“My own mana reserves?” I asked. I felt my belly. “I’ve got a fuel tank?”
“Hold your phonso.” Sadie led me over to one of padded circles. “Rights, every living thing has a pool of mana inside them. Us mages have bigger mana reserves than normal humans, but our reserves aren’t limitless, either. That means it’s OK to spend your own mana casting some spells, but that you need to be careful. For some reason, mana and life are tied together. If you dump too much of your own mana into a cast you’ll whiteout. It’s almost like you’re eating into your own life to fuel the cast. The medics say whiteouts are bad for the brain cells, but we all push our limits every once in a while. Then again, if you were to get really carried away…”
Sadie cracked her thumbs.
I nodded. I could figure the rest out myself.
“Your mana reserves must recover, right? How does that work?”
“Rights. Mana comes back into your body gradually. It returns faster with rest and meditation, and instantly if you execute a direct leyline draw. There are some other ways to obtain mana if you’re desperate, but we won’t be covering them.”
Sadie kicked off her boots (revealing knee-high cat-skull socks) and stepped inside the circle. She jumped up and down on the soft surface. “Bouncy. Bouncy. Okay, grubo, enough theory, lets get to the doing part, ‘kay?”
I kicked off my own boots (revealing worn white tube socks) and joined her.
“So what do you want me to do?” I asked.
“First we need to set up containment. A containment spell makes sure what happens in the circle stays in the circle.” Sadie giggled. “Just like your hometown motto, rights grubo?” I rolled my eyes. Vegas jokes. Why did people always have to start in on the Vegas jokes?
Sadie repeated the same process Albright had used in the auditorium. After a moment of focusing, she reached down and drew a translucent gold strand out of the ground. The mana crawled into her chest, and after another moment of quiet concentration, she pointed her right hand into the air and discharged a pulse of invisible energy straight into the circle. I guessed that the pressure change indicated that the circle had sealed.
“Dieter, don’t go walking out of the circle while it’s closed. This is a non-binding fortification. That means it’ll breakdown if you cross the threshold.”
I nodded.
“Rights. First things first. We’re going to practice self-conduiting mana. I want you to try and draw out mana from the ley and discharge it into my containment circle. Extraction of mana from the ley is done with the left side of your body. Transmutation of mana is done at the core of your body. Discharge of your cast is done through your right side. There are tons of variations to that theme, but we’re going to be keeping it real simple today. I don’t even want you to transmute the mana into anything. Just let it flow in one side and out the other, ‘kay?”
Still thinking, Sadie paused to nibble on her thumb. (Apparently, it wasn’t sufficiently red and raw for her liking.) Nodding to herself, she took a deep breath. “Dieter, starting out can be, like, really frustrating. It’s probably going to take us a few days to get this right. I just want you to remember three things: First, magic is all about visualization. The more you focus, the clearer the vision. The clearer the vision, the more effectively you can extract mana, transmute it, and discharge your spells. Second, magic is like playing an instrument. At first you have to focus on where the keys are, but as you practice, the locations of the keys become, like, engrained in your mind. When you aren’t thinking about where to put your fingers, you can spend more time focusing on other aspects of a composition. The same goes for casting. At first you’re going to waste a lot of mana just executing the basics, but as you practice you’ll become more efficient in your mana use. You’ll be able to dedicate more and more mana to different aspects of the cast, and cast more often because you aren’t wasting as much. Lastly, if you lose control of a cast mid-sequence, things can go to Jersey pretty quick. The spell might fizz, or it might distort, heck, it might even like explode and take someone’s head off or something.”
I must have gone a bit white, because Sadie took one look at me and giggled.
“Relax, Dieter, you’re not going to be able to generate anything that big. Just extracting the mana is going to take everything you’ve got. But if things start goin’ south, just point your right hand at my containment circle and let her rip. I designed it to reabsorb the discharge and ground it back into the leyline. Hit it as hard as you’d like. You ain’t gonna breach it.” Sadie took a little bow. “Thank me later for my awesomeness, ‘kay?”
