I nodded. With Killian dead, this war was as good as over. I would be considered nothing more than a liability to the new order when it rose. They weren’t going to allow me to survive. I may very well have done them a favour by killing Glave if they had planned on exterminating all of our kind. In any event, Levenson knew I was a liability no matter what happened. It made sense to order my death the moment Killian was out of the picture. I would deal with Levenson later.
“I’m going to leave you here,” I grunted to the colonel. “I’m going to leave your men here, but I’m taking the boy with me and you won’t follow me.”
My warning was unnecessary. They didn’t have the capacity to follow me where I was going anyway. The colonel’s baleful eyes softened as he listened to my pronouncement. He’d obviously expected me to simply kill them all. The sound of his soldiers falling to the ground and gasping for breath followed me as I entered the brig and secured Justin. They hadn’t harmed him. He looked at me a little confused as he tried to understand the situation. The soldiers who had guarded him were pointing guns at me, but they weren’t a worry.
“Justin,” I called, “come with me. Quickly.”
Justin hurried past the guards. I thought for a second that one of them might try something stupid, but they eventually relaxed and allowed the boy to pass. I breathed a sigh of relief as the boy stood next to me and I lowered my shield to take us away.
I teleported us both out of the country several seconds later. I was done with this place. I should have teleported the boy out in the first place and never set foot back in the camp.
* * * * * *
Justin threw up on arrival. He had never experienced teleportation before. I should have expected such a result, but my tolerance was spent and this was little more than an unnecessary and unwelcome inconvenience. I waited with impatience as the boy excavated the contents of his stomach onto the ground.
“Are you finished?” I enquired .
Justin wiped his mouth and nodded quietly. He looked a little better, but still looked an awful shade of green. I smiled thinly as I remembered my first forays into teleportation. I’d lost my lunch too. I can’t remember when I stopped getting bouts of nausea every time I teleported, but it wasn’t missed.
“Where are we?” Justin asked as he glanced around.
“Scotland, I think,” I murmured. I hadn’t exactly been paying attention to where I was teleporting to. Anywhere east of the States had been sufficient.
“It’s cold,” Justin continued, wrapping his arms around his chest.
I hadn’t noticed. One of the advantages of having a shield is that you don’t tend to notice temperature variations that quickly. I could tell from the frost forming on the grass at our feet and the mist rising from the boy’s mouth that he had a point. Due to the time zone difference it would be night soon and it would only get colder. We would require some shelter sooner rather than later and I needed to figure out where I was going to offload this kid. I couldn’t very well have him tag around with me for the next few years. Not with what I was planning.
Most of Europe and the UK had been heavily affected by the fighting, so it was unlikely we would be disturbed. This place wasn’t ideal, but it would do for the next few days or weeks - however long it took for Justin to learn to defend himself. Once he had mastered the basics it would be safe to leave him alone somewhere. Maybe I could set him up in a refugee camp somewhere and visit with new learning material when he was ready. It was strange to be making these kinds of plans. I’d never had to concern myself with this stuff before. I’d always dealt with the immediate threat.
I sent out a scry thread and located a small cottage that seemed abandoned and sturdy a few miles away. It was safe enough to teleport to, but I wanted the boy’s stomach to be relatively intact when we arrived so I elected to walk. I don’t know if Justin appreciated this or not. He remained quiet the whole trip and meekly followed behind me.
The cottage had obviously been abandoned and there were signs of looting from inside, but other than some damage to the rear of the cottage it seemed structurally sound. Closing the door to the kitchen at the rear of the cottage helped keep the cold out. I quickly lit a fire in the fireplace, noticing that Justin flinched as I summoned the necessary flame to light the brittle wood. With the dimming sun outside, the fireplace provided our only source of illumination. Electricity had long been disconnected from the cottage if the fallen power lines outside were to be believed.
“I’m hungry,” Justin mumbled as he warmed his hands before the fire. It was doubtful that there was any food remaining in the kitchen.
I held my hands out before me and send the Mana funnelling down in my palms. The eldritch glow on my hands seemed to fascinate the boy as he watched me convert the Mana particles into proteins, nutrients, sugars and more complex chemicals. I had learned this technique from my old master who had demonstrated it in the creation of a diamond. The atomic structure of a diamond is far easier than what I was doing now. I could have created a diamond with my eyes closed. This would require far more concentration. A small lattice of Mana appeared in my hand as I completed the chemical process of converting Mana into matter. The structure flexed as it began to form and eventually became a solid small block of what could only be described as food. I quickly passed it to the boy, who gazed at me in wonder. It was little more than a hardened biscuit designed to last a long time, be portable, and easy to consume and digest. They had a variety of names, but most of my squad had simply referred to them as D-Rations, after the chocolate rations from the First World War.
His wonder quickly turned to disgust as he tasted the bar. The military ration tasted a little better than a boiled potato, but was a good source of energy, and provided that we didn’t try to live exclusively on the damned things they would keep us going.
