by C. M. Lance
Sig finished work in time to meet Professor Herman for his daily session. The Professor seemed distracted when he arrived. Sig was in the middle of setting up some of the standard props before the Professor stopped him. "Do you mind if we skip today? I have some work that needs to get done before tomorrow morning."
Sig shook his head, relieved for a reprieve. "No I don′t mind."
"Thank you."
Sig turned to leave, stopped, and turned back to the Professor. "Dottie told me that only high order wizards control lightning, or magicians who borrow power. Is she right and do you ever borrow power to throw lightning?"
Bent over his bench writing, the Professor stopped, stood, and turned to Sig, considering. "Do you think I do?" He asked gently.
"All this is new to me. I don′t know. I never thought about it until Dottie told me a few minutes ago."
Professor Herman nodded and then rubbed his temples. "Sigurd, I never reach into the dark. I cannot. I took a vow many years ago never to dabble in it. The vow is part of a pact I made with others, sealed magically. If I ever attempt to manipulate black magic, the others will know instantly and I will die, just as they would should they try. Your great-grandfather also took the vow."
"Wow. Who are the others?"
"Our group fights the darkness, in whatever form it appears. That is the core of our solemn vow. Not experimenting in dark magic is merely a sidelight of our pact. We don′t reveal the identities of the others for fear they would become targets, as has Thorval."
"But you just told me about him."
Professor Herman said dryly, "As the most powerful Battle Wizard, he led our fight against Black Magic. Because of that, he became the focus of Dark Mages′ attention. He drew their attention many times. Yes, he is a target, as I suspect you are."
"Me? I′m not part of your club. I only lead in the number of failed magic spells. Why would anyone target me?"
"You are Thorval′s heir. Once they nullified him, they established you as their target, a brilliant strategic move, eliminate him, and go after you before your powers evidence."
"Brilliant", Sig said. Now he knew how a chess piece felt, calculatedly shoved around, sacrificed expediently.
"My research includes methods to unleash your powers."
Sig raised his hands. "If that′s what you′re working on, I′ll leave you to it and wish you the best of luck."
The Professor smiled at him benignly. "I′m working on that and your 'turd′.
"Please work on unleashing first."
Professor Herman nodded and turned back to his writing.
Giselle was studying when her bedroom door opened. The Commander walked in, looked around, and walked over to the shelves bracketing the only window in the room. Books filled them from floor to ceiling except for spaces reserved for a few trophies and plaques. She scanned the titles.
She picked up a plaque and turned to Giselle who lay watching her.
"Deans list again. I wondered why you weren′t in the meeting room with the rest of the girls. Busy studying I assume."
"It′s not easy maintaining Dean′s list." Giselle placed a pencil in the Wave Physics book she held and laid it on the bed.
"Yet you find time to spend with Sigurd Stromgard?"
"We work together and Professor Herman asked me to help out with some of the work Sig does. His car died and, since we go the same places; training, school, and work,I offered to give him rides. I′m not the only one who chauffeurs him."
"You are the only Amazon."
"I′m the only Amazon who works with him."
"He′s an attractive boy, and quite skilled, if a bit on the scrawny side."
"He′s not so bad." She replied noncommittally.
"Are you friends with him?"
"We′re coworkers. We talk when we ride together and at work. He′s nice and he′s smart. His company is pleasant." Giselle looked out the window.
"Amazons don′t have boyfriends. Men have but one use, and then you move on."
"Yes Commander, I am aware of that."
"Giselle, I have great expectations of you. I don′t want you diverted from your purpose… by a man. Besides work, training, and rides, you′ve also spent time with him and his Were friend at social sites."
Giselle turned her head from the window and looked at her mother. "Yes I have. You don′t need spies to tell you that. I′m willing to admit it."
"I don′t want you associating with him anymore."
"We work together. Do you want me to quit?"
"No, nothing that drastic. Perhaps I can arrange something tomorrow."
She turned and left. Giselle stared at the closed door long afterwards.
