Duty

by P. S. Power

  Serro smiled.

  “That’s right. Call in if it’s going to take longer than that. I… here, I have an extra healing amulet. Keep it with you and… um, you know, don’t drink or do drugs? I mean, if a real emergency is going on, you kind of need to step up. This sounds like it might be big.” She seemed almost as if that idea was going to not go over well with him. Which was probably right, once the real work hit him.

  “Yeah. I get that. Well, I need to get going. This is stupid. I’m going to screw this up and then people will probably die.”

  Jeffery shook his head.

  “No. If you mess this up, people might actually die. So you won’t. You’re sober and you know Noram better than either of us do. The names and all that. I couldn’t find County Rose on a map that had a little pointer on it, so you’re ahead of me there, anyway.”

  There was a nod from Serro.

  “True. I’m in the same place that way. Here, let me get that healing amulet for you.” She dashed off, as if there was pressing business, instead of him being sent to deliver some things to some people. Someplace.

  At least he knew it was in County Ross, not Rose. Not that he was going to correct anyone on that point. That wouldn’t really help either of the others there, at the moment. Besides, he kind of thought that Jeffery had said it that way on purpose.

  When that was passed over and placed in a pocket that he called into being, closing his eyes to get that to happen, he took a big breath.

  “Did I ever mention that I drink all the time due to my crippling shyness?” It was at least partially true.

  Serro shook her head.

  “You haven’t, actually. This is different anyway. It’s not like you’re asking these people out on a date. That has to make it easier. This is all work and an emergency. Different rules apply. You can do this. Just, you know…”

  He did, but said the words, so that the only two people in the world that would notice him being gone at all would understand that he had the plan down.

  “Stay sober? Got it. Well, I need to go now. Bye. I’ll call if… Really, I’ll probably call every few hours, begging for help. Crying softly about how hard I’m failing everyone.” That got a chuckle, to go along with his uneasy feelings on the subject.

  He was waved out of the place, and managed a weak jog as soon as he got out into the hallway. He needed to get to the stairs, one of the sets along the way, then go up to the top surface level, and over to the port, about two miles away. He moved quickly, for him, finally using his Tor shoes for it, since it was easier than running. Faster as well, though he forced himself to be very careful while doing it.

  It took a bit of focus to turn that aspect of the shield on. It let him float into the air, about four inches. Then, imagining pointing with his right hand, he directed himself to move. Faster than he could have run, not being in shape for anything in particular. Almost no one was out in the hallways that day, since it was very early in the morning. Still before five.

  Most people got up during the day, being normal like they were. Even if daytime there was an arbitrary illusion that someone had made up at some point. Probably based on their own personal sleep schedule, really.

  The stairs were the hardest part, since he had to walk up them. Five levels in Second City meant climbing about two hundred feet upward, which left him gasping by the end of it. Then he caught that as he traveled down the main hall, the red gems in the ceiling making it as bright as day. The whole thing was brightly colored, painted with magic, art made out of light decorating things every few hundred feet.

  One of them was simply a statue of a woman. She seemed young, like a girl and small, being under five feet. Her face was familiar, since it was the same one that he was used to seeing on the comps. Here she had a body though, which shone gently with an internal light. The magic was on the base, most likely, which looked to be polished black stone. The whole thing was pressed against the wall, the color behind it made red, to contrast with the light blue of the gown she wore.

  It had never occurred to him that the comp would have a body. Not before that very moment. The girl was cute though. Attractive, to be honest about it. Enough so that he nearly got distracted, stopping to gawk for a bit, instead of going to get those things for the people fighting the fire in Ross. It took a bit of will to move away from her, even if it wasn’t really about the sculpture of light being that good looking. Albert was used to seeing fine women. Every time he worked the club it came up, in fact.

  He was just bored already. Stressed as well. Tension tried to crawl into his belly as if it lived there. Taking a shaking breath, he carried on, floating again, toward the port complex. It was a large space, with a three-level high ceiling, and glass abstract art all over the place. Most of it was real, according to the signs. Some of it glowed, but that didn't mean the light blue and yellow glass wasn’t lit from below.

  There were gates that led to loading docks, where the ships put in. That wasn’t what he needed, which was good, since no one seemed to be in at the moment, anyway. What he wanted was one of the four red boxes that were in the middle of the open center of the room. There was a bit of traffic by those, but he was able to get to one of the ten-foot-high boxes after about a minute of standing back and waiting.

  After that he simply had to walk through the open door, tap the blue star on the right-hand side to close it and then spin in place, to use the control arrows on the back wall. They were just images, mainly in blue light. It worked the same way a handheld did, except that the words, place names, were bigger. They were also alphabetical, thankfully. There were a lot of listings for High Servant, but Depot was one of them, so Albert tapped the back wall quickly. Before he could lose his nerve.

  Then the hard part came.

  All he had to do was turn and press the star again, since he was already at the destination. A thing that he had to check twice, to make certain it was the right place. Then he had to stand there for a moment, thinking about how he might just be a gullible fool. Going off on an errand set to him by a man claiming to be the leader of the High Servants. A group so derided that they were often the frequent subject of jokes, in Noram. Deserved ones, from what Albert had heard on the topic. That was a serious matter, given that duels had been fought over such mocking, more than once.

