The Magic Wakes

by Charity Bradford

  She sighed as she realized that she wanted to accept the Major’s lunch invitation.

  “Major Sutton, I accept your apology and see no reason to interrupt your busy schedule and so decline your invitation to lunch. I have completed the colony simulations and forwarded them to your staff. Thank you once again for your consideration. Talia Zaryn.”

  Landry fumed at the message. Her voice sounded cold and devoid of feeling. Sure, the words were polite enough, appropriately considerate of his time, but Landry was not used to being turned down. His military position and relationship to the royal family had always brought the results he wanted. Was that what bothered him? That Miss Zaryn was immune to his status, looks, and charm?

  Landry shrugged his hurt pride back into place and stalked out onto the terrace of his living quarters.

  His terrace was smaller than Stefan’s, but it was large enough for a table and chairs. The wall was low enough that Landry could sit and still see the palace grounds.

  The baby green gardens would be full of color in another week. Beyond the gardens, another wall separated the palace from the rest of the city. Although the buildings loomed, making Landry feel claustrophobic at times, this was his favorite place to unwind after a long day.

  A light breeze moved through the chilly morning. Landry leaned against the wall and focused on the gardeners working in the flowerbeds. Conflicting emotions made it impossible for him to relax. The information gathered on Miss Zaryn confirmed that she was a probable Signum agent, but he still had doubts. Why?

  Did he hope she wasn’t a traitor because she was beautiful, or was it the way her emotions overpowered him? They were so familiar to him that he struggled to separate hers from his own.

  Even if she turned out to be who and what she claimed, Landry needed to stay away from her. If two meetings had him this confused, she was more dangerous than he thought.

  A palace courier knocked then stuck his head in the door.

  “Sorry, sir, but King Frederick is awake! He woke ten minutes ago, and Stefan sent me to find you.”

  Landry ran down the hall before the messenger could say anything else.

  Chapter 14

  Jaron wanted to storm Werner’s library and take the information he knew waited for him, but his body was too weak. The demon lurked in the recesses of his mind.

  I’ll give you the strength you need, it promised with honeyed tones. After you destroy the tram.

  “Why? Their deaths will mean nothing.”

  You know why.

  “And if I don’t?” Defeat laced Jaron’s voice.

  The low rumble of laughter filled his skull as the demon retreated further and the weakness increased. There would be no compromise this time.

  After hundreds years of symbiosis, the demon grew stronger, or perhaps Jaron grew weaker. The end result was the same. The demon now controlled most of the body while Jaron clung to a weakening leash that bound the demon to his will.

  The two had come to an uneasy understanding. The demon no longer fought Jaron for complete control of his mind and in turn, Jaron gave it what it needed to thrive—in small doses. Both knew that soon Jaron would grow too weak to fight, and then complete possession would occur.

  For the next few days, Jaron needed to store up energy and regenerate the cells that the prolonged shape shifting had damaged. He left the apartment and returned to his spacecraft.

  It was small for an interstellar ship. Built for a small crew of three to four people, it was compact and efficient.

  Over the years, he had modified it, fitting it with the new technologies available on the planets he visited. When at rest, the spacecraft looked like an oblong pod standing on four stabilizing rods. However, the builders had constructed the outer hull with a flexible alloy, allowing the ship to bend and change shape during space flight. Because of this ability to yield and reshape itself during flight, the ship could reduce unnecessary stress and redistribute the pressure of space away from weak or damaged areas of the hull.

  The inner chamber was a solid bubble of a space. In order to maintain an equalized pressure chamber and sense of normalcy for the occupants, it did not change shape. There were three compartments for living and working. The first compartment was the double seal air lock consisting of the hatch door and a magnetic seal that activated the depressurization process.

  This loading bay was large enough for four people to stand while waiting for the room to depressurize and fill with oxygen. Lockers lined the sides to store the space suits and helmets. Once the pressure equalized, the first of the second set of seals opened automatically. The second seal opened manually only after the first seal closed. This protected the interior from unexpected depressurization or unwanted guests.

  The second and largest compartment contained the living area for the ship. With two hundred square feet, it had space for a sleeping room, a cryogenic sleep chamber/med station, toilet/shower, and a small table and food generator in the open area.

  There wasn’t much to make it inviting and comfortable, but Jaron programmed the ship to diffuse the air with a soft floral scent. His wife’s favorite flower. He could not escape her on this ship.

  The final compartment was the flight deck containing the navigational and flight controls.

  Jaron lay in the cryogenic chamber. He used every bit of technology available to him as well as every magical spell that he knew in order to prolong his life so he could achieve his revenge.

  In the king’s wing, Landry noticed the flurry of activity as nurses and other aides came in and out of the room. They quickly moved out of his way when they saw him approaching.

  Stefan was sitting beside his father’s bed. Tubes and machines surrounded the king as they kept his body alive. His brown eyes were open.

  “Landry, my adopted son, come in, we’ve been waiting for you.” His voice was soft and weak, but there was a hint of its former warmth.

