by C. M. Lance
Sig’s eyes widened. “Did you hold back when we sparred?”
“A little, but that doesn’t mean you’re not good. You’re very fast, one of the quickest humans I’ve ever seen, but not as strong as I am. You’re not supernatural in human form. I am. I don’t think I’d like to take you on in our supernatural forms. Not with that bloody big sword and all your martial arts training.”
“Why do you keep pulling me back? Are you afraid he’ll hurt me?”
“Like I said, he might; but that’s not why. He’s stupid, or at least acts like it. That’s why I don’t think he knows what he is. Supernaturals shouldn’t fight among normals.
“He’s a supernatural even if he may not know it. We know we that are. A fight between supernaturals could get very messy and potentially harm normals. We need to keep a low profile - always. Just because we’ve come out of the closet doesn’t mean everyone is happy with it.”
“What do you mean not happy with it?”
“You know that Japan, Bolivia, and Denmark make all supernaturals register, like guns, or pedophiles. That idiot senator from South Carolina introduced a bill to do the same thing here. It didn’t get out of committee, but they’ll keep trying. All we need is an incident where a normal gets hurt or killed in a clash between supernaturals to get the fear started again. Fear drives politicians more than common sense.”
Sig nodded. “OK, I understand. I don’t like it, but I understand.”
“Talk to Professor Herman about it. He preaches against ostentation and can explain why better than I can. He’s very sensitive to and keeps abreast of the political climate as well.”
“Right, be sure to get the ostentation lecture. I’ll put it on my to-do list. First, let’s get some sleep. It’s been a long day.”
†††
Sig awoke to pounding on his door in the morning. Rick said, “Rise and shine. We have to meet Professor Herman at the lab this morning.”
Sig hollered, “Come in. What are we meeting for?”
“I have to work and he’ll be giving you your assignment. You didn’t think living here would be free did you? The Professor will get his pound of flesh.”
Sig groaned and rolled out of bed. Rick went downstairs to scrounge breakfast while Sig got ready.
On the trip to the Physics department Rick told Sig, “The Professor is a genius, but sometimes he dithers. You may need to prompt him. Don’t hesitate. He sometimes needs a push.”
Sig looked at Rick’s profile and nodded. “Right… I think.”
Rick grinned. “You’re sharp. You’ll figure it out.”
†††
Rick showed Sig the way to the physics lab, where they met Professor Herman. Both Sig and Rick addressed him as Professor rather than Arthur. He greeted Sig warmly while Rick left for his assignment.
“Since you won’t be in classes as we finish this semester, there are number of things I’d like you to do.” He held up a spread hand and ticked off on his index finger. “First, I’d like to work with you for an hour a day on magic, in both forms. We need to get a base line measurement on your magic while we do that.”
The next finger straightened and he ticked off that one. “Second, we have several projects in process on which we could use support.” He handed Sig a typewritten list. “Look these over, chat with the professors or graduate students in charge, and make a choice of where you’d like to work.”
“Are there any recommendations?”
Professor Herman smiled. “I’d rather not bias you. Talk to the primes on the projects, obtain info through less formal avenues and let’s talk about your selection next week.”
“OK.”
“We pay students the same miserly scale, no matter which assignment is chosen. So, that won’t be a factor.”
“I get paid?”
“I assure you, you’re not going to retire on it. I think the pittance we pay allows us to skirt the child labor laws.”
The third digit was raised and ticked off. “Third, while you are acclimating and getting to know people, I want you to keep your ears open. But be careful. I believe minions of dark magicians have penetrated and occupy positions within our bastion of science.”
Sig cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. “In normal English, you’re saying there might be spies among us and to keep an eye out?”
The Professor colored slightly and said, “I believe you have absorbed the essence of it.”
“OK, I can do that. Interview the primes on this list, infiltrate the worker bees, and report back in a week when I make a selection.”
“And take care. Dark magic affiliates will not hesitate if they determine you have detected their machinations. Their response could be deadly. And never forget, there is already one Black Wizard who is after you.”
“Anything else?”
“Enjoy yourself. The college experience, while demanding diligence, should engender pleasure in learning.”
“Right. I‘ll focus on that.” Remembering Rick’s guidance, Sig said, “Shall we schedule time to establish my magical baseline?”
“Ah yes, meet me at 6:30 this afternoon in the calibration lab in the basement.”
“I’ll see you there.”
“Eccellente.”
“Spanish?”
“No, Florentine Italian, my birth language.”
Sig filed that information away for further consideration.
Chapter 22
After interviewing the researcher in charge of the first assignment on his list, Sig had lunch with two of the project’s student assistants. Their project involved characterizing fairy dust, left behind fairies work magic.
“The dust has magical properties but dissipates moments after magic is executed. We’re trying to develop techniques to preserve it long enough to study it.”
Sig smiled. “I thought fairy dust could be used by humans. What about the story of Peter Pan and Tinker Bell?”
Shaniqua and Tony laughed. She said, “Disney can do anything they want.”
Tony nodded. “We wish it was simple like that.”
