Seams in Reality

by Alex Siegel

  Andrew frowned. "What did he do?"

  "He used mind-reading to steal secrets from several other sorcerers. At least, that's what we could prove."

  He turned as he sensed Blake approaching. The sorcerer was thin and tall. A brown business suit hung loosely on his scarecrow-like frame. He had gray hair and a short gray beard, and both were a little patchy, but he didn't seem that old. His mustache still had some of its original dark color. His brown eyes stared at Andrew intently.

  "Hi!" Blake said. "It's nice to finally meet you."

  "You wanted to meet me before?" Andrew said.

  "The BPI insisted I stay away until your training officially began." Blake glanced at Tonya. "They didn't trust me around you for some odd reason."

  A beefy federal agent with light brown skin stood a few paces behind Blake. He was trying to be polite, inconspicuous, and watchful at the same time, but the act wasn't working. He looked too out of place in a college setting, and the students were clearly curious about him.

  Tonya ushered the group deeper into the recesses of the theater, and they entered the shop where sets were built. Wooden shelves held piles of boards and panels. There were saws and drills, but none of the equipment was too sophisticated for a college student to handle. Leftover scraps filled big plastic garbage bins. Cans of paint formed stacks in the corners and against the walls. Pieces of sets from previous shows were shoved wherever there was space.

  "Tonya mentioned you knew my grandfather," Andrew said.

  Blake smiled in a kindly manner. "My father was also a sorcerer, and we visited Gustav several times just to partake of his wisdom. He was a master in more ways than one. He had a grand vision that went far beyond the selfish concerns of most sorcerers. He embraced possibilities that others were too timid to consider. He wasn't held back by antiquated traditions."

  "What do you mean?"

  Blake glanced at Tonya. "I'll let your instructor give you the specifics."

  Andrew looked back and forth between them. There was a secret here, and clearly, he wasn't supposed to know it.

  "Tell me," Andrew said.

  "This isn't the right time," Tonya said.

  "Then when?"

  "Some other time." She gave him a stern look.

  Blake turned to Charley. "You must be Charlotte."

  "Everybody calls me Charley." She politely shook his hand.

  "Your beauty runs deep. You make me wish I was thirty years younger."

  She blushed and appeared disgusted.

  Andrew intervened by saying, "Can you tell me anything else? I never met my grandfather."

  "To be honest," Blake said, "I never worked with him closely. My father was part of Gustav's inner circle, and I just admired him from afar, but I can see you inherited all his talent. It's a shame that..." He pressed his lips together.

  "What?"

  "Tonya is quite powerful, but handling two apprentices at once is too much for anybody. It's not traditional or frankly, safe. I'm afraid your training might fall short as she is forced to divide her time between you."

  Tonya worked her jaw but kept quiet.

  "What are you saying?" Andrew said.

  Blake smiled. "I have an opening. You could leave her and work with me. I think we'd make a great team."

  Tonya's eyes widened. "You're unbelievable! You're actually trying to poach my apprentice right in front of me!"

  "I'm just looking out for his best interests."

  "How is that?"

  "I can give him my full attention," he said. "You know I'm more than qualified to teach."

  "Qualified to get him killed is more like it," she said. "I've seen how you handle people."

  Blake frowned and turned to Andrew. "With my guidance, you'll progress faster. You could become a full sorcerer in just a couple of years. Tonya is very knowledgeable, but she can be overly cautious. She lacks ambition. With Charley taking up half her time, I don't see how you can achieve your full potential. I'll take you all the way."

  Andrew had mixed feelings. There was some undeniable truth in what Blake was saying. Tonya was clearly a rule follower, and she did have two apprentices. Andrew expected his training would take the form of slow, careful steps. He would have to learn each lesson completely before moving on. He was already impatient with the process, and it had barely begun.

  However, Blake was a convicted criminal among sorcerers. He was probably only telling half the story. Andrew would be putting his life in the hands of somebody he had no good reason to trust.

  Tonya looked at Andrew with an expectant expression. He wondered why she wasn't saying anything.

