by Rain Oxford
“I’ve seen people attack with lightning, though,” I said. “Painter killed several priests with lightning.”
“You are not a killer. No matter how powerful you are, if you do not mean to kill someone, attacking with raw magic will stun your opponent at best. It is better to use magic as a defense and to use weapons to fight.”
“Weapon training takes years.”
“Survival training does not.”
“Maori has more power and experience than you, so you must use what you have that he doesn’t.”
“Outsmart him,” Luca said.
Malie, Luca, and I were in their training circle, which was a cleared field a hundred feet away from other people. Malie handed me a spear and told me to treat it like a sword. I argued that a spear was nothing like a sword, since it wasn’t sharp and it was a lot lighter. Malie said to stop arguing and do it. She showed me how to position myself and fall without causing damage to my body. I tried to pay attention, but I didn’t think a god was going to attack me with a spear or sword.
“Do you think Maori is going to be alone?” Malie asked.
“No, but---”
“And what if you fight someone and you cannot use your magic?”
“How could that happen?”
“There are dozens of ways, not to mention artifacts and curses that can temporarily or permanently strip you of your magic.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Malie said. “If you don’t have a fallback, you will be defeated eventually.”
I insisted that Luca should learn as well, and instead of arguing, he grabbed a spear of his own and completely showed me up. He had grown up doing back-breaking labor, whereas I had grown up sitting in classrooms and avoiding the other kids during recess. Despite the fact that he was trapped in his human/powerless body, he was somehow naturally more athletic. He could also watch what Malie taught me and do it better than me on his first try by not making the mistakes I did.
I wasn’t completely useless, but it was quite different from digital swordplay. We spent several hours on this exercise until night fell. Then we went to a cabin where food was served. The cabin was one of the larger ones. Seven wooden tables filled the room. People serving food came out of the only door aside from the exit.
Luca and I were given plates of red berries and strips of meat that tasted like rabbit. “Our people are having to learn all new skills,” Malie said. “Cooking, hunting, carpentry… we love it. This is vastly better than what we had in the desert.”
There wasn’t much discussion during dinner. I was tired and grumpy, feeling like we had wasted our time coming. I disagreed about magic; it could be used as a weapon. Painter killed my parents, my girlfriend, and a number of priests with it. He didn’t have a sword. At the same time, I knew Malie was right about me not being a killer. I didn’t want to be the reason we couldn’t defeat Maori, but I also didn’t want to be like my brother.
After dinner, we had been offered a cabin to sleep in. It was much nicer than the tent we had stayed in out in the desert. They had brought in two beds for us. Of course, the mattress was an inch thick and six inches too short, so it wasn’t terribly comfortable. There was a chest to store our clothes and supplies in, but we didn’t have any, so we didn’t use it. Other than that, there was a door and a window with a wooden shutter.
Kailo gave us some cloth and took us to a small pond at the foot of a mountain. Crystal clear water streamed down the rocky cliff into the roughly ten-foot-wide pond. “This water is safe to clean yourself with.”
“What did you clean yourself with in the desert?” Luca asked.
“We usually didn’t. The cities had means of recycling their water. We don’t.” With that, he left us. Luca removed his robe and shoes and got in the water with the rest of his clothes on. Only then did he start stripping to clean his clothes.
“How is the temperature?” I asked.
“Well, my gonads just moved to Florida.”
I took off my clothes and waded in slowly. The water was deceptively cold. Then again, it was better than nothing. I cleaned myself and my clothes as quickly as I could, then used my over-sized robe as a bathrobe on the way back to the cabin. After ringing them out, I hung them over some branches and hoped they dried off in the remaining half hour of daylight.
As soon as dusk fell, a dozen or so leopards began patrolling. Syndrial had a few truly amazing qualities aside from the magic. Animals that were dangerous to humans roamed freely on Syndrial. They lived in harmony with people, and they were simply incredible animals to see in their prime as I was seeing them.
* * *
I woke to the sound of cheering, which I’d heard before. I allowed myself to get my bearings before trying to stand. My eyes were adjusted to the dark, but it was still a new place. The only source of light was the soft glow coming from the window.
I made my way to the center of town, where people were gathered around two rock monsters. It was the second time I has seen the two-foot tall creatures dueling. They were conjured by the sand people for fun, but I was convinced they could be used for more. Their bodies were made up of small rocks that could be reformed in a second if something struck them.
I watched the battle with interest.
When it was over, they both collapsed, but there had been no clear winner. Malie approached me as the others wandered off. “You don’t sleep much, do you?”
“Not since I learned I was a caster. I still want to learn to create a rock monster.”
“They’re not meant for attacking your enemy with.”
“I understand. I still want to learn.”
“If you insist. I will teach you tomorrow.”
“Right now. Please. Last time, it was a matter of getting my brother and me home safe. Now we’re having to attack a god and my priority is to protect my brother.”
“Why are you bringing him with you?”
