by Mari Dietz
“You might want to take off your ring.” Her father pointed to William’s hand. “I don’t know if that will affect anything. Radiant don’t need to bond with the rings, so hopefully it won’t matter.”
If William turned out to be a reaper, they’d be in trouble. In Verrin, you could either bond with a scythe or a wand. If your family only had one wand to pass down and you couldn’t bond with it because you were a reaper, the source of income would be cut off since a born reaper couldn’t use the inherited wand. To make matters worse, for the low-income individuals in Verrin, scythe were rarer, and the third-generation ones couldn’t be counted on to drain a weak mog.
William stood there, taking in all the first-generation relics. “If I want to work at GicCorp, won’t these imbue glass?”
Her father shook his head. “Your relic can imbue anything. It takes years and skill, so most stick with one product. The more practice you have with a relic, the less power you’ll have to use to imbue resources. Then it won’t drain as fast. If GicCorp hires you, they’ll assume you have basic training in all areas.” He swept his hand across a shelf. “You’ll have one week to learn what it takes years for most. I’m hoping with your radiant training you’ll already know control, although I can’t relate to how it works to suck the magic out of someone’s soul.”
She elbowed her father, but William ignored the jibe. Her father was right. This project was doomed. She said nothing but turned to face Kai. His jaw tensed as he took in all the first-generation wands. He was the last in his family with a decent relic. Seeing all this wealth couldn’t be easy for him. His sister, as an imb, would have no use for the scythe he’d pass down if something happened to him.
William shuffled forward, and something crossed his face when he removed his ring and put it in his pocket. His eyes traveled across all the wands and stopped on a simple-looking one with a large white stone and pure white body. He looked at her father for permission, and he nodded. William touched the wand. The stone flashed, then turned a soft white. The gicgauge on the side was empty, waiting for the user to perform magic. A gicgauge tracked magic used. It protected the stone from overuse and could be traded in for a small number of credits. Even if filled, it didn’t give them much. That was why founder factories also paid them hourly. Otherwise, they couldn’t survive.
“That was easier than expected,” Vic stated.
Her father replied, “The magic draws us in. Except you. From the start, you went for the scythe. As an imb, he could have bonded with any of these wands and been okay, but some say it is better to have a friendly relic.”
“Friendly? Like, it’s alive?”
“Some say so.”
Vic wanted to scoff but also understood. Her scythe almost felt alive when she used it.
William gingerly held the wand, unsure what to do with it. Her father guided them back out of the safe and shut the door with a whoosh. Then he shuffled through his desk and handed him a spare holster for his wand. William didn’t put it on but continued to stare down at the white wand.
Her father turned to her. “Will he be okay?”
“Yes.” No confidence reached her voice.
“I’d like to talk to you in private if that’s possible.”
Vic looked at William and Kai, who’d been silent since the safe. He nodded and guided William out of the office.
Her father went back to his desk, and Vic went in front of him. “What did you have to say?”
“If there is something wrong with the vitals in Haven, we’ll need more founders on our side. Without their backing, we won’t make it far.”
They needed more. Kai had said as much too. Did her father not trust him with this information? She would feel more confident if she couldn’t count everyone she trusted on one hand. “And what does that have to do with me? I’m not great with the founders.”
“I think you’ll have more luck in bringing in those closer to your age by privately letting them know what’s happening in Nyx. The Nordics aren’t letting that news out. Only a few will know about the forcibly turned people. You need to make connections with the founders to convince them the Nordics aren’t the best leaders for the city. Like I told you last night, we’re making plans, but with the founders, it’s moving slower than I’d like.”
“Wow, sounds super simple, Dad.”
His lips quirked up when she said dad.
She shifted and didn’t meet his gaze.
“It won’t be. You’ll need to come to parties.” He barely hid his grin.
“Parties?”
“That’s where all founder deals are made.”
“Great.”
His voice was tinted with mirth as he added, “You’ll also need to wear a dress.”
“Blight take me.”
This would be worse than the sewers.
4
William
In the faint lighting of Kai’s home, William touched the wand. The box next to him contained different pieces of stone, sand, metal, and anything else Vic’s father had thought he’d need to work on for his application to GicCorp. Sam and Xiona sat silently after dinner, leaving William alone with his thoughts again.
The wand warmed in his hands, waiting for him to use it. With one hand, he reached to straighten his cuffs but stopped when he realized he no longer wore the radiant uniform. He sat back and took a small piece of silver ore in his hand.
According to Conrad, those who worked for GicCorp needed to imbue many objects with precision. They did everything from repairing the lines that carried the collected blight to making repairs around the outside of the Haven enclosure. GicCorp ran the banking system for the credits. It would be useless for William to run around outside GicCorp, fixing charging stations. He needed to be closer to Haven, even though he wasn’t sure how to get inside. They needed to find information before any move against GicCorp could be made. William hoped any information would help. Maybe it would reveal a weakness or a direction.
