by Alex C Vick
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2019 by Alex C Vick
Cover design by Aero Gallerie aerogallerie.com
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
First eBook Printing, 2019
To Alexandra, thank you so much for all the support (and gifs!)
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Prologue
1Where To?
1.1Ammartus, One Week Ago
2White Lies
2.1Ammartus, One Hour Ago
3Meeting And Retreating
3.1Ammartus, That Evening
4Mage-Sickness
4.1Ammartus, The Next Morning
5Entering The City
5.1Ammartus, The Next Day
6Sponsorship
6.1Ammartus, Half An Hour Ago
7Making A Decision
7.1Adelle, The Night Before
8Telling The Truth
8.1Adelle, That Morning
9Eight Criteria
9.1Adelle, That Evening
10A Touch Of Magic
10.1Gentus, That Evening
11A Story And A Spark
12Impossible Magic
12.1Vidian, That Evening
13A Family Visit
13.1Ammartus, The Night Before
14Truth And Lies
15A Plan
15.1Vidian, That Morning
16The Proceduren
17The Gallium Dagger
18The Ricards
19A Change Of Plan
19.1Adelle, That Evening
20A Theory
20.1Vidian, That Evening
21Welcome To Terra
21.1 Gentus, That Evening
22A Discovery
23Making A Choice
24The Whole Truth
25Too Close To Call
26A Different Future
Prologue: Ammartus, Three Months Ago
She was buried today. Yet still I am not excused from writing my journal. I don't know how I feel. Father says the tears will come when I least expect them. I think he's wrong. All of my emotions are twisted together. There's a rock inside my chest. Rocks don't cry.
I have no place in the city now. Without a partner I cannot be a magician, and I'll be seventeen next year. There's no time to make a new match. Especially not for me. Mother says a role will be found. Apparently, I'm still their son. I'd prefer their anger to this. This pity. All their hopes are centred on my brother Darix now.
Darix. Time was we were equals. But he couldn't wait to return to his new wife after the funeral. Like my misfortune might be catching. I cannot wish him ill. As a cotidian, my life will one day depend on his protection.
Why did this happen?
1 Where To?
"You're only sixteen," said Galen, folding his arms.
My temper rose, and I glared at my brother. "I know how old I am, thank you. And what were you doing two years ago?"
He had the grace to look a little embarrassed.
"That was different," he argued.
"Right. You were worse."
He sat back on his heels. "What? I was not."
"It would be easier to list the rules you didn't break," I said.
Galen's mouth opened and closed a couple of times. "Well… you helped me break several of them."
I hid a smile. "So we can agree that my judgment is no worse or better than yours, Brother."
"That's not…" He trailed off. "You're twisting my words."
"Gale, don't be mad. You know I love you. But try to see things from my side."
I turned my head toward the ocean. Impossibly blue, it glittered where the sunlight touched it, meeting the distant horizon in a perfectly straight line. We were sitting on the island's largest beach, and the sand was soft between my toes. The forest inland was vibrant with colour and living magic. It was beautiful. But it wasn't enough.
"Terra—Earth—has surrendered its magic according to the terms of a treaty with Androva you set in motion," I went on. "The three of us are the only magicians left on Terra now. How can I make a life for myself somewhere I have to hide my magic?"
"You don't have to hide it from me or Claudia," he said, picking up a handful of sand and allowing the grains to slide through his fingers.
Anyone looking at the two of us side by side could guess we were siblings. We both had dark-blue eyes and black hair, although Galen's recent ordeal meant he had a few silver strands. We also had wide mouths and determined jawlines. Despite my long curls, I had never been a girly girl. Not in appearance or demeanour.
"Be reasonable," I said. "I can't live on an island with you and your wife indefinitely."
"Then go back to Androva," he said.
I raised my eyebrows. "To what? Our home is gone. Everyone we ever knew on Androva is dead. If I returned, I'd have to endorse the lie about what happened there. And I can't."
I shook my head. "It has to be somewhere new."
Galen gave me a pleading look. "I could stop you," he said. "Or I could make you forget."
He could. His magical ability was unprecedented. I was a decent magician, but I wasn't in my brother's league.
"I know you could," I said. "I hope you won't."
"What if I refuse to give you coordinates for the other worlds?"
A shadow darkened the sand between us. "You won't refuse." We both looked up at the sound of Claudia's voice. Her dark eyes were sympathetic.
"Won't I?" asked Galen.
"No," she said gently, sinking to her knees and putting an arm around him. He leaned into her for a few seconds, relaxing. Their relationship made me happy at the same time as it made me ache inside for what I didn't have. My brother was lucky.
"You're a good person," Claudia went on. "And we owe Serena. She helped us save your world and mine. She deserves to live her life as she chooses."
I stood up, brushing the sand from my knees. "I'm going exploring," I said. "That's all. I want to make some new memories."
