Bridgeworlds: Rise of the Magi (15 page)

14

Recruits

Omar was anxious to get started recruiting for the Order of the Magi. He’d put together testing criteria and established a grading curve by race to determine who the best candidates were. That was, in his mind, a way of being as equitable as possible. He drafted the criteria based on what Sebastian had told him about the different races of Musterion. He needed to allow for a variety of skills, not just academic, for example, or he was likely to get all Akana. Sebastian suggested that Omar break up his measurements into seven distinct qualities:

• 15% would be for knowledge or already-gained intelligence.
  
• 20% would be for common sense or the application of intelligence.
  
• 15% would be for memory or the ability to retain data.
  
• 25% would be for enigmas or the innate intelligence used to solve puzzles and problems.
  
• 10% would be for mental fortitude or intellectual stamina, an ability to learn new things and adapt to them.
  
• 10% would be for mental awareness or the ability to react intelligently in dire situations and an intelligence involving one’s surroundings.
  
• 5% would be for mental dominance or the ability to know those around you and assert your authority.
  

Omar and Sebastian agreed that their screening process would not only give all the races a good chance but would help form the Magi into a formidable yet diverse order.

Sebastian and Omar took a walk around Pneuma Karpos and discussed different methods for testing. When they came to the Café, they sat down and ordered some food and hot tea. While they were deep in discussion, Ischus approached them.

Omar and Sebastian bowed and remained standing until Ischus sat down at their table. Ischus smiled. “Omar, I’m glad, that your success you’ve had hasn’t affected your humility.”

“I know my place within the political machine, and I always have.”

Sebastian laughed. “Political machine…that is an odd bit of slang you use, but it could be quite appropriate.”

The waitress hurried up with a teapot, but Ischus put his hand over his cup. He looked at her with an endearing smile and graciously said, “Please bring me hot water and some fresh tea leaves.”

The maiden curtseyed and departed for the kitchen.

“Are we a bit paranoid today, my lord?” Omar inquired.

Ischus frowned. “My most valued servant died last night while testing my food. I could do nothing to help him, and it was terrible to watch him die such a painful death."

“Ischus, I could have helped! Please send for me if that ever happens again.”

Ischus looked doubtful. “Could have helped, how?”

Omar switched to German in case of eavesdroppers. “I have medicines and other technologies from Earth. They might have saved him.”

Ischus’ eyes filled. “I loved Cephar like a father. It’s a shame that I didn’t know this ahead of time.”

The waitress brought Ischus his tea leaves and hot water and quickly left. Ischus quickly regained his composure. “Omar, I do not wish to join the Magi, but I’d like to help you in your effort. This is going to be good for all of Musterion, and I want to see you succeed. I officially offer the help of the Council of Seven.”

Omar was pleasantly surprised and nodded. “Your help would be most welcome. How would it be if we invite two from your Council and two from the Council of Six? That would help maintain our position of neutrality.”

Ischus leaned back and gave Omar a knowing look. “Very wise move, my friend. Are you sure you don’t dabble in politics?”

“Only when I have to, my lord.”

~*~

Myles' thoughts about his dream faded away, and he turned to Kasey to ask her if she was all right. Where she had once been hideous, she was now beautiful and radiant. The shadows that surrounded Kalat had been replaced by that glow.
Why bother asking if she's okay? She’s more than okay. She’s brand new!

Kasey grew a little uncomfortable with Myles gawking at her. “Why are you staring at me?”

“Excuse me. I hope you don’t mind me saying so, but you look magnificent!”

“Are you kidding me?” She walked over to a pool of water in the corner and looked at her glowing reflection. “I’m…a Miyka!”

Myles laughed so hard that Kasey started to laugh too. The joy of that moment was exhilarating. Myles turned serious. “Hey, how do we get out of here?”

Kasey and Myles looked at each other and then simultaneously yelled, “Nekar!”

Nekar heard their call from down the tunnel. He chuckled as he realized that Kasey had given her life to the Master, and they were now looking for a way out. He was pleased. He sensed that another strange move was in order. Nekar didn’t always understand the Master’s orders, but he had a feeling he knew why he was to abandon those two in the tunnels rather than try to help them.
Yes, it will be hard for them to make their way back to the core of Musterion. But after all, destiny is destiny.

