End of the Line

by N. D. Roberts

  Ezekiel put his fingers in his ears. “Good. I don’t want to hear about Sarah Jennifer’s love life, thank you all very much. She’s been like a mother to me. It’s weird.”

  Caitlin jumped up from the grassy bank and darted over to tickle Ezekiel. “Awww, Zeke doesn’t want to hear that Sarah Jennifer could get up to all the things he likes to do with pretty barmaids.”

  Kain rolled his eyes. “Classy, Kitty-Cat.”

  Caitlin grinned. “I know you’re not mistaking me for a lady, Pooch.”

  “Matriarch forbid the idea,” he shot back with a deep laugh. “If you started getting airs and graces, we’d have to launch a mission to find out who replaced you with a doppelganger.”

  Caitlin lifted her chin. “Salt of the earth, that’s me. If I ever stop saying it how it is, you damn well better send out a search party for the real me.”

  Ezekiel waved a hand, and the next section of the ditch opened under his direction. “Come on, guys. We don’t want to be late to the actual party tonight.”

  “No, we don’t,” Mary-Anne agreed. “I heard a rumor the druids are coming in from the forest, and they always bring the fun.”

  “That’s because they’re not all uptight like the city folk,” Caitlin reasoned. “Hopefully, they’ve been putting as much effort into their distillery as they have into persuading the trees to protect them. I’m sick of that piss-weak ale we’ve been drinking for the last few weeks.”

  Everyone agreed with that and they resumed the task at hand, each nursing fond thoughts of the gathering planned for that evening.

  The day was warming up, and they were all working up a sweat.

  Kain paused to wipe his forehead and caught sight of a golden streak heading straight for them. “Which Were is that?” he asked as the wolf got closer.

  Ezekiel turned to look, his brow creasing. “That’s Sarah Jennifer. I wonder why she’s in such a hurry?”

  They found out a few minutes later when she reached them.

  She stayed in wolf form and spoke to Ezekiel mind to mind. Brace yourself, kiddo. I just overheard Adrien talking. He proposed to Linda, and she accepted.

  Ezekiel frowned. Is that what the party tonight is for?

  Looks that way, Sarah Jennifer told him. There’s more.

  What? Ezekiel asked.

  Adrien has been running spies. That’s why I’m here in person. I don’t know who is working for him yet, but I intend to find out before the party. The woman he was speaking to has just gotten back from a recon and reported finding mind-magic users in the mountains a few days’ walk from here.

  Mind magic? Ezekiel’s eyes widened. I thought that ability was rare.

  Rare enough, Sarah Jennifer agreed. But not so rare that it hasn’t manifested in this community. Adrien is planning something. His spy suggested using the discovery to get you out of the city, for what reason they didn’t say.

  “Probably so I don’t persuade Linda to turn him down,” Ezekiel muttered, drawing questioning looks from the others.

  I have to get back to the city before I’m missed, Sarah Jennifer told him. I’ll see you all there later.

  You mind if I share what’s going on with Cait? he asked.

  Sarah Jennifer tilted her head and gave the gang a wolfish grin. No, go ahead. We need everyone we trust on the same page.

  I sure wish Olaf was here, Ezekiel told her. But we have his warriors guarding the gates.

  That’s my next stop, Sarah Jennifer informed him. I want to know who has been out of the city. See if I can figure who Adrien’s spies are that way.

  Ezekiel nodded. Good idea. Maybe putting some Weres on the gates wouldn’t be a bad thing, either.

  That’s the plan. Sarah Jennifer dipped her head. I’ll see you at the party.

  She streaked off across the fields again without another word.

  “What was that?” Caitlin asked.

  “Trouble,” Ezekiel replied, his heart heavy.

  Kain frowned. “When isn’t there trouble? What kind?”

  “We have to finish up here and get back to the city,” Ezekiel told them. “Sarah Jennifer overheard Adrien talking to someone he has spying for him about some magic users a few days’ walk from here.”

  “She couldn’t tell us that over the radio?” Caitlin asked.

  Ezekiel shook his head. “No. Not without risking Adrien’s spies finding out she’s onto him.”

  Kain’s frown deepened. “Spies? Why would he need spies?”