  Landry sat beside his cousin. Stefan had a silly grin on his face, somewhere between shock and joyful disbelief. No one had expected the king to come out of the coma.

  “I can see you are as surprised as the rest of us. I’m still falling apart inside and will probably give up this fight soon. But don’t think about that now, we need to talk.” The king’s eyes twinkled in spite of the words.

  “You have my undivided attention as always.” Landry had learned honesty from this man.

  “Technically, I should only tell this to Stefan, but I have always considered you to be as much my son as my nephew. I also know how much Stefan depends on your opinion and counsel, so I want you to be here.

  “There is a story passed down through the generations, from each king to his heir. You must not write it down, but remember it and pass it on to your heir when the time is right. It concerns the history between our royal line and the Signum. You need to understand this history if you are going to rule this kingdom successfully.”

  “Why is it such a secret?” Stefan asked.

  The king laughed a low chuffing sound that turned into a ragged coughing. Stefan handed his father the glass of water from the bed tray and waited for him to regain his breath.

  “I asked my father the same thing. I don’t know why it’s a secret. Tradition more than anything, I suppose. It’s a silly story, and I’ve never attached much importance to it. However, as I lay sleeping, it was all I thought about.”

  Landry opened his mind and used his gift to reach out into the room. By expanding his energy into the room, certain emotions came into his mind as colors, others as a particular taste. Stefan’s joy glowed yellow and tasted sweet like honey, and Landry worried how devastating the king’s death would be for his cousin.

  The king’s emotions were almost as weak as his body, exerting no color or taste, but Landry recognized peace in the relaxed facial muscles. He returned his attention to the story unfolding.

  “Thousands of years ago, King Matthias of Johar asked his top advisers to form a council to discuss the concern
about the mages. This council later named themselves the Signum. According to legend, a mage had allied with the dragons and created a human/dragon hybrid. Supposedly, these creatures killed humans, or captured them to feed to the dragons.”

  Landry thought back to school in an effort to discover why that name sounded so familiar.

  “And a mage is what? A magical human?” Stefan’s eyes never left his father’s face.

  “Yes. With the help of this council, the king collected information, organized a military force, and began hunting down dragons and any person that exhibited magical qualities.”

  “Didn’t he create the Royalist as well as the Signum?” Landry asked in awe. Matthias had lived almost seven thousand years earlier.

  “Yes, this was the beginning of our current government system. King Matthias created a new, strong military that swore fealty to the throne. Over time, as Algodova grew, the monarchs implemented local councils and governors to act as proxy leaders, but the monarchy always maintained the supreme power of succession through our military power.”

  Landry nodded. Military history he understood, but the magic history was completely new to him. He hoped to learn how to bring the Signum under control, or at least understand their motivations so he could fight them more effectively. He held his tongue and listened as the king continued.

  “Eventually, the dragons and the mages were hunted to extinction. King Matthias thought the whole business was over, but the Signum did not agree. They claimed that one of the dragons they had captured told them the creatures walked through a magic portal that took them to another planet far away. There was a possibility they could return. The Signum kept a collection of dragon knowledge in preparation for the creatures’ return.”

  “Sir, this sounds absurd, dragons and magic. Surely the monarchy has not really passed down fairy tales for thousands of years.”

  Could the king really believe this story? Landry reached outward and felt the skepticism in his uncle’s mind.

  “Landry, I’ve never believed in this tale. However, as I waited to pass from this life the story would not allow me to rest. Our planet is old; there is a lot of history that we don’t remember. Try to keep an open mind. Maybe there’s a kernel of truth left in the story. You have to help Stefan find it.”

  “Father, we will let you know if anything comes to light,” Stefan assured him. “Are you getting tired?”

  The king had wilted into the pillows again.

  “I’m fine. The Signum claimed responsibility for Johar becoming the ruling class of Algodova. They wanted more power, more glory for themselves. At times the Signum grew powerful, but the Royalist always prevailed.”

  “What gives a group like that staying power to last for thousands of years? It isn’t logical.” Landry’s scientific upbringing would not allow for the existence of dragons and mages.

  “None of the story makes sense, but the Signum are more dangerous than you know. When he created the council, King Matthias proclaimed the Signum head adviser heir to the throne in the event there was no heir at the time of the king’s death. That stands to this day.”

  “How can that be?” Stefan asked.

  “It was written into law by King Matthias.”

  “Why hasn’t that been changed? This should not have been left to stand for so many millennia,” Landry asked. He was beginning to understand why the Signum were so intent on attacking the Royal family. They had everything to gain. The thought of it drove him to pace.

  “The old laws are written in such a way that to change it would require us to dissolve the monarchy as well. It’s better to make sure you leave an heir or name one that the people will support. Luckily, the Signum are still too far on the outside of society to gain the support of the people.”

  The king leaned back and closed his eyes for a minute. When he spoke again his eyes remained closed.

