by Frank Hurt
Maxim, Marta, and Lucky stood nearby, watching the mildly inebriated stranger and his craft project. Stephanie looked at them and said, “kids, this is adult conversation. Go play.”
Luke continued his story, oblivious to his audience while he cut strips of aluminum from the beer cans. “Darwin had just been promoted to Driller, and he was seeing dollar signs. He told his crew how he was going to see about buying a little ranch of his own someday in Billings County. He thought it was pretty country, and he’d like to call it home.”
“Well, he was overheard by some of the locals in the bar. Over in that part of the country, it’s mostly descendants of Russian and Ukrainian pioneers—real hardscrabble, clannish sorts of people. Anyway, some of these Ukes heard Darwin, and they told him, ‘you can’t just buy a place here and expect to be part of the community. You’ve gotta earn the right to live here.’”
“Darwin, being the useless drunk that he is, he asked those Ukes, ‘what’s it gotta take?’ They told him, ‘it’s three things. First, you see that quart jar of liquid behind the bar? Well, that’s homemade vodka. You’ve gotta drink all of it in one sitting.’”
“’I’m a fucking roughneck,’ my useless brother Darwin said. ‘I can drink a quart of homemade vodka, no problem.’”
“The Ukes, they told him, ‘that’s not all. After drinking that vodka, you’ve gotta go out into the badlands and find yourself a grizzly bear. You’ve gotta kill the bear, and you only get a knife to do it.’ Darwin said, ‘well that sounds pretty tough, but I’m a fucking roughneck, I can do that. What else?’”
“The Ukes told him, ‘the last thing you’ve gotta do, is you’ve gotta convince the old maid Glovatsky to sleep with you. She’s never opened her legs for anyone.’”
“’Well hell,’ Darwin said, ‘I’m a fucking roughneck. I’ll woo that old lady and before long she’ll be begging me for my pecker.’”
“My useless brother Darwin, he took that jar of homemade vodka, and wouldn’t you know, he drank the whole fucking quart of it. A normal man would go blind drinking that much, but Darwin’s too stupid for that. His crew, they told him, ‘Darwin, let’s just take you home, you’re too drunk.’ But Darwin, being the dumbass that he is, he insisted that he would go find himself a grizzly and hunt it down. He grabbed a knife and left the bar. A couple hours later, wouldn’t you know, Darwin came crashing through the door. His clothes were shredded, he was scratched all to hell and bleeding. He staggered in and said, ‘alright, I did the second task. Now where’s that old spinster I’ve gotta kill?’”
Luke’s story was followed by silence until Boniface guffawed and then doubled over with laughter. Ember and Stephanie exchanged a glance. Ronald shook his head as he watched his brother. Jerry the water well driller was mortified, and his son looked confused.
The teenager said, “I didn’t know there were any grizzly bears in the badlands.”
Luke squinted first at the boy, then at Jerry. “Do you wanna explain it to him, or should I?”
Jerry scratched his eyebrow, “uh, Junior, that was a joke. Luke’s brother didn’t actually do those things.”
“There, makeshift dowsing rod.” Luke held a Y-shaped aluminum stick made of braided beer cans. “Now where’s your first choice for the well?”
Ronald pointed to a mound of dirt close to the house. “That was the first attempt. We filled it in.”
“Alright. Moment of silence, please.” Luke walked over to the mound and closed his eyes. He held the divining rod in front of him and began walking in a spiral pattern. He only made two revolutions when the stick began bending down sharply.
“No way,” Jerry’s son said.
“Here’s the spot,” Luke called out. He stepped over the spot and the rod flicked upward. He backed up a step and it bent down, as though the nonferrous metal was somehow responding to a magnet. He dug the heel of his boot into the ground, drawing an X.
“Are you sure?” Ronald looked at Jerry and then at Luke. “That didn’t take you long, and it’s only ten feet from where we punched the first hole. We drilled down past 400 feet on that spot and didn’t hit anything.”
