“Thanks,” he said and cut the channel as he took another swig of his drink. I suspected it was something stronger than water.
After collecting the earth elementals, we slowly made our way to engineering. I would have liked to hurry, but earth elementals were not known for speed and we would need them to take engineering. The trip there was much like the trip to the bridge: no living crew and lots of wreckage.
“Wonder how the fight is going outside?” sent my brother.
“I assume it’s going well, or we would have had orders to retreat,” I sent. I had been wondering the same thing, but we had a mission to focus on; we couldn’t afford to be distracted.
As we approached the final stretch, Dave stopped me and pointed to a section of wall with a set of elongated dents. “That looks like the marks left by a mage bolt.”
I nodded. That meant there was at least one magus, but were they a pirate or a defender? Most likely a pirate.
Looking back down the corridor, I sent, “All the more reason to let our rocky friends go first.”
“We should wait here and send them ahead,” he sent back.
I nodded and sent the command. The two earth elementals headed down the hall and took the last turn toward engineering. We followed as far as the bend and then waited a full minute before making the turn and following.
As we turned the corner we found the earth elementals smashing through a pirate position in the eerie silence of the vacuum. They had almost cleared out the corridor when the spell finally ran its course, and they returned to the realm from whence they had come.
I caught a glimpse of two figures fleeing into engineering as the earth elementals dissipated. Dave started to give chase but I caught his arm. “Careful! In all likelihood, one or both of them is the magus who cast the bolts back there.”
He nodded and pulled his blast shield around in front of him. I stood beside him and locked my shield to his. Together we moved towards what was left of the doors to engineering, taking care to stay low. If they saw us first, our shields should be able to take a few hits and give us time to make a move.
We marched as one in the direction in which they had fled. I had no idea what we might face as we made our approach, but that was typical. We were the Hammer Brothers, and this was our thing: to keep pushing forward, no matter what.
As we cleared the remains of the blast doors two ice bolts slammed into our shields, sending vibrations through my arms right down to my toes, but the shields held.
“There!” sent Dave.
The two enemy magi were crouched behind what might have been a spare turbine or some other large engine part. Each of them had a wand at the ready.
Two more ice bolts slammed into the shields, and this time a web of cracks appeared across them. They would probably fail on the next attack.
“Go!” I sent.
Across the room I could see better cover, so I dropped the shield and teleported out of the line of fire, trusting that Dave would do the same. Once I was under cover I saw he had found shelter above the magi and was already beginning to cast. Knowing he would need time to finish the spell, I stood up and sent two earth bolts at the enemy position.
They dove behind their cover as the bolts hit the hardened metal of the engine part in the eerie silence. I cast a third bolt just above where one of them had taken cover, hoping to catch his head as he popped up for a look. Unfortunately, he kept his head down.
For a few breaths, nothing happened. No doubt they were debating their next move, and I was waiting for a clear target; then Dave finished his spell and rocks began to fall on the magi position. The floor plates shook as the massive rocks struck in the eerie silence.
As the last rock fell, I teleported to the top of the engine part behind which they were hiding and found one of them crushed under a rock. The other teleported away.
“Behind you!” sent Dave.
I spun and saw the magus cast a gate spell.
No, you don’t! I sprinted after him and reached him just as he entered the gate. We came out of the gate onto a grassy hill. The bright light and shift in gravity disoriented me briefly, but I had a grip on his robe as he ran through a second gate. Again the change in light and gravity threw me off, and this time I stumbled and lost my grip on the magus.
I jumped to my feet and scanned the area, but there was no sign of him. Cursing, I activated my wrist computer to find my location.
The Phareon System.
I was on a trading outpost over one hundred thousand light-years from home.
44
05-13-0067 — Lyshell
I showed up for my lesson with Phoenix, and he was there with all his gear packed. He was juggling again, just as I had seen him on that first day over a year previously. In addition to my bolt, he had managed to teach me a few tracking spells and a good selection of warding spells. He was a good and patient teacher, and I had really enjoyed my time under him.
“Good morning, Lyshell,” he said. I was struck by how much leaner he looked now than he had on that first day. He had joined me each afternoon with Lythiran, who seemed to know him well. Phoenix worked harder than any man I had known before, and it showed. That first day he could barely keep up with me, but within a few weeks he was outpacing me and I had to work hard to keep up.
“Good morning, sir. I’m sorry, am I early?” I asked. Normally he had set up all his gear by the time I arrived.
“Not at all, but I won’t be teaching you today. Raquel will be here in an hour or so to collect you. It seems you’re going on your first mission.”
“But sir, I’ve barely scratched the surface of what I need to learn,” I protested.
“That’s just your spells. You’re already a highly-trained field agent. Besides, I need to return to my post. I’ve been away long enough.”
I nodded. “Thank you, sir, for everything.”
He smiled broadly. “Look, if this gig with Raquel doesn’t work out, look me up. I would be honored to have you on my command staff.”
