Hidden Nature

by S. M. Savoy

  “We’ll find out. If it didn’t, they can try again.”

  Small flickers of static electricity still passed between them. The blue glow returned, and they lay unmoving for another hour while the magic darted over them. On top of the mountain an unnatural stillness prevailed with only the wind to break the silence. No animals moved; no birds called and even the wind was still. The blue glow thickened over Marcus. He crawled away from them.

  “The magic is moving them,” Liz whispered

  Nelson nodded. Deep lines had etched his forehead and grooved his mouth. The magic hovered over each of them and moved them away. It settled over Sara and Charlie. The others moaned and tried to move on their own.

  “Stay where you are!” Liz called. “We’ll help you when it’s finished.”

  Liz waited anxiously for it to move either Sara or Charlie, but it didn’t, it just settled on them.

  Her Valory said, “Vital signs have—”

  “Cancel audio,” Liz said as she examined the graphs being displayed. Sara and Charlie were fine but the rest of them were in distress now. “Stay here,” she ordered and walked slowly to Marcus and felt his pulse. His skin was ice cold. His pulse was slow. She checked Joy next then Oz. They were all the same. The magic took no notice of her.

  “Make a fire to warm them up.” Liz ordered the Scouts. She debated moving them and decided to wait until the fire was built.

  “I’ll go get supplies.” Nelson gestured for Sam to accompany him. The two men headed to the helicopter. He returned two hours later with food, water, blankets, sleeping bags, tents, IVs, and heating packs.

  The Scouts set the tents up after they had covered their friends and placed heating packs around them. Liz checked everyone again. They were doing better. She left Sara and Charlie alone in the magic. They sat in the magic another hour and thirty-six minutes. It finally trailed away from them in lazy swirls, coating the other users and growing smaller and smaller until it disappeared.

  Charlie slumped over still holding Sara. Liz approached them cautiously and covered them with blankets and the heating packs. “I think we can safely move them now. Get them off the cold ground.”

  The Scouts carried them into the tents and set them on the sleeping bags.

  Liz examined Sara. “Sara is the only one who needs an IV, but I don’t think we should give her one. The magic might think it’s an attack of some kind. Charlie can do it when he wakes or maybe Mike. We’ll have to do some experiments when she’s feeling better.”

  The Scouts set a watch and settled down to sleep as well. Everyone was alert by morning except for Sara and Charlie. Stasia and Rick disappeared into their own tent as did Brenda and Mike. Joy and Drew disappeared into the forest.

  Marcus, Oz, and Hawk huddled by the fire with blankets over them. Liz handed them hot tea and toast, checking the vitals of all three. Physically they were fine.

  “Want to talk about it?” she asked as she sat beside them.

  “That was the worst and best experience of my life,” Marcus said bitterly. He glanced toward the tent Charlie and Sara were in. “To be loved like that, that’s amazing. I don’t have words to describe how they love each other.” He smiled slightly. “She loves me too. Not like she loves him, but she does love me. He doesn’t. He likes me, I guess; I mean as much as he can. It’s so weird knowing what someone really feels for you. She doesn’t love Mike at all even though her magic loves him best. I mean besides Charlie of course. The magic loves how she feels for Charlie.”

  “It likes your feelings?” Liz handed him a fresh cup of tea.

  “More than likes them, it craves them. The good ones anyways.” He grimaced in distaste. “The bad ones scare it. Pain terrifies it, not physical pain. I don’t think it can feel that really— mental pain.” He was quiet a minute. “I feel more alone now than I ever have before in my life.” He closed his eyes and turned his face away. Oz reached out to him and a flicker of magic passed between them.

  “It’s lonely being separated from them all. I think we’ll feel better about it in a day or so.” Oz laid a hand on Marcus’s shoulder. “They’ll share their magic when we need it.”

  Hawk snorted softly. “This is going to suck big time. No offense, Marcus, but I really don’t want to come to you when I’m lonely.”

  Oz laughed. “I’m going to one of the girls. I don’t mind hugging any of them.”

  “You’ll mind it when Rick kills you for hugging Stasia,” Hawk said dryly.

