by Dan Oakley
“Won’t you get into trouble?”
“Only if they find out,” she said. “Tomas, you’ve been very cut off on Terrano. I don’t think you realize what a big deal this is. Your life will be hell. Mages are…” She trailed off, turned back to the touch screen and began scrolling through screens quicker than I could read them. “I’m just going to run a simulation and a double check for any other mutations.”
“You think there might be more than seven?”
“It would be remiss of me not to check. We’ll rerun the sample, and once we get the full results, we can adjust the file. I’ll make it look like you’ve got two mutations the same as me. That will make you a powerful mage and very in demand for well-paid jobs, but you won’t be torn apart by scientists in their quest to understand our magic.”
I nodded quickly, agreeing. I didn’t fancy being a test subject in a lab.
“I know you were brought up with magic outlawed on Terrano,” Trella said watching me with wide eyes.
I nodded.
“On most of the lower planets in the kingdoms, it’s the same. Mages are outlawed. In the main seven kingdom planets, mages are seen as useful tools, but they are still seen as different as outsiders. I didn’t pay much attention to it growing up. I was part of a magical family, and they taught me to be proud of my skills. It was only when I joined the Academy and signed up to become a spacemage that I noticed how we were treated differently.”
“Is it because they don’t trust mages or because they don’t understand our magic?”
“I really don’t know, but I can understand how that feeling of isolation has driven some mages to make a political stand.” She lowered her voice. “They formed the resistance.”
“The resistance?”
Trella gave me a tight smile. “You really were cut off on Terrano, weren’t you?”
I was starting to realize there was a lot I had to learn about being a mage.
“That’s why there’s a general shortage,” Trella explained. “Ideally the Kingdoms prefer at least two mages per ship as well as a set number of mages per squadron in the Seven Kingdoms’ forces. But since the resistance, mages have had an alternative. They can join the resistance.”
I realized why Trella was whispering now. This wasn’t the kind of conversation you could have out in the open.
“What does the resistance want?”
“It depends who you talk to. Their public statements say they want to be treated equally and not as second-class citizens. They want to be able to be free to use their magic for whatever purpose they see fit and not only in service of the kingdoms. They also want the law changed. Currently, any mage who refuses to fight or work for the kingdoms has to agree to take Bysandown.”
“Bysandown, what’s that?”
“It’s a kind of sedative. It temporarily reduces a mage’s magic. It doesn’t get rid of it completely, but it certainly reduces our abilities.”
“And if someone refuses to take this drug?”
Trella shrugged. “Then they’re arrested and kept on one of the Seven Kingdoms’ prison ships until they agree to take the drug. They don’t keep open records, but rumor has it some mages have been locked away for decades.”
I looked at her in horror. Why had no one mentioned this already?
Then again, I could understand why the inquisitor hadn’t told me. I sure as hell wouldn’t be as eager to get to work on the ship. What a fool I was. They’d lied to me my whole life. I should have known another lie was coming. It turned out the Kingdoms were only telling me as much as they wanted me to understand.
“How can you possibly think this is fair?” I asked Trella.
“I don’t really. I try not to think about it too much.” She shrugged.
“But somebody needs to make a stand. What the kingdoms are doing is wrong.”
Trella shrugged. “Look, I didn’t want to get all political. I just want to live my life and do my job. It’s too dangerous to do otherwise. I just wanted to make sure you know you can’t trust anyone. Especially if they ever discover the number of mutations you have.”
I sat in stunned silence trying to take in all this new information. I’d been planning to go back to Terrano once I’d completed my training, but now I was starting to realize my life was not my own. If I refused to serve the Seven Kingdoms, they would sedate me for the rest of my life.
They’d tricked me.
I was lost in thought when there was a double beep, and a red icon flashed on the screen.
“What does that mean?” I asked Trella.
She was peering at the screen and flicking data points around. Finally, she straightened up and exhaled a long breath, shaking her head. “I don’t believe it.”
