by Clayton Wood
“It's okay,” Kyle replied. But it wasn't; he felt terribly homesick all of a sudden. Kalibar was a good surrogate father, and the closest friend that Kyle had ever had, but he couldn't replace his real dad.
“You've gone through a lot for someone your age,” Banar observed. “Do you have anyone to talk to about it?”
“I talk to Kalibar, sometimes,” Kyle answered. “When I can,” he added. “He's pretty busy now.”
“That he is,” Banar agreed. “Well, I know we've just met, but if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here.”
“Thanks,” Kyle replied, smiling at his new teacher. Banar seemed sincere, and Kyle realized that it would be good to talk to someone. But how much could he really say without telling the whole truth? Only Kalibar, Darius, Ariana, and Erasmus knew that he was from another planet. And Kalibar had made it quite clear that Kyle was to tell no one else.
“Come on,” Banar stated suddenly, rising up to his feet and offering Kyle his hand. Kyle grabbed it, and Banar hauled him to his feet. “It's about time I taught you how to really fly!”
* * *
Master Banar levitated a few feet off of the lawn of the Secula Magna, looking down at Kyle, who was still standing safely on the ground. The sun peeked over the horizon, sending a splash of red and purple light across the feathered clouds far above, making the dew-tipped grass glitter like tiny diamonds.
“Okay,” Banar stated, folding his arms in front of his chest. “Stream magic to the blue center crystals in each boot to turn them on.” Kyle did so, and saw each crystal glow a slightly brighter blue. “Now,” Banar continued, “...send magic to the 'up' crystal.”
Kyle paused, concentrating on creating a third magic stream while maintaining the first two. He did so successfully, feeling himself rising up off of the grass. He stopped the third magic stream, and levitated in mid-air just like Master Banar.
“Excellent,” his teacher stated. “Now, look down at your right boot...see that orange crystal on the right side of your right boot?” Kyle glanced downward, spotting it instantly. It was identical to the one on his left boot.
“That's the 'down' crystal, right?” Kyle guessed. Banar nodded.
“Send a little magic to it,” he instructed. Kyle did so, and immediately felt himself dropping downward, until his feet were once again on the ground.
“Perfect,” Banar stated. “So left goes up, right goes down. Got it?”
“Got it.”
“Okay, let's show you how to move forward,” Banar said. “See that crystal, the red one at the tip of your boot, at the toes? You only have it on your left boot.”
Kyle nodded, spotting the small red crystal.
“Send some magic to your left boot again, to clear the ground,” Master Banar ordered. “Then send a small amount of magic to the toe-crystal.” Kyle complied, levitating off of the ground a few inches, then sending a magic stream to the toe-crystal. He began to move forward through the air. Once again, he brought his arms out to catch his balance...but there was no need. His entire body felt stabilized somehow.
“No need to balance yourself,” Master Banar explained. “The boots create a weak cylindrical gravity field along the axis of your body, surrounding your torso. It sucks inward toward the center of your body...that prevents you from tipping over.”
“Wow,” Kyle breathed. He stopped the magic stream to the crystal, and he slowly came to a stop in mid-air. Master Banar grinned.
“Wow is right,” he agreed. “The crystal on the heel of your right boot goes backward. Got it?”
“Yeah, I think so,” Kyle replied.
“Good!” Master Banar exclaimed. “Now, let's have some fun. Send a stream to your toe-crystal, then slowly increase the intensity, until you get the speed you want. Then just hold the stream at that level, and you're good to go.”
Kyle tried it, and soon he was accelerating forward at a brisk pace, as fast as he could run. At first he was apprehensive, afraid he'd fall, or run into something. He'd felt the same way the first few times he'd gone snowboarding with his uncles, until he'd gotten used to it. At least with gravity boots he didn't have to fall down to stop!
Master Banar sped alongside Kyle, and it wasn't long at all before they'd reached the Tower. Banar grabbed Kyle's arm, and swerved to the side somehow, pulling Kyle around the Tower, staying clear of the road where students were beginning to travel from their dormitories to the Tower itself for their lessons. They passed by the Tower, levitating over the well-manicured lawn.