I would always regret the people we'd lost. But I couldn't bring them back. And living under Galen's protection would drive us both crazy.
Galen got to his feet, pulling Claudia by the hand to join him. His expression softened. "I suppose I can't blame you for that," he said.
"It'll be fine," I said. "You'll see."
I kissed him on the cheek. "I'm going for a swim before dinner."
I loved the ocean. I swam using my force field, projecting it to the ends of my fingers and toes until I felt as if I were made from magic. It was like using Solo Transference, the airborne movement spell, but underwater.
By the time I returned to the beach the sun was painting the sky with streaks of fiery colour. I stood in the shallows, watching as the orange circle dipped low enough to touch the water. I felt a new appreciation for the sunset knowing I wouldn't be stuck watching it every night for the rest of my life.
"Go easy on him," came Claudia's voice from behind me.
I projected an Extraction Spell to remove the water from my hair. Inevitably, my curls turned into a fluffy mess. I sighed.
"He's the one who changed his mind about me going."
"He's had time to imagine the worst, that's all," she said.
My stomach twisted with a mixture of guilt and exasperation. Once upon a time, I'd been the dutiful daughter while Ga
len was blazing a trail at the Foundation for Research on Androva, opening portals to new worlds and turning traditional magic on its head. I hadn't resented it. I'd been proud of my brother. I still am. Back then, I was matched to a nice boy, and I would have told anyone who asked me that I was content. But now… now I could be someone else. And I wanted to find out who she was.
"I know how you feel," said Claudia. "I used to gaze at the stars and want to escape so badly I thought my heart would break from it."
My cheeks heated. "You were a Roman slave," I said in a small voice. "I wouldn't presume to compare my circumstances to yours."
She shook her head. "I didn't mean to embarrass you. I only ask that you spare your brother a backward glance when you step through that portal."
"Of course I will."
Claudia gave me a hug. "Come on. Galen's been cooking."
I was hungry after my swim, and for a while we ate in companionable silence. Then Galen pushed his bowl to one side and leaned forward. He clasped his hands together, and a small furrow of concentration appeared between his eyebrows. He looks just like Father.
"Before you choose your destination, I want you to understand the mechanics, Serena," he began. "The more escape routes you know how to find, the better."
"OK." I hesitated. "This isn't a delaying tactic, is it? You're not going to make me learn a hundred coordinates or something?"
"No. I've been thinking, and… well…" He gave Claudia a sideways look. "In my desire to keep you safe, I may have lost some perspective."
Claudia coughed.
"And I owe you an apology," he added quickly.
Completely wrong-footed, it took me a few seconds to respond. "I… I'm sorry too."
Galen shuffled along the bench until he was able to wrap one arm around me. I nudged his ribs with my elbow. "You're not so bad," I said. "I will miss you."
He hugged me a little tighter. "That's sweet, but you won't get the chance to miss me. I'll be shadowing you using an Anonymity Spell for a year at least."
My eyes widened. He wouldn't. Would he? There was a short silence. His mouth twitched. Claudia giggled, and Galen broke into a mischievous grin.
"I take it back. I won't miss you," I said, lifting my hands and projecting a Movement Spell to knock him sideways off the bench and onto the forest floor. He rolled onto his back.
"Your face, Serena. You… actually… believed me," he said between gasps of laughter.
My irritation subsided. It occurred to me he didn't laugh very often. Like this, he looked like the boy I remembered from our childhood.
"Huh. Lucky for you I'm feeling generous," I muttered. "Anyone else and I'd have followed up with a Combat Spell."
"I know," he said. "I guess I can trust you to take care of yourself, can't I?"
"Yes."
He pushed his hands against the ground, and with a flare of magical energy, he was back in his seat. "Let's return to the mechanics. You can find your way around Androva and Terra, obviously."
"Yes. I know the coordinates for primary locations by heart, and I can use a spell to plot the rest."
"Exactly," he agreed. "And it's not so different for the other worlds. Once you know how."
I frowned. "But you can't plot your destination without first knowing where it is."
"You could extrapolate," he suggested. "If you had a fixed reference point."
"I suppose. But which place is fixed? Androva?" My face fell. "Don't tell me I have to go back there before I can open a portal to anywhere else."
"No," said Galen. He chuckled. "Though I thought so too, at first. I was certain Androva was the centre of everything."
"Then where?"
"It's the opposite of what you think. What seems fixed is in motion, and what seems in motion is fixed."
He's talking in riddles. Androva's not moving. But… if it's not moving, then what is?
If I turned my perception on its head, there was only one logical answer. "No," I said. "Surely not. The sun is fixed in place?"
"Hard to believe, isn't it? But it's true. The same spell we use to extrapolate coordinates within a world can be used within the sky those worlds inhabit—once you find the location that's fixed. The sun."
I followed his gaze as he stared at the darkening sky. "It doesn't feel like we're moving," I said.