Giselle seemed subdued when she drove Sig to school in the morning. Sig honored her reticence. Five minutes into the drive she said, "I can′t drive you anymore."
Sig glanced at her, but she focused on her driving. He replied, "OK, Mom called and told me she received the insurance money for my truck. I′ve been thinking of getting a Jeep like this one. I like it a lot."
She smiled faintly and nodded.
He examined her profile. "It′s not because I compared Amazons to witches is it?"
That produced a small chuckle. "No, it′s not that."
"Does it have anything to do with your mother, the Commander?"
She exhaled a sigh. "She thinks I′m spending too much time in your company."
Sig took a moment for that to sink in. "It′s not like we′re dating or anything."
"She feels men only have one purpose and friendship isn′t part of it."
"One purpose? What′s the purpose?"
She swiveled her head slowly, looked at him, and then turned back to the road.
"Oh… C′mon it′s not like I′ve thought about that."
She did the head turn thing again and widened her eyes.
"Well… maybe once…" She continued looking at him. "… or twice. Occasionally."
"You′re cute when you′re beet red," she said with a crooked smile.
She pulled in front of the Technological Institute for his summer physics class. "Your stop."
He opened the door, then turned back to her, and stuck out a hand. "Thank you for being so nice to me. I appreciate the rides and I enjoy your company. I′d like to stay friends. Maybe someday we can pick up where we left off."
She gave him a sad smile. "Yes, I′d like that." Her grip tightened as the smile evaporated. "Be careful with mother this afternoon. She seemed strange yesterday. I don′t want you to get hurt." She let go of his hand.
He got out of the Jeep, and then leaned back down. "Isn′t it a little late to want Amazon′s to stop hurting me?" He gave her a smile, stood, shut the door, and patted the roof.
†††
Sig walked to the training facility and changed clothes. He found a corner to loosen and warm up. After a few minutes, Rowena joined in stretching. She wore loose black gi pants and a tight fitting t-shirt. Sig couldn′t help but observe some of her stretches. She showed off smooth layers of muscle, along with other attributes, which piqued his interest.
Sig finished off with a back walkover, then another, which he held at the top and straightened into a handstand. Holding the pose for about a minute, he then lowered himself slowly and rolled onto his back. His legs pulled up towards his head, and then shot straight up, while he pushed up from the floor with hands over his shoulders to kip-up onto his feet. He rolled his shoulders and turned toward Rowena.
She held a handstand, which she lowered into a roll onto her back, and then kipped-up. When she turned to him, he bowed. She returned the bow and said, "Ready?"
"Ready." Before he had a chance to straighten up, he had to pull his head out of the way of a kick, glad for previous exposure to Amazon fighting techniques.
She followed up with a flurry of snap kicks and spin kicks targeting his sides, hips, and knees. He managed to block most with the exception of a powerful blow from her heel to his lower ribs tha
t knocked his breath out with a whoosh.
Dancing around out of her reach, he struggled for breath. She closed before he fully recovered. He slowed her with a flurry of fist strikes. She blocked all of them and grabbed his sleeve, pulling him close for a knee to the groin. Partially blocked, he again was grateful that he wore a cup when sparring Amazons.
Still gripping his gi, she pulled him toward her almost effortlessly. He grabbed her thick red hair and head butted her. She thrust him away with a curse. He stumbled and hopped back. She straightened and rubbed her lip where a crimson steamer lengthened, gliding down her chin. Looking at the red on her hand with a tight smile she said, "First blood."
From a boxer′s stance, she advanced on him, jabbing, and weaving. He stayed in a Karate stance and blocked or dodged her blows. His slowness in pulling back from one block allowed her to grab his loose sleeve and jerk him sideways. She hammered the ribs she had kicked, and then punched him three times in the kidney.
He sagged, and then leapt into a spin, kicking high, straddling the arm that gripped him while he jerked the other knee into the side of her head. Her hold broke and Sig dropped to the ground rolling quickly to his hands and feet. She stepped forward and kicked him in the same spot in the ribs again, flipping him sideways.
