Emily was still talking and seemed unaware that I wasn’t answering her questions. She faltered slightly when I reached my hands out as if to flick a lock of hair from her face. Her face took on a quizzical expression at my imposition, I saw a flash of anger in her features, then she seemed to have reached a conclusion and allowed it. That had been a mistake on her part.
Her face immediately went blank as my palm slowly pressed against her forehead. Her features slackened as the Mana lanced into her head. She shuddered involuntarily as the Mana began its work. I knew there was some pain to this process, but she wouldn’t suffer for long and the pain would soon be forgotten after the process had completed.
Her eyes lost focus as I leaned in, my palm now pressing hard against her face. If I hadn’t used the Mana to completely override her senses, she probably would have screamed, but as it was she was helpless.
“You will forget you ever wanted to interview me,” I whispered in her ear. “You will not remember this meeting and you will not seek me out again.”
The Mana in her body was making her compliant and my words became a compulsion that would make my words an order. In time her psyche would support the compulsion I had implanted in her and would actively produce the necessary reasoning to support the idea. I shuddered as I removed my hand from the poor girl’s forehead. I felt sick, but this was the most direct way. She would leave me alone now. She blinked twice as she staggered back. Her eyes attempted to snap into focus on me, but by that stage I was already walking past her.
I had accidently come across the technique in Victor’s writings. It had been one of his early discoveries. At first I had rejected the idea of using it. I had been on the receiving end of several compulsions and the experience had soured me on the effect. However, in time, curiosity had gotten the better of me and I grudgingly studied the passage. It had eventually proved to be a dead end, but by then I had already mastered the rudimentary skills necessary for functional use of the compel sorcery.
As I watched the reporter dazedly make her way back up the corridor, I shuddered and let the rising feeling of nausea pass. How quickly I had chosen to use that technique. I had once vowed that I would never become as Victor had, that I would never impose my will on others. That had turned out to be an empty promise. I had quickly discarded my principles when the opportunity presented. The fact that it was for the best was irrelevant. She would be safer if she didn’t pursue me. I had seen it in her eyes; she would have followed me when I left this ship for Los Angeles and she would have been exposed to unnecessary danger. No, it was better that she remain behind, her mission unfulfilled. She could acquire the knowledge she needed another way. God, I’m such a liar sometimes.
A hand on my shoulder spun me round, immediately sending the Mana in my body on the defensive. There was a loud crackling noise as the shield that sprang up around me caused the offending hand to be thrown back. The angry face of Master Glave glowered at me through the shield as he nursed his injured hand.
“What did you just do? A few minutes ago. You did something? What was it?” he snarled at me.
Shit. He had sensed the sorcery I had used on Miss Perry. He obviously hadn’t known what it had been. I would have been very surprised if he had – that secret was restricted to those with access to Victor’s spell books, and that certainly didn’t include Glave. I grimaced in the face of Glave’s wrath, but wasn’t overly concerned. There was nothing he was going to do here. As annoyed as I was, I was kind of impressed. He had been nowhere near me when I had discharged the small amount of Mana required, yet he had somehow sensed it. His sensing skills were impressive to say the least. They were far better than mine. This was worth noting.
“What did you do?” Glave repeated. “I didn’t recognise that Mana signature. I don’t like unidentified Mana going off on my ship!”
I didn’t bother answering him. It was none of his business and I certainly wasn’t going to take the time to explain myself. I could see him getting angrier and angrier. I could almost see the intensity of the Mana rising in his chest as his anger began to overpower him.
“You should calm yourself,” I whispered softly. “We wouldn’t want an incident.”
I left my threat unsaid, but the message was clear. I would protect myself and if necessary kill him. Our alliance was out of necessity only. Although I wasn’t sure of who would actually come out the superior between us, I was positive he didn’t know either.
“You should watch yourself,” he retorted lamely as he finally managed to get his anger under control. “You make enough damned noise with that construct of yours.”
He was of course referring to the Mana frame I used to keep myself mobile. That might have explained how he had sensed me so quickly. I was already making enough noise and all he had sensed was the change in frequency. Maybe that explained the speed of his reaction. Or maybe he was just keeping an eye on me. Either way there was nothing I could do about it now.
“You should get that tended to,” I grunted, gesturing towards his burnt hand. “And as for the Mana, I will use when and where I like, as is my right.”
I could almost feel him glowering at me as I turned the corner in search of my quarters. Since I had already had a run in with Glave, I decided to scry. It made my search so much quicker.
* * * * * *
I was invited to the captain’s table that evening. I’ve never really understood the courtesy of being asked to dine with the captain. I assume the tradition had something to do with colonial times where the fare at the captain’s table was of a higher quality. It didn’t really make much sense on a modern military vessel where the food was pretty much the same during war time. I had vaguely considered sending my apologies, but didn’t want to draw too much further unwanted attention to myself by refusing. No, it would be better to attend, keep quiet, and hope it would be over quickly. I’d had to attend these functions before and they were always painful. The invitation had come with a clean pressed formal uniform. It had been some time since I’d worn a formal uniform and I assumed it would also require that I shave. It had been an equally long time since a razor had touched my face. A tremor overtook me as I raised the razor to my face. I immediately pulsed it away, but it had taken its toll. A small nick in my cheek slowly appeared in the mirror as a small trail of blood oozed from the wound. I had cut myself with the razor, foolish. Stupid. I gritted my fists around the small plastic razor.
