The Magic Wakes

by Charity Bradford

  When asked about the presence of mages, Werner swore they had eradicated all the mages thousands of years earlier. Kansisi, however, trusted Shishali’s instincts, and he trusted her dreams.

  Mages were somewhere on this planet, and he needed to find them.

  Chapter 10

  Talia spent the morning tweaking the landing sites in the colonization simulation, a nice change from her usual electrical and engineering work.

  A strange hope grew as she thought about the prospect of a moon colony on Daedalus. If the Royalists lent financial support, the SEF could pull it off within two or three years. Maybe she could get herself assigned to the project. Getting off the planet might be the best chance of avoiding the fate of her dreams.

  A smile played in the corner of her lips as she saved her work. She hadn’t felt this much hope in a long time.

  She headed down to B Warehouse for lunch. The habitat was fully functional and Talia found it a nice place to eat in seclusion. She called up chicken salad from the metabolizer and waited at the science station to read about the myths and mysteries of Sendek.

  She was reading the legend of the defeat of the dragons when Major Sutton sat down at the station across from her. Her heartbeat sped up, and her cheeks warmed. He looked calm and in control sitting there uninvited. Those blue eyes pierced right through her as he waited, giving no clue to what he wanted.

  Talia didn’t speak until she was sure her voice would be strong and steady.

  “I’m afraid you’ve caught me on a lunch break. How can I help you, Major Sutton?” She snapped off the computer screen.

  “I didn’t plan on coming in today, but I had a question for you and was close by. I apologize for interrupting your lunch.” He sounded patronizing and superior, his face impassive.

  “It must be some question for you to track me down in here.” She kept her tone cool and folded her hands in her lap. The sooner this interview was over the sooner he would leave.

  “Miss Zaryn, it’s my job to seek out and find any possible conspiracies that would endanger the Royal family. There is currently within this city a very dangerous group of people who would like to see the Royalists removed from power.”

  “I assume you are referring to the group who’s been sabotaging and stealing from our trams?” Talia watched him closely. What game are we playing?

  Landry leaned back comfortably in the chair, resting his arms lightly on the armrest.

  “Yes. After the meeting yesterday, I reviewed the records and histories of those present. Everyone checked out. Your records, however, have some inconsistencies in the government database. Why is that?”

  His voice was strong, commanding.

  Is he accusing me of being a traitor? Talia straightened in her chair and squared her shoulders. This was unexpected; the confrontation simmering behind his gaze was unmistakable.

  “I don’t know what inconsistencies you are referring to. Maybe you can enlighten me?” She frowned at him as he leaned forward in the chair, bringing him much too close.

  “We have no birth record for you. I looked up your university application in order to find your parents’ names and hometown. The couple you list as your parents had a son, no daughter. Why is that?”

  “How can that be? You looked up Helen and Donnelly Zaryn from Gneledar?” Confusion furrowed her brow.

  “Yes, and they have one son, Roan Zaryn. When we first met, you seemed uncomfortable around Colonel Rankin and me. Is it because you were afraid we would discover your secrets? Secrets that directly affect our kingdom?”

  Shock coursed through Talia. How could he know? Her mind raced over everything she had said in the meeting. Nothing could have hinted at her secret.

  Perhaps her face had betrayed that brief moment of unexplainable anxiety, but even that would not be enough for him to discover her powers. She took a shaky breath. Focus.

  “I don’t understand how mistakes in your records concerning my parentage tie me to this group you mention. As for secrets, Major, everyone has secrets. That doesn’t make them a traitor. Helen and Donnelly are my parents and Roan my brother. I don’t know why our information isn’t linked in your records, but I don’t have to prove to you or anyone else who I am.”

  Talia stood up, hoping he would take the hint and leave.

  Sutton stood as well, bringing him close to Talia. He glared down at her, his lips tight and eyes blazing.

  Fear crept in to accompany the anger that already warmed her blood. Talia struggled to control her temper.

  “Unfortunately, Miss Zaryn, you must do just that. If we called the Zaryn family to come for a visit, would they claim you as their own?”

  Talia clasped her necklace tight. Was he serious? Call the Zaryn family to visit?

  “Who do you think you are?” Her voice shook. She pointed to the door. “Get out.”

  “I’m good at my job, Miss Zaryn, and I’m not leaving until I get some answers.”

  “Your job? If you were good at your job, you would know my father died twelve years ago, followed by my mother and then my brother, Roan. If you want, I can supply you with the exact date and time of death. As well as where I was when I lost yet another person I loved. Within five years I lost everyone. And you have the nerve to threaten to take them away from me again?”

  The anger melted to pain as his accusations forced Talia to recall the darkest days in her memory. Without waiting for his reply, she ran out of the airlock.

  Chapter 11

  Landry Sutton’s special talent had never failed him before.

  Two days had passed since he had visited Talia Zaryn, and the interview still didn’t make sense. He had expected a well-trained Signum agent; but her surprised expression when he hinted she might be the traitor was easy to read—no sixth sense needed—as was her initial confusion about her parents. Up to that point, he had not been able to sense her emotions, but his threat to call the Zaryn family had opened a floodgate.

