Jake's Quest - Wizards V

by John Booth

  “You only have a little one,” she said as she eyed the Knife of Truth on my belt, “Mine is much bigger.” She put her hand on the hilt of her sword.

  Two could play at that game.

  “I carry a concealed weapon that rises to the occasion.”

  Her eyes focused on my crotch.

  “There is little evidence of it.”

  “And yet you would cry out should I use it.”

  “I would never cry for a man, least of all you.”

  “Enough, both of you!” I turned to find an enraged Chancellor. “You will be quiet or I shall remove you two from the contest.”

  Lana and I shrugged in unison and walked to the edge of the balcony to look out on our new playing field.

  Yesterday’s lake and jungle was gone. The arena was now the largest sand pit I have ever seen, or possibly the smallest desert. The surface was perfectly smooth and flat. The last twelve feet of the right hand side was green sand while the left hand side was red. The sand in the vast middle section was sand colored.

  “Do you think we are going to be split into teams?” Jeram asked. He had snuck up behind us. I looked to the Chancellor before I answered. The man was deep in conversation with his fellow judges and was unlikely to hear us.

  “We’ve been told off for talking,” I whispered. Jeram ignored me and continued with his train of thought

  “I hope not. Who would want me on their team?”

  “I would,” Lana said, “You showed the most wisdom in the previous test.”

  Jeram’s wrinkled face broke into a smile.

  “But I came second.”

  Esta and the mysterious Bob stepped forward to join us. I scanned Bob with magical sight and was not surprised to find he had placed a magic field over his body, blocking me or anybody else who tried to look. Oh well, we all have our secrets.

  The Chancellor coughed and the crowd quietened.

  “The second trial is deceptively simple. All that is required is for the wizards to walk from the red to the green section. An element of the score is time taken, so you should hurry. Hidden beneath the sand are magical explosives more than capable of killing you. You cannot screen yourself with magic as their blast will go through your own shield to kill you. You may enter the arena when you are ready. Hop to the red section. Good luck.”

  Given what had happened the last time there was no mad rush to get to the red zone. We stood on the balcony and scanned the sand below.

  “It is impossible,” Esta said after a moment’s observation.

  It took me a little longer to confirm her opinion. Below the sand was what amounted to an array of mines. There was no meaningful gap between them. It was mines everywhere.

  “Shall we take a closer look, Wizard Morrissey?” Jeram asked.

  “Why not?”

  We hopped down onto the red zone. The others followed behind us.

  Jeram stayed well back from the mines and I followed his lead. The others were not so cautious and went right up to the line.

  Bob hunkered down on the border and extended his hand over the sand.

  “Pressure sensitive. Each one blasts upwards with a cylinder of energy.”

  “The answer is obvious. Who will partner with me?” Esta asked. Lana stepped forward.

  “I will.”

  Now that was very likely suicidal. They were relying on one dubious interpretation of the Chancellor’s words. I thought they were crazy.

  “Don’t be stupid. What if you’re wrong?”

  “Then we will be dead, Wizard Morrissey,” Esta said grimly.

  She and Lana stepped to the edge of the minefield and gathered up their magic each shielding the other. At a nod from Esta they stepped onto the mines together. Titanic forces burst upwards but their shields held. Each one defended by the other’s magic. It looked like their interpretation was right, but it seemed to me that they had used a stupid way to find out.

  The women made their way slowly across the sand with explosions beneath them all the way.

  Jeram looked at me and I shook my head.

  “You go ahead with Bob. I want to think about it for a while.”

  I watched the men step warily onto the desert in perfect synchronization. One good thing about their method was that neither could cheat the other without killing themselves on the next step.

  The crowd cheered as Lana and Estan reached the safety of the green zone. They did not hop up to the balcony but waited for the rest of us. I waited until Jeram and Bob had reached the other side before I stepped closer to the edge.

  The mines that the men and women had stepped on were still live and kicking, so there was no chance of using their footsteps as a way across. However, I could see from the edges of the blasts that the sand was five or so inches thick. I hoped that would be enough.

  The crowd staring down at me jeered and called me all sorts of names as I walked away from the disturbed sand to somewhere it was still smooth. I touched the sand and concentrated. This kind of magic took a certain amount of discipline as I had to do what I wanted without any movement from the sand I was changing.

  Stretching out from my finger the sand turned to glass. This was a simple change as glass is made from sand, but I had to do it without melting the grains as that much movement would set off the mines. The sand dropped in volume as it changed, glass occupies much less space as the molecules bind together. It took many minutes before I had finished.

  When I looked at my handiwork I was surprised to see that the glass was blue. There must be impurities in the sand. The big question was whether it would hold and spread my weight sufficiently to avoid setting off the mines.

  I gently placed my left foot on the glass, calculating that would be the leg I would miss the least if I had got it wrong.

  The crowd had stopped jeering and I stepped onto the glass in silence. They were so quiet I thought they might have left, but when I looked up they were still there, fascinated by my actions, holding their breath in much the same way as I was.

