The Way of the Sword and Gun

by Stuart Jaffe

  "Cover your ears," Master Kee said loud enough that all on the wall could hear.

  Malja did as told. The magician inhaled for a long moment. Like a blowing the seeds of a twirl-flower into the wind, the magician puffed out her breath.

  Though Malja did not hear a thing, she felt it. A strong vibration as if a deep-voiced singer sang a note right on her chest. All of Brother X's army fell to the ground. They shook as if jolted with electricity. Brother X managed to get off his horse before succumbing to the magic. Then they stopped altogether.

  Master Kee uncovered his ears. To Malja, he said, "I told you I could handle things." He laughed.

  Malja pushed him with one hand. "Why didn't you tell me about her? Why have I worked up this defense when you could simply—"

  "We need your defense. We're still in trouble. The effects of that blast are not long and she won't be able to do it again for half a day. When Brother X gets up, he's going to want our blood. Their full assault will be next. So get downstairs and go see about that book."

  Malja gripped Master Kee's hand. "Good luck," she said. The look in his eyes told her he understood — this was it. They were going to die. After one long gaze at Brother X unconscious on the ground, Malja climbed off the ledge and headed toward the bunker. When she entered, she found Owl, Tommy, and Fawbry clunking heads as they huddled over Owl's coat. They pointed at it and spoke in rapid utterances.

  "There," Owl said.

  "Yup, yup," Fawbry said.

  Tommy grunted and slapped the coat.

  Malja broke their concentration with a snap of her fingers and said, "Master Kee said you found the book."

  Fawbry stepped back and gestured to the coat. "It's all here in the lining."

  When she saw the markings on the coat, she shook her head. "Clever."

  "The text is in an old dialect," Owl said, "but I think I'm getting it."

  Malja shrugged. "What's to get. It looks like a map."

  "But of what?" Fawbry said. "These circles and connecting lines don't following any roads or lands that I know."

  "Me neither, but it certainly is a map," Malja said.

  Owl nodded toward the stairs. "How are things up there?"

  Malja's face darkened. "Not good. So, if you can use this book to run the Library, now would be a good time."

  "It's not like that," Owl said, a fearful look in his eyes.

  Fawbry and Tommy shared the look. Part of Malja didn't want to know why, and for a moment, that part won out. "I don't care what the problem is," she said. "Without that on our side, Brother X's army is going to slaughter us."

  "Unless . . ." Fawbry said, his voice shrinking as he spoke. "Well, there are old traditions in the Order. Right? I mean, the stories I grew up listening to often talked of entire wars being settled by two warriors. Their fight would be agreed to represent the entire armies."

  "Single combat?" Malja asked.

  "Exactly. Single combat."

  Owl lowered his head. "I can't go out there and challenge Brother X to single combat."

  "He'll accept," Malja said. "He's a warrior, after all."

  "He nearly killed me the last time we fought."

  Malja stepped in front of Owl, grabbed his shoulders, and looked right up into his eyes. "We don't have a choice. Master Kee has made a bold strike, but it won't be enough. We don't have the forces to fight back. And since you're all just guessing about that book, we can't even use that. You need to challenge Brother X."

  Fawbry said to Malja, "You should do this. You'll beat that bastard easily." He sped through his words in a way that bothered Malja — as if he wanted her to leave.

  "No," Owl said with such force that Fawbry shied back. "Brother X would never accept her as our representative. It would have to be a Master or a Guardian."

  "Master Kee's strong," Malja said, "but not enough to fight Brother X. Not from what I see. Single combat is our only real chance of surviving this."

  Owl looked at Tommy in a strange way. "Not our only chance," he said.

  Fawbry's cheeks flushed under Malja's scrutiny. Tommy wouldn't meet her eyes. "What's going on?" she asked.

  "Tommy has an idea about this map," Fawbry said. "It's a good idea, but you won't like it. But please listen. He thinks the map shows specific focal points for magic. Sort of like his tattoos."