  That he might be the subject of some noble’s jest was very possible. If so… well, he was about to find out. His palms began to sweat, so he nervously rubbed them on his brown trouser legs. Then he tapped the wall on the left, touching the blue star again, which opened the front wall. It was more of a hole than a door, when he looked at it.

  Feeling a bit like walking back into the box was the best plan, Albert stepped into the room. It was a nice place, looking like polished stone, with a desk in front of him, about thirty feet away. The woman behind it was older, seeming to be in her early to mid-sixties, if he were going to guess. She was in all white, with gold trim visible on her sleeves, even from across the room.

  Above them there was a gold colored chandelier, providing ample light, even if it was dark outside the windows to the side. He could see one of them clearly, past what looked like a stone column. It was hard to tell where he was at the moment. On Earth, he thought. The gravity felt a bit different. The air was a bit less pure as well.

  Before he could run away, the older lady waved at him, smiling.

  “Hello! What can I do for you this evening?”

  That told him he was on Earth as well. It was evening.

  “Um… I was sent to get some magics to help the fire fighting effort in Ross? This is the place for that, right?” He waited for her to ask the obvious question then.

  Who the heck he was to come and even ask her questions? Instead the woman grinned at him.

  “Finally! I’ve been fielding communications from Count Ross for eight hours now. It got so bad that I finally had to call the Commander in on it. Did he get you off of your holiday?” There was a wave at his clothing. His brown
, simple clothing that could have been good for relaxing. If he were say, off in the woods or perhaps doing some kind of gardening.

  Still, feeling awkward and like it was the wrong thing to do, he shook his head.

  “No? I’m… I… I work at The Eternal in Second City. It’s a dance club. Um… Someone lost their hand held, and I answered it, which… Johan asked me to see to this? I’m just the floor sweeper.”

  Those words got waved away, almost instantly.

  “Probably not just that, if you’re the sort to find out people are in need and make time for them in your own person. Oh. I’m High Servant Martha.” She waited then, not asking for his own name.

  That made sense though, if he was planning to walk away with large amounts of expensive magics. On the Moon that kind of thing was useful, but nearly free for everyone to use. If you lost a handheld, you really could just go and get another one. The same was true of food units, or almost anything. Except for space ships and most types of travel craft. You didn't drive inside the halls after all, so it wasn’t needed.

  “Albert Benoist, High Servant Martha.” He was in Noram, so remember to bow. He went low enough to be polite, without actually groveling. The woman had been nice to him and he was awkward, but he was also a man of a different world now. That meant he wasn’t just some son of a wagon maker living in a city, any longer.

  Not that his real position was higher than it had been. It was just the rule that people from different worlds didn’t have to follow the same rules exactly, when on Earth. The big ones, of course. No one was allowed to rape, steal or kill. It rarely came up.

  Most people knew not to do that kind of thing, without being told about the new rules of a place. It was the stuff like bowing that was harder for people to learn as they went. Albert had that one down already, having lived on Earth until he was twenty-two.

  Then he’d gotten away, to a place where a waste of space could actually make it. Rather than reflect on that little thought, or how he might well be better off ending things, Albert moved toward the desk, where the woman stood and started to work on something behind the counter. After a moment a small box came up.

  “Two large food units. A set of clothing amulets. Fire fighting gear… You won’t have to use that, most likely, but if there’s an emergency or a shortage on the ground there, it won’t hurt anything. Ten magical houses… If you have to leave any of those, you’ll need to get the name and location of them. Otherwise we’ll never get them back. It happens and we can’t say much when it does, so try to avoid that, if possible. It might not be, on the ground there. The important thing is to help people first, even if the cost is high. Now… Let me see here… Ross…” She had a handheld of her own. The color of the stone was different, but the format, from what he could see was a slightly older model than the one that Albert had.

  All on the Terry system, of course. Almost everything was, except a few things for the very rich and powerful. People who knew wizards that could do that kind of work personally.

  After thirty seconds or so, the woman smiled.

  “Count Ross? We have a man ready to head your way. A friend of High Servant Commander Johan, called Albert Benoist. He isn’t a High Servant, he simply heard you needed help and volunteered to come on his own.”

  That sounded a bit more generous than what had really happened, but he wasn’t going to call the woman a liar. Besides, her tale made him sound a good bit better than the real one did. Plus, claiming anyone as his friend was a dicey matter. The High Servant Commander could take offense at that being suggested. Then, it could be just as bad if he tried to deny it and the man was favorably disposed to him in the moment. Either thing was a risk, so, by saying nothing, he was boldly allowing High Servant Martha to assume that danger for him.

  There was a rough sounding cough from the handheld, then a rather croaking voice.

  “Sorry there, the smoke is thick on the ground here. We were overrun and had to flee the fire. Unfortunately, our transport box is right in the middle of that blaze at the moment. Can your man come in by air?”

