Spellcrafter-Delta

by Christopher Kirkland

  “I don’t know about that name,” she said honestly.

  “How about Penn?” he tried, considering that she didn’t like the last nickname.

  “I’m fine with that one,” she agreed with a slight smile.

  They arrived at Megan’s house. It was white and green. It wasn’t too particularly big, but it was large enough for her and now Ian. It wasn’t too particularly far from the dorm, but it also wasn’t too close. Penny took him up to the door and knocked. After a moment Megan answered.

  Megan was wearing her white outfit from when he had first met her, and she had her hair in a ponytail. Ian could be seen behind her, asleep on the sofa. He must have fallen asleep on their way to Megan’s house. He was wearing a white shirt, black jacket, jeans, and black shoes.

  “He’s asleep?” Penny asked, astounded. “Now?”

  “Uh-huh,” Megan muttered. “After I told him you were coming.”

  “What’s he tired from?” Chris asked her, trying to look past her.

  “He offered to help clean up the city, and immediately regretted it. They have nearly finished, but he’s acting like he did all the work…” Megan sounded unimpressed.

  “Ian is pretty strong, maybe it was hard after all,” Chris said in defense of Ian. “Cut him some slack.”

  Megan stepped aside and let them enter. She closed the door behind them and locked it. Penny wheeled Chris over to the dining room table near Ian and headed into the kitchen with Megan.

  “I’ll be back,” Penny told Chris. “I need to talk to Megan,” and with that both Megan and Penny proceeded into the kitchen.

  Megan’s living room was quite nice. It had a brown rug with multiple shapes for design, a see-through coffee table, three windows that were facing each other, two ceramic lamps facing each other on either side of the room, and three sofas (Ian hogged one of them.) He wheeled himself closer to Ian and tried to wake him. Ian sat up and groaned. He glanced around the room before locking eyes with Chris.

  “Oh my god! Chris!” Ian stopped mid-sentence. “You’re in a chair…” he stared at Chris, looking him up and down. “Was it that bad?”

  “No, I’m okay. It’s just in case I need it,” Chris assured.

  “Can you stand?”

  “With enough effort, it just feels weird,” he replied, placing his hand on his forehead.

  “On the bright side you get more time with Penny, right?” Ian burst into laughter, slapping his leg.

  “So?” Chris began to blush and his voice went higher.

  “It’s obvious.”

  “It’s not that obvious--”

  “Megan and I were talking about it. Don’t worry your secret's safe with me...For now.”

  “For now?” Chris echoed, raising his eyebrow.

  “I’ll keep it for now, but you need to talk to her or I will,” Ian said, punching his arm. Chris winced and took in a deep breath. “Oh...right sorry.”

  “No... It’s healed, you just hit hard,” Chris answered.

  “I can’t help it, I’m pretty tough,” Ian bragged as he flexed his arms. Megan walked past Ian and slapped him as hard as she could on the arm, leaving a red mark. “Ow!” he yelped.

  “Dumbass,” Megan said as she placed a plate of salad on the coffee table in front of Chris. She also placed one in front of Ian. She had a cup of tea that she was sipping slowly.

  Ian began to complain about the salad. Megan didn’t say anything, she sent him a disapproving glare. He explained that Megan almost never made him have salad, but she told him that he needed to. They began to go back and forth, and Chris merely listened as he began to eat slowly.

  “But why salad?” Ian maintained, muttering under his breath.

  “Because you complained about being tired when you came back,” Megan began. “Then, you fell asleep when I said Chris was coming. So, here’s the thing Ian,” she continued on, casting him a mean glance. “If you had that much trouble, you need to eat healthy,” she pointed a finger at Chris now. “Plus, it’s not fair to Chris if only he has to have salad.”

  “I don’t want salad I need something more...It’s just leaves,” Ian persisted, pushing his plate away slightly. He silenced himself when Megan held up her hand as if to cast a spell at him, holding her tea with her free hand. He grudgingly began to eat.

