Zero Sum Advanced Review Copy

by Shier, B. Justin

  I eyed the giant humming column. Uncertain, I took a few cautious steps forward. The deep hum of the draconite grew louder. The sound was both familiar and foreign to my ear. It pushed away the sights and sounds around me. Entranced by it, I reached out to touch the stone—and my hand passed straight through it. The stone’s song changed timber, and for the first time in perhaps eons, the massive chunk of draconite shuddered alive.

  What are you doing, my child? Hara’s voiced boomed from inside my noggin.

  “Oh. Hey, Hara. Nothin’ much. Just tapping into this giant stone-o-death and re-arranging the world’s manaflows with my body. How about yourself? Anything new?”

  Child, I am doing the same as you. I am merely wondering as to your aim. As I said before—

  “Yeah, yeah. I know. ‘You and I are one.’ But I figure that’s about to change. I figure you and I are about to become a billion and one itsy-bitsy pieces.”

  I am merely concerned for your welfare. Our body can manage the forces, but the mind is still lacking. All will go white. Consciousness will slip, and the flows will run wild. The mind requires more training before it can withstand such formidable flows. Perhaps, after another hundred years of—

  “Hara, the mind needs to grin and bear it. I have to do this cast, and I have to do it now.”

  The voice in my head was silent—which was a strange experience—I wasn’t accustomed to waiting for myself to answer.

  “Hara?”

  If that is your wish, then so it must be.

  I smirked. “So it must be” or not, Hara sounded grumpy.

  The conduit must be fully established before the whiteness takes hold. If you fail to form a clear conduit before the whiteness takes you, the energy will go wild and our body will be lost. You must start driving the stone’s energy into the array before the whiteness overruns thought. If you succeed at this, our body will continue to conduit even after you have fainted. Choose the images for your transmutation carefully. They must encapsulate the three crucial elements of such a cast: extraction, attraction, and anchorage.

  “Pick good images and jack into the array quickly. Got it.”

  But, my child, I do not understand. Why not let the other magus risk this cast? He is willing, is he not?

  “Um…how about the hundreds of thousands of people below us?”

  Hundreds of thousands of people…Ah, I see! We could use some followers. They could bathe our feet…feed us figs…worship our image…Mmm, yes. Good thinking, my child.

  “Right…” I scratched my head nervously. “Thanks for the input, Hara. This has been…great. Really great.”

  Why couldn’t I be normal crazy?

  Shaking my head, I turned my attention back to the stone. Carrera was right. I recognized the sensation. It was a faint memory that didn’t feel quite like my own. Touching the draconite was like touching the essence of life itself, and—to my surprise—my own life’s energy wasn’t flowing into the obelisk. The life energy was flowing backwards. It was flowing into me. And I could draw upon it easily. It was even easier than drawing mana from a leyline. All it took was the slightest force of will. And boy did it feel refreshing…like a cool shower after a hot day. The pains and bruises of the past few hours washed away.

  Draconite…what exactly was this stuff? The word ambrosia came to mind (see: the nectar of the gods; the soda pop of life; Zeus-juice). This strange ruby-red rock…I sensed it could give me more power than I could ever use. I pulled my hand out of it and shuddered.

  Was this what blood was to Rei? Was stealing it this…tempting?

  Nothing this potent could be healthy. I needed to get done with this spell quickly. Developing a new image for the extraction wasn’t necessary. The strange energy came when I called it. Containing it was going to be the problem. I needed to snare all the energy as it poured out of the stone—and I needed to snare a lot of it. To do that, I had to spin every last drop of it around my Ki. Then I needed to jam all that newly harnessed energy into the magical array below my feet. I didn’t understand how Carrera’s array worked, but I didn’t need to. All I was expected to do was deliver the power from the stone. The carefully arranged symbols would do the hard work of repairing the leyline.

  I took a step back and bit my lip. I understood what Hara meant now. Doing each part of the spell in sequence wouldn’t work. I had passed out channeling a much smaller amount of energy when I made all that grape juice. If I wanted this spell to work, my mind would need to be like a focused crystal. I couldn’t rely on a collage of past experiences to form this cast. I needed a single memory, an ironclad anchor that I could cling to throughout the storm.

