by CM Raymond
Dammit, Hannah, control yourself, Ezekiel’s urgent voice rang in her ears. Sit down!
It took a second to realize that Ezekiel was connecting with her through mental magic. Finally, Hannah sat back down, hoping that nobody had noticed.
I’m sorry, Zeke. It’s just, seeing him face to face… I knew it would happen one day, but I didn’t think it would feel like this, she said to him without speaking the words out loud.
Trust me, Ezekiel responded, I know. I feel it, too. There’s nothing I would like more than to end it right here, right now. But if we jump when we’re not prepared, we’ll hit bottom. Then he will be able to take all of Irth and there will be nothing we can do about it.
I understand, she thought back. I’m sorry.
Don’t worry about it. It’s not really your fault anyways. You’ve been using your mental magic all day to fool those around you. Even a simple spell like changing your hair and eye color can wreak havoc on your emotions. Plus, the magic you used during your examination... it’s no surprise you’re exhausted. Congratulations, by the way. I hear you made quite the impression.
Hannah looked up at Ezekiel. Even though Lord Girard’s face, she could see his smile. She gave him a slight nod. Just doing what you taught me.
The crowd noise died to a murmur as Adrien paced the stage, smiling over his flock. He took in every bit of the spotlight. The Chancellor owned this place, and he knew it.
“Thank you for such a fine welcome. It is great to see everyone together. We don’t do this enough do we?”
They all laughed together, though Hannah didn’t see what was so funny. Adrien’s perfect teeth, straightened and whitened through the use of physical magic, shown in the magitech spotlight.
“In a way, it’s good that we don’t.” Adrien chuckled. “We only have a convocation such as this occasionally to keep it special, holy, set apart from the other common days. But today, as we welcome you all to the new term, we also gather together to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the Founding.”
Hannah snorted, knowing that Adrien would absolutely piss himself if he knew that the true Founder was sitting on the stage just behind him. The nervous boy next to her gave her a strange look, then returned to writing down everything the Chancellor said.
As Adrien prattled on, Hannah turned her mind back towards Ezekiel’s. Your former student is full of shit. I can barely take it. How do you sit there so calmly?
Like this, he said.
At that moment, Adrien turned and pointed toward Ezekiel.
“It is my great pleasure to announce that today the Academy has added another faculty member to our ranks. Lord Girard of Cella—and old and revered Arcadian—has returned home. In his retirement, he has graciously offered his services in teaching a section of the History of Magic.” Adrien turned and gestured toward Ezekiel. “I offer you, Lord Girard.”
Ezekiel stood and gave them a humble bow as the audience applauded in a more subdued manner. Hannah’s eyes were locked on Adrien. The man grinned and nodded like a madman, evidently clueless that it was his old teacher—now nemesis—standing before him. His hubris had blinded him to their infiltration, and that same pride would be the cornerstone of his downfall.
The fool, Hannah thought. Then she finally realized how Ezekiel maintained his calm. He was enjoying every minute of this act, of pulling one over on Adrien. The old man was feeling the same sense of gratification that Hannah was by realizing that they were one step closer to taking him down.
She smiled as she turned her attention back to the man on the stage.
“It’s been thirty-eight years since the founding of Arcadia, and I will tell you, it has gone by in the flash of an eye. When we initiated that first class—which Professor August was a part of—” Adrien glanced at the Chair of Physical Arts, “I never expected that our humble little school, which met in half-built homes back then, would amount to anything nearly this grand. In those days, we met out of necessity. Magic was alive, but it was not well.”
All eyes were glued on the Chancellor as he paced the stage. The students and faculty were eating out of his cold, murdering hands.
“Before the Academy was formed, humans—normal folk—tried and tested the magic within them. It was a terrible time, some would say worse than the Age of Madness. Most could not handle the new power coursing through their veins. Ordinary folk were crippled and often killed by magical accidents. The suffering of the commoners was precisely what drove me to develop the Academy. It was clear that not everyone should use the gift, that without the proper control, it was a curse.
Adrien paused and flipped a hand to those sitting on the stage with him. “Now, thanks to the excellent work done by these fine professors, we are able to control the use of magic. And fine students like you that graduate from our program will go on to influence all of Arcadia—no—all of Irth.”
Adrien paused and the room broke into applause. Students hooted and hollered and teachers clapped with a certain amount of austerity. The room couldn’t agree more with the Chancellor’s words.