  Megan smiled, satisfied. She returned her attention to Chris as she placed her teacup on the table. Chris stopped eating for a moment, because he figured she wanted to say something, but she didn’t. Megan raised her hand up to her chin and continued to stare for a moment. He wondered if she was looking into his mental state again.

  “Meg, you’re staring,” Ian yawned, moving his arms behind his head. “You’re freaking him out.”

  “No, it’s just-- I was thinking about something,” Megan said quietly. “Have either of you by any chance noticed how different Penny acts around Chris?” she spoke in a hushed tone, leaning forward to be sure they could both hear her.

  “Yeah, but I figured she was just in a good mood all this time,” Ian replied nonchalantly. “Mr. Chris here obviously is acting different though.

  “Ian, I know Chris likes her. I’m talking about Penny…”

  “Well...She hasn’t acted like she did when I first met her,” Chris told her truthfully, leaning forward and meeting her gaze. “Where is Penny?” Chris asked.

  “She’s handling something for me,” Megan answered. Almost immediately, Penny reentered the room and sat beside Megan. She handed Megan a pink book of some sort and nodded at her.

  “I wrote what you told me to,” Penny informed her.

  “What is it?” Chris asked without thinking.

  Penny jumped slightly, turned a shade of pink, and opened her mouth to speak. Megan answered for her, “Sorry girl stuff!”

  “Ew,” Ian muttered.

  “Grow up,” Megan hissed.

  Chris asked Megan if school had started again. Ian answered for her, telling Chris that ever since the attack, the teachers have been busy helping with repairs. The schools didn’t take much damage, but they still needed fixing, and they might actually expand the schools a little. Penny nodded to confirm the story. Megan eventually decided to change the subject to a more pressing matter…

  “About the hearing…” Megan began. The room went silent upon mention of it. Penny tensed up, but Chris sat up in his seat.

  “I’ll make sure we stay partners,” Chris promised.

  “You’ll need to have your points organized if you want to win,” Megan warned, twisting her finger in her hair.

  “She will, and I’ll back her up.”

  “Chris they’ll mostly want to hear from Penny,” she reminded him, leaning back onto the sofa.

  “I know what I’ll say,” Penny said, interrupting them. “Or...I think I do.”

  “Chris,” Ian whispered. “Let’s go talk in private,” he took Chris’s wheelchair and pushed him outside.

  Chris folded his arms, wondering what Ian could’ve needed. He wasn’t laughing or smiling like usual, he actually had a very serious expression. He closed the door behind them and took a moment before speaking.

  “You know I’m a sorcerer, right?” Ian questioned. “Most people don’t know, but it’s true.”

  “You are?” Chris’s eyes widened, speaking louder than he should have.

  “Yes,” Ian said, speaking quietly, raising his finger to quiet Chris. “It was easier to make sure people didn’t know I was one, because unlike Penny I wasn’t the big man’s child.”

  “Does Megan know?” Chris asked, concern littering his voice.

  “No…”

  “You should tell her,” Chris implored.

  “I can’t. That’s a bad idea.”

  “She seems to get along fine with Penny,” Chris tried. “I’m sure that--”

  “Penny hasn’t done some of the things I have. She would lose it, Chris.”

  “Oh…”

  “Yeah--” guilt riddled Ian’s face, he rubbed
the back of his neck.

  “If you don’t tell her she may get more angry,” Chris urged.

  “Oh yeah, I’ll just be like ‘hey Megan? I helped destroy Japan! Sorry! Oh, but I didn’t kill your parents,’” Ian seemed annoyed now.

  “Sorry. You’re right,” Chris agreed, taking a moment to think. He rubbed his arm. “Maybe just tell her you’re a sorcerer?”

  “No... Look I just needed you to know. Penny knows because we worked together a few times. Meg probably knows I’m a Sorcerer, but if I tell her the rest she may do something dangerous…”

  Chris agreed to keep Ian’s secret. Ian actually made Chris swear not to tell Megan at all. He explained that he planned to tell Megan in time. Chris felt guilty, but he kept it deep down anyway. He couldn’t explain any of this to anyone really. He could always confide in Penny and do his best to help Ian, but Chris felt like he was digging his own grave. However, he didn’t have time to worry about it, he had to prepare for what was to come the next day.