Luke tossed his dowsing stick into the pickup box. “I’m sure that I’m sure. You’ll hit water there at 185 to 195 feet down, but you’ll want to drill another fifteen feet beyond that. Don’t drill further than 30 feet, though, or you’ll hit a porosity zone and lose your reservoir. It’s going to be a damn fine well, you have my word. Now, how about we settle up on payment?”
Boniface and Ember helped load the six cases of beer in the back of Luke’s Dodge. Stephanie went to the house, while Ronald, Jerry, and Jerry’s son moved the equipment over to the site Luke had indicated. Luke punched a hole in the top of the beer box and pulled out a beer. “Join me?”
Ember waved the can away. “I’ve got work to do yet today, thanks though.”
“That’s warm, Luke. I can go get you a cold one?” Boniface said.
“Nah, this’ll be fine.” Luke cracked open the top and took a long swallow. “Ah, that hits the spot. This is how they drink beer back where you come from, ain’t it? Your accent is English, no?”
“I’m English, yeah. But warm beer? I don’t think so. Cellar temperature, sure, but not…what is it, today, 90 degrees?”
Luke shrugged and took another swig. “My second wife, she told me one day that I was a no-good drunk. She said, ‘you’ve already had three beers today.’”
Boniface sensed the setup and asked, “what did you say to that?”
“I told her, ‘woman, shut up and finish making us breakfast.’”
Ronald yelled above the truck’s engine. “Boni, can you grab a crescent wrench and give us a hand? His hydraulic line is leaking.”
Ember waited until Boniface was gone to speak. “That was a lovely charade, Luke.”
“Charade?” Luke grinned. “I love a skeptic. You just stick around and see.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt that they’ll hit water. I’m not doubting your abilities, I’m calling shenanigans on your technique. That whole dowsing rod was a convincing prop.” Ember leaned forward and smiled. “You’re an Elementalist, aren’t you? Specializing in hydrology, it would seem.”
Luke sputtered and coughed. When he was done spitting warm beer on the ground, he frowned at Ember. “I don’t know what—”
“Save it.” Ember held up a hand. “I’m a mage, too. Associate Investigator Ember Wright. You didn’t need that stick though, did you? That was all just show.”
The man eyed her warily and took another drink. “You ain’t wrong.”
“If I had to guess, that prop wasn’t the only part of the show, was it? I’m betting you’ve better precision than you let on. Am I right?”
Luke flashed a smile. He was missing a bicuspid. “You ain’t wrong. The water table at that spot is about 191.5 feet. It’ll produce 29 gallons per minute. It’ll be moderately hard water, with minerals primarily of calcium carbonate within the porous limestone rock, maybe 100-120 parts per million of dissolved minerals. They’ll be able to treat it with a water softener if they want to extend the life of their water heater. It’ll be good, healthy drinking water.”
“Brilliant. I’ll admit, I’m impressed,” Ember returned the smile.
Luke crushed the beer can and belched. “Try not to fall in love with me, kid. I’ll only break your heart.”
“I’ll find a way to resist, somehow.” Ember scrunched her nose. “I don’t recall your name showing up on the census files. Nor your brother Darwin, for that matter.”
The man shrugged and cracked open a second beer. “Darwin and I, we don’t have much time for all that. We prefer to do our own thing.”
“All that? The census?”
“The census. The Viceroyalty. All of it.”
“But don’t you miss visiting the Ley Line? You can’t get access there without being tallied in the census.”
He shrugged again. “It’s not that big of a deal. Sure, it takes longer to
recharge my mana, and I’m aging more like a regular human, but it beats getting involved with the whole bureaucracy.”
“It’s not that bad. Sure, it can be a hassle sometimes, but it’s a small price to pay.”
“Maybe for you it is. Some of us would rather die than live under someone else’s thumb.”
“That’s rather harsh, isn’t it? Are there many Druws that you know of who think this way?”
Luke squinted at her. “I’m not saying anything more.”
“I’m no killjoy.” Ember held up her hands. “I’m merely curious, that’s all. You’re an Elementalist, and from what I can tell, you’re probably a Fourth Level, maybe Fifth Level.”
