The Witches of Ne'arth (The Star Wizards Trilogy Book 2)

by Joseph Schembrie

  “Your psycho-therapeutic app is wise. Anyhow, it's getting dark. I can see Carrot tomorrow and maybe then I'll know what to do. Let's grab some food and sleep, okay?”

  As he ate a meal at the meal hut, he reflected: Introverted. Yes, maybe there was some truth to that even now. He needed people – desperately so – yet at the same time, even on a new planet, somehow relationships often ended up depleting him. He sensed it was his own fault, something inside him that had been wired or programmed wrong by his genes at birth. If he could ever figure out how that worked, he thought, it would change his life more dramatically than even going to another planet had done.

  As he returned to the village and staggered into his hut, he realized that he was very tired. He asked Ivan to stop stimulating him awake, and before he could ask to be knocked out, he was out.

  He was awakened the following morning by a tap at his door. A messenger brought a note from Prin, that the representative of the Leaf was waiting. Layal packed him a breakfast of bread and cheese, which Matt gulped down on the road as he hurried.

  When Matt arrived at the hangar, Prin introduced him to Colonel Krobart, whose scowl deepened as he inspected Matt's optic blue jump suit. Garish, Matt thought, seeing the echo of Savora's remark in Krobart's squint.

  “So this is the famous Wizard,” Krobart said. “Very young.”

  Matt was speechless, and so it was Andra who rescued him: “Shall we start the flight?”

  Prin opened a window and began shouting orders both inside and outside. Andra climbed into the gondola and reviewed the pilot's pre-flight checklist with Savora. Bok had to be shooed away. Krobart grumbled as he ascended the steps, and grumbled more when he saw Andra at the wheel.

  “You have a woman steering,” Krobart said. “This is most unconventional.”

  Prin looked like he had a sharp comment, but instead resumed giving orders.

  After weeks of flight tests, launching the ship was routine. The hangar doors were swung wide and the mooring lines were loosed. The ground crew, a core of expert regulars swollen to a small mob gathered from volunteers around the base, towed the airship from the hanger to beneath the open sky. Taking position at the rear of the control room at the fore of the gondola, Matt watched how swiftly and efficiently Savora moved between gauges and controls as Andra called the checklist items.

  Prin hollered out the window at the ground crew tending the engines, and they spun the props at Andra's call. The twin blades of the engine propellers growled and whirred into blurs. The ground crew hands released the mooring lines. The bags of external ballast were dropped and the ship ascended.

  The roofs of huts sank below their feet. The roof of the hangar, which was only a tethered sheet of Sarkassian silk, rippled in the breeze of their prop-wash The cluster of buildings that formed the base became encompassed in a single gaze. With their ascent, the forest seemed to encroach and swallow the signs of habitation.

  “Everything looks so small!” Krobart exclaimed. Aware of their stares, he quickly donned his scowl again.

  “Let's take her over the village,” Prin said to Andra. “True bearing one-forty, quarter-throttle.”

  Andra spun the piloting wheel and nudged the engine levers, her ears trained by Geth to detect the proper pitch. Savora's eyes swept the gauge boards in a methodical pattern, all business-like, oblivious to the scenery.

  They puttered past the base fence, across the field and over the tree tops. Heading south, they steered above the Oksiden Road. The waters of Fish Lake glistened in the dawn light and winding snakes made of the smoke of the village cooking fires intertwined in the clear sky. The road to the east disappeared into the Dark Forest, and above the haze in the northeast, the Fuji-like cone of Mount Skawful simmered.

  “One can see everything,” Krobart said. “Amazing!”

  The fields were spotted with harvesters, who dropped their baskets and waved as the shadow of the airship swept among them. Matt, the only one who wasn't busy, waved back until he realized that Krobart was watching him.

  Prin consulted his clipboard. “Let's go to cruise. Three-quarters throttle, heading due north.”

  Andra swung to the new heading and eased the power levers. The engines purred as the ship ascended to avoid the hilltop trees.

