Gun Mage 4: Surviving a Post Apocalyptic Magic Earth

by Logan Jacobs

  “You two didn’t say much about your visit with Mr. Riley,” the Irishwoman noted. “How did that go, aside from your little display with the Colt?”

  “The Balmoral Club was interesting,” I mused. “I’m not sure the members actually talk to each other. The staff definitely don’t talk. Maybe there’s another room where they go to have conversations, but the room we were in was not the place for a nice chat with your neighbor.”

  “So what do they do?” Freya asked.

  “As far as I could tell, they just sit in their armchairs and read the paper,” I replied. “Oh, and drink coffee.”

  “That’s disappointing,” Freya snorted. “I was picturing some dark room where they had secret meetings and planned their takeover of the world.”

  “Well, the room was sort of dark,” I observed. “But unless they were secretly passing notes to each other or using their minds to talk to each other, then there weren’t any top secret plans being made.”

  “How did you get the passes?” the mage asked. “Did he have them with him?”

  “No,” I admitted, “we had to go to his office to get those.”

  “You had to go back to the D.M. building?” Freya protested.

  “It wasn’t as bad as yesterday,” I hedged. “Most people stayed away and there weren’t as many protesters.”

  “But?” Sorcha prodded.

  “But,” I admitted, “we saw a couple get out of a carriage and start to walk toward the back door, like us. Their timing was bad because a handful of protesters who had just run away from the police had come around the edge of the building at the same time, and they attacked the couple.”

  “Oh my gosh,” Freya exclaimed. “Was it one of Riley’s partners?”

  “I don’t know,” I admitted. “It was a man and a woman, and they couldn’t run away because of the ice and snow. Darwin and I ran over to help, and we managed to scare the protesters away. The guard just stood inside the door the whole time and watched.”

  “Not much of a guard,” Sorcha noted. “Good thing you were there. I gather neither of you got injured.”

  “No,” I agreed. “We traded a few punches, but that was it. We got the couple inside and then went to find Riley’s secretary. I still have no idea who they were or why they were there.”

  “I’ll be glad when the train leaves tomorrow,” Freya replied. “This whole town is starting to feel like it’s on edge.”

  Sorcha nodded as she set her cup down and refilled it.

  “You could feel it in the shops today,” the Irishwoman added. “All the assistants were friendly and smiling, but they would watch the doors and carefully observe everyone who stepped across the threshold.”

  “And if you didn’t look like you had money to spend, they would try to remove you from the store,” Freya added. “Apparently, there’s a rumor going around that the anti-train people are planning to target other businesses next. So anyone who supported, or at least, didn’t directly oppose the train is being extra careful.”

  “A lot of people were stocking up on supplies,” Sorcha remarked. “And not just because the snow is supposed to pick up again. A lot of people are figuring it will be safer to stay inside their homes and avoid going out for the next few days at least.”

  “That might explain why there were so few people near the Tower Block today,” I mused. “The place felt empty compared to our earlier visit there, although Riley’s office was still busy.”

  “What about the Balmoral Club?” Sorcha pressed. “You must have some sense of how they felt, even if you only talked to Joker Riley.”

  “They either don’t believe anything terrible is about to happen or they don’t care,” I replied. “Once you’re inside that place, you’d never know there were riots going on anywhere.”

  “That seems strange, since it’s their businesses that will suffer,” Freya pointed out.

  “I think your grandfather was right,” I mused. “You have to follow the money, but I think you could stay here for years and never sort it all out.”

  I spotted Darwin as he stepped into the tea room with Viv on his arm. He looked happy as the two chatted, and I almost hated to interrupt. I waited until Darwin looked up from their conversation and waved to the older man.

  Darwin waved back, and then he and Viv had another short conversation. I was certain Viv would join us again, but she patted the ex-trooper on the arm and slipped away toward the kitchen.

  “I was just telling the ladies about our adventures at the Tower Block,” I stated as Darwin arrived at our table.

