Magi Legend

by Andrew Dobell

  Besides, they were the experienced ones. She had followed Kennedy Rickard’s work for a while, reading about him during her time at university. She knew that getting a placement on his team was a huge opportunity for her, and she didn’t want to disappoint him.

  She’d seen Sandy mentioned in the papers that Kennedy had written, so they’d been colleagues for a long time. Bryn was someone she knew less about. Kennedy had introduced her to him back in the UK, and the little research she’d done, told her he was more of an explorer and survivalist, someone who knew the local area well, including the volatile political climate.

  She wondered if he was armed.

  This was meant to be a simple scouting trip, to catalogue some of the damage that the religious group had done to some of the priceless ancient ruins that lay scattered through the desert. The ruins above them on the surface had been the third site they’d visited this week.

  Finding this underground city had been something of a surprise, though.

  She didn’t quite know why she was so worried. Sure, it was dark and creepy, but it was also clearly abandoned and had been for a long time. It was also clear that they were the first ones to come down here since it had been sealed up.

  She knew it was empty, and yet, there was still that lingering fear, clawing at the edge of her brain.

  The Calm

  Fornix, Null Realm

  Amanda shook her head, clearing a momentary fog from her mind, and looked down at her hands that were resting on the windowsill. It took her a moment to remember where she was.

  She looked up through the window, out over the rooftops of the buildings surrounding them. There were domes made from gleaming white marble spread out in all directions. Some were a part of the massive building she was inside of, others belonged to the surrounding structures, but they were all beautifully carved from gorgeous white marble, shot through with gold.

  It was lovely and warm, and the bright sun shone from the clear blue sky. A flock of colourful, exotic birds wheeled through the air while long, brightly coloured flags waved at her as the wind caught them.

  She was in Fornix, the Null Realm that Maria controlled.

  Before her travel back in time, she had never heard of Fornix, and as it turned out that was deliberate on Maria’s part.

  Looking back, she wondered why she’d never questioned where Maria actually lived. She spent some time at the Legacy House, and at Amanda’s Brownstone, but Amanda had known she wasn’t at either of those the whole time, and yet, she’d never questioned it.

  Thinking back, she had just assumed that Maria moved from lover to lover, staying at theirs before returning to her or to the Legacy. But she couldn’t have been more wrong.

  Fornix was a Null Realm dedicated to pleasure and sensation. Those who hadn’t been here, or who disagreed with its ethics, saw it as a brothel or something similar. And while sex was certainly a large part of what happened here, it wasn’t the only thing. The realm was designed as a safe place for those interested in experiencing life, pleasure, pain, and sensation to come and do so without judgement, and with the support of those more experienced. The central city catered to all tastes, from simple sexual gratification of all kinds to yoga, meditation, safe drug use, mind-expansion techniques, astral travel, BDSM, as well as rooms dedicated to debate and discussion. Beyond the walls, a wide array of environments were nearby, and all of them were designed for the use of the Realm’s visitors. There were mountains for BASE jumping and winter sports, deserts for dune buggy racing and forests for mountain biking.

  The Realm had passed from one curator to another through the years and was one of the few realms that had regular visits from Magi who lived outside of the Sol system.

  Maria had taken control of Fornix after the previous curator had passed the torch to her, around four hundred years ago. When not visiting the Legacy or Amanda, Maria could often be found here, either indulging herself in what the Realm had to offer or dealing with the day-to-day running of the domain.

  Amanda had been here often over the past few hundred years. Spending time with Maria and partaking of what was on offer.

  The fog that had filled her mind cleared, and she remembered that she had come here with Howie and Sabine. She’d indulged in a night of passion with them and Maria. It was their third visit in as many weeks since her fight with Nymira. The memories of their sweaty bodies entwined with each other brought a smile to her lips.

  But, why had she suddenly forgotten that?