He struggled to gain his breath again when someone called, "Time."
She bent, grabbed his hair, pulled him up, and set him on his feet. "Let me help you" she said, accompanied by a grin more savage than humorous. Blood ran from a cut on her ear.
Bent over with hands on knees and breathing heavily he raised his head and said "Nice round." She strutted around in front of the circle of people surrounding them.
Giselle caught his eye. She mouthed "Careful." He nodded.
It seemed like only an instant until someone cried, "Round two."
She came at him, punching, and kicking like a buzz saw. He could only manage to block and dodge. Then he saw an opening and lashed out with a left jab, rattling her and drawing more blood from her nose. He followed up with a powerful right to her gut. It felt like hitting a side of beef. She backhanded him and knocked him on his butt. Blood ran from his nose.
She dove on top of him. He rolled to avoid her, but she grabbed his gi and pulled him back. Her legs wrapped around his stomach from behind and she grabbed his neck in a chokehold, forearm against his Adams apple. She pulled her arm tight with the other hand, shutting off his breath.
He patted her forearm for release. Her arm stiffened. Through buzzing in his ears he heard, "Commander, no!" It couldn′t be him hollering. That required air.
He pulled on her arm and grabbed for her hair over his shoulder. Like a steel spring, her arm squeezed tighter and tighter.
Stars filled his blurred vision and he mouthed "Aðalbrandr." His neck expanded and his shoulders rose away from her. He wrenched the arms around his neck apart. Air flooded his lungs and he peeled her legs away from his stomach.
He rolled to his feet and turned. She sat on the floor staring up at him. Her mouth hung open. Pressing his hands together, he bowed to her. "Excellent match, you win," he rumbled and smiled at her. Straightening, he said, "I don′t think you want a rematch in this form, but if you do, I will be pleased to accommodate you."
He turned in a circle, gazing over the tribe. Amazement showed as the dominant expression. A few appeared anticipatory. He shrugged and strode toward the door. The Amazons parted in front of him.
At the door, he paused, looked back, and then ducked through. Outside, he muttered "Koma Aftur" as he jogged around the corner of the next building. He passed the corner before he heard the door bang open.
†††
Rowena stood alone, wiping off sweat and blood with a towel. The low hum of chatter filled the training facility. Two women returned from outside. One said, to no one in particular, "He′s gone."
Rowena folded the towel and placed it on a bench. She looked around and motioned peremptorily for Giselle to approach her. Rowena turned away from the crowd when Giselle walked up. "Did you know about that?"
"Yes."
"And you didn′t tell me?"
"As part of my job, Professor Herman swore me to secrecy."
"You don′t have secrets from your Commander."
"If you had asked me, I would have told you. I didn′t see the need to tell you without being asked."
"You didn′t see the need? He embarrassed me in front of the tribe."
"I didn′t know you would try to kill him and force him to change. I thought you′d just beat the hell out of him, embarrass him, and that would be the end of it."
Rowena snarled, "Did it look like I was beating the hell out of him?"
"From where I watched, yes it did."
Rowena picked up the towel and threw it at her. Giselle saw the blood on it. Rowena′s nostrils flared, as she demanded, "Does this blood look like I was winning?"
"Nobody said you were invincible. He′s proven he′s good. He′s helped all the girls get better. But, you had him on the ropes."
"Were you the one that hollered for me to stop?"
"Yes."
"You didn′t want me to kill him?"
"That′s not why I hollered. If you tried to kill him, I knew you would force him to change. If he did, you wouldn′t have a chance against him in that shape. Didn′t you see him? He′s nine feet tall and seven-hundred pounds. He′s faster in that shape than in normal form, supernaturally so. He could throw any one of us across this room with one hand and, as you learned, he has excellent fighting skills."
"You disappoint me."
"I′m sorry for that, Commander."
"I will consider disciplinary alternatives."