  The walk across the glass was terrifying. Every step brought cracking sounds and I saw a crack cut spread for yards on either side of me. When I reached the other side, Jeram offered out his hand. The edge was without doubt the most dangerous place. I took his hand and hauled myself onto the green sand.

  The crowd went mad with wild applause.

  Bob fixed me in his gaze.

  “Why did you let me go with Wizard Wist?”

  “It all depended on what was being tested.”

  The four stared at me

  “The test could have been one of cooperation, or ingenuity. I bet on ingenuity.”

  Bob thought on my words and nodded.

  “If it was one of bravery then we won,” Lana said and Esta nodded.

  “If it was one of caution, then Bob and I are the victors for letting you two go first,” Jeram said, unable to keep dry amusement out of his voice.

  “One thing is for certain,” I said and they all looked at me.

  I nodded up at the balcony where the Chancellor and the other judges were huddled in conversation.

  “That lot aren’t going to tell us anything, one way or the other.”

  20. Bob

  ‘We’re getting into a rut’ I thought as Harlan took me to lunch. He still wasn’t talking, but he also seemed happier. Perhaps he had bet on Lana or Esta?

  “How many of these tests are there?”

  “It varies,” Harlan said. “There will be another test tomorrow.”

  A better answer than silence, though not by much.

  “Who’s winning?”

  He shook his head and I gave up.

  The trip back to my room was uneventful and I was left alone again. I had reached a conclusion about the bracelet. I had thought of a couple ways I could remove it. Unfortunately, they were one-time things. I could only remove it by destroying it.

  That was annoying. What I wanted to do was slip it off, visit home, and then hop back here without anyo
ne knowing I was away. Not escape.

  My door opened and Bob stepped in. He moved so quietly if the lock on the door hadn’t clicked I’d never have noticed.

  “Does everybody get to make house-calls but me?”

  Bob looked bemused for a couple of seconds and then his face cleared.

  “I have discovered that the rules allow a contestant to visit another contestant if they wish to thank them.”

  “You’re not as pretty as the last one.” That was a mistake. I realized it before the words were out of my mouth.

  “Wizard d’Fallon has visited you?”

  I said nothing. He’d work it out eventually and put me down as gay. Still, I had no problem with that unless he then made a pass at me. There are certain directions I don’t swing, though it doesn’t bother me that others do.

  “As I told you. You have no need to thank me. I had a plan.”

  He nodded. “My reason was a pretext. I need to talk to you on other matters.”

  I waved him to join me on the bed and moved over so we could face each other.

  “Your reputation has spread before you, Wizard Morrissey. I do not understand why you have joined the competition for this scholarship.”

  “We all have our reasons.”

  “Do you know how many applicants have returned to their worlds after being accepted for this contest?”

  I shook my head. It was only after consultation with the Balmack that the Valhallans discovered the competition existed.

  “I was told it was dangerous. I wouldn’t be surprised if a few have been killed.”

  “Not one has returned. Not as far back as fifty years. The Brethren has searched across many worlds, heard of many who have applied and not one of them has returned to their home worlds.”

  “The Brethren?” It sounded like a cult and I didn’t get on well with cults.

  “The order I belong to, the Brethren of Zeno, we are a warrior priesthood, dedicated to bringing justice to the multiverse. My rank is Bob, which everyone has assumed is my name.”

  Warrior priesthood didn’t sound good either, a bit too like the Knights of Justice for my taste. Never trust a religious zealot was my motto. Well, it was now that I’d thought of it. It has a nice ring to it.

  “You mean there are many Brethren Bobs?” A priesthood full of Bobs struck me as hilarious and I fought to avoid smirking.

  Bob answered without a trace of irony. “There can be only one.”

  I held my face immobile by sheer strength of will. I wondered if Bob had cut off the heads of other would be Bobs. I suppressed a giggle and thought of goldfish swimming in a pond. That usually quelled inappropriate laughter.

  When I didn’t say anything for a while he started up again.

  “What is that small knife for? It is filled with the strangest magic, wrapped around it like a spider’s web.”

  He was like a random question generator. It seemed to me he had more he wanted to ask than he wanted to tell.

  “It was made for me long before I was born. It’s very good for peeling fruit.”

  “Can I examine it?”

  “I would much rather you didn’t.”

  “Will you stand with me when they attempt to kill us?”

  Now that was a fair question. If he was right and the Balmack would not allow us to leave, then they would have to kill me to stop me.

  “The Balmack are reputed to be a peaceful people. It makes no sense that they would invite us here only to kill us. And there must be more efficient ways to go about that than these trials.”

  Bob dropped his voice to a whisper. “Can you think of a better way to collect up those who wish to learn their secrets to destroy them?”

  Now that was something that hadn’t occurred to me. Create a route tempting enough to attract those who might otherwise come to steal their secrets? And then kill them.

  But the Balmack could defend their worlds by other means. And it was all happening out in public where their people could see it. Bob’s logic didn’t make sense.

  “If and when I get proof that they intend to kill us, I will join you.”

  “The lad Estan Coin would have died without you, and he and Lana d’Fallon could have died today.”

