Spinspace: The Space of Spins (The Metaspace Chronicles Book 2)

by Matthew Kennedy

  Cardinal Vicentes was the first to speak. “Holiness, forgive me for asking, but are you certain that's wise? The policy has been in effect for many decades. Are we to declare that your predecessors were in error, after all this time?”

  Enrique regarded him. “Policies have changed in the past. At one time the Church's officials in Mexico tried to ban chocolate. Besides, the ban on Gifts was not made Ex Cathedra – it was not an infallible proclamation.'

  Vicentes sat down again, frowning.

  Cardinal Esposito stood up next. “Holiness, your predecessors all considered the ban prudent. After all, these artifacts perform their actions through no detectable mechanism or force. Many people are certain to see them as miraculous, and cults could coalesce about such 'miracles', drawing many away from the miracles of the Church. Why should we risk allowing such distractions?”

  Enrique was about to answer this when Cardinal Ortega arose in rebuttal. “We know from Church records that hundreds of years ago the technology of the Ancients was also mysterious to most. Their radios and televisions pulled words, music, even pictures from the empty air. Yes I have read of no mass exodus from the Church to cults based upon them.”

  Cardinal Fuentes agreed. “It may even be said that such technology actually assisted the Church. For people who might have difficulty believing in things unseen had the examples of radio and the like to remind them that things which are invisible like the wind can be real, and have real effects.”

  Esposito snorted, still on his feet. “Wind we have known since the earliest times. But one can make wind, when blowing out a candle, so there is nothing mysterious of it to inspire awe in the faithful. But a swizzle can make water run uphill! An everflame can make water boil without burning fuel! How can we explain such things, without the unseen action of angels or demons?”

  Cardinal Ferero stood now. “The Gifts were brought to Earth by the Tourists, that is certain. But can anyone here prove the Tourists, though perhaps not demonic themselves, were not possessed by demons? For all we know there were merely tools of the Father of Lies himself...emissaries of the Adversary.”

  At this, many forsook protocol and stood to argue for and against a change in policy, and tempers flared. Their shouting reminded him of squawking birds. Enrique sighed and tried to wait it out, but the debate had become a verbal melee and soon he found his own patience waning. He stood up, himself, and when the squabbling cardinals notices they finally quieted down and took their seats again to hear what he had to say.

  “It is not Our duty,” he reminded them, “to explain even human technology, let alone the technologies of aliens. As to the possible role of the Tourists in bringing us the Gifts, my thoughts are as follows. If they were under the control of Satan and his demons, then why did they leave? Why not remain to do more mischief? The very fact that they came, traded, and then left speaks of their innocence. I'm not saying they were free of sin. They were certainly guilty of negligence as culpable as a fool that hands a loaded crossbow to a child. But that does not make the crossbow evil in itself.”

  He heard murmuring, but forged ahead. “We have no evidence that the Gifts themselves are inherently evil, nor those who brought them. A more reasonable objection to changing Our policy might be the question: why change, unless change is necessary?

  “After much thought, We do believe that change is necessary in this case. Why? Because fear without a rational basis looks like superstition, and I say to you that the Church must avoid any appearance of superstition. We must not go there! Most of you, if not all, know that Rado has gone beyond merely tolerating a court wizard, and is actively training more, opening the doors of their school to any they deem talented.”

  He paused to let that sink in. “If the previous Honcho had succeeded with his invasion of Rado, the school would not be forming. But he failed. If We persist in calling these alien artifacts tools of the Devil, then congregations will begin to ask why God seems to favor those who permit them. They will begin to suspect that Our policy is wrong. Once they do that, will they not wonder what else the Church is wrong about?”

  There was more murmuring. “You all know that officially banning anything makes it into forbidden fruit, and increases its temptation. If, on the other hand, if we amend the policy, and accept the Gifts as mere technology, and even incorporate them visibly into Church buildings and ritual, as we have done in the past many times with local customs and observances, we will add the power and mystery of these 'miracles' to our own panoply. We will render them harmless, make them unable to draw the faithful off into cults.”

  He sat down on his throne again and reached out to the cup of coffee on the little table beside his right armrest. “History tells us that a Pope was once asked to ban coffee. He was told it must be banned because it competed with sacramental wine and was a favorite of Muslims, so it must be considered evil. Do you remember what he did?”

  He paused again, seeing knowing smiles appear on several of the cardinals. “He said words to the effect of 'this drink is so delicious that we must cheat the Devil by baptizing it'. We submit to you that the usefulness of the gifts will tempt our followers to employ them. It is Our decision, therefore, that rather than lead them into temptation – the temptation to disobey authority – We should similarly 'baptize' these artifacts. That is, We shall proclaim them to be harmless and of no worry to the Church.”

  As they filed out, some nodding, some grumbling, Enrique watched them. He sipped the coffee again and thought to himself, the decision is made and they must accept it. It's a good thing there is no way to impeach a Pope.

