End of the Line

by N. D. Roberts

  Ezekiel laughed. “Really?”

  She nodded. “Really. Jim did his research on traditional construction techniques, and the plaster on the buildings is made from the dirt we shifted when we leveled the land to build on.”

  “What else?” Ezekiel asked, leaning back in his seat and folding his hands behind his head.

  “If you go a couple hundred kilometers outside the city, you can climb a volcano and watch the sun come up. Most of the day, the sky looks like butterscotch pudding, but at dawn, it’s the bluest blue.” Sarah Jennifer pointed out campfire smoke on one of the mountainsides. “There’s someone there.”

  “Can we zoom in?” Ezekiel asked.

  Sarah Jennifer adjusted the viewscreen setting, and they saw a tall black man sitting by the fire.

  “I wonder if he is one of the mind mages?” Ezekiel pondered.

  “Can you sense if he has magic from this far away?” Sarah Jennifer asked.

  Ezekiel closed his eyes and touched the Etheric. “If he has magic, he’s not using it right now.”

  The man looked up as the Pod passed over, his eyes glowing white.

  Ezekiel’s eyes flashed red. “Oh, wait. Yeah, that’s Selah.”

  Selah extinguished his fire with a bucket of earth and set off down the mountain.

  Sarah Jennifer returned the screen to its previous magnification. “Looks like he’s headed for Craigston.”

  “He’s going to gather his people and join us there,” Ezekiel told her. “He wants to meet us.”

  Sarah Jennifer nodded. “Sounds good to me. I hope the rearick are as happy to see us.”

  They landed just outside the trading post at the foot of the mountain. Sarah Jennifer had Piet debark with her, not wanting the rearick to be alarmed by their unexpected arrival. Ezekiel came next, followed by Linda and Adrien, then Caitlin, Mary-Anne, and Kain. Jaxon padded out ahead of Caitlin, his ears pricked and his tail wagging.

  “Most the cooperative leaders are here,” Piet told Sarah Jennifer as an aside as he waved to the group of rearick who had gathered to meet the unexpected arrivals. “Ember, Tolliver, Ariel, Frederika, meet Major Sarah Jennifer Walton of the Defense Force, Ezekiel, and Chancellor Linda Schneider, the founders of Arcadia. This fella here is Adrien, the chancellor’s husband-to-be, and these good people are Mary-Anne, Caitlin, and Kain.”

  “Pleasure to meet you all,” Ember greeted, offering each of them his hand. “Welcome to Craigston.”

  “The pleasure is all mine,” Linda answered when it was her turn. “I hope this is the first of many meetings and the beginning of a prosperous alliance between our two peoples.”

  “Let’s go to the guildhall and show them some rearick hospitality while we hammer out a trade deal,” Piet suggested.

  “Excellent idea.” Ariel smiled as she spoke. “Please, come this way.”

  They made their way up the winding mountain road into the town proper, where the market square was bustling with rearick going about their daily business.

  Many of the people they saw were miners coming from their shifts.

  “We’re a mining people,” Ember explained, seeing Caitlin’s curious stare. “Going back generations, we’ve been carving out precious metals and gems from the Heights.”

  “Piet certainly surprised us with the amphoralds,” Adrien commented.

  Caitlin’s gaze wandered over the crowd. “You mind if I go explore?” she asked. “You don’t need me for the trade talk.”

  “Go ahead,” Ember invited. “Visitors are welcome here. Make sure you stop in at Rachel’s Bakery. Her pastries are to die for.”

  Caitlin grinned. “Sure, wouldn’t miss it for the world. Coming, guys?” she asked Mary-Anne and Kain.

  “You had me at ‘bakery,’” Mary-Anne enthused. “I haven’t tasted stollen for over a century.”

  “I’m gonna stay and listen in on the talks,” Kain told them. “Have fun, ladies. Try not to buy the whole store.”

  Ezekiel had other things on his mind. “I’m expecting to meet a man called Selah,” he told Ember.

  The rearick smiled. “The mystic?” He tapped his temple. “Strange gifts that man has. Don’t worry. He’ll find you.”