  “But they didn’t, did they?” I still didn’t believe it.

  Bob shrugged and stood up. He offered his hand and I took it. He had a strong grip, but mine was stronger.

  “Is it true that you created a Diabli sword and killed dozens with it?”

  “A Diabli sword rends universes with its power. I have never destroyed a universe.” Some part of my mind added the unspoken word ‘yet’. Sometimes I frighten myself.

  Bob laughed. “I thought as much. Even a Representative will embellish a good tale if given half a chance. Peace and long life be with you, Wizard Morrissey.”

  “And with you.”

  He knocked on the door and it opened for him.

  After he left I spend a long time thinking through what Bob had told me. The Valhallans knew the contest was risky and I’d taken that to be a reference to the danger of the trials. Now I had to consider the possibility that the trials were designed to kill the applicants. Perhaps they would continue with them until all of us were dead.

  If I broke the bracelet I could search this world, but could I find one man among billions without help from the authorities? I doubted it. And what if he was on another one of their worlds? Then I would have lost my last chance to find him.

  I spent a few hours hoping Lana d’Fallon would come to visit. It had been over twenty four hours since Esta visited and a man has certain needs.

  21. Five Sides

  Another day, another trip to the balcony. The crowd were especially boisterous and if you believed what they were chanting, this was a carnival, not a trial with a significant risk of death for the participants.

  The Chancellor smiled at me as if I was an exceptional performing seal. I decided that if he tried to pat me on the head I would break his wrist. The more I thought about what Bob had said, the more convinced I’d become that he was right. These tests were designed to kill, probably taking us one at a time to draw out their fun.

  A few moments later the other contestants arrived. Esta glared at me while Jeram and Bob nodded pleasantly. Lana gave me a broad wink as her hand casually traced the outline of a breast before somehow ending up on her inner thigh. It was a pity she hadn’t thought to thank me for something yesterday. I was sure we would both have enjoyed it.

  The Chancellor held up a hand and that was enough to bring the crowd to silence though it took over a minute to quiet the over excited.

  “This is the final trial, for which I am sure our contestants will be very thankful.”

  Big crowd noise. I was surprised as I was sure the whole thing would go on much longer. After all, none of us had died yet

  “It is also the simplest of the trials. Shall we let the potential scholars view their battleground?”

  Shouts in the affirmative roared out and the Chancellor waved us towards the edge of the balcony.

  What had been a jungle and then a minefield was now a polished rectangular marble plaza with fountains at its corners. Dominating the plaza was a five story glass pyramid, its floors partially visible through its sides. It wasn’t a typical pyramid in that it had five sides rather that four. The top floor was a single room about thirty feet across. There was something small and golden, shining brightly about four feet off the floor in that room. Whatever it was, it caught my eye and held it.

  “The Golden Globe is the prize. As you can see, the pyramid has been divided into five segments and each of those segments has access to the uppermost floor holding the Golden Globe. Each competitor will be given a colored key that opens their segment door. They must climb through the maze in their segment to reach the Globe. The first to touch it will be the winner.”

  “I suspect there is more to it than that,” Lana muttered.

  The Chancellor laughed. “There are min
imal rules. If you hop at any time you will be disqualified. Magic is forbidden across segments so do not try and slow your fellow contestants. The last person to leave a floor may find the way blocked. You shall not start the contest until the gong sounds.”

  An assistant to the Chancellor came over with a silver tray on which five different colored glass keys lay. He offered the first one to me but I waved him towards Lana. After the others had taken a key I took the last one, which was blue.

  “Go to your doors and await the starting gong.”

  The blue door was behind the pyramid from where we were standing and I hopped to the plaza before walking slowly around the pyramid. Though I could see through it, the further through I looked the less I saw. When I got to the blue glass door I couldn’t see the doors on the furthest sides. I could see Lana to my left and Bob to my right though. Lana gave me an enthusiastic wave and I waved back. Bob nodded at me and I touched my forehead in response.

  Something that sounded like a dinner gong sounded and I pushed my key into its slot. The door slid upwards with remarkable speed. I was reminded of the doors in Star Trek.

  Inside was like one of those mirror mazes you find in fair grounds. It wasn’t difficult to navigate, but the faster I tried to go the more likely I was to get a face-full of glass. I settled on a relatively slow gait with both hands stretched out in front of me.

  I was determined not to rush. Winning had taken second place to getting out of this trial alive and I kept setting up hop points in front of me as I walked. If someone was out to get us I was going to take precautions. I had a shield up for additional protection, but everything of Balmack construction had gone through magic shields like butter, so I didn’t have much confidence in it. Hopping seemed safer, even if it meant I lost the contest.

  The maze led me to the center of the pyramid and once there I could see the other contestants. They all looked to be ahead of me.

  Esta climbed up a couple of glass boxes and discovered there wasn’t a ceiling above her. She began to haul herself up to the next level with the others following close behind. I found the equivalent boxes in my segment and started to make the climb. I would have been the last one out, but Lana slipped and fell. As it was, we were neck and neck when we pulled ourselves up to the next level.