  Chapter 62

  Xander: structures and surprises

  “It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link of the chain of destiny can be handled at a time.”

  – Winston Churchill

  The old wizard plodded down the endless stairwell. His feet were on the steps, his hand on his staff, but his mind, as usual dwelt in another place entirely: the future of the School.

  All of the students could go invisible at a moment's notice now, which meant he ought to be giving Lester another lesson in spinspace. After his visual demonstration, Carolyn and Esteban had finally passed the swizzle test, and he was sure that Kareef would be fast on their heels; the lad from the Emirates gave every evidence of being a perceptive and serious student.

  That, however, did not change the fact that Kareef would be returning to the Emirates eventually. No matter how well the young Muslim learned, he could not be counted on to join the school permanently as a teacher. Which left Lester, Carolyn (their first student and a resident of Rado), and maybe Esteban.

  Kaleb he was not so sure of. The young Librarian from Angeles seemed harder to get to know than the others. Perhaps it was deliberate. For all Xander knew, the boy might be hoping to go back to Californ someday. But if he did, would it be to see his family again...or to challenge the Queen who had killed his father?

  That was a troubling thought. I wanted the school to help spread enlightenment, not revolution. It also opened up a slew of related questions. If he does go back to challenge her, how do we tell other rulers that there is nothing to fear from sending us students?

  Should they require graduates to swear an oath not to misuse their abilities? He remembered that medical students used to swear the Hippocratic Oath upon graduation: “...and above all, to do no harm.” Maybe he should start thinking of something similar for graduating wizards.

  So many other questions to ponder. Just how much would a student have to master in order to graduate? For all he knew, they might discover new kinds of psionic engineering, new aspects of metaspace, while the students were still in school. Should the curriculum be expanded and lengthened every time that happened? Or should they have different levels of mastery?

  Guilds structure offered a potential solution. Most artisans belonged to one or another of the guilds. They would join as an apprentice. The apprentice was often a son of an existing artisan, but not alw
ays.

  Take blacksmithing. Most blacksmiths had a striker or apprentice to help them with their work in return for lodging, meals, and learning the trade. Once an apprentice acquired enough skill to work by himself credibly, he became a journeyman smith. The term came from the fact that they often traveled from town to town picking up small commissions which their teacher had no time for.

  After a journeyman became very skilled and experienced, he would create a challenging piece of work called a masterpiece. When it was completed and adjudged to show sufficient quality, the journeyman then became a master smith, and had the right to take on his own apprentices.

  Xander was not entirely certain that the guild model was a perfect fit for his psionic engineers. Lester, in that model, was only a journeyman, but he was acting as a teacher already as if he were a master engineer. Also, the guild model worked best for crafts that changed little over the years. Psionic engineering, however, was still in its infancy as far as humans were concerned. There was so much more to be learned, and that required something the guild model did not allow for: researchers.

  The more he thought about it, the more it seemed to fit his original idea of a college for wizards. In the days of the Ancients, colleges and universities had a different approach to the three levels. College students, upon graduation, could qualify to become graduate students. If the graduate students were not considered good enough to conduct independent research and advance the state of the art, they could acquires a Master's degree and assist the others in teaching. The ones who were considered exceptionally promising and accomplished became Doctors of Philosophy and became the researcher-professors. The term came from the fact that doctor was an old word for teacher.

  Somehow, though, he didn't like the idea of calling senior wizards 'Doctors' of anything. It was misleading, especially if they never learned how to heal. He much preferred the Guild terminology.

  All right, he thought. Let's go with that for now, and call all of the new students apprentices. If Kareef went back to his people it would be as a Journeyman Wizard. He, Xander, would be the Senior Wizard until Lester surpassed him and took over the school. All of the senior teachers who would be running the classes would be Master wizards.

  He grimaced, thinking of the kind of trivia these titles would spawn: graduations, ceremonies, diplomas, curriculum requirements. Part of him was already longing for the days when it was just him and his robe standing in the shadows behind the General.

  All of these considerations so distracted him that he actually descended an extra floor and had to stop, turn around, and climb back up to the level of Kristana's audience chambers. He hurried down the hallway and pulled open the door. Kristana's voice beckoned him in.

  “...is sure to come in useful in the future. Ah, there you are! So good of you to join us. Isaac, have you met Xander, my court Wizard and founder of the new School? Xander, this is Isaac Silverman, our new ambassador from New Israel.”

  As he shook hands with the man, Xander reached out to embrace pathspace and felt at once a strong echo. Yes, Lester was right, this man was an experienced wizard of some kind. He had expected that from Lester's report. What he had not expected was the weak but clear second echo from somewhere behind the man.

  “...and this is my son Nathan, who came along to keep me company and see some of the world outside our borders. Your apprentice Lester presented us when we arrived but now that we have settled in I thought it was time, Excellency,” Isaac said, turning back to Kristana, “to formally present my credentials and our proposals for normalized trade relations and,” gesturing at the new map spread out on the Governor's desk, “a few tokens of our respect.”