  That proved to be true. When they reached the guildhall, Selah was waiting on the steps with another man and a woman he introduced as Artemis and Margit.

  Ezekiel remained with the mystics while the rest went inside the hall.

  Sarah Jennifer fell back, leaving Linda to take the lead on the diplomatic discussion as they left the long corridor and entered the main meeting hall. She politely declined the offer to join the leaders at the table. “My role here is limited to providing transport for Linda and making sure she’s safe.”

  Kain followed Sarah Jennifer’s lead, taking a position at the door.

  Tolliver and Ariel left to get refreshments while Linda and Adrien began the negotiations. For once Adrien didn’t talk over her, and her effervescent personality soon put the rearick cooperatives’ leaders at ease.

  “She’s a natural at this,” Kain whispered to Sarah Jennifer.

  “She was raised for the role,” Sarah Jennifer told him in a quiet voice. “Her father was the chancellor of Bad Salzig until he was killed by a Mad. Linda took over before her eighteenth birthday.”

  Kain’s forehead creased in sympathy. “Shit, that had to have been hard on her. Is that why she’s so set on Adrien?”

  Sarah Jennifer exchanged wry glances with him. “You don’t like him either, huh?”

  “Does anyone?” Kain replied in the same low voice. “I’m sure he means well, but, damn, the man is abrasive at times.”

  Sarah Jennifer had pondered the Adrien problem. Not that she considered him a problem despite not liking him very much. “Not everyone is pleasant to get along with. Linda is. She’s not naïve, but she’s quick to trust. Adrien’s pessimism will balance that out, I hope. Ezekiel is not the kind to settle. I expect he’ll be in and out of Arcadia over the years, but he has his own goals. Adrien will protect Linda. As abrasive as he is, he loves her.”

  Kain nodded. “Fair enough.”

  Ezekiel came in a couple of hours into the talks. He waved at Sarah Jennifer, indicating he wanted to speak to her privately.

  She excused herself and left Kain to watch over Linda and Adrien. “What’s up?” she asked Ezekiel.

  “Selah and the others have agreed to come to Arcadia,” he told her. “But first, I’m going to visit their home. It’s a few hours’ walk from the town.”

  Sarah Jennifer nodded. “I don’t see us being done here anytime soon. See if you can find Caitlin and Mary-Anne. I don’t like the idea of you wandering alone in the mountains with magic users we don’t know.”

  “Selah is cool,” Ezekiel assured her, “But I was going to go find them anyway. The mystics told me there were nomads in the area.”

  Sarah Jennifer frowned. “What kind of nomads?”

  “Not the good kind,” Ezekiel answered with a look of concern. “They call them the remnant here. A blood leech is a blood leech, as far as I’m concerned. I’ll be careful.”

  Sarah Jennifer put her hand on his shoulder. “See that you are. Otherwise, have fun with your new friends. You’re going to need allies if you’re planning to wander the continent looking for more magic users.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The trade talk was done by sunset, and the group reconvened in the tavern, where rooms had been laid on for the group. Ezekiel returned with Caitlin, Mary-Anne, Selah, and Margit just as Yelena, the tavern owner, was wheeling out a whole roast hog complete with a roasted apple in its mouth.

  The mystics were well-received by the tavern owner, as was the barrel of their special recipe liquor they rolled in with them.

  “Ye’re a good’un, Selah,” Yelena announced. “One of these days, you’re gonna hafta tell me how ye brew somethin’ so strong that doesn’t addle the brains of the drinker.”

  Selah tapped the side of his nose and wi
nked. “If I did that, what would we have to trade besides our stories?”

  The rearick drinking in the tavern called for one of Selah’s stories, and the mystic obliged after Yelena handed him a huge tankard of his own beverage. The tankard looked small in the huge man’s hand. He took a deep draught, and his eyes turned white. “Ezekiel, you want to go first? I was impressed with your progress today.”

  Ezekiel turned bright red. “I don’t know if I can create anything as clearly as you.”

  Yelena slid a tankard Ezekiel’s way. “Have at it, young’un. Worst ya can do is fuck it up.”

  Ezekiel got to his feet, looking nervous. “Okay, then.”