  Owl said, "I'll go outside. I'll face Brother X, and I'll probably die. But I'm willing to risk that, if doing so gives you and Tommy enough time to find out how to decipher the code."

  Malja scrunched her brow. "What are you talking about?"

  "The map," Fawbry said, swallowing hard. "Tommy thinks it gives focal points for creating portals. This map is the thirteenth book and it's leading us to open a portal to another world."

  Owl cut in, "That world must be where the code is."

  Fawbry looked at Malja with a mixture of guilt and grief. He raised his stump. "And since you're the only one who can travel through a portal—"

  Owl

  Malja paced the bunker like a trapped animal. "You've all gone crazy. Absolutely insane. I will not have Tommy opening portals. That level of magic will destroy his brain faster than anything. I won't have him do it."

  "Just listen," Owl said.

  Malja thrust her forearm across his chest and pressed him against the wall. "You are not part of this."

  Owl reached up and grabbed her wrist. With a simple turn, her arm had no choice but to bend forward and down. Stepping to the side, he had the arm behind her, pushing painfully against her back. "Since you need me to stall Brother X with my life, I suggest you treat me a little kinder."

  When he let go of her, he stepped back, ready for her to attack. She whirled around, seething, her fist jabbing towards his gut. He blocked it. Rather than attack from another angle, however, she jabbed again, catching him with a hard hit.

  Fawbry made a show of clearing his throat. "If the two of you are done, I'd like to point out that we only have a little bit of time left until that army is upon us."

  "I won't have Tommy—"

  Tommy grunted and gestured toward Malja. He scowled and pointed at the map.

  Fawbry said, "I know you hate being reminded of this, but part of Barris Mont is inside the boy. With that extra power, Tommy can easily control a portal. He did it once before to save your life."

  "Be quiet."

  "I'm just pointing out that when he did that, he had no focal point to draw on and the world wasn't destroyed. But with this map, he won't have any problem. It's like a specially made tattoo."

  "Fawbry, I swear I'm going to kill you," Malja said, but Owl thought it more an expression than a real threat. Maybe he was starting to understand this group after all.

  Dust drifted off the ceiling as Brother X's army pounded the ground above. Tommy and Malja watched the ceiling and listened for a moment. Tommy then snatched a piece of paper and a pencil from inside the desk. He started copying the map. But Owl took greater interest in Malja. If he couldn't get her on his side, they had no chance.

  In as firm a voice as he could muster, Owl said, "I'd like to speak with you in private. Now."

  Malja's head shot back, her eyes wide with what Owl assumed to be surprise and anger. Through tight lips, she said, "Wonderful."

  He led her into the stairwell, ignoring the stunned expressions of the others. Once alone, he said, "I know you don't like me, but we don't have time for me to charm you. And I suspect you prefer a more direct approach anyway."

  "So stop blabbering and get to your point."

  "Right," he said, avoiding her cold eyes. "It's clear to me that you hate all things having to do with magic. At least, when it comes to Tommy."

  "Don't tell me how to raise the boy."

  "Magic is merely a tool. It's like a big rock. It can be used to build incredible structures and make our lives better. It can also be a weapon. Neither good nor evil — it just is. And before you go on about Tommy going mad, I've seen the madness that can happen when an untrai
ned magician delves into the stronger powers. But it doesn't have to be that way. That's what I learned growing up here. That's why I wanted Tommy to come here. The magicians here spent their lives learning to control magic, to make it do what they wanted without harming themselves."

  "Didn't do them much good, did it?"

  Owl leaned against the wall as if he had been pushed. "You can attack all you want, it won't change the fact that Tommy is growing up, discovering more power within himself every day. And he is determined to help you, help all of us. He won't let you keep him away from danger. Especially when he sees you take risks all the time."

  "Don't you dare—"

  "There's an army up there and it wants to raze us to the ground. Queen Salia wants to rule everything, even if that risks destroying it. Why do you insist on thinking this is about you or Tommy? Are you that selfish?"

