by Kit Fortier
Jake took a breath. Vines of dread wrapped around Fox's insides, but he kept quiet.
"It was the spot where Khaled's ladder down to his underground lab would have been. But instead of a ladder down, the hole was filled with rubble. The bloody tile from the floor. The bloodstained tile from the walls. The dismembered body parts I thought I'd see when I first arrived. Amid the rubble, filling in the gaps, I saw hands, legs, arms, hair… I think I saw a lung. In the center of the hole was Khaled's head."
Fox gagged. Nausea threatened to overtake him when Jake rubbed his back soothingly.
"Breathe, baby."
Fox took a deep, shuddering breath, then released it slowly. He repeated the process. Eventually, he evened out his heart rate and settled his empty stomach. Somewhat.
Fox slowly stood up and turned around. The blanket he shared with Jake fell away, and he stood before Jake naked to the world. He then came back down, crossing his legs and sitting directly in front of Jake. Without a word, Jake pulled the blanket off his own shoulders, draping them over Fox's.
"Suddenly, that thing, that translucent barrier I walked through popped. Like, I could hear it audibly pop. I saw people on the street reacting in surprise, and I couldn't blame them. One moment, they saw a normal building with windows and decorations, shop signs. The next moment, they saw a building that looked like a bomb exploded on the inside.
"I ran. I couldn't risk being seen there. I would be taken in for examination. While I made my way back to my hotel, I realized what that was--an enchantment. I think it was meant to give the murderers time to get away.
"I read the papers when I was back on base. Khaled's whole family and the staff that worked his restaurant had all ended up in that tunnel. The Kuwaiti police had no idea how it happened. They were stumped on how such a brutal crime happened without anyone around seeing or hearing it. They had no explanation for the way the building had been gutted, either.
"A few weeks passed since that day. I got a call from Kate."
"Kate?"
"Ben's mom."
Fox nodded.
"She wanted to tell me that she'd just delivered our son. My head was swimming with all those things happening. I told her that I'd come home as soon as I could-Kate knew better."
"What do you mean?"
"Kate knew I was bi. More like gay. She knew a marriage with me wouldn't lead to a happy life for either of us. She told me then that she was willing to raise Ben alone, and that all she wanted was to keep me as a presence in his life.
"She let me off the hook.
"I couldn't do anything about Kate and Ben for a few more months yet. I began to look through the book that Khaled gave me. I could only translate some of the Arabic, and there was some English, too. But what made things difficult was that there were even more languages. I saw German, some Latin, Greek, Japanese--and at least two other languages I didn't understand at all. It was a primer." Fox leaned his head forward, hanging on Jake's every word.
"It was a primer for alchemy."
Fox blinked.
"Alchemy?" Fox said, his question more of a statement.
"Alchemy. The ability to transform matter."
"Like that Potions class in the Harry Potter books?"
"More like Transfigurations. Sometimes Potions."
Fox shook his head slightly as if he had been hit in the face with a pillow.
"What… What does alchemy have to do with you?"
"Watch."
In the small space between them, Jake reached down and drew a circle in a bare patch of dirt. He drew some symbols, then placed his finger on the outer edge of the lines he drew. Within a moment, the earth in the circle collapsed in on itself, seemingly bubbling. The strangely liquid earth folded onto itself over and over. It built upwards, shaping itself until it formed the distinct figure of a bowie knife.
Jake kept his focus there, adding some strange silvery powder from a plastic bag he had on him. The soft dirt knife congealed and compressed, flashed and flared. Within a few long moments, it became a hardened, metal bowie knife. The actual blade had pale white veins against the metal that glittered in the sunlight. The handle was a short length of braided iron, capped in the same silver-veined metal of the knife. When Jake finished, he moved his finger away from the circle, and the bowie knife fell over, hitting the ground with a dull thud.
Fox stared at the blade between them, his mind racing with all the possibilities. He looked up at Jake, who was gazing at him intently.
"Is this--Can… Can anyone do alchemy?"