  His eyes glowed red, and everyone in the room was transported into his vision as he cast the mind magic. “I want to show you the future. A future where everyone has magic, and everyone lives in peace and harmony.”

  Sarah Jennifer gasped when she saw Arcadia, but not as it was now. The city stretched far beyond the valley, the endless spires and towers competing to touch the heavens. This was unlike Esme’s version of mind magic, which created an external vision. She was there, walking the streets, surrounded by people laughing and enjoying life.

  “There will be no more war,” Ezekiel continued. “No more scarcity. Whatever we need, we will be able to create it for ourselves.”

  The vision shifted, panning out to show them a group of people with glowing eyes and hands raising a house by the power of will.

  “No one will go hungry.”

  More people, these dressed like the druids, tending fields lush with crops.

  “Everyone will be taught how to use their magic.”

  Children gathered around an adult who was showing them how to manifest their abilities.

  Sarah Jennifer choked out a sob when she saw the teacher looked just like Esme, breaking Ezekiel’s concentration. The vision vanished, and everyone in the room applauded.

  Ezekiel sat down abruptly. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and turned to look at her. “Sorry.”

  Sarah Jennifer shook her head. “Don’t ever apologize for loving her. That was beautiful, Ezekiel.”

  Selah clapped Ezekiel on the shoulder. “Nice work. You might have a future as a mystic if you ever want to settle down.” He turned his attention to Sarah Jennifer. “Your memories honor your friend.”

  Sarah Jennifer gave him a pointed look, resurrecting the barriers in her mind. “The downside of mental magic is, people with the ability can’t resist the urge to root through your head.”

  Selah smiled ruefully, lifting his tankard. “Not something we mystics can help, I’m afraid. Why do you think we drink so much?”

  “Your turn, Selah.” Ezekiel pressed a hand to his head. “And I’d like another drink, myself.”

  The mystic grinned. “As you wish, my friend.”

  The night ended with Selah and Margit agreeing to accompany them back to Arcadia. Sarah Jennifer, Ezekiel, Linda, and Caitlin made arrangements to visit the mystics’ mountain home the next day while Selah and Margit picked up their belongings for the trip.

  Thanks to the mystics’ brewing capabilities, the group set out from Craigston the next morning with clear heads and made their way to the pre-WWDE monastery where Selah and his people lived.

  Linda made a face when they reached the narrow mountain path that led to the monastery. “This won’t do at all,” she stated, her eyes glowing as she held out her hand.

  She took the lead, reshaping the rock ahead of her into sturdy steps.

  Selah marveled at the ease of the long climb as they followed Linda. “We need a rock mage here full-time, I think.”

  “Why?” Linda inquired, looking at the mystic.

  “We have been slowly rebuilding the monastery over the last few years.” Selah paused and rested his hands on his knees. “We needed a home out of the way of everyone else. It’s extremely tiring being around people who don’t guard their thoughts since we aren’t able to switch that part of our magic off.”

  “Truth,” Margit agreed.

  “We can help with that,” Ezekiel offered.

  Selah grinned at Margit. “Perhaps our dream of seeing the temple built within our lifetimes is not so ambitious after all.”

  “Tell us about this temple,” Sarah Jennifer asked. “Better yet, why don’t you show us?”

  “If we go just a little bit farther, we’ll be able to see the building,” Selah told her. They rounded a bend, and the crumbling ruins came into sight above them on the mountainside. Selah waved at a group of flat boulders on the inside of the path. “Here’s as good a place as any for a rest. There’s very little cloud cover today.”

  “Don’t mind if I do,” Caitlin enthused, plonking herself down on one of the handy rocks. She took a long drink from her water bottle. “It’s a hell of a hike up here!”

  Margit took a seat next to her. “We’re only halfway there.”

  Caitlin shrugged. “I didn’t say it wasn’t a nice hike. The view up here is amazing.”

  “It’s beautiful,” Mary-Anne agreed.

  “It will be even better once we have the temple looking just the way we want it,” Selah told them, his eyes turning white.

  The ruins in the distance transformed before their eyes as he released his magic, weaving his vision for the rest of the group to see. The rough stonework was replaced by smooth painted plaster, and trees appeared to shade the open grounds. The simple square building had been expanded and enclosed in high walls over which a number of towers could be seen.