  When her anger flared, he could feel it all. Usually, when he listened to people’s emotions, they came to him like distant echoes that he had to strain to understand. Miss Zaryn’s had hit him hard, as if she hurled them at him. As intense as her anger was, it quickly burned itself down to a crushing sorrow.

  The look on her face haunted him. There was something more to this woman and Landry needed to learn what. He never liked loose ends. A trip to her hometown of Gneledar might provide the answers.

  Landry flew straight to Gneledar. The hospital had no record of her birth; they gave him the name of a midwife who had been present for the delivery.

  Jayne Andsen was more than willing to talk about the Zaryn family.

  “Why didn’t the Zaryns go to the hospital for the birth of this child?” Landry asked her.

  He had never heard of a home delivery. It sounded archaic, but he carefully hid that opinion from the midwife.

  “I don’t think they had time. The husband called me just before dawn and I hurried over. His wife, Helen, had some complications with her first delivery, and he was worried. Anyway, just as the suns rose, the baby moved, and in no time at all made her way into the world. No complications. Helen told me she felt no pain, no anxiety, and only the slightest urge to push. It was as if magic called that child out of the womb. As the suns’ first rays peeked through the curtains, the baby took her first breath.”

  Jayne paused and leaned in closer to Landry. “I’ve never told anyone this before, but I saw something very strange that morning. I saw the baby breathe in the light that filtered through the window. That girl is different. No doubt about it.”

  “What do you mean breathe in the light? Was it cold and you could see her breath?”

  “No, she sucked the light right out of the air and into her mouth. Like magic, you know?”

  Babies sucking light? “You said she’s different. What do you mean?” Landry asked.

  “Well, nothing you can put your finger on, but she does have those eyes. Did you know there was
a boy born in Gneledar with violet eyes? He was also born on the sixth day of the first period, but three hundred years before Talia. He could do extraordinary things. Horrible things.”

  The midwife kissed her thumb and shook it in the air.

  “I’ve never heard that story. How does it explain why Talia is different?” Landry prompted.

  “Well, you know that the year has one hundred and eleven days in it, divided into three seasons or periods. Have you ever wondered why they are not three equal seasons, or why the first season is only eleven days?”

  “No, our elliptical orbit around a binary system determines the seasons.”

  “That’s what they teach in school, but those eleven days of the first period are the most magical of the year. The sixth day, or middle of the first season, is the one day of the year when magic is at its highest concentration on Sendek.”

  Landry was not aware of any magical season on Sendek. He had, however, learned to hide his skepticism in order to keep people talking.

  “What exactly are you saying?”

  “She’s different than us. Born on the sixth day of the first season just as the boy in the legend; the boy who could communicate with wild animals and turn the river back on itself. I’ve never seen the girl do those things, although she always kept to herself. She stayed up in the cottage with her folks at the edge of the forest. Her parents used to bring her down to the hospital a lot when she was about a year old, but eventually they stopped. I never heard if she was cured or not, but some people said she turned into a creature at night, and that can’t be cured.”

  She shook her head sadly. “She still lives up there most of the time, but we just leave her alone. No need to tempt fate if you know what I mean.”

  Because a little girl was born on a certain day and been sick as a baby, her neighbors ostracized her. It must have been a lonely existence, filled only with family. A family he had tried to take away from her.

  “Why didn’t you file the birth record? Isn’t that a part of your job as midwife?”

  “That’s for the hospitals to worry about.”

  Landry wondered how many people with unrecorded births lived in Gneledar.

  “One last question, did she attend school here in the town?”

  “Oh, yes. She was a very dedicated student. She studied hard and was always top of the class. You could always find her in the library. They have one computer station that everyone just considered as hers. I think she even reprogrammed it. No one else in town uses it, not even when we know she’s traveling. It may not be safe.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “People die when she’s around. First her father, and then her mother. After her mother died, she went to live with her brother. He was such a good-looking man, but he didn’t live long after she moved in. We hoped she would stay away, but she always comes home to that house up on the hill west of town. Is she in some kind of trouble?” She looked eager to hear some new bit of gossip.

  “No, she isn’t in any kind of trouble. We like to do security checks on anyone we work with, and we found we didn’t know a lot about her.” Landry’s head ached from the superstitious fears emanating from the woman. “Thank you for your time.”

  “Oh, no problem at all. You know, I’ve never seen anyone with eyes the color as yours. Were you born in the first season? Only children born at that time of year have colored eyes. I’ve delivered a few myself, but none of them were as light blue as yours.”

  “I guess I’m just lucky then. Thanks again.” Landry turned and walked away.

  How did the woman know which season he had been born in? Was there something to her mystical mumbo jumbo?

  He shrugged it off and decided to visit the hospital again before going to see the Zaryn home place. Then he would return to Joharadin and apologize to Miss Zaryn.

  Ruin waited for the new recruit at the bottom of the stairs, just as he had a few days earlier.

  Jaron jumped down the last few stairs and landed in front of Ruin.

