by D N Meinster
"Magic," Maevus said. "The MR causes spontaneous outbursts of magical anomalies."
Rikki considered what that meant. A plague that spread...magic? That could turn ordinary people into mages? That's what it sounded like, but it didn't make sense. Magic was gifted by the Goddess. If someone wasn't born a mage, they couldn't become one.
"What does that mean?" Aros whined, leaning toward their host.
"Ordinary people are becoming mages," Rikki said with a great deal of uncertainty.
"Almost," Maevus replied. "The infected are unable to control their magic like yourself. Instead, their bodies exhaust themselves releasing magical energy, until they are no more."
"That doesn't sound like a normal plague," Doren said.
"It's not," Maevus responded. "And it's beyond are medicines to fix. We are at a loss when it comes to the MR. We quarantine those infected, try to get a better understanding of what we're dealing with, but it always ends the same." She kept her attention on Rikki. "However, we've never had a mage assisting us. If you'd be willing, we may be able to find a cure."
Rikki wasn't expecting such a proposition. How could she turn down the chance to save lives? That's why she'd gotten involved in Faunli's war. It's why she had to get involved now. "I – "
"We want your Key," Doren interrupted. "Give us the Key and Rikki will help."
Aros vigorously nodded. "Seems like a fair trade."
"So that is why you're here." Maevus stood up and moved over to the window. She bent down and slid her hands on the leaves of one of her potted plants. "I do not have that authority."
"We only need three of you to side with us," Rikki said, surprising herself with the words. She wanted to tell her that she'd help, but Doren was right to speak up. This could be their only opportunity to obtain Belliore's Key. "If you agree to this, we'd only need to convince two more of your Directorate. And then, of course, I will help."
"Someone here has a loose tongue," Maevus said, turning back around and revealing a polite smile. "Who told you this?"
"Les-tra-pel," Aros said, struggling to pronounce his name.
"And he was a no," Doren added.
Maevus sat back down and held up a finger on each hand. "That's one yes and one no. There's no way Lodmac would risk turning it over to you, so that's two nos." She raised a second finger on her left hand. "Keisler might be persuaded." She then had two fingers raised on each hand. "Which means it would be up to Director Talap." Her hands fell back into her lap. "I can never predict what that man's gonna do."
"We will try to persuade all of them," Rikki told her. "I want to help you, but this is about stopping Neanthal."
"You didn't take magic into account when you designed that time thingy, did you?" Aros asked. "You don't know how long it can hold Hatswick."
"An excellent point," Maevus replied. "I suggest you bring it up when you meet with the other directors."
Rikki and Doren both turned their stunned faces toward Aros. How had he been the only one to discern such an important point? The Bellish were allegedly the smartest inhabitants of Ghumai, yet magic completely stumped them. Science had taken them far, but their ignorance when it came to magic was destroying them.
"Why are you both looking at me like that?" Aros asked, blushing slightly.
"You surprise us sometimes, Aros," Doren replied with a charming glint in his eye.
Aros rubbed the back of his head and looked away.
"If you believe Hatswick may escape our stasis field, I suggest you be on your way." Maevus stood up and waited for all of her guests to do so as well. "I leave it to you to determine which director you visit next, but practice your arguments before your meetings."
"How will we know where to go?" Doren asked.
"The eDat," she said. A floating transparent screen materialized in the center of the room. A map of the city was projected on the blue-tinged display. When Maevus said, "Show the location of the Directorate," blinking red dots appeared on the map. "It knows where all of us are, for the benefit of the entire citizenry. An AGT will be the fastest way to get to the others. And do use the eDat to read up on our history. Many of us are still prone to dislike questions whose answers are already knowable."
Aros reached for the map, but his hand passed right through it. "Amazing."
Maevus led them to the exit. "I can have our peacekeepers escort you to the docks. We do not want any additional violent incidents."
"Won't they mistake my magic for the MR?" Rikki asked.
"Possibly, but I will put out a system update to make sure they do not harass you." Maevus opened the door for them. "We'll have to work on getting them to better distinguish mages from the infected."
"The MR," Doren said before leaving. "Does it stand for something?"
Maevus' eyes watered up before she answered. "Magenine's Retribution." She urged them out and closed the door without any elaboration.
Chapter Nine
Transport
"Magenine's Retribution," Rikki repeated as they left the building and returned to the crowded streets. "What do you think that means?"
Aros didn't even have a guess. This kingdom, this city, this entire situation was stupefying. At every turn, he confronted not only something that was completely new to him, but something that was not comprehensible. The door-less buildings, the flying vehicles, the eDat, and, most recently, a floating map that came from nowhere. It was too much to take in. He was ready to leave, but they weren't about to do that without the Key. And the Key was not in the hands of an emperor or a Thalian but high-minded aristocrats that could easily hand it over.
Every land they arrived in made Aros miss Kytheras all the more. He wished Leidess was back there waiting for him, but he knew of others that were: Ratch, his mother, maybe even the Kerus. He'd rather see them than the Directors and these other unfriendly scientists.