The two demonstrated enthusiasm for the project and enjoyed the people they worked with. They chattered about their team and its study mission.
“What drew you two to this field of study?”
Shaniqua’s face turned serious. “My mother was a voodoo mambo, a priestess from Jamaica. She died shortly after she had me. I never knew her or learned anything from her. My aunt, who raised me in Florida, says I’m just like my mother. According to my aunt, that isn’t a good thing. She’s afraid I’ll get involved in the same feuds that killed my mother or that I’ll hurt myself because I don’t know how to handle my powers. I chose to attend Northwestern to get away from that and learn about magic.”
Tony said, “Wow, I didn’t know that.” He turned to Sig. “My Dad could always find things. If anyone lost something, my Dad would find it. He didn’t know how. It was just something he did. After the world changed, I started doing it too.”
“You’re a good guy to know. I’m always misplacing my car keys.”
“Yeah, but not everything should be found. The police chief of the town in New Jersey I came from asked Dad to help find corpses of some people who had disappeared. Three days after he found them, he died, not of natural causes. I’m here to find out more about my talent and what I can do to protect myself in a similar situation.”
Sig shook his head and felt the surprise sting of tears in his eyes. “My dad died too. I don’t think he had any powers, but some in my family did. I need to learn more about it. While you’ve been studying, have you found any signs of fairy black magic?”
The two looked about furtively and then at each other. They avoided looking at Sig.
“Did I ask a bad thing?”
Shaniqua frowned and finally looked at him. “There are stories about dark fairy magic, but…”
“But, we haven’t seen any evidence,” Tony said. “A fellow researcher said she was on th
e track of black fairy magic last semester.”
“But no one has seen her for four months.” Shaniqua said. “I wonder if we’ll ever see her again.” She and Tony looked at each other and shook their heads.
“Was she reported missing?”
Shaniqua nodded. “Yes, by her parents, the Martins. They live in Wyoming. When they couldn’t get in touch with Holly, they came here. The first in her family to attend college; they were so proud. Now we haven’t heard from them either for more than a month. I don’t know if they went back or…”
Sig leaned back in his chair, “Wow.”
Tony grimaced and nodded. Sig looked back and forth between them. Shaniqua looked forlorn. “They were so nice.”
†††
Next, Sig sought the prime on a project to map North American Ley lines. The prime wasn’t available, and his number one assistant, Dmitri Nastase, had football practice. Dmitri was the giant All America football player with whom Sig already had two unpleasant encounters.
He looked forward to meeting him again when Rick wasn’t around to pull on his leash. He could claim not receiving the ostentation lecture as an excuse - if he survived the encounter.
It was just as well, that no one was available to discuss assignments. It His appointment to meet the blond Amazon, Arianna, for a Karate match was in fifteen minutes.
The address she gave turned out to be a small warehouse a few miles from campus. After parking, he grabbed his gear and went to the side door. Two women carrying gym bags climbed the short flight of stairs and entered ahead of him.
Inside, he looked around. The familiar sounds and smells of workouts filled the space. Metallic clanks sounded from the weight lifting area. Wooden swords and staffs clacked as some sparred. Stamping, scraping and slapping sounded from a group engaged in hand-to-hand combat.
But, the familiarity stopped there. In rural Minnesota, the gym would be filled with guys. Here, he was the only male in a gym filled with over a dozen Amazons.
Some stopped to look at him. Sig felt like a spotlight illuminated him. He wanted to run. Instead, he looked around for a familiar face.
Arianna sauntered up wearing karate gi; a black belt wrapped around her waist. “You made it, good. We’re next on the mats in about five minutes.”
Sig hefted his bag. “Where can I change?”
Arianna’s eyebrows rose. “Change? We usually come dressed or…” She gestured over to where the two women who preceded him had stripped down to their underwear and now donned workout clothes.
Sig wrenched his eyes away, trying not to stare. Tall, muscular, and shapely, they were staring material.
Arianna said, “We use the facilities at the gas station down the block if you have to go potty. We keep the women’s side clean. I don’t know what the men’s side is like. Or, you can change by that bench over there.” She looked at him with a challenge in her eyes then smiled, “Do you go commando?”
Sig blushed. “No, the bench will be fine.”
Not wanting to seem prudish, he sat down, untied and pulled off his boots, then stood and dropped his pants. It seemed like the spotlight intensified. He quickly pulled off his shirt and donned his gi. He wanted to cover up the flush that suffused his body.
He turned toward the sound of quiet clapping. Giselle, the redhead said, “Nice, I like the jock strap and cup. I bet Arianna didn’t mention the storeroom where men change.”
Sig’s head swiveled to look at Arianna. She smiled. “Storeroom? I guess I forgot about it. Well, no one got injured during the process.”
Giselle shook her head, still smiling broadly. “Don’t let her get into your head. She’ll go for every advantage she can, not that she needs it.”
Sig gritted his teeth, nodded, and smiled back. “No harm done. Good trick. I’m learning the rules.”
Giselle laughed. “Honey, there aren’t any rules.”
She and Arianna looked at each other and laughed. Sig noticed several nearby women smiling.
