by Bob Blink
“Why are we waiting?” asked Luzoke as he started forward.
The others followed suit, and as they entered the dark cavern Jolan prepared to initiate his mage’s light so they could see where they were headed. That proved unnecessary. As soon as they crossed the threshold of the tunnel, a series of recessed glow bulbs came on, one after another stepping away into the depths and gradually lost to view as the gentle curve of the tunnel became obvious in the light. The walls of the tunnel were absolutely smooth, and the floor was flat with an obvious pathway down the center. A short distance into the tunnel was a large rectangular structure that almost blocked the full width of the tunnel. The center of the opening was opaque, and completely dark. One could see the lights of the tunnel behind the object even though there didn’t seem to be anything inside the opening of the object. It was possible to bypass the structure on either side by passing single file.
“What is it?” asked Asari, as he slipped past into the tunnel behind.
“I think one is intended to step into it,” said Altz, “but it doesn’t seem to be functioning. We might want to leave that for later.”
One after another the six slipped into the tunnel behind the object and started on the long walk. From the model they knew it was a long way, and had brought along food and water. The ten mile trip along the long tunnel was dull, unchanging, and uninteresting. The tunnel had a slow curve to the right, with infrequent straight sections. Hours later they came to another of the objects and, after slipping around it, they realized they were in a large room. Suddenly the lighting in this area came to life, showing the large chamber and the raised platform in the center.
“I had to turn on the glow bulbs,” Luzoke said. “These didn’t come on like the others.”
Jolan nodded without really hearing, his attention focused on the platform. He was hopeful that this was the true Nexus, but was concerned by the fact he couldn’t feel it’s presence, something he’d been able to do at a considerable distance in the forest. Slowly he walked across the floor of the cavern, and when he was within five feet of the raised area he suddenly became aware of the Nexus. When he stepped onto the platform he couldn’t believe the strength of the feeling. Here was power far beyond what he’d experienced in the forest with Asari so long before. Somehow the power was collimated, with very little leakage, and it couldn’t be detected at all until one was very close. Jolan suspected that Altz was correct. Cheurt hadn’t found the Nexus. Jolan looked up at the ceiling far above him. Somewhere up there, maybe a thousand feet, maybe two thousand, was the spot in the forest where he’d stood. Cheurt had found the leakage from the Nexus core. It could be detected over a wider distance because the field had spread as it moved away from the center. Had it always been that way and the builders hadn’t cared, or had it become slightly detuned over the centuries left alone? Jolan doubted he would ever know.
The others had stepped onto the platform with Jolan, and their faces reflected their awe at the feeling the Nexus caused. Only Asari stood without realizing the power that lay dormant here. Reluctantly, Jolan stepped off the platform and walked a few feet away until he could no longer sense the pulse of the node. He made a circle, scanning the walls of the cavern. In the far back was an array of equipment. There was no mistaking the orderly array of softly glowing cabinets. He had never seen the like here on Gaea, and as he approached he could see these were subtly different than such equipment racks would have been at home. A field protected the equipment, and he could only approach within ten feet of the racks. Ronoran came over, and after a few minutes shook his head.
“I have no idea what to do here. This is different from any ward or shield I’ve ever encountered.”
Dragon magic? Jolan wondered. Vaen had said the Dragons had built the Nexus, and that their magic was different. Perhaps this was the first proof of that.
The rest of the chamber was clean and neat, but basically empty. It appeared that the intent was to come and use the platform to transfer, or return and leave. When they walked back to the tunnel opening they realized the center of this rectangular object wasn’t dark like the one near the tunnel entrance. They could see the opening of the tunnel at the far end, with the light from outside shinning brightly into the opening. Obviously, people were not expected to walk the hours as they had to reach the core.
“It’s okay,” Tishe said, and suddenly walked into the opening. She disappeared, and a few moments later reappeared.
“It takes you back to the beginning. The one out there now shows all of you standing here.”
Since there was little they could do in the cavern at the moment, the group followed Tishe into the mini-portal, and soon stood outside the opening of the tunnel in the bright sunlight.
“We shouldn’t leave it like this,” Tishe said, looking out at the city. “Someone might see what you’ve done here.”
Jolan had been concerned about the possibility, but once they started draining the lake he couldn’t see what to do about it. When Asari and Luzoke had made their walks around the lake they had looked for any sign that Ale’ald troops had been in the area. They hadn’t seen anything, but it was a big place so that was hardly conclusive.
“I don’t see any way to hide it,” he answered the girl.
“Let’s go back to the other portal. I want to try something.”
Minutes later they emerged at the portal along what had been the shore of the lake. Tishe took a long look at the area, and then cast a surprisingly complex spell. A shimmering seemed to settle over the lake and the city, and after a few moments it took form. The city and the distant barriers holding back the waters disappeared and the surface of the lake looked whole and undisturbed once again. Even Altz was caught off guard.
“A glamour,” he said in surprise. “I’ve never seen one with such reach.”