Aros looked to his left, watching as every passerby ignored them. Then he gazed to his right and saw the exact same thing. They were all the same: matching vacant eyes that were intentionally avoiding not only the outsiders but their fellow countrymen. Similar outfits that were professional if not practical. Some of them even had the same faces.
Same faces?
Aros twisted his head back and forth to make sure he was seeing correctly. He was. Some of these people had the exact same face. Sure, their hair and attire may have been different, but the rest of their features were identical. He stopped walking and just watched as the same faces passed by multiple times.
"What's going on?" Doren asked him.
"They have the same face," Aros answered.
"Huh?"
Aros pointed, and both of his friends gazed to where he was indicating. Then he moved his finger to another with the same face, and his friends followed.
"They could be twins," Doren put forth, though he didn't sound convinced.
"Nope," Aros replied, and he aimed a finger at another who had the same appearance.
"Triplets?" Rikki said.
The three of them stood in the center of the hectic street, watching as numerous Bellish with matching faces went by. Some even had the faces of the Directors they already met.
"This place gets weirder and weirder," Aros sighed. This was merely another item to add to the list of things he didn't understand about Belliore.
"It's freaking me out," Doren griped. There were so many people strutting around. How was it that Aros observed what he and Rikki had failed to? Normally, that would've been the most unusual event to happen in a day. But this? What Doren was seeing was completely unnatural. He gave up his twin theory he'd been silently holding onto as soon as he saw the fifth person with the same face pass by. He'd heard of identical twins and even identical triplets. But identical quintuplets? Whatever this was, it was of the Bellish's own making.
"It has to be science," Rikki said. "Magic is never the answer here."
"What kind of science does this?" Doren wondered.
"We know they won'
t answer," Aros grumbled, recalling what happened the last time they got out of the AGT.
Doren glanced at Rikki. She appeared so calm even in a situation like this. The most bizarre discovery and she was not even slightly unnerved. Kytheras could use a ruler like that. And if they got married, and he did not abdicate, she would be queen.
He shook the thoughts from his head. Why did his mind just go there? They hadn't even held hands and he was imagining marrying her. What if she didn't even want that?
Doren thought back to their time on the imperial palace's roof. It seemed like ages ago, though it wasn't even a few days. They were so close to each other, so comfortable...
"Doren!" Rikki screeched.
He snapped back to his present location. Rikki and Aros looked like they were going to leave him.
"Let's go," she said. "We can ask the eDat if it comes to that."
"Right," Doren replied, and they started heading for the dock again. He scratched at his forehead, amused and frightened of where his thoughts were taking him. There was a romantic inclination between the two of them; he was sure of it. And they were going to have to confront it at some point.
Rikki was the only one who had not returned her weapon to her back. She had gotten used to carrying it in the other kingdoms, but did so now so they weren't completely unguarded. Aros and Doren would have to reach for theirs; she would not. Belliore felt less safe with each passing minute. The chrome men could turn on them. The MR could infect them. The Roamers could show up. She was content keeping her staff in her hand.
And if she wasn't carrying the staff, she'd be carrying Ji-Ji.
After Aros had pointed it out, she couldn't help staring at the men and women who passed them by. Why did so many have identical features? She hoped to find an answer once they boarded an AGT. Maybe they'd also find out why all of them seemed to be in a rush.
Rikki checked on Doren, who was doing his best to stay at a constant pace with her. She caught his eye and they quickly looked away from each other.
She then glanced at Aros, who could never hide his emotions well. He was as baffled as ever and didn't even notice as she gawked at him.
The parade of AGTs and IPTs was not too far ahead. As she watched them speed by, she contemplated how she might describe them to a fellow Kytheran when they returned home. How could anyone imagine something like this?
Rikki got a sudden chill and stopped once again. She could feel the pull of the Goddess deep inside, trying to relay some piece of information. It was so much easier when She was speaking to Aros. Now, she had to figure out what this feeling meant.
Her body quivered and she suddenly understood. Someone was watching them. She turned and looked through the crowd, but all the faces were deliberately eschewing them.
"What's wrong?" Doren asked, his hand already on his shield.
"We're being watched."
"By who?" Aros asked. His head was spinning in every direction.
"I'm not sure," Rikki answered. Someone could've been peering down on them from one of the high windows. She bent her neck up, trying to determine if she could make out anyone behind the glass.
"What's that?" Aros asked, indicating a flying metallic ball of some sort that was hovering in the air not too far from their location.
"It's probably nothing," Doren said, returning his focus to the throng. "I don't see anyone spying on us, though."
"Be on guard," Rikki urged, and then she insinuated they continue with a nod.
The trio made it to the dock without further incident, and they stood on the edge of the platform, transfixed by the passing vehicles.
"How do we get one to stop?" Aros said.
Rikki thought back to how Lestrapel summoned one. It had only taken him a wave to get one for them. Was it that easy?
Rikki waved her free hand at the AGTs and, almost instantly, one of them flew sideways and descended to their level. It hovered adjacently to the platform as its doors slid open.
"We spend too much time in these," Doren grumbled as he made his way inside.
"How else do you expect to get around?" she asked as she followed him. The inside of this AGT was more reminiscent of their first one, with a luxurious carpeted interior and cozy seats.