  “Ruin, nice to see you again.”

  “Werner wants you to report directly to him from here on out.” Ruin shrugged his shoulders and turned away from the young man.

  “That’s fine with me. Lead on.”

  Jaron walked into Selvan Werner’s library behind Ruin and took a quick look around. The room was another chamber of the vast cave system that made up the Signum lair, but this one exuded wealth and comfort.

  Armor made from dragon scales lined one wall, each suit sparkled green, blue, gold, or red in the circle from a spotlight. Behind the armor was a curio shelf filled with more magical wonders. Jars contained dragon eyes, heart, tongues, and even dragon lungs. There were talons and one large dragon egg in the center of the shelf.

  Jaron’s lips twitched as he looked away from the shelf and focused on Werner.

  “Ruin, you may leave us.” Selvan Werner dismissed the man with a wave and turned to Jaron.

  A cloud darkened Ruin’s face before he closed the door.

  “It is time for you to learn the details of your mission before you enroll at the university. Have a seat,” Werner said to Jaron.

  Werner sat in a large overstuffed chair with his feet propped up on an ottoman. He picked up an old parchment from the table beside him. A special airtight slipcover protected it.

  “Modern technology is useful for one very important thing—preserving the wisdom of the past. Come, sit down.” He pointed to a chair beside him while he fingered the parchment reverently.

  Jaron sat down and held out his hand. “May I see it?”

  “This is the oldest record ever written that mentions the Dragumon. It will give me the power to destroy them once they remove the Royalists from power, so you’ll understand if I keep it to myself.” Werner’s tight lips slid open to reveal a thin line of teeth. “Soon it will be my turn to rule, and your service will be a part of that.”

  “I’m proud to be a part of this new world order. What must I do?”

  Werner gently put the parchment down and detailed Jaron’s mission.

  Jaron watched him closely as he cast the mind control spell. Werner’s lips barely moved and the only sound that escaped were small puffs of air. Absorbed by the sound of his own voice, Werner gazed at his shelves of books.

  Jaron gathered the energies around him and spread the mind net. Werner’s mind bent to his will. It would only take a few moments for Werner to slip into a dream-like state allowing him to talk but not remember the conversation later.

  Jaron slowly exhaled, then spoke to Werner.

  “You have a story you want to tell me—a story about the Dragumon.”

  A smile came to Werner’s lips. “Yes, a wonderful story. Would you like to hear it?”

  “More than anything.”

  “First you have to understand that our world was different thousands upon thousands of years ago. People not only believed in mages and dragons, they depended on their magic. That’s what made it possible for a mage to create the Dragumon in the first place.”

  Werner sat limply in his chair, his eyes half closed as if trying to see something in the distance. He did not blink, confirming the spell was strong.

  “How were the Dragumon created?”

  “In those days, for help in conceiving a child, you went to the local witch or offered prayers to various gods. Many people did both. The first hatching of Dragumon came from a woman named Quilla and her husband, Danik. The villagers later said they remembered a very old man enter their small home. No one came out for two days. No one knew what was going on inside, and the sad thing is no one cared. They should have.”

  “Do you know what happened?” Jaron did not want to lose the connection with Werner’s mind, but he needed to guide him to the information he needed.

  “Oh, yes. It took a long time to figure out, but the first Signum learned what happened. The old man was a mage named Elvin Thule, and he performed an abomination that day. He carried dragon eggs and o
ther mystical ingredients needed to perform a binding spell into the house with him.”

  “How did he carry more than one egg? Dragon eggs are huge.”

  “I don’t know. The record doesn’t say, but the drawings show much smaller eggs. They were only the size of your fist.”

  Jaron was confused but filed his questions away for later. “Please continue.”

  “He bound those eggs to Quilla, using her blood and who knows what else. Somehow, that spell made it possible for Quilla to carry the eggs in her womb just like a human child. The pregnancy was short but taxing, and Quilla died during childbirth. Elvin Thule and a dragon arrived shortly after the birthing and carried away the hybrid creatures before anyone else could see them. Before leaving, the dragon burned down the house with Quilla and Danik inside.”

  Werner showed no signs of the spell weakening, so Jaron ventured another question.

  “What happened to the babies?”

  “The mage took them to be raised by the dragons, but that was not the end of his work. He began building an army of these creatures. Women all over the country found themselves pregnant without any memory of the mage visiting them. They died in childbirth, making it clear that the mages and the dragons had declared war on us. The king decided to stop the mages before they killed all the women of childbearing age. People no longer trusted each other, and those with magical tendencies went into hiding.”

  “Why would they declare war on the people who depended on their services? That doesn’t make sense.” Jaron couldn’t help but think of his own world where magic and science worked well together.

  “They denied it, of course. Elvin Thule said he was trying to bridge the gap between humans and dragons so all could live in peace, but no one believed that.”

  “How long did this go on?”

  “For twenty years. After the first five or six years, women stopped dying in childbirth, so we believe that is when the last clutches were born. The next fifteen years was time enough for them to grow and be trained in the way of the dragons.”