“They have too much faith in my abilities, Sam.” He let the magic flow. At least her father was right about one thing: he understood control. The imbs worked the same as the radiant; they needed only a little magic to do a lot. If they ran out too fast, they couldn’t work enough hours to get a full wage. The only thing going for him was that he had a first-generation relic that would take longer for the gicgauge to fill. He wouldn’t run out as fast as others and might get hired based on that alone. It wouldn’t do him any good, though, if he blew through his magic within two hours.
There was also the problem of Sam staying in the house. He had to lock him in when he went to meet Vic and Kai. His brother acted differently from other radiant. He still smiled and listened, but only sometimes. He wouldn’t leave William’s side, which was odd. Radiant never attached themselves to other humans. They worked together, but it made no difference who they worked with.
“I wish I didn’t have to lock you inside.” It felt worse to lock his brother in than having him sit still all day.
His brother didn’t reply.
“Should I give you both a task?” Come to think of it, he’d never assigned them the normal radiant task to help the community. William squeezed the silver ore, and it bit into his palm. It felt off, ordering around those who hadn’t wanted the radiant life.
They looked at him.
Xiona asked, “What’s my task?”
Sam stared. “Do what you must.”
William shivered. Sam’s responses weren’t normal either. Radiant never talked much, and there wasn’t much thought behind what they said.
“Why don’t you both tidy the house?” Maybe a task would stop his brother from always following him. As they cleaned, William’s stomach turned. “Never mind. Sit and read a book or something.” He didn’t want servants. He shook his head. No, they weren’t servants. They weren’t part of the community like they should be, and that was messing up his head. “Okay, go ahead and keep up the house.”
He avoided glancing thei
r way as they cleaned. I hate this. I hate myself. What am I doing? How could it be that only a few weeks ago he’d wanted a calm wife and his world had been black and white, everything clean and orderly? Magic was evil. The radiant life was honorable. Then his father had shown him the corruption. They were no different from the magic users. Did anyone in Verrin stick to their beliefs?
He focused on the small piece of metal. The magic flowed from the wand and into the metal, and he tried to pull the metal away from the embedded rock. The metal molded for a moment but then sunk back into its original shape. A metallic taste entered his mouth as he worked on the silver ore. He tried again, and the metal pulled like a taut rubber strand. It didn’t want to separate, so he focused on keeping it connected. The wand warmed, and he plied the silver into a ring. The ring, cold to the touch, glowed in the light. Sweat beaded on William’s brow, and he got up to drink something to get the metallic taste out of his mouth. Did all imbs deal with this side effect? He’d never heard of them tasting the metal as they worked. He frowned and ran his hands over his clothing to smooth the wrinkles. Maybe he did not have an affinity for metal.
While Sam and Xiona worked around him, William went through all the objects, trying to form them. The unfamiliar stonework came easier for him, and instead of tasting it, he felt the texture come to life under his skin. The wand became an extension of his body, and certain types of stone felt like molding butter. The sensation on his skin became easier to deal with than the taste.
Long after the other two had gone to bed, he continued to work to get a handle on all the different materials he needed to imbue. He blinked when bright sunlight entered the room.
Before him, blobs of imbued materials sat on the table, his relic drained. The clang of pans and the smell of cooking fish startled him. Xiona and Sam were cooking breakfast.
He turned and saw Sam setting a place for him at the table. He sat down with them, and they ate mechanically. William gritted his teeth and pushed the plate away. He should have helped them make the food. Instead, he’d lost track of time.
“I’m going out.”
Sam stood to follow him, and William didn’t have the heart to lock him up again, so he let his brother come with him. He locked the door behind him, but not the outer lock that would keep Xiona trapped. She didn’t wander off like Sam did. The blight glowed green in the sky today. His skin felt moist when the humid air surrounded them. “These black clothes are hot. Let’s get something else to wear.”
“Do what you must.”
William bit his cheek. “I will.”
He went to a charging station to deposit the credits he’d earned from working with the material. There would be none of the extra pay that a true employee would get. The number flashed before him, and his mouth dropped open at the credits. If a first-generation relic gave this much for molding materials, it was no wonder that those who had them had money. But then, living as a radiant on any amount seemed excessive. He didn’t know what it cost to survive in Verrin since he now lived off Kai and Vic’s charity. He frowned at his account number. There were more credits in there than he’d deposited. Had Vic put credits into his account without telling him? His theory on relics was dashed. For now, he needed the help. With determination, he promised himself he would find information on her sister. His debt grew larger by the day.
“I guess we can all get something new to wear.” He rolled his shoulders at the strange feeling of wearing a harness for the wand. The heat bothered him, but he also wanted a jacket to cover the harness. He didn’t want to advertise the relic to the world. He’d said nothing the other day, but he’d noticed the look in Kai’s eyes when he’d seen all the relics stored in Conrad’s safe.
William walked past the water taxis. It still felt wrong to take them. Even though it was hot, they made the long walk to the center of town. Sam remained his ever-present shadow. If people thought they made a strange pair, a man in black followed by a radiant, he didn’t notice. William actively avoided meeting people’s gaze. By the time they reached the center of the city, their clothes were soaked through with sweat.
The radiant tried to weave their own clothing, and the process didn’t work out very well for most items. They tried to stick with factory-rejected linen, metal, or glass. The radiant grew their own food, but it took much longer.