Sig walked into Grampa Thor′s hospital room hoping, like always, to find him sitting up in bed. Today was no different, the same hope, and the same disappointment.
Grampa′s shrunken form appeared to be a shadow of the robust, dynamic figure Sig remembered. His colorless hair and blanched skin blended into the bed linen. Formerly steel gray, his goatee now matched the wispy, white, shoulder length hair spread across his pillow.
Sig visited him twice a week. He sat for an hour, talking to him. Hoping he would talk back or at least hear what Sig told him.
The first time Sig came, he expected an array of tubes jabbed into the patient. Instead, a tube in his nose, a tube taped to his forearm, and a finger clip trailing a wire to a bedside contraption maintained him.
Sig sat on the side of the bed and talked about current events in his life, while he held Grampa′s hand to combine verbal and tactual encouragement.
"I still don′t have control over magic. There are a few minor delayed reactions, but they occur randomly. No predicting when or how they will evidence." Sig stopped and chuckled. "It′s obvious that I′ve been hanging with Dr. Arthur. I′m picking up some of his speech mannerisms. 'Evidence′ isn′t a word I would have used previously.
"It looks like I won′t be sparring with the Amazons anymore. I guess I made a bad impression on their 'Commander′. Her name is Rowena and she′s Giselle′s mother. We sparred and she tried to choke me out. I changed to Battle form to prevent it. She was as surprised when I changed, as I was when she tried to kill me."
Sig felt a tremor in Grampa′s hand. He stopped talking and examined Grampa′s face. Nothing had changed.
Relaxing, he continued relating his stream of consciousness, "I thought I got on well with the Amazons. They all try to kick my butt and I try to prevent it. Sometimes they succeed, sometimes I do. I learn from them and they learn from me. I′m not sure what the Commander′s problem is."
He felt a tremor again and paused before resuming.
"Giselle is the Amazon I work with. I′ve mentioned her before. I like her a lot. She carts me around, since I still don′t have a car and we frequent the same places, school, work, and the training facility. It seems the Commander doesn′t want me to have anything to do with the tribe."
Grampa squeezed his hand.
Sig looked closely at his face for any other reaction. Nothing…
An image formed in his mind. A beautiful woman, slim but strong, with wavy raven hair to her waist, looked into his eyes. Her face reflected sorrow. She shook her head, turned, and walked away, dwindling into the distance. His arms cradled a small boy. They both watched her go. He felt poignant sadness.
Sig′s head rotated to look at Grampa Thor′s hand, but the vision of the woman overwhelmed his sight. It flooded his mind.
He realized that the woman was his Great-grandmother – an Amazon. She left after giving birth to a boy—a boy without magic. The little boy was Grandfather Edward. Giselle – that was her name. Grampa Thor loved her still.
Grampa′s hand relaxed and the vision dissipated. Stunned, Sig hesitated before he laid the hand back on the bed and then leaned back in the chair. He couldn′t explain how he came by the knowledge in the vision. There were no words spoken, but he knew it to be true. He was part Amazon. That meant his mother was part Amazon, too.
That explained his mother′s height and strength. At five-feet-ten-inches, she was almost as tall as Sig. Others often remarked at his mother′s strength in handling the large horses she trained.
Were the Chicago Amazon tribe members his relatives?
Sig hurried to his counseling session with Professor Herman. The Professor, as Dean of the Physics of Magic department, had final say on Sig′s entry qualifications. He hoped the session would be a formality, but the Professor was always a stickler for procedure.
Approaching Dr. Herman′s office, Sig passed a slim, dapper gentleman dressed in what to Sig′s inexperienced eyes looked like an expensive suit. The man had a thick thatch of coal black hair with a distinctive silver streak running through one side. Sig nodded to him as he passed, then stopped, turned, and stared at the man who continued toward the stairway.
As the man passed, repulsion washed over Sig like a wave. What he sensed reminded him of the burnt barn across the road from his home. He wanted to spit to clear the taste from his mouth, but didn′t think it would do any good.