  “A school? What kind of school?” asked Nathan.

  A look of annoyance flitted across Isaac's features at the interruption, but Xander just smiled at the boy. “A school for wizards,” he said. “It's open to anyone with the ability to learn what the masses call magic or wizardry.”

  The boy's eyes became wider. “What do you call it?”

  “Well, I prefer to call it psionic engineering, which means 'engineering done with the mind', said Xander. “But I'm afraid that's too much of a mouthful for most people, so I guess it will end up being called a school of wizardry.”

  “I must confess, Excellency,” said Isaac, clearly making an effort to put a stop to his son's interruptions, “that news of Xander's School has reached us in the East. It has occasioned much comment among my associates in New Israel, especially when one considers your country's new alliance with the Lone Star Empire...where the Catholics have made great efforts to, shall we say, reduce interest in such things.”

  “There will always be those who fear what they do not understand,” Kristana said. “Is it different in your own country?”

  “We have...different arrangements,” Isaac said vaguely.

  Xander was certain the vagueness was deliberate. “I suppose you've heard about the attempted invasion,” he said. “If things had gone differently for the Honcho, I might have had to start my school somewhere else. Fortunately, we prevailed.”

  “Fortunate, indeed,” Isaac agreed. “I'm sure it will not surprise you to hear that we in the East have been concerned about the Honcho's ambitions. However, on my way here I also heard of your new alliance with Texas.”

  “Actually,” Kristana said, “we prefer to think of it as the beginning of a new Union.” She gestured to the wall behind her, where the new flag had been nailed up: a rectangle with a red border. Inside that was a inner border of white, then a blue interior with two large white five-pointed stars in the middle. “We have hopes that Texas can abandon their dreams of empire and accept the idea of a new Union organized as a representative democracy.” She smiled at Isaac. “As you can see, there are room for more stars on the flag.”

  “Are you hoping that new Israel will join?”

  “Please don't interrupt,” Isaac said to his son. “I'm sorry, Excellency, but my wife had to remain back East with our other children, and I haven't found a tutor yet to keep him occupied.”

  “I could show him the School, if you like, while you talk with the Governor,” Xander suggested.

  “Can I, Papa?” The boy's eyes pleaded.

  Isaac looked at him and sighed, then turned back to Xander. “If you don't mind, perhaps that would be best. He can be a handful, though. Nathan has always been a curious one.” He regarded his son again. “You stay with Xander and don't touch anything.”

  As he led Nathan from the audience chamber, Xander shook his head mentally. That was too easy. Obviously Isaac must know his son had the talent. Is he deliberately dangling him in front of me to get him into the school? He could have left the boy in their quarters with a book or something. But he had elected to bring him along to an audience with the Governor.

  Chapter 63

  Kaleb: following orders

  “The Tao is like a well – used but never used up.

  It is like the eternal void: filled with infinite possibilities.”

  – Tao Te Ching, the Book of the Way, by Lao Tse

  He waited there, lying on his bed, until Esteban finally began to snore. No use putting it off any longer. Kaleb reached under the mattress for the ring and slipped it on his finger. I'm here.

  The reply, when it came, carried such a strong undercurrent of anger that he cringed. Where have you been? It's been three days!

  Kaleb swallowed with a mouth gone suddenly dry. It's not my fault! They put me in a room with another student. They must be expecting more to come, because all of the student rooms have two beds now. I had to wait until the other student fell asleep.

  Now suspicion blended with her anger. For three days?

  He grimaced in the darkness of the room. My body is still adjusting to the altitude. The first two days I was too tired and I fell asleep while I was waiting.

  Some of the anger lifted, but he could still feel her sharpness. What's been happening the last three days?

  Esteba
n's snoring paused. The older student rolled over on his other side. Presently the snoring resumed. Some new arrivals. A couple of days ago a new student showed up from the Dixie Emirates, along with an ambassador.

  He could feel her thinking about that, processing it. You said arrivals, plural. Who else?

  He glanced over at Esteban. I heard today another ambassador showed up, from new Israel. He rolled over on his side and faced the wall. He had a son with him. Xander was showing the kid around the school floors.

  Was that worry he felt from her, bleeding through the communication link. Why so many ambassadors?

  How should I know? Maybe they heard about the School. Maybe they heard about the new Union and are worried about being a target unless they join.

  Another surge of emotion from the Queen told him she was not happy about these developments. We'll have to step it up a notch, then. Listen carefully.

  A few minutes later he slipped out of bed and pushed open the door. Seeing no one, he slipped out into the main room and made his way to a box of artifacts. Finding what he needed took only moments.

  Steeling himself to use it would have taken a little longer. But the voice droned on, weaving a path that made anything possible.

  Chapter 64

  Kurt: chance meeting in moonlight

  He stood there, one hand on the railing watching Denver fade into the night. Many of the other buildings still held the lights of flickering candles. Kurt lifted the cigarette to his lips again and sucked the precious smoke into his lungs, thinking about how funny life was.