  “Of course,” Selah continued, “Now that there is so much magic in the world, there’s no reason we can’t make this a haven for all mystics.”

  Sarah Jennifer blinked as the vision dissipated. “You’re going to stay up here all the time?”

  Margit laughed. “No. We like to get out into the world every now and then. It’s a good thing, too. Otherwise, the rearick would have nowhere to spend all that gold you’re giving them for their amphoralds.”

  “Ember explained about the lack of farming in the Heights,” Linda commented. “I was surprised to hear anyone still values gold as currency. We’re more used to barter.”

  “Get used to hard currency again,” Selah advised. “Many of the communities west and north use gold and silver as currency.”

  Linda nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind as we expand trade for Arcadia. I suppose we have to go back to the old ways if that’s what everyone else is basing their economies on.”

  “Barter came before hard currency pre-WWDE,” Sarah Jennifer countered as they crested the last incline before the monastery. Selah and Margit went ahead, leaving them to wait in the empty courtyard. “I suppose it was only a matter of time before local economies evolved this way. Having said that, I expect trade will close in after a few decades of the Defense Force being gone and transport between continents being limited to shipping routes.”

  “What do you mean?” Caitlin asked.

  Sarah Jennifer considered her answer before replying. “Everyone has either goods or services to offer, right? Well, when creating an economy that works for everyone, there has to be a standard currency that can’t be affected by the availability of those goods or services dropping off. Neither can it be based on the most valuable thing like, say, cocoa.”

  “Cocoa is pretty valuable,” Caitlin agreed. “Why can’t it be a currency?”

  “How much wheat, or fish, or the manual labor it takes to produce those items is a pound of cocoa worth?” Sarah Jennifer asked. “How much cocoa can each nation produce? What happens if the cocoa crop fails? Gold is plentiful, but it’s not the most useful product.”

  She held a finger up as Caitlin made to argue. “Unless the world returns to an age of electronics, which is highly unlikely. Yet, people value it, along with other precious metals. Linda, you need to get together with other leaders in the area to discuss setting a standard for gold, silver, copper, and to ensure amphoralds remain off the table except as a commodity.”
>
  Linda nodded. “Adrien said the same thing. He thinks everyone will come to rely on amphoralds for power, and if they do, the rearick will overtake the whole world with their wealth. He says no one group should hold that much power.”

  Sarah Jennifer hated to admit it, but… “Can’t say I disagree with him, as friendly as the rearick are. Wealth can do funny things to people. Once they start accumulating it, they realize that they have to keep on accumulating it. The next thing you know, there’s a blossoming dictatorship.”

  “Blossoming like a canker,” Caitlin grumbled. “I’ve seen it happen.”

  “We all have,” Sarah Jennifer told her.

  Linda’s eyes returned to their usual blue as she released her magic. “It makes sense to keep barter for day-to-day transactions with our own people, but I agree with everyone else when it comes to trading with outside communities. Drunk me knew that when I went searching for the gold we brought with us.”

  She spied a half-built wall across the courtyard. “There’s something we can do while we wait,” she told Ezekiel.

  Ezekiel grinned. “No time like the present to get started.”

  They wandered off, leaving Sarah Jennifer, Caitlin, and Mary-Anne to continue the discussion.

  Sarah Jennifer sensed Caitlin was holding back something. “Penny for your thoughts?”

  Caitlin raised an eyebrow. “A what now?”

  “What’s on your mind?” Sarah Jennifer clarified.

  Caitlin’s shoulders dropped. “Oh. That. I guess I’m thinking about what life’s going to be like without Kain when you take him away.”

  Sarah Jennifer could have bitten at the loaded statement. However, she was experienced enough to know it came from a place of sadness on the much younger woman’s part. “You’re set on going back to Canada, huh?”

  Caitlin nodded. “My brother is there. I miss Silver Creek. Can’t imagine what everyone there is doing now that there’s no Madness to scare the shit out of them. Might even be a girl could hunt and fish and just…I don’t know, commune with the land the way a human being ought to, you know?”