The Sin of Moloch

by Andrew Gordinier

  “No, we are walking a very delicate balance here. These Gandalf wanna be’s are risking more than they know.”

  “Sir?”

  “We have agreements with our allies to monitor and exchange information on these mages, but we also have agreements to not let them get too powerful. Though, frankly, they are too powerful by their very nature. Despite these agreements, many of the ones in Europe come from old families and have extensive holdings. All too often, that gives them influence into governments. Those influences are not simple, and seldom are they direct, they goddamn love Machiavelli.”

  “I’ve been working with mages my whole career, sir. I’ve read the reports on Owen and Conrad’s attempts to make a democracy last time, I talked to the agent who wrote it before he retired. They may be rebels, but I think they can do it this time, and I think that they will want a different relationship with the government.” Christine noted again that the Wizard smiled ever so slightly when she brought up those old reports. What was she missing?

  “Which one?”

  “Sir?”

  “These mages represent the US., Canada, Mexico, and much of South America. On its own, that’s about fifteen governments, to say nothing of drug cartels and rogue military groups. So why should they take our side?” The Wizard’s phone rang, he stoically ignored it.

  “I understand.” Christine did, but she didn’t like what understanding meant.

  “The upside is that we have a more accurate count than ever before, with a little more time, we’ll have names for all of them. If things go bad, that makes hard tasks easier.”

  “What should I do now?” Christine had always known that the government had a fail-safe plan for the mage situation, she had turned a blind eye to it as long as she could. Now, she was looking down the barrel of mass murder. She felt a deep sense of revulsion and shame.

  “Keep your team at the ready, make sure the science guys bring us something useful and wait.”

  “Yes, sir.” Christine got up to leave.

  “One more thing.” The Wizard picked up his phone and flipped through screens as he spoke.

  “Yes, sir?”

  “Why do they call me the Wizard? I’ve seen it in transcripts.”

  “The Wizard of Oz, sir. You’re the one behind the curtain.” Christine knew she was in trouble.

  “The next agent to use that term in any way shape or form will find themselves in a very uncomfortable position, for a very long time. Do I make myself clear?”

  “What may we call you then, sir?”

  “The guards will show you out.”

  “Yes, sir.” Christine had disliked the Wizard for a long time, that was over. Now, she had reason to hate him. As she was escorted down the hallway, Christine contemplated her own rebellion.

  Chapter 10

  As they arrived in their New York hotel room, Conrad clutched John's shoulder to steady himself. John had been careless and not accounted for the change in air pressure, making both of them feel slightly dizzy. John steadied him for a moment, then eased him into a nearby chair. While Conrad caught his breath, John went and got fresh ice and a bottle of water from the machines down the hall.

  “Thank you, John.” Said Conrad as he accepted a glass of ice water.

  John sat slowly on the edge of the bed and examined Conrad’s pattern. He was old, John had no idea how old he really was, but his pattern showed that he was still strong. His only defect was the damage to his knee as if it had been crushed once forcing Conrad to depended on his cane occasionally.

  “Checking up on the old man?”

  John smiled. “Sorry, I just wanted to make sure. You’re one of my few true allies and friends, I don’t want to lose you because I screwed up teleporting.”

  “Perfectly understandable. Besides, Eric would never forgive you.” Conrad laughed gently. “But, you realize that friends and allies don’t keep dark secrets, do they?”

  “I do.” John suspected where this was headed.

  “We have ignored your vanishing act as much as we can, to your credit you haven’t messed up any negotiations or meetings, but…” Conrad’s voice trailed off briefly. “If you are doing anything that might look bad, anything that might jeopardize this conference, we need to know.”

  “I understand, but I can’t tell you about it.”

  “That’s not an answer I want to hear.” Conrad looked at John with a steely gaze.

  “I would tell if I could, but there is a danger in talking about it, and I’m not even sure what to do about it yet.”

  “Well, it’s clear that whatever it is you’ve been screwing around with it long before we started this. So, I’m going to guess it has something to do with when you first learned magic.” Conrad watched John closely for a reaction. “You’ve also been loyal to me and the cause, almost to a fault, so I trust you. But, others still see you as a loose cannon and a liability, one that they are afraid of. It’s not a good combination, John.”

  “I know. I’ve been doing my best to keep it quiet, the good news is that I won’t have to take any mysterious trips any time soon.”

  “Good, is this tied to this Finley character by any chance?”

  “No, I almost wish it was.”

  “How so?” Conrad sipped more of his water and was looking better.

  “I’d at least know what to do then, have a direction to take it, but all I have are questions. I paid one of those genealogy websites to trace my family tree, and it fits his story. My relatives just materialized here in the states before the around of the century. Over the years, a lot of them died under ‘mysterious circumstances’ or just vanished.”

  “That isn’t anything too unusual if your family had a Primer and were training family members to be mages.”

  “That’s the troubling part, I don’t think any of them wanted to be mages or ever accepted the Primer. That’s part of how I ended up with it in the first place.”

  “Don’t get too paranoid, John. There are plenty of dangers ahead, you don’t need to start creating any extras.”