  “You will have to make a decision. Whether the story is a fairy tale or not, there is some basis for the Signum to act the way they do, in their minds at least. So do you rid this world of the Signum, or prepare the people for self-rule? I made a few changes over the years that have moved the people in the direction of democracy.”

  “I would rather dissolve the monarchy than wipe out such a large group of people, Father. Do you agree, Landry?” Stefan looked so young to Landry.

  Landry stopped pacing.

  “At the moment I think it would be easier to wipe out the Signum,” Landry said. “Let’s not jump to any decisions yet. It would take years to move toward democracy safely. There could be power plays and chaos in the smaller towns. Our cities are educated enough to handle the switch, but some places are still backward.”

  He thought of the midwife in Gneledar.

  “I think the people will surprise you with how well they adapt. They already feel they are a democracy of sorts, after all.” The king’s voice held respect for his people.

  “We will see. Until then, it sounds like I have my work cut out for me keeping the Signum in line and at bay.”

  Landry’s mind turned to gathering information on the Signum, and since he still had doubts about Miss Zaryn, he would start with her.

  “I would really like to know what kind of fairy tale drives and sustains them. I may have a way to do a little digging in that direction. I’ll make it a priority.”

  Landry left the room and headed for the SEF offices. Everything he had learned about Miss Zaryn pointed to her as a prime candidate for Signum recruitment.

  Chapter 15

  Talia stood inside the air filter to the Clean Room, her eyes closed. It was a habit to pretend the ionized air blowing over her body washed away her fears along with the bacteria and dust. When she felt calm, she stepped into the workroom and headed to the back where the satellite waited for her.

  She hoped to launch this prototype by the end of the week. She needed to run the final diagnostic tests and present the results to Cahal.

  The small satellite, spherical in shape and about five feet in diameter, connected to a computer by several wires. After checking all the systems, Talia shut it down and removed the wiring to run the check using the remote uplink.

  A strange electrically-charged tension filled the air. The hairs on the nape of her neck and along her arms stood on end while a low buzz hummed in her head. Talia turned to find Major Sutton staring at her.

  “Miss Zaryn.”

  He looked good, even in the lab coat. Talia noticed he wore his uniform under his coat and had not put on the shoe-covers. She pressed her lips together and stared at his shoes as if she could see the dust he tracked in.

  “Major Sutton, how can I help you today?”

  What is it about this man that keeps me off balance?

  “I wanted to apologize to you in person.” He walked toward the satellite warily. “What’s this?”

  Talia tried not to smile. Surely, he didn’t think it would be that easy to gain her confidence?

  “This is an infrared satellite, a prototype that I hope to launch for testing at the end of the week.”

  “Did you build this yourself?” Admiration filled his voice as he examined the seamless welding work along the casing and panels. He ran his fingers down the curve of the sphere.

  Heat flushed Talia’s face at the reverence in the motion. She liked the obvious respect her work elicited from him.

  “Yes, I did.” She reached for her necklace, rubbing circles as she wondered at his motives.

  “Tell me what it does.”

  “Here, it’s easier to show you.” Talia stepped behind the computer and typed in the command to run the start-up operation.

  A low hum came from the sphere as it raised itself a foot off the floor with gravitational lifters. The metal banding rotated around the center of the sphere as panels opened over the surface. A mesh filament made of thin steel and aluminum alloy unrolled along two of the sides. Her baby unfurled its wings.

  “Once in orbit around one of the moons, the wings o
pen to collect solar energy for power. The other panels collect the data.”

  She entered the next command and the sphere lit up. She pointed to a light panel. “These lights give a reference point of view. It allows the on-board computer to accurately predict the location, distance, and temperature of heavenly bodies in relation to the satellite’s location.”

  “How will this data differ from the satellites already in orbit?” He watched the satellite hover in the air.

  “Current satellites use photo imagery and focus on Sendek or the moons, but this one has no optical cameras and will focus outside of our solar system. It senses and records heat and light readings. Here, I’ll make a map of this room so you can see it in action.”

  Talia typed the final command.

  Sutton ducked under one of the wings and came to stand by her to view the computer screen. It showed a blurry outline of the lab in shades of blue and green with pockets of yellows and reds marking other computers in the room.

  Talia centered the screen to focus on their location. The computer marked their position with human silhouettes in yellow, orange, and red, with cooler greens on the edges.

  “Is this real time?” Sutton spoke softly.

  “Yes, watch.” Talia lifted her right arm and moved it at the same time as her outline on the screen.

  As she lowered the arm, it brushed Major Sutton’s shoulder. A surge of electrical energy startled her, and she let her hand slide down his arm to rest at his wrist. There was a pop as skin touched skin, the discharge of built up static electrons. The shock did not end at their fingertips, but radiated up their arms and throughout their bodies.

  With that one touch, emotions and whispers of thought flowed between them. Talia felt the Major’s curiosity, mistrust, and surprise. The whispers organized themselves into clear thoughts, and Talia realized they were questions.