What was one more cut on this already broken face? Let it bleed. I’ve never been squeamish about the sight of my own blood, but watching the blood mix with the water in the sink I couldn’t help but feel that perhaps it was prophetic. It was such a simple thing – three small droplets of blood in the water. The blood mixed so easily with the purity of the water, muddying it, defiling it. You can’t even see the blood any longer if there is enough water, but the impurity is still there. There was a metaphor in there somewhere. I washed the rest of the blood from my face with a grimace as I ignored my reflection in the mirror.
“Unusual to see you in full uniform,” Marcellus commented as I emerged bathroom.
I just grunted at him as I made my way back to our cabin. Due to the cramped nature of the battleship, even I had been paired with a roommate. It wasn’t ideal, but I could deal with Marcellus for a short period of time far better than I could anyone else.
“Better you than me.” He grinned as he watched me assess the stark white uniform. He could tell that I was less than impressed at being forced to wear white. I wasn’t by any means a vain man, but white really wasn’t my colour.
“Didn’t I tell you?” I smiled. “I’m allowed to bring a guest.”
Marcellus’s face immediately dropped. “You wouldn’t….”
“You’re my next in command,” I reminded him. “It comes with the rank.”
Aside from his continual grumbling, he managed to get ready quicker than I did.
I wasn’t sure what I was walking into here. I hadn’t been invited to
any formal military dinners on an aircraft carrier before. This wasn’t exactly dinner with the commander in chief, but I expected it to be formal, boring, and a complete waste of time.
“Have you ever been to one of these things before?” Marcellus hissed as we were presented into the formal dining room.
“No,” I replied curtly. “But I’ve gone to similar dinners. I know what to expect.”
“What’s the plan then?”
“I’m going to keep my mouth shut and try not to be drawn into conversation,” I said, cutting him off before he could ask any more questions.
“What am I supposed to do then?”
“You’re there to ensure that I don’t have to talk to anyone.” I chuckled as I walked into the room. I didn’t stop to look, but I could easily visualise the exasperated expression on Marcellus’s face.
I had expected a room filled with military grey and functional and stark fittings. Instead it was like I had walked into a dining room in an old southern manor. Due to my lengthy preparation time I was amongst the last of the guests to arrive. Glave’s bulky figure could easily be seen towering over the rest of the guests. I also recognised the Admiral and his executive officer from my short time on the bridge. I noticed with some relief that I was seated on the opposite side of the table from Glave and the Admiral.
My relief caught in my throat as I recognised one of the other guests - Emily Perry. I hadn’t expected that, but I suppose it wasn’t surprising that she had been invited. I took a deep breath and did my best to ignore her. Unfortunately, this was going to prove difficult as she was seated opposite me. Fortunately the compulsion I had placed on her would prevent her from attempting to lure me into conversation. If I didn’t want to answer her questions in private, I certainly didn’t want to answer them publicly. I had had some doubts about a compulsion being overkill earlier, but with this new development it seemed entirely appropriate.
Sitting next to Emily was a colonel I’d never met before. He kept to himself and didn’t appear to be making much in the way of small talk which was impressive considering that there were only about eight people invited to the meal. For the most part he was nondescript and would easily be forgotten if you met him on the street. The only reason he drew my attention was that he appeared to be scowling in my direction. Marcellus and I took our seats as the Admiral waved to the wait staff to begin serving the first course.
It didn’t take long until a small bowl of cold soup was placed in front of me. I knew from a certain English comedy series that the soup was supposed to be served cold and I didn’t make comment. I dutifully tasted the soup. I wasn’t planning on eating much. For one my appetite wasn’t what it used to be and two I wasn’t a huge fan of tomatoes. I couldn’t recall the last time I had eaten a full meal properly. They served a light wine with the meal. I wasn’t a wine drinker, but anything that would help me get through meal was a good thing. I quickly finished off my glass and gestured for a refill.
“Tell me, Master Glave,” the colonel’s voice boomed out from across the table, “if you are here, then who is protecting the ship? I thought you were here to keep us all safe.”
The colonel had a snide, piercing voice that immediately set my nerves on edge. It had obviously had the same effect on other people, as the conversation immediately ceased to await Glave’s answer. Glave shook his head slowly and glanced in my direction before answering. That was strange, it was almost like he was seeking my confirmation of how much he should tell the colonel.
“I’m aware of everything that is going on,” Glave muttered as he placed his napkin over his bowl. “You are perfectly safe.”
Glave had intended his statement to end the conversation line, but the colonel wasn’t so easily put off.
“So you people,” he continued, “can truly see through metal walls?”