  Ezekiel’s face was set in hard lines. “He has to know I’m the only obstacle to her marrying him.”

  “Ew, that guy gives me the creeps,” Caitlin stated. “It’s a little much, the way he’s always hanging over her.”

  “She doesn’t seem to mind,” Mary-Anne commented. “You okay, Ezekiel?”

  Ezekiel sighed. “I have no choice but to be okay. Linda is going to accept, I’m almost certain. He was her father’s choice, and she’s the kind of person to honor his wishes.”

  Kain observed the tightness in Ezekiel’s shoulders. “You care about Linda a lot, don’t you?”

  Ezekiel nodded. “We were close when we were younger. Then her father died, and we drifted apart when she took over as chancellor.”

  “You ever tell her how you feel?” Mary-Anne asked.

  Ezekiel shook his head. “She has her life. I have mine. We’re different people now. I figured she was going to marry Adrien one day, but I guess I didn’t want to consider it would actually happen.”

  Caitlin patted his shoulder in sympathy.

  “We’ve all been there, buddy,” Kain commiserated.

  Mary-Anne nodded in agreement. “Mmhmm. That guy has the ick factor. I don’t care how charming he is; he can’t hide that greedy gleam in his eyes from me.”

  “What else did Sarah Jennifer say?” Kain asked, wishing he had the ability to speak mind to mind.

  Ezekiel was quiet for a moment. He didn’t dislike Adrien. They’d spent time talking about the future of Arcadia, and they had being orphans in common. “She didn’t say much more than that. She’s planning to let him think his plotting is working. She thinks he’s going to pull something at the party tonight. She’s gone to locate Magnus and find out who has come into the city in the last few days.”

  Caitlin’s eyes glowed green as she called her magic. “Then we’d better get finished here.”

  Piet wandered through the citadel, his satchel weighing heavily on his shoulder. He could take it. Rearick were strong, thanks to the time they spent in the mines of their home.

  He had arrived in Arcadia later than planned due to the hard time the guards on the city gate had given him when he hadn’t wanted to show them the treasure he was carrying. Luckily, one of the Defense Force Weres had recognized him and told the armored guards to allow him access, no questions asked.

  It seemed not everyone was forgetful of the part his people had played in holding back the Mad from Bad Salzig and the surrounding towns.

  Piet had other business on his mind now that the Madness was over. The rearick’s leaders wanted gold to fund their mining efforts in exchange for the gems he was carrying.

  A mage could draw power through the previously useless shinies, something that had been discovered recently. They had been tossing these gems on the slag pile with the rest of the detritus for years.

  The news that Arcadia was set to be the new center for magic users made it the natural choice for the rearick to choose as the place to start. Now that magic had begun to appear, the leaders had renamed the clear gems “amphoralds” and sent Piet out with the directive to use that relationship to strike a deal. He had been chosen as the envoy because of his link to the chancellor. Truth be told, he was glad of the chance to see Linda again.

  He found her house easily enough, but she wasn’t home. There was a note stuck to her door. He tiptoed to read it.

  “Lass is holdin’ a party?” he murmured with a smile. “Sounds like the citadel is the place to be.”
>
  He hoisted his satchel and retraced his steps through the torchlit streets, happy to be among so many familiar faces. He had spent a lot of time in Bad Salzig and was well-remembered by the former citizens of the river town.

  “Is that Piet?” a voice he recognized called.

  The rearick flashed a wide grin when he saw who was calling him. “Stone me, is that young Ezekiel, all grown?”

  Ezekiel bent to embrace the old warrior. “It’s good to see you after so long, my friend. What brings you here?”

  Piet looked past Ezekiel to the two women and a strapping male and decided to play his hand close until he was in front of the chancellor. “Business, mostly. Can’t say it’s not good to see you, though. You got any idea where I can find Linda?”

  Ezekiel gave him a curious look. “She’s at the Great Hall.”

  “What about my old friend the major?” Piet asked, noting that the man he didn’t know reacted to his inquiry. “She’d be a sight for sore eyes as well.”

  Ezekiel laughed. “She’s here. Come on, let’s get you somewhere you can wash the travel off and get a cup of ale.”