  She focused on the strange fog that had clouded her mind for what must surely have been just a moment, but strangely, felt like it had lasted much longer.

  As she concentrated on it, it was like she was fighting to get into a locked box of memories, or as if she were struggling to break into someone’s mind to read their thoughts, except, this was inside her own head.

  She closed her eyes and focused on it to the exclusion of all else, forcing her way into the ball of memories that was resisting her.

  She prised it open, until it couldn’t resist her anymore and cracked open, spilling its contents back into her mind. They were memories. New ones that she had only just created, and they were strange.

  She’d been here, in Fornix, having got up from the bed to stretch her legs and take in the view when she’d suddenly found herself transported to… somewhere.

  Somewhere… else.

  Somewhere... other.

  She wasn’t even sure it was part of this universe, but that wasn’t the strangest thing. No, the most unusual thing was that she’d found herself in a bar, a bar run by a robot called BOB.

  BOB’s Bar.

  As she thought about it, running through those strange memories, she remembered meeting a group of people who all seemed equally as confused as she was, and yet, they had all accepted it.

  Something about that bar had somehow convinced them that everything was normal and that they shouldn’t question it. It had worked at the time, but it was only now, with the bar’s influence gone, that she realised how odd it had been.

  She remembered sitting at a table with the others and telling stories. They had all related moments from their past. Tall tales, or, what was it the soldier had called them? Sea stories, was it?

  Tales from the multiverse, perhaps.

  She focused on the people she’d been sitting with and tried to picture them and remember their names, but it was difficult, as if their names kept slipping through her fingers. Tantalizingly close, and yet, so far away.

  She concentrated some more, squeezing her eyes shut and forcing herself to remember their names.

  And then, suddenly, she had them. Tanis, Ryck, Bethany Anne, Marc, Cal, and his buddy, Splurt. She was sure there were one or two more, but their names still eluded her.

  The memories of their faces burst into her mind as the last of the strange fog cleared, releasing almost all the details of the bizarre experience.

  Curiously, the whole thing seemed like a dream and yet, at the same time, so real. She wasn’t entirely sure it had really happened, but the memories could not be denied. Either she’d been temporally removed from this universe and taken somewhere… other, outside of her universe, or it was all just a strange, lucid dream brought on, no doubt, by last night’s indulgences.

  Whatever it was, she felt sure that whatever had caused it was totally outside of her reach and, at least for now, no threat to her.

  She’d heard of the multiverse theory before, both from television programs and such, and from scientific reports. She’d never really thought about it much because it wasn’t something that really affected her.

  It was a cool theory—that there were other universes out there, possibly filled with different versions of her—and it was fun to think about what it could mean, but up until this moment, that’s all it had ever been. A theory. An idea and nothing more.

  She remembered that the Weaver had mentioned something about it once as well, essentially confirming that the multiverse was
real, and if anyone would know the truth, the Weaver would.

  The Weaver was… well, she wasn’t sure what it was, but it wasn’t from this universe, that was for sure.

  Whatever the case, it was something that beared thinking about at some point and maybe taking a closer look at. In fact, she suddenly remembered saying to the blonde woman, Tanis, who she kind of hit it off with, that she would look into a way of crossing over to her universe.

  She smiled to herself over the memory. Well, all in good time, she thought. She had more than enough on her plate right now, but she’d find some time and give it some thought.

  Stepping back from the window, Amanda raised her arms up into the air and stretched her whole body out, tensing her muscles and feeling the occasional pop of one of her joints. Relaxing, she turned and looked back at the room behind her. It was a huge opulent bedroom, dominated by a huge circular bed in the centre, at least five meters in diameter. Several naked bodies relaxed or slept on it. Howie lay on his side, his gleaming dark skin moving slowly with the rhythm of his breathing. He was still asleep. Not surprising after a night with three girls.

  Sabine was also asleep, her dark hair loose and framing her head like a halo. She lay on her back, her naked tanned chest rising and falling as she dreamed.