  “I’m glad we won’t have to go back there,” Darwin admitted as he sat down. “I’m getting too old for chasing down protesters.”

  “Oh, please, gramps,” Freya complained, “you’re in better shape than most of them.”

  Darwin waved off the compliment and sniffed at the tea Sorcha had poured for him.

  “Sorry, it’s just plain tea,” Sorcha noted. “We didn’t order any food yet, either, since we weren’t sure what everyone wanted.”

  “Viv said she would send over something special,” Darwin replied. “She’s got some big roller she needs to take care of, and then she’ll join us.”

  “That’s good,” I declared as I ignored the mutant’s eye roll. “Maybe she’ll have some insights on what’s going on in town.”

  “We were just saying that the situation seems a great deal less straightforward than either side makes it appear,” Sorcha added quickly.

  “I’d agree with that,” Darwin mused. “I have a feeling that there are other forces involved in this, and that the Magesterium and the rail company are just the fronts for something else. I’m not sure what that is, but it’s got everyone on edge. Viv was just telling me that she’s already making plans to close some of the rooms until things settle down.”

  “What’s her take on this?” I asked.

  “Same as mine,” Darwin noted. “There’s a lot of money floating around, and a lot more interested parties than anyone knows about. She doesn’t think the Magesterium has a clue about what’s going on, and anyone claiming to be representing the red robes is full of it.”

  “Including Brother Anselm,” Freya snorted. “I have to admit, I’d like to know who was paying the guy, but not enough to want to hang around here. I’ll be happy enough when we leave tomorrow.”

  “At least we’ll just have to deal with more ordinary things, like mutants and tusked deer, on the train,” Sorcha added with a grin.

  We all laughed, and for a moment, it felt like a weight had been lifted. Everyone seemed happy, not to mention relieved, at the thought of leaving town on the train the next day, and even though we hadn’t encountered anyone from the Magesterium, I was still anxious to put some more distance between us.

  One of the waitresses approached our table and left a platter of hand pies and glasses of fizzy cider. We started to divide the food when I spotted Viv walking toward our table. As she had done at breakfast, she stopped and greeted everyone else in the room, so I didn’t pay much attention as she made her way in our direction. That’s really the only excuse I can offer for not realizing that the man lingering behind her was about to be introduced to our table as one of the inn’s ‘important guests’.

  “Well, it sounds like everyone has had a good day so far,” Viv declared when she finally reached our table. “Darwin told me you have the passes and that you found what you needed in the stores.”

  “We did,” Sorcha replied as she glanced up from her tea and then froze in place.

  I finally looked behind Viv, where a figure in a dark hooded cloak lingered.

  “Oh, now, I wanted you to meet one of the inn’s most interesting guests,” Viv added brightly as she stepped aside so her guest could join us at the table. “I hope you don’t mind that I invited him to join us, but I thought you might enjoy swapping tales of your adventures.”

  He didn’t have to pull down the hood for me to recognize him. I could feel his identity in m
y bones, and so could the rest of my companions. Still, I felt a shiver run through me when the man pulled back the hood and I found myself staring at Brother Anselm once again.

  Chapter 6

  “Viv,” Darwin started to protest and then clamped his mouth shut.

  I wasn’t sure what to do, either. Did we admit that we had been to the rally and only escaped this man’s spell because of Sorcha? Or was it better to pretend we didn’t know anything about him? At least now we knew what to expect from him, though I wasn’t sure how much of an advantage that would be if he was still taking reaper seed.

  “Oh, don’t be an old fuddy-duddy,” Viv teased as she and the other control mage sat down. “It’s always fun to meet new people and hear their stories. Why, you wouldn’t believe some of the places Brother Anselm has seen.”

  “I’m sure we wouldn’t,” I muttered as I stared at the blond man.

  “So what brings you to Scranton?” Freya asked with a smile I recognized as forced.

  “I’ve come to help the law abiding citizens,” Brother Anselm replied quietly as he dusted a few imaginary flecks of dust from his cloak before he looked up and treated us to a benevolent smile.