  “He won’t mind. I know how he feels about me and he knows how I feel about her.” Oz leaned back on his elbows and crossed his legs.

  Hawk glanced away as a red flush climbed his cheeks. “Do you know how I feel about people?”

  “No, just how you feel about me.” Oz leaned over and whispered, “I don’t need the magic to know how you feel about Sara. Charlie didn’t either. I’m sure Sara was surprised, but she does love you too, Hawk.”

  Hawk’s eyes filled with tears. “It’s not Sara exactly— I mean, I do love her, but I don’t want her, well I do, but... What I’m trying to say is I envy Charlie. I want what he has. Sara is amazing in so many ways, I want that too. I want a beautiful, kind, smart girl to love me like that.”

  Marcus laughed a bitter laugh. “We all want that.”

  Liz cleared her throat. “To get that you have to love like that in return. It isn’t a one-way street. It’s a gigantic risk to put yourself out there like that— to love with all your heart and soul.”

  Hawk frowned thoughtfully. Oz placed a hand on each of theirs and magic arced through them. Marcus rose, punched Oz lightly on the arm, and headed to Lee.

  Charlie woke before Sara. Liz gave him the IV, which he used on her. He stole her heal and used that as well. “I feel like I got hit by a bus.” He groaned as he tried to stretch out.

  Liz stood behind him and massaged his shoulders. “Hours of lightning, not a bus. Did you learn anything?”

  “That Sara is the stubbornest person on Earth.” He groaned again as he stretched his neck to the side. “I only caught snatches of what they were talking about, well talking is an overstatement. Feeling— yes, what they were feeling about.” He sat beside Hawk and put his arm around his shoulders. His magic went to Hawk in little sparks like static electricity. “Could you do me a favor and sit with Sara a while? I don’t want her to wake alone.”

  Hawk nodded and headed to Sara. Charlie stretched his legs out toward the fire. “I wish I could help him more,” he said softly to Liz.

  “It’s a hard age.” She sighed unhappily. “I’m not sure that’s wise.” She nodded toward the tent where Hawk was with Sara.

  “His magic is lonely, and hers will comfort him best. It’s the best I can do for my friend.” Charlie stared sadly after Hawk. “He’s so lonely and Sara is afraid. Her magic will be comforted too.”

  “Did it work? What she was trying to do?” Liz handed him a sandwich and a soda.

  “I’m not sure how well. I guess time will tell. She did get it to understand that she doesn’t want Mike, but it still does. It wants contact with all of them. The magic doesn’t like to be separated.” Charlie drew his knees up and rested his head on them. “This is just the beginning, Liz. It wants the entire raid. It’s willing to wait for now. Sara convinced it that it hurts her to make them, and it doesn’t like pain. Her mental pain when it tries to get what it wants confuses it. I think it thinks Sara and it are one, it doesn’t understand they have different needs and wants. It wants what she wants and doesn’t understand why she doesn’t want what it wants.”

  “It won’t just take us?” Liz asked worriedly. She’d always known it was a possibility, of course, but the thought of it made her palms sweat. She had no desire whatsoever to be invaded by an alien.

  Charlie sat up straighter and shrugged. “I don’t think so. I think we’ll have warning, but I can’t guarantee it. We need to drop everyone who doesn’t want to be changed.” He took a
deep breath. “Then we need to recruit to fill the spaces. It thinks to be complete it needs thirty. I’m sure we did that by forming the raid when we did. I don’t know if she can change its perception.”

  “Did you try to communicate with it?”

  “We all did. Only Sara can. Well, we all can, but she can do it much clearer. Brenda can understand it better than me but not as well as Sara. They both have spells to manipulate magic and understanding languages is a passive ability for both of them.” Charlie shrugged again. “I’m just guessing, maybe it just likes her more or fears her more. She can hurt it and it knows that.”

  Liz waited a few minutes while Charlie ate. “We saw it didn’t particularly like Rick or Marcus, but what about Mike? I’m sorry, Charlie, I’m not trying to butt into your personal life, but I need to know what to expect— what to do for all of you.”