Adrien held up both hands to quiet the crowd. “I know, I know. It is a good and holy calling. And I thank the Matriarch and the Patriarch every day for blessing me with the task of stewarding magic. Like many things in the world, it isn’t easy, but it is right. Now, on this anniversary, I am excited to announce to all of you that the Academy is moving into it a new stage. For years, we have protected people from magic and themselves. We’ve also brought up a new generation of magicians, of which you are a part. But now, now my friends, I will tell you about the new step in the evolution of magic, in the evolution of Irth.”
Adrien paused and let his words float over the room. The reverence that they all held for the Chancellor built rage within Hannah, but she kept it at bay.
“As you all know, magitech is one of the Academy’s greatest achievements. Half a century ago, when I first started to learn the art of magic from my own teacher, the notion of putting magic into an inanimate object would have seemed like a fairytale. But thankfully, due to the hard work of our researchers and engineers, we’ve been able to do just that. And the things that we have made throughout the past decades have been extraordinary. We’ve developed technology that makes life easier. There are new tools for law enforcement, making our Guards stronger, allowing them to maintain peace within the city walls. There are even technologies that help to heal the sick. But now, dear friends, it is time for us to dream bigger. In the coming weeks, I will be unveiling a new machine, beyond anything you’ve ever seen. It is bigger. It is better. And it will allow us to bring peace to the world beyond our walls.”
The audience was silent. Questions ran through everyone’s minds.
“Holy shit,” one of the boys said behind Hannah. He was right, and she knew it. Adrien’s plan was enormous.
The Chancellor continued, “Today marks a new day for Arcadia. We are on the cusp of something extraordinary, of extending our way of life. For forty years, our city has been marked by the walls that surround it. But soon, our magitech will lead us beyond these walls. Arcadia will no longer be a city, but it will be a unified, global place for all people, for all walks of life, and for everyone loyal to us. Each of you is part of this mission, and I look forward to pursuing it together for the next forty years. May the Matriarch and Patriarch bless our endeavors. Thank you. Good night.”
The room exploded, everyone jumping to their feet.
And for the first time, Hannah realized just what it was they were up against.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Parker’s breath grew heavy as he sprinted down the dark hall, away from the magitech sucking the soul out of that wizard. Seeing the hell that magic user was in made Parker glad he didn’t have any magical abilities of his own. But the sirens bellowing in his ears reminded him of the hell waiting for him when the Guards caught up with him.
His plan was risky, but it had worked so far. It only needed to end the same way.
The hall wound left, then right. Another turn and Parker saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
Freedom! His heart nearly burst. A few more steps, and he was there.
Bursting through the open doorway and out into the open air, he was nearly blinded by the light of the sun, which he hadn’t seen for weeks.
Don’t stop now, you bastard, he thought to himself. Keep running.
Parker’s vision started to come back to him through his narrowed eyes. He could see a stand of trees that separated him from the market square—the Boulevard only just beyond. If he made it there, he could disappear.
He bolted.
Five strides from freedom and Parker’s plan came to its end. He looked down at the cuffs latched securely onto his arms. They had begun to hum, louder and louder with every step. Suddenly, mere feet from his escape, the cuffs began to glow. A jolt of energy ran up his arm and grabbed ahold of his chest. He screamed as the searing pain overwhelmed him. He dropped to the ground, tremors overtaking his body.
The last thing Parker saw before blacking out was the cruel smiles of the Guards as they came to drag him back into the factory.
****
Ezekiel smoothed the purple robes of the noble he was impersonating, even though he knew full well that the whole thing was only an illusion. Although he wore his own humble white outfit, he looked as if he were the richest man in all of Irth. Trusting the illusion would hold, he pushed open the door and walked into the classroom—his classroom.
The students sat dutifully in rows. Everything stopped when he entered—all eyes were on him. It had only been a day since Adrien’s speech before the student body and the faculty, but it seemed that the words were still ringing in their ears. These young men and women wanted to be part of the revolution that the Chancellor was planning, but to do that, they first needed to walk the gauntlet of higher learning.
“OK, then. Here we are,” Ezekiel said with a smile on his face. He realized for the first time that he was actually nervous to teach in front of a group of students all lined up most efficiently in rows. He longed for the storytelling culture of the Heights and his mystic friends. He longed for a quiet room with just him, Hannah, and that damned dragon. “History of Magic. Here we go.”
All of the students opened books of blank parchment and prepared to transcribe his every word. They knew that if they wanted the highest roles in Arcadia, they needed to pass with flying colors. If not, they’d be relegated to the thankless work of the Hunters, or as producers of magitech—not much better than a common laborer.