Eventually Master Banar slowed down, pulling Kyle backward with him. Kyle fumbled, then stopped the magic stream to his toe-crystal. He decelerated slowly, until they had come to a stop above the grass, over a mile from the Tower. Master Banar grinned at him, his gray eyes twinkling merrily.
“Fun, eh?” he said. Kyle nodded, matching his new teacher's smile. It had been a lot of fun, actually...once he'd gotten over his fear. Banar pointed at Kyle's feet, at a yellow crystal on the inner side of each ankle. “These crystals move you side-to-side,” he explained. “It's counter-intuitive...the left crystal moves you right, and vice-versa. Once you get used to it, it's not so bad.” He demonstrated then, strafing left and right while levitating above the ground. Kyle tried it, and soon he too was sliding from side-to-side. Banar was right...it did take a bit to get used to.
“Okay,” Master Banar declared, deactivating his own gravity boots, sinking gently to the grass below. Kyle did the same. “Now that you've had a taste of what Runics can build, it's time I showed you how we do it!”
Chapter 6
Kalibar squeezed his lids shut, then opened them again, squinting against the dazzling white light forming a miniature corona around the shadowy face that stared down at him from above. He groaned, bringing his hand up to shield his eyes from the assault, tears welling up and dribbling down his cheeks. He closed his lids again, then opened them, seeing two blue eyes staring down at him.
“Kalibar?” a voice called out.
Kalibar groaned again, rolling onto his side on the bed, squeezing his eyes shut and covering them with his hands. Even the slightest light caused a deep, aching pain to shoot through his eye sockets.
“Kalibar,” the voice called again.
Something cold and metallic grasped his bare arm, and Kalibar flinched, pulling back from that grip. Kalibar curled up into the fetal position, pulling his bedsheets over his face. The pain gradually lessened, and he forced himself to slow his breathing, to uncurl his body, extending his feet out in front of him on the bed. He clutched the bedsheets to his face, his tears soaking into the thin fabric.
“Kalibar, what's wrong?”
Slowly, Kalibar brought the sheets down from his face, keeping his lids shut. His eyes still hurt, but now the pain was tolerable. He took a deep breath in, then let it out slowly.
Then he opened his eyes.
A pair of blue eyes stared back at him, surrounded by smooth, tanned flesh. Short brown hair...a glimmer of gold below the neck.
“Darius?” Kalibar blurted, his voice filled with disbelief.
“Kalibar!” Darius exclaimed, his head jerking backward, his metal-gauntleted hand releasing its grip from Kalibar's arm. The bodyguard backpedaled, his jaw dropping. “Your eyes!”
Kalibar blinked, then slowly sat up in his bed, bringing his hands up in front of his face. He stared at his fingers, at the innumerable wrinkles carved into their surfaces, the familiar swirls of his fingerprints plain to see. He turned his hands over, his eyes devouring the pearly surface of his fingernails, the shimmering metallic rings encircling his fingers.
A great sob threatened to burst out of him.
“Go!” Kalibar shouted, feeling the tidal wave of emotion coming, refusing to allow anyone – especially Darius – to see him when it arrived. “Go!” he repeated, waving Darius away with one hand. Darius hesitated, then hurried out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
And then, Kalibar wept.
* * *
Just perfect.
He glanced up from the table at last, knowing that Darius, who was seated opposite him, was still staring at him, waiting for him to say something...anything. But Kalibar found it impossible to concentrate, distracted by everything around him. He thought back to the moments after Darius had left the room, when he'd wept uncontrollably, overwhelmed by the miraculous return of his vision. Eventually he'd regained his composure, emerging from his room. He'd seen Darius sitting at the small round table at one corner of his suite, and had sat down opposite the silent bodyguard, saying nothing at all. How long they'd sat there in silence, he didn't know.
Thank god it had been Darius, and not someone else, Kalibar thought. He'd never met another man more comfortable with spending his days saying nothing at all, merely patiently observing while everyone else chattered away. A rare skill, to hold one's tongue.