  "You'll let me go?" he said.

  "You're not my prisoner," she replied. "If you feel working with this man is what's best for you, I won't force you to stay here. The only requirement is that a qualified sorcerer trains you. It doesn't have to be me. Blake is many things, but incompetent isn't one of them."

  Tonya's attitude surprised Andrew. He had expected her to lay down the law like usual.

  Then he realized he was being tested again. She wanted to know if his desire for power would make him take stupid risks. Training under her would be a methodical process, but he would come out the other side alive. Blake might push Andrew too far, too fast with deadly results, assuming Blake even wanted to teach Andrew. The sorcerer might have another agenda entirely.

  "Thanks, but no thanks," Andrew told Blake. "I'm good where I am."

  Blake's face became red. "You're making a big mistake."

  "I don't think so."

  Andrew noticed Charley was grinning, and he became more confident in his choice.

  "You lose, Blake," Tonya said. "You offered the boy a poison apple, and he was too smart to take a bite. Go away."

  Blake stood there, fuming.

  "I told you to go. I won't repeat myself again."

  Her eyes flashed with anger. The floor began to vibrate, and the pieces of wood on the shelves rattled. A screwdriver danced across a table. The walls of the room seemed to tilt and flex.

  Charley dashed to a far corner. Andrew got the message and joined her there. The BPI agent was looking around with an expression of panic.

  Blake snorted, turned, and started walking away.

  "Wait!" Tonya said. "One last thing."

  He paused.

  She went on, "If I catch you anywhere near my apprentices again, I will hunt you down and rip your mind out of your skull. I know your filthy tricks. If you mess with either of these kids, I'll sniff it out." She snarled. "Don't think for a second you can sneak something by me."

  He made a growling noise and left. The BPI agent fled after him.

  The vibration in the room stopped, and the walls straightened up. Charley exhaled loudly.

  Andrew was left speechless. Nobody had ever protected him like that, not even his parents.

  "Thanks," he said after a moment. "I didn't know you cared so much."

  Tonya turned towards him with a smile. "It was nothing. Take the rest of the night off. Your next session is tomorrow at nine."

  "Before we go, can you tell me about my grandfather? You obviously know something."

  She shook her head. "Some skeletons are better left in their graves. By the way, Blake's father didn't just work with your grandfather. They died together. Focus on your studies." She walked out of the room.

  Andrew looked at Charley, and she shrugged.

  * * *

  Tonya hurried back to her office in the basement. Blake's surprise appearance had left her deeply troubled.

  The walls had an eerie, flickering quality. The colors shifted randomly, and occasionally, holes would appear, allowing her to see into the rooms on the other side. She knew there was no reason to be frightened. Too many years of sorcery had done odd things to her mind. The problem grew worse when she became upset, but it was controllable. She forced herself to calm down, and the walls stabilized to their normal tiled surfaces.

  Tonya entered her office, closed t
he door, and sat at her desk. She had left the overhead lights off, and the grow-light in the corner provided the only illumination. She looked at her lovely little collection of plants. They were lucky. They were incapable of insanity.

  Teeth started emerging from the leaves of the plants. She rolled her eyes. This is getting ridiculous.

  She pulled open a desk drawer, and it was full of mechanical clocks. She took them out, wound them up, and placed them on the surface of her desk. The regular, predictable ticking sound helped the rational part of her mind reassert itself. The teeth slowly retreated back into the leaves.

  She contemplated her own reactions. The threat against Andrew and Charley had summoned a long lost maternal instinct in her. She had acted as if they were her own children. In other circumstances, it would've been funny, but strong emotions wouldn't help her deal with a snake like Blake. Calm, dispassionate analysis was called for instead. She had to crawl inside his twisted mind.

  Tonya decided she needed to talk to somebody who had walked the same roads as her. She picked up the phone and dialed a number she hadn't used in a while.

  After a few rings, a man answered in an Irish accent. "Hello?"

  "Hello, Keene. It's Tonya."

  "Ah. It's a pleasure to hear your voice, but when you call, it usually means trouble."

