Dire Prophecy

by Zack Finley

  "Most mundanes have learned through experience it is nearly impossible to out-bargain a mage. Many merchants start with their best offer to save time, while others go through the motions anyway.

  "Some vendors wear mental talismans to hide their thoughts. These are usually costly, and of spotty effectiveness, so they are seldom a smart investment. Mages don't tell them how ineffective they are for many reasons," Argon admitted.

  "Other decisions are more complex. Mages not in the king’s service usually ignore mundanes planning to commit crimes against other mundanes. Crimes against younglings are one exception to that rule. But, if we learn about a plot against a mage, most mages will warn the at-risk mage."

  After lunch, we met with the owner's representative for a quick tour of the building Tobron had picked for our new business office. The building was empty and needed a lot of work, but it had a prime old town location.

  The outer shell of the building was stone, and I suspected Tobron could conjure well enough to add any features we needed and teach me a lot in the process. I left the sales negotiation to Argon, and before an hour had passed, we were the owner of a building, pending confirmation of bank payment and registration of change in title.

  We shared the success with our partners. Tobron left to change the title right away with plans to meet us at the building. The bank com-carded us, confirming the funds had transferred along with a minor service fee. It seems banks were the same, everywhere.

  Tobron took us on a whirlwind tour of our new building, sharing details of the changes he envisioned. He thought it needed to impress those we did business with and to make it harder for the establishment to ignore us.

  Learning there were no restrictions on building height, I suggested setting the foundation and lower walls to support future expansion, allowing it to become one of the tallest buildings in the city.

  Tobron was concerned about the stability of a stone building of that height.

  I relayed my thoughts about adding reinforcing bars to conjured stone to make the structure more flexible. Tobron had never heard of doing it but immediately understood the possible benefits. I conjured up a piece of rebar and sketched on the floor showing him how to build a lattice of the stuff to keep the wall from collapsing in an earthquake. In Jaloa, mages used force magic enchantments to keep buildings intact. The homes of mundanes just collapsed if they couldn't afford either the initial ward or the cost to maintain it.

  Tobron became very thoughtful at my suggestion.

  We gave him carte blanche with the renovations, then contacted the bank and added him to our bank account. Argon gave him a handful of gems to spend as needed. Tobron nearly balked but Argon reminded him he was the person on the spot and we might be out of town when an off-the-books need arose.

  Bribery was a way of life on Jaloa.

  We decided a new set of wards could wait until Tobron finished the exterior wall work. The building came with some rudimentary wards to protect against fire and other natural damage. We expected our new wards were going to be much more complex, involving a combination of force, elementals, and mental magic. What these should do would be the subject of a substantial conversation tonight over dinner.

  We left with Tobron contemplating the walls of our new office building. I wasn't sure what we'd see when we got back.

  Off to another city. This time we arrived in a back alley rather than a temple. This time the mapmakers had it right, and Augun was about where the map showed it to be.

  ◆◆◆

  Chapter 15

  The Augun streets were dirty, and some of the city's residents were using them for open sewers. There was plenty of traffic, but it did not feel like the prosperous bustle of the prior two cities. No one on the streets would meet our eyes. Our mind-reading app revealed the citizens were fearful of each other and of strangers. Those spotting us considered Argon and me as strange as it got. No one wanted to be nearby when the king's secret police came for us, so they gave us a wide berth.

  We walked cautiously toward a larger thoroughfare aiming to locate the local mage guild. Curiosity kept us to the original plan.

  We blended in better with the thoroughfare's heavier traffic, and our mind-reading app pointed us to the mage guild location.

  Pedestrians walked purposefully and kept their eyes down. Fear of the king's secret police weighed heavily on everyone. The people assumed agents were numerous and could be anyone. A few had family members whisked off to jail and never seen again. That didn't count the people who just vanished.

  Carts and carriages were still racing helter-skelter along the street, dodging pedestrians and each other. The drivers were in a hurry to get to their location. Slow service might mean they didn't get the next haul especially with jobs becoming scarce as the economy continued to tank.

  We immediately decided living here was a bad idea, at least in this current state of government. We thought it might be a fertile recruiting ground for personnel and a source of solid bargains.

  The Augun Mage Guild was nicer than the streets but still rundown. No one manned the entrance office, and we proceeded to the market area after waiting a few minutes. I bought some maps at the bookstore and Argon bought some books about the city.

  Augun was a sprawling city north of the river Augun's mouth. The king's keep perched above the city on a prominent ridge.

  Sharp looks followed us, but our mind-reading app was useless in the guild with this sparse but mostly mage crowd. We opened a modest bank account and exchanged com-cards. The banker assured us there was now someone on duty at the guild office to take our application.

  The weapons and armor store was a big disappointment, especially after Losan, and we found nothing else in the market tempted us.

