Jake's Women (Wizards) (16 page)

I took a deep breath and hopped.

It was pitch black and the air was close to unbreathable. I heard someone crying in the darkness. I conjured light and filled the space with a gentle glow. I saw my mother and father lying down at the other end of what looked like a cave. I refreshed the air in the cave and breathed deeply. The oxygen had almost gone before I changed the carbon dioxide back to oxygen.

“Who brought you here?” I called as picked my way over the stony floor to get to them.

“Help your Dad,” Mam said urgently.

He had a nasty bump on his head and some bleeding in the brain. An easy heal by my standards. It took a couple of minutes.

“Who did this?”

“Bumped my head in the dark, son. We’ve been here for hours.” Dad sounded a little husky and I warmed the air around us. It was cold in here.

“We didn’t see them,” Mam said. “We don’t know who they are.”

Whoever they were they were going to pay. I would see to that.

“I’ll get you home. Hold my hands.”

I tried to hop us, but nothing happened. I searched the room for the magic that the Cult used. There was magic in the room all right, but it made the Cult trap look like the work of a amateur. The dense weave of magic looked impenetrable. I sank to the ground.

“Is something wrong, son?” Dad asked.

“We might be here for a little while, Dad. Let me warm the place up and create some furniture, maybe a nice cup of tea as well.”

28.
      
Problems

Dad sat down in a perfect copy of his favorite chair and gave a sigh of relief.

“I can’t tell you how good this feels, son.”

Mam was less impressed. “We haven’t had those curtains for nearly a year.”

That was the trouble with magic; copies were only as good as your memory. I changed them to another pair.

“Those are even older,” she said and sniffed. “It doesn’t smell right either.” Nevertheless she sat down on the sofa and smiled at me.

“Leave the lad alone, Mandy. He’s doing his best.”

The room was a construct inside the cave, an exact match to the living room at home, except for the curtains and a few other minor details I’d forgotten. As it was going to take some time to find a way out I wanted my parents to feel comfortable while they waited. I magicked up a pot of tea and three cups.

“If you’re going to create things, why is this my best tea set and not one from Buckingham Palace,” Mam nagging at me again.

“Because, I know your tea set and the Queen hasn’t invited me round to hers for tea.”

“Any chance of some chocolate biscuits, son?” Dad asked eagerly.

“Food is trickier than flavored drinks, Dad. I’d rather not use so much magic now.” One of the limitations of magic was that you had to know the essence of a thing to copy it exactly. I knew tea, milk and sugar because I had learnt their structures. Creating a ham sandwich would be impossible. Meat was complex and normally my magic would steal it rather than create it. With the barrier around us, that wasn’t an option.

Dad didn’t seem too fussed at the news and poured himself a cup of tea.

“Who did this to us, Jake?” Mam asked.

It was a good question and not one for which I had a good answer.

“We can rule out the Cult,” I said, thinking it out just before I said it. “They have the motive, but the magic holding me here is much more sophisticated than they can manage. They couldn’t have learned so much so quickly.”

“The Elves were your enemy a few weeks ago,” Dad chipped in.

“Not since the Conference started. In fact, all the people who were after me for going to the Conference can be ruled out.”

“You seem to have so many worlds who hate you,” Mam said.

“I have a pact with Malevon and the Valhallans, Mam. I’m getting better at inter-world politics.” I may have sounded a tad defensive.

“Who does that leave?” Dad asked.

“I think it’s the same people who made the bomb. That used sophisticated magic, just like this trap. They kidnapped a child and didn’t care who got killed along the way. You and Mam would have died from lack of oxygen if I hadn’t had a bad feeling about you and come looking.”

“And which of your remaining enemies does that fit?” Dad asked.

The Diamond Worlds hated me more than the others and it was possible they had the magical knowledge. They killed rogue wizards, but they used magic to do it. The problem was, they were obsessed with honor and chivalry while these were sneak attacks, which they would abhor. This left me with not a single viable suspect.

“None, Dad, none of them.”

Dad nodded, as if he wasn’t in the least surprised.