He shook his head, “There, you’d be wrong. I’m only a Third Level.”
“What? I don’t believe you. To do what you do, with that precision—”
“I’m not saying I couldn’t test out higher. I’m saying I choose not to.”
“What? Why not? Why wouldn’t you want to test higher, to show your capabilities?”
Luke looked around to be sure nobody was watching. As he did, liquid began flowing from the mouth of his beer can. The amber liquid formed a vertical column, separated from the can and rotated slowly until it became horizontal. The beer floated in a cylinder, changing color until it became white and solid. The white shape moved slowly through the air until it was a foot away from Ember. He looked at her and said, “go ahead and grab it. Pick it up out of the air.”
She did, and the shock to her fingers almost made her drop it. “It’s ice!”
Luke stared at the thin column of frost. The frozen beer slipped from her grip and glided through the air, melting as it reached his mouth. He tilted his head back and guided the column down his throat.
Ember’s mouth was open as she watched. She whispered, “that. Was. Brilliant.”
Luke belched and nodded. “To rate Level Five, you have to be able to do that with water, and then send the shard of ice into a target twenty feet away. That’s why I won’t have anything to do with it.”
“I don’t understand. What’s the harm in that?”
“You’re an Investigator. You tell me, why would they want us to be able to not only move water, but freeze it mid-air and launch it at a target? I’ll tell you why: it’s so they can use us as soldiers. Well, I ain’t a fighter, I’m a lover. I got in enough trouble when I was young. Now I just want to live my life.”
“But to have such a talent, such abilities…” Ember’s voice trailed off.
“You outta see what my useless brother Darwin can do with an electrical outlet.” Luke laughed. “Thank goodness that fucker’s a pacifist, too. That’s all I’ll say.”
“Darwin’s an Elementalist as well?” Ember made a mental note.
“You didn’t hear it from me, kid. He’d be pissed if he knew I told you.”
Stephanie emerged from the house and walked over to them. “Ember, Doctor Rout needs to speak with you.”
“Is everything alright?”
“Yeah,” Stephanie glanced warily at Luke. “She just asked me to come get you.”
In the house, Gloria was seated in a recliner. She looked exhausted. “Tell me again where you found that device.”
“What device?” Ember frowned. “You mean the Aedynar Artifact?”
Gloria nodded. “Yes, that. I’ve tried every which way to figure out how to use it. What aren’t you telling me?”
“Nothing that can help tap into its mana. All I know is that the energy it contains is from a different world. Aedynar.” Ember looked at Stephanie, who stood nearby, listening. “I thought it was helping?”
“It is,” Gloria sighed. “That is, the patients are able to sleep, to rest when they are near the artifact. But they aren’t healed you understand? This artifact just treats the symptoms, but it isn’t curing them. Nothing I do seems to work in unlocking the magic contained within the Aedynar Artifact.”
“So, what do you propose?”
“I need you to let me bring it back to the Magic City. To Minot. With closer proximity to the Ley Line, I might be able to force my way into the artifact, to bend it to my will.”
Ember shook her head. “No, absolutely not. I’m sorry, but you saw what Higginbotham was willing to do to keep his hold on things. If he got his hands on this artifact and figured out how to use it, he’d be even more powerful. And he would make sure he moves up our expiration dates.”
“Oh, so dramatic.” Gloria waved her hand dismissively. “If you won’t let me bring Muhammed to the mountain, then you’ll have to bring the mountain to Muhammed.”
“I don’t understand.” Ember furrowed her brow. “Wait, are you asking me to steal a Leystone? That’s illegal! I can’t believe you would even suggest that.”
“Oh, now she wants to get all sanctimonious.” Gloria shook a wrinkled index finger at Ember. “I’m telling you that I’ve done all I can here with this artifact. If you want me to help you further, you’ll have to decide. Either you bring the Aedynar Artifact there, or you smuggle a Leystone out and bring it here. You’re taking a chance either way.”