After a quick warm up, he met Arianna on the mats. Sig noted that she was at least two inches taller than he was and he guessed she massed as much. Her legs were longer than his, but he thought he had longer arms.
They met in the middle of the mat and bowed. Before he straightened, she dropped and lashed out with a leg sweep. Half expecting it, based on previous actions and Giselle’s warning, he sprang into the air and blocked the upward kick to the groin that followed. He landed spinning and slammed a kick to her side that she partially blocked. He just managed to pull his leg back before she grabbed it.
He began the match thinking he would have to ease up, but quickly realized he could get hurt if he didn’t give it his all. She used her better leg reach to good effect and surprised him with her strength.
After almost five minutes of a very even match, he was battered and winded. He needed to end the match if he could. He’d try passing strikes, his best move. She managed to avoid a kick at her thigh, but he raked her knee on the return. She lost balance. He whirled and kicked at her head. She leaned to the side to miss the initial kick and unbent just in time to catch his returning heel in the back of her head.
Stunned, she dropped to one knee. He grabbed and twisted her wrist, pulled her arm straight out, and kicked her twice in the side with his heel. If he’d applied full force, it could have broken her ribs. He spun and drove his knee against her extended elbow, pulling up short so he didn’t break it.
He stepped back, put his hands together, and bowed. She shook her head groggily as she stood and bowed back.
Sig heard applause and turned to see Rick with a group of ten women who stopped what they were doing to watch. They appraised him seriously.
Rick stopped clapping. “Now that you’ve beaten their number one in hand-to-hand they’ll want you to come back and teach them how you did it.”
Several of the Amazons nodded.
Sig shrugged and winced. “I’ll be happy to. I need the workout, but first I need to ice these bruises. I feel like I lost. That was the toughest fight I’ve ever been in.”
Arianna punched his shoulder. “You charmer; I bet you say that to all the girls. Let’s plan to do it again, but right now, that ice is the right prescription. If you feel like you lost, just imagine how I feel.” She rubbed the back of her head.
Rick asked Arianna, “Who owes who?”
Arianna rolled her eyes, went over to a pile of clothes, pulled out five dollars, and handed it to Rick.
Sig wrinkled his forehead and looked between them.
Rick smiled. “You didn’t use the gas station down the street to change. I won.”
Now it was Arianna’s turn to shrug and smile.
Sig grabbed his bag, and pushed Rick toward the door.
Chapter 23
Back in his room, Sig iced his contusions for half-an-hour before reporting for his daily check up and training.
Professor Herman was already in the calibration lab when Sig showed up at 6:30 p.m. “Ah, there you are. I’ve asked Giselle to help me today.” He gestured toward a doorway as the tall redheaded Amazon strode into the lab. “Giselle, this is Sig. He’s our subject for today.”
“We’ve met.”
He smiled and winked. “We’ll have to stop meeting this way.”
She looked at him levelly. “You seem to be everywhere.”
“Giselle is an expert at measurement.”
Sig frowned at her. “This isn’t going to get embarrassing is it?”
She arched an eyebrow and looked him over slowly. “Do you have some measurement you’re embarrassed about?”
Sig blushed.
The Professor glanced between them. “Do I detect a modicum of friction?”
Giselle smiled. “No, it’s all good fun; although he just beat our tribe’s best hand-to-hand warrior and it wouldn’t hurt to take him down a notch.”
He looked at Sig. “In that form? Impressive.”
Sig ducked his head as he nodded.
She arched an eyebrow at him, and then asked the Professor, “What do you mean in that form?”
“You’ll see shortly.”
She shrugged and said, “I’m ready with the equipment.”
Sig nodded.
Professor Herman gestured at a table on which rested a candelabrum, a bowl of water, and several prisms. “You’ve tried all of this, but, I need baseline measurements.”
Sig exhaled forcefully through pursed lips before he said. “OK, I’ll try again.”
He tried everything, again, with the same results - nothing. Getting used to disappointment made him uncomfortable.
The Professor called a halt. “All right, that’s the last test.”
Sig turned to Giselle. “Did you get any interesting readings?”
Arthur held up a hand. “Not just yet. We must attempt the same in the other form.”
“Attempt? I appreciate the faith you have in me.”
“It’s for the baseline measurement.”
Giselle looked quizzical “Other form?”
“Yes, change. Giselle get ready for measurements.”
Sig reached for the talisman and looked up at the ceiling to check clearance.
Giselle watched intently.
He said, “Aðalbrandr.”
She said, “Holy crap!”
Sig straightened up from the crouch he assumed while transforming to avoid crashing into ceilings. Before he fully straightened, his helmet bounced off the ceiling. He shook his head. “I didn’t think it was a ten foot ceiling.”
Giselle stood by her console with her mouth open. She shut it and said, “Oh, that other form.”
He went through the exercises again with the same lack of result.
When finished, the Professor asked Giselle, “What does the telemetry show?”
“Weirdness. Really weird.”
“In what way?”
She pointed to one of the screens. “The potentiometer shoots up like a rocket.” She pointed to the other screen. “But nothing happens.”