How Kalibar appreciated that silence now!
Minutes passed, and Kalibar finally sighed, his hunger for the sights around him sated for the moment. He turned his gaze to Darius, who was still staring at him.
“This isn't a dream,” Kalibar observed. It wasn't a question, merely a statement of fact. Darius smirked.
“Not unless I'm the man of your dreams,” he quipped. Kalibar chuckled, then glanced down at his hands for the umpteenth time, mesmerized by the horizontal wrinkles at each knuckle, and the three veins coursing over them. How had he lived so many decades without ever having noticed that?
“What happened?” Darius asked. Kalibar shrugged.
“I have no idea,” he admitted. He paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, his shoulders heaving up and down.
“What?” Darius pressed. Kalibar kept laughing, tears streaming down his cheeks, then finally shook his head.
“I thought I was going to be murdered,” he answered, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. “Here I was, lying in my bed, paralyzed...literally paralyzed! And all I could do was wait for death. For some assassin to come out of the shadows and end it all. And you know what went through my head at that very moment?”
“Nope.”
“Whether or not I'd put clean underwear on!” Kalibar replied. “Here I am, inches from death, and I'm worried about my corpse being found with dirty underwear. Don't laugh!” he protested as Darius's shoulders heaved up and down, a rare grin on the bodyguard's face.
“Seriously?” Darius remarked.
“Damn right I'm serious!” Kalibar retorted. “How could I possibly make that up? Why would I?” Darius chuckled, shaking his head.
“It all happened so fast,” Kalibar continued, rubbing his hands together. “One minute, I was lying down to go to sleep, consumed by my thoughts...then I think I may have started to drift off. I heard a noise...” he paused, then nodded. “Yes, and it woke me up. Then I heard the door to my suite close, and then footsteps. I couldn't move, I was paralyzed. Then something...someone...sat on the bed, and I felt a hand over my face. Then...” he trailed off, staring past Darius, remembering that feeling.
The rapture.
Kalibar shook his head, snapping himself out of his reverie. He glanced up at Darius, realizing that the bodyguard was still staring at him.
“Then I got my eyes back,” he continued. “I heard footsteps leave, then I laid there for a while, until my muscles came back to life. The next thing I remember, I was opening my eyes, and saw you.” Then he frowned. “Wait, what time is it?”
“Sunrise,” the bodyguard answered. Kalibar's eyes widened.
“I just went to sleep a few minutes ago!” he objected. Then he shook his head. “I must have fallen asleep at some point.” Then he frowned. “The question is, how did this thing get past my wards?”
“The assassin did,” Darius pointed out.
“Yes, true,” Kalibar admitted. “It...” he began, then stopped. He struggled to find the right words, then gave up. “He...I think it was a he, I mean he spoke to me, in my mind...he was the most unbelievably powerful being I have ever sensed. More powerful than anything I could have even imagined sensing. These wards...you're right. They would have been nothing to him.” He glanced at Darius then. “Did you see anything?” he asked. Darius shook his head.
“I heard you yell,” the bodyguard replied. “Got up, saw your door was open. Figured something was wrong, so I ran in, hoping one of Erasmus's wards wouldn't cook me before I got to you.”
“They're all deactivated,” Kalibar stated. And it was true; all of the wards in Kalibar's bedroom had been completely depleted of magic. Not a single one was still active. “So you didn't see anyone come or go?” he pressed. Darius shrugged.
“Sorry,” he replied. Kalibar sighed, but was unable to keep a smile from his face for very long.
“Ah, what does it matter?” he decided. “Whoever it was sure didn't want to kill me...and if they had wanted to, there wouldn't have been a damn thing anyone could have done to stop him. I can at least assume he's on our side.”
“You don't think it could have been Xanos?” Darius asked. Kalibar shook his head.
“Unlikely,” he opined. “He said that I'd wanted to meet him...that I'd said that I'd wanted to meet him, and that now I had. I don't recall ever having said I wanted to meet Xanos,” he added with a wry grin. “But then again, I don't remember who I might have said that about.”