  Chapter 19

  The World of Aurrera

  The morning came, and with it came the day of the hearing. Penny wore a black dress, it didn’t seem too formal or too casual. Her hair was pulled back in a braided ponytail. She had also decided to wear a bit of makeup. Chris tried telling her she didn’t need it, but she applied it anyway. Penny wanted to look her best for this, and it made sense. This was extremely important and would decide both of their fates, so he didn’t argue with her.

  Chris did his best to match Penny, but he had slightly less options than her. He didn’t really wear suits and he had never touched a tux. The only times he wore suits was when he went to church with his parents when he was very little, or to a school dance. He never really bothered much. He found a grey suit in the closet with a black tie. There were also some black dress shoes. He figured it was close enough to what Penny was wearing, and fit the occasion.

  Penny had not stopped moving since they woke up. She was going over what she would say over and over. Practicing aloud, and begging Chris to listen to her. Of course, he would listen, but he was worried about her. His eyes followed her about the room. Once to the bathroom to speak in the mirror and to check herself, then back to him to experiment, and then back to the mirror once again. Repeat. It was tiring him out just watching. He could almost feel how nervous she was just by watching these movements.

  When the headmaster came to their door, he was wearing what he usually did. Alleyne was with him. He wore a blue tweed suit, a blue vest, blue dress pants, and white dress shirt. His tie was black, he wore a tan flat cap with black dress shoes. He was leaning against his cane with both arms, smiling. Alleyne seemed the most calm out of all of them.

  Chris wondered why Alleyne was with Headmaster Brood. He was a teacher and so he couldn’t think of any reason why he would need to go. Then, it occurred to Chris that Alleyne had known a lot about Penny. More than the average person in Terminus did or even some of the other teachers. He had also defended Penny the first time they had met. Perhaps his presence alone would be a good thing, even if it only kept their nerves right.

  The morning was cold and the sun had not yet fully risen to give them light. Colorful leaves littered the ground. Even more were floating in the pond by the dorm. Falls in Terminus was a little colder than on Earth. The sky was clear and slowly getting lighter, transitioning to a blue color. As the four of them walked, the ground crunched and crackled below them. Every step was another crunch.

  Chris asked where Penny’s trial would be held. Alleyne replied that it would be in the Alliance capital. They would need to take a ship to get there. It wasn’t far, at least according to him. Alleyne made it sound like the planets were extremely close, but Chris knew that it would be millions of miles.

  “This whole time I thought this was the capital,” Chris admitted, rubbing his hands together to keep warm.

  “Ah, but that would be impossible. We only have one city on this planet, and so that wouldn’t work,” Headmaster Brood corrected. “This is the Wizard capital. It’s the main magic school for the Alliance, many of our Wizards and mages are here. The capital is the big city. The senate is there, the house of representatives, and a lot of the government.”

  “The whole planet is a city, Brood,” Alleyne chortled.

  “Oh really? I’m amazed.” the headmaster rolled his eyes. “You always did state the obvious.”

  “Only when you’re around,” Alleyne added with an amused look.

  They were heading out to the airfield. When they arrived, there were two pilots waiting. Behind them was a silver plane, with blue wings. One pilot had climbed up into the plane and began checking things. What he was checking, Chris couldn’t tell. The remaining pilot saluted them and then moved their hands behind their back, locking them together. They were wearing a black flight suit with yellow markings. The Alliance symbol resided on their left shoulder; with a yellow sun behind it. That’s new, Chris thought as he noticed the symbol. I guess that means they’re from the capital, He concluded.

  “We are ready to get underway, sir!” the pilot said respectfully. The pilot voice was extremely young, and clearly female. “I ask you to board and prepare for takeoff.”

  “Has the general departed already then?” Brood asked the pilot.

  “He wastes no time,” Alleyne reminded him as he boarded the plane that was to transport them. “Cozy,” Chris heard from inside. “I’m fine with this.”

