"What?"
"No one knows how he's doing it."
"Someone knows. That's what we need to find out. It could be our way of bringing him down." Landry reached for the second sleeping bag and spread it around Talia who shivered beside him. "We'd better get some rest. Sounds like we have some mysteries to solve before we can do anything else."
Craig sulked while Landry helped Shamaf pack up camp. He agreed to stick with the group, but he wasn't going to make himself helpful.
"Does the sun ever shine in this forsaken place?" Talia grumbled as she returned to camp.
"No luck?" Landry asked while she warmed her hands by the dying coals.
"The energy is there, but it's far away. And different somehow. I can feel it from the plant life easier."
"Don't know why you need the sun so bad, but in a few weeks we will have more sun than rain, until then gray is the norm. Better get used to it." Shamaf hoisted his pack onto his back. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah. Let's head to the nearest archives. See what we can dig up. We'll stop and talk to anyone you want to along the way." Landry weighed two packs in his arms and passed the lighter one to Talia. "We condensed everything we could. This one's got the transcripts."
"Thanks."
Talia and Craig fell into line behind Shamaf and Landry. They headed south, away from the mountain.
"I've never been in any of the archives. The Controllers monitor them too closely for my comfort. They might have what you want, but I wouldn't put it past the Controllers to rewrite history. They blamed the wizards for our fall. Claimed that if we hadn't wasted so much time learning to cast spells our technology would have been better. Strong enough to defeat the Dragumon."
"Jaron watched video feeds of the battle, here and on two other planets. Orek dealt the Dragumon a harder blow than the other two. Your people even killed several of them. Their defenses lasted more than a week. The other planets were wiped out within a day or two, with no Dragumon casualties. Your people did not go quietly." Landry couldn't help but think of those millions of people. They were easier than the faces of Jaron's loved ones. Those came with all of the wizard's emotional pain and baggage.
"We used to have fight in us. Hopefully, you can bring it out again. Now, I suggest we go to the archives in Lania. It's large enough to have an archive, but small enough not to have an entire garrison of Controllers. We have a few days to work out how we'll get you in." Shamaf picked up the pace.
"I can get us in. Don't worry about that." Landry glanced at Talia.
"All of us?" She hadn't missed the look.
"Probably."
Shamaf stopped at every hovel along the way and introduced Landry to the outliers. He clearly believed Landry would be the most help to them, almost ignoring Talia and Craig in the process.
Talia didn't mind. She enjoyed watching Landry interact with the people. It didn't matter what they looked like, or smelled like, and the smells were strong. He talked to them like they were his equal. Those with magic in them came for guidance.
Landry reached out like Jaron had so long ago, touching them on their forehead and feeling for their power. If he could sense the magic in them, Landry would hold out his other hand and focus the energy to his palm. The magic would manifest as flames, water, or miniature wind tunnels. Whenever someone displayed earth power, dirt would gather from the rafters and flow to his outstretched hand.
Occasionally, nothing would appear, but Landry and the person would smile. Talia watched those interactions closely. It looked as if the two conversed within themselves. She finally understood why Craig became irritated with her and Landry. She hated being left out.
Landry figured out where their talents took root and Talia found the pages that corresponded in Jaron's manual. The outliers frantically copied them onto their own pieces of paper or linens before the visitors had to move on. They never stayed more than twenty-four hours, hoping the Controllers didn't learn where they were.
Shamaf loved and trusted these people, and they revered him. Starting a revolution wouldn't be hard. The real question became how could it be successful? How many of these men and women would die?
Talia knew she had to find a way to even the odds for them. Some way to get them the weapons they needed to have a fighting chance.
At the last stop before Lania, Shamaf took them to a home cut into the side of a mountain. The damp cave housed a wrinkled old woman who shared it with several girls. Each one had escaped from the cities.
While the woman copied the entire manuscript, the girls told their stories. All of them had been sold into slavery when they were very young. Owners beat them when they didn't work hard enough. Some suffered worse things. Two of the girls left behind children when they escaped.
Talia lay on a bedroll later that night, staring at the darkness above. The sound of breathing surrounded her since everyone slept in the same area of the cave. She tried to separate the individuals. Someone whimpered. Another person whispered and the crying stopped.
She might not have Landry's talent for feeling emotions, but the darkness conveyed the oppressive mood. If she couldn't sleep, maybe she could find another way to help them. Closing her eyes she thought of Jewel.
Talia strolled along a beach at sunset. One sun hung low in the sky, melting to reds and oranges tinged with purple. It was breathtaking. The waves lapped against the sand as if reaching for her, entreating her to come and play.
"What do you think of this new world?" Jewel appeared in her human form.
"Is it new?"
"The days of creation and turmoil are calming. Soon we will fill it with plants and animal life."
Talia turned around. Sure enough, not a speck of green could be seen. Sand and rock piled up behind her. Water stretched forever before her.
"Is that why it's so peaceful? There are no plants whispering to me?"