  A single memory that encapsulated extraction, attraction, and anchorage…

  Looking over at Carrera, I nodded. “I’m ready. After I extract the energy from the draconite, you want me to spin it around my Ki and deliver it into the array?”

  “Correct, magus. The array will do the spellwork for you. But young man, you mustn’t falter. If for even a second I sense that your cast is failing, I will intervene. I will use the six twirling above us to finish this cast on my own. Understand me well, magus. If you fail, their lives and the lives below us are forfeit.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Gee, thanks, Carrera. You should go into coaching.”

  I looked at the obelisk. It was back to humming its glum tune into the midnight air.

  “Sorry, Jules,” I said quietly. “It looks like I have to do something stupid again.”

  There was no use in dallying. I took a deep breath and extended my hand. Closing my eyes, I did exactly what Jules had trained me to do. I abandoned every stray thought and emotion by focusing on my spinning black ball. Then, when my mind felt empty, I thought of the bright memory Jules had gifted me…

  It was like vaporizing a dam.

  For an instant, the oppressive wall of energy hung on my fingertips, astonished at my rash request. For an instant, we stood across from one another—raw energy and man. And then time and space imploded. The rush was stupefying. It completely overwhelmed my senses. Every last nerve trafficking pain, heat, and cold fired off in unison. I’m not sure if I screamed. The instant all that energy struck my Ki, I went deaf and blind. I thought that the core of my very being would wash away. I was certain the flood would wipe me clean off the Earth…but instead my Ki cut the surge like a knife. It split the thundering flow right in two. Nor did any of the energy escape my grasp. The rush bent back upon itself, braiding into giant figure eights, and began swirling about in chaotic orbits around my core. I couldn’t see the energies, but I could sense them swirling about me. That sixth sense was the only thing not in chaos. It told me I was harnessing the flows. But how was that even possible?

  Because of the image I chose, of course.

  We are all bound by fate. Fate limits our choices to the ones at hand. Of late, fate had been a serious dick. It had left me with but one either/or decision to make. I could have accepted Carrera’s offer or declined it. But despite the tight boundaries fate had crammed me into, I was still left with thousands of different ways to fulfill the task. Some choices might have killed me. Others might have turned out to be duds. Some might have even blown up the freakin’ tower. But I picked wisely. I picked—tree.

  “Jules!” I screamed into the roar that had shattered my ears. “Above her trunk, thousands of branches stretch—below her trunk, thousands of roots sleep—in her heart, a constellation of stars tranquil and pure—Daur, I name thee—Daur, I call to thee. With your leaves, drink from the stone. With your trunk, draw forth the flows. With your roots, anchor and bind them!”

  Blind, deaf, and dumb, I unleashed my image upon the world.

  The space around me warped.

  Mana and life surged.

  I could sense the shift despite my blindness. The ball was rolling, the cast was up and running, but my body was in shambles. I dropped to a knee and thrust my hand into the array. I had to send in the energy before I lost consciousness. I had t
o or all would be lost.

  The giant red obelisk quaked in protest. It was melting like a Popsicle in the heat of the summer sun. My robe kicked up and swirled about me, and far off in the distance, at the fringes of my flickering Sight, I spied six dancing avalanches of golden mana charging forward to my call.

  And then the pace of the spell quickened. The forces roared, and I could feel nothing, hear nothing, nor make sense of any of my thoughts. But I clung fast to Jules’ tree. I held tight and refused to let the image go. And at long last—as my head filled to the brim with white—an ancient river, dry and parched from over two centuries of poverty, started to fill with mana once more. I let the whiteness take me. My image of Jules would hold.

  +

  I opened my eyes with a jolt. For a second, I thought I was suffocating. I’d fallen on my side, my soft Elliot robe lumped on top of my head. Knocking off the hood, I struggled onto my unsteady feet. It was quiet now. I was still inside the circle, but some time must have passed. The initiates still hung from the scaffolding above me, but the ride was off. The obelisk had vanished. Only the smooth surface of the platform remained.

  A strange glow caught my eye.