  “I’ll do my best. I’m really sorry that I can’t tell you more about vanishing, I’ve felt bad about it for a long time if that means anything.”

  “It means a great deal, John. But, for now, we should get some rest, tomorrow is going to be difficult.”

  “You’re right. Goodnight, Conrad.” John hesitantly got up and let himself out of the room, locking the door behind himself.

  Conrad sat there quietly, contemplating the ice in his glass, watching it melt and pool slowly at the bottom of his drink. There was too much that could go wrong with all of this, too many things aligned against it. Conrad felt lonely thinking about it all. Eric had urged him to set up an escape plan, a fail-safe of some kind, just in case things went wrong. Conrad was tired of being ready to run, being prepared to fight for his survival. If there was anyone who understood the need for a fight or flight response, it was a mage, and Conrad mused that an old mage should understand it best of all. There was something else he understood though, he didn’t want to die old and meaningless, he wanted to die standing for his ideals on his own two feet. Still, dead was dead, and even though he was old, death was something that Conrad wanted to avoid a bit longer.

  “Excuse me.” John said to get the attention of the woman behind the front desk of the hotel.

  “Yes, sir?” She asked as she looked up at John, he was startled by the deep fire in her dark eyes.

  “Um, I was wondering if there is a bookstore nearby.”

  “Yes, there’s one about two blocks that way on the corner.” She pointed in a Northerly direction.

  “Thank you.” John wandered out of the lobby and headed North down the crowded street.

  He walked at a leisurely pace and took the time to let his eyes wander across the faces of the strangers that passed him. Some returned his gaze with menacing glares, others ignored him, some shied away, and looked at him with open suspicion. John didn’t know what he was looking f
or, he knew he wouldn’t find it written across a stranger's face, but it was distracting enough for a moment or two. He paused and looked up at the buildings as they leaned into the sky over him, he wished he had time to take in the sights of New York, to do all the things expected of tourist. He wanted Radha there to enjoy those canned sights and events; they could top it all off with a trip to the observation deck on the Empire State building. It made him lonely to think of her, and the things they could be doing if she were there.

  John walked on thinking of Radha and how much she had changed his life. True, magic had changed it too, but she had changed him. In many ways, he felt that she had made him capable of facing the profound contradictions and doubts that being able to alter reality brought to light. Was this how the universe was created? Is it supposed to work this way, or is it an accident of some cosmic proportions? John paused and watched a man seated on a carpet, selling bibles, and begging those passing by to save their souls. Was it possible that the mystics were right? That angels taught humanity ‘the great art’ when they fell in love with mortals? John laughed to himself and supposed it was just as likely as anything else.

  “I’ll buy a bible.” John held out a twenty to the man.

  “Bless you, brother.” He looked up at John with eyes sunk into deep dark sockets. “The Pope himself blessed this one for me!” The man pushed a stained Gideon’s bible into John's hands.

  “Thank you, brother.” John pushed the bible into his coat pocket and walked on. John realized as he walked away, whatever magic was, it didn’t matter. This power couldn’t feed the hungry, the sick couldn’t be healed, it was creation and destruction without mercy. Radha kept him balanced, kept him real, and in touch with the humanity he had to bring to magic. Looking through the windows of the bookstore, John watched the shoppers as they searched and sipped coffee. Alone and in pairs, they moved and drifted through a fraction of humanities whispered musings, fevered dreams, and outlandish hopes. John could see the pattern of the wi-fi signal they swam in, allowing them access to almost every utterance of humanity. A feat that a generation ago would have seemed almost magical. Would science someday surpass magic? John pushed open the door and went in.

  “Did you find what you were looking for?” The woman at the hotel looked at him with those blazing eyes of hers.

  “Yep.” John said with a smile.

  “I’ll bet you bought a spy book. You look like a James Bond kind of guy.”

  “Nope.” John laughed. “Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene.”

  “Really? My husband tried to read that one. It gave him a headache, good luck with it.”

  “Thanks for the warning. I think I’m getting in over my head.” John admitted as he waited for the elevator.

  Chapter 11

  “If I could have everyone’s attention, please.” Shades stood at the podium and looked uncomfortable with the microphone in his hands and addressing the murmuring crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen, if you please.” The room responded to his forceful tone and quieted. “Thank you very much. At this time, the staff will be asked to leave, and I want to ask everyone again to turn off their electronics so that we won’t be interrupted. We will be starting in a few moments.” Shades, who John had recently learned, was really named Leonard, sat down next to him and Conrad.

  “Security tells me that everyone is here and that there are no unexpected guests at this time.” Eric said over a cup of coffee, he had taken a late flight from Chicago to get to the meeting on time. At first glance, he looked his usual sharp cut calm self, but when John looked closer, he saw bags under Eric’s eyes.

  “I’m impressed, Conrad.” Leonard surveyed the room through his ever-present dark sunglasses. “I never knew there were so many mages hiding in North America.”

  “I think they just showed up for the free meal.” Conrad smiled gently.