“He’s smart, more experienced with magic, and he won’t take no for an answer. Even if I left him on my home world, he would find a way to get into trouble.”
“I understand how hard it can be to protect someone who doesn’t want to be protected. I will teach you.”
“Thank you. What do I need?”
“Gather the rocks together that you want to use. We use the same rocks, but you will need to find some when you conjure a rock creature, because it’s not practical to carry around rocks. It doesn’t matter how strong or weak the rocks you use are. The strength of the creature comes from its heart. Most of us have a favorite heart stone.”
“Do I just choose one?” I asked, gesturing to the pile.
“Yame,” she called, interrupting a man’s departure. “Bring me the unclaimed heart stones.” The man agreed and hurried away. “We have found a type that works extremely well, as it is much harder than anything we’ve found in the desert. While he’s getting that, arrange the rocks into the form you want it to take.”
I knelt and moved the rocks around until they resembled one of the creatures on the ground. By the time I was done, Yame had returned with a small, crudely carved wooden chest. “Your carpenters are quick learners,” I said.
“Wood is such a wonderful material to work with. It’s much easier to mold than stone or metal.”
“As long as you treat it.”
“What does that mean?” she asked.
“If there is water in the air, wood will rot.”
Yame looked horrified. “But the trees are still here. We have had wood before.”
“In the desert, where the air is dry. Trees are alive, so they’ll only rot if they’re sick. Living trees need water to survive. Dead trees decompose. Also, don’t cut too much of the bark of a tree because it can hurt or kill it.”
“How do you mean that trees are alive?”
I sighed. “Ask Luca about it in the morning. He’ll explain all about it.”
“We will do that,” Malie said, also concerned. “For now, pick a stone.”
I looked in the
box to see a dozen chunks of crystal. They were clear except for some dirt. I picked a walnut-sized one, pretty much at random.
“Is that the one you choose?”
“Yes.”
She held out her hand and I handed it to her. Holding it in her left palm, she put her right index finger on the largest flat surface and traced her finger over it. When she retracted her finger, there was a small shape burned into it that resembled an ankh. “I’ve got a lot of magic left to learn.”
“Yes, you do, but considering you seem to be able to learn something in a day that takes anyone else years, you shouldn’t complain.”
“I don’t mean to. You’ve worked your butt off over many years to get as good as you are. I was born with power and natural talent. I take no pride in that; it was given to me. Experience has to be earned.”
“That’s right. When you’re ready, you need to wet the heart stone with your blood, speak the words, and visualize the creature you wish to summon. It will get its personality from you, so it can only hurt someone if you’re the type of person who wants to hurt someone.”
“I understand. What are the words?”
“Senfaws quesur, ques ineur. Say it as you bleed on the stone. Keep the stone wet, because as soon as your blood dries, the creature will disperse.”
I pulled out my pen and pricked my finger. “I hope you guys have washed these.” I then cleared my mind and imagined the creature coming alive. It was easy to visualize, since I had just seen them ten minutes before. When my mind was focused, I said, “Senfaws quesur, ques ineur,” and wiped my blood on the stone.
Instantly, I felt my energy being sucked into the stone. The rock creature came alive, just as I had imagined. For a few minutes, I stared at it. Then I realized it wasn’t going to do anything until I told it to do something.
“How do I control it?”
“Visualize it doing what you want it to.”
I imagined the creature standing, and just like that, it did. Then I visualized it walking around the clearing. It did with no problem. While I could have wet the stone again with my blood, I let it dry up because the task was draining. With my last few minutes, I had the creature perform basic dog tricks.
I was absolutely exhausted by the time the rock monster collapsed. I leaned against one of the rocks. “I’ll do it again in a few minutes.”
“Building your strength takes time,” Malie said. “A direct attack is almost never the answer, even if you clearly have the upper hand. You need a plan.”
“I don’t have a plan because I have absolutely no idea what I’m dealing with. I don’t know his motive, if he has men, what his terrain is like, how powerful he is. I don’t know why he has the Sword of Draskara, how he got it, or what he plans to do with it.”
“Then you’re going to die.”
“I’m hoping to come up with a plan as I go.”
“Then you’re going to die with a startled expression on your face.”
“I get it; I do. If you know both yourself and your enemy, you can win numerous battles without jeopardy. I’ve been trying to get information on him as I prepare, but no one seems to know anything except that he’s a scary bastard. I don’t even know what Kradga looks like. I didn’t believe in Kradga. I thought it was something the priests said to scare apprentices into behaving.”
When Painter had created a portal to Kradga to banish the murderous priests, I thought we were sending them to a molten moon, not that there was actually life there.”
She frowned thoughtfully. “We might be able to help you with that. Not me, but one of my women. She was reborn and still remembers him.”
“She was sent to Kradga?”
“She asked to be, because her brother was there.”
“She was willing to go to Hell to be with her brother?”
“I don’t know what Hell is.”
“My world’s version of Kradga. Family must be super important to her.”