  Malja clamped her mouth and stared through him. The quiver in her eyes told him that his words had struck. She wasn't going to say anything more, that much was certain, but he prayed that she wouldn't dismiss him too quickly.

  He watched her eyes as she considered the situation. Though she had a wicked temper, he was impressed by the way she recomposed herself and thought like a leader. She reminded him of several Masters — Masters now dead.

  "Come on," she said and returned to the room.

  Leaning over the table, she looked at the map Tommy had drawn. "One of these circles is the world that holds the code we need to read the books, right?"

  "Yes," Owl said, coming to her side. "And if Queen Salia attempts to use the Library without the books, the magic won't work properly. She'll go mad, and if she loses control, we could have another Devastation."

  "I know, I know," Malja said. "But we can't even know which world has the—"

  "Barris Mont knows," Fawbry said. Tommy nodded, never taking his eyes off the map. "I'm sure of it. He's always been smarter than everyone. And now that he's part of Tommy, he can guide Tommy to get you to the right place."

  Malja said nothing for a moment. Her hands gripped the table's edge, her knuckles turning white as she stared at the map with Tommy. Her lips drew in tight, until she finally shoved back, kicked a chair into the wall, and said, "Damn Kryssta! Damn Korstra! Damn it all!"

  Owl started at the outburst, but he noticed that Fawbry appeared to relax. Then the strange fellow said, "Okay, then. You and Tommy should get ready. And Owl, you should go outside to meet Brother X."

  "What about you?" Malja said with a touch of venom still in her voice. "You planning on finding a little nook to hide in?"

  Fawbry squirmed a little. "I can do whatever you need of me. You know that."

  "Then go with Owl."

  "Now wait a minute. I'm just going to be a target out there."

  "Your presence, having anyone by his side, will give Owl's offer of single combat an appearance of authority. Grab at least two others to go with you — one magician, one Guard. If this is going to have any chance of working, we have to make sure Brother X believes Owl speaks for the Order."

  Fawbry let out a nervous chuckle. "Of course. That makes perfect sense. I knew you didn't want me fighting. I can put on a show, though. That I can do."

  "Go," she snapped.

  Fawbry turned to Owl. "Don't dawdle," he said, giving Owl a light push on the shoulder.

  "I need my coat," Owl said.

  Tommy raised his index finger. When he finished copying the map, he lifted the paper and inspected his work. Satisfied, he tossed the coat across the table.

  As Owl and Fawbry climbed the stairs toward the surface, he slipped on the coat. It draped onto his body like a second skin. He thought of Chief Master and the book in the lining. And as he saw daylight ahead, he thought of Brother X and the coming battle. Maybe this would make a difference. Maybe he could earn a little forgiveness.

  "Do you find it hard," Owl said, unsure of why he suddenly felt the need to speak, "to follow Malja?"

  "Not anymore," Fawbry said.

  "She confuses me. She is a warrior, strong and tough-minded, yet she can't accept the boy doing his part in all this. She attacks me for speaking the truth and then acts like it never happened. Is she always so difficult to understand?"

  "You have no idea," Fawbry said.

  When they entered the courtyard, Owl looked up at the wall. Small rock piles lined the wooden ledge running the parameter. Near the South wall, he saw a group of Guards praying. He took three steps towards them, intending to admonish them for group-prayer when everyone should know that prayer to Kryssta was meant to be done alone. Except he stopped.

  He recalled the comfort he had felt when Master Kee prayed with him. Perhaps he shouldn't cause these brave men any grief right before they risk their lives for us all. It seemed that there were times for single prayer and times for a group.

  "You ready?" Fawbry asked.

  Nighthowl and the magician Bennet volunteered to escort them out. They were good people, though inexperienced, and Owl was pleased to see them. The anticipation on their faces, the fear, was not well hidden.