“Hmm,” Darius mumbled. The bodyguard pushed himself back from the table then, standing up. He lent a hand to Kalibar, who waved the bodyguard away.
“I hardly need that anymore,” he stated, standing up from his chair with one smooth motion. An hour ago, that movement would have taken three times as long...and would have brought on a veritable symphony of aches and pains. “I think the rest of me healed too,” he added, shaking his head. “It's as if everything I suffered as a result of being a prisoner of the Dead Man...every injury I was dealt, every insult...has been erased. Hell, I feel better than I did before I left my home in Bellingham.”
Kalibar turned away from Darius, glancing around his suite, when he froze suddenly.
“What?” Darius asked. Kalibar said nothing, staring across the room. There was something different about it, and until now, he hadn't figured out what it was.
Everything was glowing.
The runes marking the marble columns, the suits of armor hanging on the walls...even the rings on Kalibar's fingers. They were all glowing a pale blue. Faintly, almost imperceptibly, but definitely glowing. He could even see a faint blue haze coming from himself. He turned to Darius, and saw no blue coming from the bodyguard. He frowned, then wove magic in his mind, throwing out a small gravity field into the center of the room. He saw the blue haze around himself ripple, a faint blue line shooting outward right where he'd sent the field. A shimmering blue sphere of light-bending gravitational force appeared in the middle of the room.
“My god,” he whispered.
“What?” the bodyguard repeated. Kalibar turned to glance at Darius silently. Then he turned back to the gravity field.
“I can see magic!”
“So?” Darius grumbled. Kalibar shook his head, realizing that the bodyguard would have no idea how magic should be normally be sensed.
“We Weavers feel magic,” Kalibar explained. “Like a vibration. I can see magic now, with my eyes...it's kind of like being able to see sound.” He stared at the rings on his fingers again, taking a closer look. He could see the tiny runes carved into their surfaces, the magic storage crystals behind each set of runes glowing ever-so-faintly. Even though the crystals were covered by the metal of the rings' bands, he could still see the magic radiating from them...meaning he could see magic through solid surfaces. He glanced upward, scanning the walls of his room. He co
uldn't, however, see any magic coming from behind the walls; that must mean that magic couldn't penetrate easily through solid materials, if they were thick enough. An observation that was certainly consistent with his experience.
Kalibar shook himself from his near-trance, glancing at Darius. He had a sudden idea. “Can you keep this between you and me?” Kalibar requested. Darius nodded.
“My lips are sealed.”
“They usually are,” Kalibar replied. Then he nodded to himself. “If I keep my sight a secret – at least for now – it might give us an advantage when it comes to the Council. And more importantly, if Xanos has spies within the Tower, it might make them careless around me.”
“You planning on seeing through your eyepatches?” Darius asked. Kalibar frowned.
“I suppose we'll have to let Erasmus in on our secret,” he admitted. “He'll be able to make me some one-way mirror eyepatches. Then I'll be able to see how my opponents are reacting to me, especially if I get their guard down by talking to them in private.” He nodded then. “In politics, knowing what your opponents really think is critical information. Perhaps I can make more use of this gift than was intended.”
Darius shrugged, clearly uninterested in politics.
“I'm going to check up on Kyle,” he stated. Kalibar nodded.
“Good idea,” he replied. He watched his bodyguard leave, then stared at a suit of ceremonial armor hanging on one wall, almost hypnotized by the sparkling array of blue lights emanating from the magical armor's surface. It was going to take a while for him to get used to this.
Kalibar sighed, looking about his room, not quite sure what to do with himself. He wanted desperately to wake Erasmus up, to describe to his best friend what had happened. The Grand Runic would be as fascinated as Kalibar. Darius had been predictably underwhelmed by the morning's events, no doubt because Darius appeared underwhelmed by just about everything...but also because the bodyguard, unable to sense or use magic, had no concept of how incredible Kalibar's experience had been. Kalibar longed to share his experience with someone who could fully appreciate it.