  “I’m pretty parched, I’m not gonna lie,” Piet returned with a laugh.

  Ezekiel led the way, introducing Caitlin, Mary-Anne, and Kain as they crossed the cobbled street.

  Piet’s eyes widened. “A vampire? You’re not gonna suck my blood now, are ya?”

  Mary-Anne winked at him. “Not unless you ask nicely.”

  Piet laughed. “Well, all right, then.”

  They split up when they got to the hall. Ezekiel took Piet through winding, candlelit corridors and up two flights of stairs to Linda’s office.

  Linda was overjoyed to see the old rearick. “You came just in time! Tonight is my engagement party.”

  Piet turned to Ezekiel and grabbed his hand. “Congratulations. It’s about time you made an honest woman out of her.”

  Ezekiel blushed, suppressing his reaction since he wasn’t supposed to know about the proposal. “Not me. Adrien.”

  She showed them her ring. “Adrien asked me last night. A new city, a new life.”

  Ezekiel gave her a hug. “Congratulations, Linda. I hope you two have a great life together.”

  Piet didn’t bother to hide his surprise. “Well, blow me down with a feather.” He offered Linda a deep bow. “Then I guess all my congratulations go to you and your man.”

  “Piet’s here on business, he says,” Ezekiel told Linda, changing the subject.

  Piet nodded. “It can wait until after your party, lass. I’ll just need somewhere to store my bag until you’re free to talk.”

  Linda smiled. “Go ahead. I have some time before I’m expected downstairs. What can I do for you?”

  Piet grinned. “It’s more what I can do for you. Or more accurately, what the rearick can do for the people of Arcadia.”

  He pulled one of the cloth-covered gems out of his bag and unwrapped it. “Needs a magic-user to show its true potential.” He held the gem out to Ezekiel. “Pull a wee bit of magic through this. Just a smidge, mind. We don’t want any accidents.”

  Ezekiel furrowed his brow in curiosity but did as the rearick directed.

  Linda’s mouth dropped open when the amphorald began to glow. “What’s happening?”

  Ezekiel was amazed. “It’s storing the Etheric energy I’m pulling through it like a battery.”

  “Really?” Linda’s eyes widened. “Piet, do your people have more of these…what do you call them?”

  “Amphoralds, lass.” Piet handed the stone to Linda. “There’s plenty more where that came from. I’ve been sent to tell you we have an almost limitless supply for sale.”

  Linda couldn’t tear her gaze away from the gem. “We could use these. What do your people want in return for them?”

  “How are ye fixed for gold?” Piet asked.

  The door opened before Linda could answer, and Adrien walked in. “Linda, dearest—” The amphorald caught his eye. “What have we here?”

  “A solution to powering the city,” Linda told him.

  Adrien’s eyes gleamed. “Yes, I can feel the energy within it. One gem isn’t enough for our needs, though.”

  “You can have as many as you can buy,” Piet informed him.

  Adrien fixed the rearick with a shrewd look. “We can discuss this in more detail tomorrow.” He moved to put his arm around Linda. “Tonight is for celebrating our engagement.”

  Ezekiel made himself smile. “It’s good to have something to celebrate.”

  Linda’s eyes sparkled. “Yes, and I need to get dressed, so out, all of you.”

  “The engineers are going to love this,” Ezekiel enthused. “Piet, come with me. Sarah Jennifer needs to know about this wonder.”

  Sarah Jennifer sat at the bar, nursing a flagon of mead and her mixed feelings about tonight’s gathering. The hall was packed with people coming in from their day’s work, their voices raised in high spirits at the chance to get together.

  Her investigation had yielded three names. Monica LeFevre was looking like the most likely owner of the second voice she’d overheard. The Danelander was nowhere to be seen in the crowded hall, but Sarah Jennifer didn’t discount her making an appearance at some point. The other two people Olaf’s warriors had identified were still out of the city and would be detained for questioning on their return.

  Sarah Jennifer missed her pack. She hadn’t informed them of Esme’s death yet, not wanting to give them the bad news over an audio-only connection. There were plenty of Weres around, but they were no substitute for the twenty-five she called family. Still, she was among friends, and she was glad to see everyone taking a load off after the huge push to raise the residential quarters surrounding the citadel to make room for the people who had been drawn here by the news of a place where they could learn about the abilities appearing in the population.