  Owl tried to think of encouraging words to say, but in the end, he adjusted his coat, checked that his sword and gun were in place, and took three cleansing breaths. "Let's go," he said.

  Two men, one with a blood-stained bandage wrapped around his ribs, opened the main gate just enough to let them through. Owl moved with a confident stride, but his stomach twisted inside. He could feel his chest constrict as they turned the corner to face the army.

  All Owl could see was an ocean of armor and weapons. The voices melded together into a steady roar. Thousands.

  His heart sank.

  Thousands.

  Malja

  Tommy leaned against the bunker wall. Malja sat on the table, her arms propping up her head. The incessant thundering of Brother X's army was the only sound.

  Malja struggled to think of another way out of this. They lacked a force large enough to fight through the sieging army, and they were using up the little defensive resources they had. Eventually, they would be overrun. At length, she simply lifted her head, and in a soft voice, she said, "I don't like this."

  Tommy moved close to her and smiled as if to say, "Trust me." He took her hand and placed it on his head. She stroked his hair and fought the mounting emotions. He had grown so much in just the last year. He was almost taller than her, and though she didn't like to admit it, he had taken on that same cold expression she knew so well — the one she always wore.

  "Listen to me," she said, and thank the brother gods, Tommy didn't glaze over. "When I go through that portal, I don't want you trying to be a hero. If you start to feel pain or weakness or maybe even some kind of damage to your brain — if you feel any bad effects from this magic, I want you to stop. I don't care if you strand me in that world. I've been stranded before. I'll survive."

  Tommy's face contorted with horror and he shook his head.

  "I'll be fine wherever I go," she said. "But if I come back here to find that doing this turned you into something other than the great young man I know you to be, I just couldn't live with that. You understand? I won't do this if it'll hurt you."

  Tommy gestured upward and shrugged.

  "I know there's an army up there. That's not more important." To the surprise of them both, she lifted Tommy's hand and kissed it. "Not to me. I don't know what other options we have, but if you can't make me this promise, I won't go. We'll have to think of something else."

  For a moment like a brisk wind, Malja thought he would give up on this portal idea. But the same wind blew it away. Tommy ran his hand over the paper copy of the map, and Malja gulped down the last of her tears.

  "Okay," she said and got to her feet. "You sit here. You shouldn't have to worry about standing when trying to deal with something this big."

  Tommy agreed. He sat cross-legged on the table, laid the map over his lap, and concentrated on the circles and lines.

  At first, nothing happened. Malj
a knew this would be the case. To conjure a portal took skill but not a lot of time. To conjure a portal to a specific location and to do it with enough care that there would be no danger of destroying the surroundings — that was a different matter.

  Yet long before Malja thought it possible, Tommy's arms glowed a rusty brown. The air filled with a horrible, acrid odor. Crackling, like dry wood on a fire, erupted a few feet behind the boy.

  Tommy swung his tattooed arm toward the back wall, never taking his eyes from the map. Malja planted her feet, unsure of what might happen when the portal formed. She forced her eyes forward. Don't look at Tommy. She didn't want to know what this was doing to him.

  And the portal opened.

  Malja took a quick survey of what she saw — night, a field, a withered tree off to the side, no creatures, no immediate danger. The warrior in her wanted to study this a little longer — get a feel for what she was about to do. But the more time that passed, the longer Tommy had to keep the portal open using magic.

  "Check back every half-hour," she said. "I'll be there eventually."

  Letting loose her war cry, Malja leaped through.

  * * * *

  The air was cold. Malja's breath puffed out in moist, white clouds. A sharp crackling announced the closing of the portal.

  She remained still for some time. Her heart hammered in her chest. Her skin tingled as if she had been soaked in cold water and thrust into warm air. Like a snuffed candle, tendrils of smoke lifted from her body. She tried to let her well-honed senses observe the area, but her mind had difficulty grasping that she actually lived.

  The only other time in her life she had experienced something like this, the Bluesmen had forced her head through a portal. That had felt weird and confusing. This was far stranger.