  “Faster than a horse in gallop!” Krobart exclaimed.

  He was grasping the bulkhead rail so hard that his knuckles were white. Matt wondered how he would react to a trip in an aircar. At least they were making a positive impression. Krobart had to realize that the airship was worth funding.

  Prin supervised the test flight maneuvers and operations: ascend to X meters, descend to Y, right by forty-five degrees, left by ninety, replenish and release ballonet pressure, adjust trim, ahead full speed, come to dead stop. Andra flew with a grace and fluidity that made the ship seem alive.

  “Pitot static tubes within five percent tolerance,” Savora reported.

  She smiled back at Matt from the gauge panel. Matt glanced at the gauge readings and Ivan confirmed that her calculation was correct. Yet she was not holding the compensation value graphs. Had she memorized them?

  After that, he watched her pore over the navigation charts and plot their course with dead-on accuracy. In theory, a person without a computer could have done the work. She consulted the barometer to estimate altitude, then triangulated distance between landmarks to time ground speed. Her fingers shifted the slide rule as if she had been born to it, though Matt was certain that no Britanian merchant's girl had seen a slide rule before he'd introduced them to the planet a few weeks earlier.

  “Why are they running?” Krobart demanded.

  They followed his gaze to a village below. The harvesters had been out in force, but they dropped their baskets upon sight of the ship and instead of waving they were fleeing into the woods.

  “We haven't been up this far north before,” Prin said. “They've never seen the ship before and don't know if it's friend or foe.”

  Krobart's jaw dropped. “You mean they fear us!”

  “They'll get used to us in time. Word travels almost as fast as an airship on this island.”

  Krobart nodded. “We'll need to paint a leaf on the side. To let them know the ship belongs to the Leaf, and that the Leaf is protecting them with it.”

  “I've always wondered,” Andra said. “Why is your organization called the 'Leaf?'”

  “Because the leaves of a tree sustain the tree, and cover it.”

  “The tree being, I assume, Britan.”

  “Exactly. A leaf derives energy from the sun, and gives power to the tree.”

  “I thought your organization was democratic,” Prin said.

  “It is.”

  “Yet if by 'tree' you mean the people of Britan, then isn't it the case that the Leaf derives power from the people, rather than the other way around? That's how democracy is supposed to work.”

  Krobart's smile faded. “The Leaf is the will of the Britanian people.”

  “So you hold elections?”

  “Elections are encumbrance at this time. Also, every patriotic Britanian recognizes that the leadership of the Leaf supports their best interests.”

  Prin muttered, “I see.”

  After three hours by the ship's chronometer they returned to the base. The ship glided over the airfield and the mooring lines were caught by the ground crew. Krobart, Prin, and Matt disembarked onto the landing field while Andra and Savora secured the ship and conducted it back into the hangar, locking props and reattaching ballast bags.

  Krobart's face was aglow as he watched the great doors close. “Simply amazing! I must send a report immediately!”

  “So we're approved for funding?” Prin asked.

  “Most definitely! With the aid of this ship, I dare say that we'll be able to mount an attack against Londa itself and drive the Romans from Britan for good!”

  “You are aware that we have other plans for the ship.”

  “They will have to wait.”<
br />
  Prin glanced at Matt.

  “Colonel Krobart,” Prin said, “You must understand that while we have this ship, the Romans have a secret weapon also: which is their tenacity. You could raze Londa and the Romans would return in force with even greater determination, to seek vengeance. Besides that, they'll have an airship of their own soon enough that will outmatch ours. That's why we need to seek greater advantages. The Wizard's mission to the Far Side is necessary because – “

  “Yes, yes, I read the report.” Krobart's perpetual frown was back. “The Star Child is to voyage across the Western Sea in search of the Elder Wizard. Meanwhile, you say your little-girl queen must search this island for The Box That Everything Came In! Tell me, do you people ever tire of fairy tales?”