I’d used this technique rarely over the past few years, but I had improved immeasurably from the first time I had tried it. Things hadn’t been going so well at the time: our division had been cut off from supplies and low in numbers. I’d turned to creating food to increase our supplies. It hadn’t been overly effective. I hadn’t been able to produce anything near the quantities we needed to survive and the process just weakened me too much. I’d experimented with a variety of different food sources before I found that D-Rations were the easiest to duplicate. The men hadn’t been overly thrilled at the concept either – they’d somehow managed to remove all the taste, texture and enjoyment from the food bar. The infusion of energy was beneficial, but there was no temptation to eat the damned thing. The boy looked like he was enjoying it as much as the soldiers had. It did have one thing in its favour, though: atomically it was far simpler to produce than other processed foods.
“Don’t you need to eat?” he asked as he offered me the remaining half.
“No.” I shook my head. “I’ll be fine for now.”
Truth is I didn’t have any appetite any longer. I couldn’t even remember the last time I ate something. Maybe some rations at the camp? I definitely remember eating something at the captain’s dinner table on the carrier. I should probably have been more concerned about that.
I waited for the kid to finish his meal before I began his training. I had an eerie sense of déjà vu as I contemplated what I was about to do. The last time I had done this had been with my half-sister Allie. Hopefully this would work out better than that time. I shook the memory from my mind – reminiscing about her wouldn’t help me or the kid now.
“Hold out your hand,” Isaid as I grasped the boy’s wrist. I could see the blood pumping in his veins through my tight grip, but I didn’t let up. To his credit, he didn’t squirm or show any sign of discomfort, although I must have been hurting him.
His hand went a purplish shade of red as the blood pooled from the lack of circulation. Already I could see his body’s response as it attempted to send Mana down to free the blockage. Justin glanced at me in a curious mixture of amazement and pain.
&nbs
p; “You’re making it do that,” I informed him as I released his hand.
The Mana in his body immediately went back to its usual swirling pattern. The boy’s eyes immediately focused as he tried to make the Mana move back down his arm. It had taken Allie all afternoon just to get the Mana to move – I wasn’t expecting much from Justin. The boy flinched as I grabbed his hand again. The Mana flowed to the affected area much quicker this time, and more importantly, I felt the subtle effects of the Mana struggling to repel the assault. It was painfully weak, but I could feel it working its force against me.
I let go. The Mana remained behind in the kid’s hand.
“Excellent,” I whispered as I watched the Mana slowly return to normal. “Let me know when you can control it.”
I lowered myself into a floral recliner in the corner of the room and let the boy get on with his studies. I pulled my coat firmly around me, stoked the fire, and attempted to meditate. I knew that sleep would elude me, but I had no intention of disturbing the boy while he mastered this fundamental skill and he was still too weak to leave him alone.
I took Gabriel’s phone from my pocket and held it in my hands. With this device I could talk to Renee. A tremor passed through me, and I almost dropped the phone. I pressed the power button and the display informed me there was over 50% battery power left. I briefly wondered how Gabriel had been keeping the phone charged as I pressed the unlock screen.
I had hoped for a password or something that would keep me from accessing the phone, but there was nothing. There was nothing stopping me from accessing the contact list and getting Renee’s number.
The urge to call her almost overcame me, until I tried to imagine just how that conversation would go. What did I have to tell her? Would I tell her that I had become a killer just like her father and her grandfather? Would I tell of the things I had done? How would she react? How could she possibly accept me? She couldn’t. She wouldn’t. She would reject me and I couldn’t face that.
No, it was far better that I remain dead as far as she was concerned. It was better she think I died in Melbourne, when I had last fought her grandfather. It was a kindness of sorts, yet why couldn’t I take my finger from the contacts button?
I steeled myself. I was being weak and I needed to be strong now. I put the phone back in my pocket. I couldn’t afford such weakness now. Perhaps afterwards, once Victor was dead, I would contact Renee. It’s amazing the lies we’re able to tell ourselves. I almost believed myself, I really did.
* * * * * *
It took Justin about four days to gain rudimentary control of the Mana. I had expected about this time frame. Allie and I had been exceptions to the rule. Both Allie and I learned by seeing the Mana and could somehow figure out how it worked; Justin didn’t learn that way. He had to do it the hard way.
I had taken the opportunity to retrieve one of the rudimentary spell books I had recovered on my searches and gave it to the boy. His eyes glazed over as he turned the pages. It was dry reading, especially as he was used to reading comic books.
It took him another week before he was able to form a solid enough Mana thread. It was still painfully weak and would easily disperse. This was taking far too long. I didn’t have the patience or the time. It was hard not to compare the boy to my sister. Allie had formed much stronger threads on her first try. But it was unfair to compare the boy to Allie and I knew it. The difference was just so extreme. Allie hadn’t pestered me with questions or problems. She had taken what I had shown her and simply duplicated it. I was beginning to understand Victor’s interest in her – if Justin was any indication of what the usual training of our kind required.
“It’s just not working the way it should,” Justin whined after another failure.
I rubbed the bridge of my nose as I contemplated my next move. The problem was the boy was too much in his head. For him it was an intellectual challenge, one that could be analysed, broken down and assessed. Mana didn’t work that way. It was instinctual. Trying to focus on summoning the Mana would only hinder you. That’s why I was so good at it. I never thought about anything.
