Ruby Mage

by Dan Raxor

  Mom shrugged but Dad gulped. I was both elated and concerned that his eyes lit up at seeing the magic.

  “How is it doing that?” he asked.

  “Magic,” I said in a manly way to the point it was almost with a grunt.

  He nodded. “So, you can what? Alter people until they have antlers?” Dad asked and mom was losing her composure. She clenched her pen to the point I thought it might pop.

  “Eh, no, I can do this,” I said, jumping to the gateway and just vanishing in front of them. I waited a few seconds before returning. “Ta da!”

  Dad tapped on the clear vinyl to see if it was a screen. “It’s real,” Lidia said. “Pete and Harmony come from a place called Lornia. It is filled with magical folk. Trevor is a badass sorcerer who immolates people that cross him.”

  “Why would he emulate people that make him angry?” Mom asked, confusion etched on her face. Her long brown hair was scraggly from the drive and she was even more impatient than Dad was.

  Dad had a roaring laughter, eyeing me proudly. “Immolate honey. As in burn alive to sacrifice to magical gods.”

  Our laughter came to a screeching halt when mom vomited into her cupped hands. She ran for the exit. Dad went to follow her.

  “Dad, wait!” I said, getting him to pause. “Things are only getting started here and in Lornia. I … I don’t know if I’ll keep coming back here.”

  He eyed me intently, his fading hair seemed to be receding faster. “Look T, I’ll level with you. Lidia has someone calling her mom and a man who stood up to me over her happiness. You suddenly own a mansion with goons out front. You’re in a prison and you didn’t even call this place home.”

  I nodded sadly. “You cross this line, about two hallways over and you can stay in a mansion!” I said, spinning it the best I could. “But some kinky shit goes on you definitely don’t wanna see your son or daughter do.”

  “Trevor!” Lidia said covering Harmony’s ears.

  He glanced over his shoulder, seeing Mom crying. “Real quick. What’s this magical realm like?”

  “Dad, I promise I can call you, and catch you all up if you set the auto drive on your Tesla,” I said, feeling bad for Mom.

  “Short version, hurry. She’s going to be a mess for at least a few months,” Dad said with a mix of excitement to hear of Lornia and a part sadness because of Mom.

  “Well, there is no technology. There are stone castles, long travel times, and all sorts of magical creatures. Women are inferior to men and yet superior to fey. The fiefdom structure revolves around growing enough food to feed the peasants so they don’t revolt. There is a slave nation to the west, dragons and elves to the south. Dwarves and wolf-kin to the east. Dryads and ratkin to the north and northeast.

  “Then there are internal fights, treachery, and land squabbles. The architecture is majestic. For a hundred thousand worth of gold you could become a noble if you rode to Crimm to buy a title, and rich tradesmen do, then boom, you get to manage a premade barony. There are duels, battles, jousts, tournaments, mage academy’s and oh! A healer who fixed an arrow I took to the gut.”

  I opened the robes and he smirked seeing nothing. My father leaned his head against the vinyl. I joined his forehead to mine.

  “Hey T, even if you take an arrow, keep getting up. You’ll always be my adventuring partner. Love you, Lidia, take care of your brother. We’ll tell Hanna you two are backpacking the mountains. Stay safe. I want you both to know we love you. You ... have some grand adventures okay. Never stop being you.”

  And with that our father fled the room to console Mom. Lidia and Harmony hugged me.

  “How about it?” I asked.

  “What’s that?” Lidia questioned.

  “Let’s go to Lornia, build a castle, establish a barony, unlock more magic, figure out how the stones in Montana have magic, and become something greater than we ever could be here.”

  There were nervous cheers as we headed back toward the mansion and into the unknown.

  CHAPTER 29

  Great Falls, Montana

  May 12th 2023

  Jury duty! Unreal. I was beyond shocked. Lidia poked fun at me before I made the trip to the courthouse in Great Falls. I tried to get out of the ordeal, but it was a selection process that even my benefactors couldn’t block.

  Apparently, my selections on the digital form they sent on Monday were not zany enough. I was a park ranger with no priors, held a masters, and had my life together. All the rest of the dumb shit I said didn’t matter.