  “There are times that I wish they were only fairy tales.”

  “Your fairy tales are sidelining our greatest weapon and dispersing our army at the same time!” Krobart's eyes narrowed. “Your accent . . . are the rumors true? Are you Roman?”

  Prin stiffened. “I am one of the Romans who brought you the airship as a gift!”

  “Yes . . . speaking of fables, there is one about bewaring enemies who bear gifts. We shall see.”

  Krobart stomped away, then whirled and glared.

  “This ship is property of the Leaf. You're not taking it anywhere, not even on another test flight! Do you hear? If you violate this edict, I'll have you arrested!”

  He dropped his wagging finger, spun on his heels, and stalked away.

  Prin eyeballed Matt. “You seem to be taking this well.”

  “What do you mean?” Matt asked.

  “When we first arrived in Britan, you were full of conviction of how you had to go west and Carrot had to go north. Yet as time has passed, you've come by the hangar less and less. Always away on medical tours.”

  “Medical tours are important.”

  “So is saving the world. I must ask, Matt. Are you delaying our departure for the sake of your tours, or because you don't want to leave Carrot?”

  Matt felt the heat in cheeks. “If you think that I'd let my personal feelings – “

  “I was a young man once,” Prin said. “I was more captive to my feelings then that I am proud to admit now. Sometimes passion is good, it drives us toward greater accomplishment. Sometimes passion is distracting.”

  “And you think that I'm being distracted?”

  “I think circumstances in this world have forced you into becoming already a man, and that you will eventually make the decisions that a man must make. Well, Matt, of all people I can't judge you. I don't know if you've sorted out your feelings with regard to Carrot, but I do know that if I were in your position I would sooner die than be apart from Andra in a time of danger.”

  Prin returned to the hangar to converse with his wife.

  “Matt,” Ivan said. “I have completed my analysis of photographic telemetry of the surrounding terrain recorded during the flight. I believe that I have located Carrot.”

  “I . . . I . . . I should go talk to her, shouldn't I?”

  It wasn't the kind of question that Ivan was programmed to answer, and he didn't.

  Ivan directed him westward, across the training field, into the woods, down trails that led south. Matt recognized the dilapidated housing of the mill through the trees. Carrot was at the pond's edge, skipping stones and watching the ripples spread. He stood behind her and wondered if she wasn't aware that he was there. But she was Carrot and that was impossible. Just as he was waiting for her to say something, she was waiting for him.

  “Hello,” he said finally.

  “Did you have a good trip?” she asked.

  “Yeah. How's training?”

  “There is no more training. I have been relieved of my training duties.”

  “By the new Leaf guy, Krobart.”

  “Yes, Colonel Krobart.”

  “I should talk to him about that.”

  “It doesn't matter. Soldiers are farmers, and farmers are returning home for harvest, so hardly anyone attends classes. And he will not listen to you.” She faced him, and brushed the hair from her eyes. “It's good to see you. We've both been so busy, it seems that we don't talk as much as we used to.”

  “Yeah . . . . “

  The conversation petered out to trivialities, and Carrot said, “We should talk again some time soon,” and Matt agreed and then it all felt uncomfortable, and he said he was hungry, which he was but not that much, and they wished each other a good day and then he turned his back and headed for the field.

  As he wandered through the trails, he thought of the theories of physics that taught that there were branching paths to different futures. He felt like he was at a branching that would sweep Carrot out of his life if he chose the wrong path.

  “Matt,” Ivan said. “I have identified a person on the trail ahead. It is Savora.”

  Only a few steps later, she came into view, standing in the shade, arms folded and head shaking.

  “After all these years,” she said. “You are still an idiot.”

  Matt was caught off guard. “I'm sorry. What?”

  “Haven't seen her for days, then you scarcely talk to her. You haven't changed, Matt.”

  “I'm sorry, I don't – “

  “You micro-analyze every human situation and you always choose the alternative that involves avoiding having to discuss your feelings. That's how you always handle relationships, Matt. For how many centuries now?”