  “He left some time ago, sir. Maybe an hour earlier. For security reasons we were told to transport you separately. There is an escort in orbit waiting now,” the pilot answered.

  “Very well. Come along you two,” the Headmaster told them as he entered. They followed up. Going up the steps. The ship had a white interior with white and blue seats. There were also pillows in each seat and each seat was facing another. It looked like a private jet. Chris and Penny sat beside each other. Brood and Alleyne sat on the other side of the plane.

  When they finally took off, Chris could feel the ship vibrating lightly. It wasn’t that bad, but it felt extremely weird. Penny was closest to the window, but he could still see that they were leaving the ground, going higher than the city, and into the sky. It took a few minutes for the sky to dim. It got darker and darker until finally they were finally among the stars. Chris asked Penny to scoot back and she did. He wanted to see it, he wanted to see what the astronauts had seen.

  Chris saw the billions and billions of bright shining stars. It was like color on a blank canvas. He could see a few nearby planets, but they were fairly small from this distance. Terminus was behind them. It was almost completely green because of the land, but there were patches of blue. He could barely see the planet, seeing as he had to shift himself to even see a little, but the view was still breathtaking. He never got to see this when he came to Terminus from Earth, because Victoria had teleported them back to her marked location. He sat back in his seat, allowing Penny to relax again.

  “You’re not scared?” Penny questioned. “You were nervous about flying before.”

  “I am. But...that view is amazing,” Chris explained, completely awed. “That window can’t break right?”

  “It’s reinforced,” Penny shrugged as she gently took her hand and tapped on the glass a few times.

  “Don’t do that!” Chris gasped, clasping his hand over his heart.

  Penny smiled and turned toward him, crossing her leg, “You really haven’t been in one of these...my hand can’t break it, dingus,” she began to laugh. “Oh my god your face!”

  Chris pushed her lightly, sat back in his seat, and began to relax. Penny smiled at him for a while before looking out the window. A few planes began to get into formation around them. At first Chris thought they were ships, but they were indeed planes. They must have had some sort of feature that allowed space travel, but considering their size, they probably couldn’t fly too long. Chris had recognized one plane. It belonged to Violet.

  The journey was
not too long. A few hours must have passed by now. Chris wasn’t sure when they would arrive. Penny had begun tapping her hand on her leg and tapping her right foot. She was staring out of the window with a blank expression. Penny had done this a few times in the past few minutes, but he didn’t bother her. He was worried about her, and he had helped before, so he figured he could calm her right now. Chris placed his hand on her shoulder and gently shook her. Penny turned herself toward him.

  “You were tapping again…” he said, expressing his concern.

  Penny lifted her hand and placed it over his, lightly squeezing, “I’m okay. I’m just feeling a little worried. I know they’ll be unfair about this.”

  “We’ll win,” he squeezed her hand back and gave her a look of determination.

  “But Chris, you don’t understand. I’ve done some messed up things in my past...whether it was by choice or not doesn’t matter to them,” she lowered her head. “And because I’m a Sorcerer...a pure blood Sorcerer they’ll do everything they can to stop this. You may be at a disadvantage because of me.”

  “That won’t happen,” Chris declared, shaking his head. “If I have to fight a senator, I will,” he added jokingly.

  Penny giggled a little, “I don’t know, Chris--”

  “I wonder if a senator can fight…” Chris continued on in his attempts to relax her.

  She began to laugh a bit harder at this comment, “You’re crazy…” Penny laid her head on his shoulder and took a deep breath. “Well...Maybe it’ll be okay…”

  “It will be okay,” he promised.

  “Thank you…” she whispered. “It’s weird how you didn’t judge me when we first met.”

  “Nah, I thought you were nice. I didn’t have much time to think on it though,” he reminisced.

  “Why?” she seemed confused, staring up at him.

  “You put me to sleep,” he chuckled. “I woke up in your lap.”

  “About that-- I’m uh…” she began. Chris placed his hand over hers and held it. Penny seemed to instantly know that this was his way of saying ‘it’s okay.’