  I looked down at my feet and squinted in confusion.

  The complex silver etchings had vanished. Now every inch of the floor was glowing with amber characters. And their shapes…I swallowed. They were cuneiform figures, the wedged-shaped symbols used in Ancient Mesopotamia.

  I turned to find Carrera standing quietly behind me. His expression was blank. His eyes were dead.

  “Stars above,” I whispered. The absolute conviction I’d read in his aura…hadn’t Spinoza warned us? Hadn’t Albright? Never rely on your strengths. Your enemy knows your strengths. There was another explanation for absolute conviction—an utter lack of free will.

  I wiped the sweat forming on my brow. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

  “What have I done?” I rasped.

  “Why, a marvelous job, of course.”

  I wheeled around, but found no one.

  “And this was so much more satisfying than merely turning you. Don’t you agree, generalissimo?”

  Carrera nodded eagerly. “Of course, milady.”

  Anna came into view as the veil of her shroud scattered. It was the very same shroud that Carrera had been hiding under. My Sight had already failed to penetrate it then, but I’d assumed that Carrera was alone. I bit my lip. Assumed. I’d never even considered what Anna was up to, never factored her actions into my logic. Cold beads of sweat ran down my back. Her footsteps were silent. Her smile, utterly serene. We both knew the odds. I wasn’t coming out of this alive.

  “Anna,” I asked, my throat parched and dry. “What have you done?”

  “Done? Why, dear child, that is a most dangerous accusation. As I told you before, I am merely here to observe. Anything more would breach our precious treaty. I’ve done nothing but stand and watch all night. This is all yours and Mr. Carrera’s doing.”

  Anna walked over to Carrera, and the old man knelt before her. The most potent mage of Mexico was acting like her puppy. She stroked his hair. He looked up at her lovingly.

  “You ghouled him.”

  “Another horrible accusation? I see no proof of that. In fact, we’ve had our squabbles in the past. The generalissimo was all too happy to accept the supply of draconite I provided him. He was all too happy to restore the flow of mana to his homeland. But the old soul got a tad squeamish when I requested he break a certain seal. All I wished for was fair compensation—but we had terrible arguments on the topic.” Anna pouted. “The tension was most distressing.”

  Her eyes still locked on mine, Anna ground her thumbnail across Carrera’s brow.

  Carrera knelt patiently as a thick stream of blood ran down into his eyes. He didn’t so much as flinch.

  “I’m happy to report our squabbles have ended. Mr. Carrera and I have had a meeting of the minds.”

  She graced the old man with a smile. He shuddered with delight.

  “Compromise, magus—it is the genius of this nation.”

  “What seal are you talking about?” My voice squeaked out like a drowning mouse.

  “Oh, it is nothing special.” She turned back to Carrera. “Thank you, dear. Now climb to the top of the scaffolding and jump off for me.”

  Blood still coursing down his face, Carrera nodded, walked over to the ride’s metal lattice, and began to climb.

  “Anna…” I was starting to feel hot. I found it hard to focus.

  “Be sure to land head first, dear,” she shouted up to Carrera. “I want to hear spine!”

  It didn’t occur to me to intervene. Spending the remainder of your existence eating rotten flesh while under the thrall of a Bathory didn’t sound too thrilling. I focused on the Duchess of Peoria instead. This business with a seal had me worried.

  “Anna, breaking a seal was not part of the bargain. I want you to stop this spell.”

  “But I don’t wanna.” She stomped her foot and pouted.

  “Anna. Rei asked me not to fight you—but I will break that pledge if you break yours.”

  “Chirps the chick to the eagle.” Anna’s mood darkened. “Fool boy, I made no such bargain.” As she paced towards me, an intense pressure compressed my chest. I suddenly found it very hard to breath. “I have lived years like you have lived days. Your soul may be temporarily unattainable, but your neck is still mine. Anytime. Anywhere.”

  I glared back at her. This was better. Cocky was good. Cocky meant sloppy. If I could just get close enough to touch her…

  As if reading my logic, Anna veered away. The shade of her aura shifted. “Do not fret, young magus. I have not come for your head.” She executed a lazy pirouette and bowed forward gracefully. There was no denying her beauty. No denying her poise. She was the epitome of womanhood. Flushed cheeks. Tender curves. Pleasant fantasies tugged at me…promises of tender moments…promises of safety…

  “Did you know that I failed to obtain you four times?”