“It is. Family is important to all of us, as it is for you.”
“Then how can the priests get away with taking children from their parents?”
“Parents know they will be reunited with their children in the next life.”
“Actually, that’s not an uncommon belief on my world. I would like to meet your friend.” She left me to my thoughts, promising to return soon. I agreed that facing Maori head-on was not a good idea, at least until I figured out his strengths and weaknesses.
Malie returned with another woman. “This is Selen,” she introduced. Selen was five-three with forest-green eyes and a red tint to her light brown hair.
Sitting, I was already in a nonthreatening position. For added measure, I angled myself towards the fire and put my hands in my lap casually. “Hello,” I said. “I’m Nathan.”
“I know. Your brother has been telling the children very strange things about your home world.”
“I bet he has. Earth would be a pretty strange world to someone who didn’t grow up there. Anyway, I heard you had information on Maori and Kradga?”
She glanced at Malie before nodding. “Not much.”
“I will leave you two alone,” Malie said. Selen sat beside me as Malie left.
She pointed up into the sky at the red planet. “Until I died, I thought Kradga was so beautiful.”
I nodded. “I think so, too.”
“The sea is made of liquid fire. It consumes everything and sometimes spits. There are small islands, none larger than this camp, but the ground is black and cracked like burnt bones. There’s no water or food.”
“Why would anyone need water or food?” I asked. “Isn’t it supposed to be for dead people? Is the planet full of roaming ghosts?”
“What are ghosts?”
“Dead people without their bodies, I guess. Floating souls.”
“When we die, our bodies stay here. Our souls do not float, but souls can’t be seen on Syndrial except by the gods. In the afterlife, whether we are in the realm of the gods or on Kradga, we look and feel exactly as we did alive. We can also sleep, eat, and drink. In the godlands, this is for pleasure. On Kradga, it is withheld from us for torture. We can also be killed, which means our soul would be destroyed completely.”
“Nathan!”
I heard Luca yelling and shot up, startling Selen. Without explaining it to her, I ran towards the cabin. Malie met me at the cabin as I reached it, having been drawn to Luca’s yell. I threw open the door and immediately saw what was wrong. “Open the window,” I demanded of Malie as I sat on Luca’s bed and hugged him.
He was shaking hard.
“I don’t---” Malie started.
“Do it,” I interrupted. She opened the window, doubling the light in the room, but it would still take a while for Luca to calm down.
“What’s going on?” Malie asked. “Were you attacked?”
“Someone shut the window,” I said.
She frowned at it. “Someone was probably walking by and shut it so that no one inside would get too cold.”
“Luca can’t stand the dark. As long as he can see, he’s okay, but if it’s too dark to see, he’s reminded of a traumatic event in his childhood.”
“I see. I will make sure everyone knows not to shut the window,” Malie said.
“No, don’t tell anyone,” Luca argued. “I don’t want it known.”
“He’ll be fine. We’ll see you in the morning,” I said, trying to dismiss her gently. “You can still do therapy,” I suggested to Luca after Malie left.
“I don’t want to see the rapist.”
“Joke all you want, but therapists are trained to help people get over these kinds of problems.”
“Maybe I’ll go to a Dothra therapist.”
“How are they better?”
“Fear is a weakness punishable by death on Dothra.”
“What about Duran? Would you trust a Duranian therapist better?”
“Sago don’t have therapists because we get over our issues ourselves. I mean, t
hey get over their issues.”
Despite his unwillingness to speak to a professional, the discussion was calming him. It reminded me that although he identified as a native of Duran and had different motives and customs than me, he still had human memories. It had to be very confusing for him.
“Tell me about Duran,” I said.
“What about it?”
“Tell me your customs and how they’re different from Earth’s.”
“It’s hard to explain. I guess the biggest difference is that they’re extremely mindful of each other. It’s not so much that they care about what others think of them, they’re just careful not to do something that would annoy others. Not everyone is the same, of course, and there are places where people are more selfish. It doesn’t really matter now. I can’t go back there as Luca. It hasn’t been my home for a long time.”
“Do you miss it?”
“I’m better suited to it. I love escape rooms and the history of ancient Earth, but I’m more comfortable on Duran. I fit in better.”
“Maybe, after this is all over, we can go there for a while.”
“No. I don’t belong there anymore, especially when I’m without my magic.”
“Do you regret it?”
“Not as long as it means you’re stuck with me. I’ve always had magic, but you’re the only one who has ever loved me.”
“Our mother loved us.”
He nodded. “Yeah. I wish you’d gotten to meet her.”
* * *
In the morning, I emerged from the cabin to find five tree people around the fire pit, all of them dressed in green versions of their sand clothes.
“What’s with the getup?” I asked.
“It is to aid in your training,” Malie said. I recognized her voice, but I couldn’t tell them apart.
“How so?”
“We are going to attack you any way we see fit and because you cannot tell us apart, you will not be able to figure out our strategies.”
“Shouldn’t we start with level one?”