“Why? What is it?”
“It’s your DNA.” She turned to look at me. I saw a spark of fear in her eyes. “The first time I ran your blood, I was looking for the seven known mutations.”
I nodded. “Right, and you found all seven?”
Trella took a deep breath and nodded. “Then just to be on the safe side I reran the sample, looking for any mutations known or unknown in that set of genes, and the analyzer has detected another seven.”
I stared at her. “What does that mean?”
She swallowed hard. “Well everyone has polymorphisms. Slight variations in a single base here and there. That doesn’t necessarily mean anything, but your polymorphisms were all found in the same genes as the other known mutations. I’m no geneticist. But I’m sure this is a huge finding.”
“Is it good or bad?” I asked.
“It depends on who you’re talking to,” Trella said. “A scientist would be jumping for joy and strapping you down to extract more blood. The Kingdoms would see you as a powerful weapon. But for you, I think this is bad news. If I were you, Tomas, I’d find some way to get back to Terrano to hide from the inquisitors and forget all about becoming a spacemage.”
Chapter 12
I was in trouble. But there was no way I could get back to Terrano right now. I was stuck and would somehow have to make the best of things.
It felt good to know I had someone on my side, at least. Trella had taken me under her wing and was looking out for me. She understood the difficulties of being a mage in this society more than I did. I’d assumed it was only the lower planets like Terrano where we were punished for our magic, so it surprised me to learn mages were persecuted and treated like second-class citizens all over the Seven Kingdoms.
I was planning to ask her more about this when suddenly she stiffened and her head whipped around to look at the touchscreen. In one corner I saw a recorded image of two men loitering in one of the white corridors. I guessed there was a camera near the door to the mage area.
I peered at the screen. “Is that Bobby and Zarak? What are they doing here?”
Trella smiled, the intense look she’d had just a moment ago had disappeared, and she was back to her usual, teasing self. “Yes, Tomas. I have a surprise for you. We need your magic skills developed and you need to advance quickly. So I thought this would serve as a little motivation.”
I frowned. “Motivation?” I didn’t like the sound of that.
But Trella didn’t answer. She was walking out of the cave and then slipped through the wall like before.
I groaned. I’d never get used to seeing that.
If I wanted to know what Bobby and Zarak were doing here, I’d have to follow her. Although, I was tempted to stay put in the safety of the replica cave. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to enjoy the next hour or so of my training.
Feeling like a fool, I hesitated in front of the section of wall Trella had passed through just a moment ago. It looked like solid rock. How was it possible? Shaking my head, I took a deep breath and then walked forward, tensing as though I was about to slam into stone. But just like before, I passed through easily.
The light was much brighter in the white room, and I blinked as my eyes adjusted.
I heard voice
s.
Trella had apparently let them in. A moment later, she led Bobby and Zarak into the vast training hall. I guessed they hadn’t been here before by the way they were gaping and looking around. Then as soon as they noticed me, Zarak began to laugh, gleefully.
Yeah, I really didn’t like the sound of this. I waited, rigidly stuck to the spot, for Trella’s instructions, wishing I could wipe the smile from Zarak’s face.
Trella cracked her knuckles and turned to face us.
“Zarak and Bobby have kindly volunteered to help with your training, Tomas. The idea behind this session is for them to shoot you and you try to use your magic to deflect the lasers.”
They all stood there grinning at me. Seriously? This was Trella’s big plan? They were going to shoot at me, and I had to use my non-existent magic to fight back.
“You haven’t even taught me any magic yet,” I said, well aware I was grumbling. “I don’t think much of your training methods.”
Trella narrowed her eyes, and both Bobby and Zarak chuckled.
“Well, Tomas, you’re not the one in charge of the training regime. Besides, magic isn’t really something I can teach you. I can only guide you to access the magic. The rest is up to you. You simply need to practice until you get the hang of it.”
I folded my arms over my chest. “But shoot at me? Couldn’t they just throw balls at me or something?”
