The Mullinix Book 1: Ascension

by Rodney Mountain

  Chapter 70 - A Morning Stroll

  "Ok," Medoferro said, looking at the young people, "You mean to tell me that you two are quibbling over a mere six feet of dirt?"

  "It is my land!" one of them said, passionately, "It’s been in my family for over five hundred years!"

  "Liar!" the other one said, "Your grandpappy moved in on it and it was ours!"

  "How long have you two been neighbors?" Medoferro asked them, "Sounds like all your lives."

  "Yeah," they said, almost in unison.

  "So what brought this on?" Medoferro asked them, "Why now?"

  "Too many of us," one of them said, "We need it settled."

  "Very well," Medoferro said, "I see that the lines have been blurred for many years."

  "Yes sir," they both said.

  "Then let’s be sensible," Medoferro said, "3 feet won’t matter to either side, neither will six. Therefore I’m giving my judgment to split it down the middle. A straight line down the disputed area. There is no other fair way to do it since the records are so far muddled."

  Both men grumbled, but knew better than to dispute a Mullinix decision. Medoferro had been going through these sessions for nearly three hours straight and looked over to Colonel Ballfur, who approached with a nod.

  "Want another one or a break?" Ballfur asked him, "You’re doing well, by the way."

  "Let’s take an hour break for an early lunch," Medoferro told him quietly, "I want to check on Massimaferro. We’ll finish the rest of the cases after that."

  "Right," Ballfur nodded and stood up straight, "We are calling an hour or so break for lunch. Sessions will resume sometime around noon."

  People walked out of the room and Medoferro walked back to the suite area of the house where they had been staying. Medoferro and Ballfur were conferring on the morning’s cases when they heard some voices bickering over towards Massimaferro’s room. Medoferro broke into a jog and ran to find Stacy and Miranda bickering with Ari Coblein.

  "I left him alone with you for five minutes!" Coblein raved, "When I come back he’s gone!"

  "He was lying down asleep!" Miranda exclaimed, "I went across the hall to wet the cloths and came back to find him gone!"

  "Whoa!" Medoferro said, "Who’s gone?"

  "Massimaferro is gone," Stacy said, "I just got back here. He can’t have been gone long."

  "Find him," Medoferro said, "And quick!"

  "He can’t have gone far," Suvorov said, "Unless he was grabbed while he was sick."

  "Nobody has been into the house," Stacy told him, "I just got back from reports. I don’t think any enemy we have is that quick, especially this far from the border."

  "He was on the edge of delirium when he awoke a few hours ago," Coblein said, "It’s very possible that he wandered off."

  "Ok," Medoferro sighed and took charge, "I want everyone paired in twos. Find him, if you can get him back here. If you can’t, one of you stay with him and the other come back for reinforcements. Miranda, you come with me. The rest of you pair off as you like."

  "Either Stacy or I should go with you, Medo," Suvorov protested, being hushed by a look from Medoferro as the young Mullinix created a ball of light in his hands.

  "I pity the son of a bitch who gets in my way right now," Medoferro told him, "Let’s move!"

  Miranda followed him, a little surprised at that display. She had never seen him work his power like that before, though Stacy had told her about it. They walked together and started their search on the outside of the house. Luckily it was an overcast day and there were few people milling around.

  "What was that?" Miranda asked him.

  "The light?" Medo said, almost having forgotten it already, "A parlor trick, really. Magnetic power concentrated in a manner that emits light. Harmless unless I push power behind it."

  "How the hell do you do that so easily?" Miranda wondered, "It looks second nature to you."

  "The old man burned the methods in my brain," Medo shrugged, "It has almost become second nature to me."

  "Does it help with anything else?" Miranda asked him with a smile and a wicked gleam.

  "Don’t know," Medo chuckled, "Never tried it."

  "Think it would be any help?" Miranda wondered idly as they walked around, "I don’t know exactly what you do with it."

  "With Massy and Stacy I opened a channel, basically fed them power," Medoferro explained, "Sort of like digging a channel to make a stream a bit more robust."

  "Sounds like it could be a powerful connection," Miranda said, "Is it dangerous?"

  "With Stacy it wasn’t," Medo told her, "She didn’t need much, I mainly augmented her abilities. With Massimaferro I spent more time regulating the flow than I did feeding him. He damn near drained me."

  "That’s why you almost passed out, right?" Miranda asked him, "Ari told me about what happened yesterday afternoon?"

  "You got it," Medo agreed, "Whatever is wrong with Massy is sucking the energy out of him."

  "I don’t know enough about what you can do to know whether that is a good or a bad sign," Miranda sighed.

  "I don’t think it is good," Medo told her, "That’s why I’m refusing to do it again."

  Miranda was about to ask a few more questions when they heard someone shouting. They looked at each other and jogged towards the source. They expected to find something, but what they found wasn’t it. Massimaferro was standing in front of a statue of a long passed on Mullinix, pacing around in his bathrobe and carrying on a conversation with it.