  Charlie laughed bitterly. “It does like Mike. If she wasn’t as weak as she was it might leave him alone. I’d be enough.” He sighed in frustration. “Not me, my magic would be enough company for hers. It isn’t right now; it wants contact with the others. Her magic is desperate right now. It wants to be whole, to be complete. Her fear terrifies it, and it seeks protection. Maybe if it was whole it wouldn’t be so afraid…. I feel the magic’s need even with her asleep. Hawk is helping. Mike will help more. I’ll ask him to go hold her hand awhile. I hate that. I’m trying not to, but I do.” He turned away from Liz and they were both quiet again.

  Finally, Liz said, “If Hawk helps her, have the others go and give her magic briefly as well. Let it know they’re close and will help. Don’t let it depend on just you and Mike.”

  Charlie nodded, but he didn’t speak or turn to face her. “Make sure Major Nelson doesn’t send them out on any missions, please. Not until we have this better figured out.” He rose and headed back to Sara.

  He stopped in front of the tent Mike and Brenda were sharing and asked them to come see her for a few minutes. Liz saw him pause before entering his own tent; he squared his shoulders and went in like it was hard to do.

  Liz watched in concern. He’d always gone eagerly to her before. There was so much going on with them she could only guess at what was troubling him about returning to her. Brenda and Mike came out together and entered Charlie’s tent and it occurred to Liz he’d known exactly where they were without anyone saying a thing. She made a mental note to research that.

  * * *

  Everyone stayed on the mountainside for three days. Sara was quiet and subdued when she woke and extremely weak.

  Liz wanted her in the lab where she could be fed intravenously and monitored better, but the thought of leaving the mountain scared the magic. Sara’s face got tight and pinched when asked if she could leave. Not her fear, the magic’s. It took another day to convince it.

  All the Scouts who had magic took turns sitting with her. They were all able to touch her and Charlie now without pain. Sara spent two hours with Liz convincing the magic that Liz could touch her too. The effort exhausted her, and she slept for six hours afterward.

  “It’s a good idea to teach it that others can touch you guys, but not right now,” Liz said to Charlie as she checked Sara again. She sat back on her heels and looked at him squarely. “I hesitate to say this because I know you’ll worry, but I think you should be worried. This...” She gestured to Sara sleeping. “This is bad. She’s getting worse. She needs food and sunlight. I need to get her to the lab. Harrison went for supplies for me. I’ll help her as much as I can but, Charlie, don’t let her do anything else magically. It’s taking too much out of her. I know you all want to communicate better with it, and you’re worried this might be the only chance you have before it makes connections you don’t want, but if you keep trying, she’ll die. The magic has no real concept of physical limits and she has no reserves. It’s damaging her muscles using her like it is. A human body can’t supply the energy it’s using and if her m-nerves are damaged beyond repair…” Liz stood and hugged Charlie. “I know you both aren’t happy yet about how it wants the others, but please let it go for now. There’s no reason to think you can’t talk to it later when she’s stronger.”

  “She won’t want to stop. God, you have no idea how stubborn she is…” He heaved a heavy sigh and rubbed his forehead. “But she will for me. I’ll tell her what you said. She doesn’t want to die. She’ll be reasonable,” he said it firmly, but he looked very worried.

  - 7 -

  World changer

  Charlie relaxed when they returned to the lab and Liz had her hooked up to all her equipment and was nodding happily. Liz’s relief eased some of the stiffness in his shoulders.

  Sara was sleeping again. The effort of traveling had exhausted her. Liz had sun lamps on her and was feeding her intravenously. The room they were in was warm enough to make him sweat; Sara’s body temperature was very low.

  “When she wakes, give her the orange juice or Oz’s conjured water, whichever she prefers,” Liz said to the Scouts gathered around her door.

  Every magic wielder had crammed into the room.

  “One of you stay in here at all times, never let her wake alone.”

  Charlie said, “She’ll be embarrassed needing to pacify the magic like this, so let’s make it easier by acting as normal about it as we can. Ask about work or for help on your personal projects or just watch TV with her or something.”

  They all nodded, and he hid his grimace. She’d know if they were worried and embarrassed or annoyed to be with her, but it was the best he could do.