I used the door that should have led to the hall to get back to the cave outside. Then I put a shield across the outside of the room to protect it. Facing the wall of the cave I tried to magic a tunnel through the rock. The tunnel got about ten feet before the magic dissipated, a result of the same spell that was stopping me hopping to freedom. It seem to absorb anything magic thrown at it.

Okay, time to try a little magic, technology hybrid. I magicked up a small tunneling machine and powered the circular cutter using magic. The cutter rubbed against the stone and the blade overheated. The magic I used to make the blade super-hard faded against the shield and I lacked the knowledge to create a truly strong blade in its own right.

That was two to them and none to me.

After a couple of hours the score was thirty nil. I gave up and went inside for another cup of tea.

Dad and Mam were asleep, Mam on the sofa, Dad in his chair. I drank in silence and tried to work out a solution. The spell wrapped around us allowed magic in, but not out. It blocked the exit into hop space, probably by warping space around us so we were in a sort of separate universe, so nowhere in the multiverse was accessible, just like if I was in the Damaged Zone.

That was it
. I could enter the transition space between the multiverse and the Damaged Zone. From there I could get back into hop space and be free.

Of course, it might not work. I decided not to wake my parents until I’d tried it.

The first few times I tried it didn’t work. In the end I imagined an invisible door linked to the two realities. I walked through the door and closed it behind me. Being in motion turned out to be the key.

The cave had vanished. Looking back I could see the wavy surface above me that was Hop Space when seen from below. Below me lay the maelstrom that was the Damaged Zone. Its surface roiled like an angry sea and the waves that broke from it lost bright white energy to the space I was in. That must be why it was shrinking. It didn’t have the coherence to hold itself together and was leaking energy across its surface.

Stunned by that knowledge and the savage beauty of the slow destruction of what used to be multiple universes below I stared at the waves and something became visible just below the waves. I was so fascinated I went for a closer look.

Three human looking lizards were trying to break out of the Damaged Zone. A circle of white light illuminated the three, who held hands and were concentrating with their eyes tightly closed. Most of their energy was dissipating on the interface between the Damaged Zone and wherever I was. However, the force of their magic had created a bump in the surface of the Damaged Zone. They didn’t seem to be making any significant progress in breaking through, but the energies involved were staggering. They were like a nuclear power station relative to my car battery. It was difficult to believe such power could be held within mere flesh.

I backed away, suddenly scared that they might open their eyes and see me. The last thing I wanted was for any of them to escape. They could destroy us all. I fled away to the point where I couldn’t detect them. Then I re-entered hop space and hopped from there back to the cave.

“Wake up.” I shook my Dad and he grumbled in his sleep. “We’re going home.”

Dad woke Mam and we went out into the cave and held hands in a circle. Like the lizard men had.

“Close your eyes. We’re going somewhere else before we get home and its best you don’t see it. Now I want you to walk with me.”

I shuffled them through the imaginary door and out of the multiverse before returning us to hop space and hopping them home.

Mam and Dad opened their eyes and smiled when they saw they were back home. However, I couldn’t stay with them until I had dealt with the trap.

“I have to go do something. Won’t be long.”

“Ring your Auntie May.”

Was Mam ever going to stop going on about that? I was busy.

I gave my parents a smile as I hopped back to the cave.

Creating a ham sandwich is difficult, but bizarrely, generating an explosion is relatively easy. I converted all the atoms in the cave to plutonium and stepped out of the pocket universe before it reached critical mass.

I didn’t see the explosion, but I imagine it must have been one hell of a big one.

“Where did you go?” Dad asked when I hopped back home.

“Nowhere, Dad. Well it’s nowhere now.”

29.
      
Allied

I stumbled through the streets of Barren with a hood over my head and clothes similar to many of those on the street. Many were wearing colorful clothes and walked bareheaded. Barren was a city in flux. The city square was packed and hawkers shouted out their wares, creating a cacophony of sound.

I’d spent part of the night checking that all the immediate members of my family were safe. This included an uncomfortable few seconds in Betty’s bedroom where I found her pre-occupied with a man. He was so busy with what he was doing he didn’t notice, but Betty gave me a cheery wave.

I was tired, but determined. I was going to find out what had happened to Urda and Anna. I couldn’t stand the thought that they might be dead in a cave somewhere. That didn’t mean I was going to risk hopping to them, but a scout around Barren might put my mind at rest.