We’d have to try something different.
About twenty minutes from the cottage was a small creek and pond, only about ten metres in diameter, but sufficient for my needs. It would be a good source of rounded rocks.
As I had hoped, the shoreline of the pond was covered in small rocks, nestled on the cold black sandy dirt. I picked up one of the rocks and held it firmly between my fingers. I could feel the light weight and its smooth texture. It was perfect. I passed it to the boy as I floated out over the pond.
The water rippled beneath me as the magic I used to keep myself floating worked upon it. Raising both arm,s I lifted three heavier rocks from the pond bed and brought them to the surface. With a wave of my fist, I kept them levitating in the air and made them float in lazy circles around me, forming an impromptu shield.
“Take your rock,” I called. “Aim it well. The lesson ends when you manage to hit me.”
I sped up the rocks floating around me. Justin looked out across the pond. I was only about five metres away, but as far as his skills with the Mana went, I could have been standing kilometres away.
“I can’t!” Justin began. This was a lie – he most definitely could. I had been able to lift small objects using the Mana, but that wasn’t the point of this exercise.
“Don’t use the Mana, just throw it,” I cut him off.
“You want me to throw a rock at you?” he queried with a puzzled look on his face.
“Don’t miss,” I advised softly.
Justin threw the rock up in the air several times before drawing his arm back and taking aim. I could tell from the look on his face that he was conflicted about this. He obviously didn’t get the point of what I was trying to do. This was good – if he knew what I was planning it wouldn’t have worked.
With a small grunt he let the rock fly. I didn’t even have to dodge, the shot was miles off. With a flick of my hand I took control of the rock and sent it flying back towards him. He shouted out in pain as the rock hit him squarely in the hip. I had slowed the momentum of the rock so it would hurt, but not injure.
Pain is a teacher no one will ignore and anger is a motivation that overcomes one’s inhibitions. As much as I hated it, Victor had taught me that.
“I warned you not to miss,” I replied firmly as the boy angrily glared in my direction. He retrieved the rock from the ground at his feet.
His next shot fared no better. In his anger he hadn’t even attempted to take aim, he just hurled the rock with more power than aim. I easily recovered the rock as it flew past my shoulder and sent it hurtling back towards him, catching him in the shoulder.
He didn’t say a word as he rubbed his shoulder and picked up the stone. I could see the anger in his eyes like flame in the night. His muscles bunched up as he threw the rock. This time his shot rang true. Had I allowed the missile to hit, it would have impacted squarely against my chest, but with a flick of the wrist I brought one of the rocks orbiting me to obstruct the throw. The loud thunk as the two rocks collided echoed across the pond.
With accustomed ease, I again recovered his stone and sent it back to its owner. This time the boy’s shout as it impacted his chest was more in anger than in pain. He recovered the stone and immediately sent it back at me, impacting once again against the rocks.
He didn’t even wait for me to return the stone to him. He scooped up a second rock and launched it at me with a strangled and frustrated shout. His second missile fared the same as the first, impacting squarely against my rock formed shield.
“It’s not fair!” he accused, blustering with rage. “You’re cheating! You’re using Mana!”
I didn’t answer; instead I sent the two rocks barrelling back towards him. With a strangled shriek the boy threw up his hands to protect himself, when something curious happened. I watched with a self-satisfied smile as the boy formed a rudimentary thread, which lance
d out and caught one of the rocks and sent it plummeting into the pond. The other rock hit him in the side, but he ignored the pain as he stared at the telekinetic thread he’d formed to protect himself.
“There. You see? You can do it,” I said.
With a flick of my wrist I lifted several more stones from the shoreline and sent them flying at the boy from different angles. He dodged two as he threw himself backwards and used the summoned thread to block a third.
He howled as he scooped up several more stones and threw them in my direction. I watched with elation as the thread looped around and grasped one of the stones and hurled it with greater speed and accuracy in my direction. The loud thump as it hit one of the stones would have been heard for miles.
I smiled as a small crack appeared in the large stone where the smaller stone struck against it. I watched proudly as the crack widened until the rock broke into two pieces. I wasn’t entirely sure how hard Justin had accelerated that rock, but had it hit someone it would have killed them instantly.
The look of astonishment on the boy’s face as the rock crumbled into smaller chunks and fell into the water almost caused him to lose focus and drop his Mana thread. I flicked my fingers and sent one of the fragments from my former shield flying at my apprentice. With admirable speed, he telekinetically grabbed the missile directed at him and launched it back at me.
With a smile I drew a Mana shield around myself and let the stone hit me.
“You win,” I said as I floated across the water, letting the two other rocks fall into the depths behind me. I had made my point and the boy was on his way to learning what he needed to know.
* * * * * *
When we returned to the cottage, I gave the boy a set of exercises designed to help enhance and improve his abilities to summon the Mana. His success meant we could move onto more complex and advanced techniques. I watched him as he now formed the Mana threads with far more ease.
Mage Emergence Page 19