“It only works around the shore,” Tishe admitted. “Or from up in the mountains. If you look at the lake from up high and far away it might look a bit blurry, but I don’t think anyone would realize something was wrong unless they were expecting it. If someone were in the center of the lake they’d see it is fake. From what you tell me about this place, I doubt anyone would try to go out there. It’s too bad a mage or wizard can sense the power draw, but it should fool any of the common soldiers that might be sent up this way.
Jolan had watched the spell and knew he couldn’t duplicate what the girl had just done. Like Shyar, she seemed to have some incredible potential. He had observed the spell, and noted one thing she might try. He wondered if she could create the inverse as he had done with the shields. A glamour pair might hide the use of power. He explained what he was thinking, identifying the symbol he wanted her to invert. Tishe gave him an odd look, something that might even contain a touch of respect, and after a minute released the spell he wished. Moments later the image looked even more solid, and as he hoped, he was unable to detect the power draw used by the glamour.
“Can we walk through it?” Altz asked. They could see where their footprints had walked along the ground from the portal to the water. They now disappeared under the “water” at the edge.
“Of course,” Tishe said. “It’s like any other glamour that way. If we walk to where the path is, we will walk under the glamour and it will disappear. Let’s try.”
The image was real enough. They moved carefully so as not to step off the cliff, and moments later their heads disappeared beneath the “water”. As they stepped below the glamour, it totally vanished for them, and they could see the scene as it really was. After a few moments they turned and walked back to “shore” and once again the lake looked full and undisturbed.
Jolan used a bit of magic to wipe away all the footprints they had generated over the past days, and the area looked pristine and undisturbed as it had before Asari and Luzoke had first come here.
“That’s remarkable,” said Altz. “We better warn the others, although I suspect we will simply use the lower portal. We might want to disable thi
s one just in case.”
“Let’s go see if Vaen has learned anything,” Jolan said eager to know if they were going to be able to use the Nexus. He didn’t realize then that he was a little more than a week from returning to Earth.
* * * *
The six of them, along with Vaen, Rifod, Nerila, Dibon, Ward, and two elderly mages Jolan had never met were gathered around the large table in the conference room down the hallway from Vaen’s office. It had taken almost a week to reach a point where Vaen’s experts were willing to meet and discuss their conclusions, which they warned had to be considered preliminary at this time. A few months of study would put them in a better position to speak on the matter.
At the moment, they had been discussing what was known of the Nexus.
“I’m concerned about the possible places the Nexus might take me,” Jolan admitted. Now that he’d found the means of getting back to Earth, it would be very unfortunate if he ended up somewhere else entirely.
“We have quite a bit of history on the Nexus and what it was originally used for,” Vaen said. “When we first met, I told you a bit about it. Altz was one of those most knowledgeable about it.”
“The Nexus allowed travel between Gaea and Earth. Nothing in any of the records ever suggested that there was any other possible destination. Originally there were two nodes on the Earth, but when the copper removal was performed, something changed the locations of the nodes. One disappeared, and the only remaining node was in a location that didn’t support the earlier visits. It was one reason the Nexus fell into disuse.”
“Were there two nodes on Gaea?”
“There are those that postulated there must be, but nothing has ever been found to indicate the second node exists or was ever used. Quite simply, everything suggests that the Nexus is a two station transport system. It takes one to and from Earth, and to only one location on either end, other than the fact Cheurt is using a fringe of the Nexus and arrives at an odd location not too far away.
“Then everyone is convinced that if I use the proper spells, I will end up on Earth, and return here. There isn’t a real possibility I’d go somewhere else?”
“If Cheurt hadn’t been using the system, then there might be some reason to worry that after so many years it might no longer be locked onto Earth at the other end. But since he, and you for that matter, have recently made a transition from Earth, I’d say there is no concern in that area.” Altz was quite positive in his conclusion. Vaen seemed to be silently nodding in agreement..
“So the question seems to be the proper spells.” Jolan looked at the two silent mages Vaen had brought into the meeting.
“You realize, there is much that is guesswork in our review of this?” said one of the older mages.
“I understand,” said Vaen. “Just tell us what you think. We can work from there.”
The man sighed and then began to explain. “They do look like activation spells. They have the proper structure, and have all the required parts of this kind of spell. The two spells are definitely related, since one has all the parts of the other, but has some additional material as well. Given what you have told us about one way and two-way spells, we are reasonably convinced that the shorter spell is designed to take one to the opposite end. The longer spell is designed to take one there, and trigger a return when the initiator returns to the Nexus.”
Rifod and Nerila had told Jolan privately that they felt the same. The spells had structures very similar to the spells that triggered the portals, and they were convinced, especially given where they were found, that they were meant to show users how to use the Nexus. After all, at one time it had been open to all who were curious.
“How certain of this are you?” Jolan asked.
“If I was to state in terms of probability, more than 65%,” said the older mage. “That is very good given what little we have to work with.”
