I grabbed Flame by the arm and left, calling over my shoulder, “Professor, I did not know for certain. It was an educated guess!”
Flame and I headed towards the living quarters of the school and approached a large Y in the corridor; to the left were the women’s dorms and on the right were the men’s. The school had a lot of common areas were everyone intermingled but had strict rules against the mixing of genders in the residential sections.
“Flame, I will meet you back here in ninety minutes. Pack as lightly as you can, as we will have to carry everything through the gate,” I said. With that, we went our separate ways.
As I traveled back to my quarters alone, I wondered what I had gotten myself into this time. Flame’s dynamic, lively personality together with the rigid, orderly correctness of my family would surely result in fireworks.
I returned to our meeting point exactly on time, and Flame was already there. She had brought only the hiking backpack I had bought her earlier this year, though it seemed filled to bursting-point with all she had packed. She seemed excited and not as sullen as she had been before.
“So I’ll finally get to see where the great and powerful Shadow Weaver grew up? This’ll be fun!” she said.
“I am not sure it is all that exciting,” I demurred.
“Sure it will be,” she said and started to walk towards Professor Rannor’s office. “I wonder what gate travel is like?”
“I do not know for sure, but they say it is a lot like jumping in a shuttle,” I said, “except of course you are walking.”
“Walking through jump space? I wonder if you can stop and look around?” she asked.
“I do not know, but I think that would be a bad idea. There are no landmarks in jump space, so how would you find your way back?” I asked.
“Now, that’s a good question,” she said. We continued speculating about gate travel until we reached Professor Rannor’s office. When we entered, he stood and approached us.
“You are a bit early, but that’s fine. Where do you want to be let out of the gate, Shadow?” he asked.
“Professor, how about transit terminal 1971-M?” I asked.
“Sounds good,” he said.
“But why not just get out at your parents’ place?” asked Flame.
“My father hates surprises with a vengeance. It would be best if he has to come and collect us somewhere, thereby giving him time to get used to the idea that we are visiting before he sees us,” I explained. “Professor, how will we get back?”
“I will contact you at your parents’ home at the end of the week to arrange that. Now then, are you ready?” he said and laid his hands on our shoulders.
Instantly we were in a large, stone room. I saw no doors or entrances of any kind. On one wall there was a large stone ring carved with what appeared to be magic runes, like those I had seen in my textbooks. In addition to ourselves, there were several people there all wearing purple robes, marking them as elite wizards.
The most startling thing in the room was its other occupants: three beasts lying lazily next to the stone ring, massive, lizard-like creatures with red scales. They must have measured thirty meters long from the tips of their snouts to the tips of their tails. Their wings were huge, leathery and bat-like. Their power was indicated by enormous bodies and four tree-trunk legs.
Professor Rannor saw me looking at them and said, “Oh, don’t worry about them; they are just here to discourage unauthorized access.”
“That they certainly do, Professor,” said Flame.
We followed him up to the large, stone circle which I now realized was the gate we sought. He raised his hand to it and chanted something indecipherable. As he spoke, a blue swirl of light appeared in the center and slowly grew in size until it filled the entire circle.
“It is ready. Simply walk through and you will be there. Good luck,” he said.
“Thank you, Professor,” I said, taking Flame by the hand, and walked into the gate. It was just as I was told: exactly like jump space, a vast, azure emptiness that seemed to go on infinitely in all directions. I thought it would be disconcerting to travel through it without the protection of a starship, but instead it felt comforting.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
When we came out the other side, we were standing in a large crowd of people pushing their way to wherever it was they wished to go. I led Flame out of the crowd to a secured communication terminal.
“Shadow, you can’t use that. It says ‘restricted,’ ” she said.
I did not respond, but pulled out my ID and swiped it over the scanner.
“Greetings, Lieutenant Commander James. Please present hand for DNA scan,” said the computer.
I placed my hand on the screen and said, “Secure channel to Captain Douglas Dougherty.”
“DNA identity confirmed. Please wait while we contact your party,” responded the computer.
Soon my father’s face appeared on the screen, “Hello, son,” he said.
“Hello, sir. We are at transit terminal 1971-M, and we need a ride home,” I said.
“Really? How did you manage that?” he asked.
“Sir, I can explain later. Too many ears here,” I said.
“Of course. I will be there shortly,” he said and ended the call.
“Now, what was that you were saying about not being allowed to use this?” I asked. She apparently did not think it as funny as I did and punched me in the arm. It was a good, solid punch, too. I had been training her in some of the self-defense techniques I had learned in the Navy, and she was a good student.
I led Flame through the crowds to the common pick-up area, and watched my father arrive in his chauffeured black Delta Seven transport shuttle. The sleek luxury of it stood in sharp contrast to the dirty and battered public transit vehicles that usually filled the station.
After we had exchanged proper introductions and greetings, we boarded his shuttle. Looking around, Flame commented, “Oh my, I’ve never seen so many people before in one place.”
It was only then I realized how alien this world must be to her. The capital planet was covered completely by massive towers and buildings. Traveling from place to place on the planet was done via highway tubes that ran from building to building. You could never truly get outside the city, not that you would wish to because the atmosphere was so packed with poisonous gases that venturing outside would result in a slow and painful death. It is rumored that long ago ours was a much friendlier world with large oceans and breathable air, but there was absolutely no sign or record to vouch for the truth of this.
“Yes, it is a bit different from where you grew up, that is for sure,” I said. She went on staring out the window of the shuttle in amazement.
“Son, I am glad you could visit, but how did you manage the trip here so fast? I know that only a few months ago you were at Alpha Academy,” he said.
“Sir, I do not understand precisely how it works, but the school has a gate that works in the manner of a ship using its jump drive, the primary difference being that you travel as massless energy instead of matter,” I said.
“So you are basically converted into a comm message and sent?” he asked.
“Sir, I never thought of it like that before, but yes - somewhat like that,” I said.
“I remember hearing of such a device being built shortly after the war, but at the time I thought it was complete nonsense. I see I was wrong,” he said.
“The only one in this realm I know to exist is the one at the school that we just used, sir. I am not sure how they are crafted, but I imagine they must use tremendous amounts of energy,” I said.
“That they must. They have to compensate somehow for the lack of gravity due to the missing mass,” he said. “How long can you stay?”
“Sir, near the end of the week Professor Rannor - Doctor Rannor will be contacting me to set up the return trip. I am unclear how that will be managed. Father, I must tell
you that us being here does place you all in some danger,” I said.
“Of course it does,” he interrupted. “We have been through this kind of thing before. Let them come. So the old doctor is a teacher now?”
“Yes, sir; he was promoted last year,” I said.
“Good, nothing better than an old navy man to teach young minds,” he said.
It took only a few minutes to reach my parents’ home from the transit terminal. They lived in an extremely modern, single-level apartment on the five hundredth floor of one of the city’s finer towers. The chauffeur parked the shuttle in the private garage and took our bags up to our rooms for us.
My mother had already arranged to have dinner waiting for us when we arrived. After I had formally introduced Flame to my mother, I showed her where to sit at the large table. She said very little as she looked at all the fine china and crystal place settings. Knowing her, I could tell she was wondering where the food was and what would happen if she broke anything.
Soon some of Father’s serving staff came out with the first course of the meal. I had forgotten what it was like to eat dinner at home. When I was little, it was a fairly rare occurrence to eat a meal with my parents, but after they had each retired they insisted on making dinner a major affair whenever I visited. Flame looked at her plate and the small amount of food on it. I knew she was trying hard to come up with a way to ask for a bigger serving without sounding rude. I decided to rescue her.
“Flame, this is just the first course, not the main meal. There is plenty more to come,” I said to her telepathically in order to prevent any embarrassment. It was something we had learned near the end of the term and probably the most useful thing we had picked up so far.
She looked at me and smiled, waiting to eat until my mother began. The rest of the meal passed fairly slowly, as my father and mother did almost all the talking, bringing me up to date on everything that had been going on locally. Flame did not say a word throughout the meal. After dinner, we moved into one of the large sitting rooms.
“Son, you said that you are in the line of succession for grandmaster: how does that work?” my father asked.
“Well, sir, it is not strictly a line, as I am at present the only one who can fill the vacancy. Basically, should something happen to Grandmaster Vydor, or should he retire, I would then be named grandmaster. Until that time, I have no more authority than any other student at the school,” I replied.
“How were you chosen for this?” he asked.
“I am what is known as a spellweaver. It is a rare gift that I was born with, and only a spellweaver can be a grandmaster. Spellweavers are unique in that they work directly with raw energy whereas all other magi must convert the energy into something else before they can use it. For example, Flame converts it into fire and heat in order to use it,” I said.
“I see. Grandmaster: is that like an emperor?” he asked.
“Yes, sir. There are two levels making up the ruling council: six masters and one grandmaster. For most issues they meet as a group and come up with a ruling which then becomes law. The grandmaster has the option to make an official decree and overrule the decision of the council, but that is extremely rare. If there should be a vote of no confidence in the grandmaster, the council could replace him with another spellweaver provided they have good reason to do so. This has never happened, but the protection is there in case it is ever needed. I should mention that, due to the fact that the history of wizards in this realm is a short one, when we talk about history we are referring to the events that took place in the other realm; they have a full and rich history for us to learn from,” I said.
“So Grandmaster Vydor is building his forces based on the lessons already learned by Mantis’ people. That is very smart,” he said. “What are your plans for this week, while you are here?”
“I hope to take Flame to see some of the things we do not have back at the school. Some of the major plays, art galleries, that kind of thing, sir,” I said.
“That is a wonderful idea, son,” said my mother. “Flame, is this your first time to visit the capital planet?”
“Yes, Mrs. Dougherty. My family lives much further out on the rim, so we never got this far in,” answered Flame.
“Ah, yes, I remember now. You are from Aleeryon. I remember being stationed there briefly when I first joined the Imperial Navy. It was very primitive at that time, but I am sure it has developed since then,” said my mother.
I did not like where this seemed to be heading. “Did I tell you that Flame’s brother was a fighter pilot on the Crusader during the battle for Terrathan XV?”
“No, you did not; but when we last talked to her father he mentioned that Bill had to return to duty now that Flame’s mother was better. Bill has quite the record, Flame. You can be proud of his service, that is for sure,” said my father.
“Thank you, Mr. Dougherty,” answered Flame.
The rest of the conversation centered on war stories until everyone decided it was time to call it a night. I took Flame back to the guest quarters and showed her how to page the staff if she needed anything. She said very little and insisted that she needed to get some sleep.
The next few days passed in much the same way: each morning, I rose and found Flame in the guest kitchen preparing her own food, then reminded her that she did not have to do that. She would reply that she saw no reason to wake anyone up to make her breakfast when she was capable of doing it herself. I tried to explain to her that it was their job to serve her and that the staff worked on round-the-clock shifts so no one would need to be awoken, and each day she said she would consider that on the following morning. We would then eat the breakfast she had prepared and head off to see some of the sights the city was famous for.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
One morning towards the end of the week she said, “Shadow, I’d like to stay here today. This city is just too overwhelming.”
“I understand, but I know of a place we can go where you will be more comfortable,” I said.
“If you say so, but I just can’t take any more noise and bustle,” she sighed.
“Trust me, you will like this place,” I said. “In fact, help me pack a lunch and we will go right now.”
“Pack a lunch? No fancy restaurants where they sing at you instead of just letting you eat in peace?” she asked.
“Not a single one,” I said with a big smile. She was no doubt referring to the dinner theater I had taken her to the previous evening.
That got her interested, and she took her backpack and filled it full of supplies. Once aboard my father’s shuttle I told the driver, “Johnson Memorial Park, please.”
While we were heading there Flame asked, “What is a park?”
“Flame, I traveled to all kinds of planets during my time in the Navy, and one universal truth is that people hate being unable to get outside and away from all the noise, as you put it. So, on planets like this one where there is no place to go, they make peaceful areas which you can visit and they are called ‘parks,’ ” I replied.
“If people feel like that, then why build an ugly world like this in the first place?” she asked.
“I do not think anyone set out to make an ugly world. In fact, people probably moved here originally because it was a beautiful world. When more and more people were living here, it slowly became what you see around you,” I said.
“Oh, Shadow, I know this is your homeworld, but I could never imagine living in such a horrid place,” she said.
Internal alarms were going off inside me after that comment; there was only one reason why she would be contemplating having to live here and I was not ready for that. I needed to alleviate her fear without going into that topic! “I do not know if we will have a choice about where we live after we graduate, but ever since visiting Aleeryon I have come to think that I would much rather live on a nice forested world than a city like this,” I said.
Apparent
ly that was the right answer because she gave me a big hug and said, “Oh, Shadow, that’s wonderful!” I chose not to reply to that so that I could change the subject to a safer one.
Soon we were there. I had the driver drop us off by the VIP entrance so we could bypass the line at the ticket booths. My military ID allowed us to avoid that delay. When we finally got inside the gate, I heard Flame gasp at the sight.
In front of us were green, rolling hills of grass and small trees. In the distance, a small river could be seen winding through the peaceful scenery. Scattered throughout the park were families eating, playing ball, or just meandering around. It was a completely different world from the city around us.
“Shadow, this is lovely!” she said and took off, running.
After wandering around the park for a while to see the various plants and flowers they had on display, we found a nice secluded meadow and set out our lunch. After eating, we walked down to a small bridge that crossed the one and only river in the park.
“It’s odd that I like water so much,” said Flame as she leaned over the bridge to watch the river go by. “I’m a pyromancer, after all.”
Before I could answer I felt the balance shift; it was as if there was suddenly some evil in the park. “Flame, on guard,” I said quickly to her via a telepathic link, unsure what was happening but knowing it was nothing good. I saw a man in dark robes walk towards us. I knew instantly that he was a sorcerer by the dark powers wrapped around him. My mind raced over possible courses of action.
“Shadow, now what?” asked Flame over our telepathic link.
“Hello, Shadow and Flame. I am happy to finally meet you both,” said the sorcerer.
“I cannot say the feeling is mutual, dark one,” I responded.
“Flame, all we have to do is last long enough for help to arrive. Remember, a wizard never stands alone,” I sent to Flame over our telepathic link.
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