  A hand on her shoulder dragged her out of her thoughts.

  “Major, this is a celebration,” Dakota chastised with a smile. “You’re bringing down the tone.”

  Sarah Jennifer laughed. “Sorry, Dakota. I guess my mind is on other things tonight.”

  The Were grinned. “I’d get it on that handsome guy friend of Ezekiel’s if I was you. Dance a little!”

  Sarah Jennifer wondered where Kain was. “You seen his group anywhere?”

  Dakota hitched a thumb in the direction of the carvery pit. “I saw Caitlin’s dog hanging around by the grill a little while ago. He’s a character. You’d almost believe he understood what we were saying.”

  Sarah Jennifer chuckled. “Dogs are like that. Intelligent creatures who know exactly how to charm a bit of whatever you’re eating from you.”

  “I haven’t met one before Jaxon,” Dakota admitted. “I sure hope they took some dogs to space. The Madness wiped most of them out here on Earth.”

  Sarah Jennifer smiled, remembering Clovis. “My family always had a dog. Maybe I should see about finding Jaxon a mate or three so we can get some puppies going.”

  “You thinking of pimping my dog out?” Caitlin asked, sliding onto the stool next to Sarah Jennifer. “Not a bad idea. I know a guy.”

  “You always know a guy, Kitty-Cat,” Kain cut in as he took the next stool along from her.

  “What’s with all the dog talk?” Mary-Anne asked. “What we need are drinks. Ezekiel will be done with his friend soon, and I have a feeling he’s going to want to drown his sorrows.”

  “Which friend would that be?” Sarah Jennifer inquired.

  “Short guy, cute accent,” Mary-Anne offered.

  “He said he knew you,” Caitlin added. “Piet?”

  Sarah Jennifer’s spirits lifted. “You’re kidding? Piet is here?”

  “Something about having business with the chancellor,” Kain supplied, waving for the bartender’s attention. “Did the druids make it yet? I’ve heard good things about their brewing.”

  Sarah Jennifer pointed at a group dressed in green. “There a
re the druids. I recommend you try the mead. Packs a punch.”

  Dakota snorted. “Just make sure you can walk back to wherever you’re sleeping tonight.”

  “Are you and Harris staying in the citadel?” Sarah Jennifer asked.

  Dakota shook her head. “No, we’re in the camp with the rest of the Defense Force. No point getting comfortable when we’re due to ship out soon.”

  Caitlin’s smile faded at the reminder. She hopped down from the stool. “I see Jax is causing chaos.” She took her drink with her.

  “Dammit,” Kain grumbled. “She’s going to be in a mood all night now.”

  Mary-Anne shrugged. “She'll come around. She’s going to miss you, is all.”

  “I haven’t said I’m going to Mars for sure,” Kain protested.

  Mary-Anne put a hand on his shoulder and pressed her forehead to his. “Yeah, but we all know your decision is made.” She straightened and glanced the way Caitlin had gone. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t start anything. You two kids have fun and don’t do anything I wouldn’t.”

  “That’s a very short list,” Kain called after her. “Bring some ribs back with you!”

  “I’d better go find Harris,” Dakota told them.

  Sarah Jennifer saw that a table had opened up. “Let’s move before I get pulled into something work-related.”

  “Suits me,” Kain agreed.

  They took their drinks over to the table. Kain was quiet for a long moment before speaking. “What’s the deal with Mars? Why are you taking all the Weres and all the tech out there?”

  “Ezekiel didn’t tell you?” Sarah Jennifer raised an eyebrow when Kain shook his head.

  “I don’t know if you noticed Caitlin is a tad touchy about the subject?” he asked.

  Sarah Jennifer understood. “Fair enough. Our time here is done. All my discussions with Bethany Anne and my grandparents led me to the conclusion that the only way for humanity to evolve is to remove the temptation to rely on technology instead of developing their magic.”

  Kain played with his glass. “That simple, huh?”

  Sarah Jennifer sighed. “There’s nothing simple about it.”

  Kain reached out to touch her hand. “Hey, I didn’t mean anything by it.”