"Shift?" Doren suggested.
"Maybe if I knew where we were going," she replied. "Be grateful I got us here without accidently impaling us."
As soon as Aros climbed in, the doors shut and the AGT waited for a destination. "Where are we going first?" Rikki asked as they plopped into their seats.
Aros stared blankly at his friends. He couldn't remember the names of the Directors they had yet to meet. If Maevus had given them a map, instead of showing off some fancy one that they couldn't take with them, maybe he wouldn't have been so clueless.
"Well, Director Cron is the only one we haven't met," Doren stated. "We should start with him." He cleared his throat. "Take us to Director Lodmac Cron."
"Guest authorization granted by Director Trustt," the eDat's voice alerted them. "Proceeding to destination."
After his meeting with Milo in Faunli, Aros thought he'd never hear a disembodied voice again. He would've preferred that.
"Activate voice search for eDat," Doren said, repeating what he'd heard Lestrapel say earlier.
"Confirmed."
"What is Magenine's Retribution?" Rikki sped through the question before anyone had a chance to ask anything else.
"Information redacted," the eDat replied.
"This thing's just so helpful," Doren sarcastically noted.
Aros had his question ready. "Why does everyone have the same face?"
"Please clarify," the eDat said.
"Uhh..." Aros didn't know how else he could phrase the question.
"How many identical faces are in Belliore?" Doren asked.
"There are over 2.5 million original strands of DNA which have contributed to a total clone population of nearly 10 million."
"Clone? DNA?" Rikki had never heard these words before. Which meant the next few questions were self-evident. "Please define clone."
"A clone is an organism that is genetically identical to another, from which its genetic material was harvested."
"Is it speaking in Faun?" Aros asked as he gnashed his teeth together. Half of what it'd just said made absolutely no sense.
"Would you like me to translate to Faun?" the voice asked.
"No!" all three of them shouted together.
"Let's try this," Rikki stared. "Please define DNA."
"DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid, the carrier of genetic information in all living organisms."
Aros pulled at his spikes and was ready to tear them out. "Do either of you understand it?"
Doren shook his head. "Is there a way we can dumb it down?"
Rikki shrugged and raised her staff. "I could try enchanting it."
She didn't get a chance before they were intruded upon. A yellow cloak spun into existence in the middle of the transport. M'dalla's face was decorated with fresh wounds that were dripping blood onto her outfit. Her flail was elevated and she seemed ready to attack.
The trio bounded up from their seats and took hold of their weapons. They circled M'dalla but none of them were willing to initiate a strike.
As they waited for someone to make the first move, a chrome man crashed through one of the windows of the AGT. It stood up and pointed its primary weapon at M'dalla.
M'dalla ignored the trio and went for the peacekeeper. She lifted her arm back and swung the spiked ball into the chrome man's arm just as it fired. The beam of light that shot from its limb hit the floor of the transport, leaving a gaping hole at the point of impact. She then heaved the flail up at the peacekeeper's head. Its neck cracked, and the metal head was left hanging from its body by a single wire. She kicked it back out the way it came in, but took note of the additional peacekeepers heading toward the AGT.
"Help me," M'dalla begged.
"What?" Rikki replied, su
rprised by the request.
Aros was staring down into the hole the peacekeeper had made, which gave a bird's eye view of the other vehicles. However, his attention was diverted when he heard several clunks on the roof of their own AGT. "What's that?" he asked, looking up.
Several metal hands broke through the ceiling of their transport. Aros responded by shoving both his clawblades upward, through the roof, hoping he'd hit one of the chrome men.
Rikki pointed her staff at the ceiling and it peeled off from the rest of the AGT, sending it and the peacekeepers that were on it tumbling below.
Aros watched through the hole in the floor as multiple peacekeepers fell to the empty streets. Some were hit by other AGTs before they made it.
"What's going on?" Doren asked.
"It's – "
A peacekeeper burst through another wall of the AGT and wrapped itself around M'dalla. It pulled her backwards and they both fell out of the transport.
"I'll get her," Rikki said, and she started shifting out of the AGT.
Aros looked at Doren, who was finally as confused as he was.
Seconds later, Rikki shifted back inside, with M'dalla holding on to her staff. "There are a lot of them," she warned.
All three of them looked up. Jumping through the air, from nearby buildings and transports, were dozens of chrome men. Rikki summoned up a gust of wind to slow them down, but there were too many to cease their momentum.
Doren was able to knock a few off with his shield but regrouped with the trio as soon as it became apparent they were going to be overwhelmed.
"Are there more chrome men than there are people?" Aros cried.
"You can shift us all," M'dalla said.
"Shift us where?" Rikki asked. She didn't know why M'dalla had suddenly appeared, or why she wasn't attacking them. Yet either because of her injuries or the chrome men that were after her, Rikki felt compelled to help.
"The hospital!" M'dalla shouted. She charged at one of the peacekeepers who had just boarded and decapitated him with a single swing of her flail. "Can you get us there or not?" She smacked another peacekeeper in midair and it fell down below with a massive puncture in its chest.