“Why, thank you, sir.” That seemed an inadequate response, but it was all I could say.
“And don’t think that was an idle comment; I meant it. You have a good head on those shoulders, one I could use by my side.” He rose and gathered up his gear. “Now I must be off, but one final word of advice: keep up the physical conditioning. Under no circumstances allow it to fade away.”
The training room felt empty when he’d left. It seemed I had some time to kill, so I cast a spell to freeze the floor in front of me. Once I had a nice sheet of ice, I fashioned a small, makeshift sled out of some of the targets Phoenix had left behind. When the sled was complete, with a small sail, I used a wind spell to blow it around my frozen lake. At first it was hard to get the wind just right and I crashed the sailboat more than once, but I soon got the hang of it and was able to steer the boat in lazy loops.
I was so engrossed in getting the wind just right that I didn’t notice Master Raquel had arrived until I heard her say, “Impressive control.”
I turned towards her and let the wind spell lapse. The little boat continued to sail until its momentum carried it off the ice lake, and it skidded to a stop on the stone floor.
“Thank you, Master,” I said.
She looked around the room and asked, “Does any of this belong to you?”
“No; most of it is trash, really,” I said.
“I will deal with it. Return to your room and gather your possessions. We are going on a mission and shall be moving our operations to a new location.”
“Yes, Master,” I said and left. I was sure she meant that she’d find some apprentice or student and get them to clean it up.
I didn’t have much to pack: a few spellbooks, some clothes, my datapad and contacts. I still had my guns in my closet. No one objected to my having them, as we all wielded far superior weapons in our spells, but I couldn’t bear to sell them just yet. I double-checked to make sure their power packs had been removed and were
safely locked, then I closed the closet. I didn’t know where we were going on this mission, but once I left the Wizard Kingdom, traveling with weapons, so it was best to leave them behind. Nothing else I had really mattered, and they could stay here until I sent for them when I knew where I would be stationed.
Packing didn’t take long and Master Raquel hadn’t shown up yet, so I put in my contacts and linked to the datapad which I had stowed in a protected pocket in my battle armor. With some quick eye movements I pulled up my personal mailbox, hoping to find a message from Joan. We rarely managed to talk as her shift didn’t match mine, but about once a week we exchanged messages. Usually they were just standard reports on our week, but it was nice that there was someone out there who understood what I was going through.
Master Raquel knocked on the door. When I answered, she asked, “Are you ready?”
“Yes, Master,” I said, locking the door behind me as I joined her in the hallway.
She cast a gate and walked through it; I quickly followed. We came out in the gate room. This was my second time here, and since the last time I had spent quite some time reading about it. The gates were a fascinating means of travel, as they did what no technology had ever been able to do: open a corridor into jump space through which people could successfully travel without a starship.
The room itself was unimpressive. It was a simple round room with two gates. Elite wizards were walking around, and a small group of travelers were gathering to take the next gate to the Hospital Station. This must be the weekly exchange of personnel and supplies between the station and the Academy.
Three beasts lay lazily next to the larger 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 massive bodies and powerful legs would have dwarfed many shuttlecraft. I thought that one of them might have served as the model for the emblem on Master Phoenix’s armor.
Master Raquel walked right up to one of them and started scratching it at the base of one horn. The beast’s eyes rolled back in pleasure as she talked to it. I couldn’t make out the words, but the tone was clear; she was acting as if they were puppies. The others came over, all vying for her attention, and she laughed.
I couldn’t believe my eyes as she stroked each of them in turn. They absolutely loved the attention, and all I could think about was that if one of them rolled over just a little too fast, she’d be killed. I don’t know how long she spent with the creatures, but eventually an elite wizard came over to speak with her. I couldn’t hear what was said, but her expression told me she wasn’t happy.
Master Raquel said something to the beasts and they slowly headed back to their posts. She came over to me and said, “The gate will be opening shortly.”
The gate had to open at pre-arranged times because there was no way to communicate directly across so much of the galaxy at once. After the gate was open, communications, people and equipment could flow both ways, but once it was closed the only option was to wait for the next scheduled time. I assumed there was some means of emergency communication but it would have to be purely magical, as no technology could cross that distance since the fall of the Empire and its galactic jump repeater network.
“When the gate opens, follow me through. At the other side, I shall leave the group as quickly as feasible. Just make sure you stay with me,” said Master Raquel.
I nodded. The gate finally opened and we followed the crowd through. On the other side, she led us away as she had indicated. I followed her through some corridors until we reached an office. She led me inside and closed the door.
The office was spacious but sparsely furnished. There was a small bookcase filled with what looked like spellbooks, a desk, a few chairs, a small fridge and a large screen. The screen was showing a woodland scene, and I could hear sounds from nature playing quietly in the background.
“This is my office, or will be when I find time to have one,” she said. She moved over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle and a pair of frosted mugs. She poured herself a mug of what I assumed was beer or some other alcoholic drink. “Would you care for some mead?”
