A Mage's Power (Journey to Chaos) (4 page)

“We have a guest? Thanks.”

“Who are you talking to?”

“Hacen. He's my lab partner.”

 Eric saw no one else in the room but the dog. At first, he
thought the woman was insane, but then another thought occurred to him.
Maybe
the dog is a trickster.

“Who are you?” the scientist asked. Eric introduced himself
and a gust of wind blew. It traveled through the room and whispered in every
nook and cranny.

“Pleased to meet you. I am the Hermit of Tunrig.” Eric sweat
dropped.
How can she call herself a hermit when she works at a laboratory?
“So
what can I do for you, Eric?”

“I'm trying to get to Hanson Enterprise HQ,” Eric said.

“Ah, I know that place. It's quite a ways away . . .hmm, how
to get you there.” She started pacing and talking to herself. The dog barked.

“No, no! That won't work!” The dog barked again. “Of course
it won't! It's too impractical!”

This must be how Oliver felt . . .

“Now that idea just might work.” She grabbed pen and paper. “Let's
see, the weight of the object to be transported . . .” She looked at Eric “And
. . .the distance to be transported . . .” She scribbled calculations. “So the
power necessary is . . .” She looked for errors. “ . . .Yes, yes that should
work.”

“Now, Eric, we have devised the perfect means of travel for
you.” She walked to a large something covered in sheets. “You shall use my
genius invention . . .” She ripped off the sheets. “The Dynamic Air Tunnel!” It
looked like an old-fashioned cannon with science gizmos attached.

Eric looked doubtfully. “Is this thing safe?”

She shrugged. “It works fine when I use it.”

Eric backed away from the cannon. Getting to his job on time
wasn't worth his life. He'd find some other way. He was on the lab's threshold
when the wind blew by him.

Keep your mind open,
a voice whispered in his ears.
The wind swirled around the objects in the lab and hazy images appeared where
it touched.
See what could be there.
Wind swirled over Eric and flowed
toward a mirror. Within it, he saw himself wearing a different outfit and
carrying a staff.

Those voices again . . .I'm going crazy after all . . .Well,
if I'm crazy and this is just a hallucination, then I won't die
. He walked
to the back of the cannon, climbed in through the open hatch, and lay down on
his belly. The hermit assured him once more and closed the cannon. It was pitch
black, but for some reason, Eric wasn't as frightened as he was in the quarry.

“Good, just remain calm and you'll be there soon.” The
scientist pushed a series of buttons, pulled a number of levers, and turned an
assortment of dials. Electricity surged and the Dynamic Air Tunnel hummed into
life. Air rushed into the DAT.
Wind, I was right.

It blew over his body like a storm gust, tossing his hair
every which way and ruffling his clothes. Inside pressure increased and
centered at his feet. The steel flap opened.

Fly. Fly like a bird.

Eric flew through one of the triangle-shaped holes in the
building, across the mountaintop, and into a hole in a building on the other
side. There two scientists were so focused on yelling at each other they didn't
notice the crash Eric made when he landed. The sun shone brilliantly on them
both.

“You can't do this!” one shouted. “It's too dangerous!”

“Yes I can!” the other one shouted back. “For science and
the human race!”

“You could damage the Sun and thus the human race!”

“My experiment is flawless! Nothing will go wrong.”

 
Look too closely at the Sun and you will be blinded.
The sixth of such voices to speak inside Eric's head. Unlike the whispers of
the wind and water, or the bellows of the earth and fire, this one was gentle
like the darkness. He felt like his mother was warning him against playing in
the street.

The first scientist threw up his arms in frustration and
left. Eric groaned as the bruises he collected made themselves known and the
remaining scientist noticed him.

“You! Help me do this and I guarantee that you will have a
glorious future. Everything you've ever wanted will be yours for the taking!”

 Eric glanced from the scientist to the glaring sun.
I
see where this going
.
Look at the Sun and be blinded by its light; look
at how noble or grand your cause is and be blinded by that instead.

 
Eric smirked. “No.”

The scientist glared. “You are making a big mistake.” Eric
didn't waver and the scientist shrugged. “Oh well, I'll show you the exit.”