  We nearly walked away from becoming an Augun guild member. The guild official was very happy to sell us a membership, but he wanted more information than we were comfortable providing. We dodged questions about why we were here, what business we expected to conduct, who our local contacts were, and more.

  At home, I'd have lied to him without a qualm to meet mission objectives. Here, due to the prevalence of truth sense, it was better to say nothing than to lie about it.

  We eventually got our new guild access. They took our coin despite our refusal to answer any direct questions. The guild officer was still dissatisfied, and we decided he wasn't the person to ask about the Augun Secret Police.

  The guild lounge was empty except for a pair of mages who stopped talking when we stepped into the room and just stared at us the whole time we were in sight. Someone had padlocked the library, with no indication it was ever going to open again.

  Argon was disappointed but not surprised after what we had already seen.

  We consulted with Tobron about possible next moves, and he suggested visiting booksellers in the common market and using our mind-reading apps as extensively as possible.

  The marketplace was near the river, and we used the substantial hike to expand our mind-reading efforts. Argon observed those hidden from the app to determine whether any acted interested in us. I gathered general intel from the open minds.

  Three weeks before, there had been an attempt to assassinate Augun's King Rufix. The attempt killed the king's heir, and the king suffered a crippling injury. People universally believed this but were all over the map on the identity of the assassins. Most blamed an unnamed foreign power; followed by the temples, then the mage guild. After that, the list of suspects included everything from demons, faeries, and dragons to a new cult.

  The king remained bedridden. People believed he was still holed up in his keep. The secret police closed all temples immediately after the assassination, leading to the speculation one of them was at fault. Most now dismissed this premise, especially since the arrests continued unabated. While mundanes would normally be happy to blame the mage guild, this idea had even less general support.

  The consensus was someone was driving the secret police to find the kille
rs, but the police had run out of leads. Most thought the police were now just picking people up at random to save themselves.

  The fear and disruption triggered a sharp economic downturn that was still gaining downward momentum. Jobs were being lost, and businesses were closing every day. Anyone who had the means had already left the city for safer ground. All hoped it was a temporary situation.

  Argon and I discussed tactics should the secret police attempt to arrest us. If we couldn't talk our way out of it, we intended to resist. Argon thought it would be interesting to question one of them under a mind probe, but we agreed not to hunt for trouble. At least not yet.

  The market was bustling, but it had a frantic feel to it as most people came to fulfill their shopping lists and leave. Vendors selling essential household goods and groceries were doing a brisk business, but few of those selling luxury items were so lucky. A few brave buyers were trolling for bargains offered by desperate vendors.

  Books were not on the essential list, and the booksellers were eager to assist us. Argon bought several books on magic and a comprehensive guide to the kingdom at bargain prices. I found a more detailed map of the region.

  We learned Augun's robust cloth and leather business had collapsed since the assassination and local warehouses were bulging with unsold cloth and leather.

  One bookseller suggested we meet Jeref, a business contact at the harbor who could arrange shipments to Klee. Our mind-reading app confirmed the bookseller believed Jeref was a legitimate seller. He also expected to get a kickback from Jeref for the referral. Jeref conducted most of his business in the harbor tavern Bounding Basas.

  The bookseller knew of no craftsmen looking to relocate although several had already returned to their hometowns and villages because of the spreading economic depression. We tipped him for his help and asked him to be on the lookout for leather workers who might be interested. He could leave a message for us at the mage guild.

  Lunch was a quiet affair at the market. I studied the new kingdom guide, while Argo skimmed one of her new magic books. The northern region along a tributary of the Augun River specialized in leather and meat. The main tanning center was at Flom, located near where the tributary met the with the south fork to create the main river. Barges brought most of the finished leather to Augun where craftsmen turned it into finished leather goods.

  The southern region specialized in producing cloth from a variety of plant species. Manufacturers loomed most of the cloth in the town of Asme. Asme was nearly a day's travel by basas from where the river forked, but the actual distance wasn’t listed. Barges brought the finished cloth down the river to Augun.

  A shipment of leather and cloth could establish us as a legitimate business in both Augun and Klee. The team agreed to move more quickly to purchase the Klee warehouse than we had originally planned. Shipping time between the two harbors was about a week. Tobron was sure we could have our new facility purchased and revamped in time for our first shipment to arrive.

  The Bounding Basas was crowded with miserable people. I nearly shut off my mind-reading app because the misery was so overwhelming. With Argon's help, I adjusted the app to filter out much of the general unhappiness.

  The tavern was doing a robust business. If I didn't have access to my mind-reading app, I might have missed just how miserable the people were. Some were playing games of chance at the bar, drinking, and laughing. Others crouched around dirty tables, sharing drinks and swapping stories. Despite these few signs of cheer, most tables had one or two silent persons hunched over their drinks.

  After the assassination, there had been a general feeling of outrage over the death of the heir. Businesses pledged support for the king, and there was an upwelling of patriotism. That ended once the secret police began its pogrom. Anyone of means left with their families and most of those in the tavern believed the plutocrats were hiding either on their country estates or outside the kingdom.