“‘Kay,” I said, my head whirling from information overload. “How do I start?”
“MJ style, yo. Left hand down. Right hand up. Visualize the flow of mana being drawn into your hand. When the mana comes, just let it flow straight through you and out the other side. It’s all about feel, grasshopper. Repetición is king. Wax-on, wax-off, and whatnot.” Sadie walked over to the inside edge of her circle and plopped down Indian style. She drew a juice box out of her backpack and started fiddling with the straw.
I closed my eyes and focused. I didn’t want to lose control again. One death on my hands was enough. I took a deep breath. I could have taken Albright’s offer of a wipe. I could have walked away. But knowing magic existed, I just couldn’t bring myself to live the rest of my life with my head in the sand. I had chosen option number two. I had to work hard. I had to develop control.
“Stupid straw,” Sadie mumbled. “Gimme my juice.”
I turned my attention back to the task at hand. Sadie said to visualize the flow, but I had no idea what a manaflow even looked like. At first, I tried picturing a mountain stream gurgling with a golden flow, but that image fit like a bad pair of shoes. No, I told myself, if Fukimura had drawn mana from the quad, and Albright from the auditorium, the leyflow under our feet had to be much more broad and expansive.
Broad and expansive…I could only think of one thing. As a child, my dad took me to visit the Grand Canyon. He was sober that day…happy even. I remembered the stupid giant sombrero he’d picked up at the dollar store, and the bus ride with that group of crazy Italian tourists. We had a great time, laughed a lot, and took the donkey tour down to the canyon floor. The power that carved that whole canyon out—it was incomprehensible. The vastness had to be seen to be believed. Power on that scale…that's what I needed. I imagined massive strands of the stuff Fukimura pulled out of the ground last night surging like rapids under the ground beneath my feet, imagined their roaring power tearing through the bedrock, and in that instant my Sight engaged.
I Sighted the flow with the same type of dumbfounded awe as when I heard Mozart for the first time. It resonated inside me, reminding me of needs I wasn’t even aware I had. Thousands of golden strands intertwined beneath me. They danced with one another. Merged and fractured. Performed a fantastic ballet inches below my toes. And as if by instinct, I knew what to do. I called to them. I imagined one of the dancing streams rising up to caress my hand. The streams sang out in riposte—a thousand of them leapt forth in reply.
Power surging, my eyes shot wide. The entire basement was filled with gold.
Sadie’s circle was rebounding the blue sparks bursting from my hand. I looked forward to see her shouting at me, but the waterfall of sound and color was washing out her voice. My left hand felt heavy, like it had sunken into a vat of honey. Confused, I looked down and discovered that I was waste deep in a golden stream. I couldn’t see my legs. I couldn’t feel them. The rush in my ears was making me dizzy. I vaguely recalled that I needed to do something important, but I felt so woozy that I could hardly think. I looked up lazily. Sadie was still screaming, but now she was pointing her right hand into the air. I giggled. She was still holding that juice box, but she still hadn’t managed to get that silly straw in…hilarious…but…but she looked distressed. I couldn’t figure out why she kept throwing her right hand up into the air. A new sort of game, perhaps? It did l
ook kinda fun. I giggled again. I’d play too. And then I would help her with that juice box. I wondered what flavor she liked. Personally, I liked grape. With a smile, I thrust my right hand into the air.
The world went white.
As the energy flowed out, clarity returned to my mind. I recognized this sensation. I had felt it two times before. Sadie. Stars above, no. And then the darkness took me.
+
I was so embarrassed. I must have wet my pants. Even my socks were soaked. Totally soaked. A liquid was coating my face, entering my mouth, and tickling my nose. A sweet taste came with it. I opened my eyes. They burned terribly, but I could make out a blurry figure floating head down in front of me…
Sadie? But how did we end up in a swimming pool?
Wait—not a pool—a circle, we were still in the circle. Stars above, the circle, the circle filled with water, we’re going to drown.