This room was occupied by a table, two chairs, a chessboard,
and a creature with pointy ears. The last sat behind pieces of a golden-brown
color and the empty seat controlled pieces made of a clear material. It was
just moving a pawn when he heard the door open.

“Hello, Eric!” Tasio said, smiling as always. “Are you
finished working?”

“I haven't even started.” He frowned. “While Hanson
Enterprise
does
produce commercial energy, I did
not
need to
visit those places personally!”

Tasio gasped. “Ohh! I'm so sorry, Eric! I must have
misunderstood.”

Eric rolled his eyes. “Well, to prevent further
misunderstandings, I want to go to room 3A of Hanson Enterprise HQ. That's Head
Quarters, not Ham Quartet or Hot Quills or anything silly.”

Tasio's grin was so big it creeped Eric out. “Right away,
Eric.”

Tasio snapped and Eric was blinded by light. When the light
faded, Eric was greeted by dust and crates: Room 3A, the storage closet. Another
difference was Tasio hovering next to him.

“Is this the right place?”

“Yes, you got it right this time.”

“Yay.” Eric grabbed the knob. “Don't forget this.”

Tasio was holding his briefcase. Eric could have sworn he
was holding it at the first teleport.

He left the storage closet with Tasio floating close behind.
He passed a random co-worker on the way to the elevator who said he was late.

“Yeah, I know.” Eric glared at the seemingly empty air. “My
alarm clock didn't go off.”

“Hanson's pretty mad; I hope your report is good enough to
make up for it.”

“Is it?” Eric asked Tasio.

“Yes, of course,” Tasio replied. “If you hadn't fallen
asleep when I was reciting my resume, you would have known I've helped countless
people write reports.”

Aaron awaited Eric at the elevator. “Did the baby sleep in
today?”

“This guy needs to get a life,” Tasio said. Eric smiled and
Aaron frowned.

“You won't be smiling when the general is done with you.”
The look on his face squashed any relief Eric might have been feeling and he
stood in the elevator like someone awaiting execution. This may have been
accurate; Hanson looked like Grim Death.

“Private Watley, you are very late.”

“I'm sorry, sir.”

Hanson leaped up and bellowed, “Sorry doesn't cut it on the
battlefield! I won't stand for any excuse!” He sat back down. “Do you at least
have the report ready?”

“Yes, sir.” Eric placed the report Tasio made on Hanson's
desk and stood straight while Hanson looked it over. Not a minute later, he
tossed the whole thing in the garbage.

“What is this?”

Nausea hit Eric's stomach like a bomb. “M-my r-report, sir.”

“Eric, this is not a report; it is a mess. Every other word
is misspelled, it's poorly organized, and bordered with smiley faces.”

Tasio pouted. “What's wrong with smiley faces?”

“Your work is barely up to par, often late, and you don't
get along with anyone.” Eric felt like a criminal standing on the gallows. “And
now you arrive late with this rubbish? I'm sorry, Eric, but for the good of the
unit, I'm giving you a dishonorable discharge.”

“Translation: You're fired because you're a drain on the
company.” Eric gave Tasio a nasty glare as he walked down the hall. “Just
trying to help.”

“You haven't been helpful at all!” Eric shouted. “You said
it was good enough!”

“
I
thought it was good enough,” Tasio said with his
chin high. “But, then again, I don't know anything about this company.” The
Trickster shrugged.

Eric's first stop was cleaning out his cubicle. The only
bright side was it wouldn't take long. There were no pictures of family or
friends, no memorabilia of any kind, not even much in the way of supplies since
they frequently disappeared. Tasio tapped Eric and pointed.

“Here's something I can definitely help you with. I have
millennium of experience matchmaking.” Normally, Eric would have declined, but
part of him felt like taking a chance.
Surely matchmaking is different from
writing a report.

“What do I do?”

“The first step is the first step,” Tasio said. “You have to
walk over to her.” Feeling like an idiot, Eric gathered up his courage and took
that step.

“Tell her she looks nice,” Tasio instructed.

“ . . .Y-you l-look nice today, Emily.”