  "I'm afraid that's the case this time," Tonya said, "but let me back up a few steps. Did you hear that Andrew Kenworthy is my student now?"

  "I hadn't heard, but I knew that was the plan. Why did you wait so long?"

  "His family background made me very cautious."

  "Understandable," Keene said, "but I thought you already had an apprentice. Charlotte?"

  "Yes. I have two now."

  He paused. "Is that wise? You could transfer her to another sorcerer."

  "I don't think I can trust anybody else with such enormous talents," she said.

  "Well, if anybody can handle two at once, it would be you."

  "Thanks," she said.

  "But why did you call?"

  "Blake just showed up for a surprise visit. He talked to Andrew. Blake actually tried to recruit the boy while I was standing there."

  Keene was silent for a long moment. "That's very unsettling."

  "I sent him away with a very strong warning, and I'll tell the BPI to be extra cautious with him."

  "Good. It's been a long time since I saw Theosophical University. Do you mind if I drop by for a brief social visit? I'd also like to meet Andrew."

  "You're always welcome," Tonya said with a smile. "You can stay in my house."

  "Then I'll be there tomorrow, and I'll bring my apprentice. Is there room for both of us?"

  "Plenty of room. Serkan is still with you?"

  "He's almost ready to move on," Keene said. "I'll schedule his sorcerer's exam in another couple of months."

  "Please invite me to observe, and I'll bring Andrew and Charley. That would be a very good experience for them."

  "Sure. I'll see you tomorrow."

  "I'm looking forward to it. Bye." Tonya hung up the phone.

  She settled back in her chair and nodded with satisfaction. A visit by a loyal friend like Keene for a day or two was just what she needed.

  Tonya looked down at her plants and noticed they had teeth again.

  "Damn it!" she said. "Stop doing that. It's creepy."

  * * *

  Blake was tossing and turning in bed. It was 3 AM, and he hadn't slept a wink.

  The sleeping conditions weren't helping him relax. The BPI had booked him into a cheap motel room, and the mattress felt like it was full of sand. A noisy heater rattled loudly in the corner, but the air was still too cool. A federal agent was snoring in the other bed. Blake desperately wanted to go over there and smother the man with a pillow.

  Memories of the meeting with Tonya were the main reason he was so restless. She had humiliated him, and it hadn't been the first time. As a member of the Sorcerer's Tribunal, Tonya had sat in judgment over Blake years ago.

  He couldn't live this way anymore. Every year that passed brought him closer to death and further from his goals. He was bursting with talent, but BPI scrutiny prevented him from utilizing it fully. He was stuck with a puny seam, and he was supposed to be grateful for that much. He couldn't stand the mediocrity. He had no choice but to make a change.

  Change meant taking great risks though. Blake had no allies among the other sorcerers, and the BPI certainly wasn't his friend. If he got caught doing anything, he would go straight back to prison. He might even be executed. Repeat offenders often suffered the ultimate penalty. He might have to spend the rest of his life running and hiding just to stay alive.

  He looked over at his luggage. His emerald, the Russian Eye, was hidden inside, and he could feel disruptive energy radiating from it. The portable seam was small, but it would allow him to perform basic sorcery, and nobody else knew about it. It was his secret weapon and the only real advantage he had.

  He resolved to go back to Theosophical University the next night. He wasn't sure what he would do there, but he would do something. The emerald would allow him to secretly escape from the BPI for a few hours. Perhaps he would kidnap Andrew. Blake couldn't let talent like that go to waste.

  He closed his eyes and forced himself to relax. If he didn't sleep, he would be a wreck tomorrow when he needed to be sharp instead.

  His breathing slowed, and troubled sleep finally came.

  * * *

  Andrew was bouncing on the balls of his feet with eagerness. He was about to have his third sorcery lesson, and he had no idea what to expect which made it even more exciting. He loved his new life.

  He put his hand on the imposing steel door of the seam chamber. He wondered if Tonya had the power to blast it open using sorcery alone. She had never explained her own capabilities, but the scene with Blake had hinted she could do serious damage.