  I sat in the lobby waiting to go before a judge with some attorneys to be interviewed. The seating area was large, with only a few folks tapping away at phones to pass the time. There were these super uncomfortable seats with a few fake plants on top of drag white tile.

  My leg was in a constant bounce, irritating the Karen a few seats over. Like I cared if she was judging me.

  I had places to be, things to do, and riches to make. There was zero desire to find some drunk driver who hit a bus guilty. I mean…it was all over the news a month ago, and this was Montana.

  Breaking local news thrived on a story of a laid off employee getting stupid drunk at 2 P.M. and hitting a city bus that killed three when it flipped. That was something I never understood about the justice system.

  There should be no trial.

  He should be burned for his crimes.

  Then again, maybe Lornian ways were taking root in my darkening heart.

  I halted my leg bounce, walking for the vending machine. I quickly slid my phone over the purchase scanner, resulting in the sound of coffee spilling into a recyclable cup. While I waited for it to fill, I tapped a foot and bit my fingernail.

  Yeah, I was agitated.

  Life had come to a screeching halt when this nonsense got in the way. Before I left today I deposited Libby on Lornia.

  That lovely quiet lady of mine was in full winter leathers, waiting to greet my other teams bringing wagons. The snow was coming down in decent chunks leaving me a bit concerned…I had to tell myself she had weapons, a heater tent, and supplies for a month.

  I ordered her to establish a little base camp while I dealt with this Earth issue. We even stashed some of the gold that was piling up at the mansion near the arrival point. All great news. This, however, was not.

  Sorting through the lids, I grabbed one, popping it on my coffee that warned me it was too hot. A splash had me waving my wrist from the burning feeling.

  No shit it's hot! Why can’t I be fire and burn proof on Earth?

  There was a part of me that was longing to be back in Lornia, where I held power so grand people feared me. Instead I was here getting hurt by a splash of hot coffee.

  I blew on the mild burn, soothing the spot. A sensation washed over me. Unlike the rage or the joy, this was calming. I needed calm. Desperately so if you asked Lidia, Ming, Susanna, Rivinia, Krissy and well, everyone.

  A few days’ vacation in the warm sands sounded lovely. Hell, at this point I’d even take a day at yoga.

  Returning to my seat, I ignored the stares that my black robes with their red trim garnered. Yeah, I was that odd guy who stuck out like one of those fanatic wizarding geeks.

  So be it: I enjoyed wearing comfy robes with boxers and a plain shirt. The feeling was liberating with a splash of cloud nine. Coming to Great Falls meant I wanted every bit of peace and serenity I could manage.

  I sighed, seeing Yukio’s hired goons watching me try to get comfortable. Having a secretive rich man fence your items from a magical realm had its perks.

  The three guards in black suits and white earpieces spying on me through the windows didn’t help me keep a low profile.

  That irritated spot on my hand flared in pain. I blew on the blemish while welcoming the cool relaxing breeze. When I closed my eyes, I was no longer wanting to achieve my Zen on the beach and was instead in the arctic.

  My Zen spot in my mind had snow falling around the cutest little penguins. The adorable animals swarme
d around me singing a wonderful song. I kept my eyes shut tight, humming their tune, and swaying to the gentle vibes. I enjoyed the peace and calm for what felt like hours.

  There was an unexpected clattering of teeth, followed by a finger jabbing into my shoulder. It was chilly outside but not bad at this time of year. Certainly not even heavy jacket weather, leaving me confused.

  I opened my eyes, focusing on my cheap dispensed coffee. When I tipped the liquid back, nothing came out. Imagine my surprise when I lifted the lid to find my coffee had turned to ice.

  Hmm…Didn’t see this coming. At least it was just the coffee.

  When I shot a glance around the room, what I saw was troublesome. The window was partially frosted over, and the room was cold, except it felt normal to me. Others… well, they had frosted breath.

  The guards outside were talking rapidly into wrist pieces. I scanned the room, finally noticing everyone had phone cameras pointed in my direction.