  Maria, however, was awake and lay on her side, her head propped up by her hand, watching Amanda.

  Amanda smiled at her and walked over.

  “Hey,” Amanda greeted her. “You sleep okay?”

  “I slept like a log. I must have been tuckered out. You?”

  Amanda sat on the edge of the bed where Maria took her hand and caressed it with her fingers. “Yeah, I slept well,” she said with a smile, deciding to keep the strange experience of the bar to herself for the time being. “Last night was fun.”

  “Of course it was. I like that you’ve continued to embrace the idea of free love now that you’re integrating back into the Magi world,” Maria said.

  Amanda smiled. Maria was such a hippie. She was way ahead of her time, having had these ideas way before the 1960s. And, of course, when the sixties rolled around, she revelled in the culture of the hippie movement once it emerged into the public consciousness.

  But she knew what Maria meant. Amanda just wouldn’t have used those words.

  “Well, I’m just not interested in a deep and meaningful relationship with one person, at least, not right now. You know that. I’m happy to remain single. But, you know, I have needs, just like you and Howie and everyone else.”

  “Needs? Hah,” Maria laughed. She shook her head. “Call it what it is, babe.”

  “Alright, “babe!” Yes, I like to have sex as much as you do. Does that make you happy?”

  “Ecstatic,” Maria smirked. “You’re over a thousand years old, regularly indulging in group sex, and yet you’re still a good Catholic girl at heart, aren’t you?”

  “Would you want it any other way?” Amanda asked.

  “No, I wouldn’t. As long as you keep wearing those tartan miniskirts, that is.”

  “I knew you loved them.”

  Maria lay back, sighing, getting a wistful look about her. “Yeah, you got me there, I do.”

  “Pervert,” Amanda said with a grin.

  “Guilty as charged,” Maria said, shrugging.

  Amanda smiled. She loved Maria. She was one of the people Amanda was closest to, and she had been the one to show her how to be proud of her sexuality and to celebrate it. She hated to see people repressed and bullied and hurt for simply being who they were. The Fornix Null Realm sponsored initiatives around the world, working against the oppression of marginalised communities, as well as helping support groups. They gave money to those fighting the illegal sex trade and those taking on human trafficking activity around the world. They did a lot of good, and Amanda was immensely proud of Maria for the work she did.

  That didn’t mean she wouldn’t tease her from time to time, though.

  Amanda looked back at Maria. “Penny for your thoughts.”

  Maria smiled and looked up at her. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, what’s on your mind?”

  “Do you think Howie has morning wood?”

  “Oh, jeez,” Amanda said, rolling her eyes. “Look, I have stuff to do today, we can go for round two another time,” she said and made to rise from the bed, looking around for her clothes.

  Maria laughed and gently grasped Amanda’s wrists. “I’m kidding,” she said. “Well, mostly.” She winked.

  “You’re insatiable.”

  “And you love me for it, now come here and kiss me.”

  Amanda raised an eyebrow. “Well, seeing as you asked so nicely.”

  Maria pulled her in and rolled over on top of her, grasping her wrists and pinning her to the bed.

  She kissed her softly, their lips moving slowly and gently until Maria pulled slightly away and looked deep into her eyes.

  “Oh, alright, you’ve convinced me,” Amanda relented.

  “That was easy.”

  “What can I say? I’m a sucker for hot girls,” Amanda smiled.

  “Charmer,” Maria replied, before kissing her again.

  ***

  Stepping through the Portal, Amanda appeared in the lobby of her Null Realm, just behind Sabine and Howie.

  The moment she was through, she cancelled the Link to Fornix, and the Portal reset back to her Brownstone.

  “There you go, you can head back whenever,” she said.

  “Cheers,” Howie said. “That was fun.”

  Amanda smiled. “It certainly was. You handled it well.”

  “Why am I hearing innuendo from everything you say now?” he said, shaking his head to clear his thoughts.