Glave again looked at me for help. He needn’t have bothered; I wasn’t going to help him. I had no wish to draw this colonel’s attention onto myself.
“You’ll have to excuse Colonel Brandon,” the Admiral interjected, giving the colonel a warning look and a placating look to Glave.
“Yes, please excuse my curiosity,” the colonel said smoothly. “I have so many questions about you people and this is the first time I’ve met one of you.”
“Perhaps we can discuss it another time,” Glave said, his tone indicating that if the two of them did resume this conversation, Colonel Brandon would be unlikely to walk away from it in one piece.
“Perhaps.” The colonel smiled, ignoring or not recognising the threat. “What about you, Master Wills? Would you care to elaborate on your remarkable powers?”
Crap. Remaining silent hadn’t worked. I hadn’t really expected that to work anyway. It had been a long shot at best. I took a deep gulp from my glass before I turned to answer him.
“No,” I replied darkly. Unlike Glave, I wasn’t going to give the colonel the illusion of good grace about this.
“Then perhaps you could answer some other questions I have,” the colonel said unabated. He had either missed the small social clues or was completely ignoring them. “Why do you kill others of your kind? Surely your motivations would lie with them? From a genetic stand point at least.”
“What do genetics have to do with anything?” Glave thundered from the other end of the table.
“I kill them because they have become dangerous,” I whispered softly.
“And you…” the colonel prompted. “Are you dangerous?”
I chose not to answer that question, but that didn’t seem to faze him because he quickly followed up with another.
“What will happen once you run out of enemies, I wonder?” the colonel mused. “There are very few names left on the wanted lists. Your people are running out of time.”
His threat wasn’t a subtle one. You had to admire that kind of stupidity and dedication to duty. I could kill this man where he stood and here he was threatening me. Before I could answer, Emily Perry interupted.
“I’m not sure I like the tone of your accusation,” she adamantly interjected, cutting the colonel off. “Do you question every soldier’s motivations during times of war?”
I could see the Admiral getting more and more agitated at the colonel’s behaviour. You could see the old man bristling from behind his stiff military façade. He was far too proud to say anything directly in such a public event, but anyone with half a brain could see what was going on behind the soldiers eyes.
“Yes,” the colonel answered, glancing at the Admiral defiantly. “We are on the verge of complete global collapse and these … ‘things’ are the ones who brought us here,” he hissed. “I think it’s necessary to investigate their motives, don’t you?”
“The commander has proved his loyalties one hundred times over!” Marcellus snarled, almost rising to his feet. I raised a hand to indicate that Marcellus should remain seated.
“Commander?” the colonel queried curiously. “I wasn’t aware you held rank.”
“I don’t,” I grunted. My rank was honorary. Technically I wasn’t in command of the division, but the actual commander had been killed in combat about four years ago and had never been replaced.
“Then why do honest American soldiers follow you?”
“Because I keep them alive,” I replied curtly as I finished my third glass of wine.
“And yet your casualty rates are amongst the highest in the field.”
Okay, that settled it. He’d done his research; no ordinary colonel would have thought to check casualty rate data. He wasn’t some two-bit colonel on an aircraft carrier. He was probably on special assignment or something. I wasn’t going to play this game. He could hide behind his rank and his privilege all he liked. He was right on one thing though: I wasn’t military and therefore I didn’t have to answer his questions.
“This is not the place to discuss it,” I murmured softly, “and now you will excuse yourself and leave.”
“Excuse me?” the colonel blat
hered. My eyes hardened as I stared down the man.
“Leave the table,” I repeated as I let the Mana rise in me. Glave twitched in surprise as the power built within me. The colonel wouldn’t have been able to see any difference in me as my irises were already full from the sorcery used to keep me mobile, but the air around me crackled with power. I knew from the way his face immediately went white that he understood the threat I was making. He could leave voluntarily or I would force him to. I would physically eject him from the room as an adult would throw a temper-struck child. Who could stop me? Except for Glave, there was no one who could and I doubted that Glave would be inclined to.
“You wouldn’t dare!” The colonel chortled, his face reddening with rage.
“Colonel Brandon, you are dismissed. Please leave the table.” The Admiral’s harsh voice cracked from across the table, immediately disrupting the disturbing staring contest between me and the colonel.
An immediate wave of relief fell across the room as the tension drained. The colonel twisted to stare at his superior, turning his snide glance at the older man.
“Colonel,” the Admiral warned, letting his voice rise.
The colonel shoved his chair back in disgust and threw his napkin on the table in front of him. The Admiral flashed me a warning look as the colonel rose from the table. There would be consequences for this.
“As you order, sir.” He roughly saluted and stormed from the room. Glave and I exchanged glances as he left. This perhaps hadn’t been the most diplomatic way of resolving this situation, but it had worked. And I found myself in an odd position of camaraderie with Glave. It took some time for the conversation to resume after the colonel’s departure. The wait staff took the opportunity to refill my wine glass.
Mage Emergence Page 10