  “Well, that’s good,” Freya replied. “Um, so how do you do that?”

  “I provide advice and inspiration,” Anselm chuckled.

  “Huh,” was all I could manage.

  I glanced over at Sorcha and saw that she was frowning as she studied the other control mage. Anselm finally looked at her, and even the most oblivious person would have felt the intensity of the energy between them. There was definitely a spark, but not in a good way.

  “Oh, good, here comes Lara with the Caprese salad,” Viv announced as she tried to ignore the looks that passed between Sorcha and Anselm. “Brother Anselm doesn’t eat meat, you know.”

  Anselm finally turned his gaze toward our host and acknowledged her comment with a small dip of the head. Lara, a large black woman with an impressive array of small braids, arrived at the same moment and placed a platter of white cheese and tomatoes with a brown dressing on the table, along with another bowl of the chips, also smothered in cheese.

  “It looks delicious,” Anselm declared as he helped himself to some of the salad.

  The rest of us added chips to our plates, and a few slices of the salad. Uncertain what to say next, we ate in silence until there wasn’t a single scrap of food left on the table. Lara reappeared, removed the empty plates, and then refilled our fizzy ciders. We sipped our drinks and exchanged puzzled looks until the inn’s owner couldn’t stand it anymore.

  “Brother Anselm was excited to hear that you would be traveling on the train tomorrow,” Viv declared.

  “You told him?” Darwin asked in disbelief.

  “Well, we were just talking about the train and it came out,” Viv said defensively. “He’s very interested in old technology.”

  “I am,” Anselm added. “I’ve made it something of a hobby of mine, studying pre-magic devices.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  Brother Anselm smiled again and shifted his dark blue gaze toward me.

  “I find it fascinating,” Anselm replied. “And magical in its own way. I don’t think very many people today appreciate that.”

  Viv nodded in agreement and smiled at us, and I wondered if Anselm had worked some of his magic on her. Certainly, from what I’d seen earlier from Anselm, I had a hard time believing he found pre-magic technology all that fascinating. And his interest in the train was not motivated by any undying love for a pre-meteorite world.

  “Is that so?” Darwin snorted. “That’s not what I heard.”

  Anselm’s gaze chilled a few degrees as he turned to look at the ex-trooper, a reaction that seemed to startle Viv. She looked back and forth between the two men, as if she couldn’t decide what to do.

  “And what have you heard about me?” Anselm finally asked.

  “I’ve heard that you’re here to stir up trouble for the railroad,” Darwin replied. “That you’re responsible for inciting these attacks.”

  “You shouldn’t believe everything you hear,” Anselm said with a shake of his head.

  If I hadn’t seen the man stir the crowd at the rally into a rioting mob, I would have believed him. It took me a moment, but I realized then that he was using his magic on us, though in a more subtle manner than he had used at the rally. I glanced at Sorcha and saw that she had recognized Anselm’s magic as well. I felt her presence tickle along my nerves and hoped it was enough to keep Anselm out of my head.

  “You really do need to be careful these days,” Viv declared. “Some of the stories I’ve heard going around are so clearly untrue, but people will believe anything.”

  “Especially when times are unsettled,” Anselm agreed.

  Darwin rolled his eyes and then glanced at the rest of us. We didn’t need to speak to agree that we all wanted to leave. Darwin scooted his chair back and started to stand when Viv placed a hand on his arm.

  “Oh, don’t run away so soon,” Viv pleaded. “We still have so much to catch up on.”

  “Well, you and I could catch up in your office,” Darwin suggested. “I don’t want to bore the kids with our old war stories.”

  Viv smiled, but she kept her hand on Darwin’s arm. I saw her tilt her head toward Anselm for a moment, and then she looked toward the rest of us.

  “I’m sure they’d love to hear your stories,” Viv remarked. “And we could tell them what it’s like to ride on a train.”

