Pathspace

by Matthew Kennedy

Chapter 55

  Xander “I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker”

  Standing up was the hardest part. Once he had managed that he was past the worst. His chest still ached, but the wound was sealing, and the scab was beginning to flake off. He suspected, despite what Daniels had said, that there was still a little blood gurgling around in the bottom of his lungs, but he would ignore it. He'd learned it was best to let his body carry out its business without interference from his conscious worrying mind.

  Once out of the bed, he reclaimed his trousers, tunic and cloak. His staff was not in the room. Had it been left behind on the roof? He hoped not, rain and sun might split the wood eventually, and he much preferred holding the wood, especially in cold weather or on those disagreeable situations in which he was forced to fly, when the air rushing through the pipe at its core would tend to chill the metal even more than usual.

  Now the trick was to evade his minders. He knew Daniels well enough, and vice versa, that he was certain the doctor had installed guards outside his recovery room. That would be comforting if he were the sort to cry out for assistance.

  Stepping into a corner, he reached out and wove pathspace, wrapping himself in darkness. If he could make them think he'd escaped, they might stop guarding the door.

  Huddled in his silence, he wondered how Lester was doing in Texas. While lying in the infirmary bed, recovering, he'd tormented himself with fears that the apprentice had been shot by soldiers, fallen victim to some foreign plague, or been executed by Church fanatics. The boy had real potential. It would be a terrible loss if he were killed. And then he'd have to start hunting all over again for an apprentice. There was no way he could start the school until he had a helper. Someone had to teach, and someone else had to find students. One person could not do both. Stay alive Lester! No matter what you have to do, stay alive!

  And he himself could not afford to just lie here until Daniels and the Governor were satisfied. No army would free the boy, deep inside Texas territory. His only chance, as Xander saw it, was an incursion by someone who could arrive unseen. There was no one but him who could pull it off.

  The sound of the door opening reached him. He began to edge toward it.

  Then the door closed, and he heard Kristana's voice. “Xander, I know you're still in here. What do I have to do to make you stay put? Do you want me to hide your boots and scatter broken glass on the floor? Stop hiding!”

  Damn! He un-wove the pathspace and light flooded back. She was facing away from him, but he could tell from her stance that she was annoyed. “You wouldn't really do that would you?” he asked. “It would be a nuisance to Daniels and put me at risk for further infection.”

  She turned to face him. Her front was just as annoyed as her back. “I'm worried about Lester too,” she said. “But I'm not about to lose a wizard as well as an apprentice, just because an old fool won't give himself enough time to recover from a near-fatal wounding.”

  “He needs me,” Xander growled.

  “You don't even know if he's still alive,” she said.

  “Well, how am I supposed to find out if I'm trapped in this infirmary?” he demanded.

  She eyed him. “The future of Rado,” she told him. “is more important than a mere apprentice. I'm sorry if that seems cold, but we both know it's true. If you run off while you're still in a weakened condition and get yourself killed, your school is finished before it's even started. You're too valuable to risk like that.”

  “I need him, damn it!” He glared at her. “We need him. I can't have a school without students, and I can't stay here and teach them while I'm out trying to find more.”

  “You can't do either one if you're dead. And you won't have the chance to do either one if Texas invades and conquers us.” She stood there, studying him to see if he was hearing her. “If I have to, I'll station guards inside the room as well as outside it. They'll bring you a chamber pot, and watch you squat and pee into it if that's what it takes to make sure you finish your recovery. Don't make me treat you like a child. Start behaving like an adult, wizard!”

  He sat on the bed and put his head in his hands. “My only apprentice,” he said, “is in a hostile country, run by a man who lets the Church burn wizards at the stake. How can I just sit here and do nothing?”

  She sat down next to him. “You won't be doing nothing,” she told him. “You'll be planning the defense of Rado. I've been getting some very alarming reports from my operatives in the Lone Star Empire. It appears that the Honcho has been making plans to produce massive quantities of fuel and ammo for the Ancient motorized war vehicles he uncovered under Abilene.”

  “If he succeeds in making enough fuel, we're in real trouble.”

  “Yes. So stop worrying about Lester and help me come up with a plan.”