Ezekiel was perhaps the most qualified history teacher they could possibly be sitting in front of at that moment. Not only had he lived an unnaturally long life, he had also spent many years with Lilith, the Oracle. She lived in a cave far to the east, but she had knowledge of the past that spanned hundreds of years—and dozens of worlds.
He thought back to all of the things that the Oracle had taught him and wondered where to begin. Hungry eyes stared back at him from their seats.
“I guess we should start at the beginning,” Ezekiel said. “Let’s stretch back before the Founder, before the Age of Madness, even before the World’s Worst Day Ever. We should begin with the Matriarch herself, and the time when Bethany Anne became the Queen Bitch.”
A wall of confusion met him as he surveyed the classroom. The Queen Bitch was talked about in legend. The Prophet preached in her name, and men and women shared folk tales about her heroic might in the days of old. But it seemed she wasn’t usually the focus of a history lecture at the Academy.
“Hmmm. Maybe that is a bit much for one semester together. More recent history, then. Yes, that will do.” Ezekiel leaned against a broad wooden table and reconfigured his approach. The Oracle had told him much about the history of all of reality, but these students were clearly only ready for milk. Meat would have to come later. Instead of turning the clock so far back, Ezekiel opted for a more accessible starting point.
“Of course, you all know about the Age of Magic, right?” Heads nodded in silence. “OK, good. We start there then.”
Ezekiel walked them through the history of their age starting at the tail end of the Age of Madness. He explained how all hope had been lost, how people turned to desperate acts, and the fear of madness often turned father against son, and mother against daughter.
“It was a terrible time, worse than any of you could even imagine.” Ezekiel paused to gauge the climate of the room. Most of the students seemed interested, though a few faces looked skeptical—either of the story or of Ezekiel himself. As he began to wind down toward the end of class, he said, “But that time would not last. And that’s where we stop for today. Review your notes, and on Thursday, we’ll be talking about the coming of the Founder and how he had the power to stop the Age of Madness and worked to usher in the Age of Magic.”
A guy in the back row raised his hand. He had been slouched behind his desk all of class and was the most skeptical looking of all of them.
“Yes?” Ezekiel asked.
“The Founder? Are you freaking serious?”
“More serious than you can imagine, young man,” Ezekiel said with a glimmer in his eyes. “Why do you ask?”
“It’s just that, I thought we were going to be learning history.”
“Ah, skeptics, each one of you then?” Ezekiel asked. Most of the students looked around sheepishly. He looked back up at the boy. “What is your name, son?”
“Morgan,” the young man answered. “And I’m not a skeptic; I’m a realist. Those stories about the Founder are for desperate people—those wackos that follow the Prophet—or for the poor. They're just fairy tales, meant to give the weak-minded something to cling to. It’s pathetic.” All the guys surrounding Morgan were grinning madly. It was clear that Morgan was their leader. “It’s all horseshit.”
Ezekiel laughed. “Yes, well, maybe it is. But even horseshit exists. And it has some value, I might add…”
The bell rang before Ezekiel could finish, and all the students rushed out of the room. As Morgan passed, Ezekiel gave him a little nod, but the kid ignored him. It was clear that Ezekiel had not made a friend with that one.
After the last student left, Ezekiel gathered up his things and follow his students. He ran into Dean Amelia, waiting for him just outside of the classroom.
“How’d the first day go?” she asked with a smile.
Ezekiel looked down at the purple robes he was projecting, a habit that he had formed since being in the city. His mental magic was good, but he had to remain sharp to make sure that his disguise remained at all times.
“Ah! They’re not like me and my friends were so many years ago, when we sat in their places.”
She laughed. “They’re not the same as I was only a decade ago. As we get further and further from the past, they seem to believe in it less and less. But I wouldn’t let it bother you. Come on, let me buy you a drink. A few of us get together at the end of each week—mostly as an excuse to complain about our students.”
“That sounds good,” Ezekiel said. “I believe I need one.”
****
Amelia and Ezekiel slid into a booth across the table from two faculty members that he recognized from the convocation. One was sour faced and staring intently into his ale. The other was grinning from ear to ear. There was a half-filled glass in front of the man, and Ezekiel guessed it wasn’t his first.
“August, Nikola, have you met Girard?” Amelia asked as she settled into her seat.
Ezekiel was about to say that he had never met either one of them, but August thankfully beat him to the punch.
“Girard? Of course, I know this old bastard!” the smiling man said. “He and I were first years together at the Academy. He damn near killed me while learning to make fireballs, if I remember correctly.”