"Perhaps. What's on your mind?" Jewel sat on an outcropping of rock.
"Orek. There is so much pain and suffering there. They used to believe in you. Have faith in your kind. Can you help them?" Talia stood and looked down at the woman. A last ray of light shone on her face, making her eyes sparkle.
"What would you have me do? Force them to change? Everyone must find their own path. Make their own choices."
"But many of the people on Orek can't choose for themselves." Talia's hands curled into fists.
"There's always a choice. You speak of the outliers?"
"Yes."
Jewel closed her eyes, her head tilted slightly as if she listened to some unknown secret. "Their situation is sad, but they have chosen it."
"No they haven't. No one would choose to starve and live in fear. To be taken from their families and used the way they are. You have to help them."
"Talia, it may be hard to understand, but I do feel sorry for them. Unfortunately, there isn't anything I can do. Our power on that world is at an end. You have more sway on their future than I ever could. Your husband is strong, charismatic and he gives them hope. You give them the knowledge they need."
"It won't be enough. They are untrained, with no weapons. If they move on the Controllers they'll be shot down before they have a chance." Talia knelt in the sand and reached for Jewel's hands. "Please, what can I do?"
Jewel stared at the fingers touching hers, a perplexed expression on her face. She took one and squeezed. "It feels real."
"What?"
"Do you feel the pressure of my hand?" She squeezed again.
"Yes."
"That cannot be." Jewel bent down and grabbed a small jagged rock. She swiped it across Talia's palm and a thin line of blood formed.
"Ow. Why did you do that?" Talia jerked her hand free and pressed the edge of her blouse into the cut.
"I must speak to the council. You should return home." Jewel hurried down the beach.
"Wait! What about Orek?"
Jewel paused and looked back. Her face lit with a smile so joyful Talia couldn't help but smile back. "You
are much stronger than you think. Have faith in yourself and show them they must choose their future."
She turned and ran. As she did, her body melted and grew. Her neck elongated, her arms and legs turned a deep green. At the last moment, wings burst from her back, completing the transformation. Jewel leapt into the sky and flew into a portal.
Talia thought of Orek and the cave where she slept. When she woke, she recognized Landry's warmth beside her. Her palm itched. She produced a small flame with her other hand and saw the cut.
She waited for the aftermath of her dream vision, but it never came.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Talia didn't sleep the rest of the night. She finally gave up and slipped outside. The sky glowed a dull grey. A lighter patch marked the horizon, the only indication that morning approached. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't sense Orek's suns the way she could Sendek's.
She wanted to scream. Jewel was wrong. She wasn't strong. She couldn't even pull energy anymore.
"Talia?" Landry stepped out from the cave, kicking a few rocks down the slope. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Come back inside."
"I need some air that's all." She tried to shut off the ache in her heart before he could sense it.
"You're sure you're okay?" He pulled her into his arms, warm and strong.
Strong like she never would be.
"Landry, what are we doing? If they move against the Controllers they'll be marching to their death." She clung to him. Willed him to find another way.
"Probably. But if they don't try, nothing will ever change. We can give them the tools they need to learn and prepare. Shamaf is wise enough to wait until they are stronger. This won't happen overnight."
Talia nodded into his chest. "I don't see how they can ever win."
"Is that all that's worrying you?"
"You know it's not."
"Did you dream?"
"I don't know. I tried to find Jewel. Ask her to help us here."
"Did you?" He rubbed her arms, warming them from the chill in the air.
"Yes. She wouldn't do anything. Said we would be more help than she would." Talia stared up at him. "But that's not the weird part."
She showed him her palm. The line of dried blood, the edges still puffy from the cut.
"What's that?" He held it closer in the dim light.
"Jewel cut me with a rock in the dream. When I woke, I found the mark."
"So you weren't dreamcasting, but actually dreaming?"
"I don't think so. The shaking aftermath never came." Talia collapsed back into his embrace. "She said I was stronger than I knew, but I'm not. Nothing is turning out the way I imagined. Cooley's dead, Craig will barely speak to us. We haven't found much to take back to the mages or Stefan, and these people think you can save them, but you can't. How can we encourage them to fight a losing battle?"
"Shh. Calm down. Let's take one thing at a time. We have instructions for several magical talents. It's not all inclusive, but it's somewhere to start."
"By the time we get home the mages will have figured out most of this stuff on their own. They won't need what we're bringing back."
"Then we search for more information on how Jaron's people combined magic and science. That might still be helpful."
"Going to an archive scares me. What if that's where I lose you?"
"You're worrying about everything that can go wrong. Think about what can go right." He kissed her forehead. "And Jewel is right, you are stronger than you think. You worry, but when it comes down to it you fight for what's right. Every time."
At the mention of Jewel, Talia's frustration rose again. "Why can't she help us? I keep asking her questions and she never gives a straight answer."
"The dragons are a mystery. I wish I could talk with her the way you do."
The sky had changed from grey to a light mauve with golden highlights. A light breeze picked up. It felt warmer than the last few days and calmed Talia.