  Amanda laughed. “After last night? I can’t say I’m surprised. It’ll fade, I’m sure.”

  “Yeah, here’s hoping. I just need to drag my mind out of the gutter.”

  “Perhaps a cold shower is in order?” she suggested.

  “That’s a damn good idea. You coming?”

  “I’m not getting in that shower with you,” she smirked.

  “I didn’t… I wasn’t…”

  Amanda laughed. “Oh, feck, you’re too easy.”

  Howie frowned. “Shit, girl, you got me.”

  “Go on, get out of here, you ejit. I’ll see you later.” She stepped up to him, giving him a brief kiss and squeezing his bum with her right hand. She pulled away and gave him a wink as he stepped through the Portal and disappeared.

  She watched him go and then turned back to the room to see Sabine crouched down beside Samhain where he lay in front of the fire. She was rubbing his belly, and the big softy was enjoying every moment of it.

  “Do that too much, and he’ll never let you go,” she warned. “His lair is filled with the bones of people who he took a liking to,” she joked, walking over to them and sitting in a nearby chair.

  Sabine looked up and smiled. “I’ll be careful.”

  Sam had lifted his head and looked at her.

  Amanda raised her hands. “Sorry, dude, just joking. He doesn’t like anyone getting in the way of a good belly rub. So where does your nickname, Voodoo, come from?”

  Sabine looked up. “I used to be my call sign, back in my Arcanum days as a Black Ops agent. They gave it to me because I was from New Orleans, and the guys in Black Ops are fountains of originality. It just stuck, I suppose.”

  Amanda sat back in her seat and looked into the fire. “So, you’ve known Maria for a while, then?”

  “Yeah. After I went through my Epiphany and I left the Arcanum, Victoria placed me with a coven back in New Orleans. I wanted to return to my hometown. I don’t know anyone there really, but it just felt right, you know?”

  Amanda nodded. She knew all about that. It was why she’d returned to New York after her training as a Magus. It was home to her.

  “Well,” Sabine continued, “one of my coven mates, Henri, was a regular visitor to Fornix. I went with him a few times a
nd ended up meeting Maria. We just clicked and started seeing each other occasionally. It was nothing serious, but she was nice. She made me feel welcome and not embarrassed about who I was and what I liked.”

  “She has that effect on people,” Amanda said.

  “She does. She’s a special one.”

  The room fell silent for a few moments. Amanda sat in her chair, enjoying its familiar soft embrace and just stared into the fire, listening to Sam’s purring.

  “I did a little digging,” Sabine said. “I wasn’t sure if Nymira had killed my entire coven. I mean, I knew she attacked us and took me and some others hostage, but I wondered if any of them had escaped. If any were still around or had moved on? You know?”

  “What did you find?” Amanda asked, feeling sure she knew the answer from Sabine’s tone.

  “As far as I can dig up, she got them all. I’m the last.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Amanda said.

  “It’s okay. I’m dealing with it,” she said.

  “You didn’t have to join us last night, you know.”

  “I know, but I wanted to. I was closer to Maria than most of my coven anyway. I’ve been working through some of this shit, and when Maria invited me, it felt right. I’m not one to dwell on such things. Life’s too short, even for us Magi. You never know what’s going to happen tomorrow.”

  Amanda nodded and smiled. “You’re damn right.”

  To her right, the Portal flared and Liz appeared on the welcome mat with Howie.

  “She’s right here,” Howie said.

  “Ah, there you are,” Liz said. “Trevelyan has been trying to contact you.”

  Amanda sat up. “Oh, how come?”

  “There’s a Council meeting happening today at Ultima Thule, he thinks you should be there.”

  Amanda nodded. “He’s right, I probably should.” Getting up from her chair, she started to make her way over towards the door that led to her Aetheric Craft, and then stopped and looked at the three people in the room with her. “You guys wanna come?”