  I looked at Sorcha, and she gave me a small nod. As I’d guessed, Viv had been sucked into Anselm’s magic, and he was using her to get closer to us. I wondered if he knew we had been at the rally, and thought he might at least suspect since he had probably detected Sorcha’s presence in much the same way she had sensed his own magic.

  “I think talking about the train would be lovely,” Anselm added as he raked his gaze over us.

  There was no mistaking the feel of his magic this time, and though part of my brain was screaming at me to stand up and leave, I remained in my seat and smiled at the man.

  Sorcha grunted, and I managed to turn my head enough to look at her. A trickle of sweat had formed on her brow and a pained expression turned her lips into a snarl. She tried to say something, but someone called my name, and I looked back at Anselm.

  “I was very excited to hear that some of my fellow guests would be on the train tomorrow,” Anselm said in a very soothing voice. “I was hoping you could perform a small task for me while you’re onboard.”

  “We-e,” I stuttered as I tried to say we wouldn’t, but the words never made it out.

  “I’m so glad you’ve said yes,” Anselm continued, unphased by Sorcha’s grunt or Freya’s own attempts to say no. “What I need is for something to ruin tomorrow’s run. Now, I understand that you’re merely guests and won’t have access to the engine, but I understand that every car is equipped with an emergency brake. If you were to pull that at a particular point that would leave the train open to an attack by, say, mutants, well, that would be tremendously helpful.”

  I tried to shake my head, but an image of a red handle dangling from a cord was in my head and I could see myself pull down on the cord. The train screeched to a halt, and as the other people on board milled around and tried to decide what to do, a pack of mutants appeared and attacked.

  “Think of all the innocent people who will be saved from the mutants and other terrible creatures because the railroad company failed,” Anselm sighed. “And that’s what’s most important, after all.”

  There was a brief image of a train in flames while passengers leapt from the cars to escape. But mutants and wicked mages waited for them, and as the people jumped to the ground, they were destroyed in a variety of horrible and painful ways. In truth, it made little sense, but I could swear that I felt their fear and pain as they were caught between the fire and the horrible death below.

  As suddenly as it had appeared, the image vanishe
d, and I felt Sorcha’s presence once again. It was warm and undeniably real in a way that Anselm’s visions were not. I grabbed hold of that presence until Anselm’s voice was little more than a whine and then turned to look at the Irishwoman.

  Anselm hissed, and I looked back at the mage for hire. He had a thin sheen of sweat across his brow as well, and he glowered at Sorcha as she started to reach toward me.

  “You were the witch at the rally,” he hissed.

  The Irishwoman ignored him and turned her eyes on me. I grabbed her hand across the table and squeezed, then turned back toward Anselm. My other hand went toward the jacket pocket where the Colt revolver still nestled, and I felt the jolt of the magic in my arm as I clasped the grip. The last of the fog lifted, and I growled at the interloper.

  “I have a gun pointed at you,” I whispered. “And the only reason you aren’t dead yet is because I don’t want to be arrested before we board that train tomorrow. So release my friends from your spell and leave this inn. If you try to come back here before we leave tomorrow, I’ll shoot you before you can even open your mouth.”

  Anselm looked surprised at first, then skeptical. He gave a little snort to show his disdain, then shook his head.

  “Impressive, woman, but you can’t stop me,” Anselm declared.

  “She doesn’t have to,” I answered as I pulled back the hammer.

  Even muffled by my jacket, the distinct click of the hammer was hard to miss, at least at our table. Anselm definitely recognized the sound, and his skepticism gave way to fear.

  “Leave,” I ordered.

  The mage gulped and then stood up abruptly. Viv, Darwin, and Freya looked startled for a moment, then looked around the room like they weren’t sure where they were.

  “I’m afraid I have some urgent business to attend to,” Anselm said to Viv as he gave her a half-hearted smile. “But thank you for introducing me to your friends. I’ve enjoyed our conversation.”

  “Oh, er, yes,” Viv agreed, though she looked like she was trying to remember what conversation we had enjoyed.