I forced the terror out of my head. There was no time. Options. I needed options. The circle was containing the fluid and drowning us at the same time. If Sadie didn’t dispel her cast, we were screwed…
But Sadie was floating limply, and judging by the burning sensation growing in my lungs, neither of us had time to host another quorum. My heart quivered. I was on my own. I didn’t know any magic. I didn’t know the first thing about containment circles. What the hell was I supposed to do?
I told myself to calm down. Told myself there had to be a way. What had Albright said? Magic was like anything else, right? You had to use your brain. I just needed to keep it simple. I needed to identify the threat and find its weakness. There was nothing more to it. I fumbled through my memories. What had Sadie said? This was the type of circle that would break if you cross the threshold, right? The threshold was at the edge of the mat…and that was about twenty yards away.
Could I make it?
There was only one way to find out. I kicked toward the fringe, struggling to cover distance in my saturated clothing. Every kick met resistance, and my lungs burned fiercely. My supply of oxygen was running out—and fast. I passed Sadie’s lifeless body on my way. Her short black hair floated about her face. If she died, it was on me. That just made me kick even harder.
Fifteen yards to go.
Black spots populated my vision. The diving reflex that had kept Sadie and me alive while we were unconscious was faltering. If I lost consciousness again, it would be overridden. In its last gasp at self-preservation, my body would suck down fluid. That was the point of no return.
Ten yards to go.
I tried to kick harder, but my legs were growing numb.
Five yards to go.
I willed my limbs forward, but I wasn’t moving. My desperate brain was sending orders, but my body wouldn’t cash them. I was spent. My lungs screamed surrender. My vision faded. It was so frustrating. Five stupid yards. I tried to kick forward using my anger as fuel—but it was no use. Five stupid yards. I was five stupid yards short. Waves of guilt and sadness washed over me. Sadie’s death was on my hands.
Dieter.
A voice.
We do not quit.
A female voice?
Ever.
Familiar.
We stand back up. We stand back up no matter what.
Who are you?
Push.
My arms wouldn’t work. My legs wouldn’t work. My vision was gone. I had seconds left and no more physical energy to call upon—and I was still thinking like an Imperiti.
I was no Imperiti. I was a mage, and a mage could still push.
I closed my eyes. I didn’t need them.
I relaxed my limbs. I didn’t need them.
I ignored my lungs. I didn’t need them.
I felt out for the streams of power below me. I focused on the smallest strand I could find. It had to be small. It had to be small or it wouldn’t matter. In an effort of pure will, I commanded that lone strand to my hand. I didn’t ask, I didn’t request, I commanded.
The fine gold strand snapped forth like a whip.
I couldn’t control a transmutation. I had no idea how. But this spell didn’t have to be pretty. Willing the mana in, I let it do as it pleased. Just as Sadie had predicted, the mana went haywire inside me. It bounced around my insides like an unattended garden hose. Intense shots of pain scoured their way through me. Sadie had said that I needed an image for a transmutation. A vivid one was best. I thought back to Tyrone and my first cast, how it felt, my state of mind, the terror. It didn’t take much effort. I had plenty of terror to work with. And when it felt right—when it felt just as it did that day—I extended my right hand behind me and willed the spell loose.
If you read The US Navy Diving Manual (and yes, for some reason survivalists in the middle of the Nevada desert have copies of it), their only advice about protecting yourself from underwater explosions is keep as much of your body out of the water as possible. What does an explosion feel like? Imagine a punch to your face. One of those juicy wet ones that breaks your nose and gushes blood all over your shirt. Yea, a good ol’ fashioned fight-stopper. Now imagine that crunching sensation all over your body—and imagine it doesn’t stop. See, you’re made of water too, so that punch is going to flow deep down into your core. Every organ is gonna take its share. Every nerve. Every cell. And it’s not done there. You see, shock waves do something called spalling too. At any spot in your body where there’s air inside you—lungs, gut, ears, or belly—the wave decelerates and shreds tissue. Your body doesn’t feel that kind of pain right away. It’s simply too much to handle. Your brain has to itemize it first. It’ll send you the bill later.