  I shook my head.

  “I obtained for you admission at Fontbonne Academy, but Albright interceded. I made certain your name was on Carrera’s list of initiates, but Rei Acerba was assigned your escort. Once you were in Elliot’s confines, I dared not make further motions. I had turned my attentions elsewhere when you came waltzing into my condo.”

  My eyes widened. “Rei only gave you my last name. You knew my first.”

  Anna arched her brow. “Good catch, darling. Knowing the first name makes glamour much easier.”

  A cold shiver ran down my spine.

  “What are you—”

  “I had to be certain you could do it.”

  “Do it?” I swallowed. “You mean the spell I cast was—”

  “Your resistance is remarkable. Direct commands would never work. But inserting a concept? Inflaming your passions? Hustling the nature of the beast along?” Her fangs glinted silver in the light. “Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.”

  “No.” But it was true. Where had that crazy insight come from? Sapping the life from a person’s arm? Infusing it into their chest? Why would I ever consider such a cast?

  “Then you evaded my guards with that ridiculous charade.”

  The way she’d convulsed at the end…I wanted to throw up.

  “And you foiled me a fourth time this very evening! I will have you know that I got up early to purchase those chairs at the Pottery Barn. How infuriating it was! You, the only malleable instrument I could find, and yet so unbearably unobtainable.” Anna twirled, her dark hair spreading like a curtain of night. “Unobtainable! Outside of the realm of handbags, I had nearly forgotten the concept.” She gave me a toothy smile. “Thank you for reminding me of its flavor, my pet.”

  My temper flared. “Get used to it,” I growled. “You’re not getting me to do your bidding.”

  Her smile darkened and her fangs extended “Oh, but magus—you already have.”

  I balled up my fists. M
y temples throbbed.

  “And to twist your will by wit alone…” She touched the tips of her breasts and quivered. “Oh, magus, what a fantastic gift it was. What a wondrous prize. You have replaced Shakespeare at the top of my trophy chest. How could I end your life now? How could I pass up on the anguish to follow?”

  Behind me, Carrera’s head splattered open like a cantaloupe. His body twitched once and went still.

  “It is as my mother used to say: ‘Wine and pain, both improve with age.’”

  Carrera dead, the initiates roused. Two of the girls screamed out in horror, but the gagged one still looked down at me with steady eyes. She must have heard everything—but her eyes surprised me. There was confidence in them, as though she were willing strength into me, as though she still believed I could save them, as though she expected it.

  I matched her stare and nodded. I could still do good here. I could still make something right. I turned back to Anna and found I wasn’t shaking. I had decided to bear the consequences when I started the cast, but being bested like this hurt terribly. Anna had played me like a fiddle. Now she was standing there gloating. I wanted to make her hurt. I needed to make her hurt. And in that rage I found the strength I needed to keep charging forward.

  “I’ll ask you one more time, Anna. Stop this spell.”

  “I don’t feel like it,” she said with a flourish. “Why don’t you try your luck?”

  “My pleasure.” I didn’t need to be asked twice. I nurtured the acrid hatred inside me and built my paltry mana into a tempest of flame. I planned two volleys. The first would get her moving. I’d use my Sight to guide the second. Rei was going to have my head for this, but I had to do something. Concentrating on my Sight, I unleashed the first volley—and the entire array exploded.

  I stood there dumbly as the cuneiform symbols burst into brilliant red strobes. They shot straight into the sky. I arched my head back and watched the rays soar into the heavens. Crossing the distance in seconds, they etched themselves into the moon. The air above me warped, curling itself into a haze of reds and oranges. The sky looked like it was on fire. Like it was melting. And I finally understood. That mural in the Rei’s home, the one with the horrific battle in the sky, the burning of the very air, it was a gate to another frame. I could hardly contain my rage. My cast had just broken the seal. Anna hadn’t lifted a finger. Just as she’d promised, she’d done nothing but watch.