  * * *

  Charlie stayed with her as much as he could between classes and Liz had wrangled him permission to stay with her at night. The others all came every day. Their magic swirled around everyone; it would settle on Sara then return to its host. She’d usually wake for that. Sometimes she reached for the person to touch their hands, sometimes she just smiled and went back to sleep. She slept almost twenty hours a day.

  He wasn’t certain if his presence was helping her, but it was surely helping him to be with her. Leaving her side made him twitchy and uncomfortable. He and his magic were in perfect accord that he should be guarding her while she was injured. Not that he thought there was a thing he could do to help, and he believed Liz when she said Sara was recovering, but it felt as if he left part of his soul behind when he left her side.

  He needed her well. He needed her.

  Paul and Amy came daily to the lab and asked about her.

  Charlie met with them in Sara’s classroom. “She sleeps almost all the time still. As soon as she’s awake more, I’m sure she’d like to see you both. Our security is sure it wasn’t a deliberate attack. He’s singing like a bird now. I guess he decided to embrace his celebrity status. He’s sure to be in prison a very long time.”

  Speaking of the bartender made him angry and he was sure they could see it in his face, which had heated in what he was certain in a red flush.

  Paul was angry too, or maybe embarrassed. His face was flushed with anger too and he was scowling.

  Paul said, “It’s too good for him. All those women, not to mention almost killing Sara.”

  “Thank god you stopped him, Paul.” Amy glanced at Paul with shining eyes.

  “Sara said the same thing. She thinks you’re a hero. I have to agree.” Charlie grinned at his friend. His anger was fading with the show of solidarity.

  “No, just lucky I was close,” Paul demurred.

  Amy said, “It wasn’t lucky, it was brave. You didn’t know if he was armed or what he intended. He might have attacked you too. You are a hero.” Amy went to hug him, glanced down at her uniform, and stepped back. Blushing, she shrugged and touched his hand with her fingertips for a moment before turning to Charlie. “Give Sara my love. Tell her I’ve been working on all the changes we wanted to make and they’ll all be ready.” She squeezed Charlie’s shoulder, smiled at Paul, and hurried from the room.

  Paul stared after her wit
h a small smile on his face.

  Charlie laughed at his expression.

  “What?” Paul said in feigned innocence, “I was thinking I could use her for some of my game designs.”

  Charlie chortled. “I’m sure you have designs for her, but if you poach my w—,” he quickly changed the word wife to Sara, “Sara’s design artist, I’ll never hear the end of it.”

  He couldn’t wait to be able to call her his wife in public. He felt Sara’s response to his love and knew she’d woken. “I have to go, Paul. Thanks for everything. Not just for saving her life, for being such a good friend.” He hugged him quickly, despite the uniform, and ran back to Sara.

  By Sunday Sara was doing better, able to stay awake for longer periods. She was still too weak to stand, but managed sitting on her own as long as she didn’t try to move too much. Charlie was beyond relieved that she was getting better.

  “This will take a while, Charlie.” Liz sat on the corner of her desk and opened a flatscreen. “She’ll need therapy to recover muscle tone. It’s nothing we can’t handle, but you should be prepared. I expect her to make rapid progress over the next week now that she can feed herself, then it will appear that the progress has stopped, it hasn’t, it just takes time to build back up. So don’t worry if she still isn’t walking in a week. I’m positive I can help her regain everything she’s lost. Medically, she’s perfectly fine, there’s no damage to her muscles. They’re just very shrunken.” Liz pointed to the flatscreen hovering by them. “Do you want the medical details of what happened to her?”

  “Not now, maybe someday.” He hugged Liz. “Thanks, Liz, I’m so thankful we met you.”

  Liz kissed his cheek. “I’m thankful I met you too. I love Sara like a daughter. You’re both my family. We’ll take good care of her, and she’ll be good as new.”

  Charlie nodded gratefully and returned to his wife’s bedside. He found her video chatting Amy and they were both laughing. She grinned at him, letting her magic free to dart about the room. Oz’s program would edit it out and it was cooperating, instantly returning to her without demure when she wished. He kissed her, then sat beside her and talked with Amy too, wishing they’d given in to the magic earlier it was so much happier now that it was mingling with the other magic.