18
Just Too Much
The rocky terrain of western North Dakota was so different from Ember’s home of Malvern Hills, England. Where she was acclimated to driving the well-maintained Worcester Road or the efficient M5 between highly-developed cities, here Alarik navigated the pothole-ravaged, narrow Highway 22. It was built to sustain occasional farm traffic, though now it was clogged with bumper-to-bumper semi trucks and muddy pickups. The small towns and infrastructure struggled to keep up with the front-end of an oil boom that had only just begun.
The area around her home was a spiderweb of old hedges and ancient woodlands. The highest elevation was the Malvern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a rugged outcrop made civilized by a network of manicured trails upon which hikers could look down and admire the centuries-old villages with their brick and stone walls and stucco houses. The land there was verdant and rich, and densely populated.
Mandaree, North Dakota and the surrounding area was all but devoid of human population in comparison. Miles spanned between houses, and the ground was generally too rough to farm. At this time of year, the vegetation was dry and turning brown. Wildlife filled the void, as evidenced by herds of antelope and deer interspersed with beef cattle and horses.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Alarik glanced at her as he swerved his Ford Super Duty pickup around another pothole. “You’ve been staring out the window ever since we left New Town. Is everything okay?”
“Just lost in my thoughts, I guess. The last time I was on this road—the only time I’ve been on this road—was with you. We were on our way to meet the Hershels down in Mott. But it was dark then. I remember the huge flames along the hilltops.”
“Flare stacks, yep. They’re still burning, just not as easy to spot in daylight. I’d point them out to you, but I need to keep my eyes on the road.” He tapped his brake pedal as a pickup sped up close behind. The other driver swerved out into the other lane and sped up to pass. The late-model Chevy had out-of-state plates and maneuvered without using signal lights. Alarik hit his brakes to avoid being clipped when the Chevy turned back into his lane.
“Bloody hell! These people are maniacs!” Ember clutched the armrest, digging her fingernails in.
Alarik gritted his teeth but maintained his humor. “Try dealing with that when you’re in an overloaded truck. Or worse, these semi drivers who can’t stop on a dime. These roads get pretty hairy at times.”
“For so few villages, there sure is a lot of traffic.” Ember looked over her shoulder and noted the parade of vehicles behind them. “You drive this every day, don’t you, Rik?”
“Yep. Pretty much.” Alarik hugged the white line as a semi truck brandishing a banner reading OVERSIZED LOAD appeared over the hill. Its flatbed trailer contained two massive steel tanks painted buff. “It’s easier in this pickup. My welding truck isn’t nearly as respo
nsive. Arnie won’t even drive it on these roads.”
“How is your brother doing? He was the only one missing yesterday at your parents’ place when I brought out Dr. Rout.”
“Arnie’s been good. Great, even. Thanks to the Aedynar Artifact, he’s been able to sleep like a normal person.” Alarik accelerated up a steep slope, keeping pace with the traffic. “Other than not being able to shift, he’s just about back to his normal self. He’s been able to work, to help me out every day now. Which is good, because I could use all the help I can get.”
“I know you’ve been incredibly busy, Rik. Thanks for taking your Friday evening off to drive me out here.”
“Don’t mention it. I’d rather not have you out on these roads, honestly. It’s just too dangerous. The State is promising to rebuild these roads, to add turning lanes and expand other highways into four lanes. But that’s going to take years to see it happen.”
“That’s sweet of you, to be concerned. And…I won’t disagree with you. I’d rather not attempt these roads in my hired car.” Ember bit her lip and watched the huge trucks cruise by.
“That’s gotta be expensive, renting that Highlander.”
“It’s not great, sure. But I’m not going to be in North Dakota much longer. The census audit is pretty much complete, and regardless, I can only stay for a total of 90 days without a work visa.” Ember watched Alarik as she spoke. “I’m at Day 50 as it is.”
“Oh. I see.” Alarik glanced to his left, so she couldn’t see his expression. “Seems like we’re just starting to get to know one another.”
“Just starting,” Ember repeated in a hushed tone.
They drove in silence until he pointed to his left. “Mandaree is down that road. See the water tower to the east? We’re going to turn off further south though. BIA 14.”