"I wish you could too. I'm tired of her riddles."
Landry led her toward the cave. "Come on, we're going into the city today. We should eat and get ready."
Lania stretched a quarter the size of Joharadin. The buildings were spread out instead of towering into the sky. There were steel and glass structures, but also ones built of various colors of stone. Lights flashed everywhere and people drove their ground transports between the buildings. The ground noise level was much louder than any city on Sendek.
Shamaf walked as if he belonged there and Landry, Talia and Craig followed, trying not to look around like tourists. The archive resided in a low, two-story edifice in the center of the city. It had been constructed with pale gray stone mottled with darker gray. Stairs led up to the entrance and round columns lined the front of it, apparently holding some sort of outcropping up over the front door. Landry scrutinized them and hoped they were strong enough to support the massive stones that would soon hang over his head.
Two Controllers guarded the door.
"Talia, I want you to stay out here with Shamaf and Craig."
"No, you promised. We won't separate." Talia practically hissed at him. Her fear clawed its way to him and he reinforced his walls to block it out.
"I'll be careful. You wait out here to save me if the Controllers capture me." Landry kissed her forehead and turned to Craig. "Keep her safe. If anything happens, take her home."
"Landry!" Talia tried to grab him, but Shamaf held her back.
Landry jogged up the rest of the stairs, his mind already expanding outward. Slowing to a walk, he concentrated on the two guards. He reached into their minds. They were bored, tired of standing guard for disturbances they believed impossible.
He pushed harder.
They were supposed to watch for outliers seeking information. The image in their minds matched him and Talia. Landry twisted and warped the image until their memory of his face looked like Cooley. The exertion made him light headed. He took a few deep breaths and stepped up to the door.
"Hello, I need to do a bit of research," he said cheerfully.
"Go right ahead, Sir." The one on the left placed his thumb on the pad and the door slid open.
What is it with this place and thumb entries?
He stepped through the door and straight into a gathering of Controllers. Seven of them congregated at the front counter talking to the receptionist. Landry turned down the first hall leading away from them, but hid behind a wall to catch what they said.
"This is the guy, and this is the girl. If you see them, make sure you contact us. There's a nice reward for them."
"What did they do?" The woman asked, but Landry couldn't stop to wait for the answer.
He headed up a flight of stairs, pausing in the stairwell to search for Talia's familiar psyche. The distance and walls between them made it difficult, but her thoughts fluttered on the edge of his mind. Fear and concern permeated all her thoughts.
"This place is crawling with Controllers. Take cover."
"Get out now!" She hissed.
"I'll go quick."
"Landry!"
Her voice faded at he ran up the steps and entered a small room with no other halls or doorways. The only exit lay behind him. An uneasy feeling settled over Landry, but it was too late to turn back. The woman at the reception desk looked straight at him.
He walked to her in the center of the room. Computer workstations lined the walls, half of them occupied by other people.
"Hello, I need to use a terminal." Landry spoke quietly, already feeling too exposed.
The woman took a good look, but led him to a computer on the left side of the room near the door.
"Here you go. You have half an hour, unless no one needs your cube. Then you may take another half an hour." She looked down her nose at him when he sat.
The uncomfortable feeling grew as she continued to stare. If asked, she would have no trouble describing him to the Controllers.
"Thank you." He turned away from her while probing her mind. If he could weaken her memory he might buy a little more time. Unfortunately, he couldn't figure out how to do that. Instead he settled for suggesting boredom and hoping his face would become unimportant to her.
She walked away and Landry focused on the screen. It took a moment, but the strange language shifted until he could read it. Craig's chip finally did its job. He almost chuckled as he realized he'd been taking the vocal and auditory aspect of it for granted.
Landry found the search engine and wondered where to start.
Here goes nothing. He typed in scientific magic and hoped for the best.
The screen flickered. A blue screen popped up.
Unauthorized search parameters. Remain seated until assistance arrives.
Uh oh. He had risked everything for nothing.
He gauged the emotional level in the room. Boredom. No one exhibited signs of suspicion or mistrust. Extending his reach to the stairwell, Landry found several minds approaching with a single purpose.
They were grouped too closely together to get an accurate count, but they outnumbered him. By a lot. He searched the room again, but no other exit or hiding place presented itself.
With a few moments to spare, Landry entered the minds of two of the most bored patrons. He joined them as they stood to leave, heading down as the five Controllers walked through the door.
His heart raced, but he kept his breathing steady as he slipped behind them and out the door. He passed the two men and ran down the stairs.
"Landry!" Talia screamed at him before he left the stairwell.
He paused inside the door and looked through her eyes. She must have hidden in an alley beside the archives. Her view showed twenty or so Controllers streaming up the steps into the archive.
There would be no escape.
CHAPTER FORTY
Panic welled up, choking Talia. Landry had warned her to take cover. Her sharp intake of breath drew Shamaf's attention.
Dawn of the Mages (The Magic Wakes Book 2) Page 20