 Emily smiled. “Thank you, Eric.”

“Now ask her about her day.”

“H-how was y-your day?”

“You know, same old, same old.”

“Now ask her about her plans for the weekend.”

“D-d-do you h-have any p-plans for the weekend?”

“I'm going to a movie with Tim on Saturday.”

 Eric heard a record screeching. He thought it was in his
head, but then he saw Tasio holding one and dragging his nails across it. The
Trickster laughed nervously and hid it behind his back.  

“Maybe some other time, okay, Eric?”

“Sure . . . Sure . . .” Eric walked out dejected while Tasio
hung in the air, biting his nails. Once outside, The Trickster spoke up.

“Eric . . .I need to apologize.”

 Eric narrowed his eyes at the Trickster. “Tasio . . .what
did you
do
?”

 Eyes downcast, he shuffled uneasily in the air. “Well . . .I
had to find
something
to
do while I waited for you to finish work,
so I looked for anyone else needing help. I saw Tim and gave him a push. I had
no idea
you
were going to ask her out too.” Now depressed, unemployed
and
brokenhearted, Eric began the long walk home.

“Would you like me to teleport you?”

Eric's anger reached its boiling point. His last shred of
inhibition disappeared and he threw the box at the floating trickster. It
passed through him and smashed on the pavement.

“WHY? So you can zap me to a meteor crater or the bottom of
the ocean?”

Tasio raised his hands defensively. “I'm just trying to
help.”

“Well, you're not! Just leave me alone!” Eric stomped off.
Stupid
elf, since he came nothing's—

“Ohhhhh Eeerrrriiicccc.” Eric stopped. “There is . . .another
way I can help you.”

Eric spun and glared at The Trickster. “How?! Turning me
inside out?!”

“There's no need to get gruesome, Eric.” Tasio waggled a
finger. “I was giving you standard help; a jumpstart if you will . . .But if
you need more, then that I can give you heavy duty help.”

“Like what?”

“I can make all the bad things that happened today go away;
a fresh start, just for you. If you'll let me.” Tasio extended his hand. “Well,
will you let me?”

What have I got to lose?
He clasped Tasio's hand and
a jolt shot through him. An incorporeal hand reached into his body and grabbed
his soul. He couldn't move.

“Excellent!” The wind picked up and Tasio's hair flew around
him. His eyes, nose, and mouth glowed with brilliant golden light that poured
out of him. It swirled and churned before exploding outward. Gathering behind
him it formed a portal; a double-door gate, touching the sky. With an ominous
creaking, the doors opened wide and spilled more light.

“What's going on?!” Eric urged and pleaded with his body to
move, but couldn't even wiggle his toes. He didn't want to be here! Anywhere
else but here!
I don't want to do this anymore!
Tasio chuckled; with the
otherworldly light and his hair flying everywhere, he was truly terrifying.

“I'm helping you.” Tasio jumped backwards and pulled Eric
with him.

 The human fell screaming through a tunnel of light. The
walls pulsed like a thing alive. Countless events flashed; sights and sounds
and smells and tastes and feels! Surges of gold light danced and struck him.
Then his screams of fear became screams of pain. Too much to be afraid; too
much for anything. He could feel every part of him warping and twisting as the
golden light reached the deepest part of him. He hurtled toward a bright light
at the tunnel's end and everything he knew dissolved.

Chapter 2
Tariatla

 Eric awoke in something soft and damp. The smell of dirt
and snow filled his nose. He snorted; they were in his nose too. Around him
were trees with few leaves and the buds of new plants. The air was chill
despite the sun. He rubbed his arms to get warmth into them.
Now where am I?

 The soft and damp cushion was a thin layer of new grass. It
had the imprint of his body. Besides the trees and other plants he recognized,
there were some he couldn't hazard a guess.
Does that bush have fur?
His
body still ached from whatever had happened to him, so he knew he wasn't
dreaming.
Once again, Tasio is nowhere to be found. Some help he is.

 
As he walked, the hairs on his neck stood up.
Ridiculous.
No one's watching me because no one's here.
Squirrels stared from branches
and rabbits paused to glance at him.
Impossible, they're just—