  “Uh…” I said.

  “You - you - you - turned blue,” the lady stammered.

  “Awesome!” I said with a fist pump. I swapped to a nonchalant tone. “I’ve been working on that gag for months.”

  Undeterred by the peasants, I ran for the thermostat in the building. Outside was high fifties. In here, with the heater blowing, it was 36 degrees.

  Two revelations left me thrilled and concerned. I cast magic on Earth, and I cast magic on Earth in front of cameras with only a ruby around my neck.

  The door to the courtroom burst open. A burly uniformed man with a star on his chest strode out. He scanned the room with a hand near his holster.

  “There is a sign that says do not touch the thermostat!” the officer said.

  After inspecting his badge, I saw he was deputy sheriff. Too old and angry to be intimidating. Certainly was the type that got old and worked for fun because their lives were shit.

  “Who was it!?” he asked with a boom in his voice that demanded respect.

  All fingers pointed to me. To be fair, I had just touched the thermostat.

  “He turned blue!” the Karen explained. I waited for it. “Arrest him.” And there it was.

  The deputy scoffed. “This is jury duty! He turned blue. Ha! Same thing my three-year-old does when she doesn’t get candy. I see a million excuses. Get over yourself, lady.” He muttered under his breath something I couldn’t understand. “Come with me. You’re getting a citation, and a fine,” the deputy said.

  I shrugged, following him. A fine seemed a bit harsh. At the same time, I wasn’t about to quibble with him given my current financial status.

  A different man focused on his tablet, came out, and said, “Trevor Berns.”

  I raised a hand, turning it into a wave as I left. I saw him mark something on his tablet and then he called out the next person in line for an interview.

  Score.

  I guess all I needed to do was mess with a thermostat to get out of jury duty.

  The entire time I dealt with my fine I couldn’t help but wonder if I could do ice magic on Lornia. Well, that and I wanted to burn the asshole berating my behavior into cinders.

  Hmm… If I could start burning things on Earth that would be delightful.

  Ten minutes later, I left Great Falls, ecstatic to be out of that place. Charming town really, just the courthouse felt beneath me.

  On the drive home I tried to light a fire in my palm.

  I failed for an hour before swapping to ice magic. The guards Yukio hired never complained when I chilled the limousine.

  I found out there was a downside to casting magic on Earth. A lesson I learned the hard way. You slip into sleep when you use too much energy.

  CHAPTER 30

  Lornia - Base Camp outside Riverten

  314th day of the 1st year of King Partel’s Reign

  There are plus and minus sides to everything in life. Being a fire mage in winter was a boon that everyone enjoyed, making my work feel validated. The downside was my ruby reserves were in need of new energy.

  “I’m ready,” Susanna said, holding a squealing small pig.

  In a dramatic gesture I stuck my arm out, waiting for effect. I shifted my arm to give a thumbs down. My two lovely ladies stared at me in confusion.

  “I don’t get it,” Libby said.

  “Oh, really?” I was miffed they missed my point. “So… thumbs down, means kill it.”

  Susanna’s blade dove into the oinking pig’s neck, ripping forward. Blood spilled out and onto the snowy forest floor. The warm liquid soaked the snow, creating circular divots. The piglet’s kicks and struggles ended fairly quickly.

  I waited for the magic to rise. I waited a bit more, and… nothing.

  “So much for moving animals from Earth to here to recharge my gems. It was worth the effort to test. Thank you, Susanna,” I said in an even tone. I raised my voice to address those around a roaring fire not far off. “Piglet for dinner!” There were cheers at this news.

  Susanna left to prepare the pig for the roast. The sound of my mini army was boisterous. Two dozen wagons lined up facing for Riverten. After a nice meal it was time to leave and finally start moving this gold to civilization.

  At least Libby cleared about a hundred trees in the area, and the others made a semi road.

  A loud oink revealed a hog being led over by Libby. She dragged the nervous hog closer by a rope, coaxing the animal with soothing words. “He was rooting in Riverten. Luckily he cornered himself. Been my only friend for a week before the others showed up,” Libby said and I threw my hands up in the air. “Sorry, Master, I even let him go and he wouldn’t leave.”