“The weapons will be switched to Stinger Mode. You’ll hardly feel it. Let me see your shooters?” She turned to Zarak and Bobby who pulled stubby, black laser guns from their utility belts.
Trella inspected them both. “Good. Now, let’s get started. Remember, Tomas, focus on the vibration and direct that at the laser beam heading towards you.”
She turned away and walked toward the wall. For one moment, I thought she was going to disappear through it again, but she didn’t. She flipped a seat down from the wall and sat down and waited expectantly.
I turned back to Bobby and Zarak. Bobby smiled, his freckled skin crinkling. “Ready, Tomas?” he asked.
I took a couple of steps back, trying to prepare myself, but I had no idea how to defend myself with magic. Not unless I got angry and lost my temper.
Although, the chances of that happening when I was dealing with Zarak were pretty high. He was smiling at me, too, but not in the same friendly way as Bobby. His teeth were white and long and reminded me of a wolf’s canines.
He didn’t ask if I was ready before he fired. The front of the laser gun flashed and that was the only sign that a shot had been fired. I expected to see the laser beam heading towards me, but it was invisible. An instant later, I felt it hit my body. Even through clothing, it hurt. It was a cross between a stinging slap and a sharp pinch.
“Hey, I wasn’t ready.”
“Enemies don’t wait for you to be ready Tomas,” Zarak said scathingly, reminding me of something Trella had said earlier.
There was another flash from the weapon, and a stinging slap hit my thigh. The pain didn’t fade straightaway, and my skin tingled like I had a severe case of sunburn.
“Focus, Tomas,” Trella called from her safe seat.
I scowled. It was easy for her to say. But these stinging shots were distracting. I tried to focus on the vibrating energy thing but had no luck, and another stinging blow hit me right between the shoulder blades. I whirled around to see Bobby grinning.
His smile quickly dropped when he saw the anger on my face. Fists clenched, I marched towards him. Maybe my magic wouldn’t save me, but I was sure as hell going to get that gun from his hands before he did that again.
He ducked and weaved out of my reach, and while I was distracted by Bobby, Zarak delivered another stinging laser, this time it hit my side just below my ribs. For some reason, that one caused my muscles to spasm, and I doubled over in pain.
“Come on, stop putting it on. It doesn’t hurt that much. We do this in training all the time. You’re such a baby,” Zarak said.
Breathing hard, I rubbed the spot just below my ribs. My muscles were still jumping around and felt like some kind of electrical impulse had been passed through my body.
Teeth gritted, I lunged for Zarak, trying to grab his weapon.
He moved around, allowing me to get close before he shot again. Every muscle in my body contracted. For two seconds I couldn’t move then I dropped to the floor with a thud.
“Come on,” Zarak said. “You’re not even trying.”
Sweat trickled down the back of my neck as I tried to get to my feet. Every muscle in my body was trembling, but it wasn’t the vibration of the magic. Something about Zarak’s weapon was making my body react this way.
“No more shots until he gets to his feet,” Trella ordered.
Breathing heavily, I focused on my intense dislike of Zarak and tried to access my vibrational energy. I could feel it now, deep inside. I imagined sending an energy bolt flying at Zarak just like I had with the lizard.
Every time I thought I was close to accessing my magic, I felt another sting from one of the laser guns, and my focus evaporated. It wasn’t a lack of anger stopping me finding that vibrational plane that was for sure. I was furious with Bobby and even more angry at Zarak. I knew they were only doing what Trella had asked them, but that didn’t make it any easier to take.
I rubbed the sore spot on my shoulder after receiving another stinging slap from a laser. That shot came from Bobby’s gun.
I’d had enough of this. I reached out to grab the laser gun from his hands but missed.
He grinned. “Nice try, Tomas, but you have to try harder than that!”
I reached out and even though I was still a couple of feet away, managed to knock the gun from his hands. I must have sent out a ripple of energy. The look of shock on Bobby’s face made me smile.