  Charley approached, and Andrew felt her energy signature even before he saw her. He looked just as she was coming around the corner.

  Her sweater of the day was red and fit snugly. He approved of the way it showed off her figure. Her jeans and boots were standard fare but still nice. A satchel slung over her shoulder made her walk at a slight angle.

  "Do you have any idea what today's lesson is?" Andrew said.

  "Nope." Charley shrugged. "She likes to make it a surprise."

  "I wonder if I'll ever get bored with sorcery. Will it become just a regular job someday?"

  "Probably not. There are always new levels to achieve, and each one is more dangerous."

  Tonya came strolling down the hall. She had a distant expression, and she didn't say a word as she unlocked the door. She waved vaguely for the BPI agents inside to leave. They hurried away, obviously eager to get out of there.

  Andrew picked up his backpack off the floor, and the three sorcerers went into the chamber. Being so close to the seam made him feel like some kind of superman. He walked through its invisible core just for an extra thrill.

  Tonya sighed. "Blake's visit yesterday reminded me you'll face many dangers down the road. Today's lesson will be cautionary. It's one Charley should've had already, but I was nervous. Perhaps Blake was right about me being overly cautious. Take a seat."

  Everybody sat down. Andrew got closer than necessary to Charley, but she didn't appear to notice.

  "Unfortunately," Tonya said, "I'll have to dabble in the infernal arts to make my point. Never attempt to reproduce the spells I'm about to show you. The point is to learn what not to do. This is exactly the kind of thing that gets young sorcerers killed. Am I perfectly clear?"

  Andrew and Charley nodded.

  "Good. Close your eyes."

  Andrew closed his eyes. The darkness enhanced his sensitivity, and he could see the seam easily. It had the shape of a crack in glass. It vibrated and pulsed as energy surged in and out.

  "Do you see the sprites?" Tonya said.

  "Yes," he said. "What are they?"

>   The sprites were like a cloud of tiny fireflies which constantly flew around the seam. Their movements seemed completely random.

  "That question has a long answer," Tonya said, "and it starts with cosmology. Our universe is like a bubble floating in a pool of liquid. The walls of the bubble are the walls of reality. They protect us."

  "From what?"

  "The void outside. It's a realm of pure chaos where the lines of time and space are infinitely blurred. Nothing lives there."

  "Oh." Andrew furrowed his brow as he tried to imagine that place.

  "Seams are cracks in the walls, and sprites sneak through the gaps."

  "But you said nothing lives in the void."

  "They aren't alive," Tonya said. "Think of them as free-floating bits of potential or the unformed clay of reality... or dangerous pests."

  "I don't really understand."

  "The point is sprites can kill. They suck up our thoughts and memories like little vacuum cleaners. They feed on our imagination. They aren't real until we make them so with the power of belief. Until now, I've been protecting you from them while you train."

  Andrew frowned. This explanation was getting more and more difficult to swallow.

  "Observe," Tonya said. "I'm going to intentionally feed a sprite. This is what you should never do."

  One of the points of light grew brighter. It swelled and stretched until it became the shape of a man. Andrew opened his eyes and discovered the sprite was visible now. He could see it normally. Details gradually formed in its face and body until it became a mirror image of Andrew.

  "Cool," he said. "The Willy Loman I saw on stage the other night was a sprite?"

  "Exactly," Tonya said. "Your imagination gave it form, but it's anything but cool. As a sprite becomes stronger, its hunger grows. It can drain our minds until we're nothing but an empty shell. The damage can be permanent, even deadly. Sprites are drawn to sorcery like iron filings to magnets. They are our bane."

  Andrew could now feel what she meant. His thoughts were becoming sluggish, and he was having a hard time concentrating.

  "A good sorcerer never messes with sprites," she added.

  "But a bad one would?"

  "They can be used to create quick and dirty illusions. With the right care and feeding, a sprite can become a kind of servant. We call those homunculi. They can be set loose as weapons of mass destruction. I'm only telling you this so you won't be caught unaware. I'm sure neither of you would do anything like that."