  "You know," Massimaferro said to the statue, "For someone as good as you were, you don’t have a lot to say. I say we need to attack them now, what do you think?"

  The statue didn’t answer. Medo and Miranda watched in silence for a little bit to see just how lucid Massimaferro really was. The answer didn’t turn out to be particularly encouraging. They watched him from a crouching position behind a nearby bush.

  "Come on!" Massimaferro exclaimed, still addressing the statue, "What do you mean we should wait? They are advancing now! We can see the ugly of their eyes! We have to attack!"

  More silence as the statue continued to ignore Massimaferro’s ranting. Medoferro and Miranda were still in shock as they watched this display. They were content for the moment to let Massimaferro rave, as it was safer than trying to stop him. They watched for a while before either of them could speak.

  "What do we do?" Miranda asked Medo.

  "You’re the one who’s going to be a Medico," Medoferro said, "I have no idea."

  "I think we need to get the others," Miranda suggested, "This is out of my depth. I know basic first aid, not mental health."

  "He’s delirious," Medo said, "That much is obvious."

  "Maybe I should go get the others?" Miranda suggested again.

  "Yeah," Medoferro nodded, "That might not be a bad idea."

  Miranda stood up and was about to jog back towards the government house when Massimaferro saw her. The Mullinix stood up and looked at her in a way that Medoferro knew was going to be trouble.

  "There they are!" Massimaferro yelled, "Attack! Attack!"

  Massimaferro ran full out at Miranda, causing her to scream in surprise. Medoferro did the only thing he knew he could do and created a power wall in front of Massimaferro, which he ran full steam into, knocking himself backwards afterwards. Medo then moved the power wall and turned it into a holding position for Massimaferro.

  "Get Suvorov and Coblein out here!" Medoferro said, "I’ll hold him as long as I can!"

  Miranda, still shocked, nodded a little then took off running towards the government house. It only took her about three minutes to round up the people they needed and get them to the spot where Medoferro was restraining Massimaferro. In the meantime Medoferro tried talking to the Mullinix.

  "Let me up!" Massimaferro yelled, "I will fight until the death! Death to them all!"

  "Do you recognize me, Massimaferro?" Medoferro
asked him, "Do you know where you are?"

  "You’re one of those no good slimy Mavelans!" Massimaferro growled, "Who else would do something like this. They are all out to get me."

  "Us, Massy," Medoferro reminded him, "I’m Medoferro. The one you chose as an apprentice."

  "Medoferro is dead," Massimaferro said, "You are lying."

  "I’m not lying, Massy," Medoferro said and moved himself into view, "Look at me."

  "Then why are you holding me down?" Massimaferro asked him, the glaze still apparent in his eyes.

  "Because you attacked Miranda," Medoferro said, "She’s not a Mavelan either."

  "They are everywhere," Massimaferro said, "Everywhere…"

  "He is completely delusional," Ari Coblein said as he walked up, "We need to get him inside."

  "Got anything to sedate him?" Medo asked, "I can’t walk him like this."

  "I have some chloroform," Coblein nodded, pulling out a cloth and dosing it with a bottle from his bag, "I just hope it doesn’t make things worse."

  "Beats letting him go," Medoferro grumbled, "Hit him with it and let’s get him inside before we attract a crowd."

  Coblein nodded and approached the Mullinix with the chloroform covered cloth, shoving it into his face. Massimaferro fought it as best he could, but Medoferro kept his arms restrained until the older man finally started relaxing a little bit.

  "You…" Massimaferro said, looking at Coblein, "Why?"

  He then promptly passed out as the effects of the powerful liquid overwhelmed him. Medoferro released the force field and let himself drop down to the ground, exhausted again. Miranda went over to him and sat down next to him, letting him use her shoulder to lean on for a minute.

  "You ok, Medo?" Miranda asked him, "You look drained."

  "After yesterday I didn’t have much energy reserve," Medoferro said, "That just took a lot out of me."

  "Anything we can do?" Stacy asked him.

  "Food," Medo said, "I need sugar and solid food to get myself better."

  "Let’s go," Miranda said, "I’ll help him get back. Stacy, can you run ahead and get the cooks to whip something up?"

  "Lunch is just about ready," Colonel Ballfur said, "I’ll go in and postpone session until one, unless you’d prefer to cancel entirely?"

  "I’ll finish it," Medoferro said, "I need a line to Insegniferro, quickly. If he’s going to be like this, we’re not going to be able to take him anywhere."

  "Might as well finish session first," Ballfur suggested, "You’re due for a line tonight anyway and Massimaferro is contained."

  "We won’t let him slip away again," Stacy promised, "We’ll cover the windows and the door."

  "Sounds like a plan," Medoferro admitted, "I do want one thing understood though. Until further notice no one is to take Massimaferro’s orders without confirmation from me. This is pretty well proof that he’s not in his right mind."

  "Sounds reasonable," Ballfur agreed, "Let’s just hope that order doesn’t become necessary."

  "As do I," Medoferro sighed, "Now for lunch…"