was nothing that said she couldn’t work up to it, or that that was all she had to do. Whatever happened, she’d make her own path. There was a whole world to explore!

  So Jade went to her room at the library. She read, she played with magic, and made herself some new and improved sunglasses. She had a fun dinner with Eric where he told her stories of his childhood with Declan. She read some more and Lucas came to escort her home again. When she got back, Jessica, Kaylee, and Raphael fussed over her, made sure she had plenty of food in her room, etc. She finally really explored the Green Dragon, finding they had a little rooftop garden and where the rest of the bathrooms were.

  Sitting on the roof surrounded by the smell of the blooming herbs there, she stared up, holding her hand in the air to measure the distance of the stars in the night sky. Where was Earth? She couldn’t recognize any of the constellations she’d looked at on the NASA website. She wondered why she’d been chosen to come here.

  In her reading this afternoon, she’d discovered that the travelers before her had mostly been warriors.

  There was Varden the Proud, who taught how the stars guided his people to victory. She guessed most of the astronomy pictures she’d seen had come from him because he was always reading the stars as omens of what Heavenly Mother directed. He’d come to this world after he’d led his people to a great victory on his. She also figured out he was the one who’d introduced glass because he wanted to observe the stars and therefore needed a telescope. The book had said there was a gigantic one in the castle.

  Corrai the Wrathful was different. He’d been filled with anger at the injustice of his old world where he was a slave. From what she’d understood, he’d survived something like the Roman Colosseum. His anger at being oppressed had led him to wage grand wars against the monsters and he introduced several new weapons
he’d used in his world, like swords, daggers, two-headed axes, and flails. Allegedly, they’d mostly been using spears and bows before that.

  Caldwell the Diligent had been brought from a world with a very trained military, and he was responsible for setting up the formal guard she’d seen today. Before that, everyone had had to fight. He was the first traveler in Caoi, and he’d also helped set up Dracona. Most of the information on him was more hearsay, because he was the one setting up the system and they hadn’t written it down for at least two generations.

  But that was it. Three travelers in Caoi in the last several hundred years. If the book was to be believed, there were more in other kingdoms, but they didn’t have a whole lot of information on them either. It also kinda made it sound like Varden was still alive, but she wasn’t sure how old the book was either.

  Absently, she held her hand to the sky, imagining herself touching the stars. Unlike the big burly men who all seemed to be fighters before they came here, she was just a girl who’d been trapped. It was no wonder why the people whom she’d told she was a traveler had a hard time believing it at first. She was nothing like the others.

  But maybe that was okay. Maybe they needed a different kind of hero this time? Quietly, she whispered into the darkness. “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by. And that has made all the difference.” Perhaps Frost was on to something.

  She would make her own path.

  - End of Book One -

  Welcome to the World

  Epilogue

  Jade opened her eyes to the light of the new day, smiling with cracked lips as the sun hit her face. The night had passed, and it was the dawn of a new day.

  She tried to push herself up, only to be stopped by the pain in her arms. She winced, glancing down at her skin-and-bones body, the multiple wires and needles stabbing into what little flesh she had. The methodical beep of monitors hummed in the background, a constant reminder that she was trapped.