Jake breathed in deep and tilted his head back. It was as if he was preparing to unleash some terrifying speech. But when his head tilted forward, a look of practiced calm rested across his face.
"Not everyone can be an alchemist. It can't be learned-and that is to say, anyone can read a book on it, but what the normal person is missing is Spinthíres. That's Greek."
"What does it mean?"
"It translates to 'bright spark'."
Fox shook his head, as if to clear the cobwebs cluttering his mind.
"Is this… Is this magic?"
Jake smiled. "Some would say so. There are those who say that the two are different. That's where I stand."
"How so?"
"It's gonna get crazy."
Fox took Jake's hand in his. A familiar thrum hummed between their touch, but Fox pushed that aside to give Jake his focus. "Show me."
"Alchemy is work bound to the material world. It relies on the kinetic and static energies that surround us. There's a lot we can do, but three things we can't. We can't create something from nothing, we can't create life, nor can we bring someone or something back from the dead. Few people have the potential for alchemy. Fewer still are actually alchemists. Some alchemists can work with plants. Some are more focused on earth transformations, like myself. There are even alchemists who can control the air.
"Magic is not related to the material. Anyone can learn it, if they find the right people, tap the right source. It's a manifestation from the world outside the Pale. It's the barrier that separates us from the madness of the Aether."
"Aether?"
"Think of it like this: We have Earth's oxygen. But we also have Earth's water-in this case, Aether. The continents of the Earth could be completely drowned by the oceans. That's where the Pale comes in. The Pale is the wall that keeps the Aether from flooding the world.
"But the Pale is not impenetrable. Witches and wizards--mages, if you will-are constantly finding new ways to draw in the Aether. It's how they can power their magic."
"How does magic work, then?"
"Alchemy allows us to create permanent objects from other permanent things. It's the reshaping of energy in a way science has yet to discover. Einstein said that energy can't be created or destroyed, and that holds true, even in what we do.
"Magic bends and breaks the rules like that, but there is no permanence to their craft. The strongest mage couldn't create something that lasts indefinitely. Glamours fade fast. They're often gone within an hour. As for enchantments, they fall away when the mage stops focusing on it or can't focus on it. Like if they got knocked unconscious or killed."
"Glamours?"
"Temporary illusions. Some mages use it to disguise themselves. They conceal their identities when traveling through public places. Enchantments last longer than those illusions. It comes at the cost of expending a finite resource of Aether or losing focus."
"So, what--are alchemists and mages at war with each other?"
Jake shook his head sadly.
"The ratio of mages to alchemists are probably a thousand to one. We aren't something to be conquered to them. Those that want alchemists usually want what they can't have. Permanence. Eternal life. Creating life. Hundreds of years ago, some alchemists worked with mages who had succumb to the Aether's Madness. They created different forms of life."
Fox's eyebrows furrowed.
"Lycanthropes. Ursoi. Corvi. Aquilae."
&
nbsp; Fox blinked. Jake's gaze was steady and intent, as if he waited for him to put the puzzle together.
"Werewolves? Bears? And birds?"
Jake nodded.
"The lycans were the first breed created by alchemy and Madness. Slaves bonded to wolves, creating a shape-shifting hybrid. They were fast, powerful, able to heal at exponential rates. Their creation was possibly the first actual exception to mages' limitations. The alchemists and mages thought they had crafted the best slaves and warriors.
"But those alchemists didn't realize the potency of their work. Lycans could reproduce, either by birth or by bite. They were as smart as humans, being humans first and wolves second. Their strength and frame of mind were also tied directly to the phases of the moon. They got sluggish and near useless at the new moon. They were almost impossible to control at the full moon. They had many fail-safes. Silver poisoning. Death by decapitation. Destroying the heart. Even incineration. But it wasn't enough to keep the wolves at bay. They culled them, slaughtered them by the thousands. Many went into hiding, and the rare few loyal to the mages submitted completely, mind, body, and soul."
"And the bears? And crows, is it? Eagles?"