~*~

Moluno had never felt this much fear in his life. He was accustomed to making others afraid. Being on the brink of hysteria himself was a new sensation, and a horrible one. This tunnel was in the deepest, darkest part of Musterion. Even the glowing moss couldn’t light it. Normally a Kalat could see in darkness, but this darkness was different. It was oppressive. Moluno felt it pressing him down, gripping him like a living force. Moluno stumbled and tripped, hands clutching what he knew must be the bones of those who’d found this tunnel by accident and never escaped. There was one difference between Moluno and those other unfortunate beings—Moluno knew well where he was going.

Thanatos
was the word for
death
from the old language
,
and Moluno had found, in this dark place, the master of death who had rightly named himself Thanatos. When he got to the end of the tunnel, he reached out to touch the one brick at the top of the wall that he knew would protrude more than the others. A shiver went down Moluno’s spine.
What is the cost of failure? ... What horrible thing will he do to me?

As the passage slowly opened, a gray glow appeared, and Moluno saw the portal.
Oh, if I could only take back that dreadful day
.
If only I had not let my curiosity overtake me.
But now he was a slave, a puppet of his dark master. The grey light from the portal made him feel empty inside. Moluno was a murderer, a liar, a thief— in short, an unquestionable monster. But there are some things that even monsters fear.

Moluno had stepped through this same portal before and seen a world full of mindless people. He’d even killed one of them to drink his blood. As the blood had entered his body he had begun to feel empty, as if his spirit were slipping away. He had almost died that day, but instead, became as empty as those other people. This was a world full of mindless victims just acting out various tasks. The man he had bitten into had been cold, and the blood stagnant—there was just nothing there anymore.

Moluno’s train of thought broke as the portal started to ripple. He clenched his fists so tight that his own blood began to drip from his palms. Terror overwhelmed him as he anticipated his fate.

Thanatos, the Black Dragon, came through the massive, swirling portal. As it started to move through the portal, it first thrust the horn on its muzzle forward and then continued pushing through. Part of Thanatos’ skeleton jutted out through its slimy black scales, and when Moluno saw it, he began to shake. Thanatos glared at Moluno with snake-like eyes, unfurled its large, tattered wings, and moved closer. Large tentacles protruded from its mouth. Black smoke with a smell of rotting corpses leaked from its nostrils.

Moluno heard its voice oozing through his mind. “My child, where is your dear sister? I hoped to gaze upon her corpse so that I could make her mine as I have already done with you.”

Moluno knew what had happened to Ragal, at least part of it, so he hoped a partial truth would appease his master. “Her body was destroyed in a fire.”

Thanatos gurgled as the tentacles in its mouth stretched down to the brick walls. That voice wrapped its coils around Moluno’s mind again. “The walls tell me that you’re lying, Moluno. They say that she’s found a new Master, and the walls of Musterion never lie. Ragal was the key to winning the coming war, and you practically gave her to the other side. My dear Moluno, you’re just a minion; you’re dispensable. Is there any reason why I shouldn’t send you back to where I found you on my world?”

“I … I can … I can — ”

A tentacle began to slither toward Moluno. He froze in fear, unable to move. Thanatos echoed through his mind. “Don’t worry, Moluno. I’ll fix your blunder and still make good use of you in the process.”

The tentacle touched Moluno, and he began to change. He was absorbed into the essence of Thanatos. His eyes changed to yellow and serpent-shaped. The shadows that emanated from his body grew more dense and threatening, and his body swelled, increasing in muscle mass and height. Thanatos completely possessed Moluno and thought,
This may even the odds.

Thanatos, or at least the greater part of him, departed through the gray-lit portal. Moluno had long ago made his choice, and now he was no more. It was Thanatos that would finish the work, and The Order of the Magi faced a whole new enemy.

~*~

Kasey and Myles finally gave up shouting for Nekar. They began to search the tunnels for the way out. This part of the Maze of Musterion, however, was much trickier than the puzzle Myles had solved before. He couldn’t make heads or tails out of anything and was growing increasingly frustrated. Kasey started to laugh at the expression on his face.