But the spell worked. The blast nudged my body forward, and my limp form floated across the circle’s threshold. The invisible structure buckled, the containment spell fractured, and thousands of gallons rushed out in every direction. My body plummeted five feet to meet concrete. The impact knocked the wind out of my lungs. I coughed and gagged for air at the same time I spit out mouthfuls of blood.
I wiped a hand across my face. Blood was seeping from both nostrils, and my ears were playing two dissonant rings. The damage to my body was bad. I wasn’t going to be walking away from this one. Another bout of coughs brought up more blood and tiny pieces of tissue. I didn’t know what they were, but was pretty sure I wasn’t supposed to be spitting them out all over the floor.
The pain was astonishing, but I was breathing. My limbs slowly returned to life. I looked this way and that. There was no one around. Only Sadie. I crawled over to the soggy lump lying on the floor beside me. Sadie had fallen face down. That had saved her life. The vomit had ended up on the floor rather than backing up into her lungs. Weary as I was, I managed to flip her over on her back. Her face was a mess, a mottle of burst blood vessels and rapidly developing bruises. I tried to check her breathing, but I couldn’t hear anything over the ringing. I was cursing in frustration when I felt the second wave of puke shoot into my ear.
Gross, yes, but damn good news for the both of us.
I rolled Sadie on her side so she wouldn’t choke.
Sadie lay there gasping for a few moments and then curled up into a ball. Another good sign. She could still move and feel. She wasn’t paralyzed. I looked down at her hand and smiled. Sadie was still cradling the juice box. I shook my head, after all that, she had still managed to hold on to it. Taking the juice box from her hand, I grabbed the straw and punched it through. It was oddly cathartic.
The adrenalin draining from my body, I passed out on the ground.
+
I woke with a gasp to the sound of ruffling paper.
I was in a strange bed…again.
Under nice crisp sheets…again.
In a lot of pain…again.
It felt like I’d gotten worked on by a jackhammer, but I could hear the ruffling of paper. I sighed in relief. The blast hadn’t deafened me.
“Ah, so you finally awakened. And not deaf either—only dumb,” she said dryly. “I was beginning to worry. This periodical
was an amusing read the first two times through, but I feared boredom would seize me on the third.”
I coughed to clear my throat. It tore like Velcro.
“That would be totally unacceptable,” I whispered. “My company is many things, Ms. Bathory, but boring? Never.”
Another series of coughs cut my pithy banter short.
“Water please,” I begged.
“What, not coffee? Dieter, I am shocked,” Rei teased.
I opened my eyes. Even that effort hurt, but the pain’s rewards were substantial. Rei was wearing a summer dress straight out of the J. Crew catalogue. The soft black cloth pressed in against her skin in all the right places. As she returned from the sink, her milk white skin soaked up the dull moonlight. The sight made me wonder if blowing myself up hadn’t been such a bad idea.
I drank the water with care. I could barely manage to swallow.
When my throat was agreeable, I asked how Sadie was.
“Alive, breathing, and cursing you,” Rei replied. “Not actual spells, mind you, but she holds you responsible for her dance with death. She calls you a reckless maniac.”
I sighed with relief.
“Dieter, she was less injured because she had the common sense to wear her robe. They did tell you they are charmed, yes?”
I stared at Rei blankly.
She shook her head in disbelief. “One wonders how you have survived so stupidly so long. That blast should have killed you. You are most fortunate, Dieter.”
“No, I’d be fortunate if I was attending Harvard right now…and by the way, what gives?”
Rei cocked her head.
“No nurse’s outfit? Rei, I mean come on, give a guy a break.”
“I’d be delighted, Dieter,” she said with a broad smile. “How many breaks would you like?”
I shivered. Her fangs still made me freak.
“What time is it?”
“3AM. You have been unconscious and vulnerable for the past twelve hours.”
Zero Sight Page 24