  He was about to mention that he didn't fly. Not without a ship at any rate, when Martha shook her head.

  “I don’t know. He’s from the Moon, so that could be an issue. That isn’t popular there. Low ceilings, you understand. I don’t have a ship to lend him, of course.” She seemed pensive, rather than upset by the turn of events.

  There was a sigh from the device then.

  “I understand, of course. I don’t even know who might be around that we could ask. Well, if he can come, see if he can find another transport box for us? We aren’t using this one for a while, I’m afraid.”

  Albert just stood there for a while, not thinking of anything other than how parched he was. Not drinking had meant not having water or anything else, either. It wasn’t the first thing he thought about, day to day. Then he’d worked for ten hours, not thinking about what a normal person would have at all.

  It was an oversight, it seemed now.

  Pulling his handheld, recalling that he was supposed to simply call on people and demand things, while dropping Johan’s name, he froze. There was no one in the world, in any world, that he could ask for help that could do anything. He might get in touch with his parents, he supposed. They wouldn’t be able to do anything for County Ross though. Not unless they needed wagon work done.

  Blinking, he looked up, at High Servant Martha, who glanced at him, her face cheerful enough, even without a smile. His wasn’t going to be reflecting that, of course. He’d look nervous and was probably breathing through his mouth. He did that when he got stressed.

  “Who has that kind of thing? Um, transport boxes?”

  The woman shook her head, but the man on the device, Count Ross, made a considering noise.

  “That would be Dareg Canton. He’s out on Mars, but we parted on good terms last we met, I think. That’s a good idea, asking there. If nothing else he’ll have ideas as to who might be free to lend us such in our hour of need. I… No! Get water on it! Use the side pumps… Forgive me, I must go… No, hold the line! We’re trapped. We can’t lose that one!”

  The man’s rather panicked voice vanished then. It was pressing. Enough so that, only a little clumsily, Albert found the right name. He hoped so anyway. It just said Dareg Canton. That was a strange enough name that there probably weren’t several of them.

  A very good-looking man, who seemed to be about twenty or so, stared at him suddenly. Picking up so fast that it was almost as if he were standing there waiting for someone to get in touch with him. Really, it was faster than that, by enough to seem unusual. It should have taken at least a few seconds to tab the thing on, even if it was in his hands and he stood poised to make it happen. It hadn’t.

  “Is there an emergency?”

  It was a strange way to answer a device, but was the truth, so he nodded.

  “Yes. Fire in Ross. The High Servants have food units, buildings and some gear to help them. The transport hut is currently sitting inside of a fire, so we have to go by air. Also, the Count could use the lend of another transport hut, if that’s possible. Temporarily, I’m certain.” He didn't know that at all, of course.

  Instead of telling him no or suggesting he bow to the device in his hands, the man on the other side nodded. Very rapidly.

  “I’ll be at my ship in… five minutes. Can you get to Mars Port Three by then, with that gear? It will be faster to leave from here than to go and get you first, if that’s possible.

  He let his head nod, not knowing what to say. Still he moved well enough and fumbled with the door of the hut for a moment. Then had to run back to the front desk to take the little stone box the amulets were kept in, Martha the High Servant smiling at him as if he were being brilliant, instead of barely recalling to attach his head before leaving the house.

  The man in his hand didn't speak, until he was all the way to Mars, at the right location. He knew that, because there was a sign floating over t
he booth when he went out. It was the kind of thing that all of the transport huts could have used. Not that he knew who to suggest that to.

  Speaking rapidly, the man in his palm seemed to be walking at the same time. Quickly. He was possibly floating, but it seemed a bit too jarring for that to be the case. The world whipped by fast enough for that though.

  “To your right. Bay two. I should be right there.” Then the man vanished, the smooth white stone flickering to life with moving letters and numbers. The clock on the surface showed that it was only five-thirty-four in the morning. At least on the Moon.

  All of it, in all six of the major cities there. Even the few people that lived outside of those, having large private holdings used the same time schedule. Then, it had nothing to do with daylight, just when people were supposed to be awake or asleep. His own schedule was very much more like what was held in Noram, given he worked nights and slept days, roughly speaking.

  He walked quickly, following the signs that led to the correct dock. That wasn’t too impressive, just being a long hallway, done in red, that seemed a bit like the magical transportation huts. At the far end there was an open door, which seemed to be leading directly into a ship, instead of another room or part of the port. That was just a hallway, done in silver and copper, with gray being in good supply. The craft itself was large enough to have a separate hall, without being so big that it was truly vast. At least as far as he could see.

  Some of the best ships could be as large as small cities, after all. This one was probably one of those, even if it was smaller at the moment. At least if they weren’t going to take several months to get to Ross. In that case, he’d have to figure the fire would be out, by the time they got there.

  Albert didn’t smile at his internal joke, feeling out of place as he stood just inside the door of the ship. As if he should have gotten permission to go on board first, from the captain. No one was in sight though and waiting when there was an emergency seemed like a bad plan. Then, so did being murdered for being rude and barging in, if that was going to be an issue for anyone.