I had no idea how that had happened. The energy ripple seemed to have manifested without any conscious thought. It was as much a shock to me as Bobby. Fortunately, I came to my senses first and darted for the gun.
After my fingers closed around the device, I turned the laser gun on him and smiled. Now I was the one in control.
He put his hands in the air. “I was only doing what I was told.” He gulped. “You’re not really going to… Come on, be reasonable…” His forehead was shiny with sweat.
My finger squeezed the button on the trigger, and the gun flashed.
Bobby screeched with surprise as the laser found its target, and I grinned widely.
“You don’t like it when the tables are turned, do you?”
I shot a glance at Trella. Though I had disarmed Bobby and gone against her plans for the training session, she made no move to stop me. She just smiled as though this had been her game plan all along.
I wasn’t a complete dirt nugget, though. Unlike Bobby and Zarak, I didn’t take pleasure in shooting an unarmed man.
While I was busy studying the weapon, Zarak was laying into Bobby. “You’re such a loser. I can’t believe you let a peasant from Terrano disarm you. You’ll never make a full-fledged member of defense squad acting like that.”
Bobby’s face fell, and despite the fact he’d been shooting at me for the past ten minutes, I actually felt a bit sorry for him.
Zarak shoved Bobby on the shoulder, and he tripped over his own feet, falling to the ground.
“Pathetic,” Zarak snarled.
I turned the weapon over and saw there was a sliding gauge which determined the mode of the gun. The mark furthest on the left was labeled disarmed, the next marking over was sting, then the next mode was Stun, and the final mode was scratched out. I guessed this weapon had been specially adapted for rookies, and in the hands of a fully trained member of the defense squad, the final mode would be set to kill. I was glad this was only a practice weapon.
Although Bobby’s shots definitely felt like stings, the shots from Zarak’s weapon felt different, and I began to suspect he’d altered his weapon. Had he slipped the gauge to stun?
I frown
ed. Surely even Zarak couldn’t be that much of a dirt sucker.
Before I could ask him if his weapon was set to sting or stun, Zarak, who’d grown tired of tormenting Bobby and telling him what a failure he was, turned his attention back to me.
He raised his weapon.
“Wait, I think you’ve got it on the wrong setting.”
He smiled and fired, and the shot from the laser hit me square in the midsection and knocked the wind out of me.
I fell forward onto my hands and knees, gasping for breath. There was no way that gun was set to sting. But I couldn’t get enough air into my lungs to shout my accusation.
I raised my head, and my gaze met Zarak’s. At that moment, I knew he’d guessed I was onto him. Rather than give up and confess, he shot me again.
The two incapacitating shots so close together rocked my body. I was sure I was about to vomit everywhere. The muscles in my stomach and chest spasmed, preventing me from breathing properly, and I collapsed down onto my side.
“That’s enough, Zarak,” Trella said. I couldn’t see her from where I lay and didn’t even have the energy or strength to turn my head. But I heard the concern in her voice.
But Zarak hadn’t finished with me yet. He shot again, this time the laser found its target in my right leg. The muscles stiffened and contracted painfully as my leg jerked around out of my control.
“I said that’s enough,” Trella roared. Her voice seemed to echo around the chamber, vibrating inside my head. I’d never heard her so angry. I wasn’t sure if it was my vision that was fading or the lights in the training hall dimming, but the lights seemed to dip. I heard a whimper from Bobby, and then a clatter as the weapon left Zarak’s hand, and he went flying through the air and landed a few feet away from me.
I knew that was Trella’s magic. That’s what I was supposed to do but couldn’t. I was a screwup. A failed mage. In just a few days, I’d gone from a forbidden spacemage to a failed spacemage. I wondered if I’d broken some kind of record for ineptitude.
I floated in and out of consciousness. It felt like only a few seconds had passed when I blinked and looked up to see Trella’s concerned face peering into mine.