Signs signaled various wares or tools made with magic. The House of Gold carried their own brand of delicate jewelry. The sun hit the rings and chains embedded with impressive scrollwork. The sign in the window claimed all the pieces were made with first-generation relics. Did that affect the quality? It would take longer to craft jewelry with a third-generation wand, so wouldn’t it cost more? More symbols of status, he supposed. Could anyone tell the difference?
He caught sight of his image in the window and tried to smooth his rumpled hair. Now that he lived with magic, it should be easier for him to stay put together. William, now aware of his appearance, briskly walked to find a clothing store.
Clothing hung in a display window, and the cool air hit his face as he entered the store. A youthful woman with a toothy smile greeted them. Her gaze flickered when she saw Sam.
“How can I help you today?” She sidestepped to put more distance between her and his brother.
He crossed his arms. “Just getting some clothes.” Did she think being a radiant was contagious? Trying to ignore her ignorance, he asked, “Do you happen to know what GicCorp employees wear?” He was probably getting ahead of himself, but he shouldn’t waste credits from Vic or Kai on the wrong things. Judging by the prices in view, he did only have a limited amount to spend on them.
Her head tilted. “Most places are casual. You’d do fine with pants and a nice shirt.”
William nodded and glanced through the clothes on the rack. He pulled out some light-colored shirts for Sam. His eye caught on a rack loaded with different blue shirts, and he gathered one of each for himself. He’d never thought about which color he liked. Maybe blue. They were all lightweight material that would feel better in the heat. He grabbed a cerulean jacket to hide his wand harness.
Then he added items for Xiona. He wasn’t sure about her size, but they all couldn’t wear black anymore. He thought maybe he could get Bomrosy to dye Xiona’s hair. Maybe he should dye his hair too. They might want to be more cautious, in case someone saw Xiona on one of Bomrosy’s trips. William almost wanted to ask his father if something had gone wrong when he’d purified Sam, but he hadn’t seen his parents in weeks. He didn’t want Sam to get taken away from him.
He took his items to the front, and the toothy sales person bagged them all and went on about some rewards program if he shopped there again. William nodded along and took his bags. Was this how those with relics lived? Nicer clothing? Finer shops? He felt out of place, even though he now had a wand. Most didn’t enjoy having radiant in their shops. They went to market places and shopped quickly to avoid making people feel uncomfortable.
William and Sam left the cool air of the shop. The gicorb in his neck itched, so he headed to the nearest charging station to charge. He didn’t need to worry about Sam or Xiona since the purified never turned into mogs. He placed his credits card in the slot and held the receiver up to his neck. Only a slight tingling from his gicorb let him know that he’d finished, and he replaced the receiver when it beeped.
“William?”
He turned to see his mother standing frozen in the path. Her body tensed when she saw the wand harness. Her gaze took in her sons in black clothing. She blinked rapidly and covered her mouth. A bag lay on its side next to her, and an apple rolled out onto the stone street.
William knelt and picked up the bag she’d dropped. He quickly brushed the apple off and returned it to the bag. His mother yanked the bag from him.
“Mother?” Why did she shop down here? His fingers twitched, and they stared at each other.
She grabbed his arm, covertly looked around, then led him to a nearby drink shop. They picked a t
able with three chairs, and his mom went to order. The imbs prepared the drinks, placing their wands on various machines for boiling some beans. Coffee was a luxury item, not as expensive as beef, but most couldn’t afford it. They handed her a tray with three cups. Where had his mother gotten the credits for this? She returned and handed William and Sam their drinks, and she smelled her own coffee.
“I know it’s wrong, but their coffee always tastes better. Don’t you think?” Her smile quivered, and she took a small sip.
William stared down at the light-brown concoction. He never cared for coffee normally. The kind his mother sometimes bought merely had a taste and wasn’t the genuine thing. When he tasted the bitter liquid, it flowed smoothly down his tongue and throat. He raised his eyebrows. “Way better.”
Somehow, sharing the secret that his mom frequented a coffee shop made him feel better. Did his father not notice the missing income?
She put down her cup and traced the rim with her finger. “You see, some things are understandable. Radiant who have yet to be purified may take a water taxi or order food from a shop, and we get our clothing made by imbs since it has proven difficult to weave our own, even though we try to improve the process.” Her face hardened. “But there are lines we never cross. What are you doing wearing a wand?”
Any hopeful feeling he’d had vanished. “I left, Mother. How can I provide for myself and Sam without magic?” A bitter coldness entered him.
“Samuel doesn’t belong with you. He’s a full radiant, and he needs to come back with me. Your rebellion has gone too far. Come back and ask your father for forgiveness, and I will never mention what I saw today.” His normally submissive mother glared at him.
Even though he didn’t like what she’d said, he preferred her to the woman who went along with what his father said without speaking much. William pushed his cup away. “Tell him. I won’t be returning, and Sam stays with me.”
Her eyes darkened. “No, he doesn’t belong with you. Him being alone with you isn’t normal. The radiant work together to provide a life without magic. That’s part of the agreement with the city. Did you know that? Radiant stay in our area, where the imbs stay away. If we didn’t live what we preach, we would be hypocrites.”