I squeezed my way through the crowd into a shop that looked like a cross between a tavern and a coffee shop.

A man wearing a goatee and a servile attitude led me to a small table.

“What does the master wish?”

“What have you?”

“The finest teas and sweetmeats from around the world. Procured from the fastest ships the moment they dock.”

“Tea and an assortment of sweetmeats, then.”

The Barren of old was far too busy getting witches and warlocks ready for their upcoming executions to bother with places as civilized as this. It was a change for the better. I stole an assortment of coins from others in the room as it was far less risky than trying to conjure up my own. Nobody would notice the odd coin missing from their purse, or so I hoped.

A large group sat around a much bigger table an arm’s length from me. One of the men, in similar garb to my own nodded at me.

“Have you come to see the Goddess?”

“I disembarked this morning and I’m still getting my land legs. I haven’t heard any news.”

He gestured to me in a friendly way.

“Come and join us friend. We are all just-met on this table.”

I dragged my stool over and others shuffled round to give me room.

“Not yet succumbed to the latest fashions, I see?” A man dressed in gaily colored clothes asked.

“It was a long voyage. Barren has changed so much in the time I was away.”

A third man wearing a full beard spoke.

“Times change. It used to be
kill the witches
. Then it became
kill those who killed them
, and finally we have reached an accommodation of sorts with our magical brethren. The sea the Goddess blessed us with has ended the desire to blame our children for our poverty. There is far too much money to be made with willing young hands helping us. Children are no longer a curse but a blessing.”

Everybody laughed and I joined in.

“And is it safe to speak your mind in these enlightened days?”

That brought another wave of laughter and the man nearest me slapped my back in a friendly sort of way. Friendly if you happened to be built like as he was.

“The Cult care not one whit what you say, provided you say nothing to disparage the Goddess. They are busy being wizards and leave us to our own devices.”

Another man disagreed. “The Sheriffs are not so forgiving. Piss on the wrong wall and they will smite you with their discipline sticks. But the Cult weeds out any who take a bribe and those that remain are just.”

“I prefer a sheriff who can be bought,” another of the group grumbled and everybody laughed. It seemed this men laughed at just about anything.

My tea and sweetmeats arrived. Sweetmeats turned out to be fancy cakes. It can be tricky with magic learned languages to know exactly what everything is. I pulled the coins I’d magicked from the patrons of the house and spilled them on the table.

“These two will suffice,” the man who invited me over said, picking them up and giving them to the server. “You should be more careful with your money, friend. You cannot trust everyone you meet.”

I thanked him and put the remaining coins in my pocket. So far, the information gathering was going well. Better than I expected, if I told the truth. After all, we were five minutes into a conversation and not one of these men had tried to kill me. That was an improvement over what I’d managed at the Conference.

“Can I trust you to help me eat these cakes? There are far too many for me.”

The men laughed again and eager hands stripped the plate of half its contents. I noted that they left me at least one of every kind of cake. That indicated a generosity of spirit I’d never seen before on this world.

“You mentioned a chance to see the Goddess?” I asked.

“They have kept her locked up for many weeks since her return. It is said they searched other worlds to find her,” the bearded man said.

“It is said that the God Jake,
cursed be his name
, subjected her to much cruelty in his realm,” another put in.

“But she has now fully recovered,” my first friend said, “And will be presented to the people in a few hours from now.”

“Where?”

“Why here,” my friend said laughing. “That is what the stage outside is set up for and why the square is so crowded for a Quarter Day, what with the market yet two days away.”

According to what I’d gleaned from the language, Barren ran a five day week, with four working quarter days and one market day. There were special days at the end of every four weeks, but I couldn’t be bothered to figure them out.

Nobody had asked me my name yet, or given me theirs. I would have to think of one, because telling them my name was Jake didn’t sound like a sensible idea.

“Is she going to make a special announcement?” I asked. Several of the men frowned.

“The Goddess is more than a mere woman. Be respectful when you mention her name.”

I needed to think fast before the fight I’d been expecting materialized.

“No disrespect was intended. Surely the Goddess considers herself a woman, albeit a special one?”