Myles got off the bike and looked over at her hovering alongside, those gorgeous wings just barely fluttering. As she laughed, he thought,
this woman has just transformed from really ugly to quite possibly the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.
But it seemed to him that, not only had her appearance changed, her attitude toward him was completely different also.

Kasey landed close to him. “You saved me from myself, Myles. I never thought I would say this to a man, but thank you for knocking me out.” She laughed again at that thought and asked, “By the way, is your back okay?”

Myles nodded and waved away her concern. “It’s nothing that a chiropractor back home couldn’t fix. But listen, you don’t owe me any favors.” He stepped away from her. “Besides, you’re a slave now.”

“I’ve always been a slave, Myles. I just didn’t realize it. Before now, I was a slave to my own selfish and wicked desires, but now I’m the slave of my Savior and Lord. That’s not a bad thing, you know. I feel like a heavy burden has been lifted off my shoulders.”

Suddenly Kasey doubled over. “Oh, I don’t feel so well. Something isn’t right.”

The glowing moss on the walls began to wither as if a blight had hit it. The light in the tunnel faded until only Kasey’s luminescence let them see anything.

Myles shivered. “This darkness isn’t natural. I can actually feel it pressing against me.”

“I don’t feel anything. I had that pain for a second, but it's gone now.”

Myles moved closer to Kasey. “It actually pushes it back a little, the closer I get to you.”

Kasey exclaimed, “Whatever this is, it’s coming for me. We need to go now!”

“How do you know that?”

“I just do. C’mon. It won’t be safe here for long.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.”

Myles hopped on the motorcycle and Kasey flitted alongside, rattling off directions. Myles stared at her. “Since when do you know your way through this maze? Five minutes ago we were lost and yelling for Nekar.”

“I have no clue.”

“Oh great,” muttered Myles. They both started laughing as they sped through the tunnels. The darkness seemed to be chasing them through the tunnels. Myles hoped that Kasey could find the way out before that darkness caught up with them. He could finally say that he’d had his fill of adventure and excitement. This was just too creepy for him.

Trying to distract himself from the darkness closing in on them, Myles started to think about the woman flitting alongside the motorcycle on angelic wings. He kept coming back to how beautiful she was now. She had become an elegant creature of light. Myles decided that she was now quite possibly the most attractive woman he’d ever seen.
Why do I feel so intimidated?
Myles liked the friendly quality of the transformed Kacey. Thoughts of his dream came back to him, and he couldn't help comparing Kasey to the woman in his dream.

Myles’ train of thought was broken when he looked up and saw a purple glow coming from the tunnel ahead. He also noticed that the darkness following them had disappeared.
Now what?
He didn’t bother asking Kasey what it was because he doubted she knew more than he did.
But why then,
he wondered,
did she seem to have so much purpose and direction?

The end of the tunnel suddenly opened up into a huge cavern. In the center sat a gorgeous purple dragon with light green eyes. The dragon’s scales reflected light like polished metal, and it stood at least five hundred feet tall with spikes evenly placed all over its body. Two large horns spiraled up on either side of its head, and one smaller horn grew from the center of its snout. The dragon was mostly purple except for the green flaps of skin on its wings. The iridescent colors reminded Myles of a peacock.

Distracted and staring at the creature waiting for them, Myles hit a raised brick in the newly-opened area and flew off the motorcycle. One moment Myles and the motorcycle all hurtled through the air and then they lay on the ground right in front of the dragon. Kasey was evidently still new to the whole flying thing, and when Myles had tumbled she had gotten tangled up in his impromptu "flight". They both lifted their heads and stared at the dragon. The dragon’s mouth did not move, but they suddenly heard its voice.

“I am Gabriyel. I guard the portal to Pneumatikos, and I’m also a messenger of the Master.”

This is too much!
Myles thought.
A dragon? What next, hobbits? Is any of this real?

Gabriyel answered Myles’ thoughts. “It’s all real, and you’re both in real danger. Kasey, you may pass into Pneumatikos because you belong to the Master. But Myles Callaghan, you must use a different path.”