  This exodus pulled the rug out from under many area businesses, crushing the kingdom's economic engine, and accelerating an economic death spiral.

  We located Jeref at a dirty table near the exit. Though crushed by the current economics, the mind-reading app revealed Jeref still had reasonable ethics. He guessed we were mages and did not intend to give us cause to feel cheated. Jeref had a wiry build and looked older than his actual age, likely due to the jagged scar that ran from his cheek across his lips and into his chin. His unkempt fur was a reddish gold. He had lost a finger on his left hand so long enough ago the scarring wasn't noticeable.

  Argon and Jeref negotiated to purchase a mixed shipment of leather and cloth and then to find us a suitable ship to take it to Klee. Jeref needed to canvas his sellers for the best arrangements. We agreed to meet back at the tavern to finalize the deal. Argon told Jeref we had to approve the captain and ship so he should provide us with a list to consider at our next meeting.

  We provided a generous retainer and hired him as our business agent in Augun. Jeref was both fearful and excited at the job offer. We gave him a mundane com-card and 'ported home.

  Our groceries had arrived, and we had a snack of bread, fruit, and cheese. I avoided the pink Brussels sprouts things. "Cala," Argon said. "They are cala. The bumpy purple fruits you like are ronta, and the red fruits with the heavy peel are polet." Colored mental images of the fruit accompanied the translations of each fruit. "Since you don't like cala, it just means there is more for me."

  She was welcome to all the cala she wanted.

  Argon knew I was struggling to wrap my head around magic, especially wards and enchanting and she knew reading the primers wasn't helping.

  "Every magical device, enchantment, ward, or spell needs a power supply," she began. "Similar to how your spells rely on power from your container. Each magical appliance has its own container. Once it is ready for operation a mage at the manufacturer transfers some of his personal magic into that container. The appliance continues to run as long as there is enough magic in the appliance’s container. When the container runs dry, the spells stop working until another mage uses personal magic to recharge the appliance container. High-priced units have bigger magic containers than lower priced units," Argon explained.

  "If they use the same amount of magic, why would you buy either the low or the high capacity units?" I asked.

  "Our bathroom facilities are cheap units," said Argon. "I can afford the air and water magic to recharge them every few days. However, having no fire magic before our meld, I purchased expensive high-capacity fireplaces and stoves. It was a hassle to extract the units and take them to a fire mage to recharge them. I didn't want to do that more than a few times per year."

  While I recharged our home’s appliances, I hadn't realized some of their nuances. "How do you increase the holding capacity of an appliance," I asked.

  "Each appliance maker has secrets which extend how long an appliance will work on a single charge. Spell efficiency is one important difference between manufacturers. The main difference between high and low-priced units has to do with the size of its magical container. Every substance can store some magic. Gems have the biggest capacity, followed by former living things, then metal, and then stone. High-end units are heavier, and they use combinations of gems and other materials to store as much magic as possible. Each appliance has a limit. If you try to overfill our stove with fire magic, it won't work. The extra magic just dissipates."

  Suddenly the whole appliance thing began to make more sense. Before our meld Argon was thrilled that I had fire magic to fill up the stoves and fireplace. I began refilling them since she showed me how but they never took much of my power. This also explained why a lot of mages worked in the appliance business.

  Argon relayed that appliance businesses charge a lot and most mages only hired them for services not available for barter within families, circles of friends, or business associates.

  To keep the magical power drain to a minimum, mages typically scheduled family appliance r
efills around other magic needs. Younglings were in particular demand as it was good experience for them and grandma and grandpa always had treats available to make it a special occasion. Extended friends and associates could swap refills of one type of magic for another to reduce out-of-pocket expenses for both parties.

  Argon was satisfied I now had the gist of charging appliances.

  "How are wards different than enchantments," I asked.

  "Wards are enchantments by another name. At one time, enchantments were very simple spells, but now they also incorporate extremely complicated ones. If you doubt that just study our bathroom unit," Argon said. "Wards traditionally are complicated high-end spells. They rely on magic stored either in the warded object or for personal wards in the mage's individual power supply. Most rely on passive monitoring spells that draw very little power in that mode. Should the monitoring spell detect a problem, it triggers preconfigured counter spells designed to mitigate the situation. These counterspells are nearly always magic hogs because those creating the wards configure them to combat a wide range of attacks. Wards buy time for a mage to respond and subsequently deal with a specific threat."

  "Why did your wards fail when we fought the demons?" I asked. "You still had force magic left."

  "Because our last-ditch survival depends on having enough force energy left to teleport to safety, I never allow anything to reduce my force level below a set minimum," said Argon. "I've established minimums for all of our personal wards. They begin to fail before it gets critical. Personal wards are emergency equipment, to buy us time to act. They give us a chance to survive when the enemy surprises us."