“I’m sorry, Master, but I can’t drink while on duty.” I wanted to add, “and you shouldn’t, either,” but that kind of comments never went well, so I refrained.
She smiled and filled the second mug. “Do not concern yourself; Grandmaster Vydor’s special recipe has no spirits in it.”
“Oh?” I picked up the mug and took a sniff. The drink smelled of honey and another scent I couldn’t place; some flower, maybe. I took a tentative sip. It had a semi-sweet taste. I couldn’t identify the complex flavors, but it was good. “Thank you.”
She pulled a pad from her desk and placed it in front of me. “That datapad contains everything we know about our current mission. The short version is that one of our Battle Wizards charged a magus who was assisting some pirates and then disappeared. His partner did not see what happened, but the most likely explanation is that the magus opened a gate and our wizard followed him through it.”
I had been tempted to do that myself more than once. The problem was that you could end up anywhere, and it was safe to assume that the mage would gate to a place where he would be safe. That meant you would be alone to deal with the enemy in a hostile environment.
Master Raquel took another pull from her mug. “Yesterday a low-ranking officer in the Phareon government made contact with my office and said they had found one of our people. He stated that he would ensure the safe return of our Battle Wizard if we agreed to terms which he found satisfactory.”
“You think this guy has our man and is hoping to exchange him for some recognition in his own government?” I asked.
“Presumably, though there may be no truth in his assertion. But it still needs to be checked out, just in case. The plan is for us to gate over there, meet this would-be ambassador and retrieve our wizard. While there, we shall convey the message that the Wizard Kingdom does not take kindly to such attempts at extortion.”
Our relations with the Phareon government were strained at best. While we had alliances with most of the trade consortiums in this region, the Phareon government still refused to come to the negotiating table.
“Do they know we’re coming?” I asked.
“We have not said so, but if they possess any intelligence they will anticipate our arrival.”
It was clear by her tone that she expected they would give us trouble and was hoping for it. For my part, I hoped they were wise enough not to. I suspected that Master Raquel was not the kind of person you caused trouble for and lived to regret it.
“Anything else I should know?” I asked.
“We shall be entering one of their embassies, which will be well-guarded. Beyond that I know little. The area of diplomacy is alien to me.”
“What did you do before all this?” If I thought switching from a cyborg to a wizard was disconcerting, what must it be like to leap ten thousand years into the future?
“I was a hunter, not unlike yourself.”
Somehow that seemed to fit her. I picked up the datapad and brought up the profile of the missing wizard. “You’ve got to be joking,” I commented as the face appeared.
“What is the matter?”
“That’s Stones!”
“You are acquainted with this wizard?”
“I ate dinner with him and his brother every day at the Academy until they graduated,” I said.
“His brother is named Dave?” she said.
I nodded.
“Dave was his partner in this mission. He has found it difficult to deal with his loss.”
I sighed. “Stones was always the stronger of the two. Dave leaned on him to some extent.”
“We must leave shortly. Can you contact Dave and tell him something to set his mind at ease?”
“Yes, Master. How much am I allowed to say about this missi
on?”
“Use your discretion. I have some matters to attend to. You may stay here or move about, but be prepared to leave in an hour.” She turned as she left and said, “Oh, in the desk, bottom drawer, there are wands. From now on, always keep some on your person.”
I nodded, looked in the drawer and found the cache of wands, far more than I could carry. I grabbed some and hid them in various pockets of my armor where they would be easy to reach. I had seen them used against me on many occasions, so I knew how useful they would be in a fight.
After she’d left, I sent a message that I thought would help Dave. “Dave, this is Lyshell. I have been assigned to find Stones. Don’t worry, I’ll get him.”
There, now he’d know I’m on the case when the next broadcast was sent through the gate. They went daily, so that probably meant tomorrow. Whenever it arrived, it should help to ease his mind.
From what I know of Master Raquel so far, if the Phareon government really has Stones, they’ve made a grave mistake.
45
05-13-0067 — Lyshell
After we gated onto the station, Master Raquel sent, “Our orders are to attempt to find a peaceful solution to this situation, but we will use any means necessary to retrieve our wizard, assuming that he has in fact been taken prisoner.”
“Yes, Master. I doubt we’ll have much trouble. With these types of men, just dropping hints about going above their head is enough to break down any resistance,” I sent back.
As we walked, I interfaced my datapad with the station’s network and downloaded any information I could find about the layout of the station and potential locations where Stones might be held. Unfortunately, it was a rather large station, and the information that was freely available was too vague to narrow down the options.
It didn’t take long to reach the ambassador’s office. The entrance had an archway through which only one person could fit, and there were two guards. The archway looked like an older version of the scanners I had dealt with back in the old Empire. That meant our armor and Master Raquel’s swords would set them off, but she walked right up to them and passed through.
Mage Hunter (Lost Tales of Power Book 8) Page 22