“Best be respectful to the Goddess around here,” my friend advised. “Not everybody will wait for a philosophical debate before they attack you for blasphemy.”

Having said his piece he smiled at me.

“To answer your question: We have been told the Goddess wishes us to see her today and bask in her glory. What she may say to us is not known.”

I sat back and let the others talk. The man who had called me over was called Wolf in the local language and the bearded guy was Bran. I told them my name was Cardin, which they accepted without a murmur. I had no idea where the name came from. I just made it up,

I escaped the shop when the crowd became larger, telling the men I wanted to find a good spot to see the Goddess. I hopped to a roof that seemed to be empty of people. It turned out there were a lot of people up there, many of them looking in my direction as I appeared. But their reaction was one of curiosity rather than hostility.

“Are you a member of the Cult?” the closest woman asked.

That must be it. Wizards were no longer despised here, or even seen as a threat.

“Yes, I’m here to check that there are no threats to the Goddess.”

“Who would try to hurt the Goddess?” a man asked. “The Goddess is loved by all.”

“It cannot be certain that all here are of her people,” I said quickly. You start with a little lie and it soon begins to get out of hand.

“We will help you find these traitors,” another man said, and before I knew it I had a small angry mob on my hands, looking for an infidel to kill.

I exerted mind control over all of them. It was one of the the easiest thing a wizard could do, as well as the most sickening.

“It is nothing more than a rumor. I can see everybody here loves the Goddess. I will stay here to protect her and you until the Goddess has left.”

They nodded agreement like the sheep I’d turned them into. We lined up against the low wall on the roof facing the stage, though they gave me lots of room on either side.

The procession started at the cathedral. White robes had been discarded for brighter fair and the procession looked more like a gay rights march than a religious event. The Cult wore robes with hoods, naturally. I was beginning to think they would fit right in, in a typical Welsh mall.

At the front of the procession were three Cult members holding banners on long poles. The banners showed scenes from my fight with Bronwyn and the one in the middle showed Bronwyn raising the ocean from the depths of the planet.

Behind the banner carriers were another three cloaked and hooded cultists. They looked shorter than the others and the one in the center wore a robe made of gold thread. My guess was that that one must be Bronwyn. I had a sickly feeling I might know who the other two were as well, though it made no sense.

Behind them were about a hundred acolytes in gaily colored robes. If they were all wizards they constituted an overwhelming force. But then Tydan has always been strangely rich in wizards.

The procession made its way onto the stage, with the crowd cheering then on every step of the way. Once there, the banner holders went to the front of the stage going down on one knee. The three main participants stood in a vee, with Bronwyn front and center. The rest of the procession lined up behind them, filling the stage. The audience cheering stopped to be replaced with an awed silence

Bronwyn threw back her hood in a dramatic gesture and the crowd went wild. She raised her arms in a sort of double Nazi salute and rainbows shot from her hands and high into the air where they solidified into a transparent rainbow dome. This applause set new records.

She waited for the five minutes or more it took them to quiet down.

Bronwyn spoke and she didn’t sound like a little girl, she sounded like a true leader. Her voice was magically transmitted so each of us heard her as if she was talking intimately just to us. I resolved to learn that trick, as it was cool.

“My followers: I promise to lead you into prosperity, protect you from harm and allow your children to make their future in a land that will nurture them.”

The crowd went mad again.

“Never again will you worry about crops failing and where the next bucket of water can be found. Never again will the mentally sick among us demand we sacrifice our children to make the rains fall. Never again will the majority be punished for the sins of the few. This I promise you.”

If the roof hadn’t been made of rainbows it would certainly have fallen down from the volume of the applause.

“We unite as a people against evil. An evil that might yet destroy all we have gained. Its name is Jake Morrissey, and two of its former servants now stand united with us against him. We will prevail.”

The two behind her threw back their hoods and as I suspected it was Anna and Urda. I magically scanned them for signs of silver bolts and compulsions, but they appeared to be operating of their own volition. They walked up to Bronwyn and each raised one of her arms so again she was again doing the double salute. The sky rained petals of flowers and the crowd became ecstatic.

I must admit however, to feeling a little less than pleased. I was the good guy, wasn’t I?