  I shook my head in pity. Libby was such a caring and gentle soul, “Because you fed him all your scraps.”

  She guiltily stared at the ground. By the gods she was adorable. A bit emotional at times, but she was my tender bear babe.

  Rivinia came over petting a rabbit. “Let her keep the hog, it’ll be a good breeder. I can kill this thing.”

  “Do it,” I said.

  Rivinia swapped from holding the rabbit lovingly, to grabbing it by the ears. The animal shrieked for a moment. Rivinia karate chopped the neck, killing the rabbit in a smooth motion.

  Energy balled over the animal that I siphoned into the ruby in my new staff.

  “Okay, that worked. I guess we need to start a farm here,” I said, tapping my cheek for Libby to kiss. “I’ll be back in time for the departure.”

  My lovely Libby kissed my cheek. A second later I cast myself to the hallway, and walked into the double doors for Earth.

  From freezing snow-covered grounds with gloomy overcast to a bright sunny day with mild temperatures in Montana. Most of my team was in Lornia. I just had one last big trip to do before the mission back to Trimi.

  Ming coughed, her hacks resulting in a wet noise. She was in her travel gear, dressed for winter. I saw Yukio holding her in a tender embrace.

  While sweet, I knew I had other work to do.

  The beep of a reversing truck told me our horses had finally arrived. Stallions were expensive in both Lornia and America. However… bringing massive war mounts of my own was certainly something I could afford to do.

  I wanted horses that would wow Lornians, plus the stout brutes could haul additional gold.

  A rancher was standing behind the huge horse trailer, backing it up.

  She wore a cowgirl hat with timberland boots. Those dangly things dangled off her jacket. You could tell she didn’t give a shit about looks and was all about functionality.

  “Stop,” she shouted. The sound of air brakes hissing let the horses know they were about to be let out. I approached the trailer openings to pet the big brutes. “Um, sir. You…”

  “I’m Trevor, and yes the client,” I said. She was clearly puzzled by my wintery outfit. I couldn’t blame her; there was no renaissance fair for an excuse. Black with red trim robe, a metal staff with leather bindings, and a short sword were not subtle in 2023 America. “You okay?�
��

  “Peachy… Look, sir. I… I hope you ain’t sacrificin my boys or something,” she said in that tone that was snide while trying to be respectful.

  This had to be the breeder. Lorili Paskin. Ran MountainRidge Farms and I paid a staggering hundred thousand per Clydesdale horse two weeks ago. I paid even more for a big boy from Grant’s Farm. The iconic Clydesdale came from the very home I saw famous horses at during my YouTube ads. They only sold the one, the rest of the stallions were the best there was from around the country.

  “Never. They’re everything I dreamed about,” I said happily.

  I gave a silent thanks Lidia was not here. She’d be screaming for joy.

  The rancher and her helper opened the back gate, lowering the ramp. One by one the magnificent stallions were led out. A work out dipping bar served as a hitching post. The four beauts were tied up and trailer one was replaced by trailer two backing up. A big crew cab truck with a small enclosed trailer pulled up to the horses.

  I sighed, seeing a man and his two sons start saddling the Clydesdales. Seeing the brothers had me thinking of my vixens.

  Unfortunately, I hadn’t received an update on Gabriella and Ryleigh. I honestly figured there wouldn’t be going forward. When you accept immature women into your life you end up with problems. I left the workers to find Lorili.

  “Got any paperwork for me?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “Ya paid cash up front. Your assistant already has all the documents and we inspected the barn at the lot below the estate. Everything is good to go. These came from all over Canada. Good stallions. Great horses. I’m puzzled by you. While the money cleared, I still don’t like leaving horses in the hands of -”

  “I get it. We’re rich and going camping. I appreciate the hard work on short notice,” I said in a pleasant tone to appease her.

  I headed inside, doing one last run through to the bedroom. After my trip to Great Falls, I learned magic on Earth sucked.

  I passed out three more times before deciding I needed to wait for my energy to recharge. It bothered me that I had no concept of when that was.