  Matt furrowed eyebrows. “Are you . . . Synesthesia?”

  “Ah, I was wondering when you would penetrate my deliberately transparent disguise!”

  When Matt finished choking, he said, “Synth, what are you doing here? How are you here? Aren't you supposed to be Ascended?”

  “So that I can spend eternity as a density fluctuation in a plasma condensate, calculating pi to the last decimal? You'd be surprised how boring that can be after the first few microseconds.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I'm here to help you, Matt. You have no idea what you're up against, and I'm here to help.”

  “What –what – what are you talking about?”

  She looked upward. There were only tree branches and empty sky, but her expression hinted that she was seeing something else – something that was a menace.

  “Matt, I can't answer all your questions. We're being watched even now. You'll just have to trust me.”

  “What, what are you – how is it – how can I trust – I – I –“

  She interrupted his stammering by grabbing his arm. Her gaze drilled into his eyes from mere centimeters. “Listen to me, Matt! It's Athena. She's here on this planet! She's on the other side, where you're going, she knows you're coming, and she's out to get you. You're in great danger!”

  “Athena!” The name sent a chill. “What about – “

  “Matt, you're being psychologically conditioned, even now. I can't explain how, just that it's happening and it's the reason why you're so indecisive. But we can break her control. We can do it together, if you'll let me help you. I just need you to listen, all right?”

  He remained silent, waiting.

  Releasing his arm, she stepped away and said, “I just need you to do one small thing.”

  He wasn't sure he was buying any of this. But Synth had been his friend through childhood, and if somehow she had come to this world to help him, then he at least had to hear her out. No matter how implausible, now matter how strange her request.

  “And what is that?”

  “I want you to kiss Carrot.”

  “What? Why?”

  “You want to, don't you?”

  “I . . . I . . . well, that's not your business. And anyway, why do you want me to?”

  “In order to overcome Athena's psychological conditioning, you need to engage in an intense emotional act. Kissing Carrot should do it. I don't even see why I have to ask you to trust me on this. You want to do it, and Carrot wants you t
o do it. So there's no downside, right?”

  In the whirl that had become his thought processes, Matt tried to think of an objection. Of course he wanted to be closer to Carrot, yet at the same time he felt he was being manipulated.

  But how was that different from any other time he'd been around Synth? As his friend Random used to say, The woman is a roller coaster. Yet she always had his best interests at heart. Or so he had thought, until the time she had left the Star Seed Project for the Ascendancy Project in complete rejection of everything she had stood for, including their friendship.

  And so, here she was, centuries later, appearing no older than she had then, she stood matter-of-factually in the woods on the path before him, calmly requesting that he kiss a girl. Matt had traveled between stars and been a slave and escaped an empire and fought a demon, but he considered this encounter to be one of the most surreal things that had ever happened to him.

  “I . . . I . . . I need to know what this is . . . . “

  “Matt! There's no time for this! If we stay here talking too long, they'll suspect!”

  “Who are they?”

  “Who else? The Solar Council! Matt, haven't you wondered why there's been no outside interference on this planet for all these centuries? The Solar Council placed it under a statute of non-interference. And I'm here in violation of interstellar law, to help the people of this planet – to help you, and to help him.”

  “When you say 'him,' are you talking about my archival clone?”

  “I'm talking about my husband.”

  “Your – “

  “Damn, Matt! Do you have to question everything I say? He's my husband, and he came here to rescue you because you're his template, which for some misguided reason he thinks makes you like a brother. And once he was on this planet, everything went horribly wrong, and he's become prisoner of Athena, and I'm here to rescue him, but I can only do it with your help. Meanwhile, Athena is trying to kill you both and the Solar Council in its infinitely convoluted legal reasoning allows her to meddle in the affairs of the planet but forbids me to do so. And if I get caught, I'll be sent off-world and can't help you or him.”