But enough to bet his life on, or at least his chances of going and coming back? Jolan had something else working for him however. He had never been able to recall the spells that Cheurt had used, but each time he looked at the longer spell something in the back of his mind felt an aching familiarity. He was very certain he was looking at the spell Cheurt used. That feeling, along with the analysis of these two mages, had pushed him over the edge. He was willing to take the chance. He didn’t think he was going to learn more, and time was becoming critical for the Settled Lands. He also couldn’t help thinking how long Shyar had been held captive. Unless he could get home, his chances of rescuing her were small.
“Using the return spell will bring the user back to the Nexus when activated on the other end?”
“That’s what we believe. We think that the user simply returns to the Nexus node at the other end and re-executes the same spell, which will trigger the return. It is unlikely that simply stepping on the node would bring one back. That could cause a lot of unplanned transitions.”
“Why didn’t Cheurt return to the true Nexus rather than the leakage node he found?”
“It’s only a guess, but we suspect the round-trip version of the spell returns one to the exact same point as one departed from. If he had used the one-way spell, and then used a one-way spell to return from Earth, we think he would have arrived in the cavern. You have said, however, there isn’t sufficient magic there to allow a return.”
“That’s what appears to have happened to my ancestor. He became trapped and couldn’t return.” Jolan wondered what his ancestor would have done had he returned. He would have found himself inside the tunnel, which was well underwater without a means of getting out. “Is there any way to be certain of these spells. I really wouldn’t like to be trapped on Earth.”
“Someone has to go and try them,” said the older mage, his partner nodding solemnly next to him.
“And become trapped if we are wrong,” Jolan said.
The man merely shrugged.
“Do you understand why Cheurt found he had to wait almost a week before being able to initiate a second trip through the Nexus?” This was one memory that he had retained of Cheurt’s use, and knew that it had frustrated the man.
“There is nothing in the literature we have studied that suggests there should be such a limitation. I would guess that the problem might be related to the odd manner in which he is using the Nexus. A traveler who departs from the true node may not find such a restriction, or might find a restriction that is significantly less, probably so much so it wasn’t worthy of mention.”
The man hesitated a moment and then added. “We do see some kind of a timer in the spell. We have postulated that this is the longest the return spell will remain active. When the Nexus was in common use it may have been found prudent to minimize the number of open spells floating around. If one wanted to stay longer, he was probably told to use the one-way version.”
“How about the return?”
“One could probably bring several of the charged power crystals to enable the return. It’s unfortunate we don’t have some of them to send along with travelers.”
“How long do you think the return stays active?”
“We are only guessing that this is the function of the timer, but if we are right, it has a twenty-four day window. After that the spell might well become ineffective. Anyone who travels, would be advised to make the return well in advance of that date.”
Jolan knew that Cheurt had stayed at least eighteen days one time, but never longer. Had he known, or just been lucky?
In the end, the mages had little more to offer, and most of what they had presented was carefully couched with modifiers to underline the uncertainty of their explanations. The trip was going to be a gamble, but Jolan felt it had to be tried.
* * * *
“You really want to try this?” Vaen asked Jolan. They were alone in her office after the meeting had broken up. “There are a lot of risks associated with an attempt. There is so much we don’t know. I’m not sure it is best for you to go. There is so much kn
owledge you have that can help us. What if you don’t return? What of Shyar? Shouldn’t she be more important than an attempt to return to Earth?”
“I have been trying to find the means to go back since I arrived here. As I’ve watched the progress of the war, it has become even more important in my mind. We have a war going on. A war we are slowly losing. The only solution I see is for me to go back to Earth and bring back possible counters to what Ale’ald is attempting.”
“What does going to Earth do to help our condition?”
“There are many things there that can improve our situation. If I can bring back certain items, we will be in a far better position to counter Ale’ald’s wizards and their effectiveness in this war. I’ve been thinking for months of things to try and bring back. In addition to specific items, there is so much knowledge. Cheurt’s approach has been low tech. It seems he has brought back bits and pieces of the knowledge available on Earth. That’s not so surprising, given the huge disadvantage he is facing in trying to find his way through everything that Earth offers without the background to know where to look. I was raised there. I know what is needed here, and I know better ways to use the technology to bring that information back. If I am successful, not only could we win this war, but Gaea could leap a hundred years into the future in the span of a few years.”
“And Shyar?”
“I can’t help her unless we have a way to weaken or defeat Ale’ald. I don’t know where she is being held, but it’s certainly behind their lines in a very secure location. We couldn’t even get there, let alone fight our way in and bring her home. Bringing back technology to change the direction of the war is the only way I can see hope of getting her back.”
“She may be dead,” Vaen warned him.
Jolan shook his head. “That wouldn’t make sense. If they wanted to kill her, they would have done so rather than kidnap her. It had to take considerable effort to sneak her away as they did. To do that and then kill her wouldn’t be logical.”