  John looked around at the tables, the wait staff was working furiously to clear the last dishes, and deposit decanters of coffee on each table. Conrad had paid for the whole affair out of pocket, John had offered to help, but been turned down. It was a small thing, but it was enough for John to see that his vanishing here and there had cast a long shadow with Conrad. During the early parts of the evening, he had caught other mages pointing and whispering about him, John had even overheard whispers about how he killed Veronica. Few were impressed, and all seemed suspicious of his motives here. John looked at the faces around him and wondered if it might not be best to distance himself from Conrad altogether, this may have been his idea, but only Conrad could make it work. While John confronted his self-doubts and his perception of others, Eric’s security locked the doors.

  With a sigh of resignation, Leonard picked up the microphone and walked to the small podium, this time he carried with him a large leather-bound book. John recognized it at once as the book that Leonard had with him at the Conclave in Saint Charles. Rather than ask for everyone’s attention, this time, Leonard stood there silently and waited till everyone looked at him expectantly.

  “I am not part of Conrad’s new idea, so don’t blame me for what happens next.” There were a few sarcastic chuckles in the audience. “Most of you know me. We know almost everyone here. Ours has been a small society, and I cannot deny that it has been an ugly and brutal society. Even though we know each other, often for years, we have killed each other and fought out of greed and avarice. That is why I agreed to meet here and see what we could build together. There has been too much death and too many secrets. So in that spirit, I am going to tell you all something, a secret I have kept, many of you may have guessed, I’m blind. I was born blind and have never seen the world without the help of magic. My mother made these sunglasses for me, just before she was killed over contested territory. My mother’s last gift to me was the ability to see. It has always pained me that one of the first things I saw was her death at the hands of another mage.” There was a hush of silence throughout the room that floated on the subtle sounds of a handful of people choking back tears.

  “The man who killed her is here today. I’ll not say his name, nor point him out, though many of you know him already. He killed the woman who taught me how to speak, walk, use magic, and gave me sight. He will never understand the dark and painful hole he has torn in my life.” Shades paused to choke back tears. “I will not forgive you, but this cycle of vengeance and hatred ends here. I will not hunt you, or harm you, I only demand that you work diligently so that this never happens again. It is a penance that I owe as well, that so many of us owe.”

  “Leonard.” The man’s voice was bold, but choked with tears and came from the far side of the room. John turned to see an older man with white hair and a trimmed beard. “I…” The man's voice vanished behind tears as he struggled to maintain his composure.

  “Please…” Leonard choked up and clearly was lost for words, but he struggled on. “We are all killers here. We have all taken, stolen, or at the very least, sanctioned the death of others. By these laws…” Leonard held up the leather-bound book for all to see. “We allowed the senseless slaughter, so no one among us is without guilt or complicity. Perhaps that is the best way to begin, to accept that we are all guilty, that we have all wronged each other. Conrad is right, we can’t keep this up. It’s well past time to change things and stop killing. So I am sealing this book.” Leonard held a small block of red wax for all to see. “Not so that the evils in it are forgotten, but so that we know they are behind us. So that the laws that culled our numbers are never followed again.” Leonard melted the wax with a pattern and dripped it across the side of the pages, forming a thick red seal that he pressed his thumb into. He paused for a moment, with tears visibly rolling down his face. “With your permission, I will continue my duties of recording these events until we set new laws. But, I want to make sure we all have them. That means I’m going to be typing them and storing them online. After the meeting, I will provide everyone with the web address and password to retrieve them, there should be no m
ore secrets.” Leonard left the podium and took a seat near the stage where a closed laptop was waiting. Some around the room clapped quietly to applaud his example and just as many fighting back their tears.

  Conrad walked to the podium, leaning heavily on his cane as he went. The room was silent and waiting as he unfolded several papers and set them in front of him. “I think we can all agree that our friend Leonard has touched a feeling and sense of loss that we all know. I don’t think I could have said or done better to capture this moment than he has, a moment of change that we must carry forward. I had a speech all written and prepared, full of hopes and ideals, even littered with historical references. It could never compete with honesty and kindness like that.” Conrad held up the few sheets of paper for all to see, before dramatically dropping them on the floor. “So let us get to work. I think we all can agree that nothing decided here is final without a vote?” There was silence. “I’m not going to accept that, there will be no more consent by silence among us, it is too easy to displace the guilt that way. You say either ‘yea’ or ‘nay’ from now on. So shall we vote on the rules here?” There was a murmur of ‘yea’ around the room. “Those opposed?” Thunderous silence.

  “Very well.” Continued Conrad. “We have our first new law.” There was some laughter and applause.

  As the event moved on, a constitution and body of laws started to take shape. After much debate and argument, it was agreed that mages would no longer hold territories, they would combine them to form a cooperative union. This grated on many who had worked hard to protect and build their holdings. The argument was brought to a crashing end when it was pointed out this was the primary cause of violence among mages. This brought to question who should enforce the laws and what the punishments should be. To John’s surprise, the debate was short and to the point. Everyone agreed that the penalties should start at fines and move to public service and temporary loss of voting rights.