"Just as well," said Galen.
He cleared the table while Claudia and I projected some Illumination Spells into the nearby branches. It was a nightly ritual we enjoyed, as we competed to design the most impressive combination of shapes and colours. This evening, however, I stuck to something simple.
"Dolphins," said Claudia. "Nice. The grey is kind of iridescent. Like they're underwater."
"What did you choose?"
I turned to see replicas of some of the more exotic fish that lived in the ocean surrounding the island. The sharp outlines and vibrant colours were so lifelike they looked incongruous amongst the leaves, as if the fish had leapt into the trees by mistake. "You win," I said.
"No. I call a draw. Our designs are complementary."
Using magical energy, Galen drew a series of coordinates onto the wooden surface of the table. Opening a portal required a precise sequence of symbols. If the sequence was correct, and if the destination existed, a shimmering wall of magical energy would appear. It was as easy as stepping through a doorway.
"There are five possibilities," said Galen. "I can remember primary locations for all of them, but we might need to—"
"Wait," I said. "I thought the Foundation for Research discovered seven worlds. Excluding Terra, that leaves six."
A shadow crossed his face. "We did find seven worlds. But trust me when I tell you Imbera is not somewhere you want to experience firsthand."
"What do you mean?"
Galen tapped his fingers on the table a few times as if debating whether to answer. "On Imbera, the majority of the population is subjected to a ritualised magical killing at the age of eighteen."
I swallowed. "Oh. No to Imbera, then."
Galen looked at the surface of the table. "I'll tell you what I remember about the others. But we should visit them too. It's been months—anything could have happened."
"That's fair."
He glanced at Claudia. "Really?"
"Yes, of course," I replied.
"That's a relief."
"I told you," said Claudia.
I gave Galen's foot a gentle kick under the table. "I'd like to think I know the difference between being adventurous and being stupid. Don't you dare answer that," I added as he suppressed a grin.
"Wouldn't dream of it." He gestured to the silver coordinates. "The other five worlds all have magic and magicians in some shape or form, but they're nothing like Androva."
"Tell me," I said, looking more closely. I lifted my right hand and projected my magic. Touching a fingertip to the table's surface, I traced a sparkling circle around the nearest coordinates. "This one first."
"Lignora," said Galen. "A world of forests. It has some open spaces, but most people live in the trees. They have whole towns up there. It's pretty cool. Some Lignorians have the ability to harness the living magic inside the trees."
I tried to picture it. Living above ground sounded interesting, but I had my reservations. Unless I used my force field, my tree-climbing skills weren't the best. From Claudia's amused expression, I could guess what she was thinking.
Galen cleared this throat. "Er… I'm sure you could use Solo Transference as long as you kept it subtle."
"Look," I said, "it was one time, and I wasn't expecting the branch to snap like that."
"Maybe not Lignora, then," said Galen. He circled another set of coordinates.
"This is Hiberna. It's nice, but the extended winters complicate life. They have a few magicians who mainly use magic to deal with the weather."
"How long are the winters?" I asked.
"Half the year. It's an even split. The seasons change fast."
&nb
sp; "Half the year?" I repeated. I'd been living on a Terran tropical island for months.
"The summers are incredible," Galen added. "And the people are supposed to be charming."
"We'll call it a maybe." I projected a little more magic and drew a third circle. "What about this one?"
"Distorra," said Galen. "Quite a large world. Everyone's very hard-working. They have a lot of machinery and pride themselves on inventing things. Magic exists, but it supports the machinery."
"Hmm. Are they happy?" I asked.
Galen considered. "I don't know enough to be able to answer that. They live harmoniously. There was no mention of war on Distorra."
"War? Why would you say that? Is there war anywhere else?"
"Well… on Terra there is always war somewhere," he said.
"I know. But Terra's big enough that there's always somewhere without war too. What about the other five worlds?"
"None were at war when I last knew of them," said Galen. "But Hiberna and Xytovia had historical wars that their people talked of."
"Xytovia. Which one is that?"
Galen gestured to the end of the table, and I traced a fourth circle around the coordinates there.
"A larger world than Androva but not as big as Terra," he said. "We studied one territory. It wasn't dissimilar to the way Roma works here. Organised government and so on." He grinned. "Houses on the ground, too."
I stuck out my tongue, and his grin widened.
"What about magic—do they use it?" I asked.
"Yes. There aren't many magicians, but they appear to know what they're doing. It's a little dynastic though."
"What does that mean? It's inherited?"
"It seems to be," he said. "Magical ability—and authority—runs in families."
My curiosity rose. "Are magicians ever born into non-magical families?"
"You're asking a lot of questions," he said. "Are you interested in this one?"
"Yeah. Maybe. Tell me about the war."
He shrugged. "Sorry. I don't know the specifics. I only got close to Terra, remember?"