"Later pairings of alchemy and Madness resulted in the creation of different breeds. The Ursoi serve as enforcers. They're often sent into target locations as humans. Then they're commanded to change and attack, killing dozens of people indiscriminately. They'd change back, leaving the targeted area as humans. They're worse than Lycans when it comes to brutality, but they're slower, too. Heavy hitters. Corvi were spies. Sometimes, assassins. And the Aquilae were a lighter, faster warrior breed. They didn't share some of the wolves' susceptibilities. To keep their critical thinking at bay, they were bred from animal to human, instead of the other way around. The Lycanthropy potion was tinkered with so that saliva didn't carry the ability to turn others with a bite. And to be safe, the new potions left the creatures unable to breed."
Fox squinted, sorting through the barrage of information. The unbalanced load of what he'd just heard threatened to physically knock him over.
"Wizards and werewolves and bears," Fox murmured.
Jake smiled. "Oh my."
Fox's head snapped up. "So, back to alchemists--you-you have spark? Or is it 'the' spark?"
"I'd say the spark is right."
"What is it? Do only alchemists have it?"
"Actually, everyone does. It's in every piece of nature that exists. But where alchemy is concerned, the spark has to be particularly bright in a person in order for them to use it. A person can't make their own spark… Bigger. The one they were born with is all they will ever have."
"Do--Do mages have the spark?"
"From what I understand, no. When a person chooses to invite the Aether in, to invoke it, the spark goes out. The two can't coexist. There are codices and books that explain it better. My mentor… My mentor left me some of his books. They're with my son."
Fox took in Jake's words with careful consideration. It was as if he connected bits of puzzle together to solve a bigger piece. He blinked.
"Why… why are you telling me all this?" Fox asked, though in his heart, he already knew the answer.
"I see how I missed it now. It's been almost twenty years since I met Khaled--the first practicing alchemist I'd ever come across. In the hundreds, even thousands of people I'd come across, his handshake was one of the first I'd committed to memory. I hadn't felt a connection like that--a pulse--until you."
Fox stared at Jake, his face blank.
It was on the tip of his tongue. This was some kind of joke. But he saw Jake… cast a spell? Bend earth? Perform alchemy? He didn't know what to call it. He doubted Jake would be capable of creating a lie that included the terrible, grisly scene he saw in Kuwait. And there, between them, Fox's hand slipped into Jake's--that curious pulse beating stronger than ever.
The blanket over Fox's shoulders slipped off as he tried to pull away. Jake held him fast, firm but gentle.
"I'm… I'm an alchemist?"
"Not yet, but you definitely can be."
11. Foxfire
*** Jake
Jake sensed Fox pulling away. He hadn't prepared for the possibility, though he knew it might happen.
"Please," Jake begged, his voice a whisper.
Fox tried to pull his hand away again, but Jake was still gently persistent.
"I can't… I don't…" Fox stammered, his face a mixed mask of disbelief, horror, even sadness.
Jake reached out with his other hand, placing it softly against Fox's cheek. Fox's gaze connected with his, the confusion in his bright green eyes.
"You don't have to believe me, Fox. But I'm asking you to try."
Fox sat there, his eyes roaming over Jake's face. Jake let him think, let him breathe, unwilling to say anything more that might frighten him away. Minutes passed, and neither man moved. The light of the late morning glistened off of Fox's shoulders as the sun was nearing its apex.
"If I can do it, I want you to show me how."
Jake gave a faint smile. Fox hadn't refused him, and the feeling shimmered on his heart like moonlight dancing on water. Jake broke contact with Fox. Yet, his eyes remained on the other's as he pulled the Alchemist's Locus he made earlier out of his pocket. He held it out in his hand and showed it to Fox.
"I made this. For you."
Fox's gaze drifted down from Jake's eyes, over his shirtless frame, down to the bracelet in his large, calloused hand. He looked back up at Jake.
"Is this--no. It can't be enchanted. Alchemists don't do that. Is it some kind of tool?"
Jake smiled a kind smile. "You catch on quick. When we perform alchemy, we need a physical focus. Silver is a perfect metal for conducting alchemic energy. We use it a great deal in transmutations. While we have the focus, we also need the material. But we can't just touch something or point at something and transmute. The subject has to fit within a finite space. In that case," Jake said, pointing to the knife between them, "a circle."
Fox picked up the knife. It made for a simple yet effective weapon.
"Let's try something simple," Jake said. He stood up, holding his other hand out to Fox, helping him up from the ground. Jake led Fox to the firepit hand in hand. When they were near, Jake knelt down on one knee. Fox laughed.
"Isn't it a little early to propose? I mean, I haven't even had breakfast yet."
Jake laughed for the first time since his story began. He kissed Fox's outstretched hand, slipping the bracelet around his wrist.
"It's never too early if it's the one. Get down here, you."
Fox smiled, kneeling down at Jake's side facing the fire. Jake placed his free hand against the stone circle. He made sure his own Locus was cinched snug against his wrist.
"Silver, focus. Sulphur, separation. Mercury, putrefaction. Salt, sublimation. Silver, Sulphur, Mercury, Salt." Jake's rapid-fire intonation changed the fire from a gentle roar to smoky, faint cinder in the blink of an eye. He turned to Fox, whose eyes were wide and almost disbelieving.
"I want you to reach out," Jake said as he reached over to Fox's free hand, guiding it forward, "and touch the stones. They're already in a circle, which helps extend the focus."
Fox did so, tenuously, an almost imperceptible tremor in his reach. But his hand connected, and he looked at Jake expectantly.
"Alchemy works by focusing on certain elements--base substances, they're called. There's sulfur, which is used for the first subset of energy channels called 'gates'. There are twelve. The next base substance is mercury, which opens the second subset."
"And salt is the last base substance, closing out the last four of the twelve, right?"
Jake snickered.
"Look at you, learning all quick and stuff."
Fox ducked his head sheepishly. "Sorry for interrupting."
"No, that's okay. It shows me you're following along and capable of filling in the blanks. If I have to, I'll only correct you if you're wrong.
"Each gate focuses on a particular act of transmutation. Some acts don't need much. Other acts may need six or seven gates, depending on how intricate or exact the transmutation needs to be. How many gates did I open when I put the fire out?"
Jake watched Fox. He saw the gears turning.
"Three," Fox said. "You tapped a base substance. Then you directed alchemic energy through one gate after each substance."
"That's good. Now, we're going to light the fire. This only requires one gate, so when I say so, repeat after me."
A look of extreme focus screwed onto Fox's face. "I'm ready."
Jake kept his eyes on Fox's face, his hand on the stone remained in the periphery of his vision. "Imagine your spark. Envision it, like it's tangible, alive, like a fire inside of you. Imagine you're standing by the fire. Remember, it's only you and the fire, nothing else. You can see the light, like ribbons. Can you see it?"
Fox nodded.
"Now, I want you to take the ribbons in your hand. Hold it close. Pull on it. Let it move with you.
"Imagine the stone circle you're touching out here, outside your mind. Think of it as something you see now inside your mind, also tangible.
"Walk the ribbons with you towards the stones. Kneel down and touch the ribbons to the circle."
Fox nodded again, refusing to take his eyes off his own hand.
"Repeat after me." Jake paused. "Silver, focus."
"Silver, focus."
"Sulphur, calcination."
"Sulphur, calcination."
"Silver, Sulphur."
"Silver, Sulphur."
Jake had Fox repeat the last two words, encouraging him to focus on envisioning the fire in front of him. He connected to the fire in his mind. His words became more and more emphatic. Jake matched him, until a flare of light burst before them, and Fox fell back on his rear, sweating.
Jake turned to Fox and smiled. "And that's how you make fire."
*** Fox
Fox trembled where he sat. He pulled his transmuting